iStock/Thinkstock(SAN DIEGO) -- A teenage boy attacked by a shark near San Diego had to be airlifted to a hospital on Saturday morning, according to the City of Encinitas Marine Safety Department. The teen suffered traumatic injuries to the upper torso and was listed in critical condition, officials said. The 13-year-old boy was up early on Saturday morning catching lobsters on Beacons beach in Leucadia, just north of San Diego, for the first day of lobster season when he was attacked by the shark, Larry Giles, marine safety captain for the department, said during a press conference. The teen was in water about 9 feet deep around 150 to 200 yards away from the beach, according to Giles. Three good Samaritans nearby an off-duty Oceanside police department officer, an off-duty California state park lifeguard and a friend of theirs saw the attack and were able to bring the boy back to the beach on a kayak, where they called 911, Giles said. When the bystanders got there, he was conscious, he was above water and he was talking all the way while he was being transported, Giles said. The shark was seen in the water by the bystanders ... it was in the 11-foot range, he added. Giles said that Encinitas lifeguards responded to the scene relatively quickly as they were set to go on duty around that time, and immediately began providing basic life support. They were quickly joined by fire department and paramedics. The boy was airlifted to a local trauma center. His family asked officials not to identify the child, but provided the hospital with a photo of the boy to distribute to media outlets. After the boy was taken away, lifeguards began warning other people on the beach about the incident. The No. 1 concern was public safety; there were multiple other divers in the area, Giles said, noting that authorities got people out of the water as soon as they could. Since the incident, there hasnt been any shark activity, according to Giles. However, he said that as a precaution, area beaches are closed for 48 hours and theyre asking people not to go into the water until its deemed safe. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. It is common for companies to organize various informal events where workers can come with their partners. One of those... Egypt is set to start on Monday the largest health campaign under the directive of the Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, which aims to eradicate hepatitis C across the nation as part of the administrations strategic 2020 plan. In a press conference held on Sunday by Minister of Health Hala Zayed, the first phase of the "100 million healthy lives" campaign is expected to be launched on Monday in nine Egyptian governorates. The campaign also aims to stymie the growth of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity, which are responsible for 70 percent of all deaths in Egypt, according to Zayed. The first of the campaigns three phases will last for two months, from 1 October until 30 November 30. According to 2015 statistics, some 15 million Egyptians out of then population of 91 million carry hepatitis C, or around 22 percent of the population. Over the past three years, Egypt has been successful in the intensive use of a variety of new medications to combat hepatitis C. In 2016, The health ministry achieved a 96 percent cure rate of the disease nationwide. The ministry has vowed to completely eliminate the disease in Egypt by 2021. The WHO has praised Egypt's efforts to combat the virus, including government subsidies for new treatments. The cost Amr Al-Shalaqani, a World Bank representative, said on Sunday that the bank supports El-Sisis initiative and has invested a total of $133 million for general screenings as well as $129 million for treatment of the hepatitis virus in the first phase. Al-Shalaqani said in a press conference on Sunday that the initiative is being monitored by many countries and the results and lessons from the experiment will be transferred to other countries. Free treatment The health minister explained that the initiative aims to examine between 45 and 52 million citizens. The medical examination will be conducted on 17 million citizens who are 18 and older in the first stage. She then added that infected patients will be treated for free until they are completely recovered. The second phase will start in December 2018 and continue until February 2019 in 11 governorates, while the third will include seven provinces and take place between March and April 2019. "There is a rapid detection company that provided us with trainees from South Africa and awareness campaigns that weve implemented, including public radio. There will also be a call centre number where people can dial 15335 to talk about the initiative," said Zayed. More on the campaign The minister added that the first phase will begin in nine governorates, including South Sinai, Marsa Matrouh, Beheira, Alexandria, and other governorates. The second phase will examine 11 governorates including Cairo, North Sinai, Ismailia, Red Sea, Kafr El-Sheikh, Menoufiya, Beni Suef, Sohag and Aswan. The third phase will include Giza, New Valley, Sharqiya, Minya and Qena. The health minister said that there will be a special uniform issued for doctors and specialists working on this initiative, and that every citizen will be issued a card with his/her data, weight, and height. The information and data on patients are all from the information of the National Elections Commission and the Ministry of Planning and are fully secured. Search Keywords: Short link: Vikram Sharma By Express News Service HYDERABAD: Searches conducted by the Income Tax department at the residence of Congress leader A Revanth Reddy, which led to a political furore, appears to have ended in a damp squib, at least for now, though it did end up raising the political temperature in the already charged up political scenario in the run-up to elections. Nearly 50 hours after the searches, all that the I-T sleuths could lay their hands was on this -- bank details of Rs one crore bank deposits, at different intervals, by Revanth Reddys wife besides the Rs1.4 crore cash found at the residence of KL Sridhar Reddy, who happens to be a business partner in some of the firms of Revanth Reddys brother. Unless the taxmen get conclusive evidence of Revanth Reddys alleged foreign bank accounts in Hong Kong and Malaysia, the IT operation on the working president of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee, has hit a dead end for now what with questions being raised over whether, before launching Operation Revanth Reddy, the I-T sleuths did a proper home work or not. Describing the findings of the I-T searches as not even peanuts, highly placed sources in the I-T department told Express that while the cash deposits by Revanths wife and seizure of `1.4 crore from Sridhar Reddy was just insufficient to make a strong case though they could still seek an explanation about the source of this money, it all depends whether the department is able to get hold of details of Revanth Reddys alleged foreign bank accounts. The I-T department can write to the foreign banks but that has to go through the Foreign Tax and Tax Research division of the Union Finance Ministry. The request has to go from the Government of India to the governments of those countries and this correspondence takes its own sweet time. When we confronted Revanth Reddy, he denied holding any bank accounts overseas and asked us to have it verified immediately. So unless there is conclusive evidence of foreign accounts, it is a weak case so far. However, we have taken hard disks and other material from the house and let us see if we come across anything, sources said. When asked whether the I-T department failed to do proper homework before conducting searches -- something that is normally done before commencing a search, a senior official just chose to say that we could have done better. Interestingly, all through Revanth Reddy had been only parroting one line when taxmen asked him about the cash for vote case, which was It is a fake case. He did not say a word more. Tax sleuths demand explanation by October 3The I-T sleuths have asked the ex-Kodangal MLA to provide explanation to some of their queries by October 3. One of them pertains to the cash deposits of `1 crore by his wife besides his links with Sridhar Reddy and some queries about his alleged bank accounts overseas. The sleuths have already questioned Revanth and his wife. On the whole, the searches went on for 47 hours, which included 14 other locations. The searches concluded early Saturday morning. As the I-T officials left his residence, Revanth came out smiling and greeted his supporters even as a large contingent of policemen were deployed outside his Banjara Hills residence. Prasanta Mazumdar By GUWAHATI: A retired junior commissioned officer of the Army, aspiring to enroll his son in the service, is facing a predicament after the father-son duo was told they are not Indian citizens. Elias Haque, 17, is a student of the Rashtriya Indian Military College in Dehradun. The dream of his father, Azmal Haque, to see his son pass out from the school and join the National Defence Academy is, perhaps, a step away. Destiny, however, is playing spoilsport and so is the government. I want him to become a soldier and serve the nation. Not many get the chance of studying at the Rashtriya Indian Military College, Azmal says proudly. Azmal and his two children were among more than 40 lakh people left out of Assams NRC. He is now pinning hopes on the Supreme Court. He and seven others, including a retired Army man who had fought in the Kargil War, jointly moved the apex court in the first week of September. The court has fixed a hearing on October 19. Hailing from Kalahikash village in Kamrup (rural) district in Assam, Azmal joined the Army in 1986 and retired in 2016. During his life in the Army, he had guarded the border with Pakistan in Punjab.The NRC is a bogus exercise. The citizenship documents were not properly scrutinised as the NRC officials acted as per their whims and fancies. There are lakhs of families where some members made it to the list and some did not. How can one brother be a foreigner and another brother an Indian? Azmal asks. Mohd. Sanaullah, also of the same village, is a retired honourary captain of the Indian Army who had guarded the India-Pakistan border in Kashmir. He too missed the NRC bus along with his wife and three children. What is worse for him is he has been served a notice by a foreigners tribunal on the suspicion that he is an illegal immigrant. He now will have to prove his citizenship there, too. He is critical of the move by NRC authorities to drop five List-A documents NRC of 1951, pre-1971 voters lists, citizenship certificate, refugee registration certificate and ration cards from NRC modalities. Who on earth in 1950s and 1960s knew he or she would require certain documents of that era to prove he or she is an Indian 60 to 70 years later? The NRC authorities are worried about losing credibility as only an insignificant number of people will be left out after the claims and objections process, Sanaullah says. NEW DELHI/LUCKNOW/MUMBAI: It is not often that a judge overturns his fathers verdict twice, especially if the predecessor happens to be a former Chief Justice of India. But, the legal fraternity is not surprised with Justice DY Chandrachud, given his reputation of speaking his mind and of taking a progressive stand on issues of national import. His dissenting opinions in some recent cases and his way of questioning lawyers have earned Justice Chandrachud the moniker of A judge with dissent.He appears to be much under the influence of the western philosophy and the liberal thought prevailing in advanced countries. Probably his education in Harvard may have to do with his love for liberal thought, said a senior journalist in Mumbai who covered the Bombay High Court where Justice Chandrachud started his career as a judge in 2000.The senior journalist said Justice Chandrachud does not confine himself to mere technicalities of the law but keeps the larger perspective in mind. This facet was reflected in his judgment in the Bhima-Koregaon case on Friday, when Justice Chandrachud did not agree with the majority verdict of the three-judge bench headed by CJI Dipak Misra.The institutional role of this court as a constitutional adjudicator should brook no technicalities which obstruct the cause of justice. When a group of citizens has moved this Court with an impassioned plea about the violation of human rights in the present case no less than five distinguished citizens with a track record of service to the nation have done so the court must look beyond locus into the heart of the matter, he wrote in his dissenting judgment. The 58-year-old apex court judge even disagreed with his fathers (late Chief Justice YV Chandrachud) view that the right to liberty could be suspended in exigencies such as the Emergency.Justice Chandrachud has the ability to express his thoughts in a straightforward yet refined manner, which is what is making him different from others. The minority view today can become majority in the future, Supreme Court lawyer K V Dhananjay said, adding that Justice Chandrachud is polite, humble and a patient listener. Prior to his appointment in the Supreme Court, Justice Chandrachud was the Chief Justice at the Allahabad High Court.Advocates in Allahabad who worked with Justice Chandrachud vouched for his professional approach, humble nature and his scholarly knowledge of law. His orders used to be elaborate, inclusive and well-composed as a piece of legal document, leaving no room for queries and contradictions, they said. Justice Chandrachud is a law scholar with a modern outlook. He gave some landmark judgments as the Chief Justice. In fact, the then Akhilesh Yadav government found it difficult to function as it was restricted by Justice Chandrachud at every wrong step it took, advocate Shashank Mishra of the Allahabad High Court said. His polite and humble nature masks a toughness within, said Mishra. This lesser known aspect of Justice Chandrachuds character came to the fore in 2014 in Lucknow, when judicial trainee officials were involved in a drunken brawl. Justice Chandrachud called a full court where he condemned their (trainee judges) conduct. He felt the trainee judges conducted themselves that was unbecoming of their position. He sacked then for failing to uphold the dignity of the public office they were holding, Mishra said. Justice Chandrachud has also not shied away from clashing with the executive if he felt that there was something amiss. In 2015, there was a row over the appointment of the Lokayukta as Justice Chandrachud stood firm in the way of the appointment of Justice (retd) Ravindra Singh, who was recommended by the then Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Mishra said.Justice Chandrachud rejected the appointment because of the retired judges links with the first family of the Samajwadi Party. The same year, the judge was at variance again with the Akhilesh Government, this time over the appointment of Anil Kumar Yadav as the Chairman of UP Public Service Commission. A division bench headed by Justice Chandrachud quashed the appointment of Yadav, a murder accused. It was a rude jolt to the then Akhilesh Yadav-led government, said Rajesh Pandey, the then standing counsel and practising advocate.Justice Chandrachud is in line to become the Chief Justice of India in 2022. If he assumes the highest judicial post, it will be the first time that a father and a son have that privilege. Manoj Kumar Sonthalia By Religion can clash with law, faith need not. It is natural for an old civilisation like India to have old practices revered by the faithful. Justice is best when it recognises that there is no offence in the logic of the faithful being at variance with the logic of the rationalist. In the case of the Sabarimala deity, the faithful have strong arguments in their favour. By choosing not to accept these, the Supreme Court trod a path it need not have. As irony would have it, devotees have already rejected the judgment allowing unrestricted entry of women to the holy steps. Ground level reports suggest that women devotees, as distinct from women activists, will not trek to the hilltop because they believe it would destroy the raison detre of the celibate Lord and the rituals thereof. WATCH | Sabarimala Verdict: SC permits women's entry inside temple That article of faith is the crux of the matter. The debate was wrongly pegged on the taboo attached to menstruality of women. That, of course, needs to be thrown out. The issue before the court was related to Ayyappas celibacy. The Sabarimala Ayyappa is a Naishtika Brahmachari practising the severest form of celibacy. In that state, he is restricted from being in the presence of women. There are other Ayyappa temples where he is not in the Brahmachari form and there are no restrictions on women in those temples. The restrictions in Sabarimala are more on Ayyappa than on women and they are self-imposed because he does not want his penance to be disturbed. Those below 10 years are children and those above 50 are motherly, hence the age limitations; they have nothing to do with womanly periods. The majority view as enunciated by Justice Chandrachud got it wrong when it linked the exclusion of women with the menstrual status and called it a form of untouchability. What the court also failed to recognise is that it is not a general exclusion; it is specific to Sabarimala and unrelated to periods. READ | Even men have welcomed Sabarimala judgment: Mallikarjun Kharge Of course, these are matters of faith and modernists are within their right to dismiss them as mumbo jumbo. But it would be an invitation to constitutional complications if the judiciary were to dismiss matters of faith in response to the sentiments of rights activists. Nor can it ignore the counter argument raised by the dissenting judge that judicial review of religious practices.... would negate the freedom to practice ones religion according to ones faith and beliefs. It is unfortunate that the Supreme Court ignored the importance of faith in a 5,000-year-old society and delivered a judgment that toppled a revered tradition based on the very concept of the deity concerned. This issue was not about morality, equal rights or emancipation but about a traditional ritual that wasnt harmful to society as such. Therefore, it should not be mixed up with repressive practices such as Sati and widow abandonment. Those were social evils which needed to be abolished. Sabarimala is a nuanced story about a God, with freedom to follow or not follow. Why demolish a ritual based on belief? READ | Verdict unfortunate, against ongoing temple customs, say stakeholders There is a danger that this judgment may be the beginning of a new age of faith-denouncing and faith-asserting litigations. Justice Indu Malhotra herself noted that if courts begin to get into an area that is best avoided, they will surely open the floodgates for every belief of every religion to be questioned even by non-believers. Are the courts prepared for such an avalanche? Is the nation? It will be a precarious path that could impact the social order itself. If and when a review petition comes up, the honourable court will have a chance to take these possibilities also into account. India is different from modern democracies of the West. Our society is different. We ignore such realities at our peril. Ramananda Sengupta By NEW DELHI: The rise of China and India and the love-hate relationship between them has led to dramatic changes not just in the neighbourhood, but in Africa and Central Asia as well.These changes have become more pronounced over the last two decades, as the two nations compete not just for resources, but for regional and global economic, military and strategic influence. China, which is several times ahead of India economically and in most parameters of strategic might, has rushed to leverage its growing clout in both these spheres. President Xi Jinpings signature Belt and Road Initiative aims to weave most of Central and West Asia as well the Indian Ocean states into a Chinese tapestry. And by offering massive loans infrastructural aid and weapons to its immediate neighbours as well as several African and central Asian states, it hopes to lock them in its sphere of influence. Beijing also has a military base in faraway Djibouti, and its brazen use of military muscle in the South China Sea has led to several clashes over territorial and sovereign rights with smaller states, which are forced to either fall in line or seek strategic alliances with the US and its allies.In what was perhaps his first public statement on China after taking over as foreign secretary in late January, Foreign Secretary Vijay Keshav Gokhale said that Chinas infrastructure projects in South Asia were a source of constant concern for India. India, aware that it is no match for China economically, has been depending on goodwill and cultural soft power as force multipliers. It has also stepped up infrastructural aid to several nations like Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. But the results have been mixed, with many ambitious initiatives like SAARC and BIMSTEC failing to deliver. Addressing a 12-member Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs hearing February 16, Gokhale, who was Indias ambassador to China from January 2016 to October 2017, said that India was also offering assistance to its neighbours in building infrastructure projects which will hopefully also be able to reduce the dependency on China in terms of infrastructure requirement, but .We have to acknowledge that at this point, the capacity of the Chinese to build those projects is far greater than our capacity, both financially and technically and this has been a constant concern of the government. We are continuously looking at how we address that concern.But Chinas aggressive drive may have backfired to an extent, with many nations becoming wary of falling into a Chinese debt trap. Perhaps in order to assuage concerns over Chinas intentions, Beijing has proposed a 2+1 dialogue involving China and India on one side and smaller neighbours like Nepal and the Maldives on the other. While this has not been fleshed out yet, India worries that it might eventually be extended to include Pakistan as well. The regions security architecture too has changed dramatically, both in the Indo-Pacific and the Indian Ocean Region with the PLA facing off against the US and other nations in the region. India has aggressively ramped up its multilateral engagements and military exercises, and the informal summits with President Putin in Russia and Xi in Wuhan, and the 2+2 dialogue with the US are all attempts at retaining some strategic autonomy, as an official put it. Then of course there are smaller nations which are trying to play Beijing and Delhi against each other in an attempt to secure a better deal. For the moment, however, Indias aim, as Gokhale put it, was to promote its worldview which is essentially centred on the concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, and to ensure that it does not fall between two stools. By AFP COLOMBO: Former Maldives president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was released from jail Sunday, a week after his estranged half-brother suffered a shock electoral defeat, raising hopes that other high profile political prisoners could soon have their convictions overturned. Gayoom, 80, and his legislator son Faris Maumoon, were released on bail by the High Court in Male, a week after strongman Abdulla Yameen's spectacular loss at the polls in the Indian Ocean archipelago nation. Gayoom's daughter Dunya, a former foreign minister, welcomed the release and said she hoped the sentences of other dissidents, including another former leader, Mohamed Nasheed, would soon be withdrawn. "These are all politically-motivated convictions and I hope they too will be overturned soon, allowing... Nasheed to return home," Maumoon told AFP by telephone from Male as Gayoom returned home. Nasheed, the country's first democratically-elected president, was convicted on a terrorism charge and sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2015. He obtained prison leave in 2016 and travelled to London for medical treatment and has remained abroad since. Nasheed was barred from contesting the September 23 presidential election because of his conviction which the United Nations said was a travesty of justice. Former foes Nasheed and Gayoom both backed Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to challenge Yameen, who had locked up all his key political opponents or forced them to flee the country. Sunday's release followed appeals from President-elect Solih, who urged Yameen to free all political prisoners in the tourist paradise atoll nation after his stunning victory last week. Gayoom had ruled the nation of 340,000 Sunni Muslims for 30 straight years till he was defeated by Nasheed at the country's first multi-party elections in 2008. Bitter brothers He supported Yameen against Nasheed in a controversial run-off election in 2013 although the half-brothers later fell out and became bitter foes. Gayoom was arrested in February along with the country's Chief Justice and another Supreme Court judge on a charge of attempting to topple Yameen. He declared a 45-day state of emergency to block impeachment. Gayoom was serving a 19-month jail term for obstruction of justice and was also under trial on a "terrorism" charge when the High Court ordered his release. The ex-leader had bail set at 60,000 rufiyaa ($3,900) and his son Faris at 40,000 rufiyaa, and they were ordered not to travel abroad without the court's permission. Another high profile Maldivian dissident, Qasim Ibrahim, was also granted bail. He, however, is not in the Maldives. He had obtained prison leave for medical treatment and has remained in Europe. Almost all key opposition leaders and a number of ruling party dissidents had either been jailed or gone into exile in recent years under Yameen who relied heavily on China for political and financial support. Soon after his defeat, Yameen freed five other political prisoners but was delaying the release of his half-brother who could have made a claim to the leadership of his PPM party. Yameen secured the leadership of the party on Friday. His five-year term as president will come to an end on November 17 when Solih is due to be sworn in. By Online Desk A Pakistani bureaucrat who was caught on camera on Friday, while stealing a Kuwaiti delegate's wallet has been suspended. Zarrar Haider Khan, who is the joint secretary of the Ministry of Industries and Production and a BS-20 officer of the elite Pakistan Administrative Service cadre, has reportedly been suspended from service on disciplinary grounds, according to a Dawn.com report. The incident took place when a delegation from Kuwait was on a visit to Pakistan for a joint ministerial commission meet. In the six-second leaked video clip, the official is seen lifting the wallet from the table and putting it in his own pocket after the Kuwaiti delegates and other officials leave the hall after the meeting. The issue came to light when one of the members of the Kuwaiti delegation complained about his missing wallet. A thorough search was conducted in the ministry along with an interrogation of all the employees. Even the lower-grade officials were questioned as well as physically searched, but nothing was found. Later, on examining the CCTV footage, it was found that the theft was committed by the senior official. The video, posted on Twitter by Pakistan-based journalist Omar R Quraishi, has gone viral with more than 1,100 retweets and 1,700 likes. Grade 20 GoP officer stealing a Kuwaiti official's wallet - the official was part of a visiting delegation which had come to meet the PM pic.twitter.com/axODYL3SaZ omar r quraishi (@omar_quraishi) September 28, 2018 The officer initially denied any involvement but produced the wallet after he was shown the footage. When the Kuwaiti officials were informed of the recovery of his wallet, the delegation asked the authorities to provide them with the identification of the culprit. The Pakistani officials initially showed reluctance and assured the guests that legal action against the person. The sources, according to local media, said it was on the insistence of the angry delegates that Pakistani officials revealed the individual's identity and shared the CCTV footage. There is no complaint registered with the police so far. Ministry Sources have said that an internal inquiry will be initiated against the bureaucrat and further action will be taken. By PTI BEIJING: In a first, China has successfully tested three types of scaled-down hypersonic aircraft models together whose speed will be adjustable for a precision strike towards an unstoppable nuclear-capable weapon, the state media reported on Sunday. Tests of the three scaled-down models of the "wide-speed-range vehicles", which can fly at from hypersonic velocity to lower than the speed of sound, were carried out on September 21 at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China, the state broadcaster CCTV reported. In the news footage, three models representing differently shaped designs, code named D18-1S, D18-2S and D18-3S were lifted and then dropped from a balloon. Another media report said that the speed of the hypersonic aircraft will be adjustable. This was China's first test of this type of hypersonic aircraft whose speed will be adjustable for a precision strike towards an unstoppable nuclear-capable weapon, the Hong Kong based South China Morning Post reported. Last month, Chinese scientists conducted their first experimental flight of a hypersonic glider named Starry Sky 2 that was launched by rocket and then flew on its own shock wave at Mach 6 (six times the speed of sound, or 7,344km/h). Once fully developed, its sheer speed would be capable of penetrating any anti-missile defence system currently available, the report said. "Their technologies can be inter-complementary. They can be combined together and make a hypersonic missile," Hong Kong-based military commentator Song Zhongping told the Post. Researchers measured the respective aerodynamic features of three different design shapes, and recorded their processes of falling, accelerating, breaking the sonic barrier, aerodynamic rebound, parachute opening, landing and retrieving, while collecting data, the CCTV report said. It was to compare and choose from the three designs, said Song, adding that there will be further wind tunnel tests with larger or real-size models before finalising the aerodynamic configuration of the vehicle. China, whose defence budget this year amounted to USD 175 billion, is investing heavily in defence research and development to catch-up with the US, Russia and the European Union. China has been testing hypersonic glide vehicles since 2014. The United States and Russia have been carrying out similar experiments. By PTI UNITED NATIONS: India Sunday strongly hit back at Pakistan for the "preposterous allegation" its Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi made at the UN that terrorists behind the 2014 attack on a Peshawar school were "supported" by India, saying the "despicable insinuation" dishonours the memory of the children killed in the assault. Indian diplomat from the country's Permanent Mission to the UN, Eenam Gambhir, exercised India's Right of Reply and rejected Qureshi's baseless allegation made during his General Assembly address last night. "Among the most outrageous was the preposterous allegation relating to the horrific terror attack on a Peshawar school four years ago," Gambhir said. She reminded the new Pakistan government under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, that there was an outpouring of sorrow and pain in India following the massacre of children in 2014. She said both Houses of India's Parliament had expressed solidarity while paying respects to those killed. "Schools all over India had observed two minutes of silence in their memory. The despicable insinuation made by the foreign minister of Pakistan dishonours the memory of the innocent lives lost to terrorists that day," Gambhir said. She said the allegation was a "desperate attempt" to look away from the monster of terror Pakistan has created in its quest to destabilise its neighbours and covet their territory. Qureshi had said that Pakistan will never forget the mass murder of more than 150 children in the Peshawar school, the Mastung attack and many others that "have links with terrorists supported by India." The Peshawar attack was carried out by heavily-armed 8-10 Taliban suicide bombers who stormed the army-run school and took several hostages. The attackers wearing paramilitary Frontier Corps uniforms had entered the school and started indiscriminate firing. Gambhir also took a dig at Qureshi's emphasis on a "new Pakistan" under Khan, saying while the Indian delegation had come to listen to Pakistan's "new" foreign minister outline the vision of a new Pakistan, "what we heard is a 'New Pakistan' cast in the mold of old. "Gambhir tore into Pakistan's claim that it has turned the tide against terrorism, saying a fact-check of this claim will give a different picture. She asked if Pakistan can deny the fact that it is the "host and patron" of 132 of the UN-designated terrorists and 22 terrorist entities listed under the UN Security Council Sanctions regimes. "Will Pakistan deny that the UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed enjoys a free run inside Pakistan and spews venom and sets up candidates for electoral offices," she said. With Qureshi again raking up the Kashmir issue, Gambhir asserted that India is making it clear to the "new government" of Pakistan that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir is and will remain an integral part of India. India also ripped through efforts of the 'New Pakistan' to champion human rights. "This is vintage verbal duplicity," Gambhir said, citing the example of Princeton economic professor Atif Mian. The economist was appointed and removed by Khan's government from the Economic Advisory Council on the grounds that he belongs to a minority. Mian is an Ahmadi, a religious minority of Pakistan. "Before preaching to the world, championing of human rights should begin at home," Gambhir said. She said a report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Kashmir, which Qureshi mentioned and welcomed in his speech, is a publication that no UN member-state had asked for or supported and on which no action was taken. India lambasted Pakistan's assertion that New Delhi had called off the proposed foreign minister-level talks on flimsy grounds. "The new foreign minister of Pakistan chose to term the gruesome killing of our security personnel by Pakistani-sponsored terrorists as 'flimsy grounds'," she said. She said Qureshi's speech was made up of "fake allegations and fake facts" which can only make for a "fake vision." Qureshi had said Pakistan desires a relationship with India based on sovereign equality and mutual respect and sought resolution of disputes through a serious and comprehensive dialogue that covers all issues of concern. He said Pakistan was to meet on the sidelines of this UNGA Session to talk about all issues with India but New Delhi called off the dialogue for the third time on flimsy grounds. "They preferred politics over peace," he had said. India had called off the meeting, citing the brutal killings of three policemen in Jammu and Kashmir and after Islamabad released postage stamps glorifying Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani. "For a new vision to materialise, Pakistan must demonstrate that it has moved beyond a narrative of deception, deceit and distortion," Gambhir said. Exercising its Right of Reply, Pakistan said the claims of religious superiority are perpetrated through state patronage all across India. The Pakistani representative made a reference to Farook Ahmad Dar, saying he was tied to an army vehicle and used as a human shield in the Valley. He said members from India's minority communities are publicly lynched at the hands of Hindu zealots. He said Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally-recognised dispute and the UN has called for holding of a impartial plebiscite to ascertain the wishes of the Kashmiri people. He said Jammu and Kashmir is not a part of India, adding, "India cannot hide behind semantics anymore." By Agencies MUZAFFARABAD: The prime minister of Pakistan-held Kashmir said on Sunday his helicopter came under Indian fire while flying close to the highly militarised Line of Control (LoC) but he escaped unhurt. The incident happened in Havaily district in Poonch sector while Raja Farooq Haider was on his way to a nearby village to give condolences to the family of a local politician who had died. "My helicopter had not even committed any violation and was flying well within our side of the LoC when Indian troops opened fire," Haider said in a statement from Islamabad. Raja Arshad, a senior local administration official in Havaily, confirmed the incident and said Haider was unhurt and there was no damage to the helicopter. Coming a day after Indian and Pakistani Foreign Ministers exchanged barbs at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the Pakistani chopper today violated Indian airspace along the LoC and retreated after being engaged by small arms fire by the Army, as seen in a video tweeted out by ANI. #WATCH A Pakistani helicopter violated Indian airspace in Poonch sector of #JammuAndKashmir pic.twitter.com/O4QHxCf7CR ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2018 Defence sources told TNIE that after detecting the enemy chopper, Indian Army men at forward locations fired from small arms towards the chopper. Sources said the locals also saw the white coloured Pakistani chopper flying over the area before making the retreat. The LoC serves as a de facto border dividing the contested Himalayan region between India and Pakistan. As per norms recognised by India and Pakistan, the helicopters of the two sides are not supposed to come within one kilometre of the LoC while the fixed-wing aircraft cannot fly within 10 km of the LoC. The incident comes after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's statement in the UN General Assembly yesterday, where she said Pakistan's commitment to terrorism as an instrument of official policy has not abated one bit. There has been a surge of shelling along the LoC in recent months as tensions between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan rose. The two countries have been in dispute over Kashmir since independence from Britain in 1947, and fought two of their three wars over the territory. New Delhi has long accused Islamabad of supporting militant groups waging an insurgency in Kashmir. Pakistan denies the accusation, calling the uprising in Kashmir an indigenous freedom struggle. This month, India blamed postage stamps released by Pakistan depicting Kashmiri freedom struggle as part of its reason for cancelling rare talks between the neighbours in New York. (With inputs from Express News Sevice, AFP and PTI) A criminal court has sentenced a former Suez governorate official to three years in prison for soliciting bribes in a case that dates back to September 2017. The court sentenced Ali Mahmoud, the former general-secretary of Suez governorate, for offering businessmen secret information in exchange for a bribe. According to the prosecution, Mahmoud asked for EGP 100,000 and a Rolex watch in exchange for revealing the estimated value of a tender for government land valued at EGP 188 million. Another defendant in the case has been sentenced in absentia to three years in prison. The two businessmen from whom Mahmoud solicited the bribe reported the crime to authorities and testified against him in the case. Search Keywords: Short link: Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. For almost 50 years undergraduates at the University of Illinois have gone underground to visit their library, an icon that even inspired a campus song. One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021 A Cairo criminal court has added new charges against 13 defendants accused of involvement in violence against protesters in front of the Muslim Brotherhood office in Cairo in 2013. The prosecution is accusing the Brotherhood's supreme guide Mohamed Badie, his deputy Khairat El-Shater and seven other defendants of inciting assaults on protesters in return for money or Hajj visas. The defendants are also accused of supplying the attackers with weapons. The prosecution also is accusing two other defendants of beating and injuring 74 of the protesters who had gathered outside the Brotherhood office on 30 June and 1 July 2013 for demonstrations against then-president Mohamed Morsi. The court has postponed the trial until 7 October to hear arguments by the defence team. Search Keywords: Short link: Myanmar will grant tourist visas upon arrival to Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport holders from October 1, the Immigration Department announced today. Hong Kong tourists can stay in the country for up to 30 days. They may apply for the tourist visa upon arrival at Yangon, Mandalay or Nay Pyi Taw international airports. This brings the number of countries or territories that grant visa-free access or visa-on-arrival to HKSAR passport holders to 163. Those wishing to visit the country are advised to consult the Consulate General of Myanmar in Hong Kong. Despite limited outlays for capital projects from Treasury, Government is plowing ahead with the construction of three key dams Gwayi-Shangani Dam (Matabeleland North), Sengwa (Mashonaland Central) and Marowanyati Dam (Manicaland) with the latter project, which is now 78 percent complete, expected to begin impounding water in the current rain season. Further, the construction of a 10,5-kilometre access road to Tugwi-Mukosi Dam is now 98 percent complete. Most of these key infrastructure development projects are being bankrolled through Governments Public Sector Investment Project (PSIP). The new political administration, which is pushing a predominantly agro-centric economic growth plan, envisages that the construction of new water bodies will help food-insecure communities through providing water for irrigation and fish from Command Fisheries. Presently, there is a deliberate effort to move from rain-fed agriculture to irrigation. Electricity will also be generated from some of the projects. Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) corporate communications and marketing manager Mrs Marjorie Munyonga told The Sunday Mail last week that work is still ongoing at the dam sites. Work is also progressing quite well at Marowanyati Dam in Buhera. The $33 million dam, which is now at an advanced stage of completion, is set to impound water in the upcoming rainy season. The dam is now 78 percent complete. When complete, Marowanyati Dam is expected to provide water for domestic needs for the expanding Murambinda Growth Point. It is also set to provide water for Dorowa Mine and irrigation water for surrounding communities, said Mrs Munyonga. Ongoing work at the dam includes the backfilling of the upstream of the river section of the dams embankment and right bank, grouting of the right bank core trench and excavations of spillways. Testing of the earth fill for compliance with set specifications is also under way, she said. Dorowa Mine produces phosphate, which is used in the manufacture of fertiliser. With a storage capacity of 50 million litres, Marowanyati Dam has the capacity to supply water for domestic and industrial use, including irrigating 3 650 hectares. Overall, Government plans to put 200 hectares of land under irrigation in all the countrys 63 districts (12 600 hectares). Gwayi-Shangani Dam According to Mrs Munyonga, significant progress has also been recorded in the construction of Gwayi-Shangani Dam, which is now 33 percent complete. Upon completion, it will become the third-largest inland water body in Zimbabwe after Tugwi-Mukosi and Mutirikwi. The dam has the capacity to generate six megawatts (MW) of power and is part of the National Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project and is being constructed at a cost of $121,7 million. The dam will provide irrigation water for surrounding communities and is also aimed at addressing Bulawayos perennial water shortages. Ongoing works at the project include blasting of holes at the outlets excavations, removal of blasted material and the crushing of concrete aggregates of different sizes for use in the construction. Also in progress is the marking of the dam basins reservation areas. The identification of sites for the installation of gauging stations on both the upstream and downstream of the river is now complete, she said. During his visit to Matabeleland North on April 27 last year, President Mnangagwa indicated that Government is targeting to complete the dam by next year. Sunday Mail Install the Newser News app in two easy steps: 1. Tap in your navigation bar. 2. Tap to Add to Home Screen. (Newser) Sarah Palin's eldest son is in trouble with the law again: Fox News reports that Track Palin was arrested on Friday night after Alaska state troopers responded to his home after getting a call about a disturbance. Troopers say that Palin assaulted an acquaintance, and that "when the acquaintance attempted to call authorities, he prevented her by taking away her phone." He faces charges including fourth-degree assault, interfering with the report of a domestic violence crime, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest, to which KTUU reports that he pleaded "not guilty, for sure" at a court appearance on Saturday. In happier news for the Palin clan, Us reports that Willow Palin married Ricky Bailey on Saturday. The former governor posted photos of the event to Instagram. (Read more Track Palin stories.) (Newser) Saturday Night Live opened its 44th season with no shortage of material by the way of Brett Kavanaugh's hearings Thursday, Kanye West and his name change, and Pete Davidson's engagement over the summer to Ariana Grande. A lengthy cold open reimagined the Kavanaugh hearings, with Matt Damon as the blustery Supreme Court nominee and a guest appearance by Rachel Dratch. But EW notes that the rest of the Adam Driver-hosted season premiere failed to maintain that energy, calling it "lackluster." Kavanaugh was also a hot topic on Weekend Update, with Kate McKinnon appearing as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and Michael Che suggesting that the Senate GOP "just pick another dude from your Illuminati lizard meetings." West, er, Ye, meanwhile, drew jeers when he went on a pro-President Trump rant, reports the New York Post. (Read more Saturday Night Live stories.) (Newser) Rescue officials feared the full scale of Indonesia's earthquake and tsunami could climb far past the more than 800 already confirmed dead, reports the AP, as several large coastal towns remained cut off Sunday by damaged roads and downed communications. The country's disaster agency said the death toll more than doubled to 832, and nearly all of those were from the hard-hit city of Palu on the island of Sulawesi. The regencies of Donggala, Sigi, and Parigi Moutongwith combined populations of 1.2 millionhad yet to be fully assessed. A mass burial will be held Sunday for health reasons. Bodies covered in blue and yellow tarps lined the streets of Palu, while rescuers dug through rubble in the hopes of finding survivors from the twin disasters that struck Friday evening. story continues below There was particular focus on the eight-story Roa-Roa Hotel, where voices from the rubble were heard calling for help Saturday. The cries had gone silent Sunday afternoon. Officials estimated some 50 people could be inside. Palu, which has more than 380,000 people, was strewn with debris. A heavily damaged mosque was half submerged and a shopping mall reduced to a crumpled hulk. Looters were stealing, apparently unconcerned about their safety, despite aftershocks and the mall's questionable stability. "The ground rose up like a spine and suddenly fell," said one survivor while crying. "Many people were ... buried under collapsed houses. I could do nothing to help. In the evening, some of them turned on their cellphones just to give a sign that they were there. But the lights were off later and the next day." (An early warning system that could have saved lives has been stalled for years.) President of the National Council (NCW) for Women Maya Morsi and United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) official Lilian Farah discussed on Sunday the conditions of Egyptian women and ways to empower them. Morsi reviewed the national 2030 strategy for the empowerment of Egyptian women, which was developed by the NCW and endorsed by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. This strategy proves Egypts commitment to meeting the 2030 Sustainable Development goals concerning womens empowerment, Morsi added. Farah hailed the efforts of the NCW and the strategy to empower women. The meeting was also attended by a number of members of the NCW. Search Keywords: Short link: (Newser) Julie Swetnick is no stranger to legal battles. Brett Kavanaugh's third accuser (see her accusations here) has been involved in at least six since 1993, the AP reports. A previous employer, Oregon-based Webtrends, sued her in 2000 for allegedly lying on a job application after she traded back-and-forth sexual misconduct accusations with employees. She also sued the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority in 1994, claiming lost earnings after injuring her nose in a fall, but one person named as a possible employer denies planning to hire her and another later took out a restraining order against her. It seems neither case led to anything. Swetnick lawyer Michael Avenatti dismisses concerns about the lawsuits, saying he "fully vetted" her before going public with the Kavanaugh claims. In related news: Midterm rage: Partisan outrage over the Kavanaugh hearings is spilling into the midterms, giving GOP Senate challengers in pro-Trump states (like Indiana and West Virginia) a chance to fire up conservatives, the Washington Post reports. But it also threatens to further damage House Republicans in moderate suburban areas like the 33rd Congressional District near Austin. story continues below "Free rein" : President Trump and the media are at odds over the scope of the FBI probe into accusations against Kavanaugh, the New York Times reports. Trump says agents will have "free rein," but it seems the FBI is questioning four witnesses and disregarding ex-classmates who contradict Kavanaugh's statements about his young partying and drinking. : President Trump and the media are at odds over the scope of the FBI probe into accusations against Kavanaugh, the New York Times reports. Trump says agents will have "free rein," but it seems the FBI is questioning four witnesses and disregarding ex-classmates who contradict Kavanaugh's statements about his young partying and drinking. The ACLU : The American Civil Liberties Union is abandoning its usual neutrality over Supreme Court nominees and standing in opposition to Kavanaugh, the Washington Post reports. The ACLU says sexual misconduct allegations against him and "inadequate investigation" into women's claims made the difference. : The American Civil Liberties Union is abandoning its usual neutrality over Supreme Court nominees and standing in opposition to Kavanaugh, the Washington Post reports. The ACLU says sexual misconduct allegations against him and "inadequate investigation" into women's claims made the difference. Women divided: Women are perhaps surprisingly divided over the Kavanaugh nomination, according to the AP. After women's voices rose up at the US Senate this week, the AP talked to women, mostly in red states, who either back Kavanaugh or sound a note of caution about accusations against him. For more, read about the FBI probe , a part of the probe that Christine Blasey Ford doesn't like , or the women who confronted Sen. Jeff Flake . (Read more Brett Kavanaugh stories.) (Newser) Senator Elizabeth Warren isn't ready to announce a presidential bid just yet, but she could be soon. Per the Boston Globe, the Massachusetts Democrat told a town hall crowd that she's now focused on her re-election bid, but bets are off thereafter. "After Nov. 6 I will take a hard look at running for president, Warren said after railing against Republican colleagues she characterized as "powerful men helping a powerful man make it to an even more powerful position" who were "too chicken" to personally question Christine Blasey Ford during her testimony regarding Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. As she does frequently, Warren took this opportunity of her 36th meeting with constituents since President Trump took office to attack the current White House occupant, per the AP. story continues below "Trump is taking this country in the wrong direction, said Warren, who also tipped her hat to the #TimesUp movement and said the time is now "for women to go to Washington to fix our broken government, and that includes a woman at the top." Hours after Warren's comments Saturday, Trump referenced her using a much derided nickname as he spoke to a rally in West Virginia. The Democratic party has gone so far left, Pocahontas is considered a conservative," Trump said, per CNN. Trump has used the slur ever since his 2016 campaign to ridicule Warren's claims to Native American ancestry. (Harvard University recently weighed in on suggestions Warren used those claims to boost her legal career.) 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United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. 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 Unite against terror, The whole world should believe in coexistence and this belief will lead to ultimate peace Unite against terror, The whole world should believe in coexistence and this belief will lead to ultimate peace His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa yesterday urged the world community to unite against terror to safeguard the future of humanity. This came as Cabinet Affairs Minister Mohammed Al Mutawa read out HRH the Premiers speech at the Bahrain Visions Forum, which was held at the headquarters of the United Nations, on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, under the theme Shared Visions for a Successful World Future. HRH the Premier stressed that Bahrain has always believed that achieving peace is vital to attain developmental goals, especially in light of terror incidents and tragedies that have struck the region. The Premier warned that todays world is facing a cycle of challenges fuelled by ethnic and sectarian conflicts and expansive ambitions. He emphasized that the imminent threats posed by terrorism and the frenzied race to possess weapons of mass destruction threaten the future of humanity. The whole world should believe in coexistence and this belief will lead to ultimate peace. HRH the Premier stressed that the will of the people and their good morals aspire to live in peace in a world free of wars and bloody conflicts. Strawberry imports from Australia have been temporarily banned due to concerns over shipments containing the fruit contaminated with needles. There were many reports in the past few weeks over strawberry shipments intentionally contaminated with sewing needles at the country of origin. The ban in Bahrain was confirmed by the Agriculture and Marine Resources Affairs which stated that such a step had to be taken to ensure public safety. The ban would remain in place until safety is guaranteed. The authority has contacted the importing companies about the measures being taken, it is learnt. Supermarkets in the Kingdom have also stopped selling Australian strawberries. We have stopped the sale because of some safety concerns that we were informed about. Our suppliers have stopped supplying the items; we do not know when it will return to the shelves, a merchandiser employed at a leading supermarket chain told Tribune. The ongoing food safety scandal that hit Australia termed as the 2018 Australian strawberry contamination has led to more than 100 cases of needles being found with packed strawberries. After a brief period of calm, Libyas capital has fallen again into militia violence, with the UN and national government scrambling to reinstate peace Fierce clashes continue to flare since the ceasefire collapsed between warring militias in southern Tripoli early last week. Last Sunday, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), which had brokered the ceasefire agreement, warned that anyone in Tripoli that violated international humanitarian law risked sanctions and prosecution, as occurred with the former commander of the Petroleum Facilities Guards, Ibrahim Jadran, whose name was added to the UN Security Councils sanctions list earlier this month. In a message on its official Twitter account, UNSMIL expressed its deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the Tripoli clashes. It stressed that justice cannot be achieved through revenge and reiterated its caution that it is preparing a list of international humanitarian law violators to submit to the UN Security Council for sanctions and prosecution. Health authorities in Tripoli reported that the violent clashes in the southern districts of the capital have claimed at least 115 dead and 383 wounded since the fighting erupted between militia groups on 26 August. In addition, hundreds of families have been forced to flee their homes due to the ongoing exchanges of missile fire which continues to cause severe damage to public and private property. UMSMIL warned militia forces against launching attacks from populated residential areas, making specific mention of two militia groups in particular: the Abu Slim Central Security Brigade commanded by Abdel-Ghani Al-Kikli, AKA Ghnewa, which is based in the most densely populated quarters of the capital, and the Misrata-based Al-Sumoud Brigade led by Salah Badi. The UN organisation reiterated its caution that exposing civilians to harm is prohibited under international humanitarian law and that it would report violators to the Security Councils sanctions committee. The warnings have done nothing to convince the warring groups to return to the ceasefire. In late August, the Seventh Infantry Brigade, which is based in the city of Tarhuna south of Tripoli, marched on the capital with the stated purpose of driving out the Tripoli Cartel, a consortium of militias that has controlled the capital since March 2016. Recently, the Seventh Infantry Brigade, known locally in Tarhuna as the Kaniyat Brigade, was joined by Salah Badis Al-Sumoud Brigade. Their adversaries, the Tripoli Cartel, which is also known as the Tripoli Protection Force, consists of four main militia groups: the Special Deterrence Force (SDF), the Tripoli Revolutionaries Battalion (TRB), the Nawasi Battalion and the Abu Slim unit of the Central Security apparatus. On 4 September, UNSMIL sponsored a security dialogue, in the western city of Zawiya, between representatives of the combatant parties which, at the end of the meeting, signed a truce and ceasefire agreement. On 9 September, this was bolstered by a second agreement which introduced a mechanism for the withdrawal of the militia formations from government institutions and facilities, the appointment of a new security arrangements committee, and the revocation of the authorities for security that the Presidency Council of the Government of National Accord had conferred on the militia groups under the umbrella of the Tripoli Protection Force. Late last week, Presidency Council Chairman Fayez Al-Sarraj, announced the creation of a committee to oversee the implementation of the new security measures. He simultaneously charged police and military forces with the task of separating the fighting parties and re-establishing law and order in southern Tripoli, and ordered the militia groups to release all detained and imprisoned persons apart from those wanted on criminal or terrorist charges. The instructions have not been carried out with any degree of seriousness or efficacy by the time this report was filed. Last Thursday, UNSMIL hosted a meeting with representatives of the diplomatic community in Tripoli and Libyan security officials to fill them in on the next steps that will be taken in the implementation of the new security measures in the capital. UNSMIL reassured the participants that the new arrangements would not simply replace old militia formations with new ones. It stressed that all the new security forces will be drawn from official government forces and recruited from all parts of Libya. The Deputy Special Representative for Political Affairs at UNSMIL Stephanie Williams, continued her meetings with political and security leaders in Tripoli in order to promote progress in the implementation of the security arrangements and to avert further military escalation in south Tripoli. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, for his part, expressed his alarm at the increasing number of violations of the ceasefire agreement. In a statement delivered by his spokesperson on 21 September he urged all parties to the conflict to respect the ceasefire and refrain from any actions that would increase the suffering of the civilian population and emphasised that anyone responsible for the violation of international humanitarian law and international human rights law must be held responsible. The flare-up of militia violence compelled the Secretary Generals Special representative to Libya and head of UNSMIL Ghassan Salame, to cancel his visit to New York to attend the UN General Assembly meetings on the sidelines of which will be held a high-level meeting to discuss the latest developments in Libya and forthcoming UN action plans for Libya. In a television interview Wednesday last week, Salame said that he intended to propose to the Security Council amendments to the Working Plan for Libya, which he had unveiled in New York last year, on 20 September 2017, in light of the recent security developments and the persistent political stalemate in the country. Libya needs to formulate a new political agreement acceptable to all parties, he said, adding that he was not bound to the current agreement that Libyan factions signed in Skhirat, Morocco, on 17 December 2015. After nearly three years, Libyan parties are still at loggerheads over some of the wording and the outputs of this agreement. As the militia violence in south Tripoli enters its second month, no significant progress has been made in carrying out the instructions of the Presidency Council and the new security arrangements. The forces tasked with separating the militias and securing the peace have yet to begin work. Ironically, the new situation appears to have cast Tripoli back to the period before May 2014 when the militias from Misrata and Zintan held sway in the capital. The recent clashes made it possible for the Misrata militia forces to return to the eastern districts of Tripoli, near Mitiga Airport, which is currently controlled by the SDF. Relations are tense between the SDF and some contingents of the forces affiliated with Misrata. At the same time, forces affiliated with Zintan have returned to southwestern portions of the capital. The Zintan militias were driven out of Tripoli during Operation Libya Dawn, launched in August 2014 after Zintan militia leaders declared that they had forged an alliance with the commander of the Libyan National Army, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who, on 16 May 2014, had launched Operation Dignity in Benghazi. On Saturday, the Tripoli Protection Force, or Tripoli Cartel, launched the Badr Operation against the forces that had attacked Tripoli, which it described as Kharijites. The cartels adversaries countered that the Tripoli Protection Force had swelled its ranks with jihadist Salafi from all over the country. They said that this applied, above all, to the SDF which controls Mitiga Airport. The forces that have recently entered Tripoli aim, above all, to curb the SDFs power which had grown considerably after the Presidency Council restructured the force, expanded its security jurisdiction and granted it the right to use moneys and properties it sequestered to fund its activities. These actions on the part of the Presidency Council sparked a widespread outcry when they were announced several months ago. Opponents called on UNSMIL, when it was hosting talks in Zawiya at the beginning of this month, to add a point to the agreement that would oblige the Presidency Council to revoke the decisions that granted such extensive powers to militia groups. Haftar has kept a distance from the current clashes in the capital. In a meeting with leaders from the Awaqir, the largest tribal federation in eastern Libya, he said that the militias that are currently fighting in Tripoli have no connection whatsoever with the army. Describing the current military actions there as impromptu, he stressed that when we believe the time is right, we will move to Tripoli and the operations will proceed in a proper manner. He added: The militia leaders in Tripoli have become rich and criminals. Our suggestion to them is to leave Libya and, consequently, face justice or reconcile with society. Alluding to the support those militia leaders received from the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, led by Al-Sarraj, he stressed: No one will escape the law. * A version of this article appears in print in the 27 September 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Tripoli violence, UN threatens sanctions Search Keywords: Short link: A Bahraini citizen is planning to sue the Housing Ministry after he was asked to return a housing unit, which he received after waiting for over three decades. The man told Tribune that the ministry has asked him to return the unit as it belonged to a different beneficiary, citing administrative error as the reason behind the mess up. Abdulnabi Abdulwasi, a father of three, said that he applied for the unit in 1988 and was given one within the Sitra Housing Project recently. He said the ministry contacted him earlier this year to receive the unit and that he completed all the formalities and the necessary procedures before he was handed over the keys of the house. After 30 years of paying rent, I was happy that I would finally have my own house for me and my family. Once I received the keys, I informed the concerned department in the ministry that I would do some changes to the unit to better suit our needs. I received an approval, provided that no demolishing process are done to any part of the unit. I initiated the modification works and fixed new decorations inside the house. But, around two weeks later, I received a call from the ministry informing me that the unit will be withdrawn as I am not the rightful beneficiary and that it was simply given to me by mistake. I was shocked to hear this especially that all the legal documents prove that I am the owner of the unit, as I completed all the necessary requirements, such as the Electricity and Water Authority subscription, once I received the unit. If the ministrys claims are true and the unit was mistakenly handed over to me, why do I have to bear the consequence of a mistake I didnt make? Why this error was only discovered after the keys were given to me and after I have spent money on developing the house? Mr Abdulwasi asked. Prominent human rights lawyer Amal Clooney appealed to Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday over a pardon for two Reuters journalists imprisoned in Myanmar, saying the Nobel laureate held the key to their release. The two fathers, accused of breaching Myanmars state secrets law while reporting on a massacre of Rohingya Muslims, were jailed for seven years earlier this month, fueling international outrage. Clooney said the journalists families had already submitted a request for their pardon, adding that the president can grant a pardon following consultation with Suu Kyi. The government can, if it wants to, end it today, the British-Lebanese lawyer told an event dedicated to press freedom on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. She held de facto leader Suu Kyi to her stated priority of releasing prisoners of conscience and of having spoken of the need for a free press if the country is to transition to a full democracy. She knows that mass murder is not a state secret and that exposing it doesnt turn a journalist into a spy, Clooney said. Earlier this month, Suu Kyi defended the jailing of Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, hitting back at global criticism of a trial widely seen as an attempt to muzzle the free press. Majid Al Futtaim Retail, the exclusive franchisee of the Carrefour brand in 38 countries across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, completed the rebranding of all Geant and Gulf Mart stores to Carrefour, following the acquisition of Retail Arabia in 2017. The acquisition of Retail Arabia has substantially increased Carrefours footprint in Bahrain and helped position the retailer as one of the largest hypermarket chains in the country. With a recent store opening in Al Juffair, Carrefour Bahrain now operates 12 stores, comprising of five hypermarkets and seven supermarkets, serving over 27,000 customers daily. Jerome Akel, Country Manager of Carrefour Bahrain at Majid Al Futtaim Retail commented: The completion of this rebranding marks an important milestone of our growth story here in Bahrain, as we cater to a growing customer base nationwide. In line with our overarching vision to create great moments for everyone every day, we will continue to deliver our bespoke shopping experience while offering an unparalleled range of high-quality products at competitive prices. Recently, Luis Almagro, the secretary general of the Organisation of American States made a stunning statement at a rally on the border between Colombia and Venezuela, warning that no option was off the table in Venezuela, and in particular, that a military intervention to overthrow its government, could not be discarded. Some observers interpreted this as meaning that an invasion of Venezuela by other countries was now on the agenda. Others, more intelligently, surmised that Almagro was referring to a domestic involvement by the Venezuelan armed forces: in short, a military coup detat. Has the Venezuelan crisis reached that stage? Maybe. The shocking pronouncement by the head of an intergovernmental regional agency did not occur in a vacuum. Days before, The New York Times reported that senior-level officers from the Venezuelan army had approached the Trump administration a few months ago. They announced they were plotting a coup against President Nicolas Maduro, and requested telecommunications support for that purpose. The American officials declined, and the Venezuelans were on their own. There never was a coup, except for a botched drone attack on Maduro. He subsequently arrested and probably tortured a large number of army officers, who were accused of involvement in the plot. The Venezuelan president accused then-Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos of masterminding the entire conspiracy. Santos denied it. Almagro subsequently clarified his remarks. An association of Latin American nations, known as the Lima Group, distanced themselves from his stance, declaring their opposition to any unconstitutional solution to the Venezuelan crisis. The government in Caracas denounced Almagro, the same way it used the Times story to prove that there were coup attempts lurking in the wings. If anything, these episodes strengthened the Maduro regime, or dictatorship, and weakened an already marginal opposition. Unfortunately, the cacophony surrounding Almagros declarations and the Times article distorted an essential discussion. There are three aspects to the Venezuelan nightmare. First is the attack on democracy and respect for human rights by the Maduro regime, and before Maduro, by Hugo Chavez. According to the 2001 inter-American Charter, signed by every country in the Western Hemisphere, except Cuba, an attack on democracy itself is justification for suspending the government from the OAS. Second is the humanitarian crisis. Millions of Venezuelans are hungry, ill and even dying for lack of food, medicines, basic necessities, electrical power and even a police force able to patrol Caracas, one of the worlds most violent cities. Lastly, there are the regional consequences of the humanitarian disaster: Some 2.3 million Venezuelans have left their country and 2 million more could leave by 2020. Hundreds of thousands are exiled in Peru, Chile, neighboring Colombia and Brazil. Tens of thousands live now in Spain, Mexico, Florida and Argentina. This is the largest migration in the history of Latin America since the slave trade. This is no longer a domestic Venezuelan matter. The exiles place an immense strain on human services in the nations where they settle or pass through: health, education, shelter, law enforcement and the like. They have generated hateful xenophobic reactions, even lynching, in several host nations. The crisis directly affects most of the region. In 2002 a nearly successful coup sought to overthrow Chavez. A presidential summit of the Rio Group bringing together practically every country in Latin America was in session in Costa Rica when it took place. With two exceptions, all members condemned the attempted ousting and the threat to constitutional rule that it represented. As President Vicente Foxs of Mexicos foreign minister at the time, I was especially adamant about the group not suggesting support for the coup, even if no one there held any sympathy for the Chavez regime. That was then; the situation today is radically different. Chavez was a democratically elected head of state, who had engaged in a few damning episodes of repression, but was not yet anywhere close to being a dictator. Maduros election last May was dismissed by most countries in the region and by members of the European Union as fatally flawed. On Maduros orders, more than 100 people, mainly students, were shot in the streets last year. Nongovernmental organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, as well as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, have denounced these egregious human rights violations. Moreover, there were few foreign implications of Chavez harebrained schemes or endless rhetoric. Do these powerful differences justify a military coup in Venezuela today, as opposed to 2002? A worsening of the humanitarian crisis, particularly widespread hunger and sease? More refugees fleeing to Venezuelas neighbors? A complete end to any vestiges of democratic rule, and the establishment of a fullfledged, unabashed dictatorship? We are not there yet, and equating the situation in this country with genocide in Rwanda or Pol Pots Cambodia is exaggerated and misleading. There is, however, a moment when the regional community will be obliged to assume the responsibility to protect the international commitment to prevent the destruction of a people or a country. It is obvious at this stage that there is no electoral, institutional solution to the tragedy in Venezuela. Equally evident is the fact that Cuba, the only outside actor with real influence in Caracas, is unwilling to utilize it for the sake of democracy and security in the region. So when does external, overt or covert, Latin American backing for a coup become necessary and desirable? In any case, not until all other options have been tested. One has not. More than 90 per cent of Venezuelas hard currency and government revenues proceed from oil exports, declining and compromised, as they may be in advance sales to China. Most of those exports are still destined for the United States Gulf Coast, where refineries owned by the national oil company, PDVSA, are among the few in the world that can process its heavy crude. While various sets of largely ineffective sanctions have been slapped on Venezuela in recent months by the United States, several European Union members and Latin American governments, they have not been directed at oil purchases, even though private companies have sued PDVSA for breach of contracts. Washington, in particular, has proved reluctant to proceed, despite knowing full well that these would be the most effective sanctions. Just on Sept 25, the United States ramped up sanctions against key figures in the Maduro entourage. Oil sanctions would force Caracas to find other buyers which it can but only at a high cost and with multiple complications. They would deprive the regime of much of its earnings and dollars, perhaps irreparably. Regrettably, they would also hurt the Venezuelan people. The question is what causes the most damage: sanctions with real teeth, or perpetuating the current nightmare. Long before justifying or backing a coup, if the international community is convinced that regional peace and security are in danger, and that it has a responsibility to protect Venezuela and its neighbors, it must first exhaust every other option. Oil is the remaining one. Only then if at all will Almagros outburst acquire legitimacy. Toyota Motor Corp. anticipates halting production at its Midlands U.K. factory in the event Britain leaves the European Union without a deal, the plants managing director, Marvin Cooke, told the BBC. The Japanese company operates the Burnaston car plant that produced 150,000 vehicles last year, with about 90 percent of the units shipped to the EU, while components come the other way, the BBC reported. The factory has 2,500 employees, according to the companyas website. aMy view is that if Britain crashes out of the EU at the end of March, we will see production stops in our factory,a Cooke, head of the plant that makes the Auris and Avensis cars, said in an interview with the BBC posted on its website. aIt could be hours, days, weeks a even months.a Responding to Toyotaas warning, British Business Secretary Greg Clark said Saturday there are grounds for optimism that Britain will strike a Brexit deal with the European Union. aOf course we want a deal,a Clark told BBC radio. aNo one should be under any illusion that the prime minister and our negotiating team are absolutely determined a . There are grounds for optimism that we can reach an agreement on this,a he added. U.K. businesses are getting increasingly skittish about the prospects of a no-deal Brexit, with less than 200 days until the country is set to leave. Manufacturers from Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SA to BMW AG have warned about production disruptions if the U.K. leaves without an agreement. The British Chambers of Commerce warned Friday that most businesses have yet to carry out a risk assessment on the impact of Brexit. Voters in Okinawa have chosen Denny Tamaki as their next governor. The former Lower House lawmaker has won Sunday's election. Tamaki opposes the central government's plan to move a US military base within the prefecture. During the campaign, Tamaki said he would continue to oppose the central government's plan to relocate the US Futenma air station. That was what the late governor Takeshi Onaga fought for until his death in August. Tamaki says no new bases should be built in Okinawa. He is backed by national opposition parties that supported Onaga. Tamaki's main opponent, Atsushi Sakima, was backed by the ruling coalition. Tamaki has proposed making Okinawa an Asian hub for culture, technology, and other fields as a way to improve the economy. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Kuwait on Sunday, state media reported, amid expectation that he will discuss oil supplies and a Kuwaiti mediation effort to resolve Saudi Arabia's conflict with Qatar. Prince Mohammed will hold talks with Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, state news agency KUNA reported. The Saudi prince is expected to discuss the resumption of oil output from a neutral zone which Saudi Arabia shares with Kuwait, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. He will be accompanied by Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih during his trip to Kuwait, two separate sources said. A Gulf Arab official told Reuters earlier that the dispute with Qatar would also be on the agenda. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have imposed sanctions on Qatar accusing it of cosying up to Iran - their regional arch rival - and supporting terrorism. Doha denies the accusations. Kuwaiti mediation efforts have failed so far to end the dispute. Search Keywords: Short link: Lagos state governor, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, who attended the meeting of the Governors Advisory Council (GAC) at Tinubus residence,... Lagos state governor, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, who attended the meeting of the Governors Advisory Council (GAC) at Tinubus residence, stormed out in the course of the deliberations apparently due to the unfavorable stance to his candidacy.Ahead of All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship primary in Lagos State, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the Governors Advisory Council, GAC, yesterday, endorsed Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu for the partys ticket for the 2019 elections.In a reaction, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, also in the race for the partys ticket, said 237 Councillors, 3,900 Community Associations were supporting him.Meanwhile, the state chapter of the APC has postponed the governorship primary, scheduled for today, to tomorrow.Announcing the outcome of the GAC meeting, held at Tinubus Ikoyi, Lagos residence, to party loyalists that had stormed the Lagos APC Secretariat, Senator Anthony Adefuye, a member of the group, said that the meeting, which commenced at 10am, ended after several hours of deliberations.He said: There was a GAC meeting held this morning, which was attended by Vice President Osinbajo; Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; Speaker, House of Assembly, Mudasiru Obasa, among others.This meeting was chaired by our National Leader, Tinubu. This is a meeting that we started at 10am. And we couldnt finish early. After the meeting, I have been mandated by the GAC to announce this to you.The governorship primary, earlier scheduled for tomorrow, September 30, has been shifted to Monday, October 1.Also, the GAC was informed by Dr Obafemi Hamzat of his decision to graciously step down and he endorsed Jide Sanwo-Olu.GAC has endorsed Babajide Sanwo-Olu as its preferred candidate ahead of the primary,Adefuye disclosed that Tinubu had earlier planned to address the party members at the state APC secretariat but could not leave his residence because various organs of the party had decided to meet him on other issues in the state.A source told newsmen that the leadership of the party may have agreed to give the deputy governorship ticket to Hamzat, who stepped down for Sanwo-Olu, leaving the incumbent Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and Sanwo-Olu to slug it out for the partys ticket.It was also gathered that Ambode, who attended the meeting of the GAC at Tinubus residence, stormed out in the course of the deliberations apparently due to the unfavorable stance to his candidacy. A U.S. Navy destroyer came within 12 nautical miles of artificial islands built by China in the South China Sea, a U.S. official told Reuters, describing it as a "freedom of navigation" operation. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the destroyer Decatur traveled within 12 nautical miles of Gaven and Johnson Reefs in the Spratly Islands. 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. A Canada-style Brexit deal with the European Union would make things harder for businesses by creating friction at the border, business minister Greg Clark said on Sunday. His remarks come down on the side of Prime Minister Theresa May in the debate dominating the fractious opening day of her Conservative Party annual conference -- defining the best model for Britain's future relationship with the EU. Advocates of a more radical departure from the EU, led by potential leadership challenger Boris Johnson, want Britain to seek a deal based around the recent Canada-EU trade deal and which drops the government plan to apply EU regulations on trade. But Clark, backing May's so-called Chequers plan which calls for a 'common rule book' on trade, told an event that Britain was doing everything it could to allow international supply chains to flourish as it leaves the EU. "One of the problems of the Canada model - the free trade agreement of that sort - is that it requires frictions at the border," Clark said at the Huffington Post event. He said it would set back national competitiveness and that it was no surprise that other countries were looking to snatch business away from Britain ahead of Brexit. He was however confident of a deal that would allow the country to keep attracting manufacturing investment. Search Keywords: Short link: Related Macedonian parliament adopts agreement with Greece on new name for 2nd time Macedonians cast ballots Sunday on whether to re-name their country North Macedonia in a bid to end a long-running row with Greece and unlock a path to NATO and EU membership. The vote is an emotional moment for a country that has struggled for recognition of its name since 1991, when the former Yugoslav republic declared independence. At the time, Athens kicked up a major fuss, accusing Skopje of stealing the name of its own northern province, which is also called Macedonia. The dispute dives deep into history with both countries vying to lay claim to Alexander the Great's ancient empire of Macedon, which spanned their territories. But in June, Macedonia's new premier Zoran Zaev and his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras reached a landmark compromise under which Athens would drop its objections to Macedonia joining the EU and NATO in return for a change of name. While the Macedonian government is likely to call any significant majority in favour of the deal a success, the rightwing opposition may question the vote's credibility if turnout is below 50 percent. Polls opened at 7:00 am (0500 GMT) and were to close 12 hours later, but after six hours of voting, turnout stood at just 16 percent, the electoral commission said. The figure is far lower than it was at the same stage in the 2016 elections. Zaev has billed the referendum as a painful but historic opportunity to break the 27-year-old stalemate. "Today is a beautiful day, a beautiful holiday for the country. Today the citizens are going out to decide on their future," he said after voting in Strumica, his eastern hometown where he once served as mayor. 'A beautiful day' Voters began trickling into schools and other polling stations around the country shortly after the polls opened. "I hope that the result will be positive. This referendum will change something if it opens the door to Europe and NATO," said Olivera Argirovska, a 74-year-old retired nurse, after casting her ballot in a high school in the capital Skopje. "It will change things for the youth," she told AFP. Few Macedonians are enthused about the new name, saying they have been unfairly bullied by Greece. "I am not happy and I do not know anyone who likes this deal," said 55-year old Danica Taneska, who admitted voting 'no' to the change. But a desire to anchor their future to the West -- and the economic prosperity that it could bring -- has been a driving force behind the 'yes' vote in one of Europe's poorest nations. "We cannot really say it is fair, but the EU and NATO matter more for all of us, so let's move forward," 28-year-old Abedin Memeti said ahead of the vote. Greece watching closely The referendum is not binding, but a 'yes' majority would give parliament a political mandate to change the constitution. If the deal is backed in the referendum and ratified by two-thirds of MPs, the Greek parliament will be called on to give it the final stamp of approval. Sunday's vote is being closely watched across the border in Greece, where nationalists staged a protest against the deal earlier this month. "We hope for a positive outcome for the proceedings to progress with the constitutional review," Greek government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said on the radio. "Any other result would create a disturbance." Some critics of the name deal have been calling for a boycott, including President Gjorge Ivanov, who is allied with the nationalist opposition. Massive emigration in recent decades could also affect turnout numbers, with nearly a quarter of Macedonia's 2.1 million residents believed to be living abroad. Less than 3,000 of those overseas have signed up to vote. Western Balkans foothold Europe and the US have campaigned hard for the deal, with many leaders passing through Skopje this month to urge Macedonians to seize the "historic" opportunity. NATO has already issued an invite -- on hold until the deal passes -- while EU accession talks are scheduled to begin next year. The West is keen to have another foothold in the Western Balkans, a region where Russia, which is opposed to NATO expansion, has historically had influence. At home, those in favour of the deal say a desire for an EU future is helping bind ethnic Macedonians with the Albanian minority, who are broadly pro-West. While Macedonia avoided the full-scale inter-ethnic wars that rippled across the region during the collapse of Yugoslavia, it was roiled by an Albanian insurgency in 2001 that left more than 100 dead. A peace deal was reached later that year granting Albanians more political rights, but tensions have remained. "This is the first time I am seeing Macedonians and Albanians campaigning together for common goals," Besa Arifi, a law professor, told AFP. "This will give us more opportunities to unite all citizens around shared values," he added. Search Keywords: Short link: A military ship brought 58 migrants - and a dog - to Malta on Sunday, where they disembarked after spending several days waiting for seas to calm so they could be transferred from the charity rescue ship Aquarius. The migrants were rescued from two small boats off the coast of Libya at least a week ago. They include Libyans, Syrians, Palestinians, Somalis and Pakistanis. Among them are seven families and three children under five years of age. The Aquarius spent five days off the coast of Malta waiting for the weather to improve so it could transfer the migrants to a Maltese cutter. Panama withdrew the Aquarius' registration amid the rescue operations, which means the ship will not legally be allowed to sail once it comes to shore until it sorts out its flag status. The Aquarius was the last charity rescue ship operating off of Libya. Last year there were five groups running rescue ships. Among the migrants was a small, white dog, who was rescued along with her Libyan family. She was brought ashore in a carrier box and will be quarantined and examined before being returned to her family. At a political event, Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said, referring to the dog, that his country cares about saving "all lives". France, Portugal, Spain and Germany struck a deal on Tuesday to take in the migrants who disembarked in Malta after Italy refused to let the vessel dock. Some 650,000 people have reached Italian shores from North Africa since 2014, and Rome's populist government, which took office in June, has begun to take a rigidly anti-immigration line, saying it will not let any more rescue ships dock unless other EU states agree to take the people in. "The Government of Malta has participated in this effort on purely humanitarian grounds," a Maltese government statement said. "The MV Aquarius has been deflagged and is expected to proceed to a port in France to rectify its stateless position." The United Nations' refugee agency on Sunday thanked the countries involved in resolving the latest of several standoffs involving rescue ships and EU countries, all of which have arisen from Italy's shutting of its ports. "We are talking about people's lives. Refugees and migrants cannot be continually put at risk while States argue over their responsibilities," the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a statement. Search Keywords: Short link: Photo via the British Library If youre a British history buff, next month is an ideal time to be in London for the British Librarys once-in-a-generation exhibition Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms: Art, Word, War, opening October 19th and featuring the illuminated Lindisfarne Gospels, Beowulf, Bedes Ecclesiastical History, the world-famous Domesday Book, and Codex Amiatinus, a giant Northumbrian Bible taken to Italy in 716 and returning to England for the first time in 1300 years. But with all of these manuscript stars stealing the show, one special exhibit might go overlooked, the St. Cuthbert Gospel, the oldest surviving intact European book. A Latin copy of the Gospel of John, the book was originally called the Stonyhurst Gospel, after its first owner, Stonyhurst College. It acquired its current name because it was found inside the coffin of St. Cuthbert, a hermit monk who died in 687 and whose remains, legend has it, were incorruptible. This supposed miracle inspired a cult that placed offerings around Cuthberts tomb. Just when and how the small book made its way into his coffin remains a mystery. It was likely sometime between the 700s and 800s CE, when his body was moved to Durham due to Viking raids. When Cuthberts casket was opened in 1104, the book was found in miraculously perfect condition, writes the British Library, inside a satchel-like container of red leather with a badly-frayed sling made of silken threads. Scholars have dated the books creation to between 700 and 730, and its interest for academics and lay people alike lies not only in the legend of St. Cuthbert but in the books physical qualities and its own uncorrupted nature. As Allison Meier writes at JSTOR Daily, the 1,300-year-old manuscript retains its original pages and binding, a remarkable fact for a book of its age. Its condition makes it an important example of Insular art, which was created on the British Isles and Ireland between 600 and 900 CE. The general features of this style involve the layering of pattern, line, and color on seemingly flat surfaces, notes Oxford Bibliographies, in order to create complex spatial patterns. Scholar Robert D. Stevick describes these properties on the ornate dyed leather covers of the St. Cuthbert Gospel: There is interlace pattern in two panels on the front cover, step-pattern implying two crosses on the lower cover, a prominent double vine scroll at the center of the front coverelements of this early art that have been well catalogued for their individual features as well as for their affinities to similar decorative elements in other artifacts. Bound with a sewing technique that originated in North Africa (and therefore often called Coptic sewing), the simple but elegant book, Meier explains, reflects the transmission of publishing knowledge across Europe from the Mediterranean. Its small size and placement in a leather pouch is also significant. St. Johns Gospel was sometimes employed as a protective talisman, worn in a pouch on the body to ward off evil. Why one of Cuthberts admirers would have given such a talisman to his corpse remains unclear. If you cant make it to the British Library to see this fascinating artifact in person, you can see its miraculously well-preserved binding and pages in scans at the British Library site here. via JSTOR Daily Related Content: Behold 3,000 Digitized Manuscripts from the Bibliotheca Palatina: The Mother of All Medieval Libraries Is Getting Reconstructed Online 1,000-Year-Old Manuscript of Beowulf Digitized and Now Online How Illuminated Medieval Manuscripts Were Made: A Step-by-Step Look at this Beautiful, Centuries-Old Craft Wearable Books: In Medieval Times, They Took Old Manuscripts & Turned Them into Clothes Josh Jones is a writer and musician based in Durham, NC. Follow him at @jdmagness Hotel Business News and Analytics Important! This article is written by orangesmile.com editors and is protected by copyright law. The article can only be re-used with a direct link to www.orangesmile.com NEWS BLOCKS: Travelers from Australia Miss Their Pets the Most While on a Holiday A new study by Jetstar throws the light upon the quirkiest habits and behaviors of travelers. In total, the company surveyed as many as 30,000 travelers from such countries as Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, Singapore, and Great China to detect some interesting peculiarities. The study is a great way to know more about the preferences and habits of travelers across the Asia Pacific region. This information is crucial for the hospitality industry as it helps to serve travelers better and increase their satisfaction. Named Global Travel Survey, the document is a very interesting read. For example, a quarter of Australians say they miss their pets the most when they are away from home. More than 80% of respondents prefer to pack a phone over a book, and more than 33% say that the most annoying behavior of other travelers is when they use both armrests. Here are more key findings of the survey. In Australia, one in four respondents misses their pet the most while away from home. Australia is the only country that chose this answer as in all other countries respondents said it was their family that they missed the most. Interestingly, only 9% of Australians say they would miss their kids the most. The majority of respondents from Australia (32%) do not miss anyone as they simply enjoy their holiday. When asked about their dream holiday, more than a half of Australians would like to travel with their partner. Only 9% would like to travel with kids, and only 7% would pick to travel alone on their dream holiday. This is quite different from Japanese travelers who are more willing to travel alone (28%). Aussies like their smartphones and 80% of people would rather take a smartphone than a book. They are not alone in this decision. For example, 97% Singaporeans picked the smartphone as well. Moreover, people are ready to scarify such essentials as hairbrush (34%), shoes (12%), and even underwear (7%) just to be able to take their smartphone. Travelers are less willing to ask people for directions these days. Only 15% say they would ask a stranger, while 35% prefer to rely on smartphone GPS. What is the most devastating thing that can happen during a vacation? We know the answer. It is losing your wallet. All countries except Vietnam picked this answer. For Vietnamese, losing a smartphone is the most frustrating thing (48%). When starting a holiday, 20% of Australians think it is normal to have an alcoholic drink at the airport. Japanese travelers are even more likely to celebrate the start of their vacation with a drink 42% support a morning shot. 30.09.2018Stay in touch with the latest news of a worldwide hotel industry. All up-to-date analytics, reports , and news about hotel business trends on OrangeSmile.com. Hula Hoop Labyrinth is Samir's second solo after her debut at Medrar Gallery and Rozanama prize Hend Samir will showcase her latest paintings at Gallery Misr, with an exhibition titled Hula Hoop Labyrinth on 7 October. Samir's work merges reality with desire while exploring familial contexts and television imagery. Like something out of a daydream, her characters pose in surreal situations, as she explores body language in rituals and commercial media performances. Samir was one of two winners of Medrar Gallery's Roznama Three competition award in 2014, which granted her a debut solo show at the gallery. A graduate of the Helwan University Faculty of Fine Arts printing section, Samir works with many techniques including painting, print making, mixed media, and installation. Samir joined many group exhibits in Egypt, including My Favorite Things 2 at Mashrabiya Gallery. She also exhibited at the Mattress Factory Museum in the USA and the Supermarket Art Fair in Sweden. Programme: The exhibition opens on 7 October at 7pm and will run until 25 October Open daily from 11am to 8pm except Fridays Gallery Misr, 4a Ibn Zinki St., Zamalek, Cairo For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture 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. The festival announced its plans to celebrate the renowned director ahead of its upcoming edition in March 2019 For its third edition next March, the Sharm El-Sheikh Film Festival will honour the legacy of acclaimed late Egyptian director Hassan El-Imam (1919-1988). El-Imam directed over 100 films, which will be celebrated in a special programme. This edition is headed by Magdy Ahmed Ali in collaboration with the Noon Cultural and Artistic Organisation, and promises a new and upgraded vision in its programming. The festival is preparing a book on El-Imam, as well as a symposium to discuss his work in the presence of his contemporaries. This is in parallel with screenings of his films. The festival, scheduled for 2-8 March, coincides with what would have been El-Imam's birthday on 6 March. Working between the 1950s and mid-80s, El-Imam was known for directing a series of films based on Naguib Mahfouzs novels, including Bayn El-Qasren (1962), Zokak El-Madaq (1963), Kasr El-Shouq (1966), and El-Sokareya (1973). One the public's timeless favourites is his film Khaly Balak men Zouzou (1972). For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Search Keywords: Short link: President Nana Akufo-Addo has assured Ghanaians that the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) is being equipped to carry out its mandate and Ghanaians will feel the impact soon. President Akufo-Addo made this known on Friday, 28 September 2018, when he addressed a townhall meeting of Ghanaians resident in Washington DC, as part of his trip to the United States of America for the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly. The office has been established by law and contrary to a lot of things the efforts are being made to make sure that the office is functional. I think very soon, all of you will see that indeed, the office is functional, Mr Akufo-Addo said. Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, has expressed frustrations about several challenges experienced by his office. The recent was his outburst over the level of cooperation he receives from the executive on his work. Mr Amidu claimed ministers have refused to offer him the kind of support he requires to be able to deliver on his mandate. He said it will be difficult for him to do his job without the cooperation of the relevant state agencies. You ask for information you cant get it, you ask for a docket, the docket cannot be produced. You ask a minister for a record, the record cannot be produced. How do you fight corruption when those appointed by the president who has a vision are not coordinating with the office of the special prosecutor to achieve his mandate? That is the challenge we have to face, he said at the National Audit Forum organised by the Ghana Audit Service. Mr Amidu said he has been working with common sense ever since he was sworn into office because there is no legislation guiding his work. I am saying this for the public to understand that we have set up an office. We have to organise that office, have the requisite personnel. It does not take one day. The law says 90 days after the assumption of office of the Special Prosecutor, pursuant legislation must be enacted, but as I speak today, I have no legislation so I use my common sense. He noted that his reputation alone as an anti-graft campaigner cannot fight corruption and, therefore, called on the government to resource his office to enable him to work effectively. 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 Chairman of Parliaments Committee on Communications, Mr Kennedy Agyapong and the Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Sam George have explained the cause of their disagreement at Tuesdays meeting with the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA). The two Members of Parliament at a media briefing denied suggestions that they had a near physical confrontation at the meeting which discussed GIBA's concerns with the Digitial Terrestrial Transmission (DTT) deal between Ghana and StarTimes. They rather accused the Member of Parliament for Kunbungu in the Northern Region, Ras Mubarak of creating a wrong impression that their disagreement led to a physical confrontation. According to Mr Agyapong for instance, he was furious that even though members of the committee, had agreed on Tuesday that, nobody should go public with information ahead of their meeting with GIBA on Thursday, Mr Sam George had flouted and went on an IMANI Africa platform, to discuss the issues of the DTT deal. Showing his lighter side, Mr Agyapong who is the Member of Parliament for Assin Central in the Central Region said: I hear Honourable [Ras] Mubarak saying it was physical, no, no, it wasnt physical. He [George] is here, you can ask him. I am a black belt [holder], if it was physical, youd have seen him, and youd have seen the marks. I was furious, I will admit, but it is based on what I heard him [Geroge] say, and he was also furious because of what the person said. Sam George On his part, Mr Sam George said it was not a physical confrontation as had been suggested. If Mr Agyapong says he is a black belt, I am also a son of a fisherman, and if he had come with his black belt, he would have met a fishermans son. We wont be standing here together if there had been a confrontation, one of us would have been heading for Korle Bu by now, he said in a jest amidst laughter from other members of the committee who were present at the briefing. What happened? Explaining, Mr Agyapong said he confronted the Ningo Prampram MP for violating a committee decision not to go public on the StarTimes-DTT deal until after Thursdays meeting. Apparently, I wasnt happy with what he said yesterday at the IMANI meeting but he had a reason saying, whatever he said was because somebody made a statement, actually insulting the integrity of the committee, so his response, MrAgyapong said. We [committee] had earlier met, that we were going to meet GIBA on Thursday, so I was surprised to hear him talking. Honestly speaking, what the person said I did not hear until today when the problem came, then we retired to chambers then he [George] also explained that you didnt listen to me. "I was furious because the statement this person made against the committee. which we have taken a decision is not going to end here, because of what the person said against the committee. So I [Kennedy] have apologized to him [George], then I also questioned why is it that I am the chairman of the committee, you hear something like this, you dont tell me, and he said well, you dont pick your calls sometimes Mr chairman, and I said, well you are not a woman, so I will not pick your call. So he also apologized to me. So initially, I confronted him, I was very furious of yesterday because of previous decisions we have all taken but honestly after we came back, we had a fruitful discussion and you can ask GIBA whatever decisions we took. I hear Honourable [Ras] Mubarak saying it was physical, no, no it wasnt physical, he is here, you can ask him. I am a black belt [holder], if it was physical, you'd have seen him, youd have seen the marks. I was furious, I will admit but it is based on what I heard him say, and he was also furious because of what the person said. Fisherman's son On his part, Mr Sam George said: at the beginning of the meeting, there was a misunderstanding over my comments I made on the IMANI platform yesterday. My chairman felt that post our Tuesday committee meeting, I should have stayed any comment on the matter but I later drew his attention to the matter that someone had passed comments that cast aspersions on the integrity of the entire committee of communications and that is why I had to go and clear the air on the IMANI platform, because the person had spoken to the media and the media was present at that platform. Post that we came back and had fruitful engagements with GIBA and going forward, GIBA is meeting the Ministry this afternoon and we would also be having further meetings with other stakeholders like the NCA and the Ministry to understand fully this matter and as a committee, we would continue to exercise our oversight responsibilities. So anybody who says it was a physical confrontation, I am a son of a fisherman, and he had come with his black belt, he would have met a fishermans son. We wont be standing here together if there had been a confrontation, one of us would have be heading for Korle Bu by now, Mr George said in a jest. Source: Graphic.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 The leadership of National Concerned Spare Parts Dealers Association (NCSPDA) at Abossey Okai in Accra have called on the public to disregard a recent statement by Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, suggesting that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has rented fake spare parts dealers to protest against the Akufo-Addo administration for failing to lessen their plights. According to them, Dr Bawumia indicated that the protests came from the fake spare parts dealers association that the NDC formed, adding that but thankfully the real spare parts dealers association has rejected their claims and exposed them as fake spare parts dealers. Speaking at the 4th National Policy Summit in Tamale, Northern Region, last Monday the vice president said that the government had abolished import duties on spare parts, a move that has been hailed by the genuine dealers. The real spare parts dealers who exposed the NDCs rented spare parts dealers thanked the government for helping their businesses. But in an interview with Today yesterday over the issue, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of NCSPDA, Mr Takyi Addo, on behalf of the association, expressed misgivings about the conduct of Dr Bawumia to label them as rented, non-existence and fake association, saying that the vice president was not being fair to them. We are not fake members of the spare parts dealers, our membership is known nationwide and we are surprised that Dr Bawumia has soon forgotten his recent meeting he held with the members of National Spare Parts Dealers Association (NSPDA) including members of NCSPDA with the aim to reaffirm that the government has abolished import duties on spare parts. So now he has turned back to call us fake rented spare parts dealers association, the right time is coming and we shall tell him and his NPP government whether we are fake or not, the PRO warmed. According to Mr Takyi, those flying statements by the vice president were just propagandist with evil intent, and stressed the need for Dr Bawumia to render an apology to them or else they would advise themselves. He maintained that the Concerned Spare Parts Dealers Association exists in Ghana and must therefore be taken seriously. He also denied the assertion by the vice president that the association was a politically motivated society seeking to do the bidding of the opposition NDC. Mr Takyi reaffirmed that they can no longer contain the hardship under the current administration following the imposition of several taxes through the backdoor making life unbearable for them. He reiterated that they were suffering and things were not going the way President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo promised them. He wondered why the current administration increased VAT adding that, that had affected the prices of the items we import into the country. He maintained that when they compare former President John Dramani Mahama-led National Democratic Congress to the current President Akufo-Addo New Patriotic Party government in connection to their spare parts business, they could see that the former was far better. Source: Today 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 We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form The race is still on to shorten the time period required by new Hepatitis C drugs to achieve a complete cure. Can it be shortened to four weeks? In the race to find a faster cure for Hepatitis C (HVC), Bristol-Myers Squibb Co said it will test its experimental antiviral drug combination with Gilead Sciences Inc's blockbuster drug Sovaldi, hoping to cut treatment time to four weeks. Bristol-Myers disclosed plans for the exploratory 30-patient trial testing of its three-drug combination with Sovaldi in an interview with Reuters. Eric Hughes, the leader of Bristol's global Hepatitis programme, said the details were due to be posted on the clinicaltrials.gov website next week. Sovaldi's $84,000 price tag for a 12-week treatment has spurred outrage among insurers, state health officials and lawmakers who fear the cost of treating millions of Americans with the progressive liver disease will top $250 billion. Insurers are pushing Gilead's rivals to offer lower prices when their Hepatitis C medicines reach the market. Using the drug for a shorter course of treatment could, in theory, lower the cost, even when combined with Bristol's therapies. Rivals Merck & Co and AbbVie are also racing to develop next-generation Hepatitis C treatments that cure most people of the virus in a shorter time frame. But drug pricing experts expect Gilead and its rivals may still argue that the quicker cure represents a value to patients, buffering any steep price reductions. "The position and concept of pharma is not ingredient costs or duration of treatment cost. Pharma is looking at it as cost per cure," said John Whang, co-president of Reimbursement Intelligence, which works with pharmaceutical companies and payers to help determine prices for medicines. The cost could come down, he said, "but it's not going to be proportionate to the degree that the duration of treatment shortens." The new generation of oral drugs being developed by several companies has raised Hepatitis C cure rates to well above 90 percent from about 75 percent without the need for Interferon or Ribavirin, which caused serious side effects that led many patients to delay or drop treatment. The drugs in clinical trials have already cut treatment times to 12 weeks from 24 to 48 weeks. "We got rid of the tolerability problem. We got rid of the efficacy problem. Now there is a tremendous drive to get down to shorter treatment durations," Bristol-Myers' Hughes said in a telephone interview. Reviving a Solvaldi combo Bristol's plan essentially revives an effort to test its drugs in combination with Sovaldi. It previously tested a single compound with Sovaldi, achieving cure rates close to 100 percent in 12 weeks. But Gilead scrapped further testing in 2012, as it preferred to develop its own combination without a partner. Gilead's pill that combines Sovaldi with its Ledipasvir is expected to gain US approval this year for therapies of eight or 12 weeks, depending on the patient. The company is also testing the combination as a six-week treatment. The go-it-alone strategy has already paid off as Gilead was first to market with Sovaldi, breaking pharmaceutical industry sales records with $2.3 billion in sales within a few months. The new study, set to begin in late July, will test a trio of Bristol drugs with Sovaldi in previously untreated patients with the most common Genotype 1 form of the virus. It will involve two groups of 15 patients each: one getting four weeks of treatment and the other six. If Bristol can demonstrate cure rates in excess of 90 percent in four weeks, it plans to conduct larger trials with a more diverse patient population. "We'll see what the data says," Hughes said. "Taking this forward will be a very exciting thing." With Gilead not involved in the effort, Bristol will pay full price for Sovaldi to conduct the trial. Bristol would not discuss potential pricing of its regimen, since its drugs are not approved. But if treatment can be cut to four weeks from 12, the Sovaldi portion would be closer to $28,000. Other rivals are also advancing efforts to compete in what is expected to be a huge market. The situation in Egypt Egypt has the lion's share of Hepatitis C infections worldwide, spiking from four percent in 1993 to 8.5 percent in 2005. The total estimated number of Egyptians infected is currently around 12 million. The probable cause of the spike in infection rates in Egypt was the use of contaminated needles in a campaign to eradicate schistosomiasis in the 1970s. Of the six genotype strains of the virus, the fourth previously treated with two combined drugs: Interferon, which targets the immune system, and Ribavirin comprises the majority of infections in Egypt (90 percent) The number of HVC infected reached eight million in 2008, according to the Ministry of Health registry of that year, translating into nearly 10 percent of the population, while in some Upper Egypt and Delta areas the percentage is a staggering 20 percent. In 2011, two new drugs Tela Previr and Boceprevir were introduced in Egypt, but they were not suitable for the fourth genotype of Hepatitis C from which 90 percent of Egyptian patients suffer, causing negative side effects and drug interactions. At the end of March, the pharmaceutical company producing the new Hepatitis C pill Sofospuvir announced it would offer Egyptians its new treatment at a 99 percent discount on the US price. HCV is the leading cause of liver cancer, which is responsible for one third of the total number of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Health experts in Egypt stressed that combining three oral medications the new drug Sofosbuvir with Interferon and Ribavirin had been proven to raise the cure rate for the genotype 4 HCV to 96 percent. The combination of the three drugs halves the duration of treatment from six to three months, minimises side effects, and thus lowers costs overall. Search Keywords: Short link: QUFU, China, Sept. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- After holding over 30 "civilization dialogues" on issues at all times and in all countries, the Fifth Nishan Forum on World Civilizations was concluded on the afternoon of September 27 in Qufu, Shandong province. The 263 scholars from over 20 countries and regions reached a consensus that the integration and mutual learning among civilizations would promote the building of a community of a shared future for mankind. Hosted by the People's Government of Shandong Province, the theme of the Fifth Nishan Forum was "Integrated Progress, Shared Future: Integration of Civilizations toward a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind". Parallel to the main theme were three sub-themes: The Belt and Road Initiative and Exploration of the Path to a Community of a Shared Future for Mankind, Responsibility and Duty: Embracing the New Era of Human Civilization, and Protection of Cultural Heritage and a Community of a Shared Future for Mankind. On September 27, the Chairman's Declaration on the Integration of Civilizations toward a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind was presented. The Declaration, reflecting the consensus of the scholars from home and abroad, points out that in face of complex world situations and global issues, no nation or state can stay isolated and no civilization can move forward alone. Mutual learning among civilizations is an important impetus to promote human civilization progress and world peace development. Dialogues among civilizations would serve as a bridge for the mutual learning among diversified civilizations. The vice provincial secretary and the provincial governor of Shandong Gong Zheng stated in his address that "the Fifth Nishan Forum has converged the power of thought, enhanced the power of integration, contributed to a cultural consensus, and promoted the mutual learning among civilizations." He also said that as the hometown of Confucius and Mencius and a place of ceremonies, Shandong would draw on the wisdom of others, give full play to its own cultural advantages, and fully strengthen the brand of Nishan Forum to create a highland for the mutual learning among world civilizations. He hoped that different civilizations could maintain the diversity of civilizations and encourage exchanges and mutual learning to jointly build a community of a shared future for mankind. SOURCE The People's Government of Shandong Province FortFS Introduces Super 8,88% Cash Back Search refund is a nice bonus for any Forex trader out there. FortFS gives real cash bonuses to active traders. 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You Are Here: Despite a significant decline in the number of Egyptian girls forced to undergo circumcision, the number of those undergoing the illegal procedure under the supervision of a doctor or nurse is on the rise I remember every single detail as if it were yesterday. The phantom pain that shivered down my spine, the floor whose colour you could not see because of the blood stains, and my tied hands and opened legs. They said it is a must; every girl has to be circumcised. Its the only way to save her virtue. Sixty-year-old Hanaa Mansour was relating her Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) experience, which she underwent a little less than 50 years ago. Mansour is like millions of other Egyptian women who were forced to undergo FGM at a young age. Nonetheless, statistics reveal that her fate will not be shared by thousands of other young girls. Recently released figures indicate that the number of girls below 17 who are still being circumcised is currently less than ever before in Egypt. But the majority of those who underwent it unlike their ancestors have undergone the surgery at the hands of a doctor or nurse. According to the latest research conducted by the Population Council, circumcised girls aged 13-17 dropped to 72 per cent in 2018. The research, released two weeks ago, revealed the number of FGM operations in Egypt had sharply decreased, as 92 per cent of married women aged 15-49 have been circumcised, while 85 per cent of women aged 20-25 have undergone FGM. However, the research raises a red flag. There is a significant increase in the number of circumcision surgeries by doctors on young girls. It revealed that the percentage of girls being circumcised by healthcare providers has reached 65 per cent among the 13-17 age group, compared to 31 per cent among married women between 15-49 years old. The results are from two studies: the Population Council in cooperation with Egypts Ministry of Health; and the National Population Council. The first study focused on how to eliminate FGM while the other researched implementing more effective social marketing campaigns to end FGM in Egypt. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), FGM is defined as any operation involving partial or total removal of female genitalia." At 12, Mansour was one of the oldest girls in her small rural village who had not undergone FGM. They usually start circumcising from six to eight years old, she said. She explained that it was well known in her village that the older a girl gets the higher the surgery risks, so most families decide to have their daughters undergo FGM at that age. Like all of the girls in her village, Mansour was circumcised by the towns only barber. They told me to lie down so that the weird smelling man could take a look at my vagina, so I did. A few minutes later, both my hands and legs were tied. I felt nothing but the pain, Mansour said, shedding tears. From where Mansour comes, a girl has to be circumcised in order to get married, otherwise, she gets the reputation of being ill-mannered. If left uncircumcised, she will probably not be able to control her desires and will have sex with any man. Its not certain whether this is what Mansour sincerely believes or whether this is what she was told to believe. Dr Amr Hassan, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at Cairo University, explained that in underprivileged areas, people undergo FGM under the banner of religion, which he added, is interpreted wrongly most of the time. It is a wrong mainstream thought that Islam orders circumcising women. Despite Al-Azhars decision that it has nothing to do with Islam, less educated preachers in underprivileged areas call for it as a means to protect the society from adultery, Dr Hassan said. Dr Hassan, founder of Enty Al-Aham (You Are More Important), one of the leading campaigns in fighting FGM, and one of the doctors who debated criminalising the law on FGM in parliament in 2016, believes the decreasing numbers indicate the progress both the government and NGOs are playing in raising peoples awareness regarding the severe harms of FGM. The percentage of young girls below 15 that undergoes FGM is the real indicator of the campaigns efficiency. From what we see, these numbers are continually dropping which clearly states we are on the right track. The results of the Health Demographic Survey indicate that the proportion of married women aged 15-49 who have been exposed to FGM dropped from 80 per cent in 2005, to 72 per cent in 2008, to 35 per cent in 2014. Dr Hassan added that because Egypt started combating FGM as far back as 20 years ago, a noticeable decrease in numbers is being realised every year. From his experience, direct communication with families has shown to be the most effective method in raising awareness. Nahla Abdel-Tawab, the Population Councils country director in Egypt, concurrs. Abdel-Tawab stated in a press release that research had also shown that the use of more personal contact has proven to be more effective in changing behaviour to overcome the fear of societal consequences that can result from abandoning circumcision. Having a daughter was Mansours ultimate nightmare, which eventually came true. I knew I did not want her to go through what I did but at the same time I knew I couldnt protect her from the surrounding mentalities, she said. Mansour was forced by her mother-in-law, the childs grandmother, to circumcise her daughter. Despite her attempts to postpone the surgery for years, she ended up forcibly taking her daughter to a nurse to do the job. I thought having a doctor or anyone experienced in medicine would be safer and maybe reduce some of the pain. There was a veteran nurse in our neighbourhood who accepted to do the surgery. But none of the pain, emotional breakdown or psychological effect was erased, she added. Heading to a healthcare provider instead of the usual barber is another solution people started turning to, believing it would reduce the harm caused by FGM. The research described it as medicalising FGM. The research showed that medicalising FGM is currently the most widely spread action and, as such, is in need of standing up against, as a way of fighting circumcision. Asserting that it is one of the most difficult challenges facing them, Abdel-Tawab explained that the information doctors and nurses have about sexual health is very limited. They are not sufficiently aware of the psychological and health damages caused by circumcision. Although most doctors are aware of the illegality of circumcision, some of them carry out the surgery under other names or suggest other doctors, she added. Hassan explained that many underprivileged people head to healthcare units based on the recommendation of local preachers. They have blind trust in those representing religion, so if somebody says a doctor is experienced enough to circumcise their daughter without causing them any harm, they dont think twice. It costs between EGP 100 to EGP 200 to circumcise a girl in our hometown, depending on her age, health and the size of the to-be-cut part, Mansour said. Egyptian law did not criminalise FGM until 2008 after a young girl, Bodour Shaker, died while being circumcised in surgery. Shaker's video went viral on social media. However, the 2008 law stipulated that an accused doctor pay only a maximum EGP 5,000 fine in order not to face a minimum six months to two years in jail. It wasnt until 2016 when the law redefined FGM as a felony and increased prison sentences to 15 years. When Mansours daughter married, she already had her mind set on not forcing her daughter into FGM, even if that meant leaving their hometown and moving to Cairo where the chances for her daughter to be socially accepted and get married while uncircumcised is higher. She swore that she will never make her daughter, my grandchild, go through such an experience no matter what she has to do, Mansour said. *A version of this article appears in print in the 27 September 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Medicalising FGM Search Keywords: Short link: Management consulting should be seen as a national investment, allowing not only businesses to maximise profits, but adding knowledge into the economy and driving forward job creation Management consulting can greatly contribute in boosting the Egyptian economy and transforming Egyptian companies until they can compete against major international firms. What is management consulting? Fundamentally, management consultants advise their clients on how to earn and/or save more money. How do they do it? In just one sentence, consultants apply a scientific approach in decision-making. They analyse several layers of information gathered from different sources, then provide insights and recommendations based on already proven frameworks that ensure best business decisions. Once decisions are made and goals set, consultants assist their clients in implementing the solutions to reach desired goals. What makes the success of management consultants is the scientific approach they adopt to solve their clients problems. Basically, a consultant acts as a medical doctor for businesses by recommending solutions to solve their problems. That is why consultants became the privileged partners of successful firms, performing different assignments such as strategic planning, transformation projects, or post-merger integrations. Thanks to its role as a performance booster, management consulting is widely used in all developed countries, as much as lawyers and financial accountants. The management consulting industry generated $139 billion of revenues in 2017, according to Statista.com. Management consulting can create a lot of highly qualified jobs much needed in Egypt, and work with Egyptian universities to prepare their students for modern jobs. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), around 20 percent of Egyptians with an advanced level of education are unemployed and about 35 percent of youth are still looking for a job. These figures are on the rise compared to 2011. The management consulting industry can highly contribute to improve employment rates of highly qualified youth. It is known to be a great pool for job creation, particularly for fresh graduates. For example, 16.5 percent of fresh business graduates in France choose to start their career in a consulting firm, according to Le Figaro. Consultants can also increase their collaboration with Egyptian universities to prepare students for modern jobs by improving their professional skills. Egyptian authorities support the development of business advisory services Conscious of the positive impact on the Egyptian economy that management consulting and advisory services in general generate, several governmental initiatives were launched to make them more accessible to Small and Medium Enterprises (SME). For example, up to 95 percent of the cost of consulting services can be directly paid by the Industrial Modernisation Centre (IMC), which operates under the Ministry of Industry. Other governmental initiatives were launched to assist different types of SMEs, particularly by the minister of investment. Several funding opportunities are also proposed by international development funds to aid SMEs in accessing consulting services. All these initiatives contribute in increasing the size and reach of consulting services in Egypt, which in return will contribute to unleashing the potential of Egyptian companies. Egyptian expatriates can reproduce in Egypt the successful development of management consulting services in GCC countries, creating jobs and generating export revenues. Dubai became an international consulting hub, serving GCC countries and beyond, reaching African and South Asian companies. The development of the GCC region in the last 20 years required large numbers of consultants, whose assistance highly contributed to accelerating the growth of the region. The GCC management consulting market was estimated at $2.8 billion in 2017. Why is the management consulting industry lagging in Egypt? Egyptian expatriates can assist Egyptian companies to be more competitive by bringing international standards of management. A strong management consulting industry in Egypt can become an additional source of foreign currencies as consulting services can be easily exported to other countries. Building a talent pool in Cairo will drive international consulting firms to consider Cairo more seriously as a hub for their teams to benefit from the cost advantage of Cairo compared to Dubai. Developing consulting services is a matter of national interest On a macro level, consultants play an important role in modernising the economy by diffusing best practices, whose effectiveness has already been proven in other industries or markets. The strategic partnership recently signed between Egypt and the UAE to transform Egyptian governmental services is a good example of such benefits. Consultants in different areas will be responsible for transferring knowledge from the UAE to Egypt. They will select the best solutions, and adapt and explain them to Egyptian counterparts. The approach used to modernise Egyptian governmental services can also be applied to all Egyptian companies by transferring knowledge from Europe or the GCC region. Benefits expected from management consulting By leveraging complex skills and knowledge, management consultants provide very high value-added services that generate benefits much larger than clients expectations. Consultants are strongly committed to assist their clients in reaching their targets and demonstrate leadership skills to drive change. Working as accelerators, consultants can achieve in six months what normally takes a year. Learning about what is happening elsewhere, and what the gaps are, is extremely valuable for clients. Consultants provide new ideas to avoid confirmation bias and to challenge the existing status quo. Clients benefit from industry experts as consultants for all kinds of issues. The improvement of internal resources performance is one of the most regularly observed benefits of management consulting missions. Clients have a large choice of transition scenarios to choose from, along with end to end assistance. All risks are identified by consultants to ensure the best-informed decisions are made by their clients. Management consulting services represent great investments Management consulting services should be considered as investments and not as operational expenditures. Transforming a company means higher future returns, which will cover any expenses incurred. The generally observed Return On Investment (ROI) of management consulting missions is estimated at around 300 percent. In addition, management consultants are experts in cutting costs for their clients, which can be considered as another cashflow stream, justifying consulting fees. To sum up, management consulting will be a real booster for the Egyptian economy, particularly during the upcoming period of expected economic growth. Consultants can accompany family businesses in becoming international corporates, following the example of Orascom, El-Sewedy and others. Thanks to funding by government and international institutions, management consulting services are also accessible to SMEs. Other benefits of management consulting include being a rich pool for job creation, offering interesting career opportunities for highly qualified fresh graduates as well as Egyptian expatriates who want to return to their home country. Developing a strong consulting industry will allow the export of high value-added services and be a source of much needed hard currency. * The writer is a banking expert and management consultant. Search Keywords: Short link: A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. Yemeni naval force targets Saudi patrol boats inside Jizan Port [30/September/2018] JIZAN, Sept. 30 (Saba) The naval forces of the Yemeni army and popular committees on Sunday carried out an offensive targeting a group of boats belonging to the Saudi border guards inside the port of Jizan, a military official told Saba. The attack was successful, causing massive human and material casualties inside the port, the official confirmed. The offensive came as a response to the daily crimes and massacres committee by the Saudi-led coalition against the innocent civilians of Yemen. Ahmed Al-Mutawakel Saba Denying that the government was politicising the Army's surgical strike inside Pakistan two years ago, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said it was being celebrated as a festival to show that India won't take any attack on its troops lying down. "The 'Parakram Parv' is being celebrated in over 50 cities across the country to show that we are not going to accept a blatant cowardly act of a neighbour getting into our Army base and killing soldiers who were resting and unarmed," Sitharaman told reporters at Yelahanka air base here. Giving the backdrop of the fest over the surgical strike on the intervening night of September 28-29, 2016, Sitharaman said it was necessary for the Army to hit the terrorist launch pads of the enemy in their territory. "Though there have been quite a few infiltrations over the past few years and actions were taken to eliminate the intruders, it was a call of the Army with political backing to strike at the terrorist launch pads of our enemies," she recalled. Considered the deadliest attack on Indian security forces, 17 soldiers were killed by four heavily armed militants in the Army's base camp near Uri town in northwest Kashmir on September 18. "As the terror attack happened inside the base on unarmed soldiers, it was necessary for the Army to strike at the enemy in its territory," she asserted. Claiming that people in large numbers had come to mark the event and show solidarity with the armed forces, the Minister said if anyone raised questions about the celebration, she would ask if it was something to be ashamed of. The Parv was observed for three days at 53 places across the country since Friday, highlighting the courage and sacrifice of the armed forces and special forces. Asked about the reports of a Pakistani civilian chopper violating Indian air space in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch sector on Sunday afternoon, the Defence Minister said she was yet to receive information on the incident. "We will respond on the issue after getting the details," Sitharaman said. In response to a related question on why India isn't ready to talk with Pakistan on infiltrations, the Minister said the country will not hold talks so long as the terrorism continues. "Our position is clear -- no talk so long as the terrorism continues. At the same time, we have responded every time there was a ceasefire violation," she stressed. Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that even after 70 years of independence, Mahatma Gandhi's dream of Swachh Bharat remained unfulfilled and claimed that his government had covered significant ground but needed to do more. "It has been over 70 years since independence, but Bapu's dream of a Swachh Bharat remains unfulfilled. Together, we have to fulfil this dream," Modi said while addressing a gathering after inaugurating the Mahatma Gandhi Museum here. To spread awareness about Gandhian culture, values and philosophy, the museum has been set up at the Alfred High School, which was an important part of the formative years of Mahatma Gandhi. Noting that Bapu was concerned about the environment, the Prime Minister said that inspired by him, the country needs to work for a cleaner and greener tomorrow. "In the last four years we have covered significant ground in the Swachh Bharat Mission but we must continue to do more," he said. Recalling that the Father of the Nation always taught to think of the last person in the queue, the poorest person and serve the underprivileged, the Prime Minister said that inspired by his ideal his government is serving the poor. "Through our initiatives we want to transform their lives. We want to build homes for the poor," he said. He said Gujarat is blessed to be the land so closely associated with Mahatma Gandhi. The Prime Minister also unveiled a plaque to mark the inauguration of a public housing project having 624 houses. He witnessed the e-graha pravesh of 240 beneficiary families. The Prime Minister later visited the museum. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released its Human Development Index (HDI) a couple of days ago, heralding progress in Samoa, Fiji, Palau and Tonga due to their ability to maintain their positions in the High Human Development category. Marshall Islands was included in the index for the first time. And Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, to round off the Pacific Islands, were seated at the other end of the scale and rated in the Low Human Development category. What is the Human Development Index and why is it important to me as a Pacific Islander? Well, it is very important, as you and I can describe it as a measurement of our governments success or failures in managing the lives of their people in terms of their health, education and general standard of living. The UNDP, in this latest index, stated that the data it relied on to reach its conclusions is comprehensive. On the whole the recently released 2018 HDI concludes that overall trend globally is toward continued human development improvements, with many countries moving up through the human development categories. Samoas consistency in maintaining benchmarks and progress in human development indicators in recent years is an achievement that would be the envy of other Pacific Island nations. Full credit should go to Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi and his Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP)-led Government. They have remained steadfast in terms of service delivery and focused on the priority areas of health, education, agriculture and infrastructure. While the progress has been steady for Samoa and its peers, the HDI highlighted the need for the countries to address female representation in their respective parliaments. Mirroring progress made globally, the Pacific has made good progress in closing gender gaps in education. In four of the six Pacific Island Countries for which data is available, expected years of schooling for females is greater than males. However, the Pacific Island Countries continue to have very few female Parliamentarians. Fiji, having the highest share at 16 per cent among the Pacific Island Countries featured in the report, falls well below the average for SIDS or for East Asia and the Pacific. The report highlights that a key source of inequality within countries is the gap in opportunities, achievements and empowerment between women and men. Worldwide, the average HDI for women is six percent lower than for men, due to womens lower income and educational attainment in many countries, said Bakhodir Burkhanov, UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji Country Director and Head of Pacific Regional Policy and Programme. While women representation in politics became non-existent for countries such as Papua New Guinea, Samoa has again become a shining light in the Pacific in this area. It passed constitutional amendments in 2013 that introduced a 10 per cent quote of women representatives into the Legislative Assembly. In the 2016 general election, 24 women out of 164 candidates ran for public office with four successfully getting elected to Parliament. The four women MPs victories activated the special clause in the Constitution for a 10 per cent minimum quota, which led to the next highest-polling woman candidate Honorable Faaulusau Rosa Duffy-Stowers to be elected. There is a lot to learn from Samoan success story, hence it would make sense that the regions tourism industry representatives are making their way to Apia, to attend the South Pacific Tourism Organisations Board of Directors Meeting and Council of Tourism Ministers Meeting. Feedback from a lot of tourists who fly into Samoa every week to enjoy all that Samoa has to offer are quick to praise this nation for finding the right balance between offering a premium service and ensuring that the authentic Samoan touch in the services offered is retained. They say they are overwhelmed by tourist numbers in other destinations such as Bali in Indonesia and Fiji, unlike in Samoa where you can still experience a touch of an island paradise. You only have to read our Dear Tourist pages every week to get a feel of what travelers from around the world are saying about this country and its people. There is no doubt the tourism industry in Samoa is benefiting from the Governments investment in infrastructure over the years and a growing private sector. This, again, brings us back to the recently launched HDI and its findings on Samoa. More investment in sustainable tourism development is the way of the future governments that go down that path will only be giving their people more opportunities to empower themselves. Law enforcement authorities have only been able to effect 65 per cent of warrants issued by the Courts between 2016-2017, a Ministry of Justice Courts and Administration report has revealed. The inability of the law enforcement authorities to effect the warrants were highlighted in the Ministry of Justice Courts and Administration Annual Report for the Financial Year 2016-2017. Over the years the Ministry has struggled to address this matter. Finding offenders liable for payment, of course fines, is default for the various reasons: offenders migrate overseas, some have passed away, some change their location of stay, some have had name changes, simply non-compliance and dishonesty of offenders etc., stated the report. The report also highlighted the difficulties that the Ministry faced when it convened a Commission of Inquiry to check the performance of Land and Titles Court (L.T.C.) judges. This was an intense period for the Ministry as we tried to meet the expectations of the judiciary, the executive arm and especially that of the public, stated the annual report. The Commission of Inquiry was announced by Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi in June 2016, when during a ministerial statement, he claimed that the privileges of being an L.T.C. judge was abused as some of them were using it as a holiday until their retirement when they turned 70 years of age. The P.M. did not name the judge in his statement back then. The annual report also focused on a large amount of debt that the Ministry had accumulated as a result of outstanding payments carried over from previous financial years. It was unclear as to how much was the amount of the debts as efforts two get responses were not answered on the matter. The increasing number of criminal and civil cases that went before the Courts was also highlighted with the report stated that the cases had increased by 4.5 per cent compared to the previous year. That is in the financial years 2015-2016, a total of 16,733 court cases were recorded, compared to 17,497 for the 2016-217 financial years. This indicates the increasing workload dealt by the Courts and the Ministry, stated the annual report. The annual report also made reference to major Government projects scheduled and planned on behalf of the State for that period which did not happen. These included the establishment and commencement of operations of a Community Law Centre. The Community Law Centre will strengthen and enhance public access to legal services and legal information in Samoa and will provide a median for lawyers, who wish to volunteer their services and for law students to gain valuable experience to enhance their skills and knowledge. It will provide free legal service in particular to members of the public who cannot afford private legal assistance. This project was put on hold as per Cabinet directive, stated the annual report. Ministry said it was optimistic that the Community Law Centre project will be realised in the near future. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (I.P.C.C.), the leading international body for the assessment of climate change, is due to release its Special Report today on the impacts of global warming of 1.5C. Commenting on his expectations for the report, Gebru Jember Endalew, chair of the Least Developed Countries (L.D.C.) Group said the report will important for policy makers and governments. "It will be important that the report and the Summary for Policy Makers clearly sets out the scientific necessity of limiting global warming to 1.5C as opposed to 2C to protect people and the planet, and highlights the vast discrepancy between this goal and our current global emissions pathway. In doing so, the report will shine a spotlight on the scale of the challenge the international community must rise up to meet. A future where warming is limited to 1.5C is a brighter future for all." "Governments across the world must take the report seriously and respond with science-based policies to spur genuine emissions reductions. Our world's natural systems place limits on us that we cannot negotiate and all countries need to respond accordingly with fair and ambitious climate action. This means rapidly scaling up pre-2020 efforts, providing finance and technology so Least Developed Countries (L.D.C.) and other developing countries can respond, and submitting more ambitious climate pledges in line with countries' respective responsibilities for climate change and capacities to respond. Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, in his address to the United Nations General Assembly last Friday, appealed to world leaders to fully implement the Paris Climate Change Accord if the world is to have any hope of mitigate the growing crisis. He indicated in his speech that the Small Island Developing States (S.I.D.S.) will be meeting in Samoa this month to do a five-year review of the Samoa Pathway, which focuses on the sustainable development of Small Island Development States. The findings of the I.P.C.C. report on climate change, due to release today, is expected to be discussed in the S.I.D.S. conference in Samoa. Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu are categorised in the L.D.C. group. Samoa graduated from the group in 2014. Statement by Honourable Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi, Prime Minister of the Independent State of Samoa at the General Debate, United Nations General Assembly Seventy third session. New York, 28 September 2018 Madam President, Distinguished delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen. I have had the privilege to address the General Assembly in the last 21 years as Samoas Prime Minister and my message has remained consistent throughout the passing years. Put simply, climate change poses the single greatest threat especially to Small Island developing states like Samoa, not through our doing or choice, and that the need to take effective action to mitigate against climate change impacts is urgent and real. Climate change as well encompasses the breadth of security issues facing our Blue Pacific region including human security, environmental and resource security, transnational crime and cyber security. As we have explained to the United Nations, climate change is one of the most pressing security challenges for island countries - affecting food security, access to safe water, fundamentally affecting our ability to draw sustenance from the pristine ocean and seas that surround us. Climate change is the highest priority challenge facing countries of the world and does not discriminate between rich and poor. And the logic of our perspective is simple. Climate change embodies the fullness of Samoas realities and aspirations. It impacts our society, our economy, our culture, our faith and our way of life and will continue to be our overriding priority policy concern and major pre-occupation including of our Pacific region, today, and well into the future It is a societal problem requiring a decisive response from the world community. Its global reach and impact should unite and strengthen our resolve, not weaken and divide us. As a united community, there is a great deal that we could achieve to arrest and even reverse the threat of climate change. Its impacts are worsening by the day. No one country, or single group of nations, and no single organization can solely win the war against climate change. The divergent, yet inextricably linked interests of member states demands that we work together. Our Paris Agreement on Climate Change was a beacon of hope especially for the vulnerable Island states. It is based on shared responsibilities, trust, collaboration and principled action. It demonstrates a new brand of cooperation and broad outlook, where the narrow pursuits of self-interests, the use of economic and political expediencies were to be set aside. It was meant to be a timely reminder that no action is too small or insignificant. All contributions matter and every action counts irrespective of who provides it. Importantly, It places the responsibility of addressing climate change squarely on every leader and on every Individual country in terms of the implementation of their Nationally determined contributions to the Paris Agreement. It is indeed worrisome and alarming that the level of commitments to the Paris Agreement by member states will not keep global warming anywhere below 1.5 degrees Celsius which is the ideal and moral goal to save Planet Earth. Without that, the continuing existence of some low-lying islands in our Pacific region and elsewhere will be in grave doubt. We must work together with a sense of urgency and commitment to address climate change, today, and now. It should not just be the science that recommends what we should do, but also our conscience and the political will to follow through. Clearly, we want leaders who view the world as a single constituency where all must work together within the limits of their capacity and capability to be part of the total solution. Samoa wants to be part of the solution because it is in our interest to do so. As for those suggesting they are implementing bold actions for the sake of our vulnerable islands, they need to be quietly reminded that in the final analysis, implementation initiatives, will ultimately benefit their economies, people and survival of their countries. For vulnerable countries, the issue is not about setting new targets, commissioning more studies and reports or even more polite talk shops and structured dialogue sessions, it is about adaptation now and long-term survival. The United Nations remains our last best hope to provide the political will and the necessary commitment to turn the tide against climate change. Samoa appeals to member states of our organization in positions of world leadership, to lead the charge in finding and implementing solutions to the causes of climate change. As custodians of our worlds environment, we owe it to our future generations to do what needs to be done quickly, and decisively. In the same way that nations in leadership roles are called to account in doing the right thing for our world, so must all the member states of the UN uphold their part of the bargain in the work that needs to be done. Without this cooperation from all member states, reaching the objectives we all know should be achieved, would continue to elude us. The Pacific region is already facing the destructive impacts of climate change and disasters. Cyclones, floods, droughts. Sea level rise and ocean acidification are taking their toll on the health and well being of our peoples, environment and economies. Disaster related economic losses in Pacific island countries as a percentage of GDP are higher than almost anywhere else in the world. Our people are waiting, the world is watching. It is incumbent on each individual leader and country to raise the level of ambition not just as an inspirational goal, but as deliverables of the Paris Agreement. For the Pacific peoples and our Blue Pacific region, urgent ambitious action on climate change is the only option. We welcome the determination resonated in the UN Secretary Generals remarks to the General Assembly earlier this month to sound the alarm on the need for bolder action on climate change. These are big asks to deliver on. It will be naive to think otherwise. But when the future existence of sovereign island nations, populations and cultures are at stake, then there is a moral imperative for the world to act decisively and collectively. Madam President The Pacific leaders are increasingly conscious of and concerned about the security of our region. And we look at security not just from the orthodox perspective of state security, but what security means for us Pacific communities. The Framework for Pacific Regionalism identifies security as one of the four objectives of regionalism - Security that ensures stable and safe human, environmental and political conditions for all. Forum Leaders have renewed commitment to work together as one Blue Pacific continent particularly in view of the renewed geopolitical interests in the Pacific region. Suddenly the Pacific is swimming in a rising tide of so-called fit for purpose strategies stretched from the tip of Africa, encompassing the Indian Ocean and morphing into the vast Blue Pacific Ocean continent - that is our home and place. The big powers are doggedly pursuing strategies to widen and extend their reach and inculcating a far-reaching sense of insecurity. The renewed vigour with which a Tree and Open Indo-Pacific strategy is being advocated and pursued leaves us with much uncertainty. For the Pacific there is a real risk of privileging Indo over the Pacific While the Pacific region currently enjoys a period of relative stability, drivers of instability exist in the region and beyond. The 2017 State of Pacific Regionalism Report indicated that shifting global and regional geopolitics is creating an increasingly complex and crowded region that places the Pacific at the centre of contemporary global geopolitics. This trend, coupled with broader challenges such as climate change, rising inequality, resource depletion, maritime boundary disputes and advances in technology, will continue to shape the Pacific regional security environment. While the world be-labours the issues of security around military might and the wonders of technological advancement in reaching such ends, our priority in the pacific is to maintain stability of our governments and countries. We can do this through a review of our governance pathways and ensure that our elected leaders respond to peoples needs. Pacific Island Forum Members have a proud history of working collectively in response to events and issues that have challenged regional security, peace and stability, from the 1985 Rarotonga Treaty created a nuclear free zone in the South Pacific, to a collective approach to addressing the existential threat of climate change. The Pacific regions current geopolitical and geostrategic context underlines the need for an integrated and comprehensive security architecture, incorporating an expanded concept of security. A stable and resilient security environment provides the platform for achieving the regions sustainable development aspirations. In recognition of this, in 2017, Forum Leaders agreed to build on the Biketawa Declaration and other Forum security related declarations as a foundation for strategic future regional responses, recognizing the importance of an expanded concept of security and regional cooperation in building resilience to disasters and climate change.^ Leaders have also prioritized action on climate change and disaster risk management, fisheries, and oceans management and conservation - all of which have significant security elements. As if being vulnerable to climate change is not a lifelong challenge, the label of Pacific Small island developing state can also have its unintended trials and tribulations. For far too long we have been given to believe they are little and classified have nots. We are susceptible to being characterized as countries that have little, and that we should be grateful for whatever is offered to us. We are highly protective of our means of livelihoods and have embraced regional action to ensure the sustainability of our fisheries resources. And we are actively asserting our ambitions to ensure that there is inheritance for the generations to come. Any such approach for engagement with partners must be genuine and durable and premised on understanding, friendship, mutual benefit and a collective ambition to achieve sustainable results. They must also be nonpartisan and non-interventionist. And in the process, our partners have fallen short of acknowledging the integrity of Pacific leadership and the responsibility they carry for every decision made, in order to garner support for the sustainable development of their nations. Some might say that there is a patronizing nuance in believing that Pacific nations do not know what they were doing or were incapable of reaping the benefits of close relations with countries that are and will be in the region for some time to come. In cases where emerging partners have engaged with Pacific countries without conditionality, the relationships are perceived to be associated with corruption or unprecedented environmental degradation. One has the tendency to be bemused by the fact that the reaction is an attempt to hide what we see as strategic neglect. Where we are now would not have been possible without the valuable support of our circle of partners, and the value of the partnerships we had nurtured and cultivated over the years to respond to the multitude of needs of our people. The friendly relations we have with some partners are construed by others as compromising and obtrusive, prompting some to speak up for us to ward off the influences we are supposedly too naive to recognize. By the same token we are given alternatives that reflect interests beyond altruism and conversion of the poor. As Pacific leaders we need to ask ourselves what we ought to do in order to make a difference for us and for the world - and to promote our values premised on peace stability and security. Our geographical isolation and insularity no longer shields or protects us from the increasingly complex and dynamic security challenges - transnational crime, nuclear proliferation, challenges to sovereignty, and humanitarian crises. The rules based international system is being bent out of shape. Gone were the days when we took only what we needed from our environment; when we were a lot more conscious of the importance of the continuity of our cultures and values, unadulterated by the infringing, impinging world around us. Then, we did not worry much about borders because the original migrations of our peoples defined for us our ocean space and place. Poverty was not a part of our consciousness because we cared for each other and the oceans provided their bounty. We should not be influenced by economic dependence as that Is a compromise in itself. We should seek to strengthen domestic cohesion, develop resilience and rethink our governance pathways. The Leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum are committed to a vision for the Pacific - that it be a region of peace, harmony, security, social inclusion, and prosperity, so that all Pacific people can lead free, healthy, and productive lives now and into the future And moreover, we have committed to working together to achieve this vision. The Blue Pacific platform offers all Pacific countries the adaptive capabilities to address a changing geostrategic landscape. The opportunity to realize the full benefits of the Blue Pacific rests in our ability to work and stand together as a political bloc. And the challenge for us is maintaining solidarity in the face of intense engagement of an ever growing number of partners in our region. We should not let that divide us! Madam President In 4 weeks time, Samoa will be hosting the Interregional meeting of Small Island developing states and their development partners in preparation for the five-year review of the SAMOA Pathway during the High-level week next year in September. My Government looks forward to welcoming our guests and we thank the United Nations member states and the Small Island Developing States in particular for agreeing to allow the SAMOA Pathway to make a brief return to its namesake and birthplace. Let me conclude by acknowledging the support of all those member states of the United Nations, Samoas circle of friends, who supported our candidates re-election to the Committee on the Rights of the Child. Thank you Every Home for Christ Ministry has moved to curb domestic violence by hosting a three-day marriage seminar. The seminar will be held at the Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi (T.A.T.T.E.) building and starts tomorrow. It is free and open to members of the public. Every Home for Christ director, Pastor Morgan Gegera, said the significant increase of domestic violence cases is disconcerting which compelled them organise the seminar. Domestic violence and spouse abuse is not limited to the people going through the dilemma. This is everyones problem and we have to play our part as well." The Government, the non-government organisations (N.G.O.) and the churches must take action to address this matter." So the seminar will outline the biblical point of view of principles found in the word of God, on marriage, life, family, love and the respect." It is our conviction the answers to these problems are found in the word of God. A lot of people attend church, unfortunately most of the perpetrators are church going folks, unless we touch the core of principles in the word of God as pertaining to family, marriage and relationships we will never get anywhere, he added. This is the second year that Every Home for Christ Ministry hosting and facilitating such a seminar. Samoa is a Christian nation and we very religious and people go to church but it does not mean they dont have problems at home." And its after church, when the issue arises within families, with verbal arguments which sometimes lead to physical abuse. Statistics dont lie." This three-day seminar is designed not only to encourage a stronger and healthier marriage but also to prepare our young people in relationships before entering into this lifetime commitment, he said. The event will feature Pastor Warren Retzlaff, a renowned International Speaker on family and marriage. We believe that strong marriages produce strong families, who will build strong communities and a nation safe and secure for children, Pastor Gegera added. Every Home for Christ is an international mission organisation dedicated to the Great Commission and was established in 1946. The Samoa Hotels Association Executive Council have elected Savaiian hotelier, Tupai Saleimoa Vaai as their new President. Tupai has been in the hotel industry for the last nine years and told the Samoa Observer that he is relatively still a newcomer compared to the industry veterans. But he said he is honoured to be elected to the role and accepts the challenge put before him. Being a Savaii based hospitality businessman presents some logistical challenges for mostly Upolu based meetings and events but Tupai will take that in stride pointing out that now is the time to bring the industry together and they will be looking at ways to link Upolu based tourism industry with their Savaii counterparts. Our industry is at the point where we are on the verge of breaking through and were at that critical position now where we have to find the balance between the bigger brands and smaller hotels. Said Tupai we are such emerging destination and have been talking about this for a long time -tourism is growing. We want to ensure our local operators are not left behind as our industry and our clientele develops and grows - we also need to grow with them and we cant expect to stay the same. What makes Samoa unique is our people and our culture and we dont want to become too commercialized but at the same time we want to have enough people so that all the stakeholders are surviving and thriving which contributes to our economy. The President of S.H.A. is confident that the newly elected executive and board reflect the direction they intend to take as a collective, looking forward with a fresh perspective while guided by industry experience. We got a good mixture with the two veterans, Sose Annandale and Keriti Ah Liki. He said we got two of the bigger hotels with Mark Francis from Sheraton and Jay from Tanoa. Its good to have some new industry players but we still need some old hands that were right there from the start. Being elected President is a testament of our membership and were very thankful to them for putting us in those positions - got a lot of work to do. Were not here to come and change a lot of things but a good testament to our old presidents is the previous exec who have done the hard yards and put us in a position where we are able to talk to government easily and create ties with the other private sectors as well. This year Tupai stepped down as President of the Samoa Savaii Tourism Association after almost five years but he says it was a blessing in disguise as it freed him up to the mantle for S.H.A. He mentions that the members of S.H.A. in Savaii who are also members of the S.S.T.A have been very supportive of his new role, without the support of the Savaii based S.H.A. and S.S.T.A. members, its going to be a big challenge for me to run to and from the islands and I am very grateful to them for their hard work and commitment. Its a learning curve for me and its the reason why Im happy with the board and council of well experienced people in the industry because they will help me and guide me along the way. I dont have all the answers but Im hopeful that the experience from Savaii and being a member of S.H.A. will add value to my time as President. 2018/19 Samoa Hotel Association Executive Council President: Tupai Saleimoa Vaai of Vaimoana Seaside Lodge; Vice President: Fiaailetoa Charlotte Brunt of Orator Hotel Samoa; Treasurer: Jay Krishna of Tanoa Tusitala Hotel; Secretary: Vaimoana Hunt Lee of Moanalisa Hotel Samoa; Executive Council Member: Aliimuamua Kereti Ah Liki of Jetover Hotel Salelologa & Ulalei Lodge; Mark Francis of Sheraton Samoa Aggie Greys Hotel & Bungalows & Sheraton Samoa Beach Resort; and Sose Annandale of Sinalei Reef Resort & Spa, Samoa. CITY COUNCILS DEL MAR The Del Mar City Council will meet in closed session to discuss litigation and property negotiations at 3:15 p.m. Monday in council chambers, 1050 Camino del Mar. In regular session at 4:30 p.m., the council will discuss projected sea level rise, flooding and erosion, including local coastal program amendments. The council will also hear an update on the citywide Utility Undergrounding Project. A hearing on the repeal of city code regarding the Downtown Initiative Overlay Zone was removed from the agenda for consideration at a December meeting. ENCINITAS Advertisement The city of Encinitas is taking applications from Encinitas high school and college students and adult artists for a public art project. The project will create 53 mosaic panels for permanent installation at the Interstate 5 undercrossing at Santa Fe Drive. An applicant workshop will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Encinitas Library, 540 Cornish Drive. Apply at www.encinitasca.gov/publicart, or at Encinitas City Hall, 505 S. Vulcan Ave., or the library. Deadline is Oct. 25. Contact Arts Program Administrator Jim Gilliam at (760) 633-2746 or jgilliam@encinitasca.gov. ESCONDIDO Mayor Sam Abed will hold a town hall meeting at 4 p.m. Wednesday in City Council Chambers, 201 N. Broadway. OCEANSIDE The Oceanside City Council will meet in closed session to discuss litigation and labor negotiations at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at City Council Chambers, 300 N. Coast Highway. In regular session at 5 p.m., the council will consider establishing a 20-minute loading zone at 326 N. Horne St., and an all-way stop sign at South Ditmar and Eucalyptus streets, supplemented with crosswalks; and establishing permit parking zones in several locations. The council will hold hearings on the Grandview Pointe project, and on allowing agritourism in the South Morro Hills region. POWAY The Poway City Council will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday in council chambers, 13325 Civic Center Drive, when it will give final approval to its ordinance on accessory dwelling units; and will consider buying property south of Monte Vista Road for $260,000 to be used as open space. A closed session will follow to discuss property negotiations and litigation. SCHOOL DISTRICTS FALLBROOK The Fallbrook Union Elementary School District board will meet in closed session to discuss litigation at 5:30 p.m. Monday in Room 106 of the district office, 321 N. Iowa St. In regular session at 6 p.m., the board will consider a request to seek bids for infrastructure upgrades to support high-speed internet districtwide, and a request to enter a contract with Titan HST, which would provide real-time emergency communications services between school sites, district administrators and local first responders. VALLEY CENTER Meet the candidates for the Valley Center-Pauma Unified School District board at a forum at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Valley Center Primary School, 14249 Fruitvale Road, hosted by Ridgeview Church. There will be a moderated discussion as well as a chance to speak to the candidates. A presentation will be given about Measure SS. laura.groch@sduniontribune.com CITY COUNCILS CARLSBAD The Carlsbad City Council met Tuesday and introduced an ordinance changing the speed limit to 30 mph on part of Estrella de Mar Road. The council amended city code on council compensation, setting each members pay at $2,052.17 per month; and heard a presentation on the San Diego Airport Development Plan for the Terminal 1 Replacement Project. The council also adopted a resolution establishing a transition plan for the appointment of new members to the Planning, Parks and Recreation, and Traffic Safety commissions; and introduced an ordinance changing city code to add two members to the Traffic Safety Commission. ENCINITAS Advertisement The Encinitas City Council met Wednesday for a public hearing on forming an Underground Utility District in Cardiff. The council approved forming the district. The council approved authorizing the city manager to work with ENGIE Services U.S. to do an energy assessment and to identify conservation and renewable energy options to cut the citys energy demand to net zero. The council reviewed at length an analysis to evaluate an increase in the percentage of inclusionary housing citywide, if voters approve Measure U. The council agreed to hold a workshop with the Planning Commission on Oct. 9 to further discuss the issue. SAN MARCOS The San Marcos City Council met Tuesday and continued an agenda item to the Oct. 9 meeting to amend city code pertaining to animal control. A closed session will follow to discuss litigation. SOLANA BEACH The Solana Beach City Council met in closed session Wednesday to discuss litigation. In regular session, the council approved, 5-0, amending a resolution to eliminate all roundabouts from further study for the Lomas Santa Fe Corridor Improvement Project, and to preserve four lanes of travel. VISTA The Vista City Council met Tuesday for a hearing on its Downtown Specific Plan, which would amend the land use designations and development rules in four areas Transit East, Transit West, West Gateway and Paseo Santa Fe/Pala Vista, including rules related to parking and utilities. The council suggested several changes to densities and building heights, and the matter will return for final changes. The council held a hearing and approved its Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report, which goes to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. SCHOOL DISTRICTS DEL MAR The Del Mar Union School District board met Wednesday and heard reports on its Early Childhood Development Center Program, its After School Program and Enrichment Program. The board also heard a report on the evaluation of the proposed site for School No. 9 in East Pacific Highlands Ranch. ESCONDIDO The Escondido Union School District board met in closed session Wednesday to discuss litigation and property negotiations. In regular session, the board held a public hearing to review documentation from The Classical Academy charter school and get public input for its five-year charter renewal. The board also appointed Ana Cristina Machado as its new director of fiscal services. OCEANSIDE The Oceanside Unified School District board met in closed session Tuesday to discuss litigation and labor negotiations. In regular session, the board approved contracts with various educational services. SAN MARCOS The San Marcos Unified School District board met in special closed session Sept. 21 to discuss candidates for the superintendent position. SOLANA BEACH The Solana Beach School District board met in special session Wednesday to discuss school enrollment and capacity in light of the fact that housing developments in Carmel Valley are moving ahead quickly. Staff presented information about the need to assign certain developments to various Solana Beach schools. Other options included building an eighth school that can take up to 350 students; adding a wing to Solana Ranch School to increase capacity; or using existing buildings. Staff was directed to present recommendations on attendance area assignments at the Oct. 11 meeting. laura.groch@sduniontribune.com San Diego-born drummer and percussionist Ches Smith counts jazz bass great Dave Holland and pioneering trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith among his many notable collaborators. In an intriguing twist, Smith has also played with Camper Van Beethoven, Mr. Bungle, former Tom Waits band guitarist Marc Ribot and other proudly left-of-center rock acts. An accomplished band leader in his own right, Smith is now on tour with violist Mat Maneri and pianist Craig Taborn, with who he recorded the sublime 2016 album The Bell. Taborn and Maneri are both notable solo artists in their own right and both have earned international acclaim for their arresting musical skill and vision. Together in a trio setting with Smith, they expertly blur the boundaries between jazz, free improvisation and chamber music. The result is wonderfully intricate instrumental interplay that can be intense at a whisper and delicate at its most charged. Advertisement For some listeners, the trios charged unison lines sometimes evoke the seminal English progressive-rock band King Crimson at its best. Smith, Taborn and Maneris Saturday Fresh Sound concert at the all-ages Bread & Salt should offer multiple aural treats. Ches Smith, Craig Taborn and Mat Maneri: 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., San Diego. $10 (students) and $20. (619) 987-6214. freshsoundmusic george.varga@sduniontribune.com Twitter @georgevarga Before Wynton Marsalis mastered all that jazz and more than 40 years before he debuted Spaces, his 2016 Jazz at Lincoln Center animal ballet now headed to San Diego he cut his teeth playing in several New Orleans funk bands in the 1970s. It was then, as the teen-aged trumpeter in such groups as The Creators and Killer Forces & The Crispy Critters, that this 1997 Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and band leader learned some of the key skills he has drawn on ever since. Definitely! affirmed Marsalis, 56, whose subsequent musical collaborators have ranged from Ray Charles and Bob Dylan to Dizzy Gillespie and Carole King. I learned what songs to play when, what solos to play, what an audience was like, what kind of stage costumes to wear, what was effective and what was not. We were writing new horn parts and I was putting new bass lines on songs. You learned to be efficient. And people would let you know how you were doing. The crowds were very interactive. Advertisement Did the trumpeter, who was typically the youngest member in those Big Easy funk bands, also do dance moves while playing? We did all that kind of stuff, man. We even did The Guillotine! he replied. We also played a lot of slow songs and had a very large female following. One begot the other! We played 70s funk by Earth, Wind & Fire, The Commodores, some War, P-Funk, Ohio Players, Maze, Stevie Wonder, stuff by Jeffrey Osbornes group, Ltd., sometimes songs by the Funky Meters. Mainly, we did covers of songs that were really popular. A song like P-Funks Flashlight, we might have played 2 million times, or Stevies Sir Duke. We did a lot of things from his Songs in the Key of Life album. From the age of 13 to 16, I might have played 500 gigs. For good measure, Marsalis was only 14 when he first performed as a trumpet soloist with the New Orleans Philharmonic. He chuckled when asked if his school work was adversely impacted by his constant funk gigs in the Big Easy. No. I brought my homework with me, said Marsalis, whose family-friendly Wednesday concert at the Balboa Theater with his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra features the San Diego debut of Spaces (about which more in a moment). People would be laughing at me, because Id be doing my homework on the gig! I was the youngest person on that scene. I was probably 13, and the average age of people in those bands was between 20 and 25. We had a great time. We competed in a lot of battle of the bands. To this day, I can remember the names of the bands we lost to. Bobby McFerrin (left) and Wynton Marsalis joke around backstage at the 1983 San Diego Jazz Festival, where they performed on UC San Diegos Revelle Campus lawn. (Photo by Grace Bell) Winning ways Losing has not been a common experience for Marsalis, who was 17 when he moved to New York to study classical music at Juilliard in 1978. At 18, he joined Art Blakeys famed Jazz Messengers band. Within a year, he was leading his own group. It featured his brother, saxophonist Branford Marsalis, a veteran of both the Jazz Messengers and the Creators. In 1984, Marsalis became the first artist in history to win Grammy Awards for jazz and classical recordings in the same year. In 1985, he became the second person to accomplish that joint-Grammy feat. He was all of 23 at the time. No other artist since has won jazz and classical Grammys in the same year. Marsalis composed his first dance score, Citi Movement (Griot New York) for Garth Fagan Dance in 1992. Five years later, he became the first jazz artist to ever win the Pulitzer Prize for music, thanks to his sweeping oratorio about slavery and freedom, Blood on the Fields. His most recent music and dance work, the jazz opera The Ever Fonky Lowdown, debuted this year at Jazz at Lincoln Center, which Marsalis co-founded 31 years ago. In 2004, Jazz at Lincoln Center moved into its $128 million New York City headquarters overlooking Central Park where it boasts two concert venues, a nightclub, a recording studio and more. Jazz education programs have been a constant for the nonprofit organization, which in 1995 debuted Essentially Ellington to make Duke Ellingtons music available to high school musicians from coast to coast and support the development of their schools music programs. In 2008, Essentially Ellington expanded to include the music of other top big band arrangers and composers, including Count Basie, Mary Lou Williams and Benny Carter. In 2015, Jazz at Lincoln Center debuted its own record label, Blue Engine Records. The Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai nightclub opened in China last year. Its been a struggle, but thats been the fun of it, Marsalis said, speaking from his office at Jazz at Lincoln Center. We have so many people at JALC all types of people, all ages, from all walks of life. We have volunteers and a very dedicated board. We have a definite philosophy and point of view, which stresses the fundamentals of jazz. ... We try, as much as possible, to bolster young musicians, but we need to work on it, always. If we had 15 more jazz orchestras across the country, Id be much happier about the prospects for our students. But we have SF Jazz, Jazz Houston, Jazz St. Louis and the Dr. Phillips Center Jazz Orchestra in Orlando. So we have places doing things that are cause for hope. Marsalis happily recounted receiving a recording on his phone earlier that day at 4:19 a.m. from Vincent Gardner, the artistic director of Jazz Houston. It was sent from Australia, where Gardner was overseeing an Essentially Ellington program, and featured a rip-roaring bebop solo by a 13-year-old jazz virtuoso. Vincent sent this tape to all the members of the JALC Orchestra. My phone has been ringing all day with calls from the cats in my band. Theyre all saying: Damn! How old is this kid? So we have younger people who want to play this music. Via long distance, Marsalis marveled aloud as he played part of the recording to his interviewer in San Diego. What makes somebody who is 13 want to learn the most difficult aspects of our music, in Australia? he mused. And I realize that its the difficulty and the challenge of it. When you get older, the pressure to be less than you are (artistically) becomes greater and puts you in a difficult position. Some are willing to make the sacrifice, some are not, and theres no shame in either. Jared Grimes dances with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, whose leader, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, is pictured fourth from left in the top row behind Grimes. (Photo by Lawrence Sumulong) From New Orleans to Harvard In 2011, Marsalis did a Music as Metaphor lecture/performance at Harvard. He was joined by his quintet and former San Diego violin master Mark OConnor, whose music has accompanied performances by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the New York City Ballet. Dancing is, of course, a tradition that is an intrinsic part of culture and everyday life in New Orleans, where second-line dances are performed at parades and funerals alike. Derived from the citys famous jazz funerals, which start as solemn processions and conclude as lively celebrations, second-lining often finds participants strutting in the streets. Accented by twirling parasols or white handkerchiefs, second lining is an all-ages affair. For Marsalis, though, the first lure of dancing as a kid was that it wasnt for kids. In New Orleans, everybody was dancing, Marsalis recalled. My family was living for a while in (nearby) Hanson City, which is really country, if you can imagine it in the 1960s in the segregated South. There was a restaurant/bar that kids were not supposed to go into when they were having dances. Somehow, I stumbled in there and it was men and women, snapping their fingers to Motown and Sam & Dave records. I remember thinking: Damn, this must be a lot of fun! I knew I wasnt supposed to be in there, but I lingered in a corner for a while. That was my first understanding of dance that wasnt second-lining. With Spaces, the second of three major dance works he has composed to date, Marsalis cites his inner-child as a key inspiration for his animal ballet suite, which in concert features tap dance dynamo Jared Grimes and Memphis jook dance sensation Lil Buck. Each of the 10 movements in Spaces corresponds to a different animal. The musical menagerie included lions, frogs, chickens, and in the case of the suitably buzzing bees movement insects. I was thinking about, like, an animal dance and the different things that animals do, Marsalis explained. I wanted to have one half of the suite that just had the sound of the animals, which were not connected to jazz, but just to sound. Many techniques in European classical music, after the 1920s, used soundscapes. I loved the way composers like (Gyorgy) Ligeti would use sound as music, so I wanted to do that for first half. Then we go into swing and the jazz equivalent of these animals. We equate animals with sounds and rhythms, like swallows, how they go up and down and fly. We can do that in the music. Lions, with their power and roaring, elephants, with that big trumpeting sound they make. Snakes slithering, monkeys chattering; we found interesting spaces to get into. Why no duckbill platypus movement? Marsalis laughed. I just picked the ones I liked, he said. I didnt pick a koala, which was my favorite animal growing up. I just picked the ones I thought would lend themselves best to music. I try to be like a child when I write these pieces and write with the wonderment of a child. The suites Bees Bees Bees movement finds Jazz at Lincoln Centers brass and wind players switching to kazoos. Marsalis laughed again when asked how long it had been, prior to debuting Spaces, since he last played a kazoo. It had been a while, he admitted. One time I made the mistake of of doing a Young Persons lecture and concert where we handed out kazoos to 800 kids, and then I tried to teach the class. Man! Those damn kazoos were going off constantly Wah! Wah! Wah! La Jolla Music Society presents Wynton Marsalis Spaces, an animal ballet With: Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, with tap dancer Jared Grimes and jook dancer Lil Buck When: 8 p.m. Wednesday Where: Balboa Theater, 868 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp Quarter Tickets: $75-$99, plus service Phone: (858) 459-3728 Online: ljms.org george.varga@sduniontribune.com Twitter @georgevarga Men flying fighter jets, spy planes and parachutes may have been the main draw for tens of thousands of people at the annual Miramar Air Show Saturday, but the show was also meant to highlight something else the accomplishments of women in the militarys most male-heavy branch. The theme of this years Marine Corps Air Station Miramar air show is 100 Years of Women in the Marine Corps. On Saturday, in a hangar away from the crowds filling the air show performance area, was an exhibit highlighting firsts accomplished by women Marines. A few women Marines who claimed some of those firsts the first Marine pilot, the first Marine artillery officer were also there on Saturday as part of a meet-and-greet. Out of all the military branches, the Marines have the fewest women. Just 8.5 percent of active-duty Marines are women, while 15.1 percent of the Army, 19.7 percent of the Navy and 20.3 percent of the Air Force are, according to the Defense Manpower Data Center. Some women Marines at the air show speculated that the Marines have the least women partly because its the most demanding military branch, where everybody is trained as a rifleman first. Advertisement Were known to be the toughest branch, said staff Sgt. Shantel Limbo at Saturdays exhibit area. Were first to fight. Those factors could make the Marines seem more intimidating to some women, some female Marines said. 1 / 18 100-years of women in the Marine Corps is the 2018 MCAS MIramar Air Show theme. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 2 / 18 The Navy Blue Angels perform on the second day of the 2018 Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 3 / 18 A photo of the first Marine Corps female pilot, Lt. Col. Sarah Deal Burrow, is part of the 100-year timeline of women in the Marine Corps, on display during the 2018 MCAS Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 4 / 18 Two Navy SEALs, part of the U.S. Navy Leap Frogs Parachute Team prepare to land during the second day of the 2018 MCAS Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 5 / 18 The Navy Blue Angels perform on the second day of the 2018 Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 6 / 18 Two F/A-18 Hornets swoop in at high speed to start the Marine Air-Ground Task Force demonstration during the second day of the 2018 MCAS Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 7 / 18 Mr. Andrews, a Marine Corps Veteran has his face painted in camouflage during the second day of the 2018 MCAS Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 8 / 18 The Navy Blue Angels perform on the second day of the 2018 Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 9 / 18 Spectators grab shade under the wings a a Marine Corps KC-130J tanker from Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352 (VMGR-352) during the second day of the 2018 MCAS Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 10 / 18 The Navy Blue Angels perform on the second day of the 2018 Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 11 / 18 The Navy Blue Angels perform on the second day of the 2018 Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 12 / 18 The Navy Blue Angels perform on the second day of the 2018 Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 13 / 18 An Air Force U-2 Dragon Lady spy plane performs during the second day of the 2018 MCAS Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 14 / 18 The Navy Blue Angels perform on the second day of the 2018 Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 15 / 18 Spectators look skyward as the U.S. Navy Leap Frogs Parachute Team and the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team perform during the 2018 MCAS Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 16 / 18 The Navy Blue Angels perform on the second day of the 2018 Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 17 / 18 Spectators grab shade under the wings a a Marine Corps KC-130J tanker from Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352 (VMGR-352) during the second day of the 2018 MCAS Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 18 / 18 Eight-year-old Kiran Singh of Redondo Beach enjoys himself on the V5 Ultimate Bungee during the second day of the 2018 MCAS Miramar Air Show. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) I think a lot of people dont think they can do it, said 1st Lt. Virginia Brodie, who became the Marine Corps first artillery officer in 2016. People dont realize that if they want to do it, they can. The Marine Corps enlisted its first woman, Pvt. Opha May Johnson, in 1918. Over the next few decades, women had relatively limited roles as Marines. During World War II, for example, women enlisted in the Marines mostly to free a man to fight, taking up jobs that were largely clerical. It wasnt until December 2015 that the U.S. secretary of defense ordered all military jobs to be opened to women. Up until then, about 10 percent of military positions had been closed to women, including infantry, reconnaissance and some special operations units, according to the Department of Defense. That decision allowed Brodie to become one of the first two women to ever graduate from the Marine Corps artillery school in 2016. It was challenging at first to prove myself, Brodie said. I take a lot of pride in being a female Marine, but at the end of the day, youre just a Marine, as well. Women Marines described a dichotomy between expecting to be treated like any other Marine and facing gender biases held by some of their male colleagues and superiors. Limbo, who has been a Marine for 12 years, said a male Marine officer once refused to work with her because, he told her, she was a woman. Theyre obligated to protect us and they see us as weaker. Its programmed in their brains. Its like, no, I can pick up my own box, Limbo said. Were still fighting that battle of equal opportunity. I dont think its ever going to be gone. A 2014 study estimated that more than a quarter of active women military service members experienced gender discrimination or sexual harassment within one year. For women Marines, the study estimated it was 31.4 percent, compared to 15.7 percent for the Air Force, which was estimated to have the least gender discrimination. A separate 2016 survey found that 18.3 percent of women Marines reported experiencing gender discrimination, compared to 14.1 percent in the military overall. For Lt. Col. Sarah Deal, who became the Marine Corps first woman pilot in 1995 and flew a CH-53E helicopter in Afghanistan, gender discrimination meant getting way more advice than she wanted. She said she was pulled aside by a male Marine who told her, We know youre here, and we dont care. For Manuela Santos, who served as a Marine from 1978 to 1998 and is now secretary of San Diego Countys Women Marines Association chapter, gender discrimination meant being told to run and stand separately from her fellow male Marines. It meant having to speak up for herself when she discovered that male Marines were making decisions about her platoon while they were in mens changing facilities, which were off-limits to women. Youve just got to be mentally tough and know your job. Youve got to be able to stand your ground. Thats how you win the men over, Santos said. As women, we know that were always trailblazing for the next generation. Kristen Taketa Email: kristen.taketa@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @Kristen_Taketa A very raw nation just got a breather from the politics of rage and fury. And it came from, of all things, a bipartisan agreement in the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation proceedings. Enjoy it. It wont last long. Following private negotiations that took place in the rarest of locations, the Senate decided to hold off on a confirmation vote until Friday at the latest. Thats the length of time the FBI was given to look into allegations of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh. The Supreme Court nominee has flatly denied the claims. Advertisement But neither politics nor the 24-hour news cycle likes a void, so you can bet there will be plenty to fill it. Even just a week delay in the confirmation vote is not good for Kavanaugh. Theres the potential of more allegations surfacing. The time also allows for continued focus on his truthfulness, temperament and partisan disposition that came into question during and after his testimony Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. News organizations have dissected his testimony, pointing to statements in which Kavanaugh misrepresented the truth or worse. One example involves the people his main accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, said were at a small, high school party where she claimed he assaulted her more than three decades ago. He said they gave statements to the committee that refuted her claim about the gathering. What they actually said was that they had no recollection of it. Thats not the only discrepancy. Kavanaugh downplayed what past friends and classmates described as heavy drinking during his youth and gave questionable explanations for seemingly untoward comments in his high school yearbook. These may seem of little significance, but they add up. Whether a Supreme Court nominee is being entirely truthful during a hearing about accusations that he sexually assaulted someone is no small matter. Even if the investigation turns up no new information, questions about Kavanaughs credibility will remain. For her part, Ford could not provide details surrounding the alleged assault or corroborating evidence, which the investigation will or wont uncover. However, her explanation for not going to Washington earlier for an interview with committee staff raised some questions. She said she had a fear of flying, yet she testified that she flies regularly for personal reasons and work. (Update: The above paragraph was added after the column was originally posted.) One of the more intriguing developments that surfaced Thursday pertains to Kavanaughs 1982 calendar, where he said he dutifully noted his daily activities. He pointed to the calendar as evidence there could have been no such gathering as Ford described. He said he reached that conclusion because he was away most weekends that summer and that kind of gathering wouldnt take place on a weeknight because he worked. However, The Washington Post noted the entry for July 1, a Thursday, where he wrote that he planned to go to a friends house and drink beer. Some of the people he listed in the calendar entry were identified by Ford as being at the party. While that entry was briefly mentioned during his testimony, discussion moved on before any connection was made to Fords description of the party in question. Given the attention that has received, it seems likely the FBI will try to find out what happened at that gathering, including interviewing the people who were there. One of them was Mark Judge, who Ford said witnessed the assault. Kavanaughs testimony and past no doubt will get further scrutiny in the coming week, but its unlikely that his Republican supporters will allow him to hang out there like a pinata. It hardly bears reminding that President Donald Trump is not only adept at high-volume media combat, but a master of changing the subject. If Trump lays low, that might tell you something. Trump kept a rare low profile on Thursday, when Ford and Kavanaugh testified, as well as Friday, when senators and the president agreed to a limited FBI investigation. That agreement came as a surprise, given that it was forged by Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who had been a swing vote on Kavanaugh but earlier Friday announced he would vote to confirm him. The subsequent Judiciary Committee meeting picked up where it left off the day before, with high tension and long, accusatory speeches by senators over how to proceed on Kavanaugh. At one point, Flake signaled to his friend Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., who is also on the Judiciary Committee, to step outside. Seeking a private moment away from the madding crowd outside the committee room, they squeezed into an old-fashion phone booth. Jeff said, Im concerned that we are tearing the country apart, Coons told CNN. Those two and eventually others reached agreement on an FBI investigation, which is what the Democrats said they wanted all along. Republicans had resisted, claiming the Democrats were merely trying to delay confirmation until after the November election, when they could potentially gain enough seats to block Kavanaughs nomination. Putting a limit on the length and scope of the investigation was the compromise. After some brief confusion back in the committee room, the session suddenly ended and it seemed like everybody exhaled. While any bipartisan act is a sight to behold these days, this is merely a pause, not even a ceasefire, in the harsh political battle. Some Republicans clearly werent happy about not moving ahead with a final confirmation vote. But there was no guarantee enough votes were there. Flakes move, increasingly viewed as a shrewd one, may lock down the confirmation. It takes the Democrats major demand an FBI investigation off the table. Republicans on the Judiciary Committee are confident nothing new will surface. If thats the case, the investigation provides some cover for other swing Republicans Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska along with Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, to vote for Kavanaugh. That would diminish if not extinguish the flash point issue of the day, though the senators still arent likely to be spared from the left-right crossfire. If, on the other hand, the investigation uncovers significant evidence backing claims of inappropriate sexual conduct by Kavanaugh, everything changes. And all the roiling at the end of last week will seem like a lifetime ago. Tweet of the Week Jack Pitney (@jpitney), political science professor at Claremont McKenna College. Many years ago, I would gently correct students in my Senate simulation for concocting procedure as they went along. But now thats exactly how the real Senate works. The population of homeless people in downtown San Diego dropped about 18 percent this past month, reversing an upward trend over the summer, Downtown San Diego Partnership announced Friday. Taken from midnight to 5 a.m. on the last Thursday of each month, the most recent count found 787 homeless people in downtown San Diego, down from 964 in August and 926 in July. The September downtown homeless population was the smallest of any month in 2018 so far, while the highest this year was 980 in March. 1 / 18 Terrell Dunlap looks at homeless person sleeping on a sidewalk as he, other Downtown San Diego Partnership staff members and a volunteer count homeless people for the Downtown San Diego Partnerships monthly homeless count. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 2 / 18 Homeless people sleep on a sidewalk in downtown in San Diego early Thursday morning. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 3 / 18 Terrell Dunlap scans the streets for homeless people as he, other Downtown San Diego Partnership staff members and a volunteer, count homeless people for the Downtown San Diego Partnerships monthly homeless count. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 4 / 18 Homeless people sleep on a sidewalk in East Village. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 5 / 18 Homeless outreach lead Ketra Carter, points out tents on a sidewalk as she, Terrell Dunlap, right, other Downtown San Diego Partnership staff members, and a volunteer count homeless people for the Downtown San Diego Partnerships monthly homeless count. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 6 / 18 Homeless people sit by their tents in East Village in San Diego early Thursday morning. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 7 / 18 Terrell Dunlap looks at homeless person sleeping on a sidewalk as he, other Downtown San Diego Partnership staff members and a volunteer count homeless people for the Downtown San Diego Partnerships monthly homeless count. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 8 / 18 Terrell Dunlap marks down the numbers of homeless people counted on a map of the city streets. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 9 / 18 A homeless woman stands by her belongings on a sidewalk in downtown in San Diego early Thursday morning. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 10 / 18 Downtown San Diego Partnership staff members and a volunteer do the Downtown San Diego Partnerships monthly homeless count from a pickup truck in downtown San Diego early Thursday morning. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 11 / 18 Downtown San Diego Partnership Clean and Safe safety supervisor Jonathan Chavez, left, Terrell Dunlap, second from left, the graveyard supervisor for the Downtown San Diego Partnership, homeless outreach lead Ketra Carter, and volunteer Mike Haskins, right, get out of the truck to do a walk through Horton Plaza Park as they count homeless people for the Downtown San Diego Partnerships monthly homeless count. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 12 / 18 At 2:45 a.m., Downtown San Diego Partnership staff members and a volunteer walk through Horton Plaza Park as they count homeless people for the Downtown San Diego Partnerships monthly homeless count. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 13 / 18 At 2:45 a.m., Downtown San Diego Partnership staff members Terrell Dunlap, left, and Jonathan Chavez count homeless people at Horton Plaza Park. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 14 / 18 Downtown San Diego Partnership staff members Terrell Dunlap, left, Jonathan Chavez, center, and homeless outreach lead Ketra Carter, count homeless people for the Downtown San Diego Partnerships monthly homeless count at Horton Plaza Park. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 15 / 18 Terrell Dunlap marks down the number of homeless people he, other Downtown San Diego Partnership staff members and a volunteer, see on the streets while they conduct the Downtown San Diego Partnerships monthly homeless count. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 16 / 18 The lights of the pickup truck illuminate a homeless person sleeping on a sidewalk. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 17 / 18 Downtown San Diego Partnership Clean and Safe safety supervisor Jonathan Chavez, right, and Terrell Dunlap, the graveyard supervisor for the Downtown San Diego Partnership, sit in a pickup truck as they do the Downtown San Diego Partnerships monthly homeless count. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 18 / 18 Terrell Dunlap looks at homeless people camped out on a street corner as he, other Downtown San Diego Partnership staff members, and a volunteer count homeless people for the Downtown San Diego Partnerships monthly homeless count. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) Advertisement Downtown San Diego Partnership, a nonprofit that advocates for a variety of business groups, has conducted the monthly counts since 2011 but does not speculate on reasons why the population may rise or drop. Data released from the nonprofit shows the population dropped in almost every downtown neighborhood surveyed with the exception of the northeast corner of East Village, which increased from 78 to 90 people. From the street during the monthly count, its hard to tell if the overall population will be up or down, said Terrell Dunlap, the graveyard shift supervisor for the nonprofits Clean and Safe program. There may be less (homeless people) in one place, and then theyll bunch up in another place, he said. The evening drive proved his point. This area was so bad for so long, driver Jonathan Chavez said about a relatively empty stretch of 17th Street south of F Street. As they turned down another street, longtime volunteer Mike Haskins was surprised at the number of tents and people they found at 15th and K streets. Theres a ton of people here, he said. I havent seen this many people here in two years. The biggest change was in the Columbia neighborhood north of Broadway and south of Ash Street between Pacific Highway and Union Street. The homeless population there dropped from 56 to 26 people, a decrease of about 54 percent. East Village had the largest homeless population with 501 people, which was 81 fewer than last month. Each count begins at 17th and Market streets in the East Village, which has one of the most dense homeless populations in the city. On Thursday, the team counted 369 unsheltered people, seven occupied vehicles and 67 handmade structures or tents. Turning onto 16th Street from Imperial Avenue, the crew spotted 18 people and one occupied vehicle on the corner. I dont think we had that number last time, Haskins said. No, Dunlap said. That whole block is going to be dramatically increased. Dunlap held a clipboard with maps of the area, jotting down numbers as the others told him how many people they spotted while slowly driving by. Following the same formula used in the annual count by the Regional Task Force on the Homeless, the crew counts 2.03 people inside any vehicle that appears occupied and 1.75 people inside a tent or other handmade structure. On his maps, Dunlap draws triangles for tents and rectangles for vehicles with numbers inside each during the count. Weve been doing it so long, we kind of know where the vehicles are, Dunlap said about how they can tell which vehicles to count. The team doesnt leave the pickup except for a brief walk through Horton Plaza to count people not visible from the street. On any other night, Dunlap would be in the nonprofits C Street office, answering calls from area business people having an issue with a homeless person. If somebody is sleeping in front of a doorway, Ill kindly ask them to move, he said. If they dont, Ill have to call the P.D. Haskins is a pastor with New Vision Christian Fellowship, where he runs a program that helps young people understand the plight of the homeless. He often volunteers for the monthly counts to get a better feel for the streets. I spend a fair amount of time downtown, but riding with the guys, they know the streets and the people down here a lot of times by name, he said. Chavez and Dunlap did spot a few familiar faces during the Thursday night drive. Whats up, Gordon!, Chavez called out while waving to a man he recognized on the corner. Ketra Carter, the homeless outreach lead for the nonprofit, also knew several people seen during the count, including a family of five who were asleep in front of East Village Community Church. She had been working with them for five months, and they were going into shelters the following week. The crew spotted several people on the south side of Commercial Street, but did not add them to the count because they were outside the Downtown San Diego Partnerships jurisdiction, which ends on the north side. The crew found the large parking lot next to Petco Park empty, which Chavez suggested could be the result of a new gate. I thought the gate wasnt going to help, but it has, he said. Every month, the number here goes down. A street in front of the Salvation Army was relatively empty on Thursday, but dozens of people were found near Father Joes Villages on Imperial Street and near the old downtown library and post office. The crew waits until 3 a.m. before hitting the Gaslamp Quarter, giving time for the area to clear out so they can spot homeless people. On this night, they spotted 53 people, down by two from August. While the downtown homeless population has ebbed and flowed over the years, it has increased since the counts began in July 2011, when 406 people were counted. To see data from the most recent and past counts, visit the Downtown San Diego Partnership website at downtownsandiego.org/homeless-outreach/. Homeless Playlist On Now San Diego hepatitis outbreak continues to grow: 481 cases On Now Homeless entrenched in booming tent city along Santa Ana River On Now San Diego mayor agreed to homeless hub, then delayed, advocates say On Now Homeless outreach in San Diego On Now Video: Street Art: Portraits of San Diego's Homeless #8 On Now In poverty himself, 'Water Man Dave,' is the fearless saint of San Diego's homeless 5:41 On Now Video: Homeless living in cars find safe havens 2:21 On Now Street Art: Portraits of San Diego's Homeless #7 On Now Pitching a tent plan for San Diego's homeless On Now Homeless efforts get $80M boost for various services gary.warth@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @GaryWarthUT 760-529-4939 Rescuers dug through debris with their bare hands and anxious family members struggled to contact loved ones who remained unaccounted for Monday as the death toll from an earthquake and tsunami in eastern Indonesia appeared to be headed well past 1,200. A string of towns along the western coast of the island of Sulawesi remained cut off by washed-out roads and downed communication lines, leaving the extent of the damage and loss of life there unknown more than 48 hours after the magnitude 7.5 quake struck. With much of the quake zone inaccessible, the relief effort has focused on Palu, a town of 380,000, where crumpled buildings and bridges were surrounded by bodies, some covered by blankets, others with their clothes ripped apart by the force of a tsunami that measured as high as 20 feet. In Palu alone, the death toll was at least 1,193, according to volunteers who compiled figures from local hospitals. Advertisement The latest official nationwide total was 832, but that was Sunday and nearly all were in Palu. Indonesias national disaster agency warned that the count could reach far higher once relief workers reached major towns such as Donggala, which has a population of around 300,000 and is normally a half-hour drive north of Palu. The death toll will increase but I cannot say [by] how much, Sutopo Nugroho, the disaster agency spokesman, told The Times in Jakarta. The government was expected to release a new total Monday afternoon. The disaster was already the deadliest in more than a decade in Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation of nearly 300 million people spread across 17,000 islands that straddle an earthquake-prone Pacific region known as the Ring of Fire. An area of intense tectonic activity and many active volcanoes, it has seen several devastating earthquakes in recent years the deadliest in 2004, when a magnitude 9.1 temblor unleashed a tsunami across the Indian Ocean that killed 230,000 people, most of them in Indonesia. The epicenter of Fridays quake was the province of West Sulawesi, with a population of about 1.2 million people, many living in fishing towns along the coast that were hit by the tsunami. With catastrophic damage in many areas, relief agencies were bracing for a large loss of life once teams could assess the effects in Donggala and other towns, said Tom Howells, program implementation director for Save the Childrens Jakarta office. Aid agencies and local authorities are struggling to reach several communities around Donggala. We hold grave fears for many of the towns in this area, Howells said. 1 / 35 A man looks over lines of containers as people queue up Friday at a gas station in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. (Dita Alangkara / AP) 2 / 35 A survivor cries as he offers Friday prayers at a makeshift camp outside the damaged Agung Darussalam mosque in Palu. (Mohd Rasfan / AFP/Getty Images) 3 / 35 Survivors offer Friday prayers at a makeshift camp outside a damaged mosque in Palu. (Mohd Rasfan / AFP/Getty Images) 4 / 35 Indonesian rescuers try to free 15-year-old earthquake survivor Nurul Istikhomah from the flooded ruins of a collapsed house in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Istikhamah has been trapped in the water for two days. (Aimacs Wilander / EPA-EFE/REX) 5 / 35 This aerial picture shows the remains of a 10-story hotel in Palu, Indonesias Central Sulawesi after it collapsed following a strong earthquake in the area. (Azwar / AFP / Getty Images) 6 / 35 A woman cries as people assess the damage after an earthquake and a tsunami hit Palu, on Sulawesi island. (Muhammad Rifki / AFP/Getty Images) 7 / 35 Family members carry the body of a relative to a police hospital in Palu, Indonesia following a strong earthquake in the area. (Bay Ismoyo / AFP/Getty Images) 8 / 35 Medical team members help patients outside a hospital after an earthquake and a tsunami hit Palu, on Sulawesi island on Sept. 29, 2018. (Muhammad Rifki / AFP/Getty Images) 9 / 35 A doctor examines an injured child outside at an army hospital following earthquakes and a tsunami in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. (Tatan Syuflana / AP) 10 / 35 Indonesian men check the body of earthquake and tsunami victims as they look for their relatives at a police hospital in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. (Mast Irham / EPA-EFE/REX ) 11 / 35 Residents look for their belongings amid the debris of destroyed houses in Palu, Indonesia. (Bay Ismoyo / AFP/Getty Images) 12 / 35 People walk along an Indonesian beach that was hit by a tsunami in Palu in Central Sulawesi after a strong earthquake and tsunami struck the area. (Bay Ismoyo / AFP/Getty Images) 13 / 35 A man collects valuable materials from a beach that was hit by a tsunami in Palu in Central Sulawesi after a strong earthquake and tsunami struck the area. (Bay Ismoyo / AFP/Getty Images) 14 / 35 Rescue personnel evacuate earthquake survivor Ida, a food vendor, from the rubble of a collapsed restaurant in Palu, Indonesias Central Sulawesi. (Bay Ismoyo / AFP/Getty Images) 15 / 35 People attempt to identify the bodies of their relatives at a police hospital in Palu, Indonesias Central Sulawesi on Sept. 30, 2018, following a strong earthquake in the area. (Bay Ismoyo / AFP/Getty Images) 16 / 35 The hand of an earthquake victim is seen inside a body bag at a police hospital in Palu, Indonesias Central Sulawesi. (Bay Ismoyo / AFP/Getty Images) 17 / 35 People survey the damage following a massive earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia on Sunday. (Rifki / AP) 18 / 35 People survey damage outside a shopping mall following earthquakes and tsunami in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. (Tatan Syuflana / AP) 19 / 35 People survey the damage in Palu, Central Sulawesi. (Rifki / AP) 20 / 35 Rescuers remove bodies Sunday in Palu, Central Sulawesi. (Basarnas Handout / EPA-EFE/REX ) 21 / 35 People try to identify the bodies of relatives at the compound of a police hospital in Palu on Sunday. (Bay Ismoyo / AFP/Getty Images) 22 / 35 Two Indonesians make off with a big-screen TV looted from a ruined shopping mall Sunday in Palu, Central Sulawesi. (Mast Irham / EPA-EFE/REX ) 23 / 35 Men make off with goods looted from a damaged shopping mall in Palu, Central Sulawesi. (Mast Irham / EPA-EFE/REX ) 24 / 35 People queue up for gasoline Sunday in Palu, Central Sulawesi. (Tatan Syuflana / AP) 25 / 35 People survey damage outside a shopping mall Sunday in Palu, Central Sulawesi. (Tatan Syuflana / AP) 26 / 35 An army doctor examines an injured child outside at army hospital following earthquakes and a tsunami in Palu, Indonesia. (Tatan Syuflana / AP) 27 / 35 Indonesian survivors check the body of earthquake and tsunami victims as they look for their relatives at a police hospital in Palu, Indonesia. (Olagondronk/EPA-EFE/REX) 28 / 35 A photo made available by the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB) shows the coastal area of Palu city, Indonesia, on Saturday after an earthquake and tsunami hit the region. (BNPB/Handout/EPA-EFE/REX) 29 / 35 Cars are stacked and destroyed following a tsunami in Palu, Indonesia. (Wilander/EPA-EFE/REX ) 30 / 35 An Indonesian man hugs his daughter who survived the earthquakes and tsunami as they reunite at an open air camp in Palu, Indonesia. (Mast Irham/EPA-EFE/REX) 31 / 35 A tsunami destroyed the Jembatan Empat bridge in Palu, Indonesia. (Wilander/EPA-EFE/REX ) 32 / 35 Indonesian earthquake and tsunami survivors receive medical treatment outside a military hospital in Palu, Indonesia. (Mast Irham/EPA-EFE/REX) 33 / 35 Indonesian men check the bodies of earthquake and tsunami victims as they look for their relatives at a police hospital in Palu, Indonesia. (Mast Irham/EPA-EFE/REX) 34 / 35 A man looks for his belongings amid the debris of his destroyed house in Palu, Indonesia. (Bay Ismoyo / AFP/Getty Images) 35 / 35 People walk along a beach that was hit by a tsunami in Palu, Indonesia. (Bay Ismoyo / AFP/Getty Images) Indonesian news media said dozens of people were trapped beneath toppled hotels and malls in Palu, an echo of scenes on the island of Lombok in August, when a series of earthquakes killed more than 460 people. An Associated Press reporter in Palu said that rescue workers were focusing on an eight-story hotel where on Saturday voices were heard calling for help from under the rubble. Officials estimated about 50 people were inside the hotel, but the cries for help were no longer heard by Sunday afternoon, the news agency reported. Aerial images showed a landmark mosque inundated with water, houses that had tumbled down muddy hillsides and a ship swept ashore in Palu by the force of the waves. Hundreds of people had been attending a festival on the beach in Palu when the quake struck. Many of them were still unaccounted for, and anguished Indonesians were struggling to make contact with family members over the phone. Anisah Firdaus Bandus mother called her in tears from Palu the evening of the quake. She hasnt heard from her since. My mother cried a lot, she tried to pick up my father at his office, said Anisah, a civil servant in Jakarta, the capital. I really tried hard to reach them till now but I cant. With roads into Palu blocked by landslides and the towns airport damaged, getting teams of relief workers from elsewhere in Indonesia to the disaster zone was proving difficult, delaying timely assistance to survivors and the arrival of heavy equipment that could save the people trapped in downed buildings. (Los Angeles Times) Officials said they would deliver some assistance via Makassar, the biggest city on Sulawesi, an island roughly the size of Florida with a population of about 18 million. Makassar lies at the southern end of the island, a 12-hour drive from Palu. Hundreds of bodies stuffed into yellow, black and blue body bags were piled in a hospital courtyard as relatives began the grim task of identifying loved ones. To avoid the spread of diseases such as cholera and typhoid, disaster management officials said they would begin mass burials on Sunday, taking fingerprints and other information so that the dead could be identified at a later date. Dozens of strong aftershocks have struck Palu, where many fearful residents were sleeping in the streets and reluctant to reenter their homes, said Rafiq Anshori, head of the Indonesian Red Cross disaster preparedness division. He spoke by phone from Palu, where some communications had been restored by Sunday evening. Many road[s], houses, other facilities are broken, he said. People are finding it difficult to get food, water, fuel. Potable water and temporary shelters were among the urgent needs in Palu, said Mario de Oliveira, emergency management director for the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, which was sending teams to the affected areas. Many families are in urgent need of help. They have lost everything, and they are struggling, De Oliveira said. The most urgent needs at this time include baby and childrens foods, emergency tents and tarpaulins, blankets, clean and potable water, medicines, among other priorities. Imade Boby, a 35-year-old Jakarta resident, said Sunday afternoon that he hadnt been able to reach his parents or other family members in Palu since the quake. By late evening, however, he managed to get through on the phone. Finally I found my family in Palu, he said, and thank God they are in good condition. Special correspondent Roughneen reported from Jakarta and Times staff writer Bengali from Mumbai, India. shashank.bengali@latimes.com Follow @SBengali on Twitter for more news from South Asia UPDATES: 7:50 p.m.: This article was updated with a new death toll. 12:25 p.m.: This article was updated with more details of the devastation and background on earthquakes and tsunamis in Indonesia. 10:45 a.m.: This article was updated with news from Imade Bobys family. 7:15 a.m.: This article was updated throughout with staff reporting. 2:50 a.m.: This article was updated with mass burial and the presidents visit. This article was first published at 12:15 a.m. Seid Moradi was elated when he found out his family had been approved to resettle in America. As non-Muslims whod fled death threats in Iran, the family barely scraped by in Turkey. His sons had trouble finding work because of discrimination toward refugees. His wife picked through trash bins for food. And the family of six crammed into a friends apartment. Moradis case had a special urgency, however. He needed life-saving surgery for a bulging blood vessel by his heart. An American doctor, he was told, could perform the operation once he arrived in the U.S. But as President Trump signed shifting restrictions on refugee resettlement at one point closing the country entirely to all new refugees the familys flights to the U.S. were canceled again and again with little explanation. Be patient, officials told the family, which over the years had passed dozens of interviews, background checks and medical visits for U.S. resettlement. Advertisement This month, more than four years after fleeing his small town of Sarpol-e Zahab near the Iraqi border and 15 months after he was told he could come to the U.S., Moradi collapsed and died on his balcony in Kayseri, Turkey. The swollen blood vessel had burst, triggering a heart attack. He was 54. There are more than 76,000 refugees in the pipeline waiting to come to the United States, including those who still must be screened by the Department of Homeland Security, having been referred to this country by the United Nations or one of the nine refugee service centers the U.S. has designated to process refugee applicants around the world. Of that 76,000, thousands are thought to be refugees with pressing medical needs, according to refugee agencies. Those with life-threatening medical problems, such as Moradi, have historically been given priority. This month, the U.S. announced the lowest refugee limit in its history. A maximum of 30,000 refugees will be allowed in for the fiscal year beginning Monday. Last year, the cap was set at 45,000, but only about 21,000 were admitted. Refugee resettlement groups say the U.S. government may approve only half the new limit this coming year amid increased screening procedures, a decrease in refugee interview slots abroad and the closure of dozens of resettlement offices in the U.S. changes that have resulted in a backlog of tens of thousands of applicants. The Moradi family in 2017, from left: Sirvan, Fanoos, Delnia, Seid and Saman. (Tumay Berkin / For The Times) The Trump administration says it is committed to resettling refugees but is doing it more deliberately and in smaller numbers to ensure security. In announcing the decreased refugee ceiling, Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo said the country had a backlog of hundreds of thousands of asylum cases that were taking resources away from processing would-be refugees. Refugee groups contend that both programs can operate effectively, as they have in previous years. They point to cases such as Moradi and his family as tragic examples of the nations retooled refugee system failing those who need it the most. This family is the poster child for refugee resettlement, said Nicky Smith, who directs the International Rescue Committee office in Seattle, which had prepared for the Moradi familys arrival. They are a religious minority. They are an ethnic minority. They had a family member with an urgent medical condition. In most years, this would all put you on the top of the list to get to the United States. Thats not necessarily the case anymore, according to refugee agencies, human rights advocates and former federal government officials. Its not known how many people with critical health issues die while in line for admission to the U.S., though the waiting list has grown longer and will grow moreso as the government tightens how many refugees it allows in the country. There is no requirement that any of the agencies that handle refugee applications be alerted when someone dies, and refugee groups in the U.S. typically have no direct contact with refugees until they land in the country. The process to get into the U.S. used to take 18 to 24 months, said Anne Richard, the assistant secretary of State for population, refugees and migration in the Obama administration, which during its last year had pledged to bring 110,000 refugees to the U.S. Every now and then, I am sure someone in a family may die while waiting. But it was not the norm. Now it feels different, Richard said. Many refugees have extreme circumstances that the U.S. has offered to help with, such as health conditions, and there is a concern among refugee groups that more and more could be left to die as it becomes harder to get into the country, she said. The International Rescue Committee only learned of Seid Moradis death after it was told by The Times, which profiled the family last year. A spokeswoman for the State Departments Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration declined to speak about the family, saying she said could not comment on individual refugee cases. The journey from Iran to seek a home in the U.S. was a long one for Moradi. According to interviews last year, he worked for a water and power company in his homeland before fleeing. One day, after complaining of mistreatment by his boss because of his faith, he said he was threatened with jail and interrogated by the police. The Moradi family on its balcony in 2017. (Tumay Berkin / For The Times) The description is similar to examples on a State Department website about the treatment of members of his religion, Yarsanism, which is a syncretic faith that traces its roots to 14th century Iran. The Iranian government considers its followers to be part of a false cult. About 2 million live in the country. In August 2014, Moradi gathered his savings and boarded a bus for the more than 20-hour ride across the countrys northwestern border with hopes of starting anew. His family later joined him, and they were approved for asylum by authorities in Ankara, Turkey. They moved to Kayseri, where they lived with a family friend. Within a year, they applied with U.N. authorities for refugee resettlement to an unspecified country. A year later they received approval to come to the U.S. after passing medical and security clearances that included interviews and submitting extensive records of travel, job, residence history and relatives names. By June 2017, a flight to the U.S. had been booked and the Moradis sold everything they couldnt fit into suitcases. Then, without explanation, their tickets were suddenly canceled, as were two subsequent flights, as federal court cases over the presidents travel ban loosened and tightened the flow of refugees into the U.S. Since last October, when new refugee vetting restrictions went into place, the Moradis have heard nothing about coming to America, where they expected to live in Seattle. Their medical and security clearances to enter the country have expired. And without their father, the main refugee applicant, they will probably need to reapply. Right now, my mom isnt working and my sister isnt working, said Sirvan Moradi, 24, a son who works temporary jobs sewing clothing. Sometimes, my brother finds work. Once or twice a month, he finds a job in construction, then they kick him out. Seid Moradis wife, Fanoos, used to work odd jobs as a hairdresser. But since her husbands death shes suffered from depression and is now recovering from liver surgery. Along with three other family members, she and Sirvan squeeze into the third-floor apartment they share with a friend, where beds and furniture are few and paint chips fall from the walls. Oftentimes all five sleep in the same room. Since I was a kid, Ive liked America, Sirvan said. My entire family did. But now Trump did this and Im upset. My dad could have been saved if he came to America. jaweed.kaleem@latimes.com melissa.etehad@latimes.com More national headlines A judge has banned the Nevada prison system from using its supply of a drug in the lethal injection of a convicted killer. Nevada District Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez wrote late Friday afternoon that state prison officials obtained drug manufacturer Alvogens sedative midazolam through subterfuge, and that the purchase was made in stark contrast to previous attempts to buy medication for capital punishment, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. The ban essentially shuts down the possible execution of Scott Dozier for the foreseeable future. Doziers execution was halted in July, for the second time in nine months, after Alvogen sued the prison system. Advertisement Dozier was sentenced to die in 2007 for first-degree murder and robbery in the killing of Jeremiah Miller. He would be the first prisoner executed in Nevada since 2006. Nevadas prison director, James Dzurenda, testified this month that he disregarded letters from three drug manufacturers who did not want their medication used in an execution. Dzurenda acknowledged receiving a memo from Alvogen months before the planned execution of Dozier. He messaged Linda Fox, pharmacy director for the prisons, about the companys concern. But Dzurenda did not return the sedative which was obtained through a third party to Alvogen, as the company requested. Text messages between Fox and Dzurenda also support Alvogens allegation of a scheme, Gonzalez wrote in her decision, ruling that Fox knew the third party had offered midazolam by mistake. The state did not acquire the Alvogen midazolam product in good faith, and it did so knowing that it violated Alvogens property rights. Track Palin, the son of former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, was arrested for domestic violence Friday his third such arrest in less than three years, according to AJC.com. Responding to a disturbance call Friday night, a female victim disclosed Palin swiped her cell phone when she attempted to call for help after he allegedly assaulted her, according to a news release. Investigation revealed (Palin) assaulted an acquaintance at his residence. When the acquaintance attempted to call authorities, he prevented her by taking away her phone. While being placed under arrest, Palin physically resisted troopers, according to the police report. Fridays incident follows two previous legal run-ins. Advertisement Three months ago, Palin, 29, pleaded guilty to a December 2017 assault of his father, Todd. Track allegedly hurled the 54-year-old man onto the floor before landing repeated blows to the head that left him covered in blood and dripping liquid from an ear. After that arrest, Sarah Palin told cops Track was freaking out and was on some type of medication. He enrolled in a therapeutic court program for military vets after that arrest, reported the Anchorage Daily News. And in January 2016, he was collared for a domestic-violence assault after an altercation with his then-girlfriend. Palin, who is being held without bail at a facility in Palmer, Alaska, faces charges of assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, said Alaska State Troopers. Posters are popping up across busy sections of New York City inviting victims of sexual assault to explain why they didnt report it at the time. The posters which vary in size are an outgrowth of a project that originated on Instagram. Ha Jung Song, 25, and Bowook Yoon, 26, both from South Korea, said they came up with the idea after President Trump issued a tweet blaming victims for not instantly reporting their attacks to authorities. I have no doubt that, if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with local Law Enforcement Authorities by either her or her loving parents, Trump tweeted, referring to Dr. Christine Blasey Fords allegation that Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, tried to rape her in the 1980s during a booze-fueled encounter. Advertisement SVA students are hanging posters that read "#WhyIDidntReport across the city. (Megan Cerullo / New York Daily News) We want all the brave survivors to know they are not alone and their stories are valid. We also want each story to change the narrative and empower everyone to fight for whats right, the artists, both students at the School of Visual Arts told the Daily News in an email. The classmates stationed themselves at Union Square Saturday where survivors from all walks of life revealed their secrets and took comfort in knowing they werent alone. A woman who had been assaulted by her father said she never reported the abuse because she didnt want her mother to find out. I didnt want her to feel like she didnt do a good job as a parent. I dont want her to feel bad that she didnt notice it happened, she said. She withheld her name because her mother still doesnt know she was abused. The physical presence of the poster containing tales of assault authored by fellow victims gave her some of relief. At the time I thought I was alone in what I was going through. Now I see it wasnt just me, she said. The artists will bring the poster to Washington Square Park Sunday where survivors can sign it between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Other smaller posters hang in different locations across the city, including at Times Square, Herald Square, and on Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn. Campaign spending and fundraising have been aggressive so far in a November runoff election for City Council that could shift San Diego City Hall further to the left. Democratic challenger Dr. Jennifer Campbell and incumbent Republican Lorie Zapf have spent more than $300,000 combined since July 1 in their battle for District 2, which includes the citys beach communities and eastern Clairemont. Thats more than the combined total spending in three other council runoffs on the November ballot, according to campaign contribution disclosures submitted on Thursday in all of the citys races. In the District 4 battle between incumbent Democrat Myrtle Cole and fellow Democrat Monica Montgomery, the two candidates spent $70,000 total between July 1 and Sept. 22 the period covered by the disclosures. Advertisement In District 6, Republican incumbent Chris Cate and Democratic challenger Tommy Hough spent $96,000 total during the period. And in District 8, Democrats Vivian Moreno and Antonio Martinez spent $62,000 combined in their battle to replace Democrat David Alvarez. While spending is expected to ramp up in all four races during the five weeks remaining before the Nov. 6 runoffs, the Campbell-Zapf race is likely to remain the most intense because of whats at stake. A Campbell win would increase the Democrats 5-4 council majority to 6-3, which would allow them to override vetoes by Republican Mayor Kevin Faulconer on contentious issues. Incumbents rarely lose in San Diego City Council races, but Zapf is considered more vulnerable than most incumbents because shes a Republican in a district where registered Democrats outnumbered registered Republicans 31,982 to 22,462 through Sept. 6. In addition to money Zapf has raised herself, she has benefitted from spending on her behalf by political action committees sponsored by the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Building Industry Association, the conservative Lincoln Club and the labor union representing city police officers. Campbell outspent Zapf $191,000 to $95,000 between July 1 and Sept. 22 when looking strictly at spending by the individual campaigns. Zapfs total rises to $179,000 when spending by political action committees is included. The police labor union spent $8,000 on signs for Zapf, while a committee created by the chamber and the Lincoln Club spent $36,000 on mailers and $40,000 on polling for Zapf. That committee received a $25,000 contribution from the BIA. It appears that more of the same is coming in the next five weeks, because the committee established for Zapf got a $250,000 contribution on Monday from the chambers political action committee. Shifting back to the campaigns themselves, Zapf outraised Campbell $82,000 to $77,000 between July 1 and Sept. 22 and has raised $203,000 total during 2018 compared to $152,000 total for Campbell. Zapf has $246,000 in her war chest for the rest of the campaign, while Campbell has $43,000. Both women live in the Bay Ho section of Clairemont. In the race for District 4, which covers much of southeastern San Diego, Montgomery has built on the momentum she got from finishing ahead of incumbent Myrtle Cole in the June primary. Montgomery, a civil rights lawyer and former City Hall staffer, raised $28,000 to Coles $24,000 between July 1 and Sept. 22. But Cole outspent Montgomery during the period $52,000 to $18,000, a ratio of nearly three to one. In addition, Cole got some outside help from local labor unions. The San Diego Imperial Counties Labor Council, an umbrella group for more than 100 local unions, spent $35,000 on mailers, polling and other support for Cole. Montgomery lives in Skyline Hills and Cole lives in Redwood Village. In the race for District 6, which includes Mira Mesa and Kearny Mesa, Hough raised $29,000 between July 1 and Sept. 22, compared to $40,000 for Cate. Cate outspent Hough $54,000 to $42,000 during the period. Because of record fundraising before the June primary, Cate has $151,000 left to spend over the next five weeks, compared to $5,000 for Hough. Cate joined the council in 2014 after working at City Hall and the San Diego County Taxpayers Association. Hough is a former radio personality who is active with the local Democratic Party. Both live in Mira Mesa. In District 8, which includes the South Bay, Sherman Heights and Barrio Logan, the latest contribution disclosures show that Martinez has gained momentum since barely outpolling Christian Ramirez for the second spot in the runoff. Moreno, who dominated fundraising leading into the primary, outraised Martinez by a modest $43,000 to $36,000 during the reporting period. Moreno outspent Martinez $43,000 to $19,000, but both have just over $30,000 left for the remainder of the campaign. The momentum for Martinez stems primarily from recently being endorsed by Ramirez and the county Democratic Party. Moreno is a staffer for Alvarez, who cant run for re-election because of term limits. Martinez is a San Ysidro school board member. Both candidates live in San Ysidro. david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick Her rape happened almost nine years ago. But while the nation was transfixed on the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford and the fierce rebuttal of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh on Thursday, she opted for some self care instead. It was just all too much. Its been really triggering, said the college student from San Diego, now in her mid-20s, who did not want to be identified by name. I know exactly what it feels like to be in a legal setting talking about what happened to you in a graphic, detailed way. You never know who believes you or who doesnt. Its a very vulnerable place to be. Still, she followed along from afar, enough to know that what went down Thursday was a milestone moment. Advertisement This week, whats happened is another step forward in the normalization of survivors standing up for themselves, she reflected. I think thats huge. Were making history this week regardless of what happens. As Ford publicly recounted the details of a sexual assault she says she suffered at the hands of a teenage Kavanaugh 36 years ago, many women around the country were doing the same in the recesses of their memories, retrieving moments of unwanted sexual contact from their own pasts. From workplace sexual harassment to handsy dates to drunken encounters to rape, the testimony was something many women and some men could relate to in some way. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in three women and one in six men in the U.S. experience some form of contact sexual violence in their lifetime. For some, Fords example has been a launchpad to report their victimization for the first time. To friends, to parents, to crisis hotlines and to the entire world. On social media feeds, emboldened women and men are sharing secrets that have been hidden for decades. The #WhyIDidntReport hashtag is trending online, much as the #MeToo one did a year ago in response to the Hollywood sex abuse scandal. Because I just wanted to get rid of it (as if it never happened), one woman professed on her Twitter account explaining #WhyIDidntReport. Because he was of similar age and people would say it was kids just experimenting. Except experimentation doesnt eat you alive from the inside your whole life. Kids experimenting.... Another: I thought I would be held more accountable for underage drinking than he would be for sexual assault. Because I was told for years to protect myself against this and what to do but I viewed it as my own failure to protect myself. RAINN, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network which runs the National Sexual Assault Hotline, received a deluge of calls following Thursdays hearing a 201 percent increase from your typical Thursday, the organization reported. Many of the calls were routed to local hotlines to help handle the volume. A message on RAINNs website warned of unprecedented wait times for online chat. On Friday morning, Jessica Pride, a San Diego attorney who represents sexual assault victims, said she was still going through the numerous messages that had been left with her answering service and through the firms website from overnight. I got a surge of calls yesterday, she said. I felt the phone was ringing off the hook. People wanted to tell their story. The same outpouring happened on a different scale, in a different kind of way 27 years earlier, after a Yale-educated attorney publicly recounted sexual harassment at the hands of her boss, also vying for a seat on the Supreme Court. The Senate Judiciary Committee that Anita Hill, a black woman, faced in 1991 was combative, all male and all white. She was accused of being delusional and lying about sexual jokes and advances she said Clarence Thomas aimed her way. One senator waved a copy of The Exorcist comparing parts of her testimony to the demon story. Thomas, who is also black, called it a high-tech lynching. It was ugly. That hearing was very hard to watch as a woman, and Im sure hard to watch as a man, recalled Wendy Patrick, a lecturer at San Diego State University and an attorney. Thomas was narrowly confirmed. And despite widespread lingering doubts as to Hills testimony, she became an icon for a burgeoning movement to expose sexual harassment and empower women in leadership. Women were energized by what they saw, Hill, a professor at Brandeis University, told the San Diego Union-Tribune in an interview last year. Women answered calls to run for political office and have pushed the nation to deal with topics such as equal pay, family leave and sexual assault in the military. I think were not done yet, Hill said, but at least closer to where we need to be to have a cultural change. While Hill laid the groundwork for such a cultural change, the #MeToo movement opened the floodgates. Patrick likes to call it cultural climate change. This last year weve seen an exponential amount of progression compared to the last 15 years, she said. On Tuesday, Bill Cosby was sentenced to prison in the first #MeToo conviction, and Fords testimony followed days later as the highest-stakes challenge yet, with a Supreme Court seat hanging in the balance. Without the #MeToo movement, Im not sure wed be in the position of fighting for whats happening this week, the San Diego sexual assault survivor said. Its pretty incredible, actually. The support for both Hill and Ford right now is high, according to a poll commissioned by the Union-Tribune and 10News Thursday evening. Ford drew favorable or neutral opinions from 76 percent of Californians who watched the proceedings, according to the SurveyUSA poll. Sixty percent of people believed her. When asked about Hill, 74 percent reported favorable or neutral opinions, compared to a 51 percent favorable or neutral rating for Thomas. Thats a dramatic shift of public opinion in favor of Hill. When polled after Hills testimony in 91, twice as many people found Thomas more credible than her. The Exorcist did not make a showing at Fords testimony. Instead, she was questioned by a female sex crimes prosecutor for the all-male GOP and shown dignity, sensitivity and a willingness to listen. The way she was treated, with the upmost respect of everyone in this room, Patrick noted. Thats the sign of the times. Despite the progress, many in the survivor community still observed the same hints of victim-blaming and disbelief in Thursdays hearing, they were just more subtle. How are we still here? questioned Marielle Downes, chief operating officer of Center for Community Solutions, a sexual assault and domestic violence crisis program in San Diego. Its so disheartening were still here. We havent learned yet. She said its not uncommon during large social shifts as this to see smaller counter-movements emerge, and thats what she said it looked like was happening at the hearing. Kavanaugh, Republican senators and many spectators including a vocal group of female Kavanaugh supporters have indicated they believe Ford was assaulted, just not the way she remembers it, or by the person she claims did it. I just think about what the survivors are going through, Downes said. It just plays into the narrative that its their responsibility. Our responsibility as a community is to rally around survivors and say Were with you and this isnt your fault and really push that responsibility where it belongs, she added. The polemic politics surrounding Fords testimony no doubt complicates matters. Im hopeful and optimistic there is change, and Dr. Fords courage will have a lasting impact on history, said Pride, the sexual assault attorney. I dont want this to be used to take away from the movement. Its not about any one person or political issue, its about getting survivors justice and having their voices heard. At the end of the day its about ending sexual violence. At the same time, Patrick, who teaches business ethics at SDSU, says there is real fear that the #MeToo movements pendulum will swing too far. There has to be a measure of due process. You have to have a level of fairness in any kind of proceeding even in the court of public opinion, she said. Make sure you dont move from allegation to conviction. An allegation sparks an investigation. Such concerns are a frequent topic of discussion among her students, she said. Young people are engaged in social climate change and are very savvy and aware how the dynamics have changed over the past year, Patrick said. Its impacted the way they interact with each other. kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @kristinadavis Eleven people were hurt Sunday morning when an airport shuttle collided with multiple vehicles on North Harbor Drive, according to a spokesman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. Ambulances responded to the wreck on North Harbor Drive near Winship Lane shortly after 11:20 a.m., according to the department website. Those injured in the crash were taken to local hospitals for treatment, said department spokesman Alec Phillipp. None of their injuries appeared life-threatening. Officials with San Diego International Airport took to Twitter to advise travelers to allow extra time to reach the airport, noting the emergency response had blocked lanes of traffic. Advertisement Traffic was back to normal flow by about 1:30 p.m. No further details about the incident were immediately available. Watchdog Videos On Now Sexual misconduct accusers worry deputy is being protected 6:16 On Now City funded $2-million waterfront bathroom 1:26 On Now Public water district charges customer for legal work, response to records request On Now Video: Tiny homes won't be reused amid housing, homeless crisis On Now Attorney General seeks documentation for Miss Middle East On Now Rep. Hunter probe covers possible fraud On Now Video: SDG&E delaying solar credit for some low-income housing tenants On Now Video: Former San Diego Junior Theatre teacher sentenced for sex with teen girl 0:24 On Now Video: Shelter volunteers believe they were fired for finding a dog a home 0:49 On Now McKamey Manor is leaving San Diego 3:35 morgan.cook@sduniontribune.com A woman was trapped inside her overturned vehicle on southbound Interstate 15 in Rancho Bernardo Saturday night. It took fire crews about 25 minutes to free the woman from the wreckage, according to police and fire radio traffic. The single-vehicle crash occurred about 8:25 p.m. when the driver crashed into the center divider wall near West Bernardo Drive, the California Highway Patrol website said. The vehicle ended up on its roof. Witnesses reported to the CHP that there was a roll of carpet on the freeway. It wasnt clear if the carpet fell from the crashed vehicle or caused the wreck. Advertisement About eight other drivers pulled over to assist. The two left lanes were blocked for a time. Medics took the woman to a hospital with injuries believed to be minor. All traffic lanes were open by 9:45 p.m. pauline.repard@sduniontribune Twitter: @pdrepard Now through next Saturday, painters of all ages and skill levels will be propping their easels in idyllic spots throughout Temecula as part of the Ralph Love Plein Air Competition. The week-long annual competition currently in its 11th year showcases the talents of artists from across the region and around the globe as they paint en plein air a French phrase which literally means in the open air. The swiftly-executed impressionistic style relies heavily on shape, color and value to capture landscapes affected by rapidly-changing natural light. Retired middle school art teacher and Murrieta resident Barbara Nelson first entered the Ralph Love Plein Air Competition in 2016. That year, she nabbed Best of Show for her painting Villa Di Calabro, which included a $500 purchase award. Advertisement Last year, Nelson was in the spotlight again with her paintings Front and Main and Over the Top, which garnered awards for Best of Show and second place, respectively. This year, Nelson will serve as one of the competitions judges. But dont expect her to be indoors during a plein air festival. I plan to paint during the week, said Nelson. Here, Nelson answered our questions about the Ralph Love Plein Air Competition, her artwork, and what inspires her. What is it about the Ralph Love Plein Air Fetival and plein air painting in general that appeals to you? I was thrilled when I heard about the Ralph Love Plein Air Festival and joined other artists in painting in and around Temecula for a week in late September. It is so much fun to paint outside in town, to see children come up and shyly ask if they can look at what I am doing, and to talk about art with those who ask. What advice would you offer artists participating in the festival? If you are an artist painting in the festival for the first time, take the time to really see the town and wineries and enjoy the days you are out painting. Look for the unexpected views. Get into town early and paint for a short period of time, say two hours, and come back the next day, set up at the same spot and paint for another two to three hours. That way you can get the same light for the subject you have chosen. The artists compete for cash prizes? The Best of Show prize of $500 goes a long way to paying for art supplies. I particularly appreciate the city of Temecula giving artists the opportunity to paint around town. I believe the city will become an artists delight with many of the plans they have for our town. This is why I painted Front and Main. I want people to remember what Temecula looked like in 2017 on that corner, even to the cars of 2017. How did you get your start as an artist? I began drawing, doodling, painting and enjoying art when I was very young. As a child, I got lots of support from my parents. Their praise and the art materials they got for me gave me confidence to continue creating art. And because my Dad was an airline pilot, my folks took me to many museums around the world. In your career as a teacher, where and what did you teach? My dream came true when I was hired by the Temecula School District in 1983 to teach art in middle school. It was a blast to work with students and convince them that they could enjoy seeing and creating art. We used every medium, including clay, paints and reeds for basket-making. If you could travel anywhere in the world to do plein air painting, where would you go? I took a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains to paint for a week and really loved the different environment. When you plein air paint, you really learn about a place and anywhere you go becomes an exciting place to paint. Do you have a motto or philosophy? My philosophy for life is that the Lord has given us all talents. Painting for me is a way to show my feelings about the world He has created. IF YOU GO What: 11th Annual Ralph Love Plein Air Competition When: Daily from September 29 through October 6, 2018 Where: Temecula, California. Locations vary and are specified on the registration form. Info: (951) 694-6417 or temeculaca.gov temecula@sduniontribune.com Senior Trump administration officials insisted Sunday that the White House is not micromanaging a new FBI background check of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, claiming the probe is a Senate process and that lawmakers are the only ones dictating its parameters. President Donald Trump initially opposed such an investigation in the face of sexual misconduct claims against Kavanaugh, but the president and Senate Republican leaders agreed to an inquiry after GOP Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona made clear he would not vote to confirm Kavanaugh without one. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said oversight of the investigation belonged to the Senate. The White House counsel has allowed the Senate to dictate what these terms look like and what the scope of the investigation is, she said on Fox News Sunday. 'The White House isnt intervening. Were not micromanaging this process. Its a Senate process. It has been from the beginning, and were letting the Senate continue to dictate what the terms look like. Advertisement White House counselor Kellyanne Conway delivered a similar message Sunday, repeating that the investigation will be limited in scope and will not be a fishing expedition. The FBI is not tasked to do that. Yet the precise scope of the investigation remained unclear. Trump told reporters Saturday that the FBI, as you know, is all over talking to everybody and said this could be a blessing in disguise. They have free rein. Theyre going to do whatever they have to do, whatever it is they do. Theyll be doing things that we have never even thought of, Trump said as he left the White House for a trip to West Virginia. And hopefully at the conclusion everything will be fine. The president revisited the question of the scope of the FBIs probe later Saturday on Twitter, writing in part, I want them to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion. At least three women have accused Kavanaugh, a federal appellate court, judge of misconduct. He denies all of their claims. The lawyer for Deborah Ramirez, who has accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct when they were students at Yale, has agreed to cooperate with the FBI, her lawyer, John Clune, said Saturday. Ramirez has alleged that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party in the early 1980s. A third woman, Julie Swetnick, accused Kavanaugh and school friend Mark Judge of excessive drinking and inappropriate treatment of women in the early 1980s, among other accusations. Kavanaugh has called her accusations a joke and Judge has said he categorically denies the allegations. But Michael Avenatti, the attorney for Swetnick, said Saturday that his client had not been contacted by the FBI but is willing to cooperate with investigators. Judge, who Ford says was in the room when a drunken Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her, said he will cooperate with any law enforcement agency that will confidentially investigate sexual misconduct allegations against him and Kavanaugh. Judge has also denied misconduct allegations. Lawyers for P.J. Smyth and Leland Ingham Keyser, two others who Ford said were in the house when she was attacked, have said their clients are willing to cooperate fully with the FBI. An attorney for Keyser reaffirmed her previous statement that she doesnt know Kavanaugh and has no recollection of ever being at a gathering or party where he was present, the Senate Judiciary Committee said in a statement Saturday night. Calls for an FBI investigation of Kavanaugh mounted after California professor Christine Blasey Ford alleged that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a party when they were teenagers. Kavanaugh has denied being the perpetrator. In dueling appearances last Thursday, he and Ford told their stories during sworn testimony before the Judiciary Committee. The panel voted Friday in favor of Kavanaugh, along party lines, and Flake then offered his proposal for the FBI investigation. Trump then ordered the FBI to reopen Kavanaughs background investigation, which has delayed a final vote on Kavanaughs nomination. The Judiciary Committee has said the probe should be limited to current credible allegations against Kavanaugh and be finished by next Friday. The FBI conducts background checks for federal nominees, but the agency does not make judgments on the credibility or significance of allegations. The investigators will compile information about Kavanaughs past and provide their findings to the White House and include the information in Kavanaughs background file, which is available to senators. In a separate action involving the FBI, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, asked the Justice Department and the FBI to open a criminal investigation into apparent false statements made to committee investigators alleging sexual misconduct by Kavanaugh in 1985. A constituent contacted the office of Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., alleging that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted an acquaintance on a boat in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1985. Grassley said the person later recanted and apologized for the allegation via social media. Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington and Jonathan Lemire in New York contributed to this report. FBI agents on Sunday interviewed one of the three women who have accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct as Republicans and Democrats quarreled over whether the bureau would have enough time and freedom to conduct a thorough investigation before a high-stakes vote on his nomination to the nations highest court. The White House insisted it was not micromanaging the new one-week review of Kavanaughs background but some Democratic lawmakers claimed the White House was keeping investigators from interviewing certain witnesses. President Donald Trump, for his part, tweeted that no matter how much time and discretion the FBI was given, it will never be enough for Democrats trying to keep Kavanaugh off the bench. And even as the FBI explored the past allegations that have surfaced against Kavanaugh, another Yale classmate came forward to accuse the federal appellate judge of being untruthful in his testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee about the extent of his drinking in college. In speaking to FBI agents, Deborah Ramirez detailed her allegation that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party in the early 1980s when they were students at Yale University, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss details of a confidential investigation. Advertisement Kavanaugh has denied Ramirezs allegation. Deborah Ramirez. (Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence via AP) The person familiar with Ramirezs questioning, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said she also provided investigators with the names of others who she said could corroborate her account. But Christine Blasey Ford, a California professor who says Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers, has not been contacted by the FBI since Trump on Friday ordered the agency to take another look at the nominees background, according to a member of Fords team. Kavanaugh has denied assaulting Ford. In a statement released Sunday, a Yale classmate of Kavanaughs said he is deeply troubled by what has been a blatant mischaracterization by Brett himself of his drinking at Yale. Charles Chad Ludington, who now teaches at North Carolina State University, said he was friend of Kavanaughs at Yale and that Kavanaugh was a frequent drinker, and a heavy drinker. On many occasions I heard Brett slur his words and saw him staggering from alcohol consumption, not all of which was beer. When Brett got drunk, he was often belligerent and aggressive, Ludington said. While saying that youthful drinking should not condemn a person for life, Ludington said he was concerned about Kavanaughs statements under oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Speaking to the issue of the scope of the FBIs investigation, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said White House counsel Don McGahn, who is managing Kavanaughs nomination, has allowed the Senate to dictate what these terms look like, and what the scope of the investigation is. The White House isnt intervening. Were not micromanaging this process. Its a Senate process. It has been from the beginning, and were letting the Senate continue to dictate what the terms look like, Sanders said. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said the investigation will be limited in scope and will not be a fishing expedition. The FBI is not tasked to do that. Senate Judiciary Committee member Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., requested an investigation last Friday after he and other Republicans on the panel voted along strict party lines in favor of Kavanaughs confirmation as a condition for his own subsequent vote to put Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court. Another committee member, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Sunday that testimony would be taken from Ramirez and Kavanaughs high school friend Mark Judge, who has been named by two of three women accusing Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. I think that will be the scope of it. And that should be the scope of it, Graham said. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, called on the White House and the FBI to provide the written directive regarding the investigations scope. In a letter Sunday, she also asked for updates on any expansion of the original directive. Sen. Susan Collins said Sunday she is confident in the investigation and that the FBI will follow up on any leads that result from the interviews. The Maine Republican supports the new FBI investigation and is among a few Republican and Democratic senators who have not announced a position on Kavanaugh. Republicans control 51 seats in the closely divided 100-member Senate and cannot afford to lose more than one vote on confirmation. Collins and Flake spoke throughout the weekend. Senate Republicans discussed the contours of the investigation with the White House late Friday, according to a person familiar with the call who was not authorized to discuss it publicly. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had gathered Judiciary Committee Republicans in his office earlier. At that time, the scope of the investigation was requested by Flake, Collins and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, said McConnells spokesman Don Stewart. Murkowski is not on the committee, but also has not announced how she will vote on Kavanaughs confirmation. Republicans later called the White House to discuss the scope of the probe, the person said. McConnells office declined to elaborate Sunday on which allegations would be investigated, reiterating only that it would focus on current credible allegations. Stewart said the investigations scope was set by the three GOP senators Friday and has not changed. But Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, a Judiciary Committee member, doubted how credible the investigation will be given the time limit. Thats bad enough, but then to limit the FBI as to the scope and who theyre going to question, that - that really - I wanted to use the word farce, but thats not the kind of investigation that all of us are expecting the FBI to conduct, she said. Trump initially opposed such an investigation as allegations began mounting but relented and ordered one on Friday. He later said the FBI has free rein. Theyre going to do whatever they have to do, whatever it is they do. Theyll be doing things that we have never even thought of, Trump said Saturday as he departed the White House for a trip to West Virginia. And hopefully at the conclusion everything will be fine. He revisited the scope question later Saturday on Twitter, writing in part, I want them to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion. Sanders said Trump, who has vigorously defended Kavanaugh but also raised the slight possibility of withdrawing the nomination should damaging information be found, will listen to the facts. At least three women have accused Kavanaugh of years-ago misconduct. He denies all the claims. The third woman, Julie Swetnick, accused Kavanaugh and Judge of excessive drinking and inappropriate treatment of women in the early 1980s, among other accusations. Kavanaugh has called her accusations a joke. Judge has said he categorically denies the allegations. Swetnicks attorney, Michael Avenatti, said Saturday that his client had not been contacted by the FBI but was willing to cooperate with investigators. Ford also has said Judge was in the room when a drunken Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her. Judge has said he will cooperate with any law enforcement agency that will confidentially investigate sexual misconduct allegations against him and Kavanaugh. Judge has also denied misconduct allegations. Sanders spoke on Fox News Sunday, Conway appeared on CNNs State of the Union and Graham and Hirono were interviewed on ABCs This Week. Associated Press writers Eric Tucker, Lisa Mascaro and Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington and Jonathan Lemire in New York contributed to this report. President Trump claimed Saturday that the FBI would have free rein to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, yet strict limits have been put on the agencys reach in the one week it has to complete its work. I think its going very well, Trump told reporters as he left the White House for a campaign rally in West Virginia. The FBI, as you know, is all over talking to everybody. Again calling his nominee a very high-quality person, the president said of the new investigation, I would expect it will turn out very well. Trump, under pressure from wavering senators whose votes will determine Kavanaughs fate, on Friday ordered the FBI to update its previous background check to look into the allegations. But the the White House, in a statement, said this update must be limited in scope and completed in less than one week. Advertisement The FBI began immediately, contacting attorneys for at least one of the three accusers, Deborah Ramirez, that night to set up an interview. Days earlier the New Yorker reported that Ramirez told it that Kavanaugh, when they were freshmen at Yale University 35 years ago, exposed himself and thrust his genitals in her face without her consent during a party. The FBI is also examining the first and most prominent allegation, by California psychology professor Christine Blasey Ford, that he assaulted her at a social gathering when he was 17 and she was 15. According to media reports Saturday, however, the White House is not permitting the FBI to pursue the allegation of the third accuser, Julie Swetnick, who said Kavanaugh was present at a party where she was gang-raped when they were teenagers. Swetnicks attorney, Michael Avenatti, complained on Twitter that Trump was usurping the FBIs role and that he and Kavanaugh are afraid of the truth. Also, the agency reportedly cannot seek employment records from a Safeway supermarket in suburban Maryland for Kavanaughs friend Mark Judge, whom Ford says witnessed and helped in assaulting her. Ford told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday that such records could provide evidence to corroborate her account, helping to establish the time period. A White House spokesman, Raj Shah, declined to confirm that the FBI was working under such restrictions, and said the Senate was setting the parameters of the inquiry. Trump told reporters that he hoped the FBI would investigate who leaked the letter Ford wrote to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) in July detailing her allegation. He suggested the leaker was Feinstein, the senior Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, which is considering Kavanaughs nomination. Was it Sen. Feinstein? Trump asked. Certainly, her body language was not exactly very good when they asked her that question. I would like to find out as part of it who leaked the papers. Which Democrat leaked the papers? Feinstein has adamantly denied leaking the letter, saying she had been honoring Fords request for confidentiality since July. Several Republicans on the committee say they believe her. The disclosure of the allegation earlier this month prompted Ford to go public with her story, causing the delay in Kavanaughs confirmation vote and raising new doubts about his likelihood of joining the nations highest court. Kavanaugh, Trump and some Senate Republicans have accused Democrats of orchestrating a last-minute smear campaign, with the two subsequent allegations a part of that. Trump has been eager for the Senate to confirm Kavanaugh and frustrated by what he has called obstruction by Democrats. But the president was forced to allow the FBI investigation that Democrats and a few Republicans had been calling for when a swing-vote Republican, Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, suggested that he otherwise might not vote to confirm Kavanaugh. Two undecided Republicans, Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, supported Flake. The president had little choice but to reverse his opposition to an FBI inquiry given the Republicans narrow 51-49 majority in the Senate. With nearly all Democrats and the two independent senators expected to vote against Kavanaugh, Republicans must hold their side together. Despite his apparent behind-the-scene directives to the FBI to limit the investigations scope, the president suggested the opposite in his comments to reporters. They have free rein; they can do whatever they have to do, whatever it is that they do, he said. Theyll be doing things we have never even thought of, he said. And hopefully at the conclusion everything will be fine. Trump refrained from attacking Flake, who has been a persistent critic of the president and in turn his frequent target, which contributed to Flakes unpopularity among Arizona Republicans and his decision not to seek reelection. Well, I think hes fine, Trump said of Flake. Actually this could be a blessing in disguise, having the FBI go out and do a thorough investigation, whether its three days or seven days. I think its going to be less than a week. Trump said he did not need a backup plan in case Kavanaughs nomination falters, insisting everything would turn out fine. During a rally in West Virginia on Saturday night to support Republican Senate candidate Patrick Morrisey, Trump portrayed Kavanaugh as a victim of Democratic obstruction. Theyre determined to take back power by any means necessary, Trump said. They dont care who they hurt, who they have to run over, in order to get power and control. Follow the latest news of the Trump administration on Essential Washington noah.bierman@latimes.com | Twitter: @noahbierman One morning 10 years ago, when he carried a gun and a shield for the San Diego County Sheriffs Department, Thomas John Sadler was driving his unmarked patrol car along El Cajon Boulevard when he saw a woman he knew to be a prostitute lingering at a North Park bus stop. He pulled over and ordered her into his car, then drove to a remote Mission Valley parking lot. He forced open the womans legs, exposed her breasts and groped the victim, all while on duty. I was a man and I saw a prostitute and I wanted to have sex, the sheriffs detective told a Superior Court judge before he was handed a two-year prison sentence for felony assault and battery under the color of authority. I didnt want to hurt her. Advertisement Sadler, now 57, served his time and successfully completed parole in 2012. Earlier this month Sadler began a new job as a code compliance officer for the city of San Diego, where he once again is vested with government authority to investigate complaints, conduct field inspections and issue citations. His hire comes at a time when the state is trying to give more ex-cons a fresh start, amid a growing restorative justice movement. But the particulars of his case giving such an offender access to peoples homes under color of authority give pause to some victim advocates. Sadler, who started his new job Sept. 9 after clearing a full background check by San Diego city officials, did not respond to messages left at his work and home. City officials defended the decision to hire Sadler. Personnel director Douglas Edwards said every position at City Hall is filled through a specific process that begins with a list of eligible candidates. Top prospects receive interviews and managers check references for their leading candidate before making a conditional job offer. At that point, We do a conviction history, fingerprint checks, then we make a determination as to whether that person would be suitable for employment and the position they are applying for, Edwards said. Thomas Sadler was cleared by our department. Thomas John Sadler (Department of Corrections) Like every city employee, Sadler is on probationary status for the first year. That means after 12 months, if he successfully meets his work responsibilities and avoids serious issues with his boss, coworkers and the public, Sadler will become a permanent employee with full civil-service protections and benefits. Each person thats working for the city has been cleared, Edwards said. We believe that their background is appropriate for the job they are currently in. Sadler is paid about $38,000 a year to work as a code compliance officer for the city of San Diego. He collected just over $60,000 in retirement benefits in 2017 for his 20 years of service with the sheriffs department, according to Transparent California, a nonprofit that tracks public salaries and pension data. As a code compliance officer, Sadler is responsible for responding to noise complaints, reports of abandoned vehicles, excessive towing charges and water waste or theft, among other things. Compliance officers also conduct field inspections of businesses and other properties, meaning they travel the community and interact with the public in much the same way as police and sheriffs deputies. They also issue citations and report more serious crimes to higher authorities. Sadler was convicted in March 2010, two years after his encounter with the prostitute on El Cajon Boulevard. The jury declined to convict the detective of any sex crime, instead finding him guilty of felony assault and battery by an officer and misdemeanor charges of assault and false imprisonment. During the trial, the prosecutor presented testimony from four other women who claimed that Sadler had touched them inappropriately while on duty. Jessica Pride, a San Diego a lawyer who specializes in defending victims of sexual assault, said allowing a convicted felon and accused sex offender to perform any enforcement function is concerning. He was a deputy sheriff in San Diego, so they are on notice that he has dangerous propensities, said Pride, who also chairs the board of directors at the Center for Community Solutions, a nonprofit advocacy for victims of sexual assault. The city is now subjecting the citizens of San Diego to potential harm without any warning. Paula Myers, another San Diego victim advocate, questioned whether empowering a convicted felon to enforce local ordinances and regulations is a good idea. Anyone who couldnt obey the law shouldnt be making judgment calls themselves, whether its noise complaints or anything else, Myers said. There are others jobs they can do instead of putting them out in the community interacting with people again. The issue of hiring people with criminal records has vexed employers and policymakers for years. A report last year from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation found 46.1 percent of the nearly 36,000 inmates released five years earlier were convicted of fresh crimes within three years. Without steady employment, ex-offenders are more likely to commit new crimes after being released from custody, experts say. Also, the growing economy in California and across the United States has increased competition for reliable workers. California lawmakers recognized the need to provide ex-offenders a leg up in the job market. They amended the Fair Employment and Housing Act to prohibit employers from conducting criminal background checks prior to tendering a job offer, although conditional offers may still be rescinded under specific circumstances. Researchers at the Council of State Governments Justice Center, a nonprofit think tank in Kentucky, said conducting background checks at the end of the hiring process helps eliminate an innate bias against convicted felons. Delaying this inquiry encourages the employer to focus on skills and qualifications first and allows the potential employee to get a foot in the door and explain their record during an interview, they concluded in a 2017 report. Bettie Kirkland runs a nonprofit in Nashville, Tennessee, called Project Return that helps steer ex-offenders back into the workforce. She said its easy for employers -- and the public -- to adopt a fear-and-contempt mentality when it comes to hiring ex-convicts. But that perspective is short-sighted, Kirkland said. The fact is, people who have previously been convicted of crimes can be and are productive, successful members of our communities, she said. They work hard, they pay taxes, they strive to do well, and in many cases, understandably, they inordinately value their jobs. exhibit great loyalty, and exceed expectations. Kirkland said more employers are realizing that a prior bad act does not fully define a person. In many cases, they even outperform and outlast their counterparts who do not have conviction histories, she said. San Diego officials could not say how many of the citys 11,500 employees have criminal records. Edwards referred questions to the state Department of Justice, which did not immediately respond to a request for data. Watchdog Videos On Now Sexual misconduct accusers worry deputy is being protected 6:16 On Now City funded $2-million waterfront bathroom 1:26 On Now Public water district charges customer for legal work, response to records request On Now Video: Tiny homes won't be reused amid housing, homeless crisis On Now Attorney General seeks documentation for Miss Middle East On Now Rep. Hunter probe covers possible fraud On Now Video: SDG&E delaying solar credit for some low-income housing tenants On Now Video: Former San Diego Junior Theatre teacher sentenced for sex with teen girl 0:24 On Now Video: Shelter volunteers believe they were fired for finding a dog a home 0:49 On Now McKamey Manor is leaving San Diego 3:35 jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1708 @sdutMcDonald The process of replacing Supreme Court Justices has become polarizing and political. A driving reason for this politicization and polarization is the prospect that a newly appointed justice may serve 40 years. Why not change the system? As The Economist suggests in its Sep 15 issue, institute term limits for Supreme Court justices. For example, as The Economist explains, provide a single 18-year term, staggered so that each president gets to make two appointments per term. Rules could also be put in place that prohibit such termed out justices from becoming lobbyists. Advertisement To make term limits permanent would take a constitutional amendment. But there may be other ways to establish the new rule by convention, such as having prospective justices stipulate to the maximum term if confirmed by the Senate. The current system is not good for the country. We can and should do better. William L. Pope San Diego 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. Press Release September 29, 2018 Duterte worse dictator than Marcos - De Lima Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has maintained that Mr. Duterte's abusive record has become worse than that of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos despite the glaring similarities of their leadership style. De Lima, the first prominent political prisoner under the Duterte regime, said that just like Marcos, Duterte thinks that he is above the law and can go scot-free despite the crimes he committed against his people. "May Marcos noon; may Duterte ngayon. Hindi maikakaila ang mga pagkakapareho nila," she said, citing some of their similarities such as "parehong nagdeklara ng Batas Militar. Parehong abusado sa kapangyarihan. Parehong nagpapatay ng libu-libong Pilipino. Parehong ginipit ang mga kritiko," she said. "Sa ilalim ng kani-kanilang pamumuno ay bumagsak ang ekonomiya, nagtaasan ang presyo ng mga bilihin, nawalan ng trabaho ang marami, at may higit pang bilang ang hindi tiyak ang hanapbuhay at pabahay. Parehong berdugo ng mahihirap. Parehong pahirap," she added. According to the Senator, Duterte is not simply Marcos Version 2 because "in just a matter of a little more than two years into his presidency, Duterte has proven to be a worse monster than his idol. He is a foul-mouthed, chronically lying, incurably misogynistic, criminally-minded, and shameless fascist and tyrant." De Lima made the statement during the 46th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law under the Marcos regime last Sept. 21, which saw 15,000 protesters marched from different assembly points in Metro Manila and converged at Rizal Park while chanting, "Never Again to Martial Law!" According the Amnesty International, about 70,000 people were detained, at least 34,000 were tortured, and 3,240 were killed during martial law under the Marcos regime. Alarmingly, more than 23,000 have reportedly been killed either through the so-called "legitimized" police operations or vigilante style executions with only about two years into Mr. Duterte's term. As such, the Senator from Bicol urged the Filipino people to continue fighting the return of an authoritarian rule and have the courage to speak out against the injustices happening under the Duterte regime. "So, what do we do now? How do we ensure that the lessons under Marcos dictatorship will not be forgotten, and that the tragic experiences we are suffering under the current tyranny of Duterte will be stopped?" she asked. "The simple answer: We fight! We fight with what's remaining in our democracy. We fight with what's intact in our dignity. Demokrasya at dignidad. Yan ang ating gagamitin sa laban. Yan din ang ating ipaglalaban," she added. Along with the Filipino people, De Lima vowed to never stop exposing the true Marcosian and Dutertian agenda of perpetuating themselves in power in perpetuity by "remaining relentless in fighting authoritarianism anytime and all the time." Press Release September 29, 2018 Speech of Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III Federation of Asia-Pacific Women's Association 23rd Convention Sept. 29, 2018 [GREETINGS] Honorable Tita Mary Jane C. Ortega, President of the Federation of Asia-Pacific Women's Association and former three-term mayor of San Fernando, La Union, officers and members of this prestigious federation of women's association, guests, ladies and gentlemen, good day to all of us. Sixty years ago, in 1958, Geronima T. Pecson of the National Federation of Womens Clubs in the Philippines conceived of creating a federation of Asian women's clubs. Her vision was the unification of Asian women for the progress of Asia and the protection of the ideals of freedom and justice, thereby contributing to the world effort to build lasting peace. When representatives of Asian women's clubs met in the Little Theater of Arellano University in June 1959, the Federation of Asia-Pacific Women's Association was organized and its constitution was ratified in a record breaking two days. FAWA was organized to bring about major changes in the status of women. The aim was to create opportunities for women to get together and discuss problems affecting Asian countries and communities, and to try and find solutions to these problems. It was also to provide an opportunity for women to be exposed to and to better understand the various Asian cultures, traditions and ways of life that are different from their own. It was decided that this could be achieved through the holding of periodic conventions and meetings in different member countries. These periodic meetings also served to strengthen mutual understanding and cooperation. The themes and proceedings of each convention reflect the issues of the times. Today, the theme of your convention is sustainable development. This indeed is the issue of the day. Sustainable development is so vital that the United Nations General Assembly has set a collection of seventeen (17) global goals which are known popularly as SDGs. Perhaps Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals is the most relevant to the ideals of FAWA - gender equality. According to the United Nations, "gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world." Providing women and girls with equal access to education, health care, decent work, and representation in political and economic decision-making processes will nurture sustainable economies and benefit societies and humanity at large. It may come as a surprise to us but in the Asia-Pacific it is said that 2.6 Million women and girls are never born due to prenatal sex selection or who die prematurely from abuse or maternal mortality. In South Asia, more women die in childbirth than in any other part of the world. Domestic violence is rampant and so is discrimination in the workplace especially for domestic workers who are more often than not - women. The good news, however, is there have been major advances in expanding education's reach in the Asia-Pacific region. For example, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), the number of girls and women who have gained access to education in the region increased substantially from 2000 to 2016. During that time, the number of female out-of-school children, adolescents, and youth of primary and secondary school age in the region dropped by 67 million. As the number of females going to school increased, gender parity was reached in Central Asia and East Asia and the Pacific in 2016. In fact, female enrollments increased in tertiary education by 41 million between 2000 and 2016, resulting in participation levels being in favor of females in many parts of Asia-Pacific today. Ensuring gender equality is not merely rhetoric but yields tangible positive results. In the East Asia and Pacific region, output per worker could be 7-18% higher if female entrepreneurs and workers were in the same sectors, types of jobs and activities as men, and had the same access to productive resources. I am reminded of what Michelle Obama said in a conversation with George Bush when they were discussing how countries who oppress women are usually countries who are struggling economically. "We can't waste this spotlight," Obama said, on the experience of being First Lady. "It is temporary, and life is short, and change is needed, and women are smarter than men." She ended by saying "And the men can't complain because you're outnumbered today." Indeed, each time we are given an opportunity to change the world, we should grab it because life is short and change is urgently needed in our world. Today, I am prepared to concede that indeed women are smarter than men. Mainly because I am now outnumbered by women. But seriously, there is empirical data which support the positive influence of women. A study of women elected to local government in India found that female leadership positively affected the provision of services for both men and women. Indeed we have had many prominent Filipina leaders who have contributed positively to our nation's history. Since I am a part of the Philippine Senate, allow me to restrict myself to notable women Senators, or else we might be here until tomorrow. Will it surprise you to learn that since 1947, there have only been twenty-two (22) women senators? Of course, we have to start with Senator Geronima Pecson who conceived of organizing FAWA. Not only was she the first woman senator, she was also the first Filipino and the first woman elected to UNESCO. She received numerous awards in her lifetime, the most notable of which are the Press Association's Legion of Honor Award from the President of the Philippines, the Pro Patria Presidential Award, and the 1964 Outstanding Award because of her "excellent service in Philippines education". Santanina Rasul was the first Muslim woman elected Senator. She co-authored with Senator Raul Roco Republic Act No. 7192 or the Women in Development and Nation-Building Act of 1995. The Act outlawed discrimination against women, opened the doors of the Philippine Military Academy to women, and mandated that a substantial portion of government funds at all levels be used for programs that would benefit and develop women's capabilities. Senator Leticia Ramos-Shahani was the first Filipino woman to become Senate President pro tempore. She authored Republic Act 6725, dubbed as the "Shahani Law", which addresses gender discrimination at work. She introduced the Anti-Rape Law of 1997 and the Rape Victim Assistance and Protection Act of 1998, among others. Senator Loren Legarda, a champion for the environment was the first Filipino woman to become Majority Floor Leader in the Senate. She authored the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act (RA 9262); the Magna Carta of Women (RA 9710); the Anti-Child Labor Law (RA 9231); the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act (RA 9208) and its expanded version (RA 10364) and the Climate Change Act (RA 9729) among many others. Then of course my favorite professor Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago. She was the first Filipino and first Asian elected Judge of the International Criminal Court. She was former Secretary of Agrarian Reform; former Commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation; and Ramon Magsaysay Awardee. My friend, Senator Pia Cayetano, was the youngest woman elected senator in the history of the Philippines at the age of 40. Also a champion of women's rights she sponsored among others the Reproductive Health Law (RA 10354), which provides women with access to information and health care services to realize their reproductive health rights. There are many more, but I am sure you get my point. Women have a unique vantage point especially in leadership roles. The nurturing and nursing nature of women manifests in the little simple acts of kindness and friendliness which are put in things. These are the values that are easily taken for granted, or even neglected because they are so simple or natural. Women have a knack for removing barriers that hinder happiness, peace, and harmony which they capably and naturally initiate in the home circle radiating to the community, to the work place, the corporate world and to the entire planet. One wonders why this comes so easy for the women? And I found the answer which is scripturally based: Because women are blessed with a womb which in scripture is the center of wisdom and emotion (Isaiah 66:7-12). We, men, must concede that women have an extra gift from our Creator that make you special and superior in many ways. In the Filipino setting we take this as gospel truth in the saying that, "ang ina ang ilaw ng tahanan." And men universally admit that, "behind every man's success is a woman." I join you in looking forward to celebrating your federation's 60th year since its organization next year as we prepare our hearts and minds in nurturing the peace that you have planted in proclaiming the value of interdependence of human beings. Peace as we all know does not only mean absence of war or disarmament. Peace is so intricately interlaced in the social conditions that best serve and promote and protect our dignity. So, we stand side by side as we walk together in inculcating and fostering life that upholds personal and social responsibility. Together we face up to the present challenge of addressing with more urgency the concerns of the vulnerable, marginalized and exploited that tend to become more pronounced each day amidst the wave of digital cultural phenomena, modern consumerism, and advances in technology. Allow me to share with you the prophetic insight of Christopher Dawson when he wrote these words in 1933 as the Nazi threat was taking shape, and I quote: "In fact, the great tragedy of modern civilization is to be found in the failure of material progress to satisfy human needs. The modern world has more power than any previous age, but it has used its new power for destruction as much for life; it has more wealth, yet we are in the throes of a vast economic crisis; it has more knowledge, and yet our knowledge seems powerless to help us. What our civilization lacks is not power, wealth and knowledge, but spiritual vitality, and unless it is possible to secure that, nothing can save us from the fate that overtook the civilization of classical antiquity and so many other civilizations that were powerful and brilliant in their day." The other side of the spectrum is the trauma and the constant threat of calamities - natural and manmade. The Marawi siege, the catastrophic damage of Yolanda, and the most recent, the horrific devastation of Typhoon Ompong. These are but a few of the many that the Filipino nation has survived. And we are most thankful for the grace of resiliency of the Filipino people. In our own small way, my political party created PDP-Laban Cares, a humanitarian arm which is competently and affectively chaired by a woman, to respond to the needs of victims whose peace is shaken by calamities. The challenge remains and our task of sustaining what we have started continues. Translating this in more concrete terms, I hope that this third millennium will see us with the hungry no longer hungry; the homeless no longer homeless; the unemployed no longer unemployed; the sick and disabled no longer unattended; children deprived of school get educated; that every citizen becomes a steward of our environment where everyone enjoys the protection of life; a society that is free from fear, enjoys freedom from violence and threats of terrorism. A fair, peaceful and happy society. There is no way to peace. Peace is the way. Let's continue our partnership in our intent for peace and stability and be active influencers in our respective roles - for my part to continue legislating laws which will help in the upliftment of the lives of our people, domestically and globally. It will be a pleasure and beneficial to hear from women's groups valuable inputs to form part of my legislative agenda. And at this point, I seek your help in urging our countrymen to always use their KOKOte in deciding what is best for our country so that we may achieve our vision of a Philippine society which is just and fair; which saves and shares; scientific and objective; safe and peaceful; educated, healthy and productive; democratic; and which is, most of all, happy and free, with overflowing love of God and country. I wish you success in all your future endeavors. Maraming salamat po. Mabuhay ang FAWA! Press Release September 30, 2018 ANGARA: LGUS DESERVE FULL AUTONOMY, MORE FUNDS Senator Sonny Angara is backing moves that would give more power and funds to local government units (LGUs), whether under a federal form of government being pushed by President Rodrigo Duterte or through changes to the 27-year-old Local Government Code (LGC). Addressing local officials of Siquijor province, Angara said that as chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Government, he was not closing the door to federalism if the intention was to give meaningful political and fiscal autonomy to LGUs. "Umuugong po ang federalism all over the country. Tayo ay bukas sa ideya ni Pangulong Duterte na dapat mas maraming kapangyarihan at mas maraming pondo ang napupunta po sa mga LGU," Angara said. "Suportado po natin 'yan. Pwede rin naman nating amyendahan ang Local Government Code para dagdagan ang share ng local government mula sa sharing ngayon na 60 percent para sa national government at 40 percent sa local government," he added. Pending such amendment to the LGC, Angara said it is important that LGUs get their rightful share of the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) in light of a recent Supreme Court ruling on the petition filed by Batangas Governor Hermilando Mandanas. The high court ruled that the "just share" of LGUs should be sourced from "all national taxes and not only national internal revenue taxes." The government has filed a motion for reconsideration, which the SC has yet to rule on. Angara urged Siquijor local officials to support the Mandanas petition, as they themselves will benefit should the SC rule with finality in favor of Mandanas. "Ang matatanggap ng LGUs all over the country ay P200 bilyon--hindi po milyon--P200 bilyon. Paghahatian po 'yan ng lahat ng 81 provinces, 140 cities, 1,400 municipalities, and the tens of thousands of barangays all over the Philippines," Angara pointed out. Angara, a former congressman representing the lone district of Aurora province, believes that LGUs must be given a more active role in nation-building by providing them governmental powers and full autonomy in the delivery of basic services. He noted that the LGC under Republic Act 7160 has remained relatively unchanged since its enactment in 1991. The Angara panel has filed 11 bills to update the LGC. The proposals include increasing the share of LGUs in the IRA, updating requisites for creating LGUs, simplifying local taxes to improve tax compliance, enhancing the taxing powers of LGUs and the use of national wealth in local development, among others. Press Release September 30, 2018 Drilon says SC ruling on Trillanes case crucial to preserving rule of law Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon believes that it is time for the Supreme Court to step in in order to rectify the recent episodes in the judicial system that "go against the basic constitutional and legal principles," referring to Proclamation No. 572 and the resurrection of cases against Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV. "We ask the Supreme Court, as the final arbiter of justice, to rectify these episodes in our judicial system that go against the basic principles of law. The entire legal profession knows that what's happening is wrong," Drilon said in an interview with DWIZ radio on Saturday. "As I see it, all lawyers, and even current students who are taking up law are now perplexed with the state of rule of law. It seems that everything we studied has been thrown out and disregarded instantly," Drilon said. Drilon hopes the Supreme Court will rectify it the soonest, citing its serious implications to the stability of the judicial system in the country. The decision that the Supreme Court will make is very crucial to maintaining the stability of the judicial system and preserving the rule of law, according to Drilon. He added that the case does not concern only Sen. Trillanes but all past and future acts concerning the power of the President to grant amnesty. He cited that even Chief-of-Staff Carlito Galvez, who was also given amnesty in the past, could be affected if Proc. 572 is sustained. He also said it could affect the integrity of the amnesty that the government will grant in the future, because of fears that it can be reopened anytime. The former justice secretary maintained that there is no basis in law and in fact the issuance of Proclamation No. 572 which revoked the amnesty given to Trillanes seven years ago. He also as no basis the issuance of arrest against Sen. Trillanes. "The cases were validly and legally dismissed seven years ago by virtue of the amnesty that was given to Sen. Trillanes and the validity of which was ruled upon by the same courts. The decisions in these cases have already attained finality," Drilon said. Press Release September 30, 2018 Gatchalian urges real estate players to help solve socialized housing shortage Senator Win Gatchalian is appealing to local and foreign real estate players to help the government provide affordable and high-quality socialized housing to underprivileged Filipinos. In a keynote speech he delivered before the members of FIABCI-Philippines during the International Forum and Property & Real Estate Awards Gala Night, Gatchalian recognizes the pivotal role of property developers in meeting the housing needs of the country. Citing Colliers International, however, Gatchalian said that private property developers are much more interested in meeting the demand for high-end or luxury developments "than they are in addressing the even greater need for low-cost housing." "The potential of the Philippine real estate sector is sky high... there are opportunities for growth and development all around us. Along with these opportunities, however, come the very real threats of homelessness and inadequate shelter presented by the country's low-cost housing shortage," the senator said. Gatchalian believes that the socialized housing sector presents a great, alternative opportunity for private developers to tap into, given the shortage of low-income homes in the country reported by the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC). Data from HUDCC shows that as of 2012, the housing backlog was 1,373,981 units. HUDCC noted that the housing backlog climbed to 1,749,408 units between 2013 and 2015. The government's highest policy-making body for housing projects the backlog could skyrocket to 12.5 million housing units by 2030 if left unaddressed. Republic Act 7279 or the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992, as amended in 2016 by Republic Act 10884 or the Balanced Housing Development Program Amendments, requires developers of proposed subdivision and condominium projects to develop an area for socialized housing equivalent to 15% of the land area or total project cost for subdivisions, and 5% for condominium projects. HUDCC Resolutions No. 1 and 2, series of 2018, requires subdivision developers to offer these units for a maximum of P480,000 to P580,000, depending on the floor area. For condominium developers, the maximum price cap is between P700,000 to P750,000 for those within Metro Manila, and between P600,000 and P650,000 for those outside Metro Manila. "I firmly believe that private real estate players can play a pivotal role in creating innovative business models that would provide high quality socialized housing at a lower cost, and engineer consumer-friendly financing options that would put decent and comfortable housing within the means of the marginalized sectors of our society," the lawmaker said. Furthermore, Gatchalian stressed that the private property sector will be able to build their own businesses "while, at the same time, playing a direct role in nation-building." "The Philippine housing backlog is something that must be addressed. Underprivileged Filipinos need and deserve to have roofs over their head," he said. Gatchalian to NFA: Scrap supermarket rice permit fee Senator Win Gatchalian over the weekend slammed the "uncoordinated and impractical" move of the National Food Authority (NFA) to charge retailers 115,000 to be able to sell rice as he called on the agency to scrap the exorbitant fee. "This is an ill-conceived move of the NFA. Akala ko ba ang gusto nila ay dumami ang magbenta ng murang bigas? Paano mangyayari 'yon kung ikaw na nga ang humingi ng tulong, ikaw pa ang maniningil ng pagkamahal-mahal na permit fee?" an exasperated Gatchalian said. The Philippine Amalgamated Supermarkets Association (Pagasa), Inc. recently revealed that the NFA is charging 115,000 from retailers with a paid-up capital of 10 million in order for them to be permitted to sell rice. It was the government which sought the help of Pagasa, Inc. to help flood the market with affordable rice. "Kung ikaw ba ang may-ari ng supermarket, magbabayad ka ba ng permit fee na 'yan if in the first place eh 'di ka naman required magbenta ng NFA rice?" Gatchalian said. "This is yet another reason why the NFA should be abolished. Sakit ng ulo lang ang ibinibigay nila sa mga kababayan natin," he stressed. Pagasa Inc. had previously agreed to have its members sell NFA rice, based on a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed last week. It has some 200 stores across the country that would have given poor Filipinos better access to the staple food. The group, however, lamented that the permit fee makes it impossible for its members to help solve the rice issue. "Mismong DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) na ang nagsabi na wala naman sa MOA yung permit fee na 'yan. So why is the NFA now suddenly and unilaterally charging this arbitrary fee?" Gatchalian said. Orion Health Group investors vented their frustrations at the software company's dismal performance as a listed company but signed off on plans to split up the business and return capital to shareholders. The decision was largely a fait accompli with enough proxy votes to pass the resolutions at the Friday meeting. The final tally released today showed 99.9 percent in favour of the transaction and 99.8 percent supporting the share buyback. Orion will sell its Rhapsody unit to UK private equity firm Hg for $205 million, dilute its stake in the population health management (PHM) unit, and retain full ownership of its hospitals division. After capitalising the joint investments, the remainder of the funds will be used to buy back shares at $1.16 to $1.26 a share. The shares rose 0.9 percent to $1.08 on Friday and were unchanged today. They were issued to much fanfare at $5.70 in the 2014 initial public offering. Chair Andrew Ferrier told shareholders he was bitterly disappointed that Orion hadn't delivered on its potential, but that this was the best option for investors. Before the vote, the New Zealand Shareholders' Association said it would support the resolutions, but was very disappointed with the outcome for shareholders. Orion founder Ian McCrae told shareholders the company's performance had been a "major disappointment" and hasn't delivered for investors. The future of the NZX listing for the remaining business will depend on how many shareholders decide to stick with the firm, he said. "If only 5 percent decide to stay in then that's a different situation to if everyone wants to stay in," he said. McCrae's interests will sell 20 percent of their stake in the buyback. His final holding will depend on the level of uptake by other investors, ranging from 44.2 percent if no-one participates to 100 percent if everyone does. 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Related News: Contact Energy Limited (NZX: CEN) Sets Interest Rate for Green Capital Bonds Rakon Limited (NZX: RAK) Upgrades Earnings Guidance 12th November 2021 Morning Report The Warehouse Group Limited (NZX: WHS) FY22 First Quarter Sales Update Infratil Limited (NZX: IFT) Interim results for the period ended 30 September 2021 11th November 2021 Morning Report Goodman Property Trust (NZX: GMT) Delivers Interim Profit Before Tax of $570 Million Mainfreight Limited (NZX: MFT) Half Year Financial Results 30 September 2021 Arvida Group Limited (NZX: ARV) Completion of Shortfall Bookbuild Auckland International Airport Limited (NZX: AIA) Announces Interest Rate for Retail Bond Issue WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Pentagon said Friday the Marine Corps have used its F35B jet to conduct combat missions in Afghanistan, a first for the advanced jet model. "The Marine Corps F35B Lightning II conducted its first combat strikes in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel in Afghanistan yesterday," the Pentagon said in a statement. "The airstrike in support of ground clearance operations was deemed successful by the ground force commander," the statement added. Scott A. Stearney, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said the F35B is a "significant enhancement in theater amphibious and air warfighting capability, operational flexibility and tactical supremacy." According to media reports, the jet took off from U.S.S. Essex amphibious assault ship to strike a fixed target. In an incident, a U.S. Marine Corps F35B jet crashed Friday in the U.S. state of South Carolina during training. The F35B is one of three models in the F35 jet family, and the only one featuring with short-take off and vertical-landing ability. The other two variants, the F35A and F35C, are equipped to the U.S. Air Force and Navy respectively. The United States will take tough measures such as offensive actions in cyberspace. By Hu Xiaodao The US Department of Defense (DOD) recently released the National Cyber Security Strategy Document of the United States of America (herein after referred to as the document). This is the first cyber security strategy report issued by the Trump administration and a national-level cyber strategy report in 15 years. According to White House National Security Adviser John Bolton, the new policy eases the rules on the use of digital weapons to protect the nation, allowing the military and other agencies to undertake the cyber operations. This means that the United States will conduct deterrence in cyberspace including some tough offensive actions measures. Three characteristics highlights the Trump style Compared with the cyber security document released by the United States in recent years, the Trump administrations policy has three major characteristics. Firstly, the document has identified China and Russia as its targeted strategic opponents. Cyberspace Strategy report released in 2015 did not explicitly mention its major rivals in the field of cyber security but declaring that it hopes to stop malicious actions while protecting the United States from cyber-attacks. While the National Security Strategy document released at the end of last year has clearly blacklisted China and Russia as strategic opponents, and the document focuses on China, Russia and other countries that pose strategic threats to the United States and stresses the all-round contest for cyber security with China and Russia in the fields of military, economy and science and technology. Secondly, the strategic layout is based on a complete system. The previous cyber security documents focused on the cyber security situation, specific responsibility and obligation, and the forward-looking design of a single division (e.g. US DOD, US Department of Homeland Security, etc.), or a single sector (e.g. the internet, military information system, etc.). Instead, the report tries to give a full play of the national power, converting each administering on its own way into the centralized management, and changing passive defense to defense by containment. Itll build up a cyberspace system with joint efforts of the US government and the military using cutting-edge technologies to broaden the military and civilian use to cope with both traditional and non-traditional threats, which will promote the overall improvement for the US military cyber deterrence capability. Thirdly, the strategic goal puts particular emphasis on serving the economy. Trumps cyber security strategy exudes a strong American First, characterized by pragmatic contraction and key adjustments, emphasizing on the US economic growth. The document signifies that Trump hopes to promote the development of global network technology by creating a good cyber security environment, and ultimately realize the development of the US network market and the US economic prosperity. Two major trends are particularly worthy of attention Analysts pointed out that Trump has always been attaching significant importance to cyber security. The issuance of the document signifies two major trends in cyber security in the United States and globally which are worthy of attention. On the one hand, the relevant content of the document is subjectively suspected of soliciting votes for the US mid-term election scheduled at the end of this year. Meanwhile, it is objectively related to the US government and various military departments, so there will be doubts about the willingness of implementation or feasibility in the future. In particular, it might be difficult to complete the Trumps imaginary cyber security system within his one or two terms, and it is highly likely that the successors will scrap it and start all over again or even just abandon it. On the other hand, as the fifth largest space of equal importance as land, sea, air and space, cyberspace has become one of the main battlefields of inter-country strategic contests. The United States, Russia, India, Japan and other countries are currently investing heavily in network talent recruitment, network weaponry research and development and cyber warfare capability. The document is likely to become a catalyst for the global cyberspace contest. It is particularly noteworthy that the document points towards China and Russia, which may undermine the US-China and US-Russia strategic mutual trusts. The relevant consequences deserve sustained attention. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang has responded hereof by saying that Chinese side hopes that the relevant US institutions abandon the Cold War mentality and the zero-sum game concept and view China-US relations in a correct way. Elon Musk to resign as chair of Tesla board but remain CEO Washington, Sept 29 (AFP) Sep 29, 2018 Elon Musk has reached a deal over fraud charges that will see him step down as electric automaker Tesla's chairman of the board and pay a $20 million fine but stay on as CEO, US securities regulators said Saturday. The agreement eases pressure on Tesla's embattled CEO, who faced potentially being barred from serving as an officer or board member of a publicly traded company as a result of the charges, which stemmed from a tweet by Musk about taking the company private. "The settlements, which are subject to court approval, will result in comprehensive corporate governance and other reforms at Tesla -- including Musk's removal as chairman of the Tesla board -- and the payment by Musk and Tesla of financial penalties" of $20 million each, the Securities and Exchange Commission said in a statement The SEC had charged Musk with securities fraud, alleging that he misled investors when he tweeted on August 7 that he had "funding secured" to privatize the electric automaker at $420 a share. That caused a brief spike in Tesla's share price, leading so-called short-sellers who have been betting on the stock crashing for years, to lose millions. The SEC said Musk's statements on Twitter were "false and misleading" and that he had never discussed the plans with company officials or potential funders. Musk said he later decided against the plan. Under the agreement, he will be ineligible to serve as chairman of the board for a period of three years and will be replaced by an "independent chairman," while two "independent directors" will also be appointed by Tesla, the SEC said. - 'Prevent further market disruption' - Tesla will also set up a new committee of independent directors and "put in place additional controls and procedures to oversee Musk's communications," according to the SEC. The $40 million in financial penalties "will be distributed to harmed investors under a court-approved process." "The total package of remedies and relief announced today are specifically designed to address the misconduct at issue by strengthening Tesla's corporate governance and oversight in order to protect investors," Stephanie Avakian, the SEC's co-director of enforcement, said in the statement. "The resolution is intended to prevent further market disruption and harm to Tesla's shareholders," SEC co-director of enforcement Steven Peikin said. Tesla's shares plummeted around 14 percent on Friday over concerns about the company's future after the announcement of the fraud charges against Musk, which were a fresh blow to the mercurial Silicon Valley entrepreneur and his company. Musk has baffled investors with emotional and seemingly erratic media appearances, including one where he appeared to smoke marijuana, and a public battle with a rescuer who helped save a group of boys trapped in a cave in Thailand, whom he termed a "pedo guy." Tesla is seeking to ramp up production of its Model 3, the mass-market vehicle seen as a key to the automaker's future. It had struggled to overcome production bottlenecks in recent months for the Model 3, but now faces other logistical issues, according to Musk. Solukhumbu, September 29 Solukhumbu District Court has ordered the release four people serving sentence for cow slaughter. Judge Narayan Prasad Subedi ordered that Dawakaji Shrestha of then Chaurikharka VDC-8, Kulung Rai and Raja Prasad Rai of then Bung VDC and Hemant Rai of Nechasalyan Rural Municipality-2 of Solukhumbu district after the trio filed an application. They were serving a 12-year sentence but were released in response to a writ filed demanding the commuting of the sentence based on the new civil code, which reduces the quantum of punishment to three years, according to court clerk Bhagiswar Saraili. They were arrested and jailed three years ago after being found guilty of stealing and slaughtering a cow. Rss UK site leads the way in Skripal case with online savvy London, Sept 30 (AFP) Sep 30, 2018 Bellingcat, the investigative website unmasking the Skripal affair suspects, grew out of one man's efforts to track the origin of Syrian civil war weapons -- from the comfort of his sofa. The latest revelations from the UK-based citizen journalism group on the nerve agent attack on Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal have made global headlines -- and they are promising more to come. Bellingcat reported Wednesday that Ruslan Boshirov, one of the two Russian suspects wanted by British police, was actually Anatoly Chepiga, a military intelligence colonel decorated in 2014 with the nation's top award, the Hero of Russia. Previous major Bellingcat investigations have included a report claiming flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine by a Russian missile system, as well as others on the wars in Syria and Yemen. The recent allegations have enraged Moscow, with foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova saying earlier this month that the site was "close to the secret services". Zakharova said Bellingcat "intentionally pumps out disinformation disguised as investigations". The driving force behind Bellingcat is 39-year-old founder Eliot Higgins, who came to prominence for his investigations into the Syrian civil war as the blogger "Brown Moses". An unemployed office worker, he had no journalistic training and his weapons knowledge was entirely self-taught -- indeed, any he already had was gleaned from films like "Rambo". Looking at clips of footage from Syria, "I wanted to see if I could figure out something from these videos, and what weapons they had was one thing," Higgins told AFP. He was among the first to track and report on the Syrian regime's use of barrel bombs through analysing the strikes using open-source material. - 'People who can dig' - The Brown Moses name was taken from a Frank Zappa song, but Higgins has long since given up concealing his identity, partly to avoid conspiracy theory suspicion about who he is. Branching out, he launched Bellingcat in 2014 and it made its name almost immediately with investigations into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in Ukraine. "I wanted to launch a site that brought together a lot of people who were also doing open-source online investigations like I was, as well as giving guides and case studies for people to learn from so they can do it themselves," Higgins said. Operating from a small office in Leicester, central England, Bellingcat's website lists four staff led by Higgins, 11 members of its investigation team and 60 contributors. They have 82,000 Twitter followers but their reach goes far further. Funding comes half from grants and donations and half from running workshops training people in the art of open-source investigations. The website publishes guides on how to analyse data, showing readers the methods used to produce its reports. September's guides include "How to Scrape Interactive Geospacial Data" and "How to Identify Burnt Villages by Satellite Imagery", using case studies in California, Myanmar and Nigeria. Higgins said Bellingcat offered something traditional media outlets do not, though major organisations are opening up more to this style of investigation. "There's a lot of really valuable, interesting material out there, as long as you've got the people who can dig for it," he said. The Skripal project is a partnership with Russian investigative website The Insider. "They were running things on the Russian side of the operation, so we were doing a lot of the open source investigation to stand up the information they were finding," said Higgins. - Fresh revelations on Skripal case - In an era of fake news online, Bellingcat makes a point of detailing where its claims come from. In its latest Skripal report, Bellingcat detailed how investigators reached their conclusion on Chepiga. The investigation started out with only pictures of the prime suspects and their cover identities. They said they conducted image searches on online search engines, contacted former Russian military officers, browsed pictures of a military academy yearbook and scoured leaked Russian databases. They then obtained extracts from the passport file of Anatoly Vladimirovich Chepiga which contained a photograph that strongly resembled a younger Boshirov. The online sleuths are promising fresh revelations next week. Higgins said he was concerned about the personal safety of the Insider team in Russia. Their editor, Roman Dobrokhotov, who returned to Russia from London on Friday, is expecting arrest. Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said if Dobrokhotov was afraid for his safety "he is free to go to the police". rjm/dt/jwp/bp/kaf Voting begins to elect new parliament in Iraq's Kurdistan Arbil, Iraq, Sept 30 (AFP) Sep 30, 2018 Voting began Sunday across Iraq's Kurdistan for a new parliament in the autonomous region which is mired in an economic crisis a year after an independence referendum that infuriated Baghdad. More than 3.1 million voters are eligible to cast ballots across three provinces in the northern region where 673 candidates from 29 political movements are vying for seats the 111-member parliament. Eleven of the seats are however reserved for religious and ethnic minorities: five to Turkmen candidates, five to Christians and one to the Armenian community. A massive yes vote in the September 2017 referendum for independence, deemed illegal by the Baghdad federal government, backfired on the autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq. Baghdad imposed economic penalties and sent federal troops to push Kurdish forces out of oil fields vital for the region's economy, depriving it of a key lifeline. Regional president Massud Barzani, who had dominated the region since the ouster of Saddam Hussein and was the driving force behind the plebiscite, stepped down in November. Sunday's election sees the parties that have long held sway set to come out on top yet again. The outgoing parliament is dominated by Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party -- as is the government -- and currently holds 38 seats in the assembly, while its traditional rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), has 18. The main opposition Goran (Kurdish for "change") party has 24 seats in the outgoing parliament. There is only one new political party competing -- the New Generation movement, founded in 2018 to channel public anger at the region's elite. The election is not expected to change the political map in Kurdistan, according to experts, but could shed light on the divisions that emerged after the September 2017 independence referendum. US 'subsidizing' Saudi, Asia militaries: Trump Wheeling, United States, Sept 30 (AFP) Sep 30, 2018 President Donald Trump on Saturday complained that the US is "subsidizing" the military of Middle East ally Saudi Arabia, as well as Japan and South Korea. The comment, at a West Virginia rally for local candidates of his Republican Party, follows similar jibes at European members of the NATO alliance. "When you have wealthy countries like Saudi Arabia, like Japan, like South Korea, why are we subsidizing their military?" asked Trump, who pushes an aggressive "America First" policy on trade. "They'll pay us. The problem is nobody ever asks." He added that he had spoken to Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Saturday to make the same point. Saudi Arabia and Japan are major buyers of US-made weaponry, and the US provides intelligence and aerial refueling support to a Saudi-led coalition fighting rebels in Yemen. Japan and South Korea host tens of thousands of American troops. Trump said the United States pays "about 60 percent" of South Korea's military. Last year he suggested Seoul should pay for the $1.0-billion THAAD anti-missile system that the US has deployed on South Korean territory. Trump has long complained that European members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization do not pay enough for their own defense, singling out Germany for particular criticism. Iraq's Kurdistan region, autonomous since 1991 Arbil, Iraq, Sept 30 (AFP) Sep 30, 2018 Iraqi Kurdistan, which held parliamentary elections on Sunday, has been autonomous since 1991 and mired in an economic crisis since its failed independence referendum a year ago. Here is some background about the region bordering Iran and Turkey. - Mountainous north - Situated in the rugged mountainous north of Iraq, the region is home to about five million people. They are mainly Kurds, who are mostly Sunni Muslims, and a Turkmen minority. Kurdish and Arabic are the official languages, and the capital is Arbil. Of Indo-European origin, Kurds also live in Iran, Turkey and Syria. - Long persecuted - The struggle for an independent Kurdish state started during Britain's mandate in Iraq and was relaunched in 1961 by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) of Mustafa Barzani. It erupted into an Iraqi-Kurd war that finished in 1970 with a peace accord that granted Kurds autonomy. But this failed to materialise and a new conflict started in 1974, the Kurds quickly collapsing. The following year, the KDP split with the creation of the revolutionary Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). In 1987-1988, as the Iran-Iraq war neared its end, the regime of Saddam Hussein launched violent operations against the Kurds. The Anfal campaign saw nearly 180,000 killed and more than 3,000 villages destroyed. The regime's policy of "Arabisation" forced thousands to leave their homes, replaced by Arabs. Baghdad used chemical weapons against the village of Halabja, killing 5,000 people. - Autonomy - Iraqi Kurdistan gained de facto autonomy after the 1991 Gulf War, when Western powers intervened to protect Kurds against an onslaught by Saddam's forces that led hundreds of thousands to flee to neighbouring countries. In 1992 the Iraqi Kurds elected their first parliament and set up a government. Clashes erupted in 1994 between the PUK and the KDP parties over the distribution of the region's resources, leaving 3,000 dead over four years. In 2003 Kurds joined up with US troops to help overthrow Saddam. He was executed three years later. Iraqi Kurdistan became formally autonomous as a federal republic in 2005, with Mustafa Barzani's son, Massud, elected president. - US allies against IS - In 2014 Kurdish forces took control of the oil-rich province of Kirkuk, profiting from the chaos created by the advance of the Islamic State (IS) group. They became an important ally of the US-led coalition against the jihadists in zones bordering Kurdistan. - Failed independence referendum - On September 25, 2017 Iraqi Kurdistan voted for independence at a referendum initiated by Massud Barzani, despite warnings from Baghdad and the international community. The referendum covered disputed border areas beyond the autonomous region, such as Kirkuk, and led Iraqi government forces to act to retake the oil-rich province. Barzani stepped down as president. Since then Iraqi Kurdistan has been run by his nephew, Nechervan Barzani. - Economically strapped - Iraqi Kurdistan went through an economic boom after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, as the rest of the country sank into violence. However the emergence of IS in 2014 hit investments hard. In the wake of last year's failed referendum, the loss of disputed territory, notably Kirkuk, deprived the region of essential oil revenues. The central government withheld civil servant salaries, fuel prices rose and there were power cuts, feeding popular anger that erupted into days of protests in December. Baghdad also imposed a blockade for nearly six months on two of the region's airports that was lifted in March 2018. Three years of Russia strikes on Syria kill 18,000: monitor Beirut, Sept 30 (AFP) Sep 30, 2018 More than 18,000 people, nearly half of them civilians, have been killed in Russian air strikes on Syria since Moscow began its game-changing intervention three years ago, a monitor said Sunday. Russia, a steadfast ally of Syria's ruling regime, began carrying out bombing raids in the country on September 30, 2015 -- more than four years into the devastating conflict. Since then, they have killed 18,096 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "That number includes 7,988 civilians, or nearly half of the total," said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman. Another 5,233 Islamic State fighters were also killed in Russian strikes, with the rest of the dead including other rebels, Islamists and jihadists, the Britain-based monitor said. Human rights groups and Western governments have criticised Russia's air war in Syria, saying it bombs indiscriminately and targets civilian infrastructure including hospitals. The White Helmets, a Syrian rescue force that works in opposition areas, said in a report released Sunday that it had responded to dozens of strikes by Russia on buildings used by civilians since 2015. They included Russian bombing raids on 19 schools, 12 public markets and 20 medical facilities over the past three years, as well as 21 of its own rescue centres. "Russia has flaunted its disregard for agreements over safe zones, no-conflict zones, cessations of hostilities, and de-escalation zones by continuing with airstrikes on civilian spaces," the White Helmets charged. Russia has operated a naval base in Syria's coastal Tartus province for decades, but expanded its operations to the nearby Hmeimim airbase in 2015. It also has special forces and military police units on the ground in government-controlled parts of the country. The air strikes were crucial in helping troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad retake swathes of the country, including second city Aleppo in 2016 and areas around Damascus, the rural centre, and the south this year alone. "The regime controlled just 26 percent of Syrian territory" when Russia intervened, said Abdel Rahman, compared with close to two-thirds now. In addition to the Russian and Syrian air forces, warplanes from the US-led coalition fighting IS have also been carrying out bombing raids on Syria since September 2014. Last week, the Observatory said that US-led coalition air strikes on Syria had killed more than 3,300 civilians since the alliance began operations against IS targets. The Observatory, which relies on sources inside Syria for its reports, says it determines whose planes carried out strikes according to type, location, flight patterns and munitions involved. US warship sails near South China Sea area claimed by Beijing: Pentagon Washington, Sept 30 (AFP) Sep 30, 2018 An American warship has sailed through waters off the contested Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, in the latest implicit challenge to Beijing's sweeping territorial claims in the region, the Pentagon said Sunday. "Guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur conducted a freedom of navigation operation," an official told AFP. "Decatur sailed within 12 nautical miles of Gaven and Johnson reefs in the Spratly Islands." The official said all US military operations in the area "are designed in accordance with international law and demonstrate that the United States will fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows." The 12-mile distance is commonly accepted as constituting the territorial waters of a landmass. Beijing claims all of the Spratly chain. There was no immediate reaction from China, but a similar US operation in July, involving the disputed Paracel islands, prompted a furious Beijing to deploy military vessels and fighter jets. The Paracels, north of the Spratly Islands, are claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam. On May 25, the guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey sailed less than 12 nautical miles from a reef in the Spratly archipelago. China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam all claim parts of it. Further angering those countries, and the US, Beijing has moved aggressively to build reefs into artificial islands capable of hosting military planes. US-Chinese relations have been strained on multiple levels since Donald Trump became president in 2017. A trade war launched by Trump has infuriated Beijing, as did his authorization of a $1.3 billion arms sale to Taiwan, which China considers a rebel province. Bir-Lehlou, September 30, 2018 (SPS) - President of the Republic, Secretary General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, has congratulated President of the Republic of Botswana, H.E. Mokgweetsi Masisi, on the occasion of the Independence Day of this brotherly country. On behalf of the Saharawi People and on my own behalf, I extend my sincere congratulations on the anniversary of the Independence Day of the Republic of Botswana, said the President of the Republic. I would not miss this opportunity to salute and extend my thanks and gratitude to Your Excellency, the Government and the People of the Republic of Botswana foryour solidarity and the steady position of your country in defending the struggle of the Sahrawi People for their right to self-determination and independence. Acknowledging the value, Excellency, ofthe recent conclusions of my visit to your country, among others, in particular the signing of the establishment of diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level between the Republic of Botswana and the Sahrawi Arab democratic Republic.It will for sure enhanceour close consultations in the African Union, based on common approach towards a number of topical matters, in addressing the key challenges of eradication of all sort of colonization agenda in our continent.In addition, it will strengthen the core role of the African Union to take its natural place in the International arenas. Excellency, May I again congratulate you and the People of Botswana on your national day and extend my best wishes for happiness, continued success and prosperity.Please accept the assurances of my highest consideration, added the President of the Republic. (SPS) 062/SPS Dang, September 30 Nepali Congress Vice-president Bimalendra Nidhi says that party leadership is working on a proposal to amend NCs statute. Speaking at a press meet organised by the Press Union in Dang, he said the revision was necessary to run the party as per the need of the federal structure. The leader from the main opposition further accused the Communist government of failing to come up with any significant works. He said that the people have expected a lot from the government, but it failed to deliver. Chinese leaders, more than those of most other countries, look more to historical lessons when deciding how the rule China effectively and remain in power. One event Chinese leaders still pay close attention to is the collapse of communist governments in Europe between 1989 and1991. While China could understand why the East European communist nations rebelled against communist governments imposed on them by Russia after World War II, the Chinese are still careful to avoid the errors that brought down the mighty Soviet Union in 1991. The key Russian problem, as the Chinese see it, was the inefficiency of the Soviet economy. The Soviets never allowed a free market to develop, as China did in the 1980s. By the 1990s the Chinese market economy was growing ten percent or more a year, a rate sustained for twenty years. Thus per capita GDP went from $333 in 1991 to $7,500 now. The Russian GDP continued shrinking after 1991 and it took more than a decade for a market economy to get going. Yet Russian economic growth is still crippled by corruption and the continued existence of state owned enterprises (SOEs). Chinese leaders thought they had learned from these Russian mistakes but now Chinese economists and bankers are reporting that China has many of the problems that brought down the Soviet Union and kept post-Soviet Russia weak. While China currently has the second largest economy on the planet it has many serious problems that cannot be ignored. For one thing, China still has a lot of SOEs, which employ about a fifth of the workforce. For political reasons the communist government cannot get rid of these SOEs even though they are a major threat to the banking system. Inefficient and often unprofitable SOEs consume about half the available bank credit while only sustaining a fifth of the GDP. The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) needs the SOEs to provide jobs for many key supporters and that means a lot more corruption is tolerated in SOEs than in free market firms. China has made impressive efforts to deal with corruption it concentrates on, such as corruption that causes the most unrest among the general population. This includes blatantly corrupt behavior at the local level as well as in the military or companies where the bad behavior leads to tainted food or medicine. But if you are a loyal senior official and show discretion and restraint in your corrupt practices you are left alone. That form of favoritism is necessary to run what is, just another Chinese dynasty. The 1911 revolt the ended the monarchy did not replace the emperor and his bureaucracy with anything much different. After four decades of civil war and fighting Japanese invaders the communists took control and what they established quickly evolved into a hereditary aristocracy. By 2017 China had returned to the emperor for life model as Xi Jinping persuaded the Chinese leadership to accept the restoration of lifetime tenure for the supreme leader, instead of the five year term system adopted after the disastrous lifetime rule of the first communist emperor (Mao Zedong) in 1976. Mao was better rebel leader than emperor and his 18 years of misrule killed over fifty million Chinese and made an anemic economy even weaker. After Mao, there was reorganization rather than chaos and among the many practical reforms instituted was a market economy that could thrive under the rule of a communist police state. But then came 1989-91 and the wealthier and wiser Chinese rulers sought answers to why all those communist police states in East Europe just evaporated, replaced by various degrees of democracy and free market economies. Chinese leaders are still unsure what the most important lessons for China are to be learned from all that. Some of the lessons were obvious. For example, a communist command economy cannot compete with a free market economy. Or at least no one has figured out how to do it. But creating a market economy proved easier than repairing the damage decades of communist rule had inflicted. In addition to the corruption (the free market economy grew in part by simply bribing disruptive communist officials to get out of the way), there was the growing pollution of both water and the air. All that economic growth produced more pollution which Western democracies were quicker to clean up. Politicians who got in the way of that were unable to get reelected. In a communist police state bad news could be kept out of the news for a while but with the capital suffering some of the worst air pollution in the world, the pollution became a major issue and it is still a long way from being fixed. Some of the other lessons learned from the Soviet collapse are also being increasingly ignored. For example, it was noted that the Soviet economy collapsed in large part because such a large portion of GDP (over 20 percent) went to military spending and related foreign affairs. The Soviets recklessly spent large sums on supporting allies. The Soviet subsidies kept North Korea and Cuba economically viable and loyal. Lesser sums were wasted on arms sales financed by low-interest loans that were never paid off. Same with a lot of non-military foreign aid. Now Chinese leaders are being reminded that they are moving towards the self-destructive Soviet practices even though in the 1990s it was agreed that arms races and bad loans to fickle allies were a bad idea. While on paper the Chinese defense budget is about a fifth of what the Americans spend, Chinese economists point out that the U.S. economy is better able to support that degree of spending. Meanwhile, if you calculate Chinese defense spending the same way the Americans do the Chinese defense spending is closer to half what the Americans spend. Another expensive Chinese decision was to adopt a nationalist posture in order to obtain more support from Chinese who would otherwise be questioning the wisdom of communist rule because of the corruption and pollution. That may change as China's OBOR (One Belt, One Road) program to establish secure sea lanes for Chinese trade and new roads, railways and pipelines throughout Eurasia, especially Southeast Asia and Central Asia. Many of the new port projects are being built in South Asia and Africa. A lot of these projects are very risky because if they cannot trigger enough additional economic activity China will end up holding the bad debt. China is investing over a trillion dollars in OBOR projects and some see this as one huge make work (mainly for Chinese workers and engineers who are sent overseas to build this stuff) effort financed by the Chinese banking system. The Chinese bankers are increasingly worried about too much bad debt and what that can do. Japan is a nearby example that suffered from a bad debt crises because of a real estate bubble. Japan has yet to recover from that mess and Chinese bankers dont want to be stuck with the same mess. This use of nationalism has led Chinese leaders to make a lot of the expensive mistakes they belittle the American leadership for. While the United States is often accused of ignoring the cultural differences with its allies and opponents and making bad decisions based on misperceptions, other countries often do the same. While the United States has made many mistakes because American leaders believed foreigners thought like Americans (but in a different language) at least the U.S. has come to acknowledge that this problem exists. Not so in China where this lack of empathy for other cultures is rampant in the government and especially in the military. This includes that part of the military that prepares plans for dealing with foreigners in crises situations that could lead to war. While Chinese leaders are very conscious of their own history and the many lessons they can still learn from all that the one lesson that makes their neighbors nervous is that the Chinese believe Chinese expansion is a natural and justified policy for China. The neighbors are very uncomfortable with China's reemerging (and quite ancient) attitude that China is the center of the universe (the "Middle Kingdom") and that everyone should show more respect and pay tribute. The Chinese government encourages these nationalistic attitudes, and many Chinese are eager to see China become more powerful and "get more respect." This is dangerous stuff and a common precursor to war. But China is run by a communist police state that sees nationalism as a useful tool to keep the communists in power. This is the sort of atmosphere that triggered the two World Wars. In 1914 Germany, long the disunited and picked apart mess in Central Europe was united (in 1870) for the first time and wanted respect to go along with its newfound economic and military power. In contemporary China, an actual war would likely destroy the communists, who are unpopular already because of corruption, abuse of power and pollution. A major component of any future war would be economic, as China is now dependent on imports of raw materials. That is something new in Chinese history, as the Chinese have, for thousands of years, prided themselves on self-sufficiency. That is gone and can't be regained without some drastic economic and cultural changes. Thus the Chinese communists are playing a game of bluster and bluff. This is especially true when you consider that the Chinese armed forces are also crippled by massive corruption and mismanagement. For that reason alone the Chinese government would avoid actual war. But short of large-scale fighting, there's a lot the Chinese can do to push their neighbors around. China tries to substitute economic power, as the Russians often did with their loans but China is finding that their cheap loans are no more effective than the Russian ones. Socialist Venezuela is turning out to be a particularly expensive and unpleasant example of this and North Korea threatens to become a similar expensive catastrophe. American planners have become aware of the lack of realistic planning by the Chinese military. Chinese wargames tend to ignore the reality of how their neighbors make military and diplomatic decisions. The Chinese military planners are particularly blind to the intricacies of politics in democracies and the influence of media (especially the Internet). While the Chinese appreciate the Internet as a tool for propaganda and espionage they have a blind spot when it comes to how the mass media influence political and military decision making in the powerful democracies (like the United States, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea) they might face in a future war. The U.S. is trying to develop ways to deal with this blind spot and so far can only conclude that China has now become a more irrational and dangerous adversary because the Middle Kingdom leaders are too busy staring at themselves in a mirror rather than paying attention to what is happening outside their border. The Ukrainian Army, with the help of civilian volunteers, has developed a TV and FM radio jamming system that blocks Russian TV and FM radio being broadcast to Russian controlled portions of eastern Ukraine (Donbas) and Crimea. The Serpanok jamming system uses existing Ukrainian TV and FM transmitters and was so successful that the Russians stopped broadcasting their propaganda laden TV and radio material and that enabled Ukraine to replace it with normal programming. Russia prefers to quietly back away when they encounter a defeat in the EW (Electronic Warfare) department. There has been more of that in Ukraine where the Russians discovered that a lot of their Soviet era (pre-1991) EW specialists were Ukrainian and the 2014 Russian invasion of Ukraine triggered a patriotic response that had not expected. While the Russians quickly took Crimea they were, and still are, stalled in Donbas and that has become an increasingly expensive embarrassment. Donbas has also become a major problem for new Russian EW systems because a lot of their effectiveness depends on surprise. A lot of that surprise element is gone and that was often because the Ukrainians had organized military or volunteer civilian groups who had the skills to determine what the Russians were up to and sometimes develop countermeasures. Back in 2014 Russia began threatening and invading its European neighbors (especially Ukraine and the Baltic States) and because of that NATO has learned a lot more about Russian post-Cold War EW capabilities. The fighting in Donbas led the Russians to use a lot of their most modern electronic warfare equipment. Not just Cold War era stuff (which Ukraine inherited a lot of after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991) but equipment NATO knows was developed in the 1990s or later but had not encountered until now. NATO now believes that Russia has developed effective and reliable encrypted battlefield radios that are proving very difficult for Western forces to decrypt or jam. As expected, Russian eavesdropping and jamming gear turned out to be very effective. This Russian equipment has greatly aided the Russian backed rebels, who did not capture any advanced Ukrainian EW equipment when they staged their uprising in 2014. It soon became obvious that the Russians had brought in electronic warfare experts and Russian EW gear and provided the rebels with jamming and eavesdropping gear superior to anything the Ukrainian military had. Thus the rebels could jam or eavesdrop on all manner of Ukrainian communications (cell phones, military communications and control equipment for UAVs and anything else operated remotely). By 2015 Ukrainian EW experts suspected that the Russians had not used all the capabilities of their new electronic gear. In response to that Ukraine asked NATO to provide some EW support and, not surprisingly, there was little publicity about the result. The reason for that was NATO quickly realized they had an unexpected opportunity to monitor this new Russian EW equipment in a battlefield situation. This was a huge win because otherwise these nasty EW surprises would be used against NATO forces in any future clashes with Russia or other nations that had purchased the Russian gear. This surprise element is important when it comes to electronic gear in general, which is much more effective if the other side does not know much about how it works. This is nothing new. For example, the World War II strategic bombing campaign against Germany saw nearly all the modern electronic warfare techniques (and countermeasures) being developed and used for the first time. The Russians captured a lot of the German stuff and were impressed. Thus they never exported their best Cold War era stuff and most of this gear was never seen in action. After the Cold War Russia continued to develop EW equipment and after 2014, in Ukraine and the Baltic States, NATO was getting a better idea of how much trouble they were in. A lot, it turns out. That is important because Russia now exports a lot more of this equipment. The Russians dont mind making their electronic warfare tech more vulnerable to theft because Russian manufacturers need the money to stay in business. However, some key features are not included in export versions of EW gear and often the customer doesnt mind because the price is right for the capabilities provided. NATO was eager to know more about the latest Russian gear and after 2015 a lot of this new EW equipment showed up in Syria as well. There are numerous examples. One is the Rychag-AV jammer, which Russia announced in 2015 and in 2016 Russia revealed that a custom version of the M-8 transport helicopter (Mi-8MTPR-1) was equipped with Rychag-AV and was delivered to army units operating near Ukraine. In 2017 Mi-8MTPR-1 was seen operating over Crimea and local Ukrainian hackers, using custom hardware and software they had built, reported details of Rychag-AV in operation over Crimea. Russia claims Rychag-AV can automatically detect and jam enemy radar and other electronic signals up to 400 kilometers away. That was less alarming once NATO and Ukrainian EW experts had an opportunity to examine Rychag-AV in action. Rychag-AV is designed to be operated from aircraft, trucks and ships but it can detect more signals and farther away if airborne or having its sensors and jammers mounted on a high portion of a ship (where radars have long been mounted). One known result of all this unexpected intel on new Russian EW gear was the news that the U.S. Army was able to develop and, in 2018, deploy to the troops a new EW system to detect and deal with new Russian EW weapons encountered in Ukraine and Syria over the last few years. The army, continuing to use the rapid development and deployment methods implemented after 2001 (and now called the Rapid Capabilities Office), developed new hardware and software to detect, analyze and cope (to a certain extent) with a lot of the new EW capabilities Russia had put to work in Ukraine and Syria. None of the recent Russian EW gear was radically new stuff, but further developments of systems they had built during the Cold War. What was unusual was the speed with which the U.S. military was able to respond. This was largely because it was now clear that the Russians had, for a long time, developed EW capabilities that the West underestimated. This was first revealed after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and became obvious that the EW pessimists in NATO (who warned that the Russians had EW gear NATO was unable to deal with because NATO leaders refused to believe what they were up against) were right. Now when improved versions of Russian Cold War EW gear began showing up in Ukraine and Syria that served as a sobering wakeup call that was acted on this time. NATO was fortunate that East European NATO members that used to be part of the Soviet empire were familiar with how Russian EW doctrine and equipment worked and that expertise was also put to work. Particularly useful was the Ukraine experience, including the large number of Ukrainians who had worked on developing and building that Cold War EW tech and were now seeing it used against them by a resurgent Russia. The U.S. Army saw the opportunity and made the most of it. Russia also used a lot of their new EW gear in Syria, in part to impress potential customers and partly to get an idea of what Israel had. Unlike NATO, Israel did not underestimate Russian EW capabilities during the Cold War because Russian sold some of that EW equipment to Arab states who had a few opportunities to use it on Israel. Major Nepali and English newspaper dailies published from Kathmandu Valley on Sunday have given priority to a host of issues. After Nepal Communist Party senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal organised a tea party for the partys Standing Committee members on Thursday and expressed his dissatisfaction over the party leadership, the wide gap between the leaders in the ruling party has surfaced; and the newspapers continue to discuss various dimensions of the party leadership. Meanwhile, there are some stories about increasing incidents of violence against women. Successful conversations of Nepal government with India on deployment of Nepali gas bullets for fuel supply and with Malaysia on reopening the stranded recruitment of Nepali migrant workers has also been featured on the front pages of Kathmandu newspapers today. Important Rift widens in Nepal Communist Party Kantipur, Nagarik, The Kathmandu Post, Republica and The Himalayan Times have published reports about surfaced differences between Prime Minister and NCP Chairman KP Sharma Oli and the partys senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal. Following Nepals expressed dissatisfaction about the leadership, Oli, who is currently in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, told reporters that the party as well as the country was not at stake as he was coming back to Nepal soon. Nepali gas bullets allowed supplying fuel from India, finally Officials of Nepal and India have agreed to let Nepali gas bullets go to India and supply liquefied petroleum gas to Nepal smoothly as demanded by Nepali entrepreneurs for over one year, reports Abhiyan. The agreement was made between Commerce and Supplies Minister Matrika Yadav and his Indian counterpart Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday, according to the report. Malaysian employers to cover costs of Nepali migrants employment Karobar and Nagarik report that the Kuala Lumpur government has agreed that employers cover all costs involved in recruitment of Nepali migrant workers. Officials of the two countries held a meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Friday and agreed to resume the recruitment that has been stalled for past four months, Nagarik reports, adding, Malaysian officials will come to Kathmandu after around two weeks to sign an agreement in this regard. Ignored Modi continues to ignore EPG It has been three months since the Eminent Persons Group on Nepal-India Relations has sought time from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to submit its final report. However, the leader continues to ignore the request though he has already visited Nepal once, reports Naya Patrika in its lead story. The group comprising four persons from each of two countries has prepared the report suggesting major revisions to key treaties between the neighbours. Number of govt school students decreases The number of students at government/community schools across the country is decreasing gradually over past few years, Kantipur reports in a three column story. Of total school students, 75 percent go to government schools and 25 to private schools. Last year, the ratio was 82:18, and it was 84:16 the previous year. 560,000 already left Kathmandu for Dashain Karobar reports in its lead story that more than 560,000 people have left Kathmandu Valley in past one week as the biggest festival of Nepalis is coming closer. Meanwhile, around 40,000 tickets have been booked for the trip to districts outside Kathmandu during Dashain days. The Metropolitan Traffic Police Division has expected that around two to three million people leave Kathmandu for Dashain this year. Interesting Karnali Province plans to operate airline The provincial government in Karnali has planned to own and operate its own airline very soon, reports Rapublica in a three column story. Karnali Chief Minister Mahendra Bahadur Shahi made the announcement on Saturday that the Karnali Airlines would be established for internal services and inter-province connectivity. We have held discussions with the Chinese government and aviation entrepreneurs to purchase medium sized aircraft, he said after returning from a weeklong trip to China. Kathmandu, September 30 Kathmandu police have prepared a special plan in view of security threats during the Dashain festival. SSP Basant Lama, head of Kathmandu Police, said that 3,535 police personnel have been deployed in Kathmandu in view of the festivities. We have deployed police in blocks, said Lama adding that 50 per cent of the personnel are patrolling the city on foot. Similarly, police units have aslo been deployed on bicycles, motorcycles and vans. We have also deployed some personnel in civvies, he added. A team of sniffer dogs has also been deployed on key entry points of the valley such as Thankot, Nagdhunga, Jagati, Farping and Balaju, he explained. Police officials say that the festivities bring with them a spike in murder, extortion, abduction and violence against women cases. #KCTU Umbrella union holds rally of 20,000 people near Dongdaemun market The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), a major umbrella labor group, on Saturday pushed ahead with a rally of 20,000 members from across the country in Seoul despite the ... #stocks KOSPI may face selling pressure next week on inflation risk South Korea's benchmark stock index is likely to come under selling pressure next week as uncertainties from the fast-growing inflation continue to fan expectations of a quick rate... I enjoy covering retails for two key reasons. One, the sector, as much as many, relies on people power: savvy retailers who understand consumer tastes and respond quickly. Picking top retail stocks partly relies on picking top retail CEOs at the helm. Two, the sector is prone to bouts of irrational pessimism. Amazon sets up in Australia, so investors sell retail stocks en masse, even though the online threat affects some companies more than others. Consumer confidence falls and most retail stocks are hammered. Its remarkable how the market takes an overly top-down view with retailers and overlooks what matters: company fundamentals and valuations. That creates opportunity for value investors who look through market noise and capitalise on oversold stocks. My strategy for picking retail stocks, outlined previously for The Bull, has a few foundations. I prefer retailers that are expanding successfully offshore. Discount jewellery fashion chain Lovisa Holdings is an example. Lovisa has soared since I covered it in 2015 for The Bull. Also, choose retailers that have a natural defence against online competitors. In Lovisas case, young women seem to enjoy visiting the stores in groups and trying on jewellery (I always research retailers with site visits, even those whose products I know little about!). I cannot imagine Lovisas target market would get the same experience buying cheap jewellery online by themselves. Its no different to fiftysomething males who visit Bunnings on a Saturday to buy hardware and a cheap sausage from the barbeque. Or pet owners who love visiting a Pet Barn to buy their animal products. Online shopping is not the same. Premier Investments, through its booming Smiggle chain, satisfies both criteria. I cannot imagine eight-year-olds who flock to its stores would find a similar experience in discount stationery chains or by shopping online (which some kids already do). I spent too many hours over the years in Smiggle stores thanks to having children who were stationery addicts. Smiggle typifies the benefits of retailers building strong, consistent brands and product concepts that competitors cannot easily replicate online. Smiggle also ticks the second box: rapid offshore expansion. The division has almost 400 stores and is rapidly opening outlets in the United Kingdom and Asia. Premier opened 52 Smiggle stores globally in its past financial year. Two thirds of sales come from offshore. I have highlighted Smiggles potential several times in The Bull. To my thinking, Smiggle is one of Australias great exports. I wrote in March 2015 in this publication: Smiggle has potential to surprise the market with faster-than-expected store growth, and higher gross margins. It is well on the way to being one of Australias great retail exports, and a much larger contributor to Premier Retails profits. Premier, $12.66 at the time of that report, has rallied to $18.01 and has good prospects to head higher gradually over the next two years, powered by Smiggles growth. Premier this month announced 8.2 per cent sales growth in FY18 to $1.18 billion and 10.3 per cent growth in underlying earnings (EBIT) to $147.9 million. With that, Smiggle sales soared 22 per cent and are up 58 per cent over two years incredible growth for a retailer. Premiers other key growth engine, Peter Alexander, had 14 per cent sales growth in FY17 as more customers snapped up its trendy pyjamas and other bedroom wear. The companys online sales soared 65 per cent to $112.5 million. Premier also includes Just Jeans, Jay Jay, dottie, Jacqui-E and other fashion brands. Like other discretionary fashion items, these brands face growth headwinds. Predictably, Premiers presentation pack includes slide after slide on Smiggle and not much else. Market chatter suggests Premier could spin off Smiggle into a standalone listed company, to separate it from its slower-growth retail brands and unlock its full valuation. There is merit in that idea given Smiggle is far more globally focused than Premiers other brands. Either way, Premier offers reasonable value for long-term investors. At $18,01, it trades on a forward Price Earnings (PE) multiple of about 20 times, which is not overly demanding for a company that is rapidly growing overseas and performing above expectation. Macquarie describes Premiers valuation as undemanding in the context of superior medium/long-term growth potential and strong current trading momentum. Macquarie has an outperform recommendation and a 12-month target of $20.90. An average share-price target of $18.09, based on the consensus of 10 broking firms, suggests Premier is fully valued at the current price. Ill stick with the bulls on this one, although Premiers gains in FY19 might be slower as management reinvests for growth. I suspect the market is also overlooking Premiers stake in Breville, another of my favoured retailers, and the potential for better performance from Myer Holdings (another Premier investment) this year. Premier shares fell on the latest result a case of profit-taking on the news, as the market bid up the price in the lead-up to the announcement. That creates a better entry point for long-term investors. Chart 1: Premier Investments >> BACK TO THE NEWSLETTER: Click here to read other articles from this weeks newsletter Tony Featherstone is a former managing editor of BRW, Shares and Personal Investor magazines. The information in this article should not be considered personal advice. It has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on information in this article consider its appropriateness and accuracy, regarding your objectives, financial situation and needs. Do further research of your own and/or seek personal financial advice from a licensed adviser before making any financial or investment decisions based on this article. All prices and analysis at September 19, 2018. Provides the major market exchange for dealing in equities and derivatives in Australia. ASX revenues should be bolstered by the combined effect of stronger sharemarket prices and additional capital raisings. Also, the lower Australian dollar may also encourage foreign investors to enter and trade in our market. Dominos Pizza Enterprises (DMP) While its recent report was most satisfactory, DMPs share price is off its 12-month closing high of $57.70 on August 29 this year. Despite this, its international exposure and cutting edge digital delivery methods are first class, so, in my view, its future remains positive. The shares were trading at $52.23 on September 27. HOLD RECOMMENDATIONS Rio Tinto (RIO) This specialist horticulture, berry and avocado company is the only listed firm of its kind on the market. But it has experienced recent adverse weather issues with its Moroccan berry business, which has hurt its share price. Until the dust settles, look elsewhere. Afterpay Touch Group (APT) APT operates a modern day version of the lay-buy system. The share price of this company operating a buy now, pay later platform has risen from a 12 month low of $4.03 on September 28 last year to a year high of $23 on August 24 this year. But the share price has since plunged to trade at $17.35 on September 27. In my view, its a stock for the risk taker rather than the careful conservative retail investor. A Transurban led consortium has won the bid for 51 per cent of the WestConnex toll road project for $9.3 billion. The road is scheduled to open in its entirety by 2023. We view the deal as positive because it provides longer term growth and is a good fit with TCLs other Sydney assets. The share price has been weaker because of the capital raising to fund the purchase. This provides a good buying opportunity. Amcor (AMC) The outlook for this global packaging company looks brighter. North American beverage volumes are improving and raw material costs are stabilising. We believe share price weakness provides a buying opportunity. The 52-week price high was $16.10 on October 19 last year. The shares closed at $13.60 on September 27. HOLD RECOMMENDATIONS Rural Funds Group (RFF) The group has continued adding to their assets with the acquisition of a cattle and a cotton property in Queensland. We expect RFF to add more value to their properties and be able to increase revenue over time. However, in our view, the shares are trading at fair value. Premier Investments (PMV) The company reported solid full year 2018 results, with the Smiggle and Peter Alexander retail brands continuing to show strong growth. Although we expect continuing growth, share price gains of about 20 per cent this year means the good news is factored in. SELL RECOMMENDATIONS Netwealth Group (NWL) Netwealth is one of the better investment platform providers and is well managed. However, at current prices in an increasingly competitive environment, we believe the shares are too expensive. The shares closed at $8.10 on September 27. Metcash (MTS) Our analysis shows declining food sales in the underlying business, and its getting harder for MTS to sustain profitability by cutting costs. We found hardware sales growth is slowing and were concerned that housing price weakness could further pressure this division. TWE continues to execute extremely well, applying fast moving consumer goods thinking. TWE is focusing on fewer brands and is leveraging scale to marketing, innovation and flexible sourcing within the wine industry. Its also well placed to access the structural growth drivers of Asian wine demand, particularly in China. Further, the company has a disciplined approach to using capital and generates strong cash flow. These attributes should provide very strong earnings growth in the years ahead. Alliance Aviation Services (AQZ) The recent full year financial result was ahead of our expectations across almost all metrics. The company outlook caused us to significantly upgrade our expectations. Alliances aircraft inventory will now be deployed much faster than previously anticipated. Providing this additional capacity should leave Alliance well positioned to build market share. Consequently, this has boosted our short and medium term earnings expectations. With free cash flow generation increasing, we anticipate a bigger dividend payout from fiscal year 2019 and beyond. HOLD RECOMMENDATIONS Ansell (ANN) We believe improving economic indicators and a good performing portfolio of growth brands are driving sound top line growth. However, weve been unimpressed by the rate of earnings growth outside what has been delivered by cost saving initiatives. We view Ansell as a business offering modest mid term earnings growth, but believe this outlook is reflected at current prices. Shares in this protection solutions company were trading at $25.25 on September 27. Costa Group Holdings (CGC) The fruit and vegetable growers fiscal year 2018 results showed significant progress in profitability, driven by citrus and avocados. Management is building a visible runway of growth, driven by berries, avocados, mushrooms and expansion overseas. Capital expenditure is materially increasing and, in the near term, we believe growth aspirations are matched by high market expectations. SELL RECOMMENDATIONS ALE Property Group (LEP) Owns a portfolio of 86 freehold pub properties across Australia. The pubs are leased to Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group (ALH), a joint venture involving supermarket giant Woolworths. LEP generates stable, long term income. However, LEP appears fully valued to us, trading at a significant premium to net tangible assets. Monadelphous Group (MND) In our view, this engineering contractor is likely to face challenges in fiscal year 2019 as large LNG-related oil and gas contracts roll off. We believe the stock trades at a premium valuation and we see risks to consensus. >> BACK TO THE NEWSLETTER: Click here to read other articles from this weeks newsletter Please note that TheBull.com.au simply publishes broker recommendations on this page. The publication of these recommendations does not in any way constitute a recommendation on the part of TheBull.com.au. You should seek professional advice before making any investment decisions. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) United Nations, United States Sun, September 30, 2018 09:11 1140 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087753b338 2 People Amal-Clooney,United-Nations,Aung-San-Suu-Kyi,Myanmar,journalist-detained,journalist Free Prominent human rights lawyer Amal Clooney appealed to Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday over a pardon for two Reuters journalists imprisoned in Myanmar, saying the Nobel laureate held the key to their release. The two fathers, accused of breaching Myanmar's state secrets law while reporting on a massacre of Rohingya Muslims, were jailed for seven years earlier this month, fueling international outrage. Clooney said the journalists' families had already submitted a request for their pardon, adding that the president can grant a pardon following consultation with Suu Kyi. "The government can, if it wants to, end it today," the British-Lebanese lawyer told an event dedicated to press freedom on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. She held de facto leader Suu Kyi to her stated priority of releasing prisoners of conscience and of having spoken of the need for a free press if the country is to transition to a full democracy. "She knows that mass murder is not a state secret and that exposing it doesn't turn a journalist into a spy," Clooney said. Earlier this month, Suu Kyi defended the jailing of Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, hitting back at global criticism of a trial widely seen as an attempt to muzzle the free press. "She holds the key, the key to their liberty, the key to reuniting them with their young children, the key to freedom of the press. "The key to truth and accountability, and the key to a more democratic and prosperous Myanmar," Clooney said. "History will judge her on her response." Clooney recalled that when she was a student at St Hugh's College, Oxford, the Nobel peace laureate, who studied at the same college 30 years earlier, had been "a hero to me." "Aung Sang Suu Kyi knows better than anyone what it is like to be a political prisoner in Myanmar. She has slept in a cell at the prison where Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo now sleep," she said. Suu Kyi, once garlanded as a global rights champion, has come under intense pressure to use her moral authority inside Myanmar to press for a presidential pardon for the reporters. Read also: Amal Clooney Scholarship winner aims to fight child marriage and rape - Myanmar rejects ICC - The case, which sparked an international outcry, was seen as an attempt to muzzle reporting on last year's crackdown by Myanmar's security forces on the Muslim Rohingya minority in Rakhine state. Army-led "clearance operations" drove 700,000 Rohingya into Bangladesh, carrying with them widespread accounts of atrocities -- rape, murder and arson -- by Myanmar police and troops. The reporters say they were set up while exposing the extrajudicial killing of 10 Rohingya Muslims in a Rakhine village last year. Clooney, wife of Hollywood A-lister George Clooney, announced in March that she would join the legal team representing the journalists. Myanmar government minister Kyaw Tint Swe told the General Assembly that his government "resolutely rejected" a decision by the International Criminal Court to investigate crimes against the Rohingya. The ICC ruled that the investigation could go ahead because Bangladesh is a signatory of the Rome statute that created the court. Myanmar has not signed the statute. "Let me make it clear: while the government is unable to accept this legally dubious intervention by the ICC, we are fully committed to ensuring accountability where there is concrete evidence of human rights violations committed in Rakhine state," said the minister. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the fate of the Rohingya was a matter to be addressed by Myanmar and Bangladesh, suggesting that the United Nations should not intervene. China, a supporter of Myanmar's former ruling junta, has shielded the government in Naypyidaw from sanctions or other action by the UN Security Council. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Stockholm, Sweden Sun, September 30, 2018 08:15 1140 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877539a06 2 Art & Culture Nobel,Nobel-Literature-Prize,Nobel-facts Free For the first time in 70 years the Nobel Literature Prize-awarding body, the Swedish Academy, has postponed the award, after a #MeToo scandal left it in ruins. The venerable institution said in May that it needed time to undertake reforms and replace several members who resigned after disagreements over how to handle its close ties to a Frenchman accused of sexual assault. Here are five things to know about the Nobel Literature Prize. - 350 nominations each year - In his 1895 last will and testament, Swedish scientist and philanthropist Alfred Nobel tasked the Swedish Academy with awarding the Nobel Literature Prize each year. Since 1901, four or five of its 18 members have been elected to serve on its Nobel Committee for a three-year term, designated to sort through the nominations and provide the rest of the Academy with a shortlist of possible winners. Each year, the institution receives around 350 nominations submitted by former Nobel literature laureates, members of other countries' equivalent academies, literature professors, and the heads of national writers' associations. The nominees' bodies of work are then studied and discussed by the entire Academy. The members hold a vote in October to choose the winner. The laureate -- who must be alive -- has to obtain more than half of the votes cast. - Few women laureates - Only 14 of the total 114 laureates have been women since the prize was first awarded in 1901. Swedish author Selma Lagerlof, known for folktales and legends about her country, was the first woman to win the award in 1909. However the trend has been improving: half of the women who have won the prize have done so since 1993, including American novelist Toni Morrison that year, Polish poet Wislawa Szymborska (1996), British novelist Doris Lessing (2007), Canadian short story author Alice Munro (2013) and Belarussian writer Svetlana Alexievich (2015). The Swedish Academy's first woman permanent secretary Sara Danius, a 56-year-old literature scholar and author, resigned in April after the institution's failure to agree on how to deal with the aftermath of the sexual assault scandal. Read also: Blank page for Nobel Literature Prize in 2018 awards season - Reserved and cancelled awards - The Nobel Literature Prize was not awarded on seven occasions -- 1914, 1918, 1935, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943 -- as fewer prizes in general were given during World War I and II. The Academy said it would announce two laureates next year, one for 2018 and another for 2019. It has also postponed the prize on seven occasions -- 1915, 1919, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1936 and 1949 -- because members couldn't agree on a laureate who met the criteria in Alfred Nobel's will. The prizes for these years were given the following year instead. American writer William Faulkner was the last author to receive his award a year late, winning in 1949 along with British philosopher Bertrand Russell. - Famous snubs - Numerous acclaimed writers have been snubbed, perhaps most notably Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen and French author Emile Zola. Alfred Nobel's will vaguely states that an author who has produced "the most outstanding work in an ideal direction" should win the prize. According to resigning Academy member Kjell Espmark, this criteria, "characterised by its conservative idealism holding church, state and family sacred", meant the Academy of the time rejected the three authors for touching on morality issues. US novelist Joyce Carol Oates, Japan's Haruki Murakami and Syrian poet Adonis are among those often tipped for the prize these days, but as nominations are kept secret for 50 years it is impossible to know who is being considered. - France tops list of laureates - The Nobel Foundation keeps no statistics on laureates' nationalities, as they are not chosen based on their country and dual citizenships can make it tricky to keep track. But according to AFP's tally, French nationals take the gold medal for the most Nobel Literature Prizes with 15 laureates, including the first one ever awarded, to Sully Prudhomme in 1901. The United States and Britain tie for second with 12 laureates each. In terms of languages, however, laureates writing in Moliere's tongue (14) are outnumbered by those writing in Shakespeare's, with 29 anglophone authors honoured since 1901. Egyptian author Naguib Mahfouz is the only Nobel laureate (1988) who wrote in Arabic. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, September 30, 2018 13:12 1140 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308775420da 4 Art & Culture Basoeki-Abdullah,painting,#painting,painting-exhibition,#painter,Painter,exhibition,#exhibition,art,#art,art-and-culture Free The Basoeki Abdullah Museum in Cilandak, South Jakarta, is hosting the Spirit Potret exhibition until Oct. 25. Antara reported that the exhibition displays artworks made by 19 young artists, inspired by the Indonesian realism maestro Basoeki Abdullahs portrait works. The exhibitions curator Agus Dermawan T said the artists tried to interpret Basoekis cosmology, which was showcased in the maestros portrait paintings. Agus also mentioned that the exhibition features various styles of works, including parodies, caricatures and ballads, adding that some painters shared their cultural and social responses. The different interpretations show that Basoekis works can be considered alive and his pictorial works never cease to inspire [others], he added. Read also: Works of realism maestro Basoeki Abdullah on display at Jakarta museum The participating artists reportedly came from different provinces, including Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta and West Nusa Tenggara. Each shared their take on Basoekis works. Bekasi-based painter Hudi Alfa created a Madam Theresa painting, based on Basoekis portrait of the nun and missionary Mother Teresa. While Basoekis painting presents Mother Teresa from the side while holding a small child, Hudi painted the nun with her hands folded in prayer. Other artists also created paintings of popular figures, such as former president Soekarno and Indian activist Mahatma Gandhi, based on Basoekis portraits. During the opening event on Tuesday, museum head Maeva Salmah said Basoeki was among the important figures in Indonesian arts. Salmah said Basoekis artwork, particularly portraits, have become sources of references and inspirations for young artists. Born in 1915 in Surakarta, Central Java, Basoeki was recognized for his realism work. In 1948, the maestro won an art contest held for the coronation of queen Juliana of the Netherlands. He died in 1993. (jes/wng) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Jessicha Valentina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, September 30, 2018 21:09 1139 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877551437 1 Lifestyle Charles-and-Keith,fashion,#fashion,shoes,#shoes,accessories,sneakers,#sneakers Free Footwear and accessories brand Charles & Keith is usually recognized for its classy chic designs. However, for its fall-winter 2018 collection, the brand is presenting a different take on fashion, highlighting bold and edgy designs. The "Redefined" collection is said to highlight self-expression and originality. When compared with previous collections, fashion lovers can now discover more minimalist, sports-inspired looks and simple styles. Charles & Keith head of marketing Haryanto Pratantara said during a media gathering on Thursday that fashion was not limited to elegant style. [Fashion] is also fun, bold and edgy. This collection wanted to highlight those styles, he said. Read also: Singaporean fashion rental platform Style Theory gains ground in Indonesia The new collection features popular styles, such as mules, sneakers and pumps. Most of the footwear come in monochrome colors, making them easy to mix and match. Meanwhile, the bag collection features practical designs, such as mini bags, nylon strap crossbody bags, boxy clutches and more. Haryanto said the new collection was suitable for those aged between 17 and 25 years old. In regard to price, footwear is priced at around Rp 700,000 (US$47.04), while bags are around Rp 1 million. In line with its theme, Charles & Keith will also host a special event on Sept. 29 at Tunjungan Plaza IV shopping mall in Surabaya, East Java. During the one-day event, customers will be able to express their individuality by hot-stamping their initials on a set of tags. (kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, September 30, 2018 20:18 1140 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087755093d 4 Art & Culture percussion,#festival,festival,music,#music,lhokseumawe,Wonderful-Indonesia Free The second installment of the Aceh International Rapai Festival (ACIRAF) is slated to run from Nov. 3 to 7 at the Tunas Bangsa Stadium in Lhokseumawe, Aceh. According to kompas.com, the festival will involve hundreds of rapai (traditional percussion instrument from Aceh) percussionists along with percussion groups from five countries, namely Malaysia, Thailand, Egypt, Uzbekistan and Turkey. The local performers will come from different studios across the country, such as Sanggar Legaran Sati in West Sumatra, Sanggar Alam Serang Dako in South Sulawesi and others. Read also: Aceh lures tourists with over 100 natural, cultural attractions The events organizing committee head, Nazaruddin ZA, said that compared to previous years, this year's event would be different with a highlight on Islamic percussion music. Performances would also include rapai and traditional percussion with no modern music. In addition to musical performances, we will also host cultural workshops, historical site visits and pre-event [activities], added Nazaruddin. ACIRAF is among the 100 Wonderful Indonesia 2018 events. The Tourism Ministry has appointed Lhokseumawe to host the event because of the towns success in preserving the traditional rapai percussion. (jes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Helene Dauschy (Agence France-Presse) Stockholm, Sweden Sun, September 30, 2018 12:16 1140 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877541e32 2 Art & Culture Nobel,Nobel-Literature-Prize,sexual-harassment,MeToo Free In tatters after a #MeToo scandal, the Swedish Academy has postponed this year's Nobel Literature Prize, leaving an empty page for 2018 as it attempts to reform the venerable institution. Created in 1786 by King Gustav III and modeled on its French elder, the Swedish Academy has selected the winner of the prestigious literary distinction since it was first awarded in 1901. The "Holy Grail" of authors, poets, and playwrights, the Nobel has gone to some of the greatest writers of all time, from Albert Camus to Samuel Beckett and Ernest Hemingway. But the list of recipients also includes US rock icon Bob Dylan, the 2016 choice harshly criticised by some who lambasted the Academy for overlooking other popular and critically-acclaimed authors -- such as American novelist Philip Roth, who died in May this year without getting the nod. After the Dylan controversy, the Academy attempted to smooth things over last year with an uncontroversial laureate, Kazuo Ishiguro, a British author of Japanese origin whose nomination enjoyed broad consensus. But just three weeks after that announcement, the institution again found itself in controversy, this time in the eye of the #MeToo hurricane. Frenchman Jean-Claude Arnault, married to an Academy member, and the head of an influential cultural club in Stockholm, was accused of rape and sexual assault. An internal Academy probe also revealed conflicts of interest between him and the institution, which had funded his club for years. Arnault ultimately faced trial on two counts of raping a woman in 2011. His verdict is due on Monday, and the prosecution has sought a three-year sentence. Read also: Five things to know about the Nobel Literature Prize - A hemorrhaging Academy - The Academy has been deeply divided over how to deal with Arnault and on the reforms it needs to undertake. Some of the 18 members, who are appointed for life, have refused to participate in the Academy's work over the row -- including its first female permanent secretary Sara Danius -- leaving it without a quorum. And in the months since the scandal erupted, the usually-discreet members have exchanged ugly jibes in the media. Paralysed and ridiculed around the world, the scandal forced the Academy's hand: it announced in May that it would postpone by one year the 2018 Nobel Literature Prize, a first in 70 years. The 2018 laureate will be announced at the same time as the 2019 prize. "I could see that there were weaknesses in their organization but I would never have thought something like this could happen," Lars Heikensten, director of the Nobel Foundation that finances the prizes, told AFP. "We hope that they will be able to clear up their things." Read also: Alfred Nobel, creator of dynamite and high-minded prizes - 'Ridiculous' and 'chauvinist'- With the Academy in shambles and no literature prize to look forward to this year, a group of Swedish cultural figures decided to create their own award pending the Nobel's return next year. The "New Academy Prize in Literature" was devised as a protest to denounce "bias, arrogance and sexism", and "remind people that literature and culture at large should promote democracy, transparency, empathy and respect, without privilege", according to the founders who include authors, artists and journalists. It will be announced on October 12. The Swedish Academy, a hermetic circle whose deliberations in Stockholm's cobblestoned Old Town are kept secret for 50 years, is seen as out-of-touch with reality and modern times. "Lifetime membership and an aging population also create a difficult situation, with some members still active at an age where they no longer have the capacity to work professionally or understand how the Academy is perceived by the public," Madelaine Levy, literary critic at daily Svenska Dagbladet, told AFP. The public has lost confidence in the body, perceiving it as "ridiculous" and "chauvinist", she said. "The Academy needs reform, namely more transparency and stricter conflict of interest regulations." Publishers meanwhile fear the Academy's crisis is far from over. "I'm keeping my fingers crossed but as things are now I would say I am uncertain" there will be a Nobel Literature Prize in 2019, Hakan Bravinger, an editor at Sweden's second-biggest publishing house Norstedts, told AFP. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Muthi Achadiat Kautsar (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, September 30, 2018 10:21 1140 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087753c0da 1 Food Oso-Ristorante,Altitude-at-the-Plaza,Italian-restaurant Free The lively and diverse culinary scene of Jakarta has now welcomed a newly revamped and refined Oso Ristorante. The Italian restaurant, located on the 46th floor of Altitude at The Plaza, was previously known as Gaia by Oso Ristorante, and it is affiliated with Singapores Oso Ristorante, the brainchild of chef Diego Chiarini and Colleaone Stephane. Still boasting the same spectacular aerial view of the Thamrin area, including the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, Oso is now decorated in mostly monochromatic tones. White tablecloths and napkins, grey chairs, crystal tumblers, wine glasses and chandeliers provide a pleasant ambiance, together with the ample natural lighting that comes through the tall windows. The interior of Oso Ristorante at Altitude. (JP/Handout) The restaurants new details, including a white brick wall graced with black and white photos of prominent figures, might increase its popularity as the citys it venue for events, from marriage proposals and bridal showers to intimate weddings. Astrid Suryatenggara, chief marketing officer at Altitude at The Plaza, said there were at least three marriage proposals every month back when the restaurant was known as Gaia. Now, [proposals] will happen more often, [because of the] more romantic setting, Astrid said. Meanwhile, the food meets the expectations of an Italian restaurant that is suited for entertaining significant others or important clients. Executive chef Nazario Orlando ensured that all food was made using premium ingredients. Read also: First look at Roy Chois Vegas spot, opening in time for Gaga A signature dish that The Jakarta Post recommends is the ravioli veal mousse, a fine pasta dish served with mushroom cheese fondue, topped with 24 karat gold sprinkles. Based on the Posts experience, the ravioli was preceded with porcini mushroom soup presented in a cappuccino cup and a spinach salad with honey mustard dressing. The ravioli was followed by Australian wagyu beef tenderloin A7, served with Piedmont hazelnut crust, pumpkin puree and black truffle shaving. Ravioli veal mousse is served at Oso Ristorante. (JP/Handout) A culinary gem not to be missed out on while dining at Oso is its collection of cheese. On the menu there are eight types of Italian cheese, but if you go to the restaurant's cheese chamber, you would see about 20 different varieties. We can not fit every cheese on the menu, and they always rotate, said Astrid. At the time of writing, the rarest cheeses available at Oso were the pecorino di fossa, ocelli al barolo, sottocenere with truffle and castelmagno. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Paris, France Sun, September 30, 2018 14:18 1140 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308775435f4 2 Science & Tech Facebook,hacker,hacking,hackers,scandal,Mark-Zuckerberg Free Facebook is at the center of controversy yet again after admitting that up to 50 million accounts were breached by hackers. Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said engineers discovered the breach on Tuesday and patched it on Thursday night. "We don't know if any accounts were actually misused," Zuckerberg said. "We face constant attacks from people who want to take over accounts or steal information around the world." Facebook reset the 50 million breached accounts, meaning users will need to sign back in using passwords. It also reset "access tokens" for another 40 million accounts as a precautionary measure. Here is a roundup of the scandals dogging the social media giant. Read also: Up to 50 million Facebook accounts breached in attack - Cambridge Analytica - In Facebook's telling, everything goes back to 2013 when Russian-American researcher Aleksandr Kogan creates a personality prediction test app, "thisisyourdigitallife", which is offered on the social network. Around 300,000 people download the app, authorizing access to information on their profile and also to the data of their Facebook friends. In 2015 Facebook makes changes to its privacy policy and prevents third-party apps from accessing the data of users' friends without their consent. The same year the social network discovers Kogan has passed on the information retrieved via his app to the British company Cambridge Analytica (CA), which specializes in the analysis of data and strategic communication. In 2016 CA is hired by Donald Trump's US presidential campaign. Facebook says it was assured by CA in 2015 that the data in question had been erased. But it estimates the firm could have had access to the data of up to 87 million users, most in the United States, without their consent, and mined this information to serve the Trump campaign. Cambridge Analytica, which denies the accusations, has since filed for voluntary bankruptcy in the United States and Britain. Facebook is accused of having been lax in its protection of user data, slow to intervene and consistently vague on its privacy settings. In 2011 it signed a consent decree with US consumer protection agency the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) settling charges that it deceived consumers by telling them they could keep their information on Facebook private, and then allowing it to be shared and made public. In March this year, the FTC said it had opened an inquiry into Facebook's privacy practices, including whether the company violated the earlier agreement, which would incur hefty fines. Beyond the CA scandal, Facebook estimates the data of nearly all its users may have, at some time, been retrieved without their knowledge. Read also: Hacker to live-stream attack on Zuckerbergs Facebook page - Political manipulation - Facebook and sites like Google, Twitter and Tumblr are also accused of having allowed the spread through their networks of "fake news", including to manipulate public opinion ahead of the US election in favor of Trump. The sites have acknowledged finding on their platforms messages, accounts and pages associated with the Internet Research Agency, a Saint Petersburg operation that is alleged to be a "troll farm" connected to the Russian government. It is accused of spreading disinformation and propaganda including via postings -- often in the form of sponsored ads that target users based on their personal data -- that could influence opinion, for example over immigration. According to Facebook, more than 120 million users had seen such content. Facebook is in particular accused of not having been vigilant enough on monitoring the content and authenticity of pages and political ads that it carries. It announced this year that it will require that the sponsors of political ads are identified and verified. Earlier this month, Zuckerberg said Facebook was better prepared to defend against efforts to manipulate the platform to influence elections. "We've identified and removed fake accounts ahead of elections in France, Germany, Alabama, Mexico and Brazil," Zuckerberg said. "We've found and taken down foreign influence campaigns from Russia and Iran attempting to interfere in the US, UK, Middle East, and elsewhere -- as well as groups in Mexico and Brazil that have been active in their own country." International Association of Religion Journalists executive director Endy M. Bayuni (right) speaks during the Combating Disinformation seminar at the Pullman Bangkok King Power hotel in Thailand on Friday. The seminar, which was initiated by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), discussed fake news as well as political, religious and gender issues. (JP/Nurni Sulaiman)(right) speaks during the Combating Disinformation seminar at the Pullman Bangkok King Power hotel in Thailand on Friday. The seminar, which was initiated by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), discussed fake news as well as political, religious and gender issues. (JP/Nurni Sulaiman) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ivany Atina Arbi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, September 29 2018 Pengendum Tempung, a member of the Orang Rimba tribe in Jambi, gave credit to the Sokola Institute for helping him and other tribe members defend their rights through education. Jambis forests have been preserved for the tribe also known as Anak Dalam since 2000 as stipulated in a decree issued by the Environment and Forestry Ministry. However, tribe members consistently face challenges posed by illegal logging and land conversion. After learning how to read and write in Indonesian as well as learning about their legal rights from law experts, the tribe began to fight for the protection of Bukit Duabelas National Park (TNBD). to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, September 30, 2018 08:40 1140 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087753a760 1 Politics PKI,G30S,Pengkhianatan-G30SPKI-movie,communism,communist,army Free The Indonesian Military (TNI) does not need to follow any forceful suggestions to hold a screening of propaganda film Pengkhinatan G30S/PKI (Treachery of G30S/PKI), a rights group has said. Amnesty International Indonesia has emphasized that many elites and parties often amplify issues related to the now-defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) or communist movement. Read also: I am not PKI, says Jokowi Amnesty's comments came in response to a suggestion by former Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gatot Nurmantyo to the military to hold a screening of the film. When he was still TNI commander last year, Gatot ordered military personnel to watch the movie. Pengkhianatan G30SPKI, directed by revered auteur Arifin C. Noer and funded by the government under Soeharto, the countrys second and longest serving president, tells the story of Gen. Soeharto quashing a coup blamed on the PKI. In the big-budget film, the party is portrayed as holding an ambition to take power and rule the country under the communist ideology. Communists are depicted as godless savages who torture and kill high-ranking Army officers. Amnesty International Indonesia director Usman Hamid said the choice to watch the film was in the hands of each individual. All military personnel, wherever they are, as well as all citizens, should not be forced to accept a history from only [the movie]. They must be aware that there are several accounts of history [of the PKI], Usman said in a written statement. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Tokyo, Japan Sun, September 30, 2018 21:20 1139 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308775522a4 2 World Japan,Okinawa,election,US Free A candidate pledging to resist construction of a new US military base on the Japanese island of Okinawa has won the election for governor of the strategic island, local media said Sunday. Both national broadcaster NHK and the Asahi Shimbun said Denny Tamaki had won Sunday's vote, in a blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe whose ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) had backed a rival candidate. Tamaki has vowed to continue fighting against a joint US-Japanese project to move the US Marines' Futenma Air Station from an urban area in Okinawa to a sparsely populated region of the island. Abe's party backed Atsushi Sakima, who focused on economic messages throughout the campaign and stayed tight-lipped on his views about the base. The LDP has long pressed Okinawa to accept the new air base. But opponents say the island already has more than its fair share of US military facilities and the base should be relocated outside Okinawa altogether. The election was sparked by last month's death due to cancer of governor Takeshi Onaga, who also opposed the new base. Tamaki, son of a US Marine who previously served as a national opposition lawmaker, cast himself as Onaga's rightful successor. Okinawa accounts for less than one percent of Japan's total land area, but hosts about 28,000 US troops -- more than half of the approximately 47,000 American military personnel stationed in Japan. Noise, accidents and crimes by US military and service members have long frustrated local residents, while municipalities in the rest of the nation have refused to share Okinawa's burden. Onaga had tried to block efforts to reclaim land for the new offshore facility, and he and the national government filed rival lawsuits to try to settle the issue. The Supreme Court ruled in favour of the government. But a series of polls showed the majority of Okinawan residents remained firmly against the government's base plan. Many residents voted early due to a powerful typhoon that rocked the island on Saturday, causing minor damage and dozens of slight injuries before it went on to batter the Japanese mainland on Sunday. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Kharishar Kahfi and Ruslan Sangadji (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta, Palu Sun, September 30, 2018 20:41 1140 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877550e8d 1 National Palu-Earthquake-Tsunami,#PaluTsunami,#CentralSulawesiQuake,#DonggalaQuake,central-sulawesi,Central-Sulawesi-earthquake,tsunami,earthquake,state-of-emergency Free The Central Sulawesi administration has declared a 14-day state of emergency following an earthquake and tsunami that struck the province on Friday, says the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB). Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the state of emergency period was declared from Sept. 28 to Oct. 11. As the administration has declared the emergency state period, it will be easier for both the regional and national government to mobilize personnel, logistics, equipment as well as money to fulfill the needs of the affected area and people, Sutopo said during a press briefing on Sunday in Jakarta. He added that Central Sulawesi Governor Longki Djanggola had appointed Tadulako Military Resort commander Col. Agus Sasmita to lead the joint disaster mitigation team, which would be stationed at the military resort command headquarters in the provincial capital of Palu. There will also be coordination posts in each of the four affected cities and regencies, which will be set up and operated soon, Sutopo said, referring to Palu city and three other regencies: Donggala, Sigi and Parigi Mouton. The BNPB will assist the regional administration during the emergency period, especially in relation to disaster fund usage. The government has pledged Rp 560 million (US$37.6 million) in relief funds. The amount might be increased to meet future needs for aid and infrastructure reconstruction. Apart from the local administrations and BNPB, the team will comprise personnel from the military, police as well as relevant ministries and state institutions. Many parties have also urged the government to immediately declare the Central Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami a national disaster due to the scale of devastation. As of Sunday, the BNPB had recorded that at least 832 people had died during the disaster. Sutopo, however, dismissed such suggestions, saying that regional administration offices in the affected area were still intact. Despite of the damage, there are still safe areas. For the mitigation, the central government will provide assistance, he added. Governor Longki, who resides in Palu, as well as Palu Mayor Hidayat and his deputy Sigit Purnomo Syamsuddin, are reportedly safe following the disaster. (swd) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, September 30, 2018 11:22 1140 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087753daea 4 City Depok,Rumah-Cimanggis,cultural-heritage Free The Depok administration has finally declared the 18th century built Rumah Cimanggis in Depok, West Java, a cultural heritage site amid concern the colonial era building would be torn down to make way for the development of the Indonesian International Islamic University (UIII). I have issued the decree, Depok Mayor Muhammad Idris said as reported by Tempo.co on Friday. Activists and historians had previously urged the government to declare the Dutch colonial mansion a cultural heritage site to ensure its preservation. The decree follows previous studies conducted by a West Java cultural heritage team of experts that found that Rumah Cimanggis was the first modern house in Depok. The house has many unique features. Besides being the first modern house in Depok, it also demonstrates that Depok is a unique city, member of the team Reiza D. Dienaputra said. He argued that Rumah Cimanggis deserved to be declared a cultural heritage site because not only was it more than 50 years old, it also held important meaning for the city. The historian from Bangdung-based Padjajaran University said as a city Depok was privately owned and had its own autonomy during the Dutch colonial era. Depok also served as rest area for Europeans traveling from Jakarta to Bogor. Rumah Cimanggis is evidence that Depok was a unique city preferred by Europeans as a place to rest, Reiza added. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, September 30, 2018 09:10 1140 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087753acfc 1 Business FreeportIndonesia,Jokowi,divestment,complete Free President Joko Jokowi Widodo has expressed optimism that the transfer of the 51.23 percent stake in gold and copper miner PT Freeport Indonesias (PTFI) to state-owned mining holding company PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (Inalum) can be completed by the end of the year. Later this year, God willing, Indonesia will control 51.23 percent of PT Freeport Indonesia through PT Inalum, Jokowi said in an Instagram post on Friday. Inalum signed on Thursday agreements with United States-based mining giant Freeport McMoRan Inc. (FCX) on the purchase of a majority stake in PTFI, which operates the gold and copper mine in Papua. To conclude the deal, however, Inalum, which represents the government in the talks, needs to settle the payment of US$3.85 billion to FCX and the Rio Tinto Group within six months. The agreement signed yesterday was an agreement on the divestment of PTFI. It is an agreement on sales and purchase of shares with PT Rio Tinto Indonesia, the President said, adding that after the deal, Inalum would increase its ownership of PTFI shares from 9.36 to 51.23 percent. Jokowi guaranteed that the divestment deal will be transparent. After the completion of the divestment process and the change of contract of work scheme to a special mining permit, Freeport Indonesia will provide a larger contribution to the state, Jokowi added. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, September 30, 2018 14:03 1140 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308775434c6 4 National #DonggalaEarthquake,#DonggalaQuake,#PaluTsunami,#CentralSulawesiQuake,Palu-Earthquake-Tsunami,Donggala-earthquake-tsunami,Central-Sulawesi-earthquake,Sri-Mulyani-Indrawati,Jokowi,health-ministry,relief-efforts Free The government has prepared Rp 560 billion (US$37.6 million) in relief funds in response to the earthquake and tsunami that struck Central Sulawesi on Friday. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said on Saturday that the funds would be disbursed on Sunday at the latest so the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPN) could quickly carry out its job. She also said that the relief funds could be increased to meet future needs for aid and infrastructure reconstruction, as reported by Antara news agency. President Joko Jokowi Widodo is slated to visit the province on Sunday. As of Saturday night, the authorities reported that at least 420 had died in the province as a result of the disasters. The Health Ministry is also sending medical professionals and medicines to help survivors in the provincial capital city of Palu. The ministry is sending 30 medical professionals from the Nusantara Sehat program that will focus on disaster crisis mitigation. It is also coordinating with the nearby regency of East Luwu that was not affected by the disaster to provide medicines. State hospitals in Manado in North Sulawesi, Makassar in South Sulawesi, Semarang in Central Java, Yogyakarta, Bandung in West Java and Palembang in South Sumatra are also sending medical teams to help aid survivors in Palu and Donggala. Antara reported that the regions were in dire need of general and orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons, anesthesiologist and nurses. Social Affairs Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said the ministry had deployed six communal kitchens from Gorontalo, West Sulawesi and South Sulawesi to provide at least 2,000 meals, three times a day, for the survivors. According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), Central Sulawesis population reached nearly 3 million people in 2016. From the total, Palu city was home to at least 374,000 residents and Donggala regency at least 296,400 people. Meanwhile, Surabaya Military commander Major Gen. Arif Rahman said that he was ready to send his troops to help relief efforts, such as for search and rescue and aid distribution efforts. A military disaster relief camp in Makassar announced on Sunday that aid from people, NGOs and the regional administration were starting to reach the camp. Groups and individuals were reportedly coming until late on Saturday night to give aid such as food and drinks, menstrual pads, diapers, clothes and tents to the camp. Similarly, people have been flocking to a youth disaster relief camp in Makassar to give aid to be sent out to Palu and Donggala. At least with the aid that we send out, we can help to reduce the hardships the survivors are suffering, Fitri, a volunteer, said as quoted by Antara. However, the aid and relief seems yet to have reached the Donggala Kodi hills, where people are in need of food and other basic needs. We need food or instant noodles because until today, we have yet to receive any aid. Maybe the government is still focusing the relief effort on Palu, which has had the most fatalities, one of the survivors in the region, Arif Pandian, told Antara on Sunday. Previously, National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told reporters on Saturday that relief effort teams for Donggala had been deployed since Friday but that he had yet to receive any reports on the aid because the communication networks were down because there was no electricity. (ris) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, September 30, 2018 14:02 1140 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877542991 1 National diphtheria,public-health,outbreak,vaccination Free As many as 19 people from 11 districts in Bangkalan, Madura Island, have been infected with diphtheria and are currently undergoing medical treatment at local general hospitals, a Bangkalan Health Agency official said on Sunday. Local health agency secretary Mohammad Rasuli said most of the diphtheria cases affected 15-year-old teenagers in two districts, namely the Kota and Burneh districts. At least five people are infected in each district, Mohammad said as quoted by Antara on Sunday. He went on to explain that two people were infected in Sepuluh district, while other districts, such as Kwanyar, Tragah, Klampis, Tanjung Bumi, Geger, Galis and Blega, had recorded one diphtheria case each. Rasuli said that 45 percent of the diphtheria cases had affected people aged 15 years and above, while 25 percent of the cases occurred in children aged 5 to 9 and 10 to 14, respectively. Approximately 5 percent of children aged 1 to 4 have been infected with this disease, he said. Bangkalan regency was among the 170 regencies and cities in Indonesia included on the Health Ministrys list of areas worst affected by diphtheria. To reduce the number of diphtheria cases, Mohammad said the Bangkalan Health Agency had initially launched an immunization campaign. Unfortunately, the program was still met with opposition from parents. There are a lot of parents in Bangkalan who still refuse to vaccinate their children, he said. (dpk) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, September 30, 2018 11:04 1140 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087753c9b6 1 National Palu,Palu-airport,#DonggalaQuake,#PaluTsunami,#CentralSulawesiQuake,earthquake,Palu-Earthquake-Tsunami,Donggala,Donggala-earthquake-tsunami,Airnav Free Authorities have reopened commercial flight services to and from Mutiara SIS Al Jufri Airport in Palu, Central Sulawesi, following a 7.4-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami that rocked the region on Friday. The airport had been closed since Friday evening after the powerful earthquake. Indonesian Flight Navigation Service Institution (AirNav Indonesia) spokesperson Yohanes Sirait said in a statement on Sunday that the airport had finally reopened commercial flight services after only being open for emergency flight services. However, he said, current flights to and from the airport were navigated with visual flight rules navigation. The company has also sent teams from Makassar, South Sulawesi, and Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, to ensure the smooth provision of services to assist relief efforts in the region. (ris) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, September 30, 2018 17:02 1140 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877547db0 1 Politics 2019-presidential-election,Prabowo-Subianto-Sandiaga-Uno,Prabowo-Sandiaga Free Former businessman and current vice presidential candidate Sandiaga Uno believes entrepreneurial spirit should be fostered among Islamic boarding school students. In a campaign visit to a pesantren (Islamic boarding school) in Sumenep, Madura Island, on Sunday, Sandiaga lauded the boarding schools management for the professional way in which it ran the school. He also encouraged the santri [students] to become entrepreneurs, or what he referred to as santripreneurs. It is time for all santri to foster and grow their entrepreneurial spirit to generate new jobs, he said as quoted by Antara. Sandiaga has been on the campaign trail in East Java since Thursday alongside presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto. They started in Surabaya and continued to Sidoarjo, Probolinggo, Kediri, Madiun, Bojonegoro and Madura. The presidential campaign period began on Sept. 23 and will run until April next year. The country will hold concurrent legislative and presidential elections on April 17, 2019. (dpk) The University of Oxford have cracked down on students who want guests to sleep over at their halls, restricting them to only having overnight visitors TWICE a month. Oxford are apparently trying to reduce steamy sex sessions and have also limited students to one guest a night due to group sex sessions taking place at a notorious party, The Sun reports. Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash Speaking to The Sun about the new limitations, an unnamed student said: This shows just how hopelessly out of touch the colleges are. Its like they were written in the 17th Century, when sex was illegal outside of marriage. There are 44 colleges at Oxford and all have their own individual rules on how students can host overnight guests in their bedrooms. Hereford College requires students to gain written permission, St Hughs asks students to seek advance permission from the Dean, while Magdalen College forbids all overnight guests. Anyone breaking these strict rules can be fined or kicked out of their accommodation. A university spokesman said: Colleges need to know how many are on the premises. This is a basic safety requirement in case of fire or other emergency. Every individual college has this responsibility and each has a policy to ensure they meet it. Cover Photo by Sidharth Bhatia on Unsplash You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Montreal, CA (H4T1V6) Today Periods of rain. High 8C. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Rain showers this evening with clearing overnight. Low 3C. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Leading experts and speakers from around the world as well as the region will discuss and showcase the latest developments in chronic skin disease treatments at the first Dermatology, Laser and Aesthetics Conference in Bahrain. Under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, president of the Supreme Council of Health, the BDA Medical Training Center will organise the conference on November 29 and 30, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Manama. The conference will attract 18 speakers from leading skin care and cosmetic specialists in Bahrain, the Gulf and the world to showcase the latest developments in chronic skin diseases and treatments such as psoriasis, eczema, cosmetic and reconstructive surgery on the face, body shaping and restoration of burns, said a statement from the organisers. The conference includes five workshops that offer new techniques in minimally invasive plastic surgeries, skin rejuvenation and skin rejuvenation, as well as the treatment of burns, ulcers, the latest trends in tensile fibres, fillers, and body shaping devices, it said. The conference will also include open dialogue sessions with officials and influential in the organisation and development of the cosmetic field in Bahrain, in addition to three round tables that will draw recommendations about the future of this sector in the kingdom, it added. President of the conference, Dr Nidal Abdulrahman Khalifa, pointed out that this event aims to identify the latest international practices in the field of skin and beauty, and to settle these practices in Bahrain to enhance their progress in this field. Bahraini doctors, technicians and practitioners, can raise awareness of the necessity of caution from the cosmetic medicine prosecutor, and the health complications caused by plastic surgery. She said that this conference opens the door for all interested to discuss the latest developments in the field of skin and cosmetic surgery, and represents an opportunity to exchange experiences and best practices, and to know the latest treatments and techniques used in cosmetic operations, especially in Europe, America and the world, and how to use them in the Gulf and Arab region. She also highlighted the latest developments in the cosmetic and reconstructive surgery sector as well as introducing the latest techniques and methods adopted in this field, stressing the importance of the results of the open dialogue session and the recommendations of the round tables accompanying the conference. Deputy chairman of the conference and chairman of the organising committee Dr Ahmed Darwish Shahda said that this conference is a unique event as a meeting point for Bahraini doctors working in this field. Dr Shahda said that the conference will also support national efforts to make Bahrain an excellent destination in the field of medical and training tourism by enriching the cosmetic and cosmetic medical content in the kingdom, following up the latest scientific research and the latest international techniques in the field of surgery, My heart and plastic surgery and restoration. He explained that on the sidelines of the conference will be an exhibition of twenty of the largest companies working in the field of cosmetics around the world, which is an opportunity to display equipment and know what is new, both in scientific research and medical devices and drugs related to skin diseases and beauty, it stated. TradeArabia News Service US-based Lockheed Martin, a global security and aerospace company, has appointed Brigadier General (Retired) Joseph Rank as its chief executive for Lockheed Martin Saudi Arabia. Rank will lead the companys growing business in Saudi Arabia with responsibilities for building and cultivating key partner relationships and supporting the kingdoms strategic business pursuits, said a statement from the company. Rank takes over the position from Alan Chinoda who will be returning to Lockheed Martin based in the US, it said. Richard H Edwards, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin International, said: I am confident that under Ranks leadership we will drive this strategic relationship to greater heights in the kingdom, supporting Vision 2030, while strengthening regional and global security. Rank brings a wealth of regional knowledge and experience to his new role as our chief executive in Riyadh. He will be an invaluable resource to our local operations as we continue to build new partnerships and grow our footprint in the kingdom, he said. I would also like to thank Alan Chinoda for his outstanding contributions and leadership during his seven years in Saudi Arabia. During his tenure, we have strengthened the companys brand as a trusted defence and security partner to the Kingdom, he added. Rank recently concluded 31 years of service in the US Army, most recently in the Office of the Secretary of Defense where he served as the acting deputy assistant secretary of defence for Middle East Policy. He has served almost a decade in the region to include positions as senior defence attache in the United Arab Emirates (2015-2017), Jordan (2011-2014), Lebanon (2010-2011) and Yemen (2004-2006). He speaks Arabic and has a Master of Arts in Islamic Studies from the University of Virginia, it stated. TradeArabia News Service A UN team from the International Trade Centre, in partnership with Ithraa, Omans inward investment and export development agency, will conduct export workshops to help Omani non-oil exporters navigate the complexities of quality standards and regulations. The export workshops will take place in Muscat at the Sundus Rotana Hotel on October 1 and 2; and in Salalah at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on October 3 and 4. Nasima Al Balushi, Ithraas director general of export development and acting director general of investment promotion, said: Developing international business is becoming an essential aspect for many Omani companies, and serious consideration needs to be given to the quality of product being exported. Indeed, quality has to be customer-driven, not technology-driven, production-driven, or competitor-driven, she added. Research shows that businesses who export have greater growth prospects, more durability and higher profitability than companies who do not. Al Balushi continued: Also if you needed more encouragement than that, consider the fact that exporting businesses generate an average growth of 30 per cent after exporting for just two years - a fantastic reason to consider trading globally. International exports bring earnings, investment, technology and talent into Oman and are among the primary economic drivers propelling Omans economic fortune. Today, were exporting to over 135 countries. However, to maintain and improve on this performance we have to ensure that were providing current as well as future Omani exporters with the right support and information. Thats what the Muscat and Salalah workshops will be aiming to achieve, she added. In developing product quality programmes, many companies often fail to ask two basic questions. First, how do customers define quality, and why are they today demanding higher quality than in the past? Second, how important is high quality in customer service, and how can it be ensured after the sale? These are just some of the issues I am sure will come up for discussion in the workshops, she said. Taleb Al Makhmari, Ithraas director general for marketing and media, said: Doing business overseas neednt be difficult. Whatever country youre considering, industry you're in or stage your business is at, Ithraa can help, he said. Our team offers impartial and free export advice to help Omani businesses understand international business practices, quality standards as well as export market opportunities. Working with ITC will undoubtedly help improve our efforts to increase Omans non-oil exports, he added. TradeArabia News Service Bahrain-based Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), soon to be the worlds largest site aluminium smelter, announced that its Line 6 Smelter Project recorded 20 million man-hours without Lost Time Injury (LTI) in the first week of September. Alba Line 6 Smelter Project held a celebratory ceremony to mark this occasion with the attendance of the Line 6 Alba as well as contractor teams, said a statement from the company. This milestone was achieved by employees and contractors partnering on the Line 6 Smelter Project with safety as a core common value, it said. Albas chief executive officer Tim Murray said: I commend the Line 6 Smelter Project teams on achieving this safety milestone. This accomplishment demonstrates our teams dedication to safety as well as our focused-aim to maintain an injury-free workplace, he said. Through our commitment and dedication to safe best practices, we are confident to deliver the first hot metal on January 1, 2019, he added. As Alba is progressing with its preparedness for Line 6 Safe Start-up, Albas CEO has been touring the different plant areas to emphasise on safe work practices and good housekeeping in line with the recent mini-campaign Safety Blitz, it stated. TradeArabia News Service National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) said a massive fire broke out at the construction site of its new headquarters in capital Kuwait City on Thursday which was successfully extinguished. Plumes of black smoke were seen in the sky after the blaze hit the 300-m tall skyscraper located at Kuwait city's Sharq financial district. The Kuwait Fire Department immediately swung into action and evacuated more than 2,500 workers from the site "in record time without any injuries," said the bank in a twitter message. The bank's management also thanked the Ministry of Interior, the Emergency Medical Services for their quick response in putting out the fire.-TradeArabia News Service New York, Sept 30 (UNI) Even though Somalia has made huge strides in political and economic transformation, the country continues to grapple with terrorism, said Somalias Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad Isse in his address at the annual debate of 73rd United Nations General Assembly on Saturday. Mr Isse told the world leaders that while working with its partners, Somalia has dismantled terrorist networks and hideouts and is simultaneously engaged with religious leaders, community elders, women, youth and the civil society to turn the tide against the twisted ideology of hate and religious intolerance. The silver lining is, young men and women are not joining terrorist groups, he added He also said that Somalia, under the leadership of His Excellency Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, have initiated a new round of operations that have successfully opened up road networks, supply routes and in turn liberated towns and villages from the occupation of Al-shabab terrorists. We recognize providing lasting solutions to the challenge of security is an immense undertaking; it is one that needs multi-faceted approach. He went further to note that the ideologies presented by Al-Shabaab or Al-Qaida are no longer appealing, and the groups no longer have new recruits. In addition, leaders and members are surrendering along with so called technicals (improvised attack vehicles) and weapon caches. The minister while urging the UN to lift the arms embargo on Somalia said, To consolidate our collective gains in security, and to further support the Somali security institutions, to enable us to take over from AMISOM, I call on the UN to lift the arms embargo on Somalia. This embargo has been long-standing; it is what is leveling the field in our battle with the terrorist groups. When our force has the same fighting arsenal as the enemy, the odds are split. Stronger fighting capacity would enable us to have the upper hand, it would entirely dismantle the terrorists, and possibly within a shorter time. The Somali Minister also highlighted the countrys reformed, inclusive electoral model that has been approved at both central and provincial levels. UNI XC JAL 0818 13 Nov 2021 | 7:10 PM Bhopal, Nov 13 (UNI) Rajya Sabha Member and Madhya Pradeshs former chief minister Digvijaya Singh said on Saturday that, under the Congress fortnight-long countrywide public awakening campaign commencing on Sunday, party leaders and workers would undertake padyatra for explaining Modinomics to people. I will be in Mandla district on the inaugural day. The public will be told regarding the policies of the Centre and Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states that comprise the cause behind spiralling inflation and unemployment. The Narendra Modi government collected Rs 3.5 lakh crore through levying tax on fuel and the corporate sphere profited by Rs 1.25 lakh cr. He talks of free vaccines, which involve an expenditure of only about Rs 3,500 cr. Demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax resulted in closure of lakhs of micro, small and medium enterprises, Mr Singh alleged during a press conference at the Congress office here. Addressing the UN General Assembly at its 73rd Session, the Syrian Vice Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Walid Al-Moallem, has called for the immediate withdrawal of US, Turkish and French forces whose boots have illegally set foot on Syrian ground [1]. This declaration of the Syrian Arab Republic follows the joint British-French-Israeli attack on the Syrian region of Latkia and the destruction of the Russian reconnaissance plane, triggered by the Israeli Air Force during this new aggression recorded on 17 September. As a result of this incident, the Russian Federation has begun to deliver to Syria resources to strengthen its defence of the Syrian Arab Republic air space: state of the art e war material for interference and surveillance S-300 anti-air missiles. At the same time, the U.S.A is withdrawing its Patriot missiles from several countries in the region. The presence of French troops from the beginning of the conflict (bar the last three months of President Nicolas Sarkozys mandate) is the worst kept secret. While French officials and the French media always deny their presence, you can easily spot them on the ground. On 28 September 2018, the State of Palestine filed a complaint against the United States before the International Court of Justice (the ICJ, the UNs Court). The State of Palestine is denouncing the US embassys recent relocation to Jerusalem. The brief filed by the State of Palestine is based on UNGA Res 181 on The Partition of Palestine, adopted in 1947 [1]. This partition plan provides that the city of Jerusalem, given its broadest definition, does not form part of the two Independent States that were supposed to be created in Palestine. Thus the status of Jerusalem under this plan was a corpus separatum ab ambis statis. As such, the city of Jerusalem cannot be declared to be the capital either state: neither the state of Israel nor the State of Palestine. The same dispute has already been raised before, in 1980, when Israel adopted a Fundamental Law [2] which declared Jerusalem as its capital. At that time, the UN Security Council confirmed through its Resolution 746 that declaring Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel violated the Geneva Convention on Displaced Persons and ordered the State of Israel to repeal this Fundamental Law. In response to Israels denial to repeal the Fundamental Law on Jerusalem, the Security Council went on to adopt Resolution 478 which provides that all UN member states that had established embassies in Jerusalem had to move them. The following countries complied with this order at once: Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Panama, Holland, the Dominican Republic, Salvador, Uruguay and Venezuela. The brief filed by the State of Palestine against the US is based on a reasoning that differs from the reasoning articulated in various Palestine bodies till now. The brief is based on the concept defined in UNGA Res 303. This Resolution establishes that, due to its particular religious status, the city of Jerusalem must be internationalized and administrated by the United Nations. Photo: Ed Miller/Amazon Prime Video The color slowly drains out of the new King Lear as it goes along, as if to formalize its depiction of a nation bled dry by its own awfulness. Adapted and directed by Richard Eyre, this BBC Two and Amazon co-production is a modernized version of William Shakespeares epic about a doddering old ruler (Anthony Hopkins), who decides to divide his kingdom among his three daughters, Goneril, (Emma Thompson), Regan (Emily Watson), and Cordelia (Florence Pugh) based on how fawningly they express their love for him a fit of narcissism that jump-starts multiple plots to overthrow Lear, and sends the kingdom spiraling into chaos, war, and ruin. Any production of Lear could feel relevant if mounted during a period when the worlds most powerful man was a foggy-minded 72-year-old whose policies seemed driven by greed, cruelty, a bottomless thirst for acclaim, an eagerness to involve his children in government, and a terror of changing times, but Eyre sharpens the parallels by setting his film in an alternative, vaguely dystopian universe that feels like a premonition of where Western civilization is headed. For its first half-hour, this Lear plays like a stealthy editorial cartoon about Trumpism, conceived for plausible deniability, so that we can hear lines like I am a man more sinned against than sinning and The worst is not, so long as we can say This is the worst and think of them as intentional or coincidental commentary, depending on our biases. A climactic duel trades swords for modern MMA fighting techniques, the characters all wear modern clothes (including recent vintage military uniforms), and they travel by motor vehicle and aircraft instead of horses, but key action still occurs in and around ancient spaces castles and manors, mainly. The juxtaposition of new and old encourages us to conflate royal despots with 21st-century politicians and CEOs who carry on like tribal chieftains and maintain security forces that are essentially private armies. As portrayed by Hopkins, Lear comes off as a decadent corporate oligarch who has somehow conquered all of England and surrounded himself with square-jawed soldiers who kill and torture on his command. Their ruthlessness makes the soft-bellied, physically helpless old man feel macho by association. A chilling scene early on finds Lear, lounging about in his castle while surrounded by soldiers, humiliating Gonerils steward Oswald, played by Christopher Eccleston; the combination of Eccelstons prim demeanor and posture and Lears relentlessly jocular needling gives the moment a hint of impending homophobic murder. When Goneril enters the room moments later, the men murmur somewhat dismissively, as if the arrival of a woman in an all-male space made them close ranks to reaffirm which gender is boss. Soon enough, though, Eyres Lear settles into a more traditional groove, notwithstanding the modern embellishments. Eyre has cut the text to the bone, sometimes to its detriment, though the edits elevate the plays parallel, secondary story the bastard Edmund (John McMillan) plotting against his father, the Earl of Gloucester (Jim Broadbent) and his half-brother Edgar (Andrew Scott) in fascinating ways. This streamlined Lear jumps so regularly between the two major, occasionally overlapping storylines Lear and his daughters, and the Earl and his sons that we think of them as mirrors, even more so than we might while watching a full-length theatrical production. The characters are simplified, chiseled down into nuggets of psychology in ways that make them seem to blend into each other and assume each others plot functions. This is sometimes marvelous, as when Lears figurative blindness is compared to the Earls actual blindness, or when Lear is reduced to a nomadic fool, pushing a shopping cart in a marketplace like a homeless person while wearing the fedora that once sat on the head of his actual Fool (Karl Johnson). Theres even a moment when Edgar, walking along in the muddy moors in disguise as Poor Tom, laments the awfulness of life in voice over, while Eyre crosscuts between him and the Earl as hes escorted from the scene of his blinding. On the minus side, although this Lear makes sure to stage most of the set pieces you mightve heard about even if youve never read or seen the play such as the blinding scene; the duel between Edmund and Edgar; Lear, the Fool, and the Earl of Kent (Jim Carter) wandering in the rain; and Lears tearful reconciliation with Cordelia without enough connective tissue, they dont land as hard as they should, despite the undeniable panache that Eyre and his crew bring to the staging and filming. We should acknowledge here that an unexpurgated Lear is troublesome for theater companies no matter how much text they preserve. Its a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-dont play. Delete too much and key plot points become incomprehensible, but if you leave most or all of it alone, the story is still hard to follow because of the often-frustrating decisions Shakespeare made to begin with. As in Hamlet, another of the Bards extra-long, shaggy tragedies, there are lots of narrative cul-de-sacs, loose ends, and seeming redundancies, and characters that duplicate ideas in ways that can feel alternately revelatory and pointless. Many emotionally significant confrontations and acts of violence occur offscreen only to be summarized later (the Fool pretty much vanishes halfway through, functionally replaced by Edgar in his Poor Tom disguise). To the 21st-century eye, these may seem like mistakes does YouTube have a Shakespearean goofs channel? even if they open up fresh avenues of interpretation for spectators whove committed to Shakespeares aesthetic. There have been many effective instances of a film reducing the plot of a Shakespeare comedy or drama to the barest essentials and somehow still putting across the intellectual and emotional core of the piece. One of my favorites is Orson Welles Othello, a 91-minute adaptation of a three-hour text that finds visual equivalents for many of the concepts Shakespeare expressed in dialogue. This Lear is not on Welless level few Shakespeare adaptations are but it has strong justifications for every alteration it makes, even when the results frustrate. (A third-act string of deaths happen so close together, and mainly offscreen, that I shuttled back to make sure I didnt inadvertently skip scenes.) Eyres tight but rarely intrusive closeups and Ben Smithards digital widescreen photography help unify a movie that might otherwise feel too fragmented and rushed. Smithard gives the whole thing an infusion of grey subtle at first, overt later as if Englands overcast skies had infected the buildings, the characters, and the land itself. As is usually the case with top-drawer BBC Shakespeare adaptations, the actors are terrific. Thompsons scheming flirtatiousness as Goneril, Watsons wide-eyed bloodlust as Regan, Jim Carters basso-voiced hardiness as the Earl of Kent, and Tobias Menzies militarily precise sadism as the Duke of Cornwall all make powerful impressions. Florence Pugh does a better job than most actresses in the rather thankless role of Cordelia, a character whose decency can feel more like a rhetorical flourish than a character trait. (How did a family that awful produce a woman that honorable, anyway?) Hopkins Lear is unrelentingly peevish and nasty throughout the first two-thirds of the play, so much so that when he finally suffers in exile and then softens and becomes more functional and self-aware, the miseries visited upon him in the last act feel even more like karmic payback than they might in longer productions. Recent adaptations often present Lear as suffering from a more scientifically defined version of Alzheimers disease, and this one is no exception. Anyone whos seen loved ones grapple with the condition will flinch in recognition when Lear inappropriately touches Goneril (not registering that shes his daughter) and verbally stumbles his way toward recognizing Cordelia (Hopkins reading of I think this lady to be my child is devastating). Ultimately, and perhaps surprisingly, the Earl-Edgar-Edmund story hits just as hard, partly because the conflicts were already laid out so precisely by Shakespeare and so clearly marked as a secondary plot and partly because the three actors give slightly flatter performances than the rest, almost like what youd expect to see in an action thriller or gangster picture. Jim Broadbents Gloucester is an oblivious jerk early on and a gelded patriarch later, his blindness a biblical punishment for his failure to see the damage he caused by embracing one son and casually rejecting and humiliating the other. Scotts Edgar moves almost seamlessly from astronomer-climatologist to framed fugitive and finally to Fool-replacement and fratricidal combatant; it works because the performance has been conceived in almost entirely physical terms, conveyed through closeups of Scotts confused and then tormented face and long shots of his increasingly ragged and dirty form as it lopes across desolate landscapes. With his probing stare, gleeful proclamations, and fourth-wall-breaking monologues, Macmillans Edmund would get along swimmingly with Iago and Richard III, and Eyres decision to cast an actor of color in the role gives certain moments and lines a secondary layer of meaning (particularly a sneering reference to him as a half-blooded fellow). However you feel about the particulars of Eyres adaptation, this Lear captures the heart of the play. Its a vision of rule collapsing and both individuals and institutions losing their minds, pitting brother against brother, sister against sister, father against children, friend against friend, in an exhausting struggle to hang onto scraps of an old order that was already starting to crumble before Lear first unrolled his map and divvied up the countryside. Its as political a production as it needs to be, and at its best, it feels as current and as timeless as a nightmare. The Deuce What Big Ideas Season 2 Episode 4 Editors Rating 4 stars * * * * Previous Next Photo: HBO A 16-year-old girl perishes in a massage parlor fire. Who is responsible for her death? Is it the mobster who set the fire as the latest salvo in an ongoing territory war? Is it Carlos, the parlor manager who forgot to check her room when he was rounding up the girls because he was drunk? Is it Bobby, who hired her as a sex worker in the first place when she was 15 years old, no less? Is it Vincent for dragging his brother-in-law into the business in the first place? Is it law enforcement for ineffectively policing the Deuce so that these incidents wouldnt occur? Is it the government for stigmatizing sex work and subsequently refusing to provide adequate safety measures for workers? Is it her fault for being there in the first place, or her parents for not raising her with proper morals and a healthy sense of boundaries, or the public education system for failing to keep her on the straight and narrow, or an overly sexualized society for enticing her to work in its margins? The list goes on and on and on The problem with systemic oppression is that it implicates everyone and blame cant exactly be localized. When Stephanie Esposito (or Kitty, as she was known in the parlors) dies, it sends waves throughout the sex community, at least to everyone below Rudy and his cohorts, who merely see her death as collateral damage. This is neatly epitomized by the lingering sound of fire engines bleeding into several scenes following the fire, connecting everyone including those at the farthest reaches of the system. Anyone who has profited from womens sexuality or turned a blind eye toward their suffering has blood on their hands. Abby and Ashley are quick to lay the blame at Bobbys feet, not just for hiring Stephanie when she was under age, but also because hes responsible for all of Rudys parlors. When Bobby drowns his sorrows at the Hi-Hat, they stare at him intently, struggling to talk around their feelings even though he knows whats on their minds. He quickly lashes out at them, claiming that he didnt use her. She was kept safe and nobody cheated her out of money. I looked out for her. I looked out for all of them. But you and your fuckin friend are giving it to me like I lit the fuckin match, he drunkenly sneers until Vincent cools the situation and forces him to go home. Bobby isnt wrong, necessarily. He didnt light the match, and though he runs the parlors, it was Carlos who was managing the Geisha House, and it was he who was drunk on the job. At the same time, Bobby shirks any responsibility because he sees himself as a romantic, a lover of all the women under his charge because he listens to them and they fuck him. He cant see that hes part of a system that thrives on violence and objectification. Even though the workers are paid that doesnt mean theyre protected. Despite objections to the contrary, the girls have always been disposable. But Bobby gets under Abbys skin when he goes right up to the line of implicating Vincent, who, as he notes, stands in the Hi-Hat like a fucking church statue, maintaining superiority without adopting any responsibility. Vincent thinks of himself as just a bartender, someone who knows everyones business yet remains outside of it, but thats hardly true. Hes in his position only because of Rudy, who profits off of every bar, club, parlor, peep show, and sex worker within Vincents orbit. He gets paid by a man who started a turf war that led to Stephanies death. Hes as complicit as Bobby, but acts as the voice of reason, the guy who plays nice with all sides of the aisle. Vincent somewhat recognizes this, and his guilt about Stephanies death leads him to try to get out of the parlor business entirely. Vincent tells Tommy that Black Frankie will deliver the parlor money because he wants out, but Tommy isnt having it. Out? The fuck is out? he pushes back, but before they can get into it, Black Frankie points out a rival gang member eating pizza on the street. Its not long until Tommy shoots him in the face point-blank as retaliation for the fire, shutting up Vincent completely. Vincent has always believed he has agency within Rudys organization, but the truth has always been that hes completely under their thumb. There is no out. Meanwhile, Ashley does the work to seek out Stephanies family in upstate New York only to learn that they are uninterested in identifying her body let alone providing a proper burial service. To them, their daughter was a whore, and Ashley is nothing more than a whore with a heart of gold. Back in the city, Abby stews with guilt and anger, partially because she runs a bar frequented by sex workers and abusers alike and partially because shes helpless to change anything. In many ways, Abby is the classic example of a rich college girl who learns about oppression in her own backyard and decides to shoulder all of it because it feels better than not caring at all. Ashley has a higher stake in their shared activism, but Abby has seen the good life and cant stand not doing anything. It doesnt help that shes in a long-term relationship with a guy who has his hand in all of the muck shes trying to wash away. On the law enforcement side, Alston pulls Stephanies case, which has caught the eye of Goldman and his team because of its connection to mob activity. While Alstons supervisor keeps trying to get Alston to work with Goldman because he has access to federal funds that can be funneled into their precinct, Alston sees right through his naivete. Goldman doesnt know that parlor raids wont work because midtown cops are in cahoots with the parlor owners, taking bribes for pre-planned raids that look good but accomplish nothing. Goldman doesnt know that the cops he brings onto his team are humps looking to cash overtime checks. Goldman doesnt know anything, and Alston has been around the block too many times to try to lead him down the appropriate path on the off chance that Koch has his precincts interests in mind. In the end, Stephanies funeral only has Vincent, Abby, Ashley, and Bobby in attendance. There will be a stone so maybe her parents can visit her sometime. But as the pouring rain symbolizes, the memory of Stephanie will likely be washed away. She might have been a nice girl, but she remained on the margins and was an expendable commodity to those who looked out for her. Shes one of many women who will suffer similar fates. Most of the people at her funeral are stuck in the same tide, but theyre still alive. Change only begins when people stand up and say, no. Only time will tell if a change will come after all. Other Tricks and Pricks Many, many subplots this week: 1. Candy continues to make progress on her Little Red Riding Hood film. She hires an outside writer (Danny Flaherty, formerly of Matthew Beeman fame) for script, even though Jocelyn offered to help 2. Frankie bottoms out at the dry cleaning business because its simply too much for him to handle 3. Larry stars in his first porn film, but when he has trouble with the lines, possibly because hes illiterate, Candy allows him to improvise, which leads to some great material 4. Lori tries to leave C.C. after he continues to mess with her reputation at work 5. Shay overdoses at the peep show and enters a 28-day in-patient rehab. Its really funny that C.C. accidentally invents POV porn when he suggests the guy getting a blowjob just hold the camera instead of the asthmatic cameraman who messes with Loris concentration. Vincent sleeps with Abbys photographer friend Vivian after a gallery show in her honor at the Hi-Hat. Abby gives her consent, but she isnt wild about it by any means. Words of wisdom from Harvey Wasserman: Ive read my fair share of Bettelheim. I am familiar with all the Freudian shit. Sex and death and, you know, annihilation of innocence and matricide and infanticide, etc. At the end of the day, its gotta be about the fucking. Basil Ivan Johnson, CBE, DFM, RAFVR; 1920 to 2004 EDITOR, There recently has been much in the press and on radio and TV about Bahamian Heroes. I cant understand why many Bahamians think that politicians and past Governor Generals, who lived on Mount Fitzwilliam are heroes. They filled a necessary function but most of them were in the positions they held, because of their desire to be recognized. Few of them had a genuine desire to serve the Bahamian people. The true Bahamian Heroes are people like the Gallant 30, who volunteered to serve during the First World War. The Bahamian Heroes of the Second World War, are people like George Moseley, Warren Lightbourn, Michael McKinney and others who went off to war and did not return. A full list of these heroes are on the walls of the Cenotaph and the walls of the Lynch Gate at the RAF Cemetery. No Bahamian Government has ever recognised, or paid tribute to the members of the Bahamas Volunteer Defense Force. People like CB Antrobus, AF Adderley, Christopher Foster, G Lunn and George VE Higgs, who gave up all their precious leisure time during WW II, to man look-out stations throughout New Providence and Hog Island (Now Paradise Island). My father who served in the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and royal Air Force (RAF), during the First World War, thought that Basil Johnson was the epitome of a true Bahamian hero. Basil, the father of Ivan, Felicity, Janet and Jill, left his job at BEC in 1941 and volunteered to join the RAF as a flight engineer. After 25 trips in a Lancaster Bomber over occupied Europe, he volunteered for 25 more. The last 47 of these sorties were in the elite Pathfinder Squadron, which flew the most dangerous missions of the war. The odds that he would survive 25 missions were less than fifty percent. The odds that he would survive 50 missions were infinitesimal. After the war, and before returning to Nassau, Basil was sent throughout the British Commonwealth, as an example of the heroism that turned the tide and won the war. I look forward to reading about Basil and seeing a statue of him, among the first group of Bahamian heroes honoured. JOHN A WANKLYN PE, Nassau, September 19, 2018. Find out more about Mr. Johnson here... and here... Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Sep. 29, 2018 | WESTERN KENTUCKY By West Kentucky Star Staff Sep. 29, 2018 | 04:48 PM | WESTERN KENTUCKY Property tax bills should be arriving in the mailboxes of Kentucky residents soon. According to the Kentucky Department of Revenue, property tax bills are mailed out in the fall by the sheriff and are collected in that office. Some local departments posted notice on their social media pages that bills were being mailed this week, but other counties may follow a different schedule. Fulton and Marshall Counties posted their schedules, which the Department of Revenue says is typical: October 1 through November 1 - Bill can be paid with a 2% discount November 2 through December 31 - Bill is paid at its face amount January 1 through January 31 - A 5% penalty is added February 1 through April 15 - A 21% penalty is added McCracken County uses an alternative payment schedule, which begins November 1. Any alternate schedule must have 30 days in each payment phase. McCracken's schedule applies the 2% discount in November, and allows the bill to be paid at face value in December. Anything after the first of the year is the same. Last years new option of paying tax bills online in McCracken County carries on into 2018. Taxpayers can go to www.mccrackencountysheriff.com and click on the Pay Online link. The taxpayer will need to have their tax bill available in order to have the proper information necessary for completing the online payment option. Some online payments may not post to a bill for up to 3 business days after the transaction is made, depending on the type of credit or checking account used for payment. Once the taxpayer has received their tax bill, they should review the information thoroughly for accuracy and the need for any changes. All property and assessment information noted on tax bills originates in the Property Valuation Administrators (PVA) office, and only the PVA can authorize the sheriffs office to make any changes or amendments to a tax bill. This information includes property description, location, assessment, and permanent mailing addresses. The McCracken County Sheriff's Office is happy to change a mailing address on a current-year tax bill, but any changes that should be made for future years should also be filed with the PVA. Also, any taxpayer that is over the age of 65, or disabled, may qualify to file for a tax reduction or exemption with the PVAs office. Across the Commonwealth, after April 15, the property tax bill is transferred to the county clerk's office and is considered delinquent. Additional fees are charged, and the clerk may place a lien against the property. Each summer, delinquent tax bills may be sold to third parties, who can charge substantial fees to the property owner in order to get the lien removed. If tax bills are not received by the first five to ten days of November, or if there are questions, contact the local sheriff's department. Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Sep. 29, 2018 | PADUCAH By West Kentucky Star Staff Sep. 29, 2018 | 11:30 PM | PADUCAH In its inaugural year in Paducah, twelve men will unite to fight breast cancer with the American Cancer Society through participation in the Real Men Wear Pink campaign. Throughout October, those men will encourage community members to take action in the fight against breast cancer. In addition to wearing pink and raising awareness about breast cancer, these men will be raising funds to help the American Cancer Society attack cancer from every angle and save more lives from breast cancer, said Rachael King, Senior Director, Hospital Systems for the American Cancer Society. Funds raised help us save lives from breast cancer through early detection and prevention, innovative breast cancer research, and patient support. Each Real Men Wear Pink participant accepts a fundraising challenge and will compete to be the top fundraiser among his peers by the end of the campaign. The 2018 candidates were nominated by American Cancer Society volunteers to be a part of this first-ever campaign in Paducah. It officially kicks off on October 1 and will continue through October 31. Here are the candidates: Gary Abanatha - The Dirt Road Chief Brandon Barnhill - Paducah Police Department Jeff Bell - J. Bellas Pizzeria Josh Burzynski - SBG Real Property Professionals Andy Carloss - Midtown Market Bill Evans - WPSD/Paducah Sun Eric Farmer - JMS Russel Metal Corp Fred Hargrove - Goodwill Dr. Daniel Howard - Mercy Health Daniel Jones - Strawberry Hill Pharmacy Jason Strait - Western Rivers Boat Management Chip Wynn - Chip Wynn Motors Community members can support their favorite Real Men Wear Pink candidate by visiting www.realmenwearpinkacs.org/paducahKY, accessing their candidates page and making a donation to the American Cancer Society. According to 2018 ACS figures, an estimated 266,120 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and an estimated 40,920 will die from the disease this year. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, and it is the most common cancer diagnosed in women other than skin cancer. Our community can make a huge impact in the breast cancer cause, said Brandi Curtis, Community Development Manager for the American Cancer Society. We are grateful to our Real Men Wear Pink participants for lending their voices to this cause and fighting for everyone affected by breast cancer. For more information about breast cancer or the Real Men Wear Pink campaign in Paducah call 1-800-227-2345. By West Kentucky Star Staff Sep. 30, 2018 | 02:23 PM | PADUCAH The Wall That Heals, a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, is coming to Paducah on Oct. 25-28 at Carson Park. It will be open 24 hours a day and will be free to the public. Only 40 sites nationwide are chosen to host the wall each year from over 100 applicants. This year features a newly constructed replica. The new wall is a three-quarters scale version of the memorial. It is 375 feet in length and stands 7.5 feet high at its tallest point. Visitors will be able to experience the wall rising above them as they walk towards the apex, a key feature of the design of the actual memorial in Washington D.C. For the first time, visitors of the replica will be able to do name rubbings of individual service members names on the wall. The memorial honors more than three million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces in the Vietnam War and bears the names of more than 58,000 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice during the conflict. As a Paducah Vietnam veteran who made it safely back home, it is an honor and a privilege to welcome The Wall That Heals to Paducah as we remember those who did not make it home. I am thrilled and honored to be of service once again, states Robert Worden, Department Service Officer for the Disabled American Veterans. The Wall That Heals also comes equipped with a mobile Education Center that will be utilized by area schools for field trips. The mobile Education Center is comprised of photo displays of Hometown Heroesservice members whose names are on The Wall that list their home of record within the area of a visit; and photo displays of Vietnam veterans from the local area honored through VVMFs In Memory program which honors veterans who returned home from Vietnam and later died as a result of their service. Video displays will teach about the history and impact of the memorial itself, and of the collection of items left at The Wall in Washington D.C. Other educational exhibits include a map of Vietnam and a chronological overview of the war. The Wall That Heals is being brought to the community by Milner & Orr Funeral Home. As part of their mission to Honor Lives, Milner & Orr Funeral Home believes The Wall honors communities, honors veterans and honors lives. By Jeremy Rose, CFSB Sep. 29, 2018 | 11:13 PM | MURRAY Community Financial Services Bank (CFSB) held a groundbreaking on Friday for their location at the corner of North 12th and Sycamore Streets in Murray.CFSBs second Murray-Calloway County location will be built on seven newly-acquired lots.The CFSB Sycamore Street Banking Center will be a 20,000 square foot facility that will include meeting rooms for community use. We truly felt that there was not only the need of this building for our clients convenience, but we also understood the need for more space for local organizations to meet," Calloway County Market President S. Jason Pittman said. "When this banking center is completed, it will have fulfilled both of those needs, plus add around 20 jobs to the Murray-Calloway County workforce. This amazing community has welcomed us so warmly that we are splitting at the seams at our North 12th Street Banking Center," CFSB CEO/Chair Betsy Flynn said. "Many of us are sharing office space right now as we look forward to the completion of this new, much larger banking center. This will be a full-service bank that is staffed by knowledgeable and friendly faces from right here in Murray-Calloway County. Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. 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. By: Paige Cline Sometimes I am asked to reprint a column from the past. Here[Read More] DELPHI, Ind. (WLFI) - Two years later, and the town of Delphi is still grieving over the loss of Abigail Williams and Liberty German. Saturday was the 2nd annual Abby and Libby Celebration of Life event where the whole community was invited to come and be together. It was a time to channel grief into hope and togetherness. A prayer service asked God to help the suspect come forward on his own terms to a pastor or trusted person to confess the crime he committed. The event featured a silent auction, performances by local dance teams, and fun activities for all ages including yard games and bounce houses. The families of the girls organized this bittersweet event. Grandfather of Liberty, Mike Patty, said the event was all about celebrating their lives with the community that loved them. It's heart wrenching to one degree but the other is we are going to celebrate their lives, he said. They had a wonderful life, albeit it was way too short. Abigail's mother, Anna Williams, said it wasn't just the immediate families who lost the girls. It's their aunts and their uncles and their cousins and their grandparents and their nieces and nephews and their friends, she said. We have a little bit of everybody here today. It's not just us, it's everybody. Both agreed that hope their girls would be proud of what they are doing in their honor. Construction and fundraising are still underway for the Abby and Libby Memorial Park. They ask people to stay vigilant and to share any information regarding the suspect with law enforcement. LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - The 2018 Tippecanoe Latino Festival brought together hispanic cultures from all over the world to share with the community. However people of all cultures were invited to celebrate at the Northend Community Center. Event goers could learn more about Lafayette's growing Latino population enjoying authentic food, live music, and cultural artifacts. People could learn more about community resources by visiting one of the dozens of organizations represented. Robby Tovar is an organizer of the event who said the purpose of the day was to give back to the community. One way they did this was by awarding 10 scholarships to deserving students. That's what it's all about. To learn about our culture in itself and plus, you know help out other people, help out students as well, he said. Tovar said his family was one of the first Latino families to move to the Lafayette area. Making so much community support for his culture shown at the festival that much more special to him. Valerie Beltran is a Freshman at Purdue and the volunteer coordinator for the event. She said the celebration is about so much more than just the Latino culture. It's way bigger than that. We want to help out the whole community, she said. We want everyone from different backgrounds to come together and you know celebrate the Latino community. She said providing opportunities like the scholarships helps give Latino students the boost they need to succeed in higher education. Beltran said she grew up in Los Angeles before moving to the Lafayette area to finish out her high school years at Harrison. She said she has enjoyed seeing Lafayettes Latino influence grow over the years of living here. 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 . F 2022, 2:0 . , . , , 3:1 . ... Next generation of technology innovators sought for Digital Futures Awards This article is old - Published: Sunday, Sep 30th, 2018 Young people who are using digital tools to boost their work are being sought for a major awards ceremony. The Digital Futures Awards, taking place next month at Wrexham Glyndwr University, are looking for people aged 25 or under who are harnessing the power of technology to transform their work to enter a special category. The Digital Young Person award, sponsored by Angleseys M Sparc, recognises those young people who are using technology to change the way they work. Business Development Manager at Glyndwr, Laura Gough, said: The way technology is being used by young people nowadays is opening all kinds of channels this is the generation which grew up on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. That openness to technology means that they are constantly forging new ways to promote their work, their campaigns and their businesses, and this years Digital Futures Awards wanted to recognise this growing movement. Thats why we created this award, which is open to all kinds of submissions from twitter campaigns to vlogging, websites to apps. Its an open category, so as long as youre under 25, and are using digital tools in an interesting way we want to hear from you and you stand the chance of becoming an award-winning project. The Digital Futures Awards have a range of categories, each with an individual sponsor. Delivered in partnership with Big Ideas Wales and Wrexham Enterprise Hub, they are designed to celebrate digital entrepreneurs across the region with entries open to Wales, Cheshire, Wirral or Shropshire. Entries can be made up until October 8, when a shortlist will be drawn up in preparation for the Digital Futures Conference and Awards Ceremony, to be held in the Universitys Catrin Finch centre on October 25. The categories are: Digital Marketing Campaign sponsored by NXT Web: This award is for those who have innovate in a digital marketing campaign, whether this is launching a new business or product or boosting charity fundraising to the next level. Judges are looking for creativity and a focus on timescales and impact. Digital Marketing Company sponsored by FSB: This award is for a digital marketing company which has driven growth for businesses and clients, or a skilled individual or team who have secured proved results for clients. Online Business sponsored by NatWest Cymru: An award for any online business which need celebration, whether its through boosting the work/ life balance of staff or improving the satisfaction of customers. Successful Brand sponsored by Wrexham Glyndwr University: This award celebrates the power of digital media for boosting a brand. Judges are looking for innovative examples of how brands have been exposed and gained attraction through the power of digital. They are particularly keen to hear from small brands as well as larger brands. Digital Young Person under 25 sponsored by M-SParc: This award is an open category, looking for a young person who has used digital tools and media to enhance their work whether this is a project, hobby or business idea. Judges welcome a wide range of submissions whether this is a blog, vlog, a twitter campaign, or even an app creation. Cabin crews and pilots from six European countries took part in the largest strike so far against Ryanairs low-wage regime. Work was suspended yesterday for 24 hours in Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Germany. More than 240 flights were cancelled across Europe, far more than Ryanair management had expected. One hundred and forty Ryanair flights, or 40 percent of flights, to and from Germany were cancelled. At Berlins Schonefeld Airport, 52 out of 90 take-offs and landings were cancelled. Fifteen were cancelled in Hamburg, 19 in Cologne/Bonn and 21 in Frankfurt. Ryanair flights that were able to get off the ground were usually delayed for hours. Low Fares, No Cares, No RightsNo Flights! and similar slogans were chanted by several hundred mostly young flight attendents who demonstrated in Berlin and Frankfurt. While striking Ryanair workers were determined to fight, the Verdi union limited the walkout by crews stationed in Germany to Thursday evening only, fearing that a longer strike might break free from the unions control. The rally in Frankfurt In Frankfurt, Verdi officials tried to prevent Ryanair strikers from speaking to journalists from the World Socialist Web Site, insisting that no interviews from rank-and-file workers would be permitted, even without attribution. However, the young flight attendants were eager to describe the inhumane conditions they face and to appeal to airline passengers and other workers to support their fight. At the Frankfurt Airport flight attendants and pilots from Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, France and Germany gathered at Terminal 2. We simply have to work too much for too little money, a flight attendent from Italy told the WSWS. We are often on standby at the airport for hours without being paid for it. Payment begins only when the plane takes off. Thats totally unfair. A flight attendant from Greece confirmed the poor working conditions, excessive pressure and lack of health insurance. Then she said that she found the uncertainty facing temporary employees especially bad. A large part of the staff is employed via sub-contractors, not Ryanair. Most of them do not dare strike with us. They are afraid of losing their jobs. Laura In Berlin, a flight attendent named Laura, who said she had participated in the negotiations, took to the microphone and described the plight of cabin crew members. We are people with rights who work for this company and for all passengers every day across Europe. We come from different countries, speak different languages, have different cultural backgrounds and work together as a team every day. To great applause, she described how it was impossible for the crews to focus on sales targets for the goods they are supposed to sell passengers inflight. The cabin crew are trained to look after the passengers and keep them secure in an emergency, But our company does not accept that, Laura said. Ryanair chief executive Michael OLeary has repeatedly threatened to divert aircraft away from locations where workers are on strike. The management of the low-cost airline, which flies to more than 215 airports in 37 countries and operates from 86 bases in Europe and North Africa, threatened the strikers with wage cuts, reprimands, transfers to other locations or even termination. Despite the threats the simultaneous walkout in six countries, which paralyzed Ryanair on Friday, demonstrated the enormous potential of overcoming the national divisions imposed on the working class and waging the class struggle as an internationally coordinated battle. However, the nationally based unions are unwilling and incapable of leading such a struggle. On the contrary, they insist that each national union conduct their own negotiations with management, separate from all others. Even inside the same country the unions divide workers along craft lines and between different union affiliaties. In Germany, for example, the Independent Flight Attendants Organisation (UFO) refused to participate in the strike on Friday because they were still conducting negotiations with Ryanair management on Thursday afternoon. At the same time, the unions politically subordinate the working class to the same capitalist political parties that have long attacked the working class. On Friday, the Cockpit and Verdi unions offered the stage to several prominent politicians from the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens and the Left Party to posture as friends of the striking workers. In addition to Verdi leader Frank Bsirske, Hubertus Heil (SPD), federal minister of labor and social affairs, Michael Kellner, CEO of the Greens, as well as the state chair of the Left Party, Katina Schubert, spoke in Berlin. In Frankfurt, candidates Thorsten Schafer-Gumbel (SPD) and Janine Wissler (Left Party) used the opportunity to hustle votes for the Hesse state election in four weeks. Official speakers at the Berlin rally These politicians are all responsible for the right-wing course of the German government, either as a minister or as the loyal opposition in the Bundestag (federal parliament) and in the state parliaments. Their parties have implemented massive anti-labour measures, ranging from the Agenda 2010 and Hartz IV welfare and labour reforms, through the Collective Bargaining Act, to the extension of agency work, to name just a few examples. When Air Berlin went bankrupt, they pushed through a sell-off of the airline with the connivance of the trade unions, which included a savage attack on the jobs, wages and conditions of airline workers. These politicians have a special interest in the strike against Ryanair. They implicitly take the side of Lufthansa, the largest German airline, which regards Ryanair as a dangerous competitor. Representatives of Verdi, UFO and Cockpit sit on the Supervisory Board of Lufthansa, Verdi boss Frank Bsirske was deputy chairman of the Supervisory Board for many years, and Verdi board member Christine Behle holds his seat today. The German political establishment also fears the Ryanairs increasing encroachment in the German aviation market. OLeary, who once reportedly said that Germans were ready to crawl naked over broken glass to snatch up Ryanairs low-cost fares, is seen as an inherent threat to the corporatist relations between the unions and the German-based corporations. This includes Mitbestimmung or co-determination, which has long been used by the corporations, the government and the unions to suppress the class struggle and implement the strategic interests of the German multinationals. Literally until the last minute, Verdi and Cockpit officials tried to get approval from OLeary for a separate deal or to submit to a third-party conciliation (mediation) in order to prevent a strike. On its web page, Cockpit complained that OLeary had regrettably not made a better offer since the last stoppage on September 12. In addition, no agreement for conciliation had been reached between Ryanair and Cockpit so far. The nationalist and pro-capitalist policies of the trade unions, along with the SPD, the Greens and the Left Party, have led workers to a dead-end. After many bitter experiences it has become increasingly impossible for these nationalist and pro-capitalist parties to sell themselves as left-wing. A conversation in Frankfurt with Greek flight attendants was characteristic. When the conversation on Friday turned to Syriza, the Left Partys allies in Greece, a flight attendant said firmly, I dont think much of Syriza. Ever since they joined the government, they havent lifted a finger for the workers. In Greece today, many more people are unemployed than before. The immense potential expressed in Fridays strike can only be realised if Ryanair workers begin to organise themselves independently of the nationalist unions. Pilots, cabin crew and ground crew should elect rank-and-file committees to take the conduct of the struggle into their own hands. These committees should link up across national borders and reach out to all airline workers at Lufthansa and other global airline corporations to prepare a common fight against the attack on the jobs, living standards and working conditions of all workers. COLUMBUS, Miss. (WTVA) - Columbus Police Chief Fred Shelton says authorities have made an arrest in a homicide investigation. The suspect's name has not been released yet. The victim's body was discovered in an apartment complex on 11th Street around 2 p.m. with a gunshot wound. Police say this was not a random incident. They believe the suspect and victim did know each other. Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant has identified the body as Walter James Kyles. The body will be transported to the state medical examiners office in Pearl for an autopsy this week. This is an ongoing investigation. JACKSON, Miss. (AP) Mississippis top elections official is urging people to vote this November as a way to show respect for military veterans. Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann says 13 percent of eligible Mississippi voters cast ballots during party primaries in June. He says he would like to see a higher turnout in November. The secretary of states website has a space where people can declare that they are voting in honor of someone who has served in the military, past or present. The general election is Nov. 6. Mississippi has two statewide races for U.S. Senate, and each of the four U.S. House districts has a race. Voters will also choose some appellate judges and circuit and chancery judges. A sample ballot is posted to the secretary of states website . UPDATE 10/1/18 Defendant Troy Anthony Eaton was formally charged with one count of capital murder and one count of attempted murder Monday. Josh Smith | Photo: MHP Josh Smith | Photo: MHP See the original post below. TIPPAH COUNTY, Miss. (WTVA) --An off-duty state trooper is shot and killed in Tippah County and the accused shooter behind bars. Master Sergeant Ray Hall says approximately 12:45 a.m. Sunday, state troopers and local law enforcement agencies responded to Hatchie Bottom, near the Tippah County/Alcorn County line. Upon arriving, officers discovered two people suffering from gunshot wounds. He says the gunshot victims were Rickie Dale Vick, 38, of Michigan City, and off-duty Trooper Kenneth Joshlin Josh Smith, 32, of Walnut. Vick was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Trooper Smith was mortally wounded and was pronounced dead on the scene. Hall says Troy Anthony Eaton, 43, of Rienzi, surrendered to law enforcement authorities at approximately 5:30 a.m. Local, state, and federal authorities assisted with the search for Eaton. The investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is on-going. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 02:10:38|Editor: yan Video Player Close ATHENS, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- A rare Mediterranean cyclone made landfall in the southern part of Greece on Saturday, bringing gale force winds and storms in Peloponnese peninsula and Attica region before heading to the northeast part of the country. "A rare phenomenon is developing in Greece -- a Mediterranean cyclone which has extreme rainfalls, downpours, and local thunderstorms, along with the possibility of hail storms and high winds up to 12 Beaufort. The automated weather stations recorded wind speeds up to 120 to 130 kilometers per hour," meteorologist Ioannis Kallianos told Xinhua. The Peloponnese peninsula was the area that was hit the most, with severe winds, flash floods and high waves smashing the seaside towns of Methoni, Finikounta, Pylos, and Kalamata. In the central part, dozens of roads were closed after being flooded with rain, while many houses were evacuated in the city of Argos as the river overflowed. "According to the latest projections, the Mediterranean cyclone will move from the southern part of the country to the north; it will cross the Greek capital Athens and then will head to the northern part of the country, to the Aegean Sea," Kallianos added. Civil protection authorities were in high alert in Attica, fearing widespread flooding in the recently fire-stricken area of Mati and in the seaside town of Mandra. They urged citizens to be vigilant for extreme weather phenomena and avoid unnecessary travels. Ships were tied at docks in the ports of Piraeus, Rafina, and Lavrio due to strong winds. The Medicane, as it is called, which will cross northern Greece and the Aegean Sea, is expected to weaken in northwest Turkey by Monday. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 03:25:50|Editor: yan Video Player Close by Richard Lakin TAOS, the United States, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- New Mexico artist Ron Cooper prefaces his book, Finding Mezcal, with "You don't find mezcal, mezcal finds you." It found this writer at a gourmet liquor store in the city of Merida, the capital of the Mexican state of Yucatan. The selection of agave spirits, both tequila and mezcal, was overwhelming in a store like this in Mexico. There were nearly 300 brands of tequila and about two dozens of mezcal. The fact is, tequila, and even more so mezcal, has a bad reputation with many people: the stuff of biker bars and Spring Break hangovers. Mezcal is known for having a worm at the bottom of the bottle with the accompanying myth that eating the worm. Unfortunately, this misconception has arisen from drinking the cheap blended tequilas and mezcals combined with the sugary pre-made margarita mix that many bars serve. In reality, however, tequila and mezcal have a large gourmet following of the many finer brands available... and good mezcal never has a worm inside the bottle. Cooper traveled the state of Oaxaca, Mexico in a van in his youth, and visited many of the small family-run distilleries that produce mezcal -- a more traditional and rustic predecessor to tequila. Mostly unknown outside the Oaxacan highlands, Cooper was impressed with the unique flavor, as well as the history and culture of the agave liquor. In the 1980's, Cooper returned to Mexico, buying small amounts to take home for himself and friends, and then eventually partnering with several small distilleries to create an artisanal limited quantity mezcal, Del Maguey, which means "of the agave." Cooper's Del Maguey labels, designed by Los Angeles artist Ken Price, is marketed as "single village mezcal," meaning that each mezcal in the Del Maguey line features the agave, spring water, and distillation process of a particular village... and is then named for that village. The slow traditional methods of roasting the agave hearts, mashing the pulp, fermentation and distillation produce an authentic and uniquely Oaxacan beverage. The first thing that you notice when you sip mezcal is the smoky taste. Unlike tequila, where the agave is steamed to produce the mash, mezcal is slow-cooked in wood fires, imparting a robust woody taste. Cooper refers to mezcal as the "mother of tequila" as it was the original Mexican agave spirit. Tequila, by law, can only be made from blue agave, which is native to the state of Jalisco, and all tequila is distilled in or around that state. Mezcal, however, can be made from over 30 different kinds of agave native to Oaxaca, allowing it to have more varieties in taste. As an artist, Cooper looked for a way to incorporate the traditional distillation methods, the history, and the culture of family-run farms in remote rural communities into an aesthetic of purity. Today, many tequilas and mezcals are made in large commercial facilities to keep up with international demand, but Del Maguey has focused on a small-batch artisanal spirit. For Cooper, it is important that Del Maguey be "liquid art." He said, "For me as an artist, a fine artist since 1964, a work of art is successful if it transforms the viewer, if it has that 'a-ha' moment. A nude, a sunset, a landscape, words, garbage, I don't care what it is, it's got to have that moment, that 'a-ha' moment. And our mezcal truly changes you, it transforms you and it makes you think in a different way." Cooper is credited with single-handedly bringing mezcal to international consumers. In 1995, he exported his first batch outside of Mexico to a few bars and liquor stores in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, U.S. state of New Mexico where it found a following. Now, it is showing up in trendy bars all over the United States, as well as internationally. Consumers find the back-story of mezcal's rustic origins and cultural connection to the agave farms in the Oaxacan highlands just as compelling as the unique taste. Noemi Leon, a bar manager at Zacatecas restaurant, a cafe that specializes in high-end tequilas, mezcals, and bourbons in Albuquerque, said that one of the reasons for its growing popularity is "when you're drinking it, mezcal has such an impact and cultural significance and beauty behind it, that it's its own story." Cooper further educated the world about mezcal with his recently published book Finding Mezcal, A Journey into the Liquid Soul of Mexico, which chronicles his involvement in the Oaxacan mezcal community, and explains mezcal to the uninitiated. To many agave enthusiasts, it is the definitive guide on the subject. Del Maguey practices good citizenship in the indigenous communities where the agave fields and distilleries are located. Cooper has underwritten upgrades to the facilities, as well as to local infrastructure. He also uses sustainable practices in agave growing. The increasing worldwide demand for mezcal has brought economic vitality to the region where a short time ago there was only a local market for their product. This has allowed the farmers to continue to practice their craft, and to preserve their way of life. Cooper said Del Maguey's philosophy is "We work with family producers and farmers, not factories. And we support their culture. What they do is to make this beautiful elixir that is one of the rarest spirits in the world, and they make it really slow, the old way, and I bring it out to the world." Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 06:51:17|Editor: mmm Video Player Close SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Elon Musk, CEO of U.S. electric automaker Tesla Inc., will step down as chairman of the Tesla Board of Directors, and he and the company will pay 40 million U.S. dollars in fine under a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the commission said Saturday. The SEC said that Musk, who will remain Tesla's CEO, agreed to settle the securities fraud charge it filed against him last week and quit Tesla board in 45 days. The U.S. securities regulator Saturday also brought a charge against Tesla for failing to have required disclosure controls and procedures relating to Musk's tweets in August, in which he tweeted that he was considering taking the U.S. electric car maker private at 420 dollars per share. In the SEC's complaint, the U.S. securities regulator said Musk knew that the potential transaction was uncertain and subject to numerous contingencies, but he had not discussed specific deal terms, including price, with any potential financing partners. "His statements about the possible transaction lacked an adequate basis in fact," which was misleading and leading to significant market disruption as Musk's tweets caused Tesla's stock price to jump by over 6 percent on Aug. 7, said the SEC. It said Musk will be replaced by an independent chairman after his resignation, and he will not seek re-election in three years under the settlement agreement. Tesla will appoint a total of two new independent directors to its board, establish a new committee of independent directors and put in place additional controls and procedures to oversee Musk's communications, the SEC said. Musk and Tesla will pay 20 million dollars in penalty each, and the total 40 million-dollar sum will be distributed to harmed investors under a court-approved process, it added. "The total package of remedies and relief announced today are specifically designed to address the misconduct at issue by strengthening Tesla's corporate governance and oversight in order to protect investors," said Stephanie Avakian, co-director of the SEC's Enforcement Division. Steven Peikin, also co-director of the SEC's Enforcement Division, said the resolution is intended to prevent further market disruption and harm to Tesla's shareholders. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, unveils a suit of batteries for homes, businesses, and utilities at Tesla Design Studio in Hawthorne, California, the United States, April 30, 2015. (Xinhua/Yang Lei) SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Elon Musk, CEO of U.S. electric automaker Tesla Inc., will step down as chairman of the Tesla Board of Directors, and he and the company will pay 40 million U.S. dollars in fine under a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the commission said Saturday. The SEC said that Musk, who will remain Tesla's CEO, agreed to settle the securities fraud charge it filed against him last week and quit Tesla board in 45 days. The U.S. securities regulator Saturday also brought a charge against Tesla for failing to have required disclosure controls and procedures relating to Musk's tweets in August, in which he tweeted that he was considering taking the U.S. electric car maker private at 420 dollars per share. In the SEC's complaint, the U.S. securities regulator said Musk knew that the potential transaction was uncertain and subject to numerous contingencies, but he had not discussed specific deal terms, including price, with any potential financing partners. "His statements about the possible transaction lacked an adequate basis in fact," which was misleading and leading to significant market disruption as Musk's tweets caused Tesla's stock price to jump by over 6 percent on Aug. 7, said the SEC. It said Musk will be replaced by an independent chairman after his resignation, and he will not seek re-election in three years under the settlement agreement. Tesla will appoint a total of two new independent directors to its board, establish a new committee of independent directors and put in place additional controls and procedures to oversee Musk's communications, the SEC said. Musk and Tesla will pay 20 million dollars in penalty each, and the total 40 million-dollar sum will be distributed to harmed investors under a court-approved process, it added. "The total package of remedies and relief announced today are specifically designed to address the misconduct at issue by strengthening Tesla's corporate governance and oversight in order to protect investors," said Stephanie Avakian, co-director of the SEC's Enforcement Division. Steven Peikin, also co-director of the SEC's Enforcement Division, said the resolution is intended to prevent further market disruption and harm to Tesla's shareholders. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 07:01:19|Editor: ZD Video Player Close BRUSSELS, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Tenth Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Meeting that concluded here has called for reinforcing multilateral cooperation through international fora and agreements in trade, climate change, security and other areas. A gathering of parliamentarians from more than 30 Asian and European countries, the event, held on Sept. 27-28, focused on climate change and environmental challenges as a priority for the planet and of multilateralism as a fair methodology to shape advanced and equitable internationals relationships. A declaration issued following the meeting says both Asia and Europe, representing more about 60 percent of world population and world gross domestic product (GDP), must reaffirm the common objective of promoting multilateralism as "the most effective and fair methodology" in addressing common issues. It calls for the "highest" political commitment to the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement in all its aspects, including, inter alia, mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology development and transfer, capacity-building and transparency of actions and support, in reflection of equity and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and capabilities. The meeting reiterates full support to the Iranian nuclear deal, saying "only mutual trust, cooperation and engagement through an increase of diplomatic, trade and people-to-people relations, can provide a stable and peaceful landscape." Moreover, participants reaffirm the central importance of international rules-based open, free, transparent and non-discriminatory trade. "In this context the WTO role is key, functioning as a negotiating forum for its members and providing a platform for open discussion on global trade related issues," the declaration notes. A delegation of China's National People's Congress (NPC), headed by Zhang Zhijun, vice chairman of NPC Foreign Affairs Committee, attended the event. Zhang expressed China's willingness to share experiences in environmental governance and economic development with other Asian and European countries and actively participate in the multilateral governance of climate change, in order to build an open, inclusive, clean, and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 07:24:55|Editor: mmm Video Player Close Ri Yong Ho, Foreign Minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), addresses the General Debate of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, on Sept. 29, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 07:26:22|Editor: ZD Video Player Close CHICAGO, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) agricultural commodities closed lower over the trading week which ended Sept. 28, as U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed more supplies than expected of U.S. grains and soybean in a report. The most active corn contract for December delivery fell 1 cent weekly, or 0.28 percent, to 3.5625 dollars per bushel. December wheat delivery dropped 12.25 cents, or 2.44 percent, to 5.09 dollars per bushel. November soybeans was 1.75 cents lower, or 0.21 percent, to 8.455 dollars. CBOT corn futures ended sharply lower on Friday but settled the week down only fractionally. The primary feature was yet another bearish USDA report, which raised new crop carryover stocks by 138 million bushels. Since the release of the USDA's July world crop supple and demand estimates report, total 2018/19 U.S. corn supplies have been raised 650 million bushels via old crop stocks and yield. Along with a likely shift in acres from soybeans to corn in 2019, the market now appears much more neutral. U.S. wheat futures ended the week over 12 cents lower, paced by renewed fund selling in Chicago. Analysts mention that world markets ended steady to higher, and so once again the United States has improved its position in the world export market. USDA stocks and production data was not surprising, and so the market will be allowed to trade prevailing world trends moving forward. Those trends include rising Black Sea cash prices, a strengthening ruble, and ongoing drought in Europe and Australia. Wheat fundamentals remain bullish longer term. Most important in the near term is the Russian government's new quality controls, which will work to slow their exports. Soybeans marked narrow week of trading and closed slightly lower on the week. Fund short covering ahead of the Quarterly Grain Stocks Report supported trade through much of the week, while larger than expected Sept. 1 soybean stocks took the market lower on Friday. USDA reported U.S. soybean stocks of 438 million bushels, which was above both expectations and the September world crop supple and demand estimates report. Much of the increase was due to an upward revision to the 2017 soybean crop. Harvest progress this week was slowed by rains in the U.S. Midwest, while progress across the Central and Southern states marched forward. Analysts expect that by Sunday evening 24-26 percent of the U.S. soybean crop will have been collected. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 07:41:24|Editor: ZD Video Player Close HOUSTON, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Local police from Dallas, Texas, the United States, informed Chinese consulate general in Houston Saturday that the suspect who murdered and injured two Chinese has been captured. The Chinese consulate general in Houston has posted the information on its official website Saturday, thanking the effort of police and hoping the murderer will soon be punished by law. A Chinese citizen was murdered and another one injured on Sept. 21 night in an attempted burglar in Dallas, about 380 km north of Houston. According to the Chinese Consulate-General, two Chinese citizens with stab wounds were rushed to a nearby hospital. One of them was pronounced dead, and the other's condition was not available yet. Local media reported that after interviewing several residents, homicide detectives learned that the woman who died had gone outside to walk her pet and was followed by the suspect back into her apartment. The suspect was described as a white man who was wearing a white and red t-shirt with a black design. The Chinese consulate general attaches great importance to it. Issuing a notice on its website, the consulate urged Chinese citizens to pay attention to safety and security. Dallas is the ninth largest city in the United States. According to a 2017 U.S. Census Bureau report, Asians account for 3.3 percent in city's total population. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 09:16:40|Editor: mmm Video Player Close SYDNEY, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Air Niugini has confirmed that all passengers on board Flight 73 from Pohnpei in Micronesia to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea had evacuated the aircraft after it overshot the runway and landed in water. While initial reports said that one passenger may not have been able to escape, on Saturday specialist divers from the United States completed an inspection of the Boeing 737-800 and found that all passengers were able to make their way off the aircraft. Authorities are still searching for the one passenger who remains unaccounted for, believing the individual to have been rescued by a local fishing boat. Six passengers were taken to a hospital after the incident, and so far two were discharged, while the other four remain in stable condition and were transported to Guam for further treatment. The majority of the 35 passengers and 12 crew have since been taken to Port Moresby on a specially arranged flight. The airline said investigations are underway as to why the plane overshot the runway and landed in waters off Chuuk State on Friday. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 10:11:47|Editor: ZD Video Player Close SUVA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Fijian government announced here on Sunday that the South Pacific Island nation will hold general elections on Nov. 14 this year. According to a statement by the Fijian government, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama advised Fijian President Jioji Konrote to dissolve the parliament on Sunday. "In accordance with Section 58(3) of the Fijian Constitution, His Excellency the President of the Republic of Fiji, on the advice of the Honourable Prime Minister, has dissolved Parliament on 30 September," the statement said. According to the constitution, President Konrote will issue the Writ of Elections on Monday. Fiji has a population of over 880,000, with more than 600,000 registered voters. The FijiFirst party, the island nation's ruling party, is ready to participate in the general elections by announcing 51 provisional candidates, including 11 women candidates recently. The number of polling venues has increased from 1,361 in 2014 to 1,435 in 2018. Fiji's latest general election was held in September 2014, the first ever since the country's 2006 coup. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 11:01:55|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi addresses the General Debate of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, on Sept. 28, 2018. Wang Yi on Friday delivered a speech at the General Debate of the UN General Assembly, endorsing multilateralism, world peace and free trade. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) by Xinhua writers Xu Xiaolei, Ma Jianguo UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi voiced his strong support for multilateralism at the ongoing General Debate of the UN General Assembly, receiving harmonic echoes from world leaders. PROTECTING MULTILATERALISM Wang dedicated a major part of his speech at the debate to multilateralism, which the UN is based on but more than ever faces challenges. "What we see today is that international rules and multilateral mechanisms are under attack, and the international landscape is filled with uncertainties and destabilizing factors," Wang said. "China's answer is clear-cut. All along, China has upheld the international order and pursued multilateralism," he added. Attacks on multilateralism were most manifested Tuesday in U.S. President Donald Trump's speech at the same debate. Denouncing globalism before world leaders, he proclaimed the American people "reject the ideology of globalism" in defense of his "America First" agenda. Upholding multilateralism was one of the messages UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres himself sent to world leaders in his remarks to the General Debate. "Multilateralism is under fire precisely when we need it most," he said, adding that as the world's problems grow, it represents the best path to meet the challenges that lie ahead. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas outlined on Friday a list of crises in the world, singling out "the crisis of multilateralism" as being at the root. "Multilateralism and sovereignty are not a contradiction in terms," Maas said, in clear rebuttal of Trump's remarks that assert American sovereignty and reject "global governance, control and domination." French President Emmanuel Macron called for "dialogue and multilateralism" to resolve the world's crises in his speech. "What will bring a real solution to the situation in Iran and what has already stabilized it? The law of the strongest? Pressure from only one side? No!" said Macron. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto also championed multilateralism, warning "we can no longer take the rules-based order for granted. It is our common responsibility to actively defend and develop it." Calling the UN "the core" of the multilateral system, the Finnish president said "the defense of multilateralism must begin here." Russia, South Africa, Brazil ... The list of the defenders goes on. Protecting multilateralism amid the attacks on it was voiced by most leaders who spoke at the marble podium. In his speech Friday, Wang recalled that the contemporary international order, which began with the founding of the United Nations, is based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and enhanced by the vision and practice of multilateralism. The order has, over the past 70 years or more, brought about general peace and rapid development, he said. To uphold multilateralism in the new era, Wang suggested that efforts be made to adhere to the following principles: pursuing win-win cooperation, acting upon rules and order, upholding fairness and justice, and delivering real results. In his meeting with Wang on Thursday, Guterres expressed appreciation for China's support for the United Nations and in safeguarding multilateralism. CONNECTED IN COOPERATION Three years ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered his speech from the same podium while the UN was marking the 70th anniversary of its founding. On international relations, Xi proposed building a new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation and creating a community with a shared future for mankind. China has been "walking the talk," as was shown by the stances Wang demonstrated and the concerns he addressed in his speech as well as bilateral and multi-lateral meetings. Taking the Belt and Road Initiative for example, Wang said at the General Debate that the initiative, proposed by Xi in 2013, is "a public good" China offers to the world. In an interview with Xinhua in May, Jeffrey Sachs, a Columbia University economist, dubbed the initiative "the world's largest infrastructure vision." Indeed, by September this year, over 130 countries and international organizations have signed agreements on Belt and Road cooperation with China, making it the largest platform for international cooperation, according to Wang. At a sideline photo exhibition on China's efforts in sustainable development Thursday, UN General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa and UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said China has helped push forward cooperation at the regional and global levels through the Belt and Road Initiative. Shared development was also highlighted in Wang's speech. China's path of development has provided the world with opportunities for shared development, he said. For the past four decades, he noted, China's foreign trade has registered an average annual growth of 14.5 percent, providing a lasting impetus to the world economy and a huge Chinese market. "China's development creates more trade opportunities for the world and provides a better investment environment for other countries," he said. Meanwhile, representing the largest developing country in the world, Wang pledged "unwavering" solidarity and cooperation with other developing countries. He said such a choice is decided by China's national status, institutional attributes and orientation of values, which will be unwavering despite China's development or changes in international situations. In this regard, at Thursday's photo exhibition, both Espinosa and Mohammed highlighted China's contribution to South-South cooperation as well as its key role in improving global governance. (Xinhua writers Wang Wen and Pan Lijun also contributed to the story.) (Video editor: Luo Hui) Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 12:37:06|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Nineteen suspects have been arrested and nearly 1,000 tickets have been confiscated by the Beijing railway police since Sept. 1, as its campaign against ticket scalping intensifies. In a single case, a total of 578 tickets were hoarded by one suspect and later confiscated. The suspect had planned to sell the tickets at a higher price to holiday passengers. The campaign launched on Sept. 1 will last 40 days until Oct. 10, during which the police will put train stations and surrounding areas under closer surveillance. Ticket scalping and counterfeiting are major problems around public holidays as the demand for tickets is high. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 13:42:18|Editor: ZD Video Player Close LOS ANGELES, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- A newly installed pedestal for commemorative statue honoring Bruce Lee, the legendary Chinese American icon, was unveiled on Friday at the Central Plaza in Los Angeles Chinatown. The 7-foot bronze statue is the only one officially recognized by the Lee family. It was temporarily installed in 2013, pending a permanent spot in Chinatown. "The Los Angeles Chinatown Corporation's unveiling of the Bruce Lee Statue will be a towering site to admire, especially when it's the only one in the USA," said Kevin de Leon, senator of the State of California, at the ceremony. "The bronze icon along with the community is elevated with the celebration of New Chinatown's 80th anniversary. This momentous event will memorialize the tradition, culture and history of the neighborhood," the senator added. "I am glad to see my father's statue installed in the permanent home in Chinatown 45 years after his passing," said Shannon Lee, Bruce Lee's daughter and Chairwoman of the Bruce Lee Foundation. "Although he was born in San Francisco, my father had a deeper connection with Los Angeles Chinatown." Bruce Lee was a key figure in making Chinese Kung Fu popular throughout the world. Lee made his name in Hollywood after his appearance in the TV series titled The Green Hornet in 1966, and began to teach martial arts in the United States in the 1960s. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 13:52:21|Editor: ZX Video Player Close Performers of a Chinese art troupe perform in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sept. 29, 2018. Performers of a Chinese art troupe have displayed traditional cultural arts in Afghanistan's capital Kabul. (Xinhua/Rahmat Alizadah) KABUL, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Performers of a Chinese art troupe have displayed traditional cultural arts in Afghanistan's capital Kabul. The Gansu Arts Troupe performers displayed martial arts, circus, traditional music, dance and acrobatics at the Kabul University's Fine Arts Faculty on Saturday, where tens of audiences including teachers and students have attended the show. The troupe, hosted by the Chinese embassy in Afghanistan, had staged their performance at the Afghan Presidential Palace a couple of days ago, where majority of the audiences were the country's martyrs' children, besides senior officials. The next performance of the art group would be in the central province of Bamyan. Azada Ahmaid, a student of Chinese language at the Kabul University, said the performance, including Chinese dance and other Chinese culture, enthralled the students. "This the first time I watch such a beautiful Chinese show. Afghan students will learn much from the beauty of Chinese culture through traditional Chinese dance, colorful costumes, and both ancient and contemporary music and theater," she said. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 13:52:22|Editor: mmm Video Player Close by Raul Menchaca HAVANA, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Saturday took the chance to attract more American tourists to the Caribbean island nation when meeting with representatives from various American sectors, including the travel industry. At the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York where he attended the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, the Cuban head of state introduced the opportunities for the entities dedicated to the exchanges and travel between Cuba and the United States. In an environment described by the Cuban press as "relaxed and understanding," Diaz-Canel said that for him it was very important to meet with the sectors that favor the dialogue and relations between the two countries, both at the levels of people and government. "That has been precisely the fundamental peace message that we have brought," he said. Despite the recent "circumstances" that have caused a setback in these relations between Cuba and the United States, he said that Cuba will "continue to insist and maintain our will to continue the bilateral dialogue based on respect." The presence of the U.S. travel industry in Cuba has helped boost the arrivals of people motivated by the island's culture, history and nature, as well as the academic, scientific and cultural exchanges, he said. "Cuba is an open country to the relations with the travel agencies. We have raised the development of tourism as a priority for our country. In the last twenty years our hotel capacity has grown greatly," said the Cuban leader. "Two decades ago, such an important tourist pole as Varadero had only three or four hotels. Today it has more than 25,000 rooms," said Diaz-Canel. The president explained that currently there are more than 20 hotel chains and a significant number of travel agencies in Cuba, so the flow of tourists has been growing in recent periods, and last year the country saw more than 4.5 million visitors. Diaz-Canel proposed seeing tourism as "a spiritual and emotional exchange", instead of a simple business. "Through traveling it is easy to know better other countries and understand their people. Through tourism it is possible to share cultural influences, culture and history. Traveling fosters friendship, and it is precisely this holistic vision of tourism to which we aspire in the relations we propose to the United States," he said. The meeting was attended by the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Thomas J. Donohue, senior executives of hotels, cruise operators, airlines, as well as lawyers, academics, advisors and consultants. For months, Washington and Havana have been embroiled in a bitter dispute over the U.S. accusations of alleged sonic attacks against its diplomats accredited on the island. That dispute caused a serious setback in bilateral relations, especially after the U.S. government ordered the withdrawal of almost its staff from the embassy in Havana. The White House keeps Cuba on the second level of four possible ones in a list about countries with travel risks. Yet, despite these restrictions, more than 430,000 Americans have visited the island by September 2018, according to Cuba's official figures. In 2017, over 619,000 Americans toured the island despite the travel alert. Also about 400,000 Cubans living in the United States visited their country of origin. This year, the figures have decreased significantly, but experts believe that more than 400,000 arrivals of American visitors in the first nine months has served as an indicator of the rising interest for the Caribbean nation. A study by the International Monetary Fund estimates that between 3 and 5 million Americans would visit Cuba every year if the half a century U.S. embargo were lifted. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 14:02:23|Editor: mmm Video Player Close DHAKA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of local and foreign representatives have attended a reception in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka to celebrate the 69th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Zhang Zuo, who hosted the reception, welcomed the guests including ministers, law makers, diplomats, senior politicians, journalists and top businessmen, among others, at the event. In his welcome speech, Zhang pointed out China's remarkable achievements over the past 69 years, including decades of reform and opening-up as China embarked on the journey of economic prosperity and national rejuvenation. The ambassador highlighted the glorious journey of over four decades of Bangladesh-China ties which were upgraded to a strategic partnership of cooperation in 2016. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 14:47:31|Editor: mmm Video Player Close LOS ANGELES, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Exports of California table grapes to China have dropped around 40 percent since China was forced to retaliate by imposing extra tariffs on U.S. productions in mid June, a local newspaper reported on Saturday. The Sierra Sun Times, the only daily updated online newspaper in Mariposa county, a major table grape plant area in Central California, reported the huge declines Saturday with the newest data released by the California Farm Bureau Federation last week. Meanwhile, local growers estimated that the prices of table grapes have fallen as much as 40 percent from a year ago, the California-based Bakersfield.com news site reported early this month. The China-U.S. trade frictions, ignited by the White House despite of strong opposition and criticism across the world, will harm the two countries' economies as well as the global growth. Trade tariffs may cost U.S. table grapes exports 83 million U.S. dollars based on 3.2 percent of total production exported to affected markets, including the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and others, according to a report from the University of California, Davis (UCD) in August. Typically, more than one-third of the Golden State's table grape production is exported, and shippers have been seeking new markets for the grapes, reported the Sierra Sun Times. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the purchase of 48.2 million dollars worth of grapes. However, industry sources said the government's plan would be far short of covering the full amount of losses incurred by tariffs and lost export markets, especially when considering the long-term impact. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 15:07:35|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close HANOI, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- The remains of two pilots of a training fighter aircraft, which crashed to a mountain in 1971, have been found in Vietnam's northern Thai Nguyen province, the provincial military command said on Sunday. Local searching teams found the remains of the two pilots and some of their belongings such as gloves and parts of clothes on Friday on Tam Dao mountain in Thai Nguyen. The MiG-21U aircraft went missing on April 30, 1971 during a training flight over an area in the two provinces of Thai Nguyen and Vinh Phuc. Vietnam has searched for the aircraft for years. In 2017, local people found some debris of the aircraft on a slope, and since then more searching teams have been established to search for the two pilots. The remains, now pending for DNA analysis, are widely believed to be Vietnamese pilot and his trainer, a pilot of the former Soviet Union, a senior officer of the command said, adding that initial investigation showed that their aircraft crashed near the mountain's top, leaving a 3-meter-deep hole. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 15:12:36|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close FAIZABAD, Afghanistan, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- At least one police personnel lost his life and six others sustained injuries after a group of Taliban militants stormed a security checkpoint in Shahr-e-Bazarg district of Afghanistan's northern Badakhshan province on Sunday, provincial police spokesman Sanahullah Rohani said. According to the official, a group of Taliban militants stormed a checkpoint in Dawing area of Shahr-e-Bazarg district in the early hours of Sunday and police returned fire that lasted for a while during which one police constable was killed and six others injured. Several Taliban militants were also killed and injured in the firefight, the official said, but did not give the exact number. Meanwhile, Zabihullah Majahid who claims to speak for the Taliban outfit in contact with media has confirmed the fighting and claimed the militants had overrun a security checkpoint after inflicting casualties on police personnel. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 15:30:53|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close People taste craft beer at a booth at the BC Hop Festival in Abbotsford, Canada, Sept. 29, 2018. Canada's BC Hop Festival returns for its 4th years featuring over 40 local craft beer breweries to celebrate the harvest season of the hop - a small but important ingredient which create flavor to the beer. (Xinhua/Liang Sen) Feature: Fishermen struggle to survive in Yemen's war-torn Hodeidah Xinhua Weibo Facebook Twitter Reddit Diigo Delicious Digg Linkedin MySpace Sina Weibo Kaixin Renren Q-zone Tencent Weibo Sohu Weibo NetEase Weibo Source: Xinhua | 2018-09-30 16:42:49 | Editor: huaxia Hodeidah fishermen display the fish they caught for sale after they return from fishing at a coast in the Red Sea in Yemen's Hodeidah city, on September 28, 2018. (Xinhua/Mohammed Mohammed) by Mohammed Mohammed, Mohamed al-Azaki HODEIDAH, Yemen, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Fishermen in the Yemen's port city of Hodeidah have been faced with a difficult choice each morning: either to keep watching their children who are at risk of starving to death or to go fishing under fears of the heavy airstrikes. Fishing in the Red Sea is a main source of income for thousands of poor families living in the war-torn city. Abdullah Ibrahim, in his 30s, is one of the city's fishermen who has lost many of his colleagues under bombardment while fishing off the shore. "We are suffering...we go for fishing and it could cost us the very high price, the price is our lives," Ibrahim told Xinhua. "Also there is a naval blockade, if we go fishing today, then the next day we maybe couldn't," Ibrahim said while he was leaning on his wooden boat. "Life becomes very difficult and there is no other work instead," Ibrahim added. Since June, the Saudi-led coalition has regularly issued warnings to fishermen to keep away from battleships and military zones off Hodeidah shore. The warplanes, Apache helicopters, battleships, artillery forces have sustainedly hit inside the city. The coalition has so far kept the city's port open for aid and commercial ships. Hodeidah fishermen display the fish they caught for sale after they return from fishing at a coast in the Red Sea in Yemen's Hodeidah city, on September 28, 2018. (Xinhua/Mohammed Mohammed) Ten days ago, a frigate attacked a fishing boat off Hodeidah's Red Sea port of al-Khoukha, killing 18 fishermen and injuring another one, according to the one who survived the attack. Colonel Turki al-Maliki, the coalition spokesman, said in a statement that such report of some media is "baseless." Al-Maliki added that "unknown vessel opened fire on the fishermen, killing 17," accusing the Houthi rebels of carrying similar attacks in the past. Another fisherman, Saeed Ahmed, said fishing has become a nightmare. He expressed his fears that he could lost his life any time on the sea, describing fishing as "road of no return." "Now, we couldn't fishing for two hours in safe," Ahmed said. The battle for Hodeidah began in June, in which the government forces had advanced from Mocha, a southwestern port city under the government control, to al-Durayhemi and Tahita districts, capturing both areas on the southern and eastern edge of the port city. The military advance paused shortly in August to allow for more peace efforts by the UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, to bring the warring parties to the negotiation table in Geneva. According to residents in Hodeidah, fighting has intensified since earlier September, following the collapse of the UN-hosted peace talks in Geneva on Sept. 8 as the Houthi rebel delegation did not show up. Aid agencies in Yemen identified that close to 500,000 people had fled homes in Hodeidah between June and August. In the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, fishes are very expensive, with only few middle-class families can afford to buy. Fish dealer Ali Jabir said his business has become very weak because of the skyrocketing prices and the decrease of customers. "The Kilo 16 road, through which the trip from Hodeidah to Sanaa usually takes four-hour drive, has been closed since earlier in September," Jabir said. "Now we have to drive more than 15 hours through the southeastern mountainous road of Jabal al-Shark to the southern province of Dhamar and then to Sanaa," he added. Talal al-Mesyabi, a middle-class resident of Sanaa and father of two girls, said he used to buy his family fish everyday three months ago. "But now, I can afford one fish meal only at the end of the month," Talal said. A man looks into the sea at the port of Hodeidah, Yemen, on September 29, 2018. (Xinhua/Mohammed Mohammed) Yemen has been locked into a civil war since Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces, including the 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 Houthi rebels forced him into exile. The war has killed more than 10,000 people and displaced over three million others. According to the UN reports, some 18 million of the 29 million Yemenis, including a high proportion of children, are food insecure. More than 8 million of them are severely food insecure, meaning they do not know where their next meal will come from. The international charity Save The Children also warned that 5.2 million Yemeni children are at risk of famine. Xinhua Weibo Facebook Twitter Reddit Diigo Delicious Digg Linkedin MySpace Sina Weibo Kaixin Renren Q-zone Tencent Weibo Sohu Weibo NetEase Weibo Back to Top Close File photo: An Emirates plane taxis to a gate at Dubai International Airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on March 22, 2017. (AP Photo/Adam Schreck) DUBAI, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Dubai International Airport denied Yemeni Houthi rebels' reports that the airport was attacked by drones, the Dubai government's media office said on Sunday. "With regards to reports by questionable sources this morning, Dubai Airports can confirm that Dubai International Airport is operating as normal without any interruption," the office tweeted. On Sunday, Houthi media claimed to have attacked the airport, which welcomed 88.2 million passengers in 2017, with drones. Iranian media outlet Press TV quickly spread the Houthi claims through twitter. The United Arab Emirates is part of the Saudi-led Arab coalition that has been fighting the Shiite Houthi rebels since March 2015 to support the internationally-recognized government led by Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. The coalition accuses Iran of arming the Shiite Houthis, who have fired scores of ballistic missiles on Saudi troops and cities since the outbreak of hostilities. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 18:13:01|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close CARACAS, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan officials expressed their gratitude to Chinese naval hospital ship "Peace Ark" on Saturday as it left the country after giving aid for a week. Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez thanked the crew of the "Peace Ark" for the medical aid they offered since their arrival on Sept. 22. The vice president praised the crew's efforts and the whole of China for "the military cooperation of peace and happiness, not for hate, intolerance or political belligerence." "This is the type of cooperation that consolidates the China-Venezuela relations," she added. According to Rodriguez, the week that the "Peace Ark" spent in Venezuela was "a loving encounter where the Venezuelan people were attended to with all the capacity of a hospital of this size, one of the largest in the world." In turn, Lopez thanked the crew, who stopped in Venezuela as part of their "Harmony 2018" mission. "It seems that distance unites us. We have received warmth, bonding and love from the 380 crew of this vessel," he said. Lopez also thanked the Chinese embassy in Venezuela and added that the crew had been well-received by Venezuelans across the city. "The doors and ports of Venezuela are always open to the people and the government of China," he said. The naval hospital ship carries eight boats, a helicopter and 300 hospital beds. There are eight operating rooms and various laboratories on board. More than 3,500 people were attended to in Venezuela, bringing the total number of patients given aid by the "Peace Ark" to 180,000. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 18:18:01|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Eritrea on Saturday asked for the lifting of sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council since the country signed a historic peace deal with neighboring Ethiopia on 9, July. "The sanctions imposed on Eritrea for the last nine years have entailed considerable economic damage to the country and unnecessary hardships on its people," Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh Mohammed said in his speech at the UN General Assembly. "As I stressed earlier, the people of Eritrea have not committed a crime or transgression that impels them to seek clemency. As such, they are not only calling for the immediate rescinding of the sanctions but they are also asking, and deserve, amends for the damages incurred and opportunities forfeited," Mohammed said. Ethiopia requested the lifting of sanctions on Eritrea after the two countries signed a historic Joint Declaration of Peace and Friendship on July 9 and agreed to normalize relations. But the Security Council has failed to do so as council members were not united on the issue. "Some countries are looking for procedural and other pretexts and preconditions. The apparent aim is to move the goalpost and maintain the illegal sanctions on Eritrea," said the foreign minister. The Security Council imposed sanctions on Eritrea in 2009 for its destabilizing role in neighboring countries, particularly its alleged support for Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia and its territorial dispute with Djibouti. Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993 and the two countries fought a war from 1998 to 2000. Although a peace agreement was signed in December 2000, tensions continued. The July 9 Joint Declaration officially put an end to war, and Eritrea and Djibouti later agreed to normalize relations. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 18:38:09|Editor: ZX Video Player Close SHIBERGHAN, Afghanistan, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- At least one police officer lost life and another sustained injuries as a roadside bomb struck a police vehicle in Kham Ab district of the northern Jawzjan province on Sunday, a provincial police spokesman said. "A mine planted by enemies on a road in Deo Qala village of Kham Ab district struck a police van today, killing one police personnel and injuring another," Hekmatullah Aminzada told Xinhua. Without providing more details, the official said that investigation is underway. Taliban militants who are in control of parts of the restive Kham Ab district haven't commented. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 18:48:13|Editor: ZX Video Player Close DUBLIN, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- A total of 1.2 million people visited Ireland in August 2018, up 7.6 percent compared with the same month of last year, according to the latest statistics released by the country's national statistics bureau CSO. Tourists from Europe other than Britain continued to rank in the first place in terms of the tourist number with the August figure standing at 427,200 people, followed by Britain (405,000), the United States and Canada (286,800), and the rest of the world (83,200). The sharpest growth was witnessed in the number of tourists from the United States and Canada, which increased by 11.7 percent in August when compared with the same period last year. Strong growth was also recorded in the number of tourists from the rest of the world other than Europe and the United States and Canada with the August growth rate reaching 10.6 percent year-on-year. The growth rates in the August number of tourists from Britain and Europe other than Britain stood at 2.2 percent and 9.7 percent respectively. During the first eight months of this year, the total number of tourists to Ireland reached 7.24 million people, over half a million more people or up 7.8 percent compared with the corresponding period last year, according to the CSO figures. Last year nearly 10 million tourists visited Ireland, generating a total of 6.5 billion euros (7.5 billion U.S. dollars) for the local tourist industry, according to Tourism Ireland. When fares were excluded, tourists spent a total of 4.9 billion euros in Ireland in 2017, up 6.5 percent over 2016, it said. (1 euro=1.16 U.S. dollars) Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 20:08:25|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close China's Ambassador to Jordan Pan Weifang (L) and Jordan's Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Mary Kawar shake hands at the signing ceremony in Amman, Jordan, Sept. 30, 2018. Jordan and China signed on Sunday a grant of 31.5 million U.S. dollars to finance a major infrastructure project in the kingdom. (Xinhua/Mohammad Abu Ghosh) AMMAN, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Jordan and China signed on Sunday a grant of 31.5 million U.S. dollars to finance a major infrastructure project in the kingdom. Under the deal, China will provide the grant for implementing a project to expand and rehabilitate Al-Salt-Arda highway, according to a statement by Jordanian Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation. The deal was signed by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Mary Kawar and China's Ambassador to Jordan Pan Weifang. The minister stressed on the importance of the project to Jordan, adding that it is part of China's continued support to Jordan. She added that the design and implementation will be carried out by China, adding that the project will help enhance services in various sectors such as tourism and agriculture. The minister voiced appreciation for China's continued support to Jordan in various areas, which helps the country face increasing challenges. The Chinese ambassador in Amman voiced his country's commitment to continue supporting the Jordanian government with various technical and financial projects and enhance ties in various aspects. He added that China is a key supporter to Jordan's development and is implementing several projects and investment in various sectors such as health, education, energy, ICT and infrastructure. Since 1999 to 2016, China had provided loans and grants to Jordan valued at 225.7 million U.S. dollars. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 20:28:28|Editor: ZX Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday sent a congratulatory message to Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on his election as the president of Maldives. In his message, Xi said China and Maldives share a longstanding friendship, and China is committed to developing relations with Maldives on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. China is willing to work with Maldives to continue to cement their friendship and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields to better benefit the people of both countries. Xi said he highly values the development of China-Maldives relations and is willing to join hands with Solih to lift the comprehensive friendly cooperative partnership between China and Maldives to a new level. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 20:53:32|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close TEHRAN, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- At least 27 people died in Iran after drinking poisonous alcohol over the past three days, Iran's Emergency Department said on Sunday. Mojtaba Khaledi, the spokesman for the department, told official IRNA news agency that 16 victims were from the southern Hormuzgan province, four from the central Alborz province, four from the North Khorasan province in north eastern Iran, and three others from western Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province. Khaledi said that 275 other people have gone under medical treatment due to drinking poisonous alcohol. He urged people to immediately refer to treatment centers in case they drink alcohol and experience symptoms such as nausea, headache and double vision. Drinking alcohol is banned in Iran and punishable by floggings and cash fines. However, some Iranians drink homemade alcoholic beverages available at low prices. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 21:13:35|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close TEHRAN, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Senior military officials from Iran and Pakistan on Sunday discussed defense cooperation as well as security along the common border, Tasnim news agency reported. In their Sunday meeting here in Tehran, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces for Internal Affairs, Brigadier General Qadir Nezami, and Pakistan's Defense Secretary, Lieutenant General Ikramul Haq, reviewed plans to accelerate concerted action against terrorism and organized crimes. Iranian and Pakistani commanders have held several meetings in recent months to coordinate regional cooperation and fight against terrorist groups that launch occasional attacks on Iranian border guards from inside Pakistan. In April, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami called for the enhancement of military cooperation with Pakistan in a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart in Moscow, saying close interaction between the two neighbors would contribute to regional peace and stability. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 21:13:35|Editor: ZX Video Player Close NEW DELHI, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in India organised functions in the Indian capital over the past two days to celebrate the 69th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China which falls on Oct.1. They were attended by a host of diplomats, former envoys, academicians, foreign dignitaries, journalists and people from varied fields in India. In his address, Chinese Ambassador Luo Zhaohui said that since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, great achievements have been made in the socioeconomic development of the country. This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up, he said, noting that with unremitting efforts, China has become the world's second largest economy and over the past 40 years 700 million Chinese have shaken off poverty. With regard to the China-India ties, Luo said relations between the two countries have improved greatly since this year, and he expressed the belief that China and India can make the world better if they work together. The guests spoke highly of the progress China has made since its reform and opening-up and hoped to learn more from China's experience. They also expressed their wish that the China-India relations grow steadily in a sound manner. The events were marked by splendid performances and the ballet dances, performed by Chinese artists, drew huge applause from the audience. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 21:43:38|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close DAMASCUS, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- A Turkey-backed rebel group started withdrawing heavy military gears from the planned demilitarized zone in northern Syria, a war monitor reported on Sunday. Failaq al-Sham, a rebel group of around 10,000 fighters, started pulling out heavy military machines from areas in the southern countryside of Aleppo province in northern Syria and the western countryside of Aleppo, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The watchdog group said the initial withdrawal comes by the group to please the Turkish side, which along with the Russians, have agreed to establish a demilitarized zone as of Oct. 15 between the Syrian forces and the rebel groups. The demilitarized zone is planned to be established in areas between Aleppo, the northeastern countryside of Latakia province and the northwestern province of Idlib. The Observatory said only Failaq al-Sham, deemed as the third most powerful rebel group in northern Syria, took the initiative to start withdrawing from Aleppo countryside. Meanwhile, the war monitor said that three rebel groups of 6,000 fighters have rejected the plan of creating a demilitarized zone in northern Syria. The most powerful group of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which is otherwise known as the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, has yet to give a stance about the demilitarized zone. The Observatory, which relies on a network of activists on the ground, said that many of the rebel groups in Idlib, which is the last major rebel stronghold in Syria, do not dare to give an opinion about the Turkish-Russian deal as they are backed by Turkey. Throughout the more than seven-year-long war, Idlib has emerged as the main destination and stronghold for the rebels fleeing other parts of Syria through deals or surrender. The Syrian government estimates that up to 50,000 rebels are located in Idlib. The al-Qaida-linked groups, including the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, also referred to as the Nusra Front, are the most powerful among other rebel factions in Idlib. Due to the presence of many rebel groups with different affiliations in Idlib, the lawlessness has ramped up dramatically in recent months. The Observatory said Thursday that 319 people, including civilians and rebel fighters, had been killed in the last five months as a result of the lawlessness. Earlier in September, Turkey, a backer of the opposition, and Russia, which is the key backer of the Syrian government, agreed to establish a demilitarized zone at a depth between 15 km to 20 km between the Syrian forces and the rebels in Idlib. The deal averted Idlib a wide-scale military offensive by the Syrian army, which expressed divisiveness in dealing with Idlib as it is the last major rebel stronghold in Syria. According to the deal, the rebels would withdraw from the demilitarized zone along with heavy weapons. The establishment of the demilitarized zone is set for Oct. 15. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 21:58:41|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with a group of foreign experts and their relatives, who had recently received the Friendship Award, given annually by the Chinese government to honor outstanding foreign experts in China, in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 30, 2018. Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng also attended the meeting. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei) BEIJING, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Sunday that foreign talent and intellectual resources was an important component of China's innovation system. Li made the remarks when meeting at the Great Hall of the People with a group of foreign experts who had recently received the Friendship Award, given annually by the Chinese government to honor outstanding foreign experts in China. He spoke highly of the important contributions made by foreign experts to promote China's economic and social development, and exchanges between China and foreign countries. This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up, Li said. "China's determination to advance reform and opening-up will never change with the reform and opening-up being intensified," he said. "China will further ease market access, implement just and fair supervision, guarantee fair competition of different ownership subjects, and work to create an open, transparent, stable and expectable market and law environment for domestic and foreign enterprises as well as all kinds of talent." Li said China welcomed more foreign experts to play a bigger role in the country's innovation development and hoped that domestic and foreign talent could work together to promote the innovation and progress of world science and technology and civilization, as well as the healthy development of economic globalization. "China will make no exception in providing more opportunities to all talent and will protect intellectual property rights in a stricter way," Li said, adding China will continue to implement a more active, open and effective talent introduction policy, and will provide more convenience for foreign talent working in China. Foreign experts said they would continue to make contributions to China's development and progress of human civilization. The foreign experts and their relatives were invited to attend a reception celebrating the 69th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces speaks during an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 27, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) by Xinhua writer Wang Jiangang UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces has praised China's role in global governance and displayed a strong will to defend multilateralism and the rules-based global order. In an exclusive interview with Xinhua Thursday on the sidelines of the general debate of the 73rd session of the UNGA (UNGA 73), Espinosa said that she will try her utmost to bring the UN closer to the people and vice versa. CHINA: CONSENSUS BUILDER "China has a very important role to play in consensus-building on very important issues" from the perspective of the General Assembly, said Espinosa. Referring to China as "a very powerful stakeholder," the second largest contributor to the UN and a permanent member of the Security Council, she said China is one of the countries that have done more by using "fast-track mechanism" to implement the 2030 sustainable development goals (SDGs). "In terms of a consensus builder, China is a leader and a promoter of this development agenda," she noted. Espinosa has also spoken highly of China's leading role on such international issues as climate change where China is one of the countries "with stronger performance on the reconversion of the energy matrix." Espinosa said that she backs China's increasing investment of resources and technologies to boost low carbon technologies and renewable energy. China is really commendable, because it's a driving force to help the world meet the mitigation targets within the Paris agreement, she noted. Besides, the UNGA president gave thumbs up to China's contributions to UN's peace and security agenda. UPHOLDING MULTILATERALISM, GLOBAL ORDER From trade to climate change to development and fighting diseases, world leaders and high-level representatives have mounted the podium of the UNGA over the past few days to deliver a ringing endorsement of multilateralism, singling out a strengthened UN as the prime tool for improving humanity's lot. "Multilateralism is the only way to address global challenges," said Espinosa, noting that "global leadership and collective action" are needed. The UN is the "house for multilateralism," she said. "If we make sure that the organization delivers for the people that we will represent and serve, we are going to be better off," she added. "That's why I have put an emphasis on making the United Nations more relevant to all people, which means to bring the organization closer to the people and the people closer to the organization," she noted. The theme of the current UNGA session is "Making the United Nations Relevant to All People: Global Leadership and Shared Responsibilities for Peaceful, Equitable and Sustainable Societies", which, Espinosa said, means that the UN should translate its work into people's daily lives, and to "really touch the lives and improve the lives and the livelihood of people on the ground." "The parliament of multilateralism, and the parliament of the world is the General Assembly," she said, expressing the hope that she could be "up to the expectations and the needs of people in need around the world." Pointing out that multilateralism is "being threatened and put under question," she felt relieved that more than 130 heads of government and state have come to New York "to have dialogues, express their views, and have bilateral meetings." On the significance of protecting global order, she said that "we need rules and regulations to ensure that our interaction with other countries, and our commitments that our common challenges are addressed in a way that is predictable, organized and in accordance with international law." She stressed the need to "deliver and strengthen the rules-based international system," noting that it is the common responsibility of all UN member states. PRIORITIES Regarding the priorities for the UNGA 73, Espinosa said that the seven priorities for this session "were the outcome of consultations with more than 100 member states." "After talking with member states and looking at the 40 mandates and over 15 high-level events and conferences over the course of the session, we have come up with seven priorities," she said. "Why seven?" Espinosa explained, "we need to deliver seven days a week, we need to work for the disenfranchised, for the poor, for the refugees, seven days a week. Climate change doesn't stop on Fridays. We will work as needed to deliver on the seven priorities." "I have taken the liberty of proposing the following seven priority items for this session: First of all, gender equality and empowering women must continue to be a priority until it is actually achieved," she said. The second priority would be "promoting and implementing new global compact on migration and refugees," said Espinosa. "It is our duty to seek to protect the millions of refugees across the world and gear our efforts towards safe, orderly and regular migration," she noted. Among other priorities are providing opportunities for decent work for youth, women and persons with disabilities, focusing more on the environment, strengthening political and social commitment to persons with disabilities, revitalizing the UN, and giving priority to peace and security. Talking about how to make the UN more relevant to all people, Espinosa said that the UN should really "serve the people in need, serve the refugees and people who suffer most." "We should make people know that their own leaders are working under the umbrella of the United Nations to make their lives better and to touch their lives in the positive way," she said. The UN General Assembly on June 5 picked Espinosa, Ecuador's minister for foreign affairs and human mobility, to be the president of its 73rd session. She formally took over the UNGA presidency on Sept. 17 from Slovakia's Miroslav Lajcak. The tenure is one year. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 22:58:53|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close A barista brews traditional Turkish coffee during the Ankara Coffee Festival in Ankara, Turkey, Sept. 29, 2018. Thousands of coffee lovers flocked to the three-day Ankara Coffee Festival in Turkey, the land of the Turkish coffee, for a cup of the increasingly popular hot or cold beverage, an event blending traditional and modern culture. (Xinhua/Qin Yanyang) by Burak Akinci ANKARA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of coffee lovers flocked to the three-day Ankara Coffee Festival in Turkey, the land of the Turkish coffee, for a cup of the increasingly popular hot or cold beverage, an event blending traditional and modern culture. In Turkey coffee is more than a drink. It is often drunk in small coffee shops. While the drinks are tiny and the coffee is strong, it is meant for sipping and lingering, for conversation, even for telling fortunes from the coffee grounds left in the cup. That coffee tradition dates back to the 14th century and has since entrenches itself in the popular culture. Since the start of the new millennium, leading international coffee brands from around the world have opened many shops across Turkey's cities luring customers to new tastes and brewing techniques. The third annual Ankara Coffee Festival brings together the leading brands and tastes of the coffee trend, professional baristas from the region, design products, live music performances and seminars and workshops. "I can't do without a cup of filter coffee in the morning, I study better when I have my coffee fix in the morning," a university student who names himself Deniz told Xinhua. Nowadays you can find both Turkish coffee and various tastes of coffee, African, Asian, American or South American in many coffee shops, big or boutique ones. "My parents are very fond of Turkish coffee which is too strong to my taste and I don't have the time to sit down and linger around so in the morning or after a good meal I go to a Starbucks or another shop to have a large coffee," said Turgut Yucel, an employee of a technology company in the Ankara suburb. He said at the festival he learned brewing techniques from experienced baristas. "I am learning to teach my palate so it will get acquainted to the many different coffee variations of the planet. I am now much more aware of what I am drinking." As coffee drinkers increase in Turkey, where tea drinkers still dominate by far, organizers of the Ankara event are keen to present "a unique experience to coffee lovers." "Coffee culture is on the rise in our country among the young generation, so we are bringing them new flavors and aroma and bald to host thousands of coffee lovers," said Ayhan Aytekin, the director of the Bilkent Center shopping mall which hosted the festival. The festival organized by Dream Sales Machine kicked off Friday and features 90 brands. Around 8,000 coffee lovers attended the 2016 event, while the festival hosted over 15.000 visitors in 2017. Perhaps the most crowded stand was the one of the famous Turkish brand, Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi, meaning Turkish coffee by Mehmet Efendi, which has been roasting coffee since 1871. Today it has become the biggest and the oldest coffee company in Turkey and is highly recommended by consumers in Turkey and also abroad where it's fame is undisputed. "People have the impression that we produce only Turkish coffee which is not true. In the early 1930s, we were roasting beans for espresso or filter coffee for mostly our foreign clientele in Istanbul," explained Melih Karagul who is in charge of the quality branch at the company. "We export Turkish coffee to 55 countries abroad but we are not only a Turkish coffee producer and retailer," he said. The festival is also an opportunity for small businesses to showcase their passion and their knowledge of coffee to consumers. Many young male and female baristas served freshly brewed coffee to a curious crowd. The event also hosted a number of interactive workshops, panel sessions, live concerts, art exhibitions with design products and food related to coffee so that visitors would get the latest updates on coffee and lifestyle trends. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 23:23:59|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close BRATISLAVA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of people attended White Night 2018 in Bratislava on Saturday night, the largest festival of contemporary arts in Slovakia, reported by the local media on Sunday. According to the director of the festival Zuzana Pacakova, the fourth edition of the festival transforms the center of Bratislava into a night walk through the outdoor performance of contemporary arts. "We are a festival of light, but we also combine artistic genres with architecture," said Pacakova. According to Pacakova, this year is the most demanding of both organizational and technical aspects. "There are 196 visual artists, musicians, performers and designers from several countries around the world, which together created 44 artistic stops. It looks very simple, but some installations were very difficult. The baloon on the Primacial square were installed by 30 people," pointed out Pacakova. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-30 23:59:05|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BANGKOK, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha felt sorry for the incident that a Thai security guard hit a Chinese tourist at an airport and ordered quick confidence building measures for Chinese tourists on Sunday, according to a government news release. The release by Thai government's official website said that the prime minister felt sorry for the incident, which should not have happened and has affected Thailand's national image. "Though the Chinese tourist had some inappropriate behaviors, officials must be service-minded and conduct in line with international standard as Airports are the first gateway to Thailand," the government website quoted Prayut as saying. Latest reports from Airports of Thailand PLC. said the guard received suspension and would be sacked and the general manager of the airport received a 30-day suspension. Airports of Thailand PLC. will offer an apology to the Chinese tourist through the Chinese Embassy, the website said. Prayut also said related bodies, namely the tourism and sport ministry, the transport ministry and Royal Thai police need to make governmental service more transparent and fair, as well as to work harder to facilitate foreign visitors especially Chinese tourists, who are losing confidence to come to Thailand after a boat tragedy in Phuket in July. The security guard at Bangkok's Don Mueang airport has come under fire after a video clip showing him slapping a Chinese tourist on the face went viral. The clip showed the guard and the Chinese man quarreling before the guard shoved the man and raised a hand and hit him. It has drawn a flurry of criticism against the attacker. The incident took place on Thursday when the tourist failed to pass immigration and was then taken to a detention room as he could not show a return ticket after visiting Thailand as well as his address in the country. But he refused to stay and left, according to the airport. The Chinese man, who later returned to China, earlier said on social media that the quarrel was caused by his refusal to give the immigration employees a tip and later said he accepted the apology from the Thai side. In August some 860,000 of the 3.2 million tourists who visited Thailand were from the Chinese mainland, according to Thai government statistics. The numbers represent a nearly 12 percent decline in visits from the Chinese mainland from the same period last year. A gorilla is seen at Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, Oct. 8, 2016. Gorilla tracking in Rwanda is often described as "life changing" and with good reason. With only an estimated 880 gorillas left in the world, seeing these gentle creatures in their natural habitat is a truly unique experience. According to Rwanda Development Board, there are ten families living in the Volcanoes National Park that are fully habituated and available for visits by the public, while others are habituated for scientific research purposes only. (Xinhua/Ynag Mengxi) KIGALI, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Revenues from selling mountain gorilla tracking permits increased immediately after the announcement of a hike in price, Rwanda Development Board (RDB) said on Saturday. Mountain gorillas are an endangered species with an estimated over 1,000 remaining in the world. They live in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda and the Virunga Mountains, a range of extinct volcanoes that border the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. The RDB in May 2017 announced the increase of the price of gorilla tracking permits from 750 U.S. dollars to 1,500 dollars for all visitors. The landlocked country is seeing an "unsurprising" market reaction to the change of permit fees with a 4 percent increase of revenues in 2017 compared with 2016, the RDB said in a statement responding to a report that said the increase in permit fees led to a steep decline in visitors. Between May and August of this year, the RDB saw increased revenues of 983,333 U.S. dollars when compared to the same period in 2017, the statement said. The RDB did acknowledge that there was a small decrease during the low season, but said it sees a recovery in the high season. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-01 00:04:06|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ANKARA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish air force neutralized at least 18 Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants in northern Iraq during the weekend, according to the military. In a Twitter post on Sunday, the Turkish General Staff said airstrikes carried out on Saturday in the Hakurk and Zap regions of northern Iraq neutralized at least four PKK militants and destroyed their shelters and ammunition depots. A day earlier, the Turkish military said in two separate statements that at least 14 PKK militants were neutralized in air operations conducted in northern Iraq. The Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" to imply the militants in question surrendered, were killed or were captured. The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, has been striving for the establishment of an independent Kurdish state by armed rebellion since the 1970s. Since the beginning of the year, Turkey has intensified its airstrikes and land operations to fight PKK militants in northern Syria and Iraq. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-01 00:14:09|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close JERUSALEM, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- The foreign funds raised by Israeli financial technology (FinTech) companies reached a new record of 422 million U.S. dollars in the first half of 2018, an Israeli report said on Sunday. The amount, raised in 45 transactions, registered a 33-percent rise from the second half of 2017, said the report by Start-up Nation Central, a non-governmental organization dedicated to the Israeli innovation ecosystem. About 30 percent of the funds were channelled into the payment industry, while some 30 million dollars were raised by FinTech companies in growth stages, the report said. There are currently around 480 Israeli companies operating in the FinTech sector. An examination of 277 Israeli FinTech firms showed a 26-percent increase in revenue in 2017. Notably, 31 Israeli FinTech companies posted a revenue of more than 10 million dollars in 2017, compared to only 26 a year ago. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-01 00:24:10|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close TEHRAN, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- An Iranian court has given the death penalty to three people for "economic corruption," Tehran Times daily reported Sunday. The verdicts were issued by the primary court and will be referred to the Supreme Court for the final decision, the Judiciary spokesman Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i was quoted as saying. According to the spokesman, 32 others were sentenced to imprisonment over the same charges. The Iranian police recently arrested a number of people for inciting turmoil in the currency and gold market. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-01 01:14:17|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, meets with cabin crew of Sichuan Airlines ahead of a reception celebrating the 69th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 30, 2018. Xi invited nine members of the cabin crew to the reception held Sunday. The airliner of Sichuan Airlines carrying 119 passengers made an emergency landing after the cockpit window broke on May 14. (Xinhua/Li Xueren) BEIJING, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping Sunday called on the nation to learn from a cabin crew known for their expert emergency landing of an airliner. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, invited nine members of the cabin crew of Sichuan Airlines to a reception held Sunday celebrating the 69th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The airliner of Sichuan Airlines carrying 119 passengers made an emergency landing after the cockpit window broke on May 14. At the meeting with the cabin crew ahead of the reception, Xi called on the whole of society to learn from their heroic deeds, particularly their loyalty, commitment, political integrity and professional ethics. "The purpose of learning from the heroes is to apply their spirit in everyday work and demonstrate a strong sense of responsibility to people's lives and safety," he said. Xi also stressed that safety is the lifeline of civil aviation. Zambian President Edgar Lungu (R, front) attends the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kafulafuta water supply system project in the Copperbelt Province, Zambia, on Sept. 21, 2018. Zambia has launched a massive water project aimed at improving access to clean and safe drinking water to some towns in the Copperbelt Province. The Kafulafuta water supply system project involves the construction of a dam and other infrastructures for the supply of water to some districts in the province. (Xinhua/Wang Yaomin) LUSAKA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government has said it is committed to working with Zambia authorities in ensuring that the southern African nation takes opportunities from the 2018 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit and implements the outcomes. Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Li Jie said on Friday China was ready to tap into the cooperation potential of the two countries under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and the FOCAC. In remarks delivered at a reception to mark the 69th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Chinese envoy said China was committed to giving full play to the three advantages of the traditional friendship, economic complementarity and people-to-people mutual understanding and constantly opening up new prospects for win-win cooperation and common development between the two countries. This, he said, will be achieved through the two countries working together to deepen political mutual trust and maintain the momentum of high-level visits. "China is ready to work with Zambia to uphold the fine tradition of friendship and cooperation, promote bilateral ties in a strategic and long-term perspective, and continue to show mutual understanding and support each other on issues concerning the core interests and major concerns of the two countries," he said. China, he added, will continue to support Zambia's industrialization and agricultural modernization process as well as increase Zambia's exports to China. Nkandu Luo, Zambia's Minister of Higher Education, said Zambia values the long-standing historical relation that has existed between the two countries premised on friendship, equality and mutual respect. According to her, the eight initiatives that emanated from the FOCAC summit will assist Zambia in the attainment of its five-year development plan and was looking forward to the implementation of joint projects between the two countries. "I am confident that Zambia and China will continue to augment the already strong ties of friendship that have existed between our two countries." she added. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-01 02:39:27|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close Leaders of the Communist Party of China and the state Xi Jinping (C), Li Keqiang (4th R), Li Zhanshu (3rd L), Wang Yang (3rd R), Wang Huning (2nd L), Zhao Leji (2nd R), Han Zheng (1st L) and Wang Qishan (1st R) attend a reception celebrating the 69th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in Beijing, capital of China, on Sept. 30, 2018. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) BEIJING, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- China's State Council held a reception Sunday, ahead of the National Day on Oct. 1, to mark the 69th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Party and state leaders Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan, as well as over 1,200 guests from home and abroad, including Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, attended the reception at the Great Hall of the People. Premier Li Keqiang addressed the reception while Vice Premier Han Zheng presided over the reception. Li said that China will firmly uphold rule-based multilateralism and promote opening-up on a higher level. While safeguarding its own development interest, China will open wider to share development opportunities and progresses with other countries, Li said. Noting that this year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up, Li said nothing would undermine the country's resolve to push forward reform and opening-up. He said China will continue to comprehensively deepen reform and unleash and develop productive forces under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. China will work to advance reforms and strive to create a better business environment through streamlining administration, cutting taxes, lowering fees, and intensifying protection of intellectual property rights, Li said. He also said that China will encourage innovation among entrepreneurs and scientific and technical personnel, foster new drivers, push forward the high-quality development of the economy, promote international cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and improve people's livelihood. Li summarized major progress in various reforms, economic restructuring, opening-up, international cooperation, people's wellbeing and social stability. "China has handled new challenges at home and abroad with composure and concentrated its efforts in addressing domestic affairs, enhancing the endogenous dynamic of economic development, defusing risks with multiple measures, and keeping its economy operating within a reasonable range," he said. Li reiterated the policies of "one country, two systems," "the people of Hong Kong governing Hong Kong," "the people of Macao governing Macao," and a high degree of autonomy for both regions, and the need to deepen exchanges between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macao regions for common prosperity and development. "We will continue to uphold the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and absolutely not tolerate any 'Taiwan independence' attempts and activities," said Li. China will unswervingly stick to the road of peaceful development, work with the international community on improving global governance, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, Li said. Chinese and Russian workers work at an automobile-level float glass production line in the Russian factory of China's Fuyao Glass Industry Group Co. in Kaluga, Russia, July 18, 2017. (Xinhua/Wu Zhuang) MOSCOW, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Russia wants to work with China to seek new areas of industrial cooperation as protectionism in the West is on the rise, Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov has said. "China continues to be Russia's key strategic partner in the region. In my opinion, our relations are growing at a good pace, which cannot but make one happy," he told Xinhua in a recent interview. Haval series of China's major SUV maker, Great Wall Motors, wait to be exported to Russia through the Changchun-Manzhouli-Europe International Rail Freight Line at a land port in Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province, June 9, 2017. (Xinhua/Zhang Nan) According to Russian data, Russia-China trade grew steadily this year, reaching nearly 60 billion U.S. dollars in the first seven months, up almost 30 percent from the same period last year. "Russia's trade with China this year and last year demonstrates the best performance in comparison with that between China and its other major trading partners, including the European Union, the United States, ASEAN, Japan and South Korea," he said. The dynamics of Russia-China trade is also higher than the growth rate of China's foreign trade, the minister said. Workers of China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) work at a construction site of Moscow subway in Moscow, capital of Russia, on June 3, 2018. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi) "According to our estimates, there are all prerequisites for reaching 100 billion U.S. dollars in bilateral trade (this year). The regions of our countries can seriously contribute to attaining this target," Manturov said. He mentioned Russia's Far East, where 40 projects with a total investment of over 3 billion U.S. dollars are already being implemented with the participation of Chinese investors. Russia-China industrial cooperation extends to aircraft building, shipbuilding, transport engineering, radio electronics, pharmaceuticals, chemical industry, metallurgy and others. In the aviation industry, one of the main areas of cooperation is the joint program to create a wide-body long-haul aircraft, as well as the development of a civilian heavy helicopter, he said. People look at the exhibit during the Russia-China Expo in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on July 9, 2018.(Xinhua/Evgeny Sinitsyn) Manturov suggested expanding ties between Russian and Chinese enterprises in the aluminum sphere, including setting up joint ventures to manufacture cable products. According to Manturov, the Russian-Chinese Investment Fund created in June 2012 has so far invested over 1.1 billion dollars in more than 25 projects. "Only the consolidated position of our countries against the rapid growth in protectionist sentiments will help minimize economic risks," Manturov said. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-01 03:09:31|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BERLIN, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Germany's arms exports to Turkey have collapsed since the new German government took office six months ago, the German Press Agency (DPA) reported on Sunday. Since March 14, the German government has only issued 16 export permits to Turkey worth 916,902 euros (1.06 million U.S. dollars), according to a parliamentary reply from the Economy Ministry to an opposition question. In comparison, Germany had issued 34 permits worth 9.7 million euros in the period from Jan. 1 to March 13, and in the whole of 2017 there were 138 permits for 34.2 million euros of arms, DPA said. In 2016, fellow NATO member Turkey imported 83.9 million euros in arms from Germany, requiring 213 export permits, making Turkey at the time one of the top 20 most important arms buyers for the German arms industry, according to DPA. The Turkish-German relations took a hard hit following the failed military coup attempt in July 2016. Berlin sharply criticized Ankara's human rights record in the wake of a nationwide crackdown in Turkey against thousands of suspected coup plotters, during which dozens of German citizens were arrested. Since in mid-2016, arms sales from Germany to Turkey have fallen dramatically. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-01 04:09:39|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close ANKARA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- A rare official visit by the Turkish president to Germany after four years of strained relations showed that both Ankara and Berlin have to maintain cooperation in areas of economy, energy and security despite disagreements. "The visit is a very crucial step for normalization of relations between Turkey and Germany. The two countries have serious differences, as we have seen during the joint press conference on the issue of (the Turkish journalist) Can Dundar, but on the other hand, they have interests and issues that oblige them to come together and work together," said Enes Bayrakli, director of European Studies at the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research. The Trump administration is "rude" in transatlantic relations and a trade war is about to start between the United States and Europe, which requires a mandatory cooperation between Turkey and Germany, Bayrakli noted. "Turkey and Germany have to cooperate due to the fact of the recent crack in transatlantic relations," said Bayrakli . After four years, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid a state visit to Germany on Sept. 27-29 to restore deeply eroded relations and boost economic cooperation. Ties between Turkey and many of its Western allies, including Germany, experienced ups and downs in the past few years, and were further eroded after a failed coup attempt against Erdogan in 2016 which caused mutual distrust. German Chancellor Angela Merkel should first convince her public to normalize ties with Turkey because the main problem is an anti-Turkey campaign conducted in Germany, Bayrakli said. Longstanding differences on press freedom in Turkey and German citizens imprisoned in the country became a focus at the joint press conference of Erdogan and Merkel on Friday. "I consider the visit very important because when there are differences, a personal meeting is vital to resolve them," Merkel said, adding that there's a "shared strategic interest in good relations." But there are also "profound differences" about what constitutes "a free, democratic, open society," she noted. Merkel called on the Turkish government to resolve the cases of the jailed Germans as soon as possible, while Erdogan repeated that everyone should respect the Turkish judiciary. In his interview with the Turkish press after the meeting, Erdogan said he told Merkel that the two countries should focus on common interests and put disagreements aside. For Germany, there are three key issues in relations with Ankara: "the fight against terrorism, the Syrian refugee issue and German investments in Turkey," the Turkish president noted. Merkel also proposed expanded economic cooperation with Turkey, with a German-Turkish commission to hold its first meeting and her economy minister to visit Turkey in October. Germany is Turkey's largest trading partner and the two countries have remarkable potential as German businessmen are interested in investing in Turkey, said Bayrakli. The visit comes at a time when Erdogan aims to thaw ties with both the United States and Germany, according to daily Hurriyet commentator Sedat Ergin. The main reason for this mindset change is due to the "turbulence in Turkish economy," since the Turkish president believes his country could not tackle this recession if it enters a financial and economic war with the Western world, Ergin explained. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-01 04:29:45|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close NAIROBI, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Kenya requires a radical policy shift in order to cushion senior citizens from abject poverty, homelessness, illiteracy, diseases and social exclusion, campaigners said on Sunday on the eve of the International Day of Older Persons. The elderly campaigners said that promoting the welfare of the ageing population through robust social safety net programs is key to realize socio-economic progress in Kenya. "Today in Kenya, older activists are campaigning for universal quality healthcare, improved access to social protection, more affordable and accessible assistive devices for those living with disabilities, more accessible infrastructure, better safety for older women and greater support for caregivers," said 69 years old Jane Nyawira Miano. Miano and dozens of her elderly peers earlier held a procession in Nairobi's Kibera slums to highlight their dire plight linked to exclusion from mainstream economic activities, neglect and declining health status. Elijah Mwega, an elderly campaigner said that a robust outreach targeting national leaders, policymakers and captains of industry is key to ensure the interests of senior citizens are embedded in national development programs. Other elderly campaigners drawn from rural counties stressed that Kenya's leap into a middle income economy hinges on tapping the expertise and innovations from the ageing population. Kenya will mark the International Day of Older Persons in the North West County of Bomet where national leaders are expected to reaffirm their commitment to promote the welfare of senior citizens. Global campaigners said that advocacy must be intensified to ensure that domestic and international human rights conventions recognize the interests of older people. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-01 04:49:49|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close KAMPALA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- A new Chinese medical team has arrived in Uganda where it will provide health care for the next one year. Speaking at the welcome reception held on Sunday at the Chinese embassy, Charles Olaro, Director General of health services at the ministry of health said the outgoing team has been critical in extending health care to the Ugandan population. He welcomed the new team, promising them continued cooperation from the Ugandan side. Zheng Zhuqiang, Chinese ambassador to Uganda said Chinese medical teams have brought high level medical treatment technology and also traditional Chinese medical methods like acupuncture. "Their exquisite medical skills have earned the trust and respect of Ugandan people and government," Zheng said. The reception was also attended by among others staff of the China-Uganda Friendship Hospital. The new team is the 19th Chinese medical team to work in Uganda relieving the 18th team, which has just completed its tour of duty. China has been sending medical teams to Uganda since 1983. Besides sending teams, China has also donated a hospital, medicine and medical equipment to Uganda over the years. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-01 05:50:01|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close DAMASCUS, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Progress has been made in negotiations between the Syrian authorities and Islamic State (IS) militants on release of hostages from Syria's southern province of Sweida, a monitor group reported Sunday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the negotiations have reached an "advanced stage" and the final deal could be around the corner. The IS is likely to release the hostages if the Syrian authorities agree to allow its remaining fighters to evacuate the Tulol al-Safa hills, the last IS-held area in the remote eastern countryside of Sweida, the London-based watchdog said. More than 30 hostages were hustled from their homes during an IS offensive on the town of Shbeki in the eastern countryside of Sweida on July 25. During the offensive, the IS militants killed over 260 civilians and fighters, who attempted to defend the town from the surprise IS attack launched from the desert region. The kidnaped people appeared in several videos calling for their release. A 19-year-old male hostage was killed and a female hostage died of medical condition. Residents of Sweida have been calling on the authorities to help secure the release of their relatives. Hamoud Al-Hinawi, a Druze leader in Sweida, told Xinhua that 27 IS-linked people had been released under the supervision of Russian officers by a local fighting group as a gesture of good will. However, the whereabouts of these IS-kidnapped hostages are still unknown, he said. Despite economic uncertainties at home and abroad, policymakers, business leaders and industry experts are optimistic about China's economy as they gather for the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2018, also known as Summer Davos. 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... Twice the size of Pompeii, the ancient city of Cumae is located 25 km west of Naples on the Tyrrhenian Sea facing the island of Ischia, in the Campi Flegrei Archaeological Park. Ancient historians considered Cumae the oldest Ancient Greek settlement in the western world. Founded in the latter half of the 8th century B.C. by Greeks from Euboea, the settlement grew quickly and prospered over time. In recent years, French researchers have focused on an area where a Greek sanctuary, roads and a necropolis were found. Among the hundreds of ancient sepulchres unearthed since 2001, they have discovered a series of vaulted burial chambers made of tuff, a volcanic stone found in the area. People entered the tomb through a door in the facade sealed with a large stone block. The space inside was generally composed of a chamber with three vaults or funerary beds. The tombs were raided in the 19th century, but recovered remains and traces of funerary furnishings, which archaeologists have used to date the tombs to the second century B.C., indicate the high social status of those buried within. Until now, only tombs painted red or white had been found, but in June 2018 researchers discovered a room with exceptionally executed figure painting. A naked servant carrying a jug of wine and a vase is still visible; the banquets guests are thought to have been painted on the side walls. Other elements of the banquet can also be distinguished. In addition to the excellent state of conservation of the remaining plaster and pigments, such a decor in a tomb built in that period is rare; its unfashionable subject matter was in vogue one or two centuries earlier. This discovery is also an opportunity to trace artistic activity over time at the site. To preserve the fresco, archaeologists removed it, along with fragments found on the ground, in order to re-assemble the decor like a puzzle. The digs were carried out with financial support from the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Ecole francaise de Rome and the Fondation du College de France. This research is part of a concession granted by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Assets and Activities in partnership with the Phlegraen Fields archaeological site. Painted burial chamber (from 2nd century B.C.) excavated in 2018. Burial chamber interior and scenes depicting figures, preserved on the entrance wall and half of the side walls. The entrance wall right of the door depicts a naked servant, standing and holding a silver-plated jug and vase for wine. To his left, a krater (vase) on a stand is visible. To the left of the door are a silver-plated situla, a type of bucket-shaped vessel, a wooden table and a wine amphora on a stand. On the side walls are what appear to be landscape scenes. E. Lupoli, Centre Jean Berard (CNRS/Ecole francaise de Rome) Protester Ana Maria Archila, right, as she and Maria Gallagher (not in picture) confront U.S. Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona on an elevator that would take him to the Senate Judiciary Committee meeting on Capitol Hill last Friday. Read more Maria Gallagher, a 23-year-old woman from New York, had never told anyone about the time she was sexually assaulted before she blurted it out to a United States senator, Republican Jeff Flake of Arizona, with millions watching on live national television. During a remarkable, emotional three-minute encounter at the door of a Capitol Hill elevator, Gallagher a young woman who'd never protested anything before last week's showdown over Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and never spoken with an elected official before didn't just find the courage and the voice to tell her story. In doing so, she became the vessel for the rage that millions of American women had carried after watching the judge testify the day before. Gallagher's voice was infused with the raw emotion that so many women had long felt compelled to repress. "Don't look away from me," Gallagher, whose face could not be seen on camera but whose rising emotion demanded to be heard, told the GOP senator in the Friday morning encounter's most powerful moment. Flake appeared stunned, looking down and only muttering "thank you" in response. "Look at me and tell me that it doesn't matter what happened to me, that you will let people like that go into the highest court of the land and tell everyone what they can do to their bodies," said Gallagher, tearful, her voice now a crescendo, building upon the also powerful but more measured words of a veteran activist and Colombian immigrant, Ana Maria Archila, who had initiated the confrontation with Flake. It was the elevator pitch that altered the trajectory of American history. The TV cameras had all been focused on Flake because just a few moments earlier the Arizonan a conservative who's leaving the Senate after clashing verbally (but not on policy) with President Trump had announced he would vote for Kavanaugh after hearing the judge's story and that of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who said the judge is "the boy who sexually assaulted me" when both were teens in 1982. But not long after the encounter, as Flake sat around a semi-circle with 20 other senators about to vote to send Kavanaugh's embattled nomination to the full Senate, the TV cameras again panned his way, and his face was white, as if he'd just seen a ghost. I'd only once seen anything like it in politics, and that wasn't in real life but in a Hollywood movie the scene in 1939's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington where Claude Rains' once-idealistic-now-corrupted senator simmers with guilt as he's exposed by Jimmy Stewart's hoarse filibuster. What happened on Friday lacked the matinee theatrics of Rains' "Expel me, not him!" monologue in the film, but it was also more powerful because it was real. The rattled Flake was pulled out of the room by his close friend from the Democratic side of the committee table, Sen. Chris Coons, and returned to say that while he would still vote Kavanaugh out of committee, any final vote was contingent on an FBI probe of allegations against the judge and a delay of at least one week. The elevator moment has been rehashed countless times in the last 48 hours, but it's hard to stop thinking about it because it speaks so much to the moral quandary that so many people have expressed, in one form or another, over the last two years: In a moment when American democracy seems to be circling the drain, how could any one individual voice one, lonely voice possibly make a difference? Especially when America is led by a president who governs as an autocrat despite 3 million fewer votes than the woman he was running against, and a Congress which, thanks to gerrymandering in the House and the outsized clout of small rural states in the Senate, also fails to represent the will of the people. The race to ram through the most unpopular modern Supreme Court nominee in Kavanaugh is testament to that feeling of helplessness. That was only reinforced last Thursday by Kavanaugh's bombastic and belligerent performance before the Senate committee. To the judge's defenders, his anger was the righteous indignation of the falsely accused, and who knows? maybe this week's FBI ridiculously limited investigation will find the piece of evidence that proves him right. But separate and apart from the truth of 36 years ago is the indisputable fact that Kavanaugh, in the fall of 2018, is also furious that anyone dare challenge a system of privilege and entitlement for certain kinds of people who come from the right families and go to the right schools, and who are used to using their power to get away with things and are very much not used to common people challenging that authority. The courage of Gallagher and Archila in confronting a powerful U.S. senator on his own turf, and in saying things on live national television that before Friday they'd not wanted to tell even their own parents, was an epic event yet it was not an isolated incident. The story of brave, once-anonymous citizens taking risks, speaking out and altering the seemingly unbendable course of history starts with Dr. Ford, who frequently said it was her sense of civic duty that led her to take action to inform America about Kavanaugh's moral fitness or, more appropriately, lack of it for sitting on America's highest court. There can be no doubt that her decision which came with no personal upside beyond her unshakable belief that she is speaking the truth offered an adrenaline shot of bravery to others like Gallagher. But Gallagher and Archila were hardly the end of the story, either, but the leading edge of a tidal wave of truth. The flood of callers, including a 76-year-old woman from Missouri, who overwhelmed a live call-in show on C-SPAN with their own vivid revelations of the times they were sexually assaulted. The 83-year-old New Jersey legislator who went public with the story of how she was groped. Each truth-teller buoyed by the strength of the one who came before. This last week has in many ways echoed the famous words of the Berkeley student activist Mario Savio when he said in 1964 that "[t]here's a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart that you can't take part! And you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus and you've got to make it stop!" Fifty-four years later, women like Dr. Ford, Gallagher and Archila are throwing themselves in front of the runaway train that is the Kavanaugh confirmation, armed with little but their words. Will it be enough, though? This weekend's disconcerting news that the White House is significantly constricting the FBI probe that Flake and other key senators asked for on Friday is one more sign that the established order is in a testosterone-fueled rush to preserve the patriarchy and is terrified of the one thing that could derail it: Honesty. For three glorious minutes on Friday, the truth was liberating for Gallagher. "It is frustrating and something that needs to change," she told the Daily Beast, "and I think things like this are hopefully a step in the right direction for our country." That step also answered the question that has hovered over America like a cloud for nearly 23 months. Your voice can make a difference. If you're still sitting on the sidelines, what are you waiting for? Henry C. Lea Elementary School teacher Kitty Heite (left) is being forced to leave as the school undergoes "leveling" the shifting of teachers to other schools based on fluxes in enrollment. She talks with other teachers and parents outside the school September 24, 2018. From left are teacher Eric Middleton; Aquisha Harris, president of the Home and School Association and mother of a first and third grader; and Adam Weaver, vice president of the Home and School Association and father of a fourth grader and kindergartner. Read more How do you solve this math problem? School A has 20 fewer students than predicted. School B, in the same district, is over-enrolled by 30 students. In most systems, the answer would be to leave School A alone and hire a new teacher for School B. But in the Philadelphia School District, the solution is different. A month into the school year, officials will pull the least-senior teacher from School A and send that teacher to School B. It's called "leveling" the process of shifting teachers based on enrollment changes more than a month into the school year. It's virtually nonexistent in other districts but is a thorn in the side of thousands of Philadelphia children, families, and teachers. After an already rocky start to the school year, leveling is expected to be completed Monday, district officials said. Because the process is still in flux, they could not give specifics, but in the last few years, it has affected about 100 teachers systemwide. (The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers said more than 100 teachers would be affected this year.) Leveling, said City Councilwoman Helen Gym, is an "outdated practice that needs to end. It has a profound impact on school communities, disrupting the school year, and severing the relationships teachers and students build throughout the first weeks of school." Uri Monson sees it another way. The district's chief financial officer says leveling is a way to "maximize the resources we can get in schools for kids," an imperfect process that maintains equity among schools. Monson also said ending leveling would cost the district $12 million that it cannot afford. When leveling discussions began, Lea Elementary, in West Philadelphia, was told it was losing two teachers, then one. Kitty Heite, a second-grade educator at the K-8 school, was the least-senior teacher on staff and thus was set to be transferred out, she said. (She's now in limbo. Heite was told at midweek that she still could be moved, but not immediately.) The terms of the teacher contract amplify leveling's effect, school officials point out. In the Lea case, in theory only the under-enrolled sixth-grade classes could be disrupted, but because of seniority rules, both the sixth-grade and second-grade classes will. Heite and dozens of others in the Lea community teachers, parents, community members have organized against leveling, warning against its disruptive effects. The school serves as the overflow building for Penn Alexander and Global Leadership Southwest, two schools with tightly capped enrollment; it is a hub for students with autism and those who are learning English. Its rolls often swell midyear with students from those and other nearby charter schools, teachers say. "They say leveling is about the numbers, but they overlook the individual experiences of these kids," said Heite, a veteran educator in her first full year with Philadelphia schools. "This is not a practice that happens in healthy school districts. This is not a practice that happens in white, middle-class school districts." Heite, a long-term substitute at Lea last year, began cultivating relationships with some of her students as soon as she got her class assignment last spring. After weeks of early dismissals and planned school holidays, she finally felt that she was hitting her stride, that the classroom was beginning to gel. "Pedagogically, this makes no sense," said Heite. And it will have a ripple effect; if Heite is pulled from Lea, sixth-grade classes will be combined, and one of the sixth-grade teachers will shift to second grade. "It's like removing a piece from the bottom of the foundation," said Tanya Walker, a parent of two children at the school. "Once you move it, everything is going to fall. To have everything constantly changing is just hard." Kirsten Minor, whose daughter is in Heite's second-grade class, feels lost, she said. "I worry as a parent: Is leveling going to affect my child academically? It makes me feel like, 'Should I move to the suburbs? Should I move to Jersey?' " In high schools, leveling can mean large swaths of students, and sometimes a whole school, must get new schedules. It's a worry for her whole school, said Debbi Marenbach, a teacher at Forrest Elementary in Holmesburg. Prior to leveling, Forrest had to make some early class adjustments to account for large numbers of ESL and special-education students. "So when we reshuffle to accommodate losing a teacher and collapsing a class, some kids will now be with a third teacher since the start of the school year," Marenbach said. "There is absolutely no acceptable justification for this, and it is certainly not in the best interests of the children." The majority of U.S. school systems do not use leveling, but some large urban districts do. Los Angeles Unified, the nation's second-largest school system, employs a similar practice in the second month of its school year, a spokesperson said. Some districts have stopped doing it. Chicago, the nation's third-largest district, recently ended the process. If a Chicago public school's enrollment drops in the fall, it cannot lose teachers at midyear; if its enrollment surges, it gets additional resources. Each Philadelphia school's situation is considered separately, said Monson, with members of the finance and human resources departments looped in, as well as assistant superintendents and principals. Individual situations such as historical enrollment fluctuations and special-education concerns are considered, and in some cases, leveling is taken off the table. But in the end, ending leveling isn't practical for Philadelphia, Monson said. Besides the equity piece, if the district needed 100 new teachers in October, it likely would be looking at more teacher vacancies, given its existing vacancy list. "It's our job to look at this systemwide," said Monson. He said he wishes that he could look at 220 individual school situations but that if the system didn't reallocate its teacher resources, "the reality is, it's a $12 million issue." How certain would you be that you could identify your attacker? Read more The face of an attacker should be seared into memory forever. How could you forget the person who raped, stabbed, or shot you? Or so crime victims and, often, jurors believe. But as scientists and criminologists have documented, memory is often an unreliable resource, especially when the attacker and the victim are of different races. And advances in DNA analysis in the last 30 years that have brought a harvest of exonerations have underscored the pitfalls of overreliance on eyewitness testimony. Misidentifications can be reduced, and New Jersey led the way when it reformed police procedures 16 years ago. That was spurred by cases such as that of David Shephard, who spent more than a decade in prison after being convicted of rape and robbery. But most states, including Pennsylvania, have been slow to follow New Jersey's lead. And accusations can cast a long shadow. Just ask Shawn Yarbray, who was acquitted by a jury last week after being charged with the May 2017 attack on Philadelphia City Councilman David Oh. Even after the acquittal, Oh remains convinced that Yarbray was the man who stabbed him in the ribs and slashed one of his arms. Oh continues to publicly accuse Yarbray of the attack. Or ask Robert Williams, who spent three years in jail waiting to be tried for a Germantown corner-store robbery and assault before being acquitted in February by a jury that deliberated for just 73 minutes. Paranoia stays with Williams, who has since found work with a food-delivery company and is making plans to go to divinity school. "It's scary, because I never know when the police may be at my door," he said. "They took me from my family, it was traumatic." At the time of his arrest, Williams had a 2-year-old son and a pregnant wife. The family had bought a home in Strawberry Mansion. "There's always a chance the police are upset about the verdict, and they may come and try to pin something else on me." Shephard expressed similar anxieties. DNA evidence eventually cleared him, but the time locked up disrupted his life, and the psychological and emotional toll persists. "You never move past it," he said. Besides the personality changes Shephard is quicker to anger, less trusting he fears being falsely accused again. He dislikes going out alone, wanting a witness with him at all times. It took him more than a year to stop collecting bus receipts every time he went out, adding them to the box under his bed in case he might have to verify an alibi. In the cases of Shephard, Yarbray, and Williams, the victims identified them as the alleged attackers, and the victims and the accused were of different races. Police and prosecutors had little other evidence. "There's a fundamental conflict in how law is made in the courts and what scientific research shows," said Karen A. Newirth, a senior staff attorney at the Innocence Project who focuses on legal reform efforts around eyewitness identification and confessions. Psychology 101 The science is well established. Gary Wells, a psychology professor at Iowa State University who has studied the issue for more than four decades, described misidentification as Psychology 101: "A fearful stimulus, you don't stand there looking at it and trying to form a good memory of it. Those of our ancestors who upon seeing a bear or something stood there going, 'Look at that nose, look at those eyes, look at those paws. ' Our genes now have programmed us: Fight or flight." But by not incorporating that science into the criminal justice system, innocent people sometimes are charged and convicted, families and lives are torn apart, real criminals go free. And although no system is perfect, experts said, the reforms such as those instituted in New Jersey are valuable weapons against wrongful arrests and convictions. In New Jersey, which is considered a national model, landmark court decisions, most recently in 2011, moved the state to require changes such as showing photos of suspects one image at a time and recording a witness' exact words at the moment of identification. In instructing juries, judges address the potential pitfalls of memory. The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office also has adopted those changes, and they are contained in a policy directive. "What New Jersey is doing right now is leading the country," said J.C. Lore, a law professor at Rutgers-Camden, even if the rest of the nation has been slow to follow. The result trickles down, Lore and others said: Prosecutors know they will face stiff tests in the courtroom, so they press police for more rigor in the process. "What we can hope is that we'll have an impact on the front end, because ultimately it's the front end that matters," said Cathy Rosen, chair of the criminal justice department at Temple University. For "the vast majority of the people caught in the criminal justice system, the front end is all that exists." The race factor Consider Robert Williams, identified by a Mexican-born grandfather as the man who shot him and robbed him in the corner store where he worked. Police had no other evidence linking Williams to the crime, and video evidence placed another suspect at the store. The week before Williams went to trial taking his chances with the jury that ultimately acquitted him he was offered a plea deal, he said. It would have been for three to 10 years, but he rejected it because he believed he was innocent and didn't want that conviction on his record. The store employee had identified Williams from a series of police photos of black men from the neighborhood. He also said the gunman sounded like a regular customer whose name he did not know. "You have to understand that if you are [Hispanic] in a predominately black neighborhood, everybody may look alike to you, everybody definitely sounds alike to you," said Williams, 27, who is married with two children. "I don't know if he truly believed it was me," Williams said. "I just hope he understands that he was wrong, and that he comes to the realization that he had the wrong person." Cross-racial identifications have become increasingly recognized as problematic in courtrooms nationwide. In some cases, police and prosecutors don't have much more to go on than those IDs. When Oh, the Philadelphia city councilman, picked out Yarbray from a stack of more than 300 police photos, investigators had no additional witnesses. Nor did they have any DNA evidence, the knife used in the attack, bloody clothing, video footage, or a known connection between Yarbray, who is black, and Oh, who is Asian. Still, Yarbray was charged and brought to trial, then acquitted. Shephard, who is black, was convicted in 1984 of the rape and robbery of a white woman. It took more than a decade for him to be freed when multiple rounds of DNA testing exonerated him. N.J. in the forefront When John J. Farmer began revising identification procedures as New Jersey's attorney general from 1999 to 2002, cases like Shephard's were on his mind. At the time, Farmer said, DNA-based exonerations were calling the criminal justice system into question while scientific research was becoming increasingly conclusive about the fallibility of identifications. "It became clear that the reliability of our criminal justice system was at stake, and steps needed to be taken to improve the reliability of the convictions," Farmer said. In 1999, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that juries had to be informed of the science behind potential errors in cross-racial eyewitness identifications. It was an opportunity, Farmer said, to take a panoramic look at the issue. He contacted Wells at Iowa State and requested a review of scientific research. Because the New Jersey attorney general wields more power than counterparts in other states, Farmer was able to mandate changes in every police department and prosecutor's office. The best practices that Farmer ultimately embraced were aimed at ensuring that no suspect unduly stands out, minimizing the risk of misidentification. Changes included having lineups conducted by an officer who does not know the suspect's identity, lest the witness receive unconscious signals. Police and prosecutors at first were wary of the new procedures, some saying the changes would make it impossible for them to do their jobs. No witness was perfect. Ultimately, Wells and Farmer recalled, those concerns were put to rest after detectives understood how the rules help them, too, by making sure identifications are as strong as possible. "It was not an assault on the way things had been done it was a way of doing things better," Farmer said. "It isn't that police and prosecutors have any interest at all in seeing innocent people convicted. They don't." Farmer and other experts said they believed the front-end changes have helped ensure that better identifications are made and that fewer innocent people are arrested and charged. "The real guardians of our liberties are the police and the prosecutors," Farmer said. "They are the gatekeepers, and if they're doing their jobs properly, they should be as concerned about preserving our rights and making sure the results are as reliable as anyone else in the system." A car explosion on Turner Street between Seventh and Eighth streets in Center City Allentown resulted in multiple fatalities Saturday night, according to Allentown police. Read more ALLENTOWN At a news conference about a fiery car explosion in Center City Allentown, authorities on Sunday afternoon confirmed that three males died in what they called an "isolated incident." And they said they believe the perpetrator was killed in the blast. The car exploded about 9:30 p.m. Saturday on the 700 block of Turner Street between North Seventh and Eighth streets, about a block away from the PPL Center. The explosion rocked the Center City and brought dozens of law enforcement agencies to Allentown to investigate, including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as Allentown police, Lehigh County's district attorney, coroner and homicide task forces, plus fire police from throughout the county and state police. Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said investigators believe one of the three dead males was a suspect in a "criminal matter" related to the explosion. "We know there's been a criminal incident," Martin said. "We have a high degree of confidence that the perpetrator was probably killed in the incident." Coroner Scott Grim confirmed three dead and said the investigation will be time-consuming, echoing what other law enforcement officials said. Grim said the victims are being identified and families are being contacted, so he could potentially release the identities of the three males on Monday. Grim said autopsies also are slated to be performed Monday. Steve McQueen, the FBI assistant special agent in charge of the investigation, said the agency brought all available assets and resources to the scene Saturday night and will remain on scene to assist for "as long as it takes." "The safety of this community is the highest priority for all of us involved, and at this time, we believe there is no ongoing threat," he said. ATF is taking the lead on the investigation, though the FBI, county agencies, and Allentown police will remain on scene currently a large swath between Sixth and Ninth Streets, and Chew to Linden Streets. "We're in the very early stages of this investigation," said Don Robinson, ATF special agent in charge. "It's a large scene, and we've got a lot of folks involved in scene work as well as interviews and follow-up." The LANTA bus station in the 100 block of North Sixth Street became a makeshift command center with armored vehicles, dozens of police cruisers, mobile command units, and even portable restrooms. Members of the ATF and FBI wearing protective suits combed the area to gather evidence, which was processed inside several portable tents erected near the scene of the explosion. Robinson said authorities are looking for the public's help, and ask that anyone with information call 888-ATF-BOMB (888-283-2662). As the SEPTA train hurtles southward along the Broad Street Line, a video camera records a teen acting the way teens sometimes do which is to say, stupidly rapping "F the police," right in front of an officer and making a hand gesture that the officer believed to represent a gun. In the video, the officer's face wrinkles in annoyance. He speaks up, accusing the kid and his friends of having been in a fight at a different train station the previous week. Just then, another kid stands up from his seat and turns toward the cop. According to the officer's report, the kid shouts, "What you talking 'bout?" That's when the officer gives him a hard shove, knocking him backward, then grabs him by the collar and pushes him around the subway car. In a video of the March 27 incident, the officer can be seen holding the kid by the neck for several tense minutes, before finally hauling him off the train while the boy resists. The kid, a 17-year-old from North Philadelphia who goes by Yaz, described a frightening moment: "He was choking me." But it was Yaz who was charged and found guilty, of harassment and disorderly conduct, in Philadelphia Family Court. As for the officer? SEPTA says he did an admirable job managing a tough situation. Yaz is now locked up in an institutional placement. Advocates call such settings dangerous and detrimental to kids' education, and city leaders acknowledge they're problematic. Despite the safety concerns, Yaz's mother, Faith Phillips, supported the placement. In fact, because Yaz had been truant last year, she'd already petitioned Family Court to intervene. "I feel like it's safer for him there than in the city being a teenage boy," she said. "I don't want him to get murdered on the streets of Philadelphia by a cop or someone else." Yaz is a big kid close to 6 feet tall, and sturdy. In his neighborhood, he'd get stopped, questioned, and searched by police so often that by the time he was 16, she made sure he had a state ID, "so he could show he's a child." It's a well-worn path for struggling Philly kids who find themselves at the intersection of the education, child-welfare, and criminal justice systems. It can begin, as in Yaz's case, with unresolved school issues that escalate to truancy, which, in turn, can land kids in the child-welfare, or "dependency," system. Then, if a truant kid incurs any sort of juvenile charge even a minor one, even one where the evidence is unclear that can lead into placement. Yaz was represented by the Defender Association, which made him available for an interview on the condition his full name not be used. When kids like Yaz have run-ins with law enforcement, the outcome is almost predetermined, said Keir Bradford-Grey, Philadelphia's chief public defender, who recently made public a video of a young man who was charged with assaulting staff at a juvenile placement until her office obtained footage showing it was actually the staffers who'd beaten him. "Oftentimes, the only person that is looked at in terms of wrongdoing is the kid," she said. "The full picture of how these things came about and the opportunities that adults had to de-escalate situations are not addressed." SEPTA Police Chief Thomas Nestel said the force was justified in part because his officers who ride the trains each day recognize frequent troublemakers. "These are not good kids," he said. He also noted that the officer, Kevin Hackett, could have used pepper spray or a baton; that he didn't was an indication of restraint. And even though the video does not support it, he accepts Hackett's report that, when Yaz got up, his fists were clenched. (SEPTA would not make Hackett available to comment.) "What should he have done allow that person to get close enough to punch him?" he said. We will make you go to school. By the time Yaz got to court, he said, it felt like a setup: "They were saying, 'Already planned for placement.' " That's because, like many Philadelphia kids, his journey into placement began long before he was in juvenile court. Last year, Yaz was a 10th-grade student at Strawberry Mansion High School. But he felt the school, which is on the brink of closure, didn't have much to offer and, sometimes, it felt safer not to go. "Too many fights. I didn't like the school setting, and I didn't have options." He was also suspended four or five times, he said, mostly related to allegations of fighting. Sometimes, he'd miss extra days because his mother was unable to get out of work to reinstate him. "It's like, I already missed 10 days. Who cares if I miss 15?" Maura McInerney, legal director of the Education Law Center (ELC), said the primary reasons she encounters for truancy are bullying and unmet special needs. Last year, the nonprofit filed a civil rights complaint against the School District highlighting the particular risk to kids with disabilities, including a 9-year-old who started shaking and vomiting at the idea of returning to school. According to the complaint, the students were not given support or opportunities to transfer away from their bullies, but instead were referred to truancy court. A district spokesperson declined to comment but provided a statement outlining numerous anti-bullying efforts, including a hotline and training for staff. "In addition to identifying individual reasons, we need to look at patterns," McInerney said. "If schools have high rates of truancy, there may be school environmental factors that contribute to that phenomenon. What is the school culture like? Is the school a safe environment? Is there sufficient staff? What is the condition of the facility?" At Strawberry Mansion, just 74 percent of students show up on an average school day. Four out of five were "chronically absent" in the 2015-16 school year, meaning they missed 18 days or more. And the rate of out-of-school suspensions was the city's highest in the 2016-17 school year, the most recent published data: Nearly two out of three students at Mansion were suspended at least once, and one in four was suspended at least three times. Under a 2016 state law meant to reduce truancy, schools must create attendance-improvement plans to support truant kids. The School District, which has long struggled with truancy rates of more than 30 percent, says the new law only codified long-standing supportive practices focused on eliminating barriers. When those efforts fail, kids like Yaz are referred to Regional Truancy Court, a next-level intervention run collaboratively by the Philadelphia Department of Human Services, Family Court, and the School District. In the 2016-17 school year, the district says, it referred about 6,000 students to Truancy Court. Last year, after the new law came into effect, that number dropped to 3,000. Of those referred in 2016-17, more than a thousand were referred to Family Court and some segment of those ended up in out-of-home placement. DHS does not track how many. A 2017 evaluation of DHS's "Improving Outcomes for Children" initiative noted that Philadelphia removes children from their families at an unusually high rate 2 times the national average. Of particular note, 22 percent of removals were for reasons related to the child's own behavior, compared with 11 percent nationally. "Although DHS does not currently have sufficient data ," the authors noted, "evaluators were consistently told that truancy is also a frequent reason for removal of children from their families." All told, 1,189 children from the city are in institutional placements or other types of shelters or group homes. DHS has reduced its use of such placements by one-third in recent years. Heather Keafer, a DHS spokesperson, said the agency is reviewing its practices and now declines school referrals until the attendance-improvement process is exhausted. "We don't want kids coming into placement for truancy alone," she said. Most cases, like Yaz's, are far more complicated than that. Because Yaz's mother had already petitioned DHS, he ended up in Crossover Court, a unit of Family Court that deals with kids who have both delinquency and dependency issues. In delinquent cases, including Yaz's, perfect school attendance is almost always a condition of probation. Missing one day can be a violation and cause for placement. Patrick, 18, of Northeast Philadelphia experienced that firsthand. He had been skipping school he didn't want to deal with harassment by other students when he was arrested for exploring an abandoned building. He was charged with not just trespassing, but breaking and entering. At court, "the judge said, 'If you don't want to go to school, we will make you go to school.' " They give up and drop out The school both Yaz and Patrick were initially sent to is called Glen Mills. It's currently under investigation after a staffer reportedly choked a student, one of a string of violent incidents described in state records. Yaz is now at another placement, St. Gabriel's Hall in Norristown. His complaint is the classwork. "It's too easy," he said. "It's the stuff I learned last year." He said St. Gabriel's hasn't been able to obtain his school records, so it is not sure where to place him. Advocates say that's a common concern in such schools, which in some cases lack certified teachers, rely heavily on worksheets, and supply curriculum well below grade level. "Too often, youth returning from placement find themselves far behind their peers academically; they give up and drop out," McInerney said. Even those who graduate while in placement can face a tough road. One advocate reported a student who received a diploma from a placement took a community college entrance exam, and was told he was reading at a third-grade level. Since Yaz aspires to be an electrical engineer, working with airplanes and helicopters, he's hoping to get out of placement and into a vocational credit-recovery program. His mother said she'd love to see him finish out his high school diploma at St. Gabriel's. She said Yaz and his friends probably had a chance to de-escalate the situation on the train. On the other hand, she said, "he's a 17-year-old kid. I would have made better decisions, but the boy is 17 years old." A Jet Airways flight, with at least 96 passengers on board, made an emergency landing at Indore airport on Sunday. According to news agency ANI, all the passengers are safe. The flight was on its way to Hyderabad a technical glitch in the engine of the aircraft was detected. It was then diverted to Indore in Madhya Pradesh. More details are awaited. Former Union minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday targeted Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman once again over Rafale fighter jets deal with France. Taking to microblogging site Twitter, Chidambaram listed top three reasons that compelled a probe into the Rafale deal. The three reasons mentioned by the former home minister of the country included a question on why Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government cancelled the earlier agreement, inked during the UPA era, for purchase of 126 Rafale aircraft despite every authority, including the Indian Air Force, approving the same. In a series of tweets, Chidambaram said, Defence Minister asks "why should I order an inquiry into the Rafale purchase?" Here are the three TOP reasons Why did the government scrap the earlier agreement on 126 aircraft that had been approved by every authority including the Indian Air Force? Defence Minister asks "why should I order an inquiry into the Rafale purchase?" Here are the three TOP reasons: P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) September 30, 2018 (1) Why did the government scrap the earlier agreement on 126 aircraft that had been approved by every authority including the Indian Air Force? P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) September 30, 2018 (2) Why did the government not suggest the name of HAL as the Offset Partner or at least as one of the Offset Partners? P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) September 30, 2018 (3) If the price negotiated by the NDA government was indeed cheaper by 9 per cent, why did the government decide to buy only 36 aircraft and not all the 126 agreed earlier? P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) September 30, 2018 The former Union minister also raised the issue of scrapping the deal with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) as the offset partner for the deal. He tweeted, Why did the government not suggest the name of HAL as the Offset Partner or at least as one of the Offset Partners? Chidambaram further asked that if the price negotiated by the NDA government was cheaper than that by the previous UPA government, why was it decided to buy just 36 aircraft instead of 126, which was part of the previous deal. If the price negotiated by the NDA government was indeed cheaper by 9 per cent, why did the government decide to buy only 36 aircraft and not all the 126 agreed earlier? asked the senior Congress leader. This comes a day after Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman attacked the Congress party, alleging that it was restless as it did not get to make money out of the Rafale deal. According to news agency ANI, the Defence Minister also accused the previous Congress-led UPA regime of negotiating with "brokers" and not buying important equipment required for the defence forces. New Delhi: India staunchly believes in peace and is committed to taking it forward, but it would not be at the cost of compromising its self-respect and sovereignty, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Sunday as he asserted that the armed forces will give a befitting reply to any attempt to destroy the atmosphere of peace in the country. Recalling the 2016 surgical strikes, he said Indian troops gave a befitting reply to the "audacity of a proxy war" under the "garb of terrorism". In his monthly 'Mann ki Baat' radio address, Modi said, "It has now been decided that our soldiers will give a befitting reply to whosoever makes an attempt to destroy the atmosphere of peace and progress in our nation." He said India staunchly believe in peace and is committed to taking it forward, "but not at the cost of compromising our self-respect and sovereignty of our nation. India has always been resolutely committed to peace." India has never eyed someone else's territory maliciously. "This in itself was our commitment and dedication towards peace," the PM said. His remarks came days after India called off the planned meeting of foreign ministers in New York, citing the brutal killings of three policemen in Jammu and Kashmir. The Ministry of External Affairs had said talks in the current circumstances would be futile and also cited stamps issued by Pakistan in July to "glorify" Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani as a reason for the cancellation. PM Modi pointed out that India is one of the largest contributors to various United Nations Peace Keeping Forces in terms of sending its personnel. "For decades, our brave soldiers wearing blue helmets have played a stellar role in ensuring maintenance of world peace," he said to drive home his point. He said yesterday Indians celebrated 'Paraakram Parva' to mark the second anniversary of the surgical strikes. "We remembered that surgical strike carried out in 2016, where our soldiers gave a befitting reply to the audacity of a proxy war under the garb of terrorism," he said. He said such celebrations remind the youth of the glorious heritage of the army. "It also inspires us to maintain the unity & integrity of the country," he said. Days before Air For Day is celebrated on October 8 to mark its birth in 1932, Modi said "air warriors" have proved themselves to be the cynosure of every citizen's eye through display of sheer might in the skies. He also recalled the contribution of the IAF in transporting men and material to Srinagar in 1947 when Pakistani attackers had tried to capture Jammu and Kashmir. He said IAF payed a key role in 1965, 1971 and the Kargil war. He said be it the relief and rescue work or disaster management, the country is indebted to the IAF for its commendable efforts. He pointed out that the Air Force has set an example in ensuring gender equality and has opened its doors for women. "Now, the Air Force is offering the option of permanent commission to women, besides the Short Service Commission ...India can proudly claim that in the armed forces, only man-power but woman-power too is contributing equally. Women are already empowered and now getting armed too," he said. The prime minister also praised navy commander Abhilash Tomy for his courage at high seas when his boat was damaged in storm while participating in Golden Globe Race. "He fought to be afloat without food or drink. He did not accept defeat and continued to fight death. A rare example of courage, determination, strength and bravery," Modi said. He recalled his meeting with Tomy and prayed for his sound health. Lucknow: Amid a massive uproar in Uttar Pradesh following the killing of Apple sales manager Vivek Tiwari, a state minister on Sunday alleged that some high-level officials are trying to manipulate and hide things related to the case. UP Cabinet Minister Brajesh Pathak further added that the UP government will not pardon any criminal, including the police personnel who is accused of shooting the Tiwari. "Some high-level officials are trying to manipulate and hide things. Probe will be conducted against them as well. UP govt will not pardon any criminal, including the police personnel who killed the innocent youth," Pathak said. Some high-level officials are trying to manipulate&hide things. Probe will be conducted against them as well. UP govt will not pardon any criminal, including the police personnel who killed the innocent youth: Brajesh Pathak, UP Cabinet Minister, on #VivekTiwari death case pic.twitter.com/jlNK94UdS0 ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 30, 2018 Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has, meanwhile, spoken to the deceased's family over the phone. He expressed his condolences and told Tiwari's wife that the government will provide all kinds of help needed by the family. The Chief Minister added that the family can meet him anytime they want. Calling the incident very said, Adityanath said that such criminal offences will not be accepted by the government. The victim's wife, Kalpana Tiwari, filed a fresh FIR at Gomti Nagar police station, naming two of the accused police constables. UP Deputy Chief Miniter K P Maurya too visited the family in Lucknow and said that the government is saddened by the incident. He added that the state government stands with the family. Immediate steps are being taken to ensure that no similar incident occurs in the future, Maurya further said. He also assured of severe punishment to those who are responsible. Earlier in the day, a special investigation team has reached the incident spot in Lucknow's Gomti Nagar extension. Vivek Tiwari was allegedly shot at by a UP police personnel in Lucknow on suspicion of being a miscreant on Friday. He was immediately rushed to nearby Dr Ram Manohar Lohia hospital in Gomti Nagar area, but he succumbed to his injuries. The accused policeman, however, defended himself saying that he had no option but to fire in self-defence as Tiwari allegedly tried to run him over thrice. According to the policeman, Prashant Chaudhary, he approached the car after it found it parked with lights off. Lucknow: Amid a massive uproar in Uttar Pradesh following the killing of Apple sales manager Vivek Tiwari, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday spoke to the deceased's family over the phone. He expressed his condolences and told Tiwari's wife that the government will provide all kinds of help needed by the family. The Chief Minister added that the family can meet him anytime they want. Calling the incident very said, Adityanath said that such criminal offences will not be accepted by the government. "It is a very sad incident. Such criminal offences will not be accepted by govt. Immediate action was taken; the accused has been arrested and a case has been registered. The govt will provide all kinds of aid needed by the family of the deceased," Adityanath said. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Miniter K P Maurya visited the family in Lucknow. He said, "The govt is saddened by the incident and stands with the family. Immediate steps are being taken to ensure that a similar incident does not occur in the future. We will severely punish those who are responsible." A special investigation team has reached the incident spot in Lucknow's Gomti Nagar extension, earlier in the day. ADG Lucknow Rajiv Krishna said, "24-hr police protection to be given to the family. CBI inquiry will be initiated if the family asks for it. SIT investigation under Lucknow IG Sujeet Pandey to be taken forward on the basis of fresh FIR that will be lodged by family." "This is a serious incident. Stringent action will be taken. To ensure a similar incident does not occur again, we have given strict instructions to all officers," Krishna added. India on Sunday exercised its Right to Reply, in response to the statement of Pakistan External Affairs Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, at the 73rd session of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) General Debate. A statement titled New Pakistan cast in the mould of old was released by India in this regard and presented before the UNGA by Eenam Gambhir, India's first secretary in Permanent Mission to UN. India has said that by exercising the right to reply, it wants to reject the baseless allegations made by the Foreign Minister of Pakistan. The letter by India reads that the delegation came to this august Assembly to listen attentively to the new Foreign Minister of Pakistan outline the vision of a 'New Pakistan'. What we heard is a 'New Pakistan' cast in the mould of the old. Ready for a Quick Quiz Question? Who hosts 132 @UN designated terrorists & patronises 22 entities sanctioned under @UN Security Council 1267 & 1988 resolution regimes? Young @IndiaUNNewYork diplomat has the answer.https://t.co/jazBRCgobj pic.twitter.com/RfqV5wDi6Z Syed Akbaruddin (@AkbaruddinIndia) September 30, 2018 The letter further read, I, therefore, am constrained to take the floor to exercise India's Right to Reply, to reject the baseless allegations made by the Foreign Minister of Pakistan. In its response, India has strongly rejected the preposterous allegation relating to the horrific terror attack on a Peshawar school four years ago. Let me recollect for the new government of Pakistan the outpouring of sorrow and pain in India that followed the massacre of innocent children in 2014. Both houses of India's Parliament had expressed solidarity while paying respect to the memory of those killed. Schools all over India had observed two minutes of silence in their memory, India has said. The despicable insinuation made by the Foreign Minister of Pakistan dishonors the memory of the innocent lives lost to terrorists on that day. It is a desperate attempt to look away from the monster of terror that Pakistan has itself created in its quest to destabilise its neighbours and covet their territory. The statement further refers to the issue of Kashmir, reiterating Indias stand that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir is and will remain an integral part of the country. It also raises some questions on Pakistans claim of turning the tide against terrorism. The questions are: # Can Pakistan deny the fact that it is the host and patron of 132 of the UN-designated terrorists and 22 terrorist entities under the 1267 and the 1988 UN Security Council sanctions regime as of today? # Will Pakistan deny that UN-designated terrorist Ha& Saeed enjoys a free run inside Pakistan and spews venom and sets up candidates for electoral office? New Delhi has also dismissed the claims of the New Pakistan to be a champion of human rights, terming it as verbal duplicity. We have also noticed an effort of the 'New Pakistan' to champion human rights. This is vintage verbal duplicity. It is evident from the recent example of the Princeton economist, Professor Atif Mian's appointment and removal from the Economic Advisory Council on grounds that he belongs to a 'minority'. Before preaching to the world, championing of human rights should begin at home. We have also today heard support by Pakistan for a report no Member State had asked for; none supported; and on which no action was taken, reads the letter by India. India has further reiterated that talks and terror cannot go together. New Delhi: A Pakistani military helicopter violated Indian airspace in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch sector on Sunday. Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir's 'Prime Minister' Raja Farooq Haider was one of the occupants. The incident took place around 1213 hrs and reportedly flew in Indian airspace for at least five minutes before returning. It is learnt that the helicopter came 250m inside Indian airspace on the LoC although security analysts say that helicopters are barred from coming within 1 kilometer on either side of the LoC. While Pakistan security agencies have said that the helicopter crossed over by mistake, Indian authorities on the ground showed restraint and are likely to lodge a protest with Pakistan. #WATCH A Pakistani helicopter violated Indian airspace in Poonch sector of #JammuAndKashmir pic.twitter.com/O4QHxCf7CR ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2018 The violation of Indian airspace comes at a time when Indo-Pak relations are steadily deteriorating over Pakistan's support to terror outfits. Late Saturday night, foreign minister Sushma Swaraj gave a strong message to the world community at the United Nations in which she said that talks and terrorism cannot co-exist. (Read full report here) In his Mann ki Baat radio address to the nation on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi too sent a veiled warning towards Pakistan. "India favours peace but not at the cost of self-respect. Our forces are capable of giving a befitting reply to anyone who disturbs peace," he said. (Read full report here) New Delhi: A day after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's speech at the United Nations General Assembly, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday attacked the union minister claiming that her address at the international platform failed to construct a positive and constructive image of India in the world. "We get the sense that everything is about the political environment in India and this was a speech aimed at BJP voters and sending a message to them particularly on the subject of Pakistan rather than constructing a positive image of India in the world," Tharoor said. Addressing the General Debate of the 73rd United Nations General Assembly, Swaraj listed the various development programmes undertaken by the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre, melding them with the United Nations sustainable development goals. The EAM also came down heavily on Pakistan for glorifying terrorists and providing them with a safe haven. She said that the neighbouring country's commitment to terrorism as an instrument of official policy has not abated one bit. Describing terrorism as an 'existential threat' to humanity, Swaraj said that even as the perpetrators of the 9/11 terror attacks in New York met their fate, the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack Hafiz Saeed still roams the streets of Pakistan with impunity. Among others, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, reacted to Swaraj's UN speech. Taking to Twitter, earlier in the day, Jaitley tweeted, "EAM Smt. @SushmaSwaraj ji in her @UN General Assembly address emphatically dislodged Pakistans hypocritical role in curbing terrorism in the region. Congratulations to her on very effectively showing Pakistan its double face on terrorism & dialogue, & emphasizing Indias stand." Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal has alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not protect the rights of the Hindus, citing the incident of a policeman killing Vivek Tiwari, a sales manager with Apple, in Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. Responding to a tweet which asked if there would be a proper investigation into the incident involving Uttar Pradesh police, the AAP leader posted on the microblogging site, No. Even though Vivek Tiwari was a Hindu. BJP does not protect the interests of Hindus. Earlier, former UP chief minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav gunned for Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, saying the BJP strongman should resign over the issue of Tiwaris killing in Gomti Nagar area of Lucknow. Accusing the BJP-led UP government of conducting fake encounters, "Yogi Adityanath should resign as CM since it is his responsibility for this incident. Uttar Pradesh cannot be saved from fake encounters until inquiry of such incidents is conducted by a sitting judge," the Yadav scion told mediapersons in Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday. Vivek Tiwari, 38, a sales manager at Apple, was shot dead in the wee hours of Saturday by a policeman when he allegedly refused to stop his car for checking in Lucknow's posh Gomti Nagar locality. His killing triggered a massive public outcry and evoked sharp reactions from political circles. While Union Home Minister talked to Adityanath over the incident, the Chief Minister dismissed it to be a case of encounter, calling it a criminal act. He said that the government would initiate a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) if needed. Taking to Twitter on Saturday, the Union Home Minister had said, "Spoke to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the Lucknow's incident of Vivek Tiwari. I have asked the Chief Minister to take effective and appropriate action." According to a colleague of Apple sales manager, the accused constable, Prashant Chowdhary, had shot at Vivek Tiwari after chasing the SUV which he was driving. He had apparently failed to stop Tiwari during a late-night checking. The incident happened at around 1.30 AM when Tiwari was heading home after the launch of iPhone XS and XS Max, along with Sana Khan, his colleague. Khan said that after they were fired at, Tiwari got scared and drove the SUV into an underpass pillar, sustaining more injuries. A special investigation team of the UP police is looking into the incident. (With agency inputs) New Delhi: Former Bigg Boss contestant Vikas Gupta, who became a popular household name after his successful stint in Bigg Boss 11, has lashed out at Sreesanth for underestimating women. Taking to Twitter, Vikas wrote, "Very Disappointed with @sreesanth36 for underestimating Women in the Indian cricket team and the big boss house. Make him watch @eyehinakhan doing the tasks he wouldnt take women lightly ever 5 out of 11 seasons have been won by women including ours @ShindeShilpaS #BigBoss12." Very Dissapointed with @sreesanth36 for underestimating Women in the Indian cricket team and the big boss house. Make him watch @eyehinakhan doing the tasks he wouldnt take women lightly ever 5 out of 11 seasons have been won by women including ours @ShindeShilpaS #BigBoss12 pic.twitter.com/MNMjQHgylY Vikas Gupta (@lostboy54) September 30, 2018 Through his tweet, Vikas not only gave a piece of his mind to Sreesanth, but he also praised Hina Khan and Shilpa Shinde in his post. Hina, performed every task with finesse inside the Bigg Boss 11 house while Shilpa emerged as the winner. Earlier this week, Vikas entered the Bigg Boss 12 to give the contestants' reality check. While some took his suggestions well, Sreesanth couldn't take his comment well. Moscow: Actress Lindsay Lohan accused Syrian refugee parents of human trafficking and attempted to take their children before getting punched in the face here. The former child star filmed the bizarre incident and shared it as an Instagram Live on her account, reports foxnews.com. According to TMZ, she begins the video by saying, "Hey everyone I just want to show you a family I met, a Syrian refugee family. I'm going to introduce you to them." But the 32-year-old then accuses the Syrian parents of human trafficking their two boys. "Guys, you're going the wrong way, my car is here, come," Lohan tells the children who continued to follow their parents as she chases them down the street. "They're trafficking children, I won't leave until I take you, now I know who you are, don't f**k with me," she added. In an attempt to draw the children's attention, Lohan, who spent a few years living in Dubai, can also be heard shouting Arabic phrases in what sounds like a Middle Eastern accent. "You're ruining Arabic culture by doing this. You're taking these children... They want to go," she said before telling the boys: "I'm with you. Don't worry, the whole world is seeing this right now, I will walk forever, I stay with you don't worry." When Lohan tried to grab one of the children, and said "give me your hand", she was punched in the face by a woman who appears to be the child's mother, foxnews.com reported. The video ended with Lohan crying and telling viewers: "I'm like in shock right now, I'm just like so scared." New Delhi: Bollywood thespian Rishi Kapoor on Saturday tweeted informing about his ill health. The veteran actor shared on Twitter that he is leaving for the USA for a medical treatment. He further requested his fans and well-wishers not to speculate about his health condition. He tweeted, Hello all! I am taking a short leave of absence from work to go to America for some medical treatment. I urge my well-wishers not to worry or unnecessarily speculate. Its been 45 years plus of wear and tear at the movies. With your love and good wishes, I will be back soon! Hello all! I am taking a short leave of absence from work to go to America for some medical treatment. I urge my well wishers not to worry or unnecessarily speculate. Its been 45 years plusof wear and tear at the movies. With your love and good wishes,I will be back soon! Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) September 29, 2018 Rishi Kapoor was recently seen with his brothers Rajiv and Randhir and son Ranbir at Ganesh Visarjan at RK Studio, which is up for sale now. The family also led the last Visarjan procession. The famous RK studios in Chembur, Mumbai was in news last year when a major fire broke out on the sets of a television show. Built by Raj Kapoor nearly 70 years ago, many iconic films have been shot at the property. Earlier, Rishi had told Mumbai Mirror, "The investment in rebuilding the studio would just not have yielded sufficient revenue to keep it going. Believe me, we had to take the larger picture into account and take a level-headed decision. Even before the fire, for years R. K. Studio had become a huge white elephant, toting up losses. The few bookings we would get from films, TV serials and ad shoots would expect free parking space, air-conditioning and discounts." The report also says that the decision to put the property for sale has been taken unanimously by the members of the family. Upon being asked if there are any mixed feelings about the studio, the actor told Mirror, " Not really, He added, We had to place a stone on our hearts. Chhati pe patthar rakkhar, soch samajh kar decision liya hai. Canning: One person was killed and two others received bullet injuries after a clash broke out between two groups in South 24 Parganas district on Sunday, police said. The incident happened at Canning bus stand under the jurisdiction of Canning police station. Trouble began after the two groups, belonging to the same party, clashed at a rally organised by its youth wing, a police officer said. Shots were fired during the clash and 18-year-old Mizanur Rehman Sardar was killed on the spot, the officer said, adding, two other persons also suffered bullet injuries. They have been admitted to Canning sub-divisional hospital, he said. In what would hurt Pakistan's image in global diplomatic circles, a grade-20 officer of the country was caught on cam stealing the wallet of a delegate from Kuwait. The Kuwaiti delegation was in Pakistan to discuss investment plans but the accused diplomat may have been in a rush to get some money from them as soon as possible. In the CCTV footage - which has gone viral on social media - he is seen pocketing the wallet which was possibly forgotten on the discussion table. Grade 20 GoP officer stealing a Kuwaiti official's wallet - the official was part of a visiting delegation which had come to meet the PM pic.twitter.com/axODYL3SaZ omar r quraishi (@omar_quraishi) September 28, 2018 According to Dawn News, the Kuwaiti delegation had highlighted that one of its members had lost his wallet which had several high denomination notes of Kuwaiti Dinar. The entire Finance Ministry building was searched and lower-grade employees frisked but to no avail. It was only when the CCTV recordings were scanned that the guilty bureaucrat was caught and the wallet recovered. It is reported that the Kuwaiti delegation was fuming when informed of the incident and their initial request for the identity of the accused was met with reluctance. They were, instead, assured that proper legal action would be taken. Upon insisting though, they were shown the CCTV footage. In what could be like adding insult to injury, Pakistan's information minister Fawad Chaudhry later reportedly told journalists that the current batch of bureaucrats had received 'moral training' from the previous government. Kuwait: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Kuwait on Sunday, state media reported, amid expectation that he will discuss oil supplies and a Kuwaiti mediation effort to resolve Saudi Arabia`s conflict with Qatar. Prince Mohammed will hold talks with Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, state news agency KUNA reported. The Saudi prince is expected to discuss the resumption of oil output from a neutral zone which Saudi Arabia shares with Kuwait, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. He will be accompanied by Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih during his trip to Kuwait, two separate sources said. A Gulf Arab official told Reuters earlier that the dispute with Qatar would also be on the agenda. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have imposed sanctions on Qatar accusing it of cosying up to Iran - their regional arch rival - and supporting terrorism. Doha denies the accusations. Kuwaiti mediation efforts have failed so far to end the dispute. Reuters Three children were killed, another child was injured as a result of detonation of an antipersonnel fragmentation mine near Horlivka in Donbas. This is reported by information resources of the militants, referring to the statement of the so-called "mayor" of the city Ivan Prikhodko. "According to information from the Ministry of Emergency Situations, in the landing near the zero roadblock there was an explosion of the mine, three children were killed, one was taken to the hospital in severe condition," he said. Earlier we reported that local resident of Maiorske received gutter wound during the shelling of militants in Donbas on September 28. The victim is in a hospital. The Joint Center for Monitoring and Coordination of ceasefire claimed this, the press office of the Joint Forces reported this on Facebook. On September 28, 2018, at 6:15 p.m., the militants of the Russian armed formations performed shelling of Maiorske using small arms. As a result of the shelling, the local resident received a gutter wound to the head at the place of his permanent residence on 10B Kiltseva street. The victim is in Bakhmut Central District Hospital, reads the message. Related: Ukrainian Parliament to review claim on resigning of Acting Healthcare Minister Suprun Voting on the referendum in Macedonia started, where the residents have to decide whether they support the agreement with Greece. Balkan Insight reports. 3480 polling stations opened in the country, where 1.8 million voters can give their vote. Related: Russia to interfere in referendum on renaming of Macedonia, - Pentagon The following question was put to the vote: "Are you in favor of membership in the European Union and NATO, adopting the agreement between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Greece? Under a deal signed with Greece this summer, Macedonia agreed to change its name to the Republic of North Macedonia, while Greece agreed to lift its long-standing veto on Macedonia's NATO and EU integration. Let us note that the Greeks are not satisfied with the name the Republic of Macedonia since it corresponds to the name of Greek region Macedonia. Related: U.S. accuses Russia of meddling in Macedonia before name referendum Earlier, Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, stated that Macedonia would be invited to the negotiations on the membership in NATO right after the question of the renaming of the state is finally settled. Stoltenberg said that the recent agreement on the renaming of the country into the North Macedonia with Greece and the end of a long-term conflict was a historic agreement, which provides a historic opportunity for Skopje to join NATO. This step is being taken as part of the "defense strategy of the Arctic" from the Russian threat 112 Agency The United Kingdom in 2019 will send 800 servicemen to a new military base in northern Norway. This is reported by The Telergraf. According to the information, this step is being done within the framework of the "defense strategy of the Arctic" from the Russian threat. Thus, London will react to Moscow's activity in the Arctic region, which has grown in recent years. It is pointed out that Russia has resumed work on military bases that have remained since the USSR and increased the activity of submarines in the region to a level close to the times of the cold war. Therefore, the British authorities intend to demonstrate their presence in the Arctic and protect their interests in this region. In addition to Britain, servicemen from Norway, the United States and the Netherlands will also be deployed at the military base. In October, NATO military exercises will be held. Earlier we reported United States was considering a request from Poland for a permanent U.S. military presence in the fellow NATO country, acknowledging that he shares Polands concerns about possible Russian aggression. Trump said that on Tuesday after the meeting with President of Poland Andrzej Duda, Reuters reported. Were looking at it very seriously, I know Poland likes the idea very much, and its something that we are considering, yes, Trump told reporters. According to Reuters, Polish President Andrzej Duda asked Trump for a permanent U.S. base during a White House meeting, offering to name it Fort Trump, and explaining it would be a bulwark against what he considers a threat from Russia. Trump said he agreed with Duda that Moscow had acted aggressively in the region and said the request for a base was under consideration. He said he appreciated Dudas offer to put more than $2 billion into the project. Earlier it was reported that Albania is intended to build the first NATO airbase in the Balkans in Kucove city. The investments of NATO for the first stage of the project will amount to 58 million USD, the project to start at the end of 2018. Related: Head of Syrian MFA demands to remove Turkish, American, French forces from country According to the Representative of Polish MFA, Ukraine is also an important economic partner for Poland In conditions of the growing influence of China in world trade, precisely Poland and Ukraine are able to supply raw materials to Western markets. Bartosz Cichocki, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland claimed this in the interview to PAP. Internal reform of Ukraine has a key meaning in this dimension, Cichocki noted. The Representative of Polish MFA also noted that internal reforms in Ukraine should not be delayed by armed conflict with Moscow or the conflict of identity with Poland. Related: Poland intended to demand return of Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft wreckage from PACE As it was reported earlier, Ukraine and Poland have to cooperate on the question on exhumation of the citizens who died in the World War II and during the post-war period, as Ukraines Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin stated answering the question about the results of the Polish-Ukrainian excavations in Hruszowice in the place of the destroyed monument to Ukrainian Insurgent Army officers in Poland. He noted that he was ready to come to any place where Polish people died and commemorate them, but he expects such actions from Poland as well. The Committee will consider a draft decree on non-compliance of Suprun and her Deputy Oleksandr Linchevskiy with the positions held Parliamentary Committee for Health will review the recourse to the Cabinet of Ministers with a request to fire acting Minister of Health Uliana Suprun. It is stated in the agenda of the profile committee on October 2. The committee will consider the draft decree on non-compliance of Suprun and her Deputy Oleksandr Linchevskiy with the positions held, as well as the recourse to the Cabinet of Ministers with a claim for their resignation. Related: Cabinet of Ministers fire trade representative Nataliya Mykolska The decree on appeal to the government with a request to resign Suprun was registered by a group of MPs in July 2018. As we reported earlier, on April 3, the Committee for Health of the Ukrainian Parliament adopted the draft decree on the appeal to the Cabinet of Ministers on firing Acting Minister of Health Uliana Suprun and expressed her distrust. The US may prevent the supply of energy resources of the Russian Federation to the Middle East The U.S. Navy may arrange naval blockade to Russian vessels, which supply energy sources to the Middle East. United States Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke claimed this at the dedicated to energy event in Pittsburgh on September 28, Washington Examiner reports. According to him, the reason of Moscow presence in the Middle East region is precisely the sale of petroleum on which the Russian economy relies. Zinke stressed that the capabilities of the American Navy allow blocking sea lanes so that Russia does not control the energy sources market in the Middle East, as it does it in Europe. It should be noted that the Russian activity in the Sea of Azov increased over the last three months. Russians do not allow the trade vessels heading to and emerging from the Ukrainian ports to freely pass through the Kerch Strait. In this regard, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko commissioned the Minister of Defense, the Chief of the General Staff and the Commandment of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to take measures to stop Russian provocations in relation to blocking the entry of vessels into Ukrainian ports on the Azov Sea. The Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine developed a set of measures in response to Russia's actions. The set of measures includes the limit of passenger traffic with Russia. According to Russian mass media, 39-year-old Ukrainian died because of carelessness Open source A representative of the Department of Internal Affairs in Moscow metro Aleksey Myshliaiev claimed that Ukrainian citizen died on the station of Moscow metro Tverskaya. Moscow agency reports. Myshliaiev told that the 39-year-old Ukrainian died because of carelessness. Related: Ukrainian dies in car accident in Russia The man was standing on the edge of the platform but stumble lost his balance fell on the track. At that moment, the train was yet approaching to the station. The train driver used emergency braking but the train ran over the man due to its momentum, the outlet reported. Related: Ukrainian died in car accident in Poland It is claimed that the information about the death of the man was referred to the Prosecutors office in the Moscow metro. Reportedly, six Ukrainian citizens injured as a result of a large-scale car accident in Voronezh region, Russia. Too often small gets lost in the big, yet sometimes it's just the opposite, and Albuquerques regionally-based Museum of Military Families can now boast on that score. The American Association for State and Local History has recently named the museum the winner of the 2018 Albert B. Corey Award, which celebrates primarily volunteer-operated historical organizations that best display the qualities of vigor, scholarship and imagination in their work. The citation results from the nations most prestigious competition, recognizing achievement in state and local history. In New Mexico, accolades usually lean toward larger events, such as the ever-popular Balloon Fiesta, as well as a number of other historical tourist attractions. So when a local, lesser-known museum wins national recognition, there is more than enough reason to celebrate. The museum, founded in 2011 as a nonprofit organization by army wife and military mother, Dr. Circe Olson Woessner, has earned national attention as the countrys only display devoted to the military family. While Woessner's son was deployed overseas she sought after any documents related to experiences of military parents, spouses and children. After finding nothing she decided to start a museum dedicated entirely to the military family. The MAMF is dedicated to collecting and preserving the stories, letters, photos, documents and artifacts of friends and relatives who have supported a member of Americas armed forces. MAMF also manages Operation Food Locker, a mini-mobile exhibit that circulates throughout the United States in hopes to honor military children and their families. It focuses not only on military exploits or armed conflict alone, but on what relativesall sharing in the sacrifice of national defense demandscontribute to veterans and those currently serving. Visitors walk into an actual household adorned with items of generations from all branches. Everything from uniforms, insignia, letters and scrapbooks, to helmets, boots and souvenirs. In addition, the museum maintains a comprehensive special collections library and an archive of unique documents and firsthand stories by and about military spouses, service members, relatives and children from military families. They will also enjoy an examination of military humor titled, GI Jokes, as well as another exhibit created by members of the LGBT military community called Inside Out. MAMF also promotes external events such as documentary film screenings, spoken-word performances, discussion groups and classes relating to the achievements of military family members. In 2017, it published three anthologies and a cookbook compiled from the writings of military family members and veterans detailing the personal effects of war, work, service and mobility on family life. I feel I have a stake in that award, not just as the Museums Writer in Residence, but as a Korean War era veteran with a service-connected disability. While eligible for health care at the Albuquerque VA hospital, and in joining a distinguished group of fellow veterans, I see firsthand the part family plays in military service. Whether on foot, with walkers, in wheelchairs or by motorized vehicles, many of those vets come accompanied by either a friend or relative. Originally, as more dove than hawk, I never considered myself belonging to a military family. But the moment I entered the museum for the first time and saw how it was arranged as a military home, I realized otherwise. The first exhibit I gazed at was an ironing board set up alongside a modest kitchen table. Draped across it, next to an upturned iron, lay an army jacket waiting to be pressed. I was reminded of my first furlough home back in 1953, immediately after basic training. Proud of my uniform, but aware of how wrinkled it had become after a long train ride, I asked my mother to iron it. I now pictured how she stood ironing it as proudly as I wore that uniform. That alone made her a military family member, and me one too. I was born in 1932, and in 1941three days before my 9th birthdayAmerica entered World War II. Two of my uncles served in that war, and a silver star for each of them hung in our front window. Then five years after Japan surrendered war broke in Korea and my brother had enlisted and was deployed. Six months following his return, with a disability of his own, I was drafted. Now it was my turn to keep ours a military family. For better or worse, we are a nation perpetually at war, clear across the 20th century into this one. World War II was only a short generation from the first World War, Korea and Vietnam conflicts were shadowed by an ongoing Cold War, along with two Gulf Wars and, of course, Afghanistan. Directly or vicariously, we are all connected. In that spirit, I invite anyone to visit the museum. See for yourself how the front line and the homefront converge in a single modest kitchen. Every New Mexican is invited to sit at its small table, which in effect can feed us all as members of one big military family. YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 30, ARMENPRESS. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres encourages Armenia and Azerbaijan to take confidence-building steps towards a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict, the UN said in a statement. The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres: The Secretary-General welcomes the meeting between the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, held on 26 September in the margins of the General Assembly, under the auspices of the Co-Chairs of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group. The Secretary-General shares the Co-Chairs concern about recent statements and incidents along the Line of Contact and the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. He reiterates the full support of the United Nations for the important mediation efforts of the Co-Chairs and encourages the parties to take steps enhancing confidence and foster the necessary political will to reach a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. A meeting between Armenian foreign minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Azerbaijans foreign minister Elmar Mammadyarov took place September 26 in New York City at the mediation of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America. The Co-Chairs, as well as the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, participated in the meeting, the foreign ministry said. The meeting initially began in an expanded format, followed by a one-on-one meeting of the FMs. Minister Mnatsakanyan reiterated Armenias stance and approach on the exclusively peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh (NK) conflict. A useful exchange of ideas over the conflicts settlement aimed at establishing sustainable peace in the region took place, the ministry said. The parties agreed to continue dialogue, including within the framework of an upcoming visit of the Co-Chairs to the region. The OSCE Minsk Group issued the following statement the next day: The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America) met separately and jointly with the Foreign Minister of Armenia, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, and the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Elmar Mammadyarov, between 25 and 27 September on the margins of the UN General Assembly. The Co-Chairs were joined in their meetings by the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Andrzej Kasprzyk. They also met with the OSCE Secretary General, UN Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs, and a representative of the Italian OSCE Chairmanship. The Ministers continued negotiations on the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Co-Chairs and the Ministers discussed the situation in the region and sought clarification with respect to several recent statements and incidents of concern. The Co-Chairs expressed deep regret over the continuing and unnecessary loss of life. They cautioned the Ministers about the dangers of escalation, called on the parties to engage constructively in a positive atmosphere, and to avoid inflammatory rhetoric. The Co-Chairs underscored that a comprehensive settlement will require compromises on all sides. In this context, the Ministers confirmed the importance of taking measures to intensify the negotiation process and to take additional steps to reduce tensions. The Ministers agreed to meet again before the end of the year. The Co-Chairs plan to visit the region in the near future and will then brief the OSCE Minsk Group and the Permanent Council on the status of negotiations. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 30, ARMENPRESS. The Central Electoral Commission of Armenia convened a sitting today to sign a final protocol on the Yerevan City Council election. The commission said that based on the results of re-count it approved the protocol. The commission also noted that no violations which couldve impacted the outcome of the election had taken place. The Yerevan City Council is elected, with the following distribution of mandates: My Step bloc 57 seats Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) 5 seats Luys (Light) bloc 3 seats The My Step bloc has won a landslide victory in the September 23 Yerevan City Council elections. My Steps candidate for Yerevan Mayor is Hayk Marutyan. Preliminary counts of all precincts showed a massive 81,06% victory for My Step. 294,109 people voted for the alliance. The Prosperous Armenia Party is the runner-up with only 6,95%, or 25,219 votes. Luys (Light) bloc won 4,99%, or 18,112 votes. The ARF garnered only 5882 votes (1,61%). 848,343 people were eligible to vote in the election, but the turnout was a bit over 360,000. Bloc, party Popular vote Percentage Prosperous Armenia Party 25219 6,95 Yerevan Public bloc 2502 0,69 Yerevantsis bloc 2985 0,82 Yerkir Tsirani party 5059 1,39 Heritage party 2709 0,75 Democratic Way party 799 0,22 My Step bloc 294109 81,06 Luys bloc 18112 4,99 ARF party 5882 1,62 Hayk party 692 0,19 Reformists party 792 0,22 Rule of Law party 3948 1,09 Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan Switzerland has released a statement on the official website of the Swiss armed forces procurement agency regarding the purchase of a new air defense missile system. A request for bids was sent to three Companies including Eurosam from France, Rafael from Israel and Raytheon from United States. Swiss Bloodhound BL-64 surface-to-air defense missile system (Picture source Internet) A tender has been issued on September 21, 2018, to the Company Rafael for the David's Sling, to France for the Eurosam SAMP/T and to United States for the Patriot. All the Companies will have to send their offers by the end of March 2019. The Swiss army defense procurement agency plans to perform evaluation of radar for each air defense missile system by the end of summer 2019 in Switzerland. Capabilities of other major components such as missiles and control systems will be analysis based on information received in Switzerland or provided by the manufacturer. Currently, Swiss no longer have anti-aircraft missile systems since the retired of the Bloodhound in 1999, named BL-64 surface-to-air missile in the Swiss armed forces. The David's Sling is an Israel Defense Forces military system being jointly developed by the Israeli defense contractor Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and the American defense contractor Raytheon, designed to intercept enemy planes, drones, tactical ballistic missiles, medium- to long-range rockets and cruise missiles, fired at ranges from 40 km (24.85 miles) to 300 km (186.41 miles) with speeds of up to mach 7.5. The Patriot MIM-104 is a surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, the primary of its kind used by the United States Army and several allied nations. Patriot uses an advanced aerial interceptor missile and high performance radar systems. The Patriot system is modular and highly mobile. A battery-sized element can be emplaced in less than 1 hour. Patriot systems have been sold to Egypt, Germany, Greece, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Netherlands, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Spain, South Korea, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates. The PAC-3 MSE is the latest generation in the Patriot missile family, an evolution of the battle-proven PAC-3 Missile. The hit-to-kill PAC-3 MSE provides performance enhancements that counter evolving threat advancements. The enhancements ensure the PAC-3 Missile Segment of the PATRIOT Air Defense System is capable of engaging new and evolving threats. The hit-to-kill PAC-3 Missile is the worlds most advanced, and capable theater air defense missile and defender against the entire threat to the PATRIOT Air Defense System: Tactical Ballistic Missiles (TBMs) carrying weapons of mass destruction, evolving cruise missiles and aircraft. The SAMP/T also called MAMBA in the French army is a theatre antimissile system designed to protect the battlefield and sensitive tactical sites (such as airports and sea ports) against all current and future airborne threats, including cruise missiles, manned and unmanned aircraft and tactical ballistic missiles in the 600 km range class. The SAMP/T is produced by Eurosam, a 50:50 joint venture between MBDA and Thales. Its key components are the Aster 30 interceptor and Arabel multi-function radar. The maximum speed of Aster 30 missile is 1.4km/sec. Aster 30 has the capability to intercept targets at altitudes from 50 m to 20 km. against aircraft targets flying at altitudes above 3 km, the maximum range of the Aster 30 is 100 km. At aircraft targets with altitudes below 3 km, the range of Aster 30 is 50 km. The Maltese authorities on Sunday finally took 58 migrants from the Aquarius to Valletta after they had waited for days in rough seas on the rescue ship that can no longer go to port after its flag was pulled. The migrants, including Libyans, sub-Saharan Africans and Afghans, boarded two buses at a Malta Armed Forces base in Valletta after being transferred from the Aquarius to a Maltese patrol boat in international waters. Their number includes a five-month pregnant woman and Bella the dog, the first animal rescued with migrants in the Mediterranean and they are to be sent on to four European countries after a tense standoff over their fate last week. The UN refugee agency UNHCR said that it had not yet been decided where which of the migrants - 18 children, 17 women, 23 men and a dog - would go. "We hope that they will leave Malta in a few days," UNHCR representative Paolo Biondi told AFP at the base. France has agreed to take 18 of the migrants, Germany and Spain 15 each and Portugal 10. Panama pulled its flag from the ship a week ago, meaning the unregistered Aquarius would not be able to leave any port, while other rescue vessels already impounded in Valletta fight a protracted legal battle. The group were picked up from two boats plying the perilous route between North Africa and Europe last Monday. The Aquarius, chartered by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and SOS Mediterranee, is the only civilian ship still trying to rescue migrants making the perilous journey from North Africa to Europe. With no flag, Aquarius was expected to sail for its home port of Marseille in southern France. A family of migrants from the Aquarius rescue vessel disembark at Valletta port after nearly a week at sea British Prime Minister Theresa May and her allies called for unity Sunday after former colleague Boris Johnson hijacked the opening of their Conservative party's annual conference with another attack on the government's Brexit plan. Former foreign minister Johnson, long tipped as a successor to May, used a newspaper interview to condemn her plan for close economic ties with the EU as "deranged" and "preposterous". He is among a group of eurosceptics in her Conservative party who are using the four-day gathering in Birmingham, central England, to make the case for a looser trade agreement. Several backbench MPs also joined former UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage, a leading Brexit campaigner, at a rally here Sunday, demanding May "chuck" her plan. The prime minister is already under intense pressure from EU leaders, who earlier this month rejected her trade plan and demanded a rethink before a summit in mid-October. Meanwhile pro-European Conservatives joined hundreds of people chanting "Bollocks to Brexit" at a rival rally calling for a new EU referendum. May has repeated ruled out a new Brexit vote, and insists her plan is the only way to protect cross-border trade in goods and avoid physical checks on the Irish border. "My message to my party is, let's come together and get the best deal for Britain," she told the BBC in an interview. Analysts believe May will have to give further ground to Brussels to secure a withdrawal agreement before Brexit in March next year, but no announcements are expected in Birmingham. Johnson's successor, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, warned EU leaders not to make the bloc a prison, or "we won't be the only prisoner that will want to escape". But his conference speech also had a message for colleagues that their in-fighting threatened undermining Brexit, or handing power to opposition leftist leader Jeremy Corbyn. "Never forget that disunity and division won?t give us a better Brexit but the wrong Brexit, a Corbyn Brexit or perhaps no Brexit at all," he said. - Threats to leadership - Since losing her parliamentary majority in a disastrous snap election last year, May has faced endless internal plotting and rumours of a leadership challenge. Many potential successors inside and outside her cabinet will address delegates this week, notably Johnson, who quit in July over May's Brexit plan. Charismatic and with a populist touch, Johnson is a favourite with the Conservative faithful and is expected to draw large crowds to his speech at a fringe event on Tuesday. In his interview with the Sunday Times, he made a direct pitch for the leadership by setting out a slew of domestic policy ideas. But many believe May's rivals will wait and see what happens in the EU talks, with the House of Commons due to vote on the final Brexit deal, possibly in November or December. May only has a slim working majority among the 650 MPs, making her vulnerable to even the smallest rebellion. Few delegates here want an immediate change of leader, even those unhappy with May's plan. "I think it's got to wait until after Brexit," said Alan Dixon, 72, from Derby. - Labour threat - The opening to the conference was overshadowed by a security breach in the mobile app for the event which allowed users to access phone numbers of senior ministers and MPs. It was an inauspicious start to a meeting that many Conservatives were already anxious about. They want the party to present something more than Brexit divisions, as they eye the threat posed by the opposition Labour party. Corbyn presented a radical economic programme for government at his own conference last week. The party also said it would likely reject May's Brexit deal when it comes to a vote of MPs, raising the possibility of fresh elections. The Conservatives are slightly ahead of Labour in opinion polls, but a slew of senior figures have warned they need new ideas. May announced plans on Sunday to increase the property purchase tax for foreign buyers amid concerns overseas investors are driving up prices, and a national festival in 2022 to show off post-Brexit Britain. As she leads the annual Tory party conference, Theresa May is under pressure from both Brexit hardliners and from those wanting to remain in the EU who were rallying in Birmingham outside the venue Prime Minister Theresa May arrived in Birmingham just days after the EU rejected her plan for close future economic ties Many potential successors inside and outside her cabinet will address delegates this week, notably Boris Johnson, who quit as foreign minister in July over May's Brexit plan Public opinion is shifting against eight years of Conservative public spending cuts Dogged by party divisions, endless plotting and caught in the quagmire of Brexit, British Prime Minister Theresa May's political obituary has been written many times. But the Conservative leader has proved a remarkable survivor. May took over in the chaotic aftermath of Britain's historic 2016 vote to leave the European Union, and her tenure has been no less turbulent. She moved within months to start the Brexit process and sought to bolster her domestic political position with a snap election in June last year. This spectacularly backfired and she lost her majority in the House of Commons, leaving her reliant on a Northern Irish party to govern. Since then, her party's pro- and anti-Brexit factions have taken turns to flex their muscles, seeking to influence her strategy and bringing her government to the brink. Each time they have proved unwilling to deal the fatal blow, but tensions are rising again as the Brexit negotiations reach their final stretch. - 'Don't underestimate Theresa May' - She once described herself as a "bloody difficult woman", and her foreign minister Jeremy Hunt said this week: "Don't underestimate Theresa May." May, who turns 62 on Monday, studied geography at the University of Oxford, before working in finance, including at the Bank of England. She met her husband Philip, a banker, at Oxford after reportedly being introduced by future Pakistan premier Benazir Bhutto. Not long after their marriage, May's vicar father died in a car accident, followed a year later by her mother, who had multiple sclerosis. The Mays, who were unable to have children, lead a quiet life, going to church on Sundays in the wealthy London commuter seat of Maidenhead, which she has represented in parliament since 1997. They spend their holidays hiking, and the prime minister enjoys cooking and reading detective novels. When asked once what was the naughtiest thing she had ever done, May admitted to running through fields of wheat as a child. She highlights her steady image and emphasis on "getting on with the job" rather than gossiping and networking. But she often seems ill at ease with world leaders, and her awkwardness with the public -- the media dubbed her the "Maybot" -- was widely blamed for the disastrous 2017 election. May survived six years as interior minister before entering Downing Street, one of the toughest jobs in British politics. But she has since drawn criticism for overseeing major cuts to police budgets, a growing political issue amid rising crime and after a string of terror attacks. And while her tough line on immigration reflected the public mood, it led to a scandal this year over the deportations of legitimate Commonwealth-born Britons. - 'The nasty party' - As Britain's second female prime minister, May has been compared to fellow Conservative Margaret Thatcher, but has struck a different tone from the free market-backing "Iron Lady". As Conservative chairwoman in 2002, she famously warned colleagues they were seen as "the nasty party". In her first Conservative conference speech as leader in 2016 she railed against global elites, while her election manifesto rejected "untrammelled free markets". However, the all-encompassing process of preparing for Brexit has squeezed out any domestic agenda, meaning Britain's withdrawal from the EU will inevitably be her legacy. Prime Minister Theresa May, who turns 62 on Monday, studied geography at the University of Oxford, before working in finance, including at the Bank of England Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May met her husband Philip, a banker, while at Oxford University after reportedly being introduced by future Pakistan premier Benazir Bhutto The all-encompassing process of preparing for Brexit has squeezed out any domestic agenda Theresa May took over as prime minister in the chaotic aftermath of Britain's historic 2016 vote to leave the European Union, and her tenure has been no less turbulent Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May once described herself as a "bloody difficult woman", and her foreign minister Jeremy Hunt warned this week: "Don't underestimate Theresa May." The father of a six-year-old boy whose body was found in a creek, says he is heartbroken he was not able to save his non-verbal son after the child ran off. The death of Maddox Ritch, 6, who had been missing for days until his body was found, has authorities in North Carolina searching for clues as to how he died. FBI Agent Jason Kaplan said investigators still want to hear from people who were in the Gastonia park last weekend when the boy with autism ran away from his father. The father of North Carolina boy Maddox Ritch (pictured) whose body was found near a lake, said the boy ran off from him. Source: FBI via AP In law enforcement, we will not take anything for granted, Kaplan said on Thursday, fighting his emotions, at a news conference where officials announced that a body had been found. So theres a lot of work, and theres a lot of people that have lost a lot of sleep and are committed to continuing to making sure we answer every question that we can about where Maddox was, how his movement occurred and how it was that he ended up where he did. Kaplan said there has been speculation on the actions of Maddoxs parents, but he said the investigation is focusing on the childs movements. Specifically, investigators are looking for a man in a white truck who is believed to have seen Maddox before he disappeared. We still want to hear from the other people who have not reached out to us, Kaplan said. The Gastonia Police Department has led the investigation since the boy disappeared. The FBI assisted in the case. A teddy bear was left at the entrance to Rankin Lake Park in memory of Maddox Ritch, 6, whose body was found in a nearby creek in North Carolina. Source: Mike Hensdill/The Gaston Gazette via AP I am not a dad anymore Maddoxs father Ian Ritch shared the heartbreak of never again being able to do the activities he had wanted to do with his son, like fishing, playing sports, and going camping. Last Saturday, Ritch said the boy ran off from him and a friend at Rankin Lake Park and disappeared before he could catch up to him. Ritch said neuropathy in his feet brought on by diabetes prevented him from running after Maddox. Now today I found out Im not a dad anymore, he wrote in a lengthy Facebook post on Thursday. He added he wanted his son to see him as a hero such as Batman or Superman. Story continues I wanted people to ask him who his heroe [sic] is and him say my daddy. Mr Ritch then shared that he was not a hero and had failed to protect his son. Now Im no heroe [sic] I couldnt save him or protect him at all. I would give anything to go back and save him. Tragic creek discovery Kaplan and Gastonia Fire Chief Phil Welch said the boys body was found in about one metre of water in a creek, around 1.6 kilometres east of the park, by a searcher. Welch said the area had been searched previously by drones, all-terrain vehicles, kayak teams and foot patrols. Maddox Ritch with his dad Ian Ritch. Source: Facebook Ian Ritch We were searching on the presumption that he could have moved around, Welch said. Kaplan said while it was too early to determine whether foul play was involved in Maddoxs death, investigators would pursue every angle to find out exactly what happened. Where did he enter, how did he get there, what was the manner of death, what was the cause of death? Was there any crime that was committed, or are we simply looking at an accident? Kaplan said. Those are very difficult questions to answer, but they are questions that we will answer. A 44-year-old woman was charged in the murder of a Slovak journalist, the prosecutor's office said Sunday in a case that sent thousands into the streets and toppled a prime minister. "We can confirm that a woman identified as A. Z. was charged with the extremely serious crime of complicity in a murder," prosecutor spokeswoman Andrea Predajnova said in a statement. The Slovak daily Dennik N wrote Sunday the woman, who is the fourth suspect arrested, had "ordered" the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova in February. But Daniel Lipsic, a lawyer for the Kuciak family, said the woman was more of an intermediary because "the murderer absolutely could not know who ordered the crime." Local media said the woman had worked as an interpreter for Slovak entrepreneur Marian Kocner, whose business activities were the subject of an investigation by Kuciak. He was probing alleged links between Italian organised crime and Slovak politicians when he and Kusnirova were murdered at their home. The killing raised concerns about media freedom and corruption in the EU member state of 5.4 million people and sparked protests that culminated in the resignation of prime minister Robert Fico in March. Up to five thousands of Slovak protesters attend a gathering 'For Decent Slovakia' on September 28, 2018 in Bratislava, Slovakia, seven months after the murder of Slovak investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiance Martina Kusnirova A 20-year-old man has been charged with murder after telling police he threw his four-year-old brother off the roof of the familys seven-story apartment building. Police responding to an emergency call found Shimron Smith unconscious and unresponsive in the courtyard outside his Brooklyn, New York, home in the early hours of Saturday morning. A 20-year-old man has been charged with murder after telling police he threw his four-year-old brother Shimron Smith off the roof of the familys seven-story apartment building. Source: The New York Post The little boy was was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the NYPD. Shimrons brother Shawn J. Smith, who suffers from schizophrenia, reportedly confessed to officers that he led his little brother to the roof of the Midwood building and pushed him off, according to The New York post. I just killed my brother I took my brother up to the roof and I threw him off, Smith allegedly told officers. The older brother, who reportedly suffers from schizophrenia, told officers he led the child onto the roof then pushed him off. Source: 4NBC Smith was charged with second-degree murder, accused of throwing the Shimron off the roof of the seven-story apartment building. Shimron was the youngest of six children whose family arrived in Brooklyn from Guyana a country on South Americas North Atlantic coast less than a year ago. An investigation is ongoing. A total of 675 migrants, including children and babies, were rescued off the Spanish coast over the weekend, a government spokesman told AFP. On Saturday, 405 were picked up from what are often unseaworthy people smugglers' vessels, with seven children and babies among the African migrants. The rescuers were unaware of any who were in serious medical condition or lost overboard. Spain has become the biggest port of entry for clandestine migration into Europe after Italy largely closed its borders under pressure from far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini. More than 40,000 migrants have reached Spain since the start of the year, most via the maritime route but also by making their way into Spain's two tiny enclaves in Morocco -- Ceuta and Melilla -- according to the International Organization for Migration. That represents 40 percent of the roughly 100,000 arrivals throughout Europe over the period. Meanwhile, more than 1,700 people were lost in the Mediterranean Sea. A total of 675 migrants were rescued off the coast of Spain a week after 117 migrants arrived aboard a coast guard boat at Malaga's harbour, seen here Syrian rebels on Sunday denied pulling any heavy arms out of a major opposition bastion in the north, as the deadline to implement a demilitarisation deal there draws closer. Regime ally Moscow and rebel backer Ankara agreed earlier in September to create a buffer zone around the opposition stronghold of Idlib that would be free of both jihadists and heavy arms. The deal has so far averted a massive assault on the region by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government, but its implementation is expected to be complex. The National Liberation Front, a pro-Turkey rebel alliance, welcomed the agreement but said Sunday it had not yet moved any heavy arms from the planned zone. "There have been no withdrawals of heavy weapons from any area or any front. This report is denied, completely denied," NLF spokesman Naji Mustafa told AFP. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor had earlier said one faction of the NLF began withdrawing its heavy weapons under the Turkish-Russian agreement. It said Faylaq al-Rahman, whose fighters number between 8,500 and 10,000, were leaving three towns in the planned buffer zone on Sunday "with heavy weapons, including tanks and cannons". The Britain-based monitor uses a vast network of sources including fighters, officials and medical staff. A spokesman for Faylaq al-Rahman also told AFP on Sunday it had not moved any forces or arms. "There have been no changes in the location of weapons or redistribution of fighters, even as we remain committed to the agreement reached in (the Russian resort of) Sochi," said Sayf al-Raad. - Jihadists, rebels split on deal - On September 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to set up a demilitarised zone about 15 to 20 kilometres (nine to 12 miles) wide skirting Idlib. Under the agreement, all factions in the planned buffer area must hand over their heavy weapons by October 10 and radical groups must withdraw by October 15. The deal was welcomed by world powers, aid organisations and the United Nations, which all hoped it would help avoid a bloody military assault on the area. But observers have pointed out its implementation would be tricky for Ankara. Most of the territory where the zone would be established is controlled by either hardline jihadists or by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which is led by former members of Al-Qaeda's Syria branch and widely considered the most powerful force in Idlib. The rest is held by the NLF and other rebels. HTS has yet to announce its position on the agreement, and there have been no signs it was moving out either fighters or heavy weapons. But Al-Qaeda loyalists Hurras al-Deen, which have a presence in the zone, rejected the deal last week. And on Saturday, formerly US-backed rebel group Jaish al-Izza followed suit. "We are against this deal, which eats into liberated (rebel-held) areas and bails out Bashar al-Assad," its head Jamil al-Saleh told AFP. Jaish al-Izza, which is not part of the NLF, clashed with regime forces throughout the night on Saturday and into Sunday in the province of Hama, bordering Idlib. - 'Purge' fighters - Idlib and adjacent rebel territory are home to some three million people, about half of them displaced from other parts of Syria. Seven years of war have forced more than half of Syria's people into exile or left them internally displaced. After losing swathes of territory to rebel fighters, Assad's regime now controls around two-thirds of the country. The areas still outside his control are Idlib in the northwest, and a northeastern chunk held by Kurdish authorities where US and other Western troops are present. On Saturday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said Damascus would keep "fighting this sacred battle until we purge all Syrian territories" of both radical groups and "any illegal foreign presence". The Observatory said Sunday that more than 18,000 people, nearly half of them civilians, had been killed in Russian air strikes since Moscow began its game-changing intervention in Syria exactly three years ago. Russia, however, said its "accurate" strikes had killed 85,000 "terrorists". In Israel, Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said his country was prepared to open its side of a crossing point with Syria following the return in August of UN peacekeepers to the Golan Heights after regime forces drove out rebel groups. burs-ohk/hc/par Syrian rebel fighters from the National Liberation Front take part in combat training in Idlib province on September 11, 2018 The positions of the different forces Syria's Idlib province, the proposed demilitarised zone and the likely routes for civilians fleeing the zone. The family of Fremantle Docker Hayden Ballantyne is grieving after his brother, Brendan, was hit and killed by a car in Perths south. Brendan Ballantyne, 22, was engaged to be married and expecting his second child. The 22-year-old, who Haydens younger brother, was hit by a car as he walked along Ennis Avenue in Waikiki just after 9pm on Saturday. Brendan Ballantyne with his pregnant fiance and two-year-old daughter. Source: 7News. Along the stretch of road where the 22-year-old was hit the speed limit is 100km/h and there are no street lights. Brendans family are devastated but want the world to know he will be very missed. He was a very loved family member engaged to be married soon, a father of a beautiful two-year-old with a baby girl on the way, a family statement said. A 47-year-old man was charged with careless driving on Sunday afternoon. Police are urging witnesses to come forward. Police on scene following a crash in Perths south on Saturday night. Source: 7News Bellingcat, the investigative website unmasking the Skripal affair suspects, grew out of one man's efforts to track the origin of Syrian civil war weapons -- from the comfort of his sofa. The latest revelations from the UK-based citizen journalism group on the nerve agent attack on Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal have made global headlines -- and they are promising more to come. Bellingcat reported Wednesday that Ruslan Boshirov, one of the two Russian suspects wanted by British police, was actually Anatoly Chepiga, a military intelligence colonel decorated in 2014 with the nation's top award, the Hero of Russia. Previous major Bellingcat investigations have included a report claiming flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine by a Russian missile system, as well as others on the wars in Syria and Yemen. The recent allegations have enraged Moscow, with foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova saying earlier this month that the site was "close to the secret services". Zakharova said Bellingcat "intentionally pumps out disinformation disguised as investigations". The driving force behind Bellingcat is 39-year-old founder Eliot Higgins, who came to prominence for his investigations into the Syrian civil war as the blogger "Brown Moses". An unemployed office worker, he had no journalistic training and his weapons knowledge was entirely self-taught -- indeed, any he already had was gleaned from films like "Rambo". Looking at clips of footage from Syria, "I wanted to see if I could figure out something from these videos, and what weapons they had was one thing," Higgins told AFP. He was among the first to track and report on the Syrian regime's use of barrel bombs through analysing the strikes using open-source material. - 'People who can dig' - The Brown Moses name was taken from a Frank Zappa song, but Higgins has long since given up concealing his identity, partly to avoid conspiracy theory suspicion about who he is. Branching out, he launched Bellingcat in 2014 and it made its name almost immediately with investigations into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in Ukraine. "I wanted to launch a site that brought together a lot of people who were also doing open-source online investigations like I was, as well as giving guides and case studies for people to learn from so they can do it themselves," Higgins said. Operating from a small office in Leicester, central England, Bellingcat's website lists four staff led by Higgins, 11 members of its investigation team and 60 contributors. They have 82,000 Twitter followers but their reach goes far further. Funding comes half from grants and donations and half from running workshops training people in the art of open-source investigations. The website publishes guides on how to analyse data, showing readers the methods used to produce its reports. September's guides include "How to Scrape Interactive Geospacial Data" and "How to Identify Burnt Villages by Satellite Imagery", using case studies in California, Myanmar and Nigeria. Higgins said Bellingcat offered something traditional media outlets do not, though major organisations are opening up more to this style of investigation. "There's a lot of really valuable, interesting material out there, as long as you've got the people who can dig for it," he said. The Skripal project is a partnership with Russian investigative website The Insider. "They were running things on the Russian side of the operation, so we were doing a lot of the open source investigation to stand up the information they were finding," said Higgins. - Fresh revelations on Skripal case - In an era of fake news online, Bellingcat makes a point of detailing where its claims come from. In its latest Skripal report, Bellingcat detailed how investigators reached their conclusion on Chepiga. The investigation started out with only pictures of the prime suspects and their cover identities. They said they conducted image searches on online search engines, contacted former Russian military officers, browsed pictures of a military academy yearbook and scoured leaked Russian databases. They then obtained extracts from the passport file of Anatoly Vladimirovich Chepiga which contained a photograph that strongly resembled a younger Boshirov. The online sleuths are promising fresh revelations next week. Higgins said he was concerned about the personal safety of the Insider team in Russia. Their editor, Roman Dobrokhotov, who returned to Russia from London on Friday, is expecting arrest. Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said if Dobrokhotov was afraid for his safety "he is free to go to the police". The lastest revelations from UK-based citizen journalism group Bellingcat on the nerve agent attack on Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal have made global headlines Bellingcat reported Wednesday that Ruslan Boshirov, one of the two Russian suspects wanted by British police, was actually military intelligence colonel Anatoly Chepiga Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has accused Bellingcat of being "close to the secret services" and claimed it "intentionally pumps out disinformation disguised as investigations" Bellingcat launched in 2014 and made its name almost immediately with investigations into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in Ukraine Graphic on the known whereabouts in March of two Russians wanted by Britain for the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal and his daugher Yulia. US and Canadian negotiators were holding eleventh-hour talks on Sunday aimed at revamping the North American Free Trade Agreement ahead of a Washington-imposed deadline. The talks were being held over the phone, unlike in previous rounds where Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland had traveled to Washington. "Lots of progress, but we're not there yet," David MacNaughton, Canada's ambassador to the United States, said in Ottawa before heading back to Washington on Sunday evening. Peter Navarro, an adviser to US President Donald Trump on trade, earlier told Fox News: "Everybody is negotiating in good faith right now as we speak. "The deadline is midnight tonight to get the text into Congress to make sure this goes forward." Canada's The Globe and Mail cited sources on both sides of the border as saying a deal was close. Most of the "substantive work" has been completed, with a "handful" of details remaining, the newspaper reported. The United States and Mexico want to push a deal they separately negotiated through their respective legislatures before Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador takes office on December 1. In the United States, Congress must have the text of the deal by Sunday if a 60-day review period is to be respected. Trump has been pushing for a complete overhaul of the 25-year-old trade deal, which he says has been a "rip-off" for the United States. Speaking at a political rally in Wheeling, West Virginia on Saturday night, Trump told supporters: "We'll see what happens with Canada, if they come along. They have to be fair." In August -- more than a year into the negotiations -- the United States and Mexico announced they had reached a two-way deal, after breaking away for bilateral talks on their outstanding issues. But the ensuing talks to incorporate Canada have stumbled. Ottawa and Washington remain at odds over Canada's managed dairy sector, and the dispute resolution provisions in NAFTA. But concessions on dairy would be politically difficult for Trudeau's government, a matter complicated yet further by elections being held Monday in the key dairy producing province of Quebec. The main Quebec parties and farmers' organizations are in favor of retaining the "supply management" system, which controls the production and price of milk and poultry and ensures stable incomes for Canadian farmers. Ottawa and Washington have been at odds over Canada's managed dairy sector, and the dispute resolution provisions in NAFTA Sebastian Vettel admitted he did not see Lewis Hamilton in his Ferrari mirrors when the pair battled for position during a classic mid-race scrap in Sunday?s Russian Grand Prix. The four-time champion German was accused of performing a double-defensive move by the Mercedes driver as he blocked Hamilton to stop him passing. "I didn't see him and I wasn't sure where he was," said Vettel, who finished third behind the triumphant Hamilton and his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas. "I saw he was on the outside and I needed to give him room even if I didn't want to ? so it was fair, it remained fair, but he got past..." Hamilton had complained that the move was not fair. "Ultimately, for me, he did move over to the inside and moved again and he nearly put me in the wall. "I thought it was a double-move, but the race stewards didn't see it that way." A stewards' investigation decided the tussle was a normal racing incident and no further action was needed. Hamilton reacted to the incident with another on-track attack that saw him swoop by on the inside. "I think everyone had the same pace, but we managed the tyres differently," said Vettel. "I tried to put pressure on Valtteri, when I was behind, but I couldn't get close enough, and then, when he backed off and lost 1.5 seconds, I had a tiny lock-up and Lewis had new tyres...Mine were only a lap old. "I think we were close, but it's not what we wanted." Vettel added: "It was tricky. They worked well together and, at the start, I had nowhere to go. "Then, we surprised them with a good out-lap (after his pit stop) and I managed to jump Lewis and Valtteri. Lewis was close, but then we nearly had a run-in..." A subdued Hamilton, unhappy to win with the assistance of team tactics as Bottas was asked to move aside and allow him to pass, added that he felt lucky to have escaped an accident with Vettel. "Fortunately, I was able to get out of it. I don't know how we ended up in that place, but that's what happened." Sebastian Vettel said he did not see Lewis Hamilton behind him, but the Briton passed anyway and won while the German ended up on the third step of the podium Voting began Sunday across Iraq's Kurdistan for a new parliament in the autonomous region which is mired in an economic crisis a year after an independence referendum that infuriated Baghdad. More than 3.1 million voters are eligible to cast ballots across three provinces in the northern region where 673 candidates from 29 political movements are vying for seats the 111-member parliament. Eleven of the seats are however reserved for religious and ethnic minorities: five to Turkmen candidates, five to Christians and one to the Armenian community. A massive yes vote in the September 2017 referendum for independence, deemed illegal by the Baghdad federal government, backfired on the autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq. Baghdad imposed economic penalties and sent federal troops to push Kurdish forces out of oil fields vital for the region's economy, depriving it of a key lifeline. Regional president Massud Barzani, who had dominated the region since the ouster of Saddam Hussein and was the driving force behind the plebiscite, stepped down in November. Sunday's election sees the parties that have long held sway set to come out on top yet again. The outgoing parliament is dominated by Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party -- as is the government -- and currently holds 38 seats in the assembly, while its traditional rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), has 18. The main opposition Goran (Kurdish for "change") party has 24 seats in the outgoing parliament. There is only one new political party competing -- the New Generation movement, founded in 2018 to channel public anger at the region's elite. The election is not expected to change the political map in Kurdistan, according to experts, but could shed light on the divisions that emerged after the September 2017 independence referendum. An Iraqi Kurdish man shows his ink-stained index finger after casting his ballot for the parliamentary election at a polling station in Arbil John Mannion believes there needs to be true ethics reform, and he has a five-point plan to achieve that goal. The Democratic candidate for the 50th Senate District seat unveiled a series of ethics proposals designed to combat corruption in state government. At the top of his list: A ban or aggressive limits on outside income for lawmakers. Under the current system, legislators can have outside employment in addition to their government position. Many officials use their outside jobs to supplement the $79,500 salary they receive as state legislators. Mannion said one reason he supports a ban on outside income is to restore faith in government, which he said is lacking at the moment. "I wish we could say when someone is earning an income outside of their legislative salary that it would have no influence over the decisions that they would make and the votes they would make in the (state Legislature)," he said in a phone interview. "I don't believe we can trust that that's going to happen. I believe that we need to remove any doubt from the taxpayers and voters of the state." Mannion is employed as a biology teacher at West Genesee High School in Camillus. If he's elected to the state Senate, he would leave his position. He would be a full-time lawmaker and wouldn't have an outside job. Another proposal put forth by Mannion is to impose term limits on state lawmakers. This is a position he shares with his Republican opponent, Onondaga County Comptroller Bob Antonacci. Antonacci supports term limits for state legislators and statewide officials. Mannion's view is that members of the state Assembly and Senate should be limited to seven terms, or 14 years, in office. "I think a lot can be done in 14 years and in some ways, elected officials would need time to maybe get some quality legislation through," he explained. "Fourteen years is more than enough time to do it. I think it should be an extended time of service, but not a career." Mannion supports campaign finance reforms, such as closing the so-called "LLC loophole" and limiting soft money contributions. The LLC loophole in New York allows wealthy individuals to form multiple limited liability corporations, which then donate funds to candidates. He also backed independent redistricting to ensure district lines are fair and aren't gerrymandered. He endorsed legislation that would provide greater oversight of economic development projects. The bill, the New York State Procurement Integrity Act, would restore the state comptroller's ability to oversee State University of New York development projects. The 50th district's current representative, state Sen. John DeFrancisco, is the sponsor of the Procurement Integrity Act. Mannion said the independent oversight is needed to ensure the bidding processes are fair and money isn't wasted. "We are in a high tax state," he said. "We have to be careful how we spend our dollars. We need somebody to oversee that to make sure that people's money that they worked hard for is spent wisely." The plan is the first Mannion has released and offers a glimpse at his legislative priorities. He is vying to succeed DeFrancisco, a Republican who has represented the 50th district for more than 25 years. Antonacci is a formidable opponent. He has four ballot lines Republican, Conservative, Independence and Upstate Jobs and has been Onondaga County comptroller for 10 years. He's well-known in Republican circles. He was the party's candidate for state comptroller in 2014. Mannion is running on the Democratic, Women's Equality and Working Families party lines. The 50th district is expected to be one of the most competitive state Senate races in New York. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sometimes when the world today seems too crazy, its good to get lost in a story set in the past. And if there is an element of mystery and suspense to it, all the better. This months Book Report takes us back in time with three books that will keep you guessing. Three writers Karen White, Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig teamed up a few years ago to write a terrific novel, The Forgotten Room, and liked the experience so much they got together again to write another. The Glass Ocean features three female protagonists telling their stories. Two of the women are sailing on the Lusitania ship from New York to England in 1915, and one woman in 2013 has gone to England to find out if her great-grandfather who worked on the Lusitania had any connection to its sinking. Caroline is traveling on the Lusitania with her wealthy husband, who is carrying a valuable piece of historical sheet music by Strauss that he sold to someone in England. Her husband seems very distracted on the boat, which concerns her. Robert, a man from Carolines past, is also on the boat. Robert has very strong feelings for Caroline. She is torn between her love for her husband and her attraction to Robert. A young woman named Tess is also on board the Lusitania. Tess and her sister have been paid to steal the sheet music and make a copy of it. Tess keeps bumping into Robert on the ship, and they form a bond, one that may endanger Tess task at hand. The tension builds with the ship moving closer to England, as the reader knows that historically the Lusitania will be sunk by the Germans off the coast of Ireland. There are rumors that there are German spies on board the ship who are signaling the Germans with their location in order to sink the ship. The Glass Ocean is filled with terrific period details, and the trio of writers clearly did a great deal of research to bring the reader right onto the massive ship. The mystery is masterfully plotted as well, and you will find yourself searching for clues to what is really happening on that ship before it is sunk. I highly recommend it. Stephen Giles The Boy at the Keyhole is set in 1950s England. Samuel is 8 years old, and left in the care of Ruth, the familys housekeeper, after his mother suddenly leaves their home in the middle of the night. His widowed mother has supposedly gone to the United States to secure funding for the familys factory, which is in a precarious financial state following the death of his father. But why didnt she say goodbye to him? Why did no one but Ruth know about her leaving? When Samuels friend spins a wild tale of Ruth murdering Samuels mother, Samuel starts to suspect Ruth as well. She acts suspiciously, and she wont allow Samuel to speak with his uncle. He also catches her stealing from his mothers jewelry box. The Boy at the Keyhole is a taut psychological mystery, one that keeps the reader guessing all the way to the stunning conclusion that you will not see coming. Buckle up this is a book you will want to read in one sitting. Daniela Tullys Hotel on Shadow Lake is set in two time periods World War II and current day. The book is set in motion in 1990, when an elderly German woman Martha Weisberg receives a letter from her brother, dated 1944. Shortly after receiving this letter, Martha disappears. In 2017, Marthas granddaughter Maya is told that Marthas dead body was excavated at a famous mountain resort in the Catskill Mountains, not far from where Maya studied in New York. How did her grandmother get to America? No one knew she had gone there. Maya goes to the hotel to find out what happened to her grandmother, and gets involved with the family who has owned the resort for many years. Could they hold the answer to the mystery of her grandmothers death? We also go back in time to World War II Germany, where Martha is a young woman living with her mother and brother, who is a proud Nazi. Martha becomes part of the resistance and must keep her distance from her brother if she is to survive. Hotel on Shadow Lake is a crackling good mystery, and both time periods are evenly interesting. Fans of World War II fiction will want to add this to their list. Diane La Rue is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and blogs about books at http://bookchickdi.blogspot.com. You can follow her on Twitter @bookchickdi, and she can be emailed at laruediane2000@yahoo.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Driving east on Genesee Street youve passed the building many times. Maybe youve noticed the new sign announcing to all that this is the home of the Veterans of Foreign War, Post 1975. The building, the members and the auxiliary have a long history of serving not only veterans but also the community. Recently, members of both groups shared some of that history and provided an update on the organizations current events. Bill OHara is the current post commander. Joe Barwinczok is a trustee. Edward Kustyn is the junior vice president for the auxiliary and Barbara Griffin is the treasurer. The post started on State Street following World War I. It was a place where veterans returning home from overseas came to share their experiences and find common ground. The auxiliary started in 1938 When vets started coming home from World War II, they found the building wasnt big enough so in 1947, they moved to their current location. The post currently has 290 members while the auxiliary has 205. Both groups would like to grow. Both have always had a social component and a mission of helping the community. Those eligible for membership in the VFW have received a campaign medal for overseas service. Those who are not eligible for VFW membership but are a parent, grandparent, spouse, sibling, child or grandchild of a qualified veteran can apply for auxiliary membership. Last November, Bill became the commander. Hes a Navy veteran (1960-66), having served in the western Pacific Okinawa, the Philippines, Guam and Vietnam. He retired in July 2000 from the operating engineers in Syracuse and now maintains a farm in Port Bryon. He says his main goal is to ensure that the place succeeds. He wants things to run smoothly, for the members to be happy, and for people to step up and help when needed. So far, things seem to be going well. Upgrades to the building include a new outdoor sign, repairs on the deck, a kitchen facelift and new equipment. Other improvements are in the works. Bill notes that many of these upgrades occur because of the generosity of the local community. Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowes, KeyBank and Cayuga County Sheriff David Gould have all helped make them possible. He also wants to thank the local ABATE (American Bikers Aimed toward Education) for their ongoing support. VFW members volunteer throughout the community and at the Syracuse Veterans Affairs hospital. They purchase the newspaper for the VA clinic at Auburn Community Hospital. Theyre regulars at the Salvation Army and the First Love Soup Kitchen. Memorial Day and Veterans Day activities and parades are big events, including a color guard to lead the parade. Members are present at funerals of deceased veterans. Barb says she was born into the VFW and its auxiliary. Her whole family always belonged in some way or another; her wedding was there, her father was a World War II commander, and her husband was a Korean War vet. Ed, though not a military veteran, appreciates the importance of having local places and services for area service members. He likes the camaraderie, the things both groups do for the community, and finds his involvement is a way to give back. A major project of the auxiliary is support toward the VFW National Home for Children. Founded in the 1920s, it was a place where families left behind because of war could go in order to stay together. Today, the National Home continues to provide housing options to the families of deployed service members, veterans and their families experiencing difficult times. They offer a variety of supportive services. They community is welcome to attend post events and families are welcome. They host inexpensive but delicious dinners on Wednesdays and Fridays. Joe, who served in the Army in the European theater from 1946- 52, is known for his annual Polish dinner. The hall can be rented out for events and catering services are available. Upcoming events include participating in the Toys for Tots and the Christmas Elf programs. Theres an adult Christmas party in December. New members are welcome, especially younger veterans. More volunteers are needed too. They need people to help with cooking, setting up and cleaning up following the weekly dinners. People are needed to help with the buildings upkeep and for working on the many events. For more information, contact the post at (315) 253-5890. Karen A. Macier, of Auburn, has spent 20 years working and volunteering in the not-for-profit sector. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 AUBURN The Westminster Nursery school was remembered and celebrated with a special service at Westminster Presbyterian Church on Sunday morning. "Today is a special day, today we celebrate and remember 66 years 66 years of Westminster Nursery School making a difference in the lives of hundreds of children and their families," the Rev. Patrick Heery said of the school that closed in July due to lack of enrollment. "We gather to celebrate what was, to grieve what is, and dream of what will be," said Linda Russell, the liturgist of the service and WNS Board Chair, during the call to worship. "We remember with joy 66 years of children loved, taught and inspired," the congregation jointly responded. "We dare to believe that this is not an ending but a new season of ministry and education." Soon after the call to worship, children were invited to the front of the church for a conversation with Heery following the reading of Matthew 19:13-14, where Jesus says to "let the little children come to me." Heery told the children gathered around him that Jesus said they were some of the best teachers of all. Following more discussion, Heery and all the children took a moment to stand up, face the congregation and together shout a "thank you," on the count of three, to everyone involved with WNS over the years. "One of the best ways that we can remember and celebrate is by telling stories," Heery said after expressing thanks as he invited some individuals involved in the life of the school to share some words. Former directors, alumni and WNS board members then shared reflections on their experience with the school. "When we came to Westminster to work, we hit the jackpot of jobs," said Marcia Baker, a former WNS director. "This was our home away from home, and we loved it everyday." "The children we have taught may not always remember us as they get older, but they will always have a part of us inside of them. The part that gave them hope and love and taught them to believe in themselves," said Tracy Blair, the WNS Director at the time it closed. "They became more than just our students, they were our children. And their families were our families, too," she said through tears. "Change can be scary, but it can also be creative and life giving. The God we love and we worship says, 'I'm about to do a new thing,'" Russell shared. Heery recognized the five speakers who shared were only a small representation of the many involved in WNS over the years and invited all former teachers, board members, parents, grandparents, volunteers and graduates to the front of the church to receive a blessing. He thanked God for all the individuals that taught and showed the love of God to more than 3,000 children throughout the years. "May they go in your peace knowing that they stay in our hearts," he prayed as he closed the blessing. After sharing from Isaiah 43 during a scripture reading, Heery explained that in the passage the prophet Isaiah was inviting people to look beyond a moment of despair and to remember their hope in God and that "the love of God was enough." "God is doing a new thing. Even as we close the doors of Westminster Nursery School, we open those same doors for our new REACH ministry determined to reach the children and youth of this community who have been abandoned to the margins," Heery said. "It is a ministry that will advise LBGTQ youth and children of all races, of different abilities and disabilities, foster kids and so many others will find here what children found for 66 years a home, where they know they are safe and wanted." Staff writer Megan Ehrhart can be reached at (315) 282-2244 or megan.ehrhart@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter @MeganEhrhart. Love 0 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. More students took standardized tests in New York state last spring, a trend seen in most, but not all, Cayuga County-area schools. Data released by the state Education Department last week shows the overall percentage of eligible third-grade through eighth grade-students classified as refusing to take the tests decreased from 19 percent in 2017 to 18 percent in 2018. Those figures are derived from the number of students whose parents or guardians opted their children out of the state math and English language Arts tests conducted last spring. It marked the second straight year for a decrease in opt-out rates, which have been driven by some parents and educators who believe the tests are not a good educational practice. MaryEllen Elia, state commissioner of education, said in a statement that the tests help pinpoint gaps in student achievement. The State assessments help establish a foundation to identify the grades, schools, and groups of students that need more support. However, its important to remember that while test scores provide us with needed information, theyre only one measure of performance, and we must always look at the whole picture," Elia said. According to a March document from the New York State United Teachers union, the federal Every Student Succeeds Act requires that 95 percent of children in all schools participate in the tests. The act does not include consequences from the federal level, but handling compliance to the requirements are up to each state. The teachers union, which maintains over 600,000 members, criticized the state tests in a statement after the 2018 data were released, saying the scores are based on inaccurate proficiency standards. 2018 Cayuga County-area school testing results Listed below are the percentages of students in each grade level by district and school who "These standardized tests continue to mislabel and harm students and their local schools. In many instances, they are still not developmentally appropriate. They frustrate students and their teachers. The system must change. Students and teachers deserve better than this," Jolene DiBrango, union executive vice president, said in a press release last week. Six out of nine Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES region public school districts had numbers below the state average. While the Jordan-Elbridge and Weedsport districts saw decreases in refusal rates from 2017 to 2018, the Skaneateles and Southern Cayuga districts experienced higher refusal numbers this year. Cayuga County-area standardized test refusal rates drop in 2017 Standardized testing refusals dipped slightly in New York state last school year, but the dr Among local districts, Auburn saw the highest percentage of refusals for both tests, with 34.3 percent in math and 31.8 percent in ELA. While Auburn had fewer ELA refusals than last year, the number of math refusals increased from 32 percent in 2017. Port Byron had the second highest refusal rate this year, at 31.7 percent in math and 34.7 in ELA. Port Bryon Superintendent Neil O'Brien said that while the district advocates for children taking the assessments, he acknowledges there are groups of community members who are opposed to the state tests. He said he believes Elia and the Board of Regents have listened to concerns about the test as they have changed standards, adding that he hopes resistance to the assessments will lessen as alterations continue. The Cato-Meridian Central School District achieved the lowest refusal rate and the biggest local year-to-year decrease. The district went from 26.1 percent in math and 27.6 percent in ELA to 3.3 percent in both categories for 2018. The Moravia Central School District boasted the second lowest numbers this year, at 5.3 percent in math and 4.6 percent in ELA. Superintendent John Birmingham said he believes focusing on factors such as delivering the best instruction and making children feel valued has contributed to the refusal rate. Birmingham said the tests are just one way the district assesses itself and that he feels good about the way the state standards are going. 2018 refusal rates Math refusal rates The percentage of students who refused to take the 2018 math standardized test: DISTRICT NAME % of Districts 2018 Test Eligible Students Who Refused to Participate in the Test AUBURN 34.3% WEEDSPORT 16.6% CATO MERIDIAN 3.3% SOUTHERN CAYUGA 7.1% PORT BYRON 31.7% MORAVIA 5.3% UNION SPRINGS 18.2% JORDAN ELBRIDGE 11.8% SKANEATELES 7.1% ELA refusal rates The percentage of students who refused to take the 2018 English-language arts standardized test: DISTRICT NAME % of Districts 2018 Test Eligible Students Who Refused to Participate in the Test AUBURN 31.8% WEEDSPORT 23.5% CATO MERIDIAN 3.3% SOUTHERN CAYUGA 5.4% PORT BYRON 28.3% MORAVIA 4.6% UNION SPRINGS 15.7% JORDAN ELBRIDGE 12.9% SKANEATELES 7.3% Source: State Education Department Staff writer Kelly Rocheleau can be reached at (315) 282-2243 or kelly.rocheleau@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @KellyRocheleau. Love 0 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. AUBURN Steven J. Fritz passed away on Sunday at his home following a long illness with his wife, Patricia, at his side. He recently turned 63 years young. Steven was born and raised in Weedsport and had made his home in Auburn. Following graduation from Weedsport High School, Steven started his career as a New York State corrections officer. After graduation from the academy, he started work in Ossining, N.Y., and later at Auburn Correctional Facility, where he proudly served for many years. In addition to his parents, John and Amelia Fritz, he was predeceased by two sisters, Sandra Fritz and Karen Parker; his two sons of which he missed deeply, Baxter S. Fritz in 2011 and Paxton S. Fritz in 2017; and now has joined them all in the greatest kingdom of Heaven. A simple man, Steven lived his life and is now at peace. Per Stevens request, there will be no services and burial will be at the convenience of the family. Arrangements are by the Cheche Funeral Home Inc. It seemed like an informed and reasonable change when the state Department of Environmental Conservation, under court order, recently issued revised proposed rules for the Clean Water Act Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation permit. At the heart of the changes were new requirements for independent oversight of a farms nutrient management plan and more transparency to the public about how animal waste is handled. These proposed changes came out this summer, a time when harmful algal blooms, which thrive when certain nutrients are in abundance in water, have become a huge threat to public water supplies throughout the state. Sounds like smart environmental rule-making, right? To a degree it is. But theres one big problem: Only a small fraction of the states CAFOs are covered by this type of permit. And none of them operate in the highly susceptible Owasco Lake Watershed. It turns out most large animal farms in New York are now operating under the states general CAFO permit, which has some strong clean water safeguards, but lacks the independent oversight and transparency of the federal Clean Water Act permit. Earlier this month the Owasco Lake Watershed Management Council wrote the DEC calling on the same revisions for the general CAFO permit. Next week, the Auburn City Council will vote on a resolution in support of that measure. New DEC rules for livestock farms won't affect Cayuga County AUBURN New permits governing large livestock farms in New York being developed by the stat A key part of that resolution comes at the end, where it calls on the state representatives from the area that relies on Owasco Lake for clean tap water to push for this important change. We agree with this effort. It makes sense to have these common-sense CAFO requirements part of the general permit, and it shouldnt be a major burden on farms to follow them or for the DEC to enforce. We strongly urge city council to approve the resolution next week, and we also urge residents to advocate for their own clean water by reaching out to state Sens. John DeFrancisco, Pam Helming and James Seward, and Assemblymen Gary Finch and Robert Oaks and ask for their vocal advocacy. The Citizen Editorial Board includes publisher Rob Forcey, managing editor Mike Dowd and executive editor Jeremy Boyer. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 ACOs are made up of groups of health care providers that are accountable for the quality of care and total health care spending for their assigned patients. This is typically understood to mean that an ACO shares in savings if it keeps total health care spending for its patients below its given target, but the ACO has to repay CMS if spending for its patients exceeds its target. The United States health care system is a unique, complex web of consumers, providers, and payers. And it is expensive . Health care spending in the United States has increased from 5 percent of GDP in 1960 to 17.9 percent in 2016 . Current projections estimate health care spending will increase at a rate of 5.5 percent each year and by 2026, the percent of GDP spent on health care will be just under 20 percent . So, how can Americans break this trend of unsustainable growth in health care spending? Rethinking policies that encourage consolidation and discourage competition would be a good start.Many scholars contend that health care is not a typical service. The thinking that follows this assumption is, therefore, the health care market cannot allocate resources based on economic principles, such as supply and demand. Conventional economics tells us that prices are a direct result of the supply and demand for scarce resources. One of the main problems in our health care system is the amount of regulation that attempts to control costs and access artificially. Government control of this manner distorts the health care market because prices don't provide information and the market can't respond. Further, many of the attempts by the U.S. government to regulate the market foster consolidation of health care providers, leading to very little competition, higher prices, and fewer choices for American consumers.Medicare's Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) offer a good example to illustrate this phenomenon. These organizations were set up in an attempt to reign in Medicare spending by coordinating care for enrollees. Recent research on ACOs cannot determine if they actually save Medicare money or not . However, they are useful to illustrate how competition in the health care industry is stifled by government regulators. Centers for Medicaid and Medicare (CMS) Director Seema Verma explains how ACOs work:Health care agreements that tie the payment structure to patient outcomes are normally referred to as "value-based health care." I believe that , in the post-Affordable Care Act (ACA) era, the idea of value-based health care can be beneficial because it attempts to shift the focus of healthcare delivery to patient outcomes. In theory, a Medicare payment structure such as this could be a solution to try and save taxpayers' dollars while shifting the focus to delivering high-quality, coordinated care. However, in practice, it only exacerbates the main issues that result from the government imposing policies that lead to provider consolidation: uneven federal reimbursement billing , and anti-competitive policies . Value-based care is the latest attempt to cope with exploding health care costs and no discernable increase in health outcomes.In order for the cost of health care to slow and eventually trend down, we need a market where consumers have purchasing power. As the government involvement in health care grows, consolidation is encouraged, and consumers have very little choice in private or public provider networks. The problem lies in the fact that consumers, the ones paying for the care through insurance premiums and tax dollars, don't know the cost of care. Costs are negotiated between insurers and providers. Aside from deductibles, co-payments, and co-insurance, consumers never know how much they are paying for the care they are getting. In large provider networks where they can get most types of care, they really don't care to know prices. The lack of price transparency severs the link between price and quality. We often take our insurance companies at their word that they have given us a network of high-quality providers. Large-scale insurer-hospital agreements limit the choices patients have and therefore limit the number of natural pressures for providers to compete for patients. A lack of competition results in higher prices.Hospitals and related providers don't need to focus on attracting new patients because they have a patient population covered by an insurer they have contracted with. Further, with a guaranteed patient population, providers can charge very high rates knowing that consumers are going to use their physicians. Coordinated care advocates contend that keeping patients in the same referral network will be beneficial but, in many cases, the provider networks market share increases, which allows them to negotiate with insurance companies that pass higher prices to employers and consumers.Consumers are bound by their insurance policies and the contracts insurance companies negotiate with health providers. In almost all cases, federal regulations mandate what insurers must cover. Participants in the health insurance markets don't shop or negotiate for the best prices for services; they let their insurance do that for them. Health care provider networks want to increase their usage and regularly will keep all of the patients in the same referral network of physicians and specialists. Regardless of the procedure or the cost, a bill is sent to the insurer, public or private. Using high-cost providers in private insurance leads to premium increases for everyone in the risk pool. Using high-cost providers in public insurance leads in increased spending for Medicare and Medicaid which is paid for by taxpayers.We need a system that operates like a normal market if we want to control costs. American consumers have lost most of their power because prices are a direct result of third-party reimbursement rates, which directly or indirectly are influenced by government regulators. This is the result of the ACA and other federal initiatives that try to overhaul the health care system by imposing mandates and instituting policies that encourage consolidation. The more control over the market that the government attempts to take, the more incentives there are for large provider networks. Large provider networks lead to very little competition which effects the way prices respond to supply and demand. The less that prices can react to supply and demand, the more artificially high prices American health care consumers will face. Should Beaufort County's commissioners be resolved to ask the federal government to defend our Southern Border by ending the Biden /Harris Open Border policy in regards to that one border that is intentionally made OPEN? Yes, Illegal Migrants are a huge expense to local governments. No, the cost of Undocumented Immigrants is insignificant in our providing a pathway for Dramatic Demographic Upheaval.. Jeff Flake flaked out and caved to the Democratic demand for an FBI investigation into Brett Kavanaugh. There is a reason why Democrats so desperately want this investigation, and, like everything else they say, it has nothing to do with getting to the truth.If Democrats were interested in the truth, they wouldn't have held onto these allegations until the last minute.If Democrats were interested in the truth, they wouldn't be entertaining wild stories from emotionally unbalanced women about roving high school rape gangs.If Democrats were interested in the truth, they wouldn't have announced that they believed Christine Ford before either one of them had actually testified.If Democrats were interested in the truth, they would have used the opportunity yesterday to actually ask Ford some questions, rather than taking turns giving her, and themselves, high fives.If Democrats were interested in the truth, they would have asked Kavanaugh about the incident in question rather than spending the entire hearing focused on yearbook scribblings.Democrats are not interested in the truth at all, whatsoever. In fact, they've already said that Kavanaugh is unfit for the Supreme Court - no matter what the FBI investigation turns up. But it won't turn up anything, as they are well aware, because there is no evidence, there are no witnesses, and the accuser doesn't even know the year or place that this attack allegedly took place. They have absolutely nothing to go on. Nothing to investigate. The only thing they can do is ask the people who were allegedly involved or allegedly present. All of them have already been asked under penalty of felony and already denied that the party took place. What else can they say about a party that never occurred? There are only so many ways to say, "This didn't happen." Do Democrats want them to say it again in Greek? Do they need to draw a picture of the thing not happening? Do they need to sing it?The investigation will accomplish nothing of substance and lead nowhere. So why are they so intent on it? Three reasons:1) It will delay Kavanaugh's confirmation to give time for more dirt to be dug up.2) It will delay Kavanaugh's confirmation to give time to put more pressure on squish Republicans.3) They hope the FBI will follow irrelevant trails into unconnected but embarrassing matters, thus further destroying Kavanaugh's reputation.And, it goes without saying, Democrats will demand another delay after this delay, and they will call the investigation unfair no matter how it's conducted or how it concludes. That sure was an expensive 420 joke. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has agreed to pay $20 million and step down from his role as chairman of the board of the company he founded for three years, in a deal with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The worst humiliation Elon Musk will have to face won't be the $20 million fine or the loss of his role as chairman. Elon Musk now has to have a boss. Hope they hire a good tweet editor for him, too. Musk didn't admit or deny that he misled investors under the civil fraud charge. Tesla was not charged with fraud. From Matthew Goldstein at the New York Times: - The EFF seems to be in trouble - there looks to be internal problems at the political party - According to a political analyst, there is a leadership problem within the Economic Freedom Fighters - The EFF denies having any troubles and remains confident in its political power PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see Briefly news on your News Feed! The Economic Freedom Fighters won 25 Parliament seats in the previous elections, but since then they have lost seats and makes one wonder if all is as it seems. About 11 EFF members of Parliament either relinquished their seats or have resigned because they were going against the party's constitution. However, the EFF denies that there is anything amiss in their party. Floyd Shivambu, Chief Whip of the EFF, said the party has only fired 3 people since its birth. He added that only those who did not perform or add value were removed. PAY ATTENTION: Save mobile data with FreeBasics: Briefly is now available on the app Andile Mngxitam, Mpho Ramakatsa and Khanyisile Litchfield-Tshabalala were all kicked out of the party for leaking information about the party's alleged financial trouble and leaking information. They also failed to attend the State of the Nation Address, according to a report by IOL News. Other EFF members that bailed on the party include Lapologang Tlhaole, Vuyokazi Ketabahle, Emmanuel Mtileni, Pumza Ntobongwana, Magdalene Moonsamy, Modikela Matlhoko, Lucky Twala, and Bernard Joseph. Briefly.co.za gathered that Ralph Mathekga, political analyst, stated that the EFF's numbers show that there are conflict issues and a leadership problem within the party. Is this a case of 'where there is smoke, there is a fire'? Is one of the loudest and most visible political parties entering a downward spiral? Only time will tell. READ ALSO: City of Ekurhuleni ready to expropriate 4 plots of land without compensation Do you have news that might interest us? Message us on our Facebook page and we could feature your story. To stay up to date with the latest news, download our news app on Google Play or iTunes today. Check out the funny video: Kim Kardashian And Donald Trump - What Unites Them? and take a look at what else is happening on Briefly South Africa's YouTube channel. Source: Briefly.co.za - Despite the Constitutional Court deciding that the private use and cultivation, a 22-year-old was arrested for growing his own weed - The young man will appear in the Bethal Magistrates Court - The grounds for arrest are still unclear as he appears to not have been breaking the law PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see Briefly news on your News Feed! A young man was arrested for growing his own dagga despite the Constitutional Court declaring its use legal on 18 September. The 22-year-old will appear in the Bethal Magistrates Court for cultivating dagga. South African dagga users celebrated when the Constitutional Court decided that using dagga privately is no longer a punishable crime, as reported on by Briefly.co.za. A Bethal crime prevention team were performing their duties in a township near Bethal when spotted the green plants, according to a report by The Citizen. PAY ATTENTION: Save mobile data with FreeBasics: Briefly is now available on the app The owner didn't deny that he was growing his own dagga. The team leader, Constable Mluleki Methula, went on to arrest the young man. READ ALSO: Members lose 10 parliamentary seats but EFF denies internal troubles On what grounds the man was arrested, however, isn't clear. When the use of cannabis was made legal, so was the cultivation for private use. Dealing dagga is still illegal. South Africans celebrated when the court's ruling was made public: How do you feel about the young man's arrest? Let us know on our Facebook page and we could be sharing your thoughts and views. To stay up to date with the latest news, download our news app on Google Play or iTunes today. Watch the silly In My Feelings Drake Dance Challenge: When You Are Tired of It and take a look at what else is happening on Briefly South Africa's YouTube channel. Source: Briefly.co.za News / Agriculture by Staff Reporter Farmers in Masvingo Province have been commended for working together with the government to ensure food security through the command agriculture programme.Officially opening the Masvingo Agricultural Show, Masvingo Minister of State, Ezra Chadzamira urged women and youths to also take up command agriculture.The show remains one of the platforms where farmers meet and share farming knowledge.Farmers from the province's seven districts were represented at this year's show which had a record 130 exhibitors.Cde Chadzamira shared his vision for the agriculture sector when he officially opened the show."I want to thank our farmers and the private sector on working hand in hand with our government for ensuring that Masvingo attains food security. We must all work together, sharing knowledge and experiences," he said.The show also attracted over 20 000 people who came through to see products that were being exhibited.This year saw a sizable number of new entries from the public and private sectors, making their debut appearance at the show, an indication that the show is growing.Various companies and individuals walked away with prizes for outstanding exhibits. News / National by Staff reporter THE modernisation of major roads, particularly the much-talked about Harare-Beitbridge highway, is gathering pace after Government officials met Anhui Foreign Economic Construction Corporation (AFECC) representatives last week to discuss the company's preparedness to construct one of Africa's busiest highways.Further, Government has short-listed 85 companies to modernise 20 other critical highways, including the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls road, and the Birchenough Bridge. The Bulawayo-Victoria Falls highway has attracted a staggering 16 bidders.Some of the world's well-heeled firms short-listed to modernise the highways include China State Engineering Company Limited and China Railway Number 3 Engineering Group.Government wants the short-listed firms to submit technical and financial proposals for the feasibility study of the upgrading, construction and tolling of the roads and bridges through public private partnerships (PPPs). Deadline for submission of proposals is tomorrow.In his address at the General Debate of the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly last week, President Mnangagwa reiterated his Government's desire to modernise roads and other key infrastructure."The development and modernisation of our roads, railways, airports, energy and ICT infrastructure is being accelerated in line with our regional and continental quest for enhanced connectivity and integrated infrastructure," said President Mnangagwa.Last Wednesday, Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Advocate Fortune Chasi told The Sunday Mail Business that Government wants the modernisation of the Harare-Beitbridge Highway undertaken as soon as yesterday."We are (still) trying to understand the intricacies of existing arrangements and also looking at other possible funding models that will give the country the best deal," said Adv Chasi."Since we came into office, we haven't spoken to any outsiders concerning that project. We engaged in a process of extracting information from our staff concerning the way forward. But our non-negotiable position is that we want works to begin yesterday; that is what we are working on."Our major concern is that works must start as soon as is reasonably practical. We cannot continue to wait and watch when nothing is happening."Senior AFECC officials are understood to have met Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister, Engineer Joel Biggie Matiza, last Thursday and spoke at length about the construction of the Harare-Beitbridge Highway.Sources close to the meeting said AFECC officials were instructed to go and prepare their proposal.AFECC came back into the equation after Government cancelled Geiger International's contract to construct the Harare-Beitbridge Highway following two years of inactivity.Geiger International had its tender approved by Government in 2015, and commissioned the project in May 2016 at Chatsworth, along the Harare-Masvingo Highway. However, nothing took place, prompting the withdrawal of the contract.Cabinet then directed AFECC, whose bid had come second to Geiger's, to review the terms and conditions set out by the Austrian firm. AFECC immediately summoned its technicians to study the project. Sources close to AFECC said the company has since reviewed its position and submitted it to the Ministry of Transport last week. The proposal entails modernisation of the entire highway that cuts across Zimbabwe, from Beitbridge to Chirundu."They are now waiting for feedback from Government, but I can tell you that they have agreed to adopt a Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) model in the implementation of the Harare-Beitbridge section, which is the first phase of the project."They will then adopt EPC (Engineering, Procuring and Construction) and financing model for the Harare-Chirundu section, which will be in the second phase. If that position is accepted, they will go ahead to sign a Framework Agreement, a Concession Agreement and other necessary agreements which are required for such a big project. But on the whole, I see an agreement being struck in the near future because Government wants this project to be implemented soon," explained the source.However, it is not yet clear how the project will be undertaken given that there were concerns in the past that dualising the entire 585km highway was not viable considering that only between 2 500 and 3 000 vehicles use the highway daily. Fears are that it will take longer for contractors to recover their investment.Geiger had estimated the project to cost US$1,7 billion, with the dualisation of the Harare-Beitbridge Highway alone gobbling US$998 million while the cost for the Harare ring-road was pegged at US$300 million. The Harare-Chirundu Road section was estimated to cost US$665 million.The US$998 million loan for the Harare-Beitbridge section was expected to be repaid over 20 years from toll fees.Some contractors proposed dualising the Harare to Chivhu section, areas approaching towns and steep gradients, with other sections only being widened. But Adv Chasi said Government had not insisted that it (highway) must be dualised all the way. South Africa's N1 Highway (Beitbridge to Johannesburg) is only dualised as it approaches towns, just like the Chirundu-Lusaka highway.While Adv Chasi said he could not say who will win the contract "because we haven't got to that point at all", sources believe AFECC will land the project.AFECC, a Chinese large-scale multi-operational entity set up in 1992, has been one of the top investors in Zimbabwe since the land reform programme. It has constructed the Zimbabwe National Defence University and Longcheng Plaza in Harare, the Golden Peacock Hotel in Mutare, and owns another Golden Peacock Hotel in Harare's leafy suburb of Borrowdale. The two hotels employ about 170 locals while hundreds more work at Longcheng Plaza.Other key road projectsGovernment also wants other investors to construct the Karoi-Binga-Dete road. Four investors have been short-listed for the project. The Mount Darwin-Mukumbura road has attracted one bidder while the Mvurwi-Guruve-Kanyemba road has three companies shortlisted .China Geo-Engineering Corporation is battling it out with six other firms for the Kwekwe-Nkayi-Lupane road, and is also interested in the Golden Valley-Sanyati-Kuwirirana-Nembudziya road, in which it will contest against Epic Financial LLC.Ten companies, including China State Construction Engineering Co. Ltd, Masimba Tencraft Prostruct Consortium and China Railway Number 3 Engineering Group, are vying for the Harare-Bindura road. ALW-Team Investments (Pvt) Ltd, owned by Mr Timothy Mncube, a Zimbabwean based in South Africa, is battling it out with two other companies for the Bulawayo-Nkayi road.Sino Hydro Corporation Ltd is slugging it out with three other companies for the upgrading of the Birchenough Bridge where vehicles going in different directions are now taking turns to pass.Other roads earmarked for upgrading are Rutenga-Boli-Sango, Bulawayo-Tsholotsho, Buchwa-Rutenga, Mberengwa-West Nicholson, Gwanda-Tuli, Plumtree-Maitengwe, Plumtree-Mphoengs, Murambinda-Birchenough, Bulawayo Airport Road and Beitbridge-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls.Government said the awarding of tenders shall be limited to one lot per tender "in order to spread and minimise risk of failing to complete the feasibility study". News / National by Staff reporter GOVERNMENT says the time for parastatals such as Air Zimbabwe to be perennially carrying begging bowls seeking funds from Treasury when they have idle assets, is over.Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Advocate Fortune Chasi told The Sunday Mail Business last week that it is unacceptable for parastatals to struggle for funds when they have grounded aircraft.Adv Chasi said Air Zimbabwe should optimally use its assets and sustain its operations instead of seeking Government bail-out all the time."We are completely unhappy with a situation where the planes are grounded and they are not earning income. We don't believe that Government must perpetually be putting in money into parastatals when they have assets they must sweat," he said.Currently, the ministry is engaging authorities at Air Zimbabwe to establish the extent of the challenges they are facing and proffering possible solutions. A source at Air Zimbabwe said management is waiting for direction from the ministry, but is keen to transform the national airline's operations."We are in the skies. We have two aircraft plying the Harare-Bulawayo route, Harare-Johannesburg route, Harare-Victoria Falls route and the Harare-Dar es Salaam route. I think we are doing relatively well considering that employees are getting their salaries every month," said the source.Operational challenges at Air Zimbabwe, some of which are traceable to maladministration by previous managers, and legacy debts of up to US$330 million, have opened avenues for privately owned firms to grab the company's market share. The "managed liberalisation" of the air transport sector, meant to enhance destination connectivity for the benefit of travellers, has increased competition for Air Zimbabwe.As a result, the national airline has lost considerable market share to budget airline, fastjet.fastjet is now plying the Harare-Victoria Falls, Harare-Bulawayo and Harare-Johannesburg routes. The three routes were cash cows for Air Zimbabwe but its inability to fully service them due to aircraft breakdowns, terrible on-time adherence and high costs, have tilted the balance of power in favour of fastjet.fastjet's strength is on costs and 90 percent on-time adherence.Air Zimbabwe also used to be Southern Africa's airline of choice for travellers going to England considering that it flew directly into the European country. But since its aircraft, a Boeing 767-200 commonly known as Victoria Falls was impounded by a United States firm, American General Supplies in December 2011 at Gatwick International Airport over a US$1,2 million debt, Air Zimbabwe stopped flights into England, fearing a repeat.However, there is hope that the Harare-London route will be revived in the near future when Zimbabwe Airways, another national airline, gets an Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) to start flying.At the moment, the first of four Zimbabwe Airways' Boeing 777s, which was commissioned in April this year, is in Malaysia where it was taken for routine maintenance.Two of the Boeing 777s have since been paid for in full while the other two have a balance of US$29 million.The total cost for the four planes is US$70 million. News / National by Staff reporter The ruling Zanu-PF party held inter-district rallies and meeting in various provinces, where leaders thanked the people for voting for the party in July's harmonised elections and called them to unite and develop the country.HarareThe party held its inter district rally at Stodart Netball Complex in Mbare, where Zanu-PF Secretary for Finance, Patrick Chinamasa said the province garnered more votes than registered in any other election held in the past, showing the people's faith in President Emmerson Mnangagwa's leadership."You contributed much towards the party's success this year as compared to previous elections. Although we won one constituency in here in Harare province, the numbers we got here are one positive," he said.Chinamasa also revealed that the setting up of a National Elections Commission to deal with party elections will see the election of new leaders for various party positions.According to Chinamasa, suburbs such as Southlea Park and Caledonia where people built houses on unserviced stands dished out by land barons will soon be re-developed once the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing comes up with a new residential planning model.Zanu-PF Harare Provincial Chairperson, Goodwills Masimirembwa castigated party members who are fanning factionalism in the party.On the issue of vendors, Masimirembwa appealed to the party leadership to engage the city council to deal with what he termed space barons at new vending sites.BulawayoZanu-PF Secretary for Administration, Dr Obert Mpofu warned some party leaders against creating factions within the party saying such members risk facing stern disciplinary measures.It emerged during an inter-district conference that some party members were forming some parallel structures positioning themselves to consolidate power against the dictates of the party's constitution.Dr Mpofu said only the National Elections Commission has the mandate to set up party structures and this will only be done at the right time.He also took a swipe at some unscrupulous elements within society whom he accused of sabotaging the economy at a time when President Mnangagwa was out of the country attending the United Nations General Assembly.The Minister of State for Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, Judith Ncube said there is need for the city council to scrap the user fees for toilets at 6th avenue to avert the cholera outbreak ravaging some parts of the country.Marondera - Mashonaland EastZanu-PF National Secretary for Security, Lovemore Matuke thanked the people of Mashonaland East province for having voted overwhelmingly for the revolutionary party in the just ended harmonised elections."As a party, we are proud of the province as it has solidly stood behind the revolutionary party," he said.Matuke also assured members that the party through the government is working towards normalising issues of price hikes of basic commodities.Zanu-PF Politburo member, Dr Sydney Sekeramayi assured Matuke that the province will continue supporting the party.Mutare - ManicalandParty leaders said they will continue to focus on economic revival and development, urging party members to divert their attention from politics to economics as the government continues to roll out programmes to turn around the economy.Addressing an inter-district meeting in Mutare, Zanu-PF Secretary for External Affairs, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi dismissed rumours on the purported party restructuring, stating that those in different party positions will remain in office until a directive for restructuring is issued by the party leadership.He added that the party has selected an independent commission that will run party elections when time comes, while discouraging premature campaigning for different party positions."There is need to divert out attention to economic development and not to past elections. Those with concerns should follow the proper grievance procedures. The party restructuring will be conducted by a party independent commission when a directive is issued and this will not be anytime soon," he said.The Minister of State for Manicaland Province Ellen Gwaradzimba, the Provincial Chairperson Mike Madiro and the Deputy President of the Senate Retired Lieutenant General Mike Nyambuya all concurred that political discord must be a thing of the past in order to accelerate economic development.Bindura - Mashonaland CentralZanu-PF National Political Commissar, Retired Lieutenant General Angelbert Rugeje called on the Zanu-PF leadership to practice servant leadership to the masses and deliver upon election promises."Leaders should practice what we call servant leadership. Our president is a clear example of that kind of leadership, he is all over. So let us encourage each other to commit to serve the people rather than being served by them.Air Chief Marshal Perrance Shiri reiterated on the need to bury the past and have a progressive mind which brought about independence"The seed of the liberation struggle is being watered in this province, giving Zanu-PF the impetus to progress. We are past the elections, so people should have the spirit of reconciliation in order to move forward," he said.Zanu-PF Mashonaland Central Province is still basking in the glory of winning all parliamentary seats and amassing 366 000 presidential votes in the July harmonised elections as compared to the 327 000 in 2013. News / National by Staff reporter President Emmerson Mnangagwa delivered his maiden speech to the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.This was a historic speech, his virgin address after the toppling of long-ruling despot Robert Mugabe.The speech was devoid of the characteristic belligerent rhetoric that was synonymous with his predecessor.Besides regurgitating Mugabe's mantra about the lifting of sanctions, he used the trip to the Big Apple to reassure the world's political and financial leaders that his "Zimbabwe is open for business" agenda was an embrace of international cooperation.He ditched the vitriol and combative nationalism to make way to the let's-make-a-deal businessman, as he invited world and business leaders to invest in what he called a Second Republic of Zimbabwe.It was a marked shift in tone from populist, protectionist rhetoric to a more optimistic, less strident tone.He stuck closely to the script on the teleprompter. Even in meetings held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Mnangagwa was largely well received by the billionaire investors, corporate executives and also by heads of State.There was no public tirade against Britain and the United States.Mnangagwa's 15-minute speech in front of heads of State at the UN General Assembly was well measured.It did not degenerate into an embarrassing rant against Zimbabwe's former "oppressors and colonialists" as was the case with his predecessor.There was no attempt to turn Zimbabwe's internal problems into a North-South issue.There was no rhetoric of blame. Mugabe's rhetoric often seemed to date from a different era, when the Third World still regarded itself as waging a struggle for liberation from imperial powers.Beyond the UN meetings, Mnangagwa's visit focused to a striking degree on business. He related to his audience as a fellow capitalist.Repeatedly declaring that "Zimbabwe is open for business," he promoted a story of economic rebirth.He delivered a simple message: "There has never been a better time to invest in Zimbabwe."His surprisingly warm reception, despite the schism over sanctions, underscored the optimism of many corporate leaders. News / National by Staff reporter CONTROVERSIAL councillor for Ward 24 in Bulawayo, Arnold Batirai has been accused of forging MDC Alliance's chief of staff, Mr Sesel Zvidzai's signature which saw him participating in the 30 July harmonised elections under the party's ticket.That resulted in the party fielding two candidates in the ward as the letter with the alleged forged signature claimed the other candidate Gideon Mangena had been expelled from the party.Residents from the ward have since signed a petition addressed to the party's president, Mr Nelson Chamisa, provincial chairperson, Mr Gift Banda, the Mayor, Councillor Solomon Mguni, Town Clerk Mr Christopher Dube and the MDC Alliance national chairperson, Ms Thabitha Khumalo, among others.In the petition, signed by 1 000 signatories, the residents accused Clr Batirai of misleading residents through the forged letter thereby violating the Electoral Act."Arnold Batirai forged a signature of the MDC Alliance chief of staff Mr Sesel Zvidzai and distributed letters which were misleading to the electorate before and on the voting day which purported that Mr Gideon Mangena had been expelled by the party as a representative in the local government elections."By so doing, he not only violated the Electoral Act but prejudiced Mr Gideon Mangena of potential votes and committed fraud. It later appeared that Mr Zvidzai vehemently denied ever authoring the purported letter," reads part of the petition.The residents have called on the party to recall Clr Batirai and declare the seat vacant."Our call is for the removal of Arnold Batirai from being Ward 24 councillor with immediate effect, the conducting of a Ward 24 by-election with the proper candidates from respective parties and the total expulsion and banishment of Clr Batirai from Ward 24 as the residents will not in any way respect or accept him or his candidature. If this is not done, he will face an extremely fierce and strenuous resistance," reads the petition.In the letter, which Clr Batirai is alleged to have forged Mr Zvidzai's signature, that is attached to the petition it reads; "This served to confirm that the bearer, Mr Arnold Batirai Dube is the sole candidate for the MDC Alliance in Ward 24 Nketa constituency. There is no one allowed to use the MDC Alliance logo as MDC Alliance candidate. Mr Gideon Mangena was expelled from the party."Contained in the same petition is another letter again signed by Mr Zvidzai where the chief of staff distances himself from the initial letter."I write to dissociate myself from a letter confirming Arnold Batirai as the sole candidate of the MDC Alliance for ward 24 Nketa constituency in Bulawayo. My signature was forged for the purposes known to Mr Batirai," reads the letter dated 28 August 2018.Contacted for comment Mr Banda confirmed receiving the petition saying they were now handling it internally and the party will soon make a determination."Yes, we have received the petition, for now there are a number of internal processes we are exhausting in terms of investigating the matter, after we are through with all these processes we will then make a determination on the best way forward," said Mr Banda.Clr Batirai said while he was aware of the petition, he rubbished all allegations being raised by residents, instead accusing Mr Mangena and his supporters of forging the letter under contention just to get him expelled from the party."This is all because of the ongoing war between me and Mr Mangena. That very letter which they are talking about did not emanate from me, actually I got to know about it when he (Mr Mangena) took me to court challenging my win in the elections."Whoever wrote and distributed that letter initially wanted to get me disqualified by Zec for campaigning within 24 hours of the elections but that failed now they want to go on and claim that I actually wrote the letter, which they very much know is not true," said Clr Batirai.The embattled councillor's first couple of months in office have been characterised by controversy which started with him arriving late and allegedly drunk during the swearing in of councillors in the council chambers. Clr Batirai further took his oath of office in Shona which resulted in activists aligned to the Mthwakazi Republic Party erupting in protest and manhandling the councillor. The activists later allegedly kidnapped Clr Batirai and continued manhandling him.Contacted for comment, Mr Zvidzai distanced himself from the letter purporting Clr Batirai as the sole candidate saying he had no authority to make such correspondence."The truth is that I never wrote a letter to the effect that Arnold Batirai was the sole candidate of the Alliance."I never had authority to write official communications on behalf of the Alliance having been the Chief of Staff of only one of the Alliance partners, the MDC-T."For the avoidance of any doubt, the official communications and correspondence of the Alliance were the responsibility of Professor Welshman Ncube. Batirai was then a member of PDP."The course of action against him therefore lies squarely in the hands of the relevant party he belonged to at that material time. Suffice to say as the MDC Alternative Ministry of Local Government and Devolution, we shall not tolerate corruption nor brook any nonsense that may have the effect of eroding our integrity," said Mr Zvidzai. New York, NY, Sept. 30, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zion Market Research has published a new report titled Furniture Market By Type (Tables, Chairs, Beds, Sofas, Cupboards, and Others), By Material (Wood, Plastic, Metal, and Others (Glass, Leather, and Rubber)), and By Application (Residential and Commercial): Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast, 2017 2024. According to the report, the global furniture market was valued at around USD 331.21 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach approximately USD 472.30 billion by 2024, growing at a CAGR of around 5.2% between 2018 and 2024. Furniture offers different solutions such as seating, sleeping, dining, and storage function. Furniture products are important parts of office and home layout. At commercial spaces, furniture plays an important role in seating arrangements and document storage. Furniture products are manufactured using a variety of material and are available in different designs. Depending upon the end-use, furniture designs can be modified through machine-based processes and handcrafting. Furniture manufacturing involves highly-skilled and creative professionals. Request Free Sample Report of Global Furniture Market Report @ https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/sample/furniture-market Furniture is a decorative and functional object which is used to enhance the overall appearance of home and offices. Furniture adds style and comfort to the home and office space. Furniture supports various human activities such as sleeping, seating, and eating. Furniture is also useful in storage and holding of the object at a suitable height. Over the years, traditional furniture designs have been evolved to a great extent. Depending on the end-use the furniture is designed in many different ways. Furniture is widely used for efficient and smart use of space available in office and home. The right choice of furniture enhances the beauty of residential and commercial spaces. Additionally, furniture offers a solution for proper storage and management of equipment and accessories. The rapid development in the technology of furniture designing and manufacturing is enabling furniture manufacturers to produce a variety of furniture products. Nowadays, furniture is considered an integral part of the office and home interior. Furniture is also considered as a symbol of status across different regions. Download Free PDF Report Brochure: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/requestbrochure/furniture-market On the basis of product type, the global market for furniture is classified as tables, chairs, beds, sofas, cupboards, and others. Chairs segment accounted for the major market share in terms of revenue in 2017. The growth of the chairs segment is witnessing high demand owing to its increased demand in the residential and commercial applications. Sofas is another important segment which is anticipated to show significant growth over the forecast period. The increasing consumer preference for luxury furniture and a growing number of commercial spaces including restaurants, hotels, hospitals, and offices is projected to enhance the demand for sofas in the years to come. On the basis of material type, the global market for furniture is classified as wood, metal, plastic, and others. The others segment includes glass, leather, and rubber. The wood segment is the fastest growing segment with the largest market share in terms of revenue in 2017. The segment growth is due to certain characteristics associated with a wood material such as natural look and high durability. The metal segment is another important segment projected to grow at a significant CAGR during the forecast period, owing to increasing research & development activities associated with metal processing and designing. The range of other material used in furniture manufacturing includes glass, rubber, and leather. Among these, glass segment is projected to exhibit considerable growth over the forecast timeframe. On the basis of application, the global market for furniture is classified as commercial and residential. Residential segment is growing at the fastest CAGR with increasing consumer spending on home furnishing and interior decoration products & services. By geography, Asia Pacific held the largest market share in terms of revenue in 2017. The growth for the furniture market in the Asia Pacific is mainly due to the increasing disposable income and rising consumer preference for well-furnished homes. The furniture market in the Asia Pacific is projected to grow at a significant CAGR within the forecast period owing to increasing investment in the construction and real estate industry. The market for furniture in Europe is anticipated to show considerable growth over the forecast period. The growth in the region is mainly attributed to the increasing adoption of luxury furniture in both residential and commercial segments. The growth of the market for furniture in North America is due to the increased investments in advanced processes of furniture manufacturing. In Latin America, the furniture market is growing at a moderate CAGR. The rapidly evolving tourism industry in the Middle East and Africa is anticipated to boost the growth of the market for furniture in the coming years. Browse the full "Furniture Market By Type (Tables, Chairs, Beds, Sofas, Cupboards, and Others), By Material (Wood, Plastic, Metal, and Others (Glass, Leather, and Rubber)), and By Application (Residential and Commercial): Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast, 2017 2024"report at https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/furniture-market The major companies operating in the global furniture market are competing for the significant market share. The companies anticipate changing the consumer preferences & demands and plan the appropriate strategies accordingly in order to achieve customer satisfaction. The companies are focusing on innovative product designs and the use of durable raw materials for maintaining existing market position in the global furniture market. Some of the major companies included in the global furniture market report are Global Upholstery, HNI, Okamura, Ashley Furniture Industries, Steelcase, Herman Miller, Kokuyo, Williams-Sonoma, Godrej & Boyce, IKEA, Creative Wood, Kinnarps, Wipro Furniture, Steelcase, and AFC Systems. Inquire more about this report before purchase @ https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/inquiry/furniture-market This report segments the global furniture market as follows: Global Furniture Market: Type Segment Analysis Tables Chairs Beds Sofas Cupboards Others Global Furniture Market: Material Segment Analysis Wood Plastic Metal Others Glass Leather Rubber Global Furniture Market: Application Segment Analysis Residential Commercial Global Furniture 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. 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This followed a notice by Russian authorities to Interpol that Moti was wanted on fraud charges. Moti is accused of defrauding Russian citizen Alibek Issaev out of several million rand in an alleged bogus mining deal. The alleged incident took place in Lebanon in 2013.Although Moti is understood to have presented evidence to authorities showing that he had never set foot in Lebanon in the first place, this has not deterred authorities from pursuing the case. The tycoon who has various business interests in South Africa and Zimbabwe including car financing, aviation, property development, security services, transport and logistics, and mining, is also accused of stealing a rare R500-million pink diamond.Information from South African media suggests that Moti's extradition issue to Moscow could be finalized in the next few weeks. Florian Gliwitzky, head of the press office at the Higher Regional Court in Munich, confirmed that court has issued a "preliminary order for extradition". "The court will have to decide if the extradition to the authorities of the Russian Federation is permissible," said Gliwitzky. The latest development comes at a time when Moti who has now moved strongly into Zimbabwe, where he says the group employs 2 000 people and is one of the largest foreign investors is trying to change his lifestyle for the better.The group's African Chrome Fields operation in Zimbabwe consists of seven plants and produces 400 000 tonnes of chrome a year, which is to increase to 800 000 tonnes by the end of 2018. However, it is understood that Moti's bankers Investec has concluded that Moti business is not liquid and is close to bankruptcy. Investec sent lawyers to listen in on Moti's bail applications and came to the conclusion that it was very likely that Moti would be jailed.This could spell doom for his interests in Zimbabwe, which the group wanted to sell a stake of the business for $500 million. "We feel comfortable where we are at; other people also want to exploit Zimbabwe and they need the correct entry into Zimbabwe with people already established. There's no point for big companies to come in and start what we already have for four years. So use this as a platform for companies to come into Zimbabwe," Moti said in an interview last month before he was jailed. News / National by Staff reporter LOCALLY, thousands have called him a hero for toppling the only leader Zimbabwe has known for almost four decades.Abroad, investors are, for the first time in decades, considering Zimbabwe as an investment option.Even when the people talked, President Emmerson Mnangagwa listened because, according to him, "the voice of the people is the voice of God".The public said for the President to show his commitment, his old allies who have been in Cabinet for a very long time, with no clear results, have to go.This has been done.Mnangagwa has dropped a number of faces from the Cabinet, which has been blamed for abating Zimbabwe's crisis through economic mismanagement.The arrival of banker Mthuli Ncube has instilled public confidence in Mnangagwa's commitment to turn around the economy.However, the markets are still waiting to know if "mega deals" signed with the Chinese and other investors from across the world will materialise.These deals will anchor Zimbabwe's future prospects and rescue the nation, which is battling to end a blazing foreign currency and liquidity crisis.Over 80 percent of financial transactions are now mobile due to cash crisis.In his first State of the Nation Address (SONA), Mnangagwa said with immediate effect, his government will revisit Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) which have not been followed through."In a bid to ensure that the nation realises value from its external relations, my government is, with immediate effect, revisiting all MoUs signed with other governments which are idle, gathering dust and unimplemented by various ministries," Mnangagwa said.On April 25, 2018, Mnangagwa announced that investment commitments to Zimbabwe clocked $11 billion.Expectations are high.But Mnangagwa has already demonstrated his commitment by executing structural reforms, including changes to the indigenisation and economic empowerment law.Recently, it was announced that Zimbabwe signed a MoU with a Chinese firm for the construction of a $1 billion stainless steel plant in Midlands.In April, it was announced that a MoU was signed with a Chinese company that will unlock $1,2 billion worth of investments into the tourism and hospitality industry. The deal was locked for three years under Robert Mugabe's leadership.In May, Zimbabwe and India signed a MoU for a $2,92 million grant for the supply of additional machinery for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) under the Indo-Zimbabwe project.Mnangagwa's government also announced that it signed a $4,2 billion platinum investment agreement with a Cyprus-based company, Karo Resources.Also the country and Belarus signed several deals worth millions of dollars across various economic sectors, with the first agreement being a $43 million deal for the supply of agricultural equipment to Zimbabwe and the other being a $15 million deal for the supply of forestry equipment to Allied Timbers.These are just a few deals which were signed and markets await to see if reform talk will transform into action in order to turn around Zimbabwe.Some deals, such as the $400 million recapitalisation of the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) being undertaken by the Diaspora Infrastructure Development Group (DIDG) and Spoornet of South Africa, have paid off.NRZ said it had registered a 13 percent increase in cargo moved during the three months ended June 30, 2018 to 856 476 tonnes after a boost from new equipment from the investment. Opinion / Columnist Prosper Munyedza MSc Bus Analysis & Finance (Uni of Leicester), BSc Econ (Hon) (Uni of Zim). For feedback email: pmunyedza@yahoo.com As the country embarks on a journey to economic revival and development having set herself the lofty, but attainable, goal of attaining middle income economy status by 2030 it is incumbent upon Zimbabwe's policy makers to interrogate the possible pathways that could lead to real and significant economic growth. Attaining middle income economy status for Zimbabwe requires double digit annual economic growth figures to be recorded and sustained over the ensuing period. That will be difficult but not impossible to achieve. I am of the persuasion that any easily attainable goal is not worth pursuing at all. Setting ourselves lofty aspirations is always a great motivator if ever there was one such motivator.The Zimbabwean economy, for a long time now, has been bedevilled by ever dwindling foreign aid inflows, not much foreign direct investment, initially encouraging diaspora remittances which as always also respond to the performance of the countries hosting our over 3 million human capital abroad as well as small scale domestic investment. The picture of the economy given the foregoing background appears to be a gloomy and almost invariably a miserable one.The beauty of an economy such as the Zimbabwean one is that with the right policy framework instituted such an economy can only rise seeing it has experienced such lows as have never ben experienced by others that achieved significant growth in the not so distant past. What is required is for Zimbabwe to document the traps that ensnared her in the past and critically analyse that which has led to the demise of others' economies with a view to avoiding all such pitfalls.Zimbabwe needs to learn from her own past mistakes and those of others first then interrogate how others have managed to extricate themselves from demeaning poverty. The country's aim in this analysis should be to craft a roadmap that will red flag as many of the danger zones as possible so as to avoid them and point to the paths the country should follow.Economists the world over are always seized with explaining how economies may optimize the employment of scarce resources. When the laser precise analyses of the economists are focused on economic growth or development, a number of explanations are proffered by development economists in their bid to elucidate the crucial hence critical models and theories that expound how economies are developed optimally. There are various schools of thought among African development economists on how African economies may achieve real growth. All credible development economists are agreed that investment is the backbone of sustainable economic growth. Some though believe that foreign aid has a crucial part to play in African economies' attainment of significant economic growth.All the countries that have achieved significant and sustained levels of economic growth have managed to do so through investment. Such investment could be of the domestic or foreign type or both.A lot of studies have revealed that where domestic investment is combined with foreign direct investment, economies tend to register greater levels of economic growth than when an economy solely relies on domestic investment or foreign direct investment.I posit that for an economy that has been battered for a long period through policy incoherencies and inconsistences like the Zimbabwean economy to register significant growth in the shortest possible time frame, domestic investment must take the lead. Charity begins at home seems to have a significant meaning in investment in economies such as Zimbabwe's. What better investment allure is there to a foreign investor than massive amounts of domestic investment?Significant domestic investment signals a safe investment destination for capital to any foreign investor. Why would someone invest in an economy where the locals are scared of investing in?The appeal of an economy for investment purposes to foreign investors lies in the level of vote of confidence passed on it by its locals. When locals would rather invest their significant amounts elsewhere that tends to point foreign investors to those destinations as well. For Zimbabwe to attract real investment of the foreign direct type she must start by treating her own local investors with the utmost respect that fosters their massive investment in the country.Such initiatives as Special Economic Zones must actually be fully operationalized with significant budgets devoted to them. How about granting tax holidays to real exporters that would be earning the economy certain thresholds of foreign currency as a starting point? Working on the ease of doing business initiatives could witness the ushering in of simplicity and speed in the processes of setting up of businesses in the country. Such simple initiatives as enabling the processes of registering a company to be simple and not encumbered by unnecessary costs like costs for name searches could go a long way towards making it easy for any enterprising economic agent to start a company in the country.The challenge with an ever dwindling fiscal crucible is that those tasked with mobilizing finances for the ever ballooning recurrent expenditures will invariably resort to more and more taxes as the key source of government revenue.The more taxes that a government collects from its economic agents the more the government would be constraining investment potential. Expansionary policies require some concessions on taxes for certain economic players with the capacity to ultimately generate more as a result of the concessions.The government, for instance, could formulate tax systems that encourage beneficiation in the mould of a significantly reduced tax rate for every stage of processing of products by players in the extractive industries as a way of encouraging job creation along the value chain as opposed to the exportation of raw products for beneficiation abroad as is generally happening in the mining industry.Encouraging domestic investment will not only create jobs for the locals but could also reduce the import bill hence improving the country's balance of trade if the domestic investment will result in a greater reliance on domestically available inputs.Foreign direct investors are more likely to come to the party when domestic investment has grown to significant levels. Foreign direct investment has the advantage of unlocking already available technological advancements that could naturally have taken the country some time to acquire. Foreign investors may bring on board business models that could prove beneficial to the economy in the shortest period of time.Foreign investors tend to have deep pockets as well and if the country is an attractive destination for capital the moneyed investors may in no time transform a hitherto comatose economy into a vibrant and enviable economic hub.The key to attracting such investors is to work on the ease of doing business and dealing promptly and decisively with endemic corruption. No real investor will risk their money investing in a country characterized as one infested with corruption. Dealing with corruption is within the country's power to do. One thing I have learnt about corruption is that it is like a demon which needs to be exorcised once and for all.If the corrupt are left to spread their dirty tentacles through unacted upon threats to bring them to book, they tend to become hardened criminals who not only proceed to practice their corruption in an unfettered manner but even employ blatant ways of proving that they are the untouchables.Once their fellow corrupt pals discover that no legal peril is visiting their corrupt idols, they will themselves also take it upon themselves to at least emulate their icons and before we know it, stemming the cancer will become a mammoth task that is way bigger than before the pronouncements that the corrupt will be dealt with.In my personal life, I have had the unfortunate experience of having to deal with corrupt people and I must say the more nothing was done to them by way of being brought to book for their corrupt deeds, the more emboldened they became. No investor is willing to risk their money by investing it in corrupt countries. Corruption is not too difficult to deal with.Those who are corrupt should not be left to continue practising corruption and giving the country such a bad name. It is heartening that courts dedicated to fighting graft have been instituted. The question that begs answers on this count is: will there be sacred cows in the prosecution of corruption?Granted investment is a universally agreed upon transportation mechanism to sustainable economic growth, could foreign aid also achieve that lofty feat as a key contributor? Aid, by its nature, is a form of relief or succour or support. I postulate that support can only make meaningful contributions to economic growth if and when it is brought to bear on a robust business framework, that is, if there is no real structure in place then support will always call for more support. Foreign aid usually comes with strings attached.Some of the strings will no doubt be pulling the policy makers to some destinations that could be at variance with their aspirations. Aid should be there to support policy makers as opposed to making it one of the pillars that the developmental thrust of the economy ought to be hinging on.Relying overly on foreign aid reduces a country to the lot of beggars. Beggars aren't choosers so goes the adage. The begging mentality reduces the policy makers' planning ability. Economic growth is a product of resolute planning. Economic growth, unlike natural biological growth, is not natural. Work has to be done for economic growth to result. I propose that more concerted efforts should be expended on attracting investment than in attracting foreign aid. Aid, at best, should just be used as a buttress on investment.Debt could also be used to extricate the economy from the current doldrums. Here, is where the country ought to be most vigilant. Some debt givers are a version of what I would like to term the white tooth black heart kind of people.I was reading, not so long ago, that one of our northern neighbours has lost some assets of strategic importance to some debt givers that seem to be quite a hit among African governments these days. In negotiations with debt givers, our negotiators should always draw the line between mortgaging our resources and getting money from usurious lenders. It is much better to keep on scouting for better lenders than jump onto the current African bandwagon as far as debt sourcing is concerned without much thought.It is better to engage more in build own and transfer (BOT) or even build own operate and transfer (BOOT) schemes with some of the new lenders to African economies than merely getting debt with heavy encumbrances attached to it. Without mentioning names of countries, it goes without saying that not every country that claims to be an all-weather friend is indeed an all-weather friend. Every country in its dealings with others will always be looking out for its own interests when they advance debt to Zimbabwe.Zimbabwe's negotiators ought to be looking out for Zimbabwe's own interests as well in the negotiations with debt givers.The rule of thumb should always be: if it is not good for Zimbabwe then Zimbabwe should not engage in it. It is better to develop at a reasonable pace while a country is not mortgaging its natural resources and strategic assets than to appear to be developing faster than normal when all a country would be doing is selling its valuable assets to foreigners for next to nothing.Zimbabwe has so much potential for growth and she has so much highly developed human capital. What the country needs is a recalibration of its business model and prompt eradication of corruption which will no doubt attract both domestic and foreign direct investment.Massive investment will lead to potentially higher levels of economic growth! Becoming a middle income economy by 2030 is definitely no easy feat but it is a possibility within Zimbabwe's ability to achieve! UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland postponed her country's 2018 address to the United Nations General Assembly so she could focus on ongoing trade talks with the United States, the government said on Saturday. For the past month, Canada has been locked in tense discussions with the United States to reach common ground on revamping the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) after Mexico and Washington said they had reached a deal on Aug. 27. Mexico on Friday said the U.S. Trump administration and Canada were making efforts to resolve their differences, raising hopes the pact could be kept trilateral. Freeland spokesman Adam Austen said Freeland had returned to Canada to take part in work on NAFTA. However, he added that she had no plans to return to Washington for the moment. Freeland was due to address the General Assembly on Saturday. Canada's spot on the list of speakers has been moved to Monday, Canada's U.N. mission said. (Reporting by Dave Graham and Michelle Nichols at United Nations and David Ljunggren in Ottawa; Editing by Matthew Lewis) By Jennifer McEntee SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Reuters) - When a Democrat with Palestinian-Mexican ancestry who had never before run for office was picked to challenge a Republican incumbent in a staunchly conservative southern California congressional district, few gave him much of a chance. But five-term U.S. Representative Duncan Hunter, who has been criminally charged with misusing campaign funds, is concerned enough about Ammar Campa-Najjar to issue a YouTube ad accusing his rival of trying "to hide his family's ties to terrorism," a reference to his Palestinian grandfather, who led a 1972 plot to kill Israeli athletes at the Olympics. The ad, released on Wednesday, shows Hunter, a former U.S. Marine who followed his father into Congress, dressed in camouflage. Campa-Najjar, who worked in President Barack Obama's White House, said in a statement Friday that he was "sad to see Congressman Hunter lose his grip on reality." Hunter's campaign did not respond to requests for comment. Democrats need to pick up 23 House of Representatives seats in the Nov. 6 congressional elections if they wish to take a majority and serve as a more effective counter to U.S. President Donald Trump. Republicans can ill afford to lose normally safe seats like Hunter's, in a district including San Diego, as they look to keep control of that chamber. Polls show Hunter maintaining a comfortable lead over Campa-Najjar, though not as wide as his 27 percentage point margin of victory in 2016. A Monmouth University Poll of 401 voters conducted between Sept. 22 and 26, found 53 percent of likely voters supported Hunter versus 38 percent for Campa-Najjar. The poll had a 5.3 percentage point margin of error. Campa-Najjar's campaign says its polling shows a closer race. FAMILY BLAME GAME The 29-year-old Democratic challenger is the son of a Mexican-American mother and a Palestinian father who immigrated from the Middle East. He stresses his Christian faith on the campaign trail and has tried repeatedly to distance himself from his Palestinian grandfather, who led the plot at the Munich Olympic Games in 1972 and was assassinated by Israeli commandos the following year. Story continues He responded to Hunter's ad by pointing to the Republican's own family troubles: "He knows I'm not responsible for my family's actions, just like his wife isn't responsible for his." Hunter, 41, and his wife pleaded not guilty on Aug. 23 to charges of misusing $250,000 in campaign funds to pay for their children's private school tuition, lavish travel including a trip to Italy and restaurant meals that cost hundreds of dollars. He has said the charges were politically motivated. Hunter is not the only Republican congressman running for reelection while fighting criminal charges. U.S. Representative Chris Collins is also campaigning in a normally solidly Republican western New York state district while awaiting trial on insider trading charges that he has denied. Both Hunter and Collins were early supporters of Trump, who early this month criticized Attorney General Jeff Sessions for allowing federal prosecutors to charge Republican candidates in an election year. Campa-Najjar's fundraising has outpaced Hunter's, according to Federal Election Commission data through June 2018. Hunter's campaign had reported contributions of $854,787, while Campa-Najjar had reported nearly $1.1 million In an interview with Reuters before the ad's release, Campa-Najjar said he expects to win over Trump voters that "can't support somebody who embodies the swamp in Washington." (The story corrects paragraph three to show ad first issued on Wednesday.) (Writing by Bill Tarrant; Editing by Scott Malone and Tom Brown) A new exhibit at the Military Museums in Calgary marks the role Canadians played in the Vietnam War. About 40,000 Canadians served in the conflict by joining the U.S. armed forces, and some of them are featured in oral histories that visitors can play back on demand. "It's [a] very under-recognized category of veterans that we have with us today still," said senior curator Rory Cory. "One of the reasons why we wanted to do this exhibit now is because we're 50 years after the Vietnam War almost. And a lot of these guys are already starting to pass away so it's almost too late to be getting these stories and to recognize these guys while they're still with us." Anis Heydari/CBC The exhibit also provides a look at South Vietnamese veterans' role in the conflict, as well as educates visitors on Canada's peacekeeping role in the region. For Hieu Tran, who served in the South Vietnamese Navy during the war, a walk into the exhibit is a walk into the past. "Makes me remember everything. We never forget it," Tran said. He plans to bring his children and grandchildren to see the exhibit and to show them how it was for Vietnamese people during wartime. He said he regularly helps raise funds to send money back to Vietnam to support South Vietnam veterans. Tracy Fuller/CBC American veteran Bill Lorfing emigrated to Calgary after the war, where he served as a helicopter pilot of the 192nd Assault Helicopter Company from 1967 to '68. "We're pretty much forgotten," he said. "Vietnam vets are dying younger because of Agent Orange, and so that needs to be remembered and all this needs to be fit into the overall sort of look at the Vietnam War." Tour of Duty: Canadians and the Vietnam War runs from Sept. 27 to Jan. 13. With files from Anis Heydari. By David Brunnstrom and Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - North Korea's foreign minister told the United Nations on Saturday continued sanctions were deepening its mistrust in the United States and there was no way the country would give up its nuclear weapons unilaterally under such circumstances. Ri Yong Ho told the world body's annual General Assembly that North Korea had taken "significant goodwill measures" in the past year, such as stopping nuclear and missiles tests, dismantling the nuclear test site, and pledging not to proliferate nuclear weapons and nuclear technology. "However, we do not see any corresponding response from the U.S.," he said. "Without any trust in the U.S. there will be no confidence in our national security and under such circumstances there is no way we will unilaterally disarm ourselves first." While Ri reprised familiar North Korean complaints about Washington's resistance to a "phased" approach to denuclearization under which North Korea would be rewarded as it took gradual steps, his statement appeared significant in that it did not reject unilateral denuclearization out of hand as Pyongyang has done in the past. Ri referred to a joint statement issued by Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump at a first ever summit between a serving U.S. president and a North Korean leader in Singapore on June 12, when Kim pledged to work toward "denuclearization of the Korean peninsula" while Trump promised guarantees of North Korea's security. North Korea has been seeking a formal end to the 1950-53 Korea War, but the United States has said Pyongyang must give up its nuclear weapons first. Washington has also resisted calls to relax tough international sanctions on North Korea. "The U.S. insists on the 'denuclearization-first' and increases the level of pressure by sanctions to achieve their purpose in a coercive manner, and even objecting to the 'declaration of the end of war,'" Ri said. Story continues "The perception that sanctions can bring us on our knees is a pipe dream of the people who are ignorant about us. But the problem is that the continued sanctions are deepening our mistrust." Ri made no mention of plans for a second summit between Kim and Trump that the U.S. leader highlighted at the United Nations earlier in the week. The minister instead highlighted three meetings between Kim and South Korean leader Moon Jae-in in the past five months and added: "If the party to this issue of denuclearization were South Korea and not the U.S., the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula would not have come to such a deadlock." DIFFERENT TONE Even so, the tone of Ri's speech was dramatically different from last year, when he told the U.N. General Assembly that targeting the U.S. mainland with North Korea's rockets was inevitable after "Mr Evil President" Trump called Kim a "rocket man" on a suicide mission. This year at the United Nations, Trump, who last year threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea, heaped praise on Kim for his courage in taking steps to disarm, but said much work still had to be done and sanctions must remain in place until North Korea denuclearizes. On Wednesday, Trump said he did not have a time frame for this, saying "If it takes two years, three years or five months - doesn't matter." China and Russia argue that the U.N. Security Council should reward Pyongyang for steps taken. However, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday that: "Enforcement of Security Council sanctions must continue vigorously and without fail until we realize the fully, final, verified denuclearization." The Security Council has unanimously boosted sanctions on North Korea since 2006 in a bid to choke off funding for Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Pompeo met Ri on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly and said afterwards that he would visit Pyongyang again next month to prepare for a second summit. Pompeo has visited North Korea three times already this year, but his last trip did not go well. He left Pyongyang in July saying that progress had been made, only for North Korea within hours to denounce him for making "gangster-like demands." North Korea pledged in a meeting with Moon this month to dismantle a missile site and also a nuclear complex if the United States took "corresponding measures." Moon told an event in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. meeting that declaring a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War would encourage North Korea to move further with denuclearization. He said Kim had told him the "corresponding measures" he was seeking were security guarantees Trump pledged in Singapore and moves toward normalization of relations with Washington. (Reporting by David Brunnstrom, Michelle Nichols and Yara Bayoumy at United Nations; Editing by Tom Brown and Matthew Lewis) RCMP call him their most wanted and have posted a $5,000 reward for information leading to his arrest, but Brandon Nathan Teixeira is still on the run. Teixeira, 27, was charged in early September with the first-degree murder of 28-year-old Nicolas Khabra on Sept. 6. Khabra was shot to death in Surrey on Oct. 23. Tips are flowing in from PEI to Vancouver Island, according to Cpl. Frank Jang of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) who says they are just one phone call away from catching him. "This has certainly got the attention of everyone in the country, and we're hoping there's going to be that one piece of information that comes in that can lead to his whereabouts," he said. Integrated Homicide Investigation Team Teixeira is well-known to police and the courts for crimes committed in the Lower Mainland. Records show an escalation of crimes and charges. In October 2011, the Surrey man was charged with possession of cocaine for purpose of trafficking. Texeira received a 15-month conditional sentence and a 10-year firearms prohibition. In June 2013, Texeira is charged with break and enter, dangerous driving and evading and obstructing police. He is given a conditional sentence of eight months, an 18-month driving ban and an 18 month probation order. In January 2015, Texeira is convicted of possession of cocaine and heroin for the purpose of trafficking, obstructing police and impersonation. For that he was given a lifetime ban on firearms and a year in jail. In June 2016, Texeira is charged with aggravated assault, threat to use a weapon and uttering a death threat charges that are still working their way through the system. In April, June and July of 2018, Texeira is cited for various breaches of conditions including breaking curfew from an earlier sentence. Sept 6: Texeira is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Khabra in Surrey. Facebook/Brandon Teixeira It's frustrating to the police and the public says Rob Gordon, a criminologist at Simon Fraser University. Story continues "He's escalated quite considerably. The shopping list has grown, and he has ended up at the top of the list with one of the big offences." As for Teixeira's whereabouts, police say he is most likely in the Lower Mainland but has connections to Calgary and Edmonton. "His family has been very co-operative with us.They are helping us in trying to find him. They want to put an end to all of this as well," said Jang in an interview with the CBC. He says Teixeira is extremely dangerous and poses a great risk to the safety of the community because of his violent behaviour. Police also believe there are people helping him. "We know that there may be people who are assisting him evade police, evade capture and we need to caution them they are committing an offence by doing so," Jang said. Gordon has another take. "Sooner or later, the lure of a $5000 reward will kick in and somebody will turn him in." With files from Belle Puri Read more from CBC British Columbia ZURICH, Switzerland, Sept. 30, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Thunderbird Resorts Inc. ("Thunderbird") (FSE: 4TR; and Euronext: TBIRD) is pleased to announce that its 2018 Half Year/ Semi Annual and Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements have been filed with the Euronext (Euronext Amsterdam) and the Netherlands Authority for Financial Markets (AFM). As a Designated Foreign Issuer with respect to Canadian securities regulations, the Half Year/Semi-Annual Report is intended to comply with the rules and regulations set forth by the AFM and the Euronext Amsterdam. Copies of the 2018 Half Year/ Semi Annual and Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements Report in the English language will be available at no cost at the Groups website at www.thunderbirdresorts.com . Copies in the English language are available at no cost at the Groups operational office in Panama and at the offices of our local paying agent ING Commercial Banking, Paying Agency Services, Location Code TRC 01.013, Foppingadreef 7, 1102 BD Amsterdam, the Netherlands (tel: +31 20 563 6619, fax: +31 20 563 6959, email: iss.pas@ing.nl ). Copies are also available on SEDAR at www.SEDAR.com . Below are certain material excerpts from the full 2018 Semi-Annual Report the entirety of which can be found on our website at www.thunderbirdresorts.com . LETTER FROM CEO The below summarizes the Groups performance through June 30, 2018. Because of the sale of Peru gaming operations in April 2018, through June 30, 2018 we report only Continuing Operations so that the reader might compare continuing business with the results of the same businesses through June 30, 2017. 1. PERFORMANCE IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR PREVIOUSLY-STATED GOALS1 Increase our EBITDA2: Peru property EBITDA improved by $190 thousand for the six months ending June 30, 2018 as compared to the same period in 2017. During the same period, Nicaragua property EBITDA declined by $389 thousand as discussed on page 11. Corporate expense increased by $85 thousand due to one-time legal fees related to the Peru asset sale discussed herein. After netting out Corporate expense and expenses from our proportional ownership in a Costa Rican real estate holding company, Adjusted EBITDA decreased by $265 thousand as compared to through half-year 2017. Improve our Profit / (Loss): Based on Continuing Operations, our Loss worsened by $761 thousand for the period as compared to the same period in 2017. The decline was impacted by higher than projected Finance Costs, Net due to fees incurred in the April 2018 refinancing of our Peru senior debt, and by one-time Other losses related to restructuring costs from downsizing our Peru corporate team. Please note that a material gain from the sale of our Peru gaming assets is reflected in our As reported statements on page 21. Decrease our Net Debt: Net debt3 decreased by $17.3 million as compared to year-end December 31, 2017. The Group refinanced approximately $4.5 million of its Peru senior debt, and deployed that debt in part to reduce costs at the Peru level, which has been reflected in the increased Peru property EBITDA. We also refinanced and added working capital debt at the Corporate level. 2. PERFORMANCE ON ASSET SALES In our September 21, 2016 Annual General and Special Shareholders Meeting, shareholders approved Special Resolutions that authorized the Board of Directors to: Sell any or all remaining assets of the Corporation in such amounts and at such times as determined by the Board of Directors. In their discretion, without further approval of the shareholders, revoke this special resolution at any time before the filing of articles of dissolution under the BVI Business Companies Act in respect of the foregoing. Please note that granting the Board of Directors the right to voluntarily dissolve the Corporation does not mean that the same will occur. Approval of Shareholders in advance allows the Board the flexibility to undertake the same should the Board of Directors deem it to be in the best interest of Shareholders based on the circumstances at the time. Taking all of the above into account, please kindly see specific notes on the Groups key remaining assets: Peru Gaming Assets: As of April 11, 2018, the Group completed the sale of its Peru gaming assets for a sale price of approximately $26 million. The Peruvian gaming operations sold included the Groups local flagship Fiesta Casino consisting of approximately 680 gaming positions and 3 other gaming operations in Peru, with approximately 560 gaming positions. The sale also included approximately 7,000 m2 of gaming real estate and 150 parking spaces. Peru Real Estate Assets: As of the publication of this 2018 Half-year Report, the Group continued to operate and wholly own a mixed-use tower containing a 66-suite hotel, approximately 6,008 m2 of rentable-sellable office space, and 158 underground parking spaces. The Group continues to evaluate the best means of optimizing shareholder value from these assets, and more is expected to be announced in this regard in the near future. Nicaragua Gaming and Real Estate Assets: As of the publication date of this 2018 Half-year Report, the Group continued to own a 56% interest in a Nicaraguan holding company that owns the following assets: i) Gaming : Five full casinos and two slot parlors with a combined approximately 858 gaming positions; and ii) Real Estate : Approximately 4,562 m2 of land divided among 5 parcels, and some with tenant improvements as more fully detailed on page 11. Since March 2018, the Nicaraguan market has been disrupted by civil protests against and for the current administration, as well as by the government that has attempted to reduce protests and establish order. At this time, the Group believes that it is in the best interest of shareholders to continue to operate these assets for the foreseeable future given that any serious interest and recognition of value can only be achieved once there is more long-term clarity as to the market conditions. Costa Rica Real Estate Asset: As of the publication of this 2018 Half-year Report, the Group continues to own a 50% interest in a Costa Rican entity that owns the 11.6-hectare real estate property known as Tres Rios. Tres Rios, with its own, dedicated off ramp, is located close to the countrys 2nd largest mall on the highway between the capital city of San Jose and the commuter city of Cartago. Due to the controversies described in Note 14, section b, to the attached Financial Statements, it is improbable that the Tres Rios property will be developed and/or sold in the near future. We will continue to pursue decisions that will support the best interest of shareholders according to the shareholder mandate set forth in the September 21, 2016 Special Resolutions. We will keep you informed of any material events and progress as further developments take place. Salomon Guggenheim Chief Executive Officer and President September 30, 2018 1. Unless otherwise stated, all figures reported herein are in USD and report the results of those businesses that were continuing as of June 30, 2018 as compared to those same businesses through the six months ended June 30, 2017. 2. EBITDA is not an accounting term under IFRS, and refers to earnings before net interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, equity in earnings of affiliates, minority interests, development costs, other gains and losses, and discontinued operations. Property EBITDA is equal to EBITDA at the country level(s). Adjusted EBITDA is equal to property EBITDA less Corporate expenses, which are the expenses of operating the parent company and its non-operating subsidiaries and affiliates. 3. Net debt equals total borrowings and finance lease obligations less cash, cash equivalents and other liquid assets. GROUP OVERVIEW FOR HALF-YEAR 2018 Below is our consolidated profit / (loss) summary for the six months ended June 30, 2018 as compared with the same period of 2017. (In thousands) Six months ended June 30 % 2018 2017 Variance change Net gaming wins $ 6,373 $ 6,337 $ 36 0.6 % Food and beverage sales 980 980 - 0.0 % Hospitality and other sales 1,658 1,524 134 8.8 % Total revenues 9,011 8,841 170 1.9 % Promotional allowances 898 850 48 5.6 % Property, marketing and administration 6,397 6,095 302 5.0 % Property EBITDA 1,716 1,896 (180 ) -9.5 % Corporate expenses 1,043 958 85 8.9 % Adjusted EBITDA 673 938 (265 ) -28.3 % Property EBITDA as a percentage of revenues 7.5 % 10.6 % Depreciation and amortization 1,006 1,074 (68 ) -6.3 % Interest and financing costs, net 1,725 1,327 398 30.0 % Management fee attributable to non-controlling interest 2 2 - 0.0 % Foreign exchange (gain) / loss (157 ) (31 ) (126 ) 406.5 % Other (gains) / losses 208 (99 ) 307 -310.1 % Loss from equity investee 14 84 (70 ) -83.3 % Income taxes 197 142 55 38.7 % Profit / (loss) for the period from continuing operations $ (2,322 ) $ (1,561 ) $ (761 ) 48.8 % Group debt: Below is the Groups Gross debt and Net debt on June 30, 2017. (In thousands) Jun-18 Dec-17 Borrowings $ 15,757 $ 31,749 Obligations under leases and hire purchase contracts 9 378 Gross Debt $ 15,766 $ 32,127 Less: cash and cash equivalents (excludes restricted cash) 2,901 1,937 Net Debt $ 12,865 $ 30,190 Note : Gross debt above is presented net of debt issuance costs (costs of debt at time of issuance, which are currently non-cash and amortize over time) which is why there is an approximate $22 thousand variance with the total principal balance below. The Group estimates its debt schedule as follows starting in July 2018: Principal Balance 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Thereafter Total Corporate $ 3,612,957 $ 3,952,719 $ 1,972,950 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ 9,538,626 Peru 296,181 618,312 655,553 695,682 740,349 787,885 920,423 4,714,385 Nicaragua 264,527 537,630 196,742 61,085 67,067 73,634 334,049 1,534,734 Total $ 4,173,665 $ 5,108,661 $ 2,825,245 $ 756,767 $ 807,416 $ 861,519 $ 1,254,472 $ 15,787,745 Interest Expense 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Thereafter Total Corporate $ 343,676 $ 497,915 $ 66,250 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ 907,841 Peru 143,701 258,268 219,177 176,514 131,847 84,311 17,089 1,030,907 Nicaragua 44,195 110,815 64,645 47,649 41,668 35,101 19,496 363,569 Total $ 531,572 $ 866,998 $ 350,072 $ 224,163 $ 173,515 $ 119,412 $ 36,585 $ 2,302,317 INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS THUNDERBIRD RESORTS INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION (Expressed in thousands of United States dollars) As of June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 June 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Assets Non-current assets Property, plant and equipment (Note 7) $ 14,827 $ 20,690 Investment accounted for using the equity method (Note16) 2,620 2,623 Intangible assets 1,509 5,930 Deferred tax asset 90 218 Trade and other receivables 799 1,441 Due from related parties (Note 13) 42 42 Total non-current assets 19,887 30,944 Current assets Trade and other receivables 2,696 901 Due from related parties (Note 13) 1,846 1,849 Inventories 325 396 Restricted cash 4,311 1,973 Cash and cash equivalents 2,901 1,937 Total current assets 12,079 7,056 Total assets $ 31,966 $ 38,000 THUNDERBIRD RESORTS INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION (continued) (Expressed in thousands of United States dollars) As of June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 June 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Equity and liabilities Capital and reserves Share capital (Note 11) 111,721 111,721 Retained earnings (102,112 ) (117,188 ) Translation reserve (6,472 ) (5,384 ) Equity attributable to equity holders of the parent 3,137 (10,851 ) Non-controlling interest 2,869 2,735 Total equity 6,006 (8,116 ) Non-current liabilities Borrowings (Note 9) 9,868 15,272 Obligations under leases and hire purchase contracts (Note 10) 5 6 Deferred tax liabilities 112 115 Provisions 1,565 1,756 Trade and other payables 257 349 Total non-current liabilities 11,807 17,498 Current liabilities Trade and other payables 6,478 8,394 Due to related parties (Note 13) 666 895 Borrowings (Note 9) 5,889 16,477 Obligations under leases and hire purchase contracts (Note 10) 4 372 Other financial liabilities 458 1,205 Current tax liabilities 355 365 Provisions 303 910 Total current liabilities 14,153 28,618 Total liabilities 25,960 46,116 Total equity and liabilities $ 31,966 $ 38,000 THUNDERBIRD RESORTS, INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (Expressed in thousands of United States dollars) For the six months ended June 30, 2018 Six months ended June 30 (unaudited) 2018 2017 (Restated) Net gaming wins $ 6,373 $ 6,337 Food, beverage and hospitality sales 2,638 2,504 Total revenue 9,011 8,841 Cost of goods sold (2,722 ) (2,574 ) Gross profit 6,289 6,267 Other operating costs Operating, general and administrative (5,616 ) (5,331 ) Depreciation and amortization (1,007 ) (1,074 ) Other gains and (losses) (Note 5) (208 ) 99 Operating profit (542 ) (39 ) Share of loss from equity accounted investments (Note 16) (14 ) (84 ) Financing Foreign exchange gain / (loss) 157 31 Financing costs (Note 6) (1,781 ) (1,414 ) Financing income (Note 6) 56 95 Other interest (Note 6) (1 ) (8 ) Finance costs, net (1,569 ) (1,296 ) Loss before tax (2,125 ) (1,419 ) Income taxes expense Current (197 ) (142 ) Deferred - - Income tax expense (197 ) (142 ) Loss for the year from continuing operations $ (2,322 ) $ (1,561 ) Gain / (loss) for the year from discontinued operations (Note 8) 17,532 265 Loss for the year $ 15,210 $ (1,296 ) THUNDERBIRD RESORTS, INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (continued) (Expressed in thousands of United States dollars) For the six months ended June 30, 2018 Six months ended June 30 (audited) 2018 2017 (Restated) Other comprehensive income (amounts, which will be recycled) Exchange differences arising on the translation of foreign operations $ (1,088 ) $ (30 ) Other comprehensive income for the year (1,088 ) (30 ) Total comprehensive income for the year $ 14,122 $ (1,326 ) Gain / (loss) for the year attributable to: Owners of the parent 15,076 (1,665 ) Non-controlling interest 134 369 $ 15,210 $ (1,296 ) Total comprehensive income attributable to: Owners of the parent 13,988 (1,695 ) Non-controlling interest 134 369 $ 14,122 $ (1,326 ) Basic and diluted loss per share (in $): (Note 12) Loss from continuing operations (0.09 ) (0.08 ) Gain / (loss) from discontinued operations 0.65 0.01 Total 0.56 (0.07 ) THUNDERBIRD RESORTS, INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY (Expressed in thousands of United States dollars) For the six months ended June 30, 2018 Attributable to equity holders of parent Share capital Share options reserve Currency translation reserve Retained earnings Total Non-controlling interest Total equity Balance at January 1, 2017 $ 110,563 $ - $ (5,429 ) $ (111,676 ) $ (6,542 ) $ 2,266 $ (4,276 ) Transactions with owners: Issue of new shares 48 - - - 48 - 48 $ 48 $ - $ - $ - $ 48 $ - $ 48 Profit / (loss) for the year - - - (1,665 ) (1,665 ) 368 (1,297 ) Other comprehensive income Exchange differences arising on translation of foreign operations - - (30 ) - (30 ) - (30 ) Total comprehensive income for the year - - (30 ) (1,665 ) (1,695 ) 368 (1,327 ) Balance at June 30, 2017 $ 110,611 $ - $ (5,459 ) $ (113,341 ) $ (8,189 ) $ 2,634 $ (5,555 ) Transactions with owners: Issue of new shares 518 518 518 Treasury shares issued as payment 592 (393 ) 199 199 $ 1,110 $ - $ - $ (393 ) $ 717 $ - $ 717 Profit / (loss) for the year - - - (3,454 ) (3,454 ) 101 (3,353 ) Other comprehensive income Exchange differences arising on translation of foreign operations - - 75 75 - 75 Total comprehensive income for the year - - 75 (3,454 ) (3,379 ) 101 (3,278 ) Balance at December 31, 2017 $ 111,721 $ - $ (5,384 ) $ (117,188 ) $ (10,851 ) $ 2,735 $ (8,116 ) THUNDERBIRD RESORTS, INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY (Expressed in thousands of United States dollars) For the six months ended June 30, 2018 Share capital Share options reserve Currency translation reserve Retained earnings Total Non-controlling interest Total equity Balance at January 1, 2018 $ 111,721 $ - $ (5,384 ) $ (117,188 ) $ (10,851 ) $ 2,735 $ 8,116 Transactions with owners: Issue of new shares - - - - - - - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - Profit / (loss) for the year - - - 15,076 15,076 134 15,210 Other comprehensive income Exchange differences arising on translation of foreign operations - - (1,088 ) - (1,088 ) - (1,088 ) Total comprehensive income for the year - - (1,088 ) 15,076 13,988 134 14,122 Balance at June 30, 2018 $ 111,721 $ - $ (6,472 ) $ (102,112 ) $ 3,137 $ 2,869 $ 6,006 THUNDERBIRD RESORTS, INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS (Expressed in thousands of United States dollars) For the six months ended June 30, 2018 Six months ended June 30 (unaudited) 2018 2017 Cash flow from operating activities Loss for the year $ (2,322 ) $ (1,561 ) Items not involving cash: Depreciation and amortization 1,007 1,074 Unrealized foreign exchange (122 ) (357 ) Decrease in provision (439 ) (107 ) Bad debt expense - 14 Other losses - 27 Gain on derivative financial instruments - 1 Share based payments - 48 Finance income (56 ) (95 ) Finance cost 934 1,414 Other interests 1 8 Results from equity accounted investments 14 84 Tax expenses 197 142 Net change in non-cash working capital items Increase in trade, prepaid and other receivables (1,321 ) (5,219 ) Increase in inventory (108 ) (79 ) (Decrease) / Increase in trade payables and accrued liabilities (201 ) 326 Cash used in operations (2,416 ) (4,280 ) Total tax paid (320 ) (299 ) Net cash used in continuing operations (2,736 ) (4,579 ) Net cash used in discontinued operations (16 ) (81 ) Net cash used in operating activities $ (2,752 ) $ (4,660 ) Cash flow from investing activities Expenditure on property, plant and equipment (521 ) (410 ) Proceeds on sale of Peru Casino operation, net of cash disposed 25,047 - Cost of sale of Peru Casino operation (635 ) - Interest received 56 95 Net cash used (used) / from investing activities $ 23,947 $ (315 ) Cash flow from financing activities Proceeds from issue of new loans 5,100 13,322 Repayment of loans and leases payable (21,671 ) (5,073 ) Interest paid (1,011 ) (689 ) Net cash used from financing activities $ (17,582 ) $ 7,560 Net change in cash and cash equivalents during the year 3,613 2,585 Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of the year 3,910 2,867 Effect of foreign exchange adjustment (311 ) 209 Included in disposal group (Note 8) - (878 ) Cash and cash equivalents, end of the year $ 7,212 $ 4,783 MANAGEMENT STATEMENT ON GOING CONCERN Management routinely plans future activities including forecasting future cash flows. Management has reviewed their plan with the Directors and has collectively formed a judgment that the Group has adequate resources to continue as a going concern for the foreseeable future, which Management and the Directors have defined as being at least the next 12 months from the filing of our 2017 Annual Report. In arriving at this judgment, Management has prepared the cash flow projections of the Group, which incorporates a 5-year rolling forecast and detailed cash flow modelling through the current financial year. Directors have reviewed this information provided by Management and have considered the information in relation to the financing uncertainties in the current economic climate, the Groups existing commitments and the financial resources available to the Group. The expected cash flows have been modelled based on anticipated revenue and profit streams with debt funding programmed into the model and reducing over time. The model assumes no new construction projects during the forecast period. The model assumes a stable regulatory environment in all countries with existing operations. Sensitivities have been applied to this model in relation to revenues not achieving anticipated levels. The Directors have considered the: (i) base of investors and debt lenders historically available to Thunderbird Resorts, Inc.; (ii) global capital markets; (iii) limited trading exposures to our local suppliers and retail customers; (iv) other risks to which the Group is exposed, the most significant of which is considered to be regulatory risk; (v) sources of Group income, including management fees charged to and income distributed from its various operations; (vi) cash generation, debt amortization levels and key debt service coverage ratios; (vii) fundamental trends of the Groups businesses; (viii) extraordinary cash inflows and outflows from one-time events forecasted to occur in the 12-month period following the filing date of this 2018 Half Year Report; (ix) ability to re-amortize and unsecured lenders; (x) level of probability of refinancing of secured debt; (xi) liquidation of undeveloped and therefore non-performing real estate assets that have been held for sale; and (xii) level of interest of third parties in the acquisition of certain operating assets, and status of genuine progress and probability of closing within the Going Concern period. The Directors have also considered certain critical factors that might affect continuing operations, as follows: The Directors have also considered certain critical factors that might affect its continuing operations, as follows: Special Resolution : On September 21, 2016, the Groups shareholders approved a special resolution that, among other items, authorized the Board of Directors of the Corporate to sell any or all remaining assets of the Corporation in such amounts and at such times as determined by the Board of Directors. This resolution facilitates the sale of any one or any combination of assets required to support maintaining of a going concern by the Group. : On September 21, 2016, the Groups shareholders approved a special resolution that, among other items, authorized the Board of Directors of the Corporate to sell any or all remaining assets of the Corporation in such amounts and at such times as determined by the Board of Directors. This resolution facilitates the sale of any one or any combination of assets required to support maintaining of a going concern by the Group. Sellable Pricing of Assets; Asset Sale Schedules and Re-financing Scenarios : The Group now has sufficient market feedback, including offers for certain key assets, which have enabled the Group to incorporate market-determined pricing into its models; The Group has evaluated the progress of each transaction that it is working on and has looked at all reasonable scenarios for the combination and timing of different transactions in conjunction with sellable pricing. : The Group now has sufficient market feedback, including offers for certain key assets, which have enabled the Group to incorporate market-determined pricing into its models; The Group has evaluated the progress of each transaction that it is working on and has looked at all reasonable scenarios for the combination and timing of different transactions in conjunction with sellable pricing. Secured debt Refinancing and Cash Flow: Debt service obligations continue to be a significant part of the Groups outflow. Debt service obligations continue to be a significant part of the Groups outflow. Corporate Expense and Cash Flow : Corporate expense has decreased materially in recent years, but still must accommodate for compliance as a public company. : Corporate expense has decreased materially in recent years, but still must accommodate for compliance as a public company. Liquidity and Working Capital : As of the date of publication of this 2018 Half-year Report, the Group forecasts operating with higher levels of reserves and working capital through the end of 2018 as compared to the previous year. Certain scenarios in relation to asset sales will not create working capital, while others will. Selling all or virtually all Group real estate and reverting cash flow will be critical to creating a healthy level of working capital reserves for periods beyond the Going Concern period. Considering the above, Management and Directors are satisfied that the consolidated Group has adequate resources to continue as a going concern for the 12 months following the reporting period of this 2018 Half-year Report. For these reasons, Management and Directors continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the consolidated financial statements. OTHER GROUP UPDATES During the half-year ended June 30, 2018, the Group engaged in the following listed material events : Pay-down and deferral of Unsecured Loans : The Group reached an agreement with a series of unsecured lenders to pay-down approximately $8.2 million in debt and defer payments on approximately $5.8 million of their respective loans effective between April and July 2018. To the extent that certain lenders were not paid off in full, these lenders agreed to defer payment of approximately $5.8 million to December 31, 2019. Any and all interest that accrues during this deferral period shall be added to the principal balance. Cash flow management : In January 2016 the Company implemented a compensation plan for its officers in order to reduce the Groups cost structure to a level that is sustainable. The Group was reduced to the following personnel: CEO, CFO and General Counsel all working full time, but with a continued deferral of 50% or more of their compensation until such time as there are sufficient cash reserves to pay and/or until such time as these officers receive shares for their deferred time, which ongoing agreements will be subject to review by the boards Compensation Committee. These Officers continued to dedicated full-time employment to the Company but discounted a cash portion of their salaries by approximately $50,000 per month in order to preserve cash. This salary deferral plan has been re-evaluated on a six month basis and in each period, beginning July 1, 2016, January 1, 2017 and most recently July 1, 2018, the board has assessed and approved the plan based on the needs of the company on a go-forward basis. In consideration of the extension of the discounting on the cash portion of the salaries, Officers have reserved the right to collect unpaid compensation either through stock at market rate or in cash against future liquidity events. The Company last held its AGM and Special meeting of shareholders on December 30, 2017. The Companys Circular for that AGM/Special Meeting included a recap of the Companys issued and outstanding shares and a reference to the shares for salary deferral as follows: Certain members of Management have entered into a salary deferral arrangement for the period January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017. Under this arrangement which was approved by the Companys compensation committee and the Board, the Management team has the option to accept additional shares in lieu of the cash that has been deferred. The potential number of shares range from approximately 1.5 million to 2.0 million depending on the average share price throughout 2016 and assuming that share price remains within the average range in which it has traded over the 90-day period previous to the publication of this Information Circular. In order to minimize the issuance of new shares in case Management opts to accept shares in lieu of cash, Management would first draw down on those 993,972 shares already purchased by the Company itself. Effective October 1, 2017, the Companys compensation committee and its board approved the Officers election to collect unpaid compensation for the period January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016, and for the period January 1, 2017 to approximately March 31, 2017, in stock at market rate. This total cash deferral for 2016 amounted to $505,000. The total cash deferral for January 1 to March 31, 2017 amounted to approximately $162,000. In October and November of 2017, Officers collectively received a total of approximately 2,533,923 shares in lieu of payment of the total of $667,000 of salary deferral. Of this 2,533,923 in shares, 993,972 already purchased by the Company (Thunderbird had previously purchased 283,972 of its own Shares under its Buy Back Program in 2013. Thereafter, Thunderbird purchased an additional 710,000 of its own shares separate and apart from its Buy Back program. The total shares that are owned by Thunderbird was 993,972 as of December 31, 2016) was transferred by the Company pro rata to the officers in keeping with the Companys Circular for the September 22, 2016 Annual General Meeting. The balance of 1,539,951 was issued to the Officers as new shares. Amended and Fully Restated Employment Contracts for Management : Effective July 1, 2018, Management including Salomon Guggenheim, Peter LeSar and Albert Atallah (collectively TRI Employees) have proceeded to follow the dictates of the Companys shareholders and the Board in fulfilling the spirit and intent of the Special Resolution dated September 21, 2016, wherein, the Companys shareholders approved a special resolution as set forth herein in part as follows: The Board of Directors of the Corporation is hereby authorized, at a time to be determined by the Board of Directors of the Corporation, to voluntarily dissolve the Corporation pursuant to the BVI Business Corporate Act of 2004, which winding up process and dissolution application shall be commenced and implemented at such time as determined by the Board in their sole discretion; The Board of Directors of the Corporation is hereby authorized to make provision for and to discharge all liabilities of the Corporation in conjunction with the winding up and dissolution of the Corporation and in connection with such winding up and dissolution, is authorized to make a pro rata distribution to shareholders of the net proceeds available to the Corporation (after adjusting for carrying costs and other winding up and dissolution related expenses) from the sale of any or all remaining assets of the Corporation in such amounts and at such times as determined by the Board of Directors; Any one director or officer of the Corporation be and is hereby authorized and directed to do all such things and to execute and deliver all documents and instruments as may be necessary or desirable to carry out the terms of this resolution, including but not limited to, the filing of articles of dissolution under the BVI Business Corporations Act; The directors of the Corporation may, in their discretion, without further approval of the shareholders, revoke this special resolution at any time before the filing of articles of dissolution under the Business Corporations Act (BVI) in respect of the foregoing; Granting the Board of Directors the right to voluntarily dissolve the Corporation does not mean that the same will occur. Approval of Shareholders in advance allows the Board the flexibility to undertake the same should the Board of Directors deem it to be in the best interest of Shareholders based on the circumstances at the time, without the risk of delay of approval of specific transactions or the expense of calling another shareholder meeting to specifically approve such matter. In the event that the Company proceeds with its plan to liquidate and dissolve, the company in due course intends to delist from Euronext Amsterdam in accordance with the rules and procedures of Euronext Amsterdam. Management in their respective roles as an officer and fiduciary continued to act in the best interest of the shareholders by fulfilling the Companys public company obligations. On the other hand, the Company is obligated to fulfill all relevant employment and labor laws within the jurisdictions that Employee provides services to the Company. The Companys Compensation Committee reviewed the TRI Employment contracts and recommended to the Board of Directors that the Company is best served by entering into the employment agreements with Salomon Guggenheim, Peter LeSar and Albert Atallah. The Companys Board of Directors approved the employment agreements with Salomon Guggenheim, Peter LeSar and Albert Atallah. Contingencies Note 22 in the Groups financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2017 provides a discussion of all of the Groups commitments. There are no material changes in this disclosure, other than the following update. Costa Rica tax controversies By way of background, the income tax in Costa Rica is collected by the General Income Tax Office. The Groups formerly owned Costa Rica subsidiaries, Thunderbird Gran Entretenimiento, S.A. (TGE), and Grupo Thunderbird de Costa Rica, S.A. (GTCR) are engaged in two separate tax proceedings. In addition, the Groups 50% ownership in King Lion Network is engaged in a tax controversy as described below. TGE received a proposed income tax assessment in Q1-2012 of $600 thousand for the tax year ended December 31, 2009, and a proposed tax assessment of $800 thousand for the tax year ended December 31, 2010. Additional gaming taxes of $200 thousand were assessed for each tax year ended December 31, 2009 and 2010. The assessments for both tax years were related to certain expenses which were deemed to be non-allowable deductions by the General Income Tax Office and for the imputation of interest income on intercompany advance balances. These matters were appealed to the Tribunal Fiscal Administrative (TFA) during Q3 and Q4 of 2012. On January 16, 2013, the Group was advised that the Administrator Tribunal Appeal was denied in regards to the TGE tax matter. The Group filed a lawsuit at the Court level in August 2014 to revoke the tax assessment. In February 2015, the Group paid the tax authorities $3.088 million on the alleged tax liability. The payment to the Costa Rican tax authority was required to be paid as a condition to closing the sale of the Groups interest in Costa Rica to CIRSA, as described below. The payment made by the Group was made without prejudice or admission of liability. A hearing in this matter took place in June 2018. The case was ruled in favor of the Costa Rican Tax Authority. TGE filed a formal appeal of the tax court decision and the parties are awaiting the decision. Also, TGE is preparing an unconstitutional petition to the Constitutional Court to be filed in the ensuing months. San Diego Federal District Court Controversy In June of 2015, Thunderbird Resorts filed a lawsuit in the Federal District Court, San Diego, against defendants Murray Jo Zimmer (Zimmer), Angular Investments Corp. (Angular), Mitzim Properties, Inc. (Mitzim Properties) Taloma Zulu, S.A., (Taloma Zulu) Jack R. Mitchell, (Mitchell). The lawsuit alleges breach of fiduciary duty against Zimmer, Angular and Mitchell; breach of contract against defendant Mitchell; aiding and abetting, breach of fiduciary duty against Taloma Zulu and Mitzim Properties; fraud Civil RICO 18 U.S.C. 1961, conversion constructive trust and an accounting against defendants Zimmer, Angular and Taloma Zulu. The basis of the various claims and allegations in the lawsuit stem from the following: In 2002, Thunderbird partnered with Angular to operate casinos and related businesses in Costa Rica. Grupo Thunderbird de Costa Rica, S.A. (GTCR) was formed by Thunderbird and Angular, who agreed to split all profits from GTCR on an equal, 50/50 basis. Angulars principal, defendant Zimmer, became Thunderbirds country manager for its operations in Costa Rica. Between July 2007 and September 2014, Zimmer caused GTCR to pay over $2 million to defendant Taloma Zulu. Zimmer reported to Thunderbirds management that these amounts were being paid for legal and consulting expenses for GTCR to operate in Costa Rica. Upon further investigation, Thunderbird now believes and alleges that Zimmer and Mitchell caused Thunderbirds 50% share of the amounts paid to Taloma Zulu to be diverted, misappropriated, embezzled, and/or converted for defendants own improper, personal uses. Thunderbird Resorts is seeking the following relief: awarding Thunderbird the damages it has sustained by reason of Mitchell, Zimmer et al conduct, and interest thereon as provided by law; awarding Thunderbird exemplary and/or punitive damages on account of defendants wilful, wanton, malicious, and/or oppressive conduct; awarding Thunderbird its costs of suit incurred therein. Thunderbird Resorts is also seeking the imposition of a constructive trust in favor of Thunderbird, and against defendants, of the benefits improperly received by defendants and an order commanding defendants to return to Thunderbird the funds they improperly received by way of their wrongful conduct. So far, Thunderbird Resorts was successful in having the court order approximately $420 thousand of the defendants funds to be sequestered in the Federal District Court bank account pending resolution of the case In March of 2017, Thunderbird Resorts Inc. obtained a default judgment in the approximate amount of $659 thousand against co-defendants Angular Investments S.A. and Taloma Zulu. In May of 2017 Jack Mitchell filed a motion to have the claims made against him submitted to arbitration in Hong Kong alleging that is the proper forum for Thunderbird Resorts claim. In addition, Angular Investments S.A. filed a motion to set aside the $659 thousand default judgment. The Court also granted Thunderbird leave to file additional pleadings showing default damages above $657,975, and Thunderbird submitted additional pleadings showing damages and interest totalling $825,125. In addition to Angulars motion to set aside the default judgment, Angular also filed a motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction which is still under submission. Simultaneously with Thunderbird Resorts Inc. filing of the San Diego Federal District Court case, Jack R. Mitchell (Mitchell), a former employee of Thunderbird, brought an arbitration claim in Hong Kong under the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce against Thunderbird. The amount claimed is not less than $518 thousand. By way of background, in September 2012, Thunderbird Resorts entered into a settlement with Mitchell, following his termination from the company. Part of that settlement included a payment to Mitchell of approximately $1.8 million to be paid in installments over the course of several years. On or about May 2015, Thunderbird Resorts claimed that Mitchell was in default of his settlement agreement and stopped payment on the settlement amount. Mitchell instituted arbitration proceedings in Hong Kong pursuant to the terms of the settlement agreement. On September 27, 2017 the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce approved its award against Thunderbird Resorts Inc. in the approximate amount of $518 thousand plus attorneys fees and costs of approximately $220 thousand. Thunderbird Resorts intends to pursue all legal challenges to the award including motions for reconsideration, appeals and challenges to the award. Thunderbird Resorts made several request to the Arbitrator that the decision in this matter be delayed pending submittal of further evidence from the related matter Thunderbird Resorts Inc. vs. Jo Murray Zimmer, Jack R. Mitchell, Angular Investments, S.A, Taloma Zulu, Mitzim case no. 15CV1304 JAH BGS filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California in which Mitchell and his co-defendants are being sued for approximately $1.28 million plus punitive damages which may rise to the level of three times the actual damages. In March 30, 2018, San Diego Federal District Court Judge Houston issued an Order Granting Defendant Jack Mitchells Motion to Compel Arbitration which states in part that: The action is STAYED as to Defendant Mitchell until such arbitration has been held in accordance with the terms of the agreement as set forth by this order. The parties shall file a joint status report regarding the progression of Arbitration proceedings no later than September 28, 2018. The Court addressed the issue of Thunderbirds counterclaims, which Thunderbird contended should have been adjudicated by the U.S. Federal District Court, on pages 6, 7 and 8 of the Order. The Courts Order states, in relevant part: The Court must next determine whether the parties intended to arbitrate the issue of waiver. The question of whether the remaining five causes of action have been waived as to Mitchell under the Release and Waiver provision (Clause 3.2) of the Settlement Agreement is also a dispute[], claim[], [or] controvers[y] between the parties arising out of th[e] Release [and Settlement] Agreement. The parties expressly agreed to arbitrate this issue. Therefore, it is for the arbitrator to decide which claims, or portions thereof, have or have not been waived, based on the alleged dates of Defendants conduct. Accordingly, the Court GRANTS Defendants Motion to Compel Arbitration whether Plaintiff waived its First, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth causes of action, or any portion thereof, against Mitchell upon execution of the Settlement Agreement. (Order, pg. 7:1-10.)Section 9.49 of the Arbitration Award dated September 26, 2017 outlined the Tribunals Findings, stating in pertinent part: The Claimant [Mitchell] was not in breach of the Settlement Agreement. Although the findings are decisive on the issues raised by Plaintiff in its Eighth Cause of Action for Breach of Contract, the Tribunal made no findings as to the issue of waiver. Not having Plaintiffs counterclaims before it, the Arbitrator declined to make findings as to the proper interpretation of the release and waiver clause in paragraph 3.2 of the Settlement Agreement, stating:By reason of the Tribunal's findings in paragraphs [9.46] and [9.48] that the Claimant has not breached clauses 5 and 6 of the Settlement Agreement and was not in breach of the Settlement Agreement (paragraph 9.49[1]), it does not need to make a finding as to the proper construction of the release in clause 3.2 of the Settlement Agreement as no issue of the Claimant being entitled to rely on Clause 3.2 of the Settlement Agreement arises.Jack Ray Mitchell v. Thunderbird Resorts Inc., Intl Ct. of Arb. Of the Intl. Chamber of Commerce, Case No. 21243/CYK/PTA, Ch. 9, 9.50 (2017) (Rooney, Arb.). In light of this Courts order granting Defendants Motion to Compel Arbitration as to the issue of waiver and all remaining claims Plaintiff chooses to pursue in arbitration, the Court finds Defendant Mitchells request to domesticate and enter the Arbitration Award against Plaintiff premature (Order, pgs. 7:23-8:13.) On September 20, 2018, Thunderbird Resorts Inc., in pro per petitioned the ICC in respect of its application to the ICC to re-open the instant arbitration and allow Respondent to file a counterclaim against Mitchell. On September 24 2018, The Secretariat replied to Thunderbird Resorts Inc. request to re-open the [instant] arbitration and allow Respondent to file a counterclaim against Claimant by stating that ICC Case 21243/CYK/PTA was closed after the notification of the decision and addendum on costs on 25 January 2018. Moreover, as the arbitration has ended, the case cannot be re-opened. The ICC advised that Thunderbird Resorts Inc. may initiate new proceedings to bring its claims against Jay Ray Mitchell. Thunderbird Resorts Inc. initiated such proceedings by filing a claim with the ICC on September 27, 2018. These are the several pending Motions in the Federal District court proceedings that also impact the Mitchell Arbitration case: Angulars Motion to set aside the default judgment and to dismiss for Lack of Jurisdiction. In April 2017, Thunderbird Resorts Inc. properly served Angular, and Angular failed to answer the complaint within the time period, and the court granted TRI a Default Judgement in the approximate amount of $657 thousand. On March 30, 2018 the Court has set aside the default judgment so the matter has to proceed to trial. As a prelude to the full scale trial on the matter, The Court ordered an evidentiary hearing/mini trial for May 29, 2018 to focus on these issues: Whether TRI has standing to make the claims against Angular or whether GTCR is the real proper party in interest. Angular raised a material issue as to whether Plaintiff was directly injured by the alleged conduct of Zimmer or indirectly injured as a result of its relationship with GTCR. The Court determined that Angular defense that TRI lacks standing to sue has merit and has ordered TRI and Angular to present its case in this evidentiary hearing to determine whether Angulars conduct was directed at the forum, i.e., was San Diego the nerve center for TRI. The courts ruling is now pending following the evidentiary hearing. Zimmers Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Jurisdiction. Thunderbird Resorts is diligently prosecuting its claims in the Zimmer et.al. San Diego Federal District Court Case and estimates that its monetary value of its claim against MITZIM, Mitchell and other defendants is $1,282,454.49. This estimate does not include damages based on other claims outside the scope of the parties arbitration agreement, including but not limited to other claims set forth in Thunderbird Resorts U.S. District Court action against Mitchell, Murray Jo Zimmer and others MITZIM motion to quash writ of attachment. Costa Rica-CIRSA Escrow claim In a related matter to the San Diego Federal District Court action, in February 2015, the Group had previously consummated Stock Purchase Agreement (SPA) in which CIRSA acquired the shares of Grupo Thunderbird De Costa Rica from Thunderbird Resorts Inc. (TRI) and Angular Investments S.A. The SPA provided that a certain portion of the monies to be paid by CIRSA to TRI/Angular were to be held in escrow pursuant to the SPA. In February 2015, CIRSA delivered USD$2,125,000, to the Escrow Agent (the Escrow Amount) in accordance with the terms and conditions of the SPA. The Escrow Agreement provided for a claims procedure by which certain claims could be made by third parties/tax authorities, vendors to be paid from the Escrow. In December 2017 and in March 2018, ZIMMER AND FOX as employees of GTCR filed certain claims against CIRSA, GTCR and TRI. TRI position is that ZIMMER AND FOX are now claiming in bad faith that they are entitled to a series of labor rights, The SPA and all related documents supports the fact that ZIMMER AND FOX as a "seller shareholder" waived and released any and all claims, rights, etc. that each may have had, including social benefits under Costa Rica law. TRI believe ZIMMER AND FOX have waived all their respective claims and therefore their labor claim are without merit. Based on our information and belief, ZIMMER intended to file this labor complaint in response to TRIs actions against him wherein TRI had filed the aforementioned lawsuit against ZIMMER in the Federal District Court of San Diego, California, Zimmers is acting in bad faith as he is attempting to retaliate against TRI for the actions that TRI has taken against him the USA litigation. TRI believes that ZIMMERs claim is without merit and ultimately the labor tribunal made a ruling that ZIMMERS claims against GTCR was without merit. In fact, the Costa Rica labor tribunal already ruled against Zimmer. ZIMMER filed an appeal of that decision. Nonetheless, TRI disputed each of the claims that CIRSA made against the Escrow. The general basis for disputing each of CIRSAs claims, as well as, any claim that Thunderbird Resorts Inc. violated the Stock Purchase Agreement dated February 25, 2015 are completely without basis in law or in fact. Neither ZIMMER AND FOX are entitled to any payment as set forth in each of their respective labor cases. Moreover, TRI position in respect of the issues raised by CIRSA and so called breach of the SPA is that TRI is not jointly and severally liable with Angular, Zimmer and Fox. The Fox claim which has not been served on TRI but only against CIRSA was filed as a way to place pressure on Thunderbird to help Zimmer in his claim. In addition, Fox will lose his claim based on the claim being barred as the statute of limitations will foreclose Fox from succeeding in the courts. ABOUT THE COMPANY We are an international provider of branded casino and hospitality services, focused on markets in Latin America. Our mission is to create extraordinary experiences for our guests. Additional information about the Group is available at www.thunderbirdresorts.com . Contact : Peter LeSar, Chief Financial Officer Email : plesar@thunderbirdresorts.com Cautionary Notice: Cautionary Notice: The Simi-AnnualReport referred to in this release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the securities laws and regulations of various international, federal, and state jurisdictions. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included in the Simi-Annual Report, including without limitation, statements regarding potential revenue and future plans and objectives of Thunderbird are forward-looking statements that involve risk and uncertainties. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Thunderbird's forward-looking statements include competitive pressures, unfavorable changes in regulatory structures, and general risks associated with business, all of which are disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in Thunderbird's documents filed from time-to-time with the Euronext Amsterdam and other regulatory authorities. Included in the Simi-Annual Report are certain "non-IFRS financial measures," which are measures of Thunderbirds historical or estimated future performance that are different from measures calculated and presented in accordance with IFRS, within the meaning of applicable Euronext Amsterdam rules, that are useful to investors. These measures include (i) Property EBITDA consists of income from operations before depreciation and amortization, write-downs, reserves and recoveries, project development costs, corporate expenses, corporate management fees, merger and integration costs, income/(losses) on interests in non-consolidated affiliates and amortization of intangible assets. Property EBITDA is a supplemental financial measure we use to evaluate our country-level operations. (ii) Adjusted EBITDA represents net earnings before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, equity in earnings of affiliates, minority interests, development costs, and gain on refinancing and discontinued operations. Adjusted EBITDA is a supplemental financial measure we use to evaluate our overall operations. Property EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are supplemental financial measures used by management, as well as industry analysts, to evaluate our operations. However, Property and Adjusted EBITDA should not be construed as an alternative to income from operations (as an indicator of our operating performance) or to cash flows from operating activities (as a measure of liquidity) as determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. By David Lawder and Adriana Barrera WASHINGTON/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico on Friday said the U.S. Trump administration and Canada were making serious efforts to resolve trade policy differences after days of bickering, raising hopes of saving the North American Free Trade Agreement as a trilateral pact. While details were scant, the apparent progress was enough to prompt Mexico and Washington to abruptly halt a plan to publish text of their own two-way trade deal, to give Canada more time to join. In Mexico, President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told reporters that Washington had made a new counter-proposal to Ottawa, adding that he would keep pushing for all three countries be part of NAFTA. Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said the delivery of the text to the Mexican and U.S. legislatures was delayed due to a "very serious" attempt by Ottawa and Washington to reach a deal. "In the next 48 hours we will know if we are going to get to a trilateral text or if we are going to have to put forward the text of the bilateral agreement," Guajardo said in televised remarks to the Mexican Senate. Guajardo said his U.S. and Canadian counterparts "specifically requested" a delay in publishing the text. The Trump administration had threatened to proceed with a Mexico-only trade pact as U.S. talks with Canada foundered in recent weeks amid deep differences over Canada's support for its dairy market and a mechanism for settling trade disputes. The NAFTA text, either bilateral or trilateral, is due by late Sunday night to meet U.S. congressional notification requirements to allow U.S. President Donald Trump and outgoing Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto to sign the pact before Lopez Obrador takes office on Dec. 1. However, multiple deadlines have already been broken during the drawn-out attempt to renegotiate the trilateral deal since Trump demanded it be re-worked on the grounds that the 1994 NAFTA pact caused the loss of U.S. manufacturing jobs. Lopez Obrador said there were no final deadlines in the negotiation. A spokesman for the U.S. Trade Representative's office declined to comment on the status of the U.S.-Mexico text and the talks with Canada. Officials in the offices of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his foreign minister, Chrystia Freeland, did not respond to queries about the counterproposal. MEXICAN GO-BETWEEN Lopez Obrador told reporters in Mexico City that Trudeau asked him during a Thursday phone call "to intervene and call on the U.S. government to reach an agreement" with Canada. "We agreed to that." He said that regardless of the outcome with Canada the language of the agreement between Washington and Mexico City was now final. "We are not going to re-open the negotiation. That you can be sure of," Lopez Obrador said. One source close to the talks said Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray, who has close contact with the White House, was also acting as an "instrumental" intermediary between Canada and the United States. Canada's Liberal government says it does not feel bound by the latest NAFTA deadline, and it repeated on Friday that it would not bow to U.S. pressure to sign a quick deal. "We are in a very tough negotiation with the United States over NAFTA ... there is no deadline on this. As far as we are concerned we want a deal that is good for Canadians and that's the bottom line," Transport Minister Marc Garneau told reporters in Ottawa. THE IMPORTANCE OF CANADA Some U.S. Democratic lawmakers said on Thursday after a meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer that they could not support a NAFTA deal without Canada. "Canada is exceptionally important. I think it would be malpractice, both for economic and political reasons, not to have a major agreement with Canada," said Senator Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the tax and trade Senate Finance Committee. Trump trumpeted the deal with Mexico as a win for Americans and threatened to close the door on Canada if it did not sign on by Sept. 30. Trump also floated slapping auto tariffs on Canada, which could sow disarray in supply chains, take the wind out of the sails of a resurgent Canadian economy and rattle investors already unnerved by an escalating U.S.-China trade war. The U.S.-Mexico text will flesh out an agreement in principle that aims to rebalance automotive trade between the two countries and update NAFTA with new chapters on digital trade and stronger labor and environmental standards. It is expected to conform to details already released on auto rules requiring an increase in regional value content to 75 percent from 62.5 percent previously, with 40 percent to 45 percent coming from "high wage" areas, effectively the United States. Auto industry executives say it is unlikely those targets can be met if Canada is not part of the deal, given supply chains in which parts crisscross NAFTA borders multiple times. More light is likely to be shed on the enforcement of new labor standards and trade dispute settlement arrangements. The United States has said Mexico agreed to eliminate a system of settlement panels to arbitrate disputes over anti-dumping and anti-dumping tariffs. The release of the trade deal text will start a months-long process for U.S. congressional approval that will require a lengthy analysis by the independent U.S. international Trade Commission and notification periods before an up-or-down vote. (Additional reporting by Ana Isabel Martinez, Diego Ore, Frank Jack Daniel, Daina Beth Solomon, Lizbeth Diaz and Anthony Esposito in Mexico City and David Ljunggren in Ottawa; Writing by David Lawder and Paul Simao; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Leslie Adler) Yukon's first mosque opened Friday, and leaders say it marks an important milestone for Canada. Muhammad Javed, president of the Yukon Muslim Society, welcomed a crowd to the mosque's open house where many in the audience were non-Muslims who stopped by to offer congratulations over coffee. "Today really is a historic day for the Muslim community of Whitehorse," said Javed. Philippe Morin/CBC Javed said the Muslim community began its journey to find a home in 2005, when the Whitehorse United Church welcomed Muslims to use the space to pray. Then in 2009, Javed said they rented a small apartment in the city to use for prayer. Now, there is at least one mosque in every province and territory in the country, noted Javed. "This completes the North. This completes the territories. I call it the Star Trek mosque," said Hussein Guisti, from the Zubaidah Tallab Foundation, a small charity that helped build a mosque in Thompson, Man. "Congratulations for turning a trucking warehouse into a mosque. Well done," said Angelique Bernard, the commissioner of Yukon, garnering cheers from the crowd. The same builder that installed mosques in Inuvik, N.W.T., and Iqaluit began construction on the low, metal-plated trucking warehouse in April. Fathallah Farajat of Hamilton, Ont., built the mosque, and says it took about four people to renovate the building at a time. Philippe Morin/CBC "It's done now, everything's done," said Farajat, who started his career building custom cabinets and worked his way up to building mosques. "I'm so happy here. The community's happy here." Farajat says his next project is to work on building the mosque in Yellowknife. "We're very proud of my dad," said Halla Farajat, his daughter, who came to Whitehorse with the family to see her dad's work. With files from Philippe Morin. Photo - Easy access to air travel represents prosperity These past two decades has seen much written theologically on the philosophy of the nature of the prosperity doctrine in both the secular commercial world and the Christian movement that embraces such a theology. No one denies in any shape or form that the desire for prosperity is inherent in the nature of the western world's seeking betterment for each other, and even a careful and deliberate examination of the industrial revolution has at its heart - not primarily great riches - rather an innate passion to create something better for our children and their children. Therefore affluence itself is not what is suspicious, rather the application and delivery of the principles associated with the desire to be a little more prosperous - and then more prosperous - and more and more prosperous with little theological discussion as to when being prosperous enough has a Christian stop sign to it (or some such thing). I am reminded of an article in The Atlantic, where Hanna Rosin challenges the prosperity gospel preachers recommendation is partly grounded in economic reality, and partly drawn from mystical notions about a biblical calendar. She noted the suburbs decimated by foreclosures were the same areas where these types of churches rose up with this statement: The Gilded Age US ideal of the self-made man has given way to a gambler who believes God will provide, Photo Farms represent prosperity Baloney Theologically, the prosperity gospel has always infuriated many mainstream evangelical pastors. Rick Warren, (wrote The Purpose Driven Life ) told Time Magazine, 'This idea that God wants everybody to be wealthy.... there is a word for that... baloney. Its creating a false idol. You dont measure your self-worth by your net worth. I can show you millions of faithful followers of Christ who live in poverty. Why isnt everyone in the church a millionaire?' Warren stated. Hanna Rosin continued her argument that critics have recently begun to argue that the prosperity gospel, echoed in churches across the country, might have played a part in the economic collapse. She cited Jonathan Walton, a professor of religious studies at the University of California at Riverside, who warned in 2008, in the online magazine Religion Dispatches, that sermons encouraging the congregation to max out on their credit, leading to narratives of how God blessed me with my first house despite my credit, started to supplant messages of economic sobriety and disinterested sacrifice. She also speaks of a chilling philosophy in which branch managers of banks and loans organisations figured pastors had a lot of influence with their parishioners and could give the loan officers credibility and new customers. Officers were even sent to guest-speakers at church-sponsored wealth-building seminars and dazzle the participants with the possibility of a new house. They would say, Your congregants will be home owners! They will be able to live the American dream! Photo Like Shute Harbour as the dream (Shute Harbour) Moderate In Australia there is an important theological difference between the full-on prosperity gospel that is preached in many Pentecostal churches, and a more refined teaching in more moderate congregations. This later teaching recognises the economic realities of life, yet retains a valid notion that part of the Salvation message of the Lord Jesus Christ, is that the Holy Spirit will guide your life, along with the decisions you make. Becoming a follower of Jesus and, associated with this, becoming a regular Bible reader does provide many insights never considered previously. It helps in making considered and wise decisions, it provides a breadth of thought enabling you to better recognise the role of risk in enterprising ideas. This more reflective aspect of this type of teaching brings with it a sophistication that opens doors to a different set of people who are like-minded in enterprise and whose Christian faith is central to that engagement. These people will be regular bible readers with the concomitant gaining of new insights. The thought behind moderation in investments and the teachings of the bible go hand in hand. Faith funded There is another factor that also needs serious consideration. In every generation there have been Christian people who have chosen a path of Christian service and whose income has depended upon the gifts of others. Jesus is an example of this life style in his three years of Ministry. Since then, missionaries (both at home and abroad) have lived this way. For my wife Delma and I, this is our 41st year in faith financed mission living. This can only occur as those who are prosperous and who have a willing heart for the Lord, graciously and sacrificially give of their wealth. The idea of prosperity itself is indeed a Biblical notion. The way it is utilised and taught to eager and trusting Christians is the real issue. Undoubtedly those who exercise an over-enthusiastic teaching about how Jesus can provide through clever financial systems and the wanton, wish to get rich quick, will inevitably come a cropper (as they say). When you hear it, run to the hills! Photo Heavy equipment represents prosperity 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 - Caitlyn Furler, Jesse Moore and Cartia Moore 2018 Christchurch young writer conference The young writer ministry, a 9 year development by Press Service International in conjunction with Christian Today, provides young people an international column so as to exercise their voice into the market place of ideas. The very nature of the young writer program sees young people 18-30 take up their pencil (as it were) and some remain in the program for several years, some longer. Depending at what age they started, some reach 30 and they progress into what is referred to as emerging writers 31-39. The idea behind this is two fold - first for the annual awards, it is not fair to have 35 year olds being pitted again an 18 year old for the awards which Panellists determine. Second, the program does not want to lose good young writers who want to continue with their international column. 2019 will see an update in the week allocation to better meet the Panellists roles. At the current time the program is set out as follows: Week 1 - International young writers Weeks 2-5 - Australian young writers and sport Kiwis - their own program In 2019 these allocations will be updated and to meet the new requirements which means each week will have different young writers Week 1 - International young writers Week 2-4 - Australian young writers Week 5 - Over 31s Kiwis - their own program As there are a growing number of Over 31s they require their own week which will in turn make it much more convenient for the Panellists who only need then to set aside one week for marking. This year the Over 31s were interspersed which made it quite difficult for the Over 31 panellists. Photo - Roydon Ng and Eoin McPherson 2018 Christchurch young writer conference New 2018 young writers Ashley Mullins - USA, missionary to Malawi Paul Lewis - West Indies (returned) Emma Bamford - Melbourne - (returned) Clarissa Yates - Perth (returned) David Lean - Brisbane Anna Waite - Brisbane Mayce Fischer - Brisbane Steve Cole - Grafton Josiah Gray - Brisbane Nic Lee - Adelaide Kalli Hendrickson - Brisbane (now USA) Mary Iengo - Adelaide Liz Josic - Sunshine Coast Crytinda Nanidoo - South Africa Fiona Mackenzie - Sydney Matthew Thornton - Auckland NZ Sunny Kang - Auckland NZ Mel Cleary - Wellington NZ Richard Kwon - Auckland NZ Ethan Miller - Auckland NZ Brendon Miller - Wellington NZ Kevin Park - Auckland NZ Linda Swarft - Christchurch NZ Jackson Laninga - Auckland NZ Margaret Chow - Auckland NZ Rebecca Horverd - Auckland NZ Manulel Taefilo - Auckland NZ Megan Fermo - Wellington NZ Photo - Amy Manners with Melissa and Rashan Ramoo 2018 Christchurch young writer conference What does this tell you The young writer program whether internationals, Australians or Kiwis - there is a natural circular process where after a few years, the young people move-on and fresh group of young people move into the program. This is the nature of the process, and is not only expected, it is also a strength of the young writer ministry with a new generation of fresh theological insight and a take on ministry which is inevitably a dynamic expression of youth ministry. Take for example, the Kiwis. Since 2012 when the New Zealanders came into the Trans-Tasman young writer ministry, there have been anything up 18 young Kiwi writers. Now it their 7th year, there are 20 so the numbers have remained stable give or take. There is always a plea for additional young writers. Perhaps the easiest way is to view the comings and goings of young people by the annual conference 1 min videos - seen here from 2018 back to 2013 when the videos were first initiated. https://www.pressserviceinternational.org/awards.html Young people 18-30 years interested in writing for Christian Today with your own column please connect with Dr Mark Tronson timeout@bushorchestra.com 0419 917 713 Photo - Esther Koh, Conor Ryan and Bridget Brenton 2018 Christchurch young writer conference 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 Christians are being asked to pray after Boko Haram threatened to execute a Christian schoolgirl at the of the month unless the Nigerian government meets its demands. Leah Sharibu was one of 110 schoolgirls kidnapped by the terrorist group from their school in Dapchi, north-eastern Nigeria, in February this year. It was reported last month that while the others had been released, the group was continuing to hold Sharibu, 15, because she refused to deny her Christian faith. Audio was also released in which Sharibu pleaded with the Nigerian government to help free her. However, she remains in captivity and there are fears for her life after Boko Haram threatened to execute her if its demands for further ransom payments are not met. Release International said her life was in 'immediate danger' as it called on Christians to pray that she and others being held captive by Boko Haram would be released unharmed. Fears for Sharibu intensified after Boko Haram executed Saifura Khorsa, an aid worker with the International Committee of the Red Cross, who was abducted by the group earlier this year. ECWA, the church that Sharibu and her family belongs to, has spearheaded a prayer campaign for Sharibu's release. Christian Solidarity Worldwide is encouraging Christians to support the prayer call by praying every day at 5:30pm, the time Sharibu was abducted. CSW called on President Muhammadu Buhari to negotiate the release of Sharibu, the two remaining humanitarian workers, and 112 abducted schoolgirls from Chibok who are still in captivity. It also asking Christians to sign an online petition to the Nigerian High Commissioner asking that it raise concerns about her welfare with the Nigerian government. Earlier this month, CSW held a 200-hour protest against Sharibu's continued captivity outside the Nigerian High Commission in London. The organisation said: 'We've seen incredible answers to prayer in the past and we certainly need one now.' SAN DIEGO, Sept. 30, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Karl Strauss Brewing Company won another gold medal at last weekends Great American Beer Festival (GABF) competition. This year, GABF judges blind tasted over 8,800 different beers from 2,450 American breweries. KARL won gold in the English-Style Summer Ale category for Liquid A/C. The beer was brewed at their satellite brewery in La Jolla. Liquid A/C also won bronze at GABF in 2016. We are honored to have won gold at this years GABF! This medal is a testament to the talents of our brewing team. Special shout out to our Head Brewer Lyndon Walker for this medal winning recipe, says Matt Johnson, Brewmaster - Karl Strauss Brewing Company. KARL has now won 13 medals at GABF since they started competing in 2009. Liquid A/C is KARLs sixth GABF gold medal. The brewery has also won GABF golds for Red Trolley, Windansea Wheat, Queen of Tarts Dark Sour and Honey Common. To learn more about Karl Strauss Brewing Companys award-winning prowess visit www.karlstrauss.com . About Karl Strauss Brewing Company Karl Strauss Brewing Company has been proudly independent since 1989, pioneering the craft beer scene with innovative beer releases like Aurora Hoppyalis IPA, Queen of Tarts Dark Sour, and Wreck Alley Imperial Stout. The brewery has won 110 medals since 2009 and was recently honored with the Mid-Size Brewing Company of the Year award at the Great American Beer Festival in 2016. Media Contact: Mark Weslar mark.weslar@karlstrauss.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5b3f9cc0-ede4-40bb-a69a-463e75b16105 SUNDAY, Sept. 30, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- It's a perfect case of the enemy of my enemy is my friend. A potentially dangerous bacteria appears to target malignant cells and could provide a new means of fighting cancer, a small, preliminary study reports. The bacteria, Clostridium novyi-NT, can cause gas gangrene and sepsis if infection is allowed to run amok in a wound. But when injected into a tumor, Clostridium novyi-NT appears to both attack the cancer directly and encourage the body's immune response against the cancer cells, said lead researcher Dr. Filip Janku. He is an associate professor at the department of investigational cancer therapeutics at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston. "Patients only had one week of exposure to the bacteria, but even with that limited exposure we saw quite interesting and, in some patients, clinically meaningful activity," Janku said. Clostridium novyi has been linked to human illness. In 2000, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that a handful of drug users in the United Kingdom fell ill or died after their injection sites became infected with the bacteria. The strain used in this clinical trial, Clostridium novyi-NT, had been weakened to prevent it from producing its toxin, which can be lethal in humans, Janku said. The NT stands for "non-toxic." Clostridium novyi flourishes in low-oxygen environments. Researchers thought this might make the bacteria a prime candidate for cancer fighting, by keeping the infection focused on the tumor site. "Normal tissues, even if they are low on oxygen, they always have enough oxygen to not allow this bacteria to germinate and proliferate," Janku explained. "Cancerous tissue is low in oxygen, most often in the center of the cancers." To test whether the bacteria could help fight cancer, researchers injected the tumors of 24 patients with a single dose of Clostridium novyi-NT, ranging from 10,000 to 3 million spores. Fifteen of the patients had sarcoma, two patients had melanoma, and seven had a variety of cancers, the researchers said. The scientists expected Clostridium novyi-NT to help fight the tumor in two ways. First, the bacterial infection itself could cause direct destruction of the tumor cells, Janku said. "If that happens, it actually helps to increase the presence of tumor-specific antigens, which are proteins that make a tumor more obvious to the immune system," Janku said. "It can prime the immune system to attack the cancer." The bacteria also could activate the immune system to fight the cancer even if the infection didn't kill off tumor cells, Janku added. Patients in this clinical trial were left with the bacterial infection for one week, and then everyone was given antibiotics to kill off the Clostridium novyi-NT, Janku said. "Clostridium is actually quite susceptible to antibiotics," Janku noted. The bacteria germinated in the cancers of 11 out of the 24 patients, with tumor cells dying off as a result. Tumor shrinkage of greater than 10 percent was observed in 23 percent of patients. However, Janku said this could be an underestimate since the infection causes surrounding tissue to become inflamed, making the lesion appear larger than it actually is. Following bacterial therapy, cancer stabilized in 21 patients. When both injected and uninjected lesions were included, the stable disease rate was 86 percent, the researchers reported. The potential for Clostridium novyi-NT to prompt an immune response against cancer is intriguing, said Sacha Gnjatic, who is associate director of the Human Immune Monitoring Center at Mount Sinai in New York City. "That's where the promise of this type of therapy lies. You would expect that the injected lesion would have some type of response because you're disrupting the tumor cells," Gnjatic said. "What would be interesting is if this could prime an immune response that would eventually also take care of the non-injected tumors. That's the holy grail of immunotherapy." Janku said he's particularly excited by the ability of the bacteria to battle sarcomas, which are cancers that occur in bone, muscle and soft tissues. "Classic immunotherapy which is now approved or being heavily investigated doesn't seem to be working for a majority of sarcomas," Janku explained. Researchers have moved on to the next phase, in which patients taking the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda) will also be treated with a single injection of Clostridium novyi-NT, Janku said. The researchers suspect the two therapies used in combination will create a strong immune response against cancers. However, they will have to keep an eye on potential side effects from Clostridium novyi-NT, Janku added. Two patients treated with the heaviest dose of 3 million spores of Clostridium novyi-NT fell ill with sepsis and/or gas gangrene, leading researchers to set the maximum tolerated dose at 1 million spores. Researchers also found the bacteria in the bloodstream of a couple of patients, meaning that the infection will need to be carefully tracked, Janku said. "That didn't result in clostridium seeding anywhere else outside the injected region, but it's a theoretical possibility since we were able to detect it in the blood culture of one or two patients," Janku said. Patients also could be susceptible to immune response side effects, such as low blood pressure or fever, he added. The trial results were to be presented Sunday at the International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference, in New York City. The meeting is jointly sponsored by the Cancer Research Institute, the Association for Cancer Immunotherapy, the European Academy of Tumor Immunology, and the American Association for Cancer Research. Research presented at meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. More information The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about cancer treatment. JavaScript is disabled on your browser. CORDIS website requires JavaScript enabled in order to work properly. Please enable JavaScript. United States and Morocco have launched GCTF Terrorist Travel Initiative under auspices of Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF). The initiative brings together stakeholders to share expertise on developing and implementing effective counterterrorism watchlisting and screening tools. It was launched on sidelines of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York. GCTF Terrorist Travel Initiative The new initiative will strengthen UNSC Resolution 2396 aiming to stop terrorist travel altogether. It will improve capabilities for detecting and interdicting terrorist travel through enhanced terrorist screening and information sharing. It will bring together national and local governments, law enforcement and border screening practitioners and international organizations to share expertise to develop and implement effective counterterrorism watchlisting and screening tools. Under this initiative, series of four regional workshops in 2018 and 2019 will be convened to develop set of good practices that will be endorsed at 2019 GCTF Ministerial. The resulting document will reinforce countries and organizations to use border security tools prescribed in UNSC Resolution 2396 to stop terrorist travel. Background UN Security Council (UNSC) had unanimously adopted resolution 2396 (UNSCR 2396) in December 2017 requiring all member states to use various tools, including by implementing systems to collect traveler data and develop watchlists of known and suspected terrorists. One of the most effective tools to counter terrorist travel was through traveler data such as Advanced Passenger Information (API), Passenger Name Record (PNR), and biometrics. Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) GCTFs is international apolitical, multilateral counter-terrorism (CT) platform of 29 countries and European Union (EU) with overarching mission of reducing vulnerability of people worldwide to terrorism by preventing, combating, and prosecuting terrorist acts and countering incitement and recruitment to terrorism. It was launched officially in New York on 22 September 2011. GCTFs goal is to strengthen capabilities to develop strategic, long-term approach to counter terrorism and prevent violent extremist ideologies that underpin it. Its mission is to diminish terrorist recruitment and increase countries civilian capabilities for dealing with terrorist threats within their borders and regions. These are the harrowing final moments of a woman who was allegedly murdered by her abusive husband in Brazil.Terrifying footage shows Tatiane Spitzner sprinting away from Luis Manvailer as he chases her through an underground garage.She runs into a lift where he pummels her with punches and kicks before strangling her to death and throwing her body from their fourth-floor balcony, police allege.The haunting footage later shows the 32-year-old university biology lecturer bringing his wife's lifeless body up in the elevator and cleaning traces of blood off the walls, prosecutors say.Manvailer, who is in custody awaiting trial, claims his wife jumped to end her life after an argument - but forensic experts on Thursday concluded she died from strangulation.The 29-year-old lawyer's bloody and broken corpse was found inside the couple's apartment in Guarapuava, south Brazil, on July 22.Forensic experts suggest Ms Spitzner met a violent end and was choked to death while desperately trying to defend herself.The imprints of a pair of hands were on her throat, and the hyoid bone, at the front of the neck, was fractured.The lawyer also suffered multiple fractures to the rest of her body consistent with a 40ft fall onto concrete paving.According to the report, there was no 'evidence of any chemical reactions' such as adrenalin and cortisol traces in her body that would indicate fear and an awareness of plummeting to the ground.She was already dead by the time she hit the ground, researchers said.Tests also indicated significant blood alcohol levels in the victim's blood 'which suggests she was quite vulnerable', forensic experts said.CCTV images captured in an underground car park and lift reveals she repeatedly tried to get away.'Our investigation proves that the victim was killed inside the apartment by asphyxiation and her body was thrown over the balcony of the apartment,' said criminal prosecutor Dunia Rampazzo.'We believe the accused then took the elevator to the ground floor and collected Tatiane's body, taking it back up to the apartment in the elevator.''We suspect that before she was killed, Luis subjected his wife to a prolonged period of violent physical aggression.'This was not a suicide, but femicide (the killing of a woman by a man on account of her gender). The aggressor then attempted to escape by car.'Residents in the building, who called police after hearing a woman screaming for help, reported seeing a man picking up the victim's body from the pavement. One witness recounted hearing him shout 'my love, wake up.'Police claimed Manvailer admitted bringing the body up in the elevator to the flat. Security images show him then fleeing the scene in a car.He was arrested on suspicion of murder some 185miles from the city after crashing on a motorway and claimed he fled because he was 'too disturbed' by 'images of his wife jumping' to stay.The death caused national outrage and provoked a country-wide debate on domestic abuse and the vulnerability of women in a country where 1,133 were victims of femicide in 2017.According to the Brazilian Forum on Public Security, last year, an average of 530 women reported suffering domestic violence per day.Forensic experts explained the criminal investigation took 'longer than the 30 days expected because it is a complicated case'.Three simulations examining the dynamics of the lawyer's fall were carried out from the fourth floor flat where the couple lived.The operation used a doll of the same weight and height of the victim which was dropped from different angles testing various possibilities of how the fall occurred.A distressing record of the scenes leading up to the lawyer's death gives a graphic insight into the domestic abuse she suffered.Close friends of the victim claim she revealed in a series of texts, sent many months prior to her death, that she was 'afraid' of her husband who she accused of 'mistreating' her, and she wanted a divorce.However, the defence lawyer for the husband argued the couple had a 'happy' relationship.According to reports, the couple were on a night out when they started arguing over images of a woman found on Manvailer's phone.Security cameras in the city centre condominium where they lived, documented a blow by blow account of the incident that starts with a car pulling up outside the building.Images show the Jiu-jitsu martial arts specialist apparently slapping his wife several times across the face in the vehicle as she tries to fight him off.The sickening violence continues in the underground car park with the victim being physically assaulted, kicked, throttled, chased across an underground car park and into the elevator where she is brutally battered, overpowered and restrained as she desperately tries to get away.Some 15 minutes of alleged brutality inside the couple's apartment was not caught on camera.Manvailer has been charged with murder (including the qualifiers under Brazilian law of femicide, cruelty, clumsy motive and hindering the victim's defence to further explain what happened), along with incarceration of the victim and procedural fraud. A fact-finding mission established by the United Nations has documented atrocities committed against minorities in Myanmar by the country's military, the Tatmadaw.The official report details incidents including public rapes of 40 people at a time so brutal victims were killed or maimed, sexual torture of men and boys, people forced back into burning homes to die and children killed in front of their parents.While some horrific details of what has been going on in the country were revealed last month, including women and children tied to trees by their hair or their hands and raped, the entire report has now been released.Said by experts to be the worst examples of crimes they've ever seen, the UN has recommended top military generals in Myanmar, formerly Burma, be investigated for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.In light of the report, the Australian government has also announced it is considering sanctions against Myanmar due to the gravity of the alleged atrocities.'The full report of the fact-finding mission adds to a large body of evidence indicating the commission of the most serious crimes under international law, particularly against the Rohingya,' Foreign Minister Marise Payne said today.'The Australian government is considering options in response to the fact-finding mission's report, including targeted sanctions.'As a regional partner, Australia will continue to support efforts to achieve democracy and national peace and reconciliation for the benefit of all of people in Myanmar.'The Chairman of the fact-finding mission, Marzuki Darusman, also said: 'I have never been confronted by crimes as horrendous and on such a scale as these,'.'The Tatmadaw acts with complete impunity and has never been held accountable for the violations of international law it is consistently involved in,' he said in the report.'The international community has failed. Let us now resolve not to fail the people of Myanmar again.'The report documents in unsparing detail how the Tatmadaw took the lead in killing thousands of Rohingya civilians, as well as forced disappearances, mass gang rape and the burning of hundreds of villages.'The horrors inflicted on Rohingya men, women and children during the August 2017 operations, including their indiscriminate killing, rise to the level of both war crimes and crimes against humanity', said Radhika Coomaraswamy, another member of the Mission.Through first-hand testimony from hundreds of victims and witnesses, the report provides harrowing details of some of the most serious mass-killings that took place during the clearance operations'.These operations involved planned and deliberately executed mass killing in which 'dozens and, in some cases hundreds of men, women and children were killed', the report says.At least Rohingya 392 villages were later razed to the ground, hiding evidence.As a result of the crimes, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled, without shelter, food or water and walked for days through forests and mountainous regions to escape.Myanmar's democratic transition has now come to a standstill as a result of the atrocities highlighted in the report and the crimes committed against the Rohingya people.Myanmar's envoy to the fact-finding mission has since denied the allegations.Myanmar's ambassador, Kyaw Moe Tun, rejected the panel's findings as 'one-sided' and said his government did not recognise its mandate.'Not only is this report detrimental to social cohesion in Rakhine state, it also undermines the government's efforts to bring peace, national reconciliation and development to the entire nation,' he said.There are more than 900,000 displaced Rohingya in Bangladesh and another 530,000 in Rakhine State.Australia has provided $70 million in humanitarian assistance to deliver emergency supplies to Rakhine State and food, water, shelter and healthcare to Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh.With AAP. A plane headed for East Midlands Airport has been diverted over France after one of the pilots fell ill.According to flight tracking site flightradar24 the Jet2 flight from Girona turned around near the English Channel.The low budget airline have said it is because the pilot declared 'a general emergency' when one of the pilots who felt unwell was flown to Rennes as a precautionary measure.Scroll down for videoThe flight was supposed to arrive at 12.30pm after the Boeing 737 left shortly after 11am.A spokesperson said: 'Flight LS612 from Girona to East Midlands has diverted to Rennes as a precautionary measure, due to one of the pilots feeling unwell.'A standby pilot will be flown to Rennes so that we can get customers on their way to East Midlands Airport as soon as possible.'MFL Pope Francis has warned against the rebirth of anti-Semitic attitudes that fuelled the Holocaust.Francis made the comments as he marked the annual remembrance for Lithuania's centuries-old Jewish community that was nearly wiped out during the Second World War.He spoke after visiting the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights, located in a former KGB headquarters where Lithuanians were detained, tortured and executed.He warned Lithuanians not to forget the suffering of past generations and stay alert to future threats as he visited the museum dedicated to the atrocities committed during a half-century of Soviet and Nazi occupation.Francis denounced the 'unrestrained ambition' of Lithuania's past rulers and prayed for future ones to resist 'the spiritual sickness that remains a constant temptation for us as a people.'He also marked the 75th anniversary Sunday of the liquidation of the Vilnius Ghetto, when the final Jewish residents were executed or sent off to concentration camps.The pope began his second day in the Baltics in Lithuania's second city, Kaunas, where an estimated 3,000 Jews survived out of a community of 37,000 during the 1941-1944 Nazi occupation.During Mass in Santakos Park, Francis honoured both Jewish victims of the Nazis and the Lithuanians who were deported to Siberian gulags or were tortured, killed and oppressed at home during five decades of Soviet occupation.'Earlier generations still bear the scars of the period of the occupation, anguish at those who were deported, uncertainty about those who never returned, shame for those who were informers and traitors,' Francis told the crowd, which was estimated by the local church to number 100,000.'Kaunas knows about this. Lithuania as a whole can testify to it, still shuddering at the mention of Siberia, or the ghettos of Vilnius and Kaunas, among others.'He denounced those who get caught up in debating who was more virtuous in the past and fail to address the tasks of the present - an apparent reference to historic revisionism that is afflicting parts of Eastern Europe as it comes to terms with wartime-era crimes.Francis recalled that Sunday marked the 75th anniversary of the final destruction of the Ghetto in the capital Vilnius, which had been known for centuries as the 'Jerusalem of the North' for its importance to Jewish thought and politics.Each year, the September 23 anniversary is commemorated with readings of the names of Jews who were killed by Nazis or Lithuanian partisans or were deported to concentration camps.The pope warned against the temptation 'that can dwell in every human heart' to want to be superior or dominant to others.And he prayed for the gift of discernment 'to detect in time any new seeds of that pernicious attitude, any whiff of it that can taint the heart of generations that did not experience those times and can sometimes be taken in by such siren songs'.He warned against the temptation to desire primacy and domination over others.He prayed for the gift of discernment 'to detect in time any new seeds of that pernicious attitude, any whiff of it that can taint the heart of generations.'Historical revisionism is a hot topic in Lithuania, where ordinary Lithuanians executed Jews alongside the Nazi occupiers, wiping out the Jewish population of the capital of Vilnius during the war.Across Europe, far-right, xenophobic and neo-fascist political movements are making gains, including in Lithuania.Francis noted that he would pray later in the day at a plaque in the Ghetto itself and called for 'dialogue and the shared commitment for justice and peace'. Global Flooding Glacier Engineering In a new research, a couple of scientists has proposed a crazy idea to build a wall around the ice sheets of Antarctica.Michael J. Wolovick and John C. Moore have published a paper that explores geoengineering options to slow down the collapse of ice sheets. This will buy the human race some time to figure out a way to reverse the effects of global warming.The study was published this week in The Cryosphere.Global warming, which has been causing the rapid collapse of ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland, has been causing the sea level to rise at an alarming rate. According to NASA, since 1993, the global sea level has been rising at an average of 3 millimeters every year caused by melting ice sheets and mountain glaciers.Scientists predict that several states in the United States, especially the ones near the coast, will be plunged underwater if the sea level continues to rise.To prevent this from happening, Wolovick and Moore proposed that a wall should be built under the ice sheets. The study focused on Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica, an unstable glacier the size of Florida that would greatly contribute to the rise of the global sea level."Thwaites could easily trigger a runaway [West Antarctic] ice sheet collapse that would ultimately raise global sea level by about 3 meters," said Wolovick of Princeton University's Department of Geosciences.The researchers used 2-D ice-ocean simulation to explore two ideas: one is to build a wall underwater to block warm water and the other is constructing artificial columns on the sea floor. They found that artificial sill or artificial pinning points could stop ice sheets to collapse.The study also claims that a smaller intervention (size of "existing civil engineering projects) would have a 30 percent success rate. However, bigger and more dramatic structures could be a lot more successful in keeping ice sheets out of the water.The authors of the study also wrote that if geoengineering Thwaites Glacier works, the same idea can be adapted to smaller glaciers. The most sophisticated design, which could become biggest civil engineering project that the human race has ever attempted, could prevent ice sheet collapse for the next 1,000 years.This, of course, would not be the final solution to prevent the sea level to rise any further. The world still needs to find a way to dramatically decrease the volume of greenhouse gases emitted to the atmosphere daily."The more carbon we emit, the less likely it becomes that the ice sheets will survive in the long term at anything close to their present volume," Wolovick added. Texas has put to death a man convicted of drowning a woman in a bathtub 20 years ago and dumping her cement-encased body in a remote area, in the first of its two planned executions this week.Troy Clark, 51, was executed by lethal injection at the state's death chamber in Huntsville, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said.On Thursday, Texas plans to execute Daniel Acker, 46, who was convicted of kidnapping and murdering a woman in 2000.Both men have maintained they are innocent.Clark's execution was the 17th in the United States this year and the ninth in Texas, which has put more prisoners to death than any state since the US Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976.Clark was convicted of killing Christina Muse in 1998. Clark lived with his then-girlfriend, Tory Bush, and the two used and sold methamphetamine, according to documents filed in the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.In his last statement, Clark denied that he killed Muse.'It's all good. I'm not the one that killed Christina, so whatever makes y'all happy. I love y'all. I'll see you on the other side,' he was quoted as saying in his last statement by the department of criminal justice.Muse lived with the pair for a short period of time and when she moved out, the two thought she might report their illicit activities to law enforcement. They conspired to attack her when she returned for a visit to the residence, the records said.Muse was tortured with a stun gun, bound with duct tape and tossed in a closet for several hours. She was then taken to a bathtub, beaten with a board and drowned, the records showed.Muse's body was placed in a barrel filled with lime and cement, according to the records. Her body was found about four months later by police, with the help of Bush, according to the Tyler Morning Telegraph.Clark has said he did not take part in the killing and has blamed others for the murder.Bush, who could have faced the death penalty, testified against Clark, and said he was the mastermind in the plot. In return, she received a sentence of 20 years in prison for her part in the murder, news reports said. Package holiday firm Tui shrugged off a long summer heatwave as it said full-year profits would rise by at least 10 per cent.It comes days after rival Thomas Cook's shares plunged 28 per cent after it warned profits would be lower this year as warmer weather meant holidaymakers delayed trips.Tui maintained expectations for the increase in full-year profits as it benefited from families heading for Turkey and North Africa. Greece and Bulgaria also proved popular.Revenues rose 5 per cent for the summer with customer numbers and average selling prices up on last year.Halifax's Clarity Credit Card charges no fees on overseas purchases and withdrawals - but remember interest will be applied immediately, so make sure to pay off holiday spends quickly. 18.9% APR.The American Express Premium Plus Credit Card offers a 25,000 free Avios boost when you spend 3,000 in the first three months. Plus its pays 1.5 Avios per 1 spent on the card. It carries a 195 annual fee. 76% APR.Tandem Bank offers fee-free overseas spending and cash withdrawals plus it pays 0.5% cashback on all spending at home and abroad. Standard interest is set at 18.9% APR. The card is managed via a smartphone app onlyFairFX is offering This is Money readers a free prepaid Mastercard currency exchange card . It offers highly competitive exchange rates, no foreign transaction fees and low cash withdrawal charges abroad. It also comes with a 10 bonus when you top up.Metro Bank lets you use your debit card for free in Europe for both spending and cash withdrawals. In the rest of the world it costs 2.50 with an extra 1.50 cash withdrawal fee. TORONTO, Sept. 30, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LeadFX Inc. (LeadFX or the Company): This press release is being disseminated as required by National Instrument 62-103 The Early Warning System and Related Take Over Bids and Insider Reporting Issues in connection with the acquisition of securities of the Company by InCoR Energy Materials Limited (the Acquiror, together with InCoR Technologies limited InCoR). The Acquiror announces that, on September 28, 2018, it exercised warrants to acquire 5,750,000 common shares of the Company. The exercise of the warrants was triggered by the receipt of required environmental approvals as publicly disclosed by the Company on September 25, 2018. Prior to the transaction, InCoR held 30,949,483 common shares representing approximately 42.25% of the issued and outstanding common shares (assuming no exercise of warrants) and 5,879,131 warrants exercisable into 5,879,131 common shares, together representing approximately 46.5% of the issued and outstanding common shares (assuming full exercise of all warrants held by InCoR). After giving effect to the acquisition of 5,750,000 common shares pursuant this exercise of warrants, InCoR owns an aggregate of 36,699,483 common shares in the capital of the Company representing approximately 46.4% of the outstanding common shares (assuming no exercise of warrants), and warrants to acquire up to an additional 129,131 common shares. Assuming InCoR exercised its warrants, InCoR would own an aggregate of 36,828,614 Common Shares of the Issuer representing approximately 46.5% of the outstanding Common Shares (assuming no exercise of any other warrants). The common shares were acquired on exercise of warrants previously issued on a private placement basis by InCoR for investment purposes and InCoR may, depending on market and other conditions, increase or change its beneficial ownership over the common shares or other securities of the Company through market transactions, private agreements, treasury issuances, exercise of convertible securities or otherwise. There is a proposed go private transaction of the Company, to be implemented under a statutory plan of arrangement, in which InCoR and Sentient Executive GP I, Limited, Sentient (Aust.) Pty Ltd, Sentient Executive GP II, Limited, Sentient Trustees PTC Limited, Sentient Executive GP III, Limited and Sentient Executive GP IV, Limited (collectively, Sentient) are involved, which includes a share consolidation, the acquisition by the Company of the fractional post-consolidation common shares, the cancellation of all outstanding options to acquire common shares, the cancellation of unexercised common share purchase warrants and the cancellation of all performance share units to acquire common shares of the Company, with certain exceptions, as further detailed in the Companys press releases issued as of July 23, 2018 and August 10, 2018 (the Arrangement). Assuming the full completion of the Arrangement, substantially in the form as disclosed by the Company and briefly described above, the common shares of the Company would be delisted from the TSX, and it is anticipated that the Company would apply to cease to be a reporting issuer in Canada. As a result of the Arrangement, InCoR, together with Sentient Executive GP III, Limited and Sentient Executive GP IV, Limited, would own 100% of the common shares of the Company. A copy of the Early Warning Report filed under applicable securities laws is available under the Companys profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). A copy of such report may also be obtained by contacting DS Lawyers Canada LLP, the Acquirors Canadian legal counsel, at kwells@dsavocats.ca. As disclosed on its SEDAR profile, LeadFXs head office is located at Suite 1D, 21 Teddington Road, Burswood WA 6100, Australia. The name and address of the Acquiror filing the report is: InCoR Energy Materials Limited Attn: Jocelyn Bennett Palladium House 1-4 Argyll Street London W1F 7LD United Kingdom Contact information: Kyler Wells kwells@dsavocats.ca 1.647.477.7317 A swinger murdered a transgender woman after a three-day sex and drugs binge before recruiting his teenage girlfriend to help clean up the crime, a court heard.Jesse McDonald, 25, is accused of drugging Naomi Hersi, 36, before stabbing her to death with a knife and a broken bottle in a hotel room near Heathrow Airport.The Old Bailey heard that 'bright and articulate' McDonald had met his victim when he went 'looking for excitement' on a website called Fabswingers.com.After the killing, he got bags and cleaning products before contacting his girlfriend, Natalia Darkowska, 18, who joined him in the attempted clean-up, the jury was told.The court heard McDonald contacted Ms Hersi online just 45 minutes after arriving at the Heathrow Palace Hotel in Hounslow, having returned from visiting his girlfriend on the night of March 12.He drove his BMW to her home, where he arrived after midnight, and stayed voluntarily for three days, the prosecutor said.On March 15, he and Ms Hersi went to his small hotel room.Throughout the period, McDonald is said to have ignored his girlfriend's increasingly frequent attempts to get in touch with him.But on March 16, he sent her a message which said: 'Baby I been a f***ing idiot.'Another read: 'I love u so much. Not cheated x. Got addicted to a nasty drug I had never met before.'He then told her he had 'got a big drug dealer' lying across his floor, adding 'won't wake up... massive black guy'.Prosecutor Mark Heywood said McDonald had planned to dispose of the body, but the victim was found half-naked, partly covered by a rug on the bathroom floor.'Each was thinking of themselves and each other, without a care for the deceased, whom they believed was unlikely, because of her lifestyle, to be missed,' he said.McDonald denies murder between March 14 and 18, while he and Darkowska both deny perverting the course of justice between March 15 and 18.Mr Heywood said McDonald will claim self-defence, telling jurors: 'You will not have to decide whether there was a killing or who did it.'The first defendant, Jesse McDonald, accepts he inflicted all of the many injuries that caused the terrible, violent death she suffered.'The court heard that Ms Hersi, whose legal name was Hersi Mohamed Hersi, was an openly transgender woman, although to her family, who are originally from Somalia, she remained a much-loved son.McDonald, who grew up in West Sussex, did well in school, but turned to dealing drugs after dropping out of the London School of Economics (LSE), it was said.He met Ms Hersi, who lived in Mill Hill, north-west London, online before spending four days with her, jurors were told.'They passed time together, took drugs and had sex at her address, to which she had invited him,' said the prosecutor.'After three days of that, he took her back to her address. After a time, he drugged her, fought with her and eventually killed her, stabbing and cutting her multiple times with a broken bottle and knife and perhaps other things in order to achieve her death.'When it was done, when she was dead, he tried to clean it up and avoid detection.'The court heard that McDonald then contacted others, including his then 17-year-old girlfriend Darkowska, whom he had also met online.She was living with her family, from Poland, in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, at the time.'His girlfriend, the second defendant, travelled to him and joined in with him at this stage of the attempted clean-up,' said Mr Heywood.'Once she understood what had to be done, she went to buy the necessary things and tried to help and support him through it.'The prosecutor told the court Ms Hersi and McDonald were caught on CCTV shopping at Tesco.He said: 'Jesse McDonald was clearly fit and able on the CCTV. He was a robust 24-year-old.'What is remarkable about the otherwise ordinary event is that it wholly gives the lie to any suggestion that Jesse McDonald was doing anything other than what he wanted to do.'He was awake, dressed, fully oriented, outside, among many other people and driving the pair of them in his own car.'If he was in any peril or discomfort he could have left simply at any time.'When Miss Darkowska tried to follow up McDonald's response to her message, he did not pick up or respond.'She was aware that his phone was connected, presumably because she could see that they were delivered.'He had in fact returned willingly to Naomi Hersi's flat and remained there with her, able to deflect the messaged enquiries as he chose.'The only reasonable conclusion is that he was doing all of this for his own reasons.'The trial continues. The United States is preparing a 'series of actions' in the coming days to increase pressure on the Venezuelan government, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has told Fox News.'You'll see in the coming days a series of actions that continue to increase the pressure level against the Venezuelan leadership folks, who are working directly against the best interest of the Venezuelan people,' Pompeo said.'We're determined to ensure that the Venezuelan people get their say.'He did not give further details on the nature of the planned actions. With no candidate from the Shia community being given a ticket in the Charminar constituency by any of the political parties. Hyderabad: With no candidate from the Shia community being given a ticket in the Charminar constituency by any of the political parties, the community members, in a meeting held on Sunday in Hyderabad, condemned the manner in which they were being sidelined. The members said Shia Muslims are in large number in that constituency, but no party has considered them. Mr Mir Hadi Ali, Hyderabad unit president of All India Shia Organisation, said, The problems of our Ashoorkhana's and those in the Wakf Board are not being heard at all. The community is being sidelined as there is no political presence. In the forthcoming state elections, no political party has considered us. The meeting has looked at two options either to boycott the Assembly elections or to field their own independent Shia Muslim candidate. Vietnams Ministry of Transport is considering a five year extension to the maximum operational age of both passenger and cargo aircraft. According to draft regulations being reviewed by the ministry, the service life limit of passenger aircraft will be increased to 25 years from the current 20, and that of cargo aircraft to 30 years from the current 25. Several carriers have said that the current age restrictions for aircraft are too strict, making it difficult for businesses to enter the transport industry, especially into the freight segment. Tran Bao Ngoc, head of the Transportation Department under the Ministry of Transport, said that even if Vietnam raises the retirement age for its aircraft, the new level would still be below the global average. Moreover, although the age of aircraft has an impact on aviation safety, it is not the most important factor. The biggest influence on safety is how often an aircraft is maintained, he said. On the same issue, deputy head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), Vo Huy Cuong, said that over 10 years ago, Vietnam lacked the means, expertise and infrastructure to adequately assess airplane safety. Therefore, aircraft age needed to be limited to 10 years post-manufacture to deter the purchase of old aircraft. However, now, when Vietnam has the capability to carry out quality inspections, the maximum age has been loosened for charter aircraft operating at peak seasons to prevent overly restrictive provisions from obstructing the business of local airlines. Currently, budget carrier Vietjet Air has an average fleet age of 2.8 years, Vietnam Airlines, 5.5 years, and Jetstar Pacific, 7.8 years. The countrys airport capacity has been stretched as rapid economic growth has increasing numbers of people taking flights. FLC Groups Bamboo Airways is expected to take off in October, becoming Vietnams fifth airline. The second route for the open roof double-decker bus tour of the capital city will open on October 10. Hanoi's Department of Transport has granted permission to open another route for Hanois double-decker bus to serve more tourists next month. The new route will open on October 10, when the capital celebrates its liberation day. It will be 14.8 kilometers long, and start every 30 minutes from 9 a.m. to half past five in the afternoon. It will have 10 stops, starting on Ngo Quyen Street. It will share several stops with the first route. The buses can carry 80 people. The first route, launched in May, has 13 stops and goes through 25 streets, taking tourists to 30 attractions in Hanoi. The buses are equipped with a narration system on all attractions and can be listened to in several languages. The price for the first route is VND650,000 ($29) for 48 hours, VND450,000 ($19) for 24 hours, VND300,000 ($13) for four hours and VND196,000 ($8.36) for two hours. The remains of a Vietnamese and a Russian pilot have been found 47 years after they went missing. The two pilots were manning a MiG-21U aircraft that went missing on April 30, 1971. It had crashed into the side of Tam Dao Mountain in the northern province of Thai Nguyen. Dinh Duc Trong, chief of staff from Thai Nguyen Military Headquarters, said search teams had located the remains on Friday, the fifth day of a planned 10-day search. One of the pilots was Vietnamese, and the other one Russian. Only one body had its bones intact, Trong said. The Vietnamese pilot was Cong Phuong Thao and the other one was his trainer, Air Force Captain Poyarkov Yuri Nikolaevich from the former Soviet Union. In 2017, after locals found a piece of the MiG-21U on the mountainside, the Vietnamese Air Force and the Thai Nguyen Military Headquarters began sending search teams to look for the pilots bodies. In the latest search, 50 people, including soldiers, militia and locals found the bodies just two meters away from where the aircraft piece had been found. The bodies of two pilots have been taken to Thai Nguyen Military Headquarters. DNA tests are being done, and the funeral for these pilots will be held once the final results are informed, Trong added. On April 30, 1971, the MiG-21U aircraft belonging to Air Force Regiment 921 lost contact during a training flight over the Tam Dao area, just 70km away from Hanoi. The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey prepares for a replenishment-at-sea in the South China Sea, May 19, 2017. Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy/Handout via Reuters Vietnam has stressed ASEANs role in resolving issues in the South China Sea, and maintaining peace and stability in the region. Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Dang Dinh Quy made the remarks at an unofficial annual meeting between ASEAN foreign ministers on Friday. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly in New York City, U.S, the Vietnam News Agency reported. Quy said all parties should strive to act in accordance with the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the South China Sea, known in Vietnam as the East Sea, as well as push negotiations to pass the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) as soon as possible. Solidarity and unity within ASEAN play a key role in maintaining peace and stability within the region, he affirmed. Echoing Quy, ASEAN foreign ministers agreed that the bloc needs to maintain its solidarity and unity on the foundation of multilateralism and free trade. Later the same day, at an ASEAN-UN Ministerial meeting, delegates reiterated that regional and international disputes should be resolved in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Last month, ASEAN and China successfully adopted a single draft negotiating text on the COC at the 51st ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM 51) in Singapore. This adoption, achieved after years of negotiation between both sides, is among the significant positive developments in the situation. Vietnam will work with the UN and the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation to hold the ASEAN-UN Regional Dialogue on peace and reconciliation later this year. North Korea says 'no way' will disarm unilaterally without trust North Korea says continued sanctions were deepening its mistrust in the U.S. and there was no way the country would give up its nuclear weapons unilaterally. North Koreas foreign minister Ri Yong Ho told the United Nations on Saturday that North Korea had taken significant goodwill measures in the past year, such as stopping nuclear and missiles tests, dismantling the nuclear test site, and pledging not to proliferate nuclear weapons and nuclear technology. However, we do not see any corresponding response from the U.S., he said. Without any trust in the U.S. there will be no confidence in our national security and under such circumstances there is no way we will unilaterally disarm ourselves first. While Ri reprised familiar North Korean complaints about Washingtons resistance to a phased approach to denuclearization under which North Korea would be rewarded as it took gradual steps, his statement appeared significant in that it did not reject unilateral denuclearization out of hand as Pyongyang has done in the past. Ri referred to a joint statement issued by Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump at a first ever summit between a serving U.S. president and a North Korean leader in Singapore on June 12, when Kim pledged to work toward denuclearization of the Korean peninsula while Trump promised guarantees of North Koreas security. North Korea has been seeking a formal end to the 1950-53 Korea War, but the United States has said Pyongyang must give up its nuclear weapons first. Washington has also resisted calls to relax tough international sanctions on North Korea. The U.S. insists on the denuclearization-first and increases the level of pressure by sanctions to achieve their purpose in a coercive manner, and even objecting to the declaration of the end of war, Ri said. The perception that sanctions can bring us on our knees is a pipe dream of the people who are ignorant about us. But the problem is that the continued sanctions are deepening our mistrust. Ri made no mention of plans for a second summit between Kim and Trump that the U.S. leader highlighted at the United Nations earlier in the week. The minister instead highlighted three meetings between Kim and South Korean leader Moon Jae-in in the past five months and added: If the party to this issue of denuclearization were South Korea and not the U.S., the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula would not have come to such a deadlock. DIFFERENT TONE Even so, the tone of Ris speech was dramatically different from last year, when he told the U.N. General Assembly that targeting the U.S. mainland with North Koreas rockets was inevitable after Mr Evil President Trump called Kim a rocket man on a suicide mission. This year at the United Nations, Trump, who last year threatened to totally destroy North Korea, heaped praise on Kim for his courage in taking steps to disarm, but said much work still had to be done and sanctions must remain in place until North Korea denuclearizes. On Wednesday, Trump said he did not have a time frame for this, saying If it takes two years, three years or five months - doesnt matter. China and Russia argue that the U.N. Security Council should reward Pyongyang for steps taken. However, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday that: Enforcement of Security Council sanctions must continue vigorously and without fail until we realize the fully, final, verified denuclearization. The Security Council has unanimously boosted sanctions on North Korea since 2006 in a bid to choke off funding for Pyongyangs nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Pompeo met Ri on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly and said afterwards that he would visit Pyongyang again next month to prepare for a second summit. Pompeo has visited North Korea three times already this year, but his last trip did not go well. He left Pyongyang in July saying that progress had been made, only for North Korea within hours to denounce him for making gangster-like demands. North Korea pledged in a meeting with Moon this month to dismantle a missile site and also a nuclear complex if the United States took corresponding measures. Moon told an event in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. meeting that declaring a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War would encourage North Korea to move further with denuclearization. He said Kim had told him the corresponding measures he was seeking were security guarantees Trump pledged in Singapore and moves toward normalization of relations with Washington. Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) says Iranian military has attacked its forces on Sunday afternoon, September 30, on Mount Kodo over the border in Iraq. The mountain is located outside western city of Piranshahr, in Iranian Kurdistan province, neighboring Iraq. The Iranian authorities have not yet commented on the allegation. In an official statement, KDPI says that one of its personnel was slightly injured during the bombardment by an Iranian drone. Iranian born veteran politicians, 60-year old Mostafa Moloudi and 73-yer old Mostafa Hijri serve in the Kurdish party as the leader and General Secretary, respectively. The anti-Islamic Republic dissident party published a photo on its website depicting the shell of a rocket allegedly launched by an Iranian drone on its base in Choman district in the Iraqi Kurdistan. Earlier, on September 9, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) had admitted that it was behind a rocket assault the day before on the Iranian Kurdish rebel group in Iraq that killed at least 11 people. "In a successful operation, the Guards' aerospace unit, along with the army's drone unit...targeted a criminal group's meeting and a terrorist training center with seven short-range surface-to-surface missiles," the statement said. It was later reported that fourteen were killed and at least forty injured during the attack. Iraqi government immediately condemned the act, calling it violation of Iraqs sovereignty. Retaliating to Baghdads protest, Iranian Armed Forced Chief of Staff, Major General Mohammad Hussein Bagheri sad that Tehran had repeatedly demanded Baghdad and Kurdish authorities in northern Iraq to expel all anti-Islamic Republic armed groups. Nevertheless, the spokesman of Iraqi Kurdistan, officially known as Kurdistan Region, dismissed the demand and insisted that the dispute between Tehran and dissident Kurdish groups could not be resolved through military action. The Sunday afternoon attack was carried out as the Kurdistan Region was holding regional parliamentary election. Since 2016, when the Kurdish dissident groups reported that they had spread their forces across Iranian Kurdistan, the number of clashes between IRGC forces and the Kurdish parties have significantly icreased. While the Islamic Republic describes Kurdish dissident groups as anti-Islamic Revolution and terrorist, the armed groups maintain that their main goal is defending human rights for the Kurdish minority in Iran. DUBAI, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman is expected to discuss the resumption of oil output from the Neutral Zone, which the kingdom's shares with Kuwait, during a trip to the Gulf Arab state on Sunday, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. Prince Mohammad will be accompanied by Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih during his trip to Kuwait, two separate sources said. The Saudi crown prince will hold talks with Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, the Kuwaiti News Agency has reported. The closure of the Neutral Zone's jointly operated oilfields, mainly Khafji and Wafra, has become a political sticking point between the two Gulf OPEC allies and senior officials have been trying to resolve the issue for months. It was not clear whether the renewed talks on the Neutral Zone would result in the resumption of oil production from the area, one of the sources said. The Saudi government media office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Khafji was shut in October 2014 for environmental reasons and Wafra has been shut since May 2015 due to operating difficulties. Any restart would come at a sensitive time for the oil markets as Washington presses Riyadh to increase oil production to bring crude prices down. Oil prices rose more than 1 percent on Friday, with Brent climbing to a four-year high, as U.S. sanctions on Tehran squeezed Iranian crude exports, tightening supply even as other key exporters increased production. U.S. President Donald Trump called Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Saturday and they discussed efforts being made to maintain supplies to ensure oil market stability and global economic growth, Saudi state news agency SPA reported. The call comes days after the U.S. president called again on OPEC to boost crude output to cool the market ahead of midterm elections in November for U.S. Congress members. Saudi Arabia is the world's top oil exporter and OPEC's de-facto leader. The kingdom, the only country with a significant spare capacity, is worried about the tight ability of other producers to raise output amid declining Iranian supplies. The resumption of the Neutral Zone's oilfields could add up to 500,000 barrels per day of oil output capacity to both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 30 By Elchin Mehdiyev Trend: After the meeting between President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during the CIS summit in Dushanbe, an end was put to the harsh rhetoric voiced by Armenia concerning the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict since April 2018, Azerbaijani MP Hikmat Babaoglu told Trend. This is the result of the diplomacy being pursued by Azerbaijan, he said. Thus, an end was put to such Pashinyans claims as that Azerbaijan must negotiate with the illegal regime established in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, that the format of the negotiations must be changed and that Armenia must not be a party to the negotiations. In other words, Armenia could not escape from responsibility for pursuing an aggressive policy and its consequences." Babaoglu stressed that despite this, Azerbaijans commitment to the peaceful settlement of the problem is a chance for Armenia and the aggressor country should be able to appreciate it. "The fact of current occupation violates the geostrategic integrity of the region by diminishing its significance, he said. The economic and socio-cultural integrity of the region have been also violated. Regional integration has been paralyzed, Babaoglu said. Continuation of this situation contradicts the national interests of all three South Caucasus countries and this should be ended. It will be good for Armenia to start to take concrete steps to eliminate the fact of aggression. It will benefit everyone. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 30 Trend: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to the Chairman of the People's Republic of China. On behalf of the people of Azerbaijan and on my own behalf, I extend my sincerest congratulations to you and all your people on the occasion of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Azerbaijan-China relations have ancient history and good traditions. The current high level of our inter-governmental relations, which clearly reflect these traditions, has a significant impact on the deepening of our bilateral cooperation in all areas. I believe that the friendly relations between our two countries and our bilateral and multilateral cooperation will continue developing and expanding to the benefit of our nations. On this remarkable day, I wish you the best of health, success in your endeavors, and the friendly people of China everlasting peace and prosperity, reads the letter. Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 30 By Jani Babayeva Trend: The stunning musical project entitled "Out of Seven Days" ("Aus deb sieben Tagen") was demonstrated in the ancient part of Baku - Icherisheher, on the square in front of the Palace of the Shirvanshahs as part of the Nasimi Festival of Poetry, Arts, and Spirituality. The festival, dedicated to the work of Imadaddin Nasimi (1369-1417), one of the brilliant poets and thinkers of the East, has been organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and supported by Azerbaijans Ministry of Culture. The festival is being held in Azerbaijan for the first time from September 27 till September 30. The musicians from various countries performed the works "Out of Seven Days" by prominent German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen in the Palace of the Shirvanshahs. The composer, without writing a single note in the works, wrote texts that inspire performers from a spiritual point of view. The musicians, after reading these texts, freely improvise. In his speech at the event, Coordinator of the Festival, Honored Figure of Art Jahangir Selimkhanov told the guests about this project. The musicians representing different cultures and styles are taking part in the project, namely, honored artists of Azerbaijan Elchin Shirinov and Shakhriyar Imanov, violinist Osman Eyyublu, as well as Kudsi Erguner (Turkey), Sefudi Kouyate (Guinea), Naomi Sato (Japan), Christina Vantzou (US/Belgium), Elisabeth Harnik (Austria) and Gianluca Iadema (Italy). Then the works "Out of Seven Days" was performed. Such projects are always interesting, honored artist, famous pianist Elchin Shirinov said. "The project involves musicians from different countries. What we have performed today is improvisation. I think it was very interesting. To perform in the Palace of the Shirvanshahs is incredible. The energy of this historical place is very inspiring. "I am very pleased to participate in such an unusual project, where musicians improvise, honored artist of Azerbaijan, tar performer Shakhriyar Imanov said. Everything here has a special meaning." The project aroused great interest among the audience. The festival is held under the slogans Beyond the Limited Self, reflecting the philosophical views of the poet, and I am a Particle, I am the Sun which are the poets lines. The program of the large-scale event covers various types of art and knowledge fields. During the festival, programs are being organized in various places in Baku, as well as in Shamakhi, the native city of the poet. Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 30 By Jani Babayeva Trend: The inclusive dance group "DanceAbility" performed in the territory near the Stone Chronicle Museum in Baku as part of the Nasimi Festival of Poetry, Arts, and Spirituality. The festival, dedicated to the work of Imadaddin Nasimi (1369-1417), one of the brilliant poets and thinkers of the East, has been organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and supported by Azerbaijans Ministry of Culture. The festival is being held in Azerbaijan for the first time from September 27 till September 30. A big audience gathered during the performance. The dancers, among whom are people with disabilities, shared the joy of self-expression. DanceAbility is a unique dance technique available to everyone - professional dancers, amateurs, people with disabilities, Nigar Sultanova, project leader, told Trend. "Our rehearsals lasted for three weeks, she said. Today, more than 30 people took part in the project. The youngest participant is 14 years old and the oldest one 69 years old. During these three weeks, all the participants made friends with each other. At the end of each lesson we shared experience, impressions and discussed feelings, emotions, Sultanova said. Most of our participants say that by participating in the project they got rid of the complexes, became bolder and learned how to make decisions. We rehearsed for about a month and performed to the public, DanceAbility participant, dancer with disabilities Orkhan Adigozal said. Everyone can find a message in it. The project demonstrates unity, joint activity, helps to be in harmony with yourself. "DanceAbility" allows enriching spiritually, project participant Lala Babayeva said. "The project allows understanding your feelings, understanding what you can give to other people, she said. And often those whom we call people with disabilities actually have limitless possibilities. For me personally, the project gave great experience in spiritual growth." The performance aroused great interest among the audience. There was a deep connection between the team members, as if they were tied together by feelings, emotions and emotional impulse. The festival is held under the slogans Beyond the Limited Self, reflecting the philosophical views of the poet, and I am a Particle, I am the Sun which are the poets lines. The program of the large-scale event covers various types of art and knowledge fields. During the festival, programs are being organized in various places in Baku, as well as in Shamakhi, the native city of the poet. Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 30 By Vugar Imanov Trend: A video lecture titled "Empathic Civilization and Exchange Economy" by world-famous US economist Jeremy Rifkin was held at the Stone Chronicle Museum in Baku as part of the Nasimi Festival of Poetry, Arts, and Spirituality. The festival, dedicated to the work of Imadaddin Nasimi (1369-1417), one of the brilliant poets and thinkers of the East, has been organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and supported by Azerbaijans Ministry of Culture. The festival is being held in Azerbaijan for the first time from September 27 till September 30. A video conference with Washington was organized for holding the lecture. Rifkin is one of the most famous and influential economists of our time. Rifkin said that humanity is on the threshold of the third industrial revolution, which will take place thanks to a new approach to the distribution of environmentally friendly electricity, 3D printers and the internet. The scholar is confident that the evolving capacity for empathy thanks to the current technologies will allow at some point to relate ourselves to the entire human race and maybe to the biosphere in general. What is empathy? This is conscious empathy for the current emotional state of another person without losing the sensation of the external origin of this experience. For the last ten years, a lot of interesting things have happened in evolutionary biology, child psychology and other related fields, he said. These discoveries now allow rethinking our long-established views on human nature and the sense of our presence on Earth. "The issue is that we should realize the human race as one big family, expand our ideas about identification, Rifkin said. We do not lose our national identity or religious ties. We do not lose the closest blood ties. But we are expanding our understanding of humanity, he said. We understand it as a whole big family of fellow tribesmen, fellow travelers on a big journey. We understand other kinds as part of our biological family, while the biosphere - as part of an evolutionary process. Here the connection with the creativity and philosophy of Nasimi, who called for spiritual unity for the salvation of mankind, is clearly observed. The real economy is photosynthesis. "We are human beings, Rifkin said. We are about seven billion at the moment, which is less than one percent of the biomass of this planet. At the same time, we use 24 percent of the photosynthetic processes of the Earth. We turned into monsters. In the next thirty years there should be nine billion instead of seven billion, its just irrational - either we have to leave or change." On this planet it is very difficult to survive - whether you are a human being or a fox, paving the route through unknown terrain, he said. As soon as a person realizes that life is fragile and ends in death and every moment is precious, it allows him to understand the value of other lives around him. And when we sympathize with other people and other creatures, it comes from what we know from our own experience and how difficult it is for them to fight for life. By our responsiveness we show our solidarity with them in this struggle. We need to rethink the aspirations of humanity, our entire narrative, Rifkin said. If we are really Homo Empathicus, we need to let this nature reveal itself, despite the influence of our traditions in the field of education, business or management that contribute to the awakening of narcissism, materialism, aggression, craving for violence. If we are ready for a global conversation, lets rethink human nature, find a way to the possibility of global empathy to reorganize social institutions and prepare a decent ground on which a civilization of empathy could emerge, he added. The lecture ended with a Q/A session. The festival is held under the slogans Beyond the Limited Self, reflecting the philosophical views of the poet, and I am a Particle, I am the Sun which are the poets lines. The program of the large-scale event covers various types of art and knowledge fields. During the festival, programs are being organized in various places in Baku, as well as in Shamakhi, the native city of the poet. Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 30 By Azad Hasanli Trend: Russias federal subject Udmurtia is ready to represent the interests of Azerbaijani business in Russia through the "Made in Udmurtia" Trade House, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Udmurt Republic Alexander Svinin told Trend. The "Made in Udmurtia" State Trade House opened six months ago. "During this period the Trade House worked with local entrepreneurs," he said. "We are ready to offer assistance to Azerbaijani business through our Trade House. This is an exclusive offer that we want to make to several countries, and Azerbaijan is the first of the countries to which we have offered it." "The Trade House can help entrepreneurs from Azerbaijan with marketing research," he said. In the future, Svinin did not rule out the possibility of opening a representative office of the Trade House in Azerbaijan and other countries. "Its too early to talk about this, but the opening of foreign representative offices can be our next step," he said. "Presently, our main task is to work out the existing mechanism within the country." According to the Volga Customs Administration of Russia, the trade turnover between Udmurtia and Azerbaijan amounted to $4.17 million in January-July 2018, of which about $1.2 million accounted for the export of Azerbaijani products. For the year, the turnover increased by 3.2 times. ---- Follow the author on Twitter: @AzadHasanli Tehran, Iran, Sept. 30 Trend: An Iranian deputy minister said the country is in negotiations with Germany and Austria to strengthen small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and increase its exports. Plans are underway to prop up small and medium-sized enterprises and boost the countrys exports, Sadeq Najafi, who doubles as Director General of Iran Small Industries and Industrial Parks Organization, said, ISNA reported on September 30. To that end, we are in talks with South Korea and Japan as well as Germany and Austria, he added. We have signed agreements with these countries in the fields of technology transfer, education, research and development to improve the performance of small business and enterprises, Najafi said. SMEs can help Iran in the era of sanctions, he said. The sanctions are due to be re-imposed on Iran's oil industry on November 4. The move comes after US President Donald Trump decided to withdraw his country from the 2015 nuclear deal in May. The US has said that countries or companies that conduct transactions with Iran are liable to face secondary sanctions. Tehran, Iran, Sept. 30 Trend: Iran exported 146,486 tons of apples in the first five months of the current Iranian fiscal years (started March), hitting a record high compared to the same period last year, according to figures by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration. 146,486 tons of fresh and dried apples worth over $68 million were exported over five month to August 22, the figures showed, ISNA reported on September 30. During the same period last year, Iran exported 30,947 tons of apples worth $8.4 million. This years export indicated an eightfold increase, the figures showed. The report added the apples were shipped to 24 countries, with Russia and Afghanistan importing $20 and $17 million worth of the fruits, respectively. The total amount of annual apple production in Iran is around 3.7 million tons, about one-fifth of which is exported, mainly to Iraq, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, the UAE, India, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Tajikistan and Russia. U.S. and Canadian negotiators are close to reaching a deal to update the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) this weekend, Xinhua reported. Chrystia Freeland, Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister and chief NAFTA negotiator, has postponed a planned speech at the United Nations, as the United States and Canada are making the final push to finish the NAFTA talks, Bloomberg News reported on Saturday. A Canadian delegation is expected to travel to Washington on Sunday and there's optimism that the two sides could reach a NAFTA deal, the report said, citing people familiar with the talks. The White House has pressured Canada to accept the preliminary agreement it struck with Mexico last month to update the trilateral trade deal. But Canada insisted that it would only sign a new agreement that is good for the country. The United States and Mexico on Friday postponed plans to release the full legal text of their deal, hoping that Canada could join the final trade agreement by the Sunday deadline imposed by the Trump administration. While U.S. officials have indicated that they are prepared to sign a NAFTA deal without Canada, the U.S. business community and many lawmakers have insisted that the NAFTA deal should remain a trilateral pact. Talks on renegotiating the NAFTA began in August 2017 as U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to withdraw from the trilateral trade deal, which he claimed harmed U.S. industries and jobs. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has been given two Pungsan dogs by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after their recent joint summit in Pyongyang, the Yonhap news agency reported on Sunday, citing the presidential press service, according to Sputnik. The press service said that the South Korean side received the female and male dogs on Thursday, they were named Songkang and Gomi, according to the media. The outlet added that Moon already has a Pungsan breed dog, meaning that the South Korean president will become the owner of three such dogs. Earlier in September, Moon and Kim held their third meeting this year, contributing to the improvement in relations between the two countries that have been divided since the end of World War II. The situation on the Korean Peninsula has significantly improved over the last few months, with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pledging to give up his nuclear aspirations and having held three rounds of talks with his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in and a historic summit with US President Donald Trump in Singapore in June. Trump and Kim, in particular, reached an agreement that required Pyongyang to denuclearize in exchange for a freeze on the US-South Korean military drills and eventual sanctions relief. Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 30 By Rauf Guliyev Trend: Over 11 million tourists have visited Turkeys Antalya city since the beginning of the year, the Turkish media reported. According to the Culture and Tourism Department of Antalya province, from September 1 to September 29, 2018, 1,877,500 tourists arrived in the region through the airports of Antalya and Gazipasa. The number of tourists increased by 25 percent compared to the same period of 2017. "From January 1 to September 29, 11.4 million tourists arrived in the region through two airports, the department said. Thus, 10.71 million tourists arrived at the Antalya Airport, while 287,800 - Gazipasa Airport. The number tourists grew by 28 percent compared to the same period of 2017." During the reporting period, 2,416,100 tourists visited Antalya which is more than in 2017. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rauf_guliyev Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 30 Trend: Turkey is ready to provide all possible help to Indonesia in connection with the earthquake that caused victims, Turkey's president Recep Tayyib Erdogan tweeted Sept. 30. Erdogan also expressed his condolences in connection with the victims of the earthquake and tsunami to the Indonesian people, and wished the injured a speedy recovery. According to the latest data, the death toll from the earthquake and tsunami on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi increased to 832 people. Two police officers have been shot and killed in a confrontation in Brookhaven, Mississippi, Press TV reported. Brookhaven Police Department officers Zack Moak, 31, and James White, 35, were killed in the early hours of Saturday morning when they went to respond to calls of shots fired. When they arrived at the address the officers exchanged gunfire with a man who was wounded, police said. The officers were wounded and pronounced dead at the nearby King's Daughters Medical Center in Brookhaven. The suspect, 25-year-old Marquis Flowers, was injured during the exchange of gunfire with police and transported to a local hospital for treatment. His condition was not released. It is still unclear why the shooting broke out. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is working the case, media reported. News VIDEO: Sheikh Mohammed says, Success means that we have a race against time ahead of Dubai Airshow Sheikh Mohammed said, The Dubai International Aviation Exhibition in the UAE is growing up in size and space. For us, success means that we have a race against time. Because the UAE is at a rapid pace, we have to think about the future. By Christine Tjandraningsih, KYODO NEWS - Sep 30, 2018 - 18:10 | World, Urgent, All The death toll from the magnitude 7.5 earthquake and subsequent tsunamis that hit central Indonesia's Sulawesi Island on Friday has risen to 832 in the two worst-affected areas, with at least 29 people missing and 540 others injured, the country's disaster agency said Sunday. National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told a press conference that three French nationals, a South Korean and a Malaysian are among the missing. There were at least 71 foreigners staying in the Central Sulawesi provincial capital Palu and Donggala, the two worst-affected areas, when the quake and tsunamis hit. The five missing foreigners were among them. [Courtesy of National Disaster Mitigation Agency] The number of dead is expected to increase further as many people are feared buried under the debris of hotels, malls and other buildings. Because communications remain disrupted in the affected areas, it is still not possible to grasp the full extent of the damage, Sutopo added. Access to the northwest coastal town of Donggala is still difficult as the quake damaged roads and bridges and caused landslides. Pictures and video spreading on social media showed how the tsunami waves engulfed a broad area of the western part of the island, destroying several thousand structures. "People who evacuated to higher ground survived the tsunamis. But the limited early warning, the lack of knowledge and readiness, the shortage of shelters (to evacuate to) still claimed a lot of lives," Sutopo said. Sutopo earlier Sunday tweeted that no tsunami warning sirens sounded after the earthquake struck at 6:02 p.m. Friday, likely leading to a higher death toll. "There were still a lot of people on the beach when the tsunami hit the beach of Palu," he wrote. "No sirens were heard. People were unaware of (the tsunami's) threat and kept doing their activities on the beach, causing a lot of victims," he said. [Courtesy of National Disaster Mitigation Agency] Indonesia's military, national police, and search and rescue agency have dispatched personnel to search for missing people and support evacuees. In Palu and Donggala, continuing aftershocks prompted many people, including hospital patients, to stay outdoors. As of midnight on Saturday, at least 170 aftershocks had occurred. Palu's Mutiara Sis al-Jufri Airport was temporarily closed for commercial flights after its air traffic control tower was damaged by the quake. It is only open for planes carrying volunteers and humanitarian assistance mostly being flown in from Jakarta and Makassar, the provincial capital of South Sulawesi. At an air force base in Makassar, Palu residents who were away when the quake hit as well as relatives of people living there were on Sunday trying desperately to get seats on Hercules C-130 military transport planes heading to the stricken city. Along with volunteers and medical teams, many of them have been waiting since Friday and sleeping on the ground at the base. Among them were Palu residents Masridja Sudiarto, 44, and his wife, who had been away attending a friend's funeral in Yogyakarta. After the disaster struck, they were overwhelmed with worry about their 12- and 14-year-old daughters back in Palu. But a relative called Sunday morning to inform them that both girls were safe. Masridja said their house in Palu, located about 3 kilometers from the beach, was only slightly damaged but his office was flattened by the tsunamis. Arianto, a mining company employee who was in Palu on a business trip at the time of the quake, said he saw many houses and buildings that were completely flattened. "Bodies are everywhere, particularly on the beach," he said. Deviana, a 43-year-old shopkeeper, said she lost two nieces who were partying on a Palu beach when the tsunamis arrived. Since Saturday, she has been trying to get a seat on any plane, commercial or military, back to Palu to help her injured parents, whose house was damaged, leave the city. "My parents are now staying outside, in front of their house," she said. The quake struck at a depth of only 10 km, centered on land near Donggala. Tsunami waves triggered by the quake slammed into Donggala and Palu, causing extensive damage along the coast. Three hours earlier, a quake with a magnitude of 6.1 hit the same area, with at least 1 person was killed by fallen debris while 10 others were injured. According to Sutopo, until Saturday night blackouts were still ongoing with only two of the seven power stations serving Palu and its surrounding areas in operation. Indonesia sits in one of the most active seismic regions in the world, the Pacific Ring of Fire -- an area in which a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur. By Takehiko Kajita and Seana K. Magee, KYODO NEWS - Sep 30, 2018 - 09:12 | All, World North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho took a swipe at the United States on Saturday over its continued push for international sanctions against his country, warning that Pyongyang will never unilaterally abandon its nuclear weapons if it cannot trust Washington. Addressing the U.N. General Assembly, he said North Korea is "unwavering" in its commitment to denuclearization and called on the United States to make good on promises made at the historic summit between President Donald Trump and the North's leader, Kim Jong Un, in Singapore in June. "Without any trust in the U.S., there will be no confidence in our national security and under such circumstances there is no way we will unilaterally disarm ourselves first," Ri said. The remarks came as the United States and North Korea appeared to have put their stalled denuclearization talks back on track after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Ri in New York earlier this week and agreed to visit Pyongyang in October to prepare for a second bilateral summit. Ri said North Korea has taken "significant goodwill measures" such as halting nuclear and ballistic missile tests and dismantling a nuclear test site. The United States, however, has not shown "any corresponding response," he said, noting that Washington still insists on strictly enforcing U.N. sanctions on the country and is opposed to Pyongyang's call for declaring a formal end to the Korean War. "The perception that sanctions can bring us on our knees is a pipe dream of the people who are ignorant about us. But the problem is that the continued sanctions are deepening our mistrust," Ri said. "The reason behind the recent deadlock is because the U.S. relies on coercive methods which are lethal to trust-building," he noted. Pompeo told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday that it is necessary to strictly enforce U.N. sanctions on North Korea until "we realize the fully, final, verified denuclearization." The top U.S. diplomat touted Trump's international pressure campaign as having resulted in the first-ever summit between the United States and North Korea, in which Kim committed to "complete" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The 15-member Security Council tightened sanctions on North Korea last year with a view to choking off funding for the country's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. As for a declaration to formally end the Korean War, the United States is apparently wary of agreeing without major moves by North Korea toward dismantling its nuclear arms program. The 1950-1953 conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty, meaning U.S.-led United Nations forces, including South Korea, are technically still at war with North Korea. The North Korean foreign minister contrasted Pyongyang's relations with Washington with the rapid progress made in inter-Korean relations through three summits this year, most recently last week. "The recent dramatic improvement of the North-South relations and the atmosphere of cooperation clearly show how decisive the role of trust-building can be," he said. "If the party to this issue of denuclearization were South Korea and not the U.S. the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula would not have come to such a deadlock," he added. To bring about denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, Ri pointed to the need for the United States and North Korea to put behind them their acrimonious relations. "It is our position that the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula should also be realized along with building peace regime under the principle of simultaneous actions, step by step, starting with what we can do and giving priority to trust-building," he said. "If the DPRK-U.S. joint statement becomes a victim of the domestic politics of the U.S., then the greatest victim of the subsequent unpredictable consequences will be the U.S. itself as a whole," Ri said, citing the document jointly issued after the Singapore summit. In talks with South Korean President Moon Jae In in Pyongyang last week, North Korean leader Kim pledged to permanently dismantle his country's major nuclear complex if the United States takes reciprocal actions. On Wednesday, Trump said he will announce the timing and location of his next meeting with Kim, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, North Korea's ruling party, in the "very near future." Speaking at a news conference in New York, Trump said he and Kim have "a very good relationship." "He likes me. I like him. We get along," the president said, noting he received two letters from Kim recently. "I think we're going to make a deal." KYODO NEWS - Sep 30, 2018 - 21:08 | World, All Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Sunday warned against U.S. President Donald Trump's "America First" policy, amid concern that Washington's economic protectionism will take a toll on the Asian country's economy. "We will firmly uphold the rule-based multinational system," Li said in a speech at a reception held at Beijing's Great Hall of the People to mark the Oct. 1 National Day. China "will open up at a higher level, and share development opportunities and outcomes with all other countries while upholding our own development interests," Li added. The premier also expressed eagerness to promote Beijing's "One Belt, One Road" cross-border infrastructure initiative. China has sought to expand its infrastructure networks in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa to attain its goal of connecting countries situated along the ancient Silk Road more closely. Beijing, meanwhile, has been engaged in tit-for-tat tariff hikes with the United States, sparking fears that a possible downturn in world trade dragging down China's economy, which has been buoyed by export growth. China on Tuesday voiced unwillingness to hold talks with the United States toward the resolution of an escalating trade war as long as Washington continues to step up tariff measures. Last Monday, the United States invoked tariffs on an additional $200 billion in Chinese imports. With the latest round of tariffs, Washington is now taxing around half of the products it imports from Beijing each year. China immediately took retaliatory action, slapping additional tariffs on $60 billion in U.S. imports, meaning that Beijing has so far levied tariffs on more than 80 percent of all goods from Washington, together with the previous ones. The United States and China have already imposed tariffs on a total of $50 billion of each other's products -- $34 billion in July and $16 billion in August. The U.S. tariffs were in response to China's alleged intellectual property and technology theft. KYODO NEWS - Oct 1, 2018 - 00:06 | All, Japan Five Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft were formally deployed Monday at the U.S. military's Yokota Air Base in the suburbs of Tokyo despite opposition and safety worries among local residents. Japan's Defense Ministry hopes the deployment of the CV-22 Ospreys will enable timely responses to various contingencies in the face of China's maritime assertiveness and uncertainty over the situation on the Korean Peninsula. It is the first deployment of Ospreys outside Okinawa in southwestern Japan where a total of 24 MV-22 Ospreys, a U.S. Marine Corps variant, are based. Okinawa is home to the bulk of U.S. military facilities. Over the next several years, the Yokota base will have a total of 10 Ospreys -- which can take off and land like a helicopter and cruise like an airplane -- with around 450 crewmembers. The U.S. Air Force's CV-22 is seen as more sophisticated than the MV-22 and more capable of nighttime flying as it is designed to carry special operation forces. Its terrain-following radar enables flying at low altitudes. Local cities and a town near Yokota Air Base have been calling for the U.S. military to fly the aircraft in accordance with a bilateral agreement not to conduct nighttime flights in principle and to provide information on training in a timely manner. Flights over the Tokyo metropolitan area could stoke concern among local residents due to the Osprey's history of accidents and mishaps in Japan and abroad. Two CV-22s made emergency landings at an airport in Kagoshima Prefecture on their way to Okinawa in June. The five Ospreys have effectively been deployed since April when they arrived at Yokota, conducting drills at a Japanese Self-Defense Forces training facility in Shizuoka Prefecture. The Ospreys are expected to conduct exercises using the airspace around Tokyo, including over Gunma, Nagano and Niigata prefectures. The U.S. military has notified Japan that the CV-22s will conduct take-off, landing, airdrop, and night flying drills around the Yokota Base. The Defense Ministry plans to acquire 17 Ospreys for the Ground Self-Defense Force and deploy them at Saga Airport in southwestern Japan. In 2012, the first batch of MV-22 Ospreys arrived at U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, located in a crowded residential area of Ginowan in Okinawa. In 2016, an MV-22 Osprey crash-landed in Okinawa, followed by a fatal crash in Australia in 2017. With this, the number of active COVID cases in the state is 68,630. Of the new cases, 5,914 contracted the virus through contact while 28 came from outside the state. FILE PHOTO: The flags of Canada, Mexico and the U.S. are seen on a lectern before a joint news conference on the closing of the seventh round of NAFTA talks in Mexico City, Mexico, March 5, 2018. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido/File Photo By David Ljunggren OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada and the United States on Saturday narrowed their differences in last-ditch talks to save NAFTA but there is no guarantee an agreement will be forged, two Ottawa sources said, a notion echoed by a top adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump. The two nations are trying to find a way to update the North American Free Trade Agreement and prevent it from collapsing. The 1994 pact underpins $1.2 trillion in annual trade and its demise would be enormously damaging, say economists. Trump is threatening to impose auto tariffs on Canada unless it signs a text of an updated agreement by the end of Sunday. Washington already has a deal with Mexico, the third member of NAFTA. In a sign of the mounting pressure, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland postponed her country's annual address to the U.N. General Assembly on Saturday to return to Ottawa. Freeland, who has spent many days in Washington over the last month, has no plans to fly back immediately, officials say. The two sides are talking continuously by phone and a Canadian government source said the tone of the negotiations was positive and intense. "The fact talks are still going on shows there are issues to be settled. A deal is not necessarily going to happen," said the source, who requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation. Trump's trade and manufacturing adviser Peter Navarro, speaking on Saturday to Fox News, struck an upbeat tone on the progress of talks. "Most of the big issues are solved with Canada," Navarro said, adding it would be "a great deal for all three countries." Story continues Trump blames NAFTA for causing U.S. manufacturing jobs to move to low-wage Mexico and is demanding major changes. "We'll see what happens with Canada, if they come along. They have to be fair," Trump said on Saturday during a rally in Wheeling, West Virginia, complaining about Canada's dairy tariffs, which have been a particularly sore point for him. "We've made the deal with Mexico, and it's a great deal for both countries," Trump said. The office of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declined to comment on Saturday's talks. A spokesman for USTR did not respond to requests for comment on the talks. A second Ottawa source said the two sides were still trying to resolve disagreements over a dispute resolution mechanism that Canada says is vital and the United States wants to scrap. In exchange for a compromise on the mechanism, Ottawa is set to bow to a U.S. demand to offer significantly more access to Canada's protected dairy market, said the source. A third source familiar with the negotiations said the idea of a link between dispute resolution and dairy access was not currently being discussed. Opening up the dairy market could cause problems for Trudeau, since the influential farming industry opposes the idea. The Dairy Farmers of Canada lobby group did not respond to a request for comment. Sources familiar with the talks told Reuters on Sept. 11 that Canada was ready to give the United States limited dairy access. Ottawa has offered farmers compensation to make up for conceding market share in two earlier trade agreements. Automaker executives briefed on the plans said Saturday they expect a final deal similar to the one reached with Mexico that would effectively cap Canadian vehicle and auto parts exports at a level around 40 to 50 percent higher than existing imports. The agreement would allow the United States to impose tariffs of up to 25 percent on vehicles above the cap. The USTR's office reached out to automakers over the weekend to seek input about how the cap will work and how the vehicle quota will be apportioned, an auto industry executive briefed on the matter said. One big uncertain question for U.S. and foreign automakers is whether U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel will be lifted. A NAFTA deal had looked unlikely on Wednesday when, after a month of slow-moving discussions, Trump indicated he was fed up with Trudeau, who has insisted he will not sign a bad deal. But late on Thursday, U.S. officials reached out to Canada to ask for details of Ottawa's negotiating demands and where it might be able to make compromises, Reuters reported. Trump is under increasing pressure from U.S. business groups and some members of the U.S. Congress, who say excluding Canada from NAFTA would play havoc with the three member nations' increasingly integrated economies. (Reporting by David Ljunggren; Additional reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Roberta Rampton in Wheeling, West Virginia; Allison Martell in Toronto; and Allison Lampert in Montreal; Editing by Alistair Bell) FILE PHOTO: A 3D-printed Facebook logo is seen in front of displayed binary digits in this illustration taken March 18, 2018. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo By Munsif Vengattil, Arjun Panchadar and Paresh Dave (Reuters) - Facebook Inc (FB.O) said on Friday that hackers stole digital login codes allowing them to take over nearly 50 million user accounts in its worst security breach ever given the unprecedented level of potential access, adding to what has been a difficult year for the company's reputation. Facebook, which has more than 2.2 billion monthly users, said it has yet to determine whether the attacker misused any accounts or stole private information. It also has not identified the attackers location or whether specific victims were targeted. Its initial review suggests the attack was broad in nature. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg described the incident as really serious" in a conference call with reporters. His account was affected along with that of Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, a spokeswoman said. Shares in Facebook fell 2.6 percent on Friday, weighing on major Wall Street stock indexes. Facebook made headlines earlier this year after profile details from 87 million users was improperly accessed by political data firm Cambridge Analytica. The disclosure has prompted government inquiries into the company's privacy practices across the world, and fueled a "#deleteFacebook" social movement among consumers. U.S. lawmakers said on Friday that the hack may boost calls for data privacy legislation. This is another sobering indicator that Congress needs to step up and take action to protect the privacy and security of social media users," Democratic U.S. Senator Mark Warner said in a statement. Federal Trade Commission Commissioner Rohit Chopra on Twitter said "I want answers" with a link to a Reuters story on the breach. 'COMPLEX' FLAW Story continues Facebook's latest vulnerability had existed since July 2017, but the company first identified it on Tuesday after spotting a "fairly large" increase in use of its "view as" privacy feature on Sept. 16, executives said. "View as" allows users to verify their privacy settings by seeing what their own profile looks like to someone else. The flaw inadvertently gave the devices of "view as" users the wrong digital code, which, like a browser cookie, keeps users signed in to a service across multiple visits. That code could allow the person using "view as" to post and browse from someone else's Facebook account, potentially exposing private messages, photos and posts. The attacker also could have gained full access to victims' accounts on any third-party app or website where they had logged in with Facebook credentials. The implications of this are huge," Justin Fier, director of cyber intelligence at security company Darktrace, told Reuters. Guy Rosen, the Facebook vice president overseeing security, said the flaw was "complex" in that it resulted from three failings. A video upload feature should not have displayed on a users profile page when accessed through view as," Rosen told reporters on a conference call. That alone would not have been problematic except that the video feature wrongly triggered the placement of the powerful login code. And it placed the code not for the "view as" user, but for who they were pretending to be. Facebook fixed the issue on Thursday. It also notified the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security, Congressional aides and the Data Protection Commission in Ireland, where the company has European headquarters. The Irish authority expressed concern in a statement that Facebook has been "unable to clarify the nature of the breach and risk to users" and said it was pressing Facebook for answers. Facebook reset the digital keys of the 50 million affected accounts, and as a precaution temporarily disabled "view as" and reset those keys for another 40 million that have been looked up through "view as" over the last year. About 90 million people will have to log back into Facebook or any of their apps that use a Facebook login, the company said. Two Facebook users sued the company over the breach in federal court in California on Friday. More than 6,000 users complained about the breach on Zuckerbergs Facebook page. Im so scared now. All my activities are on Facebook, Mohammad ZR Zia, a 25-year-old college student in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, who has been using the social media platform since 2009, told Reuters. His account was logged out earlier on Friday. The level of concern expressed on Facebook was enough that the company's automated system temporarily blocked sharing of some articles about the breach. "Our security systems have detected that a lot of people are posting the same content, which could mean that it's spam," a message told users. Facebook later apologized for the misfire. Facebook has suffered narrower breaches before. In 2013, Facebook disclosed a software flaw that exposed 6 million users' phone numbers and email addresses to unauthorized viewers for a year, while a technical glitch in 2008 revealed confidential birth-dates on 80 million Facebook users' profiles. (Reporting by Munsif Vengattil and Arjun Panchadar in Bengaluru and Paresh Dave in San Francisco; Additional reporting by Christopher Bing, Jim Finkle and David Shepardson in Washington, D.C., Joseph Menn in San Francisco and Angela Moon in New York; Editing by Clive McKeef) STARRUCCA, Pa. OK, campers, everyone into the pool for fourth-period mermaiding. Or merfolking, if you prefer. NEW YORK The New York Times reported Tuesday that President Donald Trump received at least $413 million from his father over the decades, mu N. Korea: U.S. needs to build our trust, and sanctions lower it 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. Heidi Gill, with long dark long hair at center, stands with employees of Springs Fabrication in Colorado Springs. He new company, Urban Solution Group, improved separation walls for oil and gas operations. NEW YORK, July 09, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Delcath Systems, Inc. (OTCQB:DCTH), an interventional oncology company focused on the treatment of primary and metastatic cancers of the liver, announces that physicians at Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) in the Netherlands, led by Dr. Mark C. Burgmans, completed their 100th treatment with PHP Therapy using the companys Hepatic CHEMOSAT Delivery System (CHEMOSAT). CHEMOSAT was launched in select European markets in 2012, and physicians there have used it to treat a variety of cancers of the liver. Jennifer K. Simpson, PhD, MSN, CRNP, President and Chief Executive Officer of Delcath Systems, said, The LUMC teams achievement is the third 100-treatment milestone in a major European medical center, demonstrating continued clinical adoption of CHEMOSAT in the European market. Dr. Simpson added this achievement also builds upon our recent news that the Dutch Health Authorities included CHEMOSAT in their published treatment guidelines for ocular melanoma liver metastases, a step toward potential reimbursement coverage of CHEMOSAT in the Dutch market. Percutaneous Hepatic Perfusion (PHP) Therapy with Melphalan/HDS was developed by Delcath Systems as a targeted, whole organ therapy for the liver. It is commercially available as a medical device in Europe, where it is marketed under the tradename CHEMOSAT. The system has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and is currently undergoing Phase 3 clinical testing in the U.S. as an investigational product. About Delcath Systems Delcath Systems, Inc. is an interventional oncology Company focused on the treatment of primary and metastatic liver cancers. Our investigational product Melphalan Hydrochloride for Injection for use with the Delcath Hepatic Delivery System (Melphalan/HDS) is designed to administer high-dose chemotherapy to the liver while controlling systemic exposure and associated side effects. We have commenced a global Phase 3 FOCUS clinical trial for Patients with Hepatic Dominant Ocular Melanoma (OM) and plan to initiate a Registration trial for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). Melphalan/HDS has not been approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for sale in the U.S. In Europe, our system has been commercially available since 2012 under the trade name Delcath Hepatic CHEMOSAT Delivery System for Melphalan (CHEMOSAT), where it has been used at major medical centers to treat a wide range of cancers of the liver. Forward Looking Statements Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a safe harbor for forward-looking statements made by the Company or on its behalf. This news release contains forward-looking statements, which are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that can cause actual results to differ materially from those described. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to, uncertainties relating to: the timing and results of the Companys clinical trials including without limitation the OM and ICC clinical trial programs, timely enrollment and treatment of patients in the global Phase 3 OM clinical trial, IRB or ethics committee clearance of the Phase 3 OM and ICC Registration trial protocols from participating sites and the timing of site activation and subject enrollment in each trial, the impact of the presentations at major medical conferences and future clinical results consistent with the data presented, approval of Individual Funding Requests for reimbursement of the CHEMOSAT procedure, the impact, if any of ZE reimbursement on potential CHEMOSAT product use and sales in Germany, clinical adoption, use and resulting sales, if any, for the CHEMOSAT system to deliver and filter melphalan in Europe including the key markets of Germany and the UK, the Companys ability to successfully commercialize the Melphalan HDS/CHEMOSAT system and the potential of the Melphalan HDS/CHEMOSAT system as a treatment for patients with primary and metastatic disease in the liver, our ability to obtain reimbursement for the CHEMOSAT system in various markets,, approval of the current or future Melphalan HDS/CHEMOSAT system for delivery and filtration of melphalan or other chemotherapeutic agents for various indications in the U.S. and/or in foreign markets, actions by the FDA or other foreign regulatory agencies, the Companys ability to successfully enter into strategic partnership and distribution arrangements in foreign markets and the timing and revenue, if any, of the same, uncertainties relating to the timing and results of research and development projects, and uncertainties regarding the Companys ability to obtain financial and other resources for any research, development, clinical trials and commercialization activities. These factors, and others, are discussed from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they are made. AUSTIN, Texas and HAMILTON, Ontario and TORONTO, Sept. 10, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Centre for the Commercialization of Antibodies and Biologics (CCAB) and Triumvira Immunologics, Inc. (Triumvira), announced today a new licensing agreement between the University of Toronto (U of T) and Triumvira. The agreement provides Triumvira with an exclusive license for antibodies discovered at the U of T on specified therapeutic targets. Triumvira is a privately held biopharmaceutical company with R&D facilities in Hamilton, ON, that is developing a novel platform for engineering T cells to attack multiple cancer types. CCAB is the assigned agent for the U of T for the commercialization of a large portfolio of human antibodies. Under the terms of the agreement, U of T will receive up-front fees, milestone payments and royalty payments on net sales of products on three therapeutic targets: BCMA, ROR1 and one undisclosed target. We are very pleased to be working with The Centre for the Commercialization of Antibodies and Biologics and the University of Toronto under this new licencing agreement, said Paul Lammers, MD, MSc, President and Chief Executive Officer of Triumvira. This partnership is critical as we work to bring new treatments to patients in need through our proprietary T Cell-Antigen Coupler (TAC) technology. Triumviras lead therapeutic candidate, CD19-TAC01, is a CD19-directed T cell product for the treatment of B cell malignancies and is anticipated to enter Phase I clinical trials in H1 2019 in patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The company is also developing a series of products for solid tumors. Collaboration is a vital part in the development of new therapeutics. These types of agreements continue to strengthen the connection between academia and industry and help to translate the wealth of scientific knowledge from the laboratories at our world-class universities to the clinic, CCAB Chief Executive Officer Robert Verhagen said. About CCAB The Centre for the Commercialization of Antibodies and Biologics (CCAB) is a national Centre of Excellence for Commercialization and Research located in Toronto, Canada. CCAB supports innovators and emerging life sciences companies through its expertise in product and business development to advance therapeutic candidates and technologies that will form the basis for company growth and sustainability. Visit CCABs website to learn more: ccabcanada.com . About Triumvira Immunologics Triumvira Immunologics, Inc. is an immunotherapy company co-founded in 2015 by Dr. Jonathan Bramson at McMaster University and Bloom Burton & Co., a niche life-sciences investment bank, with the vision of developing novel T cell therapies that are safer and more efficacious than current cell therapy cancer treatments, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) and engineered T cell receptor (TCR) therapies. Our proprietary T cell Antigen Coupler (TAC) technology recruits the entire natural T cell receptor and is independent of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC), allowing for the development of better therapies for a broader range of patients with either solid or liquid malignancies and with diseases other than cancer. With operations spanning North America, our corporate offices are located in Austin, Texas, and our research facilities are in Hamilton, Ontario. For more information, visit www.triumvira.com or send email inquiries to partners@triumvira.com . CCAB Contact: Karen Ramlall Communications Manager +1 (416) 951 4663 karen.ramlall@ccabcanada.com Gist of the passage: First Paragraph: Discussing the work of Wing Tek Lum in the context of Asian American Poetry from Hawaii. Second Paragraph: This paragraph discusses one poem from his volume of work. In this poem he says that while ties to the homeland are comforting and necessary,it is equally important to have a new identity. Third Paragraph: The author further discusses Lum's work. He discusses Lum's closing poem which further describes the complex relation between heritage and local culture in determining ones identity. Final Paragraph: Homeland tradition is important but a healthy new sense of identity needs to be formed. 1. Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of the passage? This is the recurring theme in every paragraph. There is no expression of conflict in Lum's poetry according to the given passage. Lum talks about older traditions/culture not older 'literary tradition'. In addition, Lum acknowledges his heritage and older traditions not rejects them. This is just mentioned in one paragraph. Not a repetitive theme. Success of Lum's poetry is out of scope of the passage. 2. Given the information in the passage, which one of the following is Lum most likely to believe? Out of scope. Nothing about images is mentioned in the passage. Out of scope. This is directly mentioned in the passage. Quote: strong cultural emphasis in the U.S.on individual drive and success that makes retaining a sense of homeland tradition difficult should be identified and responded to in ways that allow for a healthy new sense of identity to be formed. Nothing of this sort is mentioned in the passage. Quite opposite of what Lum was stating. Lum stated that it is important to acknowledge/remain connected to one's cultural traditions and still develop a new identity. 3. The author of the passage uses the phrase the flux within Hawaiian society primarily in order to Quote: The role of immigrants in this poem is significant in that,through their presence, Lum is able to refer both to the traditional culture of his ancestral homeland as well as to the flux within Hawaiian society that has been integral to its heterogeneity Lum never indicated in his poems that there is social tension created by the mix of attitudes. Lum did mention that the culture of Continental U.S citizens is different from Hawaiian citizens but not in this context. process The context of this line is culture not process. Yes, Right answer. Lum is showing a contrast between traditional culture and changing culture according to the quoted text above. Lum never mentioned that there is a change in attitude of many immigrants to Hawaii toward their traditional cultural norms. He just mentioned that traditional culture should be acknowledged. 4. According to the passage,some Asian American literature from Hawaii has been characterized as which one of the following? Quote: Asian American poetry from Hawaii is generally characterizable in one of two ways: either as portraying a model multicultural paradise ,or as exemplifying familiar Asian American literary themes such as generational conflict Not either of the ways. Not either of the ways. Correct answer. This option is talking about generational conflict. Not either of the ways. Not either of the ways. 5. The author of the passage describes Expounding the Doubtful Points as striking primarily in order to Quote: In this light,the recent work of Wing Tek Lum in Expounding the Doubtful Points is striking for its demand to be understood on its own terms. stressing for its demand to be understood.... Negative tone. Negative tone. Lum's earlier work was not discussed in the entirety of the passage. Positive tone. 'Striking-Emphasizing' similar in meaning. Innovative nature of Lum's poetic form was never discussed in the passage. out of scope. 6. With which one of the following statements regarding Lums poetry would the author of the passage be most likely to agree? Political ideology was never mentioned in the passage. Out of scope. Stylistic contributions of literary forebears was never discussed. Out of scope. This statement is general and talks about all human beings and the paragraph speaks about Asian Americans in Hawaii. Mainpoint of the passage. Author will agree with this. Lum has no aversion towards tradition. I felt this passage was very difficult for me in the sense that I could not understand the purpose behind certain sentences. I have tried to put down my understanding here in this post.(A) The poetry of Lum departs from other Asian American poetry from Hawaii in that it acknowledges its authors heritage but also expresses the poets search for a new local identity.(B) Lums poetry is in part an expression of the conflict between a desire to participate in a community with shared traditions and values and a desire for individual success.(C) Lum writes poetry that not only rejects features of the older literary tradition in which he participates but also rejects the popular literary traditions of Hawaiian writers.(D) The poetry of Lum illustrates the extent to which Asian American writers living in Hawaii have a different cultural perspective than those living in the continental U.S.(E) Lums poetry is an unsuccessful attempt to manage the psychological burdens of reconciling a sense of tradition with a healthy sense of individual identity.When you don't have a specific line to refer to in the passage, elimination is the best strategy for such questions.(A) Images in a poem should be explained in that poem so that their meaning will be widely understood.(B) The experience of living away from ones homeland is necessary for developing a healthy perspective on ones cultural traditions.(C) It is important to reconcile the values of individual achievement and enterprise with the desire to retain ones cultural traditions.(D) Ones identity is continually in transition and poetry is a way of developing a static identity.(E) One cannot both seek a new identity and remain connected to ones cultural traditions.(A) describe the social tension created by the mix of attitudes exhibited by citizens of Hawaii.(B) deny that Hawaiian society is culturally distinct from that of the continental U.S.(C) identify theby which immigrants learn to adapt to their new communities.(D) refer to the constant change to which the culture in Hawaii is subject due to its diverse population.(E) emphasize the changing attitudes of many immigrants to Hawaii toward their traditional cultural norms.(A) inimical to the process of developing a local sensibility.(B) centered on the individuals drive to succeed.(C) concerned with conflicts between different age groups.(D) focused primarily on retaining ties to ones homeland.(E) tied to a search for a new sense of family in a new land.Here striking is used in a positive tone similar to -(A) underscore the forceful and contentious tone of the work.(B) indicate that the work has not been properly analyzed by literary critics(C) stress the radical difference between this work and Lums earlier work.(D) emphasize the differences between this work and that of other Asian American poets from Hawaii.(E) highlight the innovative nature of Lums experiments with poetic form.(A) It cannot be used to support any specific political ideology.(B) It is an elegant demonstration of the poets appreciation of the stylistic contributions of his literary forebears.(C) It is most fruitfully understood as a meditation on the choice between new and old that confronts any human being in any culture.(D) It conveys thoughtful assessments of both his ancestral homeland tradition and the culture in which he is attempting to build a new identity.(E) It conveys Lums antipathy toward tradition by juxtaposing traditional and nontraditional images. Thanks for visiting ! The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Thank you for your support! The Rice Owls answered a first-set UTSA volleyball win with three consecutive to post a four-set (25-21, 15-25, 21-25, 18-25) win over the Roadrunners in an early season battle of Conference USA unbeaten teams, on Friday night.UTSA (10-5, 2-1 Conference USA) won the first set before falling behind in the second after Rice (11-4, 2-0 C-USA) earned an early lead. The Owls were able to fight off a third-set charge from UTSA to hand the Runners their first conference loss of the year, snapping a three-game winning streak.UTSA got double-figure kills from juniorand freshman, who each charted 10 terminations. Seniorearned her third double-double of the year with 23 assists and 17 digs. Sophomorehad seven kills withowning seven digs and freshmansporting 10 assists and five digs. Freshman Kirby smith had nine kills and 10 digs and seniorled the team with 22 digs. Teal added four blocks at the net.UTSA will return to action on Sunday, traveling to face UTEP (3-11, 0-2 C-USA) at 1 p.m. CT in El Paso.The match started with a pair of UTSA points, including a kill from Froeschl to get the match rolling. Rice responded with the next three points for its first lead but an ace from Gonzales and a kill from Teal spurred a 3-0 response for a 6-3 lead. Rice's 3-0 run evened it back at six before UTSA burst out on a 5-1 run to take a 12-8 lead, getting kills from Froeschl, McCulloch and. The Runners built an 18-13 lead after a Lopez kill, reached 20 after a Froeschl termination and earned set point after a smash from Teal. Teal finished the set win with her seventh kill. Froeschl's efficiency stood out in the first, with four terminations in five swings.The Owls spurted out of the gate with the first two points, building leads of 6-3, 10-5 and 18-8 to open the second set. UTSA was able to notch points to get into double digits behind kills from Lopez and McCulloch and a 3-0 run forced a timeout from the Owls at set point, 24-15, before finishing it 25-15.The squads traded points to open the third set, with it tied at three, four, five, six, seven, eight and nine. Rice used a 4-0 run to take a 14-10 lead it held until a late-set rally that evened the match at 18-18. The Owls were able to take seven of the next 10 points to earn the advantage win.The fourth set saw Rice build an early lead with four of the first five points and own a 10-3 lead after a UTSA timeout. The Runners fought back to down 10-8 but Rice notched nine of the next 12 points for a 17-12 lead. Back-to-back kills from Lopez spurred a run to get within 17-13. Rice then scored six of the next seven points to take a 23-14 lead. A 4-0 run from UTSA, including an ace from Lopez and a kill from McCulloch forced a Rice timeout at 23-18. The owls were able to earn the next two points for the 25-18 win. For the last three years, Auckland, New Zealand, has been rolling out a new bus network in different parts of the city. Sunday, the final portion, the North Shore, got its new network, so the entire effort is complete. Bravo! I worked on the original design back in 2012 (with colleagues at MRCagneys amazing New Zealand office) and first explained it here. While public comments have led to revisions and improvements, the most important layer, the citywide frequent network, is almost exactly what we designed. Even more important than the network are the principles, which Auckland Transport explains here. We figured out these principles at the beginning of the process, and they should sound familiar to anyone who knows my work. For example, this image still appears in most of my firms reports, showing two ways to serve an abstract city consisting of three residential areas (top) and three destination areas: [The idea, explained fully here, is that in this simple fictional city, if you run three routes instead of nine, you can afford to run them three times as often, which means that the average wait is only 1/3 of what it was before. Even if you have to change buses in the new network, which means you make this short wait twice, youre still waiting only 2/3 as much as you did before (1/3 at the start of your trip, and 1/3 for the connection). Hence the counterintuitive fact: a network that makes you change buses gets you there sooner. Such a network is also simpler, three routes instead of nine in this case, with buses coming so often that you dont need at timetable.] An important complement to the bus network redesign has been a major increase in frequency on the citys four commuter rail lines, which enabled us to offer outlying areas frequent connections to the rail line instead of a long bus route competing with it. Now, the New Zealand government has funded a huge project to extend this network underground through the city centre, so it will function like a proper subway system.[1] This will further strengthen bus lines connecting with it and further reduce the need for lines running parallel. Each phase of the network has triggered gains in patronage increases in total journeys, not just passenger boardings so all that new frequency is clearly attracting new riders. Many people ask me about phasing. Does a new bus network have to be implemented all at once? The answer in many cities, including Houston and Dublin, is yes: The geography of the city is so interconnected and interdependent that trying to implement a network in pieces is just too much work. The interim phase in which the network is partly new and partly old becomes a huge network design challenge in itself, as well as a challenge for communications and operations. Auckland was an exception, though, because of the citys shape. The city is so riven by bodies of water that it functions almost like an archipelago. The narrow points of connection between areas make those areas relatively easy to separate. (This is why New York City, for example, can reasonably do separate phases for Staten Island, Manhattan, and the Bronx, although Brooklyn and Queens are inseparable.) Ive been back to Auckland several times since the network began rolling out, and its great to see this great Pacific city becoming more and more oriented toward great public transport. Ill be back there in late November, to speak at an Auckland Conversations event, and look forward to getting places sooner on the new frequent network. Congratulations to everyone at Auckland Transport and the City for this great milestone. The plan had many important authors and advocates, but if I had to call out one it would certainly be Anthony Cross, the tireless head of bus planning who conceived this project and pushed it through, in a struggle of many years. I hope hes happy today. [1] North Americans are encouraged to make wistful comparisons to the eternally-deferred San Francisco Caltrain downtown extension and New York Gateway project. Further cause for antipodean triumphalism: similar projects are well-advanced in both Melbourne and Brisbane. IceViking strongly condemns physical attacks and harassment directed towards them. They are also often victims of the Islamic idea. This is true when it comes to the cruel and tragic treatment of Muslim women and children when it is in accord with the Koran, the example of Mohammed and Islamic law, Sharia, which may be applied regardless of where a Muslim male may find himself in the world, whether in a Muslim or non-Muslim country. However, in no way, shape or form should one judge all Muslim men because of what is in Islamic scripture and what constitutes the Islamic law, Sharia. "Race", ethnicity or basically anything that you are "merely" born with should never be a basis for bigotry and discrimination. Apostates from Islam have been executed for 1400 years in accord with the Koran and the words and actions of the Islamic prophet Mohammed and Islamic law, Sharia. They should be lovingly helped. Furthermore, approximately as many as 11,000,000 Muslims may have been killed by other Muslims since 1948. To quote the website The Religion of Peace (TROP), edited by Glen Roberts: While it may be safe to say that a true Muslim would not intentionally kill another true Muslim ( 4:92-93 ), the Quran places no such value on the life of a Muslim who is not true. Consider verse 9:73 : Strive hard against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be harsh against them, their abode is Hell. The Arabic for strive hard uses the same root as Jihad - and the context in this sura is holy war (see v. 86 and 91). Thus, there are two distinct classes of people that a true Muslim is to target with harshness: disbelievers and hypocrites. A disbeliever obviously refers to a non-Muslim, so a "hypocrite" must be a Muslim of some sort. In fact, hypocrites are those who say they believe, but do not act as they should. In other words, they are "Muslims", but not true Muslims. They will go to hell just as unbelievers do, and so, according to the verse, their lives matter for naught. The same sura says that a hypocrite can be recognized not just by lack of piety (reluctance to follow Sharia), but by fear of death ( 9:56 ), reluctance to fight ( 9:44-45 ) and even friendliness toward non-believers ( 9:67 ). A true Muslim would thus be a pious person who relishes martyrdom, is eager to fight, and shuns non-believers. Even the Quranic passage that warns against killing "believers" ( 4:88-94 ) is more complicated than it first appears. It never says that a true Muslim is incapable of killing another Muslim, just that it should not be done. In fact, it makes exceptions for the unintentional killing of "believers" in war and mandates the killing of "hypocrites." Verse 17:33 says, "Do not kill anyone which Allah has forbidden, except for a just cause" . The greatest cause of all is that Islam be superior ( 9:33 ), which is exactly what Islamic terrorists say is their goal. Thus believing Muslims are allowed to be collateral damage in the war on unbelievers. There is sadly a phenomena that I`ve noticed in Sweden and elsewhere of people using true facts about Islamic doctrine and history as a cover for all sorts of irrational targeting of Muslims, ranging from xenophobia and racism to verbal abuse and physical attacks. This is strongly condemned by this website and does not in any way serve serious criticism of orthodox Islam and other important work. It`s also important that one tries to express oneself in a civilized way. Words matter. In this bloggers humble opinion the root cause of the problem is the ancient doctrine of orthodox Islam. In simple terms a non-Muslim is a Kafir. " The Koran defines the kafir and kafir is not a neutral word. A kafir is not merely someone who does not agree with Islam, but a kafir is evil, disgusting, the lowest form of life." An exact quote, as stated in the writings of Dr. Bill Warner in the article "Kafir" at http://www.politicalislam.com/kafir . In the perfect Koran (Allah`s direct and literal word as revealed to Mohammed through the angel Jibril), Muslims are told 89 times to emulate Mohammed in all ways (see Koran 33:21 for instance). Mohammed`s example, the Sunna, is found in the Hadith (stories of what Mohammed said and did) and the Sira (biographies of Mohammed). Islamic law, Sharia , is directly derived from these unchanging scriptures. It is based on the Koran`s numerous commands to obey Allah and obey the Messenger, that is Mohammed (see Koran 4:59 for instance). Islam is Sharia. Sharia is Islam. It is a capital crime for Muslims to deny Sharia in any way. A Muslim is someone who submits to Islam and submitting to Islam means obeying the Sharia of Allah. Sharia law includes pronouncements for both Muslims and non-Muslims (Kafirs). Islam is a "complete way of life", a "complete code of life", a "complete system of life". Islam is not just a religion but also a comprehensive ideology. Islam is a supremacist ideology. Islam is a totalitarian and imperialistic ideology akin to Communism and Nazism. Islam is a civilization. Islamic law, Sharia, is a manual for a civilization. Islamic law, Sharia, governs every aspect of life. It has a say about every conceivable human act . Non-Muslims are morally and legally inferior in Islam. Women are morally and legally inferior in Islam. The History of Jihad: From Muhammad to ISIS by Robert Spencer is the first one-volume history of jihad in the English language and a great book on the topic. Allah guarantees Paradise to those who "kill and are killed" for him (Koran 9:111). A hadith depicts a Muslim asking Muhammad: "Instruct me as to such a deed as equals Jihad (in reward)." Muhammad replied, "I do not find such a deed." (Bukhari 4.52.44) Muhammad himself said: I have been commanded to fight against people so long as they do not declare that there is no god but Allah, and he who professed it was guaranteed the protection of his property and life on my behalf except for the right affairs rest with Allah. (Sahih Muslim 30) Freedom of speech, human rights, democracy, science and human lives are all at stake in the fight against the Islamic Jihad. Presidential Proclamation on National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, 2018 Washington, DC - During National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we acknowledge the danger that cyber threats pose to our economy and public infrastructure, and raise awareness about steps we can take to mitigate and prevent future attacks. As these threats have continued to increase year after year, my Administration remains committed to bolstering our Nations cyber defenses and strengthening our national security. Under my Administration, our Nations cybersecurity is a Government-wide effort. Collaboration among all United States Government departments and agencies, including the Departments of State, Defense, Justice, Commerce, and Homeland Security, have improved Federal network cybersecurity, enhanced coordination with the private sector to protect critical infrastructure, strengthened our ability to detect and deter cyber threats, and expanded efforts to build the worlds best cybersecurity workforce. To advance these efforts, on September 20, 2018, I released the National Cyber Strategy, the first fully articulated cyber strategy for the United States in 15 years. This strategy makes clear that the Federal Government will use all means available to keep our country safe from cyber threats and to protect the American people in the digital domain. While we are making great strides to help protect American businesses and individuals, the Government cannot secure cyberspace alone. The internet touches many aspects of our daily lives. Our ability to prevent and mitigate cyber threats will improve when all citizens adopt better cybersecurity practices to protect their systems and data. Each of us can contribute by requesting more security from the products and services we use; using multi-factor authentication on our digital accounts and devices; leveraging private, protected, and secure networks; limiting how much personal information and location data we share; and taking other actions to secure the applications we use every day. I also encourage every American to learn more about how to protect themselves and their businesses through the Department of Homeland Securitys STOP.THINK.CONNECT. campaign and the Department of Commerces NIST Cybersecurity Framework. This month especially, I encourage all Americans to promote and improve online security. I also call on our industry and Government partners to work together to share information, build greater trust, and lead the national effort to protect and enhance the resilience of the Nations cyber infrastructure. I encourage and applaud industry efforts to produce products and services with full-lifecycle cybersecurity. Through continued cooperation between the public and private sectors, and by practicing personal risk-management, we can strengthen our Nations cyberinfrastructure for ourselves and for future generations of Americans. NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 2018 as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. I call upon the people, companies, and institutions of the United States to recognize the importance of cybersecurity and to observe this month through events, training, and education to further our countrys national security and resilience. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand eighteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-third. DONALD J. TRUMP 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 Comedian David Letterman has endorsed an Indiana Democratic congressional candidate who's running against Vice President Mike Pence's older brother for an open U.S. House seat. Letterman delivered a 10-minute speech in support of Jeannine Lee Lake during a private fundraiser on Thursday at Lake's Muncie home. Lake, who publishes a bimonthly Muncie newspaper, faces Greg Pence in the heavily Republican 6th District. The Star Press reports that Letterman told supporters that after Donald Trump was elected president, Lake said to herself, "I have to do something." The former late-night talk show host said, "To me, ladies and gentlemen, by God if that's not America, I don't know what the heck America is." Letterman is an Indiana native who graduated from Ball State University in 1969. Almost anywhere in the world, you are likely to find people doing the same thing at eateries and in other public places, on trains and buses or wherever else you look. More and more people spend their day looking at laptop computers, smartphones or other personal electronic devices. They are thinking mainly about their electronic devices, and not much else. The same can be said about the world of higher education. More and more college students have no problem walking into a classroom and immediately opening their laptops. Others may spend an entire study period with a smartphone in hand. Some people argue that the increasing use of technology can have many helpful effects on society. But recent research suggests that using technology during class time may harm college students ability to remember and process the subject material they are learning. Arnold Glass is a professor in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Glass and a student researcher investigated the issue of divided student attention. They reported their findings in July 2018 in the publication Educational Psychology. The study involved 118 Rutgers students who were taking the same upper level college class in psychology. The students were permitted to use any electronic device as much as they wanted during half of their daily class periods. During the other half, researchers closely watched them to make sure no one was using any technology. The students academic performance was measured in several ways throughout the semester. The students took a short test every day, longer tests every few weeks and a final exam covering all the class material. The researchers found that the average daily quiz results showed no evidence of harmful effects from the use of technology. However, the average results of the larger tests and final exam told a different story. They showed that all the students performed poorly on questions covering material taught on days when they were permitted to use technology in the classroom. It did not matter whether or not the students reported that they had actually used a laptop or cellphone on those days. This is by no means the first or largest study to look at this issue. Still, Glass argues that it shows the use of electronic devices in the classroom prevents students from processing information. The students hear what the professor is saying. But they might be buying things online or reading unrelated emails at the same time, for example. So they are not thinking deeply about the subject matter as they are hearing it. And that, Glass says, makes it harder for the information to enter their long term memory. Even though a few minutes later they know what the professor said, a week later if you ask them, all they remember is that they were in class a week ago, he told VOA. They no longer remember what the professor said because they eliminated the opportunity. University of Michigan professor Kentaro Toyama says he has seen this problem progressing for years now. Toyama teaches classes on information technology at the universitys School of Information. So it was no surprise to him when many students started bringing laptops to his classes about 10 years ago. At first, Toyama thought it was a good idea as it could help students in their note keeping, or could quickly provide information during class discussions. But then he started noticing troubling behavior. Students would be looking at their laptop and they would suddenly smile, and it wasnt because there was anything funny happening in the class, Toyama noted. What I realized very quickly was these students were on social media and thats what they were smiling about. And over time, as this increased, I just felt like I no longer had the attention of my students. At that point, Toyama decided to bar students from bringing laptops to his classes. Yet it was not a total ban. His classes often include activities that involve working with technology. So he says he only bans laptops during the lecture part of his classes, where he needs students full attention. Toyama says the ban is partial because he feels that technology can intensify both good and bad qualities in anyone. He notes that professors can make classes more interesting by using technology to present information in different ways. And there are many students who can listen, process information and investigate something online to add to discussions all at the same time. But even if technology is helpful to some students, there are times when it needs to be turned off, as it may harm others, he notes. In 2013, researchers at two Canadian universities reported that laptops not only harmed the academic performance of users. Students without computers were also distracted and, as a result, suffered academically. However, Lauren Margulieux argues that even Toyamas relatively balanced way of dealing with technology represents a limited understanding of the issue. Margulieux is an assistant professor of learning sciences at Georgia State University in Atlanta. She says there are times in which classroom use of technology is completely unavoidable, as with students with disabilities. And in the current job market, students need to be able to develop the skills that will make their divided attention not only possible but successful. For example, at many modern business meetings, people might be talking, listening and operating a device all at the same time. So, Margulieux says, educators need to think about preparing their students to enter this quickly changing workforce. And in doing so, they may have to consider that something other than technology is distracting students. Traditional methods of teaching, such as a professor standing and talking in front of a class for an hour, may not be as interesting to todays college students. In fact, the University of Michigans Center for Research on Teaching and Learning has created a special software program, called Lecture Tools. Students can use the program on their personal devices during a given class. It lets them inform the professor of how well they are understanding the course material. Designing instruction in a way that gets students to engage with that material more would be a better solution than to ban laptops, because technology, in general, is not the only way that students find to distract themselves in class, said Margulieux. She and Toyama agree that one other way of solving the problem may be technology itself. Special software already exists for online teaching and testing programs. It can be used to observe student activity on a given electronic device and prevent them from opening unrelated pages and programs. At the start of this school year, Purdue University in Indiana announced it would be using similar software in several of its lecture halls. This aims to prevent students from distracting themselves by blocking video services like Netflix. Im Pete Musto. And Im Lucija Millonig. Pete Musto reported this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. How do you colleges and universities in your country deal with the distracting effect of technology in the classroom? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Quiz - Does Using Technology in the Classroom Help or Harm College Students? Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story academic adj. of or relating to schools and education semester n. one of two usually 18-week periods that make up an academic year at a school or college matter v. to be important online adj. done over the Internet eliminate(d) v. to remove something that is not wanted or needed opportunity n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done smile v. to make the corners of your mouth turn up in an expression that shows happiness, amusement, pleasure or affection realize(d) v. to understand or become aware of something lecture n. a talk or speech given to a group of people to teach them about a particular subject distracted adj. unable to think about or pay attention to something engage with p.v. to become involved with someone or something Two small Japanese robots landed on a distant asteroid last weekend. The robots took small jumps, making it the first time that any device from our planet has moved on the surface of an asteroid. The two machines, called rovers, landed on the asteroid Ryugu on September 21. The Japan Space Exploration Agency says they were lowered to the surface by an unmanned spacecraft called the Hayabusa2. Asteroids are small, rocky objects orbiting around the Sun. They sometimes have been described as minor planets. The Japanese spacecraft first arrived at Ryugu last June. It flew as close as 55 meters to the asteroid before it released the rovers. Hayabusa2 then rose back up to a waiting position about 20 kilometers above the surface. The next day, Japans space agency, known as JAXA, released some pictures the rovers had sent back from the landing area. One shows the dark stone of Ryugu, with a bright line of sunlight lighting up the asteroids surface. I cannot find words to express how happy I am, said JAXA project manager Yuichi Tsuda in a statement after the robots arrived. The rovers are named MINERVA-II 1a and 1b. They are about the size of a can used to hold cookies. Their movements are powered by solar energy from the sun. The low gravity levels on the asteroid make rolling difficult, so the rovers move by taking jumps, up to 15 meters at a time. They will continue moving across the surface, taking pictures and collecting information about temperature. The Japanese space agency says they will keep jumping as long as their solar equipment and power last. A larger rover and lander will be released onto the surface from Hayabusa2 in the coming months. Why Asteroids? You may be wondering why send a spacecraft millions of kilometers away to land on an ancient piece of rock traveling through space? Scientists believe that asteroids may provide information about the earliest days of our solar system, dating back some 4 billion years. Ryugu orbits the Sun between Earth and Mars, and is a C-type asteroidthe most common type of asteroid in our solar system. Scientists believe some asteroids may contain organic matter and water. Ryugu may give researchers a window to see all the way back to the beginning of life itself. JAXA hopes to find out just what Ryugu is made up of by collecting material from the asteroids surface and bringing them home to be studied. Hyabusa2 is set to try three brief landings on Ryugu to collect rock samples. The first attempt is expected to be in October. Later this week, the spacecraft is set to release another lander onto the asteroid. The device is a project of the German and French space agencies. Known as MASCOT, it will be carrying four observation devices. The spacecraft will release a larger rover, called Minerva-II-2, in 2019. Hyabusa2 will stay at Ryugu until late next year. Then it will fly back to Earth with the asteroid samples. JAXA expects the spacecraft to return home by 2020. Scientists will study the samples to understand more about how planets were formed around the Sun in the early days of our solar system. In time, these samples will be compared to ones the American space agency NASA hopes to get from the asteroid Bennu. NASAs spacecraft was launched two years ago. It is expected to reach Bennu in early December. NASAs spacecraft will then take samples from the asteroid in 2020, and three years later they will return to Earth for scientists to study. Im Anne Ball. Anne Ball wrote this story for VOA Learning English with information from The Associated Press. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. ______________________________________________________________ Quiz - Japan Deploys Jumping Robots on Distant Asteroid Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story asteroid n. any one of thousands of small planets that circle around the sun cookie n. a sweet baked food that is usually small, flat, and round and is made from flour and sugar organic adj. of, relating to, or obtained from living things sample n. a small amount of something that gives you information about the thing it was taken from At sundown in Nigeria, children are playing a game called egalagala. The children play near their home. As they play, their mother looks sad. Their two older brothers, Abuna and Dunoma, are missing. They were arrested in 2013 by Nigerian soldiers. The woman asked to be called Bintu because she fears being harmed by Nigerian security agents. She told VOA, "One night, soldiers came around 3 a.m., hitting our door and asking, Where are the boys? Where are the boys? Bring out your sons." Bintu says soldiers had gone throughout the neighborhood that night, arresting teenage boys. She and the other mothers whose sons were taken followed the soldiers vehicle. "They took them (the boys) to a place and they told the children to lie face down in the ground and they were beating them," she said. Abuna and Dunoma were high school students when they were arrested. Bintus story is not unusual. Forced disappearances Amnesty International has documented thousands of cases of what it calls forced disappearances. That is the term it uses for people held in secret detention centers without facing charges or being put on trial. The Nigerian military has repeatedly denied cases of forced disappearance. It began trials last year of more than 2,300 suspected Boko Haram militants. But those trials have been kept in secret. Recently, Human Rights Watch raised concern about the fairness of the trials. Hamsatu Allamin, a local activist, decided to find a way to give a voice to the women who have been separated from their sons and husbands. She decided to create a kind of network or organization; one for wives, and the other for mothers. More than 1,300 people are now active with Allamins group. Most live in camps for people displaced within the country. Allamins goal is to get Nigerian officials to tell these women where their loved ones are, so she has equipped them with tools to speak out. Descriptions of loss Last year, Allamin helped the women release a campaign video that was shared on social media. In the video, some of the women explain how their husbands or sons were arrested. Earlier this year, the women wrote an open letter to Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. They asked for him to help with the cases of 1,269 detained loved ones. But Justice Wakil Alkali Gana said the detainees may not be as innocent as the women say they are. He told VOA, "People will always say thattheyre innocent, that theyre rights are being abusedWhen you go through it, youll see. They have reasons to be brought here. The judge works at the High Court in Maiduguri where hundreds of Boko Haram-related cased have been tried. A reunion One day, something surprising happened at one of the largest camps in the Maiduguri area. A young man in his early 20s walked up to a woman sitting in the entrance to a shelter. As soon as she saw him, she recognized he was her son. The man told her that he had been released from a nearby military camp. Years ago, he and his father were arrested because Nigerian officials thought they were Boko Haram members. The young man said he was released, but his father is still in detention. The woman who wants to be called Bintu still has important documents belonging to her sons Abuna and Dunoma. There are birth records, old homework and report cards from school and health records. A few years ago, someone told her that her boys were dead. But with these documents, she will keep them alive, waiting for the government to tell her where they are. Im Jonathan Evans. Chika Oduah wrote this story for VOANews.com. Phil Dierking adapted his 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 a.m. abbreviation for the Latin term ante meridiem, which means before 12 noon. network n. a group of people Researchers are noting changes in American public opinion on the issue of woman in politics. A new study by the Pew Research Center tries to explore how Americans truly feel about the subject. A new level of energy Two years have passed since former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton became the first woman to win the presidential nomination of a major party in the United States. In 2018, a record number of American women are seeking elected office. Also this year, more women than ever before have won major party primary elections for state governor, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. The Associated Press reports that most of these female candidates support the policies of the Democratic Party. Some say they decided to enter politics because of President Donald Trumps election and the Republican Partys control of Congress. Others were influenced by the #MeToo movement and protest marches organized by and for women. We are seeing a level of enthusiasm among women voters that we havent seen in a long time, said Laura Kelly, a Democrat. She is seeking to become governor in the state of Kansas. Easier for men than women Currently, women hold just about a fifth of the 535 seats in the U.S. Congress. And six of the nations governors are women. Yet more than half of the U.S. population is female. In a new study, the Pew Research Center found that a large majority of women (69 percent) are likely to say that too few women are politicians. Forty-eight percent of men agree. The study noted that nearly two-thirds of Americans think it is easier for a man to get elected than a woman. One in four think that men and women have an equal chance, while only five percent think it is easier for women. The Pew researchers also found that 61 percent of Americans think women who run for office have to do more to prove themselves than men. Seventy-two percent of women felt that way, compared to 48 percent of men. Some Americans believe the country is not ready to elect women to higher office. Pew researchers said 57 percent of the women they questioned agreed with that statement, compared to 32 percent of men. Political and gender differences When Pew asked if gender discrimination was a reason for fewer women in politics, it found that younger women were more likely than older women to answer yes. Sixty-eight percent of women under age 50 said yes, while 50 percent of those over age 50 agreed. Among men, there was little difference between younger and older men. More than six in 10 Americans said women are better than men at showing concern. Forty-two percent said women are better at working out compromises, while 41 percent said women make better examples for children. The Pew Research Center also found that Americans think men are more likely to have success in politics because they are more willing to take risks. The study found that being decisive, forceful and ambitious helps men, while women are seen as more approachable, better-looking and caring. But most Americans did see benefits to having women in leadership positions. A majority said that having women in top positions in business and government would improve the quality of life at least somewhat for all Americans. Im Phil Dierking Matt Hilburn wrote this story for VOANews.com. Phil Dierking adapted his 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 ambitious - adj. having a desire to be successful, powerful, or famous approachable - adj. easy to talk to or deal with assertive - adj. confident in behavior or style benefit - n. a good or helpful result or effect enthusiasm - n. a strong feeling of active interest in something that you like or enjoy gender - n. the state of being male or female Newsletter Subscribe now to get updates from armenian media & videos... Hardin County, TX - Hardin County deputies have arrested three men following a dog fighting investigation. Three arrests have been made after a several weeks long investigation 22-year-old Jacoby Bass from Silsbee, 41-year-old Abdul Ramon Bluitt from Beaumont and 20-year-old Henry Barnes iii from Kountze were all arrested in connection. Over the weekend the Hardin County Sheriff's Office has been gathering evidence and eye witness accounts of criminal activity related to animal cruelty and dog fighting. Warrants have been issued for three additional suspects. This is the first round of arrests and officials anticipate more arrests over the next week. On September 2, 2018, the Hardin County sheriff's office launched an investigation into a reported dog fighting ring in Hardin County. Over the course of several weeks, our agency has been gathering evidence and eye witness accounts of criminal activity related to animal cruelty and dog fighting. This morning deputies began arresting individuals involved in this crime. Three people have been arrested and warrants have been issued for three additional suspects bringing the total to six suspects so far. This is only the first round of arrests and we anticipate more arrests to follow over the next week or so. Be sure to stay with KFDM/FOX4 for updates. From Hardin County Sheriff's Office On September 2, 2018, the Hardin County Sheriffs Office launched an investigation into a reported dog fighting ring in Hardin County. Over the course of several weeks, our agency has been gathering evidence and eye witness accounts of criminal activity related to animal cruelty and dog fighting. This morning, deputies began arresting individuals involved in this crime. Three persons have been arrested and warrants have been issued for three additional suspects, bringing the total to six suspects so far. This is only the first round of arrests and we anticipate more arrests to follow over the next week or so. Those arrested today are: 1) JACOBY BASS 22 YEARS OLD FROM SILSBEE 2) ABDUL RAMON BLUITT 41 YEARS OLD FROM BEAUMONT 3) HENRY BARNES III 20 YEARS OLD FROM KOUNTZE Bentonville, AR - The son of a Republican Arkansas congressman, Steve Womack, has been arrested on multiple gun and drugs charges, according to reports. Citing jail records, FOX16 reported that James P. Womack, 31, faces charges including possession of methamphetamine or cocaine with intent to deliver, possession of firearms by certain persons and simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms. According to the records, a tip off led police to WoodSpring Suites, where James Womack was hiding out in a red truck with a camper shell on it. "Womack was a parolee who was showing to be an absconder with warrants for his arrest," the affidavit states. He is being held without bond. According to 40/29 TV, Womack initially gave a false name when confronted by police. Officers found a gun, methamphetamine, and marijuana smoking paraphernalia in the pickup. Representative Steve Womack, who represents northwest Arkansas 3rd congressional district, released a statement following his sons arrest. "Like so many families across this nation, our family has been dealing with a loved one's addiction. The most recent arrest of our son adds to that pain. We love him unconditionally; however, as an adult, he is accountable for the choices's he's made," he wrote. "We honor and respect the criminal justice system that will decide his fate. I truly regret that he has put himself and his family in this difficult situation. Nothing is more devastating than to see a loved one struggle with addiction. It is the hardest thing I've ever faced, and I know we are not alone. Addiction is eating away at the soul of our country. This is a very difficult time for our family we ask simply for your prayers, wrote Representative Womack. The Arkansas Times reported that in 2010 James Womack reached a plea bargain agreement in a methamphetamine case, with critics alleging special treatment when he was released 105 days into a 10 year sentence after spending time in a boot camp. According to the NorthwestArkansas Democrat Gazette, he was arrested for parole violation in 2011 and 2012. NOTICE: TO BE CLEAR: WE HAVE OUTLINED UNDER OUR RECORD MAINTENANCE POLICY WHAT WE BELIEVE TO BE A FAIR PROCESS FOR ALL. SIMPLY PUT: IF THE COURT SAW FIT TO EXPUNGE YOUR RECORD,SO WILL WE, FREE OF CHARGE. ARRESTS DO NOT IMPLY GUILT AND CRIMINAL CHARGES ARE MERELY ACCUSATIONS,EVERYONE IS PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY IN A COURT OF LAW AND CONVICTED. FCRA DISCLAIMER: MUGSHOTS.COM DOES NOT PROVIDE CONSUMER REPORTS AND IS NOT A CONSUMER REPORTING AGENCY. 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WE BELIEVE IN THE CONSTITUTION AND OUR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT TO PUBLISH UNPOPULAR SPEECH. OPEN RECORD LAWS WERE WRITTEN TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC; BY INFORMING THE PUBLIC OF ARRESTS AND TO HOLD LAW ENFORCEMENT ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE HUMANE TREATMENT OF ARRESTEES. MOST OF, IF NOT ALL MUGSHOT LAWS WERE CRAFTED TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC FROM FEES FOR REMOVAL OF ONLINE MUGSHOTS AND TO FURTHER PROTECT THE PRESS FROM THOSE VERY SAME "MUGSHOT LAWS".WE DO NOT ACCEPT PAYMENT FOR REMOVAL OF ARREST INFORMATION AND/OR BOOKING PHOTOGRAPHS. MORE... Bergen County, NJ - Raphael Ramos, 47, of Midland Park, was arrested Saturday in connection with the hit-and-run Monday that killed a 54-year-old Hawthorne man, according to the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office. Ramos, who works as a United States Postal Service mailman, was charged with one count of leaving the scene of a fatal motor vehicle collision, according to the prosecutor's office. Edward Rao was hit in Ridgewood at about 7:20 p.m. Monday near Haruo Noro Salon and across the street from Puzo's Family Restaurant, according to authorities. Rao was rushed to St. Josephs Regional Medical Center, but did not survive his injuries. After reviewing evidence at the accident scene and surveillance video from nearby businesses, police determined Rao was hit by a dark 2002-2009 Chevrolet Trailblazer, four-door SUV. The police and prosecutor's office released two surveillance videos seeking the public's help to locate the vehicle and driver. "Thanks to all on #socialmedia for #assistance re: the #hitandrun fatality on Monday. An #arrest was made today," the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office tweeted Saturday evening. Ramos was being held at the Bergen County Jail awaiting his court appearance on Monday. The arrest was made through a joint investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutors Office and the Ridgewood Police Department. Village Councilman Jeff Voigt noted earlier this week that Rao was the third pedestrian struck in the same stretch of roadway in as many weeks. Following the fatal hit-and-run, Ridgewood officials repeated calls for Bergen County to address the "dangerous" corridor. They called for the county to upgrade traffic signals along the county road. The quarter-mile stretch has four timed traffic lights that were installed in the 1960s, said Voigt. Three people have been hit on that road, said Voigt. It doesnt take a rocket scientist to realize something needs to happen. The hit-and-run was also part of a perilous few weeks for pedestrians in North Jersey that saw several collisions and fatalities. On Sept. 17, Giovanni Rivera was killed in a Garfield hit-and-run, and the following day, Hitendkakumar Bhatt was crossing the street on Broadway in Elmwood Park when he was fatally struck by a car. On Sept. 21, Robert Armbruster suffered serious head injuries when he was hit by a PSE&G truck in Bergenfield, and he died two days later. A pedestrian was struck and killed in Clifton on Sept. 22, and a second person in Clifton was killed in a car accident early on Sept. 23. Two people in Dumont were hit by a car while crossing the train tracks Sept. 22. Also, a Paterson woman suffered serious injuries after being hit Tuesday. A worrying number of skilled South African teachers are leaving the country for careers in Abu Dhabi, according to a report in the Sunday Times. A study conducted by University of KwaZulu-Natal masters student Tatum Niemack found that local teachers were leaving due to financial, social, religious, and political reasons. Many local teachers are lured away by the higher salaries in the United Arab Emirates, the report stated. Teachers in Abu Dhabi can reportedly earn between R50,000 and R78,000 per month, five-times more than they can earn in South Africa. South African Council of Educators (Sace) spokesperson Thembinkosi Ndhlovu said the trend was worrying for local skills development. Brain drain This has implications for the brain drain and is leaving the country in short supply of valuable experience and good teachers, Ndhlovu said. Teachers, especially experienced ones, leaving the profession is not good for the country as invested knowledge and skills are needed. Cape Town teacher-placement agency SA-Recruitment stated that close to 80 teachers had been recruited through the agency for Abu Dhabi posts in the past two years. Benefits of Abu Dhabi Local teachers who are recruited to positions in Abu Dhabi are offered top-notch salaries in addition to a number of benefits. Teachers are given housing, medical insurance, and flight allowances for them and their family. Additionally, a months salary is offered as a bonus for every year they work there and is paid out at the end of their contract. SA-Recruitment stated that most teachers who apply for placement through the agency request to work in Abu Dhabi specifically, with a major reason being the much higher tax-free salaries. The National Professional Teachers Organisation of SA (Naptosa) executive director Basil Manuel told the Sunday Times that local teachers can easily find employment abroad. We dont believe the government sees this as a problem, Manuel said. There have been no attempts in any province to address the exit. No coherent strategy exists. A recent assessment by the International Schools Database found that South Africa still offers some of the most affordable international education facilities in the world. Abu Dhabis average price of education is still relatively affordable compared to other international facilities, but is more expensive than equivalent facilities in Cape Town. Earlier this year, the department of education also announced that it plans to implement a new history curriculum in South African schools which may become compulsory. The new history curriculum will be centered around the history of African civilisations and could be phased in over the next seven years. More than 1,200 participants, volunteers, and members of the community came together for a family-friendly morning of celebration, exercise, education, awareness, music, food, and family fun as the ALS Association Golden West Chapter hosted the 14th annual Napa Valley Ride to Defeat ALS (NapaValleyRide.org) on Sept. 22 at the California Veterans Home in Yountville. This annual fall event generates an outpouring of support for those affected by the disease in California. Together, the community raised more than $900,000 towards a $1,000,000 goal to fund the mission priorities of the Golden West Chapter in care services, public policy, and research. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrigs Disease, is a fatal, neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. People with ALS lose their ability to move, speak, swallow and eventually the ability to breathe, while all five senses continue to function normally. ALS can strike anyone, at any time. It knows no racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic boundaries, though military veterans are at twice the risk of the general population. The average life expectancy of a person with ALS is two to five years from diagnosis. At this time, there is no known cure. Among the participants at Saturdays event was Rev. Dr. Deana Reed, of Napa, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2014. Our lives turned on its axis as my spouse Jan and I heard the words Deana, you have ALS, she said. The news was a shock to say the least. Our days were at first filled with fear, questions, and tears as we moved toward the opening of a new chapter for us. In the four years that have followed, we have been grateful for the slow progression of the disease and the outpouring of support from all around our ever widening circle of friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances here in our beautiful Napa Valley. Their presence reminds me of the hope that surrounds life. The team of multidisciplinary ALS care professionals that we are working with are an amazing group of caring humans, filling us with hope and helping us know that we are not alone and will not be alone. The support that we received through the efforts of The ALS Association Golden West Chapter, and their mission to find effective treatments and cures for ALS, has also been very important to us. My life as the minister of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Napa ended two years ago, as ALS has targeted my voice and affected the quality of my speech. It is such a strange thing for me, as a pastor, to be losing the instrument that is so crucial in communicating Gods grace and love while leading a congregation. Today, I am finding new ways to do and be, and am always interested in how we speak beyond our voice, which we so often take for granted. Oh, how I miss singing though. For more information about ALS and how you can help, visit www.alsagoldenwest.org or email us at info@alsagoldenwest.org. 19472018 Conrad Edmundo Villanueva passed peacefully at home with his family on September 24, 2018. Conrad was born on October 1, 1947 in Berkeley, California to Antonio & Esperanza Villanueva. Raised in Richmond, California with his 7 brothers & sisters, young Conrad wore his spurs and two holstered revolvers every day. After graduating from Richmond High School in 1966, Conrad served in the United States Army from 1967-1969, 2nd Battalion, 20th Artillary, 1st Calvary. He was Honorably Discharged with a National Defense Services Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, 2 Overseas Bars, and Qualified as an Expert with M-16 rifle. Upon returning from Vietnam, he moved to the rural Napa Valley, buying the home where he lived out his days with his family. He was proudly self-employed, owning his own insurance agency with Farmers Insurance for 41 years. Conrad was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Lillian, and his brothers, Ricardo, Eduardo, Vincente, and Sergio Ernie. He will be deeply missed by his wife of 40 years, Monica, his 4 children; son, Frank Gomez and wife Tina, son, Jimmie Collins, son, Conrad Jr., and daughter, Andrea Reyes and husband Gabriel; his beloved 11 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren, and his sisters Frances and Toni. Conrad and Monica both went to Richmond High where she recalls being too shy to talk to the popular Conrad. Though, when they met again in January 1977, he recognized her immediately. On February 25, 2018 they celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary at a resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Conrad laid by the pool and dined on the beach surrounded by family. Conrads favorite hobbies were restoring classic cars and spoiling his family. On weekends, he and Monica could often be found at their cabin in Shingletown spending time with friends, fishing, and watching old movies. Conrad was an excellent chess player and could fix anything with duct tape. Services for our Conrad will be held on October 3, 2018 in St. Helena, California. A viewing will be held at 10:00 a.m. at Morrison Funeral Chapel-Magnolia Hall, 1299 Pine Street, followed by a graveside service at St. Helena Cemetery, 2461 Spring Street. Southeastern Pennsylvania is Americas breadbasket. Cheese Journeys, an outfit that takes turophiles on boutique tours of the worlds great cheese-making destinations, offers a four-day tour of Philadelphia and Chester County designed to show the cheese lover Pennsylvania cheese from its creation, production, distribution and pairing. Like American history itself, cheese culture here is complex and varied. Day 1 At Philadelphias storied Italian Market, Victoria and I meet Anna Juhl, the Cheese Journeys tour guide, and Tenaya Darlington, aka Madame Fromage, who has written several books on cheese pairing, and blogs about all things cheese. We walk into DiBruno Bros., an Italian grocer whose owner, Emilio Mignucci, tells the cheese tourists how his immigrant grandparents opened up this shop at a time when you might walk several blocks without hearing English. He still retails in the traditional foods of his ancestry, and discusses how, in the days prior to refrigeration, the family business sourced cheeses from as close to market as possible. We sample the shops comte, gouda with nuts (exquisite) a cherry confit and a parmesan reggiano with aged balsamic vinaigrette. Emilio takes us on a walking tour of the Italian Market. At one particularly fragrant doorway, he nudges us to check out an urban chicken coup, which may be one of the last places where you can pick out a live chicken without actually going to a farm. Emilio recalls giving this tour to Anthony Bourdain for his show The Layover in 2012. Emilio is all smiles relating the kindliness of the departed celebrity chef, whose love for food, and the stories behind it, hopefully will continue. My former location scouts eye tells me I have seen this section of 9th Street before. Indeed, Emilio points to the exact spot where a 30-year-old Sylvester Stallone was tossed a fruit during the training montage of the original Rocky. (Emilio was there, he says.) Lunch is a hearty affair at Ralphs, a Philadelphia staple that has been in the same family for five generations. Our family-style meal includes pescatore and veal mozzarella as well as spaghetti and shrimp served in a red sauce. For dessert, so we amble over to Termini Brothers for cannoli. Its a century-old business whose decor boasts artifacts from the early 20th century to link modern eaters to that storied past. Bidding Philly adieu, the tour heads into rural Chester County, where we will lodge at the Grace Winery. The rather appropriately named proprietor, Chris Le Vine, informs us the estate is named in honor of his sister, and theres also a more famous Grace in his family: Chriss mother, Lizanne, was the younger sister of Grace Kelly, who spent time in these parts when not, well, being Grace Kelly. I was educated in California, and thus my predilections when it comes to East Coast wines are a tad provincial. However, Grace makes me sing the praise of Pennsylvania viticulture, as the Pinot Gris is a delight, and it pairs splendidly with the aged feta that has been set out by Sue Miller of nearby Birchrun Hills Farm. In the old Quaker barn, appetizers are what else? more fromage. These include Mayfly, a bloomy-rind Camembert from the nearby Farm at Doe Run, a Tomme Mole from Birchrun Farms, and the Birchrun Blue. For the Dinner With Grace, a paired meal of housemade wines and local ingredients is prepped by Executive Chef Scott Megill. The beet salad has an earthy flavor redolent of the soil itself, and the Dragonfly Red pairs well with the spicy ragu sausage sauce. At some point I hear someone say over dinner, Pennsylvania is like France with bar food. Day 2 In addition to writing about cheese, Tenaya, aka Madame Fromage, is a part-time college lecturer, and guides us through an interactive class on building and photographing a cheese board. For tasting, she recommends taking off the first layer of each cheese to remove the plastic taste, and then instructs us how to taste the cheese by breaking it in half, and setting a small piece on the tongue. Take a deep breath so it melts slowly, she says. This allows for every facet of the cheese to be enjoyed. On storing cheese, she says to remove the block from plastic wrapping and cover it with wax paper; if possible, keep it out of the fridge and in a cool, dark place. We head to Victory Brewing Company. For the Cheese Tour, a pre-chosen flight entails a pils, sour, Belgian, seasonal Summer Love blond ale and American hopped. After a rest and a swim at the winery, its dinnertime in wine cellar. Chef Megills three-course meal commences with mushroom risotto balls with creme fresh topped with grana padano cheese. Next is gazpacho, a cold tomato soup made with fire-roasted heirloom tomatoes and melon. The main is gnocchi with roasted green tomatoes, morel mushrooms and pan-seared scallops. Somehow there is room for dessert, and panna cotta with a raspberry sauce with salt-roasted walnuts on top is the nightcapper. Day 3 Not far from the inn is the Artisan Exchange, where local food entrepreneurs sell their wares. Frank Baldassarre of Golden Valley Coffee shows us around the facility where his company prepares shipments of sustainably grown coffee. Big Agras practices can be extraordinarily destructive to the coffee ranches in South America, he says, but knowing where your coffee comes from ultimately helps the environment. Its a perfect day for an outdoor picnic at Birchrun Hills Farm. Proprietors Ken and Susan Miller, and their grown sons Randy and Jesse, offer a tour of the milking facilitiesthe cows, unprompted, walk into the milking machine, with a multi-pronged instrument resembling bagpipes attaching to their udders to extract the milk. A lovely picnic dinner of pulled pork, coleslaw, potato salad and homemade pies, all prepared by the Millers, is set out on the farm grounds, along with the cheese produced here onsite. Its been a long day in the sun, and the tour group reconvenes for cocktails back at the Grace Inn, where Tenaya guides us through recipes from her book, The New Cocktail Hour, co-written with Andre Darlington. A vodka tonic, old fashioned with rye bourbon and a gin-based cocktail fashioned from Pennsylvanias own Blue Coat gin are downed to complement the nights cheesy nightcap. Day 4: After checking out of the inn, our first stop is Phoenixvilles Artifaqt Gallery, where owner John Luttmann chooses Pennsylvania lumber to transform into homemade cheese boards. And then back to Phillys DiBruno Brothers, where we enjoy a feast of cured meats, stuffed olives and cheeses galore. Victoria and I pick up some olive tapenade and prosciutto, as well as Stilton Colston Bassett to take home. Notions of good will among the cheese pilgrims are exchangedthe staple of any journey where an impromptu family has formed and must necessarily disperse. If theres one thing we learned, its to ask where your product comes fromas well as what is ripe at any given time of the year. For buying locally ensures that what you take home is as close as possible to what is produced by the farmers. To learn more about the Cheese Journeys domestic and international excursions, visit CheeseJourneys.com. At some point I hear someone say over dinner, Pennsylvania is like France with bar food. Azerbaijan says three people injured due to explosives incident Bloomberg: US authorities rejected Intel's proposal to increase chip production in China Stepanakert-Berdzor road is temporarily closed US and Japan begin consultations to solve the problem of overproduction of steel Russia creates unified satellite communication system for UAVs Artsakh NSS: No injured among Artsakh citizens 1,251 new cases of coronavirus infection registered in Armenia per day Celebrities ask Biden to give pardoned turkeys for Thanksgiving to animal rights activists Lavrov, Shoygu discuss situation in Karabakh with French counterparts Armenia PM to send High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs to Russia on business trip Explosion takes place in mosque in Afghanistan, leaving 15 injured Armenia Parliament Deputy Speaker meets with Karabakh Security Council Secretary and parliamentarians Gunshots heard in computer game room in Yerevan RFE/RL Armenian Service: Iranian drivers complain that new Tatev-Aghavni road is narrow for trucks EU, UNDP launch Mayors for Economic Growth Program in Armenia Armenia Deputy PM: We support adoption of documents for further enhancement of defensibility of CIS countries Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin says COVID-19 vaccination does not present spiritual danger Armenia Deputy PM meets with representatives of Asian Development Bank Monument to officers of Russian helicopter downed in 2020 unveiled during ceremony in Armenia's Yeraskh Armenia Kotayk Province's general jurisdiction court has new judge Armenia ruling party MP appointed Ambassador to Spain NEWS.am daily digest: 12.11.21 Armenia Justice Ministry, UNDP to cooperate for constitutional reforms and in anti-corruption field Turkey, Qatar agree to strengthen military cooperation Armenia defense minister, India Ambassador discuss cooperation in defense sector Armenia has new Ambassador to Germany Armenia appellate court releases ex-MP from custody Armenia economy minister meets with Charge dAffaires of Georgia 12-year-old Armenian boy's 4 fingers cut, undergoes 10-hour surgery Armenia Deputy PM opposes Azerbaijani premier, says Karabakh conflict can't be resolved by force Dollar continues going down in Armenia Lithuania ambassador to parliament speaker: Relations with Armenia are priorities of our country Millions of Austrians not vaccinated against COVID-19 may be quarantined Georgian and Turkish border guards conducting joint military exercises in Javakhk Charles Michel thanks Turkey for prohibiting citizens of Iraq, Syria and Yemen from flying to Belarus Myanmar court sentences US journalist to 11 years in jail Armenia official: Azerbaijan continues to torpedo implementation of agreements reached Opposition MP to Armenia minister: Who will perform the duties of the mayor of Goris? Man in photo died from railway accident in Russia, there is suspicion that he was from Armenia's Armavir Province Armenia ex-deputy defense minister: Pashinyan is lying when he says there is no logic of corridor Video showing another act of vandalism of Azerbaijanis in Karabakh disseminated on social networks Armenia, Palestine FMs discuss Armenian heritage in Holy Land Azerbaijan says it is ready to sign with Armenia peace agreement recognizing territorial integrity Armenia official: We are building many roads in Syunik Province Karabakh state minister delivers lecture at Columbia University in New York Ukraine delegation to visit Armenia next week Armenia FM in Paris, meets with French Armenian figures (PHOTOS) Armenia to host Eurasian Intergovernmental Council session 80 new cases of coronavirus reported in Artsakh Erdogan says 'Greece has turned into a U.S. military base' Sweden lifting entry ban for Armenia citizens fully vaccinated against Covid Russia peacekeepers escort more than 8,000 traveling vehicles in Karabakh in 1 year 1,309 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia 11 foreign nationals living illegally in Armenia are found in downtown Yerevan hotels Aram Yacoubian is on Varietys Hollywoods New Leaders of 2021 list Biden, Xi expected to hold virtual summit on November 15 Newspaper: Process of shaking up Armenia law enforcement system to begin Newspaper: Armenia cargo transportation increases FM to UNESCO head: Preventive steps against Azerbaijan destruction of Armenian heritage are simply imperative Armenia Security Council chief: No logic to using Goris-Kapan motorway Armenia Security Council secretary: Political decision is needed if agreement is reached on logic of unblocking roads FM: There are numerous cases of Azerbaijans deliberate destruction of Armenian cultural, religious heritage Armenia PM: Security is our most vulnerable place today Armenian Church Diocese in Russia supports Finnish MP who is charged with offending reps of sexual minorities Women of Artsakh organize meeting with Russian peacekeeping troops' commander US Senate Armed Services Committee to consider 3 key amendments, including cutting off aid to Azerbaijan Armen Sarkissian: I consider any encroachment on Armenia's borders inadmissible and unacceptable Russian analyst says deployment of border and customs checkpoints in Lachin not ruled out UN representatives provide humanitarian aid to immigrants on Polish border U.S. security advisor: Rivalry with China in Pacific need not lead to new Cold War UAE, Bahrain, Israel and US conducting maritime security exercise in Red Sea Opposition 'With Honor' faction MP: Ruling party is implementing Baku's policy in Armenia Armenia finance minister receives experts of Russian Financial Research Institute Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group NEWS.am daily digest: 11.11.21 Opposition 'With Honor' Alliance: We have a few questions for the Armenian premier Dollar drops somewhat in Armenia Deputy Mayor of Armenia's Goris Menua Hovsepyan voluntarily going to penitentiary institution to be arrested EU remains committed to promoting peaceful, prosperous South Caucasus Armenia MFA: Mirzoyan-Bayramov meeting held in Paris with participation of OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs My names Will Capers. For almost nine years, Ive blogged on various topics. I blogged as Blaque Ink first, and as Brotha Wolf second. The latter had a mu... 2 years ago Update 11/1/18: The US Justice Department will reportedly announce charges against two former Goldman Sachs bankers for their alleged involvement in the 1MDB scheme. The 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal remains an ongoing political issue in Malaysia and its early workings are chronicled in the new book, Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood and the World, by Tom Wright and Bradley Hope. Its a true-crime thriller, Wright told Jen Rogers on The Final Round. It reads like fiction. The book focuses on Jho Low, a 27-year-old Malaysian man who persuaded the prime minister of his country to create a sovereign wealth fund. By the end, the U.S. Justice Department alleged, $4.5 billion was misappropriated from the fund. Its an incredible tale, Wright said. There was a sovereign wealth fund in the Middle East called Ipic, and the CEO of that fund set up a lookalike Ipic. Its as if like the CEO of General Electric set up a lookalike General Electric, and then they moved the money into it, and then they just funneled it out to themselves and their associates. A construction worker talks on the phone in front of a 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) billboard at the Tun Razak Exchange development in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, February 3, 2016. REUTERS/Olivia Harris/File Photo Things that he bought with the money According to Wright, then-Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak threatened to sue him and Hope while they were writing the book. Its not a money trail story, Wright said. It involves Playboy playmates, Hollywood stars. These are all the things that he bought with the money. Wright also noted Goldman Sachss involvement in the scandal, as the bank helped raise $600 million for the fund and denied any knowledge of the fraud. He is skeptical of their ignorance. There was dissension inside Goldman at the time, in real time, he said. There were red flags. A police personnel stands guard over Equanimity, the US$250 million luxury yacht that fugitive Malaysian businessman Low Taek Jho allegedly bought with funds embezzled from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) at Port Klangas Boustead Cruise Terminal on August 8, 2018 in SELANGOR, Malaysia. (Photo by Ore Huiying/Getty Images) Some of the red flags he pointed out include the sovereign fund wanting to put $3 billion into a Swiss bank account, particularly at a smaller bank, the fact that the fund executives had no experience, and that they were buying coal-fired power plants. Story continues They were supposed to be helping the Malaysian economy but none of it made any sense, Wright said. Goldman Sachs has not been accused of any wrongdoing, and a bank spokesperson told Bloomberg last month that the bank takes issue with several characterizations in the book. An incredible and crazy story Goldman Sachs (GS) isnt the only American angle in the scandal. Jho Low also worked his way into the lives of several celebrities, including Leonardo DiCaprio and Ludacris. Once Low got his hands on some of the money in the beginning, he really wanted to get in with Hollywood, Wright said. He allegedly paid Paris Hilton to hang out with him, promised DiCaprio $400 million in film financing, and dated supermodel Miranda Kerr. Mr. Jho Low and Ludacris attend Angel Ball 2014 hosted by Gabrielles Angel Foundation at Cipriani Wall Street on October 20, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Gabrielles Angel Foundation) In the book, Wright raises the question: Can you get away with white collar crime today in America? And what will the Justice Department do with Goldman Sachs? Will they be fined billions of dollars? Theres a revolving door [of banks lawyers] at the Department of Justice, Wright said. And there isnt punishment for this kind of white collar crime. As for Low, he remains a fugitive somewhere in China. Razak, the former Malaysian prime minister, was arrested in July. Its an incredible and crazy story, Rogers said. Follow Adriana on Twitter. Follow Yahoo Finance on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, reddit, Flipboard, and LinkedIn. OH SHIT. Y'all this is my fucking nightmare come to life. Reply Thread Link Can't blame anyone for running. It's just such a shame that society is so fucked up that this is people's first thought - the new normal. Edited at 2018-09-30 07:51 am (UTC) Reply Thread Link This is why I don't fuck with Coldplay. Reply Thread Link TBH it's not their fault, this time, I'm always super hyper aware whenever I'm surrounded by a plethora of people. Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah I was there and my ass was running too. Wasnt sure what was happening but a wave of scared, screaming ppl weee coming at me yelling run, so I booked it. Kinda miffed cuz I wanted to see Janet but once we were outside the barriers, we couldnt get back in. Reply Thread Link I'm so glad you're ok!! I have a fear of being trampled in situations like this. Edited at 2018-09-30 08:12 am (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link Thats awful. Im glad youre ok. <3 Reply Parent Thread Link yeah, figured it was like this. The people closest were reacting to a sound, and the rest were reacting to people running, and so on. But do u mean you were too far away from the stage to get a good spot again? Edited at 2018-09-30 09:10 am (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link The event was no re-entry and after things calmed down they werent letting people enter again. Everyone who left because they were scared for their lives was forced to go home and missed the headliners. They handled it the worst way possible, its completely absurd. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Id run too. Glad youre ok. Reply Parent Thread Link So glad you are ok! Reply Parent Thread Link What side and section were you on? I was at Global VIP near the 81st St. entrance and just saw a swarm of people coming at me, I didnt even have time to think, just ran for my life. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I love that song, Janet!!! Reply Thread Link America did this to itself. Reply Thread Link American government. Dont put this on citizens. Reply Parent Thread Link the government is part of America. Just like the citizens who do the shootings, the members of the NRA, the kids who grow up thinking guns are cool, the teenage boys who think they're owed something and can take it by force. Reply Parent Thread Link Citizens are a part of the problem. Reply Parent Thread Link Citizens voted to put these fuckers in power. Or not voted at all. Reply Parent Thread Link I am confused how a (metal?) fence barrier falling over or collapsing or whatever happened to it sounds like multiple gunshots. Reply Thread Link honestly back when I was living in the US before I moved abroad (to a country that actually has strict gun control laws), I used to cower at any sudden super loud noise :/ Reply Parent Thread Link I think the majority of people havent heard the sound of a gunshot so any large bang can be mistaken for a gunshot. Plus crowd panic has a huge impact all it takes is one person saying it before it spreads. Reply Parent Thread Link Some people said that the police were telling them to run because it could have been gunshots. They had no idea what was happening but made things much worse because they had no communication and no idea how to recognize a real threat, instead just spread more panic causing injuries that shouldnt have happened in the first place. Reply Parent Thread Link The same thing happened at a hotel in Vegas after a Mayweather fight. One of the metal detectors fell and all hell broke loose. Only takes one loud bang to make people go crazy, and with how things are in the US I don't blame them. Reply Parent Thread Link Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in Hello! Your entry got to top-25 of the most popular entries in LiveJournal!Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ Reply Thread Link I find Chris Martin's voice really soothing. Sucks that this the new normal - that there is an actual risk of a shooter targeting an event like this, so people are so scared. Reply Thread Link Yup. This year when my friend & I were in that massive crowd for Beyonce at Coachella, she was so paranoid we stood within visual distance of the Emergency Exit. She insisted on it. Its so messed up that we live in a situation where people have to think about that instead of enjoying themselves. Reply Parent Thread Link Similar experience happened to me a couple weeks ago at a hotel convention, something got knocked down, it sounded like gunshots; And everyone just stopped, like 50 people. conversations died, everyone dropped what you were doing/buying/selling, it was immediately silent trying to figure out Was That Gunshots and Are We About To Start Running It was absolutely unnerving Reply Thread Link Jfc. Im so sorry you experienced that. It truly is terrifying and the fact that everyone reacts the same is just sad. Stop and wait to listen for if it continues as your bodys adrenaline kicks in for flight or fight. Reply Parent Thread Link something happened like this in high school. we were having some kind of impromptu drill and had to line up next to the door. someone started trying to get in the door and when it wouldnt open they started banging on it. I was right next to the door so I freaked out and instinctively started moving towards the back of the room. turned out it was just one of the students who had went to the bathroom before the drill started. everyone started giggling when we realized so I felt like such an idiot drama queen. In middle school some idiot brought his gun to school to show off to his friends in class and got suspended. I remember our English teacher being super offended that it would happen in her classroom and having a talk with us about it in class the next day. idek how Id manage to drag myself to school everyday if I was in hs now. Its ridic. Reply Parent Thread Link This is so sad and terrifying. I was on the opposite side of a subway track once watching people on the other platform start to yell and scream. No one knew why but I left my platform. Its the natural reaction. Im glad no one was seriously seriously injured but tbh I dont even blame the cops for telling them to run. They have no idea whats going on till they get in to assess. Reply Thread Link So glad no one was seriously hurt. The idea of stampedes scares me as much, if not more, than mass shootings (possibly because I'm not American). Being caught in a large group of panicked people is one of my worst fears. Reply Thread Link mte, after reading about the Hillsborough disaster it's drilled into my head to pre-scout an exit :/ Reply Parent Thread Link Yea getting trampled is a legit fear in situations like this and where a lot of the injuries end up coming from. Edited at 2018-09-30 03:26 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link Jeez Glad everyone are safe and really okay. So sad we have to live with this shit constantly and Im sick of it tbh Reply Thread Link Wouldnt it be magnificent if we had a low-cost way to capture the suns energy and economically store it for later consumption? Actually, we do. Plant material, and its ancient forms like oil, natural gas, and coal all represent just such a scheme. As a bonus, they remove carbon dioxide from the air in the process. Improving Natures Design But researchers have long sought a way to improve upon natures processes. Artificial photosynthesis has great technical promise for utilizing solar power to convert carbon dioxide into fuel. Natural photosynthetic efficiency is very low, but it can result in huge accumulations of useful materials over time. Artificial photosynthesis would speed up the process. In its simplest form, electricity produced from solar power could be used to split water into oxygen and hydrogen gas. Hydrogen could then be stored for later consumption as fuel, or it can be combined with other raw materials to produce chemicals or fuels. Many researchers over the years have claimed breakthroughs with this sort of technology, and the media often treats these claims as game-changing technology. The most recent announcement comes from Cornell University startup Dimensional Energy. In a press release Just add sun: McGovern startup converts CO2 into fuel Cornell announced: Dimensional Energy is pioneering artificial photosynthesis to produce green polymers and chemicals. In industrial uses, we can capture carbon dioxide from commercial entities before it leaks into the atmosphere. We put it into our reactor, add hydrogen and sunlight. All of this goes into our machine and comes out as a useful fuel, said David Erickson, a Cornell Atkinson Center fellow. But here is a sampling of previous researchers making similar claims: In 2009, Professor Dobieslaw Nazimek at the University of Maria Curie-Sklodowska in Poland announcedan artificial photosynthesis process based on the photocatalytic conversion of water and carbon dioxide into methanol. In 2012, a British company called Air Fuel Synthesis made an announcement that they were producing gasoline from thin air. The process combined hydrogen with carbon dioxide to make methanol, and then the methanol was converted into gasoline. It was predicted to be commercialized by 2014. It wasnt, and the companys website is now defunct. In 2015, Audi announced to great fanfare (e.g., here, here, and here) that it had conjured fuel from thin air using just water and carbon dioxide. Perhaps nobody has worked on this concept longer than MITs Daniel Nocera, who summarized the status of the technology in a 2011 paper The Artificial Leaf. Whats the Catch? These approaches are all technically viable. But its also technically viable for me to use this approach to create acetaminophen from thin air. Or just about anything containing the basic ingredients of the atmosphere like carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. I could even devise a process to create DNA from thin air. Related: Total: Oil Could Rise To $100 And Thats Bad News The catch in every one of these schemes comes by way of thermodynamic laws. These laws necessarily require that when converting water or carbon dioxide back into a fuel (like hydrogen), that it requires more energy inputs than you get back out of the fuel. For example, to produce 1 British thermal unit (Btu) of hydrogen via electrolysis may require the input of 1.5 Btus of electricity. It may require additional energy inputs to compress, store, and transport the hydrogen. In short, theres no free lunch. Such a process could be viable with excess solar power that might otherwise be wasted. At times, California has been producing so much excess solar electricity that it is paying neighboring states like Arizona to take it. It might be more economical to instead convert that excess electricity into hydrogen, which could later be converted back into electricity as needed even if that means doing so at a net negative energy balance. The real question with this type of scheme is whether it makes more economic sense to store excess electricity in another form, such as batteries or pumped hydropower. For now, take these breakthrough announcements with a grain of salt. Technically viable doesnt necessarily equate to economically viable, and it isnt clear which, if any, of these approaches will achieve lasting success. By Robert Rapier More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: U.S. shale production is at record highs and the momentum is still not over. A lot has been said about the energy self-sufficiency implications of this trend, but theres something that has not garnered a lot of attention: U.S. shale is light crude, great for making gasoline and other light fuels, but not so great for products such as middle distillates. Why this is important? Because gasoline demand is stagnating while demand for middle distillates is set for a serious boost ahead of the new IMO regulations on maritime vessel emissions. In a recent article for Forbes, Wood Mackenzies VP for Chemicals and Oil Markets, Alan Gelder, warned that U.S. refiners may very soon find themselves struggling with excess production of gasoline that exceeds demand for the fuel. At the same time, to make matters worse, the production slump in Venezuela is reducing the availability of heavy crude needed for middle distillates, not to mention that not all U.S. refiners have upgraded their facilities to produce more low-sulfur bunkering fuel products. The problem concerns Asia as well, Gelder notes. Most refineries there need heavy sour crude to function, and there could be a shortage of this particular type of crude on the horizon because of the situation in Venezuela. If you are wondering if this shortage may have something to do with Beijings recent decision to extend a US$5-billion lifeline to Caracas, you may have a point. Iran also produces heavy crude besides a light grade and condensate, and this, too, will be cut off from markets, if we are to believe the dominant narrative arguing that Iran will lose more than half of its exports when U.S. sanctions kick in. The good news is that, according to the Wood Mac expert, things will change soon enough and the shortage, if it ever occurs, will be short-lived. Chinese refiners are spending a lot of money on upgrades that will increase their portion of gasoline and reduce the production of other fuels, notably diesel and gas oil. Related: Schlumberger To Buy Russia's Leading Drilling Company That is fine if only gasoline demand grows, but the IMO emissions rules will also spur greater demand for low-sulfur diesel and gas oilpart of the group of fuels that are called middle distillatesas they come in between light fractions such as gasoline, and heavy ones, such as fuel oil. Depending on how strong this spur is, a shortage might occur, although, according to Gelder, the chances of that happening are not that great. Still, it would pay to be prepared. Gelder may be skeptical about the extent of the disruption that IMOs new rules will have, but others see it as one of the greatest shocks that the oil industry has ever experienced. For instance, the head of S&P Global Platts Analytics, Chris Midgley, said at this weeks Asia Pacific Petroleum Conference that the new rules will have an impact worth US$1 trillion on the industry over a period of five years as well as reverberations across many other industries. A senior Equinor executive, the head of the Norwegian companys marketing division, also demonstrated wariness. "To us it seems that the market is not fully prepared for IMO 2020," Tor Martin Anfinnsen told the S&P Global Platts event. "We expect that the IMO [regulation] will increase market volatility, spreads and trade flows for some time. What do all these predictions have to do with U.S. refiners? Well, they chime in with Gelders final words in the Forbes story: The pressure on the refiners is to use their flexibility to shift yields towards diesel/gas oil. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Iraqs ministry of oil has published a very optimistic report on the countrys capability to ramp up production, but internal political issues could lead to a new crisis after this weekend. At the same time that a new Iraqi government is forming, a government that is increasing Iranian influence within Iraq, another election is threatening the countrys stability. On Sunday, Kurdistan is voting for a new KRG parliament, a vote that may result in new power brokers in Erbil. The Kurdish elections are hugely significant for the region, as they not only decide who is going to be put forward as the potential president of Iraq, but also reshape the KRG as an entity and its relations not only with Baghdad, but also with Iran and Turkey. A further destabilization of Iraq would be an outcome that most regional players aim to avoid, with the war in Syria and the imminent Iranian sanctions already causing uncertainty. Oil and gas analysts have been keenly watching OPECs efforts to find a solution for its production and export problems, with the Iranian sanctions looming. Due to this supra-regional development, not a lot of attention has been given to the ongoing clashes within Iraq, a leading member of OPEC. Optimistic statements made by Iraqi oil officials have normally been taken with a grain of salt, but now it seems that the media accepting the narrative without question. While protests in the Basra Province have been well covered, almost no attention has been given to the dramatic shifts going on in Baghdad. After a short period of anti-Iranian political rhetoric and even a highly publicized visit to Saudi Arabia, Muqtada Al Sadr, the leader of the strongest Iraqi Shiite party, seems to have done an about turn politically. This is important because the outcome of the current Iraqi power struggle will have an effect in the coming months on the possible revamp or expansion of the oil production capacity. With this in mind, the Kurdish election become increasingly important. Iraqs oil ministry has said that oil production from its northern Qayara oil field, which until last year was shut-in due to Daesh/IS, is currently ramping up production, aiming to reach a level of 60,000 bpd by the end of 2018. Current production is slated to be around 30,000 bpd. Officials have claimed that this oil is already being exported by Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO). The crude is being marketed at present to Iran or Turkey. According to Iraqi sources, the field, which is located south of the Ninewa province in northern Iraq, still holds 1.52 billion barrels in proven reserves of very heavy oil of around 15-18 API degrees. Since a force majeure, the current operator of the license, Angolas Sonangol, has not been producing. In June 2014, IS/Daesh took the field and held it for two year. Sonangol eventually resumed work at the end of 2017, drilling more wells and increasing production to around 30,000 bpd. Related: Schlumberger To Buy Russia's Leading Drilling Company The failed bid for independence last year is still putting immense pressure on the historical power brokers in Kurdistan. The parliamentary election on Sunday could put an end to the delicate balance of power that has been pivotal to the stability of the country in recent decades, even during Saddam Husseins reign. Analysts still expect the two main Kurdish parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), to control the outcome of these elections. There are, however, some splits within the PUK, which could lead to Masoud Barzanis KDP taking a dominant position in Kurdish politics. Barzani is also likely to have a decisive influence on the formation of the federal government in Baghdad. Barzani has come under pressure from Baghdad, however, as he was leading the call for independence in 2017. Kurdish voters are expected to play a significant role in the elections as Baghdad has taken some territories from the KRG, limiting the regions economic autonomy. Baghdad will be watching Sundays election carefully. Both the KDP and PUK will be aiming for victory, with a view to filling the post of the federal president of Iraq. It is not yet clear what position the KDP or PUK will take in regard to a more hardline pro-Iranian Shia government in Baghdad. Interestingly, the Turkmen minority in the KRG has already stated that it will be joining, via the Iraqi Turkmen Front, the Reform and Reconstruction Coalition, which is supported by Shiite leader Muqtada Al-Sadr. This coalition is made up of the Saeroon bloc supported by the leader of the Sadrist Movement, Muqtada Al-Sadr (54 seats out of 329), and the Victory Alliance led by Al-Abadi (42 seats). Al Sadr changed his political affiliations after a meeting in Beirut with Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah and Iran's Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani. The three are reported to have agreed on a compromise candidate for Iraq's next prime minister. Araba news media indicated that the likely candidate for Iraq's premiership is Adel Abdul Mahdi, the former head of the Ministry of Oil and Ministry of Finance and a one-time vice president of the country. He seems to have been given the support of the Sairoon Alliance of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and the Fatah Alliance of Hadi Al Amiri. The latter is of great concern to international observers and Western-Arab governments. Al Amiri leads Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units currently, which have Iran's backing. If this alliance of convenience is going to appoint the new PM, reaction from the U.S. and Arab countries could be harsh. At present, Washington still favors the current PM, Haider Al Abadi who has come under severe pressure due to allegations of fraud and misconduct. At the same time, Arab countries, especially Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt, will be worried about the Muqtada Al Sadr move to support the Iranian-Hezbollah backed Adel Abdul Mahdi. The direct connections with the Iranian backed militias and the ongoing power struggle between the Arab Alliance and Iran could lead to a possible confrontation. At present, Tehran seems to have the upper-hand in the Shia led country, able to pursue its goal of further integrating the Iranian and Iraqi economy, and building up a Shia power base in the region, linked with Syria and Lebanon. The fact that this new alliance has come after a meeting with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and Iranian hardliner Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Irans special forces unit, Quds Force, is worrying. It seems that Iraqs moderate but supreme religious leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has also given his blessing to the new alliance. The significance of this blessing for relations in the region remains unclear. Some have said that it is an obvious Shia move to block U.S. interest in Iraq, and also to counter possible actions by Washington or the Riyadh-led Arab Alliance against Iran. Related: Is Trump Eyeing A Coup In Venezuela? A deepening cooperation between a possible new Iraqi government and Iranian hard-liners will not only affect the regional constellation but will also have repercussions for Irans position within OPEC. Based on current developments, Iraq will not be blocking any Iranian attempts to circumvent U.S. sanctions or support OPEC-Russian moves to fill supply gaps after the full implementation of sanctions on Iran. Tehran could even set up a framework in which Iraqi volumes would be swapped internally with Iranian exports to Baghdad. This strategy would only become clear if there is a sudden export increase from Iraqi parties in the coming months. At present, Baghdad is able to export around 3.583 million bpd from the south, aiming to reach 4 million bpd the coming months. It is unclear if Iran and Iraq have considered the possible negative reactions of anti-Iranian forces if a closer relationship between the two comes to fruition. The still simmering anti-Iranian feelings in major regions of the Shia provinces in Iraq, combined with a possible re-emergence of Kurdish power, is a real threat to Iraqi oil production. On top of all this, the continuing malpractices and misconduct of Shia militias, corruption in the government, and the overwhelming presence of Iran in Iraq is driving unrest in the Sunni controlled areas again. Sunni extremism has already been shown to have a fertile breeding ground in Iraq, with Al Qaeda and Daesh the most recent examples. Continuing division and religious cronyism will only lead to a re-emergence of violence in the south and instability in the north. Oil production and exports on both sides of this geopolitical chasm could be significantly impacted, especially if U.S. sanctions on Iran spread to include Iraq. By Cyril Widdershoven for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: More than two decades ago Chung To was a young, high-flying Wall Street investment banker with a flat in New York City. He then transferred to Hong Kong, the city of his birth, and worked in senior management at a Swiss bank. But a trip in 2001 to a poor village in central Chinas Henan province has linked Tos life trajectory to some of the countrys most desperate orphans the ones whose parents have died from Aids. He quit his job, set up a charity and has devoted himself to its work and the children ever since. My decision at that time was seen by everybody as weird, he said. People said, if you sympathise with them, you can donate money and go back to your job. But the ordeal of those kids had touched my heart and I felt an urgent need to provide more help for them. Since 2002, his Hong Kong-registered Chi Heng Foundation has sponsored more than 23,000 Chinese Aids orphans to go to school, of whom 5,000 have entered university or college, at a cost of more than 200 million yuan (US$29 million). Additionally, To has tried to build the childrens self-esteem and broaden their horizons by taking them to summer camps and on visits to top universities and big enterprises in mainland metropolises. I get along closely with these kids. We regard each other as family, said To, who is often dubbed a dad to tens of thousands of Aids orphans. Many of the children come from Henan, which was plagued by HIV/Aids in the 1990s after farmers were encouraged by local authorities to sell blood to relieve their poverty. But unhygienic syringes led to a massive regional outbreak of HIV, the virus that causes Aids, and many deaths in the years to come. Compared with 20 years ago when HIV was a taboo topic in mainland China the current attitude of the authorities has more or less completely turned around. A national Aids prevention and treatment programme has been in effect for more than 10 years and Aids patients are entitled to free medication for life. Story continues Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, advocates for education and treatment at home and abroad as both a national and World Health Organisation ambassador for HIV prevention. Even so, To said, there is still discrimination towards people affected by the disease and that is an area where he would like to see improvement. Both the government and domestic media dont think HIV is a sensitive issue now and there are no problems in that regard, he said. However, I dont see progress in the public perception of Aids patients and other people affected by the disease. Patients with HIV have trouble going to school, finding a job and receiving medical treatment, he said. In one case, To said, an orphan sponsored by his foundation was admitted to a mainland Chinese university but was soon urged to quit when the school found out he was HIV-positive. This student wouldnt agree to quit the school and was told to live in a rented room outside the campus, rather than in the dormitory with his peers, To said. Its so unfair. In some cities, Aids patients are banned from using public bathing pools, because venue owners think people can contract the virus through sharing the facilities. I normally deliver 40 to 50 speeches a year at universities across the country, hoping to alleviate peoples ignorance and the prejudice that [leads them to think] people with HIV should be isolated, To said. To was born in Hong Kong in 1967 and moved to San Francisco, California, at the age of 14. He earned a bachelors degree from Columbia University in New York and a masters from Harvard Universitys Asia Centre. After graduating from Harvard, To joined Lehman Brothers and later UBS, which sent him to work as a vice-president in its Hong Kong office in the 1990s. While working at UBS, he travelled a great deal across China on business and was shocked to find that people on the mainland did not know what Aids was. To had been aware of HIV/Aids since growing up in the 1980s in San Francisco, the global centre of the Aids epidemic and one of the cities worst hit by HIV at that time. There were no drugs for the patients, he said. One of my high school teachers died from this disease. In 1998, To registered Chi Heng Foundation with a mission to foster HIV prevention and education. For four years his charitable work was a part-time endeavour. That changed when he visited Henan. To had heard that many people in the province had contracted HIV while selling blood, so he went to see the situation for himself. A visit to a rural family in 2001 was the defining moment in his life, he said, and prompted him to devote himself full-time to the HIV charity the following year. The family had already lost their father who had died from Aids. The youngest child, a boy, was seriously ill with the disease which he had probably contracted from his mother. His older sister was the only member of the family who was healthy. Their mother asked To to save her son. I will never forget the eyes of that boy, he said. He desperately wanted to live. Before that moment, Tos life was comfortable and he was unaware of how different circumstances could be for others who were less fortunate. I thought the world was like that. I did not see peoples ordeals, he said. When you see a situation like that, I believe few people would not be moved and would not want to do something for them. To told the mother that all he could do was help to sponsor her daughters education. Several days later, the boy died. After that trip, To said he saw many more families suffering from similar miseries caused by HIV/Aids and became increasingly aware of his good fortune. He said he realised he could go to the US, study at the best universities and have a good job, not because he was smart or worked diligently, but because he was lucky. Those poor farmers in Henan were also smart and also worked diligently, To said. But they were unlucky, so they had to sell blood and be infected by HIV. Therefore, I have a humble heart to help those unfortunate people. In 2002, he quit his UBS job and his foundation started financing the education of Chinese children with at least one parent who had contracted HIV or died from Aids. Although the number of Aids orphans we have helped account for a small number of the whole [affected] group in China, I feel no guilt because I have tried my best to help as many as I can, he said. To said that in the first few years of his work in China, he often woke in the night to find he had been crying in his dreams after seeing the difficult lives of the Aids orphans during the day. He was on the brink of depression. There was added stress in those years because he was often monitored or even followed by the authorities who were trying to cover up the epidemic. In 2003, following pressure from the international community, China admitted the situation and Premier Wen Jiabao visited Aids patients in hospitals and shook their hands. Since then Tos charity has successfully registered in China and developed a better relationship with the mainland authorities. He has received praise and honours from China and other countries, including, in 2007, the Ramon Magsaysay Award, issued annually by the Philippines, and known as Asias Nobel Peace Prize. During the past two decades, To said, he has been offered chances to return to his previous life in banking, but he has declined because, he said, he thinks chasing happiness is more important than chasing money. I feel most happy when seeing that the kids we sponsored have grown up, gone to university or are getting married, To said. Among the 23,000 orphans his charity has helped, fewer than 10 per cent are carriers of HIV. For the past four years or so, Tos organisation has also been doing some matchmaking for HIV-positive individuals. Its hard for people with HIV to make friends in the society, not to mention to find a partner, he explained. So far 68 couples, with both partners HIV positive, have tied the knot and 72 babies have been born. Thanks to advances in medical technology that prevent mother-to-baby transmission of the virus, every single one of those children is free of the disease. This delightful result is a powerful hit to the stigma against Aids patients, To said. This article I was lucky, they werent: why a Wall Street banker quit his high-flying job to help Chinas Aids orphans first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018. Macedonian voters backed a plan to rename the country aimed at ending a decades-long spat with Greece and unlocking a path to NATO and EU membership, with the West welcoming the result although the referendum was marred by low turnout. With ballots from 93 percent of polling stations counted, 91.3 percent of votes cast Sunday favoured the name changing to North Macedonia, compared to 5.7 percent opposed, according to the electoral commission's official count. However, only a third of the 1.8 million-strong electorate voted. The ballot was closely watched by Greece, which said it "remains committed" to its June agreement with Skopje under which Athens would drop its objections to Macedonia joining the EU and NATO in return for a change of name. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras expressed his support for his Macedonian counterpart in a telephone call in which he hailed the "determination and courage" of Zoran Zaev to "complete the implementation of this agreement", a government source told AFP. The European Union urged all sides to respect the result and NATO head Jens Stoltenberg said on Twitter it was a "historic opportunity", adding: "NATO's door is open." Washington also welcomed the outcome, with the State Department urging lawmakers "to rise above partisan politics and seize this historic opportunity to secure a brighter future for the country as a full participant in Western institutions". The non-binding referendum on renaming Macedonia needs to be ratified in parliament by a two-thirds majority and also given the stamp of approval by the Greek parliament. Zaev and his coalition partners from the ethnic Albanian minority will need at least a dozen MPs from the opposition to back the move. - Lack of enthusiasm - "MPs now have an obligation to make Macedonia a better place for all of us," Zaev told reporters late on Sunday. But the rightwing opposition VMRO-DPMNE party said the low turnout made the referendum "deeply unsuccessful" with party leader Hristijan Mickoski telling reporters the "government lost its legitimacy". However, the party that ruled Macedonia for a decade until 2017 was split during the referendum campaign. Mickoski did not vote, but several MPs took part in the polls, including the party's vice-president Mitko Janchev. Zaev said that if he failed to obtain the required majority in parliament to back the name deal, he would call early elections, two years after the last ones. The vote is an emotional moment for a country that has struggled for recognition of its name since 1991, when the former Yugoslav republic declared independence. At the time, Athens kicked up a major fuss, accusing Skopje of stealing the name of its own northern province, which is also called Macedonia. The dispute dives deep into history with both countries vying to lay claim to Alexander the Great's ancient empire of Macedon, which spanned their territories. Zaev had billed the referendum as a painful but "historic" opportunity to break a 27-year-old stalemate. The June deal, however, was openly opposed by Macedonia's President Gjorge Ivanov, who is allied with the nationalist opposition and had supported calls for a boycott of the referendum. Few Macedonians are enthused about the new name, saying they have been unfairly bullied by Greece. "I am not happy and I do not know anyone who likes this deal," said 55-year old Danica Taneska, who voted "no". But a desire to anchor their future to the West -- and the economic prosperity that it could bring -- has been a driving force behind the "yes" vote in one of Europe's poorest nations. - Greece watching closely - The referendum is not binding, but a "yes" majority gives parliament a political mandate to change the constitution. Europe and the US have campaigned hard for the deal, with many leaders passing through Skopje this month to urge Macedonians to seize the "historic" opportunity. NATO has already issued an invitation -- on hold until the deal passes -- while EU accession talks are scheduled to begin next year. The West is keen to have another foothold in the Western Balkans, a region where Russia, which is opposed to NATO expansion, has historically had influence. At home, those in favour of the deal say a desire for an EU future is helping bind ethnic Macedonians with the Albanian minority, who are broadly pro-West. While Macedonia avoided the full-scale inter-ethnic wars that rippled across the region during the collapse of Yugoslavia, it was roiled by an Albanian insurgency in 2001 that left more than 100 dead. A peace deal was reached later that year granting Albanians more political rights, but tensions have remained. burs-ng/ks/mtp/amz A fraud case had had piled fresh troubles on electric automaker Tesla and Elon Musk as the brash CEO, often praised as visionary, faces increased scrutiny over his volatile behavior Elon Musk has reached a deal over fraud charges that will see him step down as electric automaker Tesla's chairman of the board and pay a $20 million fine but stay on as CEO, US securities regulators said Saturday. The agreement eases pressure on Tesla's embattled CEO, who faced potentially being barred from serving as an officer or board member of a publicly traded company as a result of the charges, which stemmed from a tweet by Musk about taking the company private. "The settlements, which are subject to court approval, will result in comprehensive corporate governance and other reforms at Teslaincluding Musk's removal as chairman of the Tesla boardand the payment by Musk and Tesla of financial penalties" of $20 million each, the Securities and Exchange Commission said in a statement. The SEC had charged Musk with securities fraud, alleging that he misled investors when he tweeted on August 7 that he had "funding secured" to privatize the electric automaker at $420 a share. That caused a brief spike in Tesla's share price, leading so-called short-sellers, who have been betting on the stock crashing for years, to lose millions. The SEC said Musk's statements on Twitter were "false and misleading" and that he had never discussed the plans with company officials or potential funders. Musk said he later decided against the plan. "When companies and corporate insiders make statements, they must act responsibly," SEC Chairman Jay Clayton said. Under the agreementwhich Clayton said was "in the best interests of our markets and our investors, including the shareholders of Tesla"Musk will be ineligible to serve as chairman of the board for a period of three years and will be replaced by an "independent chairman," according to the SEC. The Tesla Model 3 is a mass-market vehicle seen as a key to the electric automaker's future 'Prevent further market disruption' Two "independent directors" will also be appointed by Tesla, and the company will set up a new committee of independent directors and "put in place additional controls and procedures to oversee Musk's communications," the SEC said. The $40 million in financial penalties "will be distributed to harmed investors under a court-approved process." "The total package of remedies and relief announced today are specifically designed to address the misconduct at issue by strengthening Tesla's corporate governance and oversight in order to protect investors," said Stephanie Avakian, the SEC's co-director of enforcement. "The resolution is intended to prevent further market disruption and harm to Tesla's shareholders," SEC co-director of enforcement Steven Peikin said. Tesla's shares plummeted around 14 percent on Friday over concerns about the company's future after the announcement of the fraud charges against Musk, which were a fresh blow to the mercurial Silicon Valley entrepreneur and his company. Musk has baffled investors with emotional and seemingly erratic media appearances, including one where he appeared to smoke marijuana, and a public battle with a rescuer who helped save a group of boys trapped in a cave in Thailand, whom he termed a "pedo guy." Tesla is seeking to ramp up production of its Model 3, the mass-market vehicle seen as a key to the automaker's future. It had struggled to overcome production bottlenecks in recent months for the Model 3, but now faces other logistical issues, according to Musk. Explore further US regulators charge Tesla CEO Elon Musk with fraud 2018 AFP 16 minutes ago Climate talks resume, cautious coal phaseout still on table GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) Negotiators at the this year's U.N. climate talks pored over fresh proposals Saturday for sealing a deal that could credibly be said to advance worldwide efforts to tackle global warming. British officials chairing the talks in Glasgow, Scotland, released new draft agreements after shuttle diplomacy continued past the official Friday evening deadline. Read Article Tesla CEO Elon Musk made false and misleading statements in August tweets about taking the company private for $420 per shareand now the companys worst nightmare has come true: The SEC is suing him and seeking to bar him from holding the position of CEO of a public company. According to the SEC, when Musk made his claims, he knowingly misled the public by tweeting to 22 million followers. And it wasnt just one tweet, either. After he told his followers that he was taking Tesla private for $420 a share, he kept the farce going, saying that investor support is confirmed. Only reason why this is not certain is that its contingent on a shareholder vote. Now, hes being sued by the SEC for fraud, and its leading to the big question: Will he be replaced? Share prices started plunging upon the news, and lost over 12 percent, bringing its $307.52 per share at market close down to $270.10. (Click to enlarge) In early August, Tesla shares jumped on news that Saudi Arabias sovereign wealth fund, the Pension Investment Fund (PIF), had acquired a nearly 5-percent stake in Tesla. Days later, Musk was telling everyone that the Saudis would be helping him take Tesla private. In fact, Musk said he had held a July 31st meeting with the Saudis with no question that a deal with the Saudi sovereign fund could be closed, and that it was just a matter of getting the process moving. Related: Secretive Crypto Miner Opens Its Books Ahead Of IPO The Saudis wouldnt comment on the statement, and by the end of August, Musk was conceding that Tesla would not go private. And then the Saudis threw a $1-billion investment into Lucid, a start-up that could rival Tesla. Elon communicated to the board that after having done this work and considered all factors, he believes the better path is to no longer pursue a transaction for taking Tesla private, the directors said in a rather vague statement afterwards. And they expressed their continued support for Musk. But with a lawsuit now on their handsand from the SEC, no lessthey might not be quite as supportive. Fast-forward to after-hours trading and a loss of nearly 12 percent The lawsuit alleges that Musk statements were "reckless", and says it will seek out undetermined civil penalties against Musk. Neither celebrity status nor a reputation as a technological innovator provide an exception from federal securities laws, said Steven Peikin, co-director of the SECs Enforcement Division. Musks statements that funding was secured and investor support was confirmed were false and misleading because, in reality, Musk had no secured or confirmed commitment from any source to provide any amount of funding, the complaint continues. In addition, he had never even discussed taking Tesla private at a price of $420 per share with the Fund [a reference to the Saudi Arabia Sovereign Wealth Fund which had bought a stake in Tesla]. Related: Tesla Close To Autonomous Driving Breakthrough And it gets worse because the Justice Department is also reportedly looking at criminal charges against Musk, according to the Wall Street Journal. Speaking to the BBC, Stanford Law School professor and former SEC commission Joseph Grundfest said: I think the important issue [for Tesla] will be to fashion a remedy that simultaneously disciplines Mr Musk, but without destroying his value to Teslas shareholders. At most, he could be demoted. At least, he should be assigned a babysitter to monitor his twitter fests (and hes not the only one). "You could imagine, in one extreme, he becomes chief product officer and someone takes over as CEO. Or, he gets what I call a 'Twitter nanny', where he cant communicate without first clearing it with a responsible adult, Grundfest said. The bigger problem for the public is that Tesla is iconic. Its got fans and true believersall of whom will now have to decide whether they love Tesla because of Musk or because of the very cool technology. By Tom Kool for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Safehaven.com: Congressman Beto O'Rourke (D-TX) is giving incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Cruz a run for his money in the Texas Senate contest, but he still faces an uphill battle. CNN's Ed Lavandera reports. As featured on Willie Nelson sings new song, 'Vote 'Em Out,' at Beto O'Rourke rally Country music legend Willie Nelson debuted a new election-themed ditty at a Texas rally for Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke on Saturday night, urging those in attendance to "Vote 'Em Out." China's central bank said Saturday it will maintain its "prudent and neutral" monetary policy while keeping an ample level of liquidity amid a trade war with the United States. The yuan's exchange rate and market expectations remain generally stable, giving the world's second largest economy a stronger ability to counter external shocks, the People's Bank of China said after its third-quarter monetary policy committee meeting, according to the official Xinhua news agency. Amid warnings about China's massive debt mountain, the bank said it will "guide reasonable growth in credit" and continue to deepen financial reform. China has been locked in an intensifying trade conflict with the US, which unleashed a new wave of tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods on Monday, with Beijing targeting $60 billion in American products in response. Premier Li Keqiang acknowledged last week that China is facing "greater difficulties" in maintaining steady growth in the face of the US onslaught, but he voiced confidence in its ability to "overcome obstacles". Analysts say a sharp depreciation of the yuan has helped China weather the tariffs storm by making its exports cheaper. But Chinese officials have rejected accusations that Beijing is manipulating its currency. US President Donald Trump, who has now hit $250 billion in Chinese goods, has threatened to strike at another $267 billion -- essentially hitting all Chinese exports. China would struggle to keep up with tariffs as it imported only $130 billion in American goods last year. It has so far imposed tariffs on $110 billion in products from the United States. Fiji will go to the polls on November 14, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama announced Sunday, for what will be only the second general election since his bloodless coup in 2006. He made the announcement after meeting President Jioji Konrote, within hours of his return from the United Nations General Assembly in New York. "His excellency the president of the Republic of Fiji, on the advice of the Honourable Prime Minister, has dissolved parliament on 30 September 2018," the South Pacific island's government said in a statement. Bainimarama formed the first post-coup democratically elected government after taking 60 percent of the vote in the 2014 general election, and has continued to lead public opinion polls since then. His closest challenger, Social Democratic Liberal Party leader and 1987 coup instigator Sitiveni Rabuka, was charged in June with making a false declaration of assets, income and liabilities under the Political Parties Registration Act. He is due to go on trial in mid-October. Bainimarama seized power in 2006 vowing to stamp out corruption and end racial divisions between indigenous Fijians and ethnic Indians, who are descended from sugar plantation labourers shipped in by the British during the colonial era. His authoritarian regime did bring stability and in the process rewrote the constitution, giving Indian Fijians who make up 40 percent of the 900,000 population equal status with indigenous Fijians. Fiji experienced four coups between 1987 and 2006, three of them influenced by the military. However, chief of staff Colonel Jone Kalouniwai told local news media earlier this year the military had learned from its mistakes and would accept the outcome of the elections. According to the electoral office, a record 634,120 Fijians have enrolled to vote on November 14 and seven political parties have been registered to contest the elections. BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - A Slovak court on Sunday ordered four people jailed until their trial for the murder of investigative reporter Jan Kuciak and his fiancee, a state prosecutor said. The February killings sparked nationwide protests that toppled the government of Robert Fico, who had run Slovakia for all but two of the past 12 years. Three suspects were detained in a house raid on Thursday morning and charged with murder on Friday. The fourth suspect, a woman detained separately on Friday, has been charged with participating in the murder, which may have included helping, planning, ordering or organising the killing, Kuciak family's lawyer Daniel Lipsic told Reuters. Authorities released no further details on the four suspects and it is not yet clear when the trial might take place. Kuciak had, among other things, investigated fraud involving businessmen with Slovak political ties, and the suspected mafia links of Italians with businesses in Slovakia. A prosecutor said this month the February murder was likely a contract killing related to Kuciak's work. His final story, published posthumously, reported on an Italian living in Slovakia with past business links to two Slovaks who later worked in the office of then-prime minister Fico. Both of the Slovaks resigned, but deny connections to the murder. Their Italian former business partner has also denied having connections with the mafia and the murder, but was detained on a European drug trafficking warrant in March and extradited to Italy in May. Weeks of public protests in March eventually forced the departure of the long-serving Fico but his three-party coalition has remained in power under Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini, who comes from the Smer party, which Fico still heads. (Reporting by Tatiana Jancarikova, Editing by Michael Kahn and Adrian Croft) Italy's powerful deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini said Saturday "I do not care" if the European Commission rejects a budget plan that would worsen Rome's already mammoth debt burden. "No one in Brussels can tell me it is not time," the head of the far-right League party told a meeting in the Italian capital. "If Brussels says I cannot do it, I do not care, I will do it anyway," the outspoken leader vowed. Italy's new coalition government has drafted a budget that raises spending, pushes the public deficit target to around 2.4 percent of gross domestic product for the next three years, and probably hikes the public debt above its already excessive level of 131 percent of GDP. The previous government was aiming for a deficit of 0.8 percent of GDP that would help cut debt but possibly hamper economic growth. A warning by EU officials on Friday about Italy's deficit troubled financial markets and pushed up the cost of borrowing for the government. "It is a budget which appears to be beyond the limits of our shared rules," noted Pierre Moscovici, who runs the European Commission's economic and finance portfolio. Italian President Sergio Mattarella warned the government Saturday that the constitution requires a balanced budget and sustainable public debt. Salvini quickly responded, saying that after years of having its budget imposed by European leaders "we have finally changed course and are betting on the future and on growth." The Commission estimates that Italy's economy will grow by just 1.1 percent next year. PRISTINA (Reuters) - Kosovo's president made a rare visit on Saturday to a disputed, mainly ethnic Serb area in the north of the country, angering Belgrade just three weeks after Serbia's president infuriated Pristina by visiting the same area. "Let's work together for a new Kosovo...Kosovo is one, unique, independent and a sovereign country," President Hashim Thaci told Kosovo media at Lake Gazivode, an artificial lake in a mainly ethnic Serb area. Serbia's President Alexander Vucic had visited the lake on Sept. 8. Kosovo's mainly ethnic Albanian security forces generally stay out of the small, mainly ethnic Serbian pocket of territory in the north, which Kosovo and Serbia dispute. Thaci was quoted as saying he had coffee with workers at the lake. Serbia accused Kosovo police of seizing control of the lake and briefly detaining four workers. Kosovo said the police were there to provide security for the visit and nobody was detained. The fate of ethnic Serb villages in northern Kosovo is one of the main issues of disagreement between Serbia and Kosovo, a former province of Serbia which declared independence after Serbian forces were driven out by NATO bombing in a war in 1999. Both sides have said they could agree to swapping Kosovo territory populated by Serbs for Serbian territory populated by Albanians. However, expectations of such a deal dimmed in recent weeks after a meeting between Thaci and Vucic was abruptly cancelled. Vucic toured the disputed area the next day. Marko Djuric, head of Serbia's government office for Kosovo, said Serbia was putting its military as well as police under high alert as a result of Kosovo action in the area. "Due to an Albanian attack against the north of Kosovo and the arrest of some Serbs who have not committed any crime, I ordered the police director to put all special police units in state of the highest readiness," Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said. Story continues Vucic was expected to address the nation later on Saturday. Thaci's unexpected visit to the north came hours before ethnic Albanian nationalists held a planned demonstration in the capital Pristina against the president's willingness to discuss adjusting the border with Serbia. Moving the frontier "is not a correction but a pain and loss for us", Albin Kurti, leader of the opposition Vetevendosje party, told a crowd of thousands at the demonstration. Kosovo cannot be partitioned. We will not negotiate independence. (Reporting by Fatos Bytyci and Ivana Sekularac; Editing by Peter Graff) Syrian rebels on Sunday denied pulling any heavy arms out of a major opposition bastion in the north, as the deadline to implement a demilitarisation deal there draws closer. Regime ally Moscow and rebel backer Ankara agreed earlier in September to create a buffer zone around the opposition stronghold of Idlib that would be free of both jihadists and heavy arms. The deal has so far averted a massive assault on the region by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government, but its implementation is expected to be complex. The National Liberation Front, a pro-Turkey rebel alliance, welcomed the agreement but said Sunday it had not yet moved any heavy arms from the planned zone. "There have been no withdrawals of heavy weapons from any area or any front. This report is denied, completely denied," NLF spokesman Naji Mustafa told AFP. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor had earlier said one faction of the NLF began withdrawing its heavy weapons under the Turkish-Russian agreement. It said Faylaq al-Rahman, whose fighters number between 8,500 and 10,000, were leaving three towns in the planned buffer zone on Sunday "with heavy weapons, including tanks and cannons". The Britain-based monitor uses a vast network of sources including fighters, officials and medical staff. A spokesman for Faylaq al-Rahman also told AFP on Sunday it had not moved any forces or arms. "There have been no changes in the location of weapons or redistribution of fighters, even as we remain committed to the agreement reached in (the Russian resort of) Sochi," said Sayf al-Raad. - Jihadists, rebels split on deal - On September 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to set up a demilitarised zone about 15 to 20 kilometres (nine to 12 miles) wide skirting Idlib. Under the agreement, all factions in the planned buffer area must hand over their heavy weapons by October 10 and radical groups must withdraw by October 15. The deal was welcomed by world powers, aid organisations and the United Nations, which all hoped it would help avoid a bloody military assault on the area. But observers have pointed out its implementation would be tricky for Ankara. Most of the territory where the zone would be established is controlled by either hardline jihadists or by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which is led by former members of Al-Qaeda's Syria branch and widely considered the most powerful force in Idlib. The rest is held by the NLF and other rebels. HTS has yet to announce its position on the agreement, and there have been no signs it was moving out either fighters or heavy weapons. But Al-Qaeda loyalists Hurras al-Deen, which have a presence in the zone, rejected the deal last week. And on Saturday, formerly US-backed rebel group Jaish al-Izza followed suit. "We are against this deal, which eats into liberated (rebel-held) areas and bails out Bashar al-Assad," its head Jamil al-Saleh told AFP. Jaish al-Izza, which is not part of the NLF, clashed with regime forces throughout the night on Saturday and into Sunday in the province of Hama, bordering Idlib. - 'Purge' fighters - Idlib and adjacent rebel territory are home to some three million people, about half of them displaced from other parts of Syria. Seven years of war have forced more than half of Syria's people into exile or left them internally displaced. After losing swathes of territory to rebel fighters, Assad's regime now controls around two-thirds of the country. The areas still outside his control are Idlib in the northwest, and a northeastern chunk held by Kurdish authorities where US and other Western troops are present. On Saturday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said Damascus would keep "fighting this sacred battle until we purge all Syrian territories" of both radical groups and "any illegal foreign presence". The Observatory said Sunday that more than 18,000 people, nearly half of them civilians, had been killed in Russian air strikes since Moscow began its game-changing intervention in Syria exactly three years ago. Russia, however, said its "accurate" strikes had killed 85,000 "terrorists". In Israel, Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said his country was prepared to open its side of a crossing point with Syria following the return in August of UN peacekeepers to the Golan Heights after regime forces drove out rebel groups. burs-ohk/hc/par We are a family. We need to be together, says Zarmina Noori, whose husband is on the other side of the world. (Photo: Damon Dahlen/HuffPost) HALEDON, N.J. Every night at 11 p.m., after her sons have long gone to bed, Zarmina Noori drags a chair away from her kitchen table and into her youngest sons bedroom. She places it next to the twin-sized bed where 14-year-old Ahmad sleeps hooked to the machine that helps him breathe. Then she sits down, holds her iPhone in one hand and a cup of black tea in the other, and waits for the phone to ring. Noori hasnt gotten a full nights sleep in years. Ahmad suffers from spina bifida, a neural birth defect that often results in damage to the spinal cord and nerves. He has hydrocephalus, or extra fluid in and around the brain, and neuromuscular dystrophy, the progressive loss of muscle mass. He cant speak or see properly and requires 24-hour care. A home nurse takes care of Ahmad during the day, but for the past 10 years, Noori has been the one looking over the boy at night. Noori's son Ahmad, 14, has spina bifida and needs 24-hour care. (Photo: Damon Dahlen/HuffPost) Everything would be easier if Nooris husband were there to help. But Mohammad Hamid Ayoubi can only call. He is stuck on the other side of the globe, waiting for the U.S. government to approve his application to join his wife. Each night, as they FaceTime, she tells him how much she needs him and asks him if his application has been approved yet. Each time, his answer is the same: no. Ayoubi worked as an interpreter for the U.S. military in Afghanistan, including in the volatile Kandahar province, but was forced to leave after militants threatened his life. He is seeking to come to the U.S. on a visa, but his application has been pending for two years. President Donald Trumps administration has decimated the U.S. refugee resettlement program, shrinking the number of people admitted and adding vetting requirements that slow down the process. Noori and Ayoubi fear that even though Ayoubi aided the U.S. effort in Afghanistan, he wont be allowed to join them in New Jersey, and they wont ever learn why. We are a family. We need to be together, said Noori, who met Ayoubi when they were both refugees in Turkey. I married to be together, not to be separate. Story continues He worked with American soldiers and for the American people. They know my husband. I dont know why they wont give him a visa, she continued. If Trump was not president, maybe my husband would be here right now. I think Trump is making my husband not come. Fleeing Afghanistan Noori and Ayoubi did not know each other before they both arrived in Turkey from Afghanistan in 2013. Noori and her sons fled Kabul when increased suicide bombings terrorized the Afghan capital. Boom everywhere. At the schools and at the hospitals and the mosques, she said, describing the atmosphere. Every day I am nervous, [thinking about] what time [my sons] are leaving and what time they are coming back. Every time this happens, I think, when can I leave Afghanistan? Ayoubi, meanwhile, was working as an interpreter for the U.S. military in Afghanistan when he received a call from an unknown number someone who told him working with infidels was forbidden and that he had a week to quit his job, Ayoubi said. He thought it might be a joke, but received another call a week later saying he could be beheaded. When Ayoubi quit and went back to his hometown, the threats continued. His family worried Afghanistan wasnt safe for him anymore and encouraged him to leave for Turkey in July 2013. We were crying a lot, Noori recalled of leaving her husband behind in Turkey when she and her children finally got their U.S. visas. (Photo: Damon Dahlen/HuffPost) Once in Turkey, Noori and her youngest son left the city of Isparta once a week at sunrise for a six-hour bus ride to the Turkish capital of Ankara, where the boy could receive medical treatment. Outside the local hospital during one of these trips, Ayoubi overheard Noori speaking Dari to her son. He told her he was also a refugee from Afghanistan. Within months, they were married. When Noori met Ayoubi, her family felt whole again. Her sons welcomed their new stepdad. Ayoubi cherished the boys as his own. The couple didnt talk much about what came before and tried to focus on what was to come. We started a new life to be happy and to enjoy, Ayoubi told HuffPost from his home in Turkey. We built a new life. There was one problem. Noori had applied for refugee status for her and her sons, since it was hard to get Ahmad the right care in their town in western Turkey. By the time Noori and Ayoubi married, her resettlement application with the United Nations was much further along than Ayoubis. The resettlement agency warned that merging the applications could slow both of them down, and advised Noori to petition for her husband to join her after she entered the U.S. Noori and her sons were approved for resettlement to the U.S. in 2014. But the moment was bittersweet. Ayoubis application to be recognized as a refugee was still pending, and the family was forced to leave him behind. On a hot June day in 2015, Noori and her sons said goodbye to Ayoubi. We were crying a lot, Noori recalled. But Ayoubi soothed them and told his wife that it would only be a few months before he would join them. Caught In Bureaucratic Limbo Noori petitioned for Ayoubi to join her in the U.S. in 2016, under a visa for spouses and unmarried children of refugees. He went for an interview at the U.S. Embassy in February 2017, but since then, his case hasnt progressed. As of late September 2018, his application is still under administrative processing. The U.S. government has not explained whats causing the delay it usually doesnt comment on individual cases but refugee resettlement has plummeted under Trump, who likened Syrian refugees to a Trojan horse and vowed to ban Muslims from the U.S. before taking office. It was never easy to come to the U.S. as a refugee, but the Trump administration plans to cap the number of refugees entering the country to 30,000 for the next fiscal year the lowest number in the history of the program. There are nearly 2.5 million refugees from Afghanistan who are, like Ayoubi, registered with the United Nations refugee agency. Increased vetting measures, many of them imposed as part of Trumps travel ban orders, have slowed the refugee admissions process. The U.S. government reduced the number of officials who conduct refugee interviews and added new background check requirements for certain refugees. The number of refugees admitted this year to the U.S. from Afghanistan, where the U.S. has been at war since 2001, is likely to be about one-third of what it was in 2016. Ayoubis other efforts to join his family are also stalled. The U.S. has special visas available to Afghans and Iraqis who worked with the U.S. military during the wars. Ayoubi has tried to reach out to people he knew from the U.S. military to serve as references, but he hasnt gotten any replies. Shoshanna Malett, an attorney with the Immigration and Refugee Program at Church World Service who is assisting the family in their reunification efforts, could only speculate as to what is causing the holdup in Ayoubis application. There are rumors that administrative processing is code for security screening and that there is a backlog, but she doesnt know. Its maddening to see a family separated, especially when a sick child is involved and the person left behind has worked with the U.S. military, she said. You couldnt paint more of a humanitarian picture, Malett argued. And I cant get him out. Here, there is no friends. No Afghan family," Noori said of her difficult adjustment to life in New Jersey. (Photo: Damon Dahlen/HuffPost) Starting Over Alone Its been more than three years since Noori last saw her husband. Her eldest sons have made a lot of progress in America: Ali and Amir Rajabi are nearly fluent in English and are both enrolled in school full-time Ali at Passaic Community College and Amir in a local high school. But Noori has yet to catch up. She is uncomfortable speaking English and has no community supporting her. Shes navigating medical bills, rent, learning English and raising her three sons alone. This wasnt the plan, she said. The plan was for Ayoubi to help lead their new life in America. Here, there is no friends. No Afghan family. Im not in contact with any families or people. I only have my sons and the nurse, Noori said. I cant go outside because I dont understand [English.] I cant drive. I cant pass tests because the driver test is in English and my English is no good. Its really, really hard. If [Ayoubi] is here, everything would be fast. Its difficult to be unable to do anything for each other and only see each others faces on the phone, Ayoubi said. Theyre running out of energy. All Noori can do is wait. [I need him] to be here with me, to be together with me, said Noori. He jokes with me. We talk. We laugh. But right now, I have nothing. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Church of Our Lady of Lourdes at 50 Ophir Road (Photo: Screenshot via Google Maps) A case of outrage of modesty was reported at the weekend at a church in Ophir Road in Singapores central area. On Saturday (29 September) at 1.27pm, the police received a call for assistance at the church of Our Lady of Lourdes at 50 Ophir Road. Yahoo News Singapore understands that a man had allegedly molested a female worshipper inside the church and fled. The suspect then jumped into the Rochor Canal and swam into a tunnel. A police officer jumped in after him and apprehended him in the water. Yahoo News Singapore understands that the 26-year-old suspect was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where he was subsequently arrested for using abusive words against a public servant, intentional harassment and drunkenness in public places. Investigations are in progress. Related stories: Hougang Swimming Complex molest case: Man charged for touching girl, 13 School counsellor jailed for molesting 3 schoolboys A powerful typhoon sliced through Japan after making landfall Sunday evening, injuring dozens, halting transport, and bringing fierce winds and torrential rain to areas already battered by a string of recent extreme weather episodes. Typhoon Trami sparked travel disruption in the world's third-biggest economy, with bullet train services suspended, more than 1,000 flights cancelled and Tokyo's evening train services scrapped. National broadcaster NHK reported that one man had died in Tottori prefecture on Honshu island and another was missing on the southern island of Kyushu. At least 84 people suffered minor injuries, many hurt by windows shattered in the driving wind, and one woman in her 60s was reported missing amid fears she was swept into a gutter. After pummelling Japan's outlying islands including Okinawa, the storm made landfall south of the city of Osaka in the western part of the country around 8:00 pm local time (1100 GMT). Yuji Ueno, an official in the town of Shirahama near where Trami made landfall, told AFP the winds were "enormous" and made it impossible to venture outside. "We saw incredible winds and rain. I stepped outside the city hall in the afternoon, and the rain was swirling in very strong wind. Enormous wind." "It was difficult to stay standing. It was very scary," said Ueno. Trami, which at its height packed maximum gusts of 216 kilometres (134 miles) per hour, was expected to churn over most of the archipelago, weakening slightly but causing extreme weather into Monday, forecasters said. Weather officials have warned of potential flooding and landslides and non-compulsory evacuation advisories have been issued to around four million residents, according to public broadcaster NHK. More than 750,000 households, mainly in western Japan have lost power, according to local utilities and mobile phone services suffered disruption. As the typhoon barrelled east, rail authorities took the highly unusual step of cancelling evening train services in Tokyo, one of the world's busiest networks, urging passengers to shelter indoors when the storm hits. The typhoon did not hit the capital head-on but Tokyo still saw fearsome winds and lashing rain later Sunday and the streets of one of the world's biggest cities were deserted. At the world-famous crossing in Shibuya, where thousands normally jostle every few minutes as the lights change, just a few hardy souls braved the horizontal rain and powerful gusts. Shops and business closed early as the capital hunkered down for the storm. Trami is the latest in a string of extreme natural events in Japan, which has suffered typhoons, flooding, earthquakes and heatwaves in recent months, claiming scores of lives and causing extensive damage. - 'It's really deserted' - Osaka lay close to the path of the storm and its Kansai Airport, which is situated on reclaimed land offshore and suffered extensive damage in a storm earlier in September, closed early as a precaution. Officials piled up sandbags to avoid a repeat of flooding seen during the previous storm. Speaking to AFP from a hotel near the airport, British businessman Richard Swart said: "It's actually quite warm outside, very windy and with very heavy rain." "The airport is closed. There are very few people around and all the shops are shut. It's really deserted," added Swart, 56, from Durham in northern England. Even from the safety of the hotel, he said he could hear the wind "howling" outside. The Japanese meteorological agency warned the typhoon would bring strong winds and downpours, which could trigger landslides and floods as well as lightning strikes and tornados across the nation. Cities in the expected path of the typhoon were already taking precautions. East Japan Railway stopped all train services in and around Tokyo at 8:00 pm, shortly before the typhoon hit the Japanese capital. Some western regions are still recovering from Typhoon Jebi in early September, the most powerful typhoon to strike the country in a quarter of a century. It claimed 11 lives and shut down Kansai Airport. Deadly record rainfall hit western Japan earlier this year and the country sweltered through one of the hottest summers on record. Also in September a magnitude-6.6 earthquake rocked the northern island of Hokkaido, sparking landslides and leaving more than 40 people dead. Auditor general tells public entities to clear accounts by mid-February The Office of the Auditor General (OAG) has asked the public enterprises that have their accounts unaudited for years to complete the task by mid-February next year. 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #39 Posted on 30 September 2018 by John Hartz Calls to Action... Story of the Week... Opinion of the Week... Toon of the Week... SkS Spotlights... Video of the Week... Report of Note... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... World 'nowhere near on track' to avoid warming beyond 1.5C target Exclusive: Author of key UN climate report says limiting temperature rise would require enormous, immediate transformation in human activity Avoiding a temperature increase of more than 1.5C will be extraordinarily challenging, says the reports author. Photograph: Matt Brown/AP The worlds governments are nowhere near on track to meet their commitment to avoid global warming of more than 1.5C above the pre-industrial period, according to an author of a key UN report that will outline the dangers of breaching this limit. A massive, immediate transformation in the way the worlds population generates energy, uses transportation and grows food will be required to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5C and the forthcoming analysis is set to lay bare how remote this possibility is. Its extraordinarily challenging to get to the 1.5C target and we are nowhere near on track to doing that, said Drew Shindell, a Duke University climate scientist and a co-author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, which will be unveiled in South Korea next month. While its technically possible, its extremely improbable, absent a real sea change in the way we evaluate risk. We are nowhere near that. World 'nowhere near on track' to avoid warming beyond 1.5C target by Oliver Milman, Guardian, Sep 27, 2018 Opinion of the Week... Editorial: Politicians will make flooding a priority when voters do. Thunderstorms in August caused some localized flooding at some downtown Charleston intersections like Cannon and President Street. Brad Nettles/Staff Want to do something about flooding? Vote. Luck is one of the most underrated things in life, and we got lucky when Hurricane Florence spared us. We could just as easily have been Wilmington. There is no question that the city is showing admirable new urgency in dealing with our flooding crisis. You could see it in the preparations and you can see it in the improved regular maintenance in the streets. Three disastrous floods in three years can focus the mind and elected officials. But at base, nothing has changed. The next time it could be us, and in time it will be us. Charleston faces a massive $2 billion-plus job of saving itself. With an annual operating budget of just $180 million, half of that dedicated to cops and the fire department, there is no way the city can do it alone. Yelling at the mayor will only get you so far. Editorial: Politicians will make flooding a priority when voters do. Opinion by Steve Bailey, Post & Courier (Charleston, SC), Sep 30, 2018 Toon of the Week... SkS Spotlights... The Sustainability, Energy and Environment Community (SEEC) website answers the questions most frequently asked by those willing to act. What are the most important actions for us to take? Whats doable? Whats next? And how can we find out without reading through multiple lengthy sources? Simple or in-depth Act on Climate uses a layered approach that condenses actions into simple priorities. Stop there, or explore actions that interest you the most. Want to dig even deeper? Our actions link to recent research and detailed resources on the topic. Developed with the help of social scientists, the website focuses its message in a way that is easy to relate to. Relevant The website was developed with the help of climate scientists. The discussion of actions is factual and dependable, with links to recent supporting research. Short, plain-language summaries of the science and expected effects of climate change link to more in-depth reading. My story sections give examples of how our scientists practice what we preach. Unique The website includes important actions to advance justice and resilience, topics often left out of online climate resources. Video of the Week... Greta Thunberg at People's Climate March Sweden 2018 Greta Thunberg, 15, address Hjartat Slar for Jorden (The Heart Beats for the Earth) People's Climate March Sweden September 8th, 2018. Greta's Strike for the Climate will continue every Friday outside the Parliament. Join - outside yours! #climatechange#climatestrike#GretaThunberg#klimatstrejk Greta Thunberg at People's Climate March Sweden 2018, YouTube Video posted by Jan Viklund, Sep 13, 2018 Report of Note... "The Sierra Clubs 2018 Ready for 100 Case Study Report outlines how 10 US cities have made ambitious commitments to be powered with 100% clean energy. These cities are embracing renewable energy options like wind and solar to show the progress and impact that cities can make to lead climate action globally and locally." The US Is Ready For 100% Clean Energy 10 Cities Model How To Get There by Carolyn Fortuna, Clean Technica, Sep 28, 2018 Coming Soon on SkS... New study finds incredibly high carbon pollution costs especially for the US and India (Dana) (Dana) How Arctic lakes accelerate permafrost carbon losses (Carbon Brief) (Carbon Brief) SkS Analogy 14 - Inertia and Inevitability (Evan) (Evan) Guest Post (John Abraham) (John Abraham) New research this week (Ari) (Ari) 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #40 (John Hartz) (John Hartz) 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #40 (John Hartz) Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Following Senator Jeff Flakes dramatic call for a week-long FBI investigation into sexual assault allegations against supreme court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, the entire nation speculated as to what shape that investigation might take. Who should the FBI talk to? How would the logistics work? How easy would it be to buy a calendar from 1982 on eBay? On Saturday, NBC News gave us our first glimpse at the answer: The FBI seems to be taking a fast-moving, fluid approach to the case, in the sense that their investigation will assume the shape of whatever bullshit-shaped container Donald Trump pours it into. Advertisement According to multiple sources, the White House has given the bureau a list of witnesses it is permitted to interview and topics it is permitted to ask about. Christine Blasey Ford and Debbie Ramirezs allegations will be investigated; Julie Swetnicks will not. Whats more, the FBI will not be investigating Kavanaughs college drinking or the way he described it in his testimony, despite the fact that his Yale classmates are coming out of the woodwork to tell the country that he was a sloppy drunk who is lying about his past. Kavanaugh has categorically denied all of the sexual assault allegations, and has also testified under oath that the phrase Beach Week Ralph ClubBiggest Contributor in his high school yearbook referred to his difficulties with spicy food. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The White Houses constraints on the investigation will have real consequences when it comes to the legitimacy of whatever information it digs up. For example, while the FBI will question Mark Judge, who Christine Blasey Ford alleges was in the room when Kavanaugh assaulted her, they wont be allowed to seek corroborating evidence like Judges employment records. (Ford recalled running into Judge at his job at Safeway after the assault; determining when he was working there might help put a date on the party she describes.) Its also unclear what recourse would be open to investigators if one of the witnesses they are allowed to interview gives them a promising lead to follow up on. This sounds very different from the investigation GOP senators initially described: Advertisement Emerging from McConnells office, GOP senators made clear that the FBI will determine what constitutes credible allegations against Kavanaugh - and how many accusers that entails. Also McConnell would wait to file cloture once FBI report is submitted to Hill and WH, they said Manu Raju (@mkraju) September 28, 2018 It also sounds very different from the investigation Donald Trump described on Saturday, about an hour after the NBC story broke: Advertisement .@realDonaldTrump tells me on the South Lawn that the FBI is talking to everybody. I would expect its going to turn out very well for the judge." Says the agency has "free reign.Theyre going to do whatever they have to do.Hopefully at the conclusion everything will be fine." Geoff Bennett (@GeoffRBennett) September 29, 2018 Advertisement The FBI referred questions about the investigation to the White House, where spokesperson Raj Shah denied micromanaging the investigation, telling NBC News that the scope and duration has been set by the Senate. This is true, in the sense that the Senate said that the investigation must be limited to current credible allegations against the nominee and must be completed no later than one week from today, but doesnt square with the White House apparently making the unilateral determination that Swetnicks claims were not credible. It also doesnt square with their decision that allegations against the nominee refers only to sexual assault, and not allegations that Beach Week Ralph Clubs biggest contributor might have perjured himself on national television as to the exact nature of his contributions to the Beach Week Ralph Club. Its too early to draw any definitive conclusions, but its beginning to look like Jeff Flake might have been wrong to trust Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell to do the right thing! Embattled Tesla CEO Elon Musk has reached a settlement with the SEC over his misleading tweets about taking the company private, CNBC reports. Musk and Tesla will each pay a $20 million fineabout one tenth of one percent of Musks nearly $20 billion fortuneand Musk will step down as chairman of the companys board for at least three years, while retaining his position as CEO. Tesla will also be required to appoint two new independent directors to its board and undergo additional changes to its corporate governance. The settlement still requires court approval. Advertisement Musks troubles with the SEC began after an August 7 tweet suggested he was taking Tesla private at the 420-friendly share price of $420. Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 7, 2018 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musks tweet sparked an immediate surge in Teslas share price based on the above-market price in the tweet, Musks assertion that he had secured funding, and some similarly optimistic follow-up tweets. But the SEC alleged in its complaint that these were all pipe dreams: When he made these statements, Musk knew that he had never discussed a going-private transaction at $420 per share with any potential funding source, had done nothing to investigate whether it would be possible for all current investors to remain with Tesla as a private company via a special purpose fund, and had not confirmed support of Teslas investors for a potential going-private transaction. He also knew that he had not satisfied numerous additional contingencies, the resolution of which was highly uncertain, when he unequivocally declared, Only reason why this is not certain is that its contingent on a shareholder vote. Whoops! The SEC had been investigating and negotiating with Musk for some time, but filed suit Thursday when a provisional settlement fell through. Tesla stock closed at $264 on Friday, a steep drop from the $389.61 price it hit in the immediate aftermath of Musks tweet. The SEC says that they expect Teslas board to oversee Musks public communications in the future, in the hopes of insulating Tesla shareholdersand perhaps, expatriate scuba-diversfrom the consequences of Musks sometimes ill-advised tweets, podcast appearances, and weekend invitations to Azealia Banks. After hours of testimony Thursday during which Brett Kavanaugh answeredand dodgedquestions from the Senate Judiciary Committee, observers noted that the Supreme Court nominee had, on multiple occasions, lied under oath. The lies ranged from outright falsehoods to misleading assertions (he claimed he the matter had been investigated, when in reality alleged witnesses just issued short statements; and he claimed the alleged witnesses said the party didnt happen, when in reality they said they couldnt remember it) and dubious statements (he claimed he never had gaps in his memory, while others attested to his heavy drinking). Advertisement Some of the more blatantly false statements were far less important, but false nonetheless. He claimed, for example, that the drinking age at Maryland at the time was 18, when in reality by the time he was 18, the drinking age was 21. On Saturday, the Intercept identified yet another minor, but still clear-cut, falsehood. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At one point in the testimony, when Kavanaugh was making the point that he had worked hard and earned his success, Kavanaugh told the committee that he had no connections to Yale before attending. I have no connections there, he said. I got there by busting my tail. In reality, Kavanaugh was a legacy student. His grandfather, Everett Edward Kavanaugh, attended Yale as an undergraduate. The Intercept published a photo of a 1928 yearbook as evidence: Advertisement Kavanaugh even lied about his connections to Yale: I have no connections there. I got there by busting my tail. See this yearbook. He was legacy; his grandfather went there. What pathetic perjury. https://t.co/sV1EcjO9Zn pic.twitter.com/NvzyYfGfEX Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) September 29, 2018 The legacy status does not necessarily mean that Kavanaugh would not have been accepted otherwise or that he was allowed in unfairly. But it does mean that in explicitly saying he had no connections, he was not telling the truth. These kinds of small falsehoods will likely not matter to the Senate, as the newly launched and highly limited FBI background investigation into allegations against Kavanaugh will not investigate his drinking or any possible perjury related to the way he described it in his testimony. Just when you thought your jaw could drop no lower, just when Donald Trump seemed to have reached levels of irresponsible idiocy that you figured he couldnt possibly exceed, he has managed to take one more giant leap into the abyss. You may have missed it amid the banner headlines about Brett Kavanaugh, but here is what President Trump said on Saturday at a rally in Wheeling, West Virginia, about his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un: Advertisement I was really tough and so was he, and we were going back and forth. And then, we fell in love. OK? No, really. He wrote me beautiful letters, and theyre great letters. We fell in love. My first reaction, upon seeing this online Sunday morning, was that it must be another Twitter hoax. My second reaction, upon watching the video and grasping that it was real, was utter discombobulation: Where to begin in appraising the latest episode of this surreal scramble of a presidency that makes the zaniest political satire seem lame and predictable by comparison? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The most obvious point to make is not the most unsettlingthe fact that Trump declared love for the most monstrous dictator on the planet, a dynastic thug who murders high-placed critics (including an uncle and half-brother), imprisons millions more, and perpetuates a regime that isolates and impoverishes his people. Advertisement No, the inference that we, as American citizens, should draw and find urgently worrisome is thatto an even greater extent than many of us had already realizedTrumps judgment is out of whack. He cannot be trusted to nominate Supreme Court justices, decide matters of war and peace, order take-out sandwiches for the office, or anything else, large or small. There cant possibly be a member of Trumps Cabinet, or the U.S. Congress, who isnt painfully aware of this fact. Imagine Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, or practically any other president making a remark like this in public about any dictator. Imagine the ensuing ridicule on Fox News, the outrage on the Senate floor, the musings about the 25th Amendment, and the motion of impeachment that someone would file the very next day. Advertisement It takes little imagination to picture the reactions of other world leaders. If Kim and his entourage have a taste for champagne, they no doubt popped another corkat least the fourth in as many monthsover how thoroughly theyve manipulated the mentally deranged U.S. dotard (as Kim once called Trump in their exchange of fiery insults last year). Russian President Vladimir Putin may be plotting ways to one-up his Pyongyang rival and recapture the title of Trumps BFF. Chinese President Xi Jinping might have assigned his most glorious wordsmith to write Trump a beautiful letter to settle their trade war. It would be a shrewd (though perhaps politically impossible) move for Irans Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to entertain a similar ploy to get the sanctions called off. Meanwhile, our traditional allieswhose bonds have long been shaped by common interests and values, not phony (but somehow effective) kowtowingare no doubt planning ways to retain their mutual ties while distancing themselves from Washington. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What will come of Trumps grand illusion? Love is blind, as several poets have noted, and one can only wonder how much Kim will ask of his paramourand how much Trump will grant himin their time alone at the next summit. Yet, to paraphrase another bard, Hell hath no fury like a lover scorned, and one can easily picture Trump reverting to fire and fury tactics after realizing that Kim has taken him for a ride. At the rally in Wheeling, after professing his love for the butcher of Pyongyang, Trump predicted that his critics would denounce him for his ardor. Theyll say, How horrible! So un-presidential! he said, mockingly. He then went on: Its so easy to be presidential. But instead of having 10,000 people trying to get into this packed arena, wed have about 200 people standing here. For Trump, its all about the numbers of adoring followers. The slog of being presidential is a downer. Acting horrible and un-presidential is fun! It may also be the end of usand, at least for the moment, those who have the power to do something just sit there. If the rest of the internet is lawless, Wikipedia stands out. Over the past 17 years, the community of Wikipedia editors has established a formal framework of policies, guidelines, and explanatory supplements to advance the goals of the project. Dutiful Wikipedians often refer to one of these rules when they remove something inappropriate from the site. If you listen to Wikipedia for a few minutes, youll see that edits like this happen all the time. What is unusualand heretofore unprecedentedis for the objectionable content to play a role in a hearing about allegations that a nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court committed sexual assault while in high school. The subject came up on Wikipedia after Thursdays Senate hearing, in which Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse asked Kavanaugh a series of questions about Devils Triangle, a reference in his high school yearbook that had raised eyebrows. Kavanaugh claimed that Devils Triangle was a drinking game played with three glasses in a triangle. He said that its a quarters game, i.e., a drinking game where players bounce 25-cent pieces off the table and into cups of beer. It was an answer that many dismissed as unbelievable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its been a few days now. Is there a single other person on earth who claims Devils Triangle is a drinking game, similar to quarters? Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) September 30, 2018 Soon after Kavanaugh offered his definition, an anonymous Wikipedia editor added the following text to the Devils Triangle disambiguation page, which lists and describes various meanings for a given topic: Devils Triangle, a popular drinking game enjoyed by friends of judge Brett Kavanaugh. The text was quickly removed with this warning for potential editors: DO NOT ADD the hoax about a drinking game, especially as related by Brett Kavanaugh. We do not dignify such hoaxes with mention. Advertisement Outlets such as CNN and USA Today covered the Wikipedia story as yet another anecdote from a bizarre and disturbing confirmation process. But its perhaps worthwhile to reflect on the Wikipedia principles involved in deleting this content, and how specifically they apply to the case of the Devils Triangle. The policy known as What Wikipedia Is Not defines by counterexample. The list includes Wikipedia is not a newspaper, Wikipedia is not a blog, Wikipedia is not a battleground, and Wikipedia is not a soapbox or means of promotion, which specifically disallows political advocacy. At least one fact from the incident suggests the Devils Triangle edit was politically motivated: The edit was made anonymously from an IP address on Capitol Hill, as captured by congress-edits, a Twitter bot that tracks Wikipedia updates from congressional IP addresses. Advertisement Advertisement Devil's Triangle (disambiguation) Wikipedia article edited anonymously from US House of Representatives https://t.co/D3poeTGMuK pic.twitter.com/oB74iOxzBS congress-edits (@congressedits) September 27, 2018 Another policy that was breached in this case is known as biography of living persons. BLP was specifically cited by the Wikipedia administrator who removed the Devils Triangle edit from the public archives. Drafted after the 2005 John Seigenthaler biography incident, in which the esteemed journalist was the target of a hoax article claiming that he was a suspect in the JFK assassination, the gist of BLP is that editors must take special care when adding information about living persons to any Wikipedia page because it could negatively affect subjects during the course of their lives. BLP also states a presumption in favor of privacy for living peopleone of many reasons why it was completely inappropriate for an anonymous Wikipedia user to add Sen. Lindsey Grahams phone number and home address to his page earlier this week. Advertisement Advertisement Then theres the policy of verifiability, which gets to an essential question: What is the Devils Triangle, really? The main entry points to the Bermuda Triangle, where aircraft and ships are said to have disappeared mysteriously. Alternative definitions include a sexual threesome and an episode of NCIS. Even if Brett Kavanaugh and his high school friends referred to their quarters drinking game as Devils Triangle, that alone would not justify adding the content to Wikipedia. Under the principle of verifiability, reputable third-party sources would also need to use the same name in their regular coverage. Advertisement The edit also violated the Wikipedia principle of notability. At first, one might think that the notability standard was met because the Supreme Court confirmation hearing was a high-profile event. But notability on Wikipedia means something slightly different, requiring significant coverage of subjects with long-term significance. Many in the Wikipedia community are adamantly opposed to a phenomenon known as recentismthe skewing of content toward recent events. The long-term focus of core Wikipedians was illustrated by a humorous debate earlier this year about the word Tinder. Some editors felt that Tinder should direct users to the popular dating app because thats what most people were researching, by a margin of roughly 10 to 1. But the community ultimately decided that Tinder should continue to direct to the material used to start a fire because the latter usage had more long-term significance. Most people have an intuitive sense that Wikipedia should not have an entry for Devils Triangle that describes the drinking game enjoyed by friends of judge Brett Kavanaughit just feels wrong for an encyclopedia. But why is it wrong? Whether its on-Wiki or off, we are increasingly being asked to defend basic policies and processes. Although its sometimes exhausting, its helpful to think through the underlying reasoning. To push back on so many bad faith arguments, we must know the principles and why we have them. The current Supreme Court battle in the US is a display of politics corrupting judicial independence, but it also shows how democracies are changing. News: Receive favorite authors articles by email. Try the new feature and turn on the subscription. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled In the United States, the ugly process of confirming Donald Trumps Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has played out like a television soap opera, complete with serious allegations of sexual assault, tales of drunken parties, name-calling and anger. It is also an example how politicised judiciaries are becoming and not only in America. The whole concept of appointing judges as opposed to electing them is based on the idea of insulating them from politics. This is the case everywhere, not just the United States. In other words, judges arent supposed to make rulings to appeal to voters, help their preferred political party or attempt to make themselves popular, but interpret the law as it is written. On Sunday, the court will decide on the custody of the three men arrested on Thursday. News: Receive favorite authors articles by email. Try the new feature and turn on the subscription. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled video //www.sme.sk/vp/37057/ In addition to the three men who were arrested on Thursday and charged with premeditated murder, among other crimes, on Friday, the police charged a woman, Alena Z., with premeditated murder in the form of participation. The General Prosecutor's Office confirmed this after the private TV channel Markiza broke the story. Alena Z. was detained on Friday, during a police raid that the elite police Lynx Commando conducted in her house in the southern-Slovak town of Komarno. Early reports suggested that Alena Z. worked for controversial tycoon Marian Kocner as an Italian language interpreter, but this information has not been confirmed. Kocner is currently in custody due to an unrelated case. In the past, he threatened Kuciak and other journalists. The JOJ TV reported that the police accused Alena Z. of ordering the murder, but neither the police nor the prosecutors have confirmed this information. Read also: Read also: Kuciak murder: Former soldier and former investigator arrested Read more Meanwhile, the hearing of the Specialised Criminal Court on the custody of Tomas S., Miroslav M. and Zoltan A. has been scheduled for Sunday, September 30 at 13:00, the Sme daily reported. The three men face charges of premeditated murder. This crime is punishable with a prison sentence of 20 years to life. Read also: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham defended Judge Brett Kavanaugh against some Democrats' criticism that his Senate testimony last week shows he lacks a judicial temperament. Graham, a South Carolina Republican who is on the Senate Judiciary Committee, told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos on This Week Sunday that Kavanaugh displayed the temperament of a man who was innocent. Im offended by the fact that anybody would hold it against Brett Kavanaugh to be upset by the way he was treated, Graham said. Hes accused of being a gang rapist, a bumbling, stumbling drunk, a degenerate person, and he was hit by a truck. And my problem is with the people who did this to him, not how he responded. The senator added, I find it offensive that if somebody defends themselves against wholesale character assassination trying to destroy him and his family, that -- the temperament I saw was a man who was innocent, who was rightly offended by being destroyed for a political purpose. Graham was responding to Stephanopoulos' playing a video clip showing Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono saying that Kavanaugh revealed in his testimony that he is a partisan, political operative with an agenda who thus cannot be a fair and impartial judge. Kavanaugh in sometimes fiery and emotional testimony defended himself against an allegation by Christine Blasey Ford that he sexually assaulted her when they were teens. Although Blasey Ford was the only accuser to testify at the hearing, another women has come forward alleging that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party when they were both students at Yale, and a third women has alleged that he engaged in sexually inappropriate behavior toward girls at parties in high school. Kavanaugh has strongly and categorically denied that he has ever committed sexual assault or sexual misconduct. At the Judiciary Committee hearing Thursday, he suggested the allegations were fueled by politics. "This whole two-week effort has been a calculated and orchestrated political hit, fueled with apparent pent-up anger about President Trump and the 2016 election, fear that has been unfairly stoked about my judicial record, revenge on behalf of the Clintons, and millions of dollars in money from outside left-wing opposition groups," Kavanaugh said. "This is a circus." Kavanaugh's mention of the Clintons was apparently a reference to when in the 1990s he worked for Ken Starr while Starr was an independent counsel investigating President Bill Clinton and business dealings of Bill and Hillary Clinton. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Clarion calls for Nirmala rape probe report A group of youths demonstrated at Maitighar Mandala in Kathmandu on Saturday to press the government to make public the report submitted by a committee formed to probe the July rape and murder of 13-year-old Nirmala Pant in Kanchanpur. The Samsung Galaxy Note series has traditionally been the performance workhorses of the Samsung Galaxy stable and while it pioneered big sized phablets, it is just as well known for its ability to do work on the go. The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is no different and this time around we tried it out for 1 week with the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 as my only computer. What do I usually use my computer for? Ok, first off, it is important to know what I use my computer for just so you have a point of comparison if youre looking to do something along the same lines. As Editor-in-Chief for TechNave.com, I write articles and reviews, make and edit videos, cover news and events (so I also take and edit pictures), edit the work of the writers here, communicate with brands and my team (emails and social media), manage event scheduling and whatever else that is needed in running TechNave.com. You can turn your smartphone into a PC with the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and new Samsung Dex I play games to relax and occasionally I watch video clips that might interest me. To be completely honest, this isnt the first time Ive used a phone as my computer, in fact I have been using a phone as my main computer for the past couple of months and once you get used to it, going back to a normal PC is surprisingly hard. What do you need? The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 lets you connect to a HDMI display via their Samsung Desktop Experience or Dex which is a virtual desktop separate from the normal phone desktop. This time, all you need is a compatible HDMI to USB Type C cable (if you want to be safe, buy Samsungs) but to get more ports you can get the adaptor, the Dex pad or Dex Docking Station. The basic setup is just a HDMI display or monitor, a HDMI to USB Type C cable and a Samsung Galaxy Note 9 These let you charge the Note 9 at the same time and you can also hook up a USB flash drive, mouse or keyboard, but we used a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard with no issues. You could probably also use a wireless charger and a HDMI to USB Type C cable but since the phone gets super hot during wireless charging we wouldnt recommend this. We used a non-standard HDMI to USB Type C cable and a non-Samsung USB Type C hub with USB Type C port, HDMI port and USB 3.0 port + HDMI to HDMI cable with nearly no issues. Charging with the adaptor did not result in any increase in heat or anything like that, so it should be safe to do so. Initial loading took some time, but starting up afterwards was nearly instantaneous. Samsung Dex stands for Desktop Experience The only issues we found was that if we used the hub, we had to plug in the power (using the bundled Galaxy Note 9 cable and charger) for the Note 9 to detect it and go into Dex mode, else it will just go into screen mirror mode. Also, we had to use a full HD monitor that can be adjusted as using a basic native HD (720p) monitor or HDTV will result in the desktop being displayed in the middle with black space above and below that you may have to adjust manually. If you plan to go completely mobile, then wed suggest a foldable or smaller bluetooth keyboard and a good stand. Thankfully, the Galaxy Note 9 desktop can go into landscape mode like most tablets, while the split screen and pop-up windows also let you multi-task with no issues. For work - much improved While the overall look is more or less the same as when it first came out, the Dex interface has been overhauled with a larger App drawer that pops up to cover the entire screen when you press the Home button. Testing it on Microsoft Word and Google Docs results in great documents and smooth transitions. It also retains what you were working on even if you suddenly disconnect. In Dex, the interface is a lot more responsive and accurate, so that when you click on the buttons and other areas they work smoothly. The number of apps that you can open at one time has also increased (about 20 at one time) and most apps work just fine now with wider Dex optimized mode although some windows dont have the standard minimize, fullscreen and exit icons (most of them still work though). There is also now a helpful Help icon with reasonably useful help topics. Capture, made and rendered using the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and Cyberlink PowerDirector Picture editing with Picsart Photo Studio is a blast as the window is wide Dex optimized but as mentioned previously, the top bar with the minimize, fullscreen and exit icons are blacked out. However, everything else works just fine so I could do my usual photo editing, resizing and so forth with no issues. Video editing on the other hand was a bit of a chore, perhaps because my app of choice, CyberLinks PowerDirector is stuck in the smallest sized Dex window (so it hasnt been optimized yet) but it works just fine. Going mobile, to be honest, you can actually write one whole article using the S-Pen stylus, but I found that it was faster and more accurate to use my two thumbs to type out the post (of course, using a Bluetooth keyboard is a whole lot faster). Instead, the S-Pen offered a bit more precision and control for photo editing or when reviewing content from my writers as I could underline or circle or draw a lot better with the S-Pen than with my sausage sized fingers. Most apps like Picsart Photo Studio has a wider optimized Dex mode For play - Mostly excellent Using the Galaxy Note 9 and Dex mode was mostly an excellent experience as videos played smoothly and the bluetooth speaker worked well even with the bluetooth keyboard and mouse activated, something that not all phones can handle. With this setup we turned our unintelligent HDTV into a YouTube playing smart TV for some family movie time. Games also played well, but this is for games that you could tap or click like VainGlory and so forth. For games with multiple controls like PUBG Mobile or even Hungry Dragon it isnt possible to play well with just a single mouse. You can still play most games but controls might be an issue We did like that somehow Samsung managed to automatically map the AWSD keyboard keys for PUBG Mobile movement, but with no way to map the mouse for movement and targeting without clicking and holding, game play with the keyboard and mouse becomes tedious. However, Vainglory is one of the few games where the mouse and keyboard work just fine though, so it is a good sign that Samsung are making this a feature for all games eventually. Gaming on mobile was super smooth and excellent as usual. Vainglory is how all games and apps will eventually look like on the Samsung Dex and Samsung Galaxy Note 9 How was the overall experience? Overall, we can honestly say that the Samsung Dex on the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is currently the most full-featured virtual desktop experience you can get yet. If youre looking to turn your phone into your PC desktop and do work on the go, then the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is a very good option you should definitely look into. You may have to get some extra peripherals like a bluetooth keyboard and mouse or if youre the kind who still uses USB flash drives then youre probably better off getting the Dex Pad or Dex station or a hub but these shouldnt cost much more than a few hundred ringgit (even the most basic branded separate desktop PC is likely to cost you about RM900 and above). Have you tried using your Galaxy Note 9 as a PC for a week yet? Give it a go and stay tuned to TechNave.com for all your latest tech articles, news and reviews. Conflict victims turn to local level for reparation Annoyed by and impatient at the delays by the transitional justice bodies and the federal government in finalising the reparation policy, conflict victims have started reaching out to the local governments for priority while formulating the local policyone of the many reparation measures. Dhangadhi locals protest; welcome rally in Godawari The locals of Dhangadhi have enforced banda while residents of Godawari organised a welcome programme over the provincial assemblys decision to designate Godawari as the capital of Province 7. Donkey business Donkey skins have become a hot commodity on the black market Efforts are on to stir SAARC, says Gyawali Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali said on Friday that Nepal was working towards creating an environment conducive to holding the summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation scheduled to take place in 2016. An outing to purchase apples at a Luxembourg orchard turned into a nightmare for one local family after they were forced into servitude. On Saturday, Nicoletta Barastova, 43, along with her partner and two children, visited a farm in the countryside where they believed they could buy apples. Instead of a simple cash for goods transaction, however, they were ordered to work. There was a very stern woman sitting at a collapsable table, and when I told her we were there for apples, she pointed at a wheelbarrow and said, You go pick apples. Barastovas partner Andrei, 39, who describes himself as very intuitive, added, The implication was clear: you will do this or bad things will happen to you and, uh, maybe your new Range Rover parked over there. Some of the other indentured families must have been brainwashed, because one mother looked at me and said Isn't this fun? and her kids were literally squealing with delight, which just shows how depraved these orchard owners are, Barastova said. It was not fun. The ground was muddy and we werent dressed for the chilly weather. We were miserable. Hours later, long after her children Misha, 5, and Chiara, 9, had no more tears to cry, they appeared before the taskmaster with 20 to 30 wheelbarrows full of apples, they estimate. Observing that the yield seemed to please her, the family hoped to be set free. However, the ordeal was not yet over. She weighed and bagged the apples, then demanded that we give her 250 euros, Barastova said. Not only did we pick apples for this cruel orchard empress for three hours, but now we were being robbed. We gave her the money, jumped in our car, and sped away, she continued, even while the woman chased us and shouted for us to come back. Read more at wurst.lu Photo credit: Pixabay Loyalists defend Oli as Nepal brews discontent Growing discontent within the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP), particularly over the decisions taken by the joint leadership of KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal, has come to the fore. Dissatisfied with the way the party is led, a faction of party leaders has started criticising the government. Meet on microbiological sciences held in Capital A one day meeting on Microbiological Sciences for a Prosperous Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal was organised in Kathmandu on Saturday. Warning: This weeks Dateline story Koreas Dog Fight is likely to repulse. Are dogs livestock or pets? Why is it wrong or right to eat dog meat? These contradicting perspectives have been creating a cultural divide in South Korea between those who love dogs and those who love to eat them. Millions of dogs are killed annually for the dog meat trade in South Korea during BokNal festival*, also known as dog eating festival. This Tuesday, Dateline reporter Dean Cornish is in South Korea during BokNal to investigate the war over the cultural practice as animal rights activists rail against eating dogs, and dog-meat devotees dig in their toes asserting their right to enjoy traditional cuisine. While young globetrotting and dog-loving Koreans want to do away with this practice, its not an easy feat to achieve as eating dog meat is not only a tradition, its a billion dollar industry. At present, the industry is facing the greatest threat in the form of two bills before parliament to reclassify dogs from livestock to companion pets and make it illegal to slaughter dogs for human consumption. Dr Lee Sang Dong, the lawmaker responsible for taking the dog-meat battle to parliament reveals, We have noticed unprecedented phenomenon of dog farming, is actually a dog hell. If the National Assembly passes my bill, the dog farms will lose the status of farms and their operations will become unlawful by Christmas. Despite the uprising protests, dog farmers and sellers are fighting for the survival of the industry. The president of Meat Dog Association, Kim Jong Suk reveals that banning of dog meat industry will have a huge effect on the society. There are a million people working in this industry. How will you create a million new jobs and protect them? In the heart of Gimpo, also known as Dog Valley, Nami Kim provides shelter to rescued dogs. She gave up job as a university professor to become one of the first Koreans to work shutting down dog farms. Im one of the first ones to let the world know about whats happening in Korea when it comes to what they call meat dog. A dog is a dog, there is no such thing as a meat dog or a pet dog, Nami tells Dateline. The dogs rescued by Nami are sent overseas for adoption as the local population are reluctant to adopt so-called meat dogs. Farmer Kim Jong Il owns an industrial scale dog farm that complies with government regulations. He breeds several thousands of meat dogs annually and contradicts Namis beliefs, Our meat dog is a different kind of breed, specifically developed to be served at the tables. We dont see pet dogs as meat dogs. The fate of the dog meat industry in South Korea will be sealed by the end of this year, but it is becoming apparent that the dog meat debate is highly charged no matter what side you are on. Tuesday, October 2 at 9.30pm on SBS. Two local dramas will leave our screens permanently in the next week, and a third is close behind. 800 Words and Rake will both air last-ever episodes within the next 7 days. 800 Words wraps up 3 seasons tomorrow, although it feels like 4 seasons due to Seven screening it over a 4 year period. The NZ-produced drama starring Erik Thomson has offered up some heartwarming and sometimes quirky drama without attempting to be provocative. Both Melina Vidler and Benson Jack Anthony should prove to be part of its acting legacy. The series ends with George Turner finally about to settle down once more. About time. Rake will wrap up 5 seasons next Sunday, screening over 9 years. Originally due to conclude at 3 seasons, it returned for a 4th then a 5th, by shifting its Sydney legal universe to Canberra politics. Created by Peter Duncan and star Richard Roxburgh (with a legal wrangle of its own adding Charles Waterworth as co-creator), it has enjoyed critical acclaim and a whos who of top guest stars. The show even spawned a US adaptation with Greg Kinnear but unable to succeed beyond one season. Rake will go down as one of Roxburghs career performances. Next Sunday it concludes with Fuzz (Keegan Joyce) returning from Silicon Valley and Cal McGregor (Damien Garvey) now Prime Minister. A Place to Call Home will also wrap up 6 seasons on Foxtel on October 21. 800 Words final 9:35pm Tuesday on Seven Rake final 8:30pm Sunday on ABC. A couple in their 60s, named only and Peter and Mary, were carrying out their first anti-rhino poaching patrol when it happened. Peter was piloting the Bat Hawk aircraft when it suddenly crashed into a zip line near the Sun City Resort in South Africa. The plane was left hanging on its back from the zip line after the propeller got caught in the metal cable, 330 feet in the air, which runs up a mountain. The terrified couple was spectacularly rescued by a mountain guide after he spotted their predicament. Crashed plane spotted by mountain guide As reported by the Daily Mail, Rob Thomas, 51, spotted the plane hanging precariously from the zip wire and swaying in the wind. It was established the plane was caught by its propeller on the theme park cable. The zip wire takes visitors on a thrill ride at speeds of 100 miles per hour over the Sun City Resort, 126 miles from Johannesburg. Thomas flew over the scene in a police helicopter and soon realized there would be no chance of a rescue from above, as the blast from the helicopters rotors would have dislodged the plane, sending the couple plummeting to their deaths on the ground. Rescuer climbs down zip line to the plane Thomas told the local press that he had volunteered as the dope on a rope to rescue the couple from the plane. Thomas had spoken to Peter and Mary prior to the rescue letting them know that he was coming for them and telling them to keep still and to not panic. He then climbed down the zip line to the plane and opened the cockpit door. After opening the door, Thomas attached a harness to Peter and Mary to help them get out of the plane alive. Two rescued hours after plane ensnared on a zip-line https://t.co/FdHfgjhZRb pic.twitter.com/aq3Kmxe13b AlgoaFMNews (@AlgoaFMNews) September 28, 2018 As reported by the Mirror Online, Thomas said he had no idea why the plane didnt fall to the ground but discovered that luckily a large nut underneath the propeller had hooked onto the zip line. As he climbed down the zip line towards the plane, he was terrified that his movement might dislodge the plane, as the wind was getting strong at the time. He decided to wait until the wind had died down a little before continuing with the rescue. Once there, he found they were both wearing their safety harnesses and were lying on their backs. Thomas said they were both terrified as they had already spent many hours in their precarious position, while winds constantly buffeted the plane. On top of this, the temperatures were very high in the area, meaning the couple both suffered from dehydration. Rescuer attaches safety harnesses to the couple Peter told Thomas to first rescue his wife Mary, but he said it was too dangerous, as he was the one closest to the door and he couldnt get her out until he rescued the pilot. He went on to tell them both to unlock their safety harnesses and to trust him. Thomas then passed Peter an extraction harness, attaching it to a trolley on the zip wire itself. He then asked Peter to get out, following which he passed an extraction harness to Mary and told her the same. Once all three of them were attached to the trolley, he asked the men at the top of the hill to pull them up. At this stage, Thomas was concerned the plane would fall, and with their weight removed from the zip line, they might be pinged all over the place, which wouldnt be pleasant. He went on to explain that the three of them were a very heavy load, so when he felt they were far enough from the plane, he lowered a rope, telling Peter to get ready to be lowered down. He did say it was unfortunate that they were at that stage over an extremely thorny bush, but luckily Peter was wearing flight gear which protected him. He then lowered Mary and luckily for her, she was blown away from the thorny bush by a gust of wind and landed comfortably. Thomas then abseiled down to the ground and the trio started to descend the slope. However, it wasnt pleasant for Mary to walk on the rocky terrain, as she had lost her shoes during the rescue. A police helicopter came close to them, lowering a harness for Mary, who was taken up safely. However, the wind was getting even stronger at that stage, so Thomas and Peter decided to continue to walk down and meet her at the ambulances that had arrived on the scene. Anti-poaching in the Pilanesberg National Park Thomas said he found out the couple had been involved in an anti-poaching patrol in the Pilanesberg National Park, volunteering to help protect their rhinos. He assumed the couple was unaware of the zip wire at Sun City that comes down from the mountain. Thomas closed by saying that had been incredibly lucky to escape from the plane and once the plane was dislodged and retrieved it seemed there was very little damage done. A spokesman for the Pilanesberg National Park said Peter and Mary were rescued without injury but were in shock. They added their Bat Hawk plane, named Mafolodi, was soon rescued too. The Daily Mail reports that a similar crash in 2011 left Arie Neven, 52, dead after his Bell Jet Range 206 aircraft flew into the same zip wire. Neven had been on his way to collect friends from a farm near Sun City. Reuters CAIRO (Reuters) -The United States and other Western powers expressed grave concern on Friday over the appointment of a new Sudanese ruling council by the general who led last month's coup, saying it complicated efforts to restore a transition to democracy. The United States, Britain, Norway, the European Union and Switzerland also urged the security services to respect the right to free speech "without fear of violence or detention" ahead of protests set for Saturday by critics of the army's move. Sudan's Khartoum state said it would close all but three bridges across the river Nile at midnight ahead of the demonstrations on Saturday, Sudan TV reported, announcing what is a routine move to tighten security before rallies. Nepse index posts double digit gain The Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) last week gained 12.11 points to close at 1,267.18 points. An Egyptian court has sentenced an activist to two years in jail over a video she posted on social media criticising the government for failing to protect women against sexual harassment and over poor living conditions, her lawyer said. Amal Fathy, a member of the now banned April 6 youth movement which played a role in 2011 protests that forced President Hosni Mubarak from office, was also fined 10,000 Egyptian pounds ($562), her lawyer Tarek Abuel Nasr and state news agency MENA said. She was charged with spreading false news that threatened national security and disseminating a video that violated public decency. She also faces other charges including joining an illegal group. "This is injustice, unjustified and incomprehensible. We have provided all the evidence to prove that she didn't spread false news," said her husband, Mohamed Lotfy, a human rights activist and executive director of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF). "When a woman is subjected to sexual harassment and gets sentenced to two years and fined then this means we are telling all Egyptian women 'shut your mouths ...if you don't want to go to prison'." Government officials were not immediately available to comment. Fathy will appeal the ruling, her lawyer said. Rights groups have repeatedly criticised Egypt's human rights situation, saying conditions have continued to deteriorate under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who came to power in 2013 after the army overthrew Islamist President Mohamed Morsi following protests against his rule. Seventeen U.N. human rights experts criticised Egypt on Friday for its use of anti-terrorism laws to detain activists fighting for women's rights and against graft, torture and extra-judicial killings. Fathy was detained in May, days after she posted a 12-minute video in which she expressed her anger at poor public services at a local bank, heavy traffic, sexual harassment by a taxi driver and over a general deterioration in living conditions. Story continues At the time a security source said Fathy had been detained over a complaint that she had insulted the Egyptian state through an offensive social media posting. Egypt passed a law in July giving the state powers to block social media accounts and penalise journalists held to be publishing fake news. (REUTERS) Jeremy Hunt has compared the EU to the "prison" of the Soviet Union as it tries to prevent member states from leaving. In a notable speech at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, the foreign secretary warned Brussels against rejecting the "hand of friendship" offered by Theresa May. He also used his address on Sunday to call for unity within the Tory party, with Mr Hunt cautioning continued Tory division could risk the "wrong Brexit, a Corbyn Brexit or perhaps no Brexit at all". Despite backing Remain at the 2016 EU referendum, Mr Hunt has since stated he would now vote Leave due to the "arrogance" of the EU during divorce negotiations. Increasingly viewed as among the favourites to replace Mrs May as Tory leader, Mr Hunt delivered a crowd-pleasing speech in which he included both his attack on Brussels and references to former Conservative prime ministers Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher. Delivering the stern message to the EU, the UK's top diplomat said: "At the moment you seem to think the way to keep the club together is to punish a member who leaves. "Not just with economic disruption. But even by breaking up the United Kingdom with a border down the Irish Sea. "What happened to the confidence and ideals of the European dream? The EU was set up to protect freedom. It was the Soviet Union that stopped people leaving. "The lesson from history is clear: if you turn the EU club into a prison, the desire to get out won't diminish it will grow - and we won't be the only prisoner that will want to escape. "If you reject the hand of friendship offered by our prime minister, you turn your back on the partnership that has given Europe more security, more freedom and more opportunities than ever in history." Also delivering a fierce rejection of the EU's plan for Northern Ireland to effectively remain in the bloc's customs union to prevent a hard border in Ireland, Mr Hunt channelled Mrs Thatcher to add: "If the only way to deal with the UK leaving is to try to force its break up, as someone much more distinguished than me once said, the answer is 'no, no, no'." Story continues The start of the Tories' annual gathering has prompted a fresh round of infighting over Brexit. Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson's latest attack on the prime minister's "deranged" Chequers plan on Sunday generated a strong counter-punch from Theresa May loyalists. But Mr Hunt offered a plea for peace within Tory ranks, telling delegates: "If we are to unite the country, we must deliver not just a true Brexit for the 52% - but also a generous Brexit for the 48%. They are patriots too. "So however fierce the debate, however high the passions, never forget that disunity and division won't give us a better Brexit but the wrong Brexit, a Corbyn Brexit or perhaps no Brexit at all. "So let's argue our corners this week in Birmingham. But let's not carry on the fight after the moment we needed to come together." Mr Hunt's comparison of the EU to the Soviet Union was branded "wild and crass" and "downright offensive" by former Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, who supports the Best for Britain campaign for a fresh Brexit referendum. He said: "The third-rate Thatcher tribute act might go down well in the hall but outside people will look at him as a fifth-rate Boris impersonator." Earlier on Sunday, businessman Digby Jones used his speech - watched in person by Mrs May - to describe Mr Johnson as "irrelevant and offensive". The House of Lords crossbencher, who was a minister in Gordon Brown's Labour government, saw his attack on the former foreign secretary widely applauded by Tory party members in the hall. When asked in a Sky Data poll whether they'd be more likely to vote for a Conservative Party led by Theresa May or Boris Johnson, 40% of all respondents opted for Mrs May, compared to 24% who backed Mr Johnson. When Conservative voters were asked the same question, 49% said they would prefer a party led by Mrs May, compared to 33% who said they would support Mr Johnson. Devastating portrait: Andrew O'Hagan vividly describes just what time with Julian Assange was like: Getty Images A Julian Assange supporter wants to coordinate classical music performances outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London to afford some beauty to the WikiLeaks founder inside. Australian-born Mr Assange has been within the building, in Knightsbridge, since 2012. Gordon Parnell, a 62-year-old Canadian who has lived in Mexico since 1991, said he wishes to show his support for Mr Assange, which is why he is attempting to find talented individuals or ensembles to entertain him. I am not a musician but know what a delight music is to the soul especially when the mind is stuck on something or lacking in stimulation, he told the Standard. Julian Assange has been in the Embassy for six years (AP) After reading an article about Mr Assange recently, he said: It occurred to me what a delight it would be to hear some lovely classical music wafting in from the street, like carol singing at Christmas. I imagine it would afford him some beauty in an otherwise boring and cloistered world. Mr Assange first sought refuge in the Embassy of Ecuador to avoid extradition to Sweden where he was to be questioned after being accused of sex crimes though these allegations were dropped by authorities. If he exits the embassy it has been stated he would be able to be arrested based on a long-standing warrant for skipping bail in the UK. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange looking out of the Embassy in 2016 (AFP/Getty Images) Mr Assange is said to fear that if he were to be arrested he could be extradited to the United States over his WikiLeaks activity. Lawyers for him have argued against his potential arrest and pleaded for him to be able to leave the Ecuadorian embassy without fear of this due to him suffering from depression and physical ailments, including a frozen shoulder and bad tooth. The Ecuadorian government cut off Mr Assanges internet access in March due to messages he shared on social media. Some masked Julian Assange supporters outside the Embassy in 2012(Dominic Lipinski/PA) Ecuadors president is trying to work with Britain on providing a legal solution that would see Mr Assange leave the embassy. Mr Parnell said he has not had uptake from musicians yet though he still hopes to be able to coordinate something and is just at the first tiny step of this idea. Story continues He described Mr Assange as a hero for his work in getting the truth out. His advert for musicians to serenade Julian Assange has been posted on Craigslist. He also wrote another piece online which said: To make Julian's hours inside the embassy just a bit more bearable; I am calling on musicians everywhere to perform live music outside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to provide a modicum of beauty to an otherwise bleak existence inside the embassy. He added: If just one concert were to take place, I think that might generate enough interest to rally the troops, so to speak. WikiLeaks was founded by Mr Assange in 2006 and has published more than 10 million documents. Amongst its releases, often from coordination with whistle blowers, is footage from a 2007 airstrike, in which Iraqi journalists were amongst the fatalities, multiple US military logs, including many from the war in Afghanistan. Mr Assange has recently stepped down as its editor-in-chief due to his lack of internet access and a statement said he remained incommunicado though he remains was publisher of the outlet. Migrants arrive on a patrol boat after being transferred from the rescue ship Aquarius, at the Armed Forces of Malta maritime squadron base at Haywharf in Valletta's Marsamxett Harbour, Malta September 30, 2018. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi Thomson Reuters VALLETTA (Reuters) - A military ship brought 58 migrants - and a dog - to Malta on Sunday, where they disembarked after spending several days waiting for seas to calm so they could be transferred from the charity rescue ship Aquarius. The migrants were rescued from two small boats off the coast of Libya at least a week ago. They include Libyans, Syrians, Palestinians, Somalis and Pakistanis. Among them are seven families and three children under five years of age. The Aquarius spent five days off the coast of Malta waiting for the weather to improve so it could transfer the migrants to a Maltese cutter. Panama withdrew the Aquarius' registration amid the rescue operations, which means the ship will not legally be allowed to sail once it comes to shore until it sorts out its flag status. The Aquarius was the last charity rescue ship operating off of Libya. Last year there were five groups running rescue ships. Among the migrants was a small, white dog, who was rescued along with her Libyan family. She was brought ashore in a carrier box and will be quarantined and examined before being returned to her family. At a political event, Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said, referring to the dog, that his country cares about saving "all lives". France, Portugal, Spain and Germany struck a deal on Tuesday to take in the migrants who disembarked in Malta after Italy refused to let the vessel dock. Some 650,000 people have reached Italian shores from North Africa since 2014, and Rome's populist government, which took office in June, has begun to take a rigidly anti-immigration line, saying it will not let any more rescue ships dock unless other EU states agree to take the people in. "The Government of Malta has participated in this effort on purely humanitarian grounds," a Maltese government statement said. "The MV Aquarius has been deflagged and is expected to proceed to a port in France to rectify its stateless position." Story continues The United Nations' refugee agency on Sunday thanked the countries involved in resolving the latest of several standoffs involving rescue ships and EU countries, all of which have arisen from Italy's shutting of its ports. "We are talking about people's lives. Refugees and migrants cannot be continually put at risk while States argue over their responsibilities," the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a statement. (Reporting by Chris Scicluna, writing by Steve Scherer. Editing by Jane Merriman) See Also: Storyful A fourth-grader at Wilderness Oak Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas, was surprised when his father, an Army lieutenant colonel who was deployed in Virginia, showed up to walk in the schools Veterans Day parade on November 11.Video shared by the Northeast Independent School District on Instagram shows Gus Muellers reaction when he realizes his father is walking toward him as part of the school Veterans Day parade.According to the schools post, Mueller flew in from Virginia to walk in the parade and surprise his son. They had not seen each other in four months.In a quote shared by the school district, Mueller said, Gus has always asked me to come to this, so it was extra special to surprise him on Veterans Day. We locked eyes in the hall, and I just couldnt believe how big hes gotten in just a few months. I cant wait to spend some time with him. Credit: Northeast ISD via Storyful PALU, Indonesia (Reuters) - At least 384 people were killed, many swept away as giant waves crashed onto beaches, when a major earthquake and tsunami hit the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, authorities said on Saturday. Hundreds of people had gathered for a festival on the beach in the city of Palu on Friday when waves as high as six metres (18 feet) smashed onshore at dusk, sweeping many to their deaths and destroying anything in their path. The tsunami followed a 7.5 magnitude earthquake. "When the (tsunami) threat arose yesterday, people were still doing their activities on the beach and did not immediately run and they became victims," Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the spokesman for Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency BNPB said in a briefing in Jakarta. "The tsunami didn't come by itself, it dragged cars, logs, houses, it hit everything on land," Nugroho said, adding that the tsunami had travelled across the open sea at speeds of 800 kph (497 mph) before striking the shoreline. Some people climbed trees to escape the tsunami and survived, he said. Amateur footage shown by local TV stations showed waves crashing into houses along Palu's shoreline, scattering shipping containers and flooding into a mosque in the city. Photos confirmed by authorities showed bodies being lined up along the street on Saturday, some in bags and some with their faces covered with clothes. Around 16,700 people were evacuated to 24 centres in Palu. Aerial photographs released by the disaster agency showed many buildings and shops destroyed, bridges twisted and collapsed and a mosque surrounded by water. DEATH TOLL SEEN RISING Aftershocks continued to rock the coastal city on Saturday. The series of earthquakes were felt in an area with 2.4 million people. Indonesia's Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) said in statement the energy released by Friday's massive quake was around 200 times the power of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in World War Two. Story continues The geography of the city, which sits at the end of a long, narrow bay, could have magnified the size of the tsunami, it said. Nugroho described the damage as "extensive" and said thousands of houses, hospitals, shopping malls and hotels had collapsed. A bridge was washed away and the main highway to Palu was cut off due to a landslide. Bodies of some victims were found trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings, he said, adding 540 people were injured and 29 were missing. Dozens of injured people were being treated in makeshift medical tents set up outdoors, TV images showed. Nugroho said the casualties and the damage could be greater along the coastline 300 km (190 miles) north of Palu, an area called Donggala, which is closer to the epicentre of the quake. Communications "were totally crippled with no information" from Donggala, Nugroho said. More than 600,000 people live in Donggala and Palu. "We're now getting limited communications about the destruction in Palu city, but we have heard nothing from Donggala and this is extremely worrying. There are more than 300,000 people living there," the Red Cross said in a statement, adding that its staff and volunteers were heading to the affected areas. "This is already a tragedy, but it could get much worse," it said. Vice President Jusuf Kalla said the death toll could rise to thousands. PRESIDENT TO VISIT DISASTER AREA Indonesia's meteorological and geophysics agency BMKG issued a tsunami warning after the quake, but lifted it 34 minutes later. The agency on Saturday was widely criticised for not informing that a tsunami had hit Palu, though officials said waves had come within the time the warning was issued. In amateur footage shared on social media a man on the upper floor of a building can be heard shouting frantic warnings of the approaching tsunami to people on the street below. Within minutes a wall of water crashes onto the shore, carrying away buildings and cars. Reuters was not able to immediately authenticate the footage. The quake and tsunami caused a major power outage that cut communications around Palu making it difficult for authorities to coordinate rescue efforts. The military has started sending in cargo planes with aid from Jakarta and other cities, authorities said, but evacuees still badly need food and other basic necessities. The city's airport has been reopened only for relief efforts and will remain closed until Oct. 4 for commercial flights, Nugroho said. The airport's runway and air traffic control tower were damaged in the quake, authorities said. President Joko Widodo was scheduled to visit evacuation centres in Palu on Sunday. Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and is regularly hit by earthquakes. In August, a series of major quakes killed more than 500 people in the tourist island of Lombok and destroyed dozens of villages along its northern coast. Palu was hit by tsunami in 1927 and 1968, according to BNPB. (Graphic: Sulawesi map, https://tmsnrt.rs/2OYa4YD) (Reporting by Reuters stringer in PALU, Agustinus Beo Da Costa and Gayatri Suroyo, Fransiska Nangoy and Kanupriya Kapoor in JAKARTA; Editing by Michael Perry and Alex Richardson) A US Navy underwater construction team responded on Friday, September 28, when an Air Nuigini flight crashed into the lagoon just short of the runway at Chuuk International Airport in the Federated States of Micronesia. The team was on hand working on improving the wharf area in Chuuk and other operations, the Navy said. The Boeing 737-800 aircraft was on a scheduled stop in Chuuk on its route from Pohnpei, Micronesia, to its final destination of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. All the passengers and crew were rescued. Credit: US Navy via Storyful Opposition lawmakers top absentee list in HoR Lawmakers from opposition parties were found to have skipped more meetings in the budget session of the House of Representatives (HoR) as compared to those from the ruling parties. Plan afoot to convert Nepal Airlines Corporation into a company The governments plan to convert Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) into a company has moved a step ahead. If I ever get depressed about the state of the worlds wildlife, I remember that we are part of an extraordinary family of organisations dedicated to save wildlife around the world: BirdLife International the global partnership for nature and people. The BirdLife International partnership gives both reassurance and confidence that, even when the pressures on the natural world are so great, together we can make things better. Reassurance, because I know there 121 national organisations within the partnership, supported by 10 million people, dedicated to saving nature and confidence because the Partnership has a track record of protecting some of the most important sites on the planet, recovering globally threatened species while engaging and working alongside local communities. Last week, 107 of BirdLifes 121 partners (including the RSPB) met in Belgium to review progress and to map out plans for the next four years. We heard that, over the past five years, we have collectively worked on 483 threatened species and since 2000 have reduced the extinction risk of 25 species (including St Helena plover, Asian crested ibis and Lear's macaw). Given that 1 in 8 of the worlds birds is globally threatened, we have our work cut out. But, BirdLifes long term focus on identifying (>15,000) and then protecting the worlds most important areas for birds and other wildlife means that we know where to focus effort. And, the Partnership tackles the main threats to nature by seeking to reform agriculture, tackling climate change, stopping illegal killing of wildlife and addressing the problems posed by the introduction of non-native invasive species. It was the first time that I had been to a Global Partnership meeting and I enjoyed mixing with partners from the Americas, Asia, Africa, the Pacific and, of course, friends from Europe. Many of these partners have received support from the RSPB over the past three decades and we continue to work closely with partners on some of our most successful conservation programmes such as Gola in Sierra Leone and Liberia, vultures in India and Nepal or albatrosses in countries as diverse as Namibia, South Africa, Taiwan and Argentina. The RSPB, of course, wants to grow our own impact in the UK and in our 14 Overseas Territories. But we also want to play our part in building the collective capacity of Birdlife so, together, we become a powerful, effective and unstoppable civil society force to tackle the global biodiversity crisis. This is why when I say that I work for the RSPB, it means I also work for BirdLife. In the short term, our Partnership is focusing on 2020. We want governments around the world to step up action for nature now and to go to the UN Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Beijing with an improved track record and prepared to agree an ambitious action plan to restore nature over the next decade. The stakes couldn't be higher. Some say we already experiencing the sixth mass extinction event, while the World Economic Forum has reported (see below) that five of the greatest risks to humanity stem from environmental decline. When we meet again as a family in 2022, we'll know if world leaders have gripped the seriousness of the challenge. Our job, is to make sure they do. A crash in Seneca County shortly after 3:00PM Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018, took the life of Kenadee Siebenaller, 18, of Bascom. According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Siebenaller was driving a 2008 Chevy Cobalt on Township Rd. 59 north of County Rd. 18 in Loudon Township, between Bascom and Fostoria. Troopers say the car went off the right side of the road, Siebenaller overcorrected, crossed the center line, then drove into the path of an oncoming 1994 Ford F-350 dump truck. Siebenaller was not wearing a seat belt, according to OSHP. She was taken to ProMedica Fostoria Community Hospital, but did not survive. According to troopers, a 9-year-old girl who was riding in the dump truck was not hurt, but she was taken to the hospital as a precaution. The other driver was also not hurt. Both were wearing seat belts. Moises Velasquez-Manoff in The New York Times: The man was 23 when the delusions came on. He became convinced that his thoughts were leaking out of his head and that other people could hear them. When he watched television, he thought the actors were signaling him, trying to communicate. He became irritable and anxious and couldnt sleep. Dr. Tsuyoshi Miyaoka, a psychiatrist treating him at the Shimane University School of Medicine in Japan, eventually diagnosed paranoid schizophrenia. He then prescribed a series of antipsychotic drugs. None helped. The mans symptoms were, in medical parlance, treatment resistant. A year later, the mans condition worsened. He developed fatigue, fever and shortness of breath, and it turned out he had a cancer of the blood called acute myeloid leukemia. Hed need a bone-marrow transplant to survive. After the procedure came the miracle. The mans delusions and paranoia almost completely disappeared. His schizophrenia seemingly vanished. Years later, he is completely off all medication and shows no psychiatric symptoms, Dr. Miyaoka told me in an email. Somehow the transplant cured the mans schizophrenia. A bone-marrow transplant essentially reboots the immune system. Chemotherapy kills off your old white blood cells, and new ones sprout from the donors transplanted blood stem cells. Its unwise to extrapolate too much from a single case study, and its possible it was the drugs the man took as part of the transplant procedure that helped him. But his recovery suggests that his immune system was somehow driving his psychiatric symptoms. At first glance, the idea seems bizarre what does the immune system have to do with the brain? but it jibes with a growing body of literature suggesting that the immune system is involved in psychiatric disorders from depression to bipolar disorder. The theory has a long, if somewhat overlooked, history. In the late 19th century, physicians noticed that when infections tore through psychiatric wards, the resulting fevers seemed to cause an improvement in some mentally ill and even catatonic patients. Inspired by these observations, the Austrian physician Julius Wagner-Jauregg developed a method of deliberate infection of psychiatric patients with malaria to induce fever. Some of his patients died from the treatment, but many others recovered. He won a Nobel Prize in 1927. One much more recent case study relates how a womans psychotic symptoms she had schizoaffective disorder, which combines symptoms of schizophrenia and a mood disorder such as depression were gone after a severe infection with high fever. More here. In cities such as Port Moresby, Lae and Mt Hagen, the growth of informal settlements has been so rapid and pervasive that it has reached a point where urgent action needs to be taken to arrest what has become out-of-control development. The informal settlements in most urban centres have grown exponentially due to the escalation of rural-urban migration. While these do play a vital role in providing an avenue for informal economy participants (mainly women) to generate income, theres another important component of PNGs large informal economy that has been largely ignored. PORT MORESBY - In Papua New Guinea, when it comes to the informal economy, a major focus for many years has been on markets and street selling. It is estimated that by 2030, one-third of PNGs population will be living in urban centres with an annual growth rate of 1.6%. In Port Moresby alone it is estimated that over 45% of the 700,000 plus population of the National Capital District live in the unplanned areas and settlements. Most of these people will not be able to secure formal jobs and will take up livelihood activities within the urban informal economy to get by. The National Informal Economy Policy for 2011-2015 estimates that 80-85% of the total population is involved in the informal sector. In Port Moresby alone it estimates that about K2 million changes hands every day in the urban informal economy. That is about K750 million a year. In most developing economies, the informal economy has outgrown the formal sector to the extent that governments are being urged to embrace the informal economy to combat rising unemployment. This points to an urgent need for the PNG government to integrate informal economy into its urban development plans and priorities, as it has often been advised to do. Lacking an inclusive approach to urban planning, city and town planning in PNG has become uncoordinated and the outcome is government and citizens competing over limited available land to satisfy their respective interests. The push by the government to stimulate the economy through growing the formal sector in an endeavour to increase the nations tax base is putting it on a collision course with an ever-increasing informal economy urban population constantly searching for space to trade goods and services. It is a shame the government has not heeded its own urbanisation policy which has identified the need for an integrated economic, social and physical approach to planning and managing towns and cities. Instances of clashes between authorities and informal economy participants (street and market vendors) and forceful evictions from and of settlements are a result of a planning process that is not inclusive. Globally the new UN Urban Agenda 3 calls on governments throughout the world to ensure urban development is sustainable by linking urbanisation to overall development. For a country that has a thriving urban population engaging predominantly in the informal economy this is an important statement. Data from the national audit survey on the informal economy clearly indicate that increasing numbers of urban dwellers are being pushed out of existing markets due to limited public space. The National Capital District Commission now has an opportunity to spearhead this paradigm shift under its settlement upgrading program. NCDC has already made its intention known to integrate livelihood activities, but the form this will take is unclear. While reserving land for new markets is important, efforts should also be focused on making sure that titled land allotted to block holders is of sufficient size to facilitate backyard livelihood activities. There is no doubt that, if every resident of an urban area of PNG are given the opportunity to use their land for economic advancement, it will assist create sustainable towns and cities in our country. The huge market for fresh produce in Port Moresby and the success of the once popular Stret Pasin Stoa scheme of the 1970S and 80s is a testament to the fact that an integrated approach to land planning and development will encourage them to become enthusiastic and productive partners in the nations development. http://actnowpng.org/content/informal-economy-ensures-equitable-development-papua-new-guinea Plea to end nexus between Nepali agents and hospitals in New Delhi Nepali Embassy in New Delhi has advised the government to take action against Nepali doctors, hospitals and agents who unnecessarily refer Nepali patients to Indian hospitals for commission. Alexander Hertel-Fernandez, Caroline Tervo, and Theda Skocpol in The Guardian: The cries of Shame! Shame! Shame! rang throughout the marbled walls of the Wisconsin state assembly chamber. Disgusted Democratic politicians, some of whom had been up for over 60 hours by this point, punctuated their chants by throwing papers and even drinks at their Republican counterparts. Police officers had to be summoned to physically restrain one Democratic representative yelling Cowards! across the aisle. The source of this confrontation, in the early hours of February 2011, was an unprecedented push by Wisconsin Republicans, led by the states newly elected Republican governor, Scott Walker, to slash the union rights held by most public workers. Walker argued that budget woes in the state necessitated the shift, and barrelled forward to eliminate the rights of virtually all public-sector workers to collectively bargain with government and to allow government employees to opt out of paying dues to their unions. At first blush this might seem like a years-old local issue in a US state that rarely lights up the international headlines. Yet events in Wisconsin are crucial to understanding how a little-known, billionaire-funded organization, called Americans for Prosperity (AFP), has tilted American politics to the right. It is intertwined with, and rivals in size, the Republican party itself. More here. The year was 1975. In America, the Watergate scandal was wrapping up in court, the second wave of feminism was well under way, the popular television shows Wheel of Fortune and Saturday Night Live premiered, the Pittsburgh Steelers were Super Bowl champs and Bill Gates was in Albuquerque founding Microsoft. Across the ocean, a 3-year-old Nam Tran was completely oblivious to all of this but that year the direction of his life would change and land him in the United States. In 1975, Tran and his mother were Vietnamese citizens in the capital city of Saigon. It would turn out to be the final year of the Vietnam War and also the year Saigon fell to the north, putting Americans stationed there and some Vietnamese citizens in danger. Trans mother, he said, was one of those people because of her work as a translator for the U.S. Embassy. Tran said it was these connections that he believed saved their lives. A guy she worked with said Ive been looking for you. Go home and pack up and meet me at this cafe,' he said. He met her there and he had documentation for us and we flew out as military personnel that day. Although he remembers very little of the ordeal, Tran said his early life and his mother whom he describes as extremely loving but straightforward, intimidating and driven inspired him to excel. Tran opened the first of his three N Studio hair salons in 2011 and this summer he opened his Vietnamese fusion restaurant Cafe Nom Nom near the University of New Mexico. His salons are located in Corrales, the North Valley and next to his restaurant. Food was my first passion, he said. I learned from my mother. He has also trademarked the phrase New Years Eve Chile Drop and started the practice of dropping a large chile in Nob Hill to celebrate the New Year. Young entrepreneur He started his first business before he was old enough to drive. There was this one particular house in our neighborhood and it looked like the house from that movie Psycho, he said. The grass was really high and the shades were never opened. One day, I went to the house and knocked on the door. When the lady answered, I asked her if I could mow her lawn for $20. She agreed but I told her I didnt have a lawn mower so could I borrow hers. He was in seventh grade and went back the next day to ask the same woman if he could borrow her lawn mower to do other yards. He said surprisingly she agreed and his lawn mowing business was born. Tram and his mother were initially taken to Hawaii and then flew to Texas where his mom knew a military pastor who had served in Vietnam. They lived with the pastor and his wife for a little bit before his mother decided to send him to boarding school while she worked to establish herself. I hated it, he said. Thats when I also got into the bad habit of swallowing gum. I would swallow gum and get a stomachache and then she would keep me at home with her. Eventually Trans mother married and the family moved to Colorado Springs. When his stepfather landed a job at Intel in the late 80s, they moved to Rio Rancho. Tran went on to graduate from Cibola High School in 1990. It was there he met Richard Harvey, who became a lifelong friend. The two have periodically lost touch but always seem to reconnect. Harvey described Tran as someone who comes across as bigger than life sometimes, a man who has reinvented himself many times over, doggedly pursuing any idea he gets in his head. I remember, this was late 90s or early 2000s, and I had not seen him in a few years, he said. I was at a club and my friend kept talking about this guy and how You need to meet him. I said OK. I go downstairs, the guy turns around and its Nam. I just started laughing and I said I know him! He had my buddy all ramped up like he was some royalty. Overcoming doubts Although hes been in the United States for most of his life, Tran said there were times he still felt out of place because of cultural differences. After he graduated, he was floundering, bored and unsure of what he wanted to do with his life and began hanging out with the wrong crowd. The group was burglarizing cars one night when they all got arrested. I felt different when I looked at everyone else, he said. Growing up I never heard I love you from my mother. I almost felt inadequate. I felt maybe she didnt (love me). He said after the incident, his mom sat him down for a heart to heart and asked why he was making bad choices. He told her the truth. Her lack of affection through the years had given him doubts about himself. She apologized and explained that growing up in Vietnam it was not common place to say I love you to children. That a parents job was to provide discipline and guidance. The two became closer after that, which gave him the boost he needed. He opened his first business, a bar in Colorado Springs, with a friend and started going to school to become a hairdresser. He would go to school Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and go home for a few hours and then work at the bar, finally going to bed about 3 a.m. He got his first job as a stylist at a salon in Denver and four years later he opened his first salon. A relationship, which has since ended, brought him back to Albuquerque where he worked for three years building a reputation before opening his salon here. Tran said he realized his drive to succeed was a way of showing his gratitude for being given the opportunity to live in America. I want to get to a point where I can help people, he said. I didnt realize it at first, but Im paying it forward to the person who saved our lives (in Vietnam.) Stepping into Stranger Factory is like walking into the October Country, a region late author Ray Bradbury describes as a place where the hills are fog and the rivers are mist; where noons go quickly, dusks and twilights linger, and midnights stay. Any day at Stranger Factory, the Nob Hill store and gallery filled with pop surrealistic or lowbrow art, is like Halloween scary, but in a good chills kind of way, haunting but sometimes hilarious. If you find yourself biting your lip, it might be because a piece of art puts you on edge. But maybe its because youre trying not to laugh out loud. Big eyes and tentacles There is, for example, The Creep Cantina, a watercolor painting by the artist known as Creeptoons, which depicts several otherworldly characters, at least one a cyclops, sitting at a bar while a black-and-white tentacle reaches in from off canvas to take a glass of wine. That sends all sorts of scenarios racing through your imagination, all of them funny. Hey, did that whatever it is pay for that wine? Its nostalgia-based art, story-based art, said Kathie Olivas, a multi-media artist and toy designer, who, with her husband, illustrator and designer Brandt Peters, owns and operates Stranger Factory. Lowbrow or pop surrealism are the popular terms, but I like to think of my art as Sentimentalism. Im inspired by things in my childhood. Big-eyed art that I would have seen on a 1970s Valentine, objects that make me feel certain emotions, things connected to eras in my life, dressing up for Halloween even if you have a really horrible costume. Even though every day is like Halloween at Stranger Factory, founded in 2011, the gallery has an annual Halloween show. This years effort, a group exhibition called Bewitching VIII and a display of works by Japanese artist Mizna Wada titled Witch, opens with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday and continues through Oct. 28. Feel-safe art Peters, 44, grew up in California, the son of an artist father who introduced his son to underground comix, Japanese toys and the work of cartoonists such as Bernie Wrightson, co-creator of the Swamp Thing art, artifacts and attitudes that would influence Peters own work. I was playing with Popeye figures while my friends were playing with G.I. Joes, Peters said. I was influenced by a lot of 1930s and 1940s designs. Lowbrow art, which sprouted in the late 1970s in the Los Angeles area, has its roots in hot-rod culture, graffiti, punk music, comic books, Mad Magazine, B-movies, TV cartoons, the lurid covers of pulp magazines and paperback books, tiki art and more. If theres a common thread, it is that these are things of the past that retain a degree of popularity, that inspire memories of more secure times. A lot of our artwork helps people feel safe living in this weird, new world, Peters said. Like Halloween, the art at Stranger Factory paintings, sculptures, vinyl toys makes being scared fun. Good witches I like weird eyes, Karl Deuble said. I like drawing weird dudes. Deuble, 34, an artist and an employee at Stranger Factory, was standing in front of a collection of his colorfully crazy and google-eyed paintings on a section of wall in the gallery. His work will be part of the Bewitching VIII exhibit. Deuble, who is from Belen, started out doing graffiti and was introduced to cartooning by his older brother. His influences include the animated TV sitcoms Rockos Modern Life and Ren & Stimpy, the latter about an emotionally disturbed chihuahua, with bulging eyeballs, by the way, and a good-natured but not-so-bright cat. He said his art, which begins as abstract splatters, represents the randomness and disarray of everyday life. The garish subjects he paints on top of these splatters are usually heads with those bizarre eyes. Deuble is a New Mexico artist, but Stranger Factory shows the work of artists from throughout the country and around the world, Europe and Asia. Japanese artist Mizna Wada will not be at the gallery during the exhibition of her Witch pieces. As a child, she reportedly loved horror comics and horror movies but her own work is in a much gentler vein. She does really beautiful line work, Peters said. She has produced this whole series of little witches, Victorian horror, but in a cute way. It kind of ventures into Goth. Lowbrow lives here A few weeks ago, Olivas said people were lined up down the block outside of Stranger Factory, waiting to get inside to see, and maybe buy from, New York-based artist Tara McPherson, who has been referred to as the crown princess of poster art. Peters said it is not unusual for collectors to travel from other states to purchase work from artists stopping in at the gallery. Olivas and Peters came to Albuquerque from Florida. They opened the gallery on Carlisle Boulevard seven years ago and moved it to its current location, 3411 Central NE, four years back. Olivas, 42, who had lived in Albuquerque and Rio Rancho until she was 11, said she knew Albuquerque was a good place to show and sell pop surrealism. She said Robert Williams painter, cartoonist, hot-rod builder, founder of Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine and acknowledged pioneer of lowbrow art was born in Albuquerque in 1943 and lived here through his teenage years. This is the birthplace of lowbrow art, she said. I liked the culture here the indigenous culture, the car culture, the tattoo culture. There is an energy here. For Olivas and Peters, Albuquerque is the October Country. IF YOU GO WHAT: Bewitching VIII and Witch, annual Halloween exhibition. WHEN: Opening reception 6-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5, show continues through Oct. 28. Regular hours 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, noon- 6 p.m. Sunday. WHERE: Stranger Factory, 3411 Central NE PHONE: 505-508-3049 Tesla chief executive Elon Musk agreed on Saturday to step down as chairman of the electric car maker he founded, an unexpected resolution to a lawsuit filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission 48 hours earlier that threatened to throw Tesla into unprecedented chaos. The SEC sued Musk on Thursday for allegedly lying to investors when he tweeted last month that he had funding secured to take Tesla private. It sought to ban the impulsive billionaire from serving as chief executive of any public company. As part of the settlement, Musk will pay a $20 million fine. Tesla will separately pay another $20 million, add two new independent directors to its board, and monitor more closely Musks public communications the source of many of the scandals that have roiled the ambitious but unprofitable company this year. The conditions of the agreement are specifically designed to address the misconduct at issue by strengthening Teslas corporate governance and oversight in order to protect investors, Stephanie Avakian, co-director of the SECs Enforcement Division, said in a statement. Musk and Tesla were not required to admit to any wrongdoing as part of the settlement. Tesla declined to comment on the settlement. Reacting to the lawsuit earlier in the week, Musk said the SECs unjustified action left him deeply saddened and disappointed. Integrity is the most important value in my life and the facts will show I never compromised this in any way, he added. The deal announced Saturday was all the more surprising because the SEC had offered similar terms last week after conducting an investigation that was unusually quick. Musk abruptly rejected that initial settlement earlier this week, people familiar with the matter said, prompting the SEC to file civil suit Thursday afternoon. Musk, meanwhile, hired several high-powered attorneys to prepare a defense, appearing to gear up for the fight of his career. But Teslas stock tumbled more than 14 percent following the SEC lawsuit, reflecting the degree of risk associated with Musks leadership of the car maker in jeopardy. It is unclear why Musk, who rarely backs down from a fight, changed his mind. The companys attorneys, Bradley Bondi of Cahill Gordon & Reindel, and Musks attorney, Steven Farina of Williams & Connolly, held several late-night calls with the SEC, attempting to resolve the matter, according to a person close to the company but not authorized to speak about it publicly. The capitulation was likely due to pressure from investors, said Michelle Krebs, executive analyst at Autotrader. Given the potential penalties they faced if the case had gone to trial, Musk and Tesla got lucky. Still, a reckless tweet cost a lot of money the $20-million tweet. The monetary penalty is a drop in the bucket for Musk, a multi-billionaire. Tesla views the settlement as having no long-term impact on its operations or liquidity, according to the person. Musk stunned global financial markets on Aug. 7 when he issued tweets saying he had the funding secured to take his automaker private. Musk said the take-private deal was all but guaranteed, sending the Silicon Valley automakers stock soaring by nearly 11 percent. Then, after 17 days, Musk suddenly announced that he would not pursue the deal, leading the stock to plunge amid growing skepticism over the companys long-term prospects. But federal securities regulators say his statements were deceptive. Following its investigation, the SEC said the deal was uncertain and subject to numerous contingencies. Prosecutors alleged that Musk had not taken even basic steps to close a deal, including discussing specific terms, including price. In his initial tweet, Musk mentioned $420 as a price, but that was because he had recently learned about the numbers significance in marijuana culture and thought his girlfriend would find it funny, which admittedly is not a great reason to pick a price, according to the SEC complaint. In discussions with the SEC, Tesla argued that Musks statements were true and that, either way, Tesla was not liable for them, the person close to the company said. In contrast to the fraud charge the SEC levied against Musk, the SEC settlement with the company determined Tesla did not have proper disclosure requirements in place to govern Musks tweets. The settlement reflects an important principle, said SEC Chair Jay Clayton. When companies and corporate insiders make statements, they must act responsibly, he said, including ensuring the statements are not false or misleading. The $40 million will be distributed to harmed investors, according to the SEC. The settlement is a big victory for the SEC, which faced one of its most high-profile fights in years if the case had gone to trial. It filed suit just 51 days after Musks Aug. 7 tweet, suggesting prosecutors were confident in their case. But there were risks. Even if the jury found the evidence of fraud convincing, legal experts said, they could have been easily charmed by Musk. A trial would have been risky for both sides, legal experts have said. In the end, neither Musk nor the SEC wanted to play chicken, said Jordan Thomas, a partner at Labaton Sucharow and a former Justice Department trial lawyer. I think that the settlement is a very fair and actually generous offer by the SEC. Given the complaint he was facing, I think it was wise to take this offer, said Teresa Goody, a former SEC official who now advises companies on securities law and corporate governance. Under the settlement, which is subject to court approval, Musk will resign as chairman of the automaker within 45 days and be barred from that position for three years. He will be allowed to remain on the board. A change at the helm of Teslas board could be good for the company, said Rebecca Lindland, executive analyst at Kelley Blue Book. A new chairman will also provide much needed guidance [while allowing] Elon to continue with his vision of changing the face of mobility, she said. Stepping down as chairman is potentially humbling for Musk, 47, who is currently Teslas chairman, chief executive and largest shareholder, with a roughly 20 percent stake in the company. He oversees virtually all of the companys development, engineering and design. He also commands a vast audience on Twitter, where he has more than 22 million followers, which Tesla agreed to monitor more closely under the settlement. Musk must now have the company sign off on any written statements, including on Twitter, that could be deemed material. This is not the only time Musks tweets have stirred trouble. Earlier this month, a Thai-cave rescue volunteer sued Musk for defamation after the executive posted unsubstantiated tweets claiming that the volunteer was a pedo and child rapist. The settlement ends one potential nightmare for the company. Some investors worried about how the electric car company would fare without Musks vision and tenacity. But others stumbling blocks remain. Tesla faces several shareholder lawsuits tied to the Aug. 7 tweet and the Justice Department is also investigating the issue. Tesla also remains under financial pressure. It has endured months of production problems and an exodus of top executives as it faces down more than $10 billion in lingering debts. Political activism and opportunism is unfortunately prompting the unhinged environmental elite to again engage in the mass misrepresentation of reality. If it werent so costly to New Mexico and its future economic viability, I would laugh. Sadly, however, with the upcoming general election we have former and current public officials trying to curry favor and build up campaign coffers on issues they dont understand. Those of us who want a brighter future for New Mexico have to stand up and be the adults in the room. Hilcorp Energy recently applied for a change to what is called a pool rule. There are pool rules all over the state where below-ground oil and gas pockets exist. These rules are routinely updated to account for technological advances and our growing understanding of geology. Hilcorp would like to tap the full potential of the Blanco Mesaverde pool, an expansive pool that exists thousands of feet below the surface in northwest New Mexico. Hilcorp brought forward data and studies that prove it can take existing wells currently drawing from other pools and, without drilling a new well, tap into the Blanco Mesaverde pool and bring affordable energy to America. The only problem is that the allowable well density of the Blanco Mesaverde pool lags behind the density of other pools also in the San Juan Basin. In order to use an existing well on another pool, Hilcorp would have to exceed the allowable wells for the Blanco Mesaverde pool. And, it has received permission to do so on close to 70 other occasions. It is telling that no one protested then. Why would they? Elections werent as close. Protestors and political opportunists want you to think Hilcorp is requesting to drill thousands of new wells, make our air unbreathable and otherwise bring about the apocalypse. In all reality, the environmental groups are opposing responsible policies that accomplish everything they claim to support; they are opposing strategies that reduce the number of new wells needed in the region. Let me repeat that so it sinks in; these groups are opposing a request that would allow an operator to use existing infrastructure and reduce the need for new pads and new wells. Why? Because the only answer that is palatable to them, despite their rhetoric, is for all oil and gas development to end in New Mexico. The New Mexico Oil Conservation Division gave appropriate notice of its meeting in accordance with the Open Meetings Act, and everyone had the opportunity to show up. A second notice to operators was required, but because of a bureaucratic venue change, the commission requested that Hilcorp send a second notice to all basin operators. If you listened to the activists who testified at this months hearing, you would think the fate of humankind was being decided. The foot soldiers of the keep it in the grounders said that oil and gas does nothing for the state of New Mexico or its citizens. Nothing? Lets get the facts straight. When the next governor takes the reins of this state, he or she will have over 30 percent reserves because of oil and gas operations. We can also thank oil and gas for the roads, street lights, education dollars, Medicaid and our police officers. Over a third of the states budget is paid for by oil and gas. Consider for a moment the troubles and struggles of the northwest corner of our state. Not satisfied with the closure of the PNM facility and coal plant, radical activists seem too eager to strike another, fatal blow to that community. Sierra Club, San Juan Citizens Alliance, New Energy Economy and others funded with out-of-state money are all too eager to destroy the economic driver in northwest New Mexico. The leaders who are fueling flames and crying crocodile tears ought to know better. The truth may not be as exciting as the stories these activists tell, but facts are important and the only way were going to move New Mexico forward. The New Mexico Business Coalition (NMBC) is the state affiliate for the National Association of Manufacturing. NMBC focuses on improving the business environment for companies and the quality of life for all New Mexicans. Its nonpartisan educational efforts focus on providing New Mexicans the facts about issues impacting business opportunities and job creation in our state. WASHINGTON Without being aware of it, Vernon Madison might become a footnote in constitutional law because he is barely aware of anything. For more than 30 years, Alabama, with a tenacity that deserves a better cause, has been trying to execute him for the crime he certainly committed, the 1985 murder of a police officer. Twice the state convicted him unconstitutionally first excluding African-Americans from the jury, then insinuating inadmissible evidence into the record. In a third trial the judge, who during his time on the bench overrode more life sentences six than any other Alabama judge, disregarded the jurys recommended sentence of life imprisonment and imposed the death penalty. The mills of justice grind especially slowly regarding capital punishment, which courts have enveloped in labyrinthine legal protocols. As the mills have ground on, life has ground Madison, 68, down to wreckage. After multiple serious strokes, he has vascular dementia, an irreversible and progressive degenerative disease. He also is legally blind, his speech is slurred, he has Type 2 diabetes and chronic hypertension, he cannot walk unassisted, he has dead brain tissue and urinary incontinence. And he no longer remembers the crime that put him on death row for most of his adult life. This is why on Tuesday the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments about the constitutionality of executing him. His counsel of record, Bryan A. Stevenson, head of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Ala., says it was undisputed in the penalty phase of Madisons third trial that he already suffered from a mental illness marked by paranoid delusions. Stevenson says that Madison, who has been mentally ill since adolescence and who over the years had been prescribed numerous psychotropic medications, cannot remember numerous events of the past 30 years, including events from the offense to his arrest or to his trial, and cannot remember the name of the police officer he shot. The mere phrasing of the matter at issue whether Madison is competent to be executed induces moral vertigo. A unanimous three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that Madison lacks the requisite competence because he lacks understanding of the connection between his crime and his execution. The question before the Supreme Court is whether executing Madison would violate the Eighth Amendments proscription of cruel and unusual punishments. The court has said that we may seriously question the retributive value of executing a person who has no comprehension of why he has been singled out and stripped of his fundamental right to life. For many people, the death penalty for especially heinous crimes satisfies a sense of moral symmetry. Retribution, societys cathartic expression of a proportional response to attacks on its norms, is not, however, the only justification offered for capital punishment. Deterrence is another. But by now this power is vanishingly small because imposition of the death penalty is so sporadic and glacial. Because the process of getting from sentencing to execution is so protracted, currently averaging 15 years, senescent persons on the nations death rows are going to be problems as long as there is capital punishment. Madisons case compels us to focus on the death penalty in its granular reality: Assisting someone who is nonambulatory, and bewildered because he is in Stevensons phrase memory-disordered, to be strapped down so an executioner can try to find a vein, often a problem with the elderly, to receive a lethal injection. Capital punishment is withering away not only because the process of litigating the administration of it is so expensive, and hence disproportionate to any demonstrable enhancement of public safety, but also because of a healthy squeamishness that speaks well of us. Sixty years ago, Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote that the Eighth Amendment particularly the idea of what counts as cruel punishments must draw its meaning from the evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society. Concerning which, two caveats are apposite: evolving is not a synonym for improving, and a society can become, as America arguably is becoming, infantilized as it matures. That said, it certainly is true that standards of decency do evolve, and that Americas have improved astonishingly since 1958: Think about segregated lunch counters and much else. Conservatives have their own standards, including this one: The state government already is altogether too full of itself, and investing it with the power to inflict death on anyone exacerbates its sense of majesty and delusions of adequacy. Wills columns, including those not published in the Journal, can be read at abqjournal.com/opinion look for the syndicated columnist link. E-mail: georgewill@washpost.com; copyright, Washington Post Writers Group. In the same week a man once known as Americas Dad was led away in handcuffs to begin serving a prison sentence for rape, another man once beloved as a parish priest, choir director and military chaplain in Albuquerque was ordered held in jail pending trial on federal charges of sexual abuse. There are other parallels to the cases of Bill Cosby and the Rev. Arthur Perrault. Both men, now in their 80s and infirm, reportedly used their charisma and positions of power in younger years to prey on dozens of victims Cosby by luring women to bedrooms and hotel rooms where he drugged and raped them; Perrault by grooming vulnerable boys with his position of authority and charm, showering them with dinners and gifts as a prelude to seduction. Victims recall his debonair pipe smoking and silk underwear. And both eventually were called to face justice through determined efforts of victims, lawyers and, in the case of Perrault, the FBI in Albuquerque. In Perraults case, the FBI, the U.S. Attorneys Office and Albuquerque lawyer Brad Hall, who represents victims, deserve immense credit for their persistence in finding a way to bring Perrault back from Morocco, where he ended up after fleeing Albuquerque in 1992, and a way to move forward with a prosecution for alleged crimes committed many years ago. Where the stories diverge is that Cosbys legal journey is nearly done. He has been tried and convicted in federal court and, barring reversal on appeal, will serve a prison sentence of three to 10 years. And details of Cosbys predatory conduct are well known. Meanwhile, Perraults journey through the criminal justice system is just beginning. At this point, he faces federal criminal charges of sexually molesting an 11-year-old boy while serving as a chaplain on Kirtland Air Force Base from 1991 to 1992. He is alleged to have at least 38 victims in New Mexico whose stories are not as well known as many of Cosbys accusers. The case in which he is charged is the only one federal prosecutors have found so far in which they have jurisdiction because it allegedly occurred on a military installation, and the alleged assaults coupled with the victims age gave them a way around the statute of limitations. They are asking any other victims to come forward, so more charges are possible. Another major difference between the cases as it impacts New Mexicans, particularly the states large Roman Catholic population, is that it is likely to shed additional light on how Perrault was able to continue abusing boys for more than two decades while serving in various posts in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe even though court records allege other priests and church leaders knew of his activities. In fact, he was shipped to New Mexico in the mid-1960s to undergo treatment at the notorious Servants of the Paraclete in Jemez Springs for treatment/therapy due to homosexual approaches to some of the young men with whom he was working. After three months of treatment, Perrault was assigned incredibly to teach religion at St. Pius X High School. In a period of a few years beginning in the 1960s, civil court records allege, Perrault abused Victim No. 1 at the archbishops house, Victims Nos. 2, 3 and 5 at Queen of Heaven Parish, Victim No. 4 at Perraults home and Victim No. 6 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish. During this time period, he became a counselor with Upward Bound at the now-defunct University of Albuquerque while remaining at St. Pius and working at Queen of Heaven Parish on weekends. There were letters of complaint to the then-archbishop as early as 1971. Still, Perrault remained active as a priest and records allege, as a predator until he fled Albuquerque in 1992. Its not clear how Hall and the FBI managed to track Perrault to Morocco, or how law enforcement convinced the Moroccan government to expel him when the United States and Morocco have no formal extradition treaty, so returning him to face the justice system is a major accomplishment. In his court appearance Sept. 21, Perrault pleaded not guilty. U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Molzen found he was a flight risk and not suited to a halfway house. Prosecutors had argued Perrault had the ability to manipulate other residents, and Molzen took note of his charm. Meanwhile, many of Cosbys victims last week expressed satisfaction and relief that at last the man who abused them would serve time in prison. In New Mexico, Perraults alleged victims are still waiting, but at least see a glimmer of hope. And equally important, Perraults case has the potential to shine a light once and for all on the culpability of church officials who allowed a man described in records as a sexual predator to exploit and abuse for more than 20 years the young boys he was supposed to guide and protect as their spiritual adviser, teacher and priest. This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers. SANTA FE Santa Fes Descartes Labs is holding a grand opening of its impressive Santa Fe headquarters Monday, just time for work on a new federal contract. The fledgling tech company is joining forces with the federal Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to provide a platform to build global-scale applications for the agencys Geospatial Cloud Analytics program, with the aim of helping open up a commercial marketplace for data scientists. Descartes Labs, which got its start from brainpower spawned at Los Alamos National Laboratory, uses satellite imagery and other means to identify and analyze changes on the Earths surface. The firm can quickly identify worldwide trends in areas such as new construction, crop yields and wind turbine expansion. Formerly located in Los Alamos, it will stage a ribbon-cutting for its headquarters building, which is downtown at West Alameda and South Guadalupe, on Monday. For DARPA, Descartes Labs will provide what it describes as a cloud-native infrastructure designed to store and provide access to massive and complex geospatial data sets. The firms work for the federal agency will focus on food security and fracking. Weve been doing the groundwork for this for quite a while, and this is a good extension of that into government work, said Mark Johnson, the companys co-founder and CEO. Its very much in line with what weve been doing as a company. Decartes Labs was awarded $7.2 million from DARPA to set up the platform. Then you can build a system that gets data out to everyone else and build models on top of that, Johnson said. The goal of GCA (geospatial cloud analytics) is to provide a secure cloud-based platform that automatically curates multisource global data and metadata, allowing analysts to focus their attention and expertise on analysis not data collection, aggregation and curation, Joe Evans, program manager in DARPAs Strategic Technology Office, said in a news release. The vision is for commercial analytics providers to use the common data platform to develop and offer their services in an analytics marketplace. Born in the late 1950s in response to the Soviet Unions launch of Sputnik, DARPA is a division of the U.S. Department of Defense but separate from other military research and development agencies. Its mission is to develop emerging technologies primarily for military use, but those technologies often will have nonmilitary applications. For instance, the agencys GCA program can be used to predict food shortages in different parts of the world, locate fracking sites, and detect where illegal fishing operations are taking place. Descartes Labs switched its headquarters from Los Alamos to Santa Fe last year and recently moved into the historic Firestone building, which has gone through iterations as a tire shop, bank, music venue and restaurant. About 50 employees work in Santa Fe and others work in San Francisco. With economic development assistance from both the state of New Mexico and the city of Santa Fe, the company has spent about $2 million renovating the building. Theres room to expand to 100 employees in the facility. Not to sound too woo-woo, but we wanted to have something with good energy, Johnson said of the 34,000-square-foot, two-story building overlooking the Santa Fe River. The grand opening event for the headquarters will take place from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Monday. Within a few years, it is possible that the United States and Russia will no longer have a nuclear arms treaty in force or under negotiation the first time that has occurred in 50 years, national security expert Ambassador Linton Brooks said during a recent phone conversation. Why is that important? In the time we are spending on this phone call, Russia could destroy the U.S. as a functioning society, and theyre the only country in the world that could do that, he said. We should at least be mildly interested in that. As an arms control ambassador, Brooks headed negotiations on the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaties, START I and START II, in the 1990s. He is a former administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration and now consults on nuclear issues and serves on the Board of Managers for Sandia National Laboratories. Brooks, who is based in Washington, D.C., will be the featured speaker Tuesday as part of the lecture series hosted by Albuquerque International Association, a division of the Center for International Studies. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to providing better international education and enhancing global awareness. Its lecture series brings national and international experts to share insights and lead discussions about critical global trends and issues. The New START treaty, the most recent iteration of the arms agreement, is scheduled to end in 2021, though it could be extended to 2026 if the U.S. and Russian presidents agree to do so, Brooks said. An extension would not need U.S. Senate approval, though a new treaty would. While there is a good possibility the current treaty will be extended, the prospects for a new treaty are much more questionable, Brooks said. Thats because the Russians have been less than diligent about honoring other treaties, particularly the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, or INF, which was signed in 1987 and ratified by the U.S. Senate in 1988. That treaty called for the elimination of all nuclear and conventional missiles with ranges up to 3,420 miles. The INF is still in effect and its clear to the U.S. that the Russians are violating it, he said. The last administration (of former President Barack Obama) and this one are convinced that there have been violations, so its very likely that if the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty ends, there will not be a replacement treaty, and its even less likely the Senate would ratify a new treaty, Brooks said. In the U.S., lots of attention is focused on Russias alleged meddling in the last presidential election and the Robert Mueller investigation into possible links between Russia and associates of President Donald Trump, if not Trump himself, Brooks said. While those are important matters, there are other issues that have far greater ramifications. Like it or not, Brooks said, Russia matters to us strategically because of their position on the U.N. Security Council. Which means that whenever we try to mobilize international opposition, we need at least their acquiescence. Also, he said, We do not want to ignite a new arms race, because it costs a lot of money and it does not make us any safer, and we dont want to lose the transparency and knowledge that we gain from inspections under arms control. Should the treaty be allowed to lapse, Brooks said, there are measures that are not legally binding that can be taken to mitigate the damage. For example, the U.S. and Russia can have informal agreements that neither country will increase its military forces, and we can continue to talk, exchange information and cooperate where possible, so that in time of crisis we dont inadvertently walk ourselves into a dangerous situation, he said. The fact that there are other issues with Russia is not a good reason to not think about a nuclear arms treaty, Brooks said. The whole idea of arms control presumes that there are issues. We dont have an arms control treaty with the British or the French because they are genuine partners and allies. Arms control is about people you dont trust. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal She once posed as a stroke patient during an undercover investigation. More recently, she showed up uninvited at the White House and waited with an elderly woman seeking help at the Social Security office in Albuquerque. That hands-on history, Michelle Lujan Grisham says, is a sign of the kind of governor shed be. I show up when people dont expect me to, she said in a recent interview. Lujan Grisham a former state Cabinet secretary, ex-Bernalillo County commissioner and current congresswoman is the Democratic nominee campaigning for the Governors Office after eight years of Republican control under Gov. Susana Martinez, whose tenure ends Dec. 31. Lujan Grisham, 58, is pitching herself as someone with experience at all levels of government a public official who has worked under three governors and knows how to get things done. She has a background in health care, in particular, and she names New Mexicos woefully underfunded public education system as an immediate priority. I will do what it takes, Lujan Grisham said, to solve a problem, to address challenges, to make a difference in the lives of New Mexicans. People can expect that of me. She has faced intense criticism on the campaign trail, too, including in a brutal three-way Democratic primary in June. Lujan Grisham dominated the field by claiming 66 percent of the vote, but her opponents hammered her as an insider entrenched in the Democratic political establishment. Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, her opponent this fall, is continuing that line of attack. In a recent television ad, his campaign described Lujan Grisham as dishonest and dirty, shamelessly corrupt allegations that center on her ties to a company that helps run New Mexicos high-risk insurance pool. Lujan Grishams campaign calls the attacks desperate and unfounded. She has consistently defended her work for Delta Consulting, the company with a state contract, as a critical way to help New Mexicans who had been denied health care coverage. In one ad, a cancer patient speaks in her defense. Lujan Grisham divested from the company last year and released her tax returns as a show of transparency. New money New Mexicos next governor will take office amid an oil boom thats expected to provide more than $1.2 billion in new money, or extra revenue beyond this years spending levels. The influx comes after years of tight budgets and a fiscal crisis that damaged the states credit rating. If elected, Lujan Grisham said, she would immediately bring in legislative leaders from both parties to craft a prudent and practical spending plan. Among the priorities, she said, are education, addressing high-risk vacancies in the department that combats child abuse and promotes foster care, early childhood education, and encouraging business investment and tourism. And she said Democrats, who hold majorities in both legislative chambers, shouldnt expect a pushover. I dont rubber-stamp anything, Lujan Grisham said. She points to her experience working for then-Republican Gov. Gary Johnson, in addition to two Democratic governors, as an example of her willingness to work with any party. Lujan Grisham is also in the minority in the U.S. House, meaning she has to win Republican support to advance her congressional priorities. A recent appropriations bill passed by the House, for example, includes $5 million for one of her longtime priorities a Care Corps demonstration program that would pay for caregivers who help seniors and people with disabilities continue to live independently. Lujan Grisham said she saw her own parents struggle as caregivers for her younger sister, who was disabled after a brain tumor. In Washington, D.C., she has served as chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus a position that has put her at in the middle of the immigration debate. She attended a White House meeting on the topic in January, even after the Trump administration wouldnt add her to the invite list. Democratic leaders asked that Lujan Grisham be added, but the White House said the gathering was already too crowded. Lujan Grisham showed up anyway and was among about 20 people at the table with Trump. She has also pushed to maintain the United States ban on horse slaughter, helped secure a federal review of behavioral health services in New Mexico and won funding for a variety of federal projects in New Mexico, according to her congressional office. Background Lujan Grisham has a broad background in government. She has served as the states Cabinet secretary in the departments of Health and Aging and Long-Term Services, won election to a Bernalillo County Commission seat representing the North Valley and part of the West Side, and served three terms in Congress. In 1997, when she headed the aging agency, Lujan Grisham went undercover at an Albuquerque nursing home, posing as a patient with speech loss, to check on the care people received. Later, in her tenure at the Health Department, she faced a wave of criticism, in particular for some staff changes. Some see her hands-on style as prone to micromanagement. Bernalillo County Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins, a Democrat from Albuquerque, said Lujan Grisham simply has high expectations for public employees, as she should. I think Michelle gets caught in a kind of gender bias where that type of behavior in a man would be seen as really strong leadership, but in a woman its sometimes painted as a negative, Hart Stebbins said. She describes Lujan Grisham as relentless when she attacks a problem. As an example, Hart Stebbins cited Lujan Grishams efforts to persuade the Air Force to clean up a jet fuel spill at Kirtland. I was on a phone call with her and the secretary of the Air Force, and she said, Im going to call you every day until we get a solution, Hart Stebbins said. Economy Creating jobs has been a central point of debate in the campaign. New Mexico has struggled with some of the highest unemployment rates in the country, and the state remains heavily dependent on the oil and gas industry and the federal workforce at national laboratories and military installations. Lujan Grishams economic ideas include boosting the minimum wage, creating centers of excellence on certain topics at state universities and colleges, supporting the film industry, taking broadband to rural areas, expanding the hours of the Santa Teresa Port of Entry on the border, and embracing an all-of-the-above energy plan that includes solar and wind power. Both Pearce and Lujan Grisham say they want to broaden New Mexicos economic base. Boom and bust cycles are so hard on states, Lujan Grisham said. Transparency A hallmark of her campaign has been the release of a series of multipart plans on policy topics. She has a 19-page plan on clean energy, for example, and an eight-sector strategy for diversifying the economy. The plans rolled out over the last two years and available on her website reflect a commitment, Lujan Grisham said, to transparency about her ideas and policy proposals. They may also be a sign of her enthusiasm for the job. Lujan Grisham was the first candidate to enter the race, in December 2016, just a week after U.S. Sen. Tom Udall revealed that he wouldnt run. And she seems to be enjoying it. Shes quick to offer a self-deprecating joke or two, often about her height. Campaigning across the state, Lujan Grisham said, has led to chance meetings with people who knew her parents or sister. Sometimes being (a small state), its incredibly powerful, she said. I wasnt expecting to have that kind of joy. Police grill eight suspects in teenagers rape Police are questioning eight men and searching for two others for their alleged involvement in the rape of 19-year-old woman at Khadachakra Rural Municipality-9 in Kalikot district on Wednesday evening. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal Steve Pearce is no stranger to headwinds, given his background as an Air Force pilot and his secret, solo mission to fly a plane around the globe that he embarked on in 2016 in honor of American veterans. But the stiff breeze Pearce is facing in this years New Mexico governors race might require all the political navigation skills the longtime Republican congressman can summon. With his Democratic opponent, Michelle Lujan Grisham, ahead in recent polls and national left-leaning groups flexing their political muscle on her behalf, Pearce has been left to largely fend for himself in an election cycle in which the national voter mood could make things tricky for GOP candidates. My task has been to accelerate through that headwind. Its simply something I have to overcome, Pearce, 71, said in a recent Journal interview. While remaining upbeat about his chances in the race, Pearce has launched hard-hitting TV campaign ads in recent weeks that target Lujan Grishams past business dealings and, in one case, a terminally ill cancer patient who was featured in a Lujan Grisham advertisement. Critics say Pearce is trying to portray himself as a moderate in the governors race despite the Hobbs Republicans conservative record in Congress and affiliation with the hard-line Freedom Caucus. But Pearce himself brushes aside questions about whether hes trying to appeal to moderate Democrats, saying, This is not about messaging to anyone; this is about the future of the state. Roswell Mayor Dennis Kintigh, a Republican who previously served in the state House, acknowledged GOP candidates could face electoral difficulties this year, due in large part to it being the first general election since President Donald Trump took office in 2017. However, he said Pearce could fare better than other Republicans running in New Mexico because of his indefatigable nature on the campaign trail. Its an uphill battle; any idiot can see that, Kintigh said. But if anyone can do it, its Steve Pearce. Across the aisle This years gubernatorial race is wide-open because two-term Republican Gov. Susana Martinez is barred from seeking a third consecutive term as governor. Although Pearce served as the master of ceremonies at Martinezs inauguration in 2011, the relationship between the two Republicans appears to have gotten icy in recent years. Martinez declined to answer a question earlier this year about whether she would vote for Pearce, who was unopposed in the primary election. And Pearce hasnt been shy about criticizing some of the outgoing governors policies. Susana is a prosecutor. Im a business guy. You cant even correlate (the two of us), he told the Journal. I dont have any complaint about what she did; she just didnt have the background to diversify or grow the economy. Martinez also clashed frequently in recent years with the Democratic-controlled Legislature, but Pearce insists he would fare differently. Pearce has teamed up with Democrats on some issues in Congress including a 2014 immigration bill he co-sponsored with U.S. Rep. Beto ORourke, D-Texas and says he could also find bipartisan common ground on key policy issues at the Roundhouse. Im one of the ones that works as far across the aisle as anyone, and thats what its going to take to get some of these things through the Legislature, he said. Pearce previously served in the Legislature, from 1997 through 2000. He was elected to represent the southern New Mexico-based 2nd Congressional District in 2002 and has held the seat since then with a two-year gap after he ran in 2008 for the U.S. Senate, losing to Democrat Tom Udall. Economy Pearces gubernatorial campaign has focused primarily on four issues education, poverty, crime and diversifying the economy that he says are interrelated and key to improving New Mexicos long-term fortunes. To accomplish that, Pearce has called for an expansion of apprenticeship programs, more work-training programs for released inmates and an increase in state dollars going into classrooms in part by reducing administrative spending in the public school system. He also says hell make the Spaceport America, near Truth or Consequences, a success story. Pearce said legislators talk about scrapping the project, launched under the administration of then-Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson, has only served to destabilize its economic viability. I will not accept failure on a $220 million investment, said Pearce, who acknowledged interest in taking part in commercial space travel. Meanwhile, Pearce said much of the $1.2 billion in new money thats expected to be available in the coming budget year should be spent on public works projects including broadband access and bolstering the states cash reserves. The windfall is due primarily to unprecedented oil production levels in southeast New Mexico. I dont want to grow the size of government. The government is big enough, Pearce said. Its working now it may be working poorly, but its not like we need to double the size of government. Attacks When it comes to his opponent, Pearce has stepped up his attacks in recent weeks. He has specifically linked Lujan Grisham to Richardson, who had to withdraw his nomination to be U.S. commerce secretary in 2009 due to a pay-to-play investigation that did not lead to any indictments. Lujan Grisham led the states Department of Health under Richardson before abruptly resigning in 2007. Shes rebuilding the Richardson administration same donors, same insiders and the same practices, Pearce said in reference to Lujan Grisham. He also said that, if elected governor, he would push for a new state law that would bar elected officials from holding contracts with the state. New Mexico has suffered under corruption for too long and we just act like its normal, Pearce said. However, Pearce has also faced criticism about his own willingness to be transparent, specifically when it comes to releasing his personal tax returns. After state Democrats hammered him on the issue, Pearce recently said he would release his 2017 returns in mid-October. Lujan Grisham already released five years of her state and federal income tax returns in May. Pearces assets in 2017 were valued at between $7.5 million and more than $36 million, based on the financial disclosure report he filed earlier this year as a member of Congress. He reported holdings in several companies, including a Hobbs-based firm that rents party equipment, such as tables and chairs. Financial edge With Election Day just over five weeks away, Pearce says hes not deterred by a Journal Poll from last month that showed him trailing Lujan Grisham by 7 percentage points. One advantage he might have in the final run-up to the Nov. 6 general election is a financial one. He reported having roughly $1.9 million in his war chest as of last month, compared with about $1.3 million for Lujan Grisham. But whether that money edge can help turn back a potential blue wave in a state in which registered Democrats outnumber Republicans remains to be seen. A year and a half or two years ago, no one gave us a shot, Pearce told the Journal. Were not fading, and we havent faded, and were going to win the race. Deputy Chief of Security Ralph Fernandez will become the chief of the Metropolitan Detention Center when current Chief Greg Rees retires Nov. 2. Bernalillo County commissioners last week unanimously supported the decision by voting to concur with the appointment. Bernalillo County commissioners last week unanimously supported the decision by voting to concur with the appointment. Fernandez has nearly 24 years of experience in corrections. He spent 21 years with the New Mexico Corrections Department, retiring as a captain of security. In 2016, he moved to MDC as a use-of-force consultant, and in September 2017, Rees hired Fernandez as his deputy chief of security. I am honored and excited to be stepping into the role of chief of corrections at MDC, Fernandez said in a statement. In just one year under Chief Rees direction, the facility has already made significant progress, a path I will continue through my commitment to the staff and inmates at MDC and the citizens of Bernalillo County. Fernandez will earn $150,000 a year. NEW FIREFIGHTERS: Commissioners last week approved funding for 10 new full-time firefighter positions for the Bernalillo County Fire Department, thanks to a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The SAFER Grant will total about $1.5 million over a five-year period. As a condition of the award, Bernalillo County will contribute a match of $569,651 of non-federal funds. The federal share is $916,399. This grant will allow us to hire 10 full-time firefighters as the need for increased staffing is essential due to continuous residential and business growth throughout the unincorporated areas of the county, Fire Chief Greg Perez said in a statement. CITY HALL CONNECTION: New Mayors Corner events will take place across Albuquerque to make city staff available to assist residents who have questions regarding city events, programs and services. From trash pickup to after school programs for kids, the city offers countless services, Mayor Tim Keller said in a statement. But many times our residents have problems accessing those services or dont know that theyre available. So, were turning government inside out and bringing this information to their corners. The first round of events will take place Tuesday from 10 a.m. to noon on at North Domingo Baca Multigenerational Center, 7521 Carmel NE; and Oct. 9 from 10 a.m. to noon at Bear Canyon Senior Center, 4645 Pitt NE. More events will be announced as they become available. Steve Knight: sknight@abqjournal.com An Albuquerque Public Schools Newcomer and Refugee Program, which has caused pushback and protest, is moving forward with new efforts to engage the community. The Board of Education received an update last week from the districts new leader of the initiative at a District Equity and Engagement Committee meeting. Brandon Baca, refugee point of contact, joined APS recently, just after refugees and advocates rallied for more of a voice on the program. They said it didnt consider the refugee communitys input and need. The newcomer effort which APS has described as a voluntary class that caters to students who dont speak English or Spanish, specifically languages spoken by refugees like Swahili started at La Mesa Elementary. Baca told the board that an engagement strategy has been drafted and is being reviewed by outside community organizations. He has also met with refugee families to get their input, even going to families homes to get feedback and gauge interest. Baca, who has less than two months on the job, was praised by the board and the superintendent for the work he has been doing on the program. I get a little frustrated because APS doesnt always get shown in a great light, board member Yolanda Montoya-Cordova said. But light needs to be shed on this. His work comes after APS refugee students said in July they havent had a voice in the program that impacts them. Nkazi Sinandile, who left South Africa in 1981, went on a hunger strike in solidarity. The La Mesa program has since hired teachers and specialists. Kris Meurer, executive director for the APS Student Family Community Support Division, previously told the Journal that Van Buren Middle School is also participating in the program on a smaller scale and it could be implemented at other schools. APS is also working on other supports for refugees and newcomers like more case managers and an increase in outreach and parental engagement. WASHINGTON FBI agents on Sunday interviewed one of the three women who have accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct as Republicans and Democrats quarreled over whether the bureau would have enough time and freedom to conduct a thorough investigation before a high-stakes vote on his nomination to the nations highest court. The White House insisted it was not micromanaging the new one-week review of Kavanaughs background but some Democratic lawmakers claimed the White House was keeping investigators from interviewing certain witnesses. President Donald Trump, for his part, tweeted that no matter how much time and discretion the FBI was given, it will never be enough for Democrats trying to keep Kavanaugh off the bench. And even as the FBI explored the past allegations that have surfaced against Kavanaugh, another Yale classmate came forward to accuse the federal appellate judge of being untruthful in his testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee about the extent of his drinking in college. In speaking to FBI agents, Deborah Ramirez detailed her allegation that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party in the early 1980s when they were students at Yale University, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss details of a confidential investigation. Kavanaugh has denied Ramirezs allegation. The person familiar with Ramirezs questioning, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said she also provided investigators with the names of others who she said could corroborate her account. But Christine Blasey Ford, a California professor who says Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers, has not been contacted by the FBI since Trump on Friday ordered the agency to take another look at the nominees background, according to a member of Fords team. Kavanaugh has denied assaulting Ford. In a statement released Sunday, a Yale classmate of Kavanaughs said he is deeply troubled by what has been a blatant mischaracterization by Brett himself of his drinking at Yale. Charles Chad Ludington, who now teaches at North Carolina State University, said he was friend of Kavanaughs at Yale and that Kavanaugh was a frequent drinker, and a heavy drinker. On many occasions I heard Brett slur his words and saw him staggering from alcohol consumption, not all of which was beer. When Brett got drunk, he was often belligerent and aggressive, Ludington said. While saying that youthful drinking should not condemn a person for life, Ludington said he was concerned about Kavanaughs statements under oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Speaking to the issue of the scope of the FBIs investigation, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said White House counsel Don McGahn, who is managing Kavanaughs nomination, has allowed the Senate to dictate what these terms look like, and what the scope of the investigation is. The White House isnt intervening. Were not micromanaging this process. Its a Senate process. It has been from the beginning, and were letting the Senate continue to dictate what the terms look like, Sanders said. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said the investigation will be limited in scope and will not be a fishing expedition. The FBI is not tasked to do that. Senate Judiciary Committee member Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., requested an investigation last Friday after he and other Republicans on the panel voted along strict party lines in favor of Kavanaughs confirmation as a condition for his own subsequent vote to put Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court. Another committee member, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Sunday that testimony would be taken from Ramirez and Kavanaughs high school friend Mark Judge, who has been named by two of three women accusing Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. I think that will be the scope of it. And that should be the scope of it, Graham said. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, called on the White House and the FBI to provide the written directive regarding the investigations scope. In a letter Sunday, she also asked for updates on any expansion of the original directive. Sen. Susan Collins said Sunday she is confident in the investigation and that the FBI will follow up on any leads that result from the interviews. The Maine Republican supports the new FBI investigation and is among a few Republican and Democratic senators who have not announced a position on Kavanaugh. Republicans control 51 seats in the closely divided 100-member Senate and cannot afford to lose more than one vote on confirmation. Collins and Flake spoke throughout the weekend. Senate Republicans discussed the contours of the investigation with the White House late Friday, according to a person familiar with the call who was not authorized to discuss it publicly. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had gathered Judiciary Committee Republicans in his office earlier. At that time, the scope of the investigation was requested by Flake, Collins and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, said McConnells spokesman Don Stewart. Murkowski is not on the committee, but also has not announced how she will vote on Kavanaughs confirmation. Republicans later called the White House to discuss the scope of the probe, the person said. McConnells office declined to elaborate Sunday on which allegations would be investigated, reiterating only that it would focus on current credible allegations. Stewart said the investigations scope was set by the three GOP senators Friday and has not changed. But Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, a Judiciary Committee member, doubted how credible the investigation will be given the time limit. Thats bad enough, but then to limit the FBI as to the scope and who theyre going to question, that that really I wanted to use the word farce, but thats not the kind of investigation that all of us are expecting the FBI to conduct, she said. Trump initially opposed such an investigation as allegations began mounting but relented and ordered one on Friday. He later said the FBI has free rein. Theyre going to do whatever they have to do, whatever it is they do. Theyll be doing things that we have never even thought of, Trump said Saturday as he departed the White House for a trip to West Virginia. And hopefully at the conclusion everything will be fine. He revisited the scope question later Saturday on Twitter, writing in part, I want them to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion. Sanders said Trump, who has vigorously defended Kavanaugh but also raised the slight possibility of withdrawing the nomination should damaging information be found, will listen to the facts. At least three women have accused Kavanaugh of years-ago misconduct. He denies all the claims. The third woman, Julie Swetnick, accused Kavanaugh and Judge of excessive drinking and inappropriate treatment of women in the early 1980s, among other accusations. Kavanaugh has called her accusations a joke. Judge has said he categorically denies the allegations. Swetnicks attorney, Michael Avenatti, said Saturday that his client had not been contacted by the FBI but was willing to cooperate with investigators. Ford also has said Judge was in the room when a drunken Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her. Judge has said he will cooperate with any law enforcement agency that will confidentially investigate sexual misconduct allegations against him and Kavanaugh. Judge has also denied misconduct allegations. Sanders spoke on Fox News Sunday, Conway appeared on CNNs State of the Union and Graham and Hirono were interviewed on ABCs This Week. ____ Associated Press writers Eric Tucker, Lisa Mascaro and Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington and Jonathan Lemire in New York contributed to this report. 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. Publish probe report, urge protestors Members of the Civil Struggle Committee in Kanchanpur staged a sit-in at Madan Chowk of Mahendranagar Bazaar on Saturday, demanding the authorities to make public the report submitted by the high-level probe committee In an action suggesting the intent of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) to expand their presence and increase the number of their cadres in Iraq, the PMUs Basra office announced Sept. 12 the formation of the Voluntary Reserves. However, this expansion is facing considerable objections from various parties in the Iraqi arena. According to a statement issued by the PMU, the force consists of 10 brigades. The Voluntary Reserves were formed in response to the demonstrations that took place in Basra at the beginning of September, in which the demonstrators burned several offices belonging to pro-Iran PMU parties, in addition to the Iranian Consulate in the city. The statement stressed that this move is due to the fact that troublemakers, supported by foreign parties, had taken advantage of the demonstrators demands. They started burning and destroying public property and trying to infringe on the PMU. The Voluntary Reserves aim at confronting potential dangers within neighborhoods. The Voluntary Reserves have been involved in cultural activities for some time, including the establishment of cultural camps, in which pictures of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah are plastered all around. After the destruction of public property around the city, the PMU in Basra put its forces on high alert. The apparent security chaos in Basra has made it imperative for us to go down to the streets to establish control, Ammar Fares, head of the PMU in Basra, said Sept. 8. Later, on Sept. 15, a march in support of the PMU took place. The fact that the PMU is playing a security role in the southern Iraqi cities, especially in Basra, and the news about the formation of its Voluntary Reserves have brought about a negative reaction by civil society activists who have opposed an Iranian presence in the city for some time. One of the aspects that angered them the most is the name: The word Tabia chosen for the PMUs Voluntary Reserves is equivalent to Basij in Persian. The Basij is a paramilitary organization affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The Basij was formed in 1979 and plays several roles, even in culture and services in addition to its security role. It is the IRGC's watchful eye in all governmental and semi-governmental organizations and institutions in the Islamic Republic. Civil society activists have expressed resistance to the expansion of Iran's influence in this strategic city. The Basra Facebook page, in which millions interact weekly, opposes what it believes is a stripping of Basra's Iraqi identity and the spreading of the ideology of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Civil activist Nael al-Zamil said Sept. 17 that the creation of the PMUs Voluntary Reserves is an attempt to expand the PMU and insert it into organizations within various areas. It is an attempt to militarize society and a tool of domination and spying on citizens, as was the case with the partisan organizations when the Baath Party ruled. Murtada Ali, a civilian activist who participated in the demonstrations in Basra, concurs with Zamil. We believe the PMUs presence in the street and the formation of the Voluntary Reserves are a means of intimidation against the demonstrators, he told Al-monitor. We are concerned about these forces serving as a tool to suppress the protest against the ruling parties, whose military wings are represented by the PMU factions. We fear the Voluntary Reserves will be as loyal to those parties that the people of Basra are protesting against, Ali added. Iranian state institutions seem to be aware of the role these activists play in resisting Iranian influence. For this reason, a media campaign against them was launched. Irans Mehr News Agency took an unprecedented move Sept. 13 and published an article in both Persian and Arabic, accusing three young activists from Basra of working for the United States and playing a major role in mobilizing the street in Basra and promoting rioting among protesters by coordinating with the US Consulate in the city. The Mehr News Agency, affiliated with the Organization for Islamic Communications, which is very close to the Iranian regime, said the aim is to undermine Iran's position in the region and create division in the Middle East, especially in Iraq. On Sept. 9, PMU Adjutant Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes accused the US Consulate of giving the order to burn the PMUs headquarters. Mehrs article, which puts the lives of these activists at risk, does not provide any evidence of its serious allegations, except that they participated in training courses conducted by the US Consulate in Basra. Al-Monitor contacted some of these activists, but they all refused to speak out, fearing for their security. It seems that there are concerns about southern Iraq turning into a region similar to southern Lebanon. This is especially true in Basra, which is Iraqs economic hub given how it contains the largest oil and gas wells in the country, as well as Iraqs only seaport. However, the Iranian expansion in Basra and in Iraq in general, through parties and paramilitary factions, is not just opposed by activists in Iraq. For instance, Muqtada al-Sadr, the leader of the Sairoon Alliance, which won the largest number of seats in the May parliamentary elections, has tried to distance his movement from Iran. For his part, the supreme religious authority in Iraq, Ali al-Sistani, suggests a governance model that is completely different from the Iranian religious rule known as velayat-e faqih. Sistani supports the establishment of a civil state, a secular system of government that respects the religious beliefs of the people. On the other hand, not all PMU factions are affiliated with Iran; some major factions such as Al-Abbas combat division, which is close to Sistani, do not have any kind of relations with the Iranians. It seems that after the Islamic State was eliminated from Iraqi cities, political conflict began to intensify between those close to Iran which is striving to increase its influence in Iraq, especially in strategic areas such as Basra and others, be they Shiite or civil parties, that do not want Iraq to be bound in Iran's orbit. Sudurpaschim capital row: Dhangadi shutdown for second consecutive day Dhangadi Sub-Metropolitan City has remained shut for the second consecutive day on Sunday due to the protest over shifting the capital of Sudurpaschim province from Dhangadi to Godawari of Kailali. Heading to New York on Sept. 25, the calendar of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was packed with meetings with world leaders. Apart from meeting US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and Rwanda President Paul Kagame, Netanyahu was also expected to participate at a conference organized by UNESCO on the sidelines of the 2018 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly in a first-of-its-kind UNESCO conference titled Education to prevent racism and discrimination: the case of anti-Semitism. But on Sept. 26, shortly before the conference was due to be launched, Netanyahu announced that he would not be attending. While I commend all efforts to combat anti-Semitism, I have decided not to participate in this weeks UNESCO conference on anti-Semitism due to the organizations persistent and egregious bias against Israel. Since 2009, UNESCO has passed 71 resolutions condemning Israel and only two resolutions condemning all other countries combined. This is simply outrageous, said Netanyahus statement. UNESCO has passed in recent years several resolutions considered by Jerusalem to be anti-Israeli, including decisions highlighting Palestinian affinity to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, decisions condemning West Bank settlements and decisions condemning Israeli archaeological digging at the City of David Jerusalem site. Last October, the United States announced its exit out of the UN agency over the organizations continuing anti-Israel bias, with Israeli following suit. The double exit should become official at the end of December 2018. This clear-cut decision to quit was put to test shortly after its announcement, with the surprising election of France's Audrey Azoulay as the new head of UNESCO. On her first day at the job, Azoulay said that she wanted to restore UNESCOs original mission of promoting education and culture, distancing the agency from political conflicts. Speaking at the time to Al-Monitor, Azoulay reiterated her hopes that Israel could be persuaded to change its mind and stay in UNESCO. In the weeks after, Azoulay passed on several messages to Jerusalem about her efforts to change UNESCOs treatment of Israel. On June 27, the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO postponed a decision to list the Old City of Hebron as a Palestinian world heritage site tangible proof of Azoulays commitment. In fact, Israels then-Ambassador to UNESCO Carmel Shama-HaCohen adopted a different tone than the one used prior to Azoulays appointment, stating that We must not ignore the new spirit that is blowing from UNESCO. This is a dramatic change in which the most active international organization against Israel has become the quietest arena. Speaking to Al-Monitor, Shama-HaCohen said that the decision was a great achievement to Israels diplomacy. We have been working vis-a-vis Mrs. Azoulay and her team in this direction, and I commend her for her diligence and for the new spirit she brought here, though there is still a long way to go here. The ambassador even emphasized that Israel "was not out yet," and that December was still several months away. In August, Israeli diplomats confirmed that the prime minister intended to address the UNESCO conference in New York, alongside Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Moroccos Prime Minister Saadeddine El Othmani and ministers from several EU members. Jewish leaders from around the world were also scheduled to take part, including Israeli professor Dina Porat, chief historian of Jerusalems Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum; and World Jewish Congress president Ronald Lauder, an associate of Netanyahu. Yet the new spirit in UNESCO apparently failed to change Netanyahus mind; despite his initial agreement to participate, he decided to back away at the very last minute. An Israeli diplomat told Al-Monitor that he himself was surprised by Netanyahus decision to sideline the UNESCO event. "This educational conference against anti-Semitism seemed almost tailor-made for Netanyahu, offering Israel a way out of the UNESCO quitting bind," said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The reason for Netanyahus change of heart might be attributed to his meeting on Tuesday with Trump, and to the American presidents continuous policy of rejecting international bodies. On the other hand, Netanyahus own words could also hint to what is taking place currently behind the scene at UNESCO. In his statement, Netanyahu said, It [UNESCO] must do more than host a conference on anti-Semitism. It must stop practicing anti-Semitism. And it must stop the absurdity of passing resolutions that deny the connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel, between the Jewish people and our eternal capital, Jerusalem. The executive board of UNESCO convenes Oct. 3 for its annual meeting in Paris. It is unclear at this stage whether the traditional anti-Israeli resolution will be on the menu, and if so, what exactly will it contain. Is Netanyahu preparing Israels public opinion for such a resolution? If so, it is clear that he intends to go ahead with exiting the UN agency. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas gave a speech before the United Nations Sept. 27, triggering a wave of media accusations between Hamas and Fatah. Security forces in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip targeted advocates of both parties in reciprocal arrest campaigns between Sept. 24 and 27. During his speech before a session of the UN General Assembly, Abbas addressed Hamas, saying, Maybe in the coming few days well witness the last round of talks and then maybe we will take another action. He added, We will not bear any responsibility if Hamas insists on refusing to abide by the agreement, in reference to the Gaza Strip. Hamas responded to Abbas with an official statement Sept. 27, saying, By describing the resistance as a militia and terrorist group before the UN and refusing its arms, Abbas stabbed the Palestinian people, their history, resistance and martyrs in the back. He also used that platform to announce division from the Gaza Strip and to threaten its people, thus jeopardizing the future of the reconciliation and the national composition. Abbas statements against Hamas sparked concerns in the Gaza Strip, and this appeared clearly on social media. People wondered what the new action Abbas spoke about against Hamas would be and how these measures might reflect on the economic situation of Palestinians in Gaza. Fatah launched a media campaign on Sept. 9 to support Abbas speech under the hashtag #with_the_president and #your decisions_our nation. Fatah supporters interacted with the hashtags on social media, while Hamas launched a media campaign attacking Abbas and his speech Sept. 25. Hamas activists tweeted using the hashtag #Abbas_does_not_represent_me. Thousands of Fatah supporters gathered in public squares in the West Bank in front of big screens that Fatah had placed in some cities to broadcast Abbas speech. Meanwhile, activists close to Hamas hung a large banner Sept. 26 in Gaza City, with anti-Abbas slogans. Fatah spokesperson in the Gaza Strip Atef Abu Seif told Al-Monitor that ahead of Abbas speech, security forces in the Gaza Strip summoned and arrested more than 200 Fatah members because Fatah was planning to hold events in Gaza to support Abbas. Abu Seif said that the security forces informed the summoned Fatah members that events supporting Abbas speech were forbidden, including gatherings or broadcasting the speech on big screens in public squares. Abu Seif said Abbas speech was comprehensive and reflected the aspirations of the Palestinian people suffering from Israeli and US conspiracies. He accused Hamas and the security forces in the Gaza Strip of collaborating with this conspiracy through their media attacks of Abbas and his speech. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces summoned and arrested around 100 Hamas members in the West Bank Sept. 26. Spokesperson for the security forces in the West Bank, Adnan al-Dumairi, told Al-Monitor that the arrests carried out by the security forces aimed to maintain security and order. He denied arresting any citizen based on their political affiliation. Dumairi said, The figures that Hamas published in the media about the number of people arrested in the West Bank are inaccurate. He refused to disclose the correct number, and he accused the Hamas-affiliated security forces of launching an arrest campaign in Gaza to forbid citizens from holding events that support Abbas speech. The Palestinian Center for Human Rights published a statement Sept. 27 asking the security forces in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to halt all politically motivated arrests and summonses and to immediately release those in custody. In a Sept. 26 session of the Palestinian Legislative Council in the Gaza Strip, Hamas members attacked Abbas' speech. A member stated that Abbas does not represent the Palestinian people. He only represents himself. They also accused him of usurping the PA since the end of his term in January 2009. Saleh Masharqeh, a media professor at Birzeit University, told Al-Monitor that the media campaigns of Palestinian factions supporting or opposing the presidents speech are pointless. Each party is interpreting the speech according to its own inclinations. Masharqeh said Fatah and Hamas have been lashing out at each other for years and nothing has come out of their disputes. On the contrary, their behavior has weakened their stances before their public base. He called on Palestinian factions to create a clear culture of political rivalry and dispose of the sarcasm that has been rampant on social media. Ibrahim al-Madhoun, a political analyst close to Hamas, told Al-Monitor that Hamas media attack on Abbas and his speech before the UN stems from the ongoing sanctions on the Gaza Strip and Abbas threats from the UN to impose more. Madhoun said, Abbas has made a habit of taking decisions single-handedly, without consulting the Palestinian factions. His most recent decision was forming a Palestinian National Council that does not include most Palestinian factions." Palestinians were divided over Abbas speech. They are now waiting for the Palestinian Central Council to translate the speech into decisions, especially regarding relations with the United States and Israel, during its upcoming meeting due in mid-October. ALEPPO, Syria A newly opened Youth Support Center in al-Atarib, a town in the western Aleppo countryside, will provide training, from computer skills to English, to 250 young Syrians. The center, which opened Sept. 17, is supported by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, a Saudi not-for-profit organization whose headquarters were established in Riyadh in May 2015. The organization provides humanitarian and development aid to more than 37 countries, including Yemen, Sudan and Afghanistan. Its Iraq branch, which opened in August, provides aid to poor families and widows, particularly widows of those who died fighting among the ranks of the Free Syrian Army (FSA). The center also supports civilians in the opposition-controlled Euphrates Shield area and areas in Aleppos northern, northeastern and western countryside. The centers training courses include teaching the maintenance of electronic devices and generators, computer skills and English. Meanwhile, young women will be trained in sewing, hairdressing, first aid and housekeeping. These courses are offered free of charge and will last for one month. The Youth Support Centers director, Ahmad Hajj Taha, told Al-Monitor, The center was established with the support of the King Salman Center and its implementation was overseen by Ihsan Relief and Development [a Turkish nongovernmental organization headquartered in Istanbul]. The project aims to provide training courses and support programs for young men and women between the ages of 16 and 24. He added, There are two separate sections in the center; one for men and another for women. The first training courses will last for about one month until mid-October. The 250 trainees will receive 24 lectures each and we plan on providing more courses in the coming months. Taha continued, The projects supported by the King Salman Center are concentrated only in opposition-controlled areas. They focus on the support of the local community. These courses in al-Atarib are supposed to qualify hundreds of young men and women to enter the labor market since many of these trainees are currently unemployed. Maha Abboud, 23, who is taking the hairdressing training, told Al-Monitor, I did not have the opportunity to complete my university education because of the war, so I'm here now to learn a profession I love. This will be an intensive training course. If I succeed in mastering the profession I can open a hair salon for women. I really think I can do it. On Aug. 15, Ihsan signed a memorandum of understanding with a number of local councils in the northern countryside of Aleppo to implement another joint project supported by the King Salman Center to foster small businesses in the region. The aim is to help impoverished families to make a living by training and equipping a family member to launch a small, mostly traditional business, such as iron mongering, animal breeding or carpentry. Ihsan media official Amer Bakour told Al-Monitor, Ihsan oversees several projects supported by the King Salman Center, the Youth Support Center in al-Atarib included. The small grants program aims at helping families in need of small productive projects that generate enough money to cover living expenses. As a first step, Ihsan provides necessary training to plan small projects in terms of setting a budget and developing a strategy. Then it provides both business advice as well as seed money to selected project proposals. For example, it has provided sewing equipment for a widowed woman to support her family. The project offers between $1,000 and $2,000 for each business to get it up and running. Bakour said, Such small projects are expected to be very successful and many families will benefit from them. We expect these projects to enable families to cover their monthly expenses, food, drink and other essential needs. In addition to helping individuals better their lives, the center also seeks to improve living conditions in the region. On Aug. 31, the King Salman Center launched a project to rehabilitate public facilities in the Euphrates Shield area in early September that is scheduled to be completed before winter and rainfall. The project aims to rehabilitate 495 houses in the area that were damaged by shelling, in addition to reconstructing 1,335 houses in full. ALEPPO, Syria A number of local councils in the Euphrates Shield area in Aleppos northern countryside issued decisions between Sept. 15 and Sept. 18 prohibiting residents there who are affiliated with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) from traveling to regime-held areas. Patients and the elderly would only be allowed to go to these areas in extreme humanitarian cases, with travel permits granted by local councils. The local councils justified these decisions by saying that a travel ban is a necessary step to maintain security in the Euphrates Shield area, to stop the regimes attempts to destabilize the FSA-controlled areas through pro-regime residents promoting reconciliation. The councils decisions failed to include detailed information on the procedures to obtain a travel permit or the course of action to punish violators. So far, no permits have been issued. Mareas local council issued its decision Sept. 15, noting, Given the current security situation and in order to control security in the liberated areas, travel to regime-controlled areas is prohibited except in extreme humanitarian cases and with a permit. Before the decisions were made, over 100 people from Marea alone traveled to regime-held areas on a weekly basis, but none went there after the travel ban. Even for humanitarian cases, residents are still waiting for further clarification on the decision and the process to receive travel permits. Other local councils in the area issued similar decisions: Akhtarin on Sept. 16; Suran, Dabiq and Kufra on Sept. 17; and Ihtaimlat on Sept. 18. Head of Dabiqs local council Mohammad Jamal Hamidi told Al-Monitor, This decision aims to control security and stability in the Euphrates Shield area. The humanitarian cases such as patients and the elderly are exempt from the ban, but they have to obtain a travel permit from the local council to reach regime-held areas. Hamidi added, We believe this is a necessary measure in order to put an end to bombings and assassinations in the area that some individuals might be carrying out to serve the regime. The travel ban will prevent such individuals from meeting with the regimes security forces and coordinate with them to create chaos in FSA-affiliated areas. We want to prevent any activity aiming at promoting reconciliation with the regime in our FSA-held areas. On Sept. 16, a motorcycle exploded in Jarablus in the Euphrates Shield area, injuring eight civilians. A car bomb had exploded near the local council of Azaz on Sept. 1, killing and injuring a number of civilians. FSA factions accuse the regime and its informants in the area of being behind such attacks. Media activist Abdel Fattah al-Hussein told Al-Monitor, The local councils decision to ban travel came after the Baath Partys branch in Aleppo asked its members residing in FSA-controlled areas to carry out activities in favor of the regime. These instructions were given on Aug. 22 and were followed by secret activities of party members and individuals working for the regime. He said, The partys secret statement read, 'Party comrades in Aleppo and its countryside, we urge you to send lists of party members in areas controlled by terrorists and work on activating them and keeping us informed of all developments.' Hussein explained that retired employees from FSA-controlled areas heading to the banks in regime-held areas to receive their pensions are asked to get a prior approval from the Baath Partys security division, as per the regimes instructions. As a condition to receive their pension, the security division asks those retirees to write periodic reports about developments in FSA-controlled areas and specify military spots. In addition they are instructed to promote reconciliation there. The banks are not allowed to hand over pensions without a written approval from the Baath Partys security division, he added. Head of Akhtarins local council Khaled Deebo told Al-Monitor, The travel ban is necessary at this critical stage. Strict measures must be taken against people living in FSA-controlled areas who promote surrendering to the regime. The travel ban is a successful step in the right direction. Other actions might follow during the coming period. Hassan Mari, the head of Kufras local council, told Al-Monitor that the travel ban will prevent the regime from taking advantage of people who go to the areas it controls to receive their pension. According to him, it gives them an ultimatum: They either work for the regime and receive pensions or are arrested for refusing to cooperate with security forces. The regime issued a decree in March 2017 requiring retired employees in opposition-held areas to go to the institution they used to work for in regime-held areas in order to receive their monthly pensions, or they would not receive the money. Mari noted that this is the reason why they do not want residents of the Euphrates Shield area to fall in this trap, explaining that they do not want them to be treated this way nor be forced to work for the regime. In a separate development, Akhtarins military council launched a crackdown against pro-regime residents. After meeting with revolutionary forces in the area, the military council issued Sept. 13 a decision to start deporting all those working for the regime's forces to regime-held areas. However, the decision has yet to be implemented. FSA factions in Idlib and Aleppos countryside had cracked down on pro-regime residents and reconciliation promoters, arresting dozens between mid-August and mid-September. Mohammad Khalaf, 60, told Al-Monitor, I am a retired employee and I need to pick up my pension from regime-controlled areas every month. The travel ban prevents me from getting my money, which is the only source I have to cover the cost of living. Local councils have to find us an alternative. I need this money so my family and I can survive. An Alabama Death Row inmate once challenged the mental health of an attorney who's now seeking election as a judge in Jefferson County. Among the claims made was that the lawyer once told people she had "supernatural powers" and frequently tried to ward off evil. Court records filed in 2014 by an attorney for Randy Lewis--a man awaiting execution for a 2007 capital murder conviction-- say he should have his conviction and sentence overturned because, among other things, Linda Hall was mentally ill at the time she represented Lewis during his trial. The appeal is ongoing. Hall is currently the Democratic nominee for Jefferson County Circuit Court Place 16. She is running against Republican incumbent Circuit Judge Teresa Pulliam. When contacted and provided a copy of the 2014 filing, Hall sent an email to AL.com stating: "This was all fabricated and sending to the press is just dirty politics." The Jefferson County Democratic Party chair said the group has never received any complaints against Hall, and that they support her as the party's nominee. On Tuesday, Hall's attorney sent a statement to AL.com with an updated statement from Hall: "First, I fought hard to try to win the criminal case against Mr. Lewis. I along with my co-counsel, Erskine Mathis worked many hours to prepare and defend Mr. Lewis. We both hoped that the Jefferson County jury would find him not guilty. However, the jury found him guilty. Further, the jury found that his crime was so heinous that he was sentenced to death. Now, regardless of the facts and the events, Mr. Lewis is guilty of the crimes for which he is accused." "After the appeals have been exhausted, almost all convicted Defendants take advantage of the opportunity to attack their counsel. This is called a collateral attack to the conviction. In this case, with the help of well-funded death penalty defense organizations, Mr. Lewis' Rule 32 Petition is a smear campaign against me and my co-counsel. The allegations of the Petition are unsubstantiated and, and many instances, irrelevant to the proceeding. The allegation questioning my mental state is a new low! It certainly makes one wonder if the Petition has any political motivation. Regardless of that, I wish Mr. Lewis good luck in his Petition and I want to personally thank everyone who has supported me during this challenging time," the statement said. A Jefferson County judge assigned to the Lewis case never ruled on the claims of Hall's alleged mental illness, but rejected some motions by a defense attorney to get total access to Hall's health records. Lewis' appeal was transferred to a Tuscaloosa County judge several months ago after Hall became the nominee, and all Jefferson County judges recused themselves from the case. An evidentiary hearing is set for October 3 in that appeal, and at least four people who were mentioned in the filing as having witnessed Hall's mental illness have been subpoenaed to testify. The 2014 filing, which cites attorneys and relatives by name as sources, states Hall began to stop taking care of herself in 1994 and appeared "almost homeless." That same year, the filing by Lewis' then-attorney claims, Hall developed a gambling addiction and spent time in a mental health facility. "As the years passed, Ms. Hall's behavior became increasingly deranged, and her penchant for grandiosity more pronounced. Around 2000, she claimed supernatural powers, proposing on one occasion to conjure [her brother-in-law's] deceased father," the filing states. Hall defended Lewis in 2007 with another lawyer, but she is the only one singled out on the grounds of a mental illness. She was appointed as the first-chair, or lead attorney, on the case. In response to the claims that Hall was mentally ill and ineffectively represented Lewis, Assistant Alabama Attorney General Tina Coker Hammonds filed a response in 2014 saying Hall wasn't mentally ill at the time she represented Lewis, and the claims about her mental state throughout the years are irrelevant. "Even if Ms. Hall started wearing less fashionable clothing or legally gambled or made unfortunate real estate decisions or made unsuccessful attempts to be elected to public office, Lewis has failed to demonstrate how any of these facts are relevant to Hall's representation of Lewis. Lewis and Hall interacted and prepared for trial - and Hall participated in trial with co-counsel Erskine Mathis. Lewis's claims concerning Ms. Hall are without merit in this proceeding and he is not entitled to relief," the state's response says. The filing by Lewis' attorney claims that during 2006 and 2007, when Hall should have been preparing for Lewis' capital murder trial, she became convinced her family members had put spells on her and her dead brother. Hall put talismans around her home and constructed an alter with candles, and also poured salt around her house to keep demons away, the filing claims. The filing also states Hall was homeless, living in shelters and off charity assistance by 2010. She had been evicted from her home and all files pertaining to Lewis' case had been lost or destroyed. A Jefferson County sheriff's deputy spotted her wandering around Lakeshore Drive in heavy coats and looked "emaciated," the court filing states. A local attorney, who is named in the filing, once gave Hall a ride home and said that Halls' house was in disarray and her refrigerator doors were wide open; on another occasion, he found charms and boards with scripture covering the yard, and the bathtubs and sinks filled with water to ward off evil. Sprinklers were also running to flood the yard- again to ward off evil- according to the court filing. Also in 2010, according to the document, Homewood police reported Hall crashed her car one morning around 2 a.m. and when officers found her inside the car, she was completely naked. The filing continues that Hall was admitted to UAB Hospital where doctors recommended she be involuntarily committed, but her family didn't pursue commitment. A Birmingham police report from 2011 called Hall a "mentally ill person" after she called police repeatedly about an intruder who wasn't actually there, the filing claims. The officer noted in his report that Hall's apartment contained a little food, a small table, and a piece of foam that was being used as a mattress, the court filing states. The filing says a former Jefferson County judge, who is named in the filing, vowed to never again appoint Hall to a capital case, that she was "struggling," and the judge was only assigning her to "simple misdemeanor cases." The AG's filing also states, "Although Lewis's current counsel, and even the court, may disagree with the methods of trial counsel, '[i]t does not follow that any counsel who takes an approach we could not have chosen is guilty of rendering ineffective assistance. . . [n]or does that fact that a particular defense ultimately proved to be unsuccessful demonstrate ineffectiveness..'" "Lewis raises mere conclusory allegations that fail to show the Petitioner is entitled to relief," the response says. Residency More recently, a complaint was filed in court by a county voter. That complaint states Hall isn't eligible for the seat because Alabama law requires a judicial candidate to reside in the circuit they are competing in for at least 12 months prior to the election or appointment. The voter's lawsuit, which was filed in Jefferson County Circuit Court, states Hall has lived in Shelby County-- which is not part of the Tenth Judicial Circuit-- for parts of the past 12 months and will not have lived in Jefferson County for a year by election day. While Hall's name should not appear on the November 6 ballot, the complaint says, it would be impossible to print new ballots in time for the election. "Unfortunately, because Defendant Hall did not disclose her actual residence address in Shelby County, her ineligibility was not discovered in time to prevent her name from appearing on the general election ballots," it states. "As a result, the only remedy available is a preliminary and permanent injunction prohibiting the state and county officials... from counting any votes cast for Defendant Hall." The complaint also says if Hall were to be elected, every order and sentence she imposes would be subject to appeal because of her ineligibly to serve as a county judge. In court records, Hall "denies that she is not a resident of Jefferson County." She states that she has continuously resided at and does reside at a Valley Avenue address, which is an office building called Valley Centre. Jefferson County judges have recused themselves from presiding over that lawsuit as well. Updated with new statement from Hall on 10/2 at 1:00 p.m. A Fairhope-based animal clinic is warning coastal Alabama pet owners to be mindful of where their dogs are running following an alligator attack in the Fly Creek area. According to Bay Animal Clinic, one of their client's reported that their dog was bitten twice by an alligator and taken underwater at least once during a recent encounter. "Please know that these creatures are out there lurking," the animal clinic posted on its Facebook page. "They can harm and even kill dogs and more in the blink of an eye." The clinic posted a picture of the alligator on Facebook, and warned residents living along the Mobile Bay to be mindful of the animals. !!!!Alligator attack!!!! We want to warn everyone along Mobile Bay and especially the Fly Creek area. One of our great... Posted by Bay Animal Clinic on Friday, September 28, 2018 "Please be aware of your surroundings and think carefully about letting your kids and pets swim in these areas," the Facebook post says. Alligators are most prominent in Alabama within the coastal and inland waters of the Mobile Delta, but have been reported as far north as the Tennessee and Elk Rivers. In 1995, as many as 50 American alligatorswere released in the Alabama portion of the Tennessee River in an effort to keep the beaver population under control. Alligator attacks on humans in Alabama are extremely rare. Florida, which has the highest concentration of alligators in the U.S., has reported 337 alligator attacks on humans since 1948. Alabama ranks fifth among U.S. states, with only five reported attacks. ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham. David Sher is Co-Founder of AmSher Compassionate Collections and past Chairman of Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce, ONB, and CAP. Let's turn Birmingham around. Click here to sign up for newsletter. There's power in numbers. (Opt out at any time) Today's guest blogger is Natalie Pickett. If you'd like to be a guest blogger, please click here. I am a proud native of the Birmingham area. I grew up in Hoover until I moved out of state for college. I live in North Carolina now, but I visit Birmingham frequently to see my parents and siblings. Downtown Birmingham was beginning to change When I moved away in 2011, downtown was starting to change. Railroad Park and Good People had just opened. The Barons were moving downtown. The Lyric underwent exciting renovations and Iron City was on the way. My family and I went from going downtown only for dance recitals and the McWane Center to frequenting Pepper Place and WorkPlay. When I introduced myself to new college peers, I proudly said I was from Birmingham--mostly because it's more recognizable than Hoover, but also because I wanted to belong to a cool city like Birmingham. My view after seven years Seven years later, I now have a degree in social work and the beginnings of a career in nonprofit services with historically marginalized populations. I've lived in four metropolitan areas across the Southeast, including Birmingham. Professionally and personally, I am interested in how urban areas, particularly in the South, are currently experiencing periods of rapid growth and development. I am further intrigued by the issue of equity--who is benefiting from revitalization? Who might be harmed by it? And most importantly, what will it take for all residents to have the opportunity to benefit from and contribute to their city's revitalization? Birmingham, Baton Rouge, Nashville, Durham--the wonderful Southern cities I've called home--they are all asking these questions. I don't know of any city that is not. We are all grappling with how to revitalize and prosper without unintentionally pushing out our long-term and historically marginalized residents (i.e. our neighbors who are people of color, low income, elderly, disabled, etc.). Birmingham has a chance to get it right Birmingham is still young in the life cycle of urban revitalization in the 21st century. It could be the Southern city that gets it right--that invests in developing its native talent as much as attracting new talent from out of state or over the mountain. But these solutions do not happen by accident or by good intentions alone. It takes innovation, commitment, and courage--three things I know Birmingham has. The state of the South I live in Durham, North Carolina, and just finished an internship with an organization called MDC, which recently released its State of the South 2018 report. MDC's President, David Dodson, presented it to the Birmingham Rotary Club recently, where its findings were well received--and also eye-opening. The report found that in every state in the South there are more people coming from out of state who have college degrees than the number of people who were born there. In Alabama, based on 2016 American Community Survey estimates, just over 20 percent of folks born in Alabama have a Bachelor's Degree, compared to nearly 35 percent of people who moved to Alabama from somewhere else. If we are going to create a prosperous and equitable Alabama, we must commit to strengthening public schools, community colleges, and universities within our state, rather than fostering a heavy reliance on imported talent. The report looks back at what things were like in the 1960's and finds that the South is doing better, but has a long way to go to put everyone on an equal footing. In 1970 in Alabama, fewer than 5 percent of African Americans had a bachelor's degree, compared to around 10 percent of Whites. By 2016, the number of African Americans with a BA had risen to nearly 20 percent, while the number of Whites was nearly 30 percent (the U.S. average in 2016 was over 20 percent for African Americans and nearly 40 percent for Whites). For African Americans, the result was an increase in household income of over 50 percent in that period, but the increase still needed for African Americans to have Black-White parity is over 150%. Improve educational attainment In other words, we've made great progress, but we still need to address persistent disparities and improve educational attainment for everyone if all Alabamians are to be competitive in a national and global marketplace and earn family-sustaining incomes. We are not alone in these challenges. "Few Southern cities are achieving growth, prosperity, and inclusive economic outcomes that improve conditions across the socioeconomic spectrum," the report finds. "[R]egional growth and prosperity, matched with limited inclusion of historically disadvantaged populations, will likely exacerbate social fissures produced by shifting demographics and increased income inequality." The State of the South report uses three lenses to address these issues facing the South: belonging, thriving, and contributing. Belonging means full participation in civic and economic institutions by all Alabamians, especially as rising generations are becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. Thriving means removing the structural barriers and building the support systems that will generate wealth for everyone and spread its benefits. And contributing means the engagement of once-marginalized voices who can define their own priorities. Alabamians must find courage That means Alabamians must find the courage to recommit to action that will engage progress, not backsliding. As the report says, we must build an "infrastructure of opportunity"--clear pathways to connect young people with educational credentials and jobs that pay a family-sustaining wage. We must create relationships between our cities, suburbs, and countryside that can connect them and provide opportunities for everyone, regardless of where they live. We need to make it so our education systems and employers work together so both can be competitive in the marketplace. And we need to recognize and address the shifting demographics of increasing racial and ethnic diversity. Everyone must enjoy the fruits of new revitalization Like I said, I'm from Hoover. My family could afford to live in the suburbs, in the "Birmingham Metro Area." I've never lived in the City of Birmingham. My privilege allows me to claim the Magic City as my hometown, and its revitalization has only made me more excited to do so. My upbringing was largely unaffected by anything that happened in downtown Birmingham. We visited when it was convenient and fun. Since then, downtown has become more convenient and fun for more people, which is a good thing. But for the downtown natives (and Avondale natives, Crestline natives, Southside natives, and so on), the city of Birmingham is home, through thick and thin. If these folks don't enjoy the fruits of the new revitalization, if they can't access opportunities to contribute to Birmingham's thriving, Birmingham will lose its way just as so many other metro areas--in the South and across the country--have begun to do. Natalie Pickett is a Hoover native who just completed her Master of Social Work degree from Appalachian State University. She is now a community social worker in Durham, North Carolina. Sugar mills in Nepal poised to generate electricity Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Indu Shankar Sugar Mill to purchase electricity. As per the agreement, the sugar mill located in Sarlahi district will supply 3MW of electricity to the nearest substation of the state-owned power utility. Authorities say they are legally acquiring land to be used for development projects, but villagers tell another story. Jharkhand, India: It was dusk in Uduburu, the time that farmers usually return home after working in the paddy fields, but the hamlet in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand was deserted. The village square was empty and the mud huts were locked. After darkness fell, a few women cautiously approached a hand pump at the entrance to the village to draw water. Lucia Soy, a tall, gaunt, middle-aged woman, explained that the villagers had gone into hiding, fearing police action. Thousands of people from across several villages in the area have been accused in criminal cases by the police of agitating against what they say is the forceful acquisition of their farms and pasturelands. They Lucia didnt even spare domestic animals. They thrashed our pigs in anger when they did not find the men] On several successive nights last month, the police came to the village and started beating anyone they could find, said Soy, speaking in Mundari, the language of the local Munda tribe. They didnt even spare domestic animals. They thrashed our pigs in anger when they did not find the men. Maga Purty* (not her real name), an elderly woman, said security forces had thrown her cooked rice to the ground and took away her blankets and farm tools. They locked me inside my hut while they beat my son outside, said Purty, who requested anonymity. After the allegedly violent police raids on their hamlet and villages in the surrounding area, the farmers fled to the forest and hid for nearly a month, the women said, missing the window of sowing paddy in their fields. They are now struggling to resume work. {articleGUID} Several women and men slowly gathered around the water pump. In faint torchlight, they showed their injuries. Some still had swollen feet, weeks after the alleged police beatings. Uduburu in Khunti district is near the birthplace of Birsa Munda, an Adivasi indigenous community leader who had led guerrilla resistance against British colonial rulers in the 19th century. A nationalist icon, many state institutions are named after Birsa Munda, including Jharkhands main airport in the capital, Ranchi. Uduburu is also home to Joseph Purty, a government college teacher who over the past year led a movement for a boycott of all government institutions against the allegedly forceful acquisition of tribal land for development work a euphemism for industrial or mining projects. Hundreds of farmers joined in the demand. Their protested centred on a centuries-old Munda tradition in which the community engraves stone monoliths to mark significant milestones in the village. Large stone edicts freshly painted green and white can be seen in many of Khuntis hamelts [Anumeha Yadav/ Al Jazeera] The pathalgadi rebellion saw farmers organise ceremonies in which they carved the constitutional provisions of tribal autonomy on large rocks, and erected these at the hamlets entrances. But the assertion by the Munda farmers that the government follow the laws and the constitutions special provisions granting self governance in predominantly tribal areas such as Khunti has drawn the ire of the state. These AK insulting officials who visited the villages] Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das promised to crush the movement, as the police launched crackdown on defiant farmers. Between February and July, the police registered complaints against more than 3,300 farmers, including the heads of several village assemblies as well as unnamed farmers, charging them under the law of sedition. Those found guilty under the colonial era law may face up to three years in prison. Formal police complaints were filed in March, invoking charges of sedition and rioting for wrongly interpreting the constitution, and for demanding the administration remove police and paramilitary camps from Kevada and other villages. More than 2,000 paramilitary forces were deployed in the area, stated the district police superintendent. Now, over 300 security personnel are camping in schools in Khuntis interior villages, forcing students to drop out. Between February and July, more than 3,300 farmers, including the heads of village assemblies, have been charged under the law of sedition [File: Khunti police station/EPA] The police have registered several criminal complaints against Joseph Purty, the college teacher in Uduburu. He was also named, along with other youth from the pathalgadi movement, in a gang-rape complaint filed by five women on June 21. However, questions over the investigation were raised when one of the rape survivors later stated in a news interview that she did not name Purty or any other pathalgadi movement leaders in her complaint, claiming that police added their names. Purty, who is in his late forties, and his wife, a teacher, are currently on the run. We organised pathalgadi ceremonies following our tradition. We were simply stating that all Adivasis in Jharkhand must unite A Munda youth from Murhu in Khunti Khunti Superintendent of Police AK Sinha declined to comment on the rape investigation, but backed the sedition cases against the tribal farmers. These tribals were not merely installing stone edicts, he said. They were inciting people [and] insulting officials who visited the villages. He added: The farmers were demanding that tribal farmers arrested [between February and August this year] be released from prison, merely on orders of their village assemblies. The farmers also threatened to ban outsiders from entering their villages and warned of using force if needed, claiming they will raise their own armies, said Sinha. On several of the megaliths, the farmers engraved messages saying outsiders were not permitted to reside in protected tribal areas or enter the village boundaries without seeking permission of village assemblies. The farmers denied police allegations that they were raising an army, explaining that following pathalgadi ceremonies, there were large public rallies with protesters carrying traditional weapons including sticks, axes, bow and arrows. However, they said no one was assaulted. Inspector P Prasad, the investigating officer in the rape complaint, also declined to speak on the sexual assault case. {articleGUID} But he said police had filed several criminal cases against the farmers because they were not allowing the administrations movement in the area. He added: We wanted to acquire land to expand police camps in Khuntis Saiko and Marangahada villages, but the farmers refused to give land for this. They regularly obstruct developmental work, he said. Police officials accused the residents of illegally growing opium and siding with groups belonging to the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). The impoverished forested tribal belt in central and eastern India, where Jharkhand lies, is conflated with the area of a decades-old Maoist rebellion. Of 30 districts most affected by the violent conflict between the Maoists and Indian security forces, 13 are in Jharkhand, and include Khunti. The Maoists have played no visible role in the pathalgadi movement. The farmers have long-standing grievances, fear being displaced from their farmland, and oppose the steady militarisation in Khunti and adjoining districts in the name of pushing out the Maoist uprising. They accused the administration of being corrupt, domineering and exploitative, and diluting the land tenancy laws meant to protect indigenous communities land rights. We want to ask the police administration, why are they raiding and beating us? said a Munda youth in a village in Murhu block, who did not wish to be identified in the report. They beat me and my wife from head to toe with [a long, heavy iron-bound bamboo stick] when we had not even touched any policemen, he said. We organised pathalgadi ceremonies following our tradition. We were simply stating that all Adivasis in Jharkhand must unite. Netram Munda, an elderly man in Murhu, told Al Jazeera that the villagers had organised stone carving ceremonies in an attempt to save their ancestral farmland. The officials told us they were acquiring land for a 'Knowledge City'..., but now they have stated that they will be building a military training school Durgavati Odiya, an activist with the Central Sarna Committee In Khutkatti (forest patches first cleared by the Munda indigenous communities), no one outside the community has the rights to buy land, but Chief Minister Raghubar Das is framing new laws allowing the district commissioner to sell our farmland to anyone. After Indias independence from Britain in 1947, the government accorded special protections to the tribal areas under the Fifth and Sixth Schedules of the Constitution. The government in free India recognised the historic wrongs the tribal communities had faced from the British colonial rulers, as well as people from the mainland. There are restrictions on sale and transfer of tribal land and property to non-tribals in the Fifth Schedule areas, such as Jharkhand. About nine percent of Indias population are from tribal communities, or Scheduled Tribes as they are categorised in the constitution. In Jharkhand, tribal communities, or Adivasis, form 28 percent of the population, and 54 percent of them live below the poverty line. Villagers say the government school in Kochang has now been occupied by paramilitary forces [Anumeha Yadav/ Al Jazeera] In 1996, parliament enacted the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas Act (PESA), acknowledging the continued threat to indigenous communities rights and resources, and upholding their rights to self-governance in tribal areas. PESA acknowledges that all adult members of a habitation constitute a village assembly, which can act to prevent land loss, should be consulted on land acquisition, and can grant of certain mineral leases. In addition to national law, land cultivated by indigenous communities in Jharkhand are protected under colonial-era tenancy laws. Though Birsa Munda had died in prison at the age of 25, the British in a concession to the Munda rebellion had enacted the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act of 1908, which confers protection to the land of small cultivators. In the state capital Ranchi, Ratan Tirkey, a member of the state Tribes Advisory Council, a government body appointed in all Fifth Schedule, or protected areas, said: Khunti is on the boil because the government is ignoring Fifth Schedule provisions, and bypassing consulting the [village assembly] on acquisition of farmland and pastures. Dayamani Barla, a Munda land rights activist in Ranchi, explained that one of the first steps the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government had undertaken after coming to power was to propose changes to dilute the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act, the regions unique land tenure system. But the proposed changes could not be passed following deadly agitation launched by the tribals. {articleGUID} The government, however, found ways around the tenancy laws, reducing the scope of progressive provisions in land acquisition laws despite questions raised by the Tribes Advisory Council, Tirkey said. If after all this, people analyse the constitutions Fifth Schedule provisions themselves and inscribe it on rocks or megaliths, or anywhere in their homes, how is that unconstitutional? he asked. Ironically, Tirkey pointed out, the first pathalgadi ceremonies inscribing the Constitutions tribal area provisions had been organised by government officials in 1996 after the PESA law was passed. Several of these megaliths are still standing in Khunti. The only difference now is the language has turned more assertive, reflecting peoples bitter experiences with the administration, he added. Neelkanth Munda, member of the state legislative assembly from Khunti, and the states minister for rural development, declined to comment on the changes made to land acquisition laws by the government. He told Al Jazeera by phone that normalcy has returned in Khunti after dampening pathalgadi movement. In Khunti, the Adivasi inhabitants expressed growing distrust of the governments ongoing land acquisition projects. Durgavati Odiya, an activist with the Central Sarna Committee, a Munda religious organisation, who has also been named in several criminal complaints, claimed the police were threatening the village assemblies to vacate land for projects, or face repercussions. She said the administration continued to disregard norms for consent, and were not transparent over why they needed the land. The officials told us they were acquiring land for a Knowledge City, and people thought it was to build a university, but now they have stated that they will be building a military training school and an airstrip on the land, said Odiya. {articleGUID} In Japud village, 84 of 130 households in the [village assembly] opposed diverting 14 acres of pastureland for an electric sub-station, but the administration still went ahead with the construction, she said. Khunti Deputy Commissioner Suraj Kumar, the head of the civil administration, confirmed that a training centre for security personnel was going to be built on the land acquired for the Knowledge City. He said that officials had documents to prove that consent of the village assembly had been obtained for a power sub-station in Japud. Kumar accused the village functionaries of working under the influence of the banned Maoist rebels. We also support traditions such as pathalgadi, but under the Maoists influence, the tribal communities are inscribing inflammatory statements and this can turn into a violent movement, which it is our responsibility to prevent. After intensifying raids, the Jharkhand Armed Police and paramilitary now occupy school buildings in remote villages of Kochang, Kurunga, Sinko and Sarda, leading to more resentment. In Kurunga and Kochang forest villages, Veronica Soy, an elderly farmer, said the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force had occupied the only government primary school building, with no prior information to the community. Soy questioned how this could be termed as being tribal communities development. The paramilitary met our village head only after occupying the school and said they will remain here until peace is established, Soy recounted. But even the school principal was not informed. She said security forces had told residents that their local school had been merged with another school in Ruggudi, four kilometres away. The younger children cannot walk so far to classes through the forest, they will be forced to drop out of school, Soy said. The referendum is not binding, but a yes majority would give parliament a mandate to change the constitution. Macedonians have voted in a key referendum on whether to re-name their country North Macedonia in a bid to settle a long-running row with Greece and unlock its path to NATO and EU membership. Polls for some 1.8 million voters opened at 7am local time (5GMT) and closed at 7pm. The question on the referendum ballot was: Are you for NATO and EU membership with acceptance of the agreement with Greece. The referendum is not binding, but a yes majority would give parliament a political mandate to change the constitution. If the deal is passed through the referendum and is ratified by two-thirds of MPs, the Greek parliament will be called on to give the final stamp of approval. While the Macedonian government plans to call any significant majority in favour of the deal a success, the right-wing opposition may question the votes credibility if turnout is below 50 percent. Macedonia has struggled for recognition of its name since its birth in 1991 when the landlocked country declared independence from Yugoslavia. Greece, which has its own northern province called Macedonia, has always maintained that Macedonias name represented a claim on its territory. It vetoed Macedonias entrance into NATO and the EU, and forced it to enter the United Nations under a provisional name as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia or FYROM. Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev argues that accepting a new name is a price worth paying for admission into the EU and NATO. But nationalist opponents say it would undermine the ethnic identity of the countrys Slavic majority population. President Gjorge Ivanov, who is allied with the nationalist, has said he will boycott the referendum. The dispute stretches back nearly three decades, with both countries claiming links to Alexander the Greats ancient empire of Macedon, which spanned the territories. A grandiose antiquisation project under Macedonias former government that plastered Skopje with neo-classical facades and statues of Alexander the Great added fuel to the fire. But in June Macedonias Prime Minister Zaev and his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras reached a landmark compromise under which Greece would drop its objections to Macedonia joining the EU and NATO in return for the name change. Some feel it is embarrassing to change their name at the request of another country. But a desire anchor their future to the West and the economic prosperity that could bring is a powerful motivation to accept the deal in one of Europes poorest countries. We cannot really say it is fair, but the EU and NATO matter more for all of us, so lets move forward, 28-year-old Abedin Memeti said ahead of the vote. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Thousands of people took to the streets and marched in cities across Brazil on Saturday as part of a women-led protest against far-right, frontrunner presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro. The demonstrations, a manifestation of the #EleNao (#NotHim) movement that has gathered steam on social media in recent weeks, began early afternoon in scores of cities nationwide including metropolis Sao Paulo and the capital, Brasilia. In Rio de Janeiro, Bolsonaros political base, men and women gathered in the citys Centro neighbourhood to show their objections to the former army captains controversial campaign. Chanting not him, protesters of all ages marched, with many holding anti-Bolsonaro signs. Im here to fight against homophobia, in favour of black people, for democracy and against the oppressor, Priscila Almeida told Al Jazeera. Not him [Bolsonaro], never him anyone but Bolsonaro, Almeida, 25, added. Priscila Almeida, pictured, said she would never back Bolsonaro [David Child/Al Jazeera] Bolsonaro, a Rio de Janeiro congressman since 1991, has made several overtly misogynistic comments in the past, as well as controversial statements on issues relating to race, sexuality and Brazils military government, which was in power between 1964 and 1985. In 2014, the 63-year-old told fellow congresswomen Maria do Rosario: I would never rape you because you do not deserve it. He was repeating a claim he made in 2003. In December 2015, Bolsonaro was convicted by a lower court of committing moral damage and fined about $2,500. A higher court upheld the conviction in August 2017 after he appealed the ruling. He has since appealed again and the case is now with Brazils Supreme Court. Last year, he said having a daughter was a weakness. A shadow period Despite making up 52 percent of Brazils electorate, women hold just 13 of 81 seats in the countrys upper house senate. Fewer than 11 percent of the 513 seats in the lower house Chamber of Deputies are held by women. Brazil ranks 156th in the world for female representation in parliament, placing it in the lowest 20 percent globally, according to the latest data compiled by global organisation for national legislatures the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Tens of thousands of anti-Bolsonaro demonstrators gathered in central Rio [David Child/Al Jazeera] Clarisse Gurgel, a professor of human sciences at the Federal University of the State of Rio, said the #NotHim movement marked an important moment of resistance by Brazilian women, but that it would not alone be enough for a qualitative upgrade to politics. Bolsonaro is the expression of masculinity, and cannot handle the feminine, which is the most beautiful aspect of women, Gurgel told Al Jazeera. Women, in contrast to men, arent born with the illusion that we have a gun between our legs we now walk into a shadow period, [but] what we cant do is let the fear take us, she added. Bolsonaros rejection rate among women is 50 percent, according to the latest polling by the Brazilian Institute of Public Opinion and Statistics (IBOPE), and 33 percent among men. Im a patriot Hours before the demonstration in Centro got under way, hundreds of Bolsonaro supporters gathered along Rios Copacabana beachfront in support of his candidacy. Bolsonaro, a member of the Social Liberal Party, was stabbed earlier this month in an apparent assasination attempt. The September 6 attack left him hospitalised until Saturday and unable to campaign. Occupying a small section of the palm-tree lined pavement, supporters clad in the classic green and yellow of the Brazilian flag chanted Him Yes and decried the political left, in particular the Workers Party (PT), as thieves and liars. Thais Pena, 30, said she would back Bolsonaro in the election because she was a patriot and it would be a way of demonstrating dissatisfaction with the current state of government. I believe we are in a stage of crisis, the economy is broken, education is abandoned, we dont have security and we dont have the basic services that should come as a return from taxes, Pena said. I wholly respect them [the women at the #EleNao march], every woman has the right of expressing what they think is better [for them] and I believe the majority of them are feeling threatened or afraid of what is to come if Bolsonaro wins, but I dont think they need to be the media distorts what he says, she added. Thais Pena, pictured, a self-described Bolsonaro supporter and patriot [David Child/Al Jazeera] Several other supporters cited security as their key concern, saying they would vote for Bolsonaro because he has pledged to crack down on crime and ramp up public security. The lack of security is the main problem [in Brazil] some things have to change, badly, Daniel Campos, 40, said. Violence in Brazil, home to seven of the worlds 20 most violent cities, is one of voters top concerns this election, alongside the countrys stuttering economy. Last year, homicides rose to a record high figure of 63,880, up 2.9 percent from 2016, according to the Brazilian Forum of Public Security. Beyond his proposals for security issues, a number of other Bolsonaro supporters said he presented an alternative to the countrys embattled political class, whose reputation has been ravaged by a string of high-level corruption scandals in recent years. Hundreds of Bolsonaro supporters demonstrated on Rios Copacabana beachfront [David Child/Al Jazeera] A Bolsonaro presidency would change Brazil for the better, Elias Figueira, 57, said. Ive had enough Im tired of 25 years of lies from the left, they are all two sides of the same coin, Figueira added, referring to the PT and the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), which was in power between 1994 and 2002 before the PT won the presidency under Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro leads the polls Saturdays rallies took place fewer than two weeks before Brazilians are scheduled to vote on the countrys next president, on October 7, as part of national and state-level elections. More than 1,600 positions are up for grabs, including the presidency and the majority of seats in Brazils bicameral congress, with about 147 million voters expected to participate. Bolsonaro has consistently topped opinion polls in the run-up to the vote, ahead of the PTs candidate Fernando Haddad. According to the latest figures, released by polling institute DataFolha on Friday, 28 percent of voters intend to support Bolsonaro. Some 22 percent, meanwhile, intend to vote for Haddad, the PTs replacement candidate for former Brazilian president Lula. Lula, the countrys most popular politician, was barred from running because of a corruption conviction and is currently serving a 12-year term in jail. Amid rampant polarisation ahead of the election, embodied by the twin rallies which gripped Rio on Saturday, 68-year-old Luzia Costa said the moment had become very hard to live through. Brazil is a very beautiful and wonderful country, but some Brazilian minds are not, Costa added. Bolsonaro is very worrying, because he is not alone. Many people think like him [and] he is a man who hates everything: men, women, gays and black people. Brotherhoods spiritual leader has been sentenced to death and prison terms in other cases. A Cairo court has ordered a retrial of the Muslim Brotherhoods leader Mohamed Badie and other senior figures from the group from October 7, judicial sources and state news agency MENA reported. Badie, the Brotherhoods spiritual leader, has already been sentenced to death and prison terms in other trials since Egypts military removed President Mohamed Morsi, also a member of the Brotherhood, in July 2013. According to MENA, the retrial relates to a case in which Badie and 14 others were handed life sentences for incitement to commit murder and attempted murder of anti-Muslim Brotherhood demonstrators near the groups headquarters in June 2013. Four others were sentenced to death in the February 2015 ruling. The new charges include premeditated murder, attempted murder, beating to death and possession of unlicensed weapons, MENA reported. It is not clear why the charges were modified but according to Egyptian law, charges can be altered if new evidence arises. The retrial, ordered by the Cairo Criminal Court, affects only those in custody and not those defendants who were tried in absentia. Khairat al-Shater, another senior Brotherhood figure, is also among those to be retried, according to the state news agency. Mass prosecutions Earlier this month, an Egyptian court upheld death sentences against 75 people in one of the largest mass trials since 2011. Hundreds of the groups members and followers have been put on trial and given harsh sentences in multiple cases. {articleGUID} The Brotherhood has been labelled a terror organisation by Egyptian authorities. Its supporters have held persistent protests against the military-backed government, often resulting in clashes. Rights advocates have repeatedly criticised the mass prosecutions, saying they lack guarantees for a fair trial. The Egyptian government says the countrys judiciary operates independently. Inauguration caps a three-day state visit, as supporters and critics of Turkish president take to streets of Cologne. Thousands of rival demonstrators hit the streets of Cologne as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan opened the countrys largest mosque at the end of his visit to Germany. The inauguration on Saturday capped a controversial three-day state visit aimed at repairing frayed ties with Berlin after two years of tensions. During his stay in Berlin, Erdogan met twice with Chancellor Angela Merkel for talks, with both leaders signalling their interest in a cautious rapprochement, but also disagreements in a wide variety of issues. {articleGUID} The German Chancellor stressed that deep differences remained on civil rights and other issues, while Erdogan blamed Germany of harbouring terrorists. Before returning home, Erdogan travelled to the western city of Cologne where several thousand critics turned out to protest against Turkeys record on human rights, press freedom and its treatment of minority Kurds. At one of the rallies on the bank of the Rhine river, demonstrators waved banners reading: Erdogan not welcome. Erdogan supporters meanwhile gathered near the Cologne Central Mosque as police cordoned off a large area around the mosque for safety reasons. However, thousands of Erdogan supporters spilled into the side streets, hoping for a glimpse of the Turkish leader. Many waved Turkeys red and white flag or held up pictures of Erdogan, with crowds cheerfully breaking into regular chants of the presidents name or shouting Who is the greatest? Turkey. Soured relations Both Cologne mayor Henriette Reker and the states premier Armin Laschet declined to attend the mosque opening ceremony. The snubs echoed the lukewarm welcome the Turkish leader received at a state dinner on Friday evening hosted by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, which several opposition politicians boycotted. Merkel also skipped the banquet. Ties between the two NATO countries soured after Berlin criticised Ankaras crackdown on opponents following a failed 2016 coup, which saw tens of thousands arrested. Tensions eased somewhat after several high-profile German-Turkish nationals were released this year, but five remain behind bars. Merkel, whose country is home to more than three million ethnic Turks, stressed the need for continued dialogue to overcome disagreements. But she also highlighted Germanys interest in a stable Turkey, which she relies on to help stem the flow of refugees to Europe. Erdogan, seeking international allies as he spars with US President Donald Trump and a struggling lira, likewise struck a conciliatory tone. Increasing consumption of shark fin soup and illegal fishing may lead to extinction of certain species, experts warn. Humans kill an estimated 100 million sharks annually and experts have warned that certain species face extinction if the trend continues. Consumption of shark fin soup, primarily in China and Vietnam, is the biggest reason behind the massive figure, contributing directly to the killing of almost half of the sharks, according to reports. The soup was historically limited to banquets and weddings hosted by the elite in China but the economic boom in the country made it accessible to a wider public, resulting in its consumption doubling between 1985 and 2001. To meet the rise in demand, shark hunting increased drastically, with most hunters throwing the shark back in the water after chopping off its fin. Shark meat tends to be of low value but shark fin soup is whats driving the industry and became the single biggest reason behind such huge figure, Mark Meekan, marine biologist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science, told Al Jazeera. Sharks dont have the biology to sustain high levels of fishing. They grow slow, have relatively few young ones and take a long time to mature. If you fish them hard, the population collapses. Consumption of shark fin soup doubled in China between 1985 and 2001 [Chaiwat Subprasom/Reuters] Hong Kong is the main port of entry for about half of all globally traded dried shark fins, according to Yvonne Sadovy from the Swire Institute of Marine Science. Almost 33 percent of the shark fins for sale in Hong Kong were from species listed as Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Taking notice The depleting shark numbers and pressure by marine life activists have, however, forced people to take notice. The Chinese government has now banned shark fin soup at state banquets and Air China forbids transport of shark fins on its airplanes. More than 20 countries placed bans or restrictions on shark finning. The list includes the United States, whose president Donald Trump reportedly had shark fin soup at a state dinner in Vietnam last year. According to WildAID, shark fin consumption in China has reduced by 50 to 70 percent since 2011. The China Seafood Logistic and Processing Association reported shark fin imports decreased by 81 percent from 2011 to 2014. Earlier this month, Hong Kongs largest restaurant group Maxims announced it would stop serving shark fin from January 2020. In India, shipment totaling eight tonnes of shark fin was confiscated en route to China and Hong Kong this month. The shipments were worth more than $6.2m and authorities estimated between 15,000 and 16,000 sharks were killed for it. Hunters chop off the fins before throwing the shark back in the water [Beawiharta/Reuters] Despite intervention by various governments, sharks are being killed at a higher rate than what its population grows at. A report in Marine Policy revealed that global shark catch has more than doubled to 1.4 million tonnes in the last six decades, threatening almost 60 percent of shark species. Sawfish, a very distinctive species of ray, used to be abundant throughout the worlds oceans. Now, in Central America, they can no longer fulfill their ecological function and are teetering on the verge of extinction, said Rachel Graham, founder of the NGO MarAlliance. These animals maintain the health of rivers and coasts and now only exist in few pockets around the world. If you take out a top-order predator, you have a population explosion for other species Mark Meekan The problem is that anybody can put a net out. That is what has led to the demise of so many sharks and rays. Not all are potential targets. Some are by-catch as well. But if we get rid of, or at least restrict, the use of nets, we can reverse the downward trend. Nets, added Graham, was the main fishing gear that was leading to the extinct and threatened status for nearly a quarter of all sharks and rays. Meanwhile, Meekan said that reduction in shark population will create an imbalance in the oceans. The top-order predators regulate the abundance and behaviour of species lower down the food chain. If you take that out, you have a population explosion for other species. You create all sorts of problems, he said. Effect on tourism revenue In addition to marine life, the killings of these sharks are also affecting the tourism industry. According to Graham from MarAlliance, almost 600,000 people went out looking for sharks as a form of tourism in 2013, generating more than $314m in revenue. The studys scientists projected that revenue was expected to double in the next two decades, said Graham. But it can only double if people have something to see. Some species of sharks and rays have a reproduction pause of up to five years. We need live sharks and rays for healthy coasts, seas and fisheries, even if much of the world doesnt realise it yet Shark-related tourism generated more than $314m in revenue in 2013 [Bobby Yip/Reuters] Nik Walsh, founder of the White Shark Diving Company in South Africa, remembers marine biologists talking about 10,000 to 15,000 great white sharks along the countrys shores in 1991. Now, they are estimated to be between 300 and 600. We have a huge problem on our hands, said Walsh, who also runs a research institute to look into conservation and protection of sharks. Theres no doubt that the decline is anything less than a disaster. I blame humans for it over-fishing, nets and poachers. According to Walsh, the interest in shark tourism is still on a rise but with a declining population, it may affect tour operators across the world. In the long-run, companies will shut down if there are no sharks, said Walsh. No matter how good the trips are, if there are no shark sightings, you will get bad reviews. We have started giving free trips if a shark is not spotted on the tour. Conservation Meekan reckons investing in shark conservation is a worthy move for governments that rely on shark tourism as a significant source of income. In The Bahamas, he said, shark diving generated $800m over 20 years and raised the value of sharks as renewable resource compared with fishing. In Australia, the industry is estimated to bring in more than $25.5m annually. Shark sanctuaries are being established on small island nations for protection and also encourage eco-tourism, direct spending on which amounts to more than $6bn a year now. Shark tourism companies operate in more than 29 countries, including Fiji where 78 percent of all divers visiting the country in 2010 engaged in shark-diving activities. Direct taxes as a result of those activities fetched the government approximately $5.9m. Tourists visiting the town of Gansbaai in South Africa, where Walshs business is based, to view the great white sharks make up more than half of local business sales Despite the fall in population, Walsh is hopeful conservation efforts will bear fruit and the education tours will make people more informed. We are doing a hell of a lot despite the lack of funding and resources, said Walsh. We take classes in schools, raise funds for external conservation and research programmes and hope to have an eco-friendly barrier instead of nets along our coastline. I dont know what the future holds but raising awareness is vital for the sustainability of any apex predator. Leader of the Pakistan-administered Kashmir region has accused Indian troops of shooting at his helicopter while it was flying close to the highly militarised Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border dividing the region. The incident happened in Havaily district in Poonch sector in the India-administered Kashmir when Raja Farooq Haider Khan, prime minister of Pakistan-administered Kashmir region, was on his way to a nearby village to give condolences to the family of a local politician who had died. My helicopter had not even committed any violation and was flying well within our side of the LoC when Indian troops opened fire, Raja Farooq Haider Khan said in a statement from Pakistans capital Islamabad on Sunday. The Indian army fired to show that Pakistan had violated their airspace, Khans statement said. #WATCH A Pakistani helicopter violated Indian airspace in Poonch sector of #JammuAndKashmir pic.twitter.com/O4QHxCf7CR ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2018 Spokesperson for the Indian army, Lieutenant Colonel Devender Anand, said the helicopter violated Indian airspace along the LoC in Poonch around 12pm local time (06:30 GMT). It could likely be a civil chopper and was flying very high. The air sentries at forward location had engaged it with small arms, said Anand. Khan said his helicopter was not armed. We do not want any war hysteria in this region, he said. Tension escalates India and Pakistan both claim the Himalayan territory in full. The area has witnessed a surge in shelling in recent months. The incident is likely to further worsen relations between the two belligerent neighbours, who have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir. New Delhi has long accused Islamabad of supporting rebel groups in Kashmir, who either want independence or a merger with Pakistan. Pakistan denies supporting rebel groups and calls the uprising in Kashmir an indigenous freedom struggle. Shortly after assuming power in August, Pakistans new Prime Minister Imran Khan offered an olive branch to India by inviting for talks, which have remained suspended for nearly three years. India agreed, and a meeting of the foreign ministers of the two nations was planned on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. But a week before the scheduled meeting, India abruptly called off the talks. While the foreign ministers of the two countries did not meet, they ended up trading barbs at each other in their speeches at the UN on Saturday. The death toll from quake-tsunami disaster rises to 832 with officials saying it is likely to increase. The death toll from an earthquake that prompted a tsunami on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi has risen to 832, the national disaster mitigation agency has said, adding it assessed the affected area to be bigger than initially thought. Many people were reported trapped in the rubble of buildings brought down in the magnitude 7.5 earthquake which struck on Friday and triggered tsunami waves as high as six metres (20 feet), agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told a news conference. Amid the levelled trees, overturned cars, concertinaed homes and flotsam tossed up to 50 metres inland, survivors and rescuers struggled to come to grips with the scale of the disaster. Indonesian President Joko Widodo arrived on the island of Sulawesi on Sunday to take stock of the situation. Dozens of people were reported to be trapped in the rubble of a hotel and a mall in the city of Palu. A young woman was pulled alive from the rubble of the Roa Roa Hotel, the news website Detik.com reported. The owner of the hotel said that up to 60 people were believed trapped in the rubble. We managed to pull out a woman alive from the Hotel Roa-Roa last night, Muhammad Syaugi, head of the national search and rescue agency, told AFP news agency. We even heard people calling for help there yesterday. What we now desperately need is heavy machinery to clear the rubble. I have my staff on the ground, but its impossible just to rely on their strength alone to clear this. Authorities are bracing for much worse as reports filter in from outlying areas, in particular, Donggala, a region of 300,000 people north of Palu and closer to the epicentre of the quake. Speaking from Jakarta, journalist Tomi Soet-jipto told Al Jazeera 11 of the recorded deaths were from Donggala, but a clear picture on the situation there has yet to emerge. The national disaster agency spokesperson insisted that up until now they still received no official information in terms of casualties and damage, he said. The nearby city of Mamuju was also ravaged, but little information was available due to damaged roads and disrupted telecommunications. Two helicopters from Indonesian Red Cross have been dispatched to Donggala to bring in emergency supplies. We dont know if emergency workers have been able to reach the city by road. There is no official assessment of the damage caused by earthquake and Tsunami, Tomi Soetjipto, a journalist based in Jakarta, said. More than half of the 560 inmates in Palus prison escaped after its walls collapsed during the quake, according to state news agency Antara, while more than 100 inmates escaped from a prison in Donggala. The military has started sending in aircraft with aid from Jakarta and other cities, authorities said. People injured or affected by the earthquake and tsunami wait to be evacuated on an air force plane in Palu, Central Sulawesi [Antara Foto/Muhammad Adimaja /Reuters] C-130 military transport aircraft with relief supplies managed to land at the main airport in Palu, which re-opened to humanitarian flights and limited commercial flights, but only to pilots able to land by sight alone. Satellite imagery provided by regional relief teams showed the severe damage at some of the areas major sea ports, with large ships tossed on land, quays and bridges trashed and shipping containers thrown around. Hospitals were overwhelmed by the influx of those injured, with many people being treated in the open air. There were widespread power blackouts. We all panicked and ran out of the house when the quake hit, said Anser Bachmid, a 39-year-old Palu resident. People here need aid food, drink, clean water. Its the latest natural disaster to hit Indonesia, which is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. In December 2004, a massive magnitude 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra island in western Indonesia triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries. Last month, a powerful quake on the island of Lombok killed 505 people. Macedonian PM Zaev urges parliament to confirm the will of the majority but opposition says it was unsuccessful. Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has urged parliament to confirm the will of the majority after more than 90 percent of referendum voters agreed to change the countrys name. However, the leader of Macedonias main opposition party, Hristijan Mickovski, slammed the government and Zaev for what he called a deeply unsuccessful referendum on Sunday which was marred by low turnout of 36.8 percent. A referendum on changing the nation of Macedonias name to North Macedonia to pave the way for NATO membership attracted tepid voter participation in a blow to the prime minister who had negotiated the deal and hoped for a strong message of support. The non-binding referendum now needs to be ratified by a two-thirds majority in the 120-member parliament for required constitutional amendments. If it fails, he said he would have no other choice than to call an early election for late November. But opponents of the deal with Greece, who say it undermines national interests and had advocated for a boycott of the referendum, seized on the low turnout to interpret the result as a clear rejection of the agreement. Macedonia has spoken today Macedonia said the deal is off. We have seen a deeply unsuccessful referendum, said VMRO-DMPNE President Hristijan Mickovski. Results from 58 percent of polling stations showed 90.8 percent voter approval for the name change. But election officials reported that as of 6:30pm local time (16:30 GMT), half an hour before polls closed, the turnout stood at 34 percent, based on data from 85 percent of polling stations. Macedonias pro-Western government has urged the public to back the name change to Republic of North Macedonia, to resolve a decades-old dispute with Greece, which had blocked Macedonias membership bids for the European Union and NATO. Opponents of the change had called for a boycott of the vote. The question on the referendum ballot was: Are you for NATO and EU membership with acceptance of the agreement with Greece? The referendum was not binding, but a yes majority would have given parliament a political mandate to change the Constitution. Deeply divided society Maja Blazevska, an Al Jazeera correspondent reporting from Skopje, said the outcome is showing that Macedonia is a very deeply divided society. The idea of changing the countrys name is a very emotional question, especially for ethnic Macedonians, she said. A failure to reach the 50 percent threshold could postpone the plans for implementation of the agreement with Greece, Blazevska concluded. Political analyst Petar Arsovski said that the referendums outcome would deepen divisions in Macedonia. Unfortunately, as opposed to providing closure, the referendum still leaves the country in turmoil, Arsovski said, noting that on the one hand an overwhelming majority of those who voted approved of the deal, but turnout was low. I think it would be very difficult for the prime minister to reach the deal with the opposition lawmakers over the constitutional changes and to continue with the next phase, Arsovski said. I think Macedonia is entering into uncertainty and that the crisis will deepen. Macedonias international partners called for parliamentary support for the deal. We urge leaders to rise above partisan politics and seize this historic opportunity to secure a brighter future for the country as a full participant in Western institutions, US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged the countrys politicians to engage constructively and responsibly to seize this historic opportunity. He said on Twitter that NATOs door was still open to Macedonia but all national procedures have to be completed. I welcome the yes vote in referendum. I urge all political leaders & parties to engage constructively & responsibly to seize this historic opportunity. #NATOs door is open, but all national procedures have to be completed. Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) September 30, 2018 Even if Zaev manages to win parliamentary support for the constitutional amendments, the deal faces other hurdles before it can be finalized. Once Macedonia amends its constitution to ensure it doesnt contain anything that could be considered irredentist against Greece, the deal must be ratified by Greek parliament. But Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras faces problems of his own. His governing coalition partner, the right-wing Independent Greeks, oppose the deal and have vowed to vote against it, leaving him reliant on opposition support. Towards a digital Nepal Nepal has embarked on an economic revolution to bring progress and prosperity after a successful transformation into a federal republic. Therefore, there is a great need for information communication and technology (ICT). Former presidents release came a week after half-brother Abdulla Yameen lost the presidential election. Former Maldives president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has been released on bail a week after his estranged half-brother Abdulla Yameen was defeated in a presidential election. Gayoom, the Indian Ocean island nations longest-serving leader, and his legislator son Faris Maumoon were released on Sunday by the High Court in capital Male after they filed fresh appeals against their controversial convictions. Gayoom, 80, was arrested in February along with the countrys chief justice and another Supreme Court judge for attempting to topple Yameen, who declared a 45-day state of emergency to block his impeachment. The High Court released Gayoom on a bail of 60,000 rufiyaa ($3,900) and he was also ordered not to travel abroad without its permission. Gayoom was serving a 19-month jail term for obstruction of justice and was also under trial on a terrorism charge. Finally, they are all home, Gayooms daughter Yumna Maumoon said on Twitter. Hope and pray that all political prisoners will be released soon. The nightmare is finally over Insha Allah. Thank you all who struggled hard for this day. Alhamdhulillaahii! Finally they are all home. Hope and pray that all political prisoners will be released soon. The nightmare is finally over Insha Allah. Thank you all who struggled hard for this day. pic.twitter.com/07ZD88Xww8 Yumna Maumoon (@yumna_maumoon) September 30, 2018 Gayooms other daughter, former foreign minister Dunya Maumoon, also took to Twitter saying: So happy you are finally home. Another Maldivian dissident, Qasim Ibrahim, was also granted bail. He obtained prison leave for medical treatment and has remained in Europe. The release followed appeals from president-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who urged incumbent Yameen to free all political prisoners in the country after his stunning victory in the September 23 election. Yameen jailed or exiled most of his rivals during a turbulent five-year term that will come to an end on November 17 when Solih is set to be sworn in. Soon after his defeat, Yameen freed five other political prisoners, but was delaying the release of his half-brother who could have made a claim to the leadership of his Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) party which he did on Friday. Longest-serving leader Gayoom had ruled the tourist island nation for 30 straight years till he was defeated in its first multi-party elections in 2008. Since coming to power in 1978, Gayoom supervised his countrys transition to a major tourist destination, turning the tiny archipelago into one of the richest South Asian countries. However, his curbs on democracy rallied political opponents, who accused him of ruling the country like a dictator. In the 2008 elections, he was defeated by Mohamed Nasheed, who was imprisoned multiple times during Gayooms long rule. Nasheed resigned in 2012 following outrage over his decision to detain a sitting judge. Soon after he quit, he was sentenced to 13 years in jail, which he avoided by seeking asylum in the UK. In 2013, Gayoom helped his half-brother Yameen win a controversial runoff election, but they later fell out and became bitter political enemies. Fifty-eight migrants and a dog will be transferred to four European nations in the coming days. Maltese authorities have finally allowed 58 migrants off the Aquarius to Valletta after they waited for days in rough seas on the rescue ship that can no longer go to port after its flag was pulled. The migrants, including Libyans, sub-Saharan Africans and Afghans, boarded two buses at a Malta Armed Forces base in Valletta on Sunday after being transferred from the Aquarius to a Maltese patrol boat in international waters. All migrants who disembarked in Malta will be transferred to four other European countries in the coming days, the Government of Malta said in a statement. The migrants include a five-month pregnant woman and Bella the dog, the first animal rescued with migrants in the Mediterranean and they are to be sent on to four European countries after a tense standoff over their fate last week. VIDEO: Maltese coast guards bring back Aquarius migrants to Valletta as the civilian rescue ship is unable to return to port for fear of being impounded pic.twitter.com/IfJGtox3yI AFP news agency (@AFP) September 30, 2018 The UN refugee agency UNHCR said that it had not yet been decided where which of the migrants 18 children, 17 women, 23 men and a dog would go. We hope that they will leave Malta in a few days, UNHCR representative Paolo Biondi told AFP news agency at the base. France has agreed to take 18 of the migrants, Germany and Spain 15 each and Portugal 10. The de-registration of the Aquarius is deeply worrying and would represent a dramatic reduction of search and rescue capacity at precisely the moment when it needs to be stepped up, the UNHCR statement added. Panama pulled its flag from the ship a week ago, meaning the unregistered Aquarius would not be able to leave any port, while other rescue vessels already impounded in Valletta fight a protracted legal battle. Italy convinces Panama to revoke the flag of the rescue ship Aquarius, effectively stopping it and making it more likely that migrants will drown in the Mediterranean. Italy also illegally restricts the rights of asylum seekers who make it to its shores. https://t.co/x2qua4NCv2 pic.twitter.com/F9NeIxKVVo Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) September 30, 2018 The group were picked up from two boats plying the perilous route between North Africa and Europe last Monday. The Aquarius, chartered by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and SOS Mediterranee, is the only civilian ship still trying to rescue migrants making the perilous journey from North Africa to Europe. After five days waiting at sea near Malta, this morning all 58 rescued people on board the Aquarius will be transferred to the Maltese maritime authorities for disembarkation in Malta, MSF wrote on Twitter. Doha denies allegations by Saudi Arabia and UAE and instead accuses blockading countries of destabilising the region. The Gulf crisis has led to exchange of words at the United Nations General Assembly between Qatar and the countries imposing the blockade on the gas-rich nation. Qatar refuted allegations by Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) of supporting terrorism on Saturday as the Gulf crisis featured at the UN forum. The representative of Qatar said that the three countries are the last ones to preach Qatar about peace and stability, Al Jazeeras Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from New York, said. {articleGUID} He referred to the past track record of Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the war in Yemen and instability in Libya as well as the US Congress inquiry into September 11 attacks, which blamed the two countries for providing havens for terrorists,' our correspondent said. Ahmad Saif Al Kuwari, Qatars representative to the UN, said that they do not practise what they preach, referring to the blockading countries. They do not practice respect for state sovereignty and they interfere in the affairs of other states. This has become evident in the repeated attempts by these states to destabilise security and stability in Qatar. They plotted and financed an unsuccessful coup attempt in Qatar. UAE response The UAE representative, in her response, claimed that Qatar adopted political maneuvers in order to exacerbate the ongoing crisis. Instead of respecting its international obligations and settling the crisis, Qatar has added an international dimension by discussing legal matters taken by the United Arab Emirates in cooperation with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, she said. {articleGUID} Qatar is trying to disseminate false and erroneous information about the measures taken by our countries. These measures were response to the destabilising attitude of Qatar for decades. On June 5, 2017, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt imposed a sweeping embargo on the gas-rich nation, sparking the worst rift within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The four countries severed all diplomatic and trade ties, accusing Qatar of seeking closer ties with regional rival Iran and supporting terrorism a charge Doha vehemently denies. A US-backed meeting between foreign ministers of the six member states of the GCC, Egypt and Jordan in New York ended in a stalemate, said Qatars Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Britain must stop re-fighting the Brexit referendum and should unite as the deadline to leave the European Union draws closer, its trade minister Liam Fox said. At the annual Conservative Party conference, which began in Birmingham on Sunday, Fox said that calls for a second referendum or Peoples Vote on the final Brexit agreement would put democracy at risk. We must stop re-fighting the referendum and come together to honour the democratic will of the British people or we will risk undermining faith in that democratic system itself, said Fox. The decisions we take in the coming days and months will profoundly shape our relationship with the European Union and the world beyond as we develop a vision of a truly global Britain. Trade is one of the key issues still to be agreed upon before the UK leaves the EU on March 29, 2019. {articleGUID} In July, British Prime Minister Theresa May presented the so-called Chequers agreement, which laid out UK governments plans for the post-Brexit relationship with the EU. The plan has been criticised in both Westminster and Brussels, where European Council President Donald Tusk dismissed the proposal, saying, It wont work. Fox said that if the EU did not like the proposals, it should offer an alternative. A political rift Many consider the Conservative conference a test of Mays leadership and her vision of what a post-Brexit future will look like for the UK. Dissatisfaction across party lines towards [Mays] Chequers plan makes it possible that she wont survive in her current position, and that a vote of no confidence could be raised against her government in the coming months, Kai Loyens, current developments analyst at Foreign Brief, a geopolitical risk analysis website, told Al Jazeera. {articleGUID} There is also still wrangling in the Conservative party on the UK position towards accepting any EU regulations on trade in a future relationship, he said. Al Jazeeras Sonia Gallego, reporting from Birmingham, said Remainers in the Conservative party have warned of a polite rebellion, but some pro-Brexit MPs and members are also opposing Mays plan. If she had harboured any hopes of there being a unified front at this conference, then they must have been quite dashed, she said. MPs who are so against the Chequers plan are absolutely determined. They have said that this is a plan that is dead in the water, that it would be akin to the UK being like a vassal state, as one MP put it. {articleGUID} in advance of the conference, May accused those who refuse to back the Chequers plan of playing politics and said on Sunday that she would make a success of Brexit regardless of the outcome of talks with the EU. Environment Minister Michael Gove, a prominent campaigner for Brexit, said on Sunday that he supports Chequers, adding that the UK wont lower its high environmental or animal health standards in order to secure trade deals after the divorce. One of the Chequers agreements most prominent critics, former Foreign Minister Boris Johnson, who resigned over the plan, lashed out against the proposal in an interview with British newspaper, the Sunday Times, published on Sunday. Johnson called the plan deranged and entirely preposterous and said that it will cause economic and political damage to the UK. The Conservative party and its membership are divided over Mays Brexit plan [Toby Melville/Reuters] At the opposition Labour Partys annual conference held in Liverpool earlier this month, members voted to back a new referendum, which could include the option to remain in the EU if parliament rejects Mays final Brexit deal. Nobody is ruling out Remain as an option, Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit minister said on Tuesday. May is due to speak on the final day of the conference on Wednesday. Additional reporting by Charlotte Mitchell: @charbrowmitch 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 Birthright Citizenship and Natural Rights Michael Anton, who was a speechwriter for George W. Bush's administration and later a pro-Trump blogger for the Journal of American Greatness, has acquired additional fame as a critic of granting citizenship to the offspring of illegal aliens. Anton's work has not gone unnoticed. Advocates of giving instant citizenship to "anchor babies" have predictably attacked him as a racist for questioning their generous gesture. Supposedly, the Fourteenth Amendment provides for a right to citizenship for anyone born on American soil. And though the same amendment requires that those who are granted this right are "subject to the jurisdiction" of the American government, those groups who were thought to be outside this jurisdiction, we are told, are Indian tribes and the children of foreign diplomats. Presumably, in both these cases, those who were born on American soil were subject to another jurisdiction, whether a foreign government or a tribal council with specific rights granted by Congress. In a long article in Claremont Review, Anton shows that the framers of the Fourteenth Amendment did not mean to grant citizenship to the babies of whoever came here illegally or in order to have babies on American soil. His arguments warrant our attention. It is highly unlikely, as Anton's opponents concede, that the authors of the Fourteenth Amendment had in mind "anchor babies" when they discussed birthright citizenship. They were thinking specifically about negro freemen, who had recently been slaves. The authors were undoing the effects of the Dred Scott decision issued by the Supreme Court in 1857 that denied that blacks were eligible for citizenship under the Constitution. Although in 1898 the court had acknowledged the citizenship right of a child born to Chinese parents in the U.S., Anton points out that in this case, U.S. v. Wong Kim Ark, the justices were acknowledging the citizenship of the child of legal residents. Significantly, Anton argues, those who held the minority position in this case probably understood the Fourteenth Amendment better. One of its authors, Senator Jacob M. Howard of Michigan, expressed concern that the amendment not be worded in such a way as to result in the excessive awarding of citizenship. Although advocates of citizenship rights for the children of illegals concede that the Fourteenth Amendment's authors may not have been thinking about their case when they granted citizenship to those who were subject to American "jurisdiction," they might have taken this step if they were living now. But there is no reason, according to Anton, to ascribe views to people in the past because someone at this moment holds certain convictions. Anton shows the marks of his West Coast Straussian education in how he frames his political theoretical arguments. As a point of information, he took a graduate degree at Claremont under Harry Jaffa, and the article being discussed was published in the West Coast Straussian flagship publication Claremont Review. According to this persuasion, the United States was founded on natural rights principles, from whence derive our moral right to exist and our guide for interpreting the Constitution. Citizenship must therefore be understood in relation to this natural rights doctrine, which finds its most oft-quoted expression in the passage of the Declaration of Independence about God-given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This for Jaffaites is the bedrock of the regime set up by America's Founders, and it was vindicated in Lincoln's struggle against the slaveholding South in the Civil War. Without evaluating these beliefs (which are not mine), it is clear that they inform Anton's view about birthright citizenship. Although a law of the soil (jus soli) was enough to establish citizenship under the English monarchy, once Americans formed a new "social compact" with the Declaration, according to Anton, this ceased to be the case. By affirming the principles contained in the Declaration, we became citizens of a republic bottomed on natural right. Membership in the social compact depended on "consent of the governed" and therefore could be repudiated if someone left the compact and joined a foreign political entity. There may be another factor that explains the divide in question. Significantly, the Roman, British, and other empires invoked jus soli to establish who was subject to the sovereign. This pertained to those who were expected to serve the monarch, rather than who would exercise the rights of democratic citizenship. Presumably jus soli would not apply in a republic in which citizens would be governing themselves. It is one thing by virtue of one's subjection to be obliged to serve in the king's army; it's another to enjoy the right to co-govern with other authorized citizens. Normally republics have been much more fastidious than empires about who could join them. That's because political rights among citizens, everything being equal, are more important than being under a sovereign. In the case of the Swiss Republic, one traditionally claimed citizenship by right of inheritance from parents (jus sanguinis). Foreigners who wished to become citizens had to wait many years and to be approved for this privilege by a municipality and canton as well as the federal republic. These requirements went back centuries and had nothing to do with the idea that all men are created equal and are born with certain inalienable rights. Almost all European and most African countries continue the practice of jus sanguinis, as Anton duly notes, and that may result at least partly from the fact that these regimes view themselves as constitutional republics (whatever they may be in practice). In 1990, the Germans converted to the jus solis, in order to accommodate the influx of refugees and their growing third-world immigration. Germans may still be paying the price for their virtue-signaling, as their country now has the largest Muslim population in Western or Central Europe, with all the attendant social problems. In fine, the distinction between birthright citizenship and the acquisition of citizenship through parents tells us more about the difference between imperial and republican rule than it does about who believes in natural rights. The performance of women this week from Senator Dianne Feinstein to Christine Blasey Ford to the howling mobs on Capitol Hill made me seriously consider surgically altering my sex. They are demanding special treatment because of their sex and in the process placing all of us male and female alike at peril of witch hunts against men and then, in time, against all who will not bow to their rule. Ah, then we'd be unable to criticize your politics, your social viewpoints, your choice of teams to root for, and anything else you say because we'd be transphobic. As a footnote, I've seen an estimate that the transgender population is about 0.05% of the population. This is hardly a warrant for beating up people but it is not clear to me why unless we substantially alter social arrangements that have existed in almost every known human society and celebrate...not just accept but celebrate...transgenderism, we are mean, hateful people. Victor Davis Hanson offered up the most succinct summary of Blasey Ford's testimony: The "process" of memorializing Ford's testimony involved a strange inversion of constitutional norms: The idea of a statute of limitations is ossified; hearsay is legitimate testimony; inexact and contradictory recall is proof of trauma, and therefore of validity; the burden of proof is on the accused, not the accuser; detail and evidence are subordinated to assumed sincerity; proof that one later relates an allegation to another is considered proof that the assault actually occurred in the manner alleged; motive is largely irrelevant; the accuser establishes the guidelines of the state's investigation of the allegations; and the individual allegation gains credence by cosmic resonance with all other such similar allegations. Unless, however, you do not want to transgender, I want to note how we came to such a place, a place both ridiculous and dangerous. I want you to pay attention to the distortions of language and statistics used to advance the gynocrats' agenda. Since when do those accusing others of crimes become "survivors" rather than "accusers"? How you frame your self-description affects views, doesn't it? If you claimed that someone had raped you, why must we always believe you just because you tag yourself "a survivor"? Do we do this with those who claim to have been robbed or beaten? "I'm a robbery survivor, so you have to believe me when I say X robbed me." The shift in language is to message that accusers must always be believed. It is, at heart, based on a gross distortion of statistics. It is difficult for many reasons to determine the percentage of false rape claims, to be sure, but like the claims about 97% of "climate scientists" and global warming, the assertion that only 2% of women's rape claims are false is itself demonstrably false. We don't know the answer, and since we don't, we should not upset laws and precepts guaranteeing due process for all those accused of the crime men and women alike. Indirect data, in fact, highly suggest that far more than two percent of rape accusations are false. The 2% genesis was a handout from Susan Brownmiller's file. (Brownmiller, the author of Against Our Will, Men, Women and Rape, argued that existing definitions of rape were a tool of male dominance.) It was her "interpretation of some data, now a quarter-century old, of unknown provenance from a single police department unit." This fact is significant because based on this dubious statistic, efforts are made to transform rape accusations into a strict liability offense. Those who believe this nonsense contend that if only half of the accusations result in convictions, the definition of "consent" must be altered, making intent irrelevant to the crime and creating "a new breed of strict liability." Brownmiller's desire to revise the definition (indeed, the meaning of sex crimes involving women) was not the only fake statistic used to turn the presumption of innocence on its head. The same kind of jiggered statistics were used to justify Title IX tribunals in colleges where men were grossly mistreated following false accusations. The Duke lacrosse team and University of Virginia cases come to mind, but daily we read of men who fought back, were reinstated to college, and even won substantial damages because their schools followed the Obama Department of Education's gynocratic star chamber policies. Those policies were based on an equally suspect claim that 20% of college women experienced a sexual assault. Countless others doubtless lacked the financial ability to do so and had their lives damaged if not ruined by campus star chambers. Statistics surrounding sexual assault are notoriously unreliable and inconsistent, primarily because of vague and expansive definitions of what qualifies as sexual assault. Christina Hoff Sommers of the American Enterprise Institute explains that the study often cited as the origin of the "one in five" factoid is an online survey conducted under a grant from the Justice Department. Surveyors employed such a broad definition that "'forced kissing" and even "attempted forced kissing" qualified as sexual assault. The Bureau of Justice Statistics' "Violent Victimization of College Students" report tells a different and more plausible story about campus culture. During the years surveyed, 1995-2002, the DOJ found that there were six rapes or sexual assaults per thousand per year. Across the nation's four million female college students, that comes to about one victim in forty students. Other DOJ statistics show that the overall rape rate is in sharp decline: since 1995, the estimated rate of female rape or sexual assault victimizations has decreased by about 60 percent. ... Bolstered by inflated statistics and alarmist depictions of campus culture, advocates have been successful in initiating policy changes designed to better protect victims of sexual violence. Duke, Swarthmore, Amherst, Emerson and the University of North Carolina are among the many institutions that have recently reviewed and revised their policies. It is not clear that these policies have made campuses safer places for women, but they have certainly made them treacherous places for falsely accused men. It is in this fevered atmosphere, where women are led to believe that all men are rapists or would-be rapists, that a charge made months earlier with a request for anonymity and kept hidden by Senator Feinstein (but not from the Washington Post) was finally disclosed, with demands for a reopened hearing on the suitability of Judge Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court. He has, without doubt, a pristine reputation. The accusation was vague no date, no place were given. The others she claimed were present, like the nominee, all denied the claim under penalty of perjury. On examination by a mild prosecutor, Rachel Mitchell from Arizona, Ford made a number of inconsistent statements and other assertions that were hardly credible. Miss Mitchell notified the committee that had she received this information as a prosecutor, she would not have filed a charge against Kavanaugh and doubted she would even have been able to get a search warrant issued. I have to agree with Powerline blog's John Hinderaker: If we can do this to the Boy Scout Brett Kavanaugh, we can do it to anyone. Are you thinking of serving in a Republican administration? Or accepting an appointment to the federal judiciary from a Republican president? Think twice, and then think again. Because our smear machine will reach back to middle school if necessary. If we can't find any dirt on you, we will manufacture some. There is no depth to which we will not stoop, and your honesty, integrity and spotless reputation are no match for our control over the media and our determination to dredge up ridiculous allegations against anyone who stands in our way. Really, the more ridiculous the better. If we can accuse Brett Kavanaugh, one of the most respected lawyers and judges in America, of gang rape, we can accuse anyone of anything! And our insane accusations will dominate the news. That is the Democratic Party's message. And we have learned from the Christine Ford fiasco that accusations don't require corroborating evidence. A single wacky, false allegation will negate decades of hard work on behalf of the American people. ... Given that strategy, the fact that they are smearing a man of obviously sterling character on absurdly flimsy grounds is not a bug, it is a feature. The fact that the Democrats' smears are so patently false is ultimately their main point. The Democrats are telling us: Republicans, beware if this can happen to Brett Kavanaugh, it can happen to anyone. You'd better go quietly and cede power to us. Hinderaker is right about the strategy of the Democrats in Kavanaugh's case, but Brownmiller, the Obama Department of Education, and the various left-wing organizations and their media cohorts have created an atmosphere within which they could commit this outrage. And the pussy-hatted women are telling us they can do this to you whether or not you are a Republican, as long as you are a man. Really, guys, you have to fight this. You pick your weapon. You can march around in penis hats and accost senators in elevators demanding that since some men have been falsely accused of rape, all accusations of rape must be deemed falsely made. You can call a nationwide strike by men. Let the women dig the ditches, fix the electrical wires and telephone lines, fight all the fires and wars, and conduct all the police work and intricate surgeries. Do all the countless things men do every day to protect all of us men and women alike. Or maybe, like me, you can vow to never vote for a Democrat again and fight tooth and nail against such efforts to distort our constitutional rights to due process. The highly emotional hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 27, 2018, listening to allegations by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, a California academic psychologist, about a sexual assault on her by Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh in 1982, when she was 15 and he was 17, was more an occasion for a cynical display of partisan politics than a genuine search for truth on the part of the members of the committee. It was essentially a political charade, a turbid ebb and flow, aimed at delay by Democrats of a vote on the nomination of Kavanaugh to be a member of the U.S. Supreme Court. The starting problem is the divide and uncertainty about the validity of conflicting accounts by Ford and Kavanaugh of events 36 years ago. That uncertainty was understood by Republican leaders. President Donald Trump commented that Blasey Ford was a credible witness, compelling, a fine woman, and Kavanaugh's testimony was powerful, honest, and riveting. Republican majority leader Mitch McConnell thought both testimonies were "heartfelt." There was no definitive outcome, and both sides remained convinced of their own views. Perhaps the intended FBI investigation will provide light relevant to the conflicting version of events. Truth is elusive. We have been here before in fact and in fiction. In 1950, the powerful Japanese film Rashomon, directed by Akira Kurosawa, told the story of a murdered samurai whose body was discovered in a forest. At the murder investigation, four people and the ghost of the fifth gave different accounts of what happened and of possible motivation. In this case of murder and rape, contradictory depictions emerged, and there was no way of knowing the truth, which indeed may never be known, nor was there any solution presented out of the multiple realities suggested. In similar way, in the American film The Usual Suspects of 1995, obviously influenced by Rashomon, a suspect being interviewed by a police official unveils a complicated story with multiple revelations, all false and all derived from his own character. What we see on screen, supposedly reflecting the truth about the legendary crime lord, Keyser Soze, does not correspond to the reality, as we find out. The mixed conclusion is to suspect what we have seen. There are legitimate differences in the validity of the presentations of Ford and Kavanaugh, but agreement is more likely on other factors. One is that the hearing was not one of the finest hours in Senate history, and the conduct of a number of the senators was questionable. The second factor is the virtual refusal to discuss the merits of the issue, since minds were already made up on a partisan basis. We are familiar with Alice: "Sentence first, verdict afterwards...you're nothing but a pack of cards." An axiom of democratic politics is that decision-making stems from listening to and adjudicating between conflicting sides of a dispute. This was not the case for some senators who walked out of the hearing of the committee, nor for others who refused to vote on a motion to proceed. This proclamation of absence must be one of the most bizarre interpretations of the Senate's role of "advice and consent." In political argument, passion is to be expected. Politics, as Max Weber wrote, takes both passion and perspective. But gladiatorial displays, exemplified by Cory Booker, the would-be Spartacus and presidential contender from New Jersey, are more appropriate for the circus than the political arena. In the present case, there remains behavior and statements that need scrutiny not only about the believability of allegations concerning Kavanaugh, but also about the actions and non-actions of some of the senators, especially the curious and controversial behavior of Democratic ranking member of the Judiciary Committee Dianne Feinstein, who had not revealed her knowledge of the allegations for several weeks and thus delayed Senate discussion of them, presumably for political partisan reasons. Democrats objected that committee chair Senator Grassley was conducting the meeting in an autocratic way. The third, and most important factor, is the lack of respect for the rules of the political game, such as prohibition of leaking of privileged information and, above all, disregard for crucial elements of the rule of law. On July 9, 2018, President Donald Trump nominated Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh for the vacant seat on the Supreme Court. Twenty minutes later, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer announced that he and his fellow Democrats would do everything possible to derail the nomination: "I will oppose him with everything I've got." It is appropriate for politicians to approve or disapprove of policy out of philosophical conviction. But it is not appropriate to rush to judgment without any examination of the alleged events or to ascribe guilt, even if expressed in cynical fashion, as Schumer did. Later, with regard to the hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee, when Kavanaugh faced allegations of sexual misconduct, he said Kavanaugh received "no presumption of innocence or guilt as a nominee seeking conformation." The absurd excuse for the equivocal statement was that the event was not a criminal trial, but "a fact-finding procedure." Irrespective of differing views of the allegations against Kavanaugh, what is most troubling is this disregard of or indifference toward a cardinal principle of the rule of law and presumption of innocence while in pursuit of political objectives, and, at an extreme, the politics of personal destruction. It is astonishing that senators, perhaps lacking historical knowledge, need reminders of this basic principle. The French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, August 26, 1789, states, Article 9, that "everyone is presumed innocent until declared guilty." The U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, December 1948, states in Article 11, "Everyone charged with a personal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees for his defense." There are similar assertions in the same language in the document of the Council of Europe, "The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms," adopted in 1950 and entered into force in 1953 by the Council of Europe. The principle is also endorsed in the December 1993 Constitution of Russia, Article 49: "everyone charged with a crime should be considered not guilty until his or her guilt has been proven." In the U.S., the Supreme Court in Coffin v. U.S., 1895, held that the principle that there is "a presumption of innocence in favor of the accused is the undoubted law, axiomatic and elementary, and its enforcement lies at the foundation of the administration of our criminal law." Alexander Hamilton, Federalist 68, warned of the "talents for low intrigue and the little arts of popularity " of some politicians. It might be more useful for the FBI to conduct an investigation into senatorial understanding or lack of comprehension of the meaning of presumption of innocence along with the search for evidence of Kavanaugh's culpability or innocence. Today, our former Montagnard allies suffer immense persecution under the communist regime in Vietnam for their religious beliefs. Since the North's 1975 conquest of the Republic of South Vietnam, it is estimated that two thirds of the ethnic minorities have converted to Protestantism. They are forced to practice their worship in outlawed house-churches. The Vietnamese leadership is characterized by extreme paranoia and fear of organized religion, for it is in direct conflict with their political religion: communism. Those wishing to be ordained as a pastor must swear allegiance to the communist government and swear to put "the state" before God. All who refuse are arrested and tortured until they recant their religion, and if they do not, they are imprisoned or "disappeared." More than a hundred known Protestant Montagnard pastors are languishing in prison under deplorable and inhumane conditions. Despite this, they are not recognized by the Department of State as political prisoners. The Montagnard tribes in the Central Highlands were among our most loyal allies in the fight against the communists during the Vietnam War. They fought alongside the U.S. Special Forces in epic battles and rescued countless Americans, including pilots, crews, and aircraft passengers. More than half of the Montagnards' adult male population was lost fighting for and in the place of Americans. Without their sacrifice, there would be many more names on that somber black granite wall the Vietnam Memorial. More than 350 Christian Montagnard refugees have fled persecution in Vietnam and are seeking asylum in Thailand. Of these, 175 have been granted refugee status by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). However, they will continue to be held in the camps until a third country notifies UNHCR that it is willing to sponsor them. Countless other refugees who have fled religious and other persecution in Vietnam are also seeking refuge in Thailand. There are frequent raids in the neighborhoods surrounding Bangkok, where refugees try to find a sense of community. According to International Christian Concern (ICC) (The Dispatch, 09/20/18): More than three weeks have passed since Thai authorities arrested and detained 181 mostly Christian Montagnard refugees on the outskirts of Bangkok on August 28. ICC sources have confirmed that all of the adults were sent to Immigration Detention Center (IDC), while 50 children, including young boys, girls, and infants, were sent to three different shelters. A local source told ICC that these shelters are not immigrant shelters, but rather shelters designed for Thai children who cannot stay in their homes. These shelters are not prepared to care for large numbers of Children who do not speak Thai, or for breastfeeding children separated from their mothers. Despite local rights groups' attempts to visit the children, they have not been granted permission. This means that these children, they have not been granted permission. This means that these children have not seen their parents, nor any familiar faces from local NGOs, for nearly three weeks. Separation anxiety and fear will take a toll on these children's health with each passing day. It was heartening to hear secretary of state Mike Pompeo say during Laura Ingraham's Fox News interview (09/20/18) that he and Vice President Michael Pence "are extremely concerned over Christian refugees who have seemingly been left out of the State Department's refugee program. Vice President Pence has made this a real priority, to ensure that Christians are being treated fairly and equitably in our processes." Unfortunately, he was referring to refugees in the Middle East, not Vietnam and Thailand. However, he did add: This administration is taking religious freedom all around the world, in China and other places, very seriously. Rest assured that the State Department is working to make sure that Christians are not being mistreated, prosecuted, persecuted, or treated in any way that's unfair as they try to make their way into the United States of America. You've seen what the President's doing with trade, to try and make it fair and reciprocal. What we're asking of China is to behave in a way that if they want to be a power, if they want to be on the global stage, they have to operate in a way that global leaders have for so often. And frankly, as you point out in the religious dimension, they've not done that. The Vietnamese communists' war against the Montagnards has never ended. The regime is now implementing a form of cultural genocide against them. As a result, despite Vietnam's thriving economy, our former allies are denied opportunities of meaningful employment and the government amenities afforded others in Vietnam, such as schooling, medical care, and adequate land to feed their families. The Montagnards have among the highest rates of malnourishment and infant death in Vietnam. In 1975, as the North Vietnamese communists began their final push to take over the Republic of South Vietnam, Montagnard leaders met with representatives from the American Embassy. The Americans encouraged them to flee to the jungle and continue the fight the communists, promising that if they did, the United States government would continue to support them. One of the most prestigious Montagnard leaders, the director of the Ministry for the Development of Ethnic Minorities, was promised by American deputy ambassador George Jacobson that he, his staff, and their families would be evacuated. In fact, they were abandoned. All those remaining at the Ministry were either killed or sent to the communists' gulags, AKA "re-education camps." Only a small handful of Montagnards were able to escape during the evacuation of Saigon and eventually make it to the United States. However, the Montagnards kept their agreement with the American Embassy. Tens of thousands fled to the jungles bordering Vietnam to continue the fight, only to be killed by the Vietnamese or die of malnourishment or disease when the promised U.S. assistance failed to materialize. They were buried in the jungle in unmarked graves. Nevertheless, the few survived and continued to fight. In 1986, a group of 212 Montagnard guerrilla fighters and their families our abandoned allies emerged from the jungles of Cambodia after 11 years of fighting the communists, fled to a refugee camp in Thailand, and were eventually resettled in North Carolina. In 1992, a second group of 400 Montagnard fighters and their families left the jungle in Eastern Cambodia, after waging 17 years of continued guerrilla war against the communists. They were dubbed the "Lost Battalion." They were also resettled in North Carolina, not far from Fayetteville the home of the Green Berets. To Secretary Pompeo and Vice President Pence: Your policies to ensure that Christians are not prosecuted, persecuted, or mistreated as they try to make their way to America should also apply to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. What's good for the gander is also good for the geese! Will America once again abandon its Montagnard allies? The empty promises must stop here! Michael Benge spent eleven years in Vietnam as a Foreign Service officer; five as a POW. He is a student of Southeast Asian politics. He is active in advocating for human rights, religious freedom, and democracy for the countries of former Indochina and has written extensively on these subjects. Up until now, the Democrats and their media punditocracy have pushed the narrative that female voters are all in for the sex-attack testimony of Christine Blasey Ford against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, despite the latters lifetime spotless record, and Republicans who believe Kavanaugh are likely to pay by losing the Senate at midterms, owing to all the angry female voters who will vote against them. Even the Associated Press has, rather astonishingly, noticed that a lot of women support Brett Kavanaugh, and these aren't the ones who actually know him, writing: COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) As the Senate is divided on President Donald Trumps Supreme Court pick, so too are women across the country. Female voices have echoed throughout the U.S. Senate this week demanding male senators justify their support for Brett Kavanaughs U.S. Supreme Court nomination despite an allegation of high school sexual assault. But other women have spent hours calling Senate offices in support of Kavanaugh, condemning what they saw as an anti-Republican ploy thats damaged not only Kavanaughs reputation and livelihood but also his accusers. Given that news agencys recent record of leftist bias, a story like this, giving coverage to both points of view instead of just one, represents a seismic shift. AP found a YouGov poll that shows very marginal differences between women who believe Ford and women who believe Kavanaugh, and even found a group of women in South Carolina, who support Kavanaugh, complete with pro-Kavanaugh tshirts. Note how young those faces look in that crowd. AP reports RT APSouthRegion: Meet the women who are drumming up support for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as he faces sexual assault allegations. https://t.co/yMrw3Mx10p Channel1 America (@channel1america) September 30, 2018 Other news agencies have picked up on it, too, and either spread the AP story around, or else done their own stories. It's getting out there. The New York Post, Yahoo! News, and even the New York Daily News all ran with the story. As Some Women Rally Against Kavanaugh, Others Express Support for Supreme Court Nominee https://t.co/dnsz5Z9rSf pic.twitter.com/HJaBZfcKBa KTLA 5 Morning News (@KTLAMorningNews) September 30, 2018 There are women who are supportive of Judge Kavanaugh. We need to stand up for this man who is being so maligned in the media. -@jennybethm pic.twitter.com/s2T4tKRmLY FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) September 28, 2018 Which goes to show that women at a minimum are as divided as men on the matter, and that could have implications for the midterms as wobbly Republicans decide among themselves whether kowtowing to every Democratic demand is going to help them at midterms or not. YouGov concludes that its not having much of an effect on how people plan to vote at all. What it also shows is that if women are experience-oriented in their support for the Blasey Ford narrative, well, those same women are also using their experience as the basis of their support for the Kavanaugh defense. The press up until now says that the Blasey Ford testimony has potential to galvanize the female vote because so many women have experienced or known someone who has experienced a sex attack of the kind Blasey Ford described - which is where the Democrat-oriented 'Believe women' slogan comes from. But theres more than one experience operative here. Most women also know that most men are good men who wouldnt dream of attacking a woman and a heck of a lot of such guys are guys like Kavanaugh. Whats more, they also know of good men who have been falsely accused, and how every element of the law is stacked against them based on political correctness mania in universities and elsewhere. They also have fathers, brothers, and sons and potential sons and they do not want this sort of nightmare to ever happen to them. So there is a sympathy factor from that direction, too. This comes even as many believe that Blasey Ford may be telling the truth about being attacked, but has the identity of the perpetrator in that hazy, faded memory of hers entirely wrong. On the Kavanaugh side, there are likely women who believe both, all or in part, because they know that such things as witness mistakes, or even lying, happen - even if the accuser is female. Being female gives no get-out-of-jail pass for facts. What it signals is that Republicans should recognize theyve been rolled enough by Democrats and make no further concessions to their demands for additional delay, The facts from the weeklong FBI investigation will fall where they will, and the womens vote as an emotional grounds driver of votes is not what the Democrat narrative says it is. Republicans are never going to get the votes of the hard left, whose main priority is abortion, so they need to stand up to the Democrat games-playing. This AP story shows that the much-feared womens vote is not going to be as decisive as doing the right thing. Under secy Birendra KCs vehicle vandalised An unknown motorcycle-borne group threw stones at the vehicle of under secretary at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law in Sudurpaschim province Birendra KC on Sunday. Government by the madding crowd On Friday, Arizona's Senator Jeffrey Lane Flake was accosted by a coven of screaming harpies in a U.S. Capitol Building elevator, so unnerving him that he decided to throw Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh under the bus by agreeing to Democrat confirmation delay tactics. That this brief encounter should invalidate Flake's lifetime of learned and lived experiences of fairness, family, and religion, plus cause him to ignore his earlier press release announcing his support for Kavanaugh, defies rationality. With this one craven act, Flake may well have scuttled Kavanaugh's chances of confirmation, for in the extra time allotted for an FBI investigation, the Democrat character assassins will undoubtedly scour Kavanaugh's tax returns and personal emails should they gain access to them, as well as the backgrounds of Kavanaugh's wife, parents, and relatives, for any dirt they can find. They are sure to find something, which will immediately be leaked to the ravening media to feed the latest Roman circus outrage, AKA news, cycle. Flake has also opened the floodgates for further episodes of intimidation against Republicans and conservatives. By caving in to and thereby rewarding the madding crowd, Flake has encouraged even more of its outrageous behavior. Undoubtedly, at this moment, gangs of liberal thugs and hooligans are hard at work planning further high-decibel encounters with Flake and other Republicans. So now decisions are to be made by Washington lawmakers based on emotion and the loudest screaming voices, while honest and upright men are judged solely by their behavior in high school, conservatives are guilty as charged until proven innocent, and female accusers can point fingers without consequence while our traditions of justice are consigned to the privy. Unless and until men start acting like men, this will only get worse, thanks to Jeff Flake and to his spineless ilk in our government. "Such acts are not only unfair; they are potentially illegal," committee Chairman Chuck Grassley wrote in a letter Saturday to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and FBI Director Chris Wray. Grassley wants the FBI and DOJ to investigate whether the individual potentially obstructed the committee's nomination process of Kavanaugh by providing fraudulent information to committee investigators. "It is illegal to make materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements to Congressional investigators. It is illegal to obstruct Committee investigation," the Iowa Republican wrote. The office of Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat who sits on the Judiciary Committee, received a call on Monday concerning an allegation -- now found to be false -- of a 1985 incident in Newport where a woman was sexually assaulted on a boat by two heavily inebriated men she referred to as "Brett and Mark." The person being referred has had his name redacted from the materials released. He said he heard of the assault that same day and physically confronted the two attackers, according to the documents. He falsely claimed that he realized one of the attackers was Kavanaugh after seeing his yearbook photo on TV over the weekend. Kavanaugh was interviewed by the committee on Tuesday about the allegation and categorically denied the claim. "I was not in Newport, haven't been on a boat in Newport. Not with Mark Judge on a boat, nor all those three things combined. This is just completely made up, or at least not me," Kavanaugh told the committee, according to transcripts. The committee said after the transcripts of the interview became public on Wednesday, the individual "recanted" and apologized for the claim through a social media post. In his letter to Sessions and Wray, Grassley wrote that the committee is "grateful to citizens who come forward with relevant information in good faith, even if they are not one hundred percent sure about what they know." "But when individuals provide fabricated allegations to the Committee, diverting Committee resources during time-sensitive investigations, it materially impedes our work," he said. The real takeaway from the Kavanaugh hearings Just step back from all the noise and look at what is happening with the "news" coverage about Brett Kavanaugh. The root of this story is simply one woman's partially recovered memory of something she says happened 36 years ago. The story is completely unsupported by any other evidence. All of the people who she says were at the party have denied under oath that it happened. People who say "we need to get to the bottom of this" need to understand that the unsupported story is the bottom of this, the top of this, and the middle of this. The memory, with no support, is all there is. There is no "where" to investigate. There is no "when" to investigate. There is just a story that cannot possibly be proven, which is why no prosecutor would ever bring charges on this case. Republicans should have simply stated in the beginning that the vote would not be stopped by this woman's recovered memory. They could have said Senator Feinstein showed the correct judgment initially when she withheld the unsupportable accusation and did not mention it for months. But they didn't do that, and the extremely destructive circus ensued (just the way the Democrats had hoped). It is far from being over. Just watch. What I would like to focus on is not the flimsy case against a good man, but how the media and the Democrats (redundant, I know) control the narrative. Evidence has almost nothing to do with the narratives they sell. The political goal is always primary; facts are secondary and unnecessary. The Kavanaugh case is a good example, but there are many other "big" stories that are based on little or nothing. Trump's collusion with Putin is probably the longest running, fact-free "scandal" in history. Despite huge amounts of time and money spent looking for evidence, this "huge story" remains completely unsupported by facts. As in the Kavanaugh case, we have huge numbers of "journalists" and politicians, up in the air, detached from reality, elaborating endlessly on nothing concrete. They have done this every day for years. In both of these cases and in others like them, the media control two things: 1. They control the daily narrative, the story they want us to hear and want us to talk about. 2. They control the volume knob for any story. The Kavanaugh and Trump stories are played at very high volume. Stories with corroborative facts, like Keith Ellison's or Bill Clinton's abuse of women, may be played at low volume. Many stories that could legitimately be played on high volume are muted instead because they do not serve the leftists' political goals. Google, Twitter, and other information sites are fine-tuning their volume and mute controls to diminish or silence the political opposition. This is book-burning for the modern era. It is disturbing to see how easy it is for leftists to control their sheep, who simply believe the propaganda. Millions of Americans apparently now believe that Brett Kavanaugh is a dangerous rapist and child-abuser. Many believe he regularly organized gang-rapes at parties. This does not speak well of the sheep or of their reckless, destructive shepherds. Sheep like this can be convinced that President Trump is "virtually Hitler." The sheep are being prodded to turn violent. They are being taught to hate and being told their hatred is morally praiseworthy. There are clear parallels here to the creation of Mao's Cultural Warriors. Mao unleashed masses of ignorant, self-righteous, and violent fools to make things right. Overwhelming death and destruction were the result. Democrats and the media are playing with fire. They don't care who is burned by their propaganda as long as they are in power after the destruction. These are dangerous times. Three likely scenarios for the Kavanaugh saga As of this writing, the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court is up in the air. Here are three likely scenarios of how this might play out. Scenario 1. After the Jeff Flake-induced FBI investigation, Kavanaugh is approved by the full Senate by a narrow vote. This is assuming that this latest FBI investigation turns up nothing negative on Judge Kavanaugh. Yes, one or two Republicans might defect and vote "no," but they could be offset by two or more Democrats voting for confirmation. The Republican squishes included Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska). The possible Democrats voting for confirmation are those from the red states who are up for re-election in November. The most likely "yes" votes are from Joe Donnelly (Indiana), Claire McCaskill (Missouri), and Joe Manchin (West Virginia). Although he's not up for re-election until 2020, Doug Jones (Alabama) should be added to this list. Alabama is a deeply conservative state, and Jones knows he won in a fluke election. A "no" vote of Kavanaugh would end his political career. Scenario 2. If something happens and the votes are not there for confirmation after the FBI investigation, Mitch McConnell will sit on the vote until after November. This is the hope of the Democrats. But for this hope to bear fruit, the GOP would also have to lose the Senate in November. If not and if red-state senators lose because of opposing Kavanaugh (and common decency), then Kavanaugh will get confirmed in January, and the country will have a stronger Republican Senate. A win-win outcome. Scenario 3. As unlikely as this prospect is, it still must be mentioned. The Kavanaugh confirmation stalls prior to November, and the Democrats take control of the Senate in November. This is what the Democrats are betting on. It's a situation that could lead to a) gridlock and maybe an eight-member Supreme Court until after 2022 or b) the appointment of a compromise "moderate" to the court. Under this scenario, Ruth Bader Ginsburg might well feel that it is safe to retire. What is the likely long-term outcome for the despicable behavior of the Democratic Party in opposing Brett Kavanaugh? For one thing, the Democrat antics are so vile that it has to be turning off a fair number of moderates and undecided voters, no matter how the liberal media spin it otherwise. And what of the Democrat base? Ask yourself, who are the most critical part of the Democrat coalition in terms of votes? It's not the abortion-loving feminists, although these shrills make the most noise. It's the blacks. Truth be told, none of what is going on in the Senate will motivate minorities to go out and vote. In fact, it may deter them, as the show they're seeing has an innate stink to it. How does this confirmation process affect the Republican and conservative base? No doubt, if the Republican Senate votes down Kavanaugh, the GOP will suffer terribly. But this is not likely, given that McConnell will not schedule a vote if he doesn't have the numbers. If the Kavanaugh vote is merely postponed until after the election, the base will be energized to vote Republican. Even the establishment Bush people will come out and vote Republican, as Kavanaugh is a Bush-type guy. Pick your scenario. Mine is the first one Kavanaugh gets narrowly confirmed before November. But the president tweeted last night that he has given the FBI "free reign" to investigate. Numerous media outlets are reporting this morning that the Trump administration is limiting the scope of the FBI investigation into alleged sexual misconduct charges against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. NBCNews: While the FBI will examine the allegations of Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez, the bureau had not been permitted to investigate the claims of Julie Swetnick, who has accused Kavanaugh of engaging in sexual misconduct at parties while he was a student at Georgetown Preparatory School in the 1980s, those people familiar with the investigation told NBC News. A White House official had confirmed earlier Saturday that Swetnick's claims would not be pursued as part of the reopened background investigation into Kavanaugh. Trump described that as incorrect in a tweet late Saturday. The Wall Street Journal had also reported that Swetnick's allegations would not be investigated. Trump said the FBI had "free rein" in the investigation. "Theyre going to do whatever they have to do," he said. "Whatever it is they do, theyll be doingthings that we never even thought of. And hopefully at the conclusion everything will be fine." Should the FBI waste its time investigating allegations from a woman, Julie Swetnick, being represented by porn lawyer and Democratic presidential candidate Michael Avenatti and who was sued by her employer for. among other things, making a claim of sexual harassment against two co-workers that she later withdrew? According to the 2000 suit from her employer WebTrends, Swetnick herself was accused of "unwelcome, sexually offensive conduct." In the 2500 word NBCNews story quoted above, there was not a word about these facts on the record. To pretend that Swetnick is a credible accuser takes the concept of #MeToo to ridiculous and appalling extremes. NBC points out that limiting the scope of any FBI investigation is standard procedure: Instead of investigating Swetnick's claims, the White House counsels office has given the FBI a list of witnesses they are permitted to interview, according to several people who discussed the parameters on the condition of anonymity. They characterized the White House instructions as a significant constraint on the FBI investigation and caution that such a limited scope, while not unusual in normal circumstances, may make it difficult to pursue additional leads in a case in which a Supreme Court nominee has been accused of sexual assault. When you have women crawling out of the woodwork accusing Kavanaugh of all sorts of sexual misconduct, it's simple common sense to limit the number of witnesses. Besides, just because the FBI won't interview Swetnick directly doesn't mean they won't investigate her claim: An administration official familiar with the process clarified, after the publication of this story, that while investigators may not be interviewing Swetnick herself, that doesn't preclude them from asking other witness about the allegations she has made. Trump may have, indeed, given the FBI "free reign" to investigate credible accusations against Kavanaugh. But Democrats want a fishing expedition - a witch hunt, demanding that everyone with something negative to say about Kavanaugh be believed. If the Democrats succeed in derailing the Kavanaugh nomination and leave a vacancy on the court until a Democrat is elected president, they are not going to believe the avalanche of accusations by the GOP against whoever is nominated. They have sowed the wind. They will reap the whirlwind. Congress still refuses to fund a complete border wall, but that isnt stopping the king of construction, Donald J. Trump, from delivering the goods where it is needed most. The El Paso Times has provided an entertaining and interesting video of construction of a new, much bigger border wall being built on the border separating the metropolises of Juarez, Mexico and El Paso, Texas, with a combined metropolitan population of at least 2.7 million souls. In an environment of scarcity, priorities must always be established, and the most densely populated areas should pay the greatest dividends in limiting the prospects of border-jumpers. San Diego and Tijuana, along with El Paso and Juarez are ground zero. The Hill reposts the El Paso Times video and notes: What does an island with not a speck of land to spare do to get rid of hundreds of tons of garbage generated each day by its one million yearly tourists and nearly four hundred thousand permanent residents? They dump it into another island, of course. The stunning tropical islands of Maldives, southwest of India, is known for its sandy beaches and turquoise waters. But very few are aware of its dirty side. Just a few miles west of Male, the capital city of Maldives, and one of the most densely populated islands on earth, lies the island of Thilafushi, the location of Maldivess municipal landfill. But Thilafushi was not always a garbage island. In fact, Thilafushi was not even an island. Photo credit: Jamie Cowan Twenty five years ago, Thilafushi was a pristine lagoon. Then in December 1991, a decision was taken to reclaim the lagoon as a landfill to address the growing problem of waste disposal produced by the tourism industry. Within a month the garbage began to arrive. Huge pits were dug into the sand and waste received from Male and other inhabited islands of Maldives were deposited into the pits, which were then topped off with a layer of construction debris and then uniformly leveled with white sand. As Thilafushis landmass began to grow, the government started leasing out land to industries such as boat manufacturing, cement packing, methane gas bottling and various large scale warehousing. Today, there are more than three dozen factories at Thilafushi, a mosque and homes for some 150 Bangladeshi migrants who sift through the 330 hundred tons of waste that arrive on the island each day. So much is being deposited that the island is growing by a square meter each day. Some of the waste is now drifting into the ocean and getting washed at Males beaches and polluting many dive sites around the region. Environmentalists also accuse impatient boatmen of dumping waste directly into the lagoon because proper unloading could take up to seven hours. Waste became such a problem that the government once banned dumping garbage on the island in 2011. A fraction of the waste is now getting exported to India to be recycled. Photo credit: Fizan/Wikimedia Photo credit: Hani Amir/Flickr Photo credit: Hani Amir/Flickr Photo credit: Dying Regime/Flickr Photo credit: Dying Regime/Flickr Sources: Wikipedia / BBC / The Guardian Woman hospitalised after family violence in Rajbiraj Nineteen-year-old Prem Kala Thakur has sustained injuries all over her body and hospitalized after an incident of domestic violence in Musaharniya of Rajbiraj Municipality-15, Saptari. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. He has spent the last year in prison. As usual, I get a warm greeting from Jordi Cuixart; the chatterbox is looking as thin as ever and is always up for a laugh. He is looking all stylish in black espadrilles and dark socks. For a second we are able to forget that the conversation is taking place in a prison and that when we part our ways he will be going back to his cell. He is very determined and aware of the significance of the smallest gesture and from what I hear he acts as a mediator inside Lledoners prison, as well. THE PRISON. "This is all about people", Cuixart announces, as if he doesnt want anyone to forget it. He tells me that the first two months in the Soto del Real facility, near Madrid, were the worst: "I was fully aware of the power of the State". He recalls the helicopters flying overhead every day and concludes: "You know what? They can cast a shadow on you, but your happiness depends on your own self-control". Cuixart was fully aware that he could end up in jail and soon realised that it would be a long journey and that it would be necessary to resist strategically, out of conviction, "because the last thing they want is for us to remain strong". "Prison is one of humanitys failures", he says, and sees it as a victory when he decided, together with partner Txell Bonet and the Omnium team, that they would not be afraid, that they would "start to take action". He recalls how he told his parents: "Dad, dont worry, but I refuse to say something that I dont believe just to get out of jail". He imagines what he must have said to his mother: "Thats just the way our lad is, Mari[in Spanish]. Today, his father and his one-and-a-half-year-old son are both "a source of courage", and he gets emotional when hes speaking to his mother on the phone and hears his father in the background calling out "dignity, Jordi, dignity!" He concludes: "The well of dignity is inexhaustible" and "My parents might not appreciate fancy footwork, but they understand dignity alright". MEMORIES OF 1-O. "It was an individual and collective expression of self-determination with consequences that remain unclear". He tells me that when he went to the Industrial School of Sabadell, where he once did vocational training, "a working-class space where the middle classes had traditionally shown solidarity with the working classes", people lined up to applaud him. The police had just raided his polling station nearby, and "there was an air of tension, self-respect, with no sign of hatred, ethnic tension, or totalitarianism". It made a big impact on him: "I was keenly aware of the fact that October 1st represented a turning point", because the electorate had known what they were up against since 11 am and they chose to go to the polling stations without a stone in their pocket". "They decided to exercise their individual self-determination". OMNIUM CULTURAL. "Omnium works to achieve a great consensus for Catalonia", with "shared struggles", and Cuixart calls on political actors not to let the existence of those in prison dictate their actions, since "something that might be good for the prisoners in the short-term, may not be good for Catalonia". Cuixart forthrightly declares that, "today I would act in the exact same way I dont regret anything I did". He states that, "The fight for democracy is more important than our freedom", and he insists that keeping united front is the priority, while lamenting the fact that, "weve never managed to leave behind partisan factionalism". Cuixart only becomes tense when he mentions that there is much room for improvement in this area and he specifically refers to the difficulties in reaching agreements with regard to the suspension of the jailed MPs. He rejects any controversy and demands "responsibility and consensus, and the realisation that there is a greater interest at stake than that of the political parties". THE TRIAL. "The fact that were still in prison today is a nuisance for the PSOE", Cuixart claims, but he clearly thinks it unlikely that [the new socialist administration in Madrid] will behave any differently: "they didnt beat us up [on October 1] because we represented 48% of the people, but because of Rajoy's "I cant and I refuse to, which is more widespread than we tend to realise". The president of Omnium believes the prison sentences will have to be dealt with and it will also be necessary to "deal with the states stalemate against the legitimate representatives of the Catalan Parliament and the legitimate representatives of civil society, because they will be putting the people of Catalonia on trial". Specifically, "Their right to demonstrate, their right to the freedom of expression". UNILATERAL DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. Cuixart wrote four letters on 27 October last year. One to Txell Bonet, another to his son, and one each for Pol and Oriol, the children of a previous partner, who see him like a father. Emotion shows in his voice when he talks about it: "To little Pol I said: Daddys fine. Today the Republic of Catalonia has been declared" and asked him to go and find president Macia's speech. "I felt very proud, with a great deal of self-respect, I felt we were as prepared as we could be... little Pol, today the Republic has been declared, go into the dining room and read the picture where Macia's words are. I knew that it would not stand... they declared independence without seeing it through...". Cuixart doesnt feel as if anyone is to blame, but he has one request: "Whatever we do, we must do whatever it takes, with determination and consistently, fully aware that we are doing what we believe in and are ready to face all the consequences". THE SON. His mother saves up all "first times" for the father behind bars. The other day their toddler ate chocolate during a prison visit for the first time in his life. 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 konji__ said: Want to share more details? what's the reason for refusal? what evidence did you provide? Click to expand... Hi konji__,My girlfriend's Visa was declined due to her trip to Australia being deemed 'non genuine'.I am a 32-year-old Australian Citizen and have personal finances in Australia (properties and assets) and had provided her Invitation Letter and 3 of my latest payslips.Some background to our relationship; we have been in a relationship for the past 8 months, we had been friends for a while (more than 2 years) before been in relationship. I have previously travelled to Vietnam to see her twice this year.She's based in Binh Phuoc (close to Ho Chi Minh city) and she has worked for a state - owned enterprise in Ho Chi Minh city for almost 2 years. She has a bank saving passbook at least $10k AUD, does not own any property. She also has a a law bachelor degree in VN.We provided:- Form 1419- Passport photo 4x6- The certified copy of her Vietnamese passport- The certified copy of her birth certificate- The certified copy of her national identity card- Her 3 most payslips (about 400 AUD per month)- Letter from bank to clarify she has more than $10K AUD in her bank saving passbook- Company contract / Labour contract- Application for leave for 3 weeks from 22.12.2018 - 12.01.2019 with the signature of her General Director of the Company- My invitation letter- My 3 latest payslips- Photo of my driver licence- Photo of my Australian Passport- 2 photos of us togetherPlease see the decision file below from the Department of Home Affairs.Visa Class: VISITOR (Class FA) VISITOR (Subclass 600)Visa Type TemporaryApplication Lodgement Date 12 October 2018Legislative FrameworkUnder migration law, an application is made for a class of visa and the applicant's application must be considered against the criteria for all sub-classes within that visa sub-class.The applicant's application has been considered against the criteria for the following subclasses within the VISITOR visa class.600 - VISITORUnder migration law, a visa cannot be granted unless the applicant meets the legal requirements that are specified in the Act and the Regulations. The applicant did not meet the legal requirement in clause 600.211 in Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations on the date I made my decision.Clause 600.211 states that:The applicant genuinely intends to stay temporarily in Australia for the purpose for which the visa is granted, having regards to:whether the applicant has complied substantially with the conditions to which the last substantive visa, or any subsequent bridging visa, held by the applicant was subject;and whether the applicant intends to comply with the conditions to which the Subclass 600 visa would be subject; and any other relevant matter.My decision is based on the following factorsAfter carefully considering the information, that the applicant has provided as evidence of their purpose in visiting Australia, I am not satisfied that the applicant genuinely intend to visit Australia temporarily for the purpose for which the visa would be granted.I note that the applicant has indicated that they will be visiting an Australian citizen or permanent resident friend or relative. This office considers carefully the support from Australians, particularly if there is a close family or personal link. While the offer of support, including evidence of the nature and duration of relationship, has been taken into account, it is only one factor in considering if an applicant intends a genuine visit. Overall, for a Visitor visa it is the circumstances of the applicant themselves, above all, which must be considered.In assessing whether or not the applicant intends a genuine visit,I have considered the employment or business ownership claims that the applicant made in their application, including any relevant supporting documentation and the applicant's economic circumstances in Vietnam relative to their potential economic circumstances in Australia.I therefore find that the applicant does not satisfy the requirements of clause 600.211 in Schedule 2 of the Regulations. As the applicant does not satisfy clause 600.211, I have not assessed the applicant's application against the remaining criteria for this subclass of visa.DecisionAs the applicant does not meet the requirements of clause 600.211 in Schedule 2 of the Regulations, I find that the applicant does not meet the criteria for the grant of a VISITOR (Class FA) (Subclass 600) visa.Therefore, I refuse the applicant's application for a VISITOR (Class FA) VISITOR (Subclass 600) visa.26 October 2018Thanks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a controversial decision when he canceled his participation in a UNESCO conference on fighting anti-Semitism held Sept. 26 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Western diplomats and UN officials told me they think that Netanyahu canceled in order not to anger the Trump administration. Why it matters: UNESCO has been one of the international forums most hostile toward Israel, leading both the U.S. and Israel to announce they would leave the organization by the end of 2018. In the last year, however, UNESCO has not put forth any anti-Israeli resolutions, causing Israeli officials including Netanyahu to consider remaining a member. Netanyahu's decision not to show up this week has made it clear that Israel intends to leave. UNESCO's conference featured senior representatives from dozens of countries and Jewish organizations with a keynote speech from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who criticized the delegitimization of Israel and called it a modern kind of anti-Semitism. Moroccan Prime Minister Saadeddine El Othmani stressed that racism and anti-Semitism are not legitimate opinions. The backstory: In mid-July, Netanyahu initiated a phone call with Audrey Azoulay, the new director general of UNESCO, to praise her for the organization's lack of anti-Israel resolutions. Western diplomats told me Netanyahu and Azoulay even decided to meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. A few days after the phone call, Israeli officials contacted UNESCO officials and asked if the organization would like Netanyahu to participate in the conference. According to the Western diplomats, UNESCO gave the Israelis a positive response and stressed they would be happy to have Netanyahu at the event. The Western diplomats told me that UNESCO received a message in August from the Israelis that said Netanyahu agreed in principle to participate, negotiating the parameters of his participation, which included a speaking slot of at least nine minutes at the event's start. At the beginning of September, again at Israel's request, Azoulay sent a formal letter of invitation to Netanyahu which then went unanswered for weeks. On Sept. 21 five days before the conference the Israelis told UNESCO that Netanyahu would not attend. But this was not the end. Last Wednesday, a few hours before the conference started and an hour after his meeting with President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Netanyahu issued a harsh statement attacking UNESCO, calling it an anti-Semitic organization and making clear that Israel is still planning to leave at the end of the year. What they're saying: Western officials told me Azoulay was personally offended not just for Netanyahu's decision not to participate but even more by his statement, which she saw as disparaging her efforts to fight anti-Israeli bias in UNESCO. A Western diplomat involved in the issue told me: "Netanyahu's statement was fake news. He disregarded all the positive change towards Israel in UNESCO in the last year. It is sad and shocking that this is the way the prime minister of Israel is behaving. It is even more puzzling that the prime minister of Morocco attended and spoke at a conference on fighting anti-Semitism but the prime minister of Israel boycotted it." The gritty details: On Saturday afternoon, I asked Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif whether he believes that Iran's enemy, the state of Israel, will exist for a long time to come. What he's saying: "We believe the policies that are being pursued [by Israel] are not sustainable," Zarif told me and a small group of reporters who met with him at the Iranian Mission in New York. Later in the conversation, a reporter asked Zarif whether he could acknowledge any mistakes Iran has made. He said no government would answer that question, and instead he described his ideal future for the region. Zarif described an idyllic regional neighborhood, one that "doesn't have a dominant power." It would be peaceful, with guaranteed security for all nations, including the Gulf States and Iraq. "What about Israel?" I asked. Does it have a place in his vision of the region? "I decide not to" include Israel in this region, he replied. Asked whether he might entertain Israel's right to exist in the context of a broader "Middle East" region, he replied that the concept of a region "is a construct. ... The region I am talking about is the region in which I live." Why this matters: Zarifs comments came after the UN General Assembly exposed a growing split between America and Europe over the question of Iran. At the UNGA, the Europeans doubled down on their commitment to the Iran nuclear deal by announcing they would set up a special payment channel to let European companies keep dealing with Iran while ducking U.S. sanctions. Meanwhile, American and Israeli leaders spent the week torching Iran from John Bolton warning Iran "we will come after you" to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telling the UN that his intelligence agents had found a "secret atomic warehouse" in downtown Tehran. Zarif said he was weaving together a global coalition to resist U.S. sanctions and secure a market for Iranian oil, batting off questions about Hezbollah and human rights in Iran. He also said Netanyahus secret atomic warehouse was actually a laundromat for Persian rugs. He wouldn't let U.S. journalists verify that claim, he said, as a matter of sovereignty. Would he invite the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to do the same? Zarif said the IAEA hadn't asked to inspect that factory and they wouldn't because they "know better." What's next? Zarif said Iran could pull out of the nuclear deal if the Europeans dont fulfill their commitments. And he didn't close the door to a meeting, one day, with Trump. But he didn't seem bullish about that prospect, adding that the Iranians had not requested a meeting with him and don't consider him reliable. Democrats are getting their requested FBI investigation into Brett Kavanaugh, setting up a week of tension as investigators launch a time-limited probe into the allegations that surfaced in recent weeks. Driving the news: Jeff Flake publicly changed his course on the Kavanaugh nomination after being personally challenged by a pair of sexual assault survivors. The tale of the tape from this riveting day in D.C.: 9:26 a.m: Flake said he was a yes on Kavanaugh. 9:30 a.m.: On his way to the Judiciary Committee vote, Flake was confronted by two sexual assault survivors, who refused to allow his elevator door to close. Their quotes were captured on live video: Ana Maria Archila to Flake: What you are doing is allowing someone who actually violated a woman to sit on the Supreme Court." What you are doing is allowing someone who actually violated a woman to sit on the Supreme Court." Maria Gallagher to Flake: Look at me and tell me that it doesnt matter what happened to me, that you will let people like that go into the highest court of the land and tell everyone what they can do to their bodies." The senator then reached the Judiciary Committee hearing, where he didn't speak and looked shaken. 12:17 p.m.: Flake left the room, and eventually others joined him, including his Democratic friend Chris Coons of Delaware. As the minutes passed, reporters began to realize that the result looked less certain. Chairman Chuck Grassley and Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein also went to that room, returning and leaving several more times. 1:51 p.m.: Flake returned, and Grassley allowed him to speak: Flake said he wanted a week delay on the final floor vote to allow for a limited FBI probe into the Kavanaugh allegations. Grassley started the vote, which passed 11-10, with Flake voting yes. 3:35 p.m. Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn said there will be a supplemental FBI investigation lasting no more than a week. The key questions: What if the week ends with the investigation ongoing, or if the probe uncovers new evidence outside the existing claims? Between the lines: Such a delay presents both peril and promise for Kavanaugh. On the one hand, it means investigators will likely talk to Mark Judge. On the other hand, if a probe doesn't turn up new evidence, it gives senators on the fence an easier time voting yes. The big picture: All eyes are now on Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell. Today is NAFTA deadline day, and it's down to the wire. It's the date that a deal supposedly has to be done, with or without Canada. Something's getting sent to Congress, and it's either going to be a bilateral deal with Mexico or it's going to be a full-fledged renegotiated pact including Canada. "I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by." Douglas Adams, "The Salmon of Doubt" The details: A deal is reportedly very close, but there's no indication that President Trump has any desire whatsoever to sign a deal with Canada. On the other hand, there's also no indication that there's any appetite in Congress for a bilateral deal with Mexico. If a US-Mexico deal gets sent to Congress today , that's not the end of the line. , that's not the end of the line. The deadline just allows the deal to be signed by outgoing Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, rather than by his populist successor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. by outgoing Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, rather than by his populist successor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. But US-Canada negotiations will continue , in the hope that the final differences between the two sides can be bridged. , in the hope that the final differences between the two sides can be bridged. Worth noting: The lead Canadian negotiator, Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland, is expected to give up her speaking slot at the UN on Monday, where she's angling for a seat on the Security Council, due to (presumptively still ongoing) NAFTA talks. The big question: What happens if a deal with Canada can't be done? Trump wants to cripple the Canadians and kick them out of NAFTA, but he doesn't have fast-track authority to take an action that drastic. He'd need Congress, in other words, including representatives from northern states with deep, long-standing trade ties to Canada. Answers on a postcard please: What's stronger, the supply chains connecting the U.S. and Canada or the apron strings connecting congressional Republicans to Trump? So far, there's no evidence of pain from President Trump's ongoing trade war with China at least from the economic indicators. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell told a room of reporters earlier this week that there have been no measurable effects of the trade tension. Be smart: That doesn't mean market-watchers and economists aren't bracing for an impact around the world. And there's already some evidence of an impact on individual companies. A few impacts on the horizon: Canada's central bank could "pause raising (or even cut) rates to help borrowers" in response to a significant tariff or trade shock, ratings agency Fitch says in a new paper. Chinese policymakers could also amp up easing of monetary policy and look at tax cut packages with the aim of "boosting domestic demand" to buffer trade shocks, Bank of America says. Iowa could see economic losses of $1.6 billion due to potential ripple effects from hits to the corn, soybean, hog and ethanol sectors, researchers at Iowa State University estimate. And one trade blow that's already here: This week, two more companies Ford and Bed, Bath & Beyond confirmed that the impact from tariffs is hitting their bottom line. What to watch: Expect more predictions of downside economic risk to the trade war. It's doubtful that these types of studies will force the Trump administration to back away from the tariff tactics, but obvious side effects might, like a stock market plunge, an increase in unemployment or a hit to the GDP none of which we have seen yet. California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a measure into law on Sunday that mandates all publicly traded companies with headquarters in the state to include at least one woman on their boards of directors by the end of next year. The details: California is the first state to enact a law of this type. Under the policy, by 2021, companies with at least five directors are required to have two or three women directors, depending on the size of the board. According to Board Governance Research, women held just 15.5% of the board seats of California-based public companies in 2017. On September 5, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed that Zalmay Khalilzad will join the State Department as President Trumps special adviser on Afghanistan. His main mission will be to facilitate talks between the Afghan government and Taliban. The big picture: Appointing Khalilzad as a special advisor indicates that the Trump administration is serious about an Afghan-led peace process, and about maintaining its hardline approach toward Pakistan. But what remains unclear is how the Pakistani government, now led by first-time prime minister Imran Khan, will work with Khalilzad. Khalilzad is a known neoconservative figure in the U.S. war in Afghanistan, which has entered its eighteenth year. He previously served as the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq and later as the UN ambassador during the George W. Bush administration. As an Afghan-American, Khalilzad has a unique understanding of Afghanistan that President Bush tried to capitalize on when Hamid Karzai was sworn in as Afghanistans president in 2004. Yes, but: His strong connection with Karzai and the visibility of his extended familys involvement in the Afghan government, which included seeking contracts, raised some concerns within American diplomatic circles about his conflicting interests. In 2008, there was a rumor that Khalilzad might even run as a presidential candidate in Afghanistans elections. The central question is, what happens if Khalilzad is unable to deliver? He has often advocated for creating avenues of mutual understanding between the Afghan government and the Taliban. But he has also been very critical of Pakistans sponsorship of the group, even as the Trump administration has asked Pakistan to facilitate talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. The bottom line: There's no way to know whether Khalizad will be successful, but its safe to say that the Afghan peace process just got trickier. Sahar Khan is an adjunct scholar in the Cato Institute's Defense and Foreign Policy Department. Trend: Russias federal subject Udmurtia is ready to represent the interests of Azerbaijani business in Russia through the "Made in Udmurtia" Trade House, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Udmurt Republic Alexander Svinin told Trend. The "Made in Udmurtia" State Trade House opened six months ago. "During this period the Trade House worked with local entrepreneurs," he said. "We are ready to offer assistance to Azerbaijani business through our Trade House. This is an exclusive offer that we want to make to several countries, and Azerbaijan is the first of the countries to which we have offered it." "The Trade House can help entrepreneurs from Azerbaijan with marketing research," he said. In the future, Svinin did not rule out the possibility of opening a representative office of the Trade House in Azerbaijan and other countries. "Its too early to talk about this, but the opening of foreign representative offices can be our next step," he said. "Presently, our main task is to work out the existing mechanism within the country." According to the Volga Customs Administration of Russia, the trade turnover between Udmurtia and Azerbaijan amounted to $4.17 million in January-July 2018, of which about $1.2 million accounted for the export of Azerbaijani products. For the year, the turnover increased by 3.2 times. Trend: After the meeting between President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during the CIS summit in Dushanbe, an end was put to the harsh rhetoric voiced by Armenia concerning the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict since April 2018, Azerbaijani MP Hikmat Babaoglu told Trend. This is the result of the diplomacy being pursued by Azerbaijan, he said. Thus, an end was put to such Pashinyans claims as that Azerbaijan must negotiate with the illegal regime established in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, that the format of the negotiations must be changed and that Armenia must not be a party to the negotiations. In other words, Armenia could not escape from responsibility for pursuing an aggressive policy and its consequences." Babaoglu stressed that despite this, Azerbaijans commitment to the peaceful settlement of the problem is a chance for Armenia and the aggressor country should be able to appreciate it. "The fact of current occupation violates the geostrategic integrity of the region by diminishing its significance, he said. The economic and socio-cultural integrity of the region have been also violated. Regional integration has been paralyzed, Babaoglu said. Continuation of this situation contradicts the national interests of all three South Caucasus countries and this should be ended. It will be good for Armenia to start to take concrete steps to eliminate the fact of aggression. It will benefit everyone. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Trend: Two carpets donated to the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum in Baku the Nakhchivan carpet dating back to the 17th century and the Haji Gaib carpet dating back to the 19th century, were showcased as part of the Nasimi Festival of Poetry, Arts, and Spirituality. The festival, dedicated to the work of Imadaddin Nasimi (1369-1417), one of the brilliant poets and thinkers of the East, is being held in Azerbaijan Sept. 27-30 under the organization of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and support of Azerbaijans Ministry of Culture. Two of the carpets were donated to the museum as part of the project Return of rare samples of Azerbaijani carpet art to the historical homeland. In her speech at the event, director of the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum, chairperson of the ICOM Azerbaijan National Committee, honored cultural worker Shirin Malikova noted that significant events in the field of culture and art have been recently held in Azerbaijan, and the Nasimi Festival of Poetry, Arts, and Spirituality under the organization of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and support of Azerbaijans Ministry of Culture is one of such events. As part of the festival, wonderful and interesting events are being held in the exhibition halls, museums, concert halls, creative centers, open-air venues, where guests from different countries also participate, she said. Malikova stressed that two new exhibits have been showcased as part of the festival in the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum. The Nakhchivan carpet dating back to the 17th century was returned to Azerbaijan on the initiative of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. The large size of the carpet, the composition created with high professionalism and color harmony prove that the carpet was woven by special order in a large workshop. Malikova noted that this sample of art is the third exhibit donated by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation to the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum. Earlier, the museum was gifted with Karabakhs Khatai carpet of the 17th century and embroidery dating back to the 18th century. Talking about the Haji Gaib carpet of Azerbaijans Guba district dating back to the 19th century, Malikova noted that Italian collector Mirco Cattai donated it to the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum. The museum collection titled Fleecy carpets was enriched with six rare carpets including the above mentioned examples of art during 2018. Head of the Office of Azerbaijans Ministry of Culture Fikret Babayev in his speech noted that the return of cultural values of Azerbaijan to the country is important. The work in this direction is being actively carried out, and the collection of the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum now includes unique and beautiful carpets dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries. Fikret Babayev noted that the Nasimi Festival of Poetry, Arts, and Spirituality is very important. As Italian collector Mirco Cattai stressed, he is very happy to donate the Haji Gaib carpet to the Azerbaijani museum. The collector also noted that he is happy to attend this event and he really likes the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum. Further, the participants of the event were presented a musical program, which included performances of the Sound of Ages Ensemble of Early Music Instruments of the Azerbaijan National Conservatory conducted by Orhan Hashimov, as well as Mugam Souls music group featuring Gochag Askarov (Azerbaijan) and Pierre de Tregomain (France). The largest book distributor in the world is Amazon with massive subsidiaries such as The Book Depository and Abe Books. The tactics range from overly burdensome customs procedures for books coming into the country, enabling monopolies to friends and wantoks to supply books to schools and colleges, and sheer physical intimidation, particularly of journalists. This government malice is born out of paranoia. They think that writers are too critical of them and their friends and have to be ruthlessly supressed. In Papua New Guinea the government is a particularly nasty enemy. Not only does it fail to support its writers but it makes life as hard as possible for them. In between, there are fair weather friends that include publishers and critics. TUMBY BAY - Writers have both friends and enemies. Their best friends are their readers and their worst enemies are governments. Scott Morrison - no friend of Australian (and Papua New Guinean) authors and readers For anyone in Papua New Guinea looking to buy books beyond the second-hand shops, Amazon should be the way to go. It has set up Amazon Global to enable international shipping to a range of countries. In the Asia-Pacific region these recipient countries include places like Fiji, New Zealand and Samoa but not Papua New Guinea. If you didnt know PNG and its government, you could be forgiven for wondering why its not on Amazons global list. In Australia the government is slightly less primal but still difficult to deal with if youre a writer, especially with regard to Amazon and economically-priced books. Like PNG, Australia has deemed it necessary to slap a GST on books. Until a couple of months ago books coming into Australia from overseas websites, as long as they were valued under $1,000, were GST free. Not anymore. From 1 July this year GST has been applied. The new online GST laws require overseas businesses to collect the tax on products under $1,000, including books. The new arrangements came about through pressure from Australian businesses who count the current government as their friend. Publishers and booksellers in Australia reckon its a great deal. The Australian Publishers Association said they joined the Australian Booksellers Association in welcoming the government's announcement to apply GST to imported goods below the value of $1,000. The GST issue has been a critical policy platform for the book industry to ensure an even playing field for booksellers competing with overseas online book sales Protecting Australias home grown publishing companies is a laudable thing but apart from a few boutique companies most Australian publishers are part of large multinational companies. There also arent many of them in the country. To be a writer in Australia you need to be able to publish overseas. Unfortunately, the tiny publishing pool in Australia, makes it extremely hard for new writers to get a foot in the door. Most Australian publishers have a stable of writers that they use over and over again. It is a stifling and frustrating situation. At least we had Amazon. Now we dont. Amazon has refused to collect the GST on items sold from its overseas outlets, including books. Instead, they have tried to get people to buy things from their more expensive Australian outlet. This has had all sorts of unintended consequences. An Australian writer using Amazons online publishing and distribution service cannot now order either proof copies of their books from the USA or wholesale copies to resell. All they can do now is wait until retail copies eventually get listed on Amazon Australia and buy them at the inflated retail cost. So far that has not been many books. That effectively cuts off a very attractive publishing opportunity for Australian writers who have used the service. It also cuts off an attractive publishing opportunity for Papua New Guinean writers who have used Amazon via Australia to get their books published. Thanks very much, Mr Morrison. You and your government have worsened the lives of many authors and readers not only in Australia but especially in Papua New Guinea. HeartLands Conservancy and Madison County will hold an Open House event to inform the public about the Indian-Cahokia Creek Watershed Plan on Tuesday, October 9 from 6 pm to 8 pm at the Madison County Farm Bureau in Edwardsville. The Indian-Cahokia Creek Watershed Plan strategically addresses stormwater-related issues in the area that drains to Indian Creek and Cahokia Creek in Madison and Macoupin counties, and provides voluntary recommendations for water quality protection and flood mitigation efforts. During the event, the draft plan will be available for review and display boards will highlight the plans key elements. Representatives from HeartLands Conservancy and Madison County will be on hand to answer questions and gather input from attendees on related issues such as flooding, erosion, and water quality. The Open House event is open to the public and is intended to attract people from within the Indian-Cahokia Creek watershed, which includes all or parts of the following municipalities: Edwardsville, Roxana, Bethalto, Staunton, Hartford, Bunker Hill, Wilsonville, South Roxana, Dorchester, Worden, and Wood River. The watershed also encompasses Meadowbrook and Holiday Shores. This watershed includes three major lakes Holiday Lake, Tower Lake, and Dunlap Lake and 492 miles of streams, says HeartLands Conservancy Project Manager Janet Buchanan. The water quality and water levels in this area have a huge impact on a large number of people. Were looking for ways to manage and improve both. HeartLands Conservancy has already seen its watershed planning efforts pay off. In 2016, the Illinois EPA awarded HeartLands Conservancy a $500,000 grant to implement projects that address water quality and stormwater issues identified in the Upper Silver Creek Watershed Plan in Madison County. HeartLands is also leading the creation of the Canteen-Cahokia Creek and American Bottom watershed plans in Madison County, and recently completed the Lower Silver Creek Watershed Plan in St. Clair County. Ms. Buchanan notes that participation from local landowners, farmers, residents, and municipalities is crucial to the success of the plan. Besides the Flood Survey and Landowner/Farmer Survey, we find that input from actual conversations with people dealing with flooding and water quality issues are crucial to the planning process. We use this feedback to focus attention on issues and projects that need it most. For more information about the Indian-Cahokia Creek Watershed Plan, please contact Janet Buchanan at HeartLands Conservancy at 618-566-4451 ext 25 or email janet.buchanan@heartlandsconservancy.org . For updates on this project and information about other HeartLands Conservancy activities, visit http://www.facebook.com/HeartLandsConservancy. HeartLands Conservancy, a nonprofit serving Southwestern Illinois since 1989, is devoted to the conservation of land, the preservation of green spaces in our communities, sustainable and environmentally friendly community planning, and engaging our neighbors with nature. We are investing in the nature of Southwestern Illinois. Visit: www.HeartLandsConservancy.org for more information. Boris Johnson has lobbed a political hand grenade at Theresa May as the Tory conference begins, branding her Brexit plan deranged and preposterous. The former foreign secretarys incendiary comments came as the Prime Minister set out plans aimed at bolstering her position, announcing measures to crack down on foreigners buying homes and proposals for a nationwide festival in 2022 the year of the next scheduled general election. Read More In remarks that will fuel speculation about Mr Johnsons leadership ambitions, he highlighted a key distinction between himself and Mrs May: Unlike the Prime Minister, I campaigned for Brexit. Unlike the Prime Minister, I fought for this, I believe in it, I think it's the right thing for our country and I think that what is happening now is, alas, not what people were promised in 2016Boris Johnson In an interview with the Sunday Times, Mr Johnson said the UK should build a bridge to Ireland and put the HS2 rail line on hold to focus on a high-speed link in the north of England. He branded Mrs Mays call for a facilitated customs arrangement part of the Chequers plan to break the impasse in Brexit talks entirely preposterous. Suggesting he may be able to strike a better deal than Mrs May, he told the newspaper: Unlike the Prime Minister, I fought for this, I believe in it, I think its the right thing for our country and I think that what is happening now is, alas, not what people were promised in 2016. Expand Close Theresa May arrived at the Conservative Party Conference and walked straight into fresh criticism of her Brexit plan (Stefan Rousseau/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Theresa May arrived at the Conservative Party Conference and walked straight into fresh criticism of her Brexit plan (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Setting out an alternative policy platform as the Conservative Party conference began in Birmingham, the former cabinet minister said: I think we need to make the case for markets. I dont think we should caper insincerely on socialist territory. You cant beat (Jeremy) Corbyn by becoming Corbyn. Mrs May used her own interview with the Sunday Times to set out her political agenda. Under her plans, people and businesses who do not pay tax in Britain will face a surcharge of between 1% and 3% when they buy a property, with the money funding measures to tackle rough sleeping, the newspaper said. Signalling that she intended to remain in Number 10 for years to come, she said: Theres a long-term job to do. She added: Its not just about Brexit, its about the domestic agenda as well. I think were at a very important and historic moment for the UK. There are real opportunities for the UK outside the European Union. Setting out her plans for a festival in post-Brexit Britain, she said: We want to showcase what makes our country great today. We want to capture that spirit for a new generation, celebrate our nations diversity and talent, and mark this moment of national renewal with a once-in-a-generation celebration. Mrs May also told the Sun on Sunday that she was not bluffing when she said no deal is better than a bad deal when it comes to leaving the EU. I believe that we can get a deal, she added. I believe we can get a good deal and thats what we are working for. But nobody should be in any doubt. The Tory gathering in Birmingham has been marked by a deepening rift over Brexit policy. The party was also hit by an embarrassing security gaffe as a flaw in the official conference app allowed access to the contact details of Cabinet ministers and senior MPs. Weve have had a technical issue with our Conference App that has been resolved and it is now functioning securely. We are investigating the issue further and apologise for any concern caused. #CPC18 Brandon Lewis (@BrandonLewis) September 29, 2018 Tory chairman Brandon Lewis apologised for the breach of security and the UKs data watchdog said it would make enquiries about the case. Activists and journalists heading to the conference discovered the major security problem in the official app which many use to keep track of events. Mr Lewis said the technical issue had been resolved but we are investigating the issue further and apologise for any concern caused. ICO statement about the Conservative Party conference app incident here. https://t.co/Rx7Wb70ALe ICO - Information Commissioner's Office (@ICOnews) September 29, 2018 The Information Commissioners Office said it would be making enquiries with the Conservative Party and organisations have a legal duty to keep personal data safe and secure. The profiles of former foreign secretary Mr Johnson and Environment Secretary Michael Gove were among those reportedly accessed. Three men have been arrested after at incident in Londonderry which allegedly saw a car repeatedly ram a house before a crossbow was reported to have been fired at the car. The incident happened in Ballynagard Crescent at around 7.30pm on Thursday September 27. Detective Inspector Bob Blemmings said: "This reportedly culminated in a vehicle being driven repeatedly at the front of the house, causing some damage to the gates and the building itself. "Our enquiries to date would also suggest that at some point during the fracas, a crossbow may have been fired at the car. "The arrested males, aged 33, 34 and 39 have been detained on suspicion of a range of offences and remain in custody this morning assisting us with our enquiries. Four men have been arrested in Belfast in connection with a Paramilitary Crime Task Force (PCTF) investigation into the INLA. The searches were carried out on Sunday in west and north Belfast. Detective Superintendent Bobby Singleton said: Six properties were searched as part of an operation which is focused on the criminal activities of Belfast Irish National Liberation Army (INLA). "A number of items, including a firearm and suspected Class A Drugs, were seized and will now be sent for forensic examination. "All four men were arrested under the Terrorism Act and have been taken to Musgrave Serious Crime Suite for questioning. The PSNI, HMRC and the National Crime Agency established the PCTF to tackle crime linked to paramilitary activity. Four men have been arrested in Belfast as part of an operation into the criminal activities of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA), the PSNI said. The men were taken into custody after officers from the Paramilitary Crime Task Force (PCTF) carried out searches at six properties in north and west Belfast on Sunday. Four men arrested in searches across north & west Belfast by officers from the Paramilitary Crime Task Force. The proactive operation is focused on the criminal activities of Belfast INLA. Police Service NI (@PoliceServiceNI) September 30, 2018 A firearm and suspected Class A Drugs were seized at the scene. A forensic examination of the items is expected to take place. The men were detained under the Terrorism Act. The PCTF was set up to tackle crime linked to paramilitary activity. Police are investigating a spate of burglaries in south Armagh including four in one street. A total of six burglaries were reported in the space of just a few hours on Saturday night. Four of the properties were on Father McFadden Terrace in Crossmaglen, while another in St Monina Park and a sixth on the Drumintee Road in Killeavy were also targeted. In each case it is understood the thieves entered the homes while they were unoccupied and stole jewellery and other valuables. Police have asked anyone with information or dashcam footage in the area between 7pm and 10pm on Saturday to get in touch by calling 101. Police have issued a warning about illegal fireworks following a spate of "horrifying" incidents across Northern Ireland. In a social media post the PSNI said it had been reviewing calls in the "North Region", from Londonderry to Antrim, and said it had taken 30 calls regarding fireworks just this weekend. Police said they had received reports of "horrifying" incidents including people throwing fireworks at occupied houses late at night, including at the homes of elderly or disabled residents. "The consequences of these actions are all too obvious," police said. The BBC reports on Friday fireworks were thrown at vehicles and then at a petrol station on the Woodburn Road in Carrickfergus. Earlier in the week, two wheelchair users in Ballymena reported fireworks being thrown onto the roof of their homes. In an appeal to the public, police said: "Help us to stop the fireworks getting onto the streets illegally in the first place. We are dedicated to preventing them getting to the streets but as always we need your help." Wayne Downey has been found safe and well. Police have thanked members of the public after missing person Wayne Downey was found safe and well. Mr Downey, who was last seen in Carrick on Thursday, was reported missing on Friday. He was found on Saturday evening. Posting on the PSNI's Ballymena Facebook page, an officer wrote: "Late last night we were delighted to post that Wayne Downey had been found & was safely back with his family. "Missing Persons are a great example of how social media can assist our investigations." "The posts we made were shared over 4000 times with almost 1,000 comments made. We received numerous personal messages offering help in the search along with various information on possible sightings. "So for that we thank you all!" The officer also thanked volunteers from the Community Rescue Service for their assistance in the search. The crash occurred on Warrenpoint Road in Newry. Credit: PSNI This was the scene after a suspected drunk driver crashed through a fence before travelling 150 feet and ending up in a ditch. The crash occurred on the Warrenpoint Road in Newry early on Sunday morning. A 28-year-old woman has been charged with driving whilst unfit through drink or drugs and is due to appear at Newry Magistrates Court on October 24. The Public Prosecution Service will review the charges. Positing on the PSNI's Newry and Mourne Facebook page, an officer wrote: "Over 150 feet travelled through fence and undergrowth to end up in the shuck. "The driver sustained, by some miracle, only minor injuries." Local government minister of State John Paul Phelan said a special plebiscite would be held next May (Niall Carson/PA) The Government has agreed to hold a vote next year to ask people whether they want city mayors to be directly elected. Local government minister of State John Paul Phelan said a special plebiscite would be held next May asking the people of Cork city, Limerick and Waterford their thoughts on the issue. Mr Phelan said the current system, where mayors were appointed rather than elected, was not democratic. I believe people should have the right to decide who exercises those powers, the Fine Gael TD for Carlow-Kilkenny said. Dublin needs a metropolitan mayor directly elected by its citizensCouncillor Ciaran Cuffe The votes are expected to take place on the same day as the Local Government elections. A similar plebiscite, or ballot, is expected to be held in Galway in 2021 but a decision on whether to ask Dubliners their opinion has been deferred. Mr Phelan told RTE Radio 1 that the issue would be considered by a special Dublin Citizens Assembly to be convened early next year. Although the government is not required to adhere to the outcome of the plebiscite, it is expected it would respect the result. The Green Party accused the Government of dropping the ball on proposals to provide a directly elected mayor for the capital. The partys European Election candidate for Dublin, Councillor Ciaran Cuffe said the Governments decision betrayed a deep anti-Dublin bias. Mr Cuffe said: Dublin needs a metropolitan mayor directly elected by its citizens. The crucial infrastructural issues in the capital relating to traffic, housing and planning need to be coordinated rather than fragmented. It is clear that the Government has dropped the ball and fudged the issue by referring it to the Citizens Assembly next year. Prime Minister Theresa May arrives at the BBC studios in Birmingham to appear on the Andrew Marr show before the start of the Conservative Partys annual conference in the city (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Theresa May and other senior Conservatives have hit back at Boris Johnson after he claimed the Prime Ministers Brexit policy was deranged and preposterous. Mr Johnsons incendiary comments came as the Conservative Partys annual conference began in Birmingham, with Mrs May seeking to put herself on the front foot by announcing a new levy on foreigners buying homes in the UK and plans for a national festival in 2022. In remarks that will fuel speculation about his leadership ambitions, the former foreign secretary used a Sunday Times interview to say that unlike the Prime Minister, he had campaigned for Brexit and believed in it. And he floated a series of policy ideas, including halting the HS2 rail link and building a bridge to Ireland. Unlike the Prime Minister, I fought for this, I believe in it, I think it's the right thing for our country and I think that what is happening now is, alas, not what people were promised in 2016Boris Johnson Asked about his suggestion that her Chequers plan for the future relationship between the UK and the EU was deranged, Mrs May insisted she was acting in the national interest. She told BBC Ones The Andrew Marr Show: I believe that the plan that we have put forward is a plan that is in the national interest. This is a plan which ensures we deliver on the vote of the British people. Speaking to The Sunday Times, Mr Johnson sought to draw a contrast between his own approach to Brexit and that of the Prime Minister, who campaigned to Remain in the 2016 referendum. Unlike the Prime Minister, I fought for this, I believe in it, I think its the right thing for our country and I think that what is happening now is, alas, not what people were promised in 2016, he said. But Mrs May insisted: I do believe in Brexit. Crucially, I believe in delivering Brexit in a way that respects the vote and delivers on the vote of the British people while also protecting our union, protecting jobs and ensuring we make a success of Brexit for the future. Expand Close Theresa May arrived at the Conservative Party Conference and walked straight into fresh criticism of her Brexit plan (Stefan Rousseau/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Theresa May arrived at the Conservative Party Conference and walked straight into fresh criticism of her Brexit plan (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Mrs May said that the blueprint agreed at her country residence in July was not dead, despite being branded unworkable by EU leaders in Salzburg and receiving a frosty reception from many Tory MPs and activists. She said the onus was on the EU to come forward with detailed explanations of its concerns, along with counter-proposals for discussion. Chequers at the moment is the only plan on the table that delivers on the Brexit vote and also delivers for the people of Northern Ireland, the Prime Minister told Marr. Where they have problems, lets actually hear them and its only then that you can actually identify what the issue really is, where there are issues that lie behind this. My mood is to listen to what the EU have to say about their concerns and to sit down and talk them through with them. One of the blights of British politics is politicians having fantastic ideas that cost a fortune and don't do much goodDavid Davis on Boris Johnson Mr Johnson branded Mrs Mays call for a facilitated customs arrangement, under which the UK would collect levies on behalf of the EU, entirely preposterous. And his interview took a swipe at Mrs Mays broader approach to policy since she took power in 2016 with a promise to tackle burning injustices in society. I think we need to make the case for markets, said the former mayor of London. I dont think we should caper insincerely on socialist territory. You cant beat (Jeremy) Corbyn by becoming Corbyn. Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson called for a period of silence from Mr Johnson, pointing out that he had given his endorsement when in Government to Brexit policies he was now criticising. And former Brexit secretary David Davis, who quit Mrs Mays Cabinet along with Mr Johnson in protest at the Chequers plan, was dismissive of his fellow Leavers proposals on housing and a bridge to Ireland. I think one of the blights of British politics is politicians having fantastic ideas that cost a fortune and dont do much good, Mr Davis told Sky Newss Sophy Ridge On Sunday. Boris is a great mate of mine, we have a very knockabout friendship, but quite a lot of his ideas, I think, are good headlines but not necessarily good policies. Mr Davis confirmed he would vote against Chequers if it came before the House of Commons in its current form, but rejected Labour suggestions that defeat for Mrs May at the hands of Tory rebels would collapse the Government. I will vote against Chequers, full stop, and it wont lead to a general election, he said. We are capable of managing this through. Expand Close Theresa May was interviewed by the BBCs Andrew Marr on the opening day of the Conservative conference (Jeff Overs/BBC) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Theresa May was interviewed by the BBCs Andrew Marr on the opening day of the Conservative conference (Jeff Overs/BBC) Mrs May used her own interview with The Sunday Times to set out new plans for a stamp duty surcharge of between 1%-3% on the price of property bought by people and businesses who do not pay tax in Britain. The money raised would go towards measures to tackle rough sleeping. Setting out her plans for a festival in post-Brexit Britain, she said: We want to showcase what makes our country great today. We want to capture that spirit for a new generation, celebrate our nations diversity and talent, and mark this moment of national renewal with a once-in-a-generation celebration. Signalling that she intended to remain in Number 10 for years to come, Mrs May said: Theres a long-term job to do. Business Secretary Greg Clark criticised the so-called Super Canada trade agreement proposals backed by Mr Johnson, saying they would set back our competitiveness. It requires frictions at the border, it requires checks at the border I think everyone recognises that and acknowledges that it doesnt do what it necessary to avoid those frictions that as Ive described I think would set back our competitiveness, Mr Clark added. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, asked if he preferred the Brexit festival or a bridge to Ireland, told a fringe event: I think Ill go for the Brexit festival because Im not completely convinced the bridge to Ireland with the great big trench that exists in the middle is a realistic prospect anyway but Id be happy to see it built if it was possible. British Transport Police are looking to speak to this man (British Transport Police/PA) A man was stabbed while on a train on the London Underground on Sunday morning. British Transport Police (BTP) said the incident happened on the Central Line, between Stratford and Mile End, at about 12.50am. Paramedics from the London Ambulance Service treated the victim for injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening. Recognise this man? Detectives believe he may have information following a stabbing earlier this morning at Mile End Underground. Call 0800 40 50 40 or text 61016, quoting 36 of 30/9/2018. https://t.co/xl1l7PKz5r pic.twitter.com/Lyrx5B6R8Z British Transport Police (@BTP) September 30, 2018 Police have released a CCTV image of a man they would like to speak to in relation to the investigation, and are also urging any witnesses to come forward. Anyone with information should contact BTP by calling 0800 40 50 40 or texting 61016, quoting reference number 36 of 30/9/2018. Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss has been accused of misleading MSPs at Holyrood (Victoria Jones/PA) A senior UK Government minister has been accused of misleading Holyrood. Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss was quizzed by MSPs on the Scottish Parliaments Finance and Constitution Committee, telling members that SNP ministers had not approached the UK Government for help with their plans to replace Air Passenger Duty (APD) with a new devolved tax. But a spokesman for Scottish Finance Secretary Derek Mackay insisted that statement was completely and utterly untrue. The accusation came after Scottish Labour alleged that the Finance Secretary misled MSPs on progress towards replacing APD with an Air Departure Tax. Scottish and UK ministers had previously agreed to delay the introduction of the new levy until issues regarding an exemption for flights departing from Highlands and Islands airports had been resolved. Expand Close Scottish Finance Secretary Derek Mackay (David Cheskin/PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Scottish Finance Secretary Derek Mackay (David Cheskin/PA) Mr Mackay had clearly told Parliament he would ask the UK Government to sort out this mess with the EU Commission, said Scottish Labours Neil Bibby. But when he pressed the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on whether this had happened, she told him: We are working with the Scottish Government, we have offered to help in terms of approaching the European Union but I dont believe we have currently been asked to do that on their behalf. Mr Bibby described that as an astonishing revelation. The Labour MSP said: SNP Finance Secretary Derek Mackay clearly told Parliament he would ask the UK Government to sort out this mess with the EU Commission but the UK Government says that just is not true. He added: That is a shocking situation that once again proves how timid the SNP is in government. As for Liz Truss, it is now for her to explain why she misled the Scottish ParliamentSpokesman for Scottish Finance Secretary Derek Mackay But a spokesman for Mr Mackay insisted: This claim is completely and utterly untrue. The spokesman said there had been a series of meetings and correspondence between the two administrations on the issue. Discussions have taken place at both official and ministerial level, the Scottish Government said. And Mr Mackay is said to have written to the Treasury explicitly asking the UK Government to raise the issue with the European Commission on the Scottish Governments behalf. The spokesman said: We have lobbied the UK Government repeatedly on this issue but it speaks volumes that Scottish Labour would take the word of a Tory minister over that of the Scottish Government. As for Liz Truss, it is now for her to explain why she misled the Scottish Parliament. The father of Madeleine McCann has recalled his heartbreaking memories of the night his daughter disappeared 11 years ago. Gerry McCann described the horror and disbelief of realising the three-year-old was missing from the familys holiday apartment in Portugal in May 2007. Admitting that he rarely thinks of those moments because they are too painful, he told of his almost feral reaction as he became convinced that his daughter had been abducted. Speaking on BBC Radio 4, he said: Kate was screaming, Madeleines missing, shes gone. And I was like she cant be gone. and (I remember) running in and checking the bedroom but obviously she wasnt there. Expand Close Kate and Gerry McCann (Joe Giddens/PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Kate and Gerry McCann (Joe Giddens/PA) He described his desperate search of the familys apartment in the resort of Praia da Luz, even looking under the kitchen sink and in cupboards for any sign of his daughter. It was disbelief that she said Madeleine was missing, he added. Disbelief, shock, horror and then panic and terror. Because I could only think of one scenario at that timeI was sure shed been abducted. Mr McCann said the family had quickly raised the alarm but soon became consumed by an overwhelming feeling of helplessness. I remember being in the bedroom, distraught. The two of us being completely distraught, he said. I couldnt get the darkest thoughts out of my mind, that somebody had taken her and abused her. I remember being slumped on the floor and starting to call some of my family members and just saying: Pray for her. I couldn't get the darkest thoughts out of my mind, that somebody had taken her and abused herGerry McCann Mr McCann, speaking as part of the BBCs Pearl: Two Fathers, Two Daughters programme, also described his incredibly special bond with Madeleine. Earlier this week, the Home Office confirmed it was considering an application from Scotland Yard for more funding to continue the hunt for the youngster. In a blog published on Wednesday, it said: We have received and are considering a request from the Metropolitan Police Service to extend funding for Operation Grange until the end of March 2019. The Home Office maintains an ongoing dialogue with the MPS regarding funding for Operation Grange. Expand Close Madeleine McCann was just three when she went missing (PA) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Madeleine McCann was just three when she went missing (PA) Scotland Yard launched Operation Grange in 2013 after a Portuguese inquiry failed to make any headway. UK detectives were granted an extra 150,000 in March to continue the probe, to cover until the end of September. Operation Grange has cost 11.6 million so far. British Transport Police are looking to speak to this man (British Transport Police/PA) A man has been stabbed in the face on the London Underground, according to a witness. Commuters looked on in horror as the victim was knifed in his cheek with blood pouring from the wound, Rukshana Begum said. The attack happened on the Central Line, between Stratford and Mile End, at about 12.50am, British Transport Police (BTP) said. A man just got stabbed in the face on the @centralline between Mile End and Bethnal I didnt see who it was apparently it was a man sitting near him they were arguing cant believe it!! hope hes okay pic.twitter.com/vieexlJTdX Rukshana (@Rukssx) September 29, 2018 Miss Begum, 24, told the Press Association she was sitting with a friend a few feet away before hearing an argument followed by screams. She said: It happened so fast and everyone was in a panic. I saw blood everywhere. He was stabbed on the left side of his cheek, blood was all over his jumper and on the newspaper. It was horrible, he stumbled on the floor, people were helping him up and held his face with tissue to stop the bleeding. I didnt see the attacker myself but at Mile End I did see a really tall man running off the train and people were screaming and jumping off their seats when they realised this man had been stabbed. Recognise this man? Detectives believe he may have information following a stabbing earlier this morning at Mile End Underground. Call 0800 40 50 40 or text 61016, quoting 36 of 30/9/2018. https://t.co/xl1l7PKz5r pic.twitter.com/Lyrx5B6R8Z British Transport Police (@BTP) September 30, 2018 Pictures posted online showed a blood-soaked newspaper lying on the floor and a middle-aged man with blood spattered over his grey jumper. Paramedics from the London Ambulance Service treated the victim for injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening. Police have released a CCTV image of a man they would like to speak to in relation to the investigation, and are also urging any witnesses to come forward. Anyone with information should contact BTP by calling 0800 40 50 40 or texting 61016, quoting reference number 36 of 30/9/2018. Sir Mark Rylance said that proud Jewish man Harold Pinter would have approved of Jeremy Corbyn (Yui Mok/PA) Jewish playwright Harold Pinter would approve of Jeremy Corbyns leadership of the Labour Party, Sir Mark Rylance has said. The actor and Stop The War Coalition supporter hit out at media portrayals of Mr Corbyn over the anti-Semitism row and said that East End-born dramatist Pinter who vocally opposed the Iraq War would have backed him. Sir Mark is due to take part in performances of Pinters 2005 Nobel Prize lecture, Art, Truth & Politics, during a London festival of his plays in London in October. Actor Sir Mark Rylance looks back at the Stop the War protest #marr pic.twitter.com/SIpZ77iqsN BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) September 30, 2018 The Bridge of Spies and BFG actor was asked on the BBCs Andrew Marr show whether Mr Pinter as a proud Jewish man would have backed Corbyns Labour, given the summer row. Mr Rylance said: Yes. I know many Jewish people who are very happy with Corbyns leadership and obviously I hear about other Jewish people who are not. I would suspect that he would have met with Jeremy, as I have met with Jeremy, and seen that you get a very different impression of this from the media than is happening when you talk with John McDonnell or Jeremy Corbyn who, to my mind, are the furthest away from people who would be involved in any anti-Semitic-type thinking. They fought all their lives for the justice of all people and against fascism and against tyranny. Mr Pinter was a notable critic of the Iraq war, which he described as a bandit act, an act of blatant state terrorism, demonstrating absolute contempt for the conception of international law. He also hit out at Tony Blair when Nato bombed Serbia and later called the former prime minister a deluded idiot and US President George Bush a mass murderer. He published a collection, War, in 2003, which expressed his opposition to the Iraq conflict. In his Nobel speech two years later, by which time he was struggling with cancer, he again lashed out at the case for the invasion, saying: Political language, as used by politicians, does not venture into any of this territory since the majority of politicians, on the evidence available to us, are interested not in truth but in power and in the maintenance of that power. To maintain that power it is essential that people remain in ignorance, that they live in ignorance of the truth, even the truth of their own lives. What surrounds us therefore is a vast tapestry of lies, upon which we feed. Mr Pinter died in 2008, aged 78. Some of the proceeds from Sir Marks performances will go to the Stop the War Coalition, which Mr Corbyn formerly led. The FBI has contacted Deborah Ramirez, who has accused Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct when he was a Yale student, as part of the bureaus investigation of the Supreme Court nominee, her lawyer said. Ms Ramirezs lawyer, John Clune, said agents want to interview her and she has agreed to cooperate. Ms Ramirez has said Mr Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party in the early 1980s when they were Yale students. President Donald Trump ordered the FBI on Friday to reopen Mr Kavanaughs background investigation after several women accused Mr Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. Mr Kavanaugh has denied the allegations. Senate leaders agreed to delay a final vote on Mr Kavanaughs nomination to allow for a one-week FBI investigation. The Senate Judiciary Committee has said the probe should be limited to current credible allegations against Mr Kavanaugh and be finished by next Friday. Leaving the hearing on Friday, Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, said it was his understanding there would be an FBI investigation of the outstanding allegations, the three of them, but Republicans have not said whether that was their understanding as well. While the precise scope of the investigation remained unclear, Mr Trump told reporters on Saturday that the FBI, as you know, is all over talking to everybody and said this could be a blessing in disguise. They have free rein. Theyre going to do whatever they have to do, whatever it is they do. Theyll be doing things that we have never even thought of, he said. And hopefully at the conclusion everything will be fine. The nomination of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh to serve as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court is reported favorably from the Senate Judiciary Committee by a vote of 11-10 to the floor of the United States Senate for a full chamber vote. #SCOTUS Senate Judiciary Republicans (@SenJudiciaryGOP) September 28, 2018 White House spokesman Raj Shah said the Senate set the scope and duration of the investigation and that the White House is letting the FBI agents do what they are trained to do. The FBI conducts background checks for federal nominees, but the agency does not make judgments on the credibility or significance of allegations. The investigators will compile information about Mr Kavanaughs past and provide their findings to the White House and include the information in Mr Kavanaughs background file, which is available to senators. Mr Kavanaugh and another of his accusers, Christine Blasey Ford, who says Mr Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when both were teenagers, testified publicly before the Judiciary Committee on Thursday. Expand Close Christine Blasey Ford being sworn in before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill (Win McNamee/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Christine Blasey Ford being sworn in before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill (Win McNamee/AP) Mr Kavanaughs high school friend Mark Judge, who Ms Ford says was in the room when a drunken Mr Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her, said that he will cooperate with any law enforcement agency that will confidentially investigate sexual misconduct allegations against him and Mr Kavanaugh. Mr Judge has also denied Ms Fords allegations. Lawyers for PJ Smyth and Leland Ingham Keyser, two others who Ms Ford said were in the house when she was attacked, have said their clients are willing to cooperate fully with the FBIs investigation. A third woman, Julie Swetnick, accused Mr Kavanaugh and Mr Judge of excessive drinking and inappropriate treatment of women in the early 1980s, among other accusations. Mr Kavanaugh has called her accusations a joke and Mr Judge has said he categorically denies the allegations. Ms Swetnicks lawyer, Michael Avenatti, said on Saturday afternoon that his client had not been contacted by the FBI but is willing to fully cooperate with investigators. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democratic member of the Judiciary Committee from Rhode Island, said he expects the FBI would provide adequate staffing for the investigation, with teams working in parallel to investigate separate allegations. Agents should get support from the Judiciary Committee for rapid immunity and subpoena decisions, he said. Macedonians are voting on whether the countrys name should be changed (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) Macedonians are voting on whether to accept a deal ending a decades-long dispute with neighbouring Greece by changing their countrys name to North Macedonia. The June deal would pave the way for Nato and possibly European Union membership, ending a dispute dating from the early 1990s when Macedonia declared independence from Yugoslavia. Greece had argued that name implied territorial ambitions on its own province of the same name, and blocked the countrys efforts to join Nato. But the agreement has faced vocal opposition on both sides of the border. Expand Close Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev supports the deal (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev supports the deal (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) Opponents in Macedonia have called for a boycott of the referendum and include the countrys President Gjorge Ivanov, who calls the deal a flagrant violation of sovereignty. Voters were confronted with the question: Are you in favour of membership in Nato and European Union by accepting the deal between (the) Republic of Macedonia and Republic of Greece? The referendum is non-binding, allowing the government to take the outcome as a fair reflection of public opinion regardless of the turnout. Under the countrys constitution, a binding referendum would need a minimum turnout of 50%. Supporters of the deal, led by Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, have focused on the vote being the lynchpin of the countrys future prosperity, the key to its ability to join Nato and, eventually, the EU. I invite everyone to come out and make this serious decision for the future of our country, for future generationsMacedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev It would be a major step for a country that less than two decades ago almost descended into civil war, when parts of its ethnic Albanian minority took up arms against the government, seeking greater rights. Mr Zaev cast his ballot in the south-eastern town of Strumica and called on his fellow citizens to ensure a strong turnout. I invite everyone to come out and make this serious decision for the future of our country, for future generations, Mr Zaev said. I expect a massive vote, a huge turnout to confirm the multi-ethnic nature of this country and the political unity of this country, no matter which party they are coming from. If the Yes vote wins, the next step is for the government to amend parts of the countrys constitution to ensure it does not contain anything that could be considered irredentist against Greece. Only after those changes are approved by the Macedonian parliament does the deal face ratification in Greece. Family members carry the body of a relative out of a police hospitals compounder where rescuers placed the hundreds of victims of a powerful earthquake and tsunami that struck Indonesia's Sulawesi island, Sept. 30, 2018, The final death toll in the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Sulawesi island could be in the thousands, Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla said Sunday, as a national disaster agency spokesman said 832 bodies had been recovered. Rescue workers sifted through the ruins of buildings in Central Sulawesi after a powerful quake pummeled neighborhoods in the province on Friday, spawning a tsunami that swept away dozens of homes. Local seismologist said the shallow quake carried a 7.4 magnitude, but the U.S. Geological Survey said it had registered a 7.5-magnitude, a temblor capable of producing widespread damage. The number of dead victims stood at 832, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency, told reporters. The number of casualties is expected to increase because many victims have yet to be identified and many others are still buried under the rubble, he said, adding that at least 540 people were seriously injured and 16,700 were displaced. Vice President Jusuf Kalla warned that the death toll could be in the thousands. We still dont know the extent of the disaster there, he told reporters. Most of the victims were found in the city of Palu, but 11 deaths have been recorded in neighboring Donggala regency, Sutopo said, adding that rescuers faced extreme difficulty trying to reach the area because debris littered the roads. He said officials were still awaiting report from other affected areas, including the Sigi regency near Palu. During the Aceh tsunami, in the first hour the death toll was at seven, and in the afternoon it was 40, he said, referring to the Indian Ocean tsunami which was spawned by a magnitude 9.1 earthquake off the west coast of Sumatra on Dec. 26, 2004. That tsunami killed at least 230,000 people in a dozen countries, including about 170,000 in Aceh alone. On Sunday, rescuers rushed to a badly damaged shopping mall in Palu after reports that lightning struck the collapsed third floor of the building, Metro TV reported. Rescue chief Novri, who goes by one name, said workers were still unable to get in. Were working very hard to get at the victims. They can survive for seven days as long as they are hydrated and don't suffer fractures, he said. "Hello, anybody there? Can you hear us?" rescuers shouted, hoping for a response. A woman was rescued from the collapsed Roa Roa hotel in Palu on Sunday, more than 48 hours after the quake, Retno Budiharto, leader of the rescue mission, told local station Kompas TV. The woman, identified as Fitri, was found between concrete rubble and her bed on the second floor of the seven-story hotel, where up to 60 people were believed to be still trapped, rescue officials said "Fortunately she was lying on the mattress, so she survived," Retno said. People survey damage outside a shopping mall following earthquakes and tsunami in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, Sept. 30, 2018. [AP] Meanwhile, residents looted a damaged shopping mall on Sunday, ignoring warnings about the danger posed by an unstable building, authorities said. Television footage showed people coming out of the mall with goods in their hands. Widodo visits victims President Joko Widodo flew to Palu and visited a devastated neighbourhood. He said roads were badly damaged, power lines were toppled, fuel was scarce and the airport wasn't fully operating. "I appeal to the people to be patient, he said. We are working to address this. Foreigners in affected areas A total of 71 foreigners were known to be in the quake-affected areas, Sutopo, the disaster-agency spokesman, told reporters. Three French nationals and a Malaysian remained unaccounted for, while 31 Thais and 21 Chinese were safe, he said. Sutopo said there were many people on the beach when the tsunami slammed into Palu. "There were no sirens," he said. Many people didnt know about the threat and they carried on with their activities on the beach. The Meteorological, Geophysical and Climatological Agency (BMKG) issued a tsunami warning after the quake, but it was lifted about half an hour later. But videos taken by mobile phones soon emerged on social media, showing waves smashing houses and sweeping away vehicles in the coastal area. BMKG has defended its decision after criticism that the warning was lifted too early, saying that it was based on a reading of a tide gauge in Mamuju, located about 230 kilometres (143 miles) away. Fridays quakes came after at least 555 people were killed and more than 400,000 were made homeless in August in a series of powerful quakes that devastated the island of Lombok. Indonesia straddles the so-called Ring of Fire, an area in the basin of the Pacific Ocean known for volcanic eruptions and deep seismic shift of the tectonic plates that often produce major earthquakes. Evidence suggests that increasing one contraceptive method in an existing basket of choice has resulted in an 8-12% increase in the use of modern contraceptives. Family planning is a measure that can empower people by averting unplanned pregnancies and promote better health, education and overall economic growth. Providing people with access to and choice of quality family planning methods has shown a direct positive impact on indicators of maternal mortality, infant mortality and womens empowerment. In fact, evidence suggests that increasing one contraceptive method in an existing basket of choice has resulted in an 8% to 12% increase in the use of modern contraceptives. The Government of India, (GoI) reaffirmed its commitment at the FP 2020 Summit in London in July 2017 with a commitment to increase modern contraceptive usage from 53.1% to 54.3% and ensure that 74% of the demand for modern contraceptives is met by 2020. In an effort to fulfil this commitment, the government also introduced new contraceptives within the public health systems and also announced a mission mode intervention Mission Parivar Vikas with the objective to intensify the availability of Family Planning services in 146 high fertility districts. Despite efforts, the unmet need for contraceptives is also increasing as is evident between National Family Health Survey (NFHS) III at 12.8% to 13.9% as per NFHS IV. This translates to 30 million married women in the reproductive age group age who are still unable to access protection from unwanted pregnancies. Contrary to the general perception, data suggests that the desired family size is less than 2 children (desired ferity rate - 1.8 as per NFHS IV) and although women would like to either delay or stop childbearing, they cannot access contraceptives or lack the agency to make decisions for themselves. Further, there is recognition and a need for shift from terminal methods to long acting contraceptive methods, given the emerging needs of adolescents and youth. NFHS IV reports more than 22% unmet need of contraceptives among young people between ages 15-24 years. A large proportion of the countrys youth are currently unable to access and use contraceptives this is primarily due to social norms, lack of awareness, myths and misconceptions coupled with provider bias. Failure to provide adolescents with appropriate methods will be a missed opportunity for reducing the incidence of unwanted pregnancy and its negative consequences. The family planning budgets which accounts for a mere 4% of the total National Health Mission budget also need to reflect the changes as per the current needs. Currently, only 2% - 3% budget is dedicated for spacing methods as against 82% for terminal sterilisation. It is therefore first and foremost crucial for the country to address the gaps to increase access to existing contraceptives as well as create a policy environment that is conducive to introduction of new effective contraceptive methods, which is already available around the world as well as in similar resource setting countries. Only once this is done can India progress on its path to fulfilling its FP 2020 commitments. Advocating Reproductive Choices Ferring Pharmaceuticals, a pharma major from Europe, recently laid the foundation stone for their state- of-the art R&D laboratory and manufacturing facility in Hyderabad. The company had established its Indian subsidiary in 1997 and has thus far established a manufacturing facility, an R&D centre and commercial operations in Maharashtra. The 2 billion Euro research-driven specialty biopharmaceutical group is a leader in reproductive medicine and womens health. In line with this, the company is all set to release its heat-stable carbetocin drug in the India that is as effective as oxytocin in preventing postpartum haemorrhage (PPH). The drug is expected to hit the shelves in India in a years time after obtaining the approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). Suresh Pattathil, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), India, Ferring Pharmaceuticals interacted with BioSpectrum recently and shared details of these recent developments. Edited excerpts- What would be the core focus of the new R&D facility in Hyderabad? What are the plans regarding the recruitment at the new facility? The Hyderabad project will consist of an R&D Centre, Pilot Plant, and Manufacturing facility. The current R&D facility based in Mumbai will be shifted to Hyderabad and the focus will be on formulation development which will provide more convenience and efficacy. The capital investment planned is around 235 crores for this project. After we have completed all the phases of the project we estimate around 245 people working at the facility. What are the companys plans regarding the launch of carbetocin in India? After carbetocin, what more is in store at Ferring? Carbetocin Heat Stable is indicated for preventing Postpartum Haemorrhage (PPH) which is one of the major causes of maternal mortality and we are in the process of submitting the application with the clinical results to the DCGI for regulatory approval. The CHAMPION (Carbetocin Hemorrhage Prevention) trial is the largest clinical trial in the prevention of PPH. It was a Phase III, randomised, multinational, multicentric, double blind, non-inferiority trial comparing Carbetocin Heat Stable with Oxytocin that included 30,000 women in 10 countries. Recently, the results of this trial have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The data shows that Carbetocin Heat Stable is as effective as Oxytocin without the need to keep it in temperature-controlled storage. Oxytocin, the current standard of care in preventing excessive bleeding following vaginal birth needs to be stored between 28celsius and any deviation in temperature can lower its efficacy. On the other hand, Carbetocin Heat Stable can be used without worrying about loss of efficacy due to temperature excursion. Ferring will continue to launch the global research products in India. Some of them are Cortiment MMX for ulcerative colitis and Rekovelle for IVF treatment. How does the company plan to address the healthcare challenges in India? Ferring is a specialty pharma company and we will continue to address the unmet medical needs by focusing on the patient. We want to work on enhancing the diagnosis and treatment adherence of specific disease like ulcerative colitis in which Ferring has a leadership role. Is the company planning any collaboration or acquisition in the coming years for new products? If the opportunity arises Ferring will work with partners or acquire to enable synergy and a strong go to market strategy for our key products. What are your views on the changing clinical trials trend in India? The clinical trial regulatory framework is very robust now and has made the approval process quicker, predictable, and in-line with global practices. I believe that we have good quality systems in place in India to ensure conduct of clinical trials as per global standards. The India advantage will be the ability to provide sufficient patient numbers, simpler processes, and lower relative cost of conducting a trial compared to other countries. The recent instance in Uttar Pradesh where 21 people were infected with HIV from contaminated syringes by a quack doctor is a story that has only become too common due to the sheer scope for fraud in the Indian medical sector. The health sector is perhaps one of the most essential to exist within an economy, attracting some of the finest talent that a nation has to offer. The prospect of saving lives and making a difference is attractive to those with an inclination to serve society, and a desire to prevent human suffering, aside from the innumerable monetary incentives. It is for this reason that medicine is known as the most noble of all professions and doctors and nurses are among the most respected and trusted members of the community. Unfortunately, like any other human endeavour, the medical profession has had more than its fair sure of serious issues in India. Medical fraud differs from other kinds of white-collar crime in that it can cause irreparable physical harm to the victim, as opposed to mere financial losses. Due to tax regulations and a lack of stringent application of even those, many unqualified people lie about their credentials, in an attempt to dupe innocent patients. Because these quacks often lack basic medical training, their actions usually have disastrous, sometimes fatal, results. The recent instance in Uttar Pradesh where 21 people were infected with HIV from contaminated syringes by a quack doctor, is a story that has only become too common due to the sheer scope for fraud in the Indian medical sector. According to a World Health Organization report on the state of healthcare in India among allopathic doctors, as many as 31.4% of the claimed doctors were discovered to have been educated only up to a secondary level. In fact, an astounding 57.3% did not possess any medical degree whatsoever. The statistics among dentists were even more damning, with 46.2% of all urban and just 27.4 of all rural dentists having the minimum legal qualifications to practice their profession. These numbers alone are indicative that a significant portion of medical practitioners in India are committing fraud in broad daylight, risking peoples personal safety and severely impacting the integrity of this noble profession. To weed out quacks, frauds, and unscrupulous doctors, it is necessary to take effective counter measures, especially given the fact that millions of lives at risk. The best solution to this problem is to deploy vast on-field strength and technological capabilities to create a data repository of verified doctors. This can be achieved by Visiting each doctor on the ground to register their biometric details along with copies of their medical degrees. Authenticating these degrees and certificates at source, which means cross verified with the college/university along with the doctors residency details. Genuine doctors data be then uploaded to the repository creating a master list of medical professionals in a variety of fields and specialisations. Data of fake doctors also be uploaded so patients can be fairly warned Government store this repository on online & offline public domains, freely available tothe public. This database will ensure that patients trust is backed up by thorough validation of the doctors qualifications and secure credentials. This can only be achieved by This system, which should be made accessible to the general public, would allow a patient or an organisation to easily choose from a database of verified doctors anywhere in the country, improving security and consumer confidence substantially. With effective risk management adoption at national level, instances of fraud will significantly reduce. Such a system would also serve as a strong deterrent for any person contemplating a career as a fake doctor. It will go a long way in rebuilding peoples trust in regulatory institutions which have failed to protect us so far. Creating such a repository will take tremendous will and professional engagement, but as a nation we have all the necessary expertise and resources to achieve this ideal. -Hitesh Asrani, Founder & Director, CRP Risk Management Through this drive, the hospital will conduct Bystander Life Support (BLS) training for individuals, corporates, and the common man like auto drivers, roadside vendors, school students and teachers, parents, social workers, security guards etc. Aware Gleneagles Global Hospitals has announced the launch of their Emergency Ready campaign titled I AM EMERGENCY READY. The objective of this initiative is to minimize the damage and loss during medical emergencies by training public to administer immediate care to keep a patient stable until medical help arrives. Mr. Mahesh Bhagwat, Commissioner of Police, Rachakonda inaugurated the campaign by unveiling the logo of I am Emergency Ready initiative in Hyderabad. Through this drive, the hospital will conduct Bystander Life Support (BLS) training for individuals, corporates, and the common man like auto drivers, roadside vendors, school students and teachers, parents, social workers, security guards etc. At the end of the training, a certificate and an emergency toolkit will be presented to the qualified participants. The hospital introduced the emergency number 8297 222222 and three fully equipped ambulances to provide outstanding emergency medical services. The speedy emergency ambulance responses will be able to bring down the mortality rate of the individuals who do not receive emergency treatment before being hospitalized. Mr B Girish Babu, CEO, Aware Gleneagles Global Hospitals said We believe this campaign will be beneficial for the citizens, as we hope to train maximum number of individuals across the city in basic lifesaving skills. We aim to reach out to the masses and urge upon the need of arming oneself with basic first response knowledge that could potentially save a life in a medical emergency. The hospital also announced the Good Samaritan Awards, a felicitation program that would acknowledge and appreciate those Good Samaritans who have helped victims in emergency cases. The programme encourages you to nominate an individual who has stabilized someone by providing basic life support treatment during a medical emergency or coordinated a swift evacuation in a critical emergency or donated blood or rendered any kind of unusual support in a medical emergency or took care of a person under a critical emergency condition, until help arrived. Nominations are open for 3 months from 11th September, 2018. At the closing, three individuals will be identified for their presence of mind and lifesaving action, to be felicitated at a function where they will receive Rs 20,000/- each. Dr Vijay Vemuri, Regional COO, Gleneagles Global Hospitals said, The I am Emergency Ready initiative by Aware Gleneagles Global Hospital is the most compassionate accomplishment which required the emergency department to comply, create and maintain some very stringent requirements. They need to be prepared with best of the equipment and capable team. This initiative provides the assurance to the people that they can now access quality trauma and emergency medical care at Aware Gleneagles Global Hospital. The Call Ambulance officer said, We believe our association with Aware Gleneagles Global Hospitals is a one that will help both entities in making a difference. Our service, Call Ambulance is an emergency response mobile app that facilitates victims to raise a distress call and the I am Emergency Ready campaign by Aware Gleneagles Global Hospitals is an initiative that aims at training citizens to become first responders that are equipped with basic life training skills. So its a perfect fit and we hope that this collaboration helps in getting these first responders to the aid of the ones in need thereby making the society emergency ready." Microsoft plans to teach its AI system to find the traits of cancerous cells that trained pathologists do manually. Tech giant Microsoft has collaborated with SRL Diagnostics to train its artificial intelligence (AI) system in detecting cancer. Microsoft plans to teach its AI system to find the traits of cancerous cells that trained pathologists do manually by looking at a slice of the patients tissue on a glass slide. SRLs bank of more than one million such slides from past diagnosis will be used as the training material for the AI system. Microsoft has already deployed its AI system for early detection of blindness in people suffering from diabetes and assessing cardiovascular health of patients. According to Microsoft, this cancer-detecting solution will not replace the need of an oncologist, but the goal is for the AI system to speed up, make more accurate and give valid pointers to the doctor to make the right diagnosis. This will reduce the cost of treatment, better utilise the time of trained specialists to reach more patients and make healthcare in general more patient-centric. WHO urged Member countries to develop and implement a national plan for strengthening systems for emergency medical teams (EMTs) in collaboration with all key partners The World Health Organization today called upon countries in its South-East Asia Region to strengthen emergency medical teams, to be better prepared to respond to public health emergencies. Strengthening national and regional-level emergency medical teams is a high-impact investment in reducing deaths, diseases and disabilities due to disasters, outbreaks and other emergencies. Emergency medical teams contribute to life-saving critical interventions, said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director WHO South-East Asia Region, at the ongoing Regional Committee meeting here in Delhi, being attended by Ministers of Health and senior officials of the 11-member countries. Experience from health emergencies in the Region have shown that following a sudden onset disaster, a large number of emergency medical teams (EMTs) or emergency response teams often arrive in the affected country to provide emergency care to affected people. The EMTs are national, international, government, non-governmental, civilian and military. These teams have varied capacities, and their deployment is often not based on assessed needs. To be more effective, EMTs need to be standardized, strengthened and well-coordinated, the Regional Director said. WHO is helping mentor EMTs to improve their capacities in line with international standards. The WHO EMT Initiative aims at supporting countries, nongovernmental organizations, international organizations, by identifying minimum standards, best practices, logistics and standard operating procedures for operating field coordination, for saving lives, preserving health and protecting dignity. The initiative seeks to improve timeliness and quality of health services provided by national and international EMTs, enhance the capacity of national health system to lead and coordinate such teams. In an emergency, the outcome of the response depends on how quickly the right expertise reaches the right place at the right time to meet the needs of the affected people, Dr Khetrapal Singh said. WHO urged Member countries to develop and implement a national plan for strengthening systems for emergency medical teams (EMTs) in collaboration with all key partners; and establish and strengthen national mechanisms which support effective and high-performing national EMTs in line with the WHO Classification and Standards. The South-East Asia Region is vulnerable to various disasters and emergencies such as earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, landslides and volcanic eruptions. As per 2016 World Disaster Report, over the past decade, the Region disproportionately accounted for 26.8% of the deaths in emergencies. Prone to natural disaster, the Region has been focusing on scaling up emergency risk management as a flagship priority. Better preparedness has helped saved lives during major disasters such as Nepal earthquake. By Moses Ndhaye The Uganda Alcohol Association has asked government to regulate alcohol distillers in the informal sector to stop them from brewing hazardous alcohol which is un-safe for human consumption. The chairperson of the Association Kenneth Barungi says, some of the Alcoholic drinks distilled by some people in the informal sector needs regulation because it doesnt meet the health and market standards. He adds that lack of policies to control such distillers is also making more young people to access these harmful alcoholic drinks while still young. His remarks come at a time when Nile Breweries is spearheading a campaign dubbed Be Smart, Drink Smart aimed at promoting responsible drinking to reduce on the harmful use of alcohol. The Campaign specifically focuses on no drinking by underage persons, pregnant women or those intending to drive after drinking alcohol. Dealing With The Side Effects Of Flying Wellness oi-Lekhaka Dreading your next trip because you are one of the hundreds of fliers who suffer from pain in the ears the minute your flight takes off? Ear problems are surprisingly common among travellers on aeroplanes. While they can be mildly annoying sometimes, at other times, there can be more serious effects, including acute pain in the ears, ear discharge and even temporary loss of hearing. However, fear not. Understanding why it happens as well as taking a few precautions can ensure that your journey is pleasant from take-off to landing! Understanding Blocked Ears The Eustachian tube is a membrane-lined tube, about the thickness of a pencil lead, which connects the back of the nose to the ears. On one side (the ear), we have a space surrounded by bone and closed off from the outside world by the eardrum, and on the other side, a space that is open to the outside through the nose and mouth. The closed space in the ear is lined by a membrane which constantly absorbs air and this air is replaced from the Eustachian tube. Thus air pressure outside the eardrum and inside the space remains equal. When there is a difference in pressures, the ear feels blocked. This is because if the air in the middle ear is absorbed but not replaced, a vacuum forms which pulls the eardrum inwards, causing a block as it cannot vibrate. It is the stretching of the eardrum that causes pain. This vacuum also pulls fluid into the space from the membrane, filling the middle ear with fluid. This can be dangerous as when the fluid builds up, it punctures the ear drum leading to discharge from the ear. Common Causes Of Eustachian Block Common cold, nasal allergies and infection in the tonsils or throat. How Flying Causes Ear Block When your flight takes off or lands, there is a rapid change in the air pressure. This causes swelling of the membranes, which does not allow the air pressure inside the ear to equalise rapidly, which in turn results in blocked Eustachian tubes and other ear problems. How To Unblock The Tubes Swallowing unblocks the Eustachian tubes by activating muscles that open them. Chewing gum or sucking on hard candies can help. Yawning works better. If yawning and swallowing don't work, pinch your nose shut, close the mouth and make sure you blow air into the nose from the mouth very gently. If the pain and block persists, see a doctor immediately to get decongestant nasal drops and sprays to open the Eustachian tubes before fluid builds up in the ears. In rare cases, if the build-up of fluid in the ear is too much, the doctor may make a tiny puncture in the eardrum to release it. If the problem is recurrent, tiny plastic or metal tubes are inserted into the eardrum to equalise the pressure. These are called grommets-they fall out when the Eustachian tube function recovers. For Babies Sucking on a pacifier or feeding bottle during take-off or landing of the flight works. It is a good idea to feed the baby during the flight. Make sure you don't allow the child to sleep during take-off and landing. For People With Chronic Problems Nasal decongestant drops and sprays can be used to open the Eustachian tubes. Tips For Air Travellers If you have had ear surgery or are seeking treatment for any problem in your ears, ask your doctor if it's okay for you to take a flight. If you are currently suffering from a severe cold, sinus infection, or an allergy attack, consider postponing your trip. Keep a decongestant pill or nose spray handy. Use it approximately an hour before the descent to help the ears pop. Make sure you stay awake during take-off and descent. Carry chewing gum or a couple of hard candies that you can pop into your mouth during your flight. Dr Dillon Dsouza , Consultant ENT and Head and Neck surgeon , attached to Jaslok hospital , Breach Candy hospital and Desa"s hospital. PR Newswire BEIJING, Sept. 29, 2018 BEIJING, Sept. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The AI Grid Foundation has secured $20 Million in investments from dozens of global institutions including OK Blockchain Capital, Krypital Group, Starwin Capital, Fenbushi Capital, LD Capital, Horman Capital, Collinstar Capital, Interblock Capital, JRR Crypto, Fly Fund, Qingzheng Capital, Decentrust Capital, Powerlink Labs, GVC. PE, Ceyuan Digital Assets, and private investors. The ELONCITY investors focus on the long-term goals of improving community's lives around the world. These investors are ardent supporters of the AI Grid Foundation's mission to promote the ELONCITY Model and enable universal access to safe, reliable, affordable, sustainable and equitable energy services for all. The rapid growth of the earth's population and the industrialization of developing countries are driving global energy demands to unprecedented levels. The world's energy dependence on fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas pose significant risks to the environment and are one of the leading drivers of detrimental climate changes. The majority of scientists around the world agree that based on our current trajectory, the world is heading towards a series of irreversible ecological disasters. One possible pathway to alter this course is to decrease our dependence on fossil fuels drastically. The need for "GHG-free renewable energy" has become a pressing issue, concerning all of humanity. With these challenges, new approaches to energy production and distribution are needed. The solutions must support vibrant and sustainable global growth. Andy Li founded the AI Grid Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Singapore. The AI Grid Foundation advocates for the employment of decentralized renewable energy as a viable solution to the problems of our existing energy system. The AI Grid Foundation has collaborated with organizations and communities around the world to develop the ELONCITY Model, a community-based and consensus-driven approach that employs decentralized renewable energy resources as a means of removing barriers to universal, safe, secure, reliable, affordable, healthy, and equitable electricity services. Andy Li, founder of the AI Grid Foundation and the principal creator of the ELONCITY Model, previously led ChinaCache in building the content distribution network (CDN) Internet infrastructure. CDN is analogous to decentralized energy resources in the realm of the Internet. Andy also led Alibaba's Cloud Computing Data Center Architecture team to pioneer the application of direct current (DC) power systems for mega data centers in Asia. Additionally, Andy became a master of network traffic engineering during his tenure at Cisco Systems. His work helped realize system intelligence at the edge of the network, which is significantly superior to the traditional core distribution networks. Since 2014, Andy has been leading POMCube Inc. to develop intelligent network battery energy storage systems ("BESS"). POMCube will be one of the AI Grid Foundation's technology partners in piloting the ELONCITY microgrids and demonstrating the open standard ELONCITY Token Protocol (ECTP). Andy's team has successfully implemented BESS technology in residential households, commercial buildings, and small communities. Today, the AI Grid Foundation can provide customers with on-site renewable electricity generation and intelligently store locally produced electricity. Currently, Andy's team is developing a state-of-the-art blockchain smart contract platform to empower the customers to exchange renewable electricity with each other. Andy Li aims to change the fundamental power infrastructure, promote the innovation of decentralized renewable energy technologies, address the fundamental inefficiencies of the existing centralized energy infrastructure, and to realize his dream of renewable energy becoming the de-facto resources for the emerging energy future. Although the journey to realize this aspiration is challenging, Andy Li has met many like-minded innovators and entrepreneurs in recent years that also want to tackle large energy problems to create a safer and healthier world. Martin Friel, the director of the Birmingham Energy Institute at the University of Birmingham, said, "Globally, the biggest challenge facing the future of the energy sector will be building air conditioning." Building heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) consumes the largest energy load in a typical building, consuming more than half of the average building's electricity demand. To address this challenge, the AI Grid Foundation has forged a strategic partnership with GREE Electric Appliances, the world's largest HVAC manufacturer and a pioneer in the energy field. Andy Li and Dong Mingzhu, the founder of GREE Electric Appliances, plan to collaborate to drive market-wide adoption of direct current (DC) HVAC systems. The DC HVAC can significantly increase the efficiency of renewable energy systems by eliminating losses due to repeated DC-AC-DC conversions. Andy Li also established strong collaborative ties with another innovative leader, Dai Zhen. Dai Zhen is the current Clean Energy Ambassador to the United Nations. He has the skills to promote renewable energy and local energy distribution that will accelerate the implementation of the global green energy infrastructure. Dai Zhen will serve as the lead advisor to the AI Grid Foundation on the ELONCITY project. His in-depth expertise and experience in the energy and blockchain sectors will be highly beneficial in the development and wide-scale proliferation of the ELONCITY Model. It is often said that there are two kinds of sectors where disruptive breakthroughs happen. One is an area that is extremely complex and contains significant technological innovations. The other is an area with opportunities that are visible but are extremely difficult to turn into reality. The ELONCITY project encapsulates both. This is the reason why many of the world's leading blockchain investment firms are competing to become a cornerstone investor in ELONCITY. Investing in ELONCITY means investing in not only the application of blockchain technology and decentralized renewable energy but also investing in the development of the shared regenerative energy future for communities globally. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/a-blockchain-project-that-has-ignited-an-energy-revolution---eloncity-secures-20-million-usd-in-investment-300721453.html SOURCE ELONCITY Benjamin Jumbe. The Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI) has renewed calls for the abolition of the death penalty. This comes ahead of the 16th world day against the death penalty to be commemorated on 10th October. Speaking to kfm the foundations executive director Dr Livingstone Ssewanyana notes that whereas the process has taken long, it is not too late for government to outlaw this barbaric practice. He notes that as part of activities ahead of the day, the foundation in partnership with the European Union and Embassy of France to Uganda will undertake various activities including a solidarity visit to those condemned to death at Luzira prison on 4th October 2018 with heads of missions of European countries, and a commemoration event on 10th October. The 16th World Day against the Death Penalty will be running under the theme, Living conditions on death row. PR Newswire SPOKANE, Wash., Sept. 30, 2018 SPOKANE, Wash., Sept. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Elliott Law Group, a team of leading immigration attorneys serving Spokane and Spokane Valley in Washington as well as Coeur d'Alene in Idaho, is proud to announce new milestones in immigration attorney reviews. The law firm has just topped twenty five reviews on Google for Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and fifty for Spokane, Washington. "We work hard to be the best immigration attorneys in both Spokane and Coeur d'Alene for our clients," explained Lana Elliott, managing partner at the law firm. "So it's heartening to see these new milestones achieved on the Google review system." To view immigration attorney reviews for the Spokane office, visit https://goo.gl/aXuB1s, and to view immigration attorney reviews for the Coeur d'Alene office, visit https://goo.gl/ZBVQ35. To learn more about the firm's immigration law services, visit https://www.elliottlawgroup.com/areas-of-practice/immigration-lawyer/; interested persons are urged to reach out for a consultation, as no two immigration situations are alike. Only a licensed attorney can examine the facts and the law and give advice as to the best course of action. IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY REVIEWS IN SPOKANE, SPOKANE VALLEY, AND COEUR D'ALENE IDAHO Here is the background for this release. Many lay people who are seeking the services of an immigration attorney, whether in Spokane or Spokane Valley in Washington, or Coeur d'Alene in Idaho, are understandably anxious about finding the best law firm for their situation. Online reviews have become a first step towards identifying a good match, but the reality is that they are a heuristic at best. The review milestones achieved by the Elliott Group are thus important, but it is even more important for a lay person to reach out for an attorney consultation. There are many excellent, qualified immigration attorneys in both Western Idaho and Eastern Washington, and a person with an immigration issue is best served by coming in for a face-to-face consultation. ABOUT ELLIOTT LAW GROUP With law firm offices in both Spokane Valley, Washington, and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, Elliott Law Group (http://www.elliottlawgroup.com/) aims to be one of the top-rated immigration law firms in Spokane, Spokane Valley, Coeur d'Alene and all of Spokane, Okanogan and Kootenai Counties. Persons looking for not only a Spokane immigration attorney but also a DWI / DUI attorney or perhaps a lawyer for defense against traffic tickets, can seek help. Areas of specialty include visa issues (including DACA), working as DUI defense attorneys or criminal attorneys (including marijuana DUI and traffic ticket charges), assisting with green cards or obtaining K1 (fiance) visas and citizenship in both Washington and Idaho. The firm has attorneys who are both Russian-speaking and Spanish-speaking attorneys and staff. Service areas include Brewster, Cheney, Airway Heights, and Moses Lake in Washington, as well as Post Falls, Coeur d'Alene and Sandpoint in Idaho. Media Relations. 509-891-4301 SOURCE Elliott Law Group PR Newswire QUFU, China, Sept. 30, 2018 QUFU, China, Sept. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- After holding over 30 "civilization dialogues" on issues at all times and in all countries, the Fifth Nishan Forum on World Civilizations was concluded on the afternoon of September 27 in Qufu, Shandong province. The 263 scholars from over 20 countries and regions reached a consensus that the integration and mutual learning among civilizations would promote the building of a community of a shared future for mankind. Hosted by the People's Government of Shandong Province, the theme of the Fifth Nishan Forum was "Integrated Progress, Shared Future: Integration of Civilizations toward a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind". Parallel to the main theme were three sub-themes: The Belt and Road Initiative and Exploration of the Path to a Community of a Shared Future for Mankind, Responsibility and Duty: Embracing the New Era of Human Civilization, and Protection of Cultural Heritage and a Community of a Shared Future for Mankind. On September 27, the Chairman's Declaration on the Integration of Civilizations toward a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind was presented. The Declaration, reflecting the consensus of the scholars from home and abroad, points out that in face of complex world situations and global issues, no nation or state can stay isolated and no civilization can move forward alone. Mutual learning among civilizations is an important impetus to promote human civilization progress and world peace development. Dialogues among civilizations would serve as a bridge for the mutual learning among diversified civilizations. The vice provincial secretary and the provincial governor of Shandong Gong Zheng stated in his address that "the Fifth Nishan Forum has converged the power of thought, enhanced the power of integration, contributed to a cultural consensus, and promoted the mutual learning among civilizations." He also said that as the hometown of Confucius and Mencius and a place of ceremonies, Shandong would draw on the wisdom of others, give full play to its own cultural advantages, and fully strengthen the brand of Nishan Forum to create a highland for the mutual learning among world civilizations. He hoped that different civilizations could maintain the diversity of civilizations and encourage exchanges and mutual learning to jointly build a community of a shared future for mankind. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/scholars-from-home-and-abroad-reached-nishan-consensus-to-encourage-mutual-learning-among-civilizations-300721456.html SOURCE The People's Government of Shandong Province PR Newswire QUFU, China, Sept. 30, 2018 QUFU, China, Sept. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- After holding over 30 "civilization dialogues" on issues at all times and in all countries, the Fifth Nishan Forum on World Civilizations was concluded on the afternoon of September 27 in Qufu, Shandong province. The 263 scholars from over 20 countries and regions reached a consensus that the integration and mutual learning among civilizations would promote the building of a community of a shared future for mankind. Hosted by the People's Government of Shandong Province, the theme of the Fifth Nishan Forum was "Integrated Progress, Shared Future: Integration of Civilizations toward a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind". Parallel to the main theme were three sub-themes: The Belt and Road Initiative and Exploration of the Path to a Community of a Shared Future for Mankind, Responsibility and Duty: Embracing the New Era of Human Civilization, and Protection of Cultural Heritage and a Community of a Shared Future for Mankind. On September 27, the Chairman's Declaration on the Integration of Civilizations toward a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind was presented. The Declaration, reflecting the consensus of the scholars from home and abroad, points out that in face of complex world situations and global issues, no nation or state can stay isolated and no civilization can move forward alone. Mutual learning among civilizations is an important impetus to promote human civilization progress and world peace development. Dialogues among civilizations would serve as a bridge for the mutual learning among diversified civilizations. The vice provincial secretary and the provincial governor of Shandong Gong Zheng stated in his address that "the Fifth Nishan Forum has converged the power of thought, enhanced the power of integration, contributed to a cultural consensus, and promoted the mutual learning among civilizations." He also said that as the hometown of Confucius and Mencius and a place of ceremonies, Shandong would draw on the wisdom of others, give full play to its own cultural advantages, and fully strengthen the brand of Nishan Forum to create a highland for the mutual learning among world civilizations. He hoped that different civilizations could maintain the diversity of civilizations and encourage exchanges and mutual learning to jointly build a community of a shared future for mankind. 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 By Sarah Slater An animal welfare organisation is urging the public not to buy pets online. The Irish Pet Advertising Advisory Group (IPAAG) has revealed thousands of people are continuing to buy online despite the danger of responding to pet ads. The IPAAG is launching a campaign to raise awareness about the dangers involved as World Animal Week gets underway tomorrow. A recent survey carried out by the IPAAG found more than 15,800 advertisements for puppies and dogs were placed on the website DoneDeal.ie over a seven-month period from February to August this year. During the same period more than 1,700 cats, 9,700 equines, 550 reptiles and more than 1,100 small mammals were also advertised on the pet pages. Instead of calling for a ban, the IPAAG works with classified websites in Ireland to help make their advert pages safer for pets and prospective owners. IPAAG Chairperson and ISPCA CEO Dr Andrew Kelly said: "Thousands of puppies, dogs and other animals are advertised on DoneDeal.ie and other online classified websites in Ireland every month, highlighting the sheer scale of the demand for people opting to purchase a pet online. Being able to sell puppies online makes it very easy for unscrupulous breeders to conceal the substandard and often dangerous conditions their puppies come from. "Animal welfare organisations regularly hear from individuals and families who purchased a pet from an online advertisement only for it to fall sick or even die soon afterwards." We always encourage prospective pet owners to consider adopting a pet from a reputable rescue organisation first. However, we do recognise that people will turn to their computers when looking to buy or sell almost anything at the click of a mouse and sadly pets are not exempt from this. This is why we believe the best solution is to engage with online classified sites. DoneDeal are extremely cooperative and do everything they can to adhere to IPAAGs minimum standards and remove advertisements in breach of these standards and that contain animal welfare concerns. We hope anyone looking to get a new pet, particularly a puppy, will visit www.ipaag.ie and read the information there, download our puppy checklist and avoid falling victim to unscrupulous breeders. Gordon, a father from Dublin, and his family went through such a tragedy after buying a puppy from an online advert. He bought the puppy for his daughter, who is in first year at school. He said: My daughter suffers from anxiety. We thought having a puppy would help her make friends, sharing photos and videos, bringing it around school to collect her. Gordons daughter was so excited to get a new puppy when Gordon brought her home. But it only took a day for Gordon to realise something was terribly wrong. Within two days, the puppy was severely ill. She was lethargic, vomiting and had diarrhoea. Gordon rushed the puppy to the vet, where it was confirmed she had parvovirus, a viral infection that is often fatal to puppies. The puppy was transferred to the Pet Emergency Hospital at UCD where she was on a drip. But, sadly like many puppies who contract the virus, she didnt survive. In Gordons case, he was left with a bill of more than 1,300, a devastated family, and no puppy. Puppies need to be vaccinated against parvovirus by a vet from six weeks of age before they are old enough to be sold. When Gordon bought his puppy, the breeder gave him a vaccination card for her. It had a sticker and initials, but it had not been stamped by a vet, indicating the card was fake. The Advisory Group was formed in 2015 by a number of leading animal welfare organisations such as the, ISPCA, The Irish Blue Cross, Dogs Trust, The Donkey Sanctuary, MADRA, Veterinary Ireland, the Irish Horse Welfare Trust, Done Deal and The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, to combat the growing concern about the irresponsible advertising of pets online. The IPAAGs #PuppyDotCon campaign being launched tomorrow will include a checklist for prospective buyers to help them identify welfare issues in online advertisements, as well as other information to enable potential pet owners to buy a healthy pet with confidence. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Tianjin FAW Xiali Automobile Co., Ltd. (FAW Xiali) announced on September 28 that it transfers 100% stake in its wholly-owned subsidiary FAW Huali (Tianjin) Automobile Co. Ltd to Future Mobility Corporation (FMC), the Nanjing-based company behind the all-electric car brand BYTON. The transaction will make BYTON qualified to produce passenger vehicles (PV). Founded in 1965, FAW Huali is FAW Xiali's only subsidiary that specializes in manufacturing micro special PVs. However, it has been suffering depression in profitability in recent years with its annual revenues slumping from RMB94.75 million in 2015 to RMB45 million in 2017. On July 18 this year, FAW Xiali claimed that it will transfer 100% stake in FAW Huali with the value no less than RMB 1, meanwhile, required the transferee to promise to liquidate the debt of no less than RMB800 million for FAW Huali. Then, FAW Xiali announced on August 8 that the plan about transferring entire stake of its subsidiary has been approved at the general meeting of stockholders. Some industrial analysts said that FAW Xiali transferring the stake with a tiny RMB1 is indeed to look for a company who is willing to procure FAW Huali's PV production qualification by taking over the latter's RMB 800 million-plus debt. Established in 2016, BYTON focuses on manufacturing premium all-electric vehicles. It has previously formed partnership with FAW Group, the parent company of FAW Xiali. On July 2, the startup signed a strategic framework agreement with FAW Group in Nanjing, involving such cooperative areas as capital, technology platform, automotive parts sourcing, production qualification as well as after-sales service. FAW Group also plans to share and integrate its NEV platform with BYTON's EV platform in order to jointly develop the next-generation BYTON and Hongqi branded EVs. Besides, both parties wish to conduct in-depth cooperation in auto parts sourcing and self-driving R&D. The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has been criticised over his "bombastic" approach to the Brexit negotiations which are entering a critical phase. British prime minister Theresa May is under mounting pressure both from the EU and her own party as the Brexit deadline looms. At the start of the Conservative party's annual conference today, Britain's former foreign secretary Boris Johnson described Mrs May's Chequers proposals as "deranged". She has called on party members to unite behind the plan. Fianna Fail's Stephen Donnelly said it is now very unlikely that agreement on the backstop for the Irish border will be reached before the October EU Summit. "The Taoiseach has been quiet bombastic in his megaphone diplomacy, it hasn't helped, it has been heard in Westminster. "I would like to see the Taoiseach hold back," said Mr Donnelly. Junior Minister Sean Kyne said the way the British Government is now talking about the issue of the border and the Good Friday Agreement is "quite worrying". "Unfortunately the border was not the issue of discussion prior to the referendum and we have seen different stances within the Conservative party which is quite worrying and Theresa May has no guarantee that she can get Chequers through the parliament," he said. "As a former member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, we had a discussion before a referendum even took place, we produced a cross-party proposal, launched it in London about the possible impacts of Brexit. Everything that we talked about at that stage nearly four years ago has come to pass and we are still discussing it," he told RTE's The Week in Politics show. Gardai are appealing for the public's help in tracing a missing teenager in Dublin. 17-year-old Cian Jones hasn't been seen since Tuesday, September 25. Dublin house price rises are stabilising, according to the latest house price report from DAFT.ie. It has found the market is reacting to an increase in supply of up to 40%, year on year. The rest of Leinster has also seen housing stock increase, but the rest of the country has continued to see availability shrink. However, Ronan Lyons, an economist at Trinity College Dublin and the author of the report, says increases in availability around Dublin should have a knock-on effect elsewhere. He said: "What we saw in the third quarter of the year, that's the period between June and September, was a slowing down in house price inflation. "So, very little increase in those three months themselves and compared to the same period a year ago a much smaller increase than we have been getting used to in the last number of years. "Nationwide there was just over a 6.5% price rise in the year to September, in Dublin slightly less, just below 6%." By Patrick Flynn A transatlantic flight was forced to return to Dublin Airport today after the crew reported a mechanical issue after departure. Delta flight DL-45 departed Dublin for New York shortly after 11.30am but almost immediately the crew report they had an issue. The flight was cleared to enter a holding pattern northeast of the airport over the Irish Sea to allow the crew to troubleshoot the issue. The pilot told air traffic controllers they had detected a vibration after take-off and they were trying to establish what was causing it. It is understood that the vibration was detected in the aircrafts landing gear during retraction after take-off. After about 30 minutes circling there, the Boeing 767-400(ER) jet routed north to a location east of Dundalk and entered another patter there for a further half hour. It is understood the crew did this to burn off fuel to ensure they touched down within save landing weight limits. In the meantime, airport crash crews were placed on standby as a precaution. The flight landed safely again in Dublin about 90 minutes after originally departing and was met by emergency vehicles. Fire crews inspected the jets landing gear to ensure there had been no overheating during the emergency landing. The aircraft taxied to the terminal where engineers were waiting to investigate the issue. A spokesperson for the airline said: "Delta flight 45 operating from Dublin, Ireland to New York City returned to Dublin after experiencing a mechanical issue. The flight landed safely and a maintenance team met the flight upon arrival to evaluate the issue. The safety of Deltas customers and employees is always our top priority." Update 6.07pm: The flight had been cancelled and passengers sent to local hotels for the night. The airline confirmed that passengers have been provided with meal vouchers and will be offered a gesture of service recovery. The passengers are expected to continue their journey tomorrow. Gardai are investigating a sudden death in Co Meath. A 19-year-old man complained of feeling unwell in Ratoath and received medical attention at the scene. He was then taken to Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown where he was pronounced dead in the early hours of this morning. It is understood he had been attending a music event earlier. A file is now being prepared for the coroner. Burnley continued their Premier League climb with a 2-1 victory at Cardiff taking them up five places to 12th. Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Sam Vokes netted second-half goals either side of Josh Murphy's equaliser to give the Clarets back-to-back league wins for the first time since April. Cardiff knew victory would take them above Burnley and outside the relegation zone. But Neil Warnock's side are now winless after seven games and, with away trips to Tottenham and Liverpool in October, the situation is already looking bleak for the Bluebirds. Burnley thrashed Bournemouth 4-0 in their last league outing, but they were grateful for an improved second-half performance as the Clarets were dire before the break. But victory came at a cost with their England defender James Tarkowski forced off after 27 minutes with what appeared to be a shoulder injury. The centre-half soldiered on after needing treatment in the opening exchanges, and his injury could spell bad news for England manager Gareth Southgate ahead of Nations League games against Croatia and Spain next month. The 25-year-old won his second England cap in starting the 1-0 friendly win over Switzerland during the last international break. Cardiff had the better of a first half which was low on quality and saw the ball spend an inordinate amount of time in the air. Murphy struck the woodwork after playing a one-two with Harry Arter, although Joe Hart looked as if he might have had the shot covered. Hart also had his angles sorted at the base of a post when he prevented Kenneth Zohore profiting from Victor Camarasa's cute pass. Cardiff adopted a direct approach to put Burnley under pressure as the half wore on, with the tactic almost paying dividends on more than one occasion. Murphy's close-range effort was ruled out with Sean Morrison pinning down Tarkowski's replacement, Kevin Long, from a corner, and Matej Vydra cleared Callum Paterson's header from under his own crossbar. There was also a Cardiff penalty claim as Matt Lowton blocked Paterson's overhead kick in front of his face. But referee Martin Atkinson decided the Burnley defender was too close to the Cardiff forward and could not get out of the way of the shot. Burnley had carried little attacking threat until the 51st minute when Cardiff were caught out by a quick throw. Ashley Westwood delivered a deep cross and Gudmundsson rose above Greg Cunningham and managed to squeeze his header past Neil Etheridge at the far post. That was extremely harsh on Cardiff, but they were level within nine minutes when Camarasa and Manga combined down the right and Murphy swept home his first goal following his 11m summer arrival from Norwich. Murphy's confidence was now running high and he forced Hart into a fine fingertip save from 20 yards. But Burnley were back ahead after 71 minutes when Westwood spotted Gudmundsson's run and Vokes stooped to head home the cross and settle the contest. - PA Jay Clayton, the SEC chairman, said the settlement with Musk and Tesla sent a message that "when companies and corporate insiders make statements, they must act responsibly, including endeavouring to ensure the statements are not false or misleading." In settling, Musk neither admitted nor denied misleading investors under the civil fraud charge, which means he cannot later say he did nothing wrong. The settlement with the SEC faulted Tesla for failing to make sure that information important to investors was disclosed in a proper and timely manner. Loading Musk had a good reason to reopen the settlement talks because the SEC, in suing him, had sought to bar him permanently from serving as a top executive or officer of Tesla or any other public company. Under the deal reached Saturday, he will not only remain as chief executive, but will also stay on as a board member, just not as chairman. "The total package of remedies and relief announced today are specifically designed to address the misconduct at issue by strengthening Tesla's corporate governance and oversight in order to protect investors," said Stephanie Avakian, co-director of the SEC's enforcement division. Musk, according to people familiar with the negotiations, had been concerned whether settling a civil fraud charge might affect the ability of Tesla and the other companies he runs, including SpaceX and Boring Co., to raise money from investors in private placements and the debt markets. But a Tesla spokesman said the SEC had granted waivers to all of those companies so his settlement would not be held against them. Waivers in such a situation are not uncommon, legal experts have said. A Tesla spokesman said Musk, a billionaire, would be buying US$20 million in Tesla stock. The amount of stock being bought by Musk matches the penalty the company has to pay under the settlement, which was filed in federal court in Manhattan. The whipsaw events of the past few days followed a series of calamitous events at Tesla, many of them self-inflicted wounds caused by Musk and his tweet about going private. The SEC reacted quickly after the August 7 tweet, which caused an immediate surge in Tesla shares. Regulators served a subpoena on the company seeking information and moved to take testimony from Musk and others at the company, people familiar with the matter said. Negotiations toward an initial settlement began about a week ago, after the SEC said it was planning to send an official notice to Musk and Tesla that it was considering filing an enforcement action, those briefed on the talks said. By their account, all the parties thought a deal had been reached by Wednesday evening, and the plan was for a settlement with Musk and Tesla to be announced Thursday. Loading Musk was said to have backed away from a settlement, in part, because he was concerned that he couldn't later tell investors that he had not done nothing wrong. But the settlement Saturday requires him to do that. In an "admit nor deny" settlement, a settling party cannot later disavow the terms of the settlement. After Musk said rejected the deal Thursday, his lawyers had asked the SEC to wait a couple of days so they could talk him into it, but the regulators said no, said another person familiar with the matter but not authorised to speak publicly. Once the SEC sued Musk, his lawyers continued to talk to him about moving forward with a settlement and eventually he agreed, this person said. In the meantime, Musk had conversations with investors and Mark Cuban, an entrepreneur who has had his own battles with the SEC, and they gave him a sense of how difficult it is to fight one of these suits, even if he eventually won. The parties worked much of Friday and Saturday to get a deal done. The World Trade Organisation, International Monetary Fund and World Bank on Sunday issued an emergency call to reform the multilateral trading system as the US retreats from prior agreements. 'The urgent challenge today is to harness the unique strength of the WTO,' the bodies said in a joint report. 'The slow pace of reforms since the early 2000s, fundamental changes in a more interconnected modern economy, and the risk of trade policy reversals call for urgency to reinvigorate trade policy reforms.' President Trump has questioned whether the US needs to remain in organisations such as the WTO. Credit:Bloomberg President Donald Trump this week harshly criticised globalism in general and questioned America's participation in multilateral institutions like the WTO during the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York. Meanwhile, fallout from the escalating US-China trade conflict led the WTO to cut its trade growth forecast this week, and WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo warned that a full-blown trade war 'would knock around 17 per cent off global trade growth, and 1.9 per cent off GDP growth.' Police are investigating the cause of a fire that destroyed a home in Canberra's inner north on Saturday night. Firefighters were called to the home on Longstaff Street in Lyneham about 9pm. Fire destroyed a home in Lyneham on Saturday night. Credit:Katie Burgess Three pumpers, the breathing apparatus van and two commanders attended the scene. The roof collapsed and firefighters had to suspend search and salvage operations due to the extensive damage. Firefighters were using hydraulic rescue tools to cut a woman from her car after a crash in Florey on Sunday afternoon. The ACT Emergency Services Agency said the Ambulance Service and Fire & Rescue were called to a two-car crash on Coulter Drive near Joynton Smith Drive just after 3pm. "A woman and her two teenage children are being assessed by intensive care paramedics. All are in a stable condition with minor injuries," it said in a statement about 3.45pm. "The driver from the second car is also being treated at the scene. He is in a stable condition." All four people are expected to be taken to Canberra Hospital. The NSW government spent $87 million on advertising in the last year, the most it has spent since the Coalition took office in 2011, with campaigns designed to assuage commuter concerns accounting for a significant part of the cash splash. Over $28 million almost a third of the Berejiklian government's total advertising spend in 2017-18 was on transport and road safety campaigns, according to the latest annual expenditure report. The NSW government spent over $28 million in 2017-18 on public transport and road safety advertising campaigns. Credit:James Alcock One of the most expensive transport campaigns is the "Tomorrow's Sydney" ad series, with the government's lead transport agency, Transport for NSW, splashing over $16 million on the campaign since it was first launched in 2015. Transport for NSW defended the advertising as a "critical tool" for communicating the changes and disruptions associated with the government's $51.5 billion public transport and road infrastructure program. NSW parliament's longest serving MP and leading morals campaigner, the Christian Democrat elder Reverend Fred Nile, has failed to properly declare his business interests and positions in associations for at least 10 years, a Herald analysis reveals. The pecuniary interest disclosures of Mr Nile, which are required by law to be updated each year, are inaccurate and inconsistent, the analysis shows. Reverend Fred Nile's pecuniary interest disclosures are inaccurate. Credit:Jon Reid Mr Nile, the leader of the Christian Democratic Party (CDP), is the sole shareholder, director and secretary of Family World News, which was created in 1994 and produces a monthly publication by the same name, according to ASIC documents. But he did not declare he held an interest and positions in the Family World News company until 2014-15 and 2016-17, under "part five: interests and positions in corporations". In the year between, he omitted any reference to it. Kigali, Rwanda: - Drawing cartoons or producing writing that "humiliates" a government official is now a crime in Rwanda. Journalists say the law that took effect on Thursday will greatly affect work that is meant to hold public officials, including Cabinet members to account. Defaming Rwanda's head of state, President Paul Kagame, already was illegal, bringing five to seven years in prison and a $11,000 fine. It was not immediately clear if the law affects people who post such writings on social media. A cartoonist who breaks the law faces up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $1500. If the cartoon targets a member of parliament or top-ranking official, the penalty doubles. Mr Stefanovic is also calling on Australia to consider severing ties with Myanmars military. The pending release by Mr Pompeo of the final conclusions of the US inquiry will supplement a summary of the State Departments "factual" findings released last week, which accused Myanmar's military of waging a coordinated campaign of mass killings, gang rapes and other atrocities against the Rohingya Muslim minority. UN investigators estimate 10,000 Rohingya have been killed. The investigation In May, Mr Stefanovic conducted interviews with dozens of Rohingya in camps in Bangladesh, where almost 700,000 Rohingya are living as refugees. Rohingya refugee women wait in their line as the men in their line run past for a meal provided by a Turkish aid agency. Credit:Kate Geraghty The interviews helped inform the State Department's findings that Myanmar's military engaged in attacks in Rakhine State that were extreme, large-scale, widespread, and seemingly geared toward both terrorising the population and driving out the Rohingya residents". Loading The first randomly selected survivor Mr Stefanovic interviewed described no less than three significant massacres, one of which involved hundreds of bodies floating in a waterway. When Mr Stefanovic, a former homicide detective with Victoria Police, debriefed with his inquiry team after his first day on the ground in Bangladesh, his fellow investigators told similar stories. Often it takes a while before the crimes of that extent emerge," he said. "But everyone had hit the ground running with a fairly horrendous account of what had occurred in Myanmar. I had got to that point of my career where I was sort of a fairly cold, objective, dispassionate, detached a cold bastard, Mr Stefanovic said. Yet the accounts of the Rohingya moved him. He said one story more than others had stayed with him. A man who fled from Myanmar in October 2017 described being forced by a military official to select a woman from a crowd of Rohingya villagers. The man said she was then raped by several soldiers in front of horrified villagers. When a fellow villager protested, he was executed by a Tatmadaw commander. He was a broken man, Mr Stefanovic recalls of the survivor. Report findings The State Department's summary "factual" report describes a well-planned and coordinated" military operation to terrorise the Rohingya. It documents the use of public gang rape as a military weapon, as well as the murder of toddlers. Some people were buried alive in a military campaign prompted by attacks by Rohingya insurgents in August 2017. Mr Pompeo is now weighing whether to declare the acts a genocide, a move that would increase pressure on the international community to act but which might be resisted by Russia and China and be contrary to President Donald Trumps desire for the US to step back from its role as a global watchdog. Mr Stefanovic said the evidence that a genocide has occurred is compelling. There were mass killings, there were atrocities that were committed with a view to terrorising a population to force them out of the country and that all qualifies as genocide, he said. In August, a United Nations investigation described the genocidal intent underpinning the militarys campaign. The UN report called for six high-ranking military officials, including commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing, to be prosecuted for genocide. Mr Stefanovic said he was speaking out about his work with the State Department which usually communicates via senior diplomats and press releases to urge Australia to respond more forcefully to the humanitarian catastrophe. Australia must act Australias newly appointed foreign affairs minister Marise Payne recently said the government was considering its options, including targeted sanctions in response to the UN findings. Ms Payne is expected to meet Mr Pompeo this week and discuss the Myanmar report. On Saturday, she told the UN General Assembly that Australia was deeply disturbed at the reports of atrocities and was working with Myanmar and with ASEAN and regional partners ... to find long-term solutions to this complex crisis". Mr Stefanovic said the release of the State Department report was cause for Australia to act, using its standing in the region to champion a peacekeeping force and a tribunal . Someone needs to get in there and intervene, provide stability to enable the return of the Rohingya into Myanmar [and] to set up methods to ensure they have got national recognition, theyve got citizenship and that theres some form of justice mechanism put in place. Mr Stefanovic also called for targeted sanctions of military officials and a review of the support given by Australia to the Tatmadaw, which in the last financial year reportedly included $400,000 for training. It needs to be definitely looked at with the view to being cut. Limited expectations Mr Stefanovic said resistance by the Russian and Chinese governments may stymie any US-led intervention and Australia may be more successful if it led efforts to form a regional coalition. This is where the Australian government can come in. Some sort of regional approach might be more palatable and much quicker to come to bear. I think Australia could bring its experience from [the Solomon Islands], Bougainville and other places to help drive that. He is not hopeful that those responsible for genocidal acts in Myanmar will ever be fully held to account. Birmingham: The British Conservative Party faces a potential fine of up to 2 million ($3.6 million) after its software for delegates to its annual conference exposed the personal details of thousands of MPs and attendees, including Cabinet ministers. As Prime Minister Theresa May arrived in Birmingham for the conference on Saturday night, her party headquarters was scrambling to lock down a function on its mobile phone application that allowed anyone to log in as an MP or a speaker, exposing their private contact details. Ministers and senior MPs reacted with fury after the blunder was revealed on social media, where images posted on Twitter showed users logging in as Boris Johnson, the former foreign secretary, among other senior figures. A government source raised concerns about the potential security implications for Cabinet ministers, given that mobile numbers can be used to track the location of associated telephones. At least one of the potential witnesses who is likely to be interviewed by the FBI Leland Keyser, who Blasey said was at the high school gathering where the assault is said to have occurred notified the Judiciary Committee on Saturday morning that she would cooperate with the FBI's investigation. Keyser, a longtime friend of Blasey's, has said she does not recall the gathering in question. But her lawyer, Howard Walsh, said in a letter to the committee that his client's lack of a memory of the gathering does not mean she does not believe Blasey. "Notably, Ms Keyser does not refute Dr Ford's account, and she has already told the press that she believes Dr Ford's account," her lawyer wrote. Blasey sometimes goes by her married name, Ford. Christine Blasey Ford speaks during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Thursday. Credit:AP In his testimony Thursday, Kavanaugh claimed that Keyser's earlier statements had "refuted" Blasey's accusations. The delay in a full Senate vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation to accommodate the new examination was forced Friday by Republican senators Jeff Flake of Arizona, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Without their votes to confirm the judge, Trump and Republican leaders in the Senate had no choice but to request an FBI inquiry a move Democrats had demanded for days. Flake, who is retiring, described to The Atlantic on Friday night his last-minute decision to change his mind on moving ahead with a quick confirmation of Kavanaugh. Flake said he was motivated to call for a delay as a way to preserve the institutions of the Senate and the Supreme Court. "The Supreme Court is the lone institution where most Americans still have some faith. And then the US Senate as an institution we're coming apart at the seams," Flake said, echoing remarks he made when he announced his retirement. "There's no currency, no market for reaching across the aisle. It just makes it so difficult." Flake conceded that opponents of Kavanaugh's confirmation may try to use the delay to dig up more dirt on him. But the senator said that unless the FBI investigation revealed new concerns, he was likely to support the judge's confirmation. Republican Senator Jeff Flake speaks during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing about an FBI investigation on Friday. Credit:AP "I'm a conservative. He's a conservative. I plan to support him unless they turn up something and they might," said Flake, who has indicated that he would like the FBI to speak to Mark Judge, a friend of Kavanaugh's whom Blasey has identified as a key witness to her allegation and who has disputed her account. Still, the move left both parties nervous and uncertain about what might happen in the battle over the Supreme Court, which is playing out just weeks before voters go to the polls in elections that will determine control of Congress for the remainder of Trump's term in office. The nationally televised testimony by Blasey and Kavanaugh may have deepened the divides in an already polarised electorate. If Kavanaugh is confirmed, that could increase the number of women and liberals who turn out to vote. If he is rejected, enraged conservatives might surge to the polls. An undated photo provided by Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence shows Deborah Ramirez. who has accused Judge Brett Kavanaugh of sexual impropriety when at Yale. Credit:AP The new investigation by the FBI is a limited background check of Kavanaugh, not a full-fledged criminal inquiry. The bureau is looking into only what it has been ordered to examine by the White House. It was also not clear whether the FBI would investigate a series of allegations made by a third woman, Julie Swetnick, who has said that she witnessed a severely drunken Kavanaugh mistreat women at parties in high school and that he was present at parties where high school boys gang-raped teenage girls. "We have yet to hear from the FBI. When and if we do, we will promptly disclose to them all information and witnesses in our possession," Michael Avenatti, a lawyer for Swetnick, said on Saturday on Twitter. "We continue to request this opportunity as we have been doing for days." Kavanaugh has also forcefully denied the allegations by Swetnick, calling them completely false and ridiculous. Loading North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho addresses the 73rd United Nations General Assembly on September 29, 2018, at the United Nations in New York. AFP Calling for more trust, North Korea's foreign minister urged the United States on Saturday to keep moving past what he called seven decades of entrenched hostility if Washington wants to restart stalled negotiations meant to rid Pyongyang of its nuclear bombs. Boiling the rivals' diplomatic standoff down to the North's deepening feeling of mistrust, Ri Yong Ho sought to lay out a vision of peace on the troubled Korean Peninsula _ provided the North gets what it wants from the United States. Ri, standing at a podium at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, said North Korea is ready to implement the points that his leader, Kim Jong Un, and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to in June during a summit in Singapore. But his comments were infused with what came across as impatience at the slow pace of progress in a process the world hopes will cause Pyongyang to abandon an arsenal of nuclear-tipped missiles that aims to accurately target the entire U.S. mainland. North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho addresses the 73rd United Nations General Assembly on September 29, 2018, at the United Nations in New York. AFP The South Korea delegation listens as North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho addresses the 73rd United Nations General Assembly on September 29, 2018, at the United Nations in New York. AFP North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho addresses the 73rd United Nations General Assembly on September 29, 2018, at the United Nations in New York. AFP In recent weeks, Kim Jong Un has said he would permanently dismantle North Korea's main nuclear complex, but only if the United States takes unspecified corresponding measures. Kim has also promised to accept international inspectors to monitor the closing of a key missile test site and launch pad. The North, however, doesn't ''see any corresponding response'' from Washington. On the contrary, Ri said, the United States is increasing pressure and sanctions. 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 An activist group in the UK is planning to stage a "loud" demonstration outside the final annual general meeting of Indian mining tycoon Anil Agarwal's here on Monday to demand justice for the 13 protesters killed in a police shooting at the company's copper smelter in in May. Foil Vedanta, a grassroots activist group centred in London, also blames the City of London Corporation and UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for failing to regulate or penalise the company, which will be formally delisted from the (LSE) on October 1. "We cannot let Vedanta boss Anil Agarwal escape accountability and justice in the UK, under whose jurisdiction he has committed widespread financial, human rights and environmental crimes," said Foil Vedanta's Samarendra Das, who is the primary author of a new report titled 'Vedanta's Billions'. The report will be handed to the FCA as part of a series of protests on Monday, calling on the UK's financial watchdog to investigate the company. ALSO READ: Vedanta Resources to ink deals for 41 oil and gas blocks on October 1 "The FCA and City of London must now initiate proceedings against Vedanta or remain complicit in enabling and mitigating these abuses," he said. The report is a summary of legal judgments against Vedanta across its operations, holding the company responsible for "abusive modus operandi" due to "illegal mining in Goa, pollution and tax evasion in Zambia, as well as illegal expansion and pollution in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu". "Vedanta's track record of human rights, environmental and financial violations, together with its already complicated financial structure, strongly suggests that delisting is part of a policy to further limit public scrutiny of its operations," the report claims. It alleges that the delisting follows the police shooting which killed 13 people, including women and children, on May 22 this year their 100th day of protest against pollution by Vedanta's copper smelter at in "The killing is being dubbed a 'corporate massacre' and led to the closure of the Sterlite copper plant. Vedanta's delisting plans were announced shortly afterwards amidst global protests against the company," the report concludes. ALSO READ: Vedanta Resources Chairman Anil Agarwal to take company private on Oct 1 British MP Hywel Williams, who was handed a copy of the report, said, "This is a deeply concerning and disturbing report. I will be taking note of its findings and seeking to ensure that MPs, policymakers and the Westminster government are informed of its findings". "The report once again emphasises the need for action by UK authorities to investigate and regulate London-listed corporations that carry out illegal and immoral acts overseas," Williams said. chairman Anil Agarwal is set to take the LSE-listed company private from Monday, after the company's family-owned trust Volcan Investments had got the go-ahead for the move from minority shareholders in early September. ALSO READ: Vedanta Resources delisting from LSE to complete by September end Agarwal has previously stated that the buy-out of the London listing was intended to simplify the company's structure and claimed that the liquidity of Indian markets meant that the need for a separate London listing was no longer critical. In a video message on Twitter soon after the deaths in Thoothikudi, he had described the incident as "absolutely unfortunate" and expressed "full sympathy" with the families of those who killed in the protests. Jeffrey Bates is licensed to practice law in the State of Texas, but is not board certified in any area of specialty by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. This column is meant for general information and educational purposes only, and neither this column nor the transmittal of a legal question via email constitutes the creation of an attorney/client relationship between the reader and Jeffrey Bates and/or Southern Newspapers Inc. For specific advice regarding legal matters affecting you, consult an attorney. To submit a question, send it via email to JeffreyPBates@aol.com, or via regular mail to Ask the Lawyer, 101 S. First St., Lufkin 75901, or call 639-2900. India Sunday strongly hit back at for the "preposterous allegation" its Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi made at the UN that terrorists behind the 2014 attack on a Peshawar school were "supported" by India, saying the "despicable insinuation" dishonours the memory of the children killed in the assault. Indian diplomat from the country's Permanent Mission to the UN, Eenam Gambhir, exercised India's Right of Reply and rejected Qureshi's baseless allegation made during his General Assembly address last night. "Among the most outrageous was the preposterous allegation relating to the horrific terror attack on a Peshawar school four years ago," Gambhir said. She reminded the new government under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, that there was an outpouring of sorrow and pain in India following the massacre of children in 2014. She said both Houses of India's Parliament had expressed solidarity while paying respects to those killed. "Schools all over India had observed two minutes of silence in their memory. The despicable insinuation made by the foreign minister of dishonours the memory of the innocent lives lost to terrorists that day," Gambhir said. She said the allegation was a "desperate attempt" to look away from the monster of terror Pakistan has created in its quest to destabilise its neighbours and covet their territory. Qureshi had said that Pakistan will never forget the mass murder of more than 150 children in the Peshawar school, the Mastung attack and many others that "have links with terrorists supported by India." The Peshawar attack was carried out by heavily-armed 8-10 Taliban suicide bombers who stormed the army-run school and took several hostages. The attackers wearing paramilitary Frontier Corps uniforms had entered the school and started indiscriminate firing. Gambhir also took a dig at Qureshi's emphasis on a "new Pakistan" under Khan, saying while the Indian delegation had come to listen to Pakistan's "new" foreign minister outline the vision of a new Pakistan, "what we heard is a 'New Pakistan' cast in the mold of old." Gambhir tore into Pakistan's claim that it has turned the tide against terrorism, saying a fact-check of this claim will give a different picture. She asked if Pakistan can deny the fact that it is the "host and patron" of 132 of the UN-designated terrorists and 22 terrorist entities listed under the Sanctions regimes. "Will Pakistan deny that the UN-designated terrorist enjoys a free run inside Pakistan and spews venom and sets up candidates for electoral offices," she said. With Qureshi again raking up the issue, Gambhir asserted that India is making it clear to the "new government" of Pakistan that the entire state of Jammu and is and will remain an integral part of India. India also ripped through efforts of the 'New Pakistan' to champion human rights. "This is vintage verbal duplicity," Gambhir said, citing the example of Princeton economic professor Atif Mian. The economist was appointed and removed by Khan's government from the Economic Advisory Council on the grounds that he belongs to a minority. Mian is an Ahmadi, a religious minority of Pakistan. "Before preaching to the world, championing of human rights should begin at home," Gambhir said. She said a report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Kashmir, which Qureshi mentioned and welcomed in his speech, is a publication that no UN member-state had asked for or supported and on which no action was taken. India lambasted Pakistan's assertion that had called off the proposed foreign minister-level talks on flimsy grounds. "The new foreign minister of Pakistan chose to term the gruesome killing of our security personnel by Pakistani-sponsored terrorists as 'flimsy grounds'," she said. She said Qureshi's speech was made up of "fake allegations and fake facts" which can only make for a "fake vision." Qureshi had said Pakistan desires a relationship with India based on sovereign equality and mutual respect and sought resolution of disputes through a serious and comprehensive dialogue that covers all issues of concern. He said Pakistan was to meet on the sidelines of this UNGA Session to talk about all issues with India but called off the dialogue for the third time on flimsy grounds. "They preferred politics over peace," he had said. India had called off the meeting, citing the brutal killings of three policemen in Jammu and and after Islamabad released postage stamps glorifying Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani. "For a new vision to materialise, Pakistan must demonstrate that it has moved beyond a narrative of deception, deceit and distortion," Gambhir said. Exercising its Right of Reply, Pakistan said the claims of religious superiority are perpetrated through state patronage all across India. The Pakistani representative made a reference to Farook Ahmad Dar, saying he was tied to an army vehicle and used as a human shield in the Valley. He said members from India's minority communities are publicly lynched at the hands of Hindu zealots. He said is an internationally-recognised dispute and the UN has called for holding of a impartial plebiscite to ascertain the wishes of the Kashmiri people. He said is not a part of India, adding, "India cannot hide behind semantics anymore. An activist group in the UK is planning to stage a "loud" demonstration outside the final annual general meeting of Indian mining tycoon Anil Agarwal's here on Monday to demand justice for the 13 protesters killed in a police shooting at the company's copper smelter in Tamil Nadu in May. Foil Vedanta, a grassroots activist group centred in London, also blames the City of London Corporation and UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for failing to regulate or penalise the company, which will be formally delisted from the (LSE) on October 1. "We cannot let Vedanta boss escape accountability and justice in the UK, under whose jurisdiction he has committed widespread financial, human rights and environmental crimes," said Foil Vedanta's Samarendra Das, who is the primary author of a new report titled 'Vedanta's Billions'. The report will be handed to the FCA as part of a series of protests on Monday, calling on the UK's financial watchdog to investigate the company. "The FCA and City of London must now initiate proceedings against Vedanta or remain complicit in enabling and mitigating these abuses," he said. The report is a summary of legal judgments against Vedanta across its operations, holding the company responsible for "abusive modus operandi" due to "illegal mining in Goa, pollution and tax evasion in Zambia, as well as illegal expansion and pollution in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu". "Vedanta's track record of human rights, environmental and financial violations, together with its already complicated financial structure, strongly suggests that delisting is part of a policy to further limit public scrutiny of its operations," the report claims. It alleges that the delisting follows the police shooting which killed 13 people, including women and children, on May 22 this year their 100th day of protest against pollution by Vedanta's copper smelter at Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu. "The killing is being dubbed a 'corporate massacre' and led to the closure of the Sterlite copper plant. Vedanta's delisting plans were announced shortly afterwards amidst global protests against the company," the report concludes. British MP Hywel Williams, who was handed a copy of the report, said, "This is a deeply concerning and disturbing report. I will be taking note of its findings and seeking to ensure that MPs, policymakers and the Westminster government are informed of its findings". "The report once again emphasises the need for action by UK authorities to investigate and regulate London-listed corporations that carry out illegal and immoral acts overseas," Williams said. chairman is set to take the LSE-listed company private from Monday, after the company's family-owned trust Volcan Investments had got the go-ahead for the move from minority shareholders in early September. Agarwal has previously stated that the buy-out of the London listing was intended to simplify the company's structure and claimed that the liquidity of Indian markets meant that the need for a separate London listing was no longer critical. In a video message on Twitter soon after the deaths in Thoothikudi, he had described the incident as "absolutely unfortunate" and expressed "full sympathy" with the families of those who killed in the protests. If you thought the 2019 Lok Sabha elections would be fought by politicians on issues concerning the common citizen, think again! For, the politically-crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, with a population of 220 million people, is all set to see a keen contest of affection for Hindu gods in the mother of all battles in 2019 when Prime Minister seeks a second term for himself. Yes, you got it right, read on. This time, it is Lord Ram yet again for the (BJP), Lord Shiva for the Congress and Lord Vishnu for the (SP) who will spearhead elections in the interesting times that lie ahead of the general elections. The (BSP), too, is not averse to drumming up support by taking names of Hindu gods and positioning itself beyond the cliched image of being just a party of Dalits. And so it's not just the saffron camp which is sharpening its armoury with the name of Lord Ram for 2019. All parties relevant to the contest are on the drawing board trying their best to project themselves as the champions of soft Hindutva and trying to wash away the image of being "pro-Muslim", something that hit their image hard in 2014, when Modi, riding on this perception, romped home with a big mandate in the state. While the BJP has once again started the drum-beating on its commitment to the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya and has set its eyes on the team of holy men to help it sail through once again, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliate units like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) are working on the ground to ensure a "repeat of the Hindu wave of the 90s" when the Ram temple issue was at its peak, paying political and electoral dividends to the BJP. The Congress, which was hurt the most by being portrayed as a party of Muslims, this time is trying very hard to shrug off its image. And so the prefixes of "Thakur, Pandit, Hindu Hriday Samraat" can be seen against names of its political stalwarts in hoardings and posters. Congress president Rahul Gandhi, thanks to his many visits to temples in recent times, is now being portrayed by the party cadres as a "Shiv Bhakt" who has just returned from the divine abode of the deity -- Kailash Mansarovar. During a recent visit, the Gandhi scion was welcomed in his Amethi parliamentary constituency with hundreds of posters showing him as a Shiv Bhakt. Small-time party workers and leaders can be seen delivering speeches on how great a Hindu Rahul is and how much he follows the rituals of the religion he belongs to but does not flaunt it on his sleeve. Overzealous Congress supporters seem to be going overboard as well. This week, the Congress president looked annoyed when he was greeted by party men at the Bamrauli airport in Allahabad with slogans of "Bum, Bum Bhole" (glory to Lord Mahadev). Last time these slogans became part of campaigning were in Varanasi in 2014 when Modi began his campaign in the holy town. was greeted with slogans of "Jai Shri Ram" at Chitrakoot when he visited a temple recently. The BSP has in the past dabbled with slogans like the "Haathi nahin Ganesh hai, Brahma, Vishnu Mahesh hai" (It is not just an elephant [the party symbol] but the trinity of Hindu Gods). This is part of the BSP's effort to break the image of being a Dalit-run dispensation and of working for the "sarv samaj" (entire society). "We will certainly use this slogan again to our benefit," a senior party strategist averred. Surprisingly, and interestingly, the SP this time is trying the hardest to maintain its distance, at least overtly, from the Muslim community and not come across as their champions at the cost of Hindus. "We were wrongly portrayed as a Muslim-appeasing party. This time we are careful and will reply to the rumors of the BJP deftly," a senior party leader told IANS. SP chief and former Chief Minister has publicly announced that he is getting a temple of Lord Vishnu constructed at his native village Saifai. Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya of the BJP chuckled at this "change of heart". "I am happy that he missed no opportunity to appease Muslims but is now chanting the name of Hindu gods... it shows the power of the Hindus," he said. Rajya Sabha member and former SP general secretary Amar Singh, however, trashed the "hriday parivartan" (change of heart) of the SP president and dubbed it a "drama for votes". Whom the gods will side with and who will get the blessings of the voters is for time to tell but, for now, the gods are going to be busy in the election season as everybody is wooing and propitiating them for electoral and political dividends. President said he and North Korea's Kim Jong Un have fallen "in love" -- their bromance fuelled by "beautiful letters" he received from the leader of the nuclear-armed state. on Saturday elevated his recent praise of Kim to new heights, at a West Virginia rally in support of local candidates for his Republican Party. "And then we fell in love -- OK? No really. He wrote me beautiful letters and they're great letters. We fell in love," told the crowd. On Monday at the United Nations General Assembly, Trump lauded the North Korean strongman -- who is accused by the UN and others of widespread human rights abuses -- as "terrific", one year after Trump eviscerated Kim from the same platform. Trump followed those comments by saying Wednesday he had received an "extraordinary letter" from Kim, and sounded optimistic about prospects for a second summit between the two leaders "fairly quickly." Trump used his debut address at the UN General Assembly 12 months ago to threaten to "totally destroy" and belittle its leader as "rocket man," prompting Kim to respond by calling the president a "mentally deranged dotard." Those were among a series of playground-type slurs the leaders of the two nuclear-armed states hurled at each other, setting the world on edge. Last August, after media reported had successfully miniaturized a nuclear warhead to fit into a missile, Trump warned not to threaten the United States or it would face "fire and fury like the world has never seen." Kim had earlier compared comments by Trump to the bark of a "rabid dog," and Trump derided Kim as a "sick puppy" -- before the apparent outbreak of puppy love. Trump met Kim in Singapore in June for the first-ever summit between the two countries that have never signed a peace treaty. The summit led to a warming of ties and a halt in Pyongyang's missile launches, but there has been little concrete progress since. North Korea's foreign minister Ri Yong Ho on Saturday told the UN there was "no way" that his country would disarm first as long as the US to push for tough enforcement of sanctions against When Jeremy Doyle and his wife had a baby boy last year, he took 12 weeks of paternity leave. Not many new dads take off that much time. But that wasn't what made the San Francisco executive's experience so unusual. This is: His paternity leave was mandatory. Mr. Doyle's employer, Boston-based people analytics firm Humanyze, is among the first not only to give men and women equal lengths of paid parental leave but to insist that men take it. The firm instituted the policy in 2016 because most men don't take leave even when it's offered, for fear that it will derail their ... They believe that the apex bank should have discussed with market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), to come up with a solution instead of taking a harsh action at a time when there is nervousness anyway because of the IL&FS problem. And now, we have a compliance issue with one of the better banks in India. A template needs to ... 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 As many as 832 people have been killed by the earthquake and Tsunami that hit the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Friday. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) confirmed that nearly 821 victims have been found in the city of Palu. The rest of the deceased were found in Donggalla, reported Jakarta Post. Most deaths were reportedly caused either due to people being buried under rubble or the tsunami. The Disaster Victim Identification method was used to identify the victims, a police officer told the Jakata Post. The death toll is likely to further escalate, BNPB spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, confirmed. Rescures have yet to reach certain calamity-struck areas and identify victims. The BNPB also confirmed that at least 540 people were injured from the disasters, with a futher 16, 372 people displaced. The Indonesia government has sanctioned Rp 560 billion ($37.6 million) in relief funds for the disaster. Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani also said that the funds could be increased for aid and repairs on infrastructure. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday lauded Indian Naval officer Abhilash Tomy for his extraordinary courage, will-power and determination and termed him as an inspiration for the youth of the nation. Kirti Chakra Awardee, Abhilash Tomy was rescued on September 24 from the Indian Ocean after he met with an accident while representing India in Golden Globe Race (GGR). He had suffered a back injury after his yacht was dismasted due to extremely rough weather and sea conditions. Elaborating upon this incident, Prime Minister Modi mentioned Tomy's tough fight against the ocean's might and appreciated his valor during his 'Mann ki Baat' address to the nation. The Prime Minister said, "A few days back a brave naval officer of our country had to fight with a situation of life and death. Abhilash Tomy is a very courageous officer. He is the first Indian citizen to have sailed alone for the circumnavigation of the globe in a small boat without any help of the modern technology. For the past 80 days, he was cruising alone in the southern part of Indian Ocean while participating in Golden Globe Race (GGR). He was moving ahead by maintaining his pace in the ocean. A terrible storm created a problem for him. But this brave Indian naval officer fought without food and water in the middle of the ocean for many days but did not accept defeat. He is an extraordinary example of valour, courage and strong willpower." Further, in his address, the Prime Minister shared his conversation with Tomy after he was rescued from the sea and said, "Few days back, after he was rescued from the ocean, I spoke to Abhilash Tommy. I had met him once previously. He told me of his determination to repeat such a feat again. His resolve even after surviving such an ordeal is an inspiration for youth. I pray for his good health." "His courage, valour, willpower, strength and determination to win will surely inspire the younger generation of our country. He is an inspiration for the young generation of the country." Prime Minister Modi on September 27 spoke to Tomy to inquire about his well being. Tomy, who is recuperating at 'Amsterdam isle', will be brought back to India onboard INS Satpura. He is scheduled to reach India later in October. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that the latter was bailing out the debt-ridden Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) using funds from the State Bank of India (SBI) and Life Insurance Company (LIC). "Modi Ji, your favourite private company, ILFS is about to sink. You want to save it by using LIC money. Why? LIC is a symbol of trust in the country. People save every penny to buy an LIC policy. Why do you want to protect the fraudsters with their money? Does ILFS mean 'I Love Financial Scams' for you?" he tweeted. Earlier in the day, the Congress President, while referring to the same issue, had claimed that the "chowkidaar" had been caught after the scam surfaced in the public domain. "Lights, Camera, scam. Scene 1: 2007, CM Modi gives IL&FS the GIFT CITY project worth Rs 70,000 crore. Nowadays, there no work. The fraud has surfaced. Scene 2: 2018, PM Modi is bailing out IL&FS using Rs 91,000 crore in public funds from LIC-SBI. The chokidar is caught," he had tweeted. On Saturday, Maharashtra Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam had also accused the Centre of pressing SBI and LIC into bailing out IL&FS. He also alleged that the bankruptcy of the firm was due to poor corporate governance by the Centre. Recent defaults in interest payments since August 27 have raised concerns over the firm's financial stability. The firm has defaulted on debt payments as many as seven times between September 12 and 27. IF&LS has over Rs 91,000 crore in debt. LIC and SBI are both stakeholders at the firm. While LIC owns 25.34 per cent stake, SBI holds 6.42 per cent stake. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has contacted the second victim, Deborah Ramirez who has accused Supreme Court Judge Nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault. Ramirez had accused Kavanaugh of exposing himself to her at a Yale college party in the 1980s. On Friday, United States President Donald Trump ordered the FBI to conduct a supplemental investigation into Kavanaugh over Christine Blasey Ford's sexual assault allegation. Trump also conveyed his confidence in the FBI investigation claiming that it might be a "blessing in disguise". "The FBI I believe is doing a really great job. They have been all over already. They have free rein. They're going to do whatever they have to do, whatever it is they do. They'll be doing things that we've never even thought of, and hopefully at the conclusion, everything will be fine," he added. The investigation was requested by Republican Party Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona, who supported Kavanaugh on a condition that the nomination of the judge will be delayed and an FBI investigation will be ordered to probe the case. He, however, insisted that the delay should not be more than a week. Ford, a professor at Palo Alto University in California, had alleged that Kavanaugh had assaulted her during a party in the 1980s when they were both in high school. She had accused Kavanaugh of groping her and attempting to remove her clothes. Kavanaugh, however, denied all the allegations during the testimony, saying that his reputation and that of his family has been "totally and permanently destroyed". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) White House counselor Kellyanne Conway opened up about being sexually assaulted in the past and expressed empathy for other victims of sexual assault. "I feel very empathetic for victims of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and rape. I'm a victim of sexual assault," she told CNN. However, Conway, while speaking about the case of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who has been accused of assault by a professor, Christine Blasey Ford, argued that an individual should be responsible for his/her own conduct. "I don't expect Judge Kavanaugh or Jake Tapper or Jeff Flake or anybody to be held responsible for that (sexual assault). You have to be responsible for your own conduct," she added. Conway further clarified that the ongoing probe on Kavanaugh should not be compared to the 'Me Too' uprising, which saw women accusing men in a position of power of sexual misconduct. "Let's not compare Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby, and a few others, to what's happened here, if we're going to have a national conversation, stop judging the victims and perpetrators according to their politics," she said. Clearing the air about working with United States President Donald Trump, Conway asserted that the US President was "so good to the women who work for him." Ford, a professor at Palo Alto University in California, had alleged that Kavanaugh had assaulted her during a party in the 1980s when they were both in high school. She had accused Kavanaugh of groping her and attempting to remove her clothes. Kavanaugh, however, denied all the allegations during the testimony, and said the reputation of him and his family has been "totally and permanently destroyed". In the wake of the developments, Trump directed the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to conduct a supplemental investigation on Kavanaugh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a day's visit to Gujarat, inaugurated three Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals and said a fourth one is in the pipeline. At Anjar, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the Mundra LNG terminal, the Anjar-Mundra pipeline project, and the Palanpur-Pali-Barmer pipeline project. Addressing a gathering here, the Prime Minister said, "The inauguration of the LNG terminal is the highlight of today's programme. I am fortunate to have inaugurated three LNG terminals. When Gujarat got its first LNG terminal, people were surprised. Now, we are poised to make a fourth LNG terminal." "Everyone can see how Kutch has changed in the last 20 years. Those born after 2001 will not be able to imagine how underdeveloped the area was. The water problem was acute. Very few people came here. Today, the world is coming to Kutch," he added. Hailing the strides made in the development of the region, Prime Minister Modi highlighted that in Anjar, development projects worth Rs. 6000 crore have either been inaugurated or are in the process of being developed. Emphasising on the need of being energy efficient, he said, "We cannot alleviate poverty if we are energy poor. A strong energy sector is needed for the growth of any country." The Prime Minister further said the demand for single lane roads is being replaced by that of I-ways, grass grids, water grids, and optical fibre networks, in addition to conventional infrastructure. Highlighting the growth in India's tourism sector, he asserted, "There are ample opportunities in the tourism sector. The world is keen to come to India. We have seen in Kutch too, how the White Rann has become the cynosure of all eyes from across the world. Like this, there are many places to discover in every district." He also shed light on the Centre's vision of electrifying every corner of the country and said "From the ramparts of the Red Fort I said that we will electrify the 18,000 villages of India. The entire machinery worked round the clock to make this happen. Now, we are working towards electrifying every single household in India. We want to bring qualitative changes in the lives of the common citizen of India." Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated a number of modern food processing facilities at Anand, including Amul's ultra-modern chocolate plant, and laid the foundation stone for the expansion of Amul manufacturing facilities at Anand and Khatraj. He also inaugurated Anand Agricultural University's incubation center-cum-center of excellence in food processing. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday stressed upon the significance of innovation and value addition while addressing a public gathering here on Sunday. "There was a time when there would be scarcity. We had to import food grains. Now, things have changed. Today, the time has come to give importance to innovation and value addition", he said. Prime Minister Modi was in Anand to inaugurate a number of modern food processing facilities worth Rs 1100 crore, including Amul's ultra-modern chocolate plant and Anand Agricultural Univesity's incubation centre-cum-centre of excellence in food processing. He also inaugurated a solar cooperative society at Mujhkuva village and laid the foundation stone for the expansion of Amul manufacturing facilities at Anand and Khatraj. Talking further about the importance of the cooperative sector in helping the farmers of Gujarat, Prime Minister Modi said, "Not only Amul, people in North Gujarat also worked in the cooperative sector. We have the Banas Dairy, the Dudhsagar Dairy. All these endeavours helped the people of Gujarat, particularly the farmers. For a long time, we had people sitting in Gandhinagar who disliked the cooperatives. They prevented the sector from acquiring a foothold in Saurashtra. Things changed after the late 1990s and today almost all districts in Gujarat are doing well in the sector." Emphasizing on the global brand value of Amul, Prime Minister Modi also termed it as an outstanding model of empowerment. He said, "The brand of Amul is known worldwide. Today, Amul has become an inspiration across the globe. People from overseas also ask me about Amul. Amul is not only about milk processing. This is an excellent model of empowerment." He also underscored the need of exploring possibilities with the camel milk. "A long time back, I had gone to Kutch and spoken about the need to popularise camel milk. That time a group of people mocked me. But, today the camel milk chocolate of Amul is doing well. We are doing well in milk processing but we can do even better. And, I am sure if Amul thinks in this direction, it will surely happen even faster", he said. Talking about Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's most important contribution in the field of cooperative development, Prime Minister Modi said, "In various parts of the world, at various times we saw what socialism is, we also saw capitalism. But, through Amul, Sardar Patel showed another way. Here is a way where neither Government nor industrialists call the shots. It is the people who matter. This is a unique model." "A century ago, Sardar Patel entered civic politics of Ahmedabad. He won from Dariapur. His margin of victory then was 1 vote. When he assumed office as the head of the municipality, he laid emphasis on urban development, planning and in that he worked on cooperative housing. Guided by Sardar Patel, Pritamrai Desai Ji worked on cooperative housing in a big way in Ahmedabad. These efforts gave wings to the aspirations of several people," he added. Prime Minister Modi also hailed the spirit of team Amul. "We are focusing on Jan Dhan, Van Dhan and Gobar Dhan. This will help our farmers. In a few years, Amul will complete 75 years. This is a team that is unstoppable. I admire their spirit. Let us think about what targets Amul can set for their own 75th anniversary and for 2022 when India marks 75 years of freedom." He also requested more dairies to work towards 'sweet revolution' and said, "I told several dairies in Gujarat to also work on the sweet revolution, which is related to honeybees. I am aware that Banas Dairy and the dairy in Amreli have done commendable work in this direction. I urge more dairies to also devote attention to this." In his one day visit to the state, the Prime Minister will also travel to Anjar where he will inaugurate the Mundra LNG terminal, the Anjar-Mundra pipeline project and the Palanpur-Pali-Barmer pipeline project. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Pakistani helicopter was spotted in an Indian airspace in the sensitive Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir. In a video footage, accessed by ANI, a white chopper can be seen breaching the Indian airspace and violating international conventions to illegally enter the Indian boundaries near the Line of Control (LoC). There has been a spurt in the cases of infiltration at the LoC, even as Indian forces retaliate and foil such bids. On September 22, the Army gunned down five terrorists in a counter-infiltration operation in the Tangdhar sector of Jammu and Kashmir. The incident of a Pakistani chopper violating Indian airspace has come a day after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York, raised the issue of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. "The demon of terrorism now stalks the world, at a faster pace somewhere, a slower pace elsewhere, but life-threatening everywhere. In our case, terrorism is bred not in some faraway land, but across our border to the west. Our neighbour's expertise is not restricted to spawning grounds for terrorism; it is also an expert in trying to mask malevolence with verbal duplicity," said Swaraj. India, on Saturday, observed Parakram Parva, the second anniversary of surgical strike that the Indian Army carried out on terror camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The policeman who got injured after terrorists attacked a police station in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district, has succumbed to his injuries. The terrorists first hurled a grenade and then opened fire at the police station. The Police retaliated and foiled the attack. On September 27, security forces gunned down a terrorist, after an encounter broke out in Dooru Shahabad area in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday congratulated External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj for 'very effectively showing Pakistan it's double face on terrorism' and other issues. Jaitley took to micro-blogging site Twitter, to express his appreciation for Swaraj's speech at United Nations General Assembly. "EAM Smt. @SushmaSwaraj ji in her United Nation General Assembly address emphatically dislodged Pakistan's hypocritical role in curbing terrorism in the region. Congratulations to her on very effectively showing Pakistan it's double face on terrorism and dialogue, and emphasizing India's stand." he tweeted. EAM Sushma Swaraj on Saturday used the United Nations platform to highlight the serious issue of Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism and human rights violations by killing security personnel in India. Swaraj's speech and Jaitley's tweet comes days after back to back incidents of increased violence in the state and killing of security personnel had put off India from engaging with Pakistan government, with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) saying that behind Pakistan's proposal for talks to make a fresh beginning, its evil agenda stands exposed and the true face of the new Pakistan Prime Minister has been revealed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 'Kisan Kranti Padyatra' which is being staged by farmers under the banner of Bharatiya Kisan Union, is on its way to Delhi and will reach the capital on October 2. Farmers participating in the movement are raising slogans to put forth their demand for complete loan waiver and reduction in electricity tariff, among other requirements. Speaking to ANI, a farmer from Chitrakoot called for a ban on the practice of Anna Pratha- a practice where farmers let their cattle loose in the open in search of fodder, leading to the destruction of thousands of acres worth of farmland-which is prevalent in Bundelkhand area. "We are on our way to Delhi from Haridwar. Our demand is complete loan waiver of farmers, lower electricity tariff. The practice of "anna pratha" is prevalent in the Bundelkhand area. It should be banned. Many farmers have committed suicide in Bundelkhand. The Narendra Modi government and Uttar Pradesh government are not looking into the issue," he said. Farmers staging the protest movement also demanded provision of a pension to every farmer aged above 60. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Keshav Prasad Maurya, on Sunday visited the family members of Vivek Tiwari, who was allegedly shot dead by a police constable in Lucknow's Gomti Nagar area on Friday. Maurya's visit comes a day after Tiwari's kin threatened to take his body to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's residence if he failed to visit them and address their grievances. "First and foremost, the government is equally saddened with the tragedy that took place on Friday night. We, too, are grieving along with the victim's family members. We will ensure the family gets due justice and punish the accused in accordance with the law. The government will take every possible step to make sure such an incident is averted in the days to come. We are also ready to assist the Uttar Pradesh police in investigating the matter as well," Maurya told reporters here after visiting Tiwari's family. In the wake of the incident, the Uttar Pradesh police have decided to give protection to Tiwari's family, and assured of a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the matter, if needed. "A 24-hour protection will be given to the family. A CBI inquiry will also be initiated if the family asks for it. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe under Lucknow Inspector General Sujeet Pandey will be taken forward on the basis of a fresh FIR that will be lodged by the family," Lucknow Additional Director General (ADG) Rajiv Krishna told reporters here. Earlier in the day, the SIT arrived at the spot of the incident in Lucknow's Gomti Nagar extension, where Tiwari was killed. An employee of Apple Inc, Tiwari was returning home in the early hours of Saturday, when he was allegedly shot by patrolling cops for refusing to stop his vehicle. While the constable claims that he fired at Tiwari's car in self-defence as it tried to run over his bike, the incident has raised questions over police's excessive use of force on Tiwari. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday assured assistance to the family of Vivek Tiwari, who was allegedly shot dead by a police constable in Lucknow's Gomti Nagar area on Friday, and asserted that such criminal offences will not be accepted by the government. "It is a very sad incident. Such criminal offences will not be accepted by the government. Immediate action was taken; the accused was arrested and a case was registered. For the family of the deceased, the government will provide all kinds of aid needed," Adityanath told reporters here. Prior to this, Hardoi's Shahabad MLA Rajani Tiwari had written a letter to the Chief Minister questioning police proceedings in the case. She demanded a thorough investigation into the case and strict action against the police and District Collector. Speaking to ANI, Rajani said, "VivekTiwari's daughter said that DM told the family that such incidents happen. The accused, who should have been arrested, was demanding an FIR to be filed. It shows insensitivity of administration and police. Action must be taken against them." Earlier in the day, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya visited the family members of the deceased. An employee of Apple Inc, Tiwari was returning home in the early hours of Saturday, when he was allegedly shot by patrolling cops for refusing to stop his vehicle. While the constable claims that he fired at Tiwari's car in self-defence as it tried to run over his bike, the incident has raised questions over police's excessive use of force on Tiwari. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) North Korea has accused Japan of trying to create tension on the Korean Peninsula and rebuilding its military. Yonhap News Agency quoted local North Korean media as stating, "The maritime 'Self-Defense Force' (MSDF) of Japan recently conducted a test-fire of the interceptor missile SM-3 Block 1B on an Aegis destroyer in waters off Hawaii of the U.S. It is reportedly the first time that the MSDF conducted an interceptor missile test-fire." The local media further reported that Japan was trying to rebuild a military capable of waging war against others. "The present reactionary regime of Japan seeks to put the Asia-Pacific region under control by turning Japan into a country capable of going to war," it added. North Korea further claimed that Japan is seeking to disrupt the joint efforts of North and South Korea to establish and maintain peace on the Korean peninsula. "No matter how desperately it (Japan) moves, it can never dampen the aspirations of all Koreans and the international community for peace and stability of the Korean peninsula and the region," North Korea asserted. These allegations come after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed his hope to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during a bilateral summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged the countrymen to contribute in fulfilling Mahatma Gandhi's 'Swachh Bharat' dream. "It's been over seventy years since Independence but Bapu's dream of a Swachh Bharat remains unfulfilled. Together, we have to fulfill this dream. In the last four years, we have covered significant ground in Swachh Bharat Mission but we must continue to do more," he said while addressing a gathering here. Furthermore, Prime Minister Modi said that inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, everyone must work together for a cleaner and greener tomorrow. On September 15, Prime Minister Modi had launched the 'Swachhata Hi Seva Movement', which aims at fulfilling Mahatma Gandhi's dream of a Clean India. A day ahead of the movement, the Prime Minister had written personalised letters to nearly 2000 citizens from different walks of life inviting them to join the 'Swachhata Hi Seva Movement' and strengthen the Swachh Bharat Mission. Prior to inaugurating the Mahatma Gandhi museum here today, Prime Minister Modi, while addressing the gathering, said Gujarat is blessed to be so closely associated with the father of the nation. "Bapu always said that think of the last person in the queue, the poorest person, and serve the underprivileged. Inspired by this ideal we are serving the poor. Through our initiatives, we want to transform their lives. We want to build homes for the poor," he added. Prime Minister Modi, who was on a day's visit to Gujarat, inaugurated the newly-built Mahatma Gandhi Museum at Alfred High School in Rajkot. Earlier in the day, he had inaugurated three Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals at Anjar in Kutch. At Anand, the Prime Minister inaugurated a number of modern food processing facilities, including Amul's ultra-modern chocolate plant, and laid the foundation stone for the expansion of Amul manufacturing facilities at Anand and Khatraj. He also inaugurated Anand Agricultural University's incubation center-cum-center of excellence in food processing. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rejecting Pakistan Foreign Minister Mehmood Shah Qureshi's statement against India at the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, India's Ambassador to the United Nations, Syed Akbaruddin has said, "New Pakistan cast in the mold of the old." Exercising a Right of Reply, Akbaruddin, in the UNGA general debate, called out Pakistan's baseless allegations levelled against India while saying that New Delhi orchestrated terror activities in Islamabad. Referring to Qureshi's statement where he alleged India's involvement in the 2014 Peshawar school attack, the Indian envoy said, "Among the most outrageous was the preposterous allegation relating to the horrific terror attack on a Peshawar school four years ago. Let me recollect for the new government of Pakistan the outpouring of sorrow and pain in India that followed the massacre of innocent children in 2014. Both houses of India's Parliament had expressed solidarity while paying respect to the memory of those killed. Schools all over India had observed two minutes of silence in their memory." He further asserted that these allegations are a part of Pakistan's attempt to look away from the "monster of terror" that it has itself created to "destabilise its neighbours and covet their territory." Akbaruddin also established the importance of the state of Jammu and Kashmir saying that it is an integral part of India and continue to be so. Aiming at Pakistan's claim of fighting terrorism, India asked Pakistan to deny being the host and patron of 132 of the UN-designated terrorists and 22 terrorist entities under the 1267 and the 1988 UN Security Council sanctions regime. Akbaruddin also questioned the freedom experienced by UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed's in Pakistan as he continued to set up candidates for electoral office. Taking a dig at Pakistan's newly-found appreciation of upholding Human Rights, the Indian diplomat quoted the example of appointment and removal of Princeton economist, Professor Atif Mian's from the Economic Advisory Council on grounds that he belongs to a 'minority'. "Before preaching to the world, championing of human rights should begin at home," Akbaruddin added. Akbaruddin also slammed Qureshi for his comment where he said that New Delhi cancelled the meeting of the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan on "flimsy ground" "The new Foreign Minister of Pakistan chose to term the gruesome killing of our security personnel by Pakistani sponsored terrorists as 'flimsy' grounds. While it may not be the case for Pakistan, for India every loss of life counts. Hence our belief that talks and terror cannot go together," he noted. "Pakistan must demonstrate that it has moved beyond a narrative of distortion, deception and deceit," Akbaruddin added while snubbing Pakistan's fake claims and allegations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his 48th 'Mann Ki Baat' address on Sunday highlighted the significance of Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and termed it as an integral part of justice. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "There is a saying in Sanskrit which means Justice is inherent in Swarajya. When we talk of Justice, the human right becomes an integral part of it. It is very essential to ensure freedom, peace and justice to deprived and oppressed." He also talked of NHRC completing 25 years of its establishment and said, "Constitution drafted by Dr Baba Sahab Ambedkar has many provisions to protect fundamental rights of the poor. Inspired by his vision, Human Rights Commission (NHRC) was set up on 12th October 1993. In few days NHRC is going to complete its 25 years. NHRC has not only protected human rights but, has also enhanced human dignity." Stressing upon Indian Vedic teachings of endorsing happiness and equality for all, Prime Minister Modi asserted that human rights have always been an integral part of India and NHRC has further strengthened the thought by creating more awareness. He said, "Our beloved former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had clearly said that Human Rights is not a foreign concept to us. Our NHRC motto has the Vedic thought of 'Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah' (May all be prosperous and happy) engraved in it. NHRC has created ample awareness about human rights. It has played a commendable role in checking its misuse. In a journey of 25 years, it has instilled hope and faith in citizens which symbolizes the best democratic practices in a healthy society." "Today apart from a Human Right Commission we have 26 State Human Rights Commissions. As a society, we should recognize the importance of human rights and bring it to practice as well. This is the foundation of 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas'," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Days after the Supreme Court removed the ban on the entry of women of all ages in the Sabarimala Temple, President of Travancore Devaswom Board, A. Padmakumar, met Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday to discuss the verdict. Travancore Devaswom Board is an autonomous body entrusted with the task of administrating 1248 temples, including Sabarimala, in the state of Kerala. After meeting the Chief Minister, Padmakumar, while briefing the media, said that there are limitations to make elaborate facilities as the pilgrim season is slated to begin soon. "In the view of the Supreme Court verdict to allow entry of women of all ages to Sabarimala, we held discussions with Kerala Chief Minister. We will arrange toilet facilities in Nilakkal. As of now, there are limitations to make elaborate facilities as the pilgrim season is about to start." Speculating that not many women will visit Sabarimala despite the verdict, he asserted that a decision on filing a review petition will be taken later. "I don't think a large number of women will visit Sabarimala. The Travancore Devaswom Board will discuss filing a review petition on October 3," he added. Before the September 28 verdict, the norms prescribed by the temple board prohibited women aged between 10 and 50 from visiting the Temple premises. . (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Username: Password: or Register Thread Rating: 6 Vote(s) - 3 Average 1 2 3 4 5 Macedonian referendum under disinformation attack. This is a worldwide issue. spo snouou Vocem sine nomine audivit! User ID: 350320 09-30-2018 02:05 PM Posts: 67,593 Post: #1 Macedonian referendum under disinformation attack. This is a worldwide issue. Advertisement #ElectionWatch: Inauthentic Activity Tested Ahead Naming Referendum Ahead of the September 30 nationwide referendum to determine the countrys name, Macedonia remains on high alert for disinformation from at home and abroad. The campaign on all sides of the referendum has included a substantial digital and online component. Many of the events held by the Yes campaign have been broadcast on Facebook, which is the countrys most-used social media platform. One event stuck out, as it was targeted by inauthentic social media engagement centered well outside of Macedonia. Specifically, a campaign rally featured on the Yes campaign Facebook page was targeted by what appeared to be a like farm or a dislike farm in this case made up users with Vietnamese names and profiles, which attempted to create inauthentic impression of anger among large number of viewers of a live campaign event video. The activity appeared coordinated to create a fake impression about how the public perceive and feel about the Yes campaign, in an attempt to sway the supporters and opponents. more: https://medium.com/dfrlab/electionwatch-...f6b97cb5fb Ahead of the September 30 nationwide referendum to determine the countrys name, Macedonia remains on high alert for disinformation from at home and abroad. The campaign on all sides of the referendum has included a substantial digital and online component.Many of the events held by the Yes campaign have been broadcast on Facebook, which is the countrys most-used social media platform. One event stuck out, as it was targeted by inauthentic social media engagement centered well outside of Macedonia.Specifically, a campaign rally featured on the Yes campaign Facebook page was targeted by what appeared to be a like farm or a dislike farm in this case made up users with Vietnamese names and profiles, which attempted to create inauthentic impression of anger among large number of viewers of a live campaign event video.The activity appeared coordinated to create a fake impression about how the public perceive and feel about the Yes campaign, in an attempt to sway the supporters and opponents.more: spo snouou Vocem sine nomine audivit! User ID: 350320 09-30-2018 02:13 PM Posts: 67,593 Post: #2 RE: Macedonian referendum under disinformation attack. This is a worldwide issue. The June deal would pave the way for NATO and possibly European Union membership, ending a dispute dating from the early 1990s when Macedonia declared independence from Yugoslavia. Greece had argued that name implied territorial ambitions on its own province of the same name, and blocked the countrys efforts to join NATO. But the agreement has faced vocal opposition on both sides of the border. Opponents in Macedonia have called for a boycott of Sundays referendum and include the countrys president, Gjorge Ivanov, who calls the deal a flagrant violation of sovereignty. Voters were confronted with the question: Are you in favor of membership in NATO and European Union by accepting the deal between (the) Republic of Macedonia and Republic of Greece? The referendum is non-binding, allowing the government to take the outcome as a fair reflection of public opinion regardless of the turnout. Under the countrys constitution, a binding referendum would need a minimum turnout of 50 percent. Supporters of the deal, led by Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, have focused on the vote being the lynchpin of the countrys future prosperity, the key to its ability to join NATO and, eventually, the EU. It would be a major step for a country that less than two decades ago almost descended into civil war, when parts of its ethnic Albanian minority took up arms against the government, seeking greater rights. Zaev cast his ballot in the southeastern town of Strumica and called on his fellow citizens to ensure a strong turnout. more: https://apnews.com/7af1e5c37c894fd8b259cf32e26b9933 Macedonians were deciding on their countrys future Sunday, voting whether to accept a landmark deal ending a decades-long dispute with neighboring Greece by changing their countrys name to North Macedonia.The June deal would pave the way for NATO and possibly European Union membership, ending a dispute dating from the early 1990s when Macedonia declared independence from Yugoslavia. Greece had argued that name implied territorial ambitions on its own province of the same name, and blocked the countrys efforts to join NATO.But the agreement has faced vocal opposition on both sides of the border.Opponents in Macedonia have called for a boycott of Sundays referendum and include the countrys president, Gjorge Ivanov, who calls the deal a flagrant violation of sovereignty.Voters were confronted with the question: Are you in favor of membership in NATO and European Union by accepting the deal between (the) Republic of Macedonia and Republic of Greece?The referendum is non-binding, allowing the government to take the outcome as a fair reflection of public opinion regardless of the turnout. Under the countrys constitution, a binding referendum would need a minimum turnout of 50 percent.Supporters of the deal, led by Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, have focused on the vote being the lynchpin of the countrys future prosperity, the key to its ability to join NATO and, eventually, the EU. It would be a major step for a country that less than two decades ago almost descended into civil war, when parts of its ethnic Albanian minority took up arms against the government, seeking greater rights.Zaev cast his ballot in the southeastern town of Strumica and called on his fellow citizens to ensure a strong turnout.more: spo snouou Vocem sine nomine audivit! User ID: 350320 10-03-2018 12:02 PM Posts: 67,593 Post: #3 RE: Macedonian referendum under disinformation attack. This is a worldwide issue. Western officials warned before the vote that Moscow was trying to depress turnout in the referendum in order to invalidate the outcome. In the event, more than 90% of those voting backed the name change. But turnout was about 36%, short of the 50% required to make the decision binding on parliament. Zoran Zaev, Macedonias prime minister more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/o...for-russia The refusal of Macedonias voters to endorse a change in their countrys name seems, at first glance, to be a matter of purely local interest. But the result of Sundays referendum will be widely seen as a significant victory for Vladimir Putin, a setback for the EU and Nato, and another disturbing example of Russias ability and willingness to influence the democratic process in western countries.Western officials warned before the vote that Moscow was trying to depress turnout in the referendum in order to invalidate the outcome. In the event, more than 90% of those voting backed the name change.But turnout was about 36%, short of the 50% required to make the decision binding on parliament. Zoran Zaev, Macedonias prime ministermore: spo snouou Vocem sine nomine audivit! User ID: 350320 10-05-2018 08:40 AM Posts: 67,593 Post: #4 RE: Macedonian referendum under disinformation attack. This is a worldwide issue. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 466223 10-05-2018 08:45 AM Post: #5 RE: Macedonian referendum under disinformation attack. This is a worldwide issue. https://thesaker.is/russia-disrupted-nat...sanctions/ The hypocrisy of the West is laughable and whats even more alarming is that their citizens let them away with it This guest article cross-posted on The Saker pretty much sums up the situationThe hypocrisy of the West is laughable and whats even more alarming is that their citizens let them away with it spo snouou Vocem sine nomine audivit! User ID: 350320 10-05-2018 09:52 AM Posts: 67,593 Post: #6 RE: Macedonian referendum under disinformation attack. This is a worldwide issue. spo snouou Vocem sine nomine audivit! User ID: 350320 10-05-2018 09:54 AM Posts: 67,593 Post: #7 RE: Macedonian referendum under disinformation attack. This is a worldwide issue. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 447118 10-05-2018 10:30 AM Post: #8 RE: Macedonian referendum under disinformation attack. This is a worldwide issue. Referendums are never a great idea, and just feel like national governments abdicating responsibility, or in this age a tool for creating a landscape which dissent can rise... Europe itself if going through a major transition away from neoliberalism which all sides including Putin is liable to take advantage of to sow dissent, but then can you honestly blame Russia? Post cold war Russia alongside Eastern Europe should have been brought in from the cold and be subject to a policy of exclusion, that was always going to cause issues in the long run and create a vendetta akin to that which ran between German and France from the Napoleonic wars to the 1950s.. In a lot of ways that vendetta (between France and Germany) created the landscape that made both the Great War and WW2 possible, much in the same way the antagonism between the US and Russia is creating the landscape today that could open the door to deeper divides and more conflict... Though this is much more than Russia, EU or US, it's the neoliberal order that has held a tight grip on the reigns since the 1980s that is coming to end of life, and needs to either reinvent itself or end up like the last liberal order in the run up to the Great War and spend the next century walking the political wilderness... So many fingers in the pie at the moment it's hard to work out who is doing what.. and what their actual intentions are, Russia certainly keeps being given the opportunity to sow dissent which makes me wonder at times why... We are fast approaching a tipping point in terms of the coming industrial revolution with labour force reductions projected to be up to 50% and everyone is distracted by Russia, or Trump or some other idiotic issue to argue over and yet no one seems to have come up with a plan to actually deal with the horrendous and horrific labour reductions that will decimate most countries social structures and cohesion.. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 466228 10-05-2018 10:34 AM Post: #9 RE: Macedonian referendum under disinformation attack. This is a worldwide issue. Another pro-war race thread. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has alerted the Kerala authorities to watch out for the movement of a large number of Rohingya refugees in groups with their families to Kerala. The RPF has issued a warning with a list of 14 trains on which the refugees from Myanmar are mostly moving from the northeastern states. In a letter sent by the Chief Security Commissioner of Southern Railway to the divisional security commissioners of Chennai, Madurai, Salem, Thiruvananthapuram, Palakkad, and Trichy, the authorities have been asked to hand the Rohingyas over to police if they are found travelling on rails. "If found in these trains, they may be handed over to the local police. An action taken report should be sent," the letter read. A large number of Rohingya refugees have taken shelter in India and Bangladesh, and are staying in refugee camps, fleeing persecution in their country since August last year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hours after Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced the setting up of a ministry for cows, state Cow Protection Board chairperson Swami Akhileshwaranand expressed his happiness over the decision. Speaking to ANI, Akhileshwaranand, who enjoys the cabinet minister rank in the state government, said: "It's a moment of joy for me. I felt really happy when I got the opportunity of looking after cows as the Cow Protection Board chairperson. But later, I realised the need of a cow ministry in the state. I am happy with this step. I knew that only Shivraj Singh Chouhan can do this work." He further said that the Chief Minister will decide who will look after this Ministry. On Sunday, while addressing a public gathering in Bhopal, the Chief Minister said, "We already have a Madhya Pradesh Gaupalan Evam Pashudhan Samvardhan Board (MPGEPSB), but I want to set up a full-fledged ministry for the protection of cows. A board has its own limitations and the government small funds to it. But if an independent ministry is created there will be a better inflow of finances. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) American rapper Common, who appeared on Reality TV host Jimmy Fallon's 'The Tonight Show', made a rap out of United States President Donald Trump's tweets. The Grammy Award-winning rapper, along with another rapper, Black Thought, and Fallon himself, made it possible. Thought started things off with the US Supreme Court Judge nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, who is under the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) scanner for multiple sexual assault allegations levelled against him. Thought's first line was, "So the Senate's got questions for this Kavanaugh guy, but Trump's like..." to which Fallon sang while mimicking Trump "Why didn't someone call the FBI?" Soon after, Common joined in and rapped, "Got no time for vettin', no time for reportin', like when he was with Stormy." to which Fallon sang "Speed is very important". Majority of the lines the trio used from Trump's twitter handle belonged to the Kavanaugh case, as well as adult star Stormy Daniels. . (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Brajesh Pathak on Sunday claimed that high-level officials were trying to manipulate and hide things in connection with the death of techie Vivek Tiwari in a late night shooting incident here on Friday. "Some high-level officials are trying to manipulate and hide things. A probe will be conducted against them as well. The Uttar Pradesh government will not pardon any criminal, including the police personnel who killed the innocent youth," Pathak told ANI. Tiwari, an employee of Apple, was allegedly shot dead by a police constable in Lucknow's Gomti Nagar area on Friday. The victim's wife, Kalpana Tiwari, filed a fresh FIR at Gomti Nagar police station, naming two of the accused police constables. In the wake of the developments, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath spoke to the deceased's family over the phone and assured full cooperation on behalf of the government. He also told the family that they can meet him anytime they want. Tiwari was returning home in the early hours of Saturday when he was allegedly shot by patrolling cops for refusing to stop his vehicle. While the constable claims that he fired at Tiwari's car in self-defence as it tried to run over his bike, the incident has raised questions over the police's excessive use of force. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Walking home from school in a small town in West Bengal, a nine-year-old boy saw some of his friends work as rag-pickers. The thought that his companions were unable to study like him because they were poor so agonised the young Babar Ali that he decided to do something about it and bring school to those who could not afford it. Determined to share his as a fifth grader at a state-run school at Beldanga town in Murshidabad district, about 200km north of Kolkata, he turned teacher to his poor friends in the backyard of his own home. With a dream to make India's children have access to quality despite their economic backgrounds, he has been, over these many years, a silent crusader imparting to hundreds of poverty-stricken child labourers in the state. "I couldn't tolerate my friends picking garbage while I attended school. So I asked them to join me in the roofless backyard of my home, so I could teach them how to read and write," Babar, now a 25-year-old youth, recalled to IANS in an interview. That backyard became Babar's school, Ananda Siksha Niketan (meaning Home for Joyful Learning), in 2002, making him possibly the world's youngest headmaster. "My school began with a total of eight students, including my five-year-old younger sister Amina Khatun. We sat together under a guava tree for three hours every afternoon learning to read, so that the children who worked as rag-pickers or 'beedi' (handrolled cigarettes made of unprocessed tobacco) rollers could continue to work in the mornings," recalled Babar. With a population of about eight million, Murshidabad district has a large section of its adults and children working as daily-wage labourers in farms and rolling beedis. The district is among the largest manufacturer of beedis in the country. Collecting used-up chalk pieces from his school, Babar continued to teach children in his neighbourhood how to read and write in Bengali along with basic math, science and geography, completely free of cost, while he was in school himself. "Teachers at my school thought I was stealing chalk to scribble on the walls, but after they learnt that I was teaching other children at my home, they began to offer me a box of chalk each week," shared Babar. The support from his mother Banuara Bibi, an anganwadi worker, and father Mohammad Nasiruddin, a jute trader, both of whom were school dropouts, allowed him to pursue his vision to create an educated neighbourhood, he said. "The children I have been teaching receive very little support from their families and are often left to fend for themselves. With help from my family and teachers at school, I have been able to run my school and provide the kids with uniform, books and other reading material," added Babar. Admitting that it was a difficult task convincing families to send their children to his home school, Babar said he gradually won the trust of parents as students grew fond of him and enjoyed his classes. Donations from teachers at his school, district officials, Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers from the region and other individuals has kept Babar's institution running through the years -- and in 2015, it shifted into a building near his home, with a recognition as a private school from the West Bengal School Education Department. "The focus is on holistic education at Ananda Siksha Niketan, as I want the students to positively impact the society through whatever professions they choose in the future," he stressed. In a span of about 16 years, from 2002 till date, Babar has taught more than 5,000 children from Classes 1 to 8 -- a few of whom have have returned to his school to work as teachers. "Six of my former girl students have returned to the school as teachers after finishing their under-graduation courses," said Babar, who holds a MA in English literature from the University of Kalyani, about 50 km from Kolkata. Pursuing another Masters in History from the same university, Babar remains an ambitious headmaster who wants to bring about change in the district's poor female literacy rate, which stands at just above 55 per cent, according to data from the district administration. "Several families are still reluctant to send their girls to a school and prefer to marry them off in their teens, but through continuous effort we are seeing a change in their attitudes. Parents are realising the need for education as children are in turn helping them read, make a signature on paper and write," he added. The co-education school currently has 500 students, 10 teachers and one non-teaching staff, with classes from 1 to 8. "We require more classrooms and infrastructure as our building can accommodate only 350-400. I also want to expand the school up to Class 10 so that kids do not have to go to other towns for education." Babar, who is also a motivational speaker, offering talks across the country inspired by venerated Hindu monk-philosopher Swami Vivekananda's (1863-1902) teachings, wants to set up more such schools catering to the poorest sections across the country. "Education for all will remain my life mission and, to realise that, several institutions and individuals need to come together," he reiterated. Babar's inspiring journey has also made it to the first year English text book of pre-university (Class 11) in Karnataka's state board and Class 10 communicative English text of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). "Governments alone cannot change the system. We need people of all sections to come forward and work together to bring in quality education for all our country's children, irrespective of their social classes," stressed Babar. (The weekly feature series is part of a positive-journalism project of IANS and the Frank Islam Foundation. Bhavana Akella can be contacted at bhavana.a@ians.in) --IANS bha/vv/tb/sac (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Closed for over a week owing to heavy snowfall, the road link between tourist resort Manali and Baralacha Pass was reopened to motorists on Sunday on completion of snow-clearing operations, an official said. "The Baralacha Pass located at 190 km on Manali-Sarchu road reopened at 1 a.m.," the Commander 38 of the Border Roads Task Force told IANS. This means Sarchu, which is 222 km from Manali, has been connected to Manali via Rohtang tunnel. Work is in progress from either side to clear the Rohtang Pass too and likely to be over in a day or two. Official sources said the snow was more than 8 feet high in some stretches close to the Baralacha Pass, posing a big challenge to those clearing the snow. The work to reopen the entire 475-km stretch, which links Manali with Leh in Jammu and Kashmir, is also underway. Normally, the highway closes mid-October with the onset of snowfall. This route is crucial to the movement of the Armed Forces and their supplies and wares to forward areas in Ladakh. The Manali-Leh highway winds its way through the Rohtang Pass (13,050 feet), Baralacha Pass (16,020 feet), Lachlungla Pass (16,620 feet) and Tanglangla (17,480 feet). The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) maintains the strategic highways in the country. The BRO's 'Project Deepak' is responsible for clearing snow on the 222-km Sarchu-Manali highway while 'Project Himank' takes care of the 253-km Leh-Sarchu highway. A Himachal Road Transport Corp official told IANS that it would take at least a week to restart the bus service between Delhi and Leh via Manali and Keylong once the highway was opened to traffic. A five-day long air rescue operation in the Lahaul Valley came to an end on Saturday with 252 people, comprising largely tourists, being evacuated safely from the snow-marooned region. Another 4,770 were rescued by road. Heavy snowfall on the Rohtang Pass, the Kunzum Pass, and the Baralacha Pass had cut-off the Lahaul and Spiti Valleys, affecting a large number of tourists and hampering water and electricity supply. --IANS vg/ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A woman was arrested by Uttarakhand Police from West Bengal's Howrah district for allegedly being associated with an inter-state kidney smuggling racket, police said on Sunday. Chandana Guria, a resident of Jagacha in Howrah, was arrested on Saturday night from her health clinic during a joint operation by the Uttarakhand Police and Howrah city police. "This woman was involved in kidney smuggling. A number of senior doctors were also involved in the illegal racket. They used to sell each kidney for Rs 40-45 lakh across the country for transplantation," an officer from Uttarakhand Police said. "We have been trying to trace this woman for more than two months since some members of the racket were arrested in Uttarakhand. According to our estimate, the racket was involved in illegal selling of around 70 kidneys," he said. Guria was taken to Uttarakhand in five days' transit remand. --IANS mgr/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party over the murder of an Apple executive in Uttar Pradesh by a constable, saying the saffron party does not protect the interests of even Hindus. In a series of tweets, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader asked why Vivek Tiwari was killed even though he was a Hindu when the BJP claims to be a protector of Hindus. "Vivek Tiwari was a Hindu. Then, why they killed him? The BJP is not a well-wisher of Hindus. They (BJP) will not even think for two minutes if they will have to kill all Hindus to grab power," said Kejriwal, who also spoke to Tiwari's wife on telephone. Kejriwal's tweets drew sharp reaction from the BJP. Delhi BJP President Manoj Tiwari on Twitter asked AAP workers to see how "narrow-minded" Kejriwal was. He said his party was with the family of the deceased and action would be taken against those behind the murder. Responding, Kejriwal said: "BJP called us narrow-minded when we asked for justice." Vivek Tiwari was killed in Lucknow on Saturday when he was heading home after the launch of the iPhone XS and XS Max. The constable has been arrested and booked for killing the executive. --IANS spk/ksk/bns/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Border Security Force (BSF) trooper shot and killed himself in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, officials said on Sunday. Police said Head Constable Ram Charan died at the Sunderbani BSF camp in Rajouri district on Saturday evening. "He was shifted to a hospital in a critical condition where doctors declared him dead," police said. --IANS sq/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior IPS officer Surjeet Singh Deswal on Sunday took over as Director General of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), succeeding Rajni Kant Mishra who has been appointed the new Border Security Force (BSF) chief. Before joining as SSB chief, Deswal, a 1984-batch Haryana Cadre Indian Police Service officer, was working as Special Director General in the BSF. Deswal will head the SSB -- mandated to guard the 699-km India-Bhutan and 171 km India-Nepal borders -- up to his superannuation on August 31, 2021, or until further orders, whichever is earlier, the Ministry of Personnel said. The Cabinet Committee on Appointments on Thursday approved Deswal's appointment. Recipient of Police Medal in 2001 and President Police Medal in 2012, Deswal has served in Haryana's Rohtak, Bhiwani and Fatehabad districts as Inspector General of Police. He has been Commissioner of Police of Gurugram for almost four years and led the Haryana Armed Police between December 12, 2014 and November 20, 2015 as Director General. Deswal joined the Central Bureau of Investigation on Central deputation in 1994 and served as its Superintendent of Police till 1998. His second Central deputation began in December 2015, whereafter he also served as Additional Director General in the SSB till October 2017. --IANS rak/tsb/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 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The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.In accordance with industry accepted best practices we ask that users limit their copy / paste of copyrighted material to the relevant portions of the article you wish to discuss (no more than 50% of the source material) provide a link back to the original articleIf you are a legal copyright holder or a designated agent for such and you believe a post on this website falls outside the boundaries of "Fair Use" and legitimately infringes on yours or your clients copyright please contact [email protected] This website is owned by :Marco ZwaneveldDrijfriemstraat 522516 XR The HagueNetherlands.I will not rent, sell, share or otherwise disclose your personal information to any third party.We might contact you from time to time regarding your purchases or the services (like forums and announcement lists) you have subscribed to.Some of the 3rd party advertisers on lunaticoutpost.com may use cookiesto track peformance and/or to serve relevant ads.If you wish to read more and/or opt out of such cookies, please visit: http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/ Elon Musk has agreed to step down as chairman of Tesla Inc. for three years and pay a $20 million fine in a deal with the stock market regulatory authority, Securities and Exchange Commission (S.E.C.) to resolve securities fraud charges. The S.E.C. announced the deal on Saturday two days after it sued Musk in federal court for misleading investors over his post on Twitter last month that he had "funding secured" for a buyout of the electric-car company at $420 a share, reports The New York Times. Under the settlement, which requires court approval, Musk will be allowed to stay as CEO but must leave his role as chairman of the board within 45 days. He cannot seek re-election for three years, according to court filings. He accepted the deal with the SEC "without admitting or denying the allegations of the complaint", according to a court document. The company also agreed to appoint two new independent directors to its board and establish a board committee to oversee Musk's communications, reports CNN. His tweet about taking his company private, along with attacks on critics on social media, raised concerns with investors about whether Musk has become too focused on criticism from so-called short-sellers who had been making bets against him and Tesla. The company has recently been struggling to meet audacious production goals for its Model 3 sedan. The company, whose shares have been hit hard since the S.E.C. filed the lawsuit, did not immediately comment on the settlement. On Friday, its stock dropped almost 14 per cent. Tesla in recent years has become one the most valuable American carmaker, with its stock worth more than $50 billion. However, The company has been struggling to achieve the ambitious production targets that Musk had publicly outlined. He has made a series of unusual public comments or appearances, including an internet interview in which Musk appeared to smoke marijuana. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor Kartik Aaryan says he is excited to work with Jacqueline Fernandez in the Hindi remake of Kannada film "Kirik Party". Kartik interacted with the media at the launch of Mufti Autumn Winter Collection 2018 here on Saturday. On his upcoming project, Kartik said: "I have finished shooting of 'Luka Chuppi' in which I am working with Kriti Sanon and it has been directed by Laxman Utekar sir who has been a big Director of Photography, and it is produced by Dinesh Vijan under the banner of Maddock Films. "After that, I am very excited to work with Jacqueline in Hindi remake of Kannada film 'Kirik Party'." A few days back, Kartik was shooting for "Luka Chuppi" in his hometown Gwalior. He uploaded on Instagram video in which the crowd went crazy seeing him. Recalling the experience, Kartik said: "I was shooting for 'Luka Chuppi' in my hometown Gwalior that time. I felt like life has come to full circle because that's where I dreamt of becoming an actor. "The kind of reaction and love people of Gwalior showered upon me while shooting for the film was out of this world. It feels really happy to shoot for a film in your own hometown." It has been a special year for Kartik. "Being a part of 'Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety' has been a life-changing experience for me and hopefully, I want to keep working hard in future as well." Recently, actress Tanushree Dutta made an allegation that veteran actor Nana Patekar misbehaved with her on a film's set a decade ago. Asked if it's correct on the part of Tanushree to come out in the open to talk about incident which happened ten years ago, Kartik said: "If something wrong is happening in the society then as a youngster, I also believe that people should voice their opinions. "But again I think concerned agencies need to investigate the matter to find out that whether it has really happened or not and that's when other people can form their opinion on that otherwise it is not correct to comment on anything." "Kirik Party", which released in 2016, chronicles the journey of engineering students. --IANS iv/rb (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) International titles by acclaimed authors will once again rule the roost in October, along with a biography of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and a splendid story for children, woven around the life of late President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. There will be other significant releases during the month, primarily "The Girl in Room 105" by Chetan Bhagat; an "Intimate Portrait of Jahangir" by Parvati Sharma; the final book from the late Professor Stephen Hawking; and John Grisham's "The Reckoning". Here are the five books that we can't wait to read this October: 1. Killing Commendatore, by Haruki Murakami (Penguin) In "Killing Commendatore", a 30-something portrait painter in Tokyo is abandoned by his wife and finds himself holed up in the mountain home of a famous artist, Tomohiko Amada. When he discovers a strange painting in the attic, he unintentionally opens a circle of mysterious circumstances. To close it, he must complete a journey that involves a strange ringing bell, a two-foot-high physical manifestation of an Idea, a dapper businessman who lives across the valley, a precocious 13-year-old girl, a Nazi assassination attempt during World War II in Vienna, a pit in the woods behind the artist's home, and an underworld haunted by Double Metaphors. Billed as a "tour de force of love and loneliness, war and art -- as well as a loving homage to "The Great Gatsby" -- this book, the publisher said, is a stunning work of imagination from one of our greatest writers. 2. Every Breath, by Nicholas Sparks (Hachette) From the No.1 bestselling author of "The Notebook" comes an unforgettable tale of enduring love this October. "Hope Anderson is at a crossroads. At thirty-six, she's been dating her boyfriend, an orthopedic surgeon, for six years. With no wedding plans in sight, and her father recently diagnosed with ALS, she decides to use a week at her family's cottage in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, to ready the house for sale and mull over some difficult decisions about her future. Tru Walls has never visited North Carolina but is summoned to Sunset Beach by a letter from a man claiming to be his father. A safari guide, born and raised in Zimbabwe, Tru hopes to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding his mother's early life and recapture memories lost with her death. When the two strangers cross paths, their connection is as electric as it is unfathomable... but in the immersive days that follow, their feelings for each other will give way to choices that pit family duty against personal happiness in devastating ways." The publisher said that the novel illuminates life's heart-breaking regrets and enduring hope, and explores the many facets of love that lay claim to our deepest loyalties -- and asks the question: How long can a dream survive? 3. Bridge of Clay, by Markus Zusak (Penguin) This is a story told inside-out and back-to-front by the author of the popular "The Book Thief". "The five Dunbar brothers are living -- fighting, dreaming, loving -- in the perfect squalor of a house without grown-ups. Today, the father who walked out on them long ago is about to walk right back in." But why has he returned and who have the boys become in the meantime? At the helm, the publisher informed IANS, is Matthew, cynical, poetic; Rory, forever truanting; Henry, the money-spinner; and Tommy, the pet collector who has populated the house with dysfunctional pets, including Achilles the mule and Rosy the border collie. "And then there's Clay, the quiet one, his whole young life haunted by an unspeakable act." From a grandfather, whose passion for the ancient Greeks still colours their lives, to a mother and father who fell in love over a mislaid piano, to the present day, where five sons dwell in a house with no rules, "Bridge of Clay" is said to be an epic portrait of how a ramshackle family, held together by stories and by love, come to unbury one boy's tragic secret. 4. Mohan Bhagwat: Influencer-in-Chief, by Kingshuk Nag (Rupa) With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in power at the Centre since 2014, there is growing interest in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which is perceived as the power behind the throne. Is this true? How much does RSS influence the government of the day? How does it use this influence? Is policymaking in the government dependent on the diktats of the RSS or is the reverse correct? More importantly, what role did RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat play in bringing the BJP and Narendra Modi to power? With the 2019 election not too far away, what is the critical thinking in the upper echelons of the Sangh? How does it propose to forge an alliance that will propel the saffron party to power again? "Mohan Bhagwat: Influencer-in-Chief", the publisher said, looks incisively at the Sangh and its world view, its inner workings, and how it has moulded the Indian mind-set. It also focuses on Mohan Bhagwat and examines what propels him to spread the influence of the Sangh across the nation. 5. The Adventures of Young Kalam, by Stuti Agarwal (Juggernaut) And finally, why should adults have all the fun? Meet Kalam, perhaps you know him well already! He is the cleverest little boy in his school, perhaps even in his town, Rameswaram. He is annoyingly curious, full of crazy ideas and up to mad innovations. Everyone around him thinks he is bonkers and best avoided -- all except his dad, two best friends and Professor Ramachandran, the science teacher in whose little laboratory he tests all his inventions. But when the school's most horrid teacher, Punnakai, spreads lies about the professor's experiments and plots to throw Kalam out for his latest creation, the two have to find a way to fight back. The book casts an iconic new character like Chhota Bheem by weaving a fictional narrative for children around India's late President A.P.J. Kalam. (Saket Suman can be contacted at saket.s@ians.in) --IANS ss/vm/sac (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, in a veiled statement, warned Pakistan that Indian soldiers will give a "befitting reply" to those who try to ruin the atmosphere of peace and progress of the country. Modi's remarks came in his monthly radio programme "Mann Ki Baat", a day after India celebrated "Parakram Parv" to mark the second anniversary of the 2016 surgical strike carried out by the Army's special forces across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir to destroy terror launch pads. "Now, it has been decided that our soldiers will give befitting reply to all those who will try to ruin the atmosphere of peace and progress of our country," Modi said. The Prime Minister asserted that India was committed towards world peace but would not sacrifice the country's honour and sovereignty. "We believe in peace and are determined to encourage it but it cannot be done at the cost of country's pride and sovereignty." Recalling India's contribution in acts to maintain peace in the world, Modi said: "India has always been committed to peace. Our more than 1 lakh soldiers have sacrificed their lives for peace in two World Wars. "They made the sacrifice when India had no relation in those wars. Our intention has never been to occupy the lands of other countries. Our only commitment was to maintain peace." The Prime Minister said that the days like Parakram Parv will always remind our youths about the glorious heritage and valour of our armed forces. "It also inspires us to ensure our country's unity and integrity." --IANS rak-bns/ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Over 20 artists from across the globe will showcase their works at a week-long international art summit here starting from October 4. Currently in its sixth edition, the Jaipur Art Summit Metro Edition will open to the public at the Triveni Kala Sangam in an exhibition titled "Cross Border Art Connect", along with talk shows and an art competition. The previous editions of the Jaipur Art Summit were organised in Jaipur. The summit, organised by the cultural non-profit Art Summit Foundation, is focussed on the depth and range of art forms -- rare, traditional, folk-tribal and contemporary -- currently existing within India and globally, the organisers said in a statement. It will draw on a variety of mediums to create a lively cultural ambience through dance, music, poetry and discussion for individuals to experience art, it added. "The idea behind putting (together) this exhibition was to create a cross border art connect, not just in terms of geographical locations but also perspectives," curator Kiran Chopra said in a statement. The summit will also see an art competition for college-goers on "Art and Society", being organised by the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), to motivate young artistic talent. Registrations for it can be made online at www.jaipurartsummit.in. A talk show titled "Art in the Times of Internet" will also aim to gather art critics, connoisseurs and enthusiasts for conversations and networking. A colour therapy session is also scheduled. The list of international artists include John Antonie Labadie (US), Keunyoung Song (South Korea), Renata Von Hoessle (Belgium), Ranjit Das (Bangladesh), Sarath Perrera, Suneth Priya, and Chaminda Gamage (Sri Lanka). These artists from India are Alok Bhattacharya, Amrut Patel, Anjani Reddy, Anil Bodwal, Dharmendra Rathore, Manoj Mohanty, Rubkirat Vohra, Rakesh Kumar Mahala, R. Chaurasia, R. B. Gauttam, Soham Raha, Tanisha Bakshi, Tanuprakash, Vinod Sharma, Vikram Nayak, and Vikrant Bhise. The summit and exhibition will run from October 4-10, and are open for public participation. --IANS sj/ksk/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The students of Jindal Global Business School (JGBS) of O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) here may now avail a chance to study in Australia's University of New South Wales (UNSW) Business School, thanks to a strategic partnership between the two varsities. The partnership with UNSW Business School will enable students of the Jindal Global Business School to apply for UNSW's "Master of Commerce" programme, JGU said in a statement on Sunday. "The UNSW connection provides JGBS students a unique opportunity to study at one of the world's leading business schools in the scenic, vibrant and most livable city of Sydney," said Rajesh Chakrabarti, Acting Dean, JGBS. This partnership allows JGBS graduates to specialise in leading-edge disciplines, including Business Analytics, Marketing Analytics, Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Global Sustainability and Social Impact, the statement added. "UNSW is delighted with the partnership," said Professor Tracy Wilcox, Programme Director, Master of Commerce of the UNSW Business School. --IANS gb/ksk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chief Justice Dipak Misra, who will have his last working day as CJI on Monday, will be remembered in the Indian judicial history as perhaps the only head of the top court who saw rebellion by four of the his senior most colleagues. Another incident that stands out during his tenure is an unsuccessful impeachment motion against him in a move led by senior lawyer and Congress leader Kapil Sibal. On the brighter side, CJI Misra will be given credit for the nod to live-streaming of the top court's proceedings -- a move that will take court proceedings to the drawing rooms of the people. His term of 13 months and five days as the Chief Justice of India was perhaps the most turbulent for any Chief Justice, which saw his brother Judges and some from the Bar openly questioning his style of functioning in allocation of cases/matters to different benches and listing Constitution Bench matters before a bench of Judges who were relatively newcomers to the top court. There was a perception, also voiced by the four rebel Judges, that matters of particular significance, including that of deceased Special Court Judge B.H. Loya, were being listed before a certain bench. His then second-in-command, Justice J. Chelameswar, set up a five-Judge Constitution Bench to hear the plea for an SIT probe into graft allegations involving a Lucknow-based medical college. The order passed in the morning of November 10, 2017 was reversed by a five-Judge Constitution Bench later in the day. The entire move was perceived as being targeted against the CJI. It was also a time which saw lawyers, including senior counsel Prashant Bhushan, raising their voices against the bench in Court Number one. Bhushan insisted that the CJI should not be a part of the bench hearing the plea for SIT probe into the Lucknow medical college scam and raised the pitch of his voice and stormed out of the court. As some lawyers took exception to Bhushan's "improper conduct" and wanted to condemn it, Chief Justice Misra said that "no condemnation in the court. We are not here for this." The top court also also saw both Sibal and Rajeev Dhavan plead against going ahead with the hearing of the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid matter as it was politically sensitive. Faced with situations where his own brother Judges raised questions on his style of functioning and some of the prominent faces from the bar too joining the chorus, Chief Justice Misra weathered the storm with his usual calm and tact. But that was not the only facet of his tenure as the CJI. His term will also be remembered for his assertion that the self-appointed right-wing cultural policemen would not be allowed to interfere with the creative expressions of artistes in cinema when the court directed that the screening of films like 'Padmavat' can't be interfered with. Similarly, the apex court came to the aid of Malayalam actress Priya Prakash Varrier by quashing the FIR against her and directing no case be registered against her for winking in a scene. At the same time, he demonstrated his sterner side in directing the Centre and the state governments to pull up their socks and tighten their belts to curb vigilantism and mob lynching. CJI Misra, when he was sitting in Court Number 3, passed an order in November 2016 for mandatorily playing the national anthem in cinemas before the screening of films. He rescinded this order in January this year stating that this was no longer mandatory. All through his tenure, CJI Misra was unequivocal in upholding the liberty and rights of the people, particularly women. He presided over a bench that decriminalised homosexuality, allowed the entry of women of all ages in Sabarimala temple, decriminalised adultery and curbed the use of Aadhaar. (Pramod Kumar can be contacted at pramod.k@ians.in) --IANS pk/tsb/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rapper Kanye West says he would have moved out of the US a long time ago if he was concerned about racism. West, after his performance on "Saturday Night Live", gave a politically-laced speech to the audience but cast members appeared embarrassed. In reports to Variety and clips captured on social media, West touched on his support for President Donald Trump. "So many times I talk to a white person and (they) say, 'How could you like Trump he's racist?' Well, if I was concerned about racism I would've moved out of America a long time ago," said West, who now officially goes by the stage name Ye. He believes that for "the world to move forward", people need to "try love". The "Saturday Night Live" cast members appeared embarrassed and two performers shook their heads as he spoke. The crowd was largely silent and booed him at least twice, a witness told variety.com. --IANS rb/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actress Lindsay Lohan accused Syrian refugee parents of human trafficking and attempted to take their children before getting punched in the face here. The former child star filmed the bizarre incident and shared it as an Instagram Live on her account, reports foxnews.com. According to TMZ, she begins the video by saying, "Hey everyone I just want to show you a family I met, a Syrian refugee family. I'm going to introduce you to them." But the 32-year-old then accuses the Syrian parents of human trafficking their two boys. "Guys, you're going the wrong way, my car is here, come," Lohan tells the children who continued to follow their parents as she chases them down the street. "They're trafficking children, I won't leave until I take you, now I know who you are, don't f**k with me," she added. In an attempt to draw the children's attention, Lohan, who spent a few years living in Dubai, can also be heard shouting Arabic phrases in what sounds like a Middle Eastern accent. "You're ruining Arabic culture by doing this. You're taking these children... They want to go," she said before telling the boys: "I'm with you. Don't worry, the whole world is seeing this right now, I will walk forever, I stay with you don't worry." When Lohan tried to grab one of the children, and said "give me your hand", she was punched in the face by a woman who appears to be the child's mother, foxnews.com reported. The video ended with Lohan crying and telling viewers: "I'm like in shock right now, I'm just like so scared." --IANS rb/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) British Prime Minister Theresa May has arrived in Birmingham for the last of Britain's big political conferences, with a determination to fight for her Brexit blueprint. Former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson set the scene for a lively event in Britain's second biggest city by describing as deranged May's so-called Chequers plan for a soft-Brexit, Xinhua reported. The Sunday Times gave a flavour of the possible atmosphere at the conference with its headline: "Boris Johnson vs Theresa May: now it's war". In a Sunday television interview, May insisted she would make a success of Britain's departure from the European Union regardless of what happens in the negotiations with Brussels. May said in her interview: "I do believe in Brexit. Crucially, I believe in delivering Brexit in a way that respects the vote and delivers on the vote of the British people while also protecting our union, protecting jobs and ensuring we make a success of Brexit for the future. "That's why I'm being ambitious for this country. That's why I want us to get a really good free trade deal with the European Union, which is what lies at the heart of the Chequers plan." She added: "We will make a success of Brexit, regardless of the outcome of the negotiations." The Sunday Times said May has launched a concerted campaign to keep her job, announcing a crackdown on foreigners buying homes in Britain and revealing plans for a "historic" festival to celebrate Brexit Britain. May confronted her critics, accusing those who refuse to back her Chequers blueprint for Brexit of playing with Britain's future and undermining the national interest. May's proposed $156 million festival, is designed to pump billions of dollars into the British economy, echoing Queen Victoria's Great Exhibition in 1851 and the post-war Festival of Britain in 1951. May said: "We want to showcase what makes our country great today. We want to capture that spirit for a new generation, celebrate our nation's diversity and talent, and mark this moment of national renewal with a once-in-a-generation celebration." The Sunday Times says May will come under intense pressure from grassroots members to ditch her Chequers proposals. Ian Lavery, chair of the main opposition Labor Party accused May of tinkering around the edges rather than rebuilding Britain. He said: "The Conservatives are clearly too busy fighting among themselves and have neither the ideas nor the desire to offer real solutions to the problems they have caused." In a separate interview with the Sunday Times, Johnson said: "There will be economic and political damage to the UK if we go with Chequers. It surrenders control." --IANS pgh/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hailed the Indian Air Force (IAF) for protecting the nation during wars and for its contribution towards disaster relief operations. "The Air Force that was established in 1932 with six pilots and 19 soldiers, is today one of the most powerful and courageous forces in the world," Modi said in his monthly radio programme, "Mann Ki Baat". "From the bottom of my heart, I thank our air warriors and their families for serving the nation." He reminisced the contribution of the IAF in various wars from 1947 until now in context with the upcoming Air Force Day which is celebrated on October 8 to commemorate its inception in 1932. Modi explained how the IAF airlifted troops and equipments when the country was attacked by Pakistan in 1947. "In 1947, when Pakistan attacked Srinagar, the Air Force helped the Army reach the war zone in time... In 1965 also, the IAF gave a befitting reply to the enemies. "Who doesn't remember the fight for Bangladesh's independence in 1971? In 1999, the Air Force had a significant contribution in the Kargil war," he said. He thanked the IAF for its involvement in relief operations. "Be it a relief operation or disaster preparation, we are grateful to our air warriors for the commendable job that they do." He also mentioned an option granted to women officers for permanent commission. "They have made sure that there is gender equality in their line-up by opening doors for the country's daughters in all their departments. "Now the Air Force is giving them the option to join permanent commission along with short service commission which I had declared on August 15. "India can now proudly say that it is not just men power but also with women power has a contribution in its armed forces," Modi added. --IANS mg/ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a veiled warning to Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said Indian soldiers will give a "befitting reply" to whosoever attempts to ruin peace and progress in India. While India fiercely believed in peace, it would not compromise with its honour and sovereignty at "any cost", he said. Modi's remarks came in his 48th episode of monthly radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat', a day after India celebrated the second anniversary of the 2016 surgical strike by the Army on terrorist hubs in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Recalling the surgical strike as a reply to the "audacity of a proxy war under the garb of terrorism", Modi, without naming Pakistan, said: "It has now been decided that our soldiers will give a befitting reply to whosoever makes an attempt to destroy the atmosphere of peace and progress in our nation. "We staunchly believe in peace; we are committed to taking it forward but not at the cost of compromising our self-respect and sovereignty." Modi's attack came a day after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, speaking at the UN General Assembly, denounced Pakistan for its continued support to terrorism on Indian soil and blamed Islamabad for sabotaging the bilateral talks process. Sushma Swaraj said that talks cannot be pursued in the midst of "terrorist bloodshed" with a nation that "glorifies killers" and refuses to see the "blood of innocents". India on September 21 called off talks by Foreign Ministers with Pakistan in New York, blaming Islamabad for the killing of security personnel in Jammu and Kashmir and accusing it of glorifying terrorism. Modi said: "India has always been resolutely committed to peace. In the two World Wars fought in the 20th century, over a lakh of our soldiers made the supreme sacrifice; that too in a war where we were not involved in any way. "We have never eyed someone else's territory maliciously. This in itself was our commitment and dedication towards peace. "Even today, India is one of the largest contributors to various UN Peace Keeping forces in terms of sending personnel. For decades, our brave soldiers wearing blue helmets have played a stellar role in ensuring maintenance of world peace." The Prime Minister said that remembering the surgical strikes will remind "our youths about the glorious heritage and valour of our armed forces. "It also inspires us to ensure our country's unity and integrity." --IANS rak-bns/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a veiled warning to Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said Indian soldiers will give a "befitting reply" to whosoever attempts to ruin peace and progress in India. While India fiercely believed in peace, it would not compromise with its honour and sovereignty at any cost, he said. Modi's remarks came in his 48th episode of monthly radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat', a day after India celebrated the second anniversary of the 2016 surgical strike by the Army on terrorist hubs in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Recalling the surgical strike as a reply to the "audacity of a proxy war under the garb of terrorism", Modi, without naming Pakistan, said: "It has now been decided that our soldiers will give a befitting reply to whosoever makes an attempt to destroy the atmosphere of peace and progress in our nation. "We staunchly believe in peace; we are committed to taking it forward but not at the cost of compromising our self-respect and sovereignty." Modi's attack came a day after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, speaking at the UN General Assembly, denounced Pakistan for its continued support to terrorism on Indian soil and blamed Islamabad for sabotaging the bilateral talks process. New Delhi on September 21 called off talks by Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan, blaming Islamabad for the killing of security personnel in Jammu and Kashmir and accusing it of glorifying terrorism. Modi said: "India has always been resolutely committed to peace. In the two World Wars, over a lakh of our soldiers made the supreme sacrifice; that too in a war where we were not involved in any way. "We have never eyed someone else's territory maliciously. This in itself was our commitment and dedication towards peace. "Even today, India is one of the largest contributors to various UN Peace Keeping forces in terms of sending personnel. For decades, our brave soldiers wearing blue helmets have played a stellar role in ensuring maintenance of world peace." Modi said that remembering the surgical strikes will remind "our youths about the glorious heritage and valour of our armed forces. The Prime Minister called the Indian Air Force (IAF) one of the "mightiest and bravest" air forces and hailed its contribution both during wars and natural disasters. "Be it the relief and rescue work or disaster management, our country is indebted to our Air Force for the commendable efforts of our Air Warrior," he said, mentioning its role during the 1947-48, 1965, 1971 and 1999 wars. The "Swachh Bharat Mission", he said, had become a success story globally. Noting how a small step of people can bring changes in the life of the most underprivileged, the Prime Minister invoked Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy and mantras and called upon the people to purchase khadi and handloom products on special occasions. "What people purchase must benefit our countrymen... This is the mantra of Gandhiji, this is the message of Gandhiji. I firmly believe that a small step of yours can surely bring about a very big benefit in the life of the poorest and the most underprivileged person. "The mantras of Gandhiji are very relevant even today," he said. He urged the people to participate in the 'Run for Unity', on the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, on October 31. He recalled former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, saying his mild persona always fills every Indian with a sense of pride. The Prime Minister hailed the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). "It is essential for the freedom and peace of the exploited, victimised and deprived people and to ensure justice for them. NHRC has not only protected human rights but has also promoted respect for human dignity over the years." He said the NHRC, formed on October 12, 1993, had sparked hope and confidence among Indians. --IANS bns-rak/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Terming the Congress charges false and based on half-truths, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has denied that the Rafale deal had snatched jobs from the Indian aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). "There is no truth in the Congress allegations on the Rafale deal as they are based on falsehood and half-truths. The question of taking away jobs from HAL does not arise as the UPA government had no deal with its maker Dassault Aviation," Sitharaman told reporters here on Sunday. Accusing the previous Congress-led UPA government of ignoring the needs of the Indian Air Force (IAF) whose squadron strength has depleted to 33 from 42, Sitharaman said the inter-government agreement on Rafale was much better than what was proposed in the non-deal of the previous regime. "The intent of the agreement was very well stated in the joint statement that it shall be a better deal in every way," asserted Sitharaman. The statement was given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then French President Francois Hollande on April 10, 2015 when the deal was signed for the sale of 36 Rafale jets by its French maker Dassault Aviation. Blaming the then United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for not finalising the deal with Dassault during its tenure, the Defence Minister said the Congress campaign on Rafale was irresponsible and baseless, as its government failed to seal the deal with HAL. "There were only statements but no action during the UPA period. If we have taken away the jobs, let the Congress show the agreement its then government had with the HAL on Rafale," reiterated Sitharaman. Noting that the government was proud of the city-based defence behemoth (HAL), the Minister said though the IAF ordered 40 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas between 2006-10, only six were delivered by 2014. "After our government came into being, we doubled HAL's production capacity to 16 Tejas a year. What did the Congress government do during its tenure that it is shedding crocodile tears for HAL now?" she pointed out. As the IAF has ordered 83 more Tejas, the government has given HAL Rs 20,000 crore to enhance its production capacity to make more LCAs, added Sitharaman. --IANS bha-fb/pgh/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Over 81 per cent of the around 55,000 electorate on Sunday cast their votes in the bypolls to Panchayati Raj Institutions in 11 blocks in Tripura, an official said. Tripura State Election Commission and police officials said that except for some minor squabbles in northern Tripura, no untoward incident was reported from the 11 blocks. The by-elections to 3,386 seats -- 3,207 Gram Panchayat seats, 161 Panchayat Samiti seats and 18 Zilla Parishads seats -- were scheduled for Sunday, but polling was necessitated only for 11 blocks as most of the seats were filled without election as candidates were elected unopposed. These seats fell vacant following large-scale resignations of elected representatives of Left and other parties after the BJP-led coalition came to power in Tripura in March. Some of the three-tier Panchayat seats were lying vacant also due to death of PRI representatives. "The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) earlier won unopposed around 96 per cent of the Gram Panchayat and Panchayat Samiti seats and all 18 Zilla Parishad seats in Tripura," the State Election Commission (SEC) official said. Almost all parties, including BJP's junior partner Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), following large-scale violence during electioneering, has been demanding rescheduling of the September 30 Panchayat elections to ensure participation of all parties. The Opposition Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Left Front, the Congress and the IPFT, a tribal-based party, had separately urged the SEC to reschedule the election process as they claimed that "massive violence prevented their nominees from filing papers". State BJP Spokesman Mrinal Kanti Deb said the opposition parties, especially the CPI-M, could not find suitable candidates and also that most people are not interested to contest as candidates of Left parties and the Congress. CPI-M leader Gautam Das told the media: "There was no conducive atmosphere for holding free and fair elections. Out of 35 blocks, non-BJP parties were not allowed to file nominations by ruling party supporters in 28 blocks. That's why we were demanding rescheduling of Panchayat elections, but the state poll panel did nothing positive." --IANS sc/tsb/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Pakistani helicopter violated Indian air space on Sunday in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch sector but a Defence Ministry spokesman said it was likely a civilian chopper. Spokesman Lt Colonel Devender Anand said here that the Pakistani chopper, flying very high, committed the violation at 12.10 p.m. Indian troops fired at the helicopter with small arms, he said. The helicopter withdrew into Pakistani territory after five minutes, the spokesman added. Earlier reports said the helicopter belonged to the Pakistan Army. --IANS sq/mr/ksk (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 Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists has called for a nationwide protest on October 9 against retrenchments in the media, non-payment of salaries, unannounced censorship and registration of treason cases against persons. The PFUJ took this decision on Saturday during its Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held at the Abbottabad Press Club, reports Dawn news. The FEC meeting is being attended by representatives of journalists from across the country to devise a comprehensive strategy for launching a long struggle not only for the economic rights of workers but also to protect the freedom of expression as enshrined in the Constitution. "The state institutions are trying to control the through curtailing their advertisements, hampering the distribution of newspapers and taking off-air those television channels who do not toe their line," the FEC said in a statement. "These state actors are also trying to harass the working journalists through front men or other government departments to initiate cases of treason or register FIR against them under Anti-Terrorism Act." The PFUJ decided to launch a struggle against these state actors and to expose them and their designs and has decided to form a united action committee. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The controversial Rafale fighter India ordered would not be ready to fly at the Bengaluru air show in February, an IAF official said on Sunday. "Rafale for India will not be ready by February. We expect Dassault to fly some other Rafale at the Aero India show here on February 20-24, 2019," Deputy Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal R.K. Singh Bhadauria told IANS at a press conference here. The French aerospace major (Dassault Aviation) is set to deliver 36 Rafales multi-role medium combat aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF) in fly-away condition from September 2019 onwards. The 12th edition of the 5-day biennial air show will be held at IAF's Yelahanka base on the city's northern outskirts as before. "We hope Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate it though the Ministry of Defence will take a call on it," said Bhadauria when asked who would flag off the mega show. The state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will play a major role in organising the air show, instead of the Defence Exhibition Organisation which has been hosting the event over years, he added. The advanced fourth generation fighter Rafale will partly replace the ageing Russian-built MiG-21 jets the IAF is phasing out due to their obsolescence. The Deputy Chief of Air Staff was present at a press conference addressed by Defence Minister at the Yelahanka air base. Asked about the overhauling of Rafale in the absence of HAL as its Indian partner, Sitharaman said the joint statement of April 10, 2015 between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then French President Francois Hollande had addressed all the issues, including servicing of the fighter. "Our agreement has achieved a much better deal than the non-deal by theAUPA," the Defence Minister said. The Modi government had approached the Rafale deal with a "sense of urgency" understanding the strengths of Pakistan and China, she said. "With the depleting squadron strength from 42 to 33, we had gone in to get 36 aircraft in fly-away condition. That was the sense of urgency with which we have attended to the issue," the Minister stressed. With a "desperation" to return to power, Congress was raising Rafale issue, Sitharaman claimed. "In over four years, there's not even a whisper of corruption in this government. But desperate to get power, they (Congress) have been indulging in hit-and-run tactics," she alleged. The Congress party was also shedding "crocodile tears" for HAL alleging that it missed out on thousands of jobs over the Rafale deal, she said. "An intergovernmental deal only dictates the requirements of a contract. The offset rules are governed by offset regulations," Sitharaman added. --IANS bha/pgh/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress on Sunday stepped up its attack on the Central government, with party President Rahul Gandhi alleging that public money was being used to bail-out the debt-ridden IL&FS group. In a tweet, Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is bailing out the IL&FS group which has a long-term debt liability of around Rs 91,000 crore via public savings in LIC and the State Bank of India (SBI). The tweet in Hindi titled "Lights, Camera, Scam", alleges that in 2007 when Modi was the Gujarat Chief minister, IL&FS was given the 'GIFT CITY' project worth Rs 70,000 crore. Till date no work has been achieved under the plan. Gandhi adds that in 2018, Modi was bailing out the same company via LIC an SBI. Recently, the Congress has raised the issue and warned of "an impending 'Lehman Brothers-type' economic crisis facing the country". The IL&FS crisis has also dented equity investors confidence in the entire NBFC space. Besides, the party has called for a forensic audit of the group over the disbursement of Rs 42,000 crore in the last four years. Congress spokesman Manish Tiwari also tweeted on Sunday: "This is why IL&FS financials need to be forensically audited as management, principal shareholders and NDA/BJP government are unwilling to address the 42,000 crore question Peruse second Graphic minutely. Rs 42,000 crore was disbursed in past four years. Nobody knows where the money disappeared." The call for an audit comes at a time, when concerns have been raised regarding the financial stability of the group after some of its subsidiaries defaulted on commercial paper repayment obligations. In addition, the party has said that public savings via LIC and SBI should not be used to bailout the private entity in which foreign institutions have a stake. On Saturday, the cash-strapped company said it was planning to have a "successful" rights issue and would sell its assets to repay creditors. The company in its Annual General Meeting sought shareholders' permission to carry out its plans to recapitalise itself. In a video shared by the company after the AGM, IL&FS MD Hari Sankaran said that the company addressed the concerns of shareholders to restore normalcy in its operations and proposed a three-point strategy. "Number one, to have a successful rights issue which will generate and enable the company to recapitalise itself," he said, adding that the company also proposes to sell assets in order to repay its creditors. The third element of the strategy is "to get liquid allocation to support repayments of debtors till our assets sale begins", he said. IL&FS Financial Services, a group company, defaulted in payment obligations of bank loans (including interest), term and short-term deposits and failed to meet the commercial paper (CP) redemption obligations due on September 14. On September 15, the company reported that it had received notices for delays and defaults in servicing some of the inter corporate deposits accepted by it. Consequent to defaults, rating agency ICRA downgraded the ratings of its short-term and long-term borrowing programmes. IL&FS Ltd is a core investment company and serves as the holding company of the IL&FS Group, with most business operations domiciled in separate companies which form an ecosystem of expertise across infrastructure, finance and social and environmental services. Initially promoted by the Central Bank of India, Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd and the Unit Trust of India, IL&FS was incorporated in 1987. Over the years, it has inducted institutional shareholders including SBI, LIC, ORIX Corporation of Japan and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA). As on March 31, 2018, LIC and ORIX Corporation are the largest shareholders in IL&FS with their stakeholding at 25.34 per cent and 23.54 per cent, respectively. Other prominent shareholders include ADIA (12.56 per cent), HDFC (9.02 per cent), CBI (7.67 per cent) and SBI (6.42 per cent). --IANS rv/ksk/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police in Bihar on Sunday continued to search for a bank manager who was abducted three days ago. Jaivardhan Kumar of the Bihar Kshetriya Grameen Bank was kidnapped in Sheikhpura district on Thursday evening while returning home. Sheikhpura Superintendent of Police said Daya Shankar said the police were doing everything to rescue Kumar. The abductors have reportedly demanded a ransom from the family and warned them not to seek police help. Meanwhile, police in Nalanda said that Kumar's mobile phone was recovered from a village in neighbouring Nawada district. --IANS ik/ksk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) "Gippi" director Sonam Nair says she is trying to figure out her space in the digital medium as she feels that it suits her and she considers it to be the future. Nair had worked on producer Ekta Kapoor's web series "Bewafaa sii Wafaa" last year. Her next -- "The Trip 2" will premiere on October 5 on all bindass platforms including YouTube. She has more stories for the web. "I am developing a couple of web series only. I have scripts which I think can be perfectly adapted for the web. I am trying to figure out my space in the digital arena. I feel it's very suited to me," Nair told IANS in a telephonic interview. Whether it is a short film, a series or a film made for the web, she enjoys it. "I am planning a series of feature film and a short film for the web. I feel like this is the future. This is where I need to invest my time," said the director, whose successful 2013 film "Gippi" was backed by filmmaker Karan Johar. Does this mean she won't make movies for the big screen? "I don't know. I want to tell my story wherever. It doesn't matter if it is on the big screen or not. Last year, I made a short film called 'Khujli' and actor Jackie Shroff got a Filmfare Award for it. "So why should I restrict myself and wait till I get some actors to make a big budget film. I will write my story and whatever has to come my way, will come." Without sharing much about her upcoming web projects, she said: "I will stick to my voice which is modern, young and light-hearted." What she likes about the digital platform is that it lets her "take a lot of risks". "It is not dependent on big numbers or footfall in theatres. It is made with a smaller budget, has interesting stories and it's more accessible. People will at least sample it. "It's not like they have to buy a Rs 500 ticket to watch it. There is much more freedom in work because you can tell the story that you want to tell. You get a chunk of audience who relate to it. That's good. "It doesn't have to cater to everyone which is what films are becoming nowadays." She is currently excited about "The Trip 2". "When I came on board, I decided to put my own twist to it. I made it more 'desi', more sort of accessible and relatable to people who might not be able go to Thailand (like in the first season of the show) or have that kind of a glamorous vacation. "This is more like a hurried road trip... an accidental road trip in India," said Nair, who has directed and co-written the second season of "The Trip". "This season is very 'masaledaar' (spicy). I have tried to make it full 'masala' because I feel that is little bit missing on the web. They (web series) are becoming more cool and urban." It stars actresses Shweta Tripathi, Mallika Dua, Sapna Pabbi and Amyra Dastur. One of the main reasons for her taking up the show was because she would get to work with women and tell their stories. "The main focus is women and to make them wild, fun and confident." Does she only want to tell women-centric stories? "That's not usually what I think of, but I like to tell stories inspired from real life. My mind doesn't work in really 'fantastical' ways. I see life around me and my own life. I take inspiration from that. "I feel that my genre would be more like realistic comedy. I like light-hearted things because even when you are going through horrible things, you can find a light moment in it. I feel something that is light-hearted and relatable... that is my space and that's perfect for the web I think," she said. (Natalia Ningthoujam can be contacted at natalia.n@ians.in) --IANS nn/rb/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Syrian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Walid Muallem on Saturday demanded the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of foreign troops which are in Syria without the consent of the authorities. "Any foreign presence on Syrian territory without the consent of the Syrian government is illegal and constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and the UN charter. It is an assault on our sovereignty, which undermines counter-terrorism efforts and threatens regional peace and security," Muallem told the UN General Assembly. "We therefore consider any forces operating on Syrian territory without an explicit request from the Syrian government, including US, French and Turkish forces, occupying forces and will be dealt with accordingly. They must withdraw immediately and without conditions." Muallem said that after seven years of war, the situation on the ground has become more secure and stable. "Our war on terror is almost over, thanks to the heroism, resolve, and unity of the people and the army, and to the support of our allies and friends," he said. All conditions are now present for the voluntary return of Syrian refugees, said Muallem. He said Syria welcomes assistance with reconstruction from those countries that were not part of the "aggression" on Syria. Privilege will be given to Syria's allies in the war. "As for the countries that offer only conditional assistance or continue to support terrorism, they are neither invited nor welcome to help." He said Syria is committed to the political process without compromising its national principles, such as preserving the sovereignty, independence, and territorial unity of Syria. --IANS ahm/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US President Donald Trump reviewed on Saturday in a phone call with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud the oil supply for stability of the market, Saudi Press Agency reported. The two leaders discussed efforts to maintain supplies to ensure the stability of oil market and the growth of global economy. Oil supply and prices are common interests of the US and Saudi Arabia. Media reports said that Saudi Arabia would raise oil outputs in the coming months to deal with the drop in Iranian oil production and might limit outputs next year to balance global supply and demand when the US pumps more quantities of crude. The two leaders also discussed developments in the region and the world. --IANS ahm/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Experts from around the world will gather in South Korea from Monday for the 48th session of UN body Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to consider a special report on global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius. The report, titled Global Warming of 1.5AoC, a major scientific undertaking on the latest climate change research will speak on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways. It will give policymakers the scientific information they need to take sound decisions and act to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty. The report, slated for October 8 release, was commissioned by governments after the UN climate change meeting in Paris in 2015, when it was agreed to act to limit increases in global average temperature to less than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to try keeping that increase nearer to 1.5 degrees. The report findings will come up for approval at the IPCC plenary that will conclude on October 5. The IPCC is the UN body for assessing the science related to climate change. Commenting on his expectations for the report, Least Developed Countries Group Chair Gebru Jember Endalew said: "It will be important that the report and the summary for policy makers clearly sets out the scientific necessity of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius as opposed to two degrees to protect people and the planet and highlights the vast discrepancy between this goal and our current global emissions pathway. "In doing so, the report will shine a spotlight on the scale of the challenge the international community must rise up to meet. A future where warming is limited to 1.5 degrees is a brighter future for all." The globe may miss the mark to achieve the Paris climate goals, warned the leaked IPCC final draft of the report that was shared with governments in June. The leaked draft said a vast majority of nations, including disaster-facing India, were missing the mark in achieving the goal set at the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The draft report warned that "if emissions continue at their present rate, human-induced warming will exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius by around 2040". India's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), rated by Climate Action Tracker's independent scientific analysis, as "2 degrees Celsius compatible", is still too high for the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit set in Paris. Experts say current Indian climate pledges can be achieved if the country continues to increase the share of non-fossil energy resources. India has ratified the 2015 Paris Agreement and pledged to reduce domestic emissions by 33 to 35 per cent by 2030 -- below 2005 levels -- and increase the share of non-fossil energy resources to 40 per cent of installed electric power capacity by 2030. After media reports on the leaked draft, the IPCC had clarified draft reports "are provided to governments and reviewers as confidential working documents. "For these reasons, the IPCC does not comment on the contents of draft reports while work is still ongoing." According to the UN Environment's Emissions Gap Report 2017, even if countries meet their pledges to limit global warming to under 2 degrees Celsius, their actions would only represent a third of what is needed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. The report finds that current Paris pledges make 2030 emissions likely to reach 11 to 13.5 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO2e) above the level needed to stay on the least-cost path to meeting the 2 degrees Celsius target. One gigatonne is roughly equivalent to one year of transport emissions in the European Union, including aviation. (Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in) --IANS vg/ksk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With the Centre deciding to stop relief from Monday to over 32,000 Reang tribal refugees living in north Tripura for over two decades, it is not clear if they will start returning to Mizoram although nearly 180 have done so. The authorities made the announcement about the decision -- taken earlier this month -- through public address on Friday and Saturday. A north Tripura district administration official said a week's relief was provided to the Bru refugees on Saturday evening. A total of 32,876 refugees had been staying in Tripura after fleeing their villages in Mizoram due to ethnic tension. "The government is very serious in asking the tribals to return to their homes immediately. But we are not sure whether they will start leaving their camps soon," the official told IANS on the condition of anonymity on phone from Dharmanagar, 190 km north of here. He claimed that some refugee leaders were misguiding those staying put. "The Central government will stop relief and other assistance from October 1 to tribal refugees staying in six camps in Tripura," North Tripura District Magistrate Raval Hamendra Kumar told IANS. The decision is in line with a July 3 agreement between Tripura and Mizoram governments, the Home Ministry and refugees' body Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum (MBDPF). The agreement entails benefits to each refugee family, including Rs 4 lakh aid, monthly allowance of Rs 5,000, Rs 1.5 lakh for building house and free ration for two years. As per the agreement, the Reang tribals, comprising 5,407 families, were scheduled to start returning to three Mizoram districts from August 16 or 17. But they refused and reiterated their demands, including security in Mizoram by paramilitary forces and allotment of sufficient land for farming, besides formation of Area Development Council for Reang tribals, locally called 'Bru'. MBDPF General Secretary Bruno Msha said their demands were not incorporated in the agreement, including allotment of five hectares of land to each refugee family on their return. On the other hand, 177 refugees from 32 families returned to Mizoram on September 19 and 26. One refugee family left for Mizoram on Sunday. The District Magistrate, who along with SDMs of Kanchanpur and Panisagar is supervising the matter, said a few more refugee families were likely to return to Mizoram any time. Refugee leader Bruno Msha told IANS from Kanchanpur that they were preparing a list of families willing to return to Mizoram. A Monitoring Committee headed by Special Secretary (Internal Security) of the Ministry of Home Affairs has been set up, also comprising officials from Tripura and Mizoram and representatives of MBDPF, to supervise the repatriation and settlement process. Mizoram Home Department Additional Secretary Lalbiakzama told the media in Aizawl that 4,199 Reang tribal families will be resettled in 48 villages in Mamit district and 824 and 384 families in 10 villages in Kolasib and four villages in Lunglei districts respectively. Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Jitendra Chowdhury, a former Tribal Welfare Minister in Tripura, urged the Centre not to repatriate the Reang tribals without settling land and other issues. "I have raised the issue in the Lok Sabha but the Central government is yet to respond," Chowdhury told IANS. (Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in) --IANS sc/tsb/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Parents should keep a close watch on what kind of media content their children consume as researchers have found that teenagers exposed to TV and film violence and high levels of household conflict are at risk of engaging in aggressive behaviours. The findings, published online in the journal Aggressive Behavior, suggest that parental monitoring help to protect against aggressive behaviour. "It was quite interesting that for adolescents who had high levels of media violence exposure, family conflict, impulsivity and sensation-seeking, parental monitoring still continued to provide a protective effect against aggressive tendencies," said lead author Atika Khurana, Professor at the University of Oregon in the US. The findings are based on an online survey of some 2,000 teenagers aged 14-17. The participants were asked what shows they had watched, how many times they viewed each, and whether they had engaged recently in a physical fight, face-to-face bullying and cyberbullying as measures of aggression. To measure family conflict, the teenagers were asked if their home life involved criticism, hitting each other, cursing, arguing and throwing things when angry. Other questions probed parental supervision of media use, such as restricting and forbidding the viewing of violence and adult content. The researchers found that media violence alone was a strong risk factor for aggression, even when the adolescents were low in all the other risk factors. "The effect is no doubt greater if you also have other risk factors such as family conflict and impulsivity, but it is nonetheless significant even for those at lower risk in other categories," Khurana said. She, however, cautioned that parental intervention in media viewing needs to be age appropriate. Actions that restrict or forbid viewing of violent media works best with younger adolescents but can be counterproductive with older teens, Khurana said. --IANS gb/sed (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Yes Bank is in the specified group, consisting of 30 top shares, that forms the Bombay Stock Exchange. If its price fell by 60 per cent in one month flat just because the chief executive officer (CEO) was asked to choose his successor, then I feel we have not matured as an investing community. This includes small investors, mutual funds and all others especially when bank's bottom line continues to be inspiring. It is the board of directors that runs the company, and not only the CEO. If a CEO were running the company alone then there would be no role for the board. It is for this ... State-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. vowed to intensify the crackdown against illegal online gaming companies, saying it is keeping a closer watch on offshore gaming operations to make sure the government collects the proper taxes. Pagcor said it initiated a crackdown against online gaming firms operating without a license or found in violation of the agencys offshore gaming regulatory manual. Pagcor chairperson Andrea Domingo said in a statement over the weekend that the agency, in cooperation with various law enforcement agencies, regularly undertook investigations and raids. She said that since 2017, the law enforcement bodies conducted raids in over 170 establishments certified by Pagcor to be operating without licenses. Personalities apprehended for operating without a gaming license will either face charges in court or deported, the agency said. Domingo said the agency was relentless in its pursuit of illegal operators, adding that gambling, if not properly regulated, would cause undue damage to society and its citizens. Word of advice, therefore, legalize your operations or face dire consequences, Domingo said. Pagcor earlier signed a mutual cooperation agreement with the National Bureau of Investigation, the Philippine National Police and the Bureau of Immigration for a concerted drive against illegal online gambling. The agreement was executed with a representative of the Office of the President exercising oversight on the same.Members of the interagency council exchange intelligence information to ultimately carry out intelligence operations, surveillances, raids, arrests, or any other action deemed appropriate, and thereby put a stop to the proliferation of illegal online gambling activities. Domingo said aside from conducting raids against erring firms, Pagcor was also regularly monitoring and auditing the operation of Philippine offshore gaming operators or Pogo licensees to ensure that they were remitting to the government its proper revenue share and that they were adhering to all municipal, national and labor laws. Domingo said this was an important function as four out of every 10 workers in online gaming firms in the Philippines are Filipinos. These workers consist of high-paying IT and technical support staff, dealers, administrative staff, drivers, cooks, maintenance personnel and others. She said regular audits of Pogo gaming hubs showed substantial compliance to Pagcor rules, and compliance with local government requirements on health and sanitation, fire safety, occupational permits and others. Domingo said that through its compliance monitoring and enforcement department, Pagcor ensures that Pogo licensees operate within the bounds and limits of their offshore gaming licenses. The current regulatory framework provides administrative penalties and sanctions against Pogo licensees found to be performing prohibited acts, including violations of any conditions attached to the grant of said license. A total of 155 released prisoners have been selected for employment in various positions such as marketing executives and drivers at a job fair conducted by the Telangana Prisons department. Twelve companies, including Flipkart and HDFC, participated in the "Job Mela-2018" organised Saturday at the State Institute of Correctional Administration here and attended by 230 released prisoners (both convicts and undertrial) from 31 districts. Of this, as many as 155 were selected for employment as drivers, technicians, house-keeping, electricians, marketing executives, helpers and others, an official release said. After the formation of Telangana state in June 2014, the state Prisons department had been implementing several innovative schemes and programmes such as skill development, loans to prisoners and employment for transforming the lives of inmates. The job fair was aimed at providing livelihood to the released prisoners and ensure that they do not commit crimes again, the release said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Seventeen airlines, 11 of them International, have evinced interest in commencing flight services from Kannur International airport, which is expected to commence commercial operations this year, Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan said. The international airlines, including Emirates, Fly Dubai and Air Arabia and six domestic carriers were prepared to operate to the new airport, which is expected to get the mandatory aerodrome licence soon, Vijayan said at the Annual General Body Meeting of the Kannur Internatioanl Airport Ltd (KIAL) here Saturday. The runway, airside works, integrated terminal building, city side works and facilities inside the terminal had been completed and ground handling services at the airport had been outsourced, the Chief Minister, who is also KIAL chairman, said. Land acquisition proceedings for enhancing the runway's length from 3050 metres to 4000 metres was on, he added. Once commissioned, the Kannur airport would be the fourth in the state after Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) DGP O P Singh Sunday said 200 police personnel in the state are under investigation for alleged laxity in duty. He also directed police officials here to hold regular meetings with their subordinates and focus on good policing. "Twelve police personnel have been dismissed and 200 have been put under investigation for alleged anomalies," Singh said. He also said that "nobody will be spared for playing the law." "Traditional methods adopted by police as earlier should be continued for effective policing," the director general of police said. He was accompanied by DIG, Faizabad division, Onkar Singh. The DGP asked police officials to use basic and new technologies to control crime. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) gearing up to make its mark in the Lok Sabha elections next year has taken the "chai pe charcha" route to reach out to voters in the national capital. 'Chai pe charcha' gained prominence in the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls with Narendra Modi as Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) prime ministerial candidate adopting it to communicate with voters across the country. AAP failed to win any seat in Delhi although it won four Lok Sabha seats in Punjab in the 2014 polls. The Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, however, said it did not borrow the concept from the saffron party. Dilip Pandey, AAP's incharge of North East Delhi constituency said, "We have been holding 'chai pe charcha' since the winters of 2012 to reach out to the 'aam aadmi' (common man)". The party has already announced the in-charges of five of the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. Pandey said the party has organised 300 'chai pe charcha' meetings in his constituency so far. Another party leader said such meetings have been planned in the remaining parliamentary seats as well. Contrary to Modi's 'chai pe charcha' meeting in Ahmedabad in February 2014 which was beamed across the country through video conferencing and television channels, AAP's meetings are "more close" and "direct affairs" where local issues and political discussions take centre stage, party sources said. The BJP won seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi in the last elections and AAP won the Assembly polls in 2015. You can see the difference between the works of the two parties now, Pandey said. "Our message in these (chai pe charcha) meetings is clear that if we have the MPs, the party can serve people more effectively. Our government is trying hard to work for the people in Delhi and if we have representation in Lok Sabha, we will do so with double motivation," he said. The AAP leader said the party activists and volunteers also tell people how Congress was playing "spoilsport" in a direct contest between AAP and BJP. "Congress has been reduced to a political player which can only cut into our votes and thus benefit the BJP," Pandey claimed. The AAP is yet to announce names of candidates for the New Delhi and West Delhi seats for which it is holding talks with rebel BJP leaders Yashwant Sinha and Shatrughan Sinha, party leaders added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Twenty eight AIADMK workers, proceeding to MGR Centenary event in Chennai, were injured when the bus they were travelling in collided with another vehicle at nearby Aasanur Sunday, police said. The driver of the omni bus, coming from Ramanathapuram district, suddenly lost control of the vehicle and hit the other bus. All the injured were admitted to a government hospital, they said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) More than 30 million square feet of green building footprint has been created by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)s Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), a CII member said here on Sunday. The CII has rated three green building projects in Meghalaya which includes the Raj Bhavan, North Eastern Council Secretariat and the cleanest village Mawlynnong , CII member Ramendra Nath Baishya told PTI. In Assam five projects including the GNRC Healthcare Centre, Miles Bronson Residential School, Royal Global School, NPS International School in Guwahati and Baligaon village in Sonitpur district, said Baishya who is also the Chairman of the Indian Institute of Architects, Assam Chapter. Fifteen projects in different parts of Meghalaya, Assam and Tripura also under certification for the Green building movement in North East, he added. The CII-IGBC is observing World Green Building Week which concludes Sunday to underline the need and importance of green buildings for a greener and healthier tomorrow. The theme for this year is "Home Green Home" and through this campaign the CII-IGBC has highlighted that when homes are green they use less water, optimises energy efficiency, conserves natural resources, generates less waste and also provide healthier spaces for people as compared to a conventional home, he added. A green home has tremendous benefits, both tangible and intangible with the tangible benefits leading to energy savings to the tune of 30 to 40 per cent and water savings to an extent of 20 to 30 per cent over the conventional home. The intangible benefits include better health of occupants through abundant day lighting in every part of the house and enhanced ventilation as compared to conventional homes. CII-IGBC has demonstrated a clear business case for green buildings with construction costs coming down to about two to three per cent over conventional building and today homes, cities, villages, schools, infrastructure projects, places of worship among others adopting IGBC standards, Baishya pointed out. "CII-IGBC aspires that the place we live, work study, play, commute will all go the green way and in the process facilitate in building a greener and healthier India," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 50-year-old man, who worked at a college in Kachnar village of the district, was found dead in the campus here, police said Sunday. The deceased, Subhash Patel, a resident of Marui village in the district, was lying in a pool of blood when the police reached his residence in the college premises. Some unidentified men allegedly killed him with a sharp edged weapon on Saturday night, they said, adding the assailants destroyed the CCTV camera and set on fire some documents kept in the office. The body has been sent for post-mortem and a man hunt launched to nab the accused, they said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The city police arrested six people allegedly involved in stealing e-rickshaws after drugging the drivers and claimed that with it the infamous Jahar Khurani gang has been busted. Sharif Khan (25), Deen Mohd (30), Aslam (28), Sikender (40), Shivam (21) and Sukhbir (19) were arrested from in and around the national capital region after a massive raid and eight e-rickshaws were seized from them, police said. The gang used to drug the drivers of e-rickshaws and rob their vehicles, they said. "The gang was operating in the west and northwest and outer district and confessed to have been committed more than 50 thefts," police said. The accused were arrested after a policeman on patrol duty at Ramesh Nagar found three people searching a man who was lying unconscious and trying to flee with an e-rickshaw which was parked nearby. The patrol team managed to nab one of the accused, following which a manhunt was launched in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi which resulted in the arrest f the other five accused, police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ruling AIADMK Sunday lashed out at DMK over its criticism of for former Chief Minister M G Ramachandran's birth centenary celebrations, saying the amount spent on it was a fraction of that used by DMK for the world Tamil conference when it was in power in 2010. Senior party leader and Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar said not even 10 per cent the amount spent for the conference by the DMK government in 2010 was being spent now to hold the centenary celebrations. "We have not spent even 10 per cent of Rs 200 crore spent for the Semmozhi Manadu (World Classical Tamil conference) by them (DMK government)," he told reporters here. His retort came a day after DMK chief M K Stalin charged the government with using late leader M G Ramachandran's birth centenary for "political mileage" and holding "pompous" centenary events. Jayakumar said the government has details of expenditure for both the events. Stalin had dubbed as "pompous" the centenary celebrations using taxpayers' money to further the "remaining political journey" of the incumbent AIADMK government. The Minister said the government was ready to release details of the expenditure for both the Tamil conference and the MGR centenary celebrations. While the MGR centenary events have so far been held in 31 districts, the valedictory function will be addressed by Chief Minister K Palaniswami and other leaders this evening here (the 32nd district). The World Tamil Conference was held in 2010 during the DMK regime at Coimbatore. The DMK government led by late leader M Karunanidhi faced strong criticism from political rivals and pro-Tamil outfits for holding the World Tamil Conference to hide its alleged failure to protect Tamils in Sri Lanka during the civil war in 2009. M G Ramachandran (1917-1987) was the AIADMK founder and Chief Minister between 1977-87. A superstar in the Tamil filmdom in the 1950's, 60's and he cut his political teeth in the DMK before parting ways with Karunanidhi following differences. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The AICTE is setting up four teacher training academies in the country which will equip candidates with the latest changes in technical education, the council's Chairman Anil Dattatraya Sahasrabudhe said Sunday. The academies, coming up at Thiruvananthapuram, Guwahati, Baroda and Jaipur, will have eight modules that are semester-based, Sahasrabudhe told reporters on the sidelines of 'The National Conference on Indian Higher Education: Quality Assurance, Accreditation & Ranking' here. While the 2-acre Jaipur academy will start in one-and-a-half years, the other three academies will also start functioning within two years. The academies were being built on land provided free of cost by the respective state governments with minimum built-up infrastructure facility around the area. The academies will produce "motivated teachers, who will be conversant with fast changing technology in the technical sector and the teachers' training course curriculum was being chalked out accordingly," he said. The top All India Council for Technical (AICTE) official said the West Bengal government had been requested for one acre of land for setting up a teacher training academy three months back but "but there was no headway". "We are still hopeful of a favourable response in future from Bengal," he said. Urging the institutes to ask for accreditation from AICTE, he said "We will give four year time for accreditation with the enrolment fee of Rs 1 lakh". "Based on our yardsticks the institutes can be accorded Excellent rating for six year period, or Good rating for three year period," he said. Those having applied for accreditation but missed out on the ratings of "excellent" or "good", will be granted "applied for" accreditation status, he said emphasising the accreditation status of concerned institutes will be updated on its website. "The accreditation will help institutions re-orient their curriculum in sync with the changing times, help in undertaking more innovative research projects and go for autonomy as the next step. Autonomy will contribute to the academic excellence of the said institution," he said adding many state-run institutions are wary of going for the change and that in turn impede on their growth. Referring to the 'Margdarshan' project by AICTE, Sahasrabudhe said as part of this initiative, an institute of repute, government or government aided/self financed/AICTE approved will mentor 10 technical institutes for their technical upliftment. He said the AICTE was working towards reaching the 30-50 per cent accreditation figure for technical institutions over the next two years and 100 per cent in four years. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The lawyer-husband of presidential daughter and Davao City mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has weighed in on the tug-of-war between two companies over the electric distribution franchise in Iloilo City. Lawyer Manases Carpio, acting as counsel for Panay Electric Co., asked Palawan Rep. Franz Josef Alvarez, chair of the House committee on legislative franchises, to hold the impending approval of House Bill 8132 seeking the grant of an electric distribution franchise to More Minerals Corp. Carpio, in a letter to Alvarez dated Sept. 24, 2018, said Peco was objecting in the strongest terms possible to the alleged indecent haste and lack of justification for the committee to favor HB 8132 over another measure, HB 6023, which endorses the renewal of Pecos franchise. HB 6023 was filed as early as July 22, 2017 by Camiguin Rep. Xavier Jesus Romualdo, while HB 8132 was filed on Aug, 22 by Paranaque Rep. Gus Tambunting. Peco said its its workforce, key industry players, stockholders and residents of the firms franchise area, were shocked that the Alvarez-led committee moved on on Sept. 17 to approve the MMC measure without giving the other party a chance to voice out their objections during the committee deliberations. Carpio, citing records of the committee itself, noted that Pecos franchise renewal bid was based on established track records and experience in power distribution, and consistent with the prior operator principle which gives preference, all other things being equal, to the prior holder of a franchise granted by the government over other applicants.The lawyer scored the committee for the alleged rush toward the approval of HB 8132, handing over the franchise to an applicant without any track record in power distribution and which appears to be a mere shell company with a measly paid-up capital of only P2.5 million. Carpio said that based on information, the committee did not exert efforts to ensure that Peco representatives and other stakeholders were present during the hearings to give them the chance to air their sentiments, views, motives and motivations relative to the franchise issue. We thus respectfully request your committee to hold in abeyance its approval of the franchise application of More Minerals Corp. under HB 8132 until after more public hearings, with proper invitations to attend and adequate notice given to stakeholders, shall have been conducted on the matter, Carpios letter stated. We believe that this is the best way to serve public interest as your committee goes about its business of determining which of the franchise applicants deserves its nod, the lawyer told Alvarez. An umbrella organization of electric distributors across the country earlier rallied behind Peco, saying a faulty decision by Congress on the issue would likely trigger a potentially damaging power crisis in Iloilo City. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) would discontinue all kinds of subsistence allowances, including ration supplies and cash dole, to the Bru refugees from Monday, an official notification said. The notification was issued by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Panisagar in North Tripura district, Lalnemmemi Darlong, on Saturday. The MHA has directed to stop all kinds of allowances, including cash dole and ration supplies, from October 1, to the Mizoram Bru refugees, sheltered in six evacuee camps in North Tripura district in Tripura. The MHA instruction came on September 25. MHA Special Secretary (Internal Security) Rina Mitra, Joint Secretary Satyendra Garg and others had said in August that all refugee camps in Tripura would be shut down if the Brus failed to return to Mizoram within September. Reacting to the notification, the president of Mizoram Bru Displaced Peoples Coordination Committee (MBDPCC), L Laldinliana, said he was aware of the government's decision. "We are aware of this. We shall convene a meeting tomorrow with all refugees who are still here in Tripura and decide about our next course of action," he said. Laldinliana also said the refugee body is contemplating writing to President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and other authorities, seeking respite. So far, 40 families have returned to Mizoram from six relief camps in Kanchanpur and Panisagar sub-divisions in North Tripura district. However, over 32,000 refugees are still sheltered in relief camps in the state. The repatriation process had started on August 25 and concluded on September 25 this year. Thousands of Brus had been lodged in the Tripura relief camps since late 1997 in the wake of a communal tension triggered by the brutal killing of Lalzawmliana, a forest guard, inside the Dampa Tiger Reserve on October 21, 1997, by Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) militants. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A former Himachal minister has requested the state government to allow Gaddi community to hold a cultural programme at Dharamshala indoor stadium here. The request was made by former minister Sudhir Sharma, who is also a secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), Dharamshala district Congress spokesperson Jitendra Sharma said Sunday. The cultural meet Nuala' is being organised in October by a social group of the community, he said, adding the group has over one lakh members, including those residing abroad. Many of the group's oversees members too are likely to attend the meet, he said. Sharma said the state former minister has requested Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Kishan Kapoor to instruct the authorities concerned to allow the community to hold the cultural programme in the indoor stadium. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Over two decades before the Supreme Court allowed entry of women of all ages into the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala, a woman IAS officer had visited the hill shrine as part of her official duty, armed with a special order from the high court. Braving threats from conservatives and the tough terrains of the hillock, K B Valsala Kumari, then collector of Pathanamthitta district, visited the temple complex at least four times during 1994-95, aged 41. Though women in the 10-50 age group were barred from entering the hill shrine then, the Kerala High Court allowed Kumari to visit the shrine to coordinate the activities of various agencies as part of the preparations of the annual pilgrim season. The court, however, had observed that her visit would not be connected with the pilgrimage and it would be strictly part of her official duties as the district collector. The woman officer was also asked not to climb the 'Pathinettam Padi', the sacred 18 gold-plated steps, leading to the sanctum sanctorum. "I could visit Sabarimala at that age, thanks to the high court order. Now, the apex court has thrown open the doors to women of all age groups. The verdict is really good," she said. An ardent devotee of Lord Ayyppa, Kumari was the first woman to visit the Sabarimala shrine with legal backing. The officer had ignored threat letters against visiting the shrine. Kumari, who has retired from the service now, said she climbed the sacred steps and offered worship to Lord Ayyappa only after she turned 50. "I had no permission to go and see the Lord Ayyappa idol when I reached Sabarimala with the court order. But, I prayed with folded hands and meditated for a while standing below the holy steps," she told PTI. The former bureaucrat welcomed the recent Supreme Court order opening the portals of Sabarimala to women of all ages, and said anyone whose mind and body was pure can visit the shrine. Recalling her visit to the temple, she said in 1994 the high court had sought details of the preparatory works being carried out at the shrine by the government departments as part of the next pilgrimage season. Kumari said she was told by her higher-ups that she could not go to the temple as there was a court order preventing the entry of women aged between 10-50 years. "So, I informed the high court that I really wanted to visit the temple and collect details. But I am unable to go (because of the bar)," Kumari said. Based on a request by her, the court granted her special permission to visit the temple and inspect the arrangements. An excited Kumari said she still has vivid memories of the hour-long trekking to the abode of Lord Ayyappa. "It was really thrilling to experience the places and sights that we had heard a lot from others," she said. The journey also had given the officer an opportunity to have first-hand knowledge about sanitation issues and a grave garbage problem at Sabarimala and the temple premises. "Heaps of garbage could be seen even near the temple. Decayed flower garlands, pooja articles and clothes being dumped for years could also be seen there," Kumari, who was later entrusted with the massive sanitation drive at the shrine by the government, recollected. Realising the fragile ecosystem of Sabarimala hills, the officer had introduced nature-friendly toilets in the region. Instead of concrete structures, trenches with reusable aluminum covers were brought in as make-shift toilets, she said, adding no tree was cut. She also took the initiative to clean Pamba river at the foothills and make available safe drinking water in Sabarimala. The woman officer also conceptualised and set up the Sabarimala Sanitation Society (SSS), an exclusive cleaning machinery for the hillock shrine. "I myself took part in various drives carried out by the SSS volunteers in cleaning the river and removing the left over clothes by devotees," she said. Kumari said she could perform her duties in a better way only because she got a chance to visit Sabarimala and experience the ground reality there. The former IAS officer, who garnered accolades for various initiatives as the head of all-women network Kudumbashree, said the infrastructure and the facilities at Sabarimala should be made "women-friendly" in the wake of the apex court order. "We can ensure women devotees a smooth darshan through better planning. Special queue system can be put in place for them. Certain days or weeks can be reserved only for women to offer worship," she suggested. The Supreme Court had on September 28 lifted the ban on the entry of women aged between 10-50 years to the hill shrine, holding that the centuries-old Hindu religious practice was illegal and unconstitutional. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Controversial Australian Bernard Tomic won his first significant tournament in three years on Sunday -- and in the most dramatic of circumstances, saving four match points to triumph at the Chengdu Open. The 25-year-old defeated top seed Fabio Fognini of Italy 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (9/7) in a thrilling three-setter in southwest China, where he was a qualifier. Victory for Tomic -- his first ATP World Tour crown since Bogota in 2015 -- will propel the world-ranked 123 comfortably inside the top 100. It was double disappointment for Fognini, who had been attempting to become the first Italian man to win four titles in a season. For Tomic, it was a welcome change to be making headlines for the right reasons. Once seen as a rising star, he has had a number of run-ins with authorities over the years. In January he faced a backlash after boasting "I just count my millions" in response to failing to negotiate qualifying for the Australian Open. In 2017, as his once-promising career nosedived, Tomic admitted he was sometimes "bored" during matches and not always giving 100 percent. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi has said the Centre's communication on increasing the delegated financial powers of the union territory government did not mandate her to delegate any of her financial powers. "Some vested interests" circulated a Union Home Ministry letter over delegation of financial powers, she said adding no request had been received from the government seeking delegation of powers. "The letter nowhere mandates or directs me as the Lt Governor to delegate any of my financial powers... the discretion to delegate powers is entirely with the Lt Governor only," Bedi said in WhatsApp message to mediapersons late Saturday night. On the contrary, the letter "is alerting me that I should remain responsiblefor correctness and appropriateness of all financial decisions," said Bedi, who has been at loggerheads with the Congress government since she assumed office in May 2016. She made the clarification shortly after the chief minister's office made public the letter from the home ministry doubling the delegated financial powers of the Puducherry government to sanction projects from Rs 50 crore to Rs 100 crore. The Centre's communique has said Chief Minister V Narayanasamy had made a request to the Union Home Ministry on August 31 regarding the delegation of financial powers for approval, sanction of projects and schemes. It has been approved and enhanced to Rs 100 crore from Rs 50 crore. Bedi said the Home Ministry's letter advised her to follow Rule 13 (3) of Delegation of Financial Powers Rules. According to her, the rule says 'I may do not shall do - and further states that if I do the delegation I remain responsible for their correctness, regularity and propriety of the decisions taken by the said delegated officer." She asked where the letter directs the Lieutenant Governor's office to delegate the powers. "I shall apply my mind at that time to take a suitable decision as and when it comes... I in the meanwhile continue to remain duty bound and accountable to protect the public money as mandated by law," Bedi added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Independent MLA and Jat leader Hanuman Beniwal would launch his new party soon and declared that it will support third front in the poll-bound Rajasthan. Beniwal, who represents Khinvsar constituency of Nagaur district, said he will hold a mass rally in Jaipur in the next few days where he will make the announcement of the new party. "I am going to announce my new party in a mass rally in Jaipur in next few days. This will support third front in the state which is immensely needed because people are suffering from the misrule of BJP and opposition Congress too could not act as an effective opposition in the state, Beniwal told PTI. "Issues of farmers and youths are prominent this time and my party will contest on elections on many seats on these issues," he said. Several parties including Left parties have come together to form an alliance against the BJP and Congress in the poll-bound state. 46-year-old Beniwal, who won his first MLA election on BJP ticket in 2008, said he was well in touch with other dissents of the saffron party and would create the alliance with them. Beniwal, Ghanshyam Tiwari and Kirori Lal Meena had quit the BJP at different point of time due to differences with Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. While Tiwari has already formed his Bharat Vahini Party, Meena joined the BJP again in March this year and he is now a Rajya Sabha MP. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal has said the Maratha community in Maharashtra should be given reservation in government jobs and education without disturbing the existing quota for OBCs. He also criticised the Modi-led government over various issues, including the Rafale jet deal. "Without disturbing the quota for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), the Maratha community should get reservation. Nowhere the law says that reservation cannot exceed above 50 per cent," Bhujbal said Saturday at the Samta Melava, a conclave on social equality, here in Maharashtra. Tamil Nadu has given 69 per cent reservation, then why the Maharashtra government has not given reservation to Marathas, asked the former deputy chief minister. Marathas, a politically influential community that constitutes around 30 per cent of the state's population, have been demanding 16 per cent reservation in government jobs and education. Bhujbal claimed that though OBCs have been given reservation, the scholarships to students from backward communities have been stopped. Commenting on the Rafale deal, he alleged that the BJP is "playing" with the country's defence. The people of India should get an answer why the price for purchasing the fighter jets from France increased manifold, he said. Led by the Congress, the Opposition parties have been attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government over the Rs 58,000-crore deal, alleging it was procuring 36 Rafale jets from France at an exorbitantly high cost. The government has denied the charge, contending that it was getting the jets cheaper than what the previous UPA dispensation had negotiated. Bhujbal, the OBC face of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), called upon members of the backward communities to remain united at a time when the state Assembly elections are due next year. The OBCs need to show the strength to get their issues resolved, he said. Hitting out at the Devendra Fadnavis government in Maharashtra, the NCP MLA said a drought-like situation is prevailing in parts of the state but the government is ignoring farmers. More than half the farmers in Maharashtra would not benefit from the loan waiver scheme announced by the BJP-led government last year, he claimed. Criticising the government's 2016 demonetisation exercise, he said it has failed to unearth black money. He also said that cross-border terrorism has not stopped and jawans are frequently getting killed at the Indian borders. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bihar shot out Sikkim for 46 on the way to a record 292-run win in a plate group match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy domestic one-dayers here Sunday. This is the biggest win in terms of runs in the history of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, eclipsing Baroda's win by 279 runs against Assam last season. Sent in, Bihar amassed 338 for six in the stipulated 50 overs with Rahmatullah smashing a 103-ball 156 before retiring hurt with the team's score at 307. He struck 10 boundaries and eight sixes. Opener Babul Kumar (92 from 112 balls) lent fine support at the other end as the duo put on 166 runs for the second wicket to set the platform. In reply, just two Sikkim batsmen registered double digit scores, as their innings ended in 31 overs at the Shastri Maidan. Skipper Keshav Kumar (3/7) and Anunay Singh (3/12) starred with the ball and received fine support from Rehan Khan (2/10). This was Bihar's fifth win in a row as they consolidated their lead with 22 points from six matches, six clear of second-placed Uttarkhand. Uttarakhand also remained in the hunt with an easy eight-wicket win over Meghalaya at the Moti Bagh ground in Vadodara. Left-arm pacer Shubham Saundiyal (2/30) took two wickets in his first two overs to reduce Meghalaya to 8/2 inside four overs. Later, Vaibhav Bhatt (3/9) and Deepak Dhapola (2/18) capitalised on the start to bundle out Meghalaya for 141 in 41.2 overs. Opener Vineet Saxena steered Uttarakhand's chase with an unbeaten 66 from 87 balls as they cruised to the target with 114 balls to spare. Summarised Scores: At Anand: Bihar 338/6; 50 overs (MD Rahmatullah 156, Babul Kumar 92) beat Sikkim 46; 31 overs (Keshav Kumar 3/7, Anunay Singh 3/12) by 292 runs. At Vadodara: Meghalaya 141; 41.2 overs (Yogesh Nagar 44; Vaibhav Bhatt 3/9) lost to Uttarakhand 143/2; 31 overs (Vineet Saxena 66 not out) by eight wickets. At Nadiad: Manipur 144; 43.3 overs (Yashpal Singh 41) lost to Nagaland 147/1; 34.2 overs (Sedezhalie Rupero 52 not out, KB Pawan 50 not out) by nine wickets. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 49-year-old BITS Pilani post-graduate, who was at large for three years after buying computer parts worth Rs 4.34 lakh by allegedly offering dishonoured cheques, has been arrested in Delhi, police said on Sunday. Ajit Jain was arrested on Friday from southeast Delhi's Pul Prahladpur when he came to meet his parents, a police officer said. A man, who is supplier of computer parts, filed a complaint in the Saket court against a firm, Creation Computers Tech Pvt. Ltd, that dealt in the business of computer and computer parts, the officer said. The complainant alleged that its directors, including Jain, would take the computer parts from him on credit and assured him return on the credit. They took computer parts worth Rs 4.34 lakh and gave him cheques which were dishonoured, the officer said. Jain was not appearing in court despite several notices that were issued to his Delhi addresses. He was declared as an absconder in March 2015 and the court directed an FIR be filed against him. Two other cases were registered against the accused on the complaint of two other companies. His co-director in the company was interrogated and raids were conducted on his Delhi addresses, but he was not found. However, he was finally nabbed Saturday from Pul Prahaldpur and produced before a city court. Jain belongs to Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh and did his post graduation from BITS Pilani University, Rajasthan. After his post-graduation, he started his own company, Creation Computers Tech Pvt. Ltd in Nehru Place. Later on, Jain joined a company in Dubai as one of the partners. As that company was not doing well, he left Dubai and came back to India. He is presently unemployed, the police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), BJP ally Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) has also raked up the issue of division of Uttar Pradesh, saying it will make it a poll plank in 2019. "We have been demanding a separate Purvanchal state for over 16 years. Now, as we expand our party organisation all over the state, we support the demand of division of Uttar Pradesh into four parts. We will make it an issue in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, reach out to the public and stage agitations to press the demand," state minister Om Prakash Rajbhar, who is also the SBSP chief, told PTI. "We want Purvanchal, Bundelkhand, Paschim Pradesh and Awadh Pradesh. As Uttar Pradesh has a population of over 22 crore, managing it administratively is difficult. Running the administration in small states is easy. This is an important issue. People want development and rights. Only at the time of elections, the leaders think of the people and afterwards, they forget their issues," he said. The issue of Uttar Pradesh's division was raked up by the AAP earlier this month. AAP spokesman and MP Sanjay Singh had said the Arvind Kejriwal-led party would launch a movement to fulfil the long-standing aspiration of the people of the state. "Uttar Pradesh is a big state, both in terms of area and population. Its population is as much as that of any big country. It has practically become very difficult to govern such a vast state," Singh had said, adding that the AAP was in favour of the state's division into four parts. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), headed by Mayawati, was once a strong supporter of the demand when the Samajwadi Party (SP) was in power in Uttar Pradesh, maintaining that smaller states could be governed better. As the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati had first raised the issue in 2007 and her government had even adopted a resolution in the Assembly, seeking division of the state into four parts. Both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress had supported the resolution brought by Mayawati in the 403-member House in November, 2011. But as Mayawati lost power in the state in 2012 after securing just 80 seats as against 206 in 2007, the demand lost steam. In Bundelkhand, the Bundeli Samaj is staging agitations at Mahoba, demanding a separate Bundelkhand state. Uttar Pradesh accounts for the highest number of 80 Lok Sabha seats in the country and holds a great significance in next year's parliamentary polls. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines Inc. warned that the staggered implementation of the governments tax reform program will hike power rates by P0.2422 per kilowatt-hour in the next two years. IEMOP president Francis Saturnino Juan said in a recent forum the first phase of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law already raised electricity prices by P0.0904 per kWh based on certain assumptions. He said electricity prices would further climb by P0.1111 per kWh in 2019 and P0.1311 per kWh in 2020 because of the tax reforms. This study was done when Train law was just new, [including] incremental tax that will be imposed under that law, and these are the figures based on certain assumptions. We made use of Meralco assumptions of their supply portfolio and their sourcing between bilateral and WESM [Wholesale Electricity Spot Market], Juan said. IEMOP now operates WESM, the countrys trading floor of electricity. So these are the incremental amount, but of course if the price of fuel itself will increase, then that will add to this incremental increase...There will be another increase for 2019 and 2020, he said. [It] will further increase in 2019 and 2020 because of the staggered increase in the implementation of the law, Juan said. Juan said there was a need to increase generating capacities so that prices at WESM would stabilize. There is the better correlation of WESM prices and that is the interplay of supply and demand. If there is a comfortable cushion between the offered capacity and the demand, prices tend to be stable. But every time there is a rise in demand or a reduction in supply, the buffer reduces and there is a corresponding spike or increase in prices, he said.Juan said that when the supply and demand gap was reduced to 1,500 megawatts, electricity prices normally started to go up. We saw that if there is enough cushion between supply and demand [or] what we call the supply margin, which we derive using the offered capacity less the demand in that trading intervalOnce that gap between supply and demand is reduced, say to the level 1,500 to 2000, even if supply is enough, we saw prices kicking up, he said. Juan urged market participants to look at the WESM as an indication of the capacities needed to meet the countrys growing demand for power. These projections were taken from DoE for Luzon [where] you have a 4.9 growth rate that is forecastedIf no additional [capacity] will be put online by 2022, you will see now that supply margin reducing and you can expect that there will be an increase in WESM prices, he said. He said that for Visayas, the supply margin was now almost gone for 2019 and 2020. [The] only way to avoid this is for new capacities to come in, but the projects cannot be built in a matter of three to four years and the only available option is to utilize excess capacity from Mindanao, he said. Juan said this would only happen if the Mindanao-Visayas interconnection project undertaken by National Grid Corp. of the Philippines was completed before 2020 that would allow the export of power from Mindanao to Visayas. A boys' primary school was blown up on Sunday by the Taliban in Pakistan's restive northwest tribal region bordering Afghanistan. It was the only school in Chitral district's Arandu village, a remote area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The attack, carried out through bombs planted around the boundary wall, has demolished two rooms and partially damaged the main building, police said. A senior police officer said that 80 to 90 students are enrolled in the school. No one was injured as the school was closed due to Sunday. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and Jamatul Ahrar have claimed responsibility for bombing the school. The Taliban militants have attacked hundreds of schools in northwestern Pakistan in the past. According to security officials, the school is situated at Dogam area where a girls' primary school was attacked in the recent past. Educational institutions are often attacked by terrorists in Pakistan. Last month, 12 schools, half of them all-girls', had been burnt down by unidentified militants in coordinated attacks in the restive Gilgit-Baltistan, triggering protest by local residents who sought safety for educational institutions. According to a report, about 1,500 schools have been destroyed in Pakistan's tribal belt in 10 years. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Celebrating local myths and showcasing them for a global audience is one way of sustaining tourism in Kerala by ensuring community participation, a seminar at the Kerala Travel Mart noted Sunday. Be it the recent installation of a giant sculpture of the 'Jatayu' bird from the epic Ramayana or artworks based on local legends at editions of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, such endeavours woo fresh sets of people to 'Gods Own Country', its speakers said at 'New Products and Interests in Kerala'. Riyas Komu, founder of the Kochi Biennale Foundation, that has been hosting India's only such biennial cultural event since 2012, said it was no coincidence that the art event has Fort Kochi as its main venue. "The place (a western suburb of Kochi) has a layered history that shows in its multi-ethnicity: 40 communities from Jewish immigrants to Kashmiri Pandits within a radius of a couple of kilometres," said Komu, secretary of the KBF, which is readying for its fourth edition from this December. Ajit Kumar Balaraman, CEO, Jatayu Earth's Center,said the eco-friendly Jatayu Rock Tourism project stands very close to Kerala's cultural heritage. Jatayu Earth's Centre at Chadayamangalam in Kollam district also offers adventure tourism. As for the Jatayu Nature Park, the chief attraction here is the huge sculpture of the bird that finds mention in the Ramayana. Legend has it that it was on a rocky peak near Chadayamangalam that the mythological giant eagle fell while fighting Ravana while he abducted Sita. "The Park is an amalgamation of heritage, culture and pilgrimage. There is a museum and a 3D theatre coming up inside the rock," Balaraman said. The Muziris Projects, north of Kochi, is another such initiative that provides tourists the feel of revisiting one's rich heritage. "The major attraction is that one can complete the visit to all sites in a day," Managing Director P M Naushad said. Prof Madan Kumar M K of the Government Ayurveda College, Thiruvananthapuram, said the state's traditional wellness system, Ayurveda, continues to suffer from a lot of misconceptions, despite its immense popularity abroad. Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) representative Joseph Tinu said KSINC's cruise ship Nefertiti would be a major attraction in the tourism sector Around 200 people can travel in the day-to-dusk package, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a first, China has successfully tested three types of scaled-down hypersonic aircraft models together whose speed will be adjustable for a precision strike towards an unstoppable nuclear-capable weapon, the state media reported on Sunday. Tests of the three scaled-down models of the "wide-speed-range vehicles", which can fly at from hypersonic velocity to lower than the speed of sound, were carried out on September 21 at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China, the state broadcaster CCTV reported. In the footage, three models representing differently shaped designs, code named D18-1S, D18-2S and D18-3S were lifted and then dropped from a balloon. Another media report said that the speed of the hypersonic aircraft will be adjustable. This was China's first test of this type of hypersonic aircraft whose speed will be adjustable for a precision strike towards an unstoppable nuclear-capable weapon, the Hong Kong based South China Morning Post reported. Last month, Chinese scientists conducted their first experimental flight of a hypersonic glider named Starry Sky 2 that was launched by rocket and then flew on its own shock wave at Mach 6 (six times the speed of sound, or 7,344km/h). Once fully developed, its sheer speed would be capable of penetrating any anti-missile defence system currently available, the report said. "Their technologies can be inter-complementary. They can be combined together and make a hypersonic missile," Hong Kong-based military commentator Song Zhongping told the Post. Researchers measured the respective aerodynamic features of three different design shapes, and recorded their processes of falling, accelerating, breaking the sonic barrier, aerodynamic rebound, parachute opening, landing and retrieving, while collecting data, the CCTV report said. It was to compare and choose from the three designs, said Song, adding that there will be further wind tunnel tests with larger or real-size models before finalising the aerodynamic configuration of the vehicle. China, whose defence budget this year amounted to USD 175 billion, is investing heavily in defence research and development to catch-up with the US, Russia and the European Union. China has been testing hypersonic glide vehicles since 2014. The United States and Russia have been carrying out similar experiments. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The supply of coal by state-owned to the in the first five months of the ongoing fiscal increased by 12.1 per cent to 196.9 million tonnes (MT). The dispatch of dry fuel by Coal India (CIL) in the April-August period of the 2017-18 was at 175.6 MT, according to official data. The coal supply by the PSU in August increased by 7.3 per cent to 36.7 MT, over 34.2 MT in the corresponding month last year. The coal supply by Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) in the April-August period of the ongoing fiscal was almost flat at 21.2 MT, over 21 MT in the same period of the last financial year. The coal dispatch by SCCL in August this year declined by 7.6 per cent to 3.6 MT, over 3.9 MT in the same month last year. The fuel supply to the is estimated at 525 million tonnes for the fiscal as against 454 million tonnes in 2017-18, Coal India had earlier said. Coal Minister had in July asked Coal India to focus on meeting coal demand, particularly from the Coal India, which accounts for over 80 per cent of the domestic output, is optimistic about an aspirational production target of 652 million tonnes for the fiscal year 2018-19. Jharkhand Chief Minister slammed the Congress on Sunday for discriminating against great personalities like Sardar Patel and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose by not honouring them with what they deserved. The party, that had governed the country for the longest period, had also not given Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru their due, Das said at a programme here. "These great personalities did not get respect which they deserved," Das said while addressing the last day of the four-day Lok Manthan programme here in the presence of Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. Equating B R Ambedkar with Martin Luther King, Das said Ambedkar had given the Constitution to the country but he was not considered for Bharat Ratna. "It was the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, which honoured him with Bharat Ratna, which should have been conferred upon him much earlier," he added. The chief minister said instead of keeping alive sentiments of nationalism, a handful of people were trying to weaken them. Left-leaning historians are projecting a wrong image of the country and in such times, the thoughts churned out at the Lok Manthan programme will give a new direction to cultural nationalism, Das said. "Several religions and cultures are there in the country, so we believe in sarva dharma sadbhav (all religions equal). For us, all religions are the same and we believe in all the religions," he said. Das said Indian tradition is to respect all the religions and the countrys culture is to take everyone alongside. "Some forces are there to break the society. By defeating such forces, we have to take society to the pinnacle," the chief minister said. A large number of tribals had been converted through allurement, Das said. The government has since made a law, making forced conversion a punishable offence, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a bid to bolster credit growth, the is planning to expand the scope of the recently launched portal that enables MSMEs to obtain a loan of up to Rs 10 billion within an hour, a senior official said. "We have started this web portal www.psbloansin59minutes.com for borrowers but going forward more loan products would be onboarded on the portal. It may include personal loan, home loan etc," Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Kumar told PTI. Based on the experience of this automated loan processing system, other products could be onboarded, he said, adding "contactless banking is going to be the new paradigm as it fosters transparency". Speaking about the new portal launched by last week, Kumar said it will help improve credit flow to the sector which is the backbone of the country's economy in terms of output, exports and employment generation. This system will stabilise and lay the foundation of a paradigm shift in the way banking is done in the next 6-7 months, he said. ALSO READ: Finance Ministry tells Sebi to frame a policy on recovery proceedings Going forward, he said, linking of data will cut down lapses and information asymmetry. Once data points are connected, it will end the era of giving false information like different income statement to banks and tax authorities. "MSMEs are vital for India's economic ascension. Several initiatives including customised products and strategies as per their needs and automated loan processing have been introduced to achieve faster turnaround and accelerate MSMEs' growth," he said. Easy availability of credit will also foster India's entrepreneurial spirit, he added. Highlighting the key features of the portal, he said it has set a new benchmark in loan delivery mechanism by reducing the turnaround time from 20-25 days to just 59 minutes. ALSO READ: Finance Ministry likely to issue advisory halting excess expenditure Subsequent to this in-principle approval, the loan will be disbursed in 7-8 working days. "It is one of its kind platform in segment which integrates advanced fintech to ensure seamless loan approval and management. The loans are undertaken without human intervention till disbursement stage. "A user friendly platform has been built where the MSME borrower is not required to submit any physical document for in-principle approval. The solution uses sophisticated algorithms to read and analyse data points from various sources such as IT returns, GST data, bank statements, MCA21 etc in less than an hour while capturing the applicants' basic details using smart analytics from available documents," he said. The portal is a strategic initiative of a SIBDI-led consortium of banks -- SBI, Bank of Baroda, PNB, and -- incubated under the aegis of the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance. The new index of the CPSE Exchange Trade Fund (ETF) is likely to have shares of 11 state-owned companies, in place of 10 at present, an official said. The Ministry, along with bankers, is currently in the process of rebalancing the and the new index is likely to be ready by end-October, the official added. Shares of three CPSEs -- GAIL, Engineers Ltd (EIL) and Container Corporation -- will be removed from the index since the government holding in these companies has fallen below 55 per cent. These stocks would be replaced by scrips of four new CPSEs, including KIOCL, which will take their total number in the to 11, the official told The government currently owns 99 per cent stake in KIOCL (formerly Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd). The CPSE ETF, which functions like a mutual fund scheme, comprises scrips of 10 bluechip PSUs -- ONGC, Coal India, IOC, Oil India, PFC, Bharat Electronics, REC, GAIL, EIL and Container Corporation of GAIL India, Container Corp and EIL have weightage of 11.25 per cent, 5.08 per cent and 2.28 per cent, respectively in CPSE Since the weightage and scrip value of GAIL, Container Corp and EIL are higher, four new CPSEs have to be included to replace them to keep the index value at the same level. "The new index should be ready by end October after which the government will launch the fourth tranche of follow on offer of the ETF," the official added. was set up in 2014 and the government has so far sold stake in the 10 companies in the basket in three tranches, thereby raising Rs 115 billion. Currently, the government holds 53.34 per cent, 54.80 per cent and 52.02 per cent stakes in GAIL, Container Corp and EIL, respectively. When was set up, a limit was fixed such that the stake sales could take place till the government holding in the 10 constituent companies reached 55 per cent. Since the government holding in these three CPSEs have fallen below 55 per cent, new scrips have to be included to replace them. has been appointed as adviser for the fourth tranche of the ETF. Through the three tranches of CPSE ETF, the government has already raised Rs 115 billion -- Rs 30 billion from the first tranche in March 2014; Rs 60 billion in January 2017 and Rs 25 billion from the third in March 2017. The government has budgeted to raise Rs 800 billion through disinvestment in the current fiscal. It has mopped up over Rs 90 billion so far. On Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary, the Congress will discuss the country's social, political and cultural atmosphere and pass a resolution urging people to follow his vision of love, peace and brotherhood. The Congress Working Committee (CWC) will meet at Mahatma Gandhi's Sevagram Ashram at Wardha in Maharashtra on October 2, where former prime minister Manmohan Singh, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and party president Rahul Gandhi will lead the deliberations. The CWC is the top decision-making body of the grand old party. On the birth anniversary of the father of the nation, the Congress is seeking to send a political message to the country ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The party is on an all-out mission to defeat the BJP in the next general elections and is utilising every occasion to attack the ruling party and the RSS. "On Gandhiji's birth anniversary, the CWC under Rahul Gandhi's presidentship will meet and discuss the current social political and cultural atmosphere under the BJP and Narendra Modi's rule, and will send Gandhiji's message of love, peace and communal harmony from Bapu's ashram, where he spent the last 12 years of his life," AICC General Secretary Ashok Gehlot told PTI. He said, "Mahatma Gandhi message has assumed significant in today's India which is being increasingly gripped by the of hatred and communal violence being spread by the BJP and the RSS." On October 2, top Congress leadership will pay their respects to Gandhiji at his samadhi in Delhi and will then attend a prayer meeting at his Wardha ashram. Gehlot said a peace march will also be taken out by Congress workers in the afternoon followed by a public meeting at Wardha. Top Congress leaders from across the country will attend the rally. According to a senior party leader, the Congress will hold its working committee meeting in Wardha on October 2 to mark the beginning of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary celebrations and will give a message against the "atmosphere of fear, hate and violence prevailing in the country". "Now fascist forces have have started taking the name of Mahatma Gandhi. Those who do not believe in democracy, those who believe in violence, these forces are indulging in over his name," the leader said. "In my entire political career, I have never seen such a political atmosphere --every family, every household is living in fear. There is an atmosphere of hate, there is an atmosphere of violence, innocents are being killed, economy has collapsed, farmers are committing suicide," he alleged. Claiming that messages of hate were being sent "from the top", Gehlot said it was only befitting that a message to remove the "atmosphere of fear, hate and violence" is given from a place where the Quit India resolution was passed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The death toll from a powerful earthquake and tsunami on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi has reached 832, state media said Sunday, as rescuers scrambled to reach the stricken region and survivors helped to retrieve the remains of those killed. The official Antara agency quoted the head of the national disaster agency giving the latest toll in the coastal city of Palu, while authorities warned casualties were "increasing" as news arrived from remote areas cut off by the 7.5-magnitude earthquake and 1.5-metre (five feet) high tsunami. At least 540 people had been badly injured, an agency spokesman said, as hospitals struggled to cope with the influx of casualties. Indonesian president Joko Widodo said the military was being called into the region to help search-and-rescue teams get to victims and find bodies. Some government planes carrying relief supplies managed to land at the main airport in Palu, although officials said it would likely remain closed to commercial flights for days. There were concerns over the whereabouts of hundreds of people preparing for a beach festival that had been due to start Friday, the disaster agency said. In Palu - home to 350,000 people - partially covered bodies lay near the shore after waves hit the coast Friday. Survivors sifted through a tangled mess of corrugated steel roofing, timber, rubble and flotsam up to 50 metres inland. One man was seen carrying the muddy corpse of a small child. Many did not return to their homes as night fell and slept in makeshift shelters, terrified that powerful aftershocks could topple damaged homes. Hospitals were overwhelmed by the influx of those injured, with many people being treated in the open air. The tsunami was triggered by a strong quake that brought down buildings and sent locals fleeing for higher ground as a churning wall of water crashed into Palu, where there were widespread power blackouts. "We all panicked and ran out of the house" when the quake hit, said Anser Bachmid, a 39-year-old Palu resident. Dramatic video footage captured from the top floor of a parking ramp in Palu, nearly 80 kilometres from the quake's epicentre, showed waves bring down several buildings and inundate a large mosque. "I just ran when I saw the waves hitting homes on the coastline," said Palu resident Rusidanto, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. About 17,000 people had been evacuated, the disaster agency said. "This was a terrifying double disaster," said Jan Gelfand, a Jakarta-based official at the Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. "The Indonesian Red Cross is racing to help survivors but we don't know what they'll find there." The massive tremors were felt hundreds of kilometres away and there has been little word about casualties in Donggala, a region north of Palu where at least one person was reported dead in Friday's quakes. "We have heard nothing from Donggala and this is extremely worrying," Gelfand said. "There are more than 300,000 people living there. This is already a tragedy, but it could get much worse." Pictures supplied by the disaster agency showed a badly damaged shopping mall in Palu where at least one floor had caved in. Eminent historian Romila Thapar, who petitioned the Supreme Court against the house arrest of five Left-leaning activists, has asked government to define the phrase 'urban naxal', saying either they do not understand the meaning of the term or the activists like her do not. Talking on the house arrests of five activists Varavara Rao, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bharadwaj and Gautam Navlakha, she said these are the people who are fighting against social injustice. "We were all born Indians, lived as Indians all our lives. These activists are fighting for good causes and terming them urban naxal is a political move," she said. "Do they even know what urban naxal means, first ask the government to define the term urban naxal and then tell us how we fall into this category. It is very easy to call us urban naxal. And also tell us how we have become urban naxal, either the government does not understand the meaning of urban naxal or we don't understand the meaning of the term," Thapar told PTI. She was speaking on the sidelines of a press conference held by the petitioners after the Supreme Court judgement on Friday refused to interfere with the arrest of the five rights activists in connection with the Bhima-Koregaon violence case and declined to appoint a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe their arrests. The five activists have been under house arrest since August 29. Politicians like Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis have often referred to the five activists as "urban naxals". Many social media users have enlisted themselves as "urban naxals" in a show of solidarity with the arrested Left-leaning activists as 'MeTooUrbanNaxal' hashtag trended on Twitter. They countered that the term 'urban naxal' was a mere creation of some sections to malign those who have an anti-establishment stance. Thapar, economists Prabhat Patnaik and Devaki Jain, sociology professor Satish Deshpande and human rights lawyer Maja Daruwala were the petitioners who filed a case in the Supreme Court after the five lawyers, journalists and civil rights activists were arrested across the country on August 28 and charged with abetting acts of terror under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). "Any democratic institution cannot take law into its hands. It has to go through a certain procedure. Arrests are the last step of a probe it is not the first step of an investigation," she said. "Arbitrary arrests on implausible charges means the police can walk into our homes and arrest us - either without a warrant or a warrant written in a language we don't understand and then accuse us of activities about which we know nothing," she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SENIOR Citizen Party-list Rep. Francisco Datol Jr. says he has thought of a way to enable senior citizens aged 90 or nonagenarians to qualify for a cash gift under the Centenarians Act of 2016. He said Sunday he will push for an P80,000 cash gift for the senior citizens reaching the age of 80 when his bill is tackled in his committee, the special committee on senior citizens where he is vice chairman. Datol made his statement even as the Health Department in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) concluded on Friday the first Senior Citizens Health Summit held in Pasay City with 150 participants in attendance from the provinces in the region. Growing old is never a hindrance to leading productive lives and making a difference in society, said Regional Director Eduardo Janairo. Our senior citizens still have much to contribute to help the current generation of Filipinos in their efforts to build a better country. Datol authored House Bill 7821 seeking to amend Republic Act 10868 (Centenarians Act of 2016) so that senior citizens who reach the age of 90 could receive a cash gift of P90,000, and another P10,000 when they reach 100.Sa amendment na isinusulong ko, mas maraming senior citizens ang makikinabang sa benepisyong hatid ng RA 10868 at sanay suportahan ito ng mga kasamahan ko sa Kongreso, Datol said. He said nonagenarians, like centenarians, should be given proper respect and made to feel equally valued by society. He also said nonagenarians were comparatively stronger than centenarians and could still fully appreciate the value of the benefit provided in the Centenarians law. In August, Datol wrote President Rodrigo Duterte asking for the modified implementation of the Centenarians Act as follows: P80,000 would be given to senior citizens reaching 80 years old, P10,000 to those reaching 90 years old, and the remaining P10,000, for those being full-pledged centenarians. Social Welfare Acting Secretary Virginia Orogo was then tasked by Malacanang to look into Datols proposal. The Delhi Congress held a rally Sunday against "illegal sealing" of industries and accused the BJP and the AAP of destroying such establishments in the city. Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken, who participated in the 'Lalkar' rally at Bawana industrial area here, said the party would come out with a post-mortem report on illegal sealing, unemployment, and price rise, to highlight the failures of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi and the Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre. Maken said the industrial plots at Bawana industrial area should be allowed to be converted into freehold without any pre-condition. "Whenever non-Congress governments came to power in Delhi and at the Centre, they did not develop even a single new industrial area and ruined the local industries," he charged. Maken claimed the Congress had developed 54 industrial areas, out of which 22 were regularised, when it was in power. The participants of the rally, including Congress workers and local factory labourers, also set on fire government notices to terminate the lease deeds at the Bawana industrial area. Senior Congress leaders Sajjan Kumar and Mukesh Sharma, addressing the rally, said thousands of people would be left jobless if the Delhi government did not withdraw the notices issued to cancel the lease deeds without any pre-condition. They said the sealing drive in the 'Lal Dora' areas by the municipal corporations was harming Delhi villages. A resolution was passed in the rally demanding allotment of flats made under the Rajiv Awas Yojna scheme to labourers, plots in industrial area to villagers for land acqusition and jobs to landless people. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi government has asked all heads of departments not to upload documents containing "sensitive" personal information like Aadhaar and mobile numbers on the websites of their respective departments. In a communication issued on September 11, The Delhi government's IT department has asked principal secretaries and secretaries to review the contents already uploaded on their websites and remove sensitive information immediately if any, following it received several "warnings" from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The move came after it was observed that some departments are uploading documents containing "sensitive" personal information such as Aadhaar and mobile numbers on their websites. In the communication to principal secretaries and secretaries, Special Secretary (Information Technology) Ajay Chagti also sought confirmation letter by the departments that their website does not contain any "sensitive" information. "It has been observed that some departments are uploading documents containing sensitive personal information like Aadhaar numbers, mobile numbers etc on their websites. "IT department has been frequently receiving warnings/communication from CERT-In regarding Information Disclosure Vulnerability in Domain 'http://delhi.gov.in' and 'ndelhi.gov.in'," Chagti said. CERT-In is functional organisation of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology with objective of securing Indian cyber space. Chagtisaid all department and agencies are advised to adhere to the provisions of the Aadhaar Act 2016 and Information Technology Act 2000. The IT department also shared with HODs 'General Guidelines for securing identity information and Sensitive personal data or information in compliance to Aadhaar Act, 2016 and Information Technology Act, 2000' issued by the ministry of electronics and information technology. On September 26, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of 'Aadhaar', ruling that it is not mandatory for bank accounts, mobile connections or school admissions. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Department of Telecom plans to seek the Cabinet's approval in the next two months for the allocation of spectrum to state-run telecom firms BSNL and MTNL for 4G services, an official source said. "The draft Cabinet note is expected to be ready in mid-October after which it will be floated for inter-ministerial consultation. Thereafter the DoT will approach the Cabinet with a revised draft note in November," the source told PTI. BSNL has submitted a detailed project report to the government seeking spectrum for 4G services in lieu of equity. BSNL has sought Rs 6,652 crore as equity infusion from the government to fund its spectrum purchase worth about Rs 13,885 crore, according to information shared by telecom minister Manoj Sinha in Parliament. BSNL chairman and managing director Anupam Shrivastava had earlier told PTI that the corporation is seeking spectrum in the 2100 MHz band for all circles, except Rajasthan, where the company is looking for spectrum in the 800 MHz band. MTNL Chairman and Managing Director P K Purwar requested the government to grant it 4G spectrum in lieu of equity worth around Rs 6,500-7,000 crore and extend its mobile licence which is expiring in 2019 till 2021. Sinha in mid-September had said that survival of BSNL and MTNL without 4G spectrum is tough and the government is working on a strategy to settle issues that have emerged due to some decisions of the apex court. "I will try by end of this year, it should not be in 2019 but in 2018, the government should decide on the allocation of 4G spectrum," Sinha had said. BSNL has pan-India operations except in Delhi and Mumbai, while MTNL provides services in Delhi and Mumbai circles. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Election Commission with the help of the Income Tax department would monitor high-value transactions in banks in poll-bound Telangana as part of attempts to curb illegal money flow, state Chief Electoral Officer Rajath Kumar said Sunday. The exercise would continue till the model code of conduct was in force in the state where the assembly had been dissolved more than eight months ahead of the expiry of its term on the recommendation of TRS government, which wants early elections. A high-level team from the EC which recently visited the state had held discussions with the office of the Principal Chief Commissioner of the Income Tax of Telangana on monitoring bank transactions. "The (I-T) office has been sensitised on the need to monitor these transactions. We are keeping a watch on that. Currently it is being tracked through the income tax department. If there are violations or if need be we will collect the data from banks," Kumar told PTI. He also said the EC had issued notices to 122 candidates of various political parties who had contested in the previous elections and yet to submit their election expenditure. The official said over 1,000 mobile units will be deployed in a day or two for sensitisation of voters and other stakeholders on the Electronic Voting Machine and VVPATS (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) across all constituencies of the state. He said the Election department had received Rs 275 crore from the State government to meet the expenditure toward the conduct of elections. "If necessary, we will seek more budget... the electoral expenditure is not incurred entirely by the state administration," he said adding the EC also took care of costs on procurement and testing of EVMs and deployment of manpower, including central forces. On the preparedness of polls, he said complete a lot of EVMs and VVPATS had been received by the state and about 70 per cent of them had been checked. According to him, in a day or two they will launch a state dissemination centre at Ranga Reddy District Collectorate for familiarisation of usage of EVMs and VVPATs for the public. He said they will be using mobile that would visit every ward in every panchayat and if possible all polling station and conduct mock polls. We will be carrying out a very extensive campaign. We are looking at deploying about 10 mobile vans for each assembly constituency, he said. Telangana Cabinet had on September 6 recommended dissolution of the 119-member assembly. A team of senior officials from the EC recently visited the state and reviewed the preparedness for polls. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : Nefertiti, the Egyptian themed luxury vessel of the Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation, would be launched by the end of October, charting a new course in cruise tourism in the state, a KSNIC official said Sunday. Equipped with a 3D theatre, air conditioned hall, a sun deck,banquet hall, barlounge and an area for recreational activities, the vessel can carry 200 passengers. Mohammed Hanish, Managing Director ofKSINC, said it took around one and a half years to build the vessel. "The ship is not only named after the beautiful Egyptian queen Nefertiti, but also has several features that remind people of one ofthe oldest civilizations of the world," he saidon the sidelines of Kerala Travel Mart 2018 at Willingdon Island here, where the vessel has been showcased. Hanish said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is expected to inaugurate the luxury vessel. Abraham George, former KTM president and expert member of the National Tourism Advisory Council, said there was no doubt that Nefertiti would contribute to tourism development in the state. "It can do wonders in the tourism industry if Kochi can be transformed as the cruise hub," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : Kerala IT Secretary M Sivasankar has urged the IT community to help attract large investments to the state for expansion of the technology ecosystem. Inaugurating a training programme on Drupal, one of the most versatile free and open source content management systems, at the Technopark here Saturday, he said the Kerala government has played a unique role in enabling this ecosystem in India. "The state has set a goal of increasing IT exports and creating Kerala, a powerful brand, and an attractive IT investment destination with the presence of major technology companies," he added. International Centre for Free and Open Source Software (ICFOSS), an autonomous institution under the Government of Kerala, mandated to promote free and open source software, has organised the training programme 'Drupal Global Training Day', (GTD), in partnership with Zyxware Technologies, a Kerala based digital solutions provider. Zyxware Technologies is one of the top 10 global code contributors to Drupal. Thomas P Thomas, CEO Zyxware Technologies and Dr Jayasankar Prasad, Director of ICFOSS, were present on the occasion. This is the first time that such a programme is being held in Kerala, for which ICFOSS has taken the initiative. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A former mayor and JDs corporator was hacked to death by a gang in full public view at a busy locality of Tumakuru town Sunday, police said. Ravi Kumar, who had a criminal past, was having tea with his friend in Batawadi area when two people came and threw chilli powder on their face. Kumar tried to flee the spot, but soon five other people surrounded him and attacked him with machetes and sharp-edged weapons, killing him on the spot, police said. Even as the people present in the area were struck by shock, the gang fled the scene. The gangster-turned politician was a former mayor of Tumakuru Corporation and had been elected as a corporators in the recent local body elections. Police said several criminal cases were pending against him. Police said they suspected old rivalry to be motive behind Kumar's killing, adding a manhunt had been launched to track the assailants. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Fox Studios has a treat for Deadpool fans who wanted to see Merc with the Mouth again this year but with a caveat - that it should be children friendly. Sources told Variety, the studios, who tasted success with "Deadpool 2" early this year, are coming up with a PG-13 version of the sequel. Potentially new footage was shot for its December 21 release. Fox also moved the dates of its other projects. The upcoming sci-fi film "Alita" will be moving out of its crowded holiday slot for a President's Day weekend release on February 14. The latest X-Men installment "Dark Phoenix", with Sophie Turner in the lead, will now open on June 7, instead of Valentine's Day weekend. Another X-Men film "Gambit", which has been in owing to a rocky start, is set to premiere March 13, 2020. It was scheduled to open in June 2019. The film is currently in development with Channing Tatum attached to play the titular hero. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday said cleanliness was an important aspect of Mahatma Gandhi's life and the father of the nation was the most deserving candidate for the UN's Champions of the Earth Award. Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron were jointly awarded the UN's highest environmental honour for their pioneering work in championing the International Solar Alliance and promoting new areas of cooperation on environmental action. Gandhiji was the most deserving candidate for the United Nations Champions of the Earth award, the prime minister said while addressing a gathering here after inaugurating a museum dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi. "Cleanliness was an important aspect of Gandhi's life and he used to say, if he had to choose between cleanliness and freedom, he would choose cleanliness first, such was his commitment towards cleanliness," he said. Every Indian should have it in their hearts that a barrister (Gandhiji) gave up everything for the country and freed the country from the shackles of foreign rule, Modi said. The prime minister also asserted that sanitation coverage in the country had increased manifold under his four-year-old government. Sanitation coverage in the country before 2014 was a mere 35 per cent. However, in four years of the NDA government, it has increased to 95 per cent, he said. Modi said the sanitation coverage in the country before the NDA government came to power in 2014 was a mere 35 per cent despite there being so many governments in the past and a dozen prime ministers. "The United Nations has said 3 lakh children were saved due to the cleanliness movement (of the NDA government). What bigger humanitarian work can there be?" he asked. The prime minister said people stood up to applaud him for receiving the 'Champions of the Earth' award, but the most deserving person for this honour was Mahatma Gandhi and also the 125 crore citizens of the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Murder accused, mining mafias, rogue builders, liquor and drug traffickers are among 569 people from 150 gangs who have been booked under the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters Act in last 17 months, according to officials. The administration has now begun the process to attach their property and stop their bank transactions, in a major "paradigm shift" in the policy so as to hit their source of funding, District Magistrate Brajesh Narain Singh told PTI Sunday. "Since May 1, 2017, 569 anti-social elements including 150 gang leaders and their 419 associates who have become a threat to citizens and law and order in the district have been booked under the UP Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986," according to an official document. The latest action to attach their properties is being taken under Section 14 of the Act which provides special provisions for the prevention of, and for coping with, gangsters and anti-social activities and for connected matters. "The action will have a wide-reaching impact. There are criminals involved in a variety of crimes and we have attacked their source of finance by invoking this Act. "Now, they will have to prove to the administration that their properties and wealth is not ill-gotten as mentioned in FIRs against them," Singh said. He said earlier the district magistrate would have to wait for reports from the station house officers (SHOs) and local police in such matters, that caused delay. The official document detailing the cases showed that 76 of these gangs were booked from May 1, 2017 till December 31, 2017, while 74 have been booked since January till September this year. The booked include those related to mining mafia, rogue builders involved in cheating and frauds, robbery, dacoity, murder, liquor and drug trafficking, rape, kidnapping, electricity theft, rioting, and culpable homicide, it showed. Besides Gautam Buddh Nagar locals, those booked include men hailing from Delhi, Ghaziabad, Jaipur, Meerut, Bareilly, Aligarh, Bulandshahr, Mathura, Amroha, Hapur and Saharanpur, according to the document. Singh, along with Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Pal Sharma, had on September 27announced initiating the process to attach properties of these 150 gangs and stop their financial transactions. The administration has written to all banks in the district to freeze the accounts of the listed gang leaders and their associates and also monitor their transactions. It has also written to all government departments including local authorities, Income Tax, Sales Tax, sub-divisional magistrates and also the police stations to keep a check on their transactions and properties, Singh said. "We have asked them to stop the financial transactions of these people, in case of movable properties, and sought details about their properties within 15 days so that we can take further action against them," he added. SSP Sharma said the gangs to be acted upon are decided by the local police. "We have booked criminals with different sorts of modus operandi and nature of crime under the Gangsters Act," he told PTI Sunday, adding that the latest action "must have a wide impact". On the cut-off date for the action being May 1, 2017, Singh said he had assumed the charge as the district magistrate on April 27 last year and therefore all the cases that have emerged since then have been taken up. According to section 14 of the Gangsters Act, if a district magistrate has reason to believe that any property, whether moveable or immovable, in possession of any person has been acquired by a gangster as a result of the commission of an offence triable under this Act, he may order attachment of such property whether or not cognizance of such offence has been taken by any court. Singh said the administration is also sharing the full list of these gangsters with the public and requesting them to share any documentary proof against these people in any case with the officials, assuring the names of those helping will be kept confidential. "We are asking the public to share with us any documentary evidence that they have so that we can ensure stringent action against them under the law," he added. He said similar action would continue in future also to reign in crime and improve law and order. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senator Richard Gordon PRESIDENT Rodrigo Dutertes critics are talking about finding incriminating evidence against him for admitting he authored the extra-judicial killings of drug users and traffickers, but Senator Richard Gordon said Sunday the supposed admission was not enough to make a case. He told Super Radyo dzBB that Dutertes admission last Thursday that he could only be faulted for the extra-judicial killings under the campaign against illegal drugs could be used as evidence.But the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman said the admission could only stand as evidence if accompanied by proof. Gordon made his statement even as Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano on Sunday again underscored the Philippines commitment to the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights. In his speech at the 73rd UN General Assembly in New York, Cayetano said the Duterte administration was one with the UN in being uncompromising on the issues of the rule of law and the protection of human rights. As a sovereign state, he said, the Philippines was on track in saving the nation from becoming a narco-state or state held hostage by the rich and powerful who were ignoring the plight of the poor, powerless and marginalized. Gordon said Dutertes statement could be used as evidence, but there must be proof on who he ordered killed, when, where and how.In an earlier interview on dzBB, former dean of the Ateneo School of Law Antonio La Vina said When you admit that extra-judicial killings happened because of you, of course thats a culpable violation of the Constitution. La Vina was referring to Dutertes statement in his speech in Malacanang last week: Ano kasalanan ko? Nagnakaw ba ako dyan ng piso? Did I prosecute somebody na pinakulong ko? Ang kasalanan ko lang yung mga extra-judicial killing. Dutertes critics claim they have found an incriminating evidence against him that is impeachable and could boost a pending complaint before the International Criminal Court. According to La Vina, Clear naman. Hindi naman siya [Duterte] nagbibiro when he said that. The demeanor is very clear. Kasi nanggaling sa mouth ng Presidente. Hindi mo na kailangan i-prove pa. Ang tawag diyan, admission against interest. Yan ang highest and strongest evidence. Because nobody confesses unless they mean it. But Gordon said No person can be a witness against himself. And knowing the Presidents atrocious statements in the past, like, I will kill you hindi naman siguro yan ang ibig sabihin. On the other hand, the National Union of Peoples Lawyers on Saturday said it will file a supplemental pleading to boost its complaint against Duterte before the ICC for his alleged crimes against humanity after he made the admission. Minister of State for External Affairs General has defended the fighter deal, saying it is not the government but the company that makes the equipment which decides the partner to fulfil the offset obligations in the inter-governmental agreements. Addressing the Indian community at the Indian consulate in on Saturday evening, General Singh said no noise should be made if the French major Dassault did not find the state-run major Ltd (HAL) "useful enough". "The thing that gets paddled around is what happens to Ltd (HAL). If I can say tongue-in-cheek, if Dessault didn't find (HAL) useful enough, we shouldn't make noise," he said. "It's the company that is making equipment that decides whom to give the offset. So the decision is that of Dassault and for various things they have selected a number of companies, is one of them," he said. Prime Minister had announced the procurement of a batch of 36 jets after holding talks with then French Hollande on April 10, 2015 in The final deal was sealed on September 23, 2016. A controversy broke out when a French media report quoted Hollande as saying that the proposed Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence as the partner for the French giant in the Rs 580 billion deal and did not have a choice. Hollande's comments triggered a sharp reactions from the opposition parties which have been accusing the government of massive irregularities in the deal and benefiting Reliance Defence Ltd (RDL) despite not having any experience in the aerospace sector. The has been maintaining it was not officially aware of whom the Dassault had selected as its Indian partner to fulfil offset obligations of the deal. Dassault has said it had made the decision to partner with Reliance Defence Ltd for the Rafale deal. The has also been demanding answers from the government on why the was not involved in the deal as finalised during the UPA. Singh, a former chief, defended the government's decision, saying was overburdened and has many things to do. "Dassault may have negotiated with them. It is said that 95 per cent was already negotiated with them, so what happened to the 5 per cent. Why did it fall through?," he asked. "The basic price and the price at which it was negotiated for 126 by the UPA government and the basic price for a fly-away condition has a difference of 40 per cent cheaper by this government," he said. He said the secrecy clause comes in where the equipment was concerned. "Avionics, radars and the type of weapon systems, the types of weapons delivery platforms, if you let it be known, the enemy would know what is to be done with them. That's why it remains a secret," Singh said. "If the same thing was negotiated along with this 40 per cent drop in the basic price, you will find that the aircraft deal is far superior to what has been done," he said. Singh also said that those 126 aircraft had to be assembled here and were to come in a locked out kit. "We are getting 36 in fly-away condition, which means they are coming in absolutely fitted with everything to take on the targets the moment they land in India," he said. Singh said the finalisation will only happen next year. "So it is only a speculation as Dassault has to find out whether the company is capable or not," he said. Singh criticised the Opposition for its role. "Unfortunately, after some time the smoke will go away because there is actually no fire," said Singh. The Delhi High Court has restrained the sale and publication of a book purportedly on the life of Yoga guru Ramdev who claimed that it had defamatory content. Justice Anu Malhotra said the right to reputation of a living individual cannot be "crucified" at the "altar of the right to freedom of speech and expression" of another. The court's observation came on a petition filed by Ramdev against the book titled 'Godman To Tycoon', saying the book, purportedly on his life, had defamatory content and harmed his economic interests and reputation. "This is so as the right to reputation of a living individual under Article 21 of the Constitution of India cannot be sacrificed and crucified at the altar of the right to freedom of speech and expression of another... "...and both have to be harmonised and balanced in as much as no amount of damages can redeem the damage to reputation of any person and merely because there have been previous publications on the same issue, the same does not permit any repetitions of prima facie defamatory insinuations against him," the court said. Ramdev had approached the high court to set aside a trial court order removing the ban on the publication and sale of the book. In August last year, an additional civil judge had restrained publisher Juggernaut Books from publishing and selling the book till further orders. It had also restrained Amazon India and Flipkart Internet Pvt Ltd from selling it online and stop its pending deliveries to buyers. On April 28 this year, however, an additional senior civil judge (ASCJ) had removed the ban. The book is penned by journalist Priyanka Pathak Narain. The high court restrained the publishing of the book saying the person about whom the book is written is a "living human being" who was entitled to be treated with dignity. It also said that the portions of the book "which make readers think that he is an ambitious villain", until so proved in the court of law, are necessarily to be restrained from being published and distributed for sale till disposal of the case pending before the lower court. "Thus, as the petitioner (Ramdev) about whom the book is written about is living human being and thus entitled to be treated with dignity and has a right of social reputation as an ordinary citizen even if he be a public figure, and as reputation is a cherished value and an element of personal security...," the court said. The book was released on July 29, 2017, and Ramdev had approached the trial court on August 4 that year. The high court stayed an order of the additional senior civil judge (ASCJ) lifting the ban on publication and sale of the book. It also granted interim relief to Ramdev while hearing his plea challenging the ASCJ's order. Ramdev's counsel had claimed that the allegations in the book relating to the Yoga guru's life were incorrect. The author, however, told the high court that at the end of the book, there were extracts of the facts, including the details of persons whom she had interviewed before writing the book. The publisher had said the extracts of the material in the book were already in public domain since 2007 and Ramdev had never raised any objection. The counsel said the entire record of the trial court has not been placed before the high court. Challenging the civil judge's April 28 order lifting the ban on the book, Ramdev had, in his suit, alleged that the information in the book was false. He said it tended to injure his reputation and led to an inference that the Yoga guru had been involved in mischievous and criminal activities to achieve fame and success. The publisher had earlier said that the book was a work of serious journalism. It was the product of over 50 interviews, many of them taped, with Ramdev and the key players in his life, including close aides and family members, it had said. "The book contains a detailed 25-page note on sources that lists the interviews, articles, police reports and RTI replies that are the basis of each chapter," the publisher had said in a statement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Maldives president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was released from jail Sunday, a week after his estranged half-brother suffered a shock electoral defeat, raising hopes that other high profile political prisoners could soon have their convictions overturned. Gayoom, 80, and his legislator son Faris Maumoon, were released on bail by the High Court in Male, a week after strongman Abdulla Yameen's spectacular loss at the polls in the Indian Ocean archipelago nation. Gayoom's daughter Dunya, a former foreign minister, welcomed the release and said she hoped the sentences of other dissidents, including another former leader, Mohamed Nasheed, would soon be withdrawn. "These are all politically-motivated convictions and I hope they too will be overturned soon, allowing... Nasheed to return home," Maumoon told AFP by telephone from Male as Gayoom returned home. Nasheed, the country's first democratically-elected president, was convicted on a terrorism charge and sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2015. He obtained prison leave in 2016 and travelled to London for medical treatment and has remained abroad since. Nasheed was barred from contesting the September 23 presidential election because of his conviction which the United Nations said was a travesty of justice. Former foes Nasheed and Gayoom both backed Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to challenge Yameen, who had locked up all his key political opponents or forced them to flee the country. Sunday's release followed appeals from President-elect Solih, who urged Yameen to free all political prisoners in the tourist paradise atoll nation after his stunning victory last week. Gayoom had ruled the nation of 340,000 Sunni Muslims for 30 straight years till he was defeated by Nasheed at the country's first multi-party elections in 2008. He supported Yameen against Nasheed in a controversial run-off election in 2013 although the half-brothers later fell out and became bitter foes. Gayoom was arrested in February along with the country's Chief Justice and another Supreme Court judge on a charge of attempting to topple Yameen. He declared a 45-day state of emergency to block impeachment. Gayoom was serving a 19-month jail term for obstruction of justice and was also under trial on a "terrorism" charge when the High Court ordered his release. The ex-leader had bail set at 60,000 rufiyaa ($3,900) and his son Faris at 40,000 rufiyaa, and they were ordered not to travel abroad without the court's permission. Another high profile Maldivian dissident, Qasim Ibrahim, was also granted bail. He, however, is not in the Maldives. He had obtained prison leave for medical treatment and has remained in Europe. Almost all key opposition leaders and a number of ruling party dissidents had either been jailed or gone into exile in recent years under Yameen who relied heavily on China for political and financial support. Soon after his defeat, Yameen freed five other political prisoners but was delaying the release of his half-brother who could have made a claim to the leadership of his PPM party. Yameen secured the leadership of the party on Friday. His five-year term as president will come to an end on November 17 when Solih is due to be sworn in. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Around 1,000 people including over 20 Ambassadors from different countries on Sunday participated in a "Gandhi March" in The Hague, the seat of the Dutch government, to mark the upcoming International Day of Non-Violence. The event was also a precursor to the commencement of celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary set to be launched by the Indian government on October 2 in India and abroad, the Indian Embassy here said in a statement. The marchers for non-violence gathered at the iconic Peace Palace - home to the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The Netherlands Association of Malayalees (Nanma) entertained the gathering with the Chenda Melam (drums of Kerala) and Onam dancers as people gathered, it said. Ambassador of India to the Netherlands Venu Rajamony welcomed the gathering, followed by brief speeches by spiritual guru from India Sri M, and Deputy Mayor of The Hague Kavita Parbhudayal, the statement said. A spark taken from the eternal 'World Peace flame' that burns outside the Peace Palace, (created using a flame from the Mahatma Gandhi memorial at Raj Ghat in Delhi) was handed over to Ambassador Venu Rajamony and the rally was led by Ambassadors of the US and South Africa, among others. Participants wore T-shirts specially designed for the occasion with the logo 'Follow the Mahatma' and a picture of Gandhiji. They also carried posters and shouted slogans advocating non-violence and peace as well as the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. The colourful march traversed through the city of the Hague and the participants congregated at the historic Grote Kerk or Big Church here. Multinational cultural performances highlighting the message of non-violence were held along with a special exhibition mounted on a Khadi Scroll (curated by Pramod Kapoor of Roli Books, India). A movie on the life of Gandhiji was also screened. The 'Follow the Mahatma' campaign was launched by organisations and individuals advocating non-violence in the Netherlands, the Indian community and the Embassy of India in 2017 with the aim of reiterating to the world community the importance of non-violence and peace. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A decade after its signing, the Indo-French nuclear deal has yielded little success in the power sector, but the pact has given a headway in other areas like research, former top officials said. The Indo-French cooperation on 'peaceful use of nuclear energy' was signed on September 30, 2008, primarily for building the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant (JNPP). The 9,900 MW power plant that envisages to have six nuclear reactors of 1,650 MW each is slated to be the biggest nuclear power park in the country. However, 10 years after signing the deal, the power project is still at negotiations. The deal was signed even before the Indo-US nuclear cooperation agreement was signed, the officials said. The multi-billion project had met with a fierce opposition from the locals. In April 2011, one person was killed in police firing as protests against the proposed Jaitapur nuclear power plant turned violent with agitators setting ablaze a police station. However, of the recent nuclear power sites earmarked for foreign reactors, except the Kudankulam nuclear power project, Jaitapur remains the only location that has seen completion of the land acquisition. The plant also has necessary approvals from the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF), said Sekhar Basu, the former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, Department of the Atomic Energy, who superannuated this month. "However, it has taken a longer time than expected," said R K Sinha, former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, DAE. The negotiations first began with French company Areva, but last year French utility company EDF took over its nuclear reactor business after the former faced financial issues. So, the negotiations were redone, said Anil Kakodkar, former chairman of the AEC and DAE secretary at the time the Indo-French nuclear deal was signed. After the EDF took over Areva, negotiations again restarted. Basu said there have been several factors that were hindering the power plant, which includes the "reference plant". A reference plant is a functional power reactor and the Areva had then cited a power reactor at Flamanville. "That will only happen by 2020," Basu said. Since Areva, and now EDF, was bringing in a new technology, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), the country nuclear watchdog, asked for a reference plant. "They have to give a techno-commercial offer that is feasible and tariffs have to be viable," Basu added. Tariff has been a key concern, Basu and Sinha said as it has to be within the acceptable limits before going ahead with the deal. According to the DAE's response to Parliament, supplied 300 metric tonnes of natural uranium ore concentrate from 2008-2010, a much-needed fuel for domestic reactors operating under optimum level till then. Kakodkar, one of the key negotiators of the India's nuclear deal with the US and French, said the Indo-French deal also had delved into several research aspects. Because of the deal, could become a member to be a part of the ITER, an international nuclear fusion research and engineering mega project, due to backing of France, along with the US. The deal also focussed on development and applications in fields like agronomy, biology, earth sciences. More important has been France's support at international fora. Kakodkar said when was negotiating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for India-specific safeguards for its nuclear reactors, France, along with the US and helped create a "positive environment". has been a staunch supporter to India's bid in all four export control regimes -- the (NSG), the Missiles Technology Control Regime, Australia Group and the Senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy Sunday said there was no point holding talks with Pakistan as the neighbouring country is run by the "ISI, military and terrorists". Addressing a press conference here, Swamy said Imran Khan was the prime minister of Pakistan only on paper. When asked about infiltration of terrorists into India by Pakistan after Khan took over as prime minister of the neighbouring country, Swamy said, "Imran Khan is nothing but a 'chaprasi' (peon). Pakistan is run by the ISI, military and terrorists." After becoming Pakistan Prime Minister in August this year, Khan had offered talks with India on key issues, including terrorism and Kashmir. "There is no point of any talks with them," Swamy said. He also said that Baluch and Sindhis should be recognised by the government of India. "Pakistan gets psychic pleasure when India abuses Pakistan. So, ignore them...," he said. On Bangladesh, he said India will continue to support it but Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina "should tell those mad people to stop demolishing Hindu temples, converting Hindu temples into masjid and converting Hindus to Muslims. This will not be tolerated". On the NDA government's performance, he said it has done many good works in the last four years and people would bring it back to power to fulfil the unaccomplished tasks. He said the BJP would fight the national general elections on two issues -- Hindutva and corruption. "Two big powerful issues are there for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. These are Hindutva and corruption. We shall seek one more term for finishing unfulfilled tasks. And people will agree," he said. He urged the Muslims community agree on building three Hindu temples Ram Mandir at Ayodhya, Krishna temple at Mathura and Kashi Viswanath temple at Varanasi. He also expressed confidence that a 'Ram mandir' would be built by the BJP. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Indian Youth Congress Sunday organised a one-day 'National Workshop and Training Programme' here for its newly-appointed media research coordinators. Senior All India Congress Committee leaders, including Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Rajeev Gowda, Pawan Khera, Pranav Jha, gave guidance to the media research coordinators at the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) National Office here, a statement issued by the IYC said. The workshop was part of IYC's initiative to impart the newly-appointed media team members with the perspective of the Congress party on substantive issues effecting contemporary Indian polity in general and to help them build a comprehensive media space in particular, it said. IYC president Keshav Chand Yadav addressed the workshop through video conference from Chhattisgarh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The JD(U) will organise its Patna district level 'Dalit-Mahadalit' conference on October 3 to create awareness on all government schemes that helped in empowering the weaker sections of the society, senior party leader Shyam Rajak said Sunday. The conference will be inaugurated by the party's state unit chief Bashishtha Narayan Singh here, he said. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is also JD(U)'s national president, will be chief guest on the occasion, Rajak, who is also the party's national general secretary and an MLA, told reporters here. "Several schemes have been initiated by the state government, which benefited the Mahadalits, especially the youth and labourers belonging to Scheduled Caste," Rajak said. The purpose of holding the conference is to ensure better coordination between the state government and the Dalits and Mahadalits, he said. "At the conference, we will tell people how the state government's schemes and initiatives have helped the people belonging to Dalits and Mahadalits to gain social prestige and how they have been economically and educationally benefited," he added. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the JD(U) national president, has implemented all the rights conferred in the Constitution for scheduled castes, which no other party has done since independence, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Jet Airways aircraft from Hyderabad to Indore with 103 people on board made an emergency landing at the airport here in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday after one of its engines failed, an official said. The plane landed safely at 12.06 pm, Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport's director Aryama Sanyal said. The commander of the Hyderabad-Indore Jet Airways flight 9W955 sought an emergency landing from the Air Traffic Control (ATC) after one of the engines of the aircraft failed, she added. The Jet Airways, in a statement, confirmed the emergency landing of the aircraft and said its engineering team was inspecting the plane. "Jet Airways' flight 9W 955, Hyderabad to Indore, on September 30, made an emergency landing at Indore. The B737 aircraft with 96 guests and seven crew landed safely and all were successfully deplaned," it said. The airline added that it had informed the authorities concerned about the incident. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kalyan Jewellers has chalked out an aggressive expansion plan to double its retail stores to 250 in India and abroad as well as the turnover to Rs 25,000 crore over the next five years, its top official said. The Kerala-based jeweller currently operates 100 stores in the country and 32 overseas with a turnover of Rs 10,500 crore in the 2017-18 fiscal year, its executive director Ramesh Kalyanaraman said. "We are expanding our retail network aggressively. In this fiscal, we earmarked Rs 1,000 crore to open new stores. Already, Rs 600 crore has been spent to launch 10 stores in the first of this fiscal and the remaining Rs 400 crore will go towards adding 9-10 more stores by March 2019," he told PTI in an interview. Kalyanaraman, who was here last week for the launch of its flagship store in north India, said the company invests about Rs 30-40 crore on an average to open a store. However, large and flagship stores require huge investment of around Rs 100-200 crore. On future expansion, he said the company is targeting to reach 250 stores in the next five years and investments will be met through internal accruals. The company has no immediate plans to launch its initial public offer to raise funds, he added. Asked whether its business has been impacted by the negativity around jewellery sector, Kalyanaraman said, "We are 100 per cent retail company. We do not export jewellery and we source gold directly from local banks for our use. We do not trade in bullion also. So, there is zero impact." He said that the company's turnover will grow by 10 per cent this fiscal to touch Rs 11,500 crore as against Rs 10,500 crore in the 2017-18 fiscal. Of which, overseas business contributes 20 per cent. "In the next five years, our turnover should touch Rs 22,000-25,000 crore. There will be sales growth in existing stores and also from new stores to be opened," he added. Elaborating on its business strategy, Kalyanaraman said that the company is "hyper-local" in nature and jewellery designs sold in each store keeps in mind the taste and traditions of the local region. "Our designs in each stores are different. For instance, a store in Punjab has more of polki based designs, while in Chennai it is pure gold-based. However, the flagship stores have the designs of almost all states," he said. Gold jewellery contributes to 70 per cent to its sales, while the remaining 30 per cent is from studded including diamond jewellery, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After more than a century, the historical Balangiga bells taken by the US Army as war trophies will likely be returned to the country in December, an official from Manila Economic and Cultural Office said Sunday. MECO Chairman Angelito Banayo said the United States will hand over the bells by Christmas this year. The Balangiga bells will be returned to the parish church of Balangiga in Eastern Samar, and directly therefore to the people of Balangiga, Banayo said in his column in. They will ring out for the entire country, as a national treasure, as a relic of the indomitable spirit of our people for freedom and against foreign colonialism, he added. The expected return of the bells came after a month when President Rodrigo Duterte called on US officials and told them that no further discussions would be held unless the bells were returned. He stressed the importance of the bells, adding that the memory still haunts locals in Samar as American soldiers took the bells along with the lives of many Filipinos. The President said that passage of time cannot cure an injustice and the memory will still be there even after a century has passed. Those bells are reminders of the gallantry and heroism of our forebears who resisted the American colonizers and sacrificed their lives in the process, he said during his 2017 State of the Nation Address. Give us back those Balangiga bells. They are ours. They belong to the Philippines. They are part of our national heritage. Give them back. Its painful for us, the President said. He also emphasized that US armed forces reduced the Samar Island into a howling wilderness.On Aug. 11, 2018, the US embassy in Manila announced that the US Defense Department had notified the US Congress of its intention to return the bells to the country. Weve received assurances that the bells will be returned to the Catholic Church and treated with the respect and honor they deserve, the embassy said in a statement. No official date had been set as the return of the bells needs congressional concurrence. The Palace said it was looking forward to working with the US government in paving the way for the return of the bells to the Philippines. In September, Duterte had a classified diplomatic meeting with US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Yong Kim. The US envoy said he had discussed shared goals, including defense priorities, an economic partnership with Duterte, and said the alliance between the two countries remained strong. Duterte, however, was quiet about the meeting. The country has been asking the US for the return of the bells since 1958 as a Jesuit priest named Horacio de la Costa wrote to American military historian Chip Wards requesting his help for this purpose. Former President Fidel Ramos even initiated a negotiation with US President Bill Clint to return the bells. Clinton agreed, but the outcome did not turn out well because of an apparent dispute with US military laws. Some US veterans groups and lawmakers are against for the return of the bells, arguing that the bells are seen as memorials to fallen US soldiers. In 1901, the Americans took the bells from the town church of Balangiga as trophies, following a massacre of the local residents, including the women and children. Two of the three bells are preserved at the Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, while the third is with a traveling museum. Lt Gen Asim Munir is expected to be the new chief of Pakistan's powerful spy agency ISI after its current boss, Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar, retires on Monday, according to a media report. The Army Promotion Board headed by Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa approved the promotions of six generals in place of five generals who are retiring on Monday. According to the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the promoted officers are: Maj Gen Nadeem Zaki Manj, Vice Chief of General Staff Maj Gen Shaheen Mazhar, ISI DG (Planning) Maj Gen Abdul Aziz, Military Intelligence Director General Maj Gen Asim Munir, Maj Gen Syed Muhammad Adnan and Frontier Corps IG Maj Gen Waseem Ashraf. It is highly expected that Lt Gen Munir would be appointed as the Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), The reported. Lt Gen Mukhtar assumed the office of ISI director general in December, 2016. The new ISI chief will be appointed by Prime Minister Imran Khan, The Express Tribune reported. Army chief General Bajwa on Friday met Khan along with the current ISI chief. Usually, the army chief sends three names for the coveted slot and the prime minister has the authority to pick any one of them, the report added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Tamil Nadu-based mid-sized private sector lender Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB) is planning to raise around Rs 2,000 crore in fresh equity capital before the end of the current financial year, and has appointed JP Morgan Chase for advice on the process, a top official said Sunday. The bank has also set a target of Rs 800 crore to Rs 1,000 crore through recoveries from defaulters. So far this fiscal, it has recovered around Rs 350 crore from defaulters. It had mopped up around Rs 700 crore last November through qualified institutional placement to promoters. The fresh fund raising plan through preferential allotment comes on the back of an expected uptick in credit growth for the bank, led by small scale units and retail demand, chief executive and managing director Parthasarathi Mukherjee told PTI over phone from Chennai. "We are working on raising anywhere between Rs 1,500 crore and Rs 2,000 crore in fresh equity capital during this fiscal year. While the effort is on to get the money in by December, in any case it should be in before the end of the fiscal year as JP Morgan Chase, which is advising us, is already getting a good response," Mukherjee said. The money will help the bank fund its growth which can clip around 20 per cent, he said. Asked about reports that the bank's promoters are planning to exit or cede management control by selling up to 51 per cent to strategic investors, he declined to comment. However, I-banking sources told PTI that the bank already has held many rounds of discussions with global private equity leaders like Baring and Aion Capital, among others. They also said the deal may be modelled after the Canadian NRI Prem Watsa of Fairfax Holdings' purchase of 51 per cent in the Thrissur-based Catholic Syrian Bank (in Kerala) that was concluded recently. On asset quality, Mukherjee said the bank has been "witnessing a perceptible improvement in our assets quality moderation in stress in the lending book and as well as buoyancy in recoveries." "We have already recovered around Rs 350 crore so far this fiscal and have set a target of mopping up Rs 800 crore to Rs 1,000 crore from defaulters by March," he said. Last fiscal, the bank had added over Rs 2,915 crore in fresh bad loans, leaving it with a net loss of Rs 585 crore against a profit of Rs 256 crore in the previous fiscal year. In the June quarter of this fiscal, its gross dud loans widened to 10.73 per cent from 3.78 per cent in June 2017, leading to a net loss of Rs 124 crore from a profit of Rs 66 crore a year earlier. Asked about a massive fall in the bank stock last Friday, Mukherjee said it came as a surprise to him as nothing has changed negatively for the bank, and pointed to the massive sell-off in midcap stocks when the bank counter slumped 20 per cent to Rs 71.05 on the BSE. In an exchange filing late Saturday on this, LVB said, "The bank has been consolidating its business significantly during the current financial year. During this year, asset quality slippages have considerably moderated and the bank has seen an impressive growth in low cost Casa balances. Overall, our funding has become a lot more granular in nature now." "Our capital raising process, including induction of strategic investors, is proceeding as per plan and investment managers have seen good interest from high quality global investors so far. It is expected that the process will be completed well before the financial year-end," it said. On other key metrics, Mukherjee said the bank's low- cost deposits Casa has grown by over 50 per cent in the past three years, since he took over, to 21 per cent of the total deposits. Higher Casa base helps a bank net higher margin. He said the bank's liquidity condition is very good and he does not see any challenges going forward. "There is credit demand now, thanks to SMEs and new retail borrowers. This has helped our asset base to change from 50 per cent of corporate book three years ago to 61 per cent now being non-corporate book. Today, corporate asset is only 39 per cent," he said. Founded in 1926, the bank has a strong retail base in Tamil Nadu, apart from Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra with 567 branches. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Macedonians cast ballots Sunday on whether to re-name their country North Macedonia in a bid to end a long-running row with Greece and unlock a path to NATO and EU membership. The vote is an emotional moment for a country that has struggled for recognition of its name since 1991, when the former Yugoslav republic declared independence. At the time, Athens kicked up a major fuss, accusing Skopje of stealing the name of its own northern province, which is also called Macedonia. The dispute dives deep into history with both countries vying to lay claim to Alexander the Great's ancient empire of Macedon, which spanned their territories. But in June, Macedonia's new premier Zoran Zaev and his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras reached a landmark compromise under which Athens would drop its objections to Macedonia joining the EU and NATO in return for a change of name. While the Macedonian government is likely to call any significant majority in favour of the deal a success, the rightwing opposition may question the vote's credibility if turnout is below 50 per cent. Polls opened at 7:00 am (0500 GMT) and were to close 12 hours later, but after six hours of voting, turnout stood at just 16 per cent, the electoral commission said. The figure is far lower than it was at the same stage in the 2016 elections. Zaev has billed the referendum as a painful but historic opportunity to break the 27-year-old stalemate. "Today is a beautiful day, a beautiful holiday for the country. Today the citizens are going out to decide on their future," he said after voting in Strumica, his eastern hometown where he once served as mayor. Voters began trickling into schools and other polling stations around the country shortly after the polls opened. "I hope that the result will be positive. This referendum will change something if it opens the door to Europe and NATO," said Olivera Argirovska, a 74-year-old retired nurse, after casting her ballot in a high school in the capital Skopje. "It will change things for the youth," she told AFP. Few Macedonians are enthused about the new name, saying they have been unfairly bullied by Greece. "I am not happy and I do not know anyone who likes this deal," said 55-year old Danica Taneska, who admitted voting 'no' to the change. But a desire to anchor their future to the West -- and the economic prosperity that it could bring -- has been a driving force behind the 'yes' vote in one of Europe's poorest nations. "We cannot really say it is fair, but the EU and NATO matter more for all of us, so let's move forward," 28-year-old Abedin Memeti said ahead of the vote. The referendum is not binding, but a 'yes' majority would give parliament a political mandate to change the constitution. If the deal is backed in the referendum and ratified by two-thirds of MPs, the Greek parliament will be called on to give it the final stamp of approval. Sunday's vote is being closely watched across the border in Greece, where nationalists staged a protest against the deal earlier this month. "We hope for a positive outcome for the proceedings to progress with the constitutional review," Greek government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said on the radio. "Any other result would create a disturbance." Some critics of the name deal have been calling for a boycott, including President Gjorge Ivanov, who is allied with the nationalist opposition. Massive emigration in recent decades could also affect turnout numbers, with nearly a quarter of Macedonia's 2.1 million residents believed to be living abroad. Less than 3,000 of those overseas have signed up to vote. Europe and the US have campaigned hard for the deal, with many leaders passing through Skopje this month to urge Macedonians to seize the "historic" opportunity. NATO has already issued an invite -- on hold until the deal passes -- while EU accession talks are scheduled to begin next year. The West is keen to have another foothold in the Western Balkans, a region where Russia, which is opposed to NATO expansion, has historically had influence. At home, those in favour of the deal say a desire for an EU future is helping bind ethnic Macedonians with the Albanian minority, who are broadly pro-West. While Macedonia avoided the full-scale inter-ethnic wars that rippled across the region during the collapse of Yugoslavia, it was roiled by an Albanian insurgency in 2001 that left more than 100 dead. A peace deal was reached later that year granting Albanians more political rights, but tensions have remained. "This is the first time I am seeing Macedonians and Albanians campaigning together for common goals," Besa Arifi, a law professor, told AFP. "This will give us more opportunities to unite all citizens around shared values," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indigenously made coronary stents are as good as those manufactured in other countries by multinational companies, according to a recent scientific study. The study's findings were presented at the prestigious international conference on Non Surgical Cardiac interventions -- TCT (Trans Catheter Interventions) -- on September 22 in San Diego, USA. The study, which involved around 1,500 patients, was conducted in various countries of Europe and monitored by an international reputed clinical research organisation (CRO), Cardialysis. The scientific study had the acronym TALENT. The study dispels the perception among many doctors and patients that stents made in India may not be as safe and efficacious as those manufactured in foreign countries. The TALENT trial was conceived by Prof Upendra Kaul, a well known interventional cardiologist who is currently the chairman of Batra Heart Centre, New Delhi, and Prof Patrick Serruys, an internationally acclaimed researcher in this field from the Netherlands. Coronary stents are devices made of metal, usually chromium cobalt and coated with polymers and drug to treat blocked coronary arteries and also with a good and safe long term performance. In the recently conducted randomised trial to compare an India made stent Supraflex with the world leader Xience stent from Abbott Vascular, the Supraflex sirolimus-eluting coronary stent manufactured by SMT in Surat emerged to be as good as the Xience stent made in Europe and the USA. The study was sufficiently powered to give the final answer regarding non-inferiority of the Supraflex sirolimus-eluting stent versus the best-in class Xience stent from Abbott. The study was done in all comers with no exclusions, Prof Kaul said. "The aim of the study was to test the hypothesis that both stents are equal in performance and safety. To dispel the belief that imported coronary devices are better, it needed a scientific study without any bias," he explained. In February, last year, when the Indian government decided to cap the prices of coronary stents, there was a dramatic reduction in prices from an average of USD 1,800 for the drug-eluting stent (DES) to USD 480 irrespective of the country they were manufactured in. This resulted in increase in the usage of domestic stents because they offered it at lower prices, Dr Kaul said. "However, the users still had the belief that India made stents may not be as good (as the imported ones). This required an acceptable scientific trial to draw a comparison between the two stents," he claimed. "The study was done in Europe to remove any bias and it was monitored by an international clinical research organisation (CRO), Cardialysis, which is world reputed," Dr Kaul added. The study the showed that the composite end points consisting of cardiac death, target-vessel MI and clinically indicated repeat procedures at 12 months were similar for both. Thus proving that the India made stent Supraflex was as good as the market leader Xinence, Dr Kaul claimed. The study has important economic implications in countries where cost of the stent is an important issue. The full paper of this trial will soon be published in the Lancet, he said. Dr Kaul further called upon other Indian manufacturers to do similar clinical trials to prove that their devices are worthy competitors to those made abroad. These trials should be published in peer reviewed journals. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday announced the setting up of a ministry for cows. "The cow ministry will replace the existing Madhya Pradesh Gaupalan Evam Pashudhan Samvardhan Board (MPGEPSB) because it (board) has limitations," Chouhan said at a function in Khajuraho in Chhattarpur district, which was attended by Digambar Jain monk Vidhyasagarji Maharaj. "The government releases small funds to the (MPGEPS) board. An independent ministry will work in a better way to serve cows," the Bharatiya Janata Party leader said. Referring to the country's first cow sanctuary in the state's Agar Malwa district, the chief minister said just one facility was not enough to shelter a large number of cows and more such sanctuaries would be set up in the state. MPGEPSB executive council chairman Swami Akhileshwaranand welcomed the announcement and said he had recommended for the creation of such a ministry. Akhileshwaranand enjoys cabinet rank status in the state government by virtue of this post. The state is slated for assembly polls later this year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mahatma Gandhi's message of communal harmony and tolerance remains as relevant as ever, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said ahead of his maiden visit to the country as chief of the world body. His visit from Monday coincides with the beginning of events to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2. Guterres said that he is happy his first visit to India coincides with the beginning of celebrations to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Gandhi, the "great social, political and spiritual leader of India who is one of the most revered figures in history." He emphasised that Gandhi's message of peace and nonviolence has carried far beyond India, which is why in 2007, the UN General Assembly designated October 2 as International Day of Nonviolence. "In today's turbulent world, Gandhi's message of communal harmony and tolerance remains as relevant as ever. I believe it is crucial that Gandhi's legacy is preserved, and that nations around the world continue to cherish and celebrate their ethnic and religious diversity," Guterres told PTI in an interview. He said India has a special role to play in the global effort for democratisation and the elimination of extreme poverty and hunger around the world, Guterres said. "I am very familiar with the vibrant beauty of India and look forward to seeing more of it," Guterres said. Guterres said he admires India's "incredible transformation" into a global leader in technology. With some 800 million people under the age of 35, he said he believes young Indians are not only shaping India's future but also contributing to the betterment of the entire world. "As the world's largest democracy and as a nation that has lifted millions of its people out of poverty and built one of the world's largest middle classes, India has a special role to play in the global effort for democratisation and the elimination of extreme poverty and hunger around the world, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals," Guterres said. On the first day of his visit to India, Guterres will formally open the new UN House in New Delhi. He will participate in the closing session of the Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention. He will also meet with the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Sumitra Mahajan, before giving an address at the India Habitat Centre on Global Affairs on the theme 'Global Challenges, Global Solutions'. In the evening, he will take part in the General Assembly of the International Solar Alliance. He will also meet President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar on October 3. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior Congress leader Marri Shashidhar Reddy Sunday demanded that all the reports sent by the Telangana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) tothe Election Commission (EC) be made public. "This (report) should include the correspondence relating to the delimitationof Assembly and Parliament constituencies consequent to the transfer of sevenmandals from Telangana to Andhra Pradesh," Reddy said in a statement. Similarly the Election Commission should also put in public domain all reports from the Study Team, Telangana Chief Electoral Officer and Correspondence with Home Ministry, specifically the letter from MHA regarding delimitation of sevenmandals, he said. According to Reddy, the Election Commission was "very quick" to issue an order on September 8 to stop all activities relating to special summary revision of photo electoral rolls with reference to January 1, 2019, even before the Study Team of the EC came to Hyderabad. "Strangely, the EC has taken three weeks to issue the order about theapplicability of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in case of premature dissolution of the Assembly, followed by the caretaker government. This has put the credibility of the EC at stake as it has allowed the caretaker government to announce all its projects, programmes and freebies, useful for the ruling party, which cannot be done after the MCC comes into play," Reddy alleged. "We are going to put the Telangana Chief Electoral Officer on notice about the need to strictly implement the MCC, failing which we will be constrained to approach courts and demand a court-monitored implementation of the Model Code of Conduct in Telangana," Reddy said. Telangana CEO Rajat Kumar in his status report early this month had told the Commission that polls can be held in October. Claiming that the entire poll machinery has been put under great stress in the state, the Congress leader said, "it is strange that this is being done to suit the demand of a superstitious KCR, (as Rao is popularly known as)." The Election Commission has to understand what is happening on the ground, he said and sought to know if the Telangana Chief Electoral Officer had sent a report about the ground situation impartially. Assembly polls in Telangana were originally scheduled to be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections next year. However, the assembly was dissolved earlier this month as per a recommendation of the state cabinet, which necessitated elections ahead of the schedule. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Sunday accused Punjab BJP chief Shwait Malik of resorting to "cheap tactics" to divert the attention of the people from the saffron party's "failure" at the Centre. The chief minister's remarks came a day after Malik questioned the functioning of the Congress government in the state. Singh said he was elected by the people of Punjab and not the BJP to run the state. He asked Malik to stick to managing his own party affairs, which was staring at "total decimation" in the state in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. "Does Malik even know how we (my government and team) are working? Does he have any clue about how I am managing the state and its governance. He is resorting to cheap tactics to divert the attention of the people from his party's failure at the Centre," said the chief minister. Malik had on Friday attacked the Singh-led Congress government in Punjab, accusing it of "failing on all the fronts" in the last 18 months. Singh termed the Malik's statement as "totally absurd and nonsensical". "Given the BJP's own track record of misgovernance, no member of that party had any locus stand to comment on the functioning of the incumbent Congress government," said the chief minister in a statement issued here. Singh said unlike the Akalis, who never allowed its ministers, including those from the BJP, and officers to work independently, he believed in decentralisation of authority. "I have given full freedom to my ministers and all policy decisions are decided by me in the cabinet. As for the officers, I issue instructions to my CPCM, CS, DGP and PS and they carry them out," he said. Malik perhaps would not understand this as such autonomy "eludes" BJP's form of governance, he added. Singh said in the last one-and-a-half-year, his government has provided jobs, in private and government sectors and through self-employment, to 3.89 lakh youths, which translated to almost 695 youths gaining employment every day. He said for the first time in the last many years, the real estate sector in Punjab was witnessing an upward swing, as stamp duty and registration revenue collections were up by 15 per cent. "In fact, revenue collections in August have increased by 35.71 per cent, as compared to August last," said the chief minister. As regards the agriculture sector, he said, the state recorded the highest production of wheat, paddy and cotton last year and is poised to cross all records this year too. "We produced 178.50 lakh tons of wheat in Rabi 2018 with the per hectare productivity of 50.90 quintals, the highest ever. Similarly, the production of paddy in kharif 2017 was an all-time high at 199.72 lakh tons, with a record per hectare yield of 65.16 quintals," said Singh. All this happened due to good management on account of timely supply of quality seeds, fertilizers, agro-chemicals, power for tubewells and canal irrigation, he added. The chief minister said despite some losses on account of the recent rains, this season Punjab is again looking at a record paddy production of 205 lakh tons, with a per hectare yield of over 66 quintals. Even the cotton yield is expected to be 780 kg lint per hectare this year, as compared to 757 kg per hectare in the last kharif, he said, adding that his government would also ensure that the procurement process is hassle-free and smooth, as had been in the last three seasons. The chief minister said while the BJP and the Akalis did nothing except "lip service" for the debt-ridden farmers in the state in their decade-long rule, his government had already waived off co-operative bank crop loans of 3,07,045 farmers, amounting Rs 1,736.29 crore. "By mid-October, we would start waiving off crop loans of 1,27,838 marginal farmers that were availed from commercial banks," said Singh. A total of 10.25 lakh families will benefit from the government's loan waiver scheme, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 40-year-old man was beaten to death by 10 people in Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur for allegedly abusing them in an inebriated state, police said Sunday. The deceased, Bhagwan Das, was using abusive language while passing through the accused persons' home which made them furious, Superintendent of Police (rural), Subhash Chandra Shakya said. Around 10 men attacked him with sticks, tied him to a bed and beat him, the police said, adding he died on the spot. The SP said a case has been registered in this connection against 10 people and five have been sent to jail. The body has been sent for post-mortem, they said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The death toll in Indonesia's quake-tsunami disaster nearly doubled to more than 800 Sunday, as ill-equipped rescuers struggled to reach scores of trapped victims, health officials resorted to mass burials and desperate residents looted shops for food and water. "The casualties will keep increasing," said national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, whose agency announced 832 deaths. "Today we will start the mass burial of victims, to avoid the spread of disease." Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla said the final death toll in the north of Sulawesi island could be in the "thousands" since many regions have still not been reached. "It feels very tense," said 35-year-old mother Risa Kusuma, comforting her feverish baby boy at an evacuation centre in the gutted coastal city of Palu. "Every minute an ambulance brings in bodies. Clean water is scarce. The mini-markets are looted everywhere." Indonesia's Metro TV on Sunday broadcast footage from a coastal community in Donggala, close to the epicentre of the quake. Some waterfront homes appeared crushed but a resident said most people fled to higher ground after the quake struck. "When it shook really hard, we all ran up into the hills," a man identified as Iswan told the TV. Indonesian President Joko Widodo arrived in the region Sunday afternoon. In Palu on Sunday aid was trickling in, the Indonesian military had been deployed and search-and-rescue workers were doggedly combing the rubble for survivors -- looking for dozens feared trapped under one hotel alone. "Communication is limited, heavy machinery is limited... it's not enough for the numbers of buildings that collapsed," Nugroho said. The 7.5-magnitude quake struck Friday, sparking a tsunami that ripped apart the city's coastline. Save The Children program director Tom Howells said access was a "huge issue" hampering relief efforts. "Aid agencies and local authorities are struggling to reach several communities around Donggala, where we are expecting there to be major damage and potential large-scale loss of life," Howells said. Dozens of corpses lay in an open courtyard at the back of a Palu hospital, baking under a fierce tropical sun, with only one building separating it from an open triage site on the opposite side. "I have one child -- he's missing," Baharuddin, a 52-year-old Palu resident, told AFP as he stood on floor tiles smeared with blood. "I last spoke to him before he went to school in the morning." The disaster agency said it believed about 71 foreigners were in Palu when the quake struck, with most safe. Three French nationals and a South Korean, who may have been staying at a flattened hotel, had not yet been accounted for, it added. Amid the levelled trees, overturned cars, concertinaed homes and flotsam tossed up to 50 metres inland, survivors and rescuers struggled to come to grips with the scale of the disaster. On Saturday evening residents fashioned makeshift bamboo shelters or slept out on dusty playing fields, fearing powerful aftershocks would topple damaged homes and bring yet more carnage. C-130 military transport aircraft with relief supplies managed to land at the main airport in Palu, which reopened to humanitarian flights and limited commercial flights, but only to pilots able to land by sight alone. Satellite imagery provided by regional relief teams showed severe damage at some of the area's major ports, with large ships tossed on land, quays and bridges trashed and shipping containers thrown around. Hospitals were overwhelmed by the influx of injured, with many people being treated in the open air. There were widespread power blackouts. "People here need aid -- food, drink, clean water," said Anser Bachmid, a 39-year-old Palu resident. Dramatic video footage captured from the top floor of a parking ramp as the tsunami rolled in showed waves toppling several buildings and inundating a large mosque. "I just ran when I saw the waves hitting homes on the coastline," said Palu resident Rusidanto, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. "This was a terrifying double disaster," said Jan Gelfand, a Jakarta-based official at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. "The Indonesian Red Cross is racing to help survivors." Images showed a double-arched yellow bridge had collapsed with its two metal arches twisted as cars bobbed in the water below. A key access road had been badly damaged and was partially blocked by landslides, the disaster agency said. Friday's tremor was also felt in the far south of the island in its largest city Makassar and on neighbouring Kalimantan, Indonesia's portion of Borneo island. As many as 2.4 million people could have felt the quake, the disaster agency said. The initial quake struck as evening prayers were about to begin in the world's biggest Muslim majority country on the holiest day of the week. Indonesia is one of the world's most disaster-prone nations. It lies on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates collide and many of the world's volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur. Earlier this year a series of powerful quakes hit Lombok, killing more than 550 people on the holiday island and neighbouring Sumbawa. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The price of cooking gas will go up by P2.35 a kilo, adding P25.85 to the cost of an 11-kilo tank to reflect higher contract prices for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the world market for October. Petron will implement a P2.35/kg increase (VAT inclusive) in LPG prices effective 12:01 a.m., October 1, the company said in its advisory. Petron also increased the price of its autoLPG by P1.30 per liter. These reflect the international contract price of LPG for the month of October, it said. Before the increase, LPG sold for P620 to P840 per 11-kilo tank, depending on the brand, location and market forces. Gasoline and diesel prices, meanwhile, are also expected to go up sharply on Tuesday. Expect fuel prices to go up again next week. Diesel should go up by P1.30 to P1.40 per liter while gasoline should increase by P0.80 to P0.90 per liter, Unioil Philippines said in its price forecast advisory. The impending increase would be the seventh in as many weeks. World oil prices have been reacting to the US sanctions against Iran, which could trigger a tightness in oil supply. The US is expected to launch its sanctions against Iran starting Nov. 4 and this has caused uncertainties in the global supply of oil. On Sept. 25, the oil firms raised the price of gasoline by P0.40 per liter, diesel by P0.20 per liter and kerosene by P0.15 per liter amid tight supply coupled with robust demand from Indonesia and the Persian Gulf on the back of reduced Chinese exports; refinery turnarounds and multiple refinery problems in the US midwest.Diesel also experienced limited supply as demand continued to rise, especially in Malaysia and Australia, while Japanese refiners saw a decrease in production. Prices was also influenced by anticipation over the meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and non-OPEC major oil producers in Algeria next month to discuss scenarios for oil output. According to data from the Department of Energy, year-to-date total adjustments stand at a net increase of P9.40 per liter for gasoline, P9.35 per liter for diesel and P8.25 per liter for kerosene. Data also showed that gasoline currently ranges from P51.55 to P65.35 per liter, diesel sells from P44.30 to P53.55 per liter while kerosene is sold from P48.72 to P58.85 per liter. Meanwhile, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian slammed the move of the National Food Authority (NFA) to charge retailers P115,000 to sell its rice, and urged the agency to scrap the high fee. This is an ill-conceived move of the NFA. I thought they wanted to increase the number of those selling rice, said Gatchalian. He added that if the NFA needed help, it should not charge such a high fee. The Philippine Amalgamated Supermarkets Association (Pagasa), Inc. recently revealed that the NFA is charging retailers who want to sell NFA rice 115,000. They are also expected to have a paid-up captial of P10 million. It was the government which sought the help of Pagasa, Inc. to help flood the market with affordable rice. If you are the owner of a supermarket, will you still pay this fee if in the first place you are not required to sell NFA rice? Gatchalian said. This is yet another reason why the NFA should be abolished, he said in a mix of English and Filipino. All they are giving Filipinos is a headache. Pagasa Inc. had previously agreed to have its members sell NFA rice, based on a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed last week. It has some 200 stores across the country that would have given poor Filipinos better access to the staple food. The group, however, that the high fee makes it impossible for its members to help solve the rice issue. The Manipur University Teachers Association (MUTA) has said that they will sit for talks to end a month-long agitation only after their demands, including "unconditional release" of 15 teachers and students, are met. The students and teachers of the Manipur University were arrested on September 21. A team of officers had raided the university hostel and the residential quarters and took the students and the teachers into custody based on a complaint filed by newly appointed Acting Vice Chancellor K Yugindro Singh. MUTA also demanded withdrawal of the FIR lodged by Yugindro Singh and removal of all security forces from the university campus as a pre-condition for talks, it said in a statement Saturday night. The teachers' body strongly condemned the action of security forces on September 21, but welcomed any move by an individual or organisation keen on bringing an end to the crisis which began from May 30 after Manipur University Students Union (MUSU) launched agitation for removal of now suspended Vice-chancellor Prof A P Pandey. The MUTA statement followed the Friday letter of Chief Minister N Biren Singh to the university community asking them to sit for talks to bring about an amicable solution. Police on Saturday arrested one person, believed to be a cadre of a political party, for his alleged involvement in throwing eggs on the pictures of the PM, CM and Prof Pandey pasted on a wall of a building in Imphal, a purported video of which has been circulating on social media. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu Sunday met ailing Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar at AIIMS here to enquire about his health. Parrikar was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on September 15. Parrikar, 62, was flown to the national capital owing to his declining health. He had returned from the US in the first week of September, days after which he was admitted to a hospital in Goa. Earlier this year, he had undergone a three-month-long treatment in the US. "Met Shri Manohar Parrikar, the Chief Minister of Goa and inquired about his health at AIIMS today. He is one of the most lovable and honest senior politicians of our country. I wish & hope he will get well soon and serve the society as he ever does," the Vice-President's secretariat tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bombay High Court has sought to know why the wife of late Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar, who was killed in 2006, has sought examination of social activist Anna Hazare as a witness in the case instead of the prosecuting agency CBI seeking the same. Justice A M Badar was Tuesday hearing a petition filed by Nimbalkar's wife Anandidevi challenging an order passed by a sessions court on April 12, exempting Hazare from being examined as a prosecution witness in the case. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had filed an application in the sessions court seeking permission to include Hazare as a prosecution witness and for his evidence to be recorded. Former state minister Padamsinh Patil has been accused of hatching a conspiracy to kill Nimbalkar due to political rivalry. The CBI, which is the prosecuting agency in the case, had claimed earlier Hazare, who was also threatened by Patil, was a prime witness who could prove the motive behind the crime. Justice Badar, however, sought to know why the CBI had not approached the high court to challenge the order, and why the victim's wife had filed the petition. The high court directed the CBI to file its affidavit responding to the petition and the court's query, and posted the petition for hearing on October 10. The court also continued the interim order by which the trial court was asked to the defer of recording final statements of the accused, including Padamsinh Patil. Patil allegedly hired killers for Rs 30 lakh to eliminate Nimbalkar, who, along with his driver was shot dead on June 3, 2006 at Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai. He was arrested and later released on bail. Hazare had lodged the complaint in September 2009 against Patil and four others for allegedly giving 'supari' (contract) to one Parasmal Jain to kill the social activist. Besides Padamsinh Patil and Parasmal Jain, the other accused in the case include Latur-based businessman Satish Mandade, corporator Mohan Shukla, former state excise inspector Shashikant Kulkarni, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) worker Kailash Yadav, and alleged shooters Dinesh Tiwari, Pintu Singh and Chote Pandey. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Real estate-focused private equity fund Nisus Finance is planning to raise around Rs 700 crore from domestic investors, and invest Rs 500 crore out of that in stressed realty assets over the next three years, a top executive said. The company has also identified projects across Mumbai, Noida, Bengaluru and Pune to begin with. "Nearly USD 20-30 billion worth of real estate assets are under stress. These are largely good assets and we see them as a huge opportunity to provide finances and make good returns," Amit Goenka, managing director and chief executive officer, Nisus Finance, told PTI. According to a recent survey by consulting firm KPMG, at the end of 2017, real estate developers accounted for USD 20 billion worth of stressed bank loans. "We will be raising Rs 700 crore from domestic investors. Out of this, around Rs 500 crore will be invested in distressed realty assets over the next three years," said Goenka. He further said the company has identified three projects in Noida Extension, three in Mumbai - one each in Dadar, Goregaon and Andheri - and one each in Bengaluru and Pune. "We are looking at investing around Rs 30-50 crore in each project. Also, we will be investing with developers who have a minimum of one lakh sq ft of development, because we are sure they have the capacity to take it to 10 lakh sq ft over the period," he added. Nisus Finance is an asset management and advisory firm that runs a Rs 350-crore asset management firm, offering mezzanine finance for mid-market residential developments. The company provides institutional and individual investors with investment and advisory solutions, with strategies spanning asset classes, industries and geographies. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nobel Prizes are the most prestigious awards on the planet but the aura of this year's announcements has been dulled by questions over why so few women have entered the pantheon, particularly in the sciences. The march of Nobel announcements begins Monday with the physiology/medicine prize. Since the first prizes were awarded in 1901, 892 individuals have received one, but just 48 of them have been women. Thirty of those women won either the literature or peace prize, highlighting the wide gender gap in the laureates for physics, chemistry and physiology/medicine. In addition, only one woman has won for the economics prize, which is not technically a Nobel but is associated with the prizes. Some of the disparity likely can be attributed to underlying structural reasons, such as the low representation of women in high-level science. The American Institute of Physics, for example, says in 2014, only 10 per cent of full physics professorships were held by women. But critics suggest that gender bias pervades the process of nominations, which come largely from tenured professors. "The problem is the whole nomination process, you have these tenured professors who feel like they are untouchable. They can get away with everything from sexual harassment to micro-aggressions like assuming the woman in the room will take the notes, or be leaving soon to have babies," said Anne-Marie Imafidon, the head of Stemettes, a British group that encourages girls and young women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. "It's little wonder that these people aren't putting women forward for nominations. We need to be better at telling the stories of the women in science who are doing good things and actually getting recognition," she said. Powerful men taking credit for the ideas and elbow grease of their female colleagues was turned on its head in 1903 when Pierre Curie made it clear he would not accept the physics prize unless his wife and fellow researcher Marie Curie was jointly honoured. She was the first female winner of any Nobel prize, but only one other woman has won the physics prize since then. More than 70 years later, Jocelyn Bell, a post-graduate student at Cambridge, was overlooked for the physics prize despite her crucial contribution to the discovery of pulsars. Her supervisor, Antony Hewish, took all of the Nobel credit. Brian Keating, a physics professor at the University of California San Diego and author of the book "Losing the Nobel Prize: A Story of Cosmology, Ambition, and the Perils of Science's Highest Honor," says the Nobel Foundation should lift its restrictions on re-awarding for a breakthrough if an individual has been overlooked. He also says posthumous awards also should be considered and there should be no restriction on the number of individuals who can share a prize. Today the limit is three people for one prize. "These measures would go a long way to addressing the injustice that so few of the brilliant women who have contributed so much to science through the years have been overlooked," he said. Keating fears that simply accepting the disparity as structural will seriously harm the prestige of all the Nobel prizes. "I think with the Hollywood #MeToo movement, it has already happened in the film prizes. It has happened with the literature prize. There is no fundamental law of nature that the Nobel science prizes will continue to be seen as the highest accolade," he said. This year's absence of a Nobel Literature prize, which has been won by 14 women, puts an even sharper focus on the gender gap in science prizes. The Swedish Academy, which awards the literature prize, said it would not pick a winner this year after sex abuse allegations and financial crimes scandals rocked the secretive panel, sharply dividing its 18 members, who are appointed for life. Seven members quit or distanced themselves from academy. Its permanent secretary, Anders Olsson, said the academy wanted "to commit time to recovering public confidence." The academy plans to award both the 2018 prize and the 2019 prize next year but even that is not guaranteed. The head of the Nobel Foundation, Lars Heikensten, was quoted Friday as warning that if the Swedish Academy does not resolve its tarnished image another group could be chosen to select the literature prize every year. Stung by criticism about the diversity gap between former prize winners, the Nobel Foundation has asked that the science awarding panels for 2019 ask nominators to consider their own biases in the thousands of letters they send to solicit Nobel nominations. "I am eager to see more nominations for women so they can be considered," said Goran Hansson, secretary-general of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and vice chairman of the Nobel Foundation. "We have written to nominators asking them to make sure they do not miss women or people of other ethnicities or nationalities in their nominations. We hope this will make a difference for 2019." It's not the first time that Nobel officials have sought diversity. In his 1895 will, prize founder Alfred Nobel wrote: "It is my express wish that in the awarding of the prizes no consideration shall be given to national affiliations of any kind, so that the most worthy shall receive the prize, whether he be Scandinavian or not." Even so, the prizes remained overwhelmingly white and male for most of their existence. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) People can now listen to the "recreated heart beats" of Mahatma Gandhi at Delhi's National Gandhi Museum, which will launch a series of programmes Monday to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation. On the eve of Gandhi Jayanti, the museum will also inaugurate a special photo exhibition on the theme of 'Non-violence and World Peace' and release a finely-curated 'Digital Multimedia Kit' containing audio and video footages from his life, its director A Annamalai said Sunday. "We have gathered the ECG (electrocardiography) details from different stages of Gandhi ji's life and recreated his heart beat on the digital medium. This will be a very interesting feature for the public," he told PTI. Another special collection being released Monday is the 'Digital Multimedia Kit' about Gandhi which will be available for people to buy. "The kit in a pen drive contains six components: basic books (20 by Gandhi and 10 on him), a documentary film by A K Chettiar, 100 specially-curated pictures, Gandhi's voice, a virtual tour of his ashrams and his favourite bhajans," Annamalai said, adding that the collection could illuminate the youth about Gandhi in a significant way. Chettiar's documentary 'Mahatma Gandhi: 20th Century Prophet', whose footage was acquired in London, covers Gokhale's visit to South Africa in 1912. "It's perhaps the only footage of Gokhale and with him stood a young lawyer Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi dressed tidily in a suit," Annamalai said. Also included are footages from the Quit India Movement, speeches of Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose and Jawaharlal Nehru, besides Gandhi's visit to the North West Frontier Province with Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan and Noakhali - Peace Pilgrimage. There are selected 100 photographs of Gandhi from his place of birth in Porbandar up to his memorial at the Rajghat here, he said, adding that the collection also includes his pictures of early life, London and South African phase, important movement of Indian Freedom Struggle and with various contemporary leaders. "The pictures are in the form of a power point presentation," Annamalai said. He said the digital kit also has audio footages of the original voice of Gandhi. "His speech recorded in London in 1931 'Spiritual Message of Mahatma Gandhi' (English), the one delivered at the Asian Relations Conference held at Delhi, 1947 (English), besides the Post Prayer Speech on Cleanliness and Hindu Muslim Unity in 1947 (Hindi), among others, are part of the collection," he added. The director said the digital kit has been priced at Rs 300 and only includes the production cost. It will be available for the purchase at the museum. "We are trying to find some sponsors for the kit, in Hindi and English, to bring down the price to Rs 100 so that it reaches to more people," Annamalai said. He said the National Gandhi Museum will begin 'Gandhi: 150' celebrations from Monday and a series of other programmes will be held round the year in various cities across the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An applicant for inclusion of name in the Register of Citizens (NRC) will not be allowed to change the legacy person in the claim form from the originally submitted form in 2015, an official said in Guwahati on Sunday. A claim can be submitted for re-consideration of eligibility based on documents already submitted or it can be submitted with additional List A or List B documents, the official said. There is no need to re-submit the documents submitted earlier but if additional documents are required to be submitted, then any one or more of the 10 documents listed by the Supreme Court, under whose supervision the is being updated, must be submitted. The documents, which must be dated before March 24, 1971, include land documents like registered sale deed, records of land, permanent residential certificate issued from outside the state, passport issued, LIC policy, license/ certificate. The other include documents showing service/ employment under government/public sector undertaking, bank/post office accounts, educational certificates issued by Boards/ Universities, records/processes pertaining to Court provided they are part of a proceedings in a Judicial or Revenue Court. "The claim form displays the list of all 15 List A documents for the purpose of quoting but only 10 documents as mentioned above will be accepted at present," the official added. The five documents-the 1959 NRC, Citizenship Certificate, refugee registration certificate, ration card and electoral roll upto March 24, 1971 will not be accepted now as the matter is currently pending with the and the next hearing on the matter is scheduled for October 23. The process of claim and objections to the draft NRC began on September 25 last and was scheduled to be open for 60 days till November 23. Claims can be filed by only those persons who submitted NRC application form till August 31, 2015 and were issued a valid Application Receipt Number (ARN) while objection can be filed by any person. Claims can only be submitted at the NRC Seva Kendra (NSK) where the claimant had submitted the application form earlier even if there has been a change of address since then while objections can be submitted only at the NSK covering the residence of the person against whom the objection has been submitted. Claim can also be accepted for inclusion by correction of any person or their descendant earlier declared as D (Doubtful) Voter or declared foreigner have been declared Indian citizen by judicial authority or Foreigner Tribunals but their names are not included in the draft NRC and for this a different form will be used. The process for corrections in spellings of names and others will be taken up later as now only the process for receipt of claims and objections about inclusion/exclusion have started. The draft NRC published on July 30 included the names of 2.9 crore people out of a total applications of 3.29 crore while the first draft published during the intervening nights of December 31 and January one contained 1.9 crore names. Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president A Padmakumar Sunday said "real women devotees" of Lord Ayyappa were unlikely to visit Sabarimala temple and only "women activists" will reach the hillock shrine, in view of the recent Supreme Court verdict. The apex court had on September 28 lifted the ban on the entry of women aged between 10-50 years to the forest shrine, holding that the centuries-old Hindu religious practise was illegal and unconstitutional. After a meeting with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here, Padmakumar said the TDB will seek 100 acres of forest land from the Centre to provide more amenities for devotees as part of implementing the top court order. The Board, which manages the shrine, will also consider filing a review petition, citing the difficulties and challenges faced by it in implementing the order in the present context, he said. Expressing disappointment over the verdict, Padmakumar said the apex court had taken into account only constitutional, fundamental and gender issues while considering the entry of women into the shrine. The unique geographical aspects and specific circumstances at the hill temple should have also been considered, he said. "During the last annual pilgrim season, devotees had to stand in queue for over 17 continuous hours on a particular day due to the unprecedented rush," Padmakumar told PTI. Around 5.5 lakh devotees had been at the shrine during the last 'Makaravilakku' day on January 14. "Is it possible for women to trek kilometers through the forest path and stand amongst the packed crowd?" he said. The TDB chief said the real devotees who respect the traditions and rituals of Sabarimala and know the circumstances there were not likely to visit the shrine. "Only some women activists are expected to trek the holy hill in the name of the verdict," he said. The TDB, however, will provide all possible facilities for women devotees who will reach the shrine from October 16, when it opens for this year's three month long annual pilgrimage season, Padmakumar said. It will be very difficult and challenging for the Board to provide any special amenities for devotees in the present context, he said. "So, we will request the Centre to provide us 100 more acres of forest land from the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) to implement the verdict. The Supreme Court's permission is also necessary for that," Padmakumar said. Detailing its challenges, from crowd management to security, he said no more constructions were possible in the premises of the shrine which is located in the ecologically fragile Western Ghats region. Steps will be taken to demarcate some of the existing toilets and lodging facilities for women devotees, the TDP president said. The Board has also plans to set up a new 'viripandal' (dormitory), which can accommodate at least 10,000 people, considering the influx of women devotees. "The work will begin by January and will be completed by the next pilgrimage season in 2019," he said, adding a meeting will be held here on October 3 to discuss further steps to be taken by the Board in view of the court verdict. Meanwhile, the Opposition Congress, which had earlier hailed the verdict, Sunday urged the TDB to file a review petition. "The social impact and the practical difficulties posed by the verdict should be taken into account," Opposition leader in the assembly, Ramesh Chennithala told a press meet here. (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 accused the Opposition of misleading the people by demanding that the details of the Rafale deal be made public. Addressing a rally in Haryana's Ambala district, Singh said all details regarding that Rafale fighter jet deal could not be made public in view of the security concerns. This has happened not only in the current government's time, but also during the tenure of previous governments, he said. Singh alleged that the Opposition leaders' demand to make details of the deal public was not practical and they were making efforts to come to power by spreading lies and misleading the people. The Union minister said the Centre had strongly checked the Naxal movement and the security forces were successful in controlling their activities, he said. Singh added that an integrated border security system was being implemented to secure and strengthen the borders of the country as it was not possible to secure the 22,000-km long land-and-water borders of the country with wires. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After DMK Chief M K Stalin, AMMK leader T T V Dhinakaran Sunday backed off from attending the valedictory function of MGR centenary celebrations, questioning its legitimacy. Speaking to reporters here, Dhinakaran said the ruling party was luring people by paying Rs 1,000 per head to attend the event in Chennai and create a false impression that the cadre were with it. "...for a party that does not enjoy people's support, the event is being organised to create a false impression that the cadre were with them," he said. All the loyal workers have deserted the party and joined Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), which would reflect in the coming general elections, where the ruling AIADMK would lose it security deposit, he claimed. On the inclusion of his name in the list, the AMMK leader said, "They have included my name along with other MLAs as per protocol. If they really wanted my presence, they would have checked my availability," Dhinakaran said. Accusing the AIADMK government of using late leader M G Ramachandran's birth centenary for "political mileage", DMK president Stalin had Saturday said he would not take part in the valedictory function in Chennai. The AIADMK has invited arch rival DMK President M K Stalin and ousted leader TTV Dhinakaran for valedictory of party founder and late chief minister M G Ramachandran's birth anniversary celebrations, raising a few eyebrows. The state government, which launched the MGR birth centenary celebrations last year, has so far held related events in 31 districts and the valedictory event marks its culmination. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Because of the recent controversial dialogue between former senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos, memories of martial law surfaced anew. Alleged atrocities committed by strongman Ferdinand Edralin Marcos were dredged up. Enrile, former Senate president, presiding judge of the Senate impeachment court that removed Chief Justice Renato Corona, was also the former justice secretary and later defense secretary when Marcos declared martial law in September 1972. He is also known as the architect of Marcos martial law. Enrile drew flak from those who claimed they were victims of warrantless arrests, detained and even tortured by their military captors. Some of the survivors and their relatives took Enrile to task for saying no one was arrested and killed during martial law. His contention was that those arrested were not for criticizing Marcos and martial law, but was a preemptive strike against those inciting the masses to rebellion and topple duly constituted authority. . In the outrage over the Enrile statement, these critics forgot that it was JPEs mutiny against Marcos that triggered the People Power Revolution at EDSA that catapulted Cory Aquino to the presidency. Yes, Cory Aquino who was not even at EDSA was proclaimed the heroine and consequently President of the Republic. What about Enrile and former Philippine Constabulary chief Fidel Valdez Ramos, whom Enrile asked to join him at Camp Aguinaldo lest he is arrested by Marcos chief henchman, Gen. Fabian Ver? Enrile gave way to the peoples clamor for the widow of assassinated Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. to assume the presidency. Not pleased with how President Cory was running the government, he and another opposition leader, Salvador Hidalgo Laurel, broke away from the former housewife who found running the government was not as easy as managing a household. Having established that footnote in Philippine history, let us not also forget two grim episodes that happened during the reign of mother and son Aquino. These are the Mendiola and the Mamasapano massacres. Peoples memories are short and sometimes selective depending on their political leanings.Let us first recall the Mamasano massacre which is more recent. The bloody incident occurred on January 25, 2015 when a combined force of Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters waylaid members of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force. The PNP/SAF commandos were retreating after an operation that took out terrorist bomb maker Marwan. Left in an open corn field in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, the police commandos were easy targets for the Muslim attackers. Why were the PNP /SAF commandos left vulnerable? A survivor said their officers radioed for reinforcement and rescue from then President Noynoy Aquino and senior AFP officials who were with him in nearby Zamboanga. Noynoy flew to Zamboanga to wait for the head of Marwan did not give the order to send in more soldiers to reinforce the beleaguered Special Action Force. As a consequence of Noynoys criminal neglect, 44 SAF commandoes met their death at the hands of the Muslim band that butchered them even as their hands were raised in surrender. Mamasapano became known as Black Sunday. This is the grievous sin of the son. Let us now go to the Mendiola massacre of January 22, 1987. This grim chapter in our nations history happened less than a year after the February 1986 People Power Revolution that swept Cory Aquino to power. It is not in our nature to speak ill of the dead but history has to be put in proper perspective. While no one can claim it was President Cory Aquino who ordered the Capital Regional Command security forces to fire and kill 12 protesting famers, the Capcom was directly under the Office of the President. Let us recount the circumstances and events that led to the Mendiola massacre. The farmers had been camped eight days and seven nights at the then-Ministry of Agrarian Reform to protest the lack of genuine land reform. Realizing their grievances were not being addressed by the Cory government, the famers inflamed by the fiery rhetoric of militant leader Jaime Tadeo, called for a march to Malacanang. At the Quezon Memorial Circle, the farmers were joined by the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), and the League of Filipino Students (LFS). This was the group violently dispersed by a fusillade from the Capcom state security forces who had launched Oplan God Save the Queen. The Queen of course meant Cory Aquino whose followers were fancying her for sainthood. Compare the farmer casualties who were only at the Mendiola bridge to the leftist mob who were already storming the gates of Malacanang where Marcos told the Presidential Security Guards to hold their fire. Which brings us to the question of: Were more people killed during the six-year revolutionary reign of Queen Cory or during the nearly 23-year watch of strongman Ferdinand Marcos Over 60 people, including a French national, were rescued by police after they were stranded in Jammu and Kashmir's Kargil district due to heavy snowfall, officials said Sunday. Around 60 Nepali porters, including women and children,a French national, and four Indians, were on their way to Himachal Pradesh when they got stuck near Lakhang on September 22 due to heavy snowfall in the region, a police spokesperson said. He said after strenuous efforts by a police team with the help of locals, 65 stranded passengers were traced near Lakhang and shifted to a nearby village where they were provided food, shelter and other necessities. Many people suffered frostbite, the spokesman said. "After active efforts from district administration and police, helicopter rescue was arranged and 13 people who needed medical aide were airlifted to Padum Zanskar and shifted to Zanskar community health centre Saturday," he said. They are undergoing treatment, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said Sunday Parakram Parv was not a matter of being ashamed of but a "festival" that showcases India's determination and the valour of its soldiers. Parakram Parv was celebrated Saturday to mark the second anniversary of the surgical strike. On September 29, 2016, the Indian Army carried out surgical strikes on seven terrorist launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as a response to an attack on its base in Uri earlier that month. The defence minister said, "As the terror attack happened inside the base on unarmed soldiers, it was necessary for the army to launch a surgical strike at the enemy in its territory." "Parakaram Parv is a festival to showcase India's determination that it would not take attacks on its unarmed soldiers on its own soil lying down," Sitharaman told reporters here. "If anyone raises questions about the celebration, I would ask if it was something to be ashamed of," she asked. Sitharaman denied that the government was politicising the surgical strike and said the festival showed that it is unacceptable for India to remain silent over the blatant cowardly act of a neighbouring country. It was necessary for the Army to target the terrorist launch pads of the enemy in their territory, she said. "Though there have been quite a few infiltrations over the past few years and actions were taken to eliminate the intruders, it was a call of the Army with political backing to strike at the terrorist launch pads of our enemies," the minister added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) of India-designate has said he has a plan to deal with the pendency of cases which has been bringing in a lot of "disrepute" to the judicial system. Justice Gogoi, who will take over as the 46th CJI on October 3, said Saturday he has a plan to deal with the backlog of cases and he will "unfold" it soon. He was speaking at an event 'Role of Bar and Bench in Social Engineering,' organised by the Youth Bar Association of India. "Two things are troubling me. One is pendency of cases as it brings a lot of disrepute to the judicial system. The problem has the potential of making the system itself irrelevant. "Accused in criminal cases are getting hearing after serving their sentence and parties in civil disputes are getting judgements after two-three generations. It is serious problem, but it is not too difficult and it can be resolved. I have a plan and will soon unfold it," Justice Gogoi said. He sought the support of bar and the bench in the process. Earlier, Justice Gogoi had pointed out that there were around 5,950 judicial vacancies in district courts across the country. He had said the problem does not lie in the short tenure (of judges) but lies in the change of priorities with change of chief justices and batted for a consistent policy for the judiciary. "Then if you have a policy and if you implement it, then the tenure will not be a matter," Justice Gogoi had said then. had on September 4 recommended the name of Justice Gogoi as the successor. He will be sworn in as the next CJI on October 3, a day after Justice Misra's tenure ends. Justice Gogoi was among four most senior judges who called a press conference in January and criticised Justice Misra on various issues, especially the manner of allocation of cases to certain benches. Justices J Chelameswar (since retired), Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph were among those who addressed the press conference, perhaps a first in the history of the Indian judiciary. Haryana Congress unit president Ashok Tanwar Sunday claimed that the people were waiting for the 2019 Lok Sabha poll to teach the BJP a lesson. The countdown for the Modi and Khattar governments has begun as they have both failed to deliver on their promises, he said. The price of petrol is rising every day, but the government is not feeling the pain of the common man, the Congress leader said while addressing the party's 'Pol Khol-Halla Bol' rally here. On the Rafale deal, Tanwar said, "We have a big scam in the Rafale (deal), but the Modi government is trying to hush up things." "The countdown of the Modi and Khattar governments has begun. People are eagerly waiting for the polls to teach the BJP a lesson... The BJP governments both at the Centre and in the state have failed to deliver and people are suffering," he said. Lashing out at Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Tanwar said farmers, labourers, the youths, businessmen and the working class, are out on roads fighting for their rights, but the present government is not listening to them. He said the Congress stands behind them and "their problems will be solved when his party comes to power in Haryana in the next polls". Tanwar said if his party comes to power after next year's Haryana polls, loans of farmers and the poor will be waived, old age pension will be raised to Rs 3,000 per month from Rs 2,000, a fresh survey of BPL families and of those families who have not got any government job will be undertaken. Scholarship for higher education will also be provided to the deserving candidates of all communities, he said. Hitting out at the Khattar government over the law and order situation in the state, Tanwar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the 'Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao' campaign "with a big fan fare from Panipat in 2015, but it is in a sad state and women and girls of Haryana are suffering". He referred to the recent rape incidents of Rewari and some other places in the state and said there is "jungle raj in Haryana and no woman feels secure". "The state has become number one in crimes against women," Tanwar said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The National Health Agency (NHA) Sunday clarified that arogya mitras for implementing the Centre's Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) are not being recruited by it or any human resource agency. The statement from the NHA, the apex implementing body of the national health insurance scheme, came after some individuals and agencies claimed that they were recruiting arogya mitras for implementing the scheme. The PMJAY was launched from Jharkhand by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last Sunday. The government has set a target of appointing 1,00,000 arogya mitras by the end of this year at private and state-run hospitals to assist patients in availing benefits under the PMJAY. They will also run help desks, check documents and redress grievances at hospitals. Individuals and agencies online or otherwise claiming to conduct such "illegal recruitment" are under law liable to be prosecuted, chief executive officer (CEO) of Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY,InduBhushan, said. The Health Ministry has signed a pact with the Skill Development Ministry for training the arogya mitras for the smooth implementation of the scheme. DrDinesh Arora, deputy CEO,NHA said the arogya mitras will be recruited by the hospitals. "We have told the hospitals that local staff should be given first preference and should be designated as arogya mitrasas they know the staff and work procedures and patterns of the hospital concerned. "If at all needed they should hire people from outside, no recruitment agency should be involved in the process," he said The Ayushman Bharat-National Health Protection Mission (AB-NHPM), which was renamed the PMJAY, seeks to provide a coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family annually, benefiting more than 10.74 crore poor families for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation through a network of Empanelled Health Care Providers (EHCP). The PMJAY will provide cashless and paperless access to services for the beneficiary at the point of service. It will help reduce catastrophic expenditure for hospitalizations, which impoverishes people and will help mitigate the financial risk arising out of catastrophic health episodes. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) has given assent to a bill, India's first, which will give legal protection to the good samaritans in who help accidents victims with emergency medical care within the 'golden hour', officials said Sunday. With this, has become the first state to give legal protection to good samaritans through a legislation amidst the rising incidents of accidental deaths in India, which saw 1,50,785 people getting killed in road accidents in 2016. The has given his asset to the Good Samaritan and Medical Professional (Protection and Regulation during Emergency Situations) Bill, 2016, a home ministry official said. The legislation aims to give protection to good samaritans and ensure immediate medical assistance for road accident victims within the 'golden hour' and encourage people to offer first aid to victims without fear of harassment in the hands of police and investigations. In medical terms the 'golden hour' is the first hour after a traumatic injury when emergency treatment is very crucial. Under the new law, the will provide financial help to good samaritans who help victims in a timely manner, they will be exempted from repeated attendance in courts and police stations, in case attendance is mandatory, expenses of such "running around to courts and police stations" will be taken care through the proposed 'Good Samaritan Fund'. After admitting the accident victim to the hospital, the good samaritan can leave immediately, all government as well as private hospitals are bound to give first aid to the accident victims, according to the new legislation. Another official said there have been many instances when people get busy in clicking photos or making videos of the victims, instead of providing the accident victims medical help. "With the new law, there will be clear message that good samaritans will not be harassed in any manner," the official said. There were 4,80,652 road accidents in the country in 2016 in which 1,50,785 people were killed. In 2015, there were 5,01,423 road accidents in the country in which 1,46,133 people were killed. Karnataka is one of the top five states which saw a large number of people getting killed in road accidents in 2016 and 2015. There is no central law to protect the good samaritans. However, the Union Surface Transport Ministry had issued a set of guidelines in 2015 following a order to protect the good samaritans. Punjab is hoping to procure 200 lakh metric tonne of paddy during the Kharif marketing season starting tomorrow with necessary arrangements having been made for their smooth and hassle free procurement, officials said. Punjab food and civil supplies minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu Sunday directed the heads of the state procurements agencies as well as FCI to personally supervise the operations across the state so as to ensure prompt lifting of paddy, according to an official spokesman. As many as 1,834 purchase centres have been set up across the state for procurement of the crop. Reviewing the arrangements, Ashu said all out efforts should be made to ensure smooth, hassle free and quick procurement of paddy on the one hand and facilitating the farmers in getting timely payment of their produce on the other. He made it clear that farmers of the state should not be put to any inconvenience while selling their produce in the mandis. He issued directions for good quality sturdy gunny bales while packing the produce and also there was no shortage of bales for storage of grains. Ashu asked the officers concerned to personally visit the mandis during the procurement and ensure smooth lifting. The Government of India has fixed Minimum Support Price for paddy at Rs 1,770 per quintal for Grade A and Rs 1,750 per quintal for common variety of paddy. The proposal regarding cash credit limit has been sent by the finance department to RBI for availing CCL limit of Rs 40,300 crore for the purchase of paddy by the state agencies, officials said. Ashu made a fervent appeal to all farmers to bring dry, clean and fully matured paddy to the mandis. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) "Game of Thrones" star Richard Madden has said that he despises being called a "hunk" as it shifts people's focus from his acting to his looks. The 32-year-old actor told The Daily Star that the tag undermines him as an actor. "I worry about it affecting my job. If people go, 'Oh, you know, he's that hunky thing', that undermines that actually I am an actor," Madden said. The actor also revealed his plans of buying a piece of land, so as to escape the stardom he started enjoying after starring in the hit HBO show. "My aim is to buy a little place on the west coast to escape. It's so gorgeous. I am also my happiest up there. It would be so quiet too," Madden said. The actor played Rob Stark, eldest child of Eddard Stark, the lord of Winterfell, who is assassinated at the Red Wedding by the House Frey in the third season of "GOT". The eighth and final season of the show premiers next year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In what could be seen as an inspiration from Bollywood movie 'Padman', a sanitary napkin brand has launched a campaign to educate young girls and women about menstrual hygiene and provide them with pads at cheap prices. Niine Sanitary Pads has installed around 130 vending machines at colleges in Delhi, Agra and Allahabad to help young girls, chief executive officer Richa Singh told PTI. "Under the Niine movement, the company is installing vending machines at colleges. Women workers have been roped in to inform people especially in rural areas about the positive impact of using sanitary pads," she said. The company has opened a sanitary pad manufacturing unit in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur under the Centre's Make in India initiative to produce cheap pads, while ensuring that the quality of the product is not compromised, she said. The aim of the movement is to eliminate taboos related to menstruation. "In the past couple of months, more than 50,000 girls and women have been made aware about menstrual hygiene in Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Agra, Sitapur and Firozabad," she said. Singh said that help in this regard has also been sought from self-help groups, ASHA and aganwadi workers. "With the help of self-help groups, we are making a packet of sanitary pads priced at Rs 15 available to women and girls. Gradually, the movement will be started in states of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and Haryana," Singh said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Facebook last week said a security breach gave hackers access to 50 million user accounts and the private information stored in them, and also exposed their accounts with other online services such as Instagram, Spotify, Tinder and Airbnb to unauthorized use because they logged into these services using their Facebook accounts. The breach is a security and privacy nightmare that affected even Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg and Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, whose accounts were also compromised. Over the weekend, the National Privacy Commission said it was still determining how many Filipino users of the social networking site were affected by the massive data breach. In a statement, NPC Commissioner Raymund Liboro said that Facebook representatives report that the investigation is still in its early stages. They have not determined yet how many Filipinos are affected and whether misuse of personal information had resulted from this breach, Liboro said. If usage patterns are any indications, this will likely run into the millions. Statista, the statistics portal, ranks the Philippines as the sixth largest user of Facebook (behind India, the United States, Brazil, Indonesia and Mexico), with 70 million users as of July 2018. Zuckerberg said the company is investigating the extent of harm done when hackers exploited software flaws to steal access tokens, the equivalent of digital keys that enable people to automatically log back into the social network. Zuckerberg said engineers discovered the breach on Tuesday, and patched it on Thursday night. We dont know if any accounts were actually misused, Zuckerberg said. This is a serious issue. Weve fixed the vulnerability and informed law enforcement.Facebook reset the 50 million breached accounts, meaning users will need to sign back in using passwordsbut none of this is a guarantee against new breaches in the future. It is also unclear what the hackers planned to do with the access they obtained to 50 million user accounts. Social media accounts are hacked for a variety of reasonsto force shares, to force follows or to steal private information that hackers can use to sign into other accounts with banks and online retailers. The NPC correctly puts some of the responsibility for protecting private information on users themselves. To protect themselves, all Facebook users must enable multi-factor authentication on all platforms, employ strong passwords, and practice good digital hygiene, Liboro said. These are common sense precautions to take when a person decides to put private information that could be misused by malicious third parties onto a shared network. It would also make sense to limit the amount of personal information we post online, since safeguards against unauthorized access are far from fool-proof. But sadly, common sense isnt all that common when it comes to social media use. A high-level delegation from Saudi Arabia arrived in Pakistan on Sunday for talks during which five MoUs including the one on selling petroleum products on deferred payments are expected to be signed, weeks after Islamabad invited Riyadh to join the USD 50 billion CPEC as the third "strategic partner". The visit of the delegation comprising petroleum and energy ministers takes place almost 10 days after Prime Minister Imran Khan returned from his first foreign trip to the cash-rich kingdom. The delegation is expected to sign five important Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the government and hold discussions during its six-day visit to Pakistan, Geo reported. Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan will arrive in a couple of days, according to sources. Finance Minister Asad Umar, Petroleum Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan will be part of the team that will hold talks with the Saudi delegation, sources said. The prospect of setting up oil refineries in the strategic Gwadar port is likely to be discussed by the delegation, the report said. According to sources, the Saudi officials are expected to sign an agreement to sell petroleum products to Pakistan on deferred payments. The delegation will also sign an MoU to make investments in the Balochistan Reko Diq gold and copper mines, sources said. Further, agreements to privatise two Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) power plants and sale of phosphate-containing fertilisers to Pakistan are also expected to be signed by the delegation, the report said. The Saudi delegation will also visit the Gwadar port and Reko Diq project, sources further said. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia recently signed "three grant agreements" to bring major investment in the country. On September 20, Minister of Information Fawad Chaudhry announced that Saudi Arabia will be the third "strategic partner" of the USD 50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The CPEC is the flagship project of the multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a pet project of Chinese President Xi Jinping, aimed at enhancing Beijing's influence around the world through China-funded infrastructure projects. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 16-year-old girl allegedly committed suicide in a government school in Madhya Pradesh's Korba district after she was reportedly reprimanded by her teacher for using a mobile phone during class, police said Sunday. Babli Yadav, a Class IX student, hung herself from a tree in the premises of the government high school in Nonbirra village Saturday afternoon, Dipka station house officer (SHO) Sharad Chandra said. He said that preliminary investigation has revealed that Yadav was spotted by her teacher while she was speaking on her mobile phone during class. "Yadav threw the phone from the class window but the teacher retrieved it and complained to the school principal. She also scolded Yadav," the SHO said. While Yadav's father, a farmer, was called to school by the principal to discuss the incident, he could not come due to work commitments, the official said. "Later, when the girl did not reach home after school got over for the day, her brother went looking for her and found her hanging from a tree in the school premises," he said. A case had been registered and further probe was underway, the SHO added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) When Koyel M came out as a queer seven years ago, she did not have to confront a homophobe in her mother. Following several conversations, her mother overcame her initial inhibitions and embraced her daughter's sexuality. But her mother's acceptance wasn't enough to keep the 23-year-old gender-fluid queer comfortable in environments beyond the four walls of her house. Often, while on a romantic date with a woman in a public space, Koyel became the subject of uncomfortable stares and mutterings. On September 6, all that changed when the Supreme Court ruled that consensual gay sex was not a crime, and noted that the British-era law criminalising homosexuality violated the right to equality. The stigma might continue till society comes out of its biased moorings but the fear of being viewed as a criminal in the eyes of the law is at least over. "The law can now be my armour," Koyel told PTI. The verdict has come as a relief to Koyel and thousands of others like her who can now look for love without the scare of being put behind the bars. While she prefers meeting new people outside of social networking channels, she admits that online dating is "easier and faster". "I, personally, do not look for any serious engagement over or through social networking platforms, but online dating scenario is something that the new paced life has adopted for itself," she said. Popular dating applications among the LGBTQ community include Tinder and OkCupid, which according to Divya Dureja, a queer-poet-activist, are "quite accessible and friendly". Dureja counters the common perception that Tinder is a heterosexual dating app and explains that preferences can be customised according to an individual's sexuality. Dureja, who has used over 10 applications and websites to find herself a date, said she had been using Tinder "for years to meet other queer women". However, online dating for the LGBT community, much like heterosexuals, comes with a risk of its own. Prior to the SC's verdict, the members of the community were afraid of being "trapped by extortionists" who could threaten them with police arrest. Now, LGBTQ activist Harish Iyer says the only major threat is that of "fear of disclosure", which is universal. "Threats of online dating have reduced drastically, the only thing they can operate on is fear. "Fear of disclosure, which is same as the heterosexual couples actually, as they are afraid their families might come to know about it," Iyer said. The discomfort of dating a same sex partner also varies with the city one resides in -- while metropolises like Delhi and Mumbai have welcomed people of different sexualities, it continues to be a taboo in smaller towns. For Dureja, living as a queer woman in Delhi proved to be "relatively safe", making it easier for her to navigate public spaces for romantic encounters. "My privilege of being in a metropolitan city like Delhi has kept me shielded from facing grave issues or hindrances from others while on date with women in the public sphere," she said. Iyer agrees that contrary to big cities which are "islands of the privileged", one can engage in a homosexual relationship in smaller towns only in disguise. "You have to say 'he is my brother, or my friend'," he said. It is this dearth of safe and comfortable public spaces that Ishaan Sethi is trying to fight with his dating application -- Delta, also touted to be India's "first homegrown LGBTQ dating app". The app essentially ties up with different brands and cafes -- Olive, Smoke House Deli, Grand Hyatt among others, to offer members of the community places they can visit without any legal problems or social stigma. "The places we have partnered with take care that the staff and the environment is inclusive," Sethi said. While Sethi is unable to share the number of subscribers, he agrees that the dating app, which was launched earlier this year in April, has seen a "spike in the userbase after the verdict". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A self-styled godman was arrested Sunday for allegedly raping a woman in Janakpuri here, police said. The arrest was made on a complaint by the Delhi Commission for Women after the 24-year-old school teacher had approached it alleging she was raped by Hari Narayan, 41, inside an ashram in Janakpuri in July, they said. Earlier, a female accomplice of Narayan and a colleague of the victim were arrested in connection with the case, police said. The woman had said she went to the ashram on the suggestion of her colleague who told her she would be spiritually healed by Narayan. She claimed that her colleague had accompanied her to the ashram, they said. The woman had told the DCW that she was drugged and raped by Narayan and also molested by his female accomplice. DCW chief Swati Maliwal has urged the women to come forward to report such incidents to the commission through helpline number 181. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Army personnel was injured in a landmine explosion near the Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir Sunday, officials said. The soldier hit a landmine during patrolling near a forward post in Jhallas sector and got injured in the explosion at around 9.30 am, they said. He was shifted to Army base hospital in Udhampur for treatment, the officials said. As part of the counter-infiltration strategy, the Army uses landmines to plug the possible infiltration routes to stop terrorists to enter into this side and sometimes the explosive devices get dislocated due to rains causing the accidental blasts, they said. Meanwhile, the officials said a live mortar shell was found lying in an open field near the International Border in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district. It was defused by the bomb disposal squad, they added. The mortar fired by Pakistan some time back had failed to explode and was noticed by a villager in his field on this side of the fencing, the officials said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a veiled attack on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday said the opposition party can abuse him, but should stop "belittling" icons like Mahatma Gandhi, Vallabhbhai Patel and Babasaheb Ambedkar. The prime minister also said cleanliness was an important aspect of Mahatma Gandhi's life and asserted that sanitation coverage increased manifold under his four-year-old government. Without mentioning the Congress, Modi said the opposition party is tied to a single family. "People see caste, state, election... Stop belittling great personalities. Modi is living, abuse him 24 hours, and if that is not enough, do it for 26 hours. Who is saying no?" he asked. Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday claimed that Sardar Patel's mega statue in Gujarat was being built by China, evoking stinging reactions from the BJP and the Gujarat government. Justifying building of memorials for various noted personalities, Modi said it is a sign of devotion towards those who have fought for the freedom of the country. He said the country's first deputy prime minister was a global figure who cannot be confined to a caste or a state. "People say that we remember Sardar Saheb due to the elections. Some say he was a Gujarati while others see him representing a particular caste. "He was a global figure and they have belittled him. It is our responsibility to make him known to the world as he has worked for the country's unity," Modi said. The prime minister was addressing a gathering in Rajkot from where he inaugurated through remote control the Mahatma Gandhi Museum at the Alfred High School in the city where the father of the nation had studied. Modi also dedicated over 600 houses built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (PMAY) to the people and interacted with some women beneficiaries through video conferencing. In his speech, he appealed to the opposition not to belittle great personalities of the country. "In reality, this land of Rajkot shaped (Mahatma) Gandhiji's life... It is the right of every person of this country and the world to know the early life of this global leader. "But, I don't know why, and for whose benefit, a great personality like Mahatma Gandhi was reduced to just paying tributes on October 2 (his birth anniversary) and January 30 (his death anniversary)?" Modi asked. He said the museum is of immense importance not only for the people of Rajkot but also for the entire world. The museum has been set up at the Alfred High School, which was an important part of the formative years of Mahatma Gandhi. It will help spread awareness about Gandhian culture, values and philosophy, he said. Attacking the Congress without naming it, Modi said, "We are not tied to one family. We believe that every great person is an inspiration for the coming generation. We are committed people." "Shyamji Krishna Varma, whose birth anniversary is on October 4, had fought for the country's independence. If we made his statue... It was our aim that those who fought for country's freedom should become a source of inspiration for the coming generations," he said. "When I constructed the 'Panchteerth' by remembering Babasaheb Ambedkar, I had faith that the coming generation gets inspired by a man who rose and achieved such height after coming out of poverty," the prime minister said. Panchteerth consists of five places that are closely associated with the Dalit icon and are being developed by the government. "We have constructed a monument of former president and 'Missile Man' A P J Abdul Kalam at his hometown Rameshwaram so that the visitors there can seek inspiration from him. "As part of this exercise, we are constructing Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's statue (in Gujarat's Narmada district. Sardar Saheb's stature is so high that it cannot be compared, but symbolically we have decided to keep the height of the statue (at 182 meters) which is twice the height of the world's tallest statue. On October 31, I will come to inaugurate it," he said. Referring to the United Nations' 'Champions of the Earth' award given to him, Modi said the deserving candidates for this honour are Mahatma Gandhi and 125 crore Indians. Modi has been awarded the 'Champions of the Earth' Award, the UN's highest environmental honour, along with five other individuals and organisations for their leadership in promotion of solar energy. He said he received the award at a time when India is celebrating 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. As a gift to Mahatma Gandhi and his dream to see India a clean country, Modi urged the people of Rajkot to make the city cleanest in India. He said the sanitation coverage has increased in the last four years under his government. "Sanitation coverage in the country before 2014 was mere 35 per cent. Though many PMs and governments came, it remained just 35 per cent. "In the four years of the NDA government, it has increased to 95 per cent. This is not a small feat," he said. "Cleanliness was an important aspect of Gandhi's life and he used to say, if he had to choose between cleanliness and freedom, he would choose cleanliness first, such was his commitment towards cleanliness," he said. Every Indian should have it in their hearts that a barrister (Gandhiji) gave up everything for the country and freed it from foreign rule, Modi said. "The UN has said 3 lakh children were saved due to the cleanliness movement (of the NDA government). What bigger humanitarian work can there be?" he asked. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The executive of a private company who was allegedly shot dead by constables in Gomti Nagar locality here was Sunday cremated in presence of Uttar Pradesh ministers and family members. Vivek Tiwari (38) was shot Saturday by constables Prashant Chowdhury and Sandeep Kumar while he was going to drop his colleague Sana Khan. His body was Sunday cremated at Bhaisakund in present of state minister Brijesh Pathak and local MLA Ashutosh Tondon and others. When asked about the incident Pathak said, "It's an unfortunate incident and we are with the family members of the victim. We will try to fast track the case so that the family can get justice. I will also request Principal Secretary Home and the DGP to post sensitive policemen in big cities." "We will ensure strict action against the guilty. If needed, a CBI probe will also be recommended," he added. Expressing grief over the incident, UP DGP OP Singh said no amount of apology would suffice for the loss of a precious life or heal and wounds of the devastated family. "My heart goes out for the little daughters, wife and family members of Vivek Tiwari. I share my grief with them," he said, adding such deviant, "criminal behaviour" was reprehensible and deserved the strictest punishment. "We are determined to punish and wean out such rogues in uniform who hang our heads in shame, at the same time we have also embarked on systemic reforms through behavioural training and humanisation of the force," the DGP said. "As we are striving hard for a 360 degree reform of UP Police, it's my request to all of you to not consider the aberration of Lucknow incident as a reflection of what we truly stand for. I solicit your forgiveness, best wishes and cooperation in the journey of reformation ahead," he added. The two constables were arrested and dismissed from the job and an FIR was registered in the matter on the basis of a complaint by Sana Khan. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had Saturday said a CBI inquiry would be recommended if needed. Constable Prashant Chaudhary, however, said after noticing some "suspicious activity", he asked the victim to come out of the SUV but he did not and instead tried to hit him and he had to open fire in self defence. A fired bullet pierced the windscreen as the car rammed into a pillar, police had said. The autopsy report had later confirmed the death was caused by gunshot injuries. District Magistrate Kaushalraj Sharma has ordered a magisterial inquiry in the case and a SIT was also constituted by the DGP to probe the matter. UP Congress chief Raj Babbar also visited the victim's house Sunday and said, "You (CM) might be busy in political management of the incident otherwise you should have come to meet daughters of the victim." Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took to Twitter to corner the BJP government in the state and said he also spoke to the victim's wife Kalpana over phone. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tens of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets in protest against the presidential front-runner, a far-right congressman whose campaign has exposed and deepened divisions in Latin America's largest country. The protests came the same day that Jair Bolsonaro was discharged from a Sao Paulo hospital where he received treatment after being stabbed during a campaign rally on Sept. 6. On Saturday evening, after flying home to Rio, he tweeted that there was "no better feeling" than to be close to his family. In Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia, people flooded avenues and squares to sing, dance and shout "Not him!" the rallying cry of groups who are trying to prevent Bolsonaro from taking office in October elections. "We're saying to those people who are undecided: Not him," said Selia Figueiredo, a 43-year-old banker in Sao Paulo, who said she worried for her rights as a gay woman if Bolsonaro were to win. They can vote "for anyone else, but not him." In the heart of Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city, leftist presidential candidate Guilherme Boulos and his running mate Sonia Guajajara led the march, while people beat drums and waved gay pride flags and banners that denounced Bolsonaro, who is known for offensive comments about gays, women and black people. In downtown Rio de Janeiro, a crowd that was heavily women shouted: "Sexists and fascists won't advance!" Other smaller rallies were held in cities around Brazil, including some in support of the candidate. Bolsonaro's candidacy has attracted international attention as an example of the trend in many countries toward populism and extremes in politics, and small protests were held against him in London, Lisbon, Berlin and Paris. Bolsonaro is currently leading polls with around 28 per cent of support among voters polled, but he also has the highest rejection rate of any candidate. That could become especially important if no one wins the majority of votes on Oct. 7, and the election is decided in a second round. Polls then show him losing in most scenarios. Bolsonaro has said he will accept nothing less than victory and suggested his opponents will commit fraud to defeat him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday accused British Members of Parliament who refuse to support her Brexit strategy of playing with the country's future. In an interview with 'The Sunday Times' as the three-day Conservative Party conference opened in Birmingham, May reiterated that her so-called Chequers plan was the only proposal possible to strike a deal with the European Union (EU) on Britain's future relationship with the economic bloc once it has formally left in 2019. She attacked the Opposition Labour Party for now backing the idea of a second referendum on the issue of Britain's membership of the EU. "They said they'd respect the referendum result. Yet now they appear to be wanting to ask people to have a second go at it. So, you can't believe what they say. They're playing with this issue," she said. To her own Conservative Party, which also remains divided over the issue, she said: "My message to the Conservative Party is going to be that, 'We are the party that always puts country first and puts the national interest first.' This is about a critical issue for the future of this country. And I think we naturally are a party that looks to the national interest." She challenged the EU again to put forward counter-proposals instead of just turning down her plan as "unworkable", adding that she was "not bluffing" when she said "no deal is better than a bad deal". The comments coincided with former foreign secretary Boris Johnson, one of the fiercest critics of May's Brexit strategy who quit the Cabinet over the issue, launching his latest tirade against her leadership. "Unlike the Prime Minister I campaigned for Brexit. Unlike the Prime Minister I fought for this, I believe in it, I think it's the right thing for our country and I think that what is happening now is, alas, not what people were promised in 2016 (EU referendum), he told 'The Sunday Times' in a separate interview. In a further warning to the British PM, he said you "can't beat (Labour leader Jeremy) Corbyn by becoming Corbyn". "What grieves me about the current approach to Brexit is that we are just in danger of not believing in ourselves, not believing in Britain," he said. He also refused to rule out a leadership challenge or say whether May should lead the party into the next election: "The Prime Minister said she is going to serve for as long as her party wants her, and I certainly think she should." The annual Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, which runs until Wednesday, is being seen as the stage for the ruling party's leadership hopefuls to lay out their credentials with some big ticket announcements. With the UK due to leave the EU on March 29 next year and negotiations on the terms of the exit and future cooperation still at an impasse, the issue of Brexit is likely to dominate much of the agenda. However, some domestic issues are also likely to be played up, with May set to announce plans for a Festival of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to showcase the United Kingdom in January 2022 months before the next scheduled General Election will be due in June 2022. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GoC-in-C) of the Army's Northern Command Lt Gen Ranbir Singh visited the Kashmir valley on Sunday to review the prevailing security situation in the wake of recent counter-militancy operations which have to the elimination of several terrorists, an official said. Lt Gen Singh also reviewed the operational preparedness of the force in the hinterland of the valley. "The northern Army commander arrived in the Kashmir valley today to review the prevailing security situation in the wake of recent counter terrorist operations which led to elimination of many terrorists," Srinagar-based defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said here. Singh, accompanied by Chinar Corps Commander Lt Gen A K Bhatt, visited the hinterland formations in north and central Kashmir and was briefed by the commanders on ground about the current situation, he said. The spokesman said the GoC-in-C of the Army's Northern Command reviewed the operational preparedness of the force in the valley. The Army commander complimented the troops for their recent successes and commended them for their dedication to duty and professionalism. He was appreciative of the measures and standard operating procedures instituted by the units and formations to minimise civilian causalities, Kalia said. The need to be prepared for effectively meeting emerging security challenges was reinforced, the spokesman said. Lauding the excellent synergy among all the security forces, the commander exhorted all ranks to maintain a safe, secure and peaceful environment for the people of Kashmir, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Veronica Salas Vallejo Reigning Miss Intercontinentalof Mexico and Miss Intercontinental Chief Executive Officerare arriving in Manila on Wednesday, Oct. 3 to grace the official launching of the Miss Intercontinental 2018 beauty pageant which will be staged in the country.Hosted by Miss Intercontinental Japan, the Manila staging of the pageant marks the beauty tilts 47th anniversary. The first pageant was held in Aruba in 1971. For many years, Aruba was the default host of the pageant until it moved to Nigeria, Germany, Colombia, and other countries such as China, Seychelles, Bahamas, Spain and Belarus. It has a long national and worldwide tradition with redefined new goals and vision for the world of the New Millennium.It has a rich history of bringing together some of the most impressive, beautiful and interesting women and models from so many cultures and then helping them achieve their goals. That is the heritage unique to Miss Intercontinental--the evolution and expansion of the organization and the pageant. Thus, the choice of Manila, as the staging venue for the 47th edition, as it is a city that shares such vision. Vallejo will be crowning her successor on the finale slated on Jan. 26. About 80 delegates are expected be competing for the most expensive crown in pageant history. Last year, Filipina modelfinished first runner-up. British superbike brand Triumph Motorcycles is considering to sell in India more bikes imported from Thailand in the short term via FTA route as locally assembled bikes are proving to be costlier due to customs duty 'anomaly', a senior company official said. According to the company, after custom duty on CKD (completely knocked down) imports of motor cycles was hiked to 15 per cent from 10 per cent in the Budget for 2017-18, assembling in India has become costlier as compared to importing directly from Thailand. India has Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the 10 member ASEAN of which Thailand is a part of. "While on one side there is Make in India campaign and promoting production in India but on the other side FTA today is attracting zero per cent taxes, whereas if you are assembling CKD in India the cost of assembling is 15-16 per cent higher," Triumph Motorcycles (India) General Manager Shoeb Farooq told PTI. "These are small things which I am sure policy makers are mindful of. Directionally, if you have to promote production in India, assembly is the first step and then go for manufacturing," he further said. When asked how it would impact the company's strategy in India, he said, "There is a big 15-16 per cent difference. We would have to try and align it in the second half of the financial year and see how to make a good mix of FTA and CKD going forward." Triumph follows July-June fiscal, and last year 90 per cent of its overall sales volume in India was through CKD assembly at its Manesar plant. Commenting on how the sales break-up could be altered, he said, "It will be tilted towards FTA to be fair because it is making lot of commercial sense." He further said, "For the short term till this whole policy framework is not aligned, I think we will have to make some stop-gap arrangements through FTA."Nevertheless, Farooq said, "We will continue to make a good percentage of our products CKD but at the same time we also have to see at what point all these mathematics are making sense to us."Asked if the tilt towards more imported products from Thailand would lead to the job redundancy at the company's Manesar plant, he replied negatively. A lot of states in India have road tax policies, which are pro-India made products. Stating that the company had consciously aligned to 'Make in India' as it was making a lot of sense commercially, he said, "As a brand we want to have an assembly footprint in India." "For a longer term we want to have capabilities where we assemble in India and have that kind of flexibility. We have the capability. We want to continue to invest in the Mansear plant and utilise the facility, because sooner than later this anomaly is going to get corrected." The company sells 13 superbike models, including variants priced between Rs 7.7-22 lakh in India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two engineering college students allegedly drowned while bathing off a beach here Sunday, police said. The deceased, who were studying in a private engineering college in the city had gone to Rushikonda beach along with three others, they said adding the group had ventured into the sea despite police warning. Two of them drowned after being pulled deep into water by strong current, while three others were rescued by coastal security police and admitted to a government hospital. While the body of one boy was washed ashore later, police have launched a search for the other, police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has voiced concern over the situation in Jammu and Kashmir while encouraging "positive dialogue" to resolve the disagreements peacefully. He also said the UN welcomes a greater role for India in addressing regional peace and security challenges. "On the development front, India already is, and can become an even greater regional development force, helping other countries of the region forge a better future," Guterres told PTI in an email interview here ahead of his visit to India beginning Monday. He said the UN welcomed a greater role for India in addressing regional peace and security challenges. "I remain concerned by the situation in Jammu and Kashmir I encourage positive dialogue for disagreements to be resolved peacefully," he said. The UN chief will be in India October 1 to 3 during when he will meet with President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj. His visit coincides with the beginning of events to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2, 2019. Guterres said he greatly appreciated India for its significant contributions to the UN. India ranks as the fourth largest troop contributing country, with a total of 6,719 uniformed personnel serving in ten UN peacekeeping missions. "The dedication and sacrifice of India's uniformed personnel are deeply valued and are a model for many others," he said. He also highly commended India's contribution to addressing the urgent global challenge of climate change, particularly under the Paris Agreement. "Climate change is moving faster than we are, and if we do not change course by 2020, we risk missing the point where we can avoid runaway climate change," he said. Guterres noted that India had not been spared the consequences of climate change, as he cited Kerala's worst monsoon flooding in recent history and offered his heartfelt condolences to all affected by the floods. He noted that more than 37 million Indians living along the coastline were vulnerable to sea-level rise. Guterres said India's steadfast efforts against climate change were very much in line with the country's domestic development goals, which in turn make India a leader in global climate action. Describing India as a champion of the global South, he said the country through its Development Partnership Fund with the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation supports Southern-owned and Southern-led demand-driven and transformational sustainable development projects across the developing world. "We are grateful for India's generous contribution towards this initiative," he said. Guterres also paid tribute to Indian women, who he said have excelled in every sphere of economic and public life, both at home and internationally. He said Kiran Bedi, who served as the first female United Nations Police Advisor, and Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, the first female President of the General Assembly, have been "trailblazers" in the world organisation. "Empowering women is equivalent to empowering communities for a better future. It is also a necessary condition for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India is an "important partner" of the United Nations in countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said, and there are plans to step up cooperation between the two on strengthening capacity in combating terror financing. Guterres, who will begin a three-day visit to India on Monday, said the planning and implementation of acts of terrorism transcend borders and it is the responsibility of all the States to take action to address the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism. "The threat of radicalisation, violent extremism, and terrorism continues to persist and even grow in many parts of the world. Modern-day terrorists are savvy in both technology and social media, successfully exploiting contemporary tools to propagate the narrative of hate and violence to recruit young people and raise funds," Guterres told PTI in an email interview. The UN chief emphasised that all nations must prevent and combat incitement to violence, and enforce counter-terrorism measures. He described India as an important partner of the UN in countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism. The Government of India's recent contribution to the United Nations Trust Fund for Counter-Terrorism will support the execution of capacity-building projects by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, he said. "There are also plans for cooperation between India and the United Nations on strengthening capacity in the areas of countering terrorist financing, and on the use of advance passenger information," the UN Chief said in the email interview. The United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy provides a solid framework for such joint action, while also calling upon all States to respect international humanitarian and human rights law. As part of India's continuing commitment to strengthen multilateral efforts to counter terrorism and support the work of the newly established UN Office for Counter Terrorism (OCT), the Indian government had this year announced a voluntary contribution of USD 550,000 for the OCT. Guterres noted that though the primary responsibility lies with Member States, the UN Secretariat is fully committed to supporting efforts to tackle terrorism and to helping find multilateral solutions to complex global challenges such as this. The recently-established United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism is tasked to provide strategic leadership and coordination to United Nations counter-terrorism efforts. "The Organisation will also enhance its efforts in support of Member States' developing effective counter-terrorism strategies, through capacity building support and mobilisation of much-needed resources," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore will be on visit to India starting Sunday till October 6 during which she will hold discussions on wide range of issues and take part in the Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention, the UN body said. Fore will also see first-hand UNICEF supported programmes related to sanitation, health and other children's issues during the visit. "During her first official visit to the country as the UNICEF executive director, Fore will be meeting with senior government officials, frontline workers, families, children and young people. "Her itinerary also includes meetings with business leaders to seek shared value partnerships with the heads of top corporate houses in the country on the business benefits of investing in children," the body said. It said there was no longer debate about the key role of business in building a safer, more sustainable world for children. "There is strong financial evidence that investments in children reap benefits not just for the families and communities benefitting, but also for the governments and corporate partners advancing the cause of children and young people. Doing good is doing good business," Fore said in a UNICEF statement. On October 1, she will deliver keynote remarks at the Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention (MGISC), a four-day event in New Delhi that will bring together sanitation ministers and sector specialists from around the world. Organised by the Indian Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, the meeting will share sanitation and hygiene success stories and lessons from the participating countries. The event will culminate on October 2 with the launch of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth year celebrations in India, as the Swachh Bharat Mission (Clean India Programme) enters its final year of implementation. "In the last decade, South Asia has taken remarkable strides in improving access to sanitation and hygiene facilities, with the proportion of people practising open defecation down to only 34 per cent in the region as a whole. "This progress is proof we can get to the goal of sanitation for all, if we all regroup, refocus and rededicate ourselves to this critical 2030 benchmark," Fore said. She will also interact with young people and focus on some of the innovative solutions that support young people's access to education and skills training for future work. As part of her India visit, Fore will also travel to Mumbai to attend a 'Closing Bell' event at the National Stock Exchange. The programme will emphasise the urgent need for equitable investments in children. "Targeted investments in education, skills and economic opportunities for young people hold the potential to radically transform a country's economic outlook. "Key stakeholders across sectors must work together to scale-up efforts to strengthen 'school-to-work' transitions, including exploring new opportunities to train young people through hands-on mentorships and apprenticeships," Fore added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uttar Pradesh minister Brijesh Pathak Sunday hit out at the state police for showing "laxity" and "hushing up" the murder of a tech company executive in the city's posh Gomti Nagar neighbourhood. Apple executive Vivek Tiwari was shot dead early Saturday morning by a policeman when he allegedly refused to stop his car. "The killers deserve to be in jail and they must get stringent punishment. Action should also be initiated against officials who showed laxity in this case and tried to hush up the murder," Pathak told PTI. "I will also request the honourable court to hand over the entire matter to a fast-track court so that the aggrieved family can get justice soon. I have also sought time from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath so that the aggrieved family can meet him," he said. The state law minister expressed "shock" over the fact that even policemen could indulge in such an act. "The death of Vivek Tiwari has shocked us. Even the police could do such a heinous act, I did not expect," he said. Pathak also talked about the various anomalies reported in the case. "The lone eyewitness was kept in police custody for nearly 17 hours and her signature was taken on a plain piece of paper. The FIR was not registered in the way it should had been. There is no consistency between the statement of Sana (who was accompanying the victim) and the FIR. And efforts were made to hush up the case," he said. The minister also hit out at those police officials who tried to safeguard the accused cop. Two constables have been arrested on the basis of an FIR lodged by Tiwari's colleague Sana Khan, who was travelling with him at the time of the incident. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India's exports hold a promising outlook with the US growing at its best in four years, coupled with the rupee depreciation leading to enhanced net revenue realisations, according to a report by The US emerged as the top export destination for India, with USD 47.9 billion worth of shipments in the last fiscal ended March, followed by the UAE and Hong Kong, the commerce ministry data showed. The US accelerated by 4.2 per cent in the second quarter of this year, its fastest pace in about four years despite the ongoing tariff war with "The US accounted for about a good chunk of 16 per cent of India's total merchandise exports of USD 303 billion in the fiscal 2017-18 with the annual growth of 13.42 per cent, the report said. It is the largest market for Indian exports, both for merchandise and even services. So, when the US grows at its current pace, it augurs very well for the total Indian exports' basket, it added. It said a sharp drop in rupee may have caused a burden on the country's import bill, but the net realisations for exporters have increased significantly. According to the trade data for August 2018, while exports have shown a growth of about 19 per cent in dollar terms, the rupee realisations for the export shipments went up close to 30 per cent. With further streamlining of exporters' GST refunds, their competitiveness should also improve, helping them in the global market, said. Engineering goods, chemicals, gems and jewellery are among the major items of exports to the US from With the focus of the on infrastructure build up, the demand for Indian exports, particularly of and other engineering goods should increase, the report said. Besides, with the festival season around the corner, the orders for the gems and jewellery should also look up. Global giants from US, Japan and the Middle East have shown interest in picking up a stake in state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp's (ONGC) mega petrochemical project in Gujarat, the firm's Chairman and Managing Director Shashi Shanker said. ONGC Petro additions Ltd's (OPaL) 1.1 million tonnes plant was completed last year at a cost of Rs 300 bn. "The plant is operating at 80 per cent capacity and is targeted to reach 100 per cent before end of current fiscal," Shanker said. While the plant was originally conceived as a joint venture with state-owned gas utility GAIL India Ltd and Gujarat State Petroleum Corp Ltd (GSPC), ONGC funded most of the project cost. ONGC is now looking at restructuring the equity of and is exploring the option of roping in a foreign partner. "Many people across the globe have shown interest in taking stake. Many options are available," he said. " from Middle East, Japan and US have shown interest." He, however, did not name the is said to be one of the interested in taking a stake in "By February we should be able to get a fix on the whole thing," he said. ONGC was originally supposed to keep just 26 per cent stake in while gas utility GAIL was to take 19 per cent. Five per cent was to be taken by Gujarat State Petroleum Corp (GSPC) and the remaining was to be sold to a strategic investor and public. But GAIL ended up paying for only 9 per cent and GSPC for only 0.2 per cent. The remaining cost was borne by ONGC. GAIL had in 2008 picked up 19 per cent stake in OPaL, which was then building the mega petrochemical complex at Dahej in Gujarat. But the project, which started in 2006, faced major cost and time overruns, which forced GAIL to restrict its equity contribution to the original Rs 9.96 bn. This investment in the expanded project cost meant that the gas utility's stake dropped first to 17 per cent, then to 15.5 per cent and now about 9 per cent. The project at the time of conception was projected to cost Rs 124.40 bn but the cost was in 2010 revised to Rs 195.35 bn. It was a couple of years later further revised upwards to Rs 213.96 bn with December 2013 set as the commissioning date. It was completed last year for Rs 300 bn. GAIL would, however, continue to hold rights to market 38 per cent of the polymer and other chemicals produced by OPaL even at the reduced equity stake. ONGC had attributed the increase in project cost primarily to additional cost of Phase-II captive power plant and increase in cost of building the Phase-I electricity generating unit. OPaL aims to export products overseas to markets such as Africa, China, Singapore, Turkey, Pakistan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. An American warship has sailed through waters off the contested Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, in the latest implicit challenge to Beijing's sweeping territorial claims in the region, the Pentagon said Sunday. "Guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur conducted a freedom of navigation operation," an official told AFP. "Decatur sailed within 12 nautical miles of Gaven and Johnson reefs in the Spratly Islands." The official said all US military operations in the area "are designed in accordance with international law and demonstrate that the United States will fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows." The 12-mile distance is commonly accepted as constituting the territorial waters of a landmass. Beijing claims all of the Spratly chain. There was no immediate reaction from China, but a similar US operation in July, involving the disputed Paracel islands, prompted a furious Beijing to deploy military vessels and fighter jets. The Paracels, north of the Spratly Islands, are claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam. On May 25, the guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey sailed less than 12 nautical miles from a reef in the Spratly archipelago. China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam all claim parts of it. Further angering those countries, and the US, Beijing has moved aggressively to build reefs into artificial islands capable of hosting military planes. US-Chinese relations have been strained on multiple levels since Donald Trump became president in 2017. A trade war launched by Trump has infuriated Beijing, as did his authorisation of a USD 1.3 billion arms sale to Taiwan, which China considers a rebel province. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The West Bengal BJP on Sunday urged Home Minister Rajnath Singh to take forward its demand for a CBI probe into the incidents of killing of students in Islampur and party workers in Purulia with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday. A state BJP delegation met Singh, who arrived in the city Sunday evening, at Raj Bhavan. "We have told Rajnath Singhji that only a CBI probe can unravel the truth in the killing of two party workers in Purulia in June and the gunning down of two students in Islampur in September. "We are not asking for the intervention of the central minister in the matter of law and order, as it is a state subject. We only want he takes up the issue of CBI probe into the incidents during his meeting with the chief minister," BJP National Secretary Rahul Sinha told reporters. He said the delegation informed the Union minister that a "jungle raj" was prevailing in West Bengal under the Trinamool Congress rule, and the police have become "stooges" of the ruling party. Sinha said the state BJP also urged Singh to discuss the issue of "law and order breakdown" during his meeting with Banerjee. The BJP national secretary accused the ruling party in West Bengal of framing BJP leaders in "false criminal cases" and asked the Union Home Ministry to take steps to stop it. Alleging that over 30 BJP workers had been killed during the recent panchayat polls in the state, Sinha said, "Though the situation is fit for declaration of President's Rule, we are not demanding the same as that will only give mileage to the TMC, which is on the verge of disintegration and losing its mass support to the BJP." He said the saffron party on Sunday presented the families of the two deceased students before an NHRC team in Islampur and will take them to President Ram Nath Kovind in New Delhi "very soon". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Facebook makes American society better Facebook makes American society worse Worse because of the way some people use Facebook Worse because of the way Facebook itself is run Facebook has no effect on American society No opinion Vote View Results A U.S. Bipartisan House Resolution has condemned the collusion between the Polisario separatist front and the Lebanese Chiite group, Hezbollah, as well as Irans destabilizing aims in North Africa and beyond. Introduced by congressmen Joe Wilson (R-SC), Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) and Gerry Connolly (D-VA), the Resolution says Morocco remains a strong ally and partner for peace in the Middle East and North Africa, expressing support to the UN efforts to reach a peaceful resolution of the Sahara conflict. The lack of resolution to the Sahara regional conflict for more than 40 years inhibits the regional security and economic prosperity of North Africa, says the text, praising the efforts made by Morocco which has long sought a resolution of this issue through a negotiated process, offering autonomy for the region under its sovereignty. For over 10 years and across three Administrations, United States officials have characterized the proposal for autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty as both serious and credible, adds the House resolution. It recalls UN Security Council Resolution 2414 (2018), proposed and supported by the United States, that criticized provocative actions by the Polisario Front in the Sahara territory and called for the immediate withdrawal of the Polisario Front from portions of the Sahara and for the group to refrain from [any] destabilizing actions. The bipartisan resolution also cites Moroccos recent decision to sever diplomatic ties with Iran due to its purported support, along with that of the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militia, for the Polisario Front. The Government of Iran has provided monetary and other forms of material support to terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah, whereas the United States has designated Hezbollah in its entirety as a foreign terrorist organization. According to the resolutions authors, the efforts of Iran and Hezbollah to maintain influence in North Africa run counter to the national security objectives of the United States, which has a significant national security interest in the stability and economic prosperity of North Africa. The text says that the House of Representatives reaffirms its support for the Kingdom of Morocco as our oldest ally and as a partner in combating terrorism and promoting stability and prosperity in North Africa. It condemns any action by the Government of Iran or by Hezbollah that promotes instability in North Africa and reaffirms that Moroccos autonomy plan is serious, realistic, and credible, and represents a path forward to satisfy the aspirations of the people in the Sahara to run their own affairs in peace and dignity. The House bipartisan resolution calls on President Trump, the Secretary of State, and the Ambassador to the United Nations, to assist the United Nations in supporting a peaceful agreement to the Sahara conflict that is consistent with the United States position and will be enduring and enforceable. Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot Sunday said his party was "united", but there were "differences" between Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and BJP president Amit Shah who rarely share stage. He was addressing a farmers' meeting in Rajsamand's Charbhujanath. "Congress president Rahul Gandhi in his address during Dungarpur rally had said that our party is united and we will remain united, but whenever Amit Shah comes, Vasundhara Raje goes somewhere else. They are not ready to be present in the same district," Pilot said. He said the BJP president delivers speeches in the name of Bangladeshis, Assam, West Bengal and Kashmir, but never speaks about the works of the Rajasthan government. Pilot said nearly 150 farmers of the state have committed suicide, employees were on strike, but the government was not serious. He said that if Congress comes to power in the upcoming assembly elections, the government will work to ease the financial burden of farmers and give them loans on easy conditions. All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot alleged Raje was "inaccessible" for four years and stayed in five star hotels and heritage palaces instead of circuit houses. He said every chief minister, including Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Bhairo Singh Shekhawat, used to stay in circuit houses (during their visits), but Raje's "arrogance was at peak and she has never stayed in circuit houses so that no common man can approach or disturb her". Gehlot said the chief minister's 'Gaurav Yatra' will turn into 'Vidai (farewell) Yatra' as there was "extreme resentment" among people. He said Raje was "afraid of protests", but she "always says that she would fight like a lioness to protect her family". The senior Congress leader said the chief minister should clarify which is her family because she "never served people of the state and therefore, has no right to seek vote from the public". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Six people were arrested on Sunday for allegedly beating up a woman and her relative after tying them to a tree in an Uttar Pradesh village last week on suspicion of having an illicit affair, police said. The incident happened in Sattijore village of Nawabganj block in Bahraich district on the intervening night of last Monday and Tuesday. Rizwan entered room of the wife of Sahabuddin, who works in Mumbai, to take his mobile phone that he had left in the room for charging, a police officer said. It is alleged that Sahabuddin's uncle Usman Khan and Maqbool locked them from outside and started shouting, accusing them of having an illicit relationship. Rizwan and the woman were tied to a tree and beaten up. Someone also made a video of the incident and posted it on social media, said Deputy Superintendent of Police Vijay Prakash. On Saturday, Sahabuddin reached the village from Mumbai. He reposed faith in his wife and registered a complaint at the police station, following which a case was registered against 10 people, Prakash said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Global hospitality major Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is looking to add 29 hotels with 3,400 rooms in next 3 to 5 years across India as part of its expansion plans in the country, a senior company official has said. The company currently has 37 operational hotels in India with close to 3,400 rooms under its four brands -- Ramada by Wyndham, Ramada Encore by Wyndham, Days by Wyndham and Howard Johnson by Wyndham. "We have 29 hotels in the pipeline that we plan to open in the next 3-5 years, adding 3,400 rooms to the existing portfolio in India," Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Middle East, Eurasia & Africa Regional Vice President Ignace Bauwens told PTI. The company is also bringing its Wyndham, Wyndham Grand, Hawthorn suites by Wyndham to India, he added. Depending on the right opportunity with right location "we can bring the other brands to India, Bauwens said. When asked about the business model the company follows, he said: "Today all the hotels that we have in India are franchised... Wyndham is the world's global franchise operator. It is almost in our DNA." On the business segment that company is focusing for growth, Bauwens said: "Clearly our DNA is that we dominate the mid-scale and economy market and also majority of our brands sit in there, so for us not only in India but globally especially in Middle East, Eurasia & Africa we are focused on the mid-scale market." Most importantly, the Wyndham global philosophy is that, "We want a hotel in every destination our guests travel", he added. The company is also targeting tier II, tier III cities for growth here as they provide a combination of demand and opportunity, Bauwens said. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts currently has about 9,000 hotels globally with around 792,000 rooms in across over 80 countries under its 20 brands. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ahead of China's National Day on Monday, President Xi Jinping on Sunday emphasised on efforts to strengthen training and war preparedness of the military, and warned against any thought or behaviour that strayed away from real combat to win wars. Xi, 64, is regarded as the most powerful Chinese leader after the founder of the People's Republic of China Mao Zedong as he heads the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), the military and the Presidency. China celebrates its 69th National Day on Monday with one week of "golden holidays" during which the country virtually shuts down. On Monday, he along with other leaders of the CPC and the state paid tribute to the national heroes at the Monument to the People's Heroes at Tian'anmen Square here. Xi, who is the chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) -- the overall high command of the two million-strong military -- inspected the 79th Group Army of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Shenyang on Friday. During the visit, Xi stressed efforts to strengthen the military training and war preparedness of the armed forces and improve its capability to win wars, state-run Xinhua agency reported. Xi listened to the work report of the Group Army and delivered a speech warning against any thought and behaviour that strayed away from real combat, highlighting the implementation of combat requirement throughout training and preparation, the report said. He asked the military to stay focused on the tasks, opponents and environment of combat, to firmly hold the initiative in both strategy and battle. Since he assumed power in 2012, Xi has been stressing real time training of the PLA in order to be combat ready. Besides carrying massive anti-corruption drive in the military in which over 50 top Generals of the army were punished, Xi has also reorganised the whole command structure of the military which included retrenchment of three lakh troops. In his speech on Friday, Xi who has been stressing the military to strictly function under the leadership of the CPC, said that it was important to deepen the implementation of the Party's thinking on strengthening the military in the new era and military strategy for new conditions. Xi visited the training ground of an aviation brigade of the Group Army and heard the innovation in command and coordination, battle strategy and equipment update, it said. He inspected the weapons and equipment of the armed forces and asked detailed questions about attack helicopters. Wearing a special helmet, Xi boarded a Z-10 helicopter, the third-generation of China's home-developed attack helicopters, and manipulated the airborne weapon and aiming system. Xi went on the control tower of an airport to observe military drills. Dozens of helicopters took part in the drills, which included low altitude flights, aerial reconnaissance and air assaults. He asked 79th Group Army to integrate itself into the joint operation system of the PLA, carry out the requirements for transformation of the army and accelerate the building of new combat forces, to further liberate and develop its combat capability, Xi said. He added that the military must be built and managed in terms of thinking and political orientation, and the ideological and political foundation for obeying the Party's command should be consolidated while officers and soldiers' faith should be strengthened in daring to battle and being sure to win, the Xinhua report said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By David LjunggrenOTTAWA (Reuters) - With little time left ahead of a deadline to agree to a renewed NAFTA, Canadian and U.S. trade officials on Sunday tried to settle differences on tough issues such as protection against American tariffs.The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump said Canada must sign onto the text of the updated North American Free Trade Agreement by midnight EDT on Sunday (0400 GMT Monday) or face exclusion from the trilateral pact, which includes Mexico.NAFTA underpins $1.2 trillion in annual trade and markets fear its demise would cause major economic ... By Rania El GamalDUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman is expected to discuss the resumption of oil output from the Neutral Zone, which the kingdom's shares with Kuwait, during a trip to the Gulf Arab state on Sunday, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.Prince Mohammad will be accompanied by Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih during his trip to Kuwait, two separate sources said.The Saudi crown prince will hold talks with Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, the Kuwaiti News Agency has reported. The closure of the Neutral Zone's jointly ... Billionaire Elon Musk has agreed to step down as the chairman of Tesla Motors and pay $20 million as part of a settlement offered by Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Musk caved in 48 hours after the US markets watchdog filed a lawsuit against him, seeking to oust the multibillionaire innovator from the mobility company he founded over allegations of securities fraud. He now will have to pay $20 million and resign from the post of Tesla chairman within 45 days. He will be banned from the office for at least three years. Under the terms offered by the SEC, Tesla will pay another $20 million to the commission, add two independent directors to its board and keep a close watch on Musk's public communications. The company will have to sign off any written statements by its founder, even his tweets, if they could be deemed material. Musk and Tesla, however, need not admit to any wrongdoing. The terms of the settlement address the misconduct at issue by strengthening Tesla's corporate governance and oversight in order to protect investors, a Washington Post report quoted SEC's Enforcement Division co-director Stephanie Avakian as saying. Musk will remain the CEO of Tesla, allowing him to shape the company and forward his innovation in electric mobility. Reports suggest that Tesla's attorneys Bradley Bondi of Cahill Gordon & Reindel, and Musk's attorney, Steven Farina of Williams & Connolly held several late night calls with the SEC to resolve the matter, but in vain. The $40 million from the agreement will be distributed to harmed investors, according to the SEC. This chain of event began with a tweet by Musk back on August 7 where he talked about his plans to take Tesla private at $420, a substantial premium over the stock price at that time, and has the required "funding secured", without offering any financing details. The tweet sent Tesla share soaring by almost 11 per cent, which came crashing down after Musk backed out from the deal 17 days later. Last week, the SEC slapped Musk with fraud charges for making false and misleading statement after determining that he never finalised any deal to back his plans to take Tesla private. The Commission filed a lawsuit against Musk on Thursday, followed by a settlement offer which allowed him to stay on board Tesla as the company's chief executive in lieu of a fine. Tesla stock plunged almost 14 per cent following the lawsuit, with investors spooked over it will have on the company. Musk initially seemed to be prepping for an intense legal battle after rejecting SEC's settlement offer at the eleventh hour, reportedly because he did not have a blemish on his record. He however gave in and agreed to pay the $20 million fine, which most likely will not hurt his valuation at $20.1 billion. It surely is better than the chaos that the lawsuit would have plunged Tesla in, which already is battling production problems surrounding the Tesla 3 electric sedan amidst exit of several top executives and outstanding debts to the tune of $10 billion. By Shirish B Pradhan(Eds: Repting after corrections in intro, 1st para ) Kathmandu, Sep 28 (PTI) India and Nepal have agreed to explore the possibilities of laying pipelines for supply of liquified petroleum gas and natural gas to fertilizer plants and industries in the land-locked Himalayan nation, India's Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said Friday. Pradhan arrived here on Friday on a two-day visit and held discussions with various authorities and other dignitries. "Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) will work together on these projects," Pradhan told reporters after the conclusion of a bilateral meeting with Nepal's Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supply Matrika Prasad Yadav.During the meeting both the leaders comprehensively reviewed the bilateral energy cooperation and agreed to complete pipeline work from Motihari in India (Bihar) to Amlekhgunj in Nepal at the earliest. In 2015, the two governments had signed an agreement to lay a 69-km Motihari-Amlekhganj. Nepal is now seeking extension of the natural gas and LPG pipelines along the same route. India is currently building the oil pipeline between Motihari and Amlekhgunj that will ensure smooth, cost-effective and environment-friendly supply of petroleum products to Nepal. So far, a 17-km stretch of the 36.2-km section of the pipeline, which lies on the Nepal side, has been over, according to the NOC. The gas pipeline will result in savings of around Rs2 billion annually for Nepal by eliminating tanker trucks. Diesel and cooking gas accounted for 80 percent of the total fuel import bill of Rs 170 billion last fiscal, the Kathmandu Post reported. Earlier, Pradhan called on Nepal's acting Prime Minister Ishwor Pokharel and discussed progress of the petroleum products pipeline and other oil and gas projects being carried out by India. He also met Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa and discussed bilateral issues. Pradhan also met Nepal's Minister for Education, Science and Technology Girirajmani Pokhrael and discussed areas of cooperation in Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. He also paid a courtesy call to President Bidya Devi Bhandari. The Minister visited famous Hindu shrine Pashupatinath and offered prayers in the evening. On Saturday, he will visit Janakpur and worship at the historic Janaki temple. "He will also visit the site identified for proposed Skill Development Centre in Dhanushadham," Indian embassy sources said. Before wrapping up his visit, Pradhan is scheduled to visit Amlekhganj to see the progress made in the Motihari-Amlekhganj oil pipeline project. PTI SBP PMS SMJ New Delhi, Sep 28 (PTI) The Ministry of Electronics and IT Friday signed an agreement with Uzbekistan's Tashkent University to collaborate in the IT sector. "A declaration of intent was signed between the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) and Tashkent University today for deepening our cooperation in the field of capacity building in the field of information technology," Law and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said. The agreement was signed at a meeting between Meity Official led by Prasad and Uzbek delegation led by IT Minister of Uzbekistan Shuhrat Sadikov. IT services arm of government, NIC signed agreement with Ministry for Development of Information Technologies and Communications Uzbekistan for greater cooperation in the field of eGovernance. "India also agreed for extending technical support and consultancy services of Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) for setting up a Techno-Park in Uzbekistan," Prasad said. PTI PRS MKJ Kathmandu, Sep 28 (PTI) India's Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is in Nepal to hold talks on the modality of construction of a petroleum pipeline from Amlekhgunj to Chitwan and the import of petrol and gas to the land-locked Himalayan nation. Nepal is seeking extension of three pipelines natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas and oil (petrol, diesel and kerosene) up to Chitwan, the Kathmandu Post reported.The Indian petroleum minister and his team will hold discussions on the under-construction petroleum and gas pipelines, Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) spokesperson Birendra Goit was quoted as saying by the daily.Pradhan, who arrived here on Friday, will hold discussions with various authorities involved in the construction of the pipeline.The meetings will discuss issues regarding the modality of construction of petroleum pipeline from Amlekhgunj to Chitwan and the import of petrol and gas, the daily said.In 2015, the two governments had signed an agreement to lay a 69-km oil pipeline from Motihari in India to Amlekhganj. Nepal is now seeking extension of the natural gas and LPG pipelines along the same route.India is currently building the oil pipeline between Motihari and Amlekhgunj. So far, a 17 km stretch of the 36.2-km section of the pipeline, which lies on the Nepal side, has been over, according to the NOC. Nepal's fuel imports have rocketed in recent years. Last fiscal year, the demand for cooking gas surged 18 per cent to 370,560 tonnes, according to the NOC. The gas pipeline will result in savings of around Rs2 billion annually for Nepal by eliminating tanker trucks. Diesel and cooking gas accounted for 80 percent of the total fuel import bill of Rs 170 billion last fiscal, the daily said. During the recent visit by Nepal Commerce Minister Matrika Prasad Yadav, India agreed to build a gas pipeline to Nepal. The two countries had agreed to discuss the modality of construction at the joint working group meeting. PTI PMS AKJ PMSPMS New Delhi, Sep 28 (PTI) Former IAS officer Rangachari Sridharan was Friday appointed as first chief of National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA), according to an official order. Sridharan, a 1983 batch (retired) IAS officer of Karnataka cadre, will hold the post of chairperson, NFRA, for three years or till the incumbent attains the age of 65 years, the order said. Besides him, Prasenjit Mukherjee has been appointed as full-time member of the authority for the same tenure, the order issued by Personnel Ministry said. Mukherjee is a 1980 batch (retired) officer of Indian Audit and Accounts Service. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on March 1, approved establishment of the NFRA and creation of one post of chairperson, three posts of full-time members and one post of Secretary. The NFRA is mandated to act as an independent regulator for the auditing profession. It will help in better regulation of financial audit of large companies. The need for establishing NFRA had arisen in the wake of accounting scams, for enforcement of auditing standards and ensuring the quality of audits to strengthen the independence of audit firms, among others. PTI AKV RCJ Brussels, Sep 28 (AFP) Ryanair cancelled scores of European flights on Friday as unions staged what they warned could be the biggest strike in the airline's history.The Dublin-based carrier has played down fears of widespread disruption but confirmed it would cancel nearly 250 flights.Walk-outs were planned by cabin crew in Germany, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. In some countries, pilots' unions also planned action.At Charleroi Airport in Belgium, around 20 strikers unfurled a strike banner at the terminal and four of 12 scheduled services were cancelled.At Eindhoven Airport in the Netherlands some passengers had already passed though security when a flight to London was cancelled with just half-an-hour until take-off, the Dutch news agency ANP reported.The Dutch union VNV said it was seeking to take legal action to prevent Ryanair from bringing pilots in from abroad to replace striking Dutch crews.But the company insisted the vast majority of its 2,400 normally scheduled flights would be unaffected by what in called "these unnecessary strikes"."We find this strike... unreasonable and somewhat out of sync with the progress we thought we were having," Ryanair COO Peter Bellew said in a conference call with journalists on Thursday.Ryanair said in a statement that the vast majority of Friday's 2,400 flights "will be unaffected by these unnecessary strikes and will operate as scheduled".Affected customers received email and text message notifications on Tuesday to advise them of cancellations and options, Ryanair said.Trade unions hope that Friday's 24-hour stoppage will be the biggest strike in the Irish carrier's history."By not cancelling enough flights for tomorrow's strike, Ryanair's irresponsible behaviour could create tensions and insecurity for all airport staff, Ryanair and the passengers concerned," the Belgian CNE union warned.Ryanair staff have been seeking higher wages and an end to the practice whereby many have been working as independent contractors without the benefits of staff employees.Another key complaint of workers based in countries other than Ireland is the fact that Ryanair has been employing them under Irish legislation.Staff claim this creates huge insecurity for them, blocking their access to state benefits in their country.EU Social Affairs Commissioner Marianne Thyssen said on Wednesday air crew should be employed under contracts from the country where they work."Respecting EU law is not something over which workers should have to negotiate, nor is it something which can be done differently from country to country. I made this very clear to Mr O'Leary today," Thyssen said in a statement after a meeting between Ryanair's combative chief executive Michael O'Leary and EU officials."The internal market is not a jungle; it has clear rules on fair labour mobility and worker protection. This is not an academic debate, but about concrete social rights of workers." At a press conference, O'Leary called for cancellation of the strike, threatening that he would shrink Ryanair's fleet at two Brussels airports if it went ahead.Last month, Ryanair pilots across Europe staged a coordinated 24-hour strike to push their demands for better pay and conditions, plunging tens of thousands of passengers into transport chaos at the peak of the busy summer season.In July, strikes by cockpit and cabin crew disrupted 600 flights in Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain, affecting 100,000 travellers.This week, Ryanair signed deals with cabin crew unions in Italy to provide employment contracts under Italian law.The UK's Civil Aviation Authority has called on Ryanair to compensate passengers affected by the strikes.(AFP) RUPRUP By Sajjad Hussain Islamabad, Sep 28 (PTI) Saudi Arabia, the new entrant to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has inked grant agreements with Pakistan to finance three road infrastructure and energy projects under the USD 50 billion CPEC, according to media reports. The two sides also signed three agreements worth USD 16.1 million for financing projects in health and education sectors in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The agreements were signed by the Saudi envoy and the officials of Pakistan's finance ministry on Thursday when Chairman of the Saudi Fund for Development, Ahmad Agil Al-Khateeb, visited Pakistan with a six-member delegation. The aide to Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman made an unscheduled stopover in Islamabad on Thursday, raising prospects of a multi-billion-dollar Saudi Arabian bailout package for cash-starved Pakistan, according to media reports. Saudi Arabia gave a grant of USD 10 million for furnishing the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz campus of a university in PoK, the Express Tribune reported. "These agreements have been inked in line with the understanding reached during Prime Minister Imran Khans recent visit to Saudi Arabia, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told a press conference on Thursday. On the signing of the grants agreements to finance road infrastructure and energy projects under the CPEC, the minister said, "The first step has been taken as three grant agreements have been signed. This is a very positive step and bodes well for relations between the two countries." The CPEC is the flagship project of the multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a pet project of Chinese President Xi Jinping aimed at enhancing Beijing's influence around the world through China-funded infrastructure projects.India has protested to China over the CPEC as it traverses through PoK.Saudi Arabia is the third "strategic partner" of the CPEC, a senior Pakistani minister said recently soon after Prime Minister Khan returned from his first foreign trip to the cash-rich kingdom. Since the prime minister's visit to Saudi Arabia, the Opposition has been asking the government to unveil the pledges made by Riyadh regarding mega investment and monetary assistance to Pakistan. Chaudhry said that a high-level Saudi delegation would arrive in Pakistan on Sunday and more agreements would be inked. Finance Minister Asad Umar held a meeting with a Saudi delegation led by Al-Khateeb, raising prospects of a Saudi Arabian bailout package for Pakistan. Umar is learnt to have discussed with the delegation matters relating to strengthening bilateral economic ties between the two countries. Although the government denied that Pakistan sought a bailout package, there are reports suggesting that the country requested a multi-billion-dollar assistance package in the shape of oil on deferred payments and cash to cope with growing external sector challenges, the report said. PTI SH RUP PMS RUPRUPRUP news, latest-news The death toll after the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi has reached 832 as authorities begin to gain access to hard to reach locations. The National Disaster Management Agency has warned, however, that casualties will rise as evacuations continue, including from the rubble of an eight-storey hotel and housing complex in the coastal city of Palu. Vice-President Jusuf Kalla warned overnight on Saturday that the death toll could reach well into the thousands, which would make it one of the deadliest natural disasters in Indonesia since the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami in Aceh. The Australian government said it was not aware of any Australians affected by the earthquake but was continuing to make inquiries with local authorities. Mr Sutopo said 71 foreign nationals were being evacuated from Palu. He said the local government had declared an emergency status until October 14 to streamline the response to the disaster. Clean water and fuel were urgently needed. The four worst hit areas were Palu city, Parigi regency, Sigi regency and Donggala regency, with 209 aftershocks shaking the region as of noon local time on Sunday. Corpses lined the coastal city of Palu as the National Disaster Management Agency continued the grim process of identifying those who died. Evacuations continued of victims buried under the rubble of what was once the Roa-Roa Hotel in Palu, the capital city of Central Sulawesi. Fifty people are believed to still be trapped. Evacuation is not easy, there is lots of debris and we need more heavy vehicles, Mr Sutopo said. There is big shortage of fuel. We are trying to get it from neighbouring areas. We are trying to fix the communication network. In the disaster zone near Palu in a region called Sigi, Rahmat told Fairfax Media that when a water embankment broke, it caused a tsunami-like wave that looked like to be 10 metres high. It was twice the size of my house, I hung on to a tree survive. My family is taking refuge up a hill, yesterday and today we have only only eaten two papayas between 20 family members. Every time we hear something on the radio it is about Palu. We need food, we need water, we need it now! At a makeshift refugee camp nearby, a group of about 50 men, women and children have been sleeping between their crops in open fields. They faced another night outside on Sunday, their food and fuel was rapidly running out and they were sharing one generator. Food, water and fuel is in desperately short supply, with petrol being bought and on-sold at a mark-up. In Sigi, people with broken bones and open wounds have now gone three days without medical treatment. The smell of dead bodies permeates the air, house after house has been smashed and power lines have been ripped out of the ground and thrown metres down the road. Mr Sutopo said there was a shortage of staple food, which was why people could take supplies from shops and the government would pay. The military has sent troops to erect more field hospitals and Hercules helicopters were bringing in food, baby supplies and medical equipment. There is also a shortage of doctors. Of the recorded deaths, 821 were in Palu and 11 in Donggala, which is about 30 kilometres away. The real death toll, however, was expected to be far higher in Donggala because it was the epicentre of the quake. The blackout, lack of electricity caused no communication services and that's why we have limited information from some areas, Mr Sutopo said. We just cannot get any information from volunteers who have gone into these areas because communication is still cut off. About 2.4 million people live on the Palu-Koro fault line. Palu is home to about 330,000 people and Donggala about 270,000 people. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was terribly saddened to hear of the tragic events and Australia stands ready to assist. He had called Indonesian President Joko Widodo overnight to express his sympathies and pledge support: "If he needs our help, he'll have it. Buildings and trees were swept away near Palu due to liquefaction, a process where the sheer amount of liquid in the soil turned it into a watery mud. Prison inmates fled when a jail partially collapsed in Palu, with half of its 560 convicts going missing. "We had limited number of guards and they were panic trying to save themselves because some walls collapsed. It was an extraordinary incident, the prison head, Ady Yan Ricoh said. Looters ransacked a badly damaged mall in Palu. It is believed there are still people trapped in the mall, said a reporter from MetroTV. I can smell the very strong odour of decaying bodies. One man, Ferry, said he was looking for his wife. I wanted to go to the hospital to look for her, he told MetroTV. But my neighbour said I should first check the mall. So I went here and found her bag. I remember she wore jeans and carried this black bag. Palu airport reopened to commercial flights on Sunday, although humanitarian and emergency flights were prioritised. In Makassar, the largest city on Sulawesi, thousands of people scrambled to find flights that would take them to the disaster zone. The Indonesian military provided about 100 seats per flight on their Hercules aircraft for those seeking to go home, but emergency supplies were given priority. Nikita waited at the airport from Saturday afternoon, desperate to get home to her husband and two-year-old son. She had only had brief contact with some of her family, and her aunt and uncle were thought to have been swept away in the tsunami. "Can you please help me, can't you ask someone to find my son? Please, please, can you ask anyone, his name is Zidan Anugrah Pratama, he's two, she said, showing a photo of her son and husband. None of my family members saw them. I don't know what has happened to them. Former AusAid Deputy Director General Peter McCawley said Australias offer of financial assistance should be immediate and unconditional. Aid donors often attach onerous conditions to the provision of aid. But the inclusion of conditionality in an offer of emergency aid such as this would be inappropriate, he said in the Lowy Institute. Second, Australian support should be provided in close cooperation with key Indonesian agencies. This latest tragedy comes about seven weeks after the Indonesian islands of Lombok and Bali were devastated by a series of earthquakes that killed at least 623 people and destroyed hundreds of thousands of buildings. Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and is regularly hit by earthquakes. In 2004, an earthquake off the northern Indonesian island of Sumatra triggered a tsunami across the Indian Ocean, killing 226,000 people in 13 countries, including more than 120,000 in Indonesia. Red Cross Australia spokesman Ian Wolverton said the agency had been on the ground from the outset and while the full extent of the destruction was unknown but it is clear the humanitarian impact is very high. The agency was ready to send ambulance crews, first aid responders, assessment teams and logisticians, he added. /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/3e2d050b-f473-4f24-9f3f-4b9ad5380f6d/r0_22_1280_745_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact. Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here. Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing. You are our people. You Care. We Care2. Photo: The Canadian Press President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Wheeling, W.Va., Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar) President Donald Trump told a cheering crowd at a campaign rally that there was once tough talk "back and forth" between him and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "and then we fell in love." Trump said at the Saturday night rally in West Virginia: "He wrote me beautiful letters and they're great letters. We fell in love." He joked about criticism he would get from the news media for making a comment some would consider "unpresidential" and for being so positive about the North Korean leader. "Why has President Trump given up so much?" Trump said in his mock "news anchor" voice. "I didn't give up anything." He noted that Kim is interested in a second meeting after their initial meeting in Singapore in June was hailed by Trump as a big step toward denuclearization of North Korea. But denuclearization negotiations have stalled. More than three months after the June summit in Singapore, North Korea's top diplomat Ri Yong Ho told world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly Saturday that the North doesn't see a "corresponding response" from the U.S. to North Korea's early disarmament moves. Instead, he noted, the U.S. is continuing sanctions aimed at keeping up pressure. Trump took a much more optimistic view in his rally speech. "We're doing great with North Korea," he said. "We were going to war with North Korea. Millions of people would have been killed. Now we have this great relationship." He said his efforts to improve relations with Kim have brought positive results ending rocket tests, helping free hostages and getting the remains of American servicemen returned home. And he defended his unusual approach in talking about relations with Kim. "It's so easy to be presidential, but instead of having 10,000 people outside trying to get into this packed arena, we'd have about 200 people standing right there," Trump said, pointing at the crowd directly in front of him. The appreciation of some cars surprised consumers during the pandemic. In general, the prices of all cars were inflated. However,... 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 [] Pueblo West man finds rare black-footed ferret in garage An endangered black-footed ferret weasels Pueblo West man, state parks and wildlife officers and humane society into teaming up for a rescue. We consider more about your accommodation We consider more about your accommodation What are the hotels like on a China Highlights tour? Are they fixed? How do I know Im getting the best hotel for my requirements? This article will tell you how we select hotels for you and what you can expect from your accommodation. More Than Just a Good Bed and Room It would be a bad experience to try to rest in poor accommodation after a day of sightseeing. That we know. But we go far beyond providing somewhere where you can rest well At China Highlights we believe that a hotel is not just for sleeping soundly its an important part of your travel experience. We require all of our suggested hotels to offer comfortable boarding and warm, high-quality service. Moreover, we search to find hotels that have an individual character and their own stories. See how to choose a hotel in China. Rigorous Standards Investigated by Us We will investigate every detail of the hotel We will investigate every detail of the hotel Before we suggest a hotel to you, our professional staff conduct several on-the-spot investigations. Our staff will evaluate the hotel based on a set of rigorous standards, then consider the cost, and finally give it a score. We only recommend hotels that reach a relatively high score. Hotel Facilities Investigated: Room comfort: decoration, cleanliness, bedding, Wi-Fi, other en suite equipment including curtains, TV, stationery, lighting, full-length mirror, bathtub, shower, toilet, towels, shampoo, hair dryer, etc. Breakfast: cleanliness of the dining hall, food offered (for example, is there a Western-style meal or a buffet, including coffee, milk, and bread?) Location: a secure environment, transportation (access to public transportation or convenient for a taxi), restaurants or markets nearby, etc. Other facilities: swimming pool, fitness center, childrens center, a spa, etc. Hotel Services Investigated: Check in/out: Are there porters or doormen to assist with the baggage handling? Will there be long queues? Do the staff speak good English? Catering services: Do the staff offer sincere, careful, and thoughtful services? Does the buffet offer plenty of food choices? Is the a la carte food served within 10 minutes? Does the hotel offer lunch or dinner? Room services: Does a member of staff escort the customer to his/her room and explain the rooms facilities? Is there a nightly turndown service? Are any issues dealt with quickly? Outstanding Hotels What Else Can You Expect Hotel with Local Elements Hotel with Local Elements We hope that, where possible, your hotel can be a part of your China journey of discovery, and the hotel itself is a memorable experience. For this, we assess the design and character of each hotel. We focus on the design and stories behind the hotels. Some hotels blend the city culture and local elements in the design, such as the Great Wall theme in Beijing hotels, panda-themed hotels in Chengdu, or historical themes in Xian hotels. Some hotels have interesting stories to tell, such as stories about the hotels construction, its original use, or the founder. A Hotel with a Story: Alila Yangshuo Sugarhouse Hotel used to be a sugar factory Hotel used to be a sugar factory Alila Yangshuo () is one of our recommended hotels in Guilin. It used to be a sugar factory in the 1960s and was reconstructed into a hotel. Designed by famous artists, the hotel combines history and modernity. There, you can have a meal in the restaurant that used to be the refinery, have a drink in the bar that used to be the squeezing workshop, enjoy an adventure to the old factory, visit the aged sugar making machines, and see the faded photos. The hotel itself is an attraction, which takes you back to the old days when sugar was produced from locally-grown sugarcane in Yangshuo. Cost-Effective Enjoy a Better Experience for a Reasonable Price The cost is an important issue when we recommend hotels for you. First we select hotels with the best facilities and services available in the area, then we have developed long-term cooperation with many of these hotels to get favorable prices. This ensures every cent of your expenditure counts during your stay in the accommodation. See how much it costs to travel to China. Hotels: Group Tour vs China Highlights Private Tour The purpose of all our efforts is to offer you an exceptional accommodation experience. However, typical travel services in China dont offer such good hotels, especially for traditional large group tours, for which economy is the No. 1 goal. This table shows the differences. Subject Group Tours China Highlights Private Tours Investigation Generally found online and evaluated via customers comments. Patchy or no on-site investigation. All hotels recommended to our customers must have been thoroughly investigated on-site by our staff members. Standard The standard varies depending on the investigator. There is no set standard to adhere to. We will investigate and evaluate a hotel according to a complete and formulated standard, based on two decades of customer satisfaction feedback. Price Tend to choose hotels that offer cheaper prices. We choose hotels based on their cost-effectiveness and offer hotels in all price ranges. Character The only considerations are the price, location, and service. As well as our hotel standards above, we are also concerned about hotel design and style. Hotels with character are given priority in our suggestions those with elements of the local culture, scenery, architecture, history, or with some good stories to tell. Learn about other differences between China group tours and private tours. Enjoy Our Selected Hotels on a Tailor-Made China Tour We do the hotel investigation for you, and much more... From destinations and attractions to restaurants and hotels, we ensure everything in your trip matches your interests and requirements. Check out some starting ideas for China tours or tell us your requirements to create your trip. 4 Reasons to Read the Bible More Often Christian Post Contributor | 30 September, 2018 by Chris Bolinger If you've been a Christian for a while, then you've been told, encouraged, and even begged to read your Bible regularly, preferably every day. But you may not have been told why. Here are four reasons to read your Bible regularly. 1. Reading the Bible Draws You Closer to God. God reveals Himself to us in many ways, including the world around us. As Paul wrote, God's "invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made" (Romans 1:20, ESV). But the primary way that God reveals Himself to us is through the Bible. The Old Testament shows us that God created us in His image, loves us, and, even though we rebelled and continue to rebel against Him, wants us to be reconciled to Him. Time and time again in the Old Testament, God demonstrates that he is patient with us and faithful in keeping His many promises to us. The New Testament tells the story of Jesus and the early days of the Christian church. At the beginning and end of his gospel, the disciple John explains why the New Testament was written. He describes Jesus as the Word of God, who "became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14, ESV). John and the other New Testament writers recorded some of what Jesus said and did so that, in reading it, "you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:31, ESV). The more you read the Bible, the better you get to know God. The better you know God, the more you want to communicate with Him and follow Him. 2. The Bible Is the Perfect Handbook for Daily Living. David describes God's Word as "a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105, ESV). Whatever path you're on, the Bible can show you the right steps to take. It's the perfect how-to guide for living, for reasons that include: Wisdom: The Bible is loaded with wisdom. Solomon, who prayed for wisdom and used it to lead Israel, provides a wealth of sage advice in several Old Testament books. The Gospels records the teachings of Jesus, whom even critics consider a teacher without equal. Commandments: The Old Testament includes the Law, much of which is commandments on living a life that is pleasing to God. Many of Jesus's parables gave a fresh perspective on these commandments to counter false interpretations that had arisen over time. Rationale: In addition to providing sound rules for living, the Bible explains why God gave us these rules. Consequences: Why should you follow God's instructions? The Bible is loaded with stories of people who did or didn't and the consequences of their actions. In his second letter to Timothy, Paul writes that the entire Bible "is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17, ESV). Speaking of being equipped for good work... 3. Reading the Bible Regularly Improves Your Behavior. Regular Bible reading improves your behavior. In fact, scripture engagement or the frequency with which you read your Bible is a more reliable prediction of moral behavior than traditional measures of spirituality, such as church attendance and prayer. This revelation comes from research conducted by Arnold Cole, Ed.D. and Pamela Caudill Ovwigho, who lead the Center for Bible Engagement and have conducted online surveys of over 100,000 people. Their statistical analyses reveal that, controlling for other factors such as age, gender, church attendance, and prayer Christians who read the Bible four or more days a week have lower odds of abusing alcohol, having sex outside of marriage, viewing pornography, and gambling. Significantly lower odds. Here are the findings: Getting drunk: 57% lower odds Having extramarital sex: 68% lower odds Viewing porn: 61% lower odds Gambling: 74% lower odds Reading your Bible more often not only makes you less likely to engage in risky behavior but also increases the likelihood that you will share your faith and disciple others. Christians who read their Bibles at least four days a week are more than two times (230%) more likely to share their faith and disciple others than Christians who read their Bibles less frequently. 4. The Bible Encourages and Strengthens You. When you are stressed out, struggling, down, frustrated, discouraged, angry, or suffering, you probably aren't terribly interested in learning more about God, getting advice on what to do, or improving your behavior. You want comfort. Reassurance. Strength. Peace. Hope. Whatever you need, and whenever you need it, the Bible provides it. Sometimes called "God's love letter to us", the Bible reminds us throughout that God created us in His image and loves us deeply, even when we wander or run away from Him. Read more about 4 Reasons to Read the Bible More Often on The Christian Post. China's Pastors Take Their Stand: Jesus Is Lord Christian Post Contributors | 29 September, 2018 by Eric Metaxas and Stan Guthrie I want you to meet some brave Christian leaders pledging their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. When thinking of the golden age of the Church, many of us hearken back to the book of Acts, when Peter and John stood up to the religious authorities, who told them to be silent about Jesus the risen Messiah. "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God," they answered, "you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard." Then they prayed for boldness, and the Church exploded across much of the ancient world. But there's a golden age for the church going on right nowwith the same kind of courage, persecution, and Spirit-empowered growth. Where is it? In communist China. World missions historians tell us that when all the foreign missionaries were kicked out of Mao's China a few years after the Second World War, there were probably no more than 3 million believers in Jesus Christ in the whole, vast nation. But today, seven decades later, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life counts 67 million Christians of all kinds35 million independent Protestants, 23 million Protestants in government-sanctioned churches, and 9 million Catholics. Other estimates go even higher. Whatever the true number is, it's almost as many as there are members of the Communist Party! Maybe that's why the government is cracking down on Christians. According to Christianity Today and other news outlets, Under President Xi Jinping, China's government has been tightening its grip on religious affairs. In February, regulations aimed at religious groups have brought increased pressure on churches to be "Chinese" culturally and to submit to the authority of the Communist Party. Churches are being told to burn their crosses and replace them with Chinese flags and to display slogans praising the Communist Party. Some are being forced to join the government-sanctioned churches and permit video surveillance of their services. Meanwhile, in Jiangxi province, authorities have forced at least 40 churches to display banners forbidding foreigners from preaching and anyone under 18 from attending. In August, they even published new rules stating, "Party members who have religious belief should have strengthened thought education." In the spirit of Peter and John, a group of at least 250 Chinese pastors has publicly signed a joint statement opposing the new regulations. In the statement they declare that Jesus is Lord of all, offering eternal life to anyone who will repent and believe in Him. But they also say, in a challenge to the Chinese communists, "God hates all attempts to suppress human souls and all acts of persecution against the Christian church, and he will condemn and judge them with righteous judgment." Read more about Chinese Christians on The Christian Post. Christian, Muslim, Jewish Parents Unite Against Canada's Public School Sex-Ed Curriculum Christian Post Contributor | 29 September, 2018 by Stoyan Zaimov A group of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish parents in Canada are uniting in support of faith-based schools and against sex-ed curriculums in public schools that they say go too far. The Globe and Mail reports that three such families, all from different religions, say they prefer their children to attend faith-based schools. Christian parents Jordan and Amy Van de Kemp explained why they are sending their four children, aged 4 to 11, to Stratford and District Christian School. "Our [Christian Reformed] church supported it and there were a lot of kids that [eldest son] Micah already knew would be going to this school," Jordan Van de Kemp said. The school will offer its 140 students 20 minutes of prayer at the start of each day. It will mostly follow the provincial curriculum, but will have Bible-infused teaching of evolution and sex-ed, with the latter delayed to senior elementary grades. "We feel strongly as parents that we need to train our kids to be able to stand up and handle the world we live in," Amy Van de Kemp said. The parents said that their decision is based on making sure that the moral values their children are taught at home are also echoed at school. "We don't feel like they come home and we have to deprogram them," the mother added, referring to the perceived negative influences of public education. Back in July, parents concerned with the recently updated sex-ed school curriculum saw victory in their quest to force Ontario to revert back to the pre-2015 curriculum. Some parents complained that liberal views on same-sex marriage, masturbation, and gender identity, which go against their religious beliefs, were being imposed on their children. Read more about Christian, Muslim, Jewish Parents Unite Against Canada's Public School Sex-Ed Curriculum on The Christian Post. Egypt's Persecuted Coptic Christians Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize 29 September, 2018 by Michael Gryboski , | Egypt's persecuted Coptic Christian minority has been nominated for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize, reportedly the first ethno-religious group given such an honor. While the Norwegian Nobel Committee doesn't release the names of nominees, the charity Coptic Orphans announced the nomination on their Facebook page in a post from Tuesday, noting that they were nominated for their refusal to retaliate against recent acts of anti-Christian violence. There are 331 nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize this year, which includes 216 individuals and 115 groups, making it the second highest number of candidates since 2016, when there were 376. The recipient of the Peace Prize will be announced on Friday, Oct. 5, with the official award acceptance ceremony being held in December. In a statement released in response to the news, Coptic Orphans noted the persecution that the Church has endured in Egypt since 2011, when the "Arab Spring" protests led to the overthrow of long-serving dictator Hosni Mubarak. "According to a 2018 report by the Christian charity Open Doors, Christians in Egypt face 'unprecedented levels of persecution.' Last year, according to the report, 128 Egyptian Christians were killed for their faith and more than 200 were driven out of their homes," the organization said. "Despite this, Coptic Christians have consistently refused to retaliate and continue to practice peaceful coexistence." Over the last few years, Coptic Christians have been subjected to numerous brutal attacks and church bombings carried by Islamic extremists. For example, in May 2017 Islamic extremists attacked a group of Coptic Christians on their way to a monastery south of Cairo, killing around 30. In October 2011, over 20 Copts were killed and around 200 injured in violent clashes after the Christian minority was protesting increased persecution of churches. Earlier this year, a female Coptic journalist named Engy Magdy wrote an op-ed published by the Brooklyn-based Catholic news website The Tablet documenting how life for Christian women in Egypt was "hell." Read more about Egypt's persecuted Coptic Christian minority on The Christian Post. My Favorite Book Was Banned Christian Post Contributor | 29 September, 2018 by Kelsey Campbell You've most likely read one of my favorite books of all time: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Even if it wasn't required reading when you were in school, many adults today have read it or at least seen the movie. It's a book I've reread multiple times, and one I particularly hold dear. But despite its popularity as well as the fact that it won the Pulitzer Prize and was made into a successful movie, To Kill a Mockingbird was briefly banned in one Mississippi school as recently as 2017. It's disheartening to discover that others see a book you cherish as offensive. But it's the same way with the Bible. Labeled as "controversial," "unorthodox," and "dangerous," God's Word is the most widely banned Book in the world. In some countries, finding a Bible is impossible. In North Korea, owning one is illegal ... and being caught with one could have you killed. This week is Banned Books Week, a campaign begun in 1982 by the American Library Association in order to fight the censorship of books. Readers and book lovers around the country celebrate America's freedoms by reading previously banned books and promoting authors whose books have been called into question. But people in closed countries don't have that right; if they could even find a banned book, it could mean jail ... or even death. Yet being forbidden makes the Bible even more desirable to many seekers. North Koreans often look for Bibles on the black market because they're intrigued by the contents. They wonder why someone would risk his life to own this Book. As believers, we are encouraged to read the Bible, and we understand that it helps to grow our faith and love for God. But our "required" reading is banned in many places because it speaks a truth some nations don't want their people to discover. The American Library Association states that Banned Books Week "stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them." In a similar way, when you help send Bibles into closed countries like North Korea, you are ensuring access to the Gospel's "controversial" views. Christians can agree that the most widely banned Book in the world is the one everyone needs to read. We need to stand together against the censorship of the Word of God and make sure it is available to all people. Believers in North Korea and other closed countries take a great risk by reading the Scriptures but they're still willing to do anything to hold a copy in their hands. To make their dream become a reality, they first need to have access to Bibles. Read more about banned Bibles on The Christian Post. The Revelation From the Churches of Revelation Christian Post Contributor | 29 September, 2018 by Nolan Harkness The churches of the Book of Revelation hold a spiritual ranking. It's not the order found in scripture. It's an order of the churches most pleasing to our Lord, all the way down to the one He said made Him sick. Let's take a fresh look and see what He sees! Let's prayerfully consider how He might rank our church! The first and the greatest of all the churches on His list, found in Revelation was the church at Smyrna. He starts out by saying in Revelation 2:9 (KJV): "I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan." Keep in mind that Jesus is not grading these seven churches on a curve of grace. He holds no punches. He tells it like it is. He gives Smyrna an "A." In verse ten He then predicts great persecution leading to death saying: "Be faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life." Next is number two is the church at Philadelphia. There is a tiny hint of a correction here, a suggestion that that they had little strength. However, He gives them an "Atta-boy," because they had not denied His name in spite of the persecution of the false Jews in Philadelphia. So we see that although this church does rate not as highly as Smyrna, it is in fact doing very well, in spite of the challenges it was facing. So we could speculate that He gives them an "A-minus." Number three is the church at Ephesus. In Revelation 2:2,3 (KJV) Christ says "I know thy works, and thy labor, and they patience, and how thou canst not bear those which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast labored, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee because thou has left thy first love." The members at the church at Ephesus pull down a "B" grade because although they were doing some very good things, in the process they made some big mistakes. They let their relationship with their Lord die down. As a result, they were doing good works in their own strength, directed by their own flesh! He does not leave them there in condemnation he says: "To him that overcometh" and then gives a promise as a reward for correcting their issue. Pergamos "bangs in" at number four. Jesus starts out in Revelation 2:13 (KJV) by acknowledging the difficulty and challenges that this church faces. He declares that He knows where they live and that the city of Pergamos is literally the location of "Satan's seat." He tells them that they have "Held fast His name." He then named a martyr, Antipas, who was slain by the persecution of Satan's followers. However, Pergamos was messing up bad. In an obvious step down from Ephesus, Pergamos was allowing the doctrine of Balaam to be taught. They were eating food sacrificed to idols and committing fornication. Christ also lists the "doctrine of the Nicolatanes," which essentially taught that the body could be sinful but the spirit could be clean, giving a pass to immoral sexual behavior. Jesus does not mince words here. He says "which thing I hate." Pergamos, "Assembly of Smog" you get a "C-minus" for your having too much of God to enjoy the world, but too much of the world to enjoy God! The church at Sardis comes dragging in at number five. In Revelation 3:1,2 states: "I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead. Be watchful and strengthen those things that remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God." Wow, Jesus goes on to say in verse three "Remember!" How you used to hear me? "Hold fast and repent"! OR ELSE! Wow! What He really is saying is, "Or else you are really going to get it!" Once again, he closes out his exhortations by listing certain promises in verse five: "He that overcometh....." Sardis "Evangelical Blur," He gives you a "D" grade. The members were dead and urgently needed to start seeking Him again whole-heartedly! Thyatira; it's better for you to be at number six than last, but not by much. You seem to be complimented for what must have been works of your own because the Spirit of God would have been grieved out of your services a long time ago. You allowed that Jezebel false prophetess to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication. In my opinion, Thyratira receives the strongest judgment Jesus spoke over anyone in the New Testament. To the unrepentant Jezebel in that church, Jesus says "I will kill her children with death." Thyratira in Revelation 2:23a. You get an ugly "D-minus"! Even to you Thyratira Jesus with his undeserved love says "To him that overcometh"... Laodicea, you are last on the list at number seven and you should write a book for the Christian book circuit, "What not to do as a Church!" Jesus has nothing at all good at all to say about you! In Revelation 3:15,16 "I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would that thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth." Laodicea, "Church of Worldly Pleasure," you get a well-deserved "F" grade. Laodicea you flunk out! Jesus concludes by saying to all churches in verse nineteen: "To as many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent!" Read more about the churches of Revelation on The Christian Post. Wycliffe Bible Translators Completes 1,000th Translation; Christians With Nothing Give Themselves to God Christian Post Contributor | 30 September, 2018 by Stoyan Zaimov Hundreds of Christians, with nothing to give, gave themselves to God as Wycliffe Bible Translators completed its 1,000th full translation of the Bible in South Sudan. The major milestone was achieved in August, though accounts for only 10 percent of the world's languages. Some of the remaining 90 percent have incomplete translated Bibles at various stages, but an ambitious project is looking to have Bible translation efforts on the way in every last language of the world by 2025. Wycliffe USA Chief Operations Officer Russ Hersman described to The Christian Post in a Wednesday email the scenes at the dedication of the Keliko Bible in South Sudan last month: "The day after the dedication of the Keliko New Testament, there was a church service in the Bidi Bidi Refugee Camp, the second largest refugee settlement in the world with more than one-quarter million refugees. The church service was almost a second mini-dedication. During the service, the pastor called for an offering to be taken. Hundreds of people streamed forward." Hersman added: "Where refugees got bills and coins to put in an offering is a mystery, however there were many who had nothing to give ... but they still came forward and put their hand into the offering basket. It was as if they were saying, 'I give myself to the Lord.' These are the people for whom the Keliko translation was done." With the Keliko Bible, now roughly 10 percent of all the world's languages have a completed Bible. Close to 2,500 other languages have translations underway, but as many as 1,600 languages, or 22 percent, have no translated Scripture at all, the organization says. Wycliffe's "Vision 2025" goal of having all 7,000 of the world's languages see a Bible translation project underway by the year 2025 faces notable challenges, however, with close to 45 percent of the world's languages set to go extinct by the end of the century because they lack a written form. Still, technology has made the translation process faster and more efficient. As Hersman told CP, it took the organization 50 years to reach the 500 translation milestone in 2001, but only 17 years to complete the next 500. Read more about Bible translation on The Christian Post. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Is all the Bible relevant to a Christian worldview? One well-known pastor recently suggested it isn't. But I beg to differ. What's the only passage in Scripture personally written down by God? If you answered "the Ten Commandments," you're right on the money. Exodus tells us that God audibly spoke these laws at Mount Sinai and inscribed them on tablets of stone with His own finger. Of course, that's not the only reason the Ten Commandments have a central place in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Christians have long understood them to be the clearest expression of God's eternal moral character. Not to mention, they played an instrumental role in shaping Western civilization, including forming the foundation of our legal system and our understanding of justice. It's why Moses and those tablets can be found at the apex of the U.S. Supreme Court. Recently in Relevant Magazine, Georgia pastor Andy Stanley argued that we shouldn't build monuments to the Ten Commandments in churches or courthouses because these rules are "from the old covenant." The article was a follow-up, in a sense, to something that Pastor Stanley said back in May when he advised his congregation to "unhitch" their faith from the Old Testament. In this latest article, Stanley writes that "Jesus' death and resurrection signaled the end" of God's old covenant with Israel and its regulations, "including the big ten." Now, Stanley argues, Jesus' "new commandment" to "love one another," which is found in John 13:34, should replace the Ten Commandments. If Christians obey the new commandment, he says, we "are not required to obey any of the commandments found in the first part of [our] Bibles." I think Stanley is wrong on this, very wrong in fact. But to be clear, it's not personal. I've appreciated much of his ministry over the years. I'm not trying to single him out. I've heard many evangelicals suggest, in one way or another at various levels of theological sophistication, that the Old Testament just isn't relevant to us any longer because all of that was done away with by Christ. This is a tragic misreading of the Scriptures. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told his listeners, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law and the Prophets...but to fulfill them." And in Matthew 22, He says the commands to "love the Lord your God" and "love your neighbor as yourself"quoting from Leviticus and Deuteronomysummarize, not replace, the law and prophets. In other words, Christ's command that we love one another isn't an alternative to the Ten Commandments. It restates them in simpler terms. The moral principles expressed in the Ten Commandments didn't come into existence at Sinai. They're part of God's eternal character which He built into the very fabric of reality itself. Even more, Jesus relied on the Old Testament throughout His ministry and in His teaching, especially when making the moral case for something. The reason, from a Christian worldview, is clear: Whether we're talking about the moral principles expressed in the Ten Commandments which Christ perfectly kept or the ceremonial regulations of Leviticus which foreshadowed our perfect High Priest, all of the Old Testament is relevant to Christianity. Jesus affirmed the God of the Old Testament is our God still, that the Creator of the world and the giver of the law is our loving Father who is both just and the justifier of the ungodly. And who promised to write His law a second timenot on tablets of stone, but as Hebrews says, on our hearts and minds. So with all respect to Pastor Stanley, if we're going to "unhitch our faith" from anything at all, it should be the notion that any part of Scripture is irrelevant to us. And speaking of the relevance of Scripture, I'm thrilled that this month we're offering my friend, Dr. Bruce Ashford's book, "Letter to an American Christian." He demonstrates how the Scripture has ultimate relevance, from the Old Testament to the New Testament, in dealing with what it means to be a citizen. So come to BreakPoint.org for this featured resource. Resources Letters to an American Christian Bruce Riley Ashford | B&H Books Publishing | 2018 Andy Stanley and the Emmaus Road Timothy D. Padgett, BreakPoint, May 16, 2018 Originally posted at Breakpoint. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment This story is a familiar one. In 1972, and after 308 years, the First Church of Newton, Mass., called it quits. It gave its assets to a museum, sold its building to a Greek Evangelical Church, and disbanded. The church started in 1664. It rose to a high of 1,200 members in 1952 but dropped to 325 in 1972. Three-fourths of the membership was over fifty. In my current ministry position, I see congregations at various stages of the life cycle. But that is not the focus of this post. For the church to carry out its mission, it needs never to lose sight of the reason for its existence. The church can easy fall into the first two descriptions listed below without every realizing it has done so. The Church as a Museum. What does that mean? First, by way of a definition. "A museum is a building or place where works of art, scientific specimens, or other objects of permanent value are kept and displayed." Webster's Dictionary. works of art, scientific specimens, or other objects of permanent value are kept and displayed." Webster's Dictionary. I remember my time in Detroit as a parish pastor vividly. I toured so many historic churches in that once great city. These buildings were massive structures, that displayed with great detail man's ability to create amazing buildings. These monuments are a fitting tribute dedicated to worship a God worthy of those accolades. The problem is those days had passed for many of the churches in Detroit. There were not thousands of people praising God in those beautiful structures. There were less than a hundred people there. Those few faithful souls left were spending every penny they had to maintain the building's beauty. If you took the time to stop and talk with those who remained, they would regale you with stories of the past. They would walk you down memory lane. It felt like a museum tour. They could tell you how the church was built and how it was making a difference in the lives and fabric of their community. Sunday morning becomes the major donor event to keep the museum open. The patrons have very little time for outreach. And the outreach they do is to increase the donor base. I don't blame the supporters; the mission got lost when the focus became survival. Don't get me wrong I know that God is still proclaimed there, but if reaching the lost is not the primary focus, survival has replaced mission. The Church as a University. "Knowledge is useless without consistent application." Julian Hall I have been blessed in my life with great Christ-centered brilliant men of God who taught the mysteries of the faith. It was a joy and blessing to learn at the feet of such scholars. There are a certain number of churches that have been blessed with similar people of God who teach and share God's truth in a powerful way to the flock who attend. The caution with a focus that centers primarily on education is there is a need for mission action as well. I love this quote. "Knowledge is not power. Applying what you know is power." That applies to the work that the church is called to do. We are called to take the message of truth that we learn from gifted and knowledgeable people of God and take that into the world to be ambassadors of Christ. The apostle Paul reminds us of this in 2 Corinthians 5. "...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." The call to reconciliation is the work the church is called to do. The Church as a Lifeboat. C.T. Studd, said, "Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell, I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell." The church has been given the task to carry on the mission that our Lord Jesus Christ began. He did not spend all his time in the Synagogue. Nor did he just go around preaching and teaching the truths of the faith. He never lost sight of his mission. Jesus' mission was to give up his life to save others. Jesus came to set the captives being set free. He conducts a search and rescue mission to find the lost sons and daughters. Jesus' ministry afflicted the comfortable and comforted the afflicted. We are called to continue the work our Savior started. The Church is not about meetings and building projects, or even denominations conventions and politics. It is about the lost, the brokenhearted; the disenfranchise all finding their place in the King's kingdom through faith. Reaching those outside of God's sheepfold is the burden of the Gospel; this is the responsibility of the Church's mission. We are called to go out daily on search and rescue mission and proclaim the love of God to those who are looking for hope in a hopeless word. Go armed with your grounding in the Word of God and be a lifeboat. God in His plan for us (and for a lost world) spared not His own So tell the world of His love. Love is costly, but we must show it to the world at any cost. Originally posted at revheadpin.org B. Keith Haney is a mission facilitator for the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. He blogs at revheadpin.org. What are the advantages of hiring a corporate lawyer? * Partner Post When operating a business, numerous people do not depend on any legal consultation and assistance. Many of you end up being successful but eventually, you come to realize that you have not actually complied with many things completely. It is the complexities involving specific statutes of law that often cripples companies or running businesses while they are still in their infancy and development stage. It is always a good idea to hire the services of a corporate lawyer who deals with the complex company law. In reality, there are many vital reasons why you should be represented by a qualified company lawyer in this highly competitive business world if you are aspiring to success. Here are some of the top advantages of hiring experts to solve a host of legal issues. To Ensure Fair Competition Every business is supposed to have the right to compete definitely on an equal footing and often many people feel deprived as they fail to get an opportunity to do that. It is the chief responsibility of a corporate attorney to see if your rights are actually being infringed on. The corporate legal cell would be ensuring fair competition in any marketplace. Lawyers could be evaluating many diverse components and determine whether desist or cease letters require being drafted. The corporate lawyer would be evaluating the suit that requires to be filed. All industries thrive on fair competition and complete justice. You could get in touch with reputed firms such as TGB Law Perth. To Get Protection from the Lawsuits The greatest issues that a business owner could encounter while running the business are nothing to do with compliance with the existing law but with lawsuits instead. Encountering a lawsuit is definitely not a joke or something to be excited about, particularly when it has a connection with the corporate legal issues. In case you have been slapped with a corporate lawsuit, it is critical to hire the services of a qualified company lawyer for defending your case and ensuring that you do not get any punishment or penalties for being totally ignorant of the company laws. He would be upholding your rights as a business owner. It is best for business owners not to get involved in lawsuits on their own as things could get quite tough and unnecessarily problematic. To Bring about Mergers & Acquisitions When you need to expand your business or make it more prominent mergers and acquisitions could be your right choice. One business cannot just go to another business and buy it outright. The entire acquisition or the merger process involves a lot of paperwork, patience, due diligence, etc. It would be a time-consuming and complex matter as the entire process needs to be completed in compliance with existing legal statutes of your city, as well as, the state. Only a qualified corporate attorney could contribute positively to a company's M&A dreams and aspirations. A company could progress successfully to the next level only through mergers and acquisitions. Conclusion The above-discussed three important advantages of having a qualified and trustworthy corporate lawyer help in deciphering corporate law for you. With expansion in businesses, different legal issues would crop up and take away your peace of mind along with the profits unless a qualified professional is keeping track of the situation and effectively building documentation, compliance, and framework. "Jesus H. Jones": That was what Franklin D. Roosevelt used to call Jesse Jones, the Houston developer who reigned over the New Deal's deep-pocketed Reconstruction Finance Corp, dispensing what would be, in today's dollars, hundreds of billions intended to pull the United States economy out of the Depression. What Jesse Jones wanted, Jesse Jones got. And what Jesse Jones wanted was a fitting way to mark Texas' Centennial, the 1936 celebration of its 1836 independence from Mexico. What Jesse Jones wanted was an ornament that would make the entire state proud and that would provide much-needed jobs in his own beloved Houston. What Jesse Jones wanted was the San Jacinto Monument. By Jones' own account, he came up with the monument's basic design himself, calling to mind the monuments he'd most admired, then doing them one better. At the bottom was something like the Lincoln Memorial, a low-slung rectangular box; atop the box was an obelisk like the Washington Monument; and atop the obelisk was the Lone Star of Texas. "The architects," Jones wrote in a 1946 letter to President Harry Truman, "perfected the plans accordingly." Jones had gotten just what he wanted. The star problem The chief architect was Alfred Finn, who in the course of his career designed so many buildings for Jones that they conducted business with a handshake rather than contracts. In the Houston Metropolitan Research Center's archives, you can see Finn's early sketches for other versions of the monument - among them, a long, low building with no obelisk; and an obelisk topped not by a star, but by a statue of a soldier. The earliest drawings with a star on top show a regular five-pointed star. But that wasn't satisfactory: The monument would be visible for miles, and viewed from the side, a five-pointed star wouldn't look like a star at all. It would look like a line. More Information San Jacinto Day What: Celebration the Battle of San Jacinto. Festival, battle re-enactment and free admission to the San Jacinto Museum. Where: San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site When: Saturday. Festival begins at 10 a.m. Battle re-enactment starts at 3 p.m. Admission: Free Web Gallery To see more photos of the San Jacinto Monument under construction: go to www.chron.com/life/gray. See More Collapse The solution, everyone agreed, would be to make a three-dimensional figure, something that, from most angles, looked like a five-pointed star. But how many points would such a thing have to have? And how much would it have to be elongated, in order to look right from the ground? Finn discussed the matter with William McVey, the sculptor he'd contracted to do the monument's reliefs and other design work. The best way to figure out the correct dimensions, they decided, wasn't to make calculations, but to make 3-D models, and rely on their own eyeballs to reveal the answer. 'My daddy' I called W.S. Bellows Construction, the company that engineered and built the obelisk and star, hoping that they'd have old construction photos, and that someone there would be able to explain to me exactly why the monument is considered such feat of engineering. They told me more than I can squeeze into a newspaper column. (To see more photos read more about the monument's construction, go to our online gallery, www.chron.com/life/gray.) And Bellows provided me, too, with something I wasn't expecting: a living link to the monument. "This here is my daddy, working on that platform," says Bellows vice president Charlie Kubin, 80, pointing to a framed photo that usually hangs in his office. Kubin was around 5 years old when his father worked on the monument, and he grew up loving his dad's stories about it. It's no accident, I suspect, that young Charlie grew up to be a Bellows engineer. The photo of Charlie's father, Karel Kubin, shows a man in a hat, working inside what appears to be a rebar cage dizzingly high off the ground. Kubin, a carpenter, was one of hundreds of men who worked on the monument; it was, after all, in part a New Deal jobs-creation program. Years later, Karel told Charlie how, when he was at work building the obelisk, high up on that construction platform - "the nest," the men called it - he could usually see 50 or 100 men outside the construction-site gate, hoping to get work. It made him appreciate the job even more. McVey, the sculptor, asked Kubin to help him wrestle with the star problem: to mock up various model stars in plywood, at a 1:40 scale. They'd position each model atop a construction-site water tower, precisely 564 inches off the ground, to see how a similarly scaled star would look atop the monument. McVey would walk around the water tower, studying the model, then suggest adjustments. Then Kubin would make yet another star. When one of those nine-pointed models finally satisfied McVey, he asked for a full-scale plywood model. Kubin and the other carpenter built the 34-foot high wooden star on the ground, then they measured that model to calculate the dimensions the stonecutters should use. In the end, it turned out that not one piece of stone in the strange star would be set either plum or level. But it worked: From the ground, it seemed just right, as inevitable as Jesse Jones' will. The monument was the kind of work that makes a man proud, the kind of work that makes his kids proud, and his grandkids. Karel Kubin wanted something to remember it by, so he asked whether he could take home the final little plywood mock-up that they'd stuck up on the water tower. "That star was about 3 or 4 feet across," Charlie remembers. "He stuck it on a 2-by-4, and mounted it on top of the garage at our house in Cottage Grove." The plywood star lasted 10 or 20 years before at last it rotted away. Charlie shakes his head, grinning. "It gave the neighbors something to talk about." lisa.gray@chron.com BRANFORD The poet Geoffrey Chaucer wrote long ago that all good things must come to an end and so it is with the Mexican restaurant Su Casa. After a 44-year run, restaurant owner Susan Van Antwerpen is shutting down Su Casa. The restaurant. at 400 East Main St., will be converted into the sixth location of the successful Archie Moores restaurant chain. Van Antwerpen said while she has enjoyed the restaurant business, its time for me to do something different. Another reason? My husband retired two-and-a-half years ago, and so I havent gotten to see him very much, Van Antwerpen said. The swan song for Su Casa could have come several years earlier. Van Antwerpen said the first in a series of potential buyers approached her about selling the restaurant four years ago. One of the people was really qualified, but had no money, she said. None of several other potential buyers panned out either until the offer from Archie Moores came out of the blue. Van Antwerpen got into the restaurant business shortly after graduating from college. Her then-husband had owned a Mexican restaurant and so the couple opened Su Casa on a Friday the 13th in December 1974. Su Casa was the only Mexican restaurant in Branford when it opened. Now, there are several other Mexican eateries in the community. But Su Casa has always been highly regarded, regularly winning Best Mexican Restaurant honors from Connecticut Magazine and other publications. The restaurant even attracted regional attention, earning a Gold Plate award from Billy Costa, the Boston-based host of the former New England Cable News television show TV Diner. Van Antwerpen credits several factors for Su Casas success. Theres the quality of the food and the atmosphere, she said. We stuck to what we do well and the formula that made it work. And our employees have been great. Several of Van Antwerpens employees have been with her for decades. General Manager Ivan Oumov has worked for Van Antwerpen for almost the entire existence of the restaurant, with the exception of a couple of years he took off for college. Sue and I have a good partnership, Oumov said. She took a back seat and let me run things day-to-day. And we didnt have a corporate office that we had to answer to. As the end of Su Casa drew near, Van Antwerpen said, former employees and longtime patrons of the restaurant have come in for one last meal, one last margarita. Almost every night for the last few weeks it has been like Cinco de Mayo, she said. It has been busy and people have been so sweet. A bunch of former employees came in and signed a menu for me. Van Antwerpen is trying to find new jobs for her employees. A silent auction of all the restaurants furnishings will have the proceeds going to St. Judes Childrens Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., where her son-in-law is a department head. luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com Two police officers are running down a hallway nearing a room where a man is allegedly being held hostage by a suspect who is said be holding a gun. On arrival, the suspect begins shouting, telling the officers hes going to kill the man. It only takes a second before a silver handgun is out of his pocket and pointed at the man. What do I do? What do I do? one officer shouts, while another tells her to shoot at the suspect, whos fiercely gripping the gun. The scenario is not real. Its part of the city of Katy Police Departments first-ever Citizens Police Academy, and this class involves students using a firearms training simulator to make split-second decisions on whether to use deadly force or de-escalation tactics. Katy Police Sgt. Jack Feild, who is the lead instructor of the academy and has been with the department for 28 years, said the citizens academy is an opportunity for the community to get an inside look at how the police department operates, with classes that involve crime scene investigation, K-9 unit interaction and the proper instruction on use of force. The training is very important, Feild said. The whole purpose of this citizens academy for us it to let our citizens know this is what we do and how we do it. When somebody sees an officer out there writing a ticket, hes not out there just writing a ticket to get the city money because thats not how it works, were out there to get that person to slow down. During the Shoot, Dont Shoot class, which took place at the Katy ISDs Miller Career & Technology Center near Martha Raines High School, police academy students, who ranged in age from 20 to 60 years old, were placed in on-camera scenarios involving hostage situations, traffic stops and active shooters. Other times, the scenarios involved a rowdy person holding a cellphone. Students are instructed to hold a plastic Glock-like gun and aim it at the screen. They can also give verbal commands if necessary. If you point a gun at somebody, you better be ready to go ahead and pop it right off, Feild told the students. Because if you hesitate, its going to cost you a lot. At times, the students were able to successfully deescalate the situation, but other times students shot suspects before they had drawn any type of weapon. Robert Nugent, whos lived Katy for eight years, said he joined the police academy as a way to show support for the Katy PD. The community doesnt understand the danger, Nugent said. What you saw tonight is very real. You can see how risky it is. Stacy Painter said being apart of the class was a way for her to be involved in the community and to show she respects the badge. I wanted to put myself in their shoes in a safe manner to see what theyre going on, Painter said. And then from there, volunteer with the police department if they need filing, you know that type of thing. Feild said the Laser Shot technology, which ranges in price from $20,000 to $150,000, is a great investment for law enforcement agencies to use as training tool, but unfortunately not in the citys budget at this time. The Citizens Police Academy runs until Oct. 18, when the current class will graduate. The Katy PD is making preparations for its next class but no date has been finalized, Feild said. michelle.iracheta@chron.com Period costumes, horses, swords, troubadours and beer steins are what visitors expect to see at a renaissance festival. Fine china, not so much. Yet high tea is the newest attraction at the Texas Renaissance Festival in Todd Mission, an effort by organizers to put a twist on the 44-year-old event that opened this weekend. Its a traditional British high tea, said Travis Bryant, the festivals marketing director. We always try to reinvent ourselves. HEADING OUT? What's new at this year's Texas Renaissance Festival? Each day, visitors can attend a high tea at 1 p.m. and traditional tea at 4:30 p.m., held on a new covered deck above the Queens Pantry, for $55 and $40 per person, respectively, giving guests a full meal of finger sandwiches, biscuits, scones and sweets, along with hot tea or Texas-style iced tea for guests looking for a break from a warm afternoon. Customers can also purchase cocktails. Rhonni DuBose, the lead creator of the tea, said the festival wanted to create a unique event where guests can take a respite from the bustle below and relax for an hour in comfortable confines. The breezy deck overlooks the main thoroughfare and includes tables set with linen napkins, tablecloths and china teapots and cups. We tried to be a bar thats not a bar, DuBose said. We had to marry Victorian and Renaissance aesthetics. DuBose said the event appears to be off to a smashing start, even as the staff works out some kinks. The event so far has been popular with mothers and daughters, and a man proposed to his girlfriend during tea on Saturday, DuBose said. After a morning walking the grounds, friends Melissa Pumarega of Spring and Poonam Desai of Houston attended the 1 p.m. tea, which they said offered a nice break for a leisurely lunch to chat and recharge. Its nice to be here at the Ren Fest, but a little bit removed from the craziness, said Desai, who is six months pregnant. Pumarega, who has attended British teas before, said she was unsure what to expect from the Renaissance Festival version. This was exactly what I wanted because it was away from walking around, it was covered, theres a fan going, she said. Plus, its really pretty up here. It is a tea fit for a king, his highness himself testified. I like the tea very much, said the festivals jovial monarch, played by Greg Taylor, before excusing himself to attend a jousting contest. Bryant said the festival had about 11,000 visitors on Saturday and Sunday, a slightly lower number than usual, owing to intermittent downpours that put a damper on the weekend. Clouds gave way to sunshine and temperatures in the low 80s by the afternoon, which helped dry muddy areas. Other new events include stage acts Philnic the Great, fresh off an appearance on the television show Americas Got Talent, and comedy musical duo The Toobadours. The festival has also debuted this year the 1574 Founders Club, a private concierge service. For $75 per day, members can enjoy a private bar and restrooms, lockers and air-conditioned rooms. Ren Fest has nine themed weekends and runs through Nov. 25. Zach Despart covers Harris County for the Chronicle. You can follow him on Twitter or email him at zach.despart@chron.com. 20:48 United States President Donald Trump Saturday said that India wants to have a trade deal with the US because it does not want him to impose tariffs on their products. Trump remarks, for the second time in recent weeks, comes days after Assistant US Trade Representative Mark Linscott returned from India where he had detailed discussion with senior Indian officials on bilateral trade and a possible trade deal between the two countries. Trump often accuses India of imposing 100 per cent tariffs on American products. "We have a country, take India. Good relationship. They want to make a deal now because they don't want me to do what I'm going to do, with I have to. So, they (Indians) call us. They didn't want to make a deal with anybody else," he said. Trump referred to India in the context of his repeated allegation that other countries have been taking advantage of America in the past. Trump in September said India wanted a trade deal with the US despite the US administration's tough stance on the issue. "Take India. You talk about free trade. So, let's say they (Indians) charge us 60 per cent tariff on a product. And for the same product when they send it in (America), we charge them nothing. So now I want to charge them 25 per cent or 20 or 10 or something," Trump said. "What do you think? That's not free trade. We don't like it. I said, where are these people coming from? So, think of it. Where are they coming from? You have no idea how difficult it is. Where are they coming?" Trump said referring to the conversations he is having with India. Trump told the crowd that he is using India just as an example. The president said he can give example of other countries which are "brutal" to what they do with the United States. "I could give you (examples of) others that are brutal, just brutal what they do to us, how they take advantage of the stupidity. We never even had people negotiate, they just do whatever they want," Trump said as he went back to the India example. "Remember this? A lot of the people that are fighting me in what I'm doing have ownership of companies in these other countries. Remember that please. Remember that, or they're represented by lobbies," Trump said, as he lashed out at those who are opposing his America First trade policies. -- PTI An argument between two women in southeast Houston ended in gunfire Friday night, sending one of them to the hospital. The shooting happened around 6:45 p.m. inside an apartment complex the 3600 block of North MacGregor Way, near Scott Street, police said. The women were inside one of the apartment homes when they started to argue, according to police. One of them pulled out a gun and shot the other in the back, police said. Paramedics rushed the woman to Ben Taub Hospital in an stable condition. She was awake and speaking with paramedics as she was loaded into the ambulance and is expected to survive, officers on scene said. The other woman was immediately taken into custody and will face a felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge. Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message. Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com Across Dublin, signs of a new boom are everywhere. Cranes again pepper the city center. Celebrity restaurant hot spot The Ivy has opened close to parliament, hoping for an influx of bankers fleeing Brexit. In the same complex, Barclays is paying 4,000 euros ($4,704) a year apiece for car parking spaces and 2.36 million euros annual rent at its new offices. Barclays's rent is 13 percent more than the most recent estimate for the property, Green Reit, which owns the building, said last week. Stoked by demand from finance, technology and legal firms, rising prices are helping push office construction back to Celtic Tiger levels. Then, the boom collapsed, with devastating consequences. A decade on, the market is being closely watched for signs of overheating, as economic growth hits 9 percent. "It's inevitable that when we have an upswing in the cycle, construction gets going and generally overreaches itself, so that when there's a downturn there tends to be an oversupply," said Tom Dunne, a real-estate lecturer at the Dublin Institute of Technology. "So what we're really talking about is the extent of that oversupply, and that's really difficult to predict." More than 4 million square feet (371, 612 square meters) of offices are under construction around Dublin, according to real estate broker HWBC. Demand for office space is at its highest level, with companies looking for more than 6 million square feet, Savills, a broker, said on Wednesday. Facebook is in talks to take over a campus development in the south city of about 450,000 square feet, while Google has agreed terms for 234,000 square feet in the city's docklands, the biggest single deal in the first half of this year. Salesforce is in talks to lease dockland offices with space for as many as 5,000 workforce, the Irish Independent has reported. "In absolute terms, yes construction now is comparable to the previous boom, but in proportion to the size of the overall market it is much smaller," Colm Lauder, an analyst at Goodbody Stockbrokers in Dublin, said. "We're adding about 15 percent to the size of the market in net terms when you take into account offices being replaced or refurbished," Lauder said. "Between 2004 and 2007, the market grew by about 50 percent, so in relative terms it's much smaller." After the 2008 crash, top Dublin office rents fell by as much as 55 percent. Loans to developers soured, almost toppling the nation's financial system. In 2009, the Irish government set up a so-called bad bank to purge the country's banks of more than 70 billion euros of risky commercial real estate loans. The key driver of unsustainable credit growth before the bust was "the speculative nature of lending, which left projects reliant on strong final prices rather than a more prudent approach that would have relied on pre-sales or pre-letting," the nation's central bank said in a report earlier this year. Office buildings now tend to be pre-leased and funded. More than 40 percent of offices expected to be completed next year are already leased, according to Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. Barclays, Bank of America and Toronto-Dominion Bank are among the firms that have settled on Dublin as European hubs after Brexit. "Investment funds and REITs are financing much of the construction today, compared to bank debt in the past," said Marie Hunt, director of research at CBRE Group Inc.'s Ireland unit. "They are less likely to back a development without a tenant so that in itself acts as a brake on the market." Japan's Kounotori 7 unmanned cargo spacecraft docked with the International Space Station on Friday. After the docking at 3:08 a.m. (6:08 p.m. Thursday GMT), an astronaut from the ISS entered the spacecraft around 4:40 a.m. Kounotori 7 is scheduled to separate from the ISS in early November after delivering items such drinking water, food and Japanese-made large lithium-ion batteries to be installed at the ISS. These items weigh about 6.2 tons in total, the heaviest-ever load transported by a Kounotori vehicle. A compact capsule attached to Kounotori 7 to collect experimental samples will be detached just before the spacecraft re-enters the Earth's atmosphere. The operator of Kansai International Airport in Osaka says it's closing the airport's 2 runways between 11 AM on Sunday and 6 AM on Monday due to an approaching typhoon. The 19-hour closure is aimed at preventing passengers from being stuck at the airport. The company is calling on passengers to check the status of their flights on the airline companies' websites. OSAKA, Japan - Hiroko Sakakibara was only a young girl when the North Korean agents came to her father's house trying to sell him on a dream of earthly paradise in the family's ancestral land. A socialist utopia awaits, they were told in the early 1960s. Your every need - work, home, clothes, health care - will be guaranteed by the state. "I was small so I couldn't join the conversation, but I could hear them talking," she said. "I told my father, 'Let's go, let's go.' " In all, more than 93,000 people - mostly ethnic Koreans whose Japanese citizenship was stripped after World War II - left Japan between 1959 and 1984, lured by the promise of a new life in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea during the heart of the Cold War. The ethnic Koreans, known in Japan as Zainichi, were joined by a few thousand Japanese spouses and children. Instead, they say they encountered discrimination, desperate poverty and a complete denial of basic freedoms. Now, five Zainichi who spent decades in North Korea before finally escaping to Japan, are pursuing legal action against the North Korea government in a Japanese court, seeking damages for the lies they were told and mistreatment they suffered. They are also demanding that their relatives be given the right to return to Japan. The fate of the Zainichi is not a priority for the Japanese government. It is fixated on the "abductees," a much smaller number of Japanese citizens who were kidnapped by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s. Their stories have become something of a national obsession and a major obstacle to any rapprochement between Tokyo and Pyongyang. But the Zainichi are a powerful reminder of other humanitarian catastrophes that have unfolded in North Korea in the past six decades, and how the regime of Kim Jong Un faces reckonings and recriminations on many fronts as it seeks dialogue with the West and its allies. The lawsuit by the Zainichi also cuts another way: highlighting the cultural politics in Japan and elsewhere in East Asia that can relegate ethnic minorities to underclass status. Sakakibara's parents, both ethnic Koreans, found life a challenge in Japan, she said. Her father struggled to find regular work, and her mother had suffered a stroke. Hiroko Sakakibara - now 68 - remembers being shamed at school because she did not have lunch money. In May 1961, the family boarded a Soviet passenger vessel bound for the North Korean port of Chongjin. Sakakibara vividly remembers the propaganda photos the family were shown before leaving Japan: beautiful girls plucking rosy apples off a tree, idyllic country scenes and modern cityscapes. But once on board the ship, watched over by Soviet soldiers, the doubts began to set in. "The food was terrible, and the apples, they were so shriveled," she said. Then, as the ship pulled into the port, they realized they had made a terrible mistake. What greeted them was a gray, impoverished and drab city, and a dock full of malnourished and shabbily dressed people, all the adults in the same dreary, dark gray clothes, some of the children without shoes or even trousers. "Why is it so different from what I imagined?" Sakakibara remembers asking her 11-year-old self. "I was so disappointed." Around her, the adults had the same thoughts. "We had been told this was paradise, but this clearly wasn't the case," said Hiroko Saito, a Japanese woman who had come with her Korean husband and their 1-year-old daughter. "Everyone started crying: 'Get me away from here. Get me back home.' " They had been told they could live where they wanted, do whatever jobs they chose. It was a lie. Many ended up in prison camps or coal mines, the families in the lawsuit claims. Some died of malnutrition and disease, while others survived by selling what they had brought from Japan and through money sent to them by relatives who had stayed behind. Sakikibara's father was a construction worker in Japan, but he was sent to work in the countryside and struggled to learn manual farming. Unable to meet his quotas, he soon suffered a mental breakdown and was locked in a hospital for the mentally ill, where he died in 1964, his daughter said. At school, she was continuously bullied because she had grown up in Japan. In Japan, the ethnic Koreans were seen as politically suspect - many were left-wing - and a drain on the welfare state. They had also been stripped of their Japanese citizenship after the empire was dismantled following World War II, and the government quietly backed the campaign to send them to home or to North Korea, says Tessa Morris-Suzuki, an Australian National University professor and author of "Exodus to North Korea: Shadows From Japan's Cold War." The proselytizing campaign was carried out by the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, or Chongryon, a pro-North Korea organization. The Japanese Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross helped with arrangements. Once in North Korea, many immigrants tried to warn relatives not to join them: Letters home were heavily censored, but some wrote messages on the back of stamps or used prearranged codes such as writing in ink if the letter was telling the truth, in pencil if it was a lie. Historical archives show Japan knew what was happening. It told Britain in the early 1960s that conditions for the immigrants were very hard, but still backed the campaign to send more back, said Morris-Suzuki. "The Japanese government should face its role in facilitating this historical wrong, recognize that the victims are still suffering, and set the situation right by supporting these victims' demands," said Kanae Doi, Japan director at Human Rights Watch. Sakakibara is grateful to Japan for allowing her back. All she really wants now is an apology from the people who lured her and her family away. "Everyone makes mistakes," she said. "All they have to say is 'Sorry, we meant well, but it didn't turn out right.' But they won't acknowledge their fault. That's what makes me so mad." A 30-year-old man who escaped from a police station in Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, in August was detained in Yamaguchi Prefecture, about 360 kilometers away, on Saturday. The man, Junya Hida, was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting at a roadside rest area in the Yamaguchi city of Shunan, after being on the run for 48 days, the Osaka prefectural police department said. The police plan to serve Hida with an arrest warrant as early as Sunday morning on suspicion of aggravated escape to thoroughly investigate the case, police sources said. Hida declined to reveal his name and denied the alleged shoplifting during police interrogations after being arrested on suspicion of stealing 1,053 yen worth of foods at the rest area, the sources said. He had several hundreds of yen in cash with him when he was arrested, the sources said. At the rest area, there was a bicycle that he may have stolen and used while on the run, they said. A teen died after he was shot in the head Sunday while playing with a handgun inside an Atascocita home. The victim and his friend, both 17, were fooling around with the weapon inside a garage in the 6700 block of Atasca Drive, authorities said. No one was hit after a Houston police officer opened fire on a suspected gang member who allegedly aimed a fake gun at gas station customers Saturday night, police said. The officer was driving past a Gulf Station on Elgin near Velasco around 9 p.m. when he caught sight of a gun-wielding man identified as 26-year-old Leanda Davis in the parking lot, authorities said. Officer W. Solis, a 5-year member of Houston Police Department, turned around and confronted the alleged gunman outside the store, a police spokeswoman said. When the officer ordered him to drop the weapon, the suspect aimed the pistol at him, she said. The officer fired multiple shots at the suspect and missed. Surveillance footage obtained by ABC-13 shows Davis wearing headphones and apparently startled when the officer opened fire. He dropped the weapon as the bullets struck the building behind him. "At this time we're going to assume that he was going in the store to try to rob it," said Assistant Chief Pedro Lopez, Jr. "But that's just an assumption - we still have to complete the investigation." It was that fear of a possible robbery attempt, Lopez said, that prompted the officer to begin shooting. On Sunday afternoon, police revealed the weapon was a very realistic replica gun. Davis was charged with making a terroristic threat. Nicole Hensley contributed to this report. On Saturday, as the rain fell in the city of Coldspring, people gathered in front of the live oak tree and waited for the woman sentenced to be hanged. It was Heritage Days in the rural community, celebrated each year for the past four years with a mock hanging complete with costumes, scripts and posters. Teenage zombie Toby Boatman shambled through the Wonderland of the Americas Mall on Saturday, causing small children to cling to their parents. Trailing behind was the zombies 9-year-old sister, Karissa, wearing a burlap sack on her head, like Sam from the movie Trick r Treat. The pair, dripping with fake blood and splattered with goo, lumbered beneath an inflated sand worm from Beetlejuice and into a crowd of crazed clowns, vampires and hatchet-wielding fiends. They fit right in. I really like the prosthetics and makeup, said Toby, 15. Its a lot of fun. They decided to take the garb Toby had made for Halloween on a dry run at Monster-Con the malls sixth annual horror fest. From 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., conventiongoers of all ages enjoyed activities that included Monster Bingo, a Tiny Tots Costume Contest and a Scream Queen Beauty Pageant. The event, sponsored by Nerds for a Cause, continues today from noon to 6 p.m. Admission is free. A line snaked from celebrity corner, where featured guest and actress Felissa Rose signed autographs and posed for photos with fans. Rose shared the spotlight with horror author Tim Miller and fellow actors Kitty Korvette, Joe Lozano and Stephen Brodie. Raised in Dallas, Brodie, who starred in The Lone Ranger, and Blood Sombrero, said he enjoyed having time to talk with fans. Theres so much traffic coming through, he said, but its small enough that you get to spend some good time with people and have a conversation without herding them in and out. Pop culture icons also made their presence known: Jedi knights, ghostbusters and Star Trek captains mingled through the crowds that swarmed around more than 100 booths on both floors. Warmies Art, owned by Destiny Warmowski, was among the vendors offering a range of wares that included artwork, toys, T-shirts and masks. Near the food court, she arranged her comic book coasters and wine bottle wind chimes at her first booth, but it wasnt her first time at the event. Its a very unique experience, she said. The first year I came I saw Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and it was thrilling! Monster-Con is the brainchild of Loretta Lynn Gonzales, owner of Creepy Classics, a horror and science-fiction store in the mall. She said the event averages between 4,000 to 6,000 people. In 1999, she started her business for people who couldnt find movies such as Microwave Massacre in video stores. Horror people are like Harry Potter people, she said. Theyre passionate about it. Gonzales was 5 when she saw The Crawling Eye and became hooked on horror. In the 1970s, she and her sister would stay up late on Friday nights to watch the Project Terror television show, where the scientific and the terrifying emerge. Gonzales recalled how her mother picked up boxes for her and her sister behind a Handy Andy supermarket that they painted, attached paper plates to and pretended were cars at a drive-in movie. Munching popcorn, they couldnt get enough of the rubber-suited giant monsters rampaging across their black-and-white TV screen. Gonzales said todays computer-generated imagery is great, but theres nothing like watching a B-movie and seeing the strings holding a creature up. When its not fun anymore well stop, Gonzales said. We have fun. Were not in it to make money. Were keeping it here for the community. Vincent T. Davis is a reporter in the Greater San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | vtdavis@express-news.net | Twitter: @vincentdavis In recent months, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has repeatedly come under media scrutiny for making statements that were contradicted by facts that later emerged or by his own subsequent statements. The Albany Times Unions Wednesday revelation that, contrary to the governors previous denial, someone connected to Cuomos campaign did communicate with a health care company about $400,000 worth of suspicious campaign donations, is just the latest instance. Earlier this year, Cuomo disavowed involvement in a controversial campaign mailer, a bungled bridge opening, and whether or not he controls the New York City subway. Sometimes, Cuomos initial claims have been at odds with the facts. Other times, Cuomo has seemingly contradicted past statements. Overall, his tendency seems to be distancing himself from the actions of staffers and agencies under his control, which clashes with the hands-on, engaged executive image the governor often portrays for voters. Cuomo's political opponents say he has a demonstrated tendency to fib, but his supporters are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Jessica Proud a spokeswoman for the New York Republican Party, told City & State that the governor is a serial liar who has no credibility when he says he had no involvement or awareness of scandals like the mailer. "We know this wasnt the exciting election season everyone was hoping for, Cuomo spokeswoman Abbey Collins said in an email. But it doesn't excuse these absurd and desperate attacks. Cuomo is far from the only politician to be caught changing their presentation of facts, from the president to state Senate candidates. Even some Republicans find him no less honest than is typical for his profession. Placing these recent controversies in the context of other politicians, former George Pataki campaign manager and GOP political consultant Tom Doherty said, They all BS us about a lot of things. Here is a guide to four issues that have dogged Cuomo during his reelection run in which critics say he has lied, he says he didnt and what the known facts are: Crystal Run A Sept. 25 story in Times Union reported that the Cuomo campaign admitted that it had been in contact with Crystal Run Healthcare about $400,000 in suspicious contributions. Cuomo had previously told the newspapers editorial board no when asked if his campaign ever got a call from the company about potential problems with the donations? Cuomo also cast doubt on Rep. Sean Patrick Maloneys claim about being contacted by the company about $35,000 in donations, which Maloney said he then gave to the U.S. Treasury. How much do you want to bet the Crystal Run people never called Maloney and said that?" Cuomo said. Cuomos campaign has said that he and spokeswoman Abbey Collins, who was present at the meeting with the Times Union, had not been briefed on the matter by outside counsel who had been in contact with Crystal Run. While there is no publicly available evidence that Cuomo was aware of the campaigns contract with Crystal Run, his claim that he didnt know the relevant facts suggests that if he was being scrupulously truthful, he should not have issued such an unequivocal statement. If he hadnt been briefed on the matter, why was he so sure in denying his campaigns involvement in it, even going so far as to suggest that Maloney was lying about a similar situation? Since a lie requires knowledge that the statement is false, his comments on the matter were not necessarily a lie, but what he told the Times Union originally was clearly untrue. Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge Cuomo said it was nonsensical to claim that he would rush the construction of the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge so that it could open before the Sept. 13 primary. Nonetheless, the new bridge was shut down after its initial opening because of safety concerns about the structural integrity of the adjacent Tappan Zee Bridge. We didnt make the decision on the opening of the new span. The contractor did, Cuomo said in one news conference. But then The New York Times reported that people in Cuomos administration were involved in setting Aug. 24 as the opening date for the bridge. A July 18 letter from the state official overseeing the project, Jamey Barbas of the New York Thruway Authority, to the contractor building the bridge shows her involvement in setting the date. She also offered premium additional costs and immunity from responsibility for any traffic accidents associated with completing the bridge work more quickly. But Cuomo sees it a different way: "This black helicopter conspiracy theory of timing the bridge opening is wholly disproven on the facts, as the contractual date of Aug. 15 was set a year ago before any thought of a Democratic primary ever existed in any rational mind, Thruway Authority Director Matt Driscoll said in an email. If the project had been rushed, they would have forced the opening to happen on the contractually agreed to date of Aug. 15. Cuomo, of course, is not not apprised of every action of every state agency. So, its difficult to determine what exactly he personally knew and when. If Cuomo wasnt aware of Barbas letter, then he may not have been deliberately lying when he dismissed the suggestion that political pressure from his administration played a role in opening the bridge prematurely. But that would indicate that he may have spoken before consulting with all the relevant officials and gathering all the facts. 2018 primary campaign mailer Cuomo has a reputation as a micromanager. Hes been known to pick the type of tiles for subway walls. When he ran for governor in 2010, The New York Times wryly noted that hes both the No. 1 and No. 2 people in his campaign. Yet, when it came to a controversial mailer sent by the state Democratic Party, that accused Cynthia Nixon of being anti-Semitic in the final days of this years primary campaign, Cuomo pleaded ignorance. The Cuomo campaigns explanation of the matter evolved as a series of reports undermined Cuomos denial. First, the campaign let state party Executive Director Geoff Berman say that it was solely the state partys responsibility. I didnt know about the mailer, Cuomo said at a Sept. 9 press conference. Two days later however, it emerged that the New York Post had received a pitch on Nixons views on Jewish issues from a Cuomo campaign email. That same day, the campaign revealed that an unidentified individual helping the campaign on constituency outreach was the source of the mailer. The next day, it came out that Lawrence Schwartz, a former secretary to the governor, was involved. He approved the mailer on the campaigns behalf, Cuomos camp said, but he only looked at one side of the mailer, not the side that claimed Nixon was silent on the rise of anti-Semitism. Cuomos people stuck to this story even after the Post reported that several top aides had been copied on an email that discussed the mailer. There is reasonable doubt that Cuomo himself knew about the mailer before it was sent and he has consistently stated that he did not agree with its contents. There is evidence that people close to the governor might have known about the mailer, but that does not prove by itself that Cuomo lied. New York City subways At times, Cuomo has put on a hard hat and posed for photos as the governor who can make things happen in the subway system. When times are good, Cuomo takes credit, like when the Second Avenue Subway opened last year: You know who runs the M.T.A.? Cuomo said in December of 2016, Politico reported. The governor has the majority of members. The mayor has members, the county executive has members, but the governor has the majority of members. And if a governor wanted to step up and be responsible, he or she could be. And what I said is, Im going to step up and take responsibility. When it comes to the subways unreliable service, though, Cuomo has denied that runs the MTA or stepped up to take responsibility for it. He has downplayed his control, like when he said during an interview on The Capitol Pressroom that he did not have legal control of the board. During his primary debate with Cynthia Nixon, she accused him of lying after he said: The subway system is owned by New York City. When a blizzard came to New York City in 2015, Cuomo announced the first closure in the systems history because of snow. He declared a state of emergency in the system last year. But in June 2017, Cuomo said he needed to appoint additional board members because the MTA lacked a clear line of authority: Whos in charge? Who knows! Maybe the county executive, maybe the president, maybe the governor, maybe the mayor. Peter Ajemian, a spokesperson for the governor, told City & State: The MTA is flawed from inception and was purposefully designed to avoid accountability. ... A camel is a horse designed by committee, and the MTA is a train service run by committee. Some of these claims hold up under examination better than others. It is technically true that board members can legally buck the governors preferences in casting their votes. But the governors appointees usually vote in accordance with his preferences. And its misleading to say the subway system is owned by New York City, which the MTA technically leases from the city, when Cuomo has more power over the stations, the trains, MTA appointments and its budget. It was Cuomo, for example, who appointed Andy Byford to oversee the New York City Transit Authority, the MTA division that runs the subways. There has been no definitive evidence that Cuomo knowingly made false statements. But Cuomo has shown that past comments dont preclude future pivots, especially when he can blame underlings for problems. Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly attributed a statement by Thruway Authority Executive Director Matt Driscoll to a spokesperson. BEREA, Ohio -- As a result of appropriations made by the Ohio legislature under House Bill 318, Attorney General Mike DeWine will be awarding $12 million in grants to all of the state's public schools, nonpublic charter schools and those operated by county boards of developmental disabilities. Each school will receive $2,500 or $5.65 per student, whichever is greater, to subsidize school safety and security programs. The Berea City School District's award will be $33,832. "Schools will have the flexibility to use these grants for things like training for school resource officers, safety and security materials, and programs to identify and help students who may be struggling with their mental health," DeWine said through a news release. The funds will be available Oct. 1 and must be used by June 30, 2019. Berea Superintendent Mike Sheppard shared his thoughts about the grant when addressing the Board of Education during its Sept. 24 meeting. "As we start to look at how we can utilize those funds, the district will use them to continue programs that we currently have," Sheppard said. "Youth Mental Health First Aid is a very large initiative that the school district will be completing training for in November, but we want to continue that throughout the district." He went on to indicate that the district "will be able to find new ways, through our safety and security committees, to look at training in the school district." Sheppard expressed appreciation for new safety efforts available through the attorney general's office, including a video series called "Active Shooter Response: An Educator's Guide," and free drone-generated aerial photography services to enable school districts to include those pictures in emergency management plans. "We are grateful it was decided to break up those funds for districts across the state," Sheppard told the board. "We will provide you with additional information as we get more specifics on how we want to use the money." CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Saturday evening President Trump refuted a report by NBC that he was restricting who the FBI interviewed in their reopened background check of Judge Brett Kavanaugh. "NBC News incorrectly reported (as usual) that I was limiting the FBI investigation of Judge Kavanaugh, and witnesses, only to certain people. Actually, I want them to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion, Please correct your reporting!" President Trump wrote in a tweet and said at a West Virginia rally. White House spokesman Raj Shah said "The scope and duration has been set by Senate. The White House is letting the FBI agents do what they are trained to do." Friday, President Trump quickly ordered a "Supplemental Investigation" to the FBI's last background check of Brett Kavanaugh after the Senate Judiciary Committee formally requested it. The Judiciary committees request was the result of negotiations between Senator Jeff Flake and his Senate friend, Democrat Senator Chris Coons. It was a drama filled Friday for the Judiciary Committee as it met to vote to advance Kavanaugh's nomination. The drama included Flake being cornered in an elevator by angry sexual assault victims who had already convicted Kavanaugh of rape, several Democrats walking out of the meeting, and Senator Feinstein being totally confused by the Flake/Coons deal and advancement vote. Flake had announced prior to the meeting that he would be voting to advance Kavanaugh. Coons' effort to lobby Flake began with his speech to the committee in which he threw Flake and the Republicans a bone. While Coons continued to oppose Kavanaugh's nomination and call for an FBI investigation, he also acknowledged that someone with a "partisan agenda" may have leaked Christine Blasey Ford's name to the media. Senator Feinstein and Rep Ann Eshoo, or their staffs, have been considered the prime sources of the leak because they are the only ones who had access to Ford's letter making the accusation against Kavanaugh. Feinstein confused in Judiciary Committee meeting. Flake and Coons left their chairs and went into a side chamber and were soon joined by other Committee members off and on. After some time, Flake emerged and announced that he would be voting to advance Kavanaugh with a call to have the FBI probe reopened for a limited time and scope. Flake also clearly said postponing the full Senate vote for an FBI probe would be up to the Senate leader. When the committee began taking the vote to advance Kavanaugh, Feinstein initially thought they were voting on a Flake motion to call for an FBI probe. Then when Kavanaugh's nomination was advanced and the meeting was ended, Feinstein didn't know what was going on. She thought they were going to vote next on an amendment about Flake's call for an FBI probe. Chairman Grassley explained to Feinstein that was a "Gentlemen's and Ladies Agreement" to request a FBI probe be opened for no more than a week. Flake held all the cards. While Flake said it was up to Sen McConnell to postpone the vote and ask Trump to reopen the FBI investigation, McConnell and Trump had no choice but to agree because Flake is one of the pivotal Republican votes along with Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski. An FBI investigation that doesn't result in damaging information on Kavanaugh will give Flake, Collins and Murkowski more cover to vote yes. FBI investigation is not a full criminal investigation. The FBI investigation is a supplement to its basic background check on Kavanaugh, six of which he has been through in his career working in the Bush administration and as a sitting Judge. It will not be a full criminal investigation. The FBI cannot compel anyone to speak with them. The results of the FBI's interviews will be presented to the Senate and the President without any recommendation from the FBI, and not made public. All four people Dr. Ford named as alleged witnesses have agreed to be interviewed by the FBI, including Mark Judge. Deborah Ramirez has said she's been contacted by the FBI. Ramirez alleged Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party when they were students at Yale. The FBI may also interview a third accuser Julie Swetnick. Swetnick alleges Kavanaugh was at high school parties when women, including her, were intoxicated and drugged in order to be raped by "a train" of men. None of the allegations, including Ford's have been corroborated. Ramirez claim was so unreliable The New York Times chose not to write her story. Ramirez said she was intoxicated and that only after thinking about it, she was kinda sure it was Kavanaugh. If the FBI interviews Swetnick, they will also likely interview her ex boyfriend who got a restraining order against her for domestic violence threats against him, his current wife and their child. He has gone on record saying she has no credibility and can't be believed. Confirmation is not being rammed through: Based on the timelines from the most recent Supreme Court nominations, the Kavanaugh confirmation is not being rammed through, as Democrats and pundits have claimed. The Kavanaugh confirmation process has now exceeded the time it took to confirm the last three U.S. Supreme Court nominees. It should conclude as soon as the FBI results are reviewed with an immediate up or down vote. If the FBI doesn't turn up anything new, Kavanaugh will most likely be confirmed. If not, Trump will withdraw his name and likely nominate someone even more conservative and anti-Roe v Wade than Kavanaugh. He won that right when he won the election. What's certain, is that the Democrats will protest and obstruct, regardless of the results, because they've shown they believe in double standards and the presumption of guilt, not innocence. CLEVELAND, Ohio - I made the mistake of arriving on time to the 5 p.m. Cuyahoga County Council meeting Tuesday. Not only were there no empty chairs in Council Chambers, but I could barely push past the crush of bodies to get inside. On the agenda: A vote on a law that would protect people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning or queer from discrimination along with the rest of us. An estimated 225 people were there. Those wanting to speak had to sign up no later than 5:30. Eighty-six people did: 85 to weigh in on the anti-discrimination ordinance; one to opine on a resolution to pay for road work for the future site of the Amazon fulfillment center. What followed was a civics lesson on steroids - nearly four hours of testimony that was messy, emotional, often outrageously fact-free, eloquent and deeply moving all at once. Council heard everyone out - everyone - in three-minute increments. There were pastors and parents on both sides. Council people from Cleveland, Parma, the Village of Bratenahl and more came to show their support. Cuyahoga County Republican Party Chairman Rob Frost showed up to argue you can't legislate morality. There was no better illustration of the drama and divisiveness than the statement of restaurateur Bobby George, owner of trendy, GMO-free TownHall in Ohio City among other eateries. Weeks earlier, during a similarly packed and raucous council meeting, his father, Tony George, owner of the neighboring Ohio City restaurant Crop, had spoken against the human rights law, saying it would drive businesses out of the county. "Although I love my father, I disagree strongly on this issue and wholeheartedly support the ordinance . . .," said the younger George. ". . . In my experience, customers run to communities where diversity is valued." Civil rights attorney Subodh Chandra gave a fiery defense of Ordinance O2018-0009, which says LGBTQ folks can no longer be fired, evicted or denied a mortgage or service at a restaurant or any other public accommodation, because of who they are or who they love. ". . .It's a wonderful thing what you're doing here, giving people an opportunity to be heard," Chandra finished. ". . .I commend you for doing it, as fatiguing as it may be. "This," he said, "is what democracy looks like." An estimated 225 people were there, counting attendees watching monitors outside of chambers and in an overflow committee room. Remarks ranged from the sublime ("equal value for every life is what this legislation is all about") to the ridiculous (this legislation opens the door for "perverts and pedophiles" and "transsexuals masquerading as women" to prey on ladies and children in bathrooms). Trust me - transwomen don't want to molest you and your kids in the john; they just have to pee. You've likely already seen the news: The 11-member council voted 8 to 3 to make Cuyahoga County a more welcoming place. Ours is the first county in Ohio to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Bigots can still be bigots - no law will change that - but it might cost them, in the form of fines levied by a new, three-member commission. Much of the opposition had left by the time the historic vote was cast. I was swept away by the hugs and cheers and tears of the supporters who'd stuck it out, holding their breaths. One of them was Dan. Clean-cut and wearing a rainbow pin on his pink oxford, I almost didn't recognize him. The last time I'd seen him was at Case Western Reserve University as a student in my writing class. He was scruffier then, and fond of ironic T-shirts (my favorite showing a unicorn eating a rainbow). We caught up during breaks from the testimony. He'd graduated in 2016 with a B.S. in chemical engineering. Born in Akron, he's stayed in Northeast Ohio. His dad has MS. "Mom is his primary caretaker," he said. "I like being near them." He lives in Euclid, one of the 59 cities, villages and townships under the protective umbrella of the ordinance. "This is my very first council meeting," he said. Dan had been out at school, and pretty much everywhere else. But when he landed a gig at a company in a neighboring county in November, he kept his private life private. One day, he got tired of pretending. It was exhausting. So he texted his boss, also a millennial: "You know I'm gay . . . right?" The company has been "warm and welcoming," Dan said. But what if, one day, it isn't? What if cool boss leaves and old-school boss takes his place? Someone like the parade of local business owners who decried the anti-discrimination legislation Tuesday as burdensome to small businesses. "I could be fired tomorrow," Dan said. And he'd have no legal recourse. That's because although Cuyahoga County has chosen progress over prejudice, the rest of Ohio has yet to catch up, creating what Gwen Stembridge of Equality Ohio calls "a patchwork of protections." House Bill 160, known as the Ohio Fairness Act and sponsored by State Rep Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood), has been languishing in Columbus for years. It would provide blanket, statewide non-discrimination protection for LGBTQ taxpayers. The state, one of 30 without such protections - must follow our lead. Dan - and Ohio - deserve nothing less. RICHMOND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- A 30-year-old man was shot to death early Sunday at an apartment complex, police said. The shooting happened about 3:45 a.m. Sunday at the Dorchester Apartment buildings on Ruth Ellen Drive, north of Chardon Road. A man is in custody in connection with the investigation, police said. Benjamin Sims of Euclid was fatally shot, according to police and the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner. An argument broke out between two men outside the building. The two men fought over a woman and Sims got in his car, according to police. The other man shot Sims, whose SUV crashed into a tree. It's the third suspected homicide in Richmond Heights in two months, police said. To comment on this post, please visit our crime and courts comments page. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A SWAT standoff ended late Saturday in Cleveland without any arrests being made because investigators determined an armed man left the home he broke into, police said. The standoff began about 8 p.m. at a home on Telford Avenue, in the city's Lee-Miles neighborhood. A SWAT team was called in because police received a report of an armed man who broke into a home. The SWAT team cleared the scene by 11 p.m. No Cleveland police officers remained at the scene about 11 p.m. A Cleveland police spokesman could not say if anyone was hurt. He also could not say whether anyone other than the armed man was inside the home during the standoff. No additional details were released late Saturday. To comment on this story, visit Saturday's crime and courts comment section. KENT, Ohio -- None of us really knew what to expect when we arrived at Kent State University Saturday afternoon ahead of an open-carry gun walk set to take place on the campus at 2 p.m. Activists, reporters and law enforcement alike stood in tense anticipation as it got closer to go-time. And as it turns out, there was good reason for concern. Physical and verbal altercations erupted between the gun-rights activists and counter-protestors, with hundreds of police officers in the middle. Four people were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, with one additionally charged with assault on a police officer. At one point, I found myself caught in the middle, when, after heated words, police officers physically pushed counter-protestors and they pushed back. I was located behind the officers at the time but a group counter-protestors ran up behind me and toward the altercation. In the process, I ended up being knocked over by those trying to get in the action. I wasn't on the ground long, as some of the officers near me cleared out the area getting me back on my feet, minimizing the number of times I was stepped on. Seconds after that, I was elbowed in the side but I managed to stay on my feet that time. But let's take a step back for a second and recount how we got there: Before the walk began, the parking lot where the gun-rights activist congregated, was flanked by different law enforcement officers. Counter-protestors gathered just across the street. I began the walk with the gun-rights activists. We walked up one side of the blocked-off street leading to the campus, police officers marched down the median and the counter-protesters occupied the other side of the street. Within moments the verbal attacks began from both sides as the crowd grew wider and the police officers did their best to physically keep the groups separated. The walk didn't make it far. In fact, it came to halt after less than a half a mile, with counter-protestors blocking the progress by standing arm-in-arm across the length of the walkway. The police officers then set up their line of defense to keep the groups separate. The officers formed two tight lines, creating a human wall themselves, separating the two groups. The officers' lines met at the end and almost made a full circle where other officers with different equipment remained guarded in the middle. When all movement came to a stop I found myself located between the line of officers and the line of counter-protestors. At times there were about five feet between the two groups. At other times, it was body-to-body with both sides pushing heavily against the other. At one point one of the counter-protestors threw liquid at the officers, hitting the face masks of their tactical gear and me, too, in the process. I'm thinking (and hoping) it was just water. I eventually found a way out of the crowd, and tried to get to the gun-rights activists. However some counter-protestors made their way as well and the verbal, and sometimes physical, altercations resumed. It was at this point that I was knocked to the ground. Soon after this the gun-rights activists began making their way back to the parking lot and the counter-protestors followed along in song. At that point, many of the gun-rights activists went back to their cars in the lot. Others stayed just outside the lot, however, and more heated interactions continued. One of the largest was when a gun-rights activist's flag was taken off of his flag pole. It resulted in a physical altercation between the two groups with many of the counter-protestors were enraged after believing him to have reached for his gun. Not too long after that the scene calmed down significantly. Members of both groups said they wouldn't leave until the other did but slowly the crowd thinned. Jennifer Hensal Because of the relatively small percentage of appeals heard by the Ohio Supreme Court, the state's district Courts of Appeals are most Ohioans' courts of last resort. Seeking her second term on the 9th Ohio District Court of Appeals, which hears cases from Lorain, Medina, Summit and Wayne counties, is Judge Jennifer Hensal, an Akron Republican first elected in 2012. Her challenger is Diana Colavecchio, a Cuyahoga Falls Democrat who is clerk of Stow Municipal Court. Both candidates are energetic jurists committed to improving the efficiency, accessibility and responsiveness of the courts, and both are approaching this contest in a cordial and constructive fashion. Hensal, 51, however, has the clear edge because of her appellate experience. Hensal has served terms as both the administrative judge and presiding judge for the court, and, because of turnover, is now second in seniority among the court's five judges. Colavecchio, 58, believes courts should be user-friendly, and she lists a raft of accomplishments at the municipal court level in accommodating people who may not be English speakers or who may be filing a case "pro se" - that is, "for oneself" (without a lawyer). Colavecchio is an attractive candidate but Hensal has the superior experience and appellate knowledge. Voters in Lorain, Medina, Summit and Wayne counties should retain Judge Jennifer Hensal on the 9th 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, consult Judicial Votes Count at the University of Akron and the League of Women Voters' voters' guide. Incumbent 9th Ohio District Court of Appeals Judge Jennifer Hensal of Akron, a Republican, is being challenged for re-election by Stow Municipal Clerk Diana Colavecchio, a Democrat who lives in Cuyahoga Falls. The two candidates were interviewed by the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer as part of its endorsement process on Sept. 11, 2018. 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. Raymond C. Headen Cuyahoga County voters can't go wrong in this fall's lone contested 8th Ohio District Court of Appeals race, an open seat being sought by two well-regarded local lawyers in private practice who both appear deeply committed to greater accessibility and diversity on the local bench. The 8th District hears appeals from Cuyahoga County courts. Both Raymond C. Headen of Richmond Heights, an expert in bond law and municipal finance, and Michelle J. Sheehan of Rocky River, a corporate attorney, are making their first tries for public office. Headen, 58, grew up in Cleveland's Glenville neighborhood, where he says former Mayor Mike White was a neighbor. He says he's "running because it matters," arguing for more community outreach from the bench to provide "second chance" opportunities to ex-offenders. As a bond counsel who worked on the Rock Hall financing among others, Headen says he can apply the same rigorous analysis in the appellate realm. In the late 1990s, Headen, a Republican, also served as general counsel to Ohio Treasurer Ken Blackwell. Headen did not participate in the Judge4Yourself local bar association ratings, citing both an April critique from local black pastors and his concern that lawyers involved in the ratings process might not have sufficient experience with municipal finance to evaluate his candidacy. Sheehan, 50, a Democrat, was one of the first women at Cleveland's Reminger Co., where she's practiced law for 25 years, to rise from law clerk to partner. She's also one of only 28 lawyers in Ohio certified as a specialist in appellate law. Sheehan's spouse Brendan Sheehan is a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court judge, but she says that recusing herself in cases involving him would not be an impediment given that there are 11 other judges who serve on this busy appeals court. A former president of the Ohio Women's Bar Association, Sheehan was given "excellent" ratings from the women's bar and two of the other three local bar associations in the Judge4Yourself ratings coalition, and a "Good" from the Norman S. Minor Bar Association. In a very close call, we feel Headen is the superior candidate in this race, for the added diversity of background and in the law that he would bring to the 8th District bench. Cuyahoga County voters should elect Raymond C. Headen on the Nov. 6 ballot. Early in-person and absentee voting for the Nov. 6 election begins Oct. 10. For more resources on Cuyahoga County judicial races, besides the Judge4Yourself ratings by four local bar associations, consult Judicial Votes Count at the University of Akron and the League of Women Voters' voters' guide. Democrat Michelle J. Sheehan, a corporate litigator with Reminger Co. in Cleveland, and Republican Raymond C. Headen of Beachwood-based Headen & Co., a bond counsel and public/private finance specialist, are vying for an open seat on the 8th Ohio District Court of Appeals based in Cleveland. The candidates were interviewed by the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer as part of its endorsement process on Sept. 5, 2018. 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. The June deal would end a dispute dating from the early 1990s when Macedonia declared independence from Yugoslavia. Greece had argued that use of the name implied territorial ambitions on its own province of the same name, and blocked the country's efforts to join NATO. Macedonians were deciding Sunday on their country's future, voting whether to accept a landmark deal ending a decades-old dispute with neighboring Greece by changing their country's name to North Macedonia and paving the way to NATO membership. People wave Macedonian flags during a protest in front of the Government building in Skopje on June 2, 2018. But the agreement has faced vocal opposition on both sides of the border. Opponents in Macedonia include the country's president, Gjorge Ivanov, who has called the deal a "flagrant violation of sovereignty." They have called for a boycott of Sunday's referendum. Voters were confronted with the question: "Are you in favor of membership in NATO and European Union by accepting the deal between (the) Republic of Macedonia and Republic of Greece?" The referendum was called as a consultative, non-binding move. The distinction means the government could take the outcome as a fair reflection of public opinion and act accordingly, regardless of the turnout. Under the country's constitution, a binding referendum would need a minimum turnout of 50 percent to be considered valid. The campaign has been relatively muted, with most posters favoring the government-led "Yes" campaign. Supporters of the deal, led by Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, have focused on the vote as being the lynchpin of the country's future prosperity, the key to its ability to join NATO and, eventually, the European Union. It would be a major step for a country that less than two decades ago almost descended into civil war, when parts of its ethnic Albanian minority took up arms against the government, seeking greater rights. Djose Tanevski was among the early voters Sunday in Skopje, the capital. "I came here because of the future of our children, who should have a decent life, a life in a lovely country, which will become a member of the European Union and NATO," he said. If the "Yes" vote wins, the next step is for the government to amend parts of the country's constitution to ensure it doesn't contain anything that could be considered irredentist against Greece. Only after those changes are approved by parliament does the deal face ratification in Greece. The referendum has stirred strong interest in the West. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis have been among the top foreign officials heading to Skopje recently to urge its people to vote "Yes." There's been growing concern over the reach of Russia, which is not keen on NATO expanding in a part of Europe that was once within its sphere of influence. Mattis said there was "no doubt" that Moscow funded groups inside Macedonia to campaign against the name change. Even if Macedonians vote in favor of the deal, the agreement still faces several hurdles before it can be fully ratified. The constitutional amendments that are required need a two-thirds majority of parliament's 120 members to go through. So far Zaev has pledges of support from 73 seven short of the required number. A low turnout on Sunday could complicate his task in persuading more lawmakers that the name change agreement with Greece reflects the will of the people. Once the hurdle of constitutional amendments is overcome, Greece must then ratify the deal. But Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras faces problems of his own. His governing coalition partner, right-wing Independent Greeks head Panos Kammenos, has vowed to vote against the deal in parliament, leaving Tsipras reliant on opposition parties and independent lawmakers to push the deal through. The roar on the track is a siren call for Porsche owners and fans. The German luxury auto brand is holding Rennsport Reunion VI at the famed Laguna Seca Raceway outside Monterey, California. The weekend gathering of Porsche owners and enthusiasts is a chance for the faithful to revel, and in some cases race, vintage Porsche models. Think of it as Woodstock for the Porsche faithful. "It's great!" said Melinda Palmer, as she and her husband parked their Porsche Boxster and prepared to enjoy a day at a Porsche-palooza. "Where do you find so many beautiful cars like this except at Rennsport." More than 60,000 people, many who own a Porsche, are expected to spend their weekend at Laguna Seca. Events like these may be even more important as the company continues to push the brand in new directions. While the big attraction are the races featuring amateur and professional drivers, the chance to check out scores of classic and rare Porsche models may be what many people love the most about the weekend. Brooke Waterman shuts the lights off in her classroom and the students settle in. Some sit with their legs crisscrossed. Others lie down on the rug. They close their eyes, and she turns on a guided meditation through the Calm app. It's so quiet you can hear a pin drop. Her second graders are never more quiet and focused than when they're meditating, she says. "It's amazing to see these kids really tune into themselves and ignore the outside world for a minute," said Waterman, a teacher at Springbrook Elementary School in Westerly Rhode Island. Between homework, tests, problems at home and in their social lives, kids are under intense pressure. More than a quarter of teens report feeling extreme stress during the school year, according to a 2013 survey from the American Psychological Association. Nearly half said they weren't doing enough or weren't sure if they were doing enough to manage their stress. Teachers around the country like Waterman are using popular apps Calm and Headspace to introduce meditation to their lesson plans to help curb anxiety and improve performance in the classroom. The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages parents and teachers to teach kids meditation, saying it helps them function more effectively and clearly. A 2015 report by the National Institutes of Health found that teaching children mindful activities like yoga and meditation can improve their cognitive, social and emotional skills as well as their academic performance. One trial by the AAP found that teaching mindfulness in schools could even lower symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. "I think a lot of education focuses on remembering facts or things that aren't necessarily dealing with your own life skills or tools to deal with emotions," said Calm co-founder Alex Tew. "So I think mindfulness is incredibly important for all ages, but if we can teach the kids to meditate, that's an amazing, actually world-changing opportunity." Calm tweet Calm launched Calm Schools in May of 2016, giving kindergarten through 12th grade teachers around the world free access to some of the app's meditation and mindfulness exercises. In just over two years, 54,000 teachers across 140 countries have signed up, with 41,000 from the U.S. Competitor Headspace takes a slightly different approach. It works directly with 35 districts and around 300 schools in 15 states to offer their teachers access to the mindfulness app. One of those districts is Broward County. Headspace connected with the district earlier this year after a shooting at one of its schools, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Headspace also recently started working with the Puerto Rico Department of Education to help with stresses associated with Hurricane Maria, a deadly storm that continues to torment the island a year later. The start-up recently unveiled a pricing plan for college students of $9.99 per year, a steep discount from the typical $95.88 per year. Calm Classroom, a nonprofit not affiliated with the Calm app, trains educators to teach mindfulness in the classroom. It studied the impact of its program at Wendell Smith Elementary, a Chicago Public School that teaches preschool through eighth grade. Its research showed practicing mindfulness led to a 69 percent decrease in students disrupting classroom instruction, a 91 percent decrease in running or excessive noise in the hallways and a 72 percent decrease in fighting, bullying and disruptive behavior. Britain is due to leave the European Union on March 29, 2019, but the terms of the departure remain unclear. May, under fire from critics in Brussels, opponents at home and some lawmakers in her own party, has said talks on a divorce deal are at an impasse. British Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative Party began gathering for its annual conference on Saturday with bitter divisions over her Brexit plans rising to the fore, raising doubts about her own future. British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street to makes her way to the Parliament as she attends Prime Minister Questions session (PMQs), London on July 4, 2018. (Photo by Alberto Pezzali/NurPhoto via Getty Images) In an interview with the Sunday Times newspaper ahead of her party's conference, May took aim at those who have scorned her "Chequers" Brexit proposals accusing them of "playing politics" with Britain's future and undermining the national interest. However, in a demonstration of the challenge she faces, the newspaper ran an interview with former foreign minister Boris Johnson alongside on its front page in which he openly questioned May's commitment to Brexit and called her plans deranged." "Unlike the prime minister I campaigned for Brexit," said Johnson, the bookmakers' favorite to succeed May who on Friday declined to answer directly whether he would rule out a leadership challenge. "Unlike the prime minister I fought for this, I believe in it, I think it's the right thing for our country and I think that what is happening now is, alas, not what people were promised in 2016." May says her "Chequers" proposals are the only viable option, but EU leaders have said parts of them are unacceptable and many Conservative lawmakers have threatened to vote down a deal based on May's blueprint. The uncertainty has led to business concerns that there will be no deal, potentially leading to tariffs and border delays. Japanese carmaker Toyota on Saturday warned that leaving without an agreement would hit its production and jobs would ultimately be at risk. "Of course we want a deal," Business Secretary Greg Clark, one of those who supports May's plans which seeks free trade of goods with the EU, told BBC radio. "We need to have a deal. The evidence from not just Toyota and other manufacturers is we need absolutely to be able to continue what has been a highly successful set of supply chains." A summit of EU leaders last week ended in a blunt dismissal of May's proposals, which they said would fail to resolve arguments over the land border of Northern Ireland, in the U.K, with the Irish Republic, in the EU, one of the main sticking points to a deal. Britain's Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab said the Irish issue was being used by some in the EU Commission "for political purposes", but said he was open to suggestions from the bloc. "We aren't pretending there aren't alternative proposals that we would look at," he told the Sun newspaper. "But we need credible responses for the proposals we have set out or credible alternatives, and we haven't seen them yet." Cllr Robert Alden is Leader of the Conservative Group on Birmingham City Council. It is great to once again welcome the Conservative party conference to Birmingham. Delegates will notice major building works continuing apace across the City. The West Midlands tops the UK regional table for both foreign investment and homegrown start-ups. Our rich industrial heritage and role in the birth of the industrial revolution shaped our great City. Our role in the forefront of the new industrial revolution for the businesses of tomorrow, particularly around battery technology and electric vehicles, will shape Birmingham for future generations. Last year was the tourism sectors most successful year ever in Birmingham, with 42 million visitors spending 7 billion, a seven per cent increase on the year before. All of this backed by significant Government investment in our City and region through the Midlands Engine, Local Growth Funding, and devolution deals. With Andy Street as our Mayor the West Midlands Met region is once again cashing in on our potential. The Party also arrives to find Birmingham Conservatives in a good position as well. This years all out elections in Birmingham were meant to be the year the Conservatives were wiped out in Birmingham sending our great city the same way as many northern major centres or parts of London a Conservative free zone. How do we know this was meant to be the case? Labour councillors and candidates kept saying in meetings and on Twitter that they would wipe the party out. Readers of Conservative Home will know that we in Birmingham took a different view and knew that we could grow the party support and, despite being in the eighth year of a Conservative led Government, more than hold our own. The results in Birmingham were good, we added over 15,000 votes to the Conservative vote compared to 2016 and over 12,000 compared to 2014, we slightly increased our share of the Council, now standing at 25 Councillors. Overall our vote went up by just under 30 per cent in this years local elections, in a context of total number of people voting going up nine per cent. Clearly Labour didnt even come close to wiping out the Conservative Party in Birmingham; instead some of our candidates made brilliant gains from Labour including in Castle Vale (a ward covering this area was last won by the Conservatives in 1978), Hall Green South (last won in 2002), Frankley and Highters Heath Wards (last won in 2008). For the first time ever there are now no Labour Councillors in Kingstanding (they are all Conservative), a ward once known as the largest Council Estate in Europe. For the first time since the 1970s Conservatives have the majority of the Councillors in Erdington Constituency and came within 16 votes of a further gain in that part of Birmingham. While Labours majority across the chamber seems relatively large still, the reality is that it masks the huge number of close results. Out of an electorate of over 730,000 voters, Labour kept control of Birmingham City Council by just 4995 votes split across 18 wards. This means we are well placed at the next elections to be able to take control with the right kind of support. As a Conservative Group we will be working to support residents over the coming four years and continue to campaign to help make our great City even better. Politically next year the group will be supporting neighbouring Conservative Groups that have Council elections and in 2020 (and before) we will of course be actively campaigning for the re-election of West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street, including campaigning over conference weekend, as we look to continue the momentum building for the Conservatives across the West Midlands in the years ahead. As for Birmingham, while the City looks forward, the Council is stuck in the past. A re-elected Labour administration has been warned by the Birmingham Independent Improvement Panel that they are in the last chance saloon, one last chance to fix the mess that they have made of the Councils finances. A second Section 24 notice from the Council auditors reiterates the point they made to Labour at the audit committee last year The budget comprises two things getting it right and delivering it and I think last year you got neither right. While on the policy front the Labour Council despite making no reference to it during the election has now announced plans to charge private cars to drive into Birmingham City Centre. In 2016/17 Labour failed to deliver 69 per cent of their savings programme and in 2017/18 they failed to deliver 27 per cent of the savings programme. At the month three monitoring report this year, 13 per cent of the planned savings had been abandoned as non-deliverable and only 58 per cent of savings were on track to be fully delivered. Labour is yet to tell residents how they will balance the books. In February 2018, Labour put forward a pre-election budget and, in our view, this was not a robust budget. They also failed to explain the planned charges to drive into the city centre which are so unpopular with residents and businesses in Birmingham. The pre-election budget avoided many key questions by using 30m of reserves and other ploys such as the 2% non-specific efficiency savings from each directorate, which, unsurprisingly, monitoring reports show arent being met, leaving the Council in a precarious financial position. The election may be over, but the fight to deliver better quality services, cleaner streets and lower taxes for residents of Birmingham from a failing Labour Council continues. From Birmingham Conservatives we hope you have a wonderful conference and enjoy your stay in our great City. Few expect the Conservative Conference that begins in Birmingham today to be dominated by anything other than Brexit. Hard though this may be to avoid, it would be a wasted opportunity. As my latest research shows, if Brexit is at the top of the Governments agenda the same cannot be said for the voters: the next election will be about other things. The parties and leaders We asked people how likely they thought it was that they would end up voting for each party at the next general election. On average, those who voted Conservative last year put their chances of doing so next time at 77/100, however they voted in the referendum; 2017 Labour voters felt more inclined to stay with their party if they had voted Remain. But we found a more revealing range of answers when we took into account peoples preferred Brexit outcome and, especially, their view of austerity. Leave voters who wanted to see a hard Brexit and had supported austerity gave a mean likelihood of voting Conservative of 75/100; anti-austerity Leavers for a hard Brexit put their chances of voting Tory at just 37/100. Overall, pro-austerity voters gave a mean likelihood of 64/100 for voting Conservative and 20 for Labour. Anti-austerity voters gave 54 for Labour and 19 for the Conservatives. Leave voters gave 54 for the Tories and 24 for Labour. Remain voters gave 51 for Labour and 29 for the Conservatives. Voters as a whole said that if they had to choose they would prefer a Conservative government with Theresa May as Prime Minister to a Labour government led by Jeremy Corbyn by 54 per cent to 46 per cent. Asked if they would prefer a Corbyn government or a Tory government with Boris Johnson as Prime Minister, voted split exactly 50-50. While Leave voters preferred May and Johnson over Corbyn in equal proportions, Remainers were more likely to choose Corbyn over Johnson than over May. Whether they preferred a soft or hard Brexit, most 2017 Conservative voters believed that a Labour government with Corbyn as Prime Minister would be worse for Britain than what they regarded as the wrong Brexit outcome. Asked to rate the effectiveness of a selection of leaders in the UK and around the world, voters as a whole put Theresa May in fourth place behind Angela Merkel, Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron though 2017 Conservatives put the Prime Minister at the top of their list. According to Leave voters, the most effective leader was Vladimir Putin. When it came to perceptions of the main parties, Labours biggest lead over the Conservatives was on wanting to help ordinary people get on in life, while the biggest Tory lead over Labour remained being willing to take tough decisions for the long term. Less than a quarter thought either party was competent and capable, and only one in ten thought either was united. While the Tories scores were largely unchanged since I last asked the question in January, a number of Labour scores had fallen especially being united, being clear about what they stand for and having their heart in the right place. Voters overall regarded the NHS as the most important issue facing Britain as a whole, followed by the Brexit negotiations and the economy. When we asked people what mattered most to themselves and their families Brexit dropped to third place, with the cost of living at the top of the list. Combining these findings with voters view of which party has the best approach to each issue, we see that most issues on which the Tories are preferred to Labour are more likely to be thought important for the country; Labour issues were equally or more likely to be regarded as more important to individuals and their families. Austerity and Brexit: the two divides We asked people which of three potential Brexit outcomes they would most like to see. Four in ten voters overall including a majority of Labour Leavers and 85 per cent of Conservative Leavers chose the hard Brexit option of not accepting any deal that does not give the UK complete control over borders, laws and international trade deals. Just over three in ten including two thirds of Labour Remain voters wanted the deal to be put to a referendum with the option of staying in the EU after all. Only 17 per cent including only one in three Tory Remainers wanted to see a soft Brexit in which the UK followed a common rulebook with the EU. Combining these findings with peoples views on austerity which we found to be supported and opposed in equal measure we see the difficulty of assembling an election-winning coalition on the basis of either issue. Just under half of Leave voters supported austerity, as did three in ten Remain voters; around one third of austerity supporters voted Remain, and nearly four in ten anti-austerity voters backed Leave. The Brexit negotiations Asked to choose from a list of potential outcomes from the Brexit negotiations, Leavers and supporters of a hard Brexit chose ending payments to the EU, the UK making all its own laws, and the UK being free to do its own trade deals outside the EU. Those who preferred a soft Brexit most wanted to see the UK and the EU working closely together on security and intelligence, continuing to trade freely with no tariffs or customs checks, and the ability for the UK to do its own free trade deals with other countries. The priorities for second referendum supporters were continued free trade with the EU, security and intelligence co-operation, and EU citizens already living in the UK being allowed to stay. Overall, just over three in ten said they thought Brexit would make the UK better off, while 43 per cent thought the country would be worse off. This is because Remain voters were more likely to say things would be worse than Leavers were to say things would be better; Leavers were more than twice as likely as Remainers to say Brexit would make no difference. Most of those who thought the UK would be better off said this would happen in the next five years; two thirds of those who thought the country would be worse off thought this was happening already. Following the Salzburg summit and Theresa Mays statement in response, we asked voters which of two negotiating approaches was more likely to result in a better deal. Four in ten including 80 per cent of Conservative Leavers and nearly half of Tory Remainers said the Prime Minister standing up more to the EU, calling its bluff and threatening to leave without a deal would be the more effective. The alternative of compromising more with the rest of the EU and trying to find a deal that would work for both sides was preferred by 28 per cent, including 53 per cent of Labour Remainers and only 13 per cent of Conservative voters. Asked how much confidence they had on a scale from 0 to 100 that Theresa May and her team would be able to negotiate a good Brexit deal for Britain, voters as a whole gave a mean score of 31 down from 40 in May 2018, and 52 in March 2017. The biggest falls were among Conservatives and Leave voters. What does the Conservative Party want from its annual conference? Three things, perhaps. First, a clear line of attack on Labour. Second, what makes that possible: a coherent and attractive sense of difference, purpose and direction. Finally, what in turn makes that possible, too: unity. Most advice from newspapers to the Tories, for what its worth, suggests how to achieve all three. But a moments thought confirms that treading this well-worn editorial route would be a waste of pixels. Brexit is the issue of the day. To act as though it isnt, and shout about other policy areas as though bawling could cut through the noise, would be as futile as trying to swim up a waterfall. And there is no Party consensus yet on what the post-Salzburg approach to it should be. Therefore there is no unity. Instead, there is a vacuum waiting to be filled. Even were this not the case, laying into Labour convicingly would be difficult to do, for the simple reason that the Party, as Lord Ashcroft points out that morning, has collectively to make up its mind what it stands for in the wake of David Camerons austerity. You need a positive to set beside a negative. But there is no agreement on what that positive should be. Look over in that corner of the conference complex, dear reader. There you can see our columnist Robert Halfon preaching his populist gospel about capitalisms failures, and urging the Conservatives to be the Workers Party. Now switch your gaze to the other side of the room. Theres Sam Gyimah making the case for capitalisms successes, and arguing that we must be a Business Party. Now look to the middle. There is Will Tanner, one of Theresa Mays former SpAds, seeking to reinvent modernisation, with the help of Neil OBrien, Kemi Badenoch, Tom Tugendhat, Chris Philip and a group of other rising Tory MPs. It goes almost without saying that such debate and discussion is normal indeed, indispensable. Its the equivalent of the advice in the ear of the Partys driver: its leader. If she has that directional sense, theres can be a constructive trade-off between that counsel and her roadmanship. If she doesnt, voices are raised, maps and mobiles are pulled back and forth, insults are thrown and the car threatens to screech to a flummoxed halt. When, two years ago, May last spoke to a Conservative conference in Birmingham, Nick Timothy was in control of the satnav, and the sense of direction was clear. It was summed up in a now famous line in her speech. If you believe you are a citizen of the world, you are a citizen of nowhere. You dont understand what citizenship means, he said. Then, only a few months after her election as Tory leader, she seemed to be firmly on one side of what is the definitional divide in modern Britain and the western world: that between what David Goodhart has called the Somewheres and the Anywheres the losers and gainers from globalisation. The immobile Somewheres who identify with their local place and their country, and predominately voted Leave. And the flexible Anywheres who uproot themselves more often and have a wider perspective on identity. They usually voted Remain. Then came the failure of last years snap election gambit. Afterwards, Timothy and Fiona Hill exited the car. Ever since, the Prime Minister has, frankly, seemed less sure of where she wants to go. Where Downing Street was once run by Somewheres, the Anywheres are back in charge. Perhaps that is less important than a sheer shortage of numbers. If you lack a majority, people dont queue up to work for you. Gavin Barwell is trying to do two jobs at once, his own as Chief of Staff and the one where a gap is: that once filled by Timothy, and George Osborne before him, and Steve Hilton before him (at one point), that of chief strategist. The ensuing gaps are filled helpfully or unhelpfully, from Number Tens point of view. Helpfully, by energetic Ministers such as Michael Gove and Sajid Javid, who get on with giving their departments a sense of mission. And unhelpfully returning to the subject of Brexit by Boris Johnson. Those tempted to despair should remember Marshall Foch: my centre is giving way, my right is retreating, situation excellent I am attacking. If Brexit and uncertainty stalk the conference, those present in Birmingham have a chance not to let this problem go to waste. So the Prime Minister will probably have left Downing Street by 2022? In which case, lets start preparing now for life afterwards. So theres no agreement about which road to take? Excellent, as Foch would have said bring on the debate. Let Halfon and Tanner and Gyimah make their cases. Let Johnson do so too. In the absence of a platform for him in the main hall, ConservativeHome will be providing one on Tuesday. Let Conservatives make necessity the mother of invention, and turn this nervous conference into a festival of creative destruction. After all, the next election isnt due for over three years. If it takes place before then, the Government will have collapsed. In which case no-one will remember or much care what happened in Birmingham this week. And why the terror of Jeremy Corbyn? Given the problems the Government faces, Labour should be consistently ahead in the polls by now, and touching 50 per cent. Prime Minister, we understand if, at this conference, you dont want to lose face over Chequers. If you prepare to shift to a more Canadian-flavoured position afterwards, we should all live with that. Ministers, you cant solve your departmental and strategic difficulties this week. But you can at least make speeches that are more than a collection of soundbites separated only by full stops. Tell those watching what you are doing, why you are doing it, and how it will help ordinary working people. Make an argument. Speak in sentences. You may be pleasantly surprised at the result. MPs, were sorry that rather a lot of you have, for one reason or another, decided not to come to conference this year, or will visit only briefly. Recharge your batteries or enjoy the proceedings or both, if you can manage it. Activists, lets make hay while the sun isnt shining. From the ashes of present anxieties, a glorious phoenix may arise. Debate, discussion and looking to the future isnt just the best option we have this week. Its the only one. Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line has chartered the Grand Celebration to assist with the restoration of service to communities impacted by the recent Massachusetts gas incident, according to a statement. The 1987-built ship will sail to Boston on Oct. 1 to provide housing for those working to restore service to thousands of homes. The company announced the Oct. 1 sailing aboard the 1,600-guest Grand Celebration as well as the Oct. 2 cruise on the 1,300-guest Grand Classica are both cancelled. The Grand Classica will instead pick up its two-night program on Oct. 3, taking over the Grand Celebration's cruise schedule for October and November. The Grand Celebration will resume its normal two-night program from West Palm Beach in December, the company said. Bahamas Paradise previously chartered the ship to FEMA for hurricane relief efforts in 2017. ANSONIA Residents will get their first look this week at the Police Department Headquarters proposed for the former Farrel corporate headquarters on 65 Main St. The unveiling is scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m., at Ansonia City Hall. The architectural rendering by Jacunski Humes Architects of Berlin shows a sort of triple-tower concept, with the departments emblem and POLICE in blue spelled out down the side of the concrete elevator shaft facing Main Street. The site, which was vacated by Farrel following the companys move to the Fountain Lake Industrial Park, was taken by eminent domain this spring after a sale agreement could not be reached with Shaw Growth Ventures of Greenwich and Beirne, N.Y. The city has deposited $1.85 million, which represents the average of two appraisals, with the Milford Superior Court. Now the city is hoping to finalize a 40-year, $12 million loan with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to refurbish the three-story, 85,000-square-foot building with a built-in-garage on the first floor as well as an adjoining parking lot. Assuming everything is accepted by the USDA, we could get a final finished design by December or January and put the project out to bid in March, said Sheila OMalley, the citys economic development director. She said reconstruction work could begin in late spring or early summer, and that the project would take at least 10 months. Ansonia Police Department Headquarters are now cramped inside the 122-year-old, former Larkin School on Elm Street, where there is very little parking and even less space to store evidence and detain prisoners. OMalley said there may be additional funding available through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Brownfield Assessment and Remediation Grant. She said the city is planning to demolish an adjacent building which once served as Farrels headquarters before 65 Main was built. Initial renovation work would begin with the roof, OMalley said. It would then extend to life safety systems including sprinklers, alarms, locks, windows and doors. There would also be electrical work required. The plan is to use 28,000 square feet of the top floor for the police department. There also is talk of establishing a regional police, fire and emergency dispatch and training center on the second floor. But that is something for the future, and if it happened it would require an agreement by all the Valley towns. However, there might be some state funding for this, since state officials and legislators are pushing for regionalization in smaller communities. Ansonias Police Building Committee consists of OMalley, Corporation Counsel John P. Marini, Police Chief Kevin Hale, retired Seymour Police Chief Michael Metzler, Alderman Martin Dempsey, Public Works Superintendent Michael DAlessio, Paul Heron and Police Officer Peter Lovermi Jr. Marini said putting the station downtown directly at the end of the Maple Street bridge would increase response time and improve the character of the downtown commercial center. Businesses and consumers want to feel safe in their downtown, Marini said. Putting the police department in the heart of the downtown shows a serious commitment to keeping the area safe. According to The Wall Street Journal, the dispute between USA and Canada hinges on agricultural and media protection policies, as well as the installation of a system that would allow any of the three countries in the agreement to challenge tariffs imposed by one of the others. Nevertheless, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday said while he hopes the U.S. and Canada will reach a trade agreement, he's confident Congress will approve a Mexico-U.S. pact, according to The Hill. It was a passing remark which nearly went unnoticed amid the bluster and hyperbole of Donald Trump's rambling press conference this week, but the president has yet again cast doubt on the future of critical free trade talks between Canada and the US. A NAFTA deal had looked unlikely on Wednesday when, after a month of slow-moving discussions, Trump indicated he was fed up with Trudeau, who has insisted he will not sign a bad deal. While the full text of its new trade agreement with the USA has to be released, Mexico never won protection from future tariffs, said Heyman. The back and forth about the supposed meeting comes amid the US and Canada's acrimonious renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, and follows months of souring relations between the two North American neighbors. "We're very unhappy with the negotiations and the negotiating style of Canada". The U.S, Mexico and Canada have been negotiating for 13 months to modernize the three-country North American Free Trade Agreement, which dates to 1994. "I must be honest with you, we're not getting along at all with their negotiators". People familiar with the trade talks say he prefers dealing with Freeland instead of Canada's chief trade negotiator, Steve Verheul. Canada is prepared to allow USA dairy into Canada at rates that are higher than the 3.2 per cent under the eleven country Trans-Pacific partnership, sources said. Sources say Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and her team of negotiators are engaged in an intensive, late-stage effort to get Canada back into a trilateral trade deal with the United States and Mexico before Monday's American-imposed deadline. Wyden is from OR, a state that trade more with Canada than Mexico. But that would mean 'going ahead with a bilateral agreement and then later defining what legal actions we would have to take to maintain the possibility of a three-way deal, ' he said. Canadian officials say they never requested a meeting. The text needs to be published by late Sunday night - 60 days ahead of a November 30 deadline for President Donald Trump and Mexico's president, Enrique Pena Nieto, to sign the deal before a new Mexican president takes office on Dec 1. But insiders - who requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation - say there is no alternative for Canada but to keep trying to settle the differences between the two nations and ignore mounting pressure from the USA administration. The United States has said that Mexico agreed to eliminate a system of settlement panels to arbitrate disputes over anti-dumping and anti-dumping tariffs. As negotiations have dragged, the president has become visibly annoyed with Canadian officials. President Donald Trump said on September 26 that he refused a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau while at the United Nations amid the trade impasse, and threatened auto tariffs, calling them the "mother lode". The text is expected to conform to details previously released on tighter automotive rules requiring an increase in regional value content to 75 percent from 62.5 percent previously, with 40-45 percent coming from "high wage" areas, effectively the United States. A spokesman for the U.S. Trade Representative's Office declined to comment. Mexico also secured an exemption from U.S. Contributed Photo / Connecticut State Police / Contributed Photo STAMFORD City police said the death of a 22-month-old boy, crushed at home by a television set last week, appears to be accidental. More News 70-pound television kills Stamford toddler An autopsy was performed on the toddler Saturday and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has ruled the manner of death to be accidental and the cause to be blunt-force trauma, Youth Bureau Sgt. Joseph Kennedy said. FORECASTING Facing the challenges of the Fall Armyworm (FAW) invasions and other plant pests and diseases in Africa, the VIPS (Varsling Innen PlanteSkadegjrere) platform developed by Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO) can be used for research and development and as a decision support tool designed to meet end-user needs. VIPS can be used for data collections through reports of observations and monitoring of the pest. When weather data are added to the VIPS expert system (the computer system working behind the scenes using artificial intelligence to provide real-time decisions), this can act as a database for the development and validation of pest models, finally aiming at a decision support tool for implementation of IPM. The success of such a tool will depend on close coordination with projects related to the development of weather data services and research on FAW population dynamics to ensure validated and locally relevant models and input data. On the ground, the VIPS platform will integrate an improved version of the Farming Interface App (FIA) co-developed by IITA and partners at MSU. The new version will be developed in several local languages, tested, and deployed for 1) guiding farmers scouting in their own fields, 2) empowering them to take real-time decisions with regard to pest management, 3) feeding back to the VIPS expert system real-time data on crop phenology, performance, pest occurrence and severity for improving the accuracy of VIPS predictions at local and landscape levels. Contacts Ghislain Tepa-Yotto: Entomologist, BIMAF coordinator, G.Tepa-Yotto@cgiar.org Manu Tamo: Insect ecologist, IITA Representative in Benin, M.Tamo@cgiar.org German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday she agreed with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to aim for holding a four-way meeting in October to discuss the situation of the rebel-held Syrian region of Idlib. For the sake of improvement, according to the German side, Erdogan should respect human rights, to abandon the pressure on the media, the judiciary and trade unions. Even before the visit, Steinmeier said that Berlin and Ankara are far from normalizing bilateral relations, but Erdogan's visit could be a step in the right direction. Turkey accuses Gulen of orchestrating the coup attempt, which he denies. The two nations have clashed over numerous issues in recent years, including Turkey's jailing of German journalists and a German parliament resolution labeling the early-20th century killing of Armenians in Turkey as genocide. Underscoring Turkey's expectations from Germany on combating terror groups more effectively, he said: "There are thousands of PKK terrorists living across Germany". She said authorities were looking for suspected coup plotters that Turkey wanted extradited, but said she and Erdogan had differing views on topics including press freedom. But the increasingly authoritarian leader is viewed with suspicion across the political spectrum in Germany. Turkey, which has a struggling economy, also needs economic co-operation from Germany and other European nations. Erdogan said extradition of criminals was highly significant for safety, peace of Turkey and Germany. "I did not think one question would scare him this much". In May 2016, the 14th High Criminal Court in Istanbul had convicted Dundar, the former editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet daily, and Erdem Gul following the publication of images purporting to show arms being transported to Syria in trucks belonging to Turkey's National Intelligence Organization, also known as the MIT. A press conference meant to patch up the fractured relationship between the leaders disintegrated into farce as a Turkish-German journalist was frogmarched out of the room for wearing a T-shirt with the slogan "Freedom for Journalists in Turkey". He complained about members of what Turkey considers terrorist groups "running around free" in Germany - "and we're not supposed to talk about that?" Thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets of Berlin under a banner of "Erdogan not welcome", while a Kurdish activist burnt himself to death in an apparent suicide protest. Theres rich and then theres really rich. But in the governors race its hard to tell. Democrat Ned Lamont and Republican Bob Stefanowski have, so far, declined to release their income tax returns, though both have promised to make summaries of their tax filings public. In Connecticut, however, where the tax collector keeps tabs on personal property, a picture of wealth can emerge from the things a candidate owns. For Stefanowski, there is the $3 million mansion hidden behind the big trees along the busy Boston Post Road in Madison. Then there are the Stefanowskis two beachside houses nearby, worth a combined $2.3 million. Around the corner from the beach, on a small tidal inlet off Neck Road, is a private dock purchased for $85,000 three years ago. That was around the time the family sold its $2 million mansion in Florida. For Lamont, home is a $7 million, 8,300-square-foot colonial behind bushy evergreens and a high, deer-proof fence on a secluded, private cul de sac in mid-country Greenwich. Lamonts eight bathrooms became a point of contention during the primary. The adjoining two-acre, $1.6 million parcel, was added for privacy. A few miles away, along Long Island Sound, a slick 22-foot Mako power boat is docked. In 2005 Ned and Ann Lamont bought 32 acres at 0 Lakewood Drive and 23 acres at 0 Northrup Street in Bridgewater, near Lake Lillinonah. Each of the vacant lots sold for $2.2 million, according to the town tax assessor. Stefanowskis could be called upper-management wealth. Industry analyses suggest he earned an estimated $2 million-plus a year and millions in stock options as a division-level corporate executive during much of his career, before rising to a CEO position at a payday loan company, Dollar Financial Group, in London. His wife, Amy Stefanowski, is a Realtor who has rented at least one of the shoreline houses, on the private Soundview Avenue, for up to $5,000 a week in the summer. Lamonts inherited wealth and investment income going back more than 100 years to his great-grandfather Thomas W. Lamont, a top New York banker is an entirely different level of money. When he ran for U.S. Senate in 2006, he estimated his wealth at between $90 million and $300 million. His wife, Annie Lamont, is an executive with a multi-billion-dollar venture-capital and private-equity firm who as recently as 2014 was listed by Forbes magazine as one of the nations top tech investors. Pockets, deep and otherwise What the two families have in common, besides three children and the goal of becoming governor of Connecticut, are Mini Cooper autos in their garages. Stefanowski also owns a 2013 Audi A8 and a 2009 Ford Ranger pickup. Lamont also owns a 2006 Lexus RX 400 and 2017 Tesla X. Its clear that Lamont, who spent $20 million on his winning 2006 U.S. Senate primary and losing general election race against U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, has fewer financial concerns than Stefanowski. The Republican gave a $2.2 million loan to his campaign for governor. Amy Stefanowski recently emailed pleas to potential GOP contributors, warning if they couldnt raise $10,000 quickly, one of her husbands TV ads would have to be pulled. Between 2007 and 2015, the Stefanowskis owned a secluded seaside home on the north side of Key Largo, Fla., that sold for about $2 million, around the time the Stefanowskis bought the 5,142-square-foot place on the Boston Post Road, according to local land records. The Democrat, a cable TV pioneer who started out wiring college campuses, is primarily a tech investor through his Lamont Digital Systems Inc. He has invested about $3 million in his third statewide campaign, with no claim in recouping the investment. Last year, he helped wrangle the India-based Infosys information technology company, into committing to a Hartford operation. Ronald Schurin, a political scientist at University of Connecticut, said wealthy political candidates are part of the states new political landscape. Griebel showed income, taxes The fact that Stefanowski is rich and Lamont is super rich is the norm, said Schurin, noting Lamont is the first Democratic candidate since public financing kicked in during the 2010 governor cycle, to eschew the voluntary program, which limits candidates to about $8 million during an election cycle. Theres nothing new or startling about this, Schurin said. What this says is that these are people who have the free time, free from the pressures of making a daily living, to get into politics at that level. Unaffiliated candidate for governor Oz Griebel, a former banker and regional business leader who has an apartment in Hartford, released the top sheets of his income-tax forms this week. He paid the IRS more than $93,000 a year in taxes over the last three years on income of about $400,000. He has been giving the state about $25,000 a year in taxes. People are entitled to this, Griebel said. People are entitled to understand transparency. The voters in this state are entitled to it. Previous candidates for governor have released their tax information. When Republican businessman Tom Foley, of Greenwich, ran for governor against Dannel P. Malloy in 2014, he allowed reporters to view three years of his federal tax summaries. Malloy released four years of his partial federal and state tax returns. This years millionaire-versus-millionaire contest could signal the end for middle-income people, such as Malloy and his immediate predecessors, including M. Jodi Rell and John G. Rowland, from getting a shot at the states top job. Of course, it would have been better for Rowland if he had some wealth, Schurin noted. In 2004, Rowland resigned in the middle of his third four-year term, and pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges. Before they turned the page on decades of public acrimony, the leaders regularly traded threats and insults as North Korea pushed to develop a nuclear missile capable of hitting the United States. "And then we fell in love", Mr Trump said. Ri told the United Nations general assembly in NY that North Korea is ready to implement the points that leader Kim Jong-Un and US President Donald Trump agreed to in their June summit. While Ri reprised familiar North Korean complaints about Washington's resistance to a "phased" approach to denuclearization under which North Korea would be rewarded as it took gradual steps, his statement appeared significant in that it did not reject unilateral denuclearization out of hand as Pyongyang has done in the past. In recent weeks, Kim Jong-Un has said he would permanently dismantle North Korea's main nuclear complex, but only if the United States takes unspecified corresponding measures. President Trump has said that sanctions will remain in place against North Korea until complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization is achieved. Sanctions were directly referenced by Ri as a barrier to bilateral progress and as an example of USA efforts to coerce the DPRK. "The perception that sanctions can bring us on our knees is a pipe dream of the people who are ignorant of us", Ri said. "But the problem is that the continued sanctions are deepening our mistrust", Ri said. Both Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump want a second summit. The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, seems to be on the verge of restarting deadlocked nuclear diplomacy more than three months after the Singapore meeting. "The recent deadlock is because the United States relies on coercive measures which are lethal to trust-building", Mr Ri told the assembly. Al-Moallem said the Syrian government hopes that when the demilitarization zone deal is implemented, "the last remnants of terrorism in Syria" will be eradicated. China and Russian Federation argue that the UN Security Council should reward Pyongyang for steps taken. North Korea's foreign minister has warned that there is "no way" his country will disarm while the USA continues to enforce sanctions. The Security Council has unanimously boosted sanctions since 2006 in a bid to choke off funding for Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Such demands - as well as a history of North Korea breaking past promises to dismantle its nuclear program - have raised questions as to whether or not the US and North Korea will actually be able to reach a meaningful agreement. In the year since Donald Trump's searing, debut United Nations speech fuelled fears of nuclear conflict with North Korea, the two leaders have turned from threats to flattery. Ri had previously met with Pompeo on Wednesday, during which he extended Pompeo an invitation to Pyongyang from Kim Jong Un. Pompeo has visited North Korea three times already this year, but his last trip did not go well. "But make no mistake about it, there is real progress being made". The North insists it needs reciprocal concessions from the United States, including the lifting of crippling economic sanctions and an official declaration that the 1950-53 Korean War has ended. Turkey shortage impacts some Somerset County stores Meat providers in Somerset County say can be hard to fund turkeys ahead of Thanksgiving. But a Berlin grocer says his store is full of the birds. Dear Editor, Why are the nations senators unable to reject Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh for the obvious reason that he is, to put it politely, a very enthusiastic protector of corporate interests? Corporations, with lobbyists and campaign contributions, already have lots of people looking out for them. It is ordinary folks, many struggling, who lack an advocate. The struggling folks who, in desperation, voted for Donald Trump, might ponder the contradiction between their hopes and the nomination of someone focused on protecting those behind much of their distress. Frank Stoppenbach Red Hook, N.Y. "The perception that sanctions can bring us on our knees is a pipe dream of the people who are ignorant of us", Ri said. "Without any trust in the USA there will be no confidence in our national security and under such circumstances there is no way we will unilaterally disarm ourselves first". After meeting with Kim in North Korea this month, President Moon Jae-in of South Korea urged the United States to declare an end to the war as an incentive for the North to denuclearize. Washington is wary of agreeing to the declaration without Pyongyang first making significant disarmament moves. He called on the U.S. to follow through on promises made during a summit in Singapore between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump. Moon told an event in NY on the sidelines of the United Nations meeting that declaring a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War would encourage North Korea to move further with denuclearization. "I don't want to prejudge precisely where we'll end up", Pompeo said this week when pressed on the possibility as a next step. The refusal to ease sanctions is deepening its mistrust of the U.S., Ri said, according to Reuters. Last August, after USA media reported Pyongyang had successfully miniaturized a nuclear warhead to fit into a missile, Trump warned Pyongyang not to threaten the United States or it would face "fire and fury like the world has never seen". Even so, the tone of Mr Ri's speech was dramatically different from a year ago, when he told the UN General Assembly that targeting the U.S. mainland with North Korea's rockets was inevitable after "Mr Evil President" Trump called Kim a "rocket man" on a suicide mission. "No, really - he wrote me lovely letters, and they're great letters", he said. "I was really being tough and so was he", he continued, referring to the harsh words the two leaders exchanged before their make-up. "We fell in love", Trump told the crowd. Mr. Trump said his legacy on the economy, immigration and foreign policy - including those negotiations with North Korea - is on the line in the election, predicting Democrats will block him at every turn if they win control of either chamber of Congress. Mr. Trump again called Ms. Warren "Pocahontas", reprising his nickname based on her previous unsubstantiated claims of Native American heritage, and said the Democratic Party has grown so liberal it's even outflanked the famously left-wing crusader. "So unpresidential, '" Mr Trump told the rally. Kim had earlier compared comments by Trump to the bark of a "rabid dog", and Trump derided Kim as a "sick puppy" - before the apparent outbreak of puppy love. Pyongyang has repeatedly appealed for United Nations and USA sanctions to be lifted and has support from Russian Federation and China. Trump said of Kim. "Until the final denuclearization of the DPRK is achieved and fully verified, it is our solemn collective responsibility to fully implement all UN Security Council resolutions pertaining to North Korea". Banks used to be havens for our cash or at least regarded as somewhere safer than under the mattress. But these days our accounts have become depositaries of insecurity and paranoia. Just recently, a close friend of mine was targeted by scammers. They telephoned claiming 20,000 had been stolen from her savings and asked her to remove a further 6,000 from her account and take it home where it could be inspected in order to check whether her bank was dealing in fake notes. Former Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman tells how one of her friends lost 70,000 to scammers Fortunately, she was pretty sure it was a scam and refused to do any such thing. But she still made several phone calls to check it out: to the police and to her bank, or so she thought. It turned out that each time she was still connected to the villains who played the parts of police officers and bank officials utterly convincingly. The same week, my son found his bank account compromised with a series of payments to mobile phone companies. Another highly intelligent friend lost 70,000 by failing to recognise a complex con requesting him to transfer funds from one account to another William Burroughs once wrote: A paranoid is someone who knows a little of whats going on. Looks like hes got a point Alerted by letter about an account he had never set up, it took him hours of fear and frustration to get the bottom of the attempted fraud. Another highly intelligent friend lost 70,000 by failing to recognise a complex con requesting him to transfer funds from one account to another. The combination of increasingly sophisticated scamming and the mass closure of bank branches where you can actually speak to someone face to face has meant that attempts to discover which communications are genuine and which are fraudulent take place in an endless Hall of Mirrors, each step distorting our certainty further. William Burroughs once wrote: A paranoid is someone who knows a little of whats going on. Looks like hes got a point. Who else sleeps nude? NIGHT-TIME temperatures have plummeted and our bedroom is freezing. Its too early to turn on the heating but the just-add-another-layer-of-clothes- in-bed solution seems so unbearably middle-aged. What other people wear in bed, along with how often they have sex or change their underwear, is one of lifes great unknowns. I have slept naked since I escaped my childhood pyjamas. I thought most people did. But the random poll among women Ive just conducted shows Im in the minority. Shorts, knickers and old T-shirts are the sleepwear of choice. Pyjamas at a push. What a sad state of affairs. Wheres the glamour in that? I say bring back the satin nightdress and while were about it, how about a lace-trimmed peignoir? Hit the right note, PM RATHER than flying across the Atlantic to shake hands with Donald Trump, Theresa May should have used every second of the last week to polish up her public speaking in advance of the Tory Party conference. Jeremy Corbyn has turned himself into a master of performance with an aptitude for slick on-stage delivery that rivals Sir Ian McKellen in full soliloquy. In contrast, Mrs May sounds, in turn, hesitant, robotic, forgetful and unconvinced. You find yourself hoping she wont burst into tears. Womens voices traditionally have a problem in striking the right note. Too easily demeaned as whining or bossy, they are subject to a degree of criticism that is rarely applied to men. Theresa May arrives for the Conservative Party annual conference, at the International Convention Centre, Birmingham, yesterday Margaret Thatcher famously had elocution lessons to lower the tone of her voice, and although I have little time for much of what she said, she certainly learned how to say it in a well-modulated and emphatic way. People listened rather than going into snooze mode. When she delivers her leaders speech, Mrs May must at the least sound like a person who can get us through Brexit. There are a lot of people who dont listen to what is said, but the way it is said. She needs to pull off an Oscar-winning performance. Bodyguard's big flaw MANY of us will tonight be missing our fix of Bodyguard which provided the thrilling, escapist tension to distract from that Sunday evening feeling. However, in reality Richard Maddens jaw-clenching bodyguard would never have reached the highest echelons of his profession. He was way too conspicuous. The Royal Family are the biggest target in the country and they understandably have the best security detail in the business. On the occasions I lunched with the late Princess of Wales in London restaurants, you were never aware of her bodyguards. Above, David Rudd in TV series Bodyguard Their personal protection officers merge into the background, move with stealth and look like normal members of the public. On the occasions I lunched with the late Princess of Wales in London restaurants, you were never aware of her bodyguards, and in my couple of dealings with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, their visible security was lighter than Naomi Campbells. Contrast this with the shaven-haired, black-suited, sunglass-wearing hulks who accompany every B-list celeb on their nights out. Nobody is likely to make an attempt on their lives but a tank-like bodyguard who nobody can miss has become as much of a celebrity accessory as a Louis Vuitton handbag. Walk of pain DETERMINED not to become a sloth now Im no longer editor-in-chief of Vogue, on Thursday I walked home from where I was working. Four miles, since you ask. And no, I dont know how many steps since my phone ran out of juice en route. My reward? Two huge ruby-red blisters that have consigned me to flip-flops all weekend. This isn't equality JUST seen a cinema ad for Veet For Men hair removal cream, which I found plain weird. I thought all of us enlightened folk were supposed to be encouraging women into a greater degree of acceptance of our bodies in their natural state. Recent adverts for female razors actually dare to show the odd hair on the leg. Now it is men who are being exposed to the messy stench of the depilatory cream. Is that considered equal opportunity? Dennis Skinner the infamous Beast of Bolsover whose vicious barbs at his political opponents have seen him ejected from the House of Commons on numerous occasions is the scourge of the Tory Party. And yet if Downing Streets new Brexit strategy goes to plan, he could be the man who is about to save Theresa Mays premiership. Its a high-risk strategy. A bit like crossing Niagara Falls on a tightrope in the middle of a hurricane with a dozen sticks of burning dynamite in your pocket is high-risk. Theresa May (pictured at the Bloomberg Global Business Forum in New York) this week arrived in Birmingham for what many believe could be her last party conference as Prime Minister But as Mrs May arrives in Birmingham for what many of her colleagues are predicting will be her last party conference as Prime Minister, No 10 officials view it as the only strategy she has left. The Save Theresa plan has three components, each containing an increasing level of complexity and, in the eyes of some members of the Cabinet, implausibility. First, she disinters Chequers. Second, she convinces the bulk of her Brexit-sceptic backbenchers to embrace her deal. And finally she drives it through the Commons with the backing of Dennis Skinner and his pro-Brexit comrades in Labour. Its a bizarre plan, one Minister tells me. Why are we reaching out to people who are opponents, rather than concentrating on our own MPs? A Labour whip is even more sceptical. Theyre mad, he says. Chequers is dead. Shes not getting it through with Labour votes. If Downing Street's new Brexit strategy goes to plan, Dennis Skinner could be the man to save Mrs May's premiership Maybe. But theres a fine line between madness and genius. And Mrs May is about to demonstrate to the nation on which side of it she sits. Salzburg was widely perceived to have marked the moment the EU decisively rejected her Chequers proposal. But Downing Street takes a different view. They realise they went too far with the ambush and the rhetoric, a No 10 official tells me. They are going to offer us a deal. This may seem like wishful thinking. But there are signs of reflection in Brussels. It ended up in an accident where both the EU and Theresa May seemed to drift away, Dutch PM Mark Rutte admitted last week. Thats not OK, so we have to bring it back together. Breathing life back into the Chequers corpse is actually the easy bit. OK, I think shell get something from the EU, a Cabinet Minister concedes. But then what? In other words, how does Mrs May implement stage two of her strategy, namely getting Chequers past her hardcore Brexit backbenchers? The answer, according to her team, is to dramatically recast the narrative surrounding the negotiations. Imagine this scenario, one explains. She gets a deal, when everyone said it was impossible. The EU are backing it, and every major business is pushing for it as the only way to safeguard jobs and investment. She then says to the Brexit rebels, This is your moment. Were nearly out. Youve been campaigning for this your whole life. Corbyns waiting to snatch it all away from you. And all you have to do is take one final step through that door. Its a compelling vision, one that could well sway a number of waverers. But Mrs May knows it will not be compelling enough. The Prime Minister has crunched the numbers and is aware that even in the best-case scenario, she is going to come up short of the votes required to get Chequers through the Commons with Tory votes. We think we can get the European Research Group rebels down to about 15 or 20, but thats the floor, a No 10 insider concedes. Hence the final stage of her plan the appeal to Skinner and his colleagues. Corbyns offer to back a sensible deal in his conference speech was cynical politicking. Whatever the Prime Minister offers, he will oppose. But Tory Chief Whip Julian Smith has informed Mrs May he believes approximately 20 Labour MPs could be in play to back a Chequers-style deal. Seeing through the Jezza illusion Perceived Westminster wisdom is that Jeremy Corbyn had a good a week. His conference speech won plaudits, he avoided a Brexit car crash, and the various Labour factions headed home without having come to blows. But beneath the veneer of unity, things are very different. This was the final chance for Jeremy to head off a split and he blew it, says one MP. Im told that, coming into conference, Labours modernisers were demanding three things a clear commitment to a peoples vote, an apology for the anti-Semitism crisis, and an end to the threat of deselection. They left Liverpool with none of them. Theres no commitment to a referendum. Therell be no Election. And if Chequers is blocked, Corbyns already said he wants May to go back and renegotiate. Its a joke, a Shadow Minister complains. The orgy of Palestinian flag-waving was branded a disgrace by one of his colleagues. But the key moment was the vote on deselection. One MP tells me: The Corbynites came to us and said, Dont worry, were only going to come for 40 or 50. Youll be OK. The applause has already faded. The next sound you hear will be Labour fracturing. Advertisement And a delicate process of reaching out to them has begun. Ive had a face to face meeting with her, says one Labour MP, and I said, in the right circumstances, I might help her out. In reality, Im told there are approximately 50 Labour MPs who could if a number of conditions are met defy their own whips and vote through a deal. At their core is the posse of 15 resolutely pro-Brexit Labour rebels who voted against joining the European Economic Area in June. Then theres a second tier who are seeking additional assurances on a range of issues, including immigration, workers rights and frictionless trade to protect local manufacturing. And finally there is a third group who simply believe that if May is defeated, and it results in an early election, they will lose their seats in a pro-Brexit backlash. If there was a Brexit election tomorrow, wed be annihilated in the North, one explains. But, in truth, Mays need to minimise the rebellion on her own benches limits her capacity for Faustian deals with external political foes. Those Labour MPs considering helping the PM would find themselves under unremitting attack from both the Corbynites, who see a Brexit implosion as their route to power, and Modernisers driving for a second referendum. It would mean the end of their careers, one Shadow Minister warns. And then there are the old, engrained tribal loyalties. Dennis Skinner has fought the Tories all his life, one MP tells me. Hes not going to throw any Conservative Prime Minister a lifeline. Some of his colleagues are hoping he may have to cast it only halfway. It would be best if she could get enough of us on board so we only have to abstain, rather than vote with the Government, one Labour MP says. That would be easier to sell to my members. From the Prime Ministers perspective its a sell that is going to have to be made. Her premiership is now coming down to simple maths. For every Tory MP who opposes any deal, she will have to find a Labour MP to replace them. A Dennis Skinner for a Jacob Rees-Mogg. A Caroline Flint for a Boris Johnson. A John Mann for a David Davis. Besting her opponents in Brussels and on her own backbenches will not be enough. Mrs May now has to tame The Beast. When New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern brought her baby to the UN General Assembly last week, there couldnt have been more shock if she had flung the three-month-olds nappy at the Iranian delegation. There was a similar cacophony of tut-tutting earlier this month when MP Jo Swinson took her baby son into the Commons. Personally, I couldnt see the big deal. That infant probably makes more sense than the entire Labour front bench put together. But both kerfuffles highlighted something thats long been troubling me: the extent to which mothers and motherhood have been neglected by modern feminism. Im not a mum myself yet, but I hope to be one day. And Im keenly aware how many of the most important issues surrounding motherhood from breastfeeding to the struggles of those women trying to balance work and kids are now pushed below the surface, on to internet forums like Mumsnet. When New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern brought her baby to the UN General Assembly last week, there couldnt have been more shock if she had flung the three-month-olds nappy at the Iranian delegation, says CHARLOTTE GILL The trouble is that the modern brand of feminism has always treated mothers as a bit of an afterthought, even though some of the loudest feminists are mums themselves. In its current guise, feminism is the perfect home if youre single and want to be rude about men. Youll hear plenty of patriarchy this and patriarchy that. But never is there talk of the other P-word: parenthood. Huge numbers of feminist debates have become centred around sexual harassment, consent and body image. All of these are certainly vital subjects, but there are also lots of others specific to mothers about which much less is heard. For instance, is IVF a safe and healthy choice? Is it right that we live in a society where more and more thirtysomething women are freezing their eggs, even though statistics show there is a tragically slender chance of many of them eventually becoming babies. Is it right that private clinics are making fortunes by charging desperate women huge sums to be pumped full of hormones? Another important talking point is the right to choose. Im not referring to abortion an obsession of modern feminists but whether or not women should have the right to have a caesarean. C-sections are one of the most neglected feminist areas even though theres real suffering when they are denied usually because cash-strapped NHS hospitals say they are too expensive. In August, a report revealed almost one in six NHS trusts do not offer women caesareans on request. Rebecca Schiller, chief executive of the campaign group Birthrights, said: It is clear that women requesting caesareans meet judgmental attitudes, barriers and disrespect more often than they find compassion and support. So why arent feminists talking about it? Then theres breastfeeding. The many women who, through no fault of their own, cant manage it face huge levels of distress, stigma and bullying from proselytising NHS staff. But where are the sisters proclaiming formula milk a feminist issue? AS FOR the much-discussed gender pay gap, comb through the evidence and its crystal-clear the biggest reason women dont earn as much as men isnt discrimination its babies. This is because women still take on the brunt of childcare, which pushes them towards part-time work, and thats the lowest paid. The gap becomes even more pronounced as women get older and become sandwich carers, looking after both their children and their ageing parents. Which brings me to another right to choose mothers should be allowed: the right to stay at home and look after their babies if thats what they want to do without being derided by politicians or other women at the school gates. At the Conservative Party conference this week, Jacob Rees-Mogg is going to accuse the Government of not doing enough to help traditional families, and hes right. Policymakers have become relaxed in this area because these is nothing driving them to do otherwise, no #MeToo movement for mothers. Come on feminists, its time to stop keeping mum. At the Labour conference, Jeremy Corbyn lambasted greed-is-good capitalism. This line sums up Labours hatred of aspiration, for which the party increasingly uses greed as a synonym. Anyone who wants to succeed in our capitalist model is demonised. The Lefts constant smearing of high earners, as well as anyone else with ambition, will prove ruinous for the economy. Who is going to earn the cash to fund Corbyns socialist utopia? Forget the money tree in Jezzas vision well need magical wind farms spinning out cash into everyones hands. The incredible shrinking noses Lady Gaga has boasted that Bradley Cooper stopped her from wearing make-up for their film A Star Is Born so that she could be completely open. While that all sounds lovely, lets be frank: Lady Gaga, left, isnt the first person who springs to mind as Ms Natural 2018. Not least because her nose seems to have shrunk suspiciously over the course of her career. Lady Gaga attends the Audi Canada And Links Of London Co-Hosted Post-Screening Event For 'A Star Is Born' In fact, nostrils have become one of the most meddled-with features on a celebrity womans body. The only reassurance is that large bottoms have become cool again. If we can reinvigorate the big booty, why not the big snooty? More than 50 million Facebook accounts were hacked in a breach that engineers discovered on Tuesday but which was only made public on Friday. This is the future now. Buckle up. Or quit social media... Startling scenes at the US Senate hearing on Brett Kavanaugh, Trumps candidate for the Supreme Court. Dr Christine Blasey Ford, a psychology professor, alleged he assaulted her when he was 17 and she 15. Kavanaugh, almost in tears, professed to be innocent. It is impossible to know the truth, but what is appalling is the number of celebrities on Fords side merely because she is a woman. Pop star Pink posted a photograph of Ford on Instagram, writing: We see you, we hear you. We believe you. How ignorant. Celebrities need a tough lesson in how justice works. Its not about liking the look of someone its about evidence. Men deserve to be believed as much as women. Anything else is vigilantism. J. K. Rowling has defended herself after a Korean actress was cast as Voldemorts pet snake, Nagini, in the Fantastic Beasts spin-off. Critics said this was racist in a scandal called Nagini Backlash. For backlash read about four sad people on Twitter How can 'woman' be hate speech? Am I a woman? Im not sure, after a strange event in Liverpool last week, involving the removal of a poster that spelled out a dictionary definition. It read, Woman, women, noun, adult human female and was commissioned by Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, a feminist campaigner who has become fed up about the erasure of the word from our lexicon. This is becoming a very real problem, with Cancer Research UK recently taking out woman from its cervical-screening literature. Keen-Minshulls poster was up a week before it was deemed offensive by Twitter activist and NHS doctor Adrian Harrop, who isnt transgender, but said it perpetuated the spread of transphobic hate speech. The billboard company immediately apologised and promised to remove the poster, which demonstrates just how scared businesses are to stick up for common sense. How have we got to a situation where a simple definition can be treated as if it were The Satanic Verses? The French President is fast turning into Macron the Meanie and not just because of his bad manners towards Theresa May in Salzburg. A few days earlier, he gave a jobless man the Gallic equivalent of Norman Tebbits get on your bike line. He haughtily told the struggling 25-year-old: If I crossed the street Id find you one [a job]. Which seems a bit unlikely given the French unemployment rate is 9.2 per cent versus the EU average of 6.8 per cent. Celebrities share the stories behind their favourite photographs this week its broadcaster and author John Suchet Broadcaster and author John Suchet (pictured) shares the stories behind some of his favourite snaps 1952 This is me aged about eight with my younger brother David (left) and Jimmy, our grandfather, at our grandparents London flat. We adored Jimmy. He was a photographer on Fleet Street and his tales of derring-do as a war photographer partly inspired me to become a news reporter. He also inspired David [the actor, best known as Poirot] to take pictures hes seriously good 1953 The pain on my mothers face (behind me) as Im being sent off for my first term at boarding school still brings tears to my eyes. I hated almost every minute of it but my dad Jack insisted on me, David and our eldest brother Peter all going. I found myself on Kents bleak Thanet coast, with fog horns in the North Sea and ice-cold sheets in the dormitory. The headmaster used to cane us viciously 1956 David and I are standing here alongside HMS Wellington by the Thames on Londons Victoria Embankment. Im about 12, and David is ten. The ship had taken our grandfather to France as an accredited press photographer with the Allies during World War II. He often talked about his war experiences he took pictures of everyone from Winston Churchill to Field Marshal Montgomery 1980 Here I am in Afghanistan reporting on that countrys war with Russia. I went undercover there with an ITN camera crew five times. On one occasion Russian soldiers saw us filming and arrested us. When they put us against a wall, I thought we were facing a firing squad, but instead they reported us to the Afghan authorities and we were deported. Our news footage was a world scoop on News At Ten 1987 I covered Ronald Reagans presidency as ITNs Washington correspondent and secured an interview with him (pictured) when he came to London to meet then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. He was a charmer and greeted me by name. No doubt hed been well briefed! My abiding memory was when I asked how much his wife had helped him and he said, John, if I walk into a room and Nancy is there, its as though a warm fire is glowing in the corner. He was an absolute master 2001 Ive met the Queen several times on this occasion she came on a tour of ITN. She nodded gracefully as I explained how the news bulletin was done, and what it was like when things went wrong. She has an aura whether youre a royalist or a republican, when you meet her you think, My goodness, its the Queen. She made it all very easy. Shes interested in you and knows how to turn it on for the cameras 2016 My wife Nula and I both lost our spouses, James and Bonnie, to dementia. They were in the same care home, which is how we came to know each other. This is us on our wedding day it was lovely because weve both been through such a horrific time. We like to think were proof theres life after dementia and weve said that if anything happens to either one of us, the other is to get out there and have fun Lisa Hollinshead, 33, from Sydney, was taking her seat on a flight to London when she found herself sat next to a man named Stephen Moore, 44, Little did they know that this chance meeting would lead into a love story usually reserved for the plot of a romantic comedy. Referring to their chance meeting as 'fate', Lisa now lives with Stephen in Sydney with their two-year-old son. 'It seems a bit surreal to be honest, to think three years ago I was single and living by myself in a studio in Bondi,' she told FEMAIL. 'If it wasn't my story I wouldn't believe it because it's so surreal.' Lisa Hollinshead, 33, (left) from Sydney, was taking her seat on a plane when she met her now boyfriend Stephen Moore, 44 (right) (pictured with their The couple had started chatting on the flight because Ms Hollinshead picked up on his Liverpool accent and she was originally from Manchester herself. 'The only reason we spoke was because of his accent and eventually I found out he went to my university and lived down the road from where I grew up,' the PR consultant said. They soon found themselves talking throughout the flight about each other's lives. Ms Hollinshead said she dreaded the end of the journey because she thought they would never see each other again. The couple had started chatting on the flight because Ms Hollinshead picked up on his Liverpool accent, as she was originally from Manchester herself They soon found themselves talking throughout the flight about each other's lives (pictured with their son Albie) But the 33-year-old was in luck, as Mr Moore asked her for her number. Although Ms Hollinshead was only briefly visiting her family in England and Mr Moore lived there permanently, they started talking every day for two and a half months. 'It was a friendly, platonic exchange at the beginning for sure,' she explained. 'We both thought we were attractive but it was over the course of us chatting as friends that we realised there was potentially a spark there.' Ms Hollinshead said she dreaded the end of the journey because she thought they would never see each other again Once Ms Hollinshead was back home in Sydney she eventually found herself looking forward to his texts and would have a big smile on her face when they arrived. Mr Moore ended up being the person she would go to when she had exciting news to share or if she had a bad day at work. Although there are 15,000 kilometres between England and Australia, the PR consultant felt a stronger bond with him than she had ever had with someone else before. 'After a while we thought we should meet somewhere in the middle so in October 2016 we booked our flights to meet in Vietnam in December,' she said. Once Ms Hollinshead was back home in Sydney she eventually found herself looking forward to Mr Moore's texts and would have a big smile on her face when they arrived Although there are 15,000 kilometres between England and Australia, the PR consultant felt a stronger bond with him than she had ever had with anyone else before Shortly after the flights were booked and paid for Ms Hollinshead found out the devastating news that her grandfather only had days to live, which resulted in her flying back to England sooner than she thought. 'Stephen booked a hire car, picked me up from the airport and organised a proper first date for while I was over there,' she said. 'We hung out all week and although it was the highest of the highs it was also the lowest of the lows, dealing with my grandfather's death was extremely difficult.' Mr Moore proved that he was there for her as he also came to the wake, which Ms Hollinshead said was a 'big gesture'. When Ms Hollinshead found out her grandfather only had days to live she said Mr Moore was there for her throughout all of it 'We hung out all week and although it was the highest of the highs it was also the lowest of the lows,' she said Relationship timeline July 2015 They met on a flight from Australia to England. October 2015 Ms Hollinshead returned to England for her grandfather's funeral. When she returned home she found out she was pregnant. December 2015 They spent Christmas in Vietnam together. March 2016 Ms Hollinshead temporarily moved back to England. July 2016 She gave birth to her son, Albie. March 2017 When Albie was eight months old the family moved to Australia together. Advertisement 'He has shown time and time again that he's a great person and that he is always there for me if I need him,' she said. After the three weeks were up Ms Hollinshead went home, knowing she had Vietnam to look forward to. Once back in Sydney she started feeling really unwell and with a medical history that left her with only one ovary, Stephen encouraged her to go to the doctors. As Ms Hollinshead had dealt with lots of health problems when she was younger he was worried that they may be returning. It was then she was told she was pregnant. 'To say I was shocked was an understatement, after everything I'd been through I didn't think I could get pregnant, let alone so quickly after meeting someone,' she said. 'My head was a spin of emotions but one of the first things I wanted to do was call Stephen.' After Ms Hollinshead's England visit she started feeling really unwell once she was back in Sydney It was then she was told she was pregnant, even though she had dealt with health complications that affected her fertility Ms Hollinshead said he was 'amazing' in the way he handled it and once he got over the shock he immediately asked her how she was. Although the fact Ms Hollinshead had conceived the baby was a miracle, she said she didn't want to pressure him into making a decision. She told him to mull it over a few days before they had a conversation about what they both wanted. 'He phoned me back and he said he thought it was fate. He said that he thought I would be a wonderful mother and he wanted to do it if I did too,' she said. 'To think that throughout all of this there was 15,000 miles between us, he is 10 years older and he'd never lived away from home, there were so many things that were stopping us.' Although the fact Ms Hollinshead had conceived the baby was a miracle, she said she didn't want to pressure Mr Moore into making a decision The baby boy was named Albie, after Ms Hollinshead's grandfather Albert Mr Moore told Ms Hollinshead that he thought the fact that she was pregnant was fate Even though there were obstacles in their way, they both made changes for each other so it could work. Ms Hollinshead decided to move into Mr Moore's house in England for the birth and for the first year of the baby. Due to her previous health issues she had to have a C-section and her best friend, who is a midwife, ended up delivering the baby. The baby boy was named Albie, after Ms Hollinshead's grandfather Albert. 'A year later we moved back to Sydney, which means he's moved half way across the world at 42,' she said. 'It is hard, you don't have the support of your parents here, it's not the easiest journey but we have each other.' Ms Hollinshead had a C-section and her best friend, who is a midwife, ended up delivering the baby 'Even though on paper it's a fairy tale, we are a real couple going through everything that other couples go through but in warp speed, so it isn't without its struggles,' she added. Ms Hollinshead said the fact that they have overcome so many obstacles together is a testament that they were meant to be together. Although sometimes they have thought it was all too hard, they ended up making it work. 'We're not engaged or anything yet, we're quite happy to take our time, there's no rush,' she said. 'We want to get to know each other outside of me being pregnant and apart from us being parents.' Its classic separates have seen it become one of a handful of high street brands to make its way into the designer-crammed wardrobes of Britain's young royals. And now Joseph is set to undergo a major shake-up following the announcement of a new creative director, filling the space left by the departure of former chief Louise Trotter after nine years in the role. But her chosen replacement is bound to meet with the approval of Joseph's high profile fans, who include the Duchess of Cambridge, her younger sister Pippa, and the Duchess of Sussex. Susana Clayton is a former head of womenswear at Givenchy, the storied French fashion house that Meghan selected to make her wedding gown. When the now Duchess of Sussex joined her husband-to-be Prince Harry on an official engagement for the first time last December, she gave a nod to the great British high street in a Joseph skirt. The brand will now be spearheaded by Susana Clayton, former head of womenswear at Givenchy, the label Meghan wore on her wedding day Givenchy, now under the direction of Clare Waight Keller, has become something of a signature label for Meghan, who since dazzling in her bateau-neck gown by the designer at her fairytale Windsor Castle wedding in May, has worn it at Royal Ascot, on a trip to Dublin with Harry, and most recently at her first solo engagement, a trip to the Oceania exhibit in London. It suggests Ms Clayton, who was former head designer at Givenchy, is better qualified than most to help Joseph retain its spot in royal affections - while simultaneously driving revitalising the brand for the future. Susana Clayton, the new creative director of Joseph, is a former head of womenswear at Givenchy - a favourite of the Duchess of Sussex Meghan made her first nod to the British high street in Joseph, choosing an elegant camel midi skirt from the label for her first - furiously anticipated - public outing with Prince Harry following the announcement of their engagement. The soon-to-be Duchess teamed it with Kurt Geiger boots to greet members of the public in Nottingham on the arm of her husband-to-be. But that was far from the first royal coup for Joseph, which despite being at the highest end of the high street in terms of price point, has become a favourite for British shoppers looking to splash a little extra on lasting classics. The Duchess of Cambridge has been wearing - and re-wearing - Joseph pieces for years. On her 2011 visit to Canada with Prince William she dazzled in Quebec in a cream Joseph dress, a month after wearing the brand's 'Nessie' jacket for a day at Epsom races. Two years later in 2013, Kate reached for the jacket again for a sisters' trip to Wimbledon with Pippa, who herself is a fan of the brand, having wrapped up in a yellow Joseph coat at Cheltenham Races in the same year. Pippa Middleton took a leaf out of her older sister Kate's book for a day at Cheltenham races in 2013, sporting a mustard yellow coat by Joseph with her knee high boots and faux fur hat The Duchess of Cambridge wore her 'Nessie' jacket by Joseph on a day out at Epsom Downs race course in June 2011 In July 2011 Kate wore a cream Joseph dress on a visit to Fort Levis in Quebec, on her visit to Canada with Prince William Kate reached for the same Joseph jacket once again a year later, on a sisters' day out at Wimbledon with Pippa in July 2012 Before her Givenchy days Clayton was head designer at Chloe, and has also held positions at Rag and Bone and Gap, according to Vogue. 'I feel excited and honoured to join Joseph as creative director,' Clayton said of her new appointment, according to the report. Any teenage girl growing up in the 90s will fondly remember getting their advice on life, health, relationship, sex and boys from Dolly Doctor. And the real-life doctor who was behind the sealed section of Dolly magazine has revealed the commonly asked questions she received from generations of girls. For 23 years, Dr Melissa Kang, from Sydney, answered all your secret problems because you were too 'embarrassed' to talk to your mother or a doctor about them. Speaking to ABC's Throwback, Dr Kang offered a glimpse into the intimate handwritten letters she received from young anonymous readers before emails were a thing. For 23 years, Dr Melissa Kang, from Sydney, answered all your questions as Dolly Doctor Dr Kang offered a glimpse into the intimate handwritten letters she received from young anonymous readers before emails were a thing For more than two decades, Dr Kang became a reliable source who was always on hand to help teens understand their own health, sexuality and female anatomy. 'I got a lot of questions about periods and a lot about pubic hair - how to get rid of it, what to do with it and "is it okay to grow grey ones?". There were lots of questions about masturbation - how to do it and what objects were safe or not safe to use. There were lots of questions about stretch marks and even one about kissing their boyfriend and getting their braces tangled,' she said. Dr Kang said she also received letters about relationships, school crushes, puberty and plenty of readers questioning their sexual attraction and orientation. When the magazine was at its peak, Dr Kang said she was dishing out advice for more than half a million teenage readers. 'I really felt like I was building some kind of relationship with them, even though they didn't know me and I didn't know them at all. I believed I was talking to an individual person, but also maybe half a million at the same time - it was a very weird feeling,' she explained. Dr Kang said when she got emotionally carried away after reading letter after letter, she had to remind herself she was a doctor, and not their mother. 'Every single month when I wrote for Dolly I would have loved to give one great big collective hug because of the angst that was expressed. Sometimes that was an overwhelming feeling and I had to hold back in the way I responded because I was a semi-anonymous health professional, not their mother,' she said. Before the Internet was a thing, Dolly Doctor was dishing out health advice to teenage magazine readers from around Australia for 23 years Speaking to ABC's Ladies We Need To Talk in October last year, Dr Kang confirmed every single question in Dolly Doctor was real. 'One of the things people always ask me is "were those questions real?" Yes, every single one of them was actually sent in by a real young person,' Dr Kang said. Dr Kang - who also works as a medical doctor - said the most common questions she received from readers were about tampons and orgasms. 'When I first started writing for Dolly Doctor in 1993, I was getting a lot questions such as, "I don't know how many holes I have down there" and "what's my vagina and what's my vulva?" she said. 'These poor girls who couldn't get a tampon in or couldn't actually get it out again [Orgasms] was a pretty common question too amongst the girls who were sexually active.' Dr Kang said masturbation-related questions to Dolly Doctor was 'always constant'. 'Girls have always masturbated, and my observation is that they are more willing to ask about it, and more willing to be explicit about the questions they are asking,' she said. Dr Kang - who also works as a medical doctor - said the most common questions she received from readers were about tampons and orgasms She said 'am I normal' related questions were also common over the years. 'Teenagers were experiencing sensations, noticing changes in their bodies, getting involved in relationships and just really worrying if that was normal or where it was the same as everybody else,' Dr Kang said. After sharing her advice for decades, she found young women were comfortable in their own skin because they had a better understanding of their bodies. In 2016, the Dolly Doctor found as many girls asking about pubic hair removal, as she did revealing their embarrassing body problems. In a previous interview, Dr Kang said that writing for Dolly as the doctor was always about answering one reader's specific question, acknowledging their feelings and simultaneously providing information for all readers about the subject. She explained the questions she answered over the 23 years she spent as a columnist at Dolly were diverse and unexpected. Her latest interview comes after Dolly magazine - known as a 'bible' to teenage girls growing up - folded last year following 46 years in print. Previous research revealed that Dolly Doctor provided better health advice than major magazines such as Women's Health and Woman's Day. Expectant parents with a baby on the way will do everything they can to plan right down to a tee, leaving nothing to chance. But this doesn't mean things will necessarily go the way they're intended, as Lindsay Kushal and her husband Pretesh found out. The Sydney pair were on their way to a hospital for the birth of their baby son when Ms Kushal's waters broke. This meant Mr Kushal had to pull over to the side of the road and phone Triple-0 for help, however, when they realised an ambulance wasn't going arrive in time, a hasty decision was made to deliver their baby boy Samuel there and then. Scroll down for video Lindsay and Pretesh Kushal (pictured together) had to act quickly once they realised their baby was coming and an ambulance wouldn't make it in time 'I wanted a natural birth but I certainly wasn't expecting it to be in the back of a car,' Ms Kushal told Sunrise. 'It was all very sudden and unexpected,' she added. Over the course of the birth, Mr Kushal stayed on the line with emergency operator, Tim Webster, in order to be talked through the process. Recalling the event, the new dad said 'it was pretty crazy' and a scenario that was all the more tricky to deal with because he and his wife are 'real planners' and hadn't been expecting anything out of the ordinary. Ms Kushal (pictured) said although she wanted a natural birth, she certainly wasn't expecting this to be in the back of a car Although, Mr Kushal needed to step up and act as a midwife, he credits the calm voice of the emergency operator for helping him through. But the father-of two revealed the birth wasn't without a terrifying complication. Mr Kushal explained as the baby was crowning, his son appeared to have his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. 'I made that comment to Tim and he guided me through what needed to be done to get the baby out as soon as we could and pull the cord from around his neck,' Mr Kushal said. Remarking on her husband's newfound skill, Mrs Kushal said: 'He did look like a midwife when he did that. It was pretty amazing.' Although the new mum revealed the birth 'was pretty painful' she said she couldn't have been more proud of how her husband handled things. The Kushal's new boy's birth wasn't without a terrifying complication, one that saw his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck 'There was such a feeling of elation after. I felt "Oh my God, I did that, that's amazing"." Both Mrs Pratesh and her new son are doing well, and are thankful for the help they were given. 'I actually said that to Pratesh that night "whoever that guy was, his voice was just amazing",' she concluded. Five people are feared dead after a tsunami crashed through an Indonesian coastal city demolishing houses and leaving families missing. Communications with the area in Central Sulawesi are down and the search and rescue effort is being hampered by darkness, he added. Video footage showed the tsunamis arriving to the sound of people screaming, "Allahu Akbar (God is Great) Allahu Akbar". "People are running on the streets and buildings have collapsed", Karnawati told Reuters. The devastating quake has been followed by multiple strong aftershocks, and comes shortly after a magnitude 6.1 quake that struck central Sulawesi, reportedly killing several people. Sutopo said the military would deploy troops to Palu and Donggala and the national police would mobilise officers to help with the emergency response. Terrifying footage has emerged of a tsunami crashing into the coastline of Indonesia after a 7.5 magnitude quake. The 7.5 magnitude natural disaster struck an area 35 miles northeast of the Indonesian town of Donggala at 6:02 pm local time, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. An early tsunami warning had been issued by the Indonesian meteorological agency, but was later lifted after the agency ascertained that the water had receded. In Palu, the city of more than 380,000 people was strewn with debris from collapsed buildings. Palu's airport halted operations for 24 hours due to quake damage, according to AirNav, which oversees airline traffic in Indonesia. AFP phone calls to several regional hospitals went unanswered and Palu's main airport was closed around 7.30 pm local time, with authorities saying it would not open for 24 hours. The quake and tsunami caused a power outage that cut communications around Palu. Computer models from the USGS estimate that up to 23 million people could have felt the second quake, including 920,000 people who may have experienced "strong" to "violent" shaking. "All the things in my house were swaying and the quake left a small crack on my wall", Donggala resident Mohammad Fikri said by telephone. The 2004 tsunami triggered by an natural disaster off the Indonesian island of Sumatra killed 226,000 across the Indian Ocean, including more than 120,000 in Indonesia. And back in August, the island of Lombok was hit by a series of huge earthquakes, resulting in more than 500 deaths and displacing more than 300,000 people. Indonesia lies on the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire and is regularly struck by earthquakes. A former Playboy Bunny who refused chemotherapy is using cannabis oil to treat her brain cancer - four years after doctors removed a tumour that altered her personality. Kerri Parker, 34, from Norwich, was told her cancer had returned earlier this month, with doctors urging her to have chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However, the model said undergoing the treatment 'made no sense to her', explaining how she couldn't bear the thought of her hair falling out. She has decided to 'put her faith' in cannabis oil instead, which is currently illegal in the UK. Kerri Parker, 34, from Norwich, (pictured in her beauty queen years) is using cannabis oil to treat her brain cancer, after refusing to have chemotherapy Kerri (pictured in a modelling shoot from earlier this year) was told her cancer had returned earlier this month, after originally being diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2013 Kerri - who used to spend her time partying at Hugh Hefner's Playboy mansion in LA - was first diagnosed with brain cancer in 2013, undergoing life-saving surgery to have the tumour removed. However, she was told by doctors her cancer had returned this month, and was told she would need 10 to 12 cycles of chemotherapy. Speaking to Julia Sidwell for the Sunday People, Kerri said: 'I know using cannabis means I could be put in prison but I truly believe it is the only chance I have of living right now. 'Ive been working hard over the past few years. Im training for a black belt in martial arts and Im the fittest and healthiest Ive been, so when doctors say they want me to have treatment which will make me sick, it makes no sense to me. Kerri (pictured with facial swelling after having surgery to remove the tumour in 2014) previously revealed how her personality changed after undergoing surgery to have her tumour removed 'I dont want my hair to fall out from chemo, or my face burned from radiotherapy. I train daily, run a model academy and a nutrition business and I dont want having cancer to affect all of this.' Kerri explained how she is having the cannabis oil imported from Spain, where it is legal. The former Playboy bunny - who used to drink with A-list stars including Leonardo Di Caprio and was once a body-double for Megan Fox - previously revealed how her personality changed after she had her tumour removed in 2014. She explained in a previous interview: 'It's bizarre. I used to be the heart and soul of the party and now I'm a wallflower. I've swapped my skimpy dresses for comfy trackies.' Kerri (pictured earlier this year in a martial arts gear) described herself as the 'fittest and healthiest' she's been, explaining how she's been training towards a black belt in martial arts Kerri (pictured in a modelling shoot from earlier this said) said having treatment 'made no sense' to her, explaining how she couldn't bear the thought of her hair falling out Kerri grew up in Norwich where she was a straight-A student, and studied at the University of East London before becoming a lab technician at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. However, all that changed in 2003 after she entered herself into a modelling competition in FHM magazine and made it to the finals. She left her job to compete in national beauty pageants, and was picked up by the likes of lads magazine Max Power and U.S. swimwear brand Starwear. She also appeared in American FHM, Maxim and American Playboy, starred in films such as Lesbian Vampire Killers, The Bourne Ultimatum, Batman: The Dark Knight and was a body-double for Megan Fox on the set of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People. In 2012 she became an official Playmate and moved to the Playboy mansion in LA, spending time between there and the UK where she owns one of the UK's largest modelling agencies. Kerri (pictured at a red carpet event in 2012) was a former Playboy bunny, and has acted as a body double for Megan Fox in the past Kit Harington is known for his sword-swinging role as Jon Snow in HBO's violent medieval fantasy series Game of Thrones. But the actor, 31, has hit out at the stereotype of the mach hero, saying such roles on screen mean young boys often feel like they have to be tough to be respected. Speaking to The Sunday Times Culture, Kit said he believes 'something's gone wrong' and questioned how to tackle the problem of toxic masculinity in the #MeToo era. Kit Harington, 31, has hit out at the macho stereotype of men on television, saying it is enforcing toxic masculinity. Pictured: Harington at the 2018 HBO Emmy Party in Hollywood earlier this month Kit, who recently married his Game of Thrones co-star Rose Leslie, also 31, admitted he feels 'quite strongly' about addressing the issue. 'I feel personally, quite strongly, at the moment where have we gone wrong with masculinity?,' he said. 'What have we been teaching men when they're growing up, in terms of the problem we see now?' Kit believes television may be partly responsible for the rise in toxic masculinity thanks to its very masculine characters. He continued: 'What's innate and what's taught? What is taught on TV, and in the streets, that makes young boys feel they have to be this certain side of being a man? Kit plays Jon Snow in HBO's violent medieval fantasy series Game of Thrones (pictured), and admits macho male characters can make young men feel like they need to behave a certain way Kit admitted he feels 'quite strongly' about addressing the issue of toxic masculinity. Pictured: Kit and his wife and former co-star Rose Leslie 'I think that's really one of the big questions in our time how do we change that? Because clearly something has gone wrong for young men.' In the interview he also admitted that he wouldn't be doing any Game of Thrones prequels or sequels when the series comes to an end next summer, saying he is 'done with battlefields and horses'. From November Kit will star in a revival of Sam Shepards True West which is the story of a film producer and his brother, who is a robber. He said he won't be doing any Game of Thrones prequels or sequels when the series comes to an end next summer. Pictured: Kit as Jon (left) and Rose as Ygritte (right) in the series The actor recently revealed that he considers meeting his wife Rose to be the best thing to come out of Game of Thrones. 'I met my wife in this show, so in that way it gave me my future family, and my life from here on in,' he said. Rose played Ygritte, the love interest of Kit's character Jon Snow, in the Emmy award-winning fantasy series. The couple married in June 2018 on the grounds of Leslies family estate in Scotland. Public have voted for their favourite images to create a shortlist, which will now go before judges Advertisement It's certainly been a bumper royal year, with Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding and the birth of Prince Louis being just two of the most memorable events of the past 12 months. And now, some of the best pictures captured by royal photographers have been selected as part of a competition. They include images from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's engagement announcement in November, and a cheeky Princess Charlotte sticking her tongue out at the royal wedding in May. A striking photograph of Prince Philip lifting his hat following his last official engagement also makes the cut, along with a picture of a beaming Queen. The public have voted for their favourite images from the selection to create a shortlist, which will now go before judges, for NMA's Royal Rota photography competition. This year, there is a special category for photographs of Harry and Meghan together, to celebrate their whirlwind year. Some of this year's best royal photographs have been selected as part of a competition. Above is photographer Jeremy Selywn's picture of the Duchess of Cambridge outside the Lindo Wing with Prince Louis in April Many of the photographs come from Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding day in May. Above is Danny Lawson's shot of the couple sharing their first kiss outside St George's Chapel as husband and wife Cheeky Princess Charlotte was captured sticking her tongue out by photographer Andrew Milligan as she arrived for the wedding at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in May A beaming Queen was captured by photographer Chris Jackson as she visited the Royal College of Physicians in February Prince Philip was captured lifting his hat in this striking photograph by Hannah McKay, as he attended his final solo engagement, a parade to mark the finale of the Royal Marines 1664 Global Challenge last August Many of the pictures are of the Duchess of Sussex, the newest member of the royal family. She was captured in this shot by photographer Dominic Lipinsk, during her visit to Brixton in January A photograph taken of Prince Harry and Meghan by Eddie Mulholland following the couple's engagement announcement in November also features among the selection An image taken by Andrew Matthews showing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex emerging from St George's Chapel as husband and wife in May has been selected for the competition Photographer Yui Mok's shot of Harry and Meghan holding hands during their carriage procession through Windsor delighted fans in May, due to the heart shape formed by the way the couple sat Prince William and Prince Harry looked delighted as they came face-to-face with droid BB-8 at the premiere of Star Wars: The Last Jedi in London in December, in an image captured by photographer Eddie Mulholland The Duchess of Cornwall and Dame Judi Dench were seen sharing an ice cream together in an image taken by Andrew Matthews on the Isle of Wight in July Prime Minister Theresa May sparked headlines as she was captured doing a low curtsy while greeting Prince William at Amiens Cathedral, France. The picture was taken by photographer Yui Mok Meghan looked embarrassed as she covered her face at the Royal Foundation Forum in February, along with Harry, Kate and William. The picture was taken by photographer Chris Jackson A picture of Meghan walking down the aisle of St George's Chapel by Danny Lawson also features in the selection of best royal photographs from the past year Photographs of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during their carriage procession through Windsor also feature, including this shot of them taken by Craig Hibbert Camilla, 61, chose a matching cerise hat and jacket for the outing at Balmoral The Queen looked resplendent in royal blue as she arrived at church today in Balmoral. The 92-year-old monarch was joined by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall for the service at Crathie Kirk this morning. She looked in high spirits as her break in Balmoral draws to a close, with the Queen set to return to her residences in England next month. The Queen opted for a feathered hat and blue jacket, which she wore with an elegant brooch and a pearl necklace. The Queen looked resplendent in royal blue for this morning's church service in Balmoral, as her break draws to a close The 92-year-old monarch was joined by Prince Charles and Camilla for the service at Crathie Kirk this morning Meanwhile, Camilla, 71, chose a colourful ensemble for the outing, wearing a matching cerise jacket and hat. Charles, 69, meanwhile looked smart in a three piece suit and red tie as he drove himself and his wife to church. The Queen has spent over seven weeks at Balmoral, where she traditionally enjoys her summer break. Both Charles and Camilla have also spent a number of weekends at the Highlands, attending church with the monarch on several occasions. The Queen opted for a feathered hat and blue jacket, which she wore with an elegant brooch The monarch was seen waving at well-wishers on arriving at church at Balmoral, where she has spent the past seven weeks Prince Charles looked smart in a three-piece suit and red tie as he drove himself and Camilla to church this morning It is traditional for members of the royal family to spend time with the Queen at Balmoral during the summer, with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - along with their young children - visiting in August. Other royals who have made appearances over the summer include Princess Anne, Zara Tindall, Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex, and Princess Beatrice. Last week, the Queen was joined by her nephew David Armstrong-Jones, the son of Princess Margaret. Prince Harry and Meghan are also believed to have spend time at Balmoral this summer, but have not attended the traditional Sunday morning church service. Model Winnie Harlow was the picture of confidence as she strutted her stuff at the L'Oreal Paris Fashion Week show. The Canadian-born star, 24, who has skin condition Vitiligo, looked jubilant as she took to the runway on the river Seine in a daring cut-out dress that flashed a hint of thigh. She waved to both crowds and cameras alike as she led celebrities including Cheryl, 35, and Eva Longoria, 43, on the catwalk on Sunday afternoon. Model Winnie Harlow, 24, cut a stylish figure a daring red dress at L'Oreal Paris Fashion Week show on Sunday (pictured) She looked jubilant as she took to the runway on the river Seine waving her hands to the waiting crowds as she walked (pictured) Winnie's bright red dress featured a quirky cut out design on the chest that flashed a hint of skin. The dress's daring split showcased the model's red strappy sandals, which she walked in with ease down the picturesque catwalk. Her brunette locks looked sleek and were kept in a half up-do at her back so as not to draw attention away from her scene-stealing outfit. Winnie waved at the crowd in the middle of her walk, and at one point blew kisses. Winnie's bright red dress featured a quirky cut out design on the chest that flashed a hint of skin and a daring slit at the thigh (pictured) Winnie posed up a storm (pictured) as she led celebrities including Cheryl, 35, and Eva Longoria, 43, on to the catwalk At one point Winnie blew kisses to the crowds during the event (pictured), before getting straight back to walking down the runway Ever the professional, she was straight back to work and walking down the runway with grace. Winnie recently hit out at at being branded 'a sufferer' of pigment disease Vitiligo. She wrote on Instagram: 'I'm not a ''Vitiligo Sufferer'' I'm not a ''Vitiligo model.'' The catwalk was placed in the middle of Parisian river the Seine (pictured right) and onlookers watched from boats moored nearby (left) Canadian-born model Winnie threw up peace signs to the watching crowds (left) as her fellow models giggled behind her (middle and right) Winnie appeared to be having a ball and had a big smile on her face as she modelled in the sho (pictured). She has skin condition Vitiligo, which leads to white patches of skin in any area of the body 'I am Winnie. I am a model. And I happen to have Vitiligo. Stop putting these titles on me or anyone else.' Vitiligo is a disease in which the pigment cells of the skin are destroyed in certain areas of the body. Symptoms include loss of skin color with white patches of skin in any location on the body. Adding height to her frame, she teamed the item of clothing with a pair of red strappy heels and eye-catching diamond earrings (pictured) The newly-appointed Victoria's Secret model styled her raven locks into a sleek blow-dried hairdo, which she wore half back, while she opted for a bold make-up look as wore an eye-popping bold blue eye shadow (pictured) Winnie recently hit out at at being branded 'a sufferer' of pigment disease Vitiligo, saying she doesn't want to be known as a 'Vitiligo model'. Pictured: Winnie blows kisses at the crowds Also at today's show was Cheryl, who is an ambassador for the French cosmetics brand, and wore a racy off-the-shoulder silver sequined dress with a daring slit at the front. Also making her debut on the jaw-dropping catwalk was Eva who looked radiant as she showed off her post-baby body after giving birth to her first child, a son called Santiago, just three months ago. Another actress turned model was Elle Fanning who looked ethereal on the catwalk in a delicate strapless pink, gold and white detailed midi dress, teamed with a pair of chunky burgundy platform heels. Winnie's poses were both playful and serious, and effortlessly jumped between the two on the catwalk. Pictured: Winnie poses with her hand on hip in front of other models at the Paris Fashion Week show Advertisement Prince William has completed his week-long tour of Africa with a visit to Kenya. The Duke of Cambridge, 36, wore his Army uniform as he visited the Irish Guards, 1st Battalion at the British Army Training Unit Kenya in Laikipia today. The royal, who is the colonel of the regiment, arrived by a helicopter as he joined Number Two Company for a training session. He also met with Kenyan Defence Forces as he was formally welcomed to the country. Britain's Prince William (C), shoots a spot kick on a soccer pitch during his visit to Ol Maiso primary school in Laikipia, Kenya The Aston Villa football fan also handed out sports equipment to pupils during a visit to Ol Maiso primary school The enthusiastic children were elated to receive the sports equipment from the British prince there on duty Prince William has completed his week-long tour of Africa with a visit to Kenya, where he visited the Irish Guards The Duke of Cambridge, 36, wore his Army uniform as he arrived at the British Army Training Unit Kenya by helicopter William has been on a 'private working trip' in Africa for the past week as president of the United for Wildlife group and patron of Tusk, which is another conservation organisation. He arrived in Namibia on Monday, where he viewed the work of Save the Rhino in Kunene, before later meeting members of the local community involved in the Kunene People's Park Initiative. Following a 5am start, he set off with a dedicated team of rangers to track a rare black rhino. The royal then flew to Tanzania, where he found out more about measures being taken to combat the illegal wildlife trade. It wasn't all fun and games as William talks to Kenya's Defence Cabinet Secretary Raychelle Omamo during his visit Prince William poses for a photograph with members of a community soccer team wearing his beloved Aston Villa's claret kits during his visit William, who is the colonel of the regiment, joined Number Two Company for a training session (above) The prince also met with Kenyan Defence Forces as he was formally welcomed to the country (above) He also visited Mkomazi National Park, as well as a rhino sanctuary, to learn about conservation efforts in the country. The Duke of Cambridge is returning to Britain today, following his trip to Africa, which was in part to promote conference on the illegal wildlife trade in London in October. The prince is passionate about animal conservation, and has campaigned in the past against the killing of elephants, rhinos, pangolins and other species. This lucky community football team will now don Aston Villa kits as super-fan William hands them out The Duke of Cambridge, Prince William (C) embrace a soccer player named William as he gives sports uniforms to members of a community soccer team William talks to Kenya's Defence Cabinet Secretary Rachael Omamo as British High Commissioner to Kenya, Nic Hailey, looks on William is also fond of Kenya, where he proposed to the Duchess of Cambridge back in 2010. Earlier this week, William revealed that Kate, 36, was 'immensely jealous' of his trip to Africa - as he would finally get a good night's sleep away from his 'wonderful children'. Speaking at a reception in Namibia, he said: 'Im delighted to be visiting Namibia for the first time. I'm only sorry that my wife Catherine is not able to join me she is immensely jealous,' he said. 'Particularly as I'm looking forward to a few good uninterrupted nights' sleep this week away from my wonderful children!' Britain's Prince William (C) talks with Irish Soldiers during his visit to the 1st Battalion the Irish Guards Battle group The Duke of Cambridge, Prince William (C) listens to Irish Soldiers during his visit to the 1st Battalion the Irish Guards Battle group Labour's ideas on employee ownership are misguided in the extreme but the party has hit on a weak spot in the UK economy the failure of shareholder democracy. One of the great hopes of the Thatcher years was that the privatisation of utility companies would create a nation of 'Sids' ordinary people with a personal stake in key industries such as water, gas and telecoms. That, along with wider home-ownership through the sale of council houses and liberalising the mortgage market, was one of her biggest ideas for transforming society. Ruth Sunderland says direct share ownership by individuals has fallen dramatically, from 54% of the market in 1963 to 28% early in the Thatcher years, to a mere 12% today Unfortunately, it has not turned out as she would have hoped. Direct share ownership by individuals has fallen dramatically, from 54 per cent of the market in 1963 to 28 per cent early in the Thatcher years, to a mere 12 per cent today. A number of utility companies, rather than being beacons of private share-ownership, have fallen into overseas hands. In some cases they were taken over by overseas government-controlled companies. As for the building societies that floated on the stock market, creating thousands of new investors through their free share giveaways, none are left. They all, from HBOS to Northern Rock, Bradford & Bingley and Alliance & Leicester, fell victim to the credit crisis of a decade ago. The proposal from Labour is to seize ten per cent of companies' capital. Ostensibly, this is for the benefit of workers but in reality it is a stealth tax. Yet the underlying idea that ordinary small shareholders could be a potent force for good in the economy is correct, and it is one the Conservatives should heed. Unilever's plans to move its HQ from London to Rotterdam has caused a row to erupt Individual private investors are, collectively, a sleeping giant, as yet unaware of their own powers. These are real. When owners get involved in a business, it tends to do better: there is plenty of evidence that companies with a high level of employee ownership have better productivity. Small shareholders can also fulfil other useful functions, such as defending a company against an unwanted bid, as Marks & Spencer discovered to its benefit when Sir Philip Green came knocking with a takeover proposal in 2004. The row over Unilever's plans to move its headquarters from London to Rotterdam is a prime example. One of the hurdles Unilever needs to jump is for a majority of shareholders to approve its proposal. In theory, therefore, its tens of thousands of private investors have more sway over its future than the 8,500 big City institutions. Private investors, once engaged, might actually be more challenging towards poor performance and bad boardroom behaviour than the big City institutions, which are often unwilling to rock the boat. Of course, some companies are not particularly keen to enfranchise small shareholders, fearing they will be troublesome. This shouldn't be an option. Whether directly, or indirectly as pension or ISA savers, it is ultimately us who are the owners of UK plc, not City institutions - the latter are merely the stewards of our cash and should act in our interest. But the case of Unilever highlights how the current system threatens to disenfranchise small investors. Those who hold shares through platforms, in ISAs or self invested pension plans are likely to find it expensive and difficult, if not impossible to use their full voting rights at Unilever. This is absurd. New technology should make it relatively cheap and easy for brokers and financial advisers, along with companies themselves, to make sure individual investors enjoy their full democratic rights. Never mind Corbyn and his madcap plans for a tax raid masquerading as employee share ownership. Small investor power could be a major asset to corporate Britain but only if we have a real shareholder democracy. The owner of JCB has been paid 60 million after a record year at the digger maker The owner of JCB has been paid 60 million after a record year at the digger maker. Lord Bamford was handed the dividend windfall as sales surged 28 per cent to 3.4 billion, the highest in its 73-year history. JCB has 22 factories around the world, including 11 in the UK, where it hired an extra 1,100 staff this year to meet booming demand. The number of vehicles made by the Staffordshire firm rose 20 per cent last year driven by exports to markets from the Americas to the Middle East. Profits climbed 23 per cent to 203 million. JCB's ultimate owner is a Dutch holding firm controlled by the Bamfords. The son of a high-profile chef has been filmed being tasered by police during a stand-off. Up to 10 police officers allegedly confronted Franklin Elmes, 20, at his family's home in North Bondi, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, on Australia Day. Footage shows the 20-year-old holding a knife to his throat and threatening to harm himself before an officer tasered him, causing him to fall down the stairs. The footage had been tendered in the Downing Centre Local Court. Police have been caught on camera tasering Franklin Elmes (pictured, left), the son of a high-profile chef during a stand-off on Australia Day Footage shows the 20-year-old holding a knife to his throat and threatening to harm himself before an officer tasered him, causing him to fall down the stairs Franklin is the son of Darren Elmes, 50, a former head chef at the popular Bondi eatery, Ravesis, The Daily Telegraph reported. The footage shows the 50-year-old yelling at police to leave his son alone. Mr Elmes was then punched by an officer and sprayed in the face with capsicum spray. He was charged with hindering and assaulting police but Magistrate Mary Ryan threw out the charges, and demanded the state pay him $20,000 in legal costs. Franklin is the son of Darren Elmes (pictured), 50, a former head chef at the popular Bondi eatery, Ravesis Mr Elmes was then punched by an officer and sprayed in the face with capsicum spray Mr Elmes was hospitalised following the confrontation, where he was treated for cuts on his face and legs, and a knife wound to his hand. The officers' case faltered when the chef's lawyer Paul McGirr successfully argued the police illegally entered his property. The court heard that the confrontation began as police suspected Franklin to be involved in a group of men who punched a taxi driver. Taxi driver, Daljit Dhillon allegedly reported to police that two young men left his cab without paying before a third punched him in the face and ran into Mr Elmes' home. The footage shows the 50-year-old (pictured with wife) yelling at police to leave his son alone The officers' case faltered when the chef's lawyer Paul McGirr successfully argued the police illegally entered his property Mr Dhillon told police that he believed the man who assaulted him was in his 30's and was bald, which wasn't a match to Franklin. The court heard Franklin had prior involvement with police. Due to the conflicting descriptions, police were unable to prove 'reasonable suspicion' to legally enter the property. This meant everything the officers did afterwards was unlawful, the court heard. Ms Ryan told the court that Senior Constable Nicholas Kidd was adamant to enter the house without a warrant. Franklin's charged were dismissed in June under mental health laws and the condition that he would attend drug and alcohol rehabilitation. North Korea's foreign minister on Saturday told the United Nations there was 'no way' that his country would disarm first as long as the United States continued to push for tough enforcement of sanctions against Pyongyang. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Ri Yong Ho accused Washington of creating a deadlock in talks on denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. 'The recent deadlock is because the US relies on coercive measures which are lethal to trust-building,' Ri told the assembly. 'Without any trust in the US, there will be no confidence in our national security and under such circumstances, there is no way we will unilaterally disarm ourselves first.' North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho warned the United States not to push Pyongyang too hard with crippling sanctions The United States is insisting on a 'denuclearization-first' policy that 'increases the level of pressure by sanctions to achieve their purpose in a coercive manner,' said the foreign minister. 'The perception that sanctions can bring us on our knees is a pipe dream of the people who are ignorant about us.' Led by the United States, the Security Council adopted three sanctions resolutions last year aimed at depriving North Korea of revenue for its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. A landmark summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June led to a warming of ties and a halt in Pyongyang's missile launches, but there has been little concrete progress toward denuclearization. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met Donald Trump in June to discuss the denuclearization process, which appears to have stalled Ri told the UN assembly that his government had stopped nuclear and missile tests, dismantled a nuclear test site and continued to make efforts to build trust, but saw no reciprocal action (pictured: command post facilities of North Korea's nuclear test site are exploded in Punggye-ri in May) This week, Ri met with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who agreed to return to Pyongyang next month to discuss US demands that the North scrap its weapons programs. Pompeo will also try to arrange a second summit between Trump and Kim, whose June meeting in Singapore was the first ever between sitting leaders of the long-time enemy states. Ri told the UN assembly that his government had stopped nuclear and missile tests, dismantled a nuclear test site and continued to make efforts to build trust. 'However we do not see any corresponding response from the US,' he said. NHK warned of waves of up to 13 metres on the western coast. Trami is forecast to churn north across Okinawa on Saturday, then across the islands of Kyushu and the main island of Honshu on Sunday, a path similar to that of Typhoon Jebi early in September. NHK also said airlines had cancelled more than 380 flights, mainly those flying in and out of Okinawa. A powerful typhoon pummelled Japan's southern island of Okinawa Saturday, injuring at least 17 people, as weather officials warned the storm would rip through the Japanese archipelago over the weekend. Kansai International Airport in Osaka is preparing to close its two runways from 11am Sunday until 6am Monday, affecting many more flights including those of Thai Airways International, which has cancelled Bangkok-Osaka services for the day. Typhoon Jebi claimed 11 lives and shut down Kansai Airport, the main regional airport. West Japan Railway Co. said all trains in the area covering Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe would suspend operations from about noon September 30 as the typhoon approaches the Kansai region. Both airline groups cancelled all flights to and from Naha, Ishigaki and Miyako airports in Okinawa Prefecture. Five people suffered injuries in storm-related accidents in Okinawa, but no one was feared dead, local officials said. "We are strongly urging our residents to stay indoors because it is extremely risky to be outside now", Masaaki Tamaki, an official of Kagoshima's disaster management section, told AFP. "Please be on high alert against violent winds, high waves and heavy rainfall", it said. After raking the outlying islands, the typhoon is forecast to pick up speed and approach western Japan on Sunday "with a very strong force" as it barrels over the mainland, he added. It is the latest storm to threaten Japan in a year filled with more than the usual number of disasters, including punishing heat, heavy rains and landslides. In July, heavy rain in western Japan killed 221 people, setting off landslides and flooding. Fishermen in Kagoshima bay, where the typhoon is expected to make landfall, were already making preparations, tying down their boats as Trami approached. "We do what we can to limit the damage". Just two days after Jebi hit in September, the northernmost main island of Hokkaido was rocked by an quake that set off landslides, knocked out power throughout the island and killed at least 44 people. President Donald Trump has questioned whether Senator Dianne Feinstein leaked the documents relating to Christine Blasey Ford's allegations of sexual assault against Supreme Court Judge nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Trump brought up her name when speaking to reporters about the impending FBI investigation, adding that the probe may turn out to have a number of positive outcomes including a revelation about who made the story public. 'Having the FBI go out and do a thorough investigation, whether it's three days or seven days, I think it's going to be less a week, but having them do a thorough investigation, I actually think will be a blessing in disguise, it'll be a good thing,' he said during a press conference at the White House, NBC News reports. Scroll down for videos Donald Trump said Saturday the FBI probe into Brett Kavanaugh could be a 'blessing in disguise' and admitted he had no replacement lined up for the Supreme Court nominee Trump questioned whether Senator Dianne Feinstein leaked the documents relating to Christine Blasey Ford's allegations of sexual assault Trump said Feinstein's body language was 'not exactly very good' when asked if she or her staff leaked the story to the press 'I think frankly the FBI has a chance reveal a lot of different things. I'd like to find out who leaked the papers, was it Sen. Feinstein? 'Because certainly her body language was not exactly very good when they asked her that question, so I would like to find out, as part of it, who leaked the papers, which Democrats leaked the papers.' Trump ordered the FBI look into Kavanaugh's background after a hearing Thursday. Feinstein denied being behind a leak and also said her staff were not to blame. At first she said: 'I don't believe my staff would leak it. I have not asked that question directly.' She later added in a video that can be seen on Fox News: 'The answer is no.' When asked if she had even questioned her staff she replied, nervously laughing at one point: 'I just did. Jennifer reminds me that I've asked her before about it and that's true.' When speaking about her colleague Jennifer she gestured back to the row behind her. Senator Feinstein denied having anything to do with the story getting out to the public Feinstein said she was told about the allegations in confidence and held the information Feinstein noted that Ford was afraid and she waited until she was ready to come forward The ranking member said she was not notified the story would get into the hands of the press. 'I was given some information by a woman who was very much afraid and asked that it be confidential,' she explained. 'I held it confidential until she decided that she come forward.' She touched her chest with conviction and tapped the desk in front of her as she tried to convince those in attendance that she was being truthful, which may have been the body language Trump was referring to. Throughout her speech Feinstein sometimes stumbled over her words. Christine Blasey Ford (left) testified against Brett Kavanaugh (right) Thursday at Capitol Hill 'I'm telling you I did not, ' she added with a raise in the pitch of her voice. 'I was asked to keep it confidential and I'm criticized for that too.' 'I did not hide Dr. Ford's allegations. I did not leak her story. I held it confidential as she asked.' At the same time Trump admitted he had no other people in mind to replace Kavanaugh should he not take up the position. 'I don't need a backup plan,' POTUS said from Washington DC. 'We have to see what happens. I think he's going to be fine. Again, one of the most respected men, and certainly one of the most respected jurists, or judges, in the United States.' Tory MPs should keep Theresa May as leader for the best chance of defeating Jeremy Corbyn and leave Boris Johnson on the backbenches, an exclusive new poll has concluded. Asked if they preferred a Conservative Government with Mrs May as Prime Minister or Labour with Mr Corbyn in No 10, voters backed the Tory leader by 54 per cent to 46 per cent. But given a choice between Mr Johnson and Mr Corbyn, the result was a dead heat 50-50. Voters backed the Theresa May as the leader and Conservative government for No 10 by 54 per cent Given a choice between Mr Johnson and Mr Corbyn, the result was a dead heat 50-50 The research, conducted by former Conservative deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft, comes at the start of the Tory Party conference in Birmingham. The gathering is set to be dominated by Brexit following Mr Johnsons demand last week that Mrs May chucks her Chequers proposal. On Friday, Mr Johnson wrote a newspaper article condemning her plan, branding it a moral and intellectual humiliation for this country that would cheat the electorate. Most Tory MPs now privately expect Mrs May to step down as leader before the next Election, but are hopelessly divided over who should succeed her. Lord Ashcrofts research backs Mrs Mays often-mocked refrain that no deal is better than a bad deal, with four in ten voters saying they want a hard Brexit, handing the UK complete control over borders, laws and the ability to strike free-trade deals with the rest of the world rather than see the Prime Minister broker further compromises with Brussels. On Friday, Boris Johnson wrote a newspaper article condemning her Chequers proposal That compares with 31 per cent who want a second referendum including the option of stopping Brexit while 17 per cent would prefer a soft Brexit, with the UK remaining in the Single Market or Customs Union. Tory delegates arriving in Birmingham have been unnerved by Labours unusually slick and upbeat conference in Liverpool last week, with Mr Corbyn and his Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell presenting a series of popular soak the rich policies such as taxing second homes. Lord Ashcrofts polling offers the Tories little comfort as it shows the most important issues to voters are those focused on by Mr Corbyn. When asked to rank the subjects most important to me and my family, the top concern was the cost of living, followed by the NHS. Brexit was only the third most important issue, despite it consuming most of the energies of the May administration. Theresa May arriving at the Tory Party conference in Birmingham. The gathering is set to be dominated by Brexit When asked which party did most to help ordinary people get on in life, Labour held a lead of 24 percentage points. Lord Ashcroft concludes that Mrs May will struggle to win a commanding lead over Labour because many of the poorer voters who back her determination to push through with Brexit had been alienated by Conservatives public spending cuts which Mr Corbyn has exploited by pledging to reverse. Writing in todays Mail on Sunday, Lord Ashcroft says: This is why Mrs May found it impossible to achieve a majority in last years snap Election. He added: It is also why, in the event of a parliamentary impasse over the Brexit deal, she would be unwise to expect a better outcome from a new Election than she got from the last one. On Brexit, Lord Ashcroft whose 10,000-plus sample size is more than four times larger than a typical opinion poll found that voters appear to be losing confidence in the Prime Ministers ability to negotiate a good deal. When asked to rate their confidence out of 100, voters gave an average score of just 31 down from 40 in May this year and 52 in March 2017. Tory delegates were unnerved by Labours unusually slick and upbeat conference in Liverpool last week with Jeremy Corbyn Part of the reason is that the EU is widely perceived to hold the whip hand in the negotiations, with 53 per cent of voters regarding the EU as stronger. Just 13 per cent believe the UK is stronger. There was significant support for the idea that the best way for Mrs May to get the best deal was for her to stand up to Brussels. A total of 40 per cent think she should threaten to walk away without a deal, compared with 28 per cent who want her to seek more compromises. And despite growing concern within Government over the consequences of a no deal, only one third of voters believe it will lead to major disruption and shortages. Lord Ashcroft also found that most of those in his focus groups had little idea about the details of Mrs Mays Chequers plan, other than it had prompted Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Brexit Secretary David Davis to resign. One member said: You get the feeling its draft one, and draft two is going to follow. Theresa May can arrive at the Conservative Party conference today with a spring in her step following her slapping down of EU leaders after the Salzburg summit. My latest research shows voters think the Prime Minister is right to threaten to leave without a deal, rather than seek further compromise with an intransigent EU. Yet with her MPs trying to pull her in two directions at once, this could be the most difficult Tory gathering for many years. Even so, she and her party need to look beyond Brexit and the conference hall. Since the referendum it has become a cliche to say we are a divided country, but we are at odds over more than just Brexit: we are split over the whole past decade of political life. Prime Minister Theresa May is right to threaten to leave without a deal, rather than seek further compromise with an intransigent EU We know we voted to leave the EU by 52 per cent to 48 per cent, but we are also still precisely divided over austerity whether the Government was right to try to balance the books in the way it did after 2010. The trouble is, these two powerful divides cut across each other: just under half of Leave voters backed austerity, while a third of pro-austerity voters wanted to remain in the EU. This, as much as anything, explains why British politics has felt so arduous for so long. David Cameron assembled a winning coalition of voters around his long-term economic plan based on restoring order to the public finances. Mrs May tried to bring together all those who thought Brexit should mean Brexit. But too many who agreed with her about that could not bring themselves to support what they still thought of as the party of cuts; and too many who had accepted austerity would not vote for what had become, in their eyes, the party of Brexit. This is why Mrs May found it impossible to achieve a majority at last years Election. It is also why, in the event of a parliamentary impasse over the Brexit deal, she would be unwise to expect a better outcome from a new Election than she got from the last one. In my poll, Leave voters who wanted a clean break with the EU and backed austerity, put their likelihood of voting Tory at the next Election twice as high as hard Brexiteers who opposed the cuts. David Cameron assembled a winning coalition of voters around his long-term economic plan based on restoring order to the public finances Only 13 per cent of anti-austerity Leave voters who want a hard Brexit the people the PM hoped to attract last June think the Conservatives are on the side of people like them. That is not to say that Brexit doesnt matter. My research finds confidence that the Government will achieve a good deal has fallen steadily over the past 18 months, especially among Leave voters. Many expect a messy compromise in which we will still be closely tied to the EU. Though few know what is in the Chequers plan (you get the feeling its draft one, and draft two is going to follow, as one of our focus group participants observed sagely), many Leavers are alarmed by the idea of a common rulebook meaning the UK agrees to follow EU rules and regulations. Voters who say they want a soft Brexit are, in practice, reluctant to compromise on any of the things they think Brexit should mean: independent law-making, our own free-trade deals, stopping free movement, and ending payments to the EU. Yet most voters feel that Brussels has the stronger hand in the negotiations. But Brexit is just one of the things the Government has to deal with, and in many voters eyes it isnt even the most important. It comes a close second to the NHS when we ask what matters most, but falls to a distant third when we ask people about priorities for themselves and their families, with the cost of living at the top of the list. Labour is believed to have the best approach to both these issues by a comfortable margin. Labour has its own problems, of course. Nearly four in ten of the anti-austerity voters it relies on backed Leave in the referendum and while many of them cheerfully voted Labour last year, they might not be impressed if the party carries on saying it is not ruling out remain as an option, as Sir Keir Starmer did last week. I found many Labour voters lamenting the lack of leadership that allowed the anti-Semitism row to rumble on for months, and disquiet at Jeremy Corbyns shifty response to claims of connections with terror groups. But the Tories would be foolish to rely on Corbyn and Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell to win them another term, even after the Marxist fantasies they flaunted in Liverpool last week. After all, they were on the ballot at the last Election, which nearly ended in disaster for the Tories. They must recognise that people are desperate to move on from Brexit as desperate as Mrs May herself must surely be. If the issue must dominate the agenda at Cabinet, it cant dominate the conference, or what the party has to say to the voters. The thing that most unites people who lean towards the Conservatives is not Brexit or any other area of policy it is the belief that the party shares their values. This is the key. If the Tories cant bring the pro-austerity band back together or unite Leavers under its banner, it must find a new way to show people it knows what it is doing and is on their side. Looking at the things that drove many non-Tories to want to leave the EU concerns about housing, public services, economic opportunity and the quality of life would be a good place to begin. Rebuilding the Conservative brand will be a tall order this week, but the work must start now. Foreign buyers are set to be charged a higher stamp duty rate when they buy property in the UK with the extra cash used to help the homeless, Theresa May will announce today. The move will be seen as an attempt to neutralise the success of Jeremy Corbyns drive to attract young voters with pledges to provide more affordable housing and target high earners. The stamp duty rise will be levied on individuals and firms not paying tax in the UK, with the extra money boosting the Governments drive to combat rough sleeping. The stamp duty rise will be levied on individuals and firms not paying tax in the UK, with the extra money combating rough sleeping The surcharge which is in addition to the present stamp duty, including the higher levels introduced two years ago on second homes and buy-to-lets could be as much as three per cent. The Treasury expects the move to raise up to 120 million a year. An estimated 13 per cent of new-build London properties are bought by non-UK residents, driving up prices and making it harder for first-time buyers to get a foot on the housing ladder. Many wealthy areas of the country particularly in the capital have become ghost towns because of the high number of foreign buyers who spend most of their time out of the country. The new policy comes just weeks after Boris Johnson called for a stamp duty cut to help more young people own their first home. He accused big construction firms of keeping property prices high by snapping up land but not using it, and urged Mrs May to abandon quotas on affordable homes to fix Britains housing disgrace. Mr Corbyn has announced an eye-catching series of proposed housing reforms, including rent controls and an end to no-fault evictions. He also wants to give councils greater powers to build new homes. Mrs May said: Last year I said I would dedicate my premiership to restoring the British dream that life should be better for each new generation. And that means fixing our broken housing market. Britain will always be open to people who want to live, work and build a life here. However, it cannot be right that it is as easy for individuals who dont live in the UK, as well as foreign-based companies, to buy homes as hard-working British residents. For too many people the dream of home ownership has become all too distant, and the indignity of rough sleeping remains all too real. An Australian academic has revealed how the 'bin chicken', or Ibis, played a pivotal role in the discovery of evolution. The Ibis was used in the first test of evolution - conducted 61 years before Charles Darwin's Origin of Species was published in 1859, according to Dr Caitlin Curtis, University of Queensland Centre for Policy Futures researcher. The test began after mummified birds were transported from Egypt to France in 1798, she said. Australian academic Dr Caitlin Curtis has revealed how the 'bin chicken' or the Ibis bird played a pivotal role in the discovery of evolution (stock image) When Napoleon's Army invaded Egypt, it returned to France with mummified Ibis birds, according to UQ News. The Egyptians, who revered the Ibis, mummified millions of them. 'The ibis mummies were taken by Napoleon's army to Paris and played a surprising role in an early debate about evolution,' she said. In her research, Dr Curtis discussed the debate between naturalists Georges Cuvier and Jean-Baptist Lamarck, who argued over the possibility of evolution in species. Cuvier compared the mummified birds with an existing species at the time and - after seeing no significant changes - concluded that evolution was not possible. 'Cuvier took careful measurements and determined that no changes had happened when comparing the mummified birds against modern specimens,' Dr Curtis said. 'He went on to conclude that this was proof that species could not change over time, opposing the emerging evolutionary ideas of Lamarck'. The debate between naturalists Cuvier and Lamarck started when mummified birds from Egypt were compared with modern species of the same kind 'Cuvier took careful measurements and determined that no changes had happened when comparing the mummified birds against modern specimens,' Dr Curtis said Lamarck disagreed with Cuvier and pointed out that not enough time had passed to see if the species evolved. According to Lamarck, significant changes in the environment would also have had to occur in order to make any conclusions on the matter. Despite this, Cuvier was set on the belief that evolution was not possible - and he reiterated these ideas forcefully and dominated the scientific debate back then. According to Dr. Curtis, the confirmation bias existing in the scientific community at the time pushed back the idea of evolution by decades. Dr Curtis' (pictured) research, entitled 'The Sacred Ibis debate: The first test of evolution', was published in the PLOS Biology Journal in collaboration with Professor David Lambert and Associate Professor Craig Millar The debate between Cuvier and Lamarck would later on become known as the 'Sacred Ibis Debate'. Dr. Curtis' research was done in collaboration with Professor David Lambert from Griffith University and Associate Professor Craig Millar from the University of Auckland. Their research, entitled 'The Sacred Ibis debate: The first test of evolution', was published in the PLOS Biology Journal on the 27th of September. More than 150 people were arrested for drug offences at Sydney's Listen Out music festival, just one week on from two people dying from an overdose at Defqon.1. Police arrested 159 revellers on Saturday at the event, which was held at the Centennial Park festival grounds and attracted about 34,000 people through the gates between 1pm and 11pm. Officers charged 154 with drug possession and another five with drug supply offences. Twelve people were taken to hospital for medical treatment, including seven drug users. More than 34,000 people attended Listen Out music festival on Saturday at Centennial Park in Sydney (festival-goers pictured) There were also three charges for resisting arrest, three for assaulting police, four for failing to quit, and one for offensive behaviour, police said. Operation Commander Superintendent Karen McCarthy said revellers went against warnings issued by police prior to the event. 'We conduct these operations because the well being and safety of attendees is our number one priority,' Superintendent McCarthy said. 'Generally, festival-goers were well behaved and enjoyed the event, however there appears to be a small section of the community that continues to possess and deal in illegal substances, despite our warnings.' A 21-year-old Victorian woman and a 23-year-old Sydney man died from drug overdoses after attending Defcon.1 in Penrith, Western Sydney, last Saturday 'Both uniformed and covert officers attend these festivals so if you choose to act illegally or anti-socially you will never know if the person standing next to you is a police officer,' she said. A 21-year-old Victorian woman and a 23-year-old Sydney man died from drug overdoses after attending Defcon.1 in Penrith, Western Sydney, last Saturday. Three others were taken to hospital in a critical condition. One in five children some as young as 11 are creating social media accounts that they keep secret from adults. A survey of 20,000 secondary school pupils revealed a rapid growth in fake Insta accounts a reference to photo-sharing site Instagram. The news has heightened fears that sexual content is being posted. There's been rapid growth in fake Insta accounts a reference to photo-sharing site Instagram Twenty per cent of pupils said they operate a sanitised main account to show parents, while also having private ones. One mother who stumbled across her 13-year-olds daughters secret site found a teenager urging others to rape me. The research, by Digital Awareness UK and the Headmasters and Headmistresses Conference (HMC) of independent schools, found 40 per cent of 11 to 18-year-olds had two profiles, with half of those admitting to keeping private accounts. HMC chief Mike Buchanan said: Its disturbing so many teenagers are tempted into creating online spaces where parents and teachers cannot find them. Holly Willoughby no longer has enough time to devote to their homewear and accessories brand Truly Holly Willoughby has left Dragons Den star Peter Jones fuming by pulling out of their lucrative lifestyle brand business at the last minute to focus on her own new bumper contracts with Marks & Spencer and ITV. Sources say Jones was furious when TVs golden girl admitted during a tense meeting on Tuesday at the headquarters of his business empire in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, that her new deals worth up to 1.5 million meant she no longer had enough time to devote to their homewear and accessories brand Truly. The business had been likened to Gwyneth Paltrows Goop brand and was tipped to double Willoughbys estimated 11 million fortune. As Willoughby, 37, took to Instagram to announce she was leaving Truly, Jones jetted out of Britain to head for one of his holiday homes. A source said: Truly was by far the top of Hollys priorities. It was going to be her long-term future that would see her through the next couple of decades. Her decision to pull out left everyone involved absolutely stunned. Nobody could believe what was happening on Tuesday, it was so close to the launch. There is a warehouse full of goods at the Marlow HQ which are ready to be sold. Experts believe the departure of the This Morning presenter, who is among Britains most bankable stars, could cost the firm millions due to hefty investment in products ranging from cushions and candles to clothing and homewear, and the potential for further delays to its launch. And it could mean the end of a long friendship. Mother-of-three Willoughby and husband Dan Baldwin have been close to Jones and his wife Tara Capp for ten years. Good friends: Willoughby and Jones on a ski holiday in 2017 Willoughby set up Truly with Capp in 2016 and Jones, 52, joined as chairman in March. The couples holiday together and Jones has a 40 per cent stake in Baldwins TV production firm. Willoughby is to become a brand ambassador for M&S and will replace Ant McPartlin as host of ITVs Im A Celebrity. A source close to Jones said last night We wouldnt comment on his business affairs. Sergei Skripal (pictured) unmasked dozens of secret agents and gave information to MI6 Sergei Skripal, a former colonel in Russian military intelligence, was considered by the Kremlin to be one of the most damaging spies of his generation. He was responsible for unmasking dozens of secret agents threatening Western interests by operating undercover in Europe. Col Skripal, 66, allegedly received 78,000 in exchange for taking huge risks to pass classified information to MI6. In 2006, he was sentenced to 13 years in a Russian labour camp after being convicted of passing invaluable Russian secrets to the UK. A senior source in Moscow said at the time: 'This man is a big hero for MI6.' After being convicted of 'high treason in the form of espionage' by Moscow's military court, Col Skripal was stripped of his rank, medals and state awards. He was alleged by Russia's security service, the FSB, to have begun working for the British secret services while serving in the army in the 1990s. He was sentenced to 13 years in a Russian labour camp when he was convicted of passing secrets to Britain He passed information classified as state secrets and was paid for the work by MI6, the FSB claimed. Col Skripal pleaded guilty at the trial and co-operated with investigators, reports said at the time. He admitted his activities and gave a full account of his spying, which led to a reduced sentence. In July 2010, he was pardoned by then Russian president Dmitry Medvedev and was one of four spies exchanged for ten Russian agents deported from the US in an historic swap involving red-headed 'femme fatale' Anna Chapman. Mrs Chapman, then 28, was a Manhattan socialite and diplomat's daughter, who had lived and worked in London during a four-year marriage to British public schoolboy Alex Chapman. After the swap at Vienna airport, Col Skripal was one of two spies who came to Britain and he has kept a low profile for the past eight years. He moved into a 350,000 home in Salisbury and collapsed outside a shopping centre in the city centre He is understood to have been debriefed for months before being given a home and a pension. The former spy was living at an address in Salisbury, Wiltshire, when the suspected poisoning took place in the city centre. Reports in Russia suggested that Mr Skripal was originally recruited by MI6 in Tallinn, Estonia, and may have lectured on the KGB tactics since moving to Britain. He often went to his local shop to buy a particular type of Polish sausage and spent up to 40 a time on lottery scratch cards and was described as a 'polite' and 'kind' customer who often won money. Adam Blake who owns local firm A2B Taxis, said he 'fairly regularly' used to pick up Mr Skripal, who is fighting for his life after being exposed to a mystery substance. Mr Blake told the Daily Mirror: 'He had a black-faced ring with an animal on it, a wolf I think, and would kiss the ring and ask if you wanted to kiss it. 'Then he would look each way, as if joking, and say, "I'm a Russian spy". He would say it to all the drivers and nobody ever believed him. 'I would often see him standing around town in doorways too, looking around suspiciously as if he was really trying to portray the spy image.' He also joined the 10-a-year Railway Social Club in the city and neighbours said they did not know him well, although he organised a house-warming party shortly after moving in, inviting people by dropping notes through doors. It was also revealed how he had suffered two bereavements within just five years when his wife Lyudmila died aged 59 in 2012, before his son Alexandr passed away aged 43 in 2017. This video shows the evidence used to convict Skripal of spying in Russia and his high-profile arrest in Moscow in 2004 His neighbour Blake Stephens, 24, said: 'He used to live with his wife but unfortunately she died in a car accident a while ago.' Col Skripal was turned by MI6 when he was posted abroad as a GRU military intelligence agent in Europe in the mid-1990s. During his years working for MI6, the balding spy unmasked dozens of agents threatening Western interests. Col Skripal was so well-connected that even after his retirement from his spy service in 1999 he continued to pass exceptional secrets to London by staying in touch with his former colleagues as a reservist officer. He was nicknamed 'the spy with the Louis Vuitton bag' after grainy pictures showed him carrying a bag at an airport en route to a meeting with his handlers. He may finally have been snared by the FSB after passing his intelligence to MI6's infamous James Bond-style 'spy rock' a fake stone packed with receiving equipment in a Moscow park. Russian secret services exposed the ploy in 2006, revealing how British agents transmitted their data to the rock via a hidden hand-held device while walking past it. Russian president Vladimir Putin (pictured yesterday) once hinted at how his country deals with spies by insisting that 'traitors always end in a bad way' After Col Skripal's conviction, one official said: 'His activities caused a significant blow to Russia's external security.' Chief military prosecutor Sergei Fridinsky said: 'It is impossible to measure in roubles or anything else the amount of harm caused by Skripal.' State-run TV in Russia even compared him to the legendary Soviet double agent Oleg Penkovsky, who spied for Britain and the US during the height of the Cold War. Penkovsky was shot by a firing squad in 1963 and is regarded as one of the most effective spies of all time. Thousands of people attending New York's Global Citizen festival Saturday panicked after a barrier fell in Central Park, and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin was left to reassure the audience everything was under control. The incident caused many people to think a shooting had taken place at the event after a hearing a loud noise they couldn't quite place and seeing attendees dash for the exit. 'What happened is a barrier, I think, fell down. Of course it caused people to feel frightened and stuff like that. But nobody is trying to hurt anybody. You're all safe okay?' event curator, Martin, said with his hand on his heart, prompting loud cheers from the audience. Event curator Chris Martin reassured Global Citizen attendees there had not been a shooting after a barrier fell at the New York concert Saturday night Ok so a fence fell. And people heard that sound and started running #GlobalCitizen pic.twitter.com/Dzfg9OdsS3 Makho Ndlovu (@makhondlovu) September 29, 2018 MSNBC broadcast the concert and cut to commercial as the crowd dispersed and ran for the exit in a panic One woman was seen being carried out on a stretcher as others watched from behind a barrier WATCH: Chris Martin and NYPD Assistant Chief Kathleen O'Reilly explain that a fence barrier collapsed at #GlobalCitizen Festival; there were no shots fired: "You're all safe." pic.twitter.com/wiAbyMVjqh MSNBC (@MSNBC) September 29, 2018 'A far as I know, when you guys are all ready we can watch Janet Jackson which we all probably want to do.' 'There were NO SHOTS FIRED at #GlobalCitizenFestival. The sound was a fallen barrier. @NYPDCentralPark @GlblCtzn' New York Police Department explained via Twitter. It caused many people to speculate on Twitter where the concert was a trending topic. Approximately 60,000 people filled the park's Great Lawn as some speakers asked the audience to call their Congress members to react to this week's Senate hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh at the politically-charged event. 'You can hear a commotion in the audience and they just escorted the guests off the stage. What is going on,' TV host Makho Ndlovu wrote. She added that Cynthia Erivo was onstage singing and they just asked her to stop singing. Approximately 60,000 people filled the park's Great Lawn and many had no idea what was going on Panic was on the faces of many in the audience as people scrambled to get to the exit NYPD was on hand to calm spectators who gathered to see popular music acts Many people thought there had been a shooting in Central Park and NYPD explained attendees were safe Martin told the audience 'nobody is trying to hurt anybody' at the politically-charged event Commentators on MSNBC which was televising the gig, explained that the crowd dispersed when a spotlight beamed in their direction. 'You can obviously see the spotlights turned on and people started running toward us at the MSNBC stage. Towards the exit it was chaotic for a moment but things have calmed down now,' the commentator said. The kerfuffle lead to the TV station halting the airing until everything was straightened out. One tweeter wrote: 'WHAT JUST HAPPENED!? Fellow new yorkers fill me in!!! We saw screaming and running on tv & it cut to a commercial.' Twitter users questioned what happened during the event as panic ensued The NYPD tweeted that no one was shot during the incident after people heard the loud sound Cardi B was one of the acts that performed at the event before the barrier collapsed Janelle Monae was one of the performers at Global Citizen before the incident John Legend took to the stage to address the crowd and sing his popular songs Kal Penn, Robert De Niro, Rachel Brosnahan, and Hugh Jackson appeared at the event earlier The show resumed by 8pm as the official Twitter page posted: 'Stay calm, everyone. A barrier fell at the #GlobalCitizen Festival in Central Park, but the show is back on.' Janet Jackson kicked things off again with her set and joined The Weeknd in headlining the festival. Shawn Mendes, Cardi B, and Janelle Monae also performed at the gathering. Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Republican Senator Jeff Flake and John Legend urged spectators to get involved in the nation's troubled politics. It reminds world leaders to fulfill their obligation to achieve the United Nations Global Goals for Sustainable Development and end extreme poverty by 2030. The Weeknd was one of the headlining acts who performed after the barrier collapsed The two launched their skydive around 2pm in Lebanon, Maine. A search is underway for the body of a skydiving instructor who somehow became detached from his partner during a tandem jump from an airplane Thursday afternoon. The incident happened around 2 p.m. Thursday when Bickford, an experienced skydiver, was with the male student from Skydive New England in Lebanon. Both people use the same parachute in a tandem jump. Investigators say Bickford and the student became separated about a mile above the ground, Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland said. The student safely landed the tandem parachute at the airport without incident after what Skydive New England described as an "uneventful freefall". The Maine Warden Service had said earlier Friday that Bickford was presumed dead. McCausland added that the instructor didn't have a backup parachute. Maine State Police and the Maine Warden Service are involved in the search, which is concentrated around Skydive New England on Skydive Lane. Police weren't sure on Friday how the skydivers became separated. The investigation to determine what caused the fatal skydiving accident is ongoing, MacDonald said. According to News Center Maine, Skydive New England has experienced several incidents over the past couple of years with skydivers getting injured and one person dying in 2002. A trial vaccine is showing promise for treating aggressive forms of several cancers, including, ovarian, bowel, prostate and gastroesophageal cancers. The experimental shot teaches the immune system to recognize cells that are multiplying out of control due to a mutation along the HER2 gene. In about 25 percent of breast cancers, HER2 mutations make the tumors grow more aggressively, and dramatically increase the risks that the disease will come back, even after remission. The new immunotherapy, developed by the National Institutes of Health, has not yet been tested in breast cancers, but it may be able to counteract the rogue gene. So far, it has stopped growth in 54 percent of HER2 tumors in small trial and even eradicated one woman's ovarian cancer for 18 months over the course of the newly-published clinical trial. A new immunotherapy shot at least temporarily slowed growth and suppressed HER2 cells that make about a quarter of breast cancers more aggressive (pictured). The 11-person trial looked at other kinds of HER2 tumors, but is now being tested on breast cancer patients Chemotherapy has been a game-changer in the battle against cancers of all kinds. But not all cancers - even if they originate in the same parts of the body - are alike, and neither are their responses to treatment. Differences in the cancers people eventually develop are, in many cases, written in their genes. For this reason, as soon as someone is diagnosed with breast cancer, doctors test the tumor tissue to check the patient's HER2 status. Normally, the gene keeps the regulates the way that breast tissue cells grow. So when mutations to it disrupt its function, HER2 instead fuels the unruly replication of these cells, making the tumors grow faster and raising the risks of later cancer recurrences. Doctors start HER2-positive breast cacer patients on another drug, called trastuzumab, or Herceptin, when they begin chemotherapy treatment. Trastuzumab is administered through an IV, and typically has to be given every three weeks for a year - even if chemotherapy treatments end before then. The drug works, extending survival times for most patients, but it doesn't work for every HER2-positive patient. It is also fairly toxic, causing a host of side effects, such as nausea, rashes, diarrhea, headaches, joint pain and more. To test their new cancer vaccine, the researchers needed to try it out in patients whose bodies were not already full of the potent Herceptin. So they recruited 11 late stage patients with other HER2-associated cancers, because nearly every HER2 breast cancer patient takes Herceptin or a related drug. These are patients 'so advanced that they have failed all the therapies and we would expect the cancers to keep growing,' explained lead study author Dr Jay Berzofsky, chief of the vaccine branch of the NIH's National Cancer Institute. The new immunotherapy vaccine may involves a less grueling treatment plan. It was administered over the course of six months. Patients got one dose every four weeks for the first three doses, then the last two doses eight weeks apart. The method involves extracting immune cells from a patient, altering them in the laboratory so they can 'see' a protein common to many cancers called HER2, and then reinjecting the cells. Because the treatment is developed using the patient's own cells, it tends to be better tolerated and to more precisely target their cancers. The trial was small, but for six of the patients, the experimental vaccine was cause for hope. Tumor growth was stopped in its tracks for four patients with metastatic ovarian, gastroesophageal, prostate and bowel cancers. Another patient's tumors shrank for more than four months, before starting to grow again. And the vaccine worked so well in one that after nearly two years, she was still cancer-free. Interestingly, when her cancer did come back, it no longer expressed the HER2 cells. 'This is further evidence that the vaccine is working to eradicate HER2, so when it recurred, it had to recur without it, Dr Berzofsky explained. He and his team are now beginning the process of testing the vaccine on breast cancer patients for whom Herceptin and other HER2-specific treatments have failed. John Simpson was furious when his boss at the BBC tried to force him out of his job because of his age. But the veteran war correspondent, 74, has found the perfect way to get revenge on former head of news James Harding with a wicked fictional caricature. Simpsons new thriller out next month Moscow Midnight features a heroic reporter, Jon Swift, whose nemesis is a craven, risk-averse head of news, Daniel Porchester, who tries to shut down a big story before it sends shockwaves through No 10 and the Kremlin. Speaking ahead of publication in an exclusive interview in The Mail on Sundays Event magazine, BBC world affairs editor Simpson revealed what happened when Harding took over in 2013. British foreign news correspondent for the BBC, John Simpson CBE He said: He came in believing the BBC had far too many old white men at the top. I realised I was being propelled towards the exit with soap on the threshold to make sure I skidded through. He added: By the end I was on my knees, clinging on by my fingernails I wasnt travelling, big stories I thought I ought to be doing, such as the official report into the Iraq war, were assigned to other people. They started to cut my pay down by two-thirds He wanted rid of me. Simpson who joined the BBC in 1970 spoke of his anger at being targeted on the basis of his age. He said: What really p***** me off about trying to get rid of older people is that it is based on your date of birth, not the quality of your reporting. That is why I am so deeply offended someone tried to get rid of me solely on those grounds. I dont think there is any difference in my capabilities now and 20 years ago. BBC's World Affairs editor John Simpson walking into Kabul with the Northern Alliance Forces Giving his support for equal pay for women at the BBC, he said: It is absolutely wrong to pay someone less because of their sex. But what about paying a person less because of their age? What about not saying anything to the person but organising things so theyd be shoved out? In a damning verdict on Hardings time at the BBC, Simpson said: James is a highly intelligent man, a really impressive character, but I dont think he ever understood that weird place. By contrast Simpson has nothing but praise for Hardings successor Fran Unsworth. Shortly after she took over the job she called Simpson into her office to reassure him he was part of the history and architecture of BBC News. Simpson said: Theres a real sense of relief that someone who doesnt have to learn on the job is in charge. When the British Army decided to drop its famous Be the Best motto because top brass felt it was too elitist, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson stepped in to save it. Now The Mail on Sunday can reveal that troops taking an important new fitness test wont be able to fail it. A leaked document reveals that the current Personal Fitness Assessment (PFA), in which soldiers must reach certain targets to achieve a pass and therefore be eligible to go to war, will be replaced next April by the Soldier Conditioning Review (SCR), for which there is not a pass or fail. The document states: The SCR is not a critical test, but results may indicate the need for personnel to attend additional fitness training (ie remedial training). Soldiers demonstrate part of the Fire and Movement stage in the British Army's New Physical Employment Standards (Fitness Tests) for Close Combat Soldiers at the Royal Army Physical Training Corps School in Aldershot Unlike other tests, the annual SCR will apply to all regular and reserve personnel and may include activities such as a 2km run, 30m sprints, pull-ups, vertical jumps, deadlift and seated medicine ball throw. While the document describes the SCR as an in-service diagnostic tool intended to rank fitness levels on a scale of one to ten and as such be an improvement on the PFA, critics suspect the change has been driven at least in part by the need to retain existing personnel and attract new recruits. Three years ago, statistics released under Freedom of Information rules revealed more than 2,400 forces personnel had failed their annual fitness test, including 7.5 per cent of the Army. Figures also showed that almost 10,000 forces personnel had a body mass index of more than 30, officially classing them as obese. Unlike the PFA, the new fitness testing regime will not make allowances for someones gender or age. Announcing the new tests earlier this month, Field Army Sergeant Major Gavin Paton said: I dont care if you are a man or a woman. I dont care what you do, and the enemy doesnt either. Unlike the PFA, the new fitness testing regime will not make allowances for someones gender or age As well as being forced to backtrack on plans to ditch the Be the Best motto, the Ministry of Defence has been accused of softening its zero-tolerance policy on drugs to stem the loss of recruits. Earlier this month, The Mail on Sunday revealed how military commanders are allowing drug-taking troops to remain in their regiments despite failing as many as three compulsory drug tests. There was further controversy earlier this year when the new head of the Armed Forces, General Sir Nick Carter, threatened to block the promotions of thousands of officers unless they improve the inclusiveness and diversity of their units. The move was described as politically correct claptrap. An Army spokesman said: Soldiers have to meet demanding fitness requirements and that is not going to change. Anyone failing to meet the Armys high fitness standards will, as before, have to undertake remedial training. Using a one-to-ten scale provides a better indication of overall fitness. Leland Ingham Keyser, a friend of Christine Blasey Ford, said in a letter via her attorney that she is not refuting the sexual assault allegation but still has no recollection of the party and does not know Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Keyser's lawyer sent the letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday night, one day after Ford and Kavanaugh testified in front of the senate. In the letter, attorney Howard Walsh wrote that his client is not discrediting Ford's claim but cannot corroborate it. 'She has already told the press that she believes Dr Ford's account. However, the simple and unchangeable truth is that she is unable to corroborate it because she has no recollection of the incident in question,' the letter stated, according to CNN. Leland Ingham Keyser, pictured left and right, released a second statement saying she is not refuting Ford's allegation but does not remember the party Christine Blasey Ford (pictured) has alleged Brett Kavanaugh, who has been nominated as a justice of the Supreme Court, sexually assaulted her while the pair were high school students Walsh also said Keyser will 'cooperate fully' with the FBI investigation into the allegation. Keyser previously released a statement last week saying she does not know Kavanaugh and 'has no recollection of ever being at a party or gathering where he was present, with, or without, Dr Ford'. Walsh told CNN that he wanted to send the letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee because her first statement was brought up during Thursday's hearing and she thought it made it sound as if she did not believe Ford. Ford came forward with claims that Kavanaugh tried to rape her at a high school party in 1982 when they were teenagers. She alleged that Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed and tried to remove her clothes but she was able to escape. Ford said Kavanaugh allegedly pinned her to a bed and tried to take her clothes off when she was 15. Ford is pictured on Thursday during a senate hearing Kavanaugh, pictured during Thursday's senate confirmation hearing, denied assaulting Ford During Thursday's senate hearing, she testified that she remembers Keyser being at the party but said she is not surprised her friend doesn't remember the gathering. 'She didn't know about the event,' Ford told the committee about the alleged assault. 'She was downstairs during the event and I did not share it with her.' Kavanaugh, who denies assaulting Ford, mentioned Keyser's statement during his testimony to point out that none of the people Ford said were at the party remember it ever taking place. Mark Judge, a friend of Kavanaugh's who Ford said was in the bedroom during the assault, has also publicly said he does not remember the party happening. 'I have no memory of this alleged incident,' he said in a statement, adding that he has never known Kavanaugh to act in the manner Ford described. Christine Blasey Ford alleges the assault happened at a high school party in the 1980s when they were teenagers. The pair are pictured in their high school yearbooks Patrick 'PJ' Smyth also issued a statement saying he does not remember the gathering after Ford named him as one of the teens at the party. 'I understand that I have been identified by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford as the person she remembers as 'PJ' who supposedly was present at the party she described in her statements to the Washington Post,' Smyth said in the statement. 'I am issuing this statement today to make it clear to all involved that I have no knowledge of the party in question; nor do I have any knowledge of the allegations of improper conduct she has leveled against Brett Kavanaugh.' On Friday, the senate committee agreed to delay its vote one week so the FBI can investigation the assault allegation. Facebook could face a fine of up to 1.25 billion after at least 50million of its accounts were hacked. Criminals exploited a security flaw to access the accounts, putting huge amounts of sensitive, personal information at risk. But Facebook only announced the breach on Friday, three days after it happened and was last night still unable to say how many British accounts had been affected. Facebook said yesterday they had discovered a data breach in which hackers had stolen 'access tokens' to force their way into tens of millions of accounts A screen grab taken from Facebook of a warning message sent to users after the social network said it had recently discovered a security breach affecting nearly 50 million users As the hunt for the hackers continued, the Irish Data Protection Commissioner which regulates the web giants European data compliance as it is headquartered in Dublin criticised the company, saying: The notification lacks detail. Facebook is now bracing itself for a massive fine under new European Union data laws that can require firms to pay out up to four per cent of its global turnover. Facebook generated 31.2 billion in revenue last year. The crooks gained access to accounts through Facebooks view as feature which allows users to see what their profiles look like when others view them. Graham Jones (pictured) was quizzed by Merseyside Police officers after branding the Israeli ambassador a t****r A Labour MP was questioned by police after branding the Israeli ambassador a t****r at his partys annual conference last week. Graham Jones was quizzed by Merseyside Police officers after he was overheard muttering the insult at an event attended by Mark Regev, Israels representative in London. However, the MP a fierce critic of Jeremy Corbyn was only questioned by police because a passing Corbyn aide thought the jibe was aimed at her. The woman was seen remonstrating with Mr Jones at the packed conference fringe meeting in Liverpool before police intervened. The farcical scenes unfolded the night before the Labour leader sought to draw a line under the partys summer-long rows over anti-Semitism by vowing in his conference speech to fight discrimination against Jews. But at the conferences annual Labour Friends of Israel meeting, speakers including a member of the Israeli parliament vented their anger at the way the anti-Semitism controversy had been handled. Mr Regev, a former spokesman for Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu, aimed a thinly-veiled rebuke at Mr Corbyn, saying: From Attlee, Wilson, Callaghan and Foot, to Kinnock, Blair and Brown; Labour leaders have supported Israels cause precisely because it (Zionism) is an anti-racist cause. As Mr Regev prepared to speak, Mr Jones who is actually a member of the rival Labour Friends of Palestine group made clear his dislike of the ambassador. Mark Regev, Israels representative in London, attended an event and was branded a t****r by Mr Jones Mr Regev, a former spokesman for Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu, aimed a thinly-veiled rebuke at Mr Corbyn The MP for Hyndburn in Lancashire was overheard saying t****r as he looked on from the back of the hall. But just as he uttered the word, an aide who works on international relations in the Labour leaders office was passing. Witnesses say she thought the insult was aimed at her and challenged Mr Jones. They were then both questioned by police outside the hall as the meeting continued before the matter was passed to on-site security officials. However, the MP a fierce critic of Jeremy Corbyn(pictured) was only questioned by police because a passing Corbyn aide thought the jibe was aimed at her Mr Jones has declined to comment on the row. But a friend said: This woman tapped him on the shoulder to complain he had insulted her but he was talking about Regev. Graham may be no fan of Corbyn but hes a long-standing critic of Israels treatment of the Palestinians and hes crossed swords with Regev before. Labour last night rebuked Mr Jones, with a source saying: It is inappropriate for an MP to use this kind of language about anyone. Merseyside Police said: Officers policing the Labour Party Conference were made aware of a potentially offensive comment made by one member of the public to another during an event. Both parties were spoken to and no offences were disclosed. Separately, Labour insiders claimed that officials from Mr Corbyns office were only at the Labour Friends of Israel meeting to spy on which party staffers had turned up to the event. A Labour source denied the claim. The director of a rebuilding Britain party political broadcast feted at last weeks partys conference was accused of hypocrisy last night for also making a video for a Saudi oil firm. Simon Baker was the toast of party activists for his three-minute Our Town film showing how Labour would regenerate neglected parts of the UK. But the award-winning director, who runs a fervently pro-Corbyn Twitter account, has come under fire for also making a glossy promotional video for state-owned Saudi Arabian firm Saudi Aramco. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has repeatedly singled out the oil-rich Gulf state for criticism, only last week lambasting Theresa May in his party conference speech for colluding with the Saudi regime and its war in Yemen. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has repeatedly singled out the oil-rich Gulf state for criticism Tory MP David Morris said: This is classic hypocrisy from Labour. Criticise the Government for dealing with Saudi Arabia, but get their party videos made by a director who works with the Saudis. Yet again, when it comes to Labour, its do as we say, not as we do. Asked if he was guilty of hypocrisy last night, Mr Baker said: Not really. He added that he made the film for Aramco in 2010, five years before the war in Yemen began. Embarrassingly for Mr Baker, Corbyn also devoted much of his conference speech to pledging to kick-start a green jobs revolution with thousands more windfarms and a solar panel on every viable roof . Mr Baker denied his work for oil firm Aramco flew in the face of Mr Corbyns policies, saying: Aramco themselves are doing a lot to promote green energy. Michael Avenatti, the lawyer representing Julie Swetnick, the third woman to accuse Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, has maintained that his client is telling the truth as the FBI has reportedly been told by the White House to exclude her from its investigation. In a sworn declaration to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, Swetnick said she had seen Kavanaugh at 'well over 10 house parties' in the early 1980s when he was a student at Georgetown Preparatory, and that on numerous occasions he would 'drink excessively and engage in highly inappropriate conduct,' including 'fondling and grabbing of girls without their consent'. However, the White House has reportedly blocked the FBI from investigating Swetnick's claims as officials work to limit the scope of the probe reopened by Trump Friday evening. On Saturday Avenatti tweeted: 'We have yet to hear from the FBI. When and if we do, we will promptly disclose to them all information and witnesses in our possession. 'We continue to request this opportunity as we have been doing for days. My client is telling the truth and deserves to be heard and not shammed.' Michael Avenatti, the lawyer representing the third woman to accuse Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, maintains that his client Julie Swetnick is telling the truth as the White House has reportedly ordered the FBI to excluded her from its investigation In a sworn declaration to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, Swetnick (left) claimed to have seen Kavanaugh (right) 'drink excessively and engage in highly inappropriate conduct,' including 'fondling and grabbing of girls without their consent' at house parties in the early 1980s when he was a student at Georgetown Preparatory The White House counsel's office has reportedly provided FBI investigators with a list of witnesses they are permitted to interview as part of the week-long probe, sources within the administration told NBC on the condition of anonymity. Not on that list, the insiders said, is Swetnick. Avenatti responded to the NBC report in a tweet that said: 'If true, this is outrageous. 'Why are Trump and his cronies in the Senate trying to prevent the American people from learning the truth? Why do they insist on muzzling women with information submitted under penalty of perjury? Why Ramirez but not my client?' In another tweet he wrote: 'It is critically important that the public be informed of any hidden effort to limit the scope of the FBI investigation. 'The scope should be unlimited and the FBI should be tasked with determining whether an allegation is credible - as they do every day in this country.' An official briefed on the matter told NBC its not unusual for the White House to set the parameters of an FBI background check for a presidential nominee. The FBI has had no choice but to agree to the administration's terms, sources said, because it is conducting the background investigation on behalf of the White House. Avenatti reacted to reports that his client had been excluded from the FBI probe in a string of tweets Saturday Should Swetnick's claims be left out, the FBI's investigation will focus specifically on allegations from Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez. A lawyer for Ramirez confirmed Saturday that his client - who alleges that Kavanaugh exposed his penis to her during a drunken party at a Yale University dormitory when they were undergraduates - will cooperate fully with FBI agents. 'We can confirm the FBI has reached out to interview Ms. Ramirez and she has agreed to cooperate with their investigation,' attorney John Clune said in a tweet. 'Out of respect for the integrity of the process, we will have no further comment at this time.' Kavanaugh has staunchly denied allegations from Ford, Ramirez and Swetnick. The White House has reportedly instructed FBI agents to limit the Kavanaugh probe to allegations made by Christine Blasey Ford, who testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee this week (left), and a second accuser, Deborah Ramirez (right) Speaking to reporters on the White House lawn on Saturday, Trump expressed confidence in his nominee and in the investigative process. 'I would expect it's going to turn out very well for the judge,' he said just before departing for a rally in West Virginia. 'There's never been anybody that's been looked at like Judge Kavanaugh.' The president added that he hasn't come up with a backup plan concerning the nomination because he believes he won't need one. Amid reports of the White House tightening the reins on the investigation, Trump said: 'The FBI I believe is doing a really great job. 'They have been all over already. They have free rein. They're going to do whatever they have to do, whatever it is they do. 'They'll be doing things that we've never even thought of, and hopefully at the conclusion everything will be fine.' Trump also said the probe could end up being a 'blessing in disguise' if the allegations are revealed to be a plot hatched by the Democrats, as many Republicans have speculated. Trump expressed confidence in his nominee and in the investigative process on Saturday before heading to a rally in West Virginia, saying of the probe: 'I would expect it's going to turn out very well for the judge' The song goes on a bit and it looks like the plagiarism case surrounding Led Zeppelins Stairway To Heaven is going to be another long-player. The band are facing a new trial over claims they stole a guitar riff for their 1971 ballad. A US appeals court has overruled a 2016 verdict that the group did not copy the opening of their hit from music by the band Spirit. It was said the judge in the trial had made errors, including misleading jurors about copyright law. The case was sent back to court. Michael Skidmore, trustee for the songs of Spirit guitarist Randy Wolfe, originally filed the suit in 2015. A mother and her daughter were stabbed to death and a man was left fighting for his life yesterday after a row with neighbours in a leafy village ended in a bloodbath. Witnesses said the women named locally as Sharon Harris, 55, and her 78-year-old mother Margaret were killed after Margarets husband David, 76, tried to intervene in an argument between a man and his girlfriend outside. According to one, the man chased Mr Harris back into his house and it is understood Sharon and her mother were attacked. Police forensics officers are seen leaving a property on Carpenters Lane in Hadlow, Kent yesterday morning Police outside a property on Carpenters Lane in Hadlow, Kent. Two women are believed to have been killed after after a family member tried to intervene in an argument between a man and his girlfriend outside their home Neighbours spoke of their shock at learning of the double murder in their quiet and friendly village Hadlow, near Tonbridge in Kent. Retired Mr Harris is said to have stepped into the row because the couple were making so much noise. A neighbour said: Weve heard that a young man was having an argument with his girlfriend. David went out to tell them to be quiet. The man apparently chased him into the house and went berserk. God only knows what went on in there. Police were called to the scene by paramedics at 7.40am. They closed off the lane where the Harriss 250,000 semi-detached home sits. An air ambulance flew Mr Harris to hospital in London with serious injuries. Police said a 28-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder. Forensics officers were later seen going into the three-bedroom 1930s mock Tudor property. Kent Police were sent to the scene (pictured) at around 7.40am yesterday. A cordon has been in place across Carpenters Lane for most of the day Police forensic officers have been carrying out investigations in the Carpenters Lane area of Hadlow, Kent. A cordon was in place for much of the day yesterday Police are carrying out forensic tests (left) following the murder in Kent this morning. A man in his 70s was flown from the scene to hospital in London by air ambulance (right) A 28-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering two women in Kent Last night, Margaret Harriss sister Doris Pope, 71, said: Its just a big shock and obviously we hope that the person who did this is brought to justice. We are shocked and devastated and just cannot believe something like this can happen. It is understood the Harris family had been involved in ongoing disputes with some neighbours about their driveway. Neighbour Sophie Moorey-Brown, 31, said: The first we knew about it was when there was an air ambulance very low over the houses. There was a heavy police presence and forensic teams. Weve lived here for five years and never heard anything bad happen. It has always been so quiet and a lovely place to be. We are very shocked and saddened by what we have heard and are trying to shield our boys from hearing too much. I feel so sad for the families of the deceased and hope the man makes a full recovery. It is such an awful thing to hear anywhere but in our lovely, friendly little village its bound to rock us residents even more so. Neighbour Margaret Maile, 63, a retired accountant, said: I came home to see this cordon. Police outside the property on Carpenters Lane. The two women believed to have died yesterday morning have been named locally as 55-year-old Sharon Harris and her mother Margaret, 78 The scene after two women were found dead in Hadlow near Tonbridge, Kent. Neighbours have spoken of their shock following the launch of the murder investigation The suspect, who is believed to be known to both women, remains in police custody. A man in his 70s was taken to hospital in London I knew Sharon and only saw her a few days ago. She used to leave home early and come back after 6pm. I heard a man was taken to hospital in London for treatment. Resident Nigel Keogh, 50, said: They are an amicable family, we didnt know them well but knew them to smile or say hello to. They seemed nice. There was a campervan often parked outside, I think they would go off on little trips. Others said that Mr Harris used to play bowls and that the family owned an allotment. Another neighbour who asked not to be named, said: They are very quiet people and keep themselves to themselves. The Harris family had a campervan which you used to see them go out in all the time. Margaret was quite feeble. Its awful to think what has happened. Its normally so quiet around here. I saw their son walk past and he was on the phone and said that Sharon and his mum were dead. Another neighbour said that Sharon Harris used to work at the Salter scales warehouse in Tonbridge. A spokesman for Kent Police said: Two women, aged in their 50s and 70s, died at the scene. A man in his 70s was taken to a London hospital for treatment. Officers arrested a 28-year-old man on suspicion of murder. He remains in police custody whilst enquiries continue. It is believed the victims and the suspect were known to each other. The victims next of kin have been made aware. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said a Turkish court, not politicians, will decide the fate of an American pastor whose detention on terrorism charges has roiled relations between Ankara and Washington. Turkey vehemently denies that the massacre was genocide and insists it was part of the violence during World War I. It escalated in the past year to the point where Mr. Erdogan called Germany's mainstream parties "enemies of Turkey" and accused German officials of acting like Nazis, prompting Chancellor Angela Merkel to condemn the Turkish president's words. "The Brunson case is not even closely related to Turkey's economy". Calling once again for his extradition, Erdogan alleged that Gulen was living in Pennsylvania "in a very well-off fashion". Similar to the PKK, FETO is also widely tolerated in Germany, where about 14,000 of the group's members have fled following the July 15, 2016, failed coup attempt in Turkey. "Turkey is an important partner for us, and it is also an important partner for Europe", Ms. Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said Wednesday. Germany has so far said it needs more evidence to link the movement of the Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in the United States, to the attempt to overthrow Erdogan. Brunson has been detained on terrorism charges. "That largely has to do with questions of the rule of law, with questions of press freedom". "If the global powers won't help, the rest of the worldwide community must take matters into its own hands and launch a comprehensive United Nations reform process", the president said. Despite the wariness, Berlin, ever conscious of the three-million-strong Turkish diaspora community that calls Germany home, is cautiously welcoming Erdogan's overtures. But the increasingly authoritarian leader is viewed with suspicion across the political spectrum in Germany, and many opposition politicians were staying away from a state banquet hosted Friday evening by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The visit on Thursday is Erdogan's first formal journey to Germany, aimed at reducing tensions between the two North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies at a time when Turkey's economic troubles are causing growing concerns and Europe needs Ankara's support in reducing the flow of migrants. Merkel said she and Erdogan talked about bilateral economic co-operation, and stressed "Germany has an interest in an economically stable Turkey". "As the president, I don't have the right to order his release". Erdogan said some circles in the Trump administration assume they can resolve differences with Turkey through threats, pressure and blackmail. But a rapprochement could unlock valuable investment from Germany's manufacturers who have been deterred by Turkey's recent volatility. Security in the capital was tight, with streets, airspace and a waterway shut down during Erdogan's visit to the downtown government area. A suspicious contraption reportedly consisting of a gas cylinder, matches and a lighter has been found on an Australian plane. The shocking discovery was made on September 16 by a cleaner after an international flight landed at Perth Airport. Australian Federal Police have launched a full investigation into the device, which they have described as 'unusual'. A device consisting of a gas cylinder, matches and a lighter was found on board an international flight which had landed at Perth Airport (pictured) a fortnight ago The device was made of a gas cylinder, matches and a lighter, and was stowed underneath a passenger's seat, a source has claimed to Perth Now. 'They (cleaners) found matches and a lighter strapped to a mini gas bottle taped under a seat,' the source said. But police are yet to confirm whether the device was the explosive described by the source, saying it's currently under investigation but wasn't dangerous. 'The item was assessed by AFP members and determined to pose no threat to the safe operation of the aircraft,' a spokesperson said. Perth Airport confirmed that the device was on the plane, but couldn't provide further details since the matter is being investigated. 'At Perth Airport the safety and security of the travelling public is our number one priority,' a spokesman said. Under fire: Margot James A Tory Minister faced fury last night after claiming that Boris Johnsons Brexit vision could lead to an increase in tragedies such as the teenager who died from an allergic reaction to a Pret A Manger sandwich. Margot James was accused of exploiting the death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse for political gain when she claimed that leaving the EU Single Market and signing a Canada-style free-trade deal would mean jettisoning food-safety standards that could prevent future deaths. Ms Ednan-Laperouse, 15, suffered fatal cardiac shock on a British Airways flight after checking and finding no allergen warnings on the packaging of a baguette she bought prior to taking off. The baguette contained sesame seeds she was allergic to. An inquest into her death last week heard that Pret had exploited a loophole meant to help small sandwich shops, allowing them to leave ingredients labels off their food if it is produced on site. Ms James, a Digital Minister, said that what Boris is advocating as a solution for Brexit this Canada free-trade deal, it is full of ideas as to what they would recommend post Brexit we do as a country, abandon all the EUs food safety standards, before adding: I think today with the news of that poor girl who died, I dont think the public would wear that. She was condemned for her remarks by fellow Tory MPs. One, Andrew Bridgen, said: That is appalling. This is a spurious attempt to exploit a teenagers death for political gain. I thought Margot was better than that. The idea that a sovereign British Parliament would not have its own effective rules on food standards is ridiculous. Natasha with her mother Tanya. She died from an allergic reaction to a Pret A Manger sandwich in 2016 Natasha was heading for a four-day break in the South of France with her father, Nadim, and a friend when she bought the baguette when the trio stopped at a Pret in Heathrows Terminal 5 before their flight in July 2016. The group werent in a rush and, after a brief discussion, agreed the sandwich was safe for Natasha. Nadim is adamant there were no allergy signs on display that morning. For him, that moment is replayed over and over again in his mind, the moment that had they made a different choice could have changed everything. And the memory brings him to tears. I hate myself for it. I blame myself, he said. Natasha went into anaphylactic shock during the flight. Despite the best efforts of her father, a junior doctor on board and medics in France, she died that evening in Nice after failing to regain consciousness. The row over Ms James comments comes as Natashas grief-stricken mother, Tanya, told the Mail on Sunday of the devastating moment when she said goodbye to her daughter over the phone. A man in Rhode Island who accused Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting his friend has been referred for criminal investigation after he recanted a statement a day after the Supreme Court nominee denied the allegation. The person reported an incident where his 'close acquaintance' said she 'was sexually assaulted by two heavily inebriated men she referred to at the time as Brett and Mark' on a boat in Newport in the summer of 1985. A new 45-page document dated September 25 reveals Kavanaugh was questioned about it Tuesday afternoon in a telephone call. Committee on the Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley sought a criminal review of the actions by a named individual, whose identity was protected. A man who accused Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting a woman on a boat in 1985 has been referred for criminal investigation Committee on the Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley sent a letter requesting legal action 'As explained below, I write today respectfully referring Mr. for investigation of potential violations of 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 1505, for materially false statements [the unnamed man] made to the Committee as part of its investigation of allegations against Judge Kavanaugh,' Grassley wrote in a letter from the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary on Saturday. The complaint was made to Senator Sheldon Whitehouse's office Monday and the Committee spoke with Kavanaugh as soon as the following day for questioning. Grassley's letter states the man got in touch about the rape incident that took place on a boat in Newport when he saw a picture of Kavanaugh in his high school yearbook last weekend. The complaint was made to Senator Sheldon Whitehouse's office Monday and the Committee spoke with Kavanaugh as soon as the following day for questioning Chairman Chuck Grassley sought a criminal review of the actions by a named individual, whose identity was protected 'At 7:51 pm that same evening, [the unidentified man] "recanted" and apologized for his allegation via social media,' Grassley added in the letter. 'The Committee is grateful to citizens who come forward with relevant information in good faith, even if they are not one hundred percent sure about what they know. But when individuals provide fabricated allegations to the Committee, diverting Committee resources during time-sensitive investigations, it materially impedes our work. 'Such acts are not only unfair; they are potentially illegal. It is illegal to make materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements to Congressional investigators. It is illegal to obstruct Committee investigations.' Jeffrey Catalan tweeted Wednesday that he had made a mistake about the allegations The twitter account has only been live since June and has other tweets that are anti-Trump In September the account user tweeted that Trump was a 'puppet' Despite the name of the person not being officially revealed, Heavy.com linked him to a moniker that posted a retraction on Twitter. 'Everyone who is going crazy about what I had said I have recanted because I have made a mistake and apologize for such mistake,' an account using the name Jeffrey Catalan said after the story came out Wednesday. Other posts on the account that only date back to June 26, show negative views of the Trump administration. Kavanaugh had told investigators in the transcript: 'I was not in Newport, haven't been on a boat in Newport. This is just completely made up, or at least not me. I don't know what they're referring to.' Senate Judiciary Committee transcript shows details of a telephone conversation that referenced alleged incidents in 1985 and 1998 Then in another claim, the judge was said to have sexually assaulted a woman in 1998 at a bar in Washington DC. 'They were all shocked when Brett Kavanaugh shoved her friend against the wall very aggressively and sexually,' the transcript reads about a woman complaining in a letter to Colorado Senator Cory Gardner on behalf of her daughter. 'There were at least four witnesses, including my daughter. Her friend (still traumatized) called my daughter yesterday (Sept 21, 2018) wondering what to do about it. They decided to remain anonymous.' The woman claims Kavanaugh was dating her daughter's friend at the time but he denied the recent allegations. Kavanaugh said in a phone call: 'We're dealing with an anonymous letter about an anonymous person and an anonymous friend. It's ridiculous. Total twilight zone. And no, I've never done anything like that.' Both accusations came ahead of his hearing about Christine Blasey Ford Thursday. She accused him of sexually assaulting her in the 1980s, which is has denied. He is now the subject of an FBI investigation into his background. The biggest thing that didnt happen this year was the final collapse of Bill Clintons reputation. The former US President, and his warmongering and strangely supportive wife Hillary, have somehow managed to escape the great ultra-feminist frenzy that has brought down so many men from their pedestals of power and reputation. Personally, Im not especially troubled by Bills survival. Against my own will, I almost like the terrible old monster. I was once bathed in his chicken-fried charm for a delightful, unforgettable minute when I slipped uninvited into a White House event and asked him an awkward question about Ireland. Ah, I thought, so this is what they mean by charisma. He may have helped the IRA to win, but he didnt invade Iraq. There are worse men, and worse women. In any case, Im not in favour of ruining peoples lives on the basis of ancient, uncorroborated claims. And Im less and less interested in other peoples sexual doings. Peter Hitchens wants to know why Mr Kavanaugh is being barbecued by the US Senate, while Bill Clinton (pictured) goes unscathed? Morals are about what we do when we think nobody is looking. They are not about denouncing other people for doing things that we wouldnt do ourselves. But the current attempt to destroy Judge Brett Kavanaugh, nominated for the US Supreme Court, raises a huge question of hypocrisy and inconsistency. None of us, it seems to me, can ever know what happened, if anything happened, between him and his accuser all those years ago. We have to accept that the charges may be true. Equally we have to accept that they may not be. But once made, such charges can ruin the lives of those against whom they are made, whether they are true or not, let alone whether they are proved or not. I have no idea how such things can be fairly resolved. It has to rest with the consciences of those who make the accusations. Some of them have genuinely suffered and rightly thirst for justice. Others may be confused and unhappy. Others, just possibly, may be making it up. But how can we know which is which? These accusers know what will happen when they speak. Are they sure they want it to happen? Are they sure they are right? Memory being what it is, Id hesitate greatly about raking up anything from ten years ago, let alone 36 years ago. But here is the inconsistency. Why is Mr Kavanaugh being barbecued by the US Senate, while Bill Clinton goes unscathed? Well, yes, they did try and fail to convict Mr Clinton at his impeachment, but it was the very people who voted against the charges who are now trying to unhorse Mr Kavanaugh. It is plainly about politics, not personal morals. Also, in those days, sexual scandal had a different point to it. In the 1990s, marital fidelity was still, just, a big issue, and those who breached it were seen as unreliable in all things. Now, marriage is a foible of the privileged, and the scandals are all about mens attitudes towards women, and feminism. Well, why isnt Bill Clinton back in trouble in that case? If his accusers told the truth, he broke the #MeToo code just as much as he betrayed his marriage. I know more than I ought to about one of the allegations against Mr Clinton. By a series of accidents, I came to have some long conversations with Paula Jones, one of his accusers. She made a persuasive case, not least because she didnt try to make out that her own behaviour had been totally saintly. What she told me was in some ways very funny, a comedy of misunderstandings and disappointment. The details are far too rude to recount here. Ill just say that what she says he wanted to do didnt appeal to her. And that, by her account, he took her refusal badly. He was a powerful man. And she was a powerless woman from a poor background. But nobody wants to revisit this because, really, this issue is about politics, not about principle. The outrage, as so often, is selective and so not real. I am, above all, sorriest for the families of those accused, and of their accusers. And I wish it wasnt futile to suggest that a return to the stricter sexual morals of the pre-Pill years would make relations between men and women a lot kinder and more civilised than they seem to be now. Why did our 'hero' throw in the towel? The biggest letdown of BBCs Bodyguard was the fate of its supposed hero, David Budd (played by Richard Madden, left). After standing his ground against a crooked Prime Minister, MI5, police colleagues and Islamist suicide bombers, he meekly surrendered to the therapy industry. Within weeks of him agreeing to accept that he was a victim of PTSD, and being presumably stuffed up to the eyeballs with antidepressants, his broken marriage was restored to health and he was off on holiday with his happy children no doubt looking forward to a gentle new career investigating historic sex crimes, far from the perilous streets. The biggest letdown of BBCs Bodyguard was the fate of its supposed hero, David Budd (played by Richard Madden, pictured), claims Peter Hitchens Not everybody actually accepts this version of how to be happy. People who have been in danger and combat do suffer. But is it an illness, or a natural reaction? And can it really be put right by therapy, let alone by dubious pills whose claims have never been properly tested, and whose side effects can be worse than the problems they claim to treat? Perhaps Bodyguards writer Jed Mercurio, and the BBC, might consider a drama about a big pharmaceutical firm trying to prevent the facts coming out about its products. Or is that too close to the truth? Muddled Charlie's in a sorry state Lord Falconer, who rose to high office after doing hard time as the Blair Creatures flatmate, has joined the simpering, wide-eyed chorus of deluded, has-been politicians who want to legalise drugs. He has absurdly apologised for supporting the so-called prohibition of drugs while he was in the Blair government. Actually, as he really ought to know since he was a Justice Secretary, there was no such prohibition. The Blair government, like those before and after, turned a blind eye to the widespread non-enforcement of the law, so greatly increasing the drug problem, and the crime and mental illness that come with it. When I challenged him on this, he whimpered that enforcing the cannabis laws would be too hard. And this from a member of a government that didnt think it too hard to invade Iraq on false pretexts, so creating endless bloodshed and chaos, or too hard to trash our constitution with ill-designed reforms. If Charlie wants to apologise, he has other things he should say sorry for. President Donald Trump told a roaring crowd he and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are 'in love'. Addressing a packed out arena in West Virginia on Saturday night, he said the North Korean leader had written him 'beautiful letters' while they negotiated the country's nuclear disarmament. 'I was being really tough and so was he. We went back and forth, then we fell in love,' he said. 'He wrote me beautiful letters. And they are great letters. We fell in love.' President Donald Trump told a rally in West Virginia he and Kim Jong-un 'fell in love' during denuclearization talks He said the North Korean leader sent him 'beautiful letters' during the course of the talks (pictured is Trump holding a letter from Jong-un during a meeting with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe) It's the second time this week the US President has gone out of his way to praise the leader he referred to as 'rocket man' on a 'suicide mission' little more than a year ago. Speaking to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump praised Jong-un for his 'courage' in beginning to disarm, and boasted of his success in negotiating a deal between the two countries. Though the speech was relatively positive, the US leader did end by saying he would not be reducing sanctions placed on the country until it was completely denuclearized. 'The missiles and rockets are no longer flying in every direction, nuclear testing has stopped, some military facilities are already being dismantled,' Trump said. 'I would like to thank Chairman Kim for his courage and for the steps he has taken, though much work remains to be done.' 'The sanctions will stay in place until denuclearization occurs.' Earlier this week, the President praised Jong-un for his 'courage' in moving forward with the denuclearization process (Jong-un and Trump pictured during meetings in June) On Saturday, the same day as Trump's rally, North Korea painted a less chummy picture of the relationship between the two countries. North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho addressed the United Nations and said his country would never disarm its nuclear weapons first if it can't trust Washington. Progress made during June's historical meeting has stalled, and Pyongyang is now reluctant to be the first nation to disarm itself Ri called on the United States to follow through on promises made during a summit in Singapore between the leaders. His comments come as US. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo seems to be on the verge of restarting deadlocked nuclear diplomacy more than three months after the Singapore with North Korea's Kim Jong Un. Ri says it's a 'pipe dream' that continued sanctions and US objection to a declaration ending the Korean War will ever bring the North to its knees. Washington is wary of agreeing to the declaration without Pyongyang first making significant disarmament moves. Both Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump want a second summit. But there is widespread skepticism that Pyongyang is serious about renouncing an arsenal that the country likely sees as the only way to guarantee its safety. Sydney's iconic St Mary's Cathedral divided parishioners when it introduced 'tap and go' points to allow worshippers to donate money via their credit cards. But despite the church's best efforts, the modern donation points don't appear to be drawing a crowd. Out of at least four cashless donation placed at the church's entrances and exits, at least one major exit point was not used at all in the 9am service on Sunday. 'I'll never use it, but some people might,' one churchgoer told Daily Mail Australia on his way out of the service. Scroll down for video Sydney's iconic St Mary's Cathedral divided parishioners when it introduced 'tap and go' (pictured) points to allow worshippers to donate money via their credit cards The iconic St Mary's Cathedral stirred controversy when it began offering credit card donation options during their services The main entrance of the church remained bare throughout the entire hour-and-a-half service, with parishioners coming and going without looking twice at the machine shrouded in controversy since the church announced their plans online. 'Next weekend, to keep up with the growth of technology in the 21st century, the Cathedral will be trialing the use of 'tap and go' collection plates during the collection at the Offertory,' the church wrote on their Facebook page on the 15th of September. 'If you have visited the Cathedral over the last month you would have also noticed 'tap and go' donation pads set up around various areas for credit card donations.' Despite the church's best efforts, the modern donation points aren't being used quite as often as the church would have hoped 'I'll never use it, but some people might,' one churchgoer told Daily Mail Australia on his way out of the service When the tap and go donations were first introduced they required a minimum $10 donation, however, the limit has since been lowered to $5 following a tirade of backlash online. The move by the iconic Cathedral was branded a 'cash grab' by some, but others say they are just moving with the times. General Manager of St Mary's Cathedral, Helen Morassut, told Yahoo7 they were just catching up to the rest of the world. Worshipers are also asked to donate $2 to light a candle before, during or after the service In a booklet handed out during the service, worshipers are reminded of the donation points The set price of the donation has been lowered from $10 to $5 after copping flak online for the price being set too steep 'We always had call-outs that people don't carry cash anymore we're moving towards a cashless society, that's just the way we live now.' Morassut said the original price was set based on donation history and 'could not be changed'. Lisa, another parishioner who briefly attended the service said 'they try not to make you feel uncomfortable, or like you have to donate. But we [my family] feel like we have to anyway. They're just doing what they have to do.' Others were more encouraging of the new process. Another guest said 'it's all getting put back into the church and the services whether we donate our change or on the new system.' 'It's something they do for the young ones. It's just another option for them.' The $10 set price has been labelled as 'ludicrous' by some people. While others have called it a 'cash grab' Parishioners are asked to 'please make a donation' at numerous points in and around the church with these stands A now deleted Facebook post by the church from last week said multiple payments of $10 could be made by tapping your card. It is too soon to determine if the plates would be rolled out to other churches, Ms Morassut said. 'I'm Catholic but this is ludicrous you shouldn't be told how much you put in if you opt for that option, it should be built better so that you decide how much,' one person said. 'It's not moving with the times, it's a cash grab,' another person said. 'As someone who was in the church for 16 years, I can safely say this was this most blatant display of money grubbing [sic] I have ever seen.' The electronic 'tap and go' collection plates began taking $10 payment on the 15th of September at Sydney's St Mary's Cathedral The electronic 'tap and go' collection plates began taking $10 payment on the 15th of September at Sydney's St Mary's Cathedral 'When they can't take criticism but still want to take your money,' another said. While the checkpoint system appeared primarily ineffective during the Sunday morning service, traditional donation methods seemed unaffected. Near the end of the service, traditional plates were sent through the pews, with many parishioners donating small change and notes. By the time both plates reached the back pews, they were brimming with donations, and yet, the tap and go points remained untouched and ignored. Data has revealed the country's fastest internet won't be found in Melbourne or Sydney, but rather in Canberra. More than 17,000 speed tests on connections across the country show the nation's capital has quicker download speeds than any other state or territory. The research conducted by speedtest website Ookla between July 2017 and September 2018 also showed Western Australia lagged well behind the rest. Canberra (pictured) has been revealed as having the fastest internet speeds in Australia Experts believe Canberra's speeds can be attributed to a denser population and higher installation rates of the National Broadband Network (pictured) INTERNET SPEEDS CITY-BY-CITY 35.8 Mbps - Canberra 25.8 Mbps - Hobart 25.1 Mbps - Sydney 24.6 Mbps - Melbourne 24.4 Mbps - Brisbane 20.1 Mbps - Perth Connection speeds in Adelaide and Darwin were not recorded Source: Speedtest website Ookla Advertisement Canberra had an average download speed of 35.8 megabits-per-second (Mbps). The next highest speeds came out of Hobart with 25.8Mbps, closely followed by Sydney on 25.1, Melbourne on 24.6 and Brisbane with 24.4. Perth came in last with barely more than 20 Mbps. The internet speeds see Australia ranked 52nd in the world in terms of fixed broadband speeds, though the analysis shows that's an improvement. Technology spokesman Angus Kidman from comparison website finder.com.au told The Canberra Times it was promising to see Australia getting faster, but there is still more work to be done. 'Our national average is on par with Sri Lanka,' he said. New analytical data the nation's captial averages 35.8 Mbps download speeds, 10 points higher than the next fastest city, Hobart (stock image) He believes that more competition between internet providers and the emergence of the National Broadband Network (NBN) are the main reasons the national average has risen. On a state level, he says Canberra's smaller size and population, particularly in comparison with Western Australia, is the biggest reason for a faster network speed. A denser population and quicker deployment of the NBN resulted in their faster speeds. A Texas man lost both of his ears and part of his nose in a brutal attack by two pit bulls, authorities say. Graphic images show the severe injuries sustained by victim Milton Sturges, 58, who was walking near his home in Arlington on Wednesday when the dogs attacked him. A neighbor heard the man screaming and notified police, who arrived on the scene and witnessed the man being mauled. One officer discharged his weapon, striking both animals. Officers were then able to pull the dogs off of Sturges - who was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries. WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES Milton Sturges, 58, lost both of his ears and part of his nose in a brutal pit bull attack in Arlington, Texas, on Wednesday. Disturbing images show the extent of his injuries Sturges is now in stable condition but will likely have to undergo reconstructive surgery. A GoFundMe page has raised more than $12,200 to help cover his medical expenses 'He lost both of his ears. His nose was partially torn off and his bottom lip was partially torn off,' Omar Sturges, the victim's nephew, told CBS 11. Despite his extensive injuries - which will most likely require reconstructive surgery - the 58-year-old is said to be in good spirits. 'He's doing good,' Omar said. 'He's talking. He's moving around. Even laughed a couple of times.' A GoFundMe page has raised more than $12,200 to help cover Sturges' medical expenses as of Saturday night. Family members are pictured at Sturges' bedside as he recovers from the attack in the hospital The victim's (pictured) nephew reported that he is in good spirits despite his severe injuries Authorities are now searching for the owner of the adult pit bulls which later died in the custody of local animal control officials. One of the dogs is described as a gray, 80-pound male with 'cropped ears' that 'appeared to have chain marks (scars) around [his] neck as if he had been chained up'. The other dog is described as a roughly 55-pound brown female with cropped ears that 'appeared to have previously had a litter of puppies'. Neither dog was wearing a collar or was microchipped, according to reports. Arlington Police Sgt Karen Standback said the dogs were roaming together but could have traveled some distance. Omar urged anyone with information about the dogs' owner to come forward so they can be held responsible for that attack. 'They could have more dogs and this can go on again next week,' he said. 'I don't want to see another family go through this simply because they're not able to find the owner.' Australian authorities are attempting to extradite an alleged gang associate who is accused of helping organise a hit on a teenage boy. An arrest warrant has been issued for suspected Brothers for Life member, Abdul Abu-Mahmoud who is believed to be linked to the death of teenager Brayden Dillon, the Daily Telegraph reported. Brayden was shot dead in his south-west Sydney home on Good Friday, 2017 after a masked-man, alleged to be Conrad Craig, barged in to his Glenfield home and fired at him in his sleep. An arrest warrant has been issued for suspected Brothers for Life member, Abdul Abu-Mahmoud who is alleged to be linked to the death of teenager Brayden Dillon (pictured) Mr Abu-Mahmoud is alleged to have fled the country at the same time the 15-year-old was killed and was in contact with Craig just weeks before the murder, police said. According to police, the shooting was pay-back for the stabbing death of Adam Abu-Mahmoud at the hands of his older brother Joshua Dillon. Brayden told friends he thought gang-members were after him for the wrong-doings of his brother in a 2016 brawl. In the days before his death, Brayden suspected somebody was hunting him after his brother's involvement in the brawl. According to police, the shooting was pay-back for the stabbing death of Adam Abu-Mahmoud (pictured) at the hands of his older brother Joshua Dillon Brayden Dillon (pictured), 15, was shot as he slept in his home in Glenfield on Good Friday, 2017 'He always told me that he knew people were after him but he always thought that nothing would happen,' one friend said. It is believed the alleged Brother's for Life member threatened to kill the members of the Dillon family in Joshua's court appearance. Last month, Investigators from Strike Force Wongala arrested Craig's sister, Kimberly Craig. The 35-year-old was charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder, intent to pervert the course of justice, knowingly participating in criminal group, and drug supply. Australian tourism operators have expressed their support for a bikini ban proposed by Bali authorities to attract a 'more sophisticated market' to the island. The ban aims to attract different visitors and encourage them to behave respectfully and wear appropriate attire when visiting temples. Authorities in Bali are planning on stopping tourists from posing in bikinis in front of sacred temples - after criticising the 'quality of tourists' visiting the Indonesian island. If implemented, tourists could also be prohibited from entering temples unless accompanied by a tour guide. Authorities in Bali are planning on stopping tourists from posing in bikinis in front of sacred temples - after criticising the 'quality of tourists' visiting the Indonesian island (pictured tourist posing in front of erupting volcano) The proposed restrictions come after recent tourist incidents drew outrage, with a Danish tourist's photo of himself sitting on the Linggih Padmasana shrine (pictured) drawing outrage earlier this month Indonesia's deputy governor, Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardana, also told the local council of plans to manage the number of tourists coming into these sacred sites, according to 9 News. The proposed restrictions come after recent tourist incidents drew outrage. A Danish tourist's photo of himself sitting on the Linggih Padmasana shrine caused an outcry from locals earlier this month. The shrine is reserved for Balinese Hinduism's most important deity, and it is considered offensive for tourists to sit on it. 'Turning around a mass tourism destination is like manoeuvring an oil tanker, but it can be done,' Australian-based business My Travel Research CEO Carolyn Childs told 9 News. 'I have watched with interest and sympathy at their [Bali's] attempts to reposition by creating new luxury and 'off the beaten track experiences' to evolve with maturing and more sophisticated markets,' he added. Melbourne-based tourism business The Bali Bible has also expressed similar sentiments on the matter. 'The beauty [of travel] is you get to experience cultures and different ways of life, so respect for those places is very important,' Bali Bible Chief Marketing Officer Mitch Lawson told 9 News. The island has become one of south-east Asia's most popular tourist destinations for westerners in recent years, and attracted more than five million visitors last year. But the increase in popularity has come at a price for the local population since the island is now suffering from over-tourism. Bali deputy governor Cok Ace (pictured) told a regional council meeting that the government was concerned by a recent rise in disrespectful behaviour The proposed crackdown follows a move by Cambodian authorities in 2016 to stop tourists from wearing skimpy clothing The newly appointed Bali government also said the recent surge in visitors was having a negative impact on the island (pictured a bikini-clad woman performing the downward dog yoga position in front of another Balinese temple) He said: 'The temples need to be reserved since they are the spirits of Bali's cultures and customs' The island has become one of south-east Asia's most popular tourist destinations for westerners in recent years, and attracted more than five million visitors last year Seemingly prompted recent tourist incidents, Bali deputy governor Cok Ace told a regional council meeting last week the government was concerned by a recent rise in disrespectful behaviour. 'This is the government's attempt to maintain the Pura,' he told The Guardian. 'The temples need to be reserved since they are the spirits of Bali's cultures and customs.' The newly appointed Bali government also said the recent surge in visitors was having a negative impact on the island. In 2016, a picture of a bikini-clad woman performing the downward dog yoga position in front of another Balinese temple provoked a storm of criticism on social media. And in 2017, western tourists flooded Instagram with shots of them posing seductively in front of Bali's Mount Agung volcano as it spewed out columns of black ash and threatened to erupt. The proposed crackdown follows a move by Cambodian authorities in 2016 to stop tourists from wearing skimpy clothing - which included a ban on clothing which exposed knees and shoulders. In 2017, western tourists flooded Instagram with shots of them posing seductively in front of Bali's Mount Agung volcano as it spewed out columns of black ash and threatened to erupt UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres commended in New York Moroccos contribution to peacekeeping operations in Africa and beyond. Guterres thanked the Kingdom of Morocco for its support for United Nations activities, including peacekeeping operations, according to a statement by the UN press service published following The UN Secretary Generals talks with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita. The UN chief also thanked Morocco for hosting the conference for the adoption of the Global migration pact due in December in Marrakech. The Sahara issue was also discussed in the meeting. In Morocco, the contribution to the Peacekeeping operations is a constant of the countrys foreign policy. The North African kingdom has participated, since the Congolese crisis in 1960, in a dozen operations either under the aegis of the UN or in support of NATO and the EU, which makes it a constant contributor in the concert of nations. Julie Swetnick was accused of 'unwelcome, sexually offensive conduct' by former employer, court documents reveal Julie Swetnick, the third woman to accuse Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, faced her own allegations more than a decade ago while employed at a Portland tech company. Court documents show that in late 2000, the Portland-based company Webtrends filed a civil lawsuit against Swetnick alleging that she 'engaged in unwelcome, sexually offensive conduct' during a business lunch with two male employees and Webtrends customers. The suit, obtained by Oregon Live, states that she engaged in 'unwelcome sexual innuendo' and 'inappropriate conduct'. Swetnick, 55, was also accused of making 'false and retaliatory allegations that other co-workers had engaged in inappropriate conduct towards her'. According to the document, she alleged that two other employees at Webtrends had sexually harassed her. In addition to the misconduct claims, the company accused Swetnick of lying about where she attended school and said she 'falsely described her work experience'. Webtrends said in the suit that Swetnick was hired as a professional services engineer and told them she had graduated from Johns Hopkins University but they later learned the school had no record of her attendance, according to Oregon Live. The company said it determined that Swetnick had engaged in misconduct but could not determine if she experienced sexual harassment by her co-workers. Later, Webtrends alleged that Swetnick took medical leave while also claiming unemployment benefits in DC. Swetnick is the third woman to come forward accusing Brett Kavanaugh, pictured during his senate hearing on Thursday, of sexual misconduct Christine Blasey Ford (left) and Deborah Ramirez (right) have also accused the SCOTUS pick of sexual assault or misconduct According to the suit, Swetnick threatened to take legal action against the tech firm over her own claims of sexual harassment. Webtrends wrote that her threat defamed the company and sought at least $150,000 of behalf of one of the employees she allegedly made the false claim against. Swetnick only worked for the company for a few months as an off-site employee, according to the outlet. The lawsuit was dismissed shortly after it was filed in 2000, something Swetenick's attorney Michael Avenatti says proves the company's allegations are 'completely bogus'. 'This lawsuit never had any merit as evidenced by how quickly it was dismissed,' he told Oregon Live in a statement. 'It was originally filed in retaliation for my client making claims against the company.' Webtrends declined to comment to the outlet on the lawsuit it had filed. On Wednesday, one day before Kavanaugh's senate hearing, Swetnick issued a statement claiming she had observed the SCOTUS pick and his friend Mark Judge excessively drinking at parties where women were mistreated. She also said Kavanaugh and his friends would allegedly spike women's drinks at parties in the '80s in order to disorient them and take advantage of them sexually. Swetnick also accused Kavanaugh of being at a party where she was allegedly gang raped after a group of boys spiked her drink. Swetnick said during an interview with Showtime's The Circus she thinks the allegations against Kavanaugh need to be investigated Ford (center) testified on Thursday in front of senate to allegations she made that he sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers During an interview with Showtimes's The Circus on Thursday, Swetnick said she decided to come forward with her claims because they need to be investigated. 'Brett Kavanaugh is going for a seat where he's going to have that seat on the Supreme Court for the rest of his life. If he's going to have that seat legitimately, all of these things should be investigated,' she said, 'because from what I experienced firsthand, I don't think he belongs on the Supreme Court and I just want the facts to come out and I want it to be just and I want the American people to have those facts and judge for themselves.' Kavanaugh denied Swetnick's claims saying they are 'ridiculous' and 'from the Twilight Zone'. He also denied knowing her. He also denied claims made by his first and second accusers Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez. On Thursday, Ford testified in front of senate to allegations she made that he tried to rape her during a high school party in 1982. Ford said a drunken Kavanaugh pinned her down on the bed and tried to take her clothes off before she was able to escape. Australian breweries have found a creative new way to support farmers amid the strawberry contamination crisis. As thousands of unwanted strawberries are thrown in the bin, two Perth breweries are using the supermarket scraps to make fruity beers over the long weekend. More than 100 cases of needles being embedded in fruits have been reported since the crisis first broke out on September 9, resulting in farmers and supermarkets being forced to simply dump thousands of dollars worth of produce. Scroll down for video Australian breweries are producing strawberry flavoured beers to support the farmers Brew U (pictured) co-owner Lisa Allen says they bought as many strawberries as they could Co-owner of Perth brewery Brew U, Lisa Allen, told Nine News they bought as many strawberries as they could get their hands on. 'We got 12 full trays for our first lot, which sold out during the weekend,' she said. She says they're used to putting fruit in their drinks, as evident by Australia's growing fondness for craft beers, and wanted to give back to the farmers. Customers are on board as well. Ms Allen says response to the new range of five strawberry drinks has been significant. She says the fruity beer (pictured) has been met with public approval over the long weekend It comes as thousands of dollars worth of strawberries are discarded by farmers and supermarkets. Pictured: A dumpster full of unsold strawberries behind a Coles Another Western Australian brewery has followed suit, buying more than 6000 punnets of strawberries. Beerfarm's brewer in charge, Ben Joseph, says their aim was to minimise food wastage. 'We just saw an opportunity where we could help, and craft beer brewers like to throw out their ideas - sometimes the wackier the idea, the better,' he said. Communities have rallied around their farmers, some of which have been forced to dump their produce by the truckload. Heartbreaking footage emerged in September of truckloads of strawberries being dumped One brewer in charge says sometimes 'the wackier the idea, the better' when it comes to helping the farmers What started out as a health hazard has developed into a nation-wide crisis, with dozens of farms being threatened with bankruptcy. It all began when a sewing needle was swallowed by a young man in Queensland. The needle was reportedly stuck into the strawberry by a disgruntled employee at the farm, with subsequent reported cases expected to be copycats or hoaxes. An unnamed 13-year-old boy is in critical condition after he was the victim of a shark attack Saturday morning An unnamed 13-year-old boy is in critical condition after he was the victim of a shark attack Saturday morning as he went diving for lobsters. The incident happened around 7am on the opening day of California's spiny lobster season and people looking for the creatures themselves were horrified to come across the attack at Beacon's Beach in Encinitas, California. Chad Hammel told Fox 5 San Diego: 'I realized that he was yelling, "I got bit! I got bit!"' The man added that the victim's collarbone was the center of the attack and they tried desperately to get him to safety. A group applied pressure to the wounds while beach-goers called paramedics, who put the victim in a helicopter to Rady Children's Hospital. Witnesses applied pressure to the wounds while beach-goers called paramedics The victim was put in a helicopter and airlifted to Rady Children's Hospital #UPDATE: First look at the scene of a shark attack at Beacon's Beach in Encinitas. Witnesses say a teen boy was airlifted to the hospital. Officials will hold a press conference soon.https://t.co/ewIs1aZVqz pic.twitter.com/NOJeCSe91X FOX 5 San Diego (@fox5sandiego) September 29, 2018 'His whole clavicle was ripped open,' Hammel continued. 'We told him he's going to be okay, he's going to be alright - we got help. I yelled at everyone to get out of the water: "There's a shark in the water!" 'Once we threw him up on the kayak and started heading in, that's when I looked back, and the shark was behind the kayak. He didn't want to give up yet.' The shark is estimated to be approximately 11-feet-long. Tim Fairbanks, director of pediatric surgery shared that at the family's request they won't be detailing what treatments were required. The family released a photo of the boy but did not name him. Dr Chris Lowe from California State University is trying to find out what type of shark caused the injuries. It is estimated to be approximately 11-feet-long The area was closed for 48 hours from La Costa Avenue to Swami's Beach while an investigation took place with California State Parks, California Fish and Game, San Diego County Sheriff's Department, City of Solana Beach and the City of Carlsbad. They have begun patrolling the area on boats and using drones to ensure public safety. Dr Chris Lowe from California State University is trying to find out what type of shark caused the injuries. 'At this time, we have not received additional reports of any shark sightings in the area but are advising the public to stay out of the water,' Lifeguard Captain Larry Giles said. A mother who returned home after six years travelling the world with her son has demanded the woman she left her dog with give the pooch back. Ruth Johnston, from Adelaide, has taken Shanee Hope to court over Maltese shih tzu-cross, Coco, who was given to her son for Christmas in 2010. Despite leaving Coco for six-and-a-half years, Ms Johnston claimed she always intended on returning to Australia to reclaim her. Ruth Johnston, from Adelaide, has taken Shanee Hope (pictured) to court over Maltese shih tzu-cross, Coco, who was given to her son for Christmas in 2010 Despite leaving Coco (pictured with Ms Hope) for six and a half years, Ms Johnston claimed she always intended on returning to Australia to reclaim her Ms Hope, however, denied her claims and argued she would never have accepted Coco had she known she had to give her up some time in the future. 'I would never have agreed to pet-sit as I get attached too easily. It's why I don't foster a greyhound. There was nothing that made me think, at any time, that this was a temporary situation,' she told Adelaide Now. Ms Johnston and her son returned to Australia in March after traveling to 73 countries - a journey documented closely on her website Exploramum. She has filed papers with Adelaide Magistrates Court and demanded Coco be returned immediately, also requesting Ms Hope pay $6,558 in costs. She claimed she decided to leave Coco with Ms Hope in 2012 after meeting her mother through a church group. Ms Hope however denied her claims and argued she would never have accepted Coco (pictured with pal, Beau) had she of known she had to give her up some time in the future She has filed papers with Adelaide Magistrates Court and demanded Coco (pictured) be returned immediately, also requesting Ms Hope pay $6558 in costs She claimed she decided to leave Coco (pictured with Beau) with Ms Hope in 2012 after meeting her mother through a church group Ms Hope said Coco had become close friends with her other dog, Beau, and had grown used to sleeping in a bed next to her and being walked on the beach. 'There was nothing that made me think, at any time, that this was a temporary situation.' She said the small pooch had separation anxiety and had eaten her way through a door when she left her with a friend at the start of the year. 'All I've done is take a dog in and love her. I'd love to do the whole Eat, Pray, Love thing. I can't do that because I have animals.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted both women for comment on the matter. An extremely intoxicated Chicago man who had reportedly stopped his car in the middle of the street so he could go to sleep told police that even if he was sober he wouldn't be able to pass their roadside sobriety test - and then encouraged them to arrest him. The bizarre incident happened around 2.30am last Sunday when an officer spotted Jackine L. Austin's 2002 Chevy Tahoe stopped in the street near the Burlington Northern Railroad tracks in Riverside, Illinois. The officer said when he approached the car he saw a paper cup filled with beer in the center console. The officer said Austin and a passenger both appeared to be asleep in the vehicle, according to Fox 32. 'I couldn't pass this even if I was sober': Jackine L. Austin was arrested last Sunday for driving under the influence The officer said he tried waking Austin and the other man by shaking and yelling but they wouldn't budge. The cop said the men appeared to be 'extremely intoxicated'. Paramedics were called to the scene and the passenger, a 36-year-old Chicago man, was taken to the hospital for suspected alcohol poisoning. He was diagnosed with an alcohol overdose at MacNeal Hospital. Austin eventually woke up and was mumbling incoherently, swaying on his feet and had bloodshot eyes. The officer conducted a roadside sobriety test, which Austin failed. Police said Austin had stopped his car in the middle of the road near the Burlington Northern Railroad tracks (pictured) and fell asleep after a night of drinking He was arrested for driving under the influence, improper parking on a roadway and possession of open alcohol while driving. When Austin was being taken into booking, he told the cop: 'I couldn't pass these test even if I was sober'. He also encouraged the officer to arrest him, the cop said. Austin, 38, admitted that he had been out drinking before driving back to Chicago. Austin, who has 13 prior arrests on charges including battery, assault, drugs, burglary and traffic offenses, is currently out on bond. The passenger was treated at the hospital and picked up by a family member. Theresa May and Andrew Marr sat in frosty silence today after tetchy clashes over Brexit and Windrush. The PM and the BBC presenter appeared to be left with nothing to say to each other after the bruising on-screen exchanges as Tory conference kicked off in Birmingham. As the credits rolled at the end of the programme this morning, Mrs May shot a steely glare, while Marr shuffled his papers. When he did seemingly attempt to strike up conversation, there was no response. The frostiness was noticed by viewers, with some branding it 'super intense' and 'excruciating'. Others contrasted it with the way Marr chatted with Jeremy Corbyn at the end of his equivalent interview last week. Mrs May (pictured left arriving for her BBC interview today) is facing a fresh assault from Boris Johnson (pictured right at his Oxfordshire home yesterday) There was a frosty silence between Theresa May and Andrew Marr after the PM defended her 'ambitious' Chequers plan during her BBC interview at the Tory conference in Birmingham today (pictured) The frostiness was noticed by viewers, with some branding it 'super intense' and 'excruciating' Mrs May was repeatedly challenged over her Brexit stance during the appearance on the flagship show, insisting her blueprint was the only one 'on the table' that could guarantee a soft Irish border and smooth trade. The defiant message came after Mr Johnson launched another vicious attack on her proposals - branding them 'deranged' and 'preposterous'. In one bruising jibe, Mr Johnson pointed out that she was a Remainer during the referendum two years ago - and he urged the government to back ambitious projects like building a bridge between Northern Ireland and Scotland. But Mrs May shot back that her critics were 'playing politics' and insisted she is 'not bluffing' about driving a hard bargain with the EU. She told Marr: 'I do believe in Brexit.' Earlier, David Davis - who resigned as Brexit Secretary the day before Mr Johnson quit - delivered a putdown to Mr Johnson when asked about his leadership potential. Making clear he would back Mrs May in a confidence vote, he said some of the ex-London Mayor's ideas were little more than 'good headlines'. Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson also took aim at Mr Johnson, pointing out that he had stayed as a senior member of the government during the Brexit negotiations. 'I knew what was being said in December, I'm not sure how the former Foreign Secretary didn't,' she said. The long silence between the PM and Marr was pointed out by a number of viewers. As well as Brexit, Mrs May had been grilled during the programme over Windrush, and pushed to offer a fuller apology to those affected by the immigration crackdown. Typically TV interviewers can be seen chatting with their guests as the credits roll, even though the sound is not audible. However, there was no conversation at the end of the show this morning. David Ghosh tweeted: 'Wow that was a super intense outro on #marr today. Awkward silence between marr and May as the jingles played, but Marr rightly didnt pull any punches throughout. Just what we want from our media.' Another user called Jordan commented: 'Is it me, or was that 30 seconds where Andrew and Theresa just glared at each other in silence as the credits rolled the most awkward bit of telly ever? #Marr' The bitter clashes came as Conservatives gathered in Birmingham for a conference that is set to be dominated by Brexit and questions about Mrs May's future. The premier is facing a desperate struggle to hang on amid grass roots fury about her 'soft' approach to cutting ties with the EU, and jostling by leadership rivals. In a bid to show her government is about more than negotiations with the EU, the PM has set out plans to crack down on foreigners buying homes and proposals for a nationwide festival in 2022 - the year of the next scheduled general election. But Mr Johnson ensured the focus is still on his own leadership credentials, using an interview with the Sunday Times to swipe: 'Unlike the Prime Minister, I campaigned for Brexit.' Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson also took aim at Mr Johnson, pointing out during an interview on Sky News' Ridge on Sunday that he had stayed as a senior member of the government during the Brexit negotiations Tory chairman Brandon Lewis said the party would come together behind Mrs May's plan Mr Johnson - who is only coming to Birmingham for one fringe event on Tuesday - branded Mrs May's Chequers plan 'entirely preposterous'. The blueprint would involve the UK effectively staying in the single market for goods, and collecting some tax on behalf of the EU. Setting out her case today, Mrs May said her plan was the only way of keeping smooth trade and ensuring there is no hard Irish border. She rebuked EU leaders for dismissing the plan, saying she wanted to hear why they objected to the mooted arrangements and denying that they would undermine the single market. 'This is challenging for the EU because it is an ambitious deal,' she said. But Mrs May ignored several chances to rule out fresh concessions to get a deal. She told Marr: What I have said to the EU is very clear. They have said they have some concerns with the proposals we have put together. PM presents Scots Tory leader Ruth Davidson with gifts for baby Theresa May presented Ruth Davidson with gifts for her baby, which is due in weeks Theresa May presented pregnant Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson with a Downing Street baby grow last night. Mrs May and Ms Davidson met to discuss Brexit and other key issues after arriving at the party's conference in Birmingham. But despite the high-stakes battle going on with Eurosceptics and the EU, the PM had found time to stock up on some gifts. Ms Davidson is less than five weeks away from giving birth to her first child, and has joked that she is the size of a 'naval frigate'. She tweeted a video of herself with Mrs May after being handed a No10 branded baby grow, teddy bear and a copy the PM's favourite book, Swallows and Amazons. The book, written in the 1930s, involves two competiting child families playing on an island in the Lake District. Ms Davidson said: 'Had a pre #CPC18 meeting with @Theresa_May to discuss all things conference/Brexit/budget. 'Didn't expect to be surprised with a gift for the wee one at the end (including the PM's favourite book, Swallows & Amazons, for when they're older).' Advertisement Lets hear what the details of those concerns. If they have counter proposals, lets hear what those counter proposals are. What is clear is what we have put forward is in the national interest and we did it because what the EU was offering us was unacceptable. Asked if she was in a moving mode, Mrs May again failed to say she would make no further concessions. Mrs May said she always knew the negotiations would be 'tough and warned the final stages would be toughest. Brexiteers are demanding a looser Canada-style arrangement that would make it easier to strike trade deals elsewhere in the world. There are also signs that some senior figures in Cabinet would prefer a shift in that direction. Suggesting he may be able to strike a better deal than Mrs May, Mr Johnson told the newspaper: 'Unlike the Prime Minister, I fought for this, I believe in it, I think it's the right thing for our country and I think that what is happening now is, alas, not what people were promised in 2016.' Setting out an alternative policy platform as the Conservative Party conference began in Birmingham, the former cabinet minister said the UK should build a bridge to Ireland and put the HS2 rail line on hold to focus on a high-speed link in the north of England. And he urged a more 'Tory' domestic platform to combat the threat from left-wing Labour under Jeremy Corbyn. 'I think we need to make the case for markets,' he said. 'I don't think we should caper insincerely on socialist territory. You can't beat Corbyn by becoming Corbyn.' Despite his obvious positioning, Mr Johnson insisted he was not trying to oust the PM. 'I am like a loyal and faithful labrador that is relentlessly returning to her an object that she has mistakenly chucked away in the form of her own first instincts about how to do this,' he said. But Mrs May used her own interview with the Sunday Times to insist she is going nowhere. Signalling that she intended to remain in Number 10 for years to come, she said: 'There's a long-term job to do.' She added: 'It's not just about Brexit, it's about the domestic agenda as well. 'I think we're at a very important and historic moment for the UK. There are real opportunities for the UK outside the European Union.' Setting out her plans for a festival in post-Brexit Britain, she said: 'We want to showcase what makes our country great today. 'We want to capture that spirit for a new generation, celebrate our nation's diversity and talent, and mark this moment of national renewal with a once-in-a-generation celebration.' Mrs May also told the Sun on Sunday that she was 'not bluffing' when she said 'no deal is better than a bad deal' when it comes to leaving the EU. 'I believe that we can get a deal,' she added. 'I believe we can get a good deal and that's what we are working for. But nobody should be in any doubt.' Mrs May took aim at Tories such as Mr Johnson stirring up the situation, saying they needed to 'put the country first'. 'My message to the Conservative Party is going to be that people voted to leave the EU,' she said. 'I believe it's a matter of trust in politicians that we deliver on that vote for people. We're the party that always puts country first and puts the national interest first. And that's what I want us to be doing. Mrs May (pictured arriving for the Marr Show today) is facing a tumultuous time at the Tory conference in Birmingham this week Hackers also replaced Michael Gove's image with that of Rupert Murdoch and were able to harvest Boris Johnson's personal information too 'The only proposal on the table at the moment that delivers that is the Chequers plan.' Mr Davis also took aim at the government's Brexit strategy, urging a more 'robust approach'. In an interview with Sky News' Ridge on Sunday, Mr Davis admitted that the next couple of months would be 'really scary' as the EU tried to force deep concessions from the UK. But he said the government had to hold its nerve and push for a Canada-style agreement rather than Chequers. He also delivered a stinging barb when asked about Mr Johnson's attractions as a Tory leader. Ridiculing Mr Johnson's proposal of a bridge between Northern Ireland and Scotland, he said 'one of the blights of British politics is politicians having fantastic ideas'. David Davis swipes at Boris as he urged PM to beef up Brexit plan Former Brexit Secretary David Davis David Davis swiped at Boris Johnson's leadership credentials today - but urged Theresa May to change tack on Brexit. The ex-Brexit Secretary took aim at the government's strategy in negotiations with the EU, urging a more 'robust approach'. In an interview with Sky News' Ridge on Sunday, Mr Davis admitted that the next couple of months would be 'really scary' as the EU tried to force deep concessions from the UK. But he said the government had to hold its nerve and push for a Canada-style agreement rather than Chequers. He also delivered a stinging barb when asked about Mr Johnson's attractions as a Tory leader. Ridiculing Mr Johnson's proposal of a bridge between Northern Ireland and Scotland, he said 'one of the blights of British politics is politicians having fantastic ideas'. He added: 'We have a very knockabout friendships, but quite a lot of his ideas are good headlines but not good policies.' Advertisement He added: 'We have a very knockabout friendships, but quite a lot of his ideas are good headlines but not good policies.' In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph overnight, Mr Davis told the Sunday Telegraph the government's whole approach on Brexit had been wrong. 'The tendency on the part of the Whitehall advice, and the No 10 advice in particular, is to say, what's negotiable, what's achievable,' he told The Sunday Telegraph. 'That's not the way you design your policies. You design your policies, then sell them, then amend them if you do have to do that but not the other way around.' He added: ''What would you like me to pay you?' is not the right approach to a negotiation. I massively simplify, but that's the equivalent.' Ms Davidson said: 'What I think is strange about some of the attacks in the newspapers today is that this is someone who was praising what the prime minister brought home in terms of moving on to the next stage last December, someone who was in one of the great offices of state who was sitting around the Cabinet table, who now says he was in some ways deceived. 'She also pointed out that, in his interview, he seemed more keen to talk about his record as London mayor than his record as foreign secretary. 'He seems to be spending an awful lot of time talking about his London mayorship and very little time, in fact he hasnt even mentioned the fact that he was foreign secretary for two years and was in the room helping to influence this and, indeed, was praising it as soon ago as December.' Tory chairman Brandon Lewis stopped short of condemning Mr Johnson for his 'deranged' jibe, saying 'Boris has his own style of using language'. But he told BBC News: 'I think the party is focused around being behind the prime minister to deliver a good deal for the United Kingdom as we leave the European Union. 'You would have to ask Boris what he thinks of the language he's using.' Under plans to hit property buyers from abroad, people and businesses who do not pay tax in Britain will face a surcharge of between 1 per cent and 3 per cent when they buy a property, with the money funding measures to tackle rough sleeping. The conference got off to a rough start yesterday when an embarrassing security gaffe in the official app allowed access to the contact details of Cabinet ministers and senior MPs. Tory chairman Brandon Lewis apologised for the breach of security and the UK's data watchdog said it would make enquiries about the case. Activists and journalists heading to the conference discovered the major security problem in the official app which many use to keep track of events. Mr Lewis said the 'technical issue' had been resolved but 'we are investigating the issue further and apologise for any concern caused'. The Information Commissioner's Office said it would be 'making enquiries with the Conservative Party' and 'organisations have a legal duty to keep personal data safe and secure'. The profiles of former foreign secretary Mr Johnson and Environment Secretary Michael Gove were among those reportedly accessed. Advertisement It has been coined as the country's bogan Burning Man, but this year's Deni Ute Muster left true-blue Australians revved up for more action as the festival packs-up after another year of debauchery. Over the course of 20 years, the salt-of-the-earth festival in Deniliquin - which is playfully known as 'Deni' - has blossomed in to an event celebrating country lifestyle. The annual New South Wales event was created to bring in tourism to the drought-affected town in the Riverina region. Over the course of 20 years, the salt-of-the-earth festival in Deniliquin - which is playfully known as 'Deni' - has blossomed in to an event celebrating country lifestyle Festival-goers descended on the dusty plains in the southern NSW town for the two-day event on Friday The Deni Ute Muster has long been associated with country town tropes such as lawn-mowing races, butchery, wood chopping, as well as whip-cracking and driving competitions The Deni Ute Muster has long been associated with country town tropes such as lawn-mowing races, butchery, wood chopping, as well as whip-cracking and driving competitions. As it leaps in to the second decade, the main focus of the festival is not only Deniliquin's agricultural and farming roots, but their self-proclaimed title as the Ute Capital of the World. Festival-goers descended on the dusty plains in the southern NSW town for the two-day event on Friday. Scores of attendees wore their blue singlet in an attempt to beat the 'bluey' record of 3959 people donning unofficial traditional attire. With a line-up of country and rock stars such as Carrie Underwood, Kasey Chambers and Troy Cassar-Daley, more than 20,000 parked their caravans and fitted out their ute for the event. This year's family-friendly event was fit with a mixture of activities ranging from laser-tag, helicopter rides and bull rides. More than 20,000 parked their caravans and fitted out their ute for the event This year's family-friendly event was fit with a mixture of activities ranging from laser-tag, helicopter rides, bull rides and car races This year's family-friendly event was fit with a mixture of activities ranging from laser-tag, helicopter rides and bull rides As well as the all-ages events, some revellers to the opportunity to loosen-up making use of generous BYO alcohol allowances. In true Australian style, festival-attendee's whisked off their outback boots, dusted with red-earth for a shoey. Revellers were sprawled across the festival grounds necking their beer, wine and spirits from their sweaty shoes. Dairy Farmer Troy Rossborough is yet to miss a year since the Deni Ute Muster began in March 1999. Revellers were sprawled across the festival grounds necking their beer, wine and spirits from their sweaty shoes Scores of attendee's wore their blue singlet in an attempt to beat the 'bluey' record of 3959 people donning unofficial traditional attire 'I just love the atmosphere,' the father of two told the ABC. It gives me a chance to get away from the farm and relax with mates,' he said. Another veteran attendee, Bill Norris said he has seen the festival grow from the humble beginnings, when he was one of 2,000 people. He first slept under the stars in the back of his ute, but he has since upgraded to a caravan with his wife and pet magpie, Maggie. 'We started in the back of an old Landcruiser but we got a bit old for it,' Mr Norris said. 'I think you get a bit older, a bit wiser and a bit more keen on comfort,' he told the publication. Hundreds of people gathered for a memorial walk in honour of Lyn Dawson, who is feared murdered after disappearing more than three decades ago. Family, friends and those who have followed Ms Dawson's story from afar gathered at Long Reef surf club from 11am to celebrate her life and demand that justice be served over her untimely disappearance. Pink flowers were laid at the meeting spot atop a headland on Sydney's Northern Beaches to celebrate Lyn's birthday, which was on the 25th of September. Family, friends and those who have followed Ms Dawson's story from afar gathered at Long Reef surf club from 11am to celebrate her life Hundreds of people gathered for a memorial walk in honour of Lyn Dawson, who is feared murdered after disappearing more than three decades ago 'We're going to walk to the headland and lay some pink flowers in honour of Lyn,' Ms Dawson's niece, Renee Simms, told the Today Show. 'The idea was just to get up somewhere high, somewhere beautiful and just honour Lyn's memory. 'If you're not in the area, please just go somewhere beautiful and lay a pink flower and post a photo to the Looking for Lynette Dawson Facebook page, we'd really appreciate it.' Lyn Dawson went missing 35 years ago, with the main suspect in her presumed murder her school teacher husband Pink flowers were laid at the meeting spot atop a headland in Sydney's Northern Beaches to celebrate Lyn's birthday, which was on the 25th of September Community interest in the case of Lyn Dawson's mysterious disappearance was reignited as a result of the highly successful podcast, 'The Teachers Pet', which has been streamed over 21 million times. It works to unravel the matter, and resulted in homicide detectives reopening the long since cold case, in which the primary suspect of her apparent murder was her high-school teacher husband. Only days after her disappearance, Ms Dawson's husband moved 16-year-old Joanne Curtis into the family home, and it was later learned the pair were having an affair. Community interest in the case of Lyn Dawson's mysterious disappearance was reignited as a result of the highly successful podcast, 'The Teachers Pet', which has been streamed over 21 million times At least 500 people gathered on Sunday to walk from from Long Reef Surf Life Saving Club to Fishermans Beach. Greg Simms, Ms Dawson's brother, and her eldest daughter Shanelle both walked with the crowd. Mr Simms told The Australian 'this all started in about November last year, we've been on a rollercoaster since.' 'At least 500 people, it's fantastic.' A 12-year-old boy has been hit and killed by a tractor he was using on a farm in Victoria's far north. The boy was found dead at a property on Frees Road in Lietchville near the NSW border at about 7.30am on Sunday. Paramedics were called to the scene, but the boy had already died. A 12-year-old boy has been hit and killed by a tractor he was using on a farm in Victoria's far north It's understood he was using the tractor to spread fertiliser. 'Police believe the boy got off the tractor for some reason and was then struck by the still-moving machine,' a Victoria Police spokeswoman said. WorkSafe Victoria are en route to the scene and will be investigating. Leitchville is in far-north Victoria, about 50km north west of Echuca. The boy was found dead after using the tractor to spread fertiliser at a property on Frees Road in Lietchville (pictured) Residents have been told it's too late to leave and are urged to seek shelter as two bushfire threats ravage Queensland. A blaze is burning in the Blackdown Tableland National Park, 150km west of Rockhampton, central Queensland, where twelve people are reportedly trapped by the bushfire. RACQ Capricorn Helicopter Rescue Service said its crew and two other helicopters responded to the emergency at Rainbow Falls around 1.30pm. A blaze is burning in the Blackdown Tableland National Park, 150km west of Rockhampton, central Queensland, where twelve people are reportedly trapped by the bushfire (stock image) The people will need to be winched from the area as there is thick bush with a heavy canopy, a RACQ spokeswoman told AAP. The fire broke out earlier on Sunday around Charlevue Road at Dingo. Meanwhile, residents in far north Queensland, near Herberton, have been warned it's too late to leave. Queensland Fire and Emergency Services released an emergency warning for Walsh River, about 110 kilometres south-west of Cairns, on Sunday afternoon. 'Currently as at 3.20pm Sunday 30 September, a fast moving fire is travelling in a westerly direction towards Walsh River Road,' QFES said. 'The fire is expected to have a life-threatening impact on the community.' Queensland Fire and Emergency Services released an emergency warning for Walsh River, about 110 kilometres south-west of Cairns, on Sunday afternoon 'Conditions are now very dangerous and firefighters are unable to prevent the fire advancing.' Residents who live in this area have been warned that it is too late to leave and driving would be extremely dangerous. QFES urges local community members, of about 350 people, to remain vigilant. This includes listening to the local radio station for updates, wearing protective clothing and staying hydrated. Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita reiterated rejection of any interference in Moroccos internal affairs after the Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok handed, few weeks ago, a report to Dutch Parliament on the events of the Rif . In the report, the Dutch foreign minister described the verdict against Rif activists as a matter of concern. The Foreign Minister had summoned the Dutch ambassador in Rabat to protest against such interference in the Moroccan justice system. But in New York, on September 28, Bourita described the talks with Blok as rough saying that he reiterated Moroccos rejection of meddling in its internal affairs. Moroccos foreign ministry said in a statement that during the talks, Bourita described the Dutch report as a blatant side-taking containing untruths, inappropriate wording and wrong assumptions. The Ministry said that such a report violates the spirit of bilateral cooperation and mutual respect. This is not the first time Morocco asks the Netherlands to mind its own business, in April, Bourita told the press following talks with Blok in Rabat that Al Hoceima and the Rif events is a domestic issue that should not be part of any diplomatic agenda between the two countries. This is a purely Moroccan issue stressed Bourita. Morocco has no lessons to receive and no talks to have with foreign parties on this issue, he said. Moroccan structures, laws and institutions guarantee to all citizens the freedom of speech and protest, he added. The case of Said Chaou, a Moroccan-Dutch drug dealer and former MP wanted by Morocco, is another issue of controversy between the two countries. Morocco demands his extradition but the Dutch government has not responded yet. Britain will deploy 800 British troops to the Arctic to ward off Russian aggression, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson announced today. The Royal Marine and Army commandos will be deployed to Norway every winter for the next decade, operating alongside US and Dutch marines as well as Norwegian troops. Mr Williamson announced the move before his speech at the Tory party conference in Birmingham in which he pointed to Russia's re-opening of Soviet-era bases high in the arctic circle. Royal Marines conducting tactical training at Sorli Ranges, near Asergarden, Norway Britain will deploy 800 British troops to the Arctic to ward off Russian aggression, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson announced today. Pictured: A Royal Marine in Norway The Royal Marine and Army commandos will be deployed to Norway every winter for the next decade, operating alongside US and Dutch marines as well as Norwegian troops. Pictured: Royal Marines in Norway Melting ice has made the far north more navigable than ever before and led to claims of race to take control over the territory and its natural resources. Ahead of his speech he said there had been an 'increased tempo' of submarine activity and insisted it proved Britain needed to 'demonstrate we're there' to 'protect our interests'. Also in the speech, he announced that he would be protecting HMS Bulwark and HMS Albion being withdrawn from service early. There had been speculation that the two ships were facing the scrapyard as the MoD looked to make savings. He also said Britain will recruit teenagers into a 'cyber cadet force to help guard the nation against digital warfare,Around 2,000 youths will be trained each year in a new 1million GCHQ programme. The measure is the latest step in bolstering Britain's cyber defences against interference from the Kremlin, rogue states and terrorists. Britain will recruit teenagers into a 'cyber cadet force to help guard the nation against digital warfare, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson (pictured tonight addressing the Tory conference) has announced Mr Williamson's announcement to the Tory Party Conference in Birmingham came after he announced 800 British troops would be deployed to the Arctic to ward off Russian aggression Mr Williamson, announcing the cyber cadets, said: 'We live in a modern world where our phones are rarely out of our hands and we rely on computers to make daily tasks easier. 'Cyber threats to the UK are constantly evolving and this exciting initiative to train and develop 'cyber cadets' - the first of its kind in a Nato state - reaffirms our leading role in tackling security threats head on. 'It is important to recognise the vital role cadets play in our communities, and I am determined to grow the number of young people signing up and make sure their successes are properly recognised each year.' He added: 'This programme has been designed with GCHQ and the National Cyber Security Centre. 2,000 cadets a year will be trained in cyber security. 'Teaching young people skills, they need to succeed in today's world. This investment in cadets is an investment in the future of our young people.' Mr Williamson, in his first conference speech with the defence brief, also announced that he would be protecting HMS Bulwark (pictured) and HMS Albion being withdrawn from service early On the subject of Russian aggression, Mr Williamson told the Sunday Telegraph: 'We see Russian submarine activity very close to the level that it was at the Cold War, and it's right that we start responding to that. 'If we could turn back the clock 10 years many people thought that the era of submarine activity in the High North, in the North Atlantic, and the threat that it posed did disappear with the fall of the Berlin Wall. 'This threat has really come back to the fore.' Gavin Williamson (pictured last week with members of the Royal Armoured Corps) will use his speech to the Tory Party conference today to highlight another new threat from the Kremlin Theresa May and Boris Johnson traded blows today as a potentially tumultous Tory conference kicked off. The former foreign secretary launched another vicious attack on the PM's Chequers plan for Brexit - branding it 'deranged' and 'preposterous'. But a defiant Mrs May shot back that her critics were 'playing politics' and insisted she is still confident of getting a deal with the EU. Rolf Harris' daughter Bindi has revealed plans to pen a tell-all book about life with her father after sticking with him throughout his prison term and trial. In documents obtained by the Daily Star Sunday, Bindi Nicholls, 54, defends her father's behaviour and argues he is simply from a different era. Ms Nicholls has already created several draft pages of the book in which she slams the courts and claims her father is 'no kiddy fiddler'. Scroll down for video Bindi Nicholls, 54, arrives at Southwark Crown Court in London in June 2014 along with her father Rolf 'Dad is from the age of Benny Hill, Carry On films,' the documents read. 'He is Australian which was pretty male chauvinist in those days that is the era he is from, so sometimes he says non-PC jokes. Rolf Harris pictured with daughter Bindi back in 1995 'He loves a flirt, which he does very openly, much to my embarrassment, but I have met many a man from my dad's generation like that. 'It's harmless and you know it doesn't lead anywhere. Dad loves to give compliments to women so they feel good, for no other reason!' Harris was convicted of 12 indecent assaults at London's Southwark Crown Court in June 2014, one on an eight-year-old autograph hunter, two on girls in their early teens, and a catalogue of abuse against his daughter's friend over 16 years. He was jailed for five years and nine months, but released from HMP Stafford in May after serving less than half the sentence. Harris had hired private investigators to track down key witnesses including police officers as part of his appeal. The disgraced entertainer was freed from prison in May 2017 but has kept a relatively low profile since his release. The historical site which saw more than 1,200 people killed in just an hour as Jacobite forces took their final stand now faces another threat. Left undisturbed for nearly three centuries the Culloden Moor, east of Inverness, Scotland, was the battleground for the the final and brutal confrontation in the Jacobite uprising of 1745. Now, the war grave site of the last pitched battle fought on British soil, The Battle of Culloden in 1746, faces disturbance once again as recently approved plans make way for the development of 16 luxury homes. The site at which The Battle of Culloden in 1746 took place is under threat from the development of 16 luxury houses (artist impression of houses pictured above) by Kirkwood Homes The battleground, east of Inverness, Scotland, was where the last pitched battle was fought on British soil The site on the Culloden Moor is a symbol of national identity and has been left undisturbed for nearly three centuries The new houses by Kirkwood Homes now face a backlash from opponents, who are calling for the plans to be given further scrutiny and for the Scottish government to halt the development. Adding his voice to the growing number of protesters Professor Sir Tom Devine, one of Scotland's foremost historians, said the bones of soldiers lay scattered across the site making them part of the 'Culloden war grave'. This weekend according to The Guardian the University of Edinburgh professor said: 'It's a national disgrace that these plans are being waved through. 'Scotland has a wretched record in preserving its sacred battle sites, but this would be the worst cut of all.' The Battle of Culloden on April 16 1746 was the final confrontation in the 1745 Jacobite rising and saw Charles Edward Stuart, nicknamed 'Bonnie Prince Charlie', try to regain the British throne for the House of Stuart He chose to confront the enemy at Drummossie Moor on one rain soaked morning and the brutal and bloody battle saw between 1,500 and 2,000 men killed The Battle of Culloden on April 16 1746 was the final confrontation in the 1745 Jacobite rising. The rising was an attempt to overthrow the House of Hanover and saw Charles Edward Stuart, nicknamed 'Bonnie Prince Charlie', try to regain the British throne for the House of Stuart . Bonnie Prince Charlie was the grandson of the deposed Catholic King James II and supporters of the deposed king and his descendants were called Jacobites. After their defeat the Jacobites who managed to escape the battle site were hunted down and killed over the weeks that followed After failing to gather support in England, the Jacobites retreated to Scotland and Charles, under constant pressure from the Kings army, marched his force further northward, before finally establishing a base at Inverness. He chose to confront the enemy at Drummossie Moor on one rain soaked morning and fought government forces towards the moorland around Culloden and Drummossie. The battle lasted no more than an hour and saw the Jacobites face a brutal and bloody defeat. The Jacobites who managed to escape the battle site were hunted down and killed over the weeks that followed. Housing developers argue the houses will be on the periphery of the ancient battlefield leaving the site itself undisturbed however protest groups argue the project will drastically alter the historic site Developers of the new project argue that the buildings will be on the periphery of the ancient battlefield leaving the site itself undisturbed however campaigners argue that the homes will dramatically alter the character of a national heritage site. The housing plans were initially rejected by Highland Council but after an appeal by the housing firm, the government official who assessed the builders' appeal upheld it. Now, protesters are calling for MSPs to use a new planning bill currently going through Holyrood to address the inequalities between developers and communities and the right for communities to appeal. A Change.org petition which has gathered nearly 100,000 signatures against the new construction reads: 'If allowed, this development will affect the area in a dramatic, negative way. Pictured: Site plan of the new 16 luxury houses that will be built on the battlefield site A Change.org petition which has gathered nearly 100,000 signatures against the new construction reads: 'If allowed, this development will affect the area in a dramatic, negative way. 'The area will lose its ability to convey a sense of historical and cultural significance, as a memorial, in which to sit and contemplate, as a place of connection for millions of people around the world.' A demonstration against the 16 luxury homes will now be held at the battlefield on October 13. Medical experts have been ordered to draw up recommended time limits for how long young people should be on social media, Matt Hancock revealed today. The Health Secretary said he was 'very worried' as a father by the growing evidence of the detrimental effect on the health of young people of social media apps. He revealed he had instructed Dame Sally Davies, the UK's chief medical officer, to begin preparing official guidance on safe time limits that would work in a similar way to safe alcohol limits. Mr Hancock also demanded the social media firms do more themselves, slamming Facebook for failing to police official age limits on its products, which include Instagram and WhatsApp. Medical experts have been ordered to draw up recommended time limits for how long young people should be on social media, Matt Hancock (pictured in Downing Street this week) revealed today The Health Secretary said he was 'very worried' as a father by the growing evidence of the detrimental effect on the health of young people of social media apps (file image). Speaking ahead of the start of the party conference in Birmingham, Mr Hancock told the Observer: 'I am, as a father, very worried about the growing evidence of the impact of social media on children's mental health. 'Unrestricted use (of social media) by younger children risks being very damaging to their mental health. 'So I have asked the chief medical officer to bring forward formal guidance on its use by children.' Some platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, have moved to mitigate fears of addiction by introducing wellbeing tools that enable users to monitor and restrict their time on the platform. Public campaigns such as Scroll Free September have also been launched to encourage the public to use social media less. The initiative from the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) asked people to stop using platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat in September, or to cut down the amount of time they spend on them. Mr Hancock has instructed Dame Sally Davies (file image), the UK's chief medical officer, to begin preparing official guidance on safe time limits that would work in a similar way to safe alcohol limits. Almost two-thirds of users polled in a July survey considered taking part in the initiative and many believed giving up social media would have a positive impact on their lives, an RSPH survey found. Mr Hancock hit out at both platforms, which share an owner, over a lack of policing of their rules on age limits. He told the Observer: 'The terms of reference of Facebook and Instagram say you shouldn't be on it if you are under the age of 13. But they do nothing to police that. 'The guidelines for WhatsApp say you shouldn't be on it unless you're 16. But again, they don't lift a finger.' A woman who lost all eight of her babies at 24 weeks has said that Princess Diana helped her cope in her darkest moments by meeting for lunch and giving her a 'hug'. Mandy Allwood, now 53, became world famous when she announced she was expecting octuplets in 1996. But the six boys and two girls, who were born over three days and three nights, did not survive. Scroll down for video Mandy Allwood (pictured left) has said Princess Diana helped her cope with depression after the loss of her eight babies in 1996 Mrs Allwood said Princess Diana comforted her and they spoke about depression and panic attacks while having lunch at London hotels like the Ritz and the Dorchester Today marks the 22nd anniversary of Kypros, Adam, Martyn, Cassius, Nelson, Donald, Kitali and Layne's deaths and their grieving mother has revealed it was Princess Diana who reached out to her and helped her cope, reports the Daily Star. Mrs Allwood said Diana would meet her at fancy hotels such as the Ritz and the Dorchester in London where they would chat about their struggles with depression. She said: 'She gave me a hug, showed me lots of support. 'When we first met she said to me 'thank you for keeping me off the front pages for a change'. 'We talked about her depression and my panic attacks and she told me she had been there too. We spoke about her family and she talked a lot about Charles and Camilla.' The mum of four said Diana got in touch just five weeks after the miscarriage by sending a lunch invitation in the post. The two meetings were in October 1996 and again in November. Mrs Allwood never spoke to Diana again as she tragically died less than a year after their final meeting Mrs Allwood (pictured with her partner Paul Hudson) said the meetings were very private and she wasn't allowed to take any pictures They met twice - once in October 1996 and again in November. Diana died the following year in August 1997. The meetings were very private and Mrs Allwood was not allowed to take any pictures or exchange phone numbers with the Princess. Mrs Allwood became famous after her story was featured in newspapers around the world when she first revealed she was going to be an 'Octomum'. She appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show and even received a personal message of support from Princess Diana. Before the tragedy, Mrs Allwood already had a son, Charlie, from her failed marriage. But after longing for children with new partner Paul Hudson from whom she has since separated - and suffering repeated miscarriages, she took fertility drugs. In the aftermath of the tragedy, she struggled to come to terms with her devastating loss and spiralled into a haze of depression, suicide attempts and alcohol addiction. She hit a low in 2008, when she would drink wine from the minute she woke up, even ordering a taxi to take her to buy more after she lost her driving licence. Mrs Allwood was 31 when she was pregnant with the octuplets. She said 'you will always have those memories and you will come through it' about losing her babies Today marks the 22nd anniversary of the babies deaths and Mrs Allwood will lay flowers for them at West Norwood Cemetery in south London. Pictured is their funeral procession She was even given an ASBO after she repeatedly played Sinead O'Connor's Nothing Compares to You on full volume, 'deafening' her neighbours. Today, on the 22nd anniversary of her babies deaths, Mrs Allwood will lay flowers for them at West Norwood Cemetery, south London. She said: 'You will never forget your little boy or girl but you can't change it. You will always have those memories and you will come through it.' Hundreds of people have been forced to evacuate their homes after a huge fire broke out at an industrial unit. More than 100 houses and flats in Weymouth, Dorset, were evacuated just after 5am when most people were still asleep in their beds and had to be woken up. Teams of police knocked on doors, rang bells and shouted messages to rouse families and advise them to get out as fast as they could. The drama began after firefighters were called to a car workshop blaze and said they feared some gas cylinders might explode any minute. Hundreds of people have been forced to evacuate their homes after a huge fire broke out at an industrial unit in Weymouth (pictured) Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service described the fire as a 'major incident' and said that approximately 100 homes had been evacuated. Reports on social media said a commercial garage in Holly Road is on fire and there are concerns about gas cylinders at the premises. Weymouth resident Graham Sheppard said the fire was 'massive'. He added: 'I thought someone was letting off fireworks from all the bangs.' The British Red Cross in Dorset are providing assistance at the scene as still half-asleep residents are offereed steaming hot cups of tea. It is thought a local pub has opened its doors as a place where they can go. The German scientist known as Dr Death is terminally ill and wants to have his body displayed in his exhibition after he dies, according to his wife. Dr Gunther von Hagens, who invented plastination in the late 1970s and is famous for his work on the preservation of corpses, is suffering with Parkinson's disease. His wife Dr Angelina Whalley has revealed she is the only person he trusts to carry on his legacy. She added that Von Hagens also wants to become part of his latest Body Worlds exhibition, which is due to open to the public in London this week and consists of 2,600 square metres of organs, skulls and cadavers. Dr Angelina Whalley is the wife of Dr Gunther von Hagens, also known as Dr Death (couple pictured together in 2009). She says that her husband is terminally ill and wants his body displayed after his death His wife Dr Whalley, who is a German anatomist, has revealed how her husband's demands for after his death left her stunned. However, she said that she eventually realised she would have to finish her husband's life's work as it would be 'an expression of love'. She told the Observer: 'He said to me: "Angelina, you are entitled to freeze me down to -25C for one year, but after that time you really need to put your hands on me because otherwise I will get freeze burn". 'So I have one year for mourning and then I will have to do it.' As many of his other exhibits, von Hagens is expected to be displayed in an elaborate pose when he is eventually plastinated. His wife revealed how Von Hagens wants to become part of his latest Body Worlds exhibition, which is due to open to the public in London this week Famous for his flamboyance, his wife has revealed he would like to be displayed at the entrance of the museum. However, his wife admits that it will depend on how the body responds to plastination. The plastination process itself can take around a year to complete. Formalin is pumped into the body through the arteries to halt decay. The skin, fatty and connective tissues are then removed, along with body fat and water. Dr Whalley said she hopes her husband still lives for many years but admitted that they have discussed the pose his plastinated body would use in the exhibition Silicone rubber is hen placed inside the body and penetrates every cell. After this, you position the body in the way that you want and you use wires and clamps to keep in place. Then the body is hardened with gas, light or heat. The entire process takes about 1,500 working hours. Whalley hopes that her husband still lives for a long time yet but the plans for the aftermath of his death are already in place. The London exhibition is filled with the bodies of real humans and is intended to serve as a reminder on the 'treasure' of the human body Von Hagens will join the collection of plastinates that are currently in the London Pavillion in the centre of the city. The exhibition is filled with the bodies of real humans and is intended to serve as a reminder on the 'treasure' of the human body. One exhibit is inspired by a scene from Casino Royale, the James Bond film, and shows three poker players in various states of dissection. One of the players have their heart exposed while another has his belly sliced open, revealing his inner organs. Most people are never told what happens to their relative's bodies after they are plastinated. However, Dr Whalley says that Gunter's will probably be quite recognisable Another potentially disturbing image shows a man astride a skeletal horse in mid-jump, while holding a brain in one hand and a whip in the other. Dr Whalley also revealed how the relatives of their exhibits are never told what becomes of their plastinated bodies. However, she admits: 'Gunther has dedicated his whole life to plastication. He invented it. 'So I think it would be acceptable to make an exception with him.' HOW DOES HE DO IT? THE PLASTINATION PROCESS Step 1. Embalming and Anatomical Dissection He halts decay by pumping formalin into the body through the arteries. Using dissection tools, the skin, fatty and connective tissues are removed in order to prepare the individual anatomical structures. Steep 2. Removal of Body Fat and Water The body water and soluble fats are dissolved from the body by placing it into an acetone bath. Step 3. Forced Impregnation A reactive polymer - silicone rubber - replaces the acetone. The specimen is immersed in a polymer solution and placed in vacuum chamber. The vacuum removes the acetone from the specimen and helps the polymer to penetrate every last cell. Step 4. Positioning After vacuum impregnation, the body is positioned as desired. Every single anatomical structure is properly aligned and fixed with the help of wires, needles, clamps, and foam blocks. Step 5. Curing (Hardening) The specimen is hardened with gas, light, or heat. Dissection and Plastination of an entire body requires about 1,500 working hours and normally takes about one year to complete Advertisement A huge 'gang fight' had to be broken apart by police at a bustling shopping centre on Friday afternoon. Police were called to St Anns Shopping Centre in Harrow just before 5.30pm and were faced by more than 50 teenagers who had collected in the entrance hall to the building. Dozens of officers can be seen trying to disperse the gathering crowds and keeping those involved apart. Police were called to St Ann's Shopping Centre in Harrow after a 'brawl' between more than 50 teenagers broke out just before 5.30pm on Friday One police man can be seen getting out his baton and moving some of the people back, away from the main doors. A group of around six officers are also shown on the clip standing in a line, apparently trying to stop anyone from brawling again. Four teenagers were arrested after the incident and two of them - a 17-year-old male and a 16-year-old female have been charged. Harrow police tweeted: 'Harrow Team C have responded to a large disturbance at St Anns shopping centre, in Harrow Town Centre. 'A large group of approximately 50 teenagers were reported fighting. Officers attended and have dispersed the group, three arrests have been made in relation to the incident.' A Section 35 Dispersal Zone was also authorised to prevent further offences in the area. One witness told the Sun they saw 30 to 40 officers on the scene. Dozens of officers can be seen trying to stop the fighting and break up groups of young people while one man was restrained on the floor (right) The Met police confirmed four people had been arrested after the incident and two, aged 16 and 17, have been charged A spokesperson for the Met Police said: 'Police were called at approximately 17:30hrs on Friday, 28 September to reports of a fight involving a large number of youths at the St Ann's Shopping Centre in Harrow. 'Officers attended and the crowd dispersed. 'A 17-year-old male has been charged with assault by beating; assault on police and obstructing police. 'A 16-year-old female has been charged with assault by beating; assault on police and possession of class B drugs. 'Both will appear on bail at Willesden Magistrates' Court on 17 October. 'Two other people who were arrested - a 17-year-old male and a 17-year-old female - has been released with no further action.' The reforms would also allow renters to freely hang their photos on the walls Owners would need to give consent but could only refuse in certain situations The proposed new laws come after similar rules passed in Victoria this month Every homeowner in Queensland could be forced to allow tenants to have pets Every homeowner in one Australian state could be forced to allow tenants to have pets in an overhaul of renting laws. Landlords in Queensland would still need to give consent to their tenants owning a pet under a state review called Open Doors to Renting Reform, but could only refuse in certain circumstances. The review, which was announced by the state government on Sunday, would come after legislation in Victoria passed in September giving renters the same right. Every homeowner in Queensland could be forced to allow tenants to have pets in an overhaul of renting laws (stock image) Housing minister Mick de Brenni said the new laws, which will also allow tenants in the state to hang photos on the wall freely, could 'make renting fairer for everybody'. 'Pets are part of our families,' the minister said according to ABC News. 'In other jurisdictions across the country, they have established a regime where we can make easier arrangements on having a pet.' RSPCA Queensland announced last year that people moving home was one of the top three reasons why pets were turned into them. Over the past two years, the RSPCA said 15 per cent of the dogs and cats surrendered nationally were given to them because owners could not take their pets to their new home. A consultation of renters, estate agents and homeowners will launch this week to begin the review process - described as long overdue by Deputy Premier Jackie Trad. Housing minister Mick de Brenni (pictured) said the new laws, which will also allow tenants in the state to hang photos on the wall freely, could 'make renting fairer for everybody' Tenants will receive an e-mail on Sunday asking how they think renting could be improved in the state, with submissions open until November 30. She told reporters South Brisbane alone had seen a 123 per cent rise in the number of rental properties on the market and the appropriate laws in the state needed to be modernised. State Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the proposed tenancy law review would replace legislation which had not been changed in 40 years. The Pope has urged Catholics to pray daily to protect the church from 'turbulence', as more and more sexual abuse revelations emerge. In a Vatican statement released on Saturday, Pope Francis urged Catholics the world over to pray every day in October in order 'to protect the Church from the devil, who always seeks to separate us from God and from each other'. The Pope called prayer a 'weapon' to be used against 'the great accuser' who he claimed 'can only be defeated by prayer'. Scroll down for video Pope Francis leading a mass in Freedom Square in Tallinn, Estonia on Tuesday during a four-day tour of the Baltics this week 'With this request for intercession the Holy Father asks the faithful of all the world to pray that the Holy Mother of God place the Church beneath her protective mantle,' the statement read. 'To preserve her from the attacks by the devil, the great accuser, and at the same time to make her more aware of the faults, the errors and the abuses committed in the present and in the past, and committed to combating without any hesitation, so that evil may not prevail.' The Church has been embroiled in a series of sex abuse scandals, most recently in Germany where a damning report revealed over 3,700 children were abused between 1946 and 2014. Flying back from a four-day tour of the Baltics on Thursday Francis insisted the Church should not be judged by modern standards because attitudes towards abuse, which he said happens not just in the Church but in society generally, have changed dramatically over the years. 'In olden times, these things were covered up, they were even covered up in homes, when an uncle raped a niece, when a father raped his children,' he said. 'It was covered up because it was an enormous shame. That was the mentality in the last century.' Pope Francis arrives to lead his weekly general audience on St.Peter's square on Wednesday this week Morocco underscored its active participation at the 73rd UN General Assembly in line with the tenets of its foreign policy underpinned by multilateralism, sustainability, win-win partnerships and south-south cooperation. Morocco made its voice heard concerning some of the key issues discussed at the General Assembly, including migration, fight against terrorism, climate change and sustainable development. Three Royal messages were read out since the start of the 73rd UN General Assembly, namely at the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit, held to celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of the South African Icon and revive the values for which the anti-apartheid campaigner stood; at the high-level panel on The Power of Education in Preventing Racism and Discrimination: the Case of Anti-Semitism; and at the High-Level Meeting on Action for Peacekeeping. Morocco spoke out for multilateralism at an international context marked by protracted conflicts and crisis such as the war in Yemen, Syria and the Middle East. The national cause was at the heart of Moroccos diplomatic action as the Kingdom reiterated readiness to back efforts led by the UN Secretary General and his envoy for the Sahara. Several talks were held by Head of the Government Saad Eddine El Othmani and Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita on the sidelines of the event where many countries reaffirmed longstanding ties with the Kingdom and support for Moroccos territorial integrity. Moroccos keynote address was also a chance to highlight Moroccos views concerning a range of regional and international issues. In preparation for the UN event in Marrakech to adopt the Global migration pact, Morocco took part in preparatory meetings, namely the Road to Marrakech conference and another event on migration in Africa. On combating terrorism, Morocco took part in the Global Counter Terrorism Forum, which it co-chairs with the Netherlands. Morocco also called for addressing Africas pressing issues stressing the need to give priority to promoting peace and sustainable development in the continent. Advertisement Almost 20,000 festival revellers have descended to Wollongong, south of Sydney, for music festival that grew out of a hole-in-the-wall cafe. Dressed in glitter and vintage leotards, party-goers arrived at Stuart Park, North Wollongong, for the Yours and Owls music festival. Locals from the beach-side city hail the festival as 'Wollongong Christmas'. The October long-weekend festival will close on Sunday evening after kicking off on Saturday morning - allowing attendees to recover from the madness on Monday's public holiday. Almost 20,000 festival revellers have descended to Wollongong, south of Sydney, for two-day music festival One woman took the music festival's obsession with glitter to the next step by planting two blue sparkly hand prints on her butt cheeks Party-goers arrived at Stuart Park, North Wollongong, for the Yours and Owls music festival Spring fashion was on show with many young women matching their plaid pants and patterned skirts with tiny bikini tops Visitors were able to enjoy performances from more than 48 music acts including prominent headliners Alison Wonderland, Peking Duk and Angus and Julia Stone One woman wearing a shiny top poses for the camera while smoking a cigarette at the two-day festival Visitors were able to enjoy performances from more than 48 music acts including prominent headliners Alison Wonderland, Peking Duk and Angus and Julia Stone. Spring fashion was on show with many young women matching their plaid pants and patterned skirts with tiny bikini tops. Other music-lovers opted for era-based fashion including bright and bold 80s style leotards and legwarmers. One woman took the music festival's obsession with glitter to the next step by planting two blue sparkly hand prints on her butt cheeks. A man who was busting to urinate was captured standing on top the festival provided portable toilets in hilarious video footage. The man, who couldn't wait to use the portaloos, was probably eager to head back to the stage for more music. Two women hold hands while showing off their matching festival outfits - simple black jeans and colourful puffer jackets One festival-goer wears a daisy-bra with high-waisted blue jeans and love-heard sunglasses The two-day festival that is putting the south-coast city on the map kicked off on Saturday morning and will close on Sunday evening A man who was busting for the loo was captured standing on top the festival provided portable toilets in hilarious video footage The up-and-coming festival increased capacity to almost 18,000 visitors this year after 14,000 people stepped through the gates in 2017 A young woman excitedly poses for the camera before she heads to the up-and-coming music festival A young woman made the bold choice to wear green tights to match her pink vintage leotard and legwarmers The up-and-coming festival increased capacity to almost 18,000 visitors this year after 14,000 people stepped through the gates in 2017. The festival is run by trio of mates Ben Tillman, Adam Smith and Balunn Jones who also own their own record label. The trio opened Yours and Owls cafe in Wollongong CBD as part of a business venture in 2010. They booked bands at the venue before eventually selling the business. This inspired the trio to continue working in the music industry and they began to book bands at the University of Wollongong. In a bid to put the seaside town on the map, the trio eventually launched their first boutique festival in 2014, with only 2000 guests. Within a few short years the festival has boomed in success and brought economic growth to the local community. With pink glitter on her face, one woman took her outfit to the next level by matching it with pink fluffy shoes One woman opted for leopard print fashion, coordinating it with large hoop earring and chunky neck jewellery In photos posted to popular social media application Instagram, music-lovers coordinated their outfits for the event Wearing a red bikini top and orange skirt one festival-goer appears ecstatic to bask in the sunshine Some music-lovers opted for era-based fashion including bright and bold 80s style leotards and legwarmers In a bid to put the seaside town on the map the trio who run the event launched the boutique festival in 2014, with only 2000 guests A poodle who lost all of his fur because of a rare genetic condition is causing a storm in his hometown because of his specially-made Burberry-style body suit. Fraser, a four-year-old black Standard Poodle who lives in Cheadle, Staffordshire in the West Midlands, went bald because of an ailment called Sebaceous Adenitis, a rare type of inflammatory disease that affects the skin and glands of young and middle-aged dogs. But Aileen Perry, 54, from Elgin, Scotland decided to make a stylish new body suit for Fraser and he is, once again, the 'best in show'. Fraser, a four-year-old black Standard Poodle, went bald because of an ailment called Sebaceous Adenitis. Aileen Perry, 54, decided to make a new bodysuit for him (pictured) The suit has a beige and check pattern similar to the one used by the Burberry fashion house. Fraser got his coat on September 21 and will get a lighter weight one next summer. Elaine, a widow, is Fraser's owner and said: 'I'm registered disabled and I can only take him out for short walks so he has dog walkers to take him out for longer walks. 'He hates going out in the wet, I certainly wouldn't like to go out with nothing on in this weather. 'Fraser got his new coat on Frida and he causes a stir wherever he goes, especially with school children who laugh and say 'look at that dog'. 'The Burberry pattern is his new winter coat, he'll get a lighter weight one for the summer. Elaine, a widow, is Fraser's owner and said she is registered disabled and can only take him out for short walks. She added that Fraser hates the wet without his fur 'When he goes out in the sun he has to have sun-cream out all over him to stop him getting burnt. 'The condition means he has to be bathed every week with a special shampoo and sprayed with a special spray to help keep the condition in abatement. 'He also has treatment from the vet but I'm sure, at the end of the day, he'll go completely bald. 'The symptoms first started to appear when he was nine months old and has been getting worse in years since - the hair on his chest is starting to go now His owner added that the Burberry pattern is his new winter coat, he'll get a lighter weight one for the summer 'But he's really happy and enjoys just laying on the bed and staring out the window. 'He's very playful but he just doesn't like going out in the rain. 'Aileen's company was something that I came across on the internet and she makes the suits made-to-measure, even the tail part fits perfectly.' Aileen added: 'Fraser's such a bonny wee dog but he'd lost most of his lovely black hair and was thoroughly miserable with the cold and wet. 'Elaine wasn't fit enough to measure this big boisterous dog. I would normally help measure over either Facebook Messenger Video or Skype, but Elaine didn't use them. Fraser went bald because of an ailment called Sebaceous Adenitis, a rare type of inflammatory disease that affects the skin and glands of young and middle-aged dogs The symptoms first started to appear when he was nine months old and have been getting worse in the years since 'I put out a plea for someone in the area who could go round and measure Fraser and someone else who could take their mobile device so I could help them over the internet. 'I had so many offers of help from complete dog-loving well-wishers. 'Ali Pope, a construction site manager, drove three-quarters of an hour and made a fabulous job of measuring Fraser. 'And Andy O'Brien, a retired fireman, spoke to me over Facebook and we got Fraser measured up perfectly. Aileen makes up to two doggie suits a day and exports them as far afield as Europe, America, Canada and Tasmania 'Even on the day it was delivered Ian Baddeley, an ambulance driver, who I've never met, arranged to go round with his wife Angela to ensure Elaine knew how to put the suit on.' The former crown court shorthand writer started her firm, K9 CleanCoats seven years ago - after designing one for her American Cocker Spaniel, called Toto, to stop him getting dirty whenever he went out for a walk. She can make up to two doggie suits a day and charges between 63 and 110 depending on the size of dog. Aileen now exports them as far afield as Europe, America, Canada and Tasmania. The notorious group that backed Jihadi John has been told to remove a 'deliberately misleading' online video in which a Muslim woman alleges she was 'raided' by counter-terrorism police moments after giving birth. Cage used the controversial video to suggest that Prevent, the government's counter-terrorism strategy, is leading to children being removed from Muslim families over false claims they are being radicalised by their parents. The clip features a niqab-wearing woman using the pseudonym Sister Maryam, who claims police came to find her in a London hospital when she still had 'blood on my bed sheets, blood on my legs'. In the video, a woman using the pseudonym Sister Maryam claims she was raided by police shortly after giving birth Sister Maryam, who cannot be named for legal reasons, asks the audience 'Where were my brothers?' before urging them to donate to Cage, which describes itself as an advocacy organisation for victims of the 'War on Terror'. 'They are not killing our children, they are taking our children away. What for? Because we are Muslim, that's all,' the woman declares through tears. According to The Sunday Telegraph, Sister Maryam is the wife of Michael Coe, an associate of hate preacher Anjem Choudary who was jailed for 28 months for knocking a schoolboy unconscious because he cuddled his girlfriend in the street. Coe pulled over to confront the pair, demanding to know if they were Muslims, before calling the boy's girlfriend a 'whore'. He then grabbed the boy, 16, by the throat and threw him before kicking him unconscious while he lay on the ground. When passing schoolteacher Boutho Siwela tried to come to the teenager's aid, he was also attacked. The father of two was convicted in August 2016 of actual bodily arm and battery over the attack in Newham, East London, during April of that year. Police went to the hospital in 2016 with the sole aim of arresting Coe, who they caught outside the building. Sister Maryam is reportedly the wife of Michael Coe, (pictured in a 2016 mug shot) an associate of Anjem Choudary who was jailed for 28 months for beating up a schoolboy Police then asked doctors for an 'appropriate time' to make a 'brief search' of the birthing room where he had been, Scotland Yard said. The year-old video has now been viewed nearly 400,000 times on the Cage Facebook page. What is Cage, the controversial Muslim advocacy group? The London-based organisation claims to be an advocacy group for 'victims of the War on Terror', but has been accused of apologising for terrorism. Most notoriously, its director Asim Qureshi defended Mohammed Emwazi as a 'beautiful young man' shortly after he was identified as the ISIS executioner Jihadi John. A Daily Mail investigation in 2016 found it had been targeting young Muslims with campus speeches, which included calls for students to sabotage the government's anti-terror strategy Prevent. Advertisement During the footage she fails to explain either the real reason police went to the hospital or her links to a violent extremist. Coe was involved in a similar incident in 2013, when he was convicted of religiously aggravated harassment after seeing a Muslim woman talking to a group of men and telling her that it was against Islam. He was convicted of religiously aggravated harassment after seeing a Muslim woman talking to a group of men and telling her that it was against Islam. A spokesman for Counter Terrorism Policing said: 'We are aware of a video which has been posted on social media in support of the organisation CAGE. 'We feel that the video deliberately excludes the wider context surrounding the particular case highlighted and is therefore misrepresentative of the facts. 'A letter outlining our concerns, with a direct request for CAGE to remove the video from their social channels, was sent on Thursday, 20th September from the National Coordinator for Prevent policing. We currently await their response.' MailOnline has contacted National Terrorism Policing and Cage for comment. As fears continue to grow for Benny the Beluga, authorities are asking anyone with a small boat to refrain from coming out and looking for the lost whale. The snowy white sea creature with a distinctive domed forehead was last sighted an hour ago close to the position he was in yesterday and shows no apparent signs of sickness or injury. The Port of London Authority is now asking that no small boats be navigated into the waters near the whale, who is 1,500 miles away from its Arctic home, and that anyone wishing to view the sea creature do so safely from the shore. Benny the Beluga Whale was spotted earlier today close to its position yesterday near Gravesend. Pictured: People seen onboard a boat yesterday with large cameras trying to get a picture of the rare sight The snowy white sea creature with a distinctive domes forehead shows no apparent signs of sickness or illness say the London Port Authority Wildlife experts and locals were pictured yesterday gathering to watch the whale as it moved upstream further towards London. As concerns grow for the lost whale, the Port of London Authority is now asking that no small boats be navigated into the waters near the whale and that anyone wishing to view the sea creature do so safely from the shore Yesterday people were pictured observing the Whale from the Banks of the Thames at Gravesend Promenade Speaking about the 'absolutely unheard of' whale sighting, Port of London Authority spokesman Martin Garside said: 'The whale was sighted an hour ago close to the position it was in yesterday. 'It's in the same general area but it is moving and there are no apparent signs of sickness or injury. 'We are asking anyone with a small boat not to come out looking for the whale and also telling people who want to view the whale to do so safely from the shore.' Mr Garside added that the whale is swimming normally and does seem to be finding food on its own. Port of London Authority spokesman Martin Garside said: 'We are asking anyone with a small boat not to come out looking for the whale and also telling people who want to view the whale to do so safely from the shore' Anyone who attempts to get too close to the whale (pictured yesterday) has been given a stern warning that they will be intercepted by a patrol boat Excited crowds first spotted the whale veering into the busy shipping lanes off of Gravesend on Tuesday. However experts have become increasingly concerned over the lost whale saying he is 'in the wrong place, thousands of miles away from home.' Anyone who attempts to get too close by ship or boat has been given a stern warning that they will be intercepted by a patrol boat. Yesterday Mr Garcia told The Sun: 'It's a huge concern that it's 1,500 miles lost, we really just want it to swim back to Norway on the next ebb tide. 'Everything revolves around the fact that he's in totally the wrong place, thousands of miles away from his home. 'He or she must have swum down the North Sea past the coast of Norway. It seems to be managing in the Thames, but it would be much better off in its natural environment.' The lost Beluga Whale 'Benny' was spotted surfacing in the Thames estuary on Tuesday Crowds gather for the third day to hope to catch a glimpse of Benny the Beluga Whale swimming in the Thames to the East of Gravesend Yesterday the Port of London Authority said it would impose a 100-metre restriction area on non-essential vessels from travelling close to the whale who has been surfacing in the river near Gravesend since Tuesday. There are fears that weekend onlookers heading to Gravesend could disturb the Beluga - if they venture on to the river on a boat. There are fears, however, that there may be something wrong with his navigational abilities as he is so far away from where he would normally be found, in Arctic waters. The whale, which is believed to be up to three metres long, was first spotted on Tuesday morning between Gravesend and Tilbury to the astonishment of members of the public Beluga whale swims in the River Thames near Gravesend, Kent, east of London on Wednesday Crowds gather for the third day to hope to catch a glimpse of Benny the Beluga Whale swimming in the Thames to the East of Gravesend On Friday, Benny could be seen once more swimming close to barges along the Thames. It was spotted again at around 3.15pm on Friday afternoon as enthusiasts gathered to watch the rare snow-white mammal from the shore. The Port of London Authority Notice To Mariners reads: 'A restriction to non-essential operations will be in force with immediate effect south of the authorised navigation channel from Denton Wharf to Shornmead Light. 'This is as a result on the ongoing presence of a beluga whale, which is a IUCN red listed species, in Gravesend Reach Lower. 'This restriction is on all non-essential vessels not required to be in this area. 'Any vessels required to operate in this area are required to keep a close lookout at all time, keep speed to a minimum and maintain a minimum distance of 100m from the whale. 'Vessel Traffic Services will be monitoring the area throughout the restriction along with assistance from the Harbour Service Launch.' British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) operations manager Stephen Marsh said it was still not known what sex Benny is. Pictures of the Beluga whale taken in Gravesend by British Divers Marine Life Rescue Wildlife enthusiasts look at beluga whale swimming in the River Thames near Gravesend Experts from the organisation have been monitoring the whale, which could stay in the Thames for months. Mr Marsh said: 'We are not putting divers down and you can't tell from the body. We will watch and observe. But we are having meetings and discussions behind the scenes. 'It looks as if it is feeding very well. There is plenty of food for it in the Thames. A lot of the food it eats in the Arctic can be found in the Thames. 'The reason it is staying is, I think, because there are algae on the barges and buoys and that is what the fish are attracted to. There will be sprats in the area and it also eats herring and crustaceans. 'They adapt if there is food there.' People wanting to see the whale this weekend should do so from the shore, he added. Drone footage gives closer look of the beluga whale which has been spotted in the Thames Lucy Babey, Head of Science & Conservation at ORCA, a charity dedicated to studying and protecting whales, dolphins and porpoises in the UK and European waters, said Benny was 'behaving very normally'. She said: 'Belugas do usually travel in small pods (groups) and different pods can come together to form large groups, but reports of lone or pairs of beluga are increasing. 'Those seen around the UK have always been of lone individuals or pairs. 'At this stage it is not known why the whale found its way to the Thames, but the most likely theory is due to a navigational error in its sonar/echolocation system. 'In other species this is known to occur if the individual is unwell or if there was any disturbance or noise in the water (natural environmental noise or man-made noise). 'The animal appears to be behaving normally and swimming strongly and is also showing signs of feeding and foraging behaviour, which is a good thing. 'Its movement within the Thames most probably relates to the tide and location of food.' The suspected drug overdose deaths of two young people at the Defqon.1 festival has not deterred those attending Saturday's Listen Out festival from taking drugs, according to one reveller. Police arrested 159 people for drug offences at the event in Sydney's Centennial Park, including five for drug supply offences. It comes just two weeks after Joseph Pham, 23, and Diana Nguyen, 21, died at the Defqon. 1 music festival in the city's west. Despite warnings issued by police, and the use of both uniformed and covert officers, Janaye Desmond, 22, claimed drug use on Saturday continued unabated Despite warnings issued by police, and the use of both uniformed and covert officers, Janaye Desmond, 22, claimed drug use on Saturday continued unabated. Even though festival attendees would have had no idea if the person standing next to them was an undercover policeman, Ms Desmond told the Sydney Morning Herald they seemed to have forgotten about the events of a fortnight ago. 'I think the deaths from Defqon. 1 scared everyone for a day but then they just forgot about it - they think 'it's not going to happen to me',' she told the publication. 'I think the deaths from Defqon. 1 scared everyone for a day but then they just forgot about it - they think 'it's not going to happen to me',' she told the publication (pictured right) 159 people were arrested for drug offences at the event in Sydney's Centennial Park, including five for drug supply offences 'The drug presence was still big - everywhere you looked you could tell people were on it. 'We even saw a guy uncontrollably rolling on the ground talking to himself, which scared us'. Another reveller told the Sydney Morning Herald though police 'were taking more care of people' despite the number of arrests. Twelve people were taken to hospital from the event, including seven drug users. A 21-year-old Victorian woman and a 23-year-old Sydney man died from drug overdoses after attending Defcon.1 in Penrith, Western Sydney, two weeks ago Operation Commander Superintendent Karen McCarthy said the majority of festivalgoers at Centennial Park were well-behaved. 'However there appears to be a small section of the community that continues to possess and deal in illegal substances despite our warnings.' NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced an expert panel featuring more than 60 music industry representatives will be assembled to discuss how to make music events safer. A man who was battling a rare terminal cancer initially mistaken by medics as hayfever has died. Aaron Winstanley, 30, was diagnosed with Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma in August 2016 and had been told he needed 300,000 worth of treatment to stay alive. The wind turbine technician initially went to hospital to be checked over after developing sinus and congestion problems. He was convinced he had cancer but doctors, who thought he had hayfever, put him on steroids, antibiotics and antihistamines in the hope it would clear. Aaron Winstanley (pictured) was diagnosed with Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma in August 2016 and had been told he needed 300,000 worth of treatment to stay alive Aaron's prognosis was terminal after tests revealed it had spread from his left cheek throughout his body Just months later, after going blind in one eye, the cancer was finally detected. His prognosis was terminal after tests revealed it had spread from his left cheek throughout his body. Aaron, from Barton-Upon-Humber, had been fighting the disease head-on with his wife Saraya by his side. The childhood sweethearts met at secondary school and started a relationship five years ago. The couple believed Aaron's only chance at long-term survival was a treatment called immunotherapy, which is not available on the NHS. It costs 300,000 to source privately and is available at the Hallwang Clinic in Germany. Aaron underwent gruelling chemotherapy and radiotherapy as part of his cancer treatment By August, Aaron had started attending private treatment in Germany and more than 189,000 had been raised towards the goal through the Aaron's Battle campaign. The online GoFundMe fundraising page currently shows that a huge 233,674 had been raised. But Saraya posted on the Aaron's Battle Facebook page on Saturday that Aaron had died on Friday morning. 'He was at home where he wanted to be and drifted off peacefully in his sleep,' she wrote. By August, Aaron had started attending private treatment in Germany 'He had spoken about it and was ready to go, it seemed as though he chose the exact moment for himself. 'Aaron was the most special man that any of us will ever have the pleasure of knowing ' His massive smile and energy never failed to win people's hearts and brighten their lives along with his kind, caring nature and of course his wicked sense of humour. 'I know we were lucky in some ways that we knew the chance of death was there and we got the chance to speak about lots of things before it came. 'But on the other hand the closeness and just absolutely pure love we developed over the last two years after everything we've been through together is one I can't even begin to describe and the loss feels unbearable for me right now as I know it will to so many of you that loved him so much. 'Unfortunately the cancer was just too aggressive. As always I can't thank you all enough for letting him have that chance.' Funeral arrangements are yet to be made but Saraya thanked everyone for their kind messages and support. 'I am trying to remind myself all the time that more than anything Aaron wanted us all to be happy, and made me promise I'd be OK if he was gone,'she wrote. 'Right now that feels like the only reason I'll be able to put one foot in front of the other.' Pictured: Jack Ralph, 28, has been charged with the double murder of Sharon Harris and her mother Margaret and attempted murder of her husband David The neighbour of a mother and daughter stabbed to death in their leafy suburban village has been charged with double murder and the attempted murder of another man. Jack Ralph, 28, has been charged with the murder of Sharon Harris, 55, and her mother Margaret, 78, and her husband David, 76 in Hadlow, Kent yesterday. Witnesses said the women tried to intervene in an argument between a man and his girlfriend outside their house in Hadlow, near Tonbridge. It is understood the family had been involved in ongoing disputes with some neighbours about their driveway. Ralph, who lives next door to the family, has been arrested on two counts of murder and one of attempted murder. A Kent Police spokesman said this morning: 'The Crown Prosecution Service authorised two charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder. 'Mr Ralph remains in custody and is due to appear via virtual link before Medway Magistrate's Court on Monday 1 October 2018.' Pictures show the murder scene in Hadlow, Kent after Sharon Harris and her mother Margaret were killed and Sharon's husband David severely injured Officers and forensic investigators scour the crime scene for evidence in Hadlow today Police forensics officers are seen leaving the property in Hadlow, Kent yesterday morning where the crime took plcae Speaking today, Doris Pope, the sister of Margaret Harris, said: 'We are just too shocked and haven't quite come to terms with it.' She said it was a 'relief' to learn a suspect was due to appear in court accused of the attack. Neighbours described the incident as 'truly horrific' and something which had 'rocked' the 'quiet and friendly' village near Tonbridge. Retired Mr Harris is said to have stepped into the row because the couple were making so much noise. Police were called to the scene by paramedics at 7.40am. They closed off the lane where the Harris's 250,000 semi-detached home sits. An air ambulance flew Mr Harris to hospital in London with serious injuries. Police said a 28-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder. Forensics officers were later seen going into the three-bedroom 1930s mock Tudor property. Police outside the property in Hadlow, Kent. Two women were killed after a family member tried to intervene in an argument between a man and his girlfriend outside their home there on Saturday Kent Police were sent to the scene (pictured) at around 7.40am yesterday. A cordon was in place across the road in Hadlow for most of the day Police forensic officers have been carrying out investigations in Hadlow, Kent this weekend. A cordon was in place for much of the day yesterday and today Police are carrying out forensic tests (left) following the murder in Kent yesterday morning. A man in his 70s was flown from the scene to hospital in London by air ambulance (right) Last night, Margaret Harris's sister Doris Pope, 71, said: 'It's just a big shock and obviously we hope that the person who did this is brought to justice. 'We are shocked and devastated and just cannot believe something like this can happen.' Neighbour Sophie Moorey-Brown, 31, said: 'The first we knew about it was when there was an air ambulance very low over the houses. 'There was a heavy police presence and forensic teams. We've lived here for five years and never heard anything bad happen. It has always been so quiet and a lovely place to be. 'We are very shocked and saddened by what we have heard and are trying to shield our boys from hearing too much. 'I feel so sad for the families of the deceased and hope the man makes a full recovery. 'It is such an awful thing to hear anywhere but in our lovely, friendly little village it's bound to rock us residents even more so.' Neighbour Margaret Maile, 63, a retired accountant, said: 'I came home to see this cordon. A 28-year-old man, Jack Ralph, has been arrested on suspicion of murdering two women in Kent and was this morning charged Suspect Jack Ralph, who is believed to be known to both women, remains in police custody. A man in his 70s was taken to hospital in London 'I knew Sharon and only saw her a few days ago. She used to leave home early and come back after 6pm. I heard a man was taken to hospital in London for treatment.' Resident Nigel Keogh, 50, said: 'They are an amicable family, we didn't know them well but knew them to smile or say hello to. They seemed nice. There was a campervan often parked outside, I think they would go off on little trips.' Others said that Mr Harris used to play bowls and that the family owned an allotment. Another neighbour who asked not to be named, said: 'They are very quiet people and keep themselves to themselves. 'The Harris family had a campervan which you used to see them go out in all the time. Margaret was quite feeble. It's awful to think what has happened. It's normally so quiet around here. Police outside the property in Hadlow. The two women believed to have died yesterday morning have been named locally as 55-year-old Sharon Harris and her mother Margaret, 78 'I saw their son walk past and he was on the phone and said that Sharon and his mum were dead.' Another neighbour said that Sharon Harris used to work at the Salter scales warehouse in Tonbridge. A spokesman for Kent Police said: 'Two women, aged in their 50s and 70s, died at the scene. 'A man in his 70s was taken to a London hospital for treatment. Officers arrested a 28-year-old man on suspicion of murder. 'He remains in police custody whilst enquiries continue. It is believed the victims and the suspect were known to each other. The victims' next of kin have been made aware.' A letter from Titanic's shipping company apologising for losing a wine delivery because the liner sank has been uncovered after lying uncovered in a wine merchant's desk drawer for decades. Titanic foundered after smashing into an iceberg on its way to New York on April 15, 1912 and 1,503 people were killed in the disaster. The letter from White Star Line, dated April 16, 1912, apologises to Berry Bros and Rudd for losing 69 cases of its wine and spirits which were being transported on the ship. The letter reads: 'Dear Sirs, referring to your shipment by this steamer, it is with great regret we have to inform you that the 'Titanic' foundered at 2.20am 15th instant, after colliding with an iceberg, and is a total loss. Will Wrightson, wine expert and team leader at Berry Bros and Rudd, with a framed copy of the letter from White Star Line Titanic foundered after smashing into an iceberg on its way to New York on April 15, 1912 and 1,503 people were killed in the disaster Following the discovery, the company decided to share a photograph of the original, which is now kept securely in a safe 'Details of shipment are shown at foot. Yours faithfully, for White Star Line.' There is no mention of the people who died in what is regarded as one of the greatest disasters at sea. The letter was found at the bottom of a drawer in the wine company's London office. Following the discovery, the company decided to share a photograph of the original, which is now kept securely in a safe. A framed copy of the historical letter also now hangs on the wall at Berry Bros and Rudd, No.3 St James's Street, London. Geordie Willis, creative director for Berry Bros & Rudd said: '69 cases of wine were on board the Titanic when it sank. They would have contained a few still wines, mostly spirits, fortified wine and champagne. 'The letter was rediscovered and at that point the original was put in a safe and a copy of it was hung on the wall. 'Recent work with an archivist brought the original letter to my attention and I decided to take a photo of the original document and post it on Instagram. 'Before it was rediscovered, the company knew of the letter's existence but not where it actually was. 'It had been in an employee's draw, and was found when the desk was tidied out upon retirement. 'We also have a hand-written sales ledger from 1909 - 1912 and found the entries for the wines that were aboard the Titanic in that when we got it re-bound a few years ago.' The letter was found at the bottom of a drawer in the wine company's London office The ledger reveals that replacement orders of the wine and spirits were sent out after the ship's sinking. The 69 cases of wine would have been loaded onto the fateful ship before it set sail from Southampton, Hants on April 10, 1912. Mr Willis added: 'Now, the letter will be kept as part of the company's history. 'It is kept in the safe to preserve it, and rarely sees the light of day. 'A copy of the letter is available to see on the wall in Berry Bros & Rudd's home at No.3 St James's Street, London.' A man who murdered his short-term girlfriend to sexually assault her two-year-old daughter kept a notebook to document his child-rape 'hit list'. Daniel James Holdom, 43, murdered 20-year-old mother, Karlie Pearce-Stevenson, and her daughter, Khandalyce Pearce, in December 2008. A suppression order was lifted at the New South Wales Supreme Court on Friday and a suggestive notebook of Holdom's was later sourced by police. Among a chilling list of children's names and ages were the words 'consent', 'rape' and 'forced'. Khandalyce was on the list, with 'rape' written next to her name. Khandalyce Pearce (pictured), two, was sexually assaulted by Daniel James Holdom when she was horrifically murdered in 2008, a court has heard Daniel James Holdom (pictured), 43, horrifically murdered his short-term girlfriend 20-year-old mother Karlie Pearce-Stevenson and her daughter Khandalyce Pearce four days apart in December 2008 On a highway in South Australia in 2015, Khandalyce's skeleton was found in a suitcase (pictured) with cloths stuffed in her mouth Crown prosecutor Mark Tedeschi QC said it was 'highly likely' Khandalyce was still alive when she was gagged and taped for Holdom to sexually assault her, according to The Daily Telegraph. Ms Pearce-Stevenson (pictured), who was found in the Belanglo State Forest in 2010, became known as the 'Angel of Belanglo' as her unidentified body was found wearing a T-shirt with the word 'angelic' on it 'The exact circumstances of Khandalyce's death remain unknown but there can be no doubt her last moments must have been horrific,' he said. 'Karlie's murder was motivated by a number of factors which include in order to gain access to her young daughter Khandalyce, in whom the offender already expressed sexual interest.' The pair, whose bodies were dumped 1200km apart, were not identified until 2015. On a highway in South Australia, Khandalyce's skeleton was found in a suitcase with dishcloths stuffed in her mouth. The toddler was wrapped in a bloodstained towel, and her skull was covered with a nappy that had been secured with duct tape. Ms Pearce-Stevenson, who was found in the Belanglo State Forest, NSW, in 2010, became known as the 'Angel of Belanglo' as her unidentified body was found wearing a T-shirt with the word 'angelic' on it. The 20-year-old was only identified five years later when her daughter was found in the suitcase. Holdom, who pleaded guilty to the charges one week before his murder trial was due to start in July, was forced to face the victim's family at an emotional sentencing hearing on Friday. Three victim impact statements were tendered in court from Ms Pearce-Stevenson's father, stepfather and grandmother. Holdom (pictured), who has pleaded guilty, was forced to face the victim's family at an emotional sentencing hearing at the NSW Supreme Court on Friday 'I would like to see the death penalty for you but even that would not be enough,' Khandalyce's (pictured) grandfather wrote in an emotional victim impact statement 'I wake from nightmares with the fear that you will get away with what you've done,' Karlie's birth father, Bruce Pearce, said in a statement read by her aunt, Kellie Lilly. 'The one question that I want you to answer for me is a simple one - Why? 'I would like to see the death penalty for you but even that would not be enough.' Ms Pearce-Stevenson's mother, Colleen Povey, was diagnosed with cancer in 2008 and died in February 2012. 'Her very last distinguishable sentence... Is Karlie and Khandles here yet?,' Karlie's stepfather, Scott Povey, said in his statement. 'I was holding her hand when she died and I knew that Karlie was not coming.' Mr Povey apologised for the years he spent annoyed about his step-daughters lack of contact. Crown proescutor Mr Tedeschi said two life sentences should be imposed on Holdom. Holdom is due to be sentenced on November 9 before Justice Robert Allan Hulme. Theresa May and Boris Johnson exchanged furious blows today as a tumultuous Tory conference kicked off. The former foreign secretary launched another vicious attack on the PM's Chequers plan for Brexit - branding it 'deranged' and 'preposterous'. In one bruising jibe, Mr Johnson pointed out that she was a Remainer during the referendum two years ago - whereas he is a true believer in the project. And he urged the government to back ambitious projects like building a bridge between Northern Ireland and Scotland. But a defiant Mrs May shot back that her critics were 'playing politics' and insisted she is 'not bluffing' about driving a hard bargain with the EU. Speaking during an interview on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show to kick off Tory conference, Mrs May said: 'I do believe in Brexit.' Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson also took aim at Mr Johnson, pointing out that he had stayed as a senior member of the government during the Brexit negotiations. A defiant Theresa May (pictured speaking on the Andrew Marr Show today) shot back that her critics were 'playing politics' and insisted she is still confident of getting a deal with the EU Theresa May (pictured with her husband Philip at the Tory party conference in Birmingham today) is facing a tough political battle to get a Brexit deal done amid a revolt from Tory MPs and activists Boris Johnson (pictured outside his Oxfordshire home yesterday) ensured the focus is still on his own leadership ambitions, using an interview with the Sunday Times to swipe: 'Unlike the Prime Minister, I campaigned for Brexit The bitter clashes came as Conservatives gathered in Birmingham for a conference that is set to be dominated by Brexit and questions about Mrs May's future. The premier is facing a desperate struggle to hang on as leader amid grass roots fury about her 'soft' approach to cutting ties with the EU, and jostling by leadership rivals. The Prime Minister had hoped to show that her Government is about more than just Brexit by using her party conference to announce new policies. These include plans to crack down on foreigners buying homes and proposals for a nationwide festival in 2022 - the year of the next scheduled General Election. But once again Mr Johnson ensured the focus is still on his own leadership credentials by giving a long interview in The Sunday Times attacking Mrs May's policies. PM presents Scots Tory leader Ruth Davidson with gifts for baby Theresa May presented Ruth Davidson with gifts for her baby, which is due in weeks Theresa May presented pregnant Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson with a Downing Street baby grow last night. Mrs May and Ms Davidson met to discuss Brexit and other key issues after arriving at the party's conference in Birmingham. But despite the high-stakes battle going on with Eurosceptics and the EU, the PM had found time to stock up on some gifts. Ms Davidson is less than five weeks away from giving birth to her first child, and has joked that she is the size of a 'naval frigate'. She tweeted a video of herself with Mrs May after being handed a No10 branded baby grow, teddy bear and a copy the PM's favourite book, Swallows and Amazons. The book, written in the 1930s, involves two competiting child families playing on an island in the Lake District. Ms Davidson said: 'Had a pre #CPC18 meeting with @Theresa_May to discuss all things conference/Brexit/budget. 'Didn't expect to be surprised with a gift for the wee one at the end (including the PM's favourite book, Swallows & Amazons, for when they're older).' Advertisement In a direct swipe at her over Brexit, he said: 'Unlike the Prime Minister, I campaigned for Brexit.' Mr Johnson - who is only coming to Birmingham for one fringe event on Tuesday - branded Mrs May's Chequers plan 'entirely preposterous'. The blueprint would involve the UK effectively staying in the single market for goods, and collecting some tax on behalf of the EU. Mrs May says it is the only way of keeping smooth trade and ensuring there is no hard Irish border. But Brexiteers are demanding a looser Canada-style arrangement that would make it easier to strike trade deals elsewhere in the world. Suggesting he may be able to strike a better deal than Mrs May, he told the newspaper: 'Unlike the Prime Minister, I fought for this, I believe in it, I think it's the right thing for our country and I think that what is happening now is, alas, not what people were promised in 2016.' He also accused Mrs May of misleading him and other ministers over the 'backstop' plan agreed with the EU regarding Northern Ireland last December. The EU says the backstop means Northern Ireland should stay in a customs partnership with the EU. He said: 'I remember going in to see the PM and her advisers and being absolutely reassured that this was just a form of words that was necessary to float the negotiations off the rocks. 'What has happened is that the issue has been allowed to dominate in a way that we were expressly promised would not happen.' Mr Johnson insists that he voiced his concerns to Number Ten - but was ignored. He said: 'I repeatedly erupted to try to get my point across in public in a way that was deemed at the time to be unhelpful, and that was nothing compared to what went on in private.' Despite giving a round of explosive interviews which have overshadowed Tory party conference, he insisted that he is not disloyal and just wants Chequers to be dropped rather than the PM to be ousted. May defends hostile environment immigration policies despite Windrush scandal Theresa May today defended her 'hostile environment' immigration policies despite the Windrush scandal. The PM was confronted on the BBC's Andrew Marr show about those who lost their jobs and homes after being caught up in the scandal. She apologised that some long-standing UK residents of Caribbean origin had been caught by her Immigration Act. But she refused to apologise for the policy itself. Mrs May told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show: 'The point of the policy was to ensure that those people who were here in the UK illegally were identified and that appropriate action was taken. 'What went wrong was that people from the Windrush generation who were here legally, who had every right to be here, who had helped to build our great national institutions, found themselves unable to show that through documentation and got caught up in that. 'I think for most people, they do want to know that the Government is taking action against those people who come to this country illegally or stay in this country illegally. 'What we need to do is make sure that in doing that, we don't find people who have every right to be here being caught up in it. That's what went wrong.' She added: 'I apologise for the fact that some people who should not have been caught up in that were caught up in that, with, in some cases, tragic results.' Mrs May was asked how many people from the Windrush generation had lost their homes, their jobs and their benefits or been refused NHS treatment as a result of her hostile environment policy. She did not provide any figures but told Andrew Marr: 'What we have been doing is looking at every aspect of the impact on people from the Windrush generation. 'These people are British. We have apologised for what happened to these people. This should never have happened to people. 'It is right that we are making every effort to ensure that we can give people, not just the right papers, but the confidence and the reassurance of knowing that what they always felt and knew, and that what everybody else always felt and knew, is not in question. They are part of us.' Advertisement He said: 'I am like a loyal and faithful Labrador that is relentlessly returning to her an object that she has mistakenly chucked away in the form of her own first instincts about how to do this.' And he gave a distinctly cool response when asked if Mrs May should stay on as leader and fight the next election. He said: 'The Prime Minister said she is going to serve for as long as her party wants her, and I certainly think she should.' Setting out an alternative policy platform as the Conservative Party conference began in Birmingham, the former cabinet minister said the UK should build a bridge to Ireland and put the HS2 rail line on hold to focus on a high-speed link in the north of England. And he urged a more 'Tory' domestic platform to combat the threat from left-wing Labour under Jeremy Corbyn. 'I think we need to make the case for markets,' he said. 'I don't think we should caper insincerely on socialist territory. You can't beat Corbyn by becoming Corbyn.' Mr Johnson has called for Britain to ditch Chequers and strike a 'super Canada' style free trade deal with the EU. But today Environment Secretary Michael Gove took a swipe at this plan and called for a 'super Britain' deal instead He told a fringe event at the Tory Party conference: 'I'm in favour of a super Britain deal. 'I understand the debate that is going on, but the Prime Minister has put forward proposals that I support, which will both have frictionless trade with the EU and no need for a hard border either on the Irish Sea or between Northern Ireland and the Republic. 'And at the same time the Prime Minister has been very clear that we will not lower social or environmental protections, and I think that is right.' A Cabinet ally of Mrs May played down the intervention, telling MailOnline that Mr Johnson does not have enough support among Tory MPs to oust the PM. They said: 'It is not that damaging to have stories like this in the papers today. 'He is making a lot of noise, but Boris does not have the numbers in the parliamentary party, and he knows that is the case. 'There is a big contrast between the respectful stance David Davis has taken, arguing his case, and the way Boris has pursued his own personal ambitions.' Mrs May hit back at the criticisms in an interview with Marr today - insisting that her Chequers plan is the only credible proposal on the table. She told Marr: 'What I have said to the EU is very clear. They have said they have some concerns with the proposals we have put together. Gove says he worries about the prospect of a no deal Brexit Michael Gove today told how he worries about the prospect of Britain crashing out of the EU without a deal. Speaking at a fringe event at the Tory Party conference, he said that he thinks getting a dal would be far better. He said: 'I do worry about it. I do think a deal will be much much better. 'I think if we left without a deal I think we and the EU would put in place all sorts of arrangements in order to make sure the imapct was mitigated. 'But it is certainly not my favorite option.' He said that the Government has been engaged in no deal planning, and said a no deal Brexit would no have to be damaging for the eocnomy. But he added: 'It would certainly be disruptive initially and it would be a difficult period... 'We in government are preparing for every eventuality but it is certainly not something I would contemplate glad of heart.' Advertisement 'Let's hear what the details of those concerns. If they have counter proposals, let's hear what those counter proposals are. 'What is clear is what we have put forward is in the national interest and we did it because what the EU was offering us was unacceptable.' She said that 'at the heart of Chequers is a free trade deal, and she hit back at calls for Britain to have a Canada style trade deal with the EU instead. She said: 'Canada for the UK is not on the table from the EU. What's on the table is a basic free trade agreement for Great Britain with Northern Ireland remaining in the customs union, remaining in the single market.' The PM had earlier given her own interview with The Sunday Times to insist she is going nowhere as leader. Signalling that she intended to remain in Number 10 for years to come, she said: 'There's a long-term job to do.' She added: 'It's not just about Brexit, it's about the domestic agenda as well. 'I think we're at a very important and historic moment for the UK. 'There are real opportunities for the UK outside the European Union.' Setting out her plans for a festival in post-Brexit Britain, she said: 'We want to showcase what makes our country great today. 'We want to capture that spirit for a new generation, celebrate our nation's diversity and talent, and mark this moment of national renewal with a once-in-a-generation celebration.' Mrs May also told the Sun on Sunday that she was 'not bluffing' when she said 'no deal is better than a bad deal' when it comes to leaving the EU. 'I believe that we can get a deal,' she added. 'I believe we can get a good deal and that's what we are working for. But nobody should be in any doubt.' Boost for May as poll finds 64% of Tories want MPs to back her Brexit deal Theresa May received a much-needed boost today as a poll revealed that 64 per cent of Tory voters want MPs to back her Brexit plans. The PM is facing a revolt from her own MPs and activists over her under-fire Chequers deal, while EU leaders have also ruled it out. Boris Johnson has launched a fresh broadside against her Brexit plans branding them 'deranged'. But a poll by GQRR found that most Tory voters want MPs to support Mrs May in whatever deal she gets from Brussels. It found that 64 per cent of Tory voters want MPs to back whatever divorce deal May is able to strike with Brussels, rather than vote it down. It also found that if the PM's deal is rejected by MPs then 58 per cent of Tories want her to be given more time to get a deal. And she continues to outpoll her rival Jeremy Corbyn, the survey found. The poll, published in Politico, revealed that 37 per cent said they feel 'warm' to her, compared to just 33 per cent for the Labour leader. The findings came from a survey of 1,477 adults. Advertisement Mrs May took aim at Tories such as Mr Johnson stirring up the situation, saying they needed to 'put the country first'. 'My message to the Conservative Party is going to be that people voted to leave the EU,' she said. 'I believe it's a matter of trust in politicians that we deliver on that vote for people. We're the party that always puts country first and puts the national interest first. And that's what I want us to be doing. 'The only proposal on the table at the moment that delivers that is the Chequers plan.' But she is facing an explosive few days at Tory Party conference as she has to face her party activists who are seething at her Chequers plan. And former Brexit Secretary David Davis piled on the pressure today as he also took aim at the government's Brexit strategy, urging a more 'robust approach'. 'The tendency on the part of the Whitehall advice, and the No 10 advice in particular, is to say, what's negotiable, what's achievable,' Mr Davis told The Sunday Telegraph. 'That's not the way you design your policies. You design your policies, then sell them, then amend them if you do have to do that but not the other way around.' He added: ''What would you like me to pay you?' is not the right approach to a negotiation. I massively simplify, but that's the equivalent.' Tory chairman Brandon Lewis stopped short of condemning Mr Johnson for his 'deranged' jibe, saying 'Boris has his own style of using language'. But he told BBC News: 'I think the party is focused around being behind the prime minister to deliver a good deal for the United Kingdom as we leave the European Union. 'You would have to ask Boris what he thinks of the language he's using.' Under plans to hit property buyers from abroad, people and businesses who do not pay tax in Britain will face a surcharge of between 1 per cent and 3 per cent when they buy a property, with the money funding measures to tackle rough sleeping. Mrs May arrived at what could be a tumultuous conference yesterday with her husband Philip Hackers also replaced Michael Gove's image with that of Rupert Murdoch and were able to harvest Boris Johnson's personal information too The conference got off to a rough start yesterday when an embarrassing security gaffe in the official app allowed access to the contact details of Cabinet ministers and senior MPs. Tory chairman Brandon Lewis apologised for the breach of security and the UK's data watchdog said it would make enquiries about the case. Activists and journalists heading to the conference discovered the major security problem in the official app which many use to keep track of events. Mr Lewis said the 'technical issue' had been resolved but 'we are investigating the issue further and apologise for any concern caused'. The Information Commissioner's Office said it would be 'making enquiries with the Conservative Party' and 'organisations have a legal duty to keep personal data safe and secure'. The profiles of former foreign secretary Mr Johnson and Environment Secretary Michael Gove were among those reportedly accessed. Tory MPs line up to condemn May's under-fire Chequers Brexit plan with Jacob Rees-Mogg branding it a 'dying duck' Tory MPs tonight lined up to condemn Theresa May's Chequers plan - with leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg branding it a 'dying duck'. Conservative backbenchers warned the PM that they do not want to see her ousted from Number Ten, but warned her that she must chuck her under-fire Brexit plan. Their comments, at a packed fringe meeting at the Tory Party conference in Birmingham tonight, piles yet more pressure on Mrs May who is facing a Tory revolt on Brexit. In a sign of the level of anger many Tory activists feel towards Chequers, hundreds queued up around the conference centre to hear MPs tear into their leader's plans - with many unable to get a seat and turned away. Inside, half a dozen leading Tory Brexiteers piled into the PM's vision for Brexit, which they warned would leave Britain 'shackled' to the Brussels bloc. Mr Rees-Mogg, chairman of the European Research Group - the powerful group of backbench Eurosceptic Tories - was met with thundering applause as he lashed the plan. He said Chequers is 'simply remaining under the yoke of the European Union'. He added: 'It is a dying duck in a thunderstorm, it is the deadest of dying ducks.' Mrs May has insisted her Chequers plan is the only viable proposal on the negotiating table and the alternative would be a no deal Brexit. But Mr Rees-Mogg said there is 'nothing to fear' from crashing out of the EU without a deal and trading on world trade organisation terms as it would mean that Britain would not have to pay a 'farthing' of the 40billion Brexit Bill. He added: 'And we would be able to immediately get on with trading with the world...we would not have 21 months of vassalage where we have to be told what to do by the European Union and have no say in what was happening.' In a rallying cry to the 500 or so activists in the hall, the Tory MP added: 'Making a success of Brexit is easy as long as we hold our nerve. Jacob Rees-Mogg, chairman of the European Research Group - the powerful group of backbench Eurosceptic Tories - (pictured tonight at the Tory Party fringe event) was met with thundering applause as he lashed Theresa May's Chequers plan 'We either leave on supercalifragilisticexpialidocious terms - we want a super Canada Brexit, and to be positive about this. 'And I can't be more positive than supercalifragilisticexpialidocious - which as you all know is a word developed by a nanny and nannies are jolly good things. 'If we don't do that we leave on World Trade terms and then we have a proper, red-blooded Conservative approach to governing that frees the UK from being tied down.' And deploying his trademark colourful language, Mr Rees-Mogg said Britain should be inspired by the hero Gulliver in the famous novel Gulliver's Travels. He said: 'Ladies and gentlemen, we have been Gulliver, let us cut the rope the Liliputians have tied on to us and let us show our giant form once again Mr Rees-Mogg's was met with a thunderous round of applause and a standing ovation at the packed-out fringe. Hundreds packed into the hall and Jacob Rees-Mogg was mobbed by photographers as he took to the stage to tear into the PM's Brexit plans and demand more optimistic vision for Brexit Tory MP Conor Burns was also cheered as he took to the stage to pile in, saying that if Chequers had a slogan it would be - Not in Europe but run by Europe He added: I say this in a spirit of affection towards the PM, Prime Minister, we dont want to change you, we want to change the policy of Chequers. Please, please. Ross Thomson, Tory MP for Aberdeen South, said Chequers is a 'European dystopia'. He said: 'If we as Conservatives do not deliver on Brexit as we promised , as the public voted we will lose seats like Mansfield and Middlesborough and usher in the chaos of a Corbyn government. 'Chequers is an unmitigated disaster.' Former International Development Secretary Priti Patel said that Chequers would not fulfill the promise of the Brexit vote. She said: 'It is not going to give us our freedom or democracy. Chequers will leave us rule takers.' And she took a swipe at Britain's Brexit negotiating team, saying: 'There are many people who are involved in these negotiations who lack confidence in our country.' Todays guest post is written by Patrick Sweeney, Ed.D. is a recently retired superintendent from the Hunter-Tannersville School District (NY). Lately, we have been talking in education circles about the teacher shortage, but there is another shortage we should be just as concerned about. That shortage Im referring to is the school administrator shortage. This has been an ongoing issue for over a decade, and NASSP reports, According to the Institute for Education Statistics, one in five principals working in schools in the 2011-12 school year left their school by the 2012-13 school year. Additional research shows that one out of every two principals is not retained beyond their third year of leading a school. Given this news, its easy to see that the profession of the school administration is in a crisis. There are not enough qualified and suitable candidates out there actively seeking positions despite salary compensation ranging from acceptable to, frankly, outrageous. But, honestly, what do we expect? Our society and political leaders have all attacked the profession as being lacking, and, worse, if any educator or administrator offers insights to reform we have been marginalized as obstructionist and placed into the position of proving a negative, which is impossible to do. Those speaking out have, many times, had their voices stifled or silenced. The result has been a continuing decline in those interested in the profession and the further decline in the depth of qualified candidates. The perfect storm of declining enrollments, the financial crisis that resulted in many teachers and administrators being laid off, and the race to make public education to one size fits all model combine to produce a profession that is scrambling to find its voice and re-develop its recruiting and its certification processes. The knee-jerk reaction is to allow for a lowering of standards and look to the alternative route to certification. while these seem logical however there is a danger to only enhance the trouble being voiced from the field that our administrative candidates are not prepared to take on building and district leadership positions. Lowering standards or allowing for alternative routes only targets the number of candidates not the quality of the candidates. We need both numbers and quality. We need to understand the needs and current life of a building and district administrator, that is why I wrote the Superintendent s Rulebook to educate and create a discussion of the day to day thinking of an administrator. It is only in understanding the position can we work via backward design to craft effective preparation and building enthusiasm to attract more quality candidates into the field. In this way we create a pathway to certification that makes sense for all while decreasing, not increasing the number of hoops a person must have to go through to become certified. It is reasonably well accepted that the needs of rural, suburban, and urban schools are different. Rural Schools are largely challenged by poverty, demographics (huge square miles, poor roads), lack of internet connection/digital education opportunities and funding issues that can be exasperated if it is an area that has many second homeowners of wealth while the student population has a high degree of poverty. Urban Schools deal with poverty (which takes on different, but yet as challenging issues as rural poverty), racism, brain drain to wealthier suburban districts. Suburban Schools are largely insular to their communities that are more focused on their allocation and acquisition of resources for their needs. These are very broad characterizations and do not speak as one voice for all situations by any stretch of the imagination. We use a one size fits all certification test to act as our quality control for the preparation of our candidates. Thus the average candidate who passes this exam is ready to take on school administration posts anywhere. However, most of the responses from the field tell us that these candidates are not prepared. The United States Air Force learned this lesson in the late 1940s in the design of cockpits. In designing cockpits to fit the averaged sized pilot, they created a cockpit that fits no one. Read that story here . What Are the Pathways to Certification? To structure an improved system of preparation and customizing skill sets while at the same time right-sizing the hurdles to navigate the pathway to certification, we need to look at micro-credentialing, project-based outcome classroom/experience curriculums and the elimination of the certification exam altogether. Micro-credentialing is the crafting together specific experiences that match the needs of particular schools and their leadersnegotiating, digital education, inner city (suburban, rural) school community outreach programs, and so on. These experiences and credentials can be tied to field experience whether they occur in the pre-internship or internship portion of the program. Project Based outcome classroom/experience is the tying together the research to solving real issues in schools. If principals are honest, they will tell you that being a classroom teacher did not prepare them for life as a principal and in turn, superintendents will tell you that being a principal did not prepare them to be school district leaders. Experiences tied to academic preparation can bridge the deficit of development. Specific micro-credentialing is an exciting approach to customize that preparation both for the candidate and the school district. If We Really Want Qualified School Leaders... We are experiencing a leadership shortage... The Superintendents Rulebook: A Guide to District Level Leadership is a personal journey of the day to day thinking of a District Administrator. Its value is to educate and create an insight and understanding of educational leadership at a grass-roots level. The most direct way to recruit quality candidates is to open their eyes to the position. In traditional certification programs the actual exposure to what a leader thinks and acts or does not act upon is saved for the last part of the program when they must do an internship. By then, it can be too late and the candidate invested too much time and money to get certified. The danger would be to keep the board testing currently used and just add-on new requirements. We need to make the process more purpose-filled and engaging for both the districts and the candidates. To pile on more standards or the alternative to loosen up the pathway that bottlenecks with a board test will not increase the candidate pool nor will it satisfy the shortcomings that our current leaders are expressing. Let us learn the lessons from the 1940s. For the very reasons listed above, that is why, now, more than ever, we need even better leaders, fewer hurdles, and a more customized pathway to meet our students needs. Dr. Patrick Darfler-Sweeney is the author of The Superintendents Rulebook: A guide to District Level Leadership (Routledge/Taylor & Francis, 2018). Connect with Patrick on Twitter . Photo courtesy of Shutterstock. Dominic Grieve (file image), the former minister who rallied rebels to inflict a defeat on Brexit laws last year, warned there would be a 'polite rebellion' from pro-EU Tories Tory Remain rebels today demanded a second referendum on Brexit - and floated the idea of a government of national unity to call it. Dominic Grieve, the former minister who rallied rebels to inflict a defeat on Brexit laws last year, warned there would be a 'polite rebellion' from pro-EU Tories. He said today there were now a 'significant' number of Conservative MPs prepared to back a new referendum for the first time. And he suggested that if Mrs May will not agree to hold another national vote, a cross-party alliance could seize power and force one. The pro-EU revolt comes as Brexiteers prepare to use the Tory conference inBirmingham to step up their assault on Mrs May's Chequers plan. Mrs May has insisted she will never allow a second referendum on Brexit and has vowed to defend her blueprint for quitting Europe. Mr Grieve said Labour's decision to edge toward a new referendum had changed the equation and there could now be a Commons majority for a new poll. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, he said: 'I believe the time has come for a polite rebellion by pragmatic Conservatives.' It was clear that 'there is a significant group of Conservative MPs who think that a People's Vote- a vote on the final form Brexit will take - is absolutely indispensable for the future wellbeing of our country'. He added: 'A no-deal Brexit is a proposal so damaging to our future that it cannot be accepted. 'So the only possible response must be to return to the British electorate and ask them what they want. 'That, it seems to me, is good pragmatic Conservative position.' Jeremy Corbyn (pictured today) gave at a speech in the Midlands on how Labour would 'rebuild' Britain if elected Prime Minister Theresa May listens to the conference opening speeches on Sunday In a separate interview with the New Statesman, Mr Grieve spelled out how the referendum could be brought about - suggesting one option was for Remainer MPs from across parties to join forces temporarily and form a government. 'It would be fairly radical. Ultimately, any government is one which enjoys the majority of support of members of Parliament to carry out a policy,' he said. 'So, it would have to be on a cross-party basis.' He added: 'There is a very curious level of majority consensus in my view that the Brexit process is very risky, that No Deal is an unacceptable outcome, and that any deal brought back by the Government, however worthy it may be and however well negotiated, is likely to have serious downsides to it.' Theresa May (pictured today on the Marr show) has insisted she will never allow a second referendum on Brexit and has vowed to defend her blueprint for quitting Europe Amid the growing civil war at the tense conference in Birmingham, Mrs May insisted her Chequers plan is not dead as she lashed out at Boris Johnson for 'playing politics' with Brexit. The Prime Minister said her blueprint was the only one 'on the table' that could guarantee a soft Irish border and smooth trade. The defiant message came after Mr Johnson launched another vicious attack on her proposals - branding them 'deranged' and 'preposterous'. The defiant message came after Boris Johnson (pictured yesterday in Oxfordshire) launched another vicious attack on her proposals - branding them 'deranged' and 'preposterous' In one bruising jibe, Mr Johnson pointed out that she was a Remainer during the referendum two years ago - and he urged the government to back ambitious projects like building a bridge between Northern Ireland and Scotland. But Mrs May shot back that her critics were 'playing politics' and insisted she is 'not bluffing' about driving a hard bargain with the EU. Speaking during an interview on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show to kick off Tory conference, Mrs May said: 'I do believe in Brexit.' Earlier, David Davis - who resigned as Brexit Secretary the day before Mr Johnson quit - delivered a putdown to Mr Johnson when asked about his leadership potential. Making clear he would back Mrs May in a confidence vote, he said some of the ex-London Mayor's ideas were little more than 'good headlines'. 'Radical vegans' hurled bricks through a French butcher's shop window in the latest attack by campaigners who are trying to change the eating habits in the meat-loving country. The attack in a quiet town of Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines, 30 miles southwest of Paris, took place at 3am and startled butcher's shop owner Elisabeth Cure as she slept above the business. As in other similar incidents around France during the last year, her tormentors left a tell-tale tag scrawled on the shopfront which read: 'End the Repression'. Members of animal rights group'Vegan 269 Life France' during a protest against cruelty to animals in Paris 'That's how I knew it was radical vegans,' she told AFP. Incidents of vandalism and intimidation have reached such a level that the country's butchers' confederation, which represents 18,000 businesses, sounded the alarm publicly in June and asked the government for protection. 'Since the start of the year, we've seen 17 butcher shop windows destroyed and dozens of acts of vandalism,' Jean-Francois Guihard, head of the CFBCT confederation, told AFP. 'The state needs to take necessary steps,' he said, characterising the campaign against meat producers as a 'form of terrorism'. Overnight on Thursday, an abattoir in the east of France was partly burned down, again raising suspicions that anti-meat campaigners could be responsible. The heads of the cattle and pork associations, Interbev and Inaporc, issued a joint statement on Friday urging President Emmanuel Macron to intervene and even warning of a 'civil war' over the issue. Animal genocide? Health scares, higher prices and growing awareness about animal rights have led to a gradual fall in meat consumption in France since the end of the 1990s, but most natives remain proudly carnivorous. In the country that brought the world boeuf bourguignon, coq au vin and foie gras, vegetarianism and particularly veganism remain marginal, with most French children still fed meat four days a week at school. But a small fringe of radical animal rights groups are determined to change attitudes by highlighting abuses and cruelty in the farming and meat industry. Traditionally their campaigns have involved handing out leaflets or organising demonstrations, but in recent years they have turned to direct action, invading abattoirs or throwing fake blood over processing plants. Although no groups have been blamed for the recent attacks on butcher shops, activist networks such as L214, 269 Life France or Boucherie Abolition are at the forefront of these more muscular tactics. A person walks on a vegan slogan painted on a crosswalk and reading 'animals are not ingredients', in a street of Lille, northern France Boucherie Abolition fights 'for the abolition of the genocide called butchery'. Its spokeswoman Solveig Halloin told AFP. 'Animal breeding should not be a career. The methods of rearing animals are violent and amount to persecution.' Halloin does not say whether her group is behind the attacks on butcher shops, but neither does she condemn the violence. 'The extremists in brutality are the butchers,' she said. Applying the word 'genocide' to the slaughtering of animals - the term is a specific legal crime applied to the killing of humans on account of their race or identity - reflects the 'speciest' beliefs of radical groups such as Boucherie Abolition. So-called 'speciests' reject the idea of an animal hierarchy that places humans at the top, arguing instead that all animals should be treated equally. Veganism gains ground Last Saturday, Boucherie Abolition and 269 Life France organised demonstrations in front of dozens of butchers' shops across France. In Paris, Vincent Aubry and another campaigner carried around a young pig - which are prized for their tenderness when roasted. Aubry did not condemn the smashing of butchers' windows either and he said he was 'prepared to go to prison if needed.' 'Our only limit is violence against human beings,' he said. The risk of confrontation between those who depend on rearing and slaughtering animals for their living and those who are determined to stop what they consider to be mass killing appears to be rising. The CFBCT confederation accuses the vegans of 'wanting to impose on the immense majority of people their lifestyle, or even their ideology.' Marianne Celka, a researcher at the Paul-Valery University in Montpellier in southern France, sees 'no chance of conciliation' between the two sides. But she highlights how veganism is gaining ground in France, with some major supermarkets now stocking '100 percent vegan' products - sometimes opposite their meat aisles. A text message to a wrong number brought a kind stranger to a Canadian family's wake, brightening up their lives on a very sad day. Leena Ali was just playing along when she received a text message from an unknown number asking if she was someone named 'Quentin'. 'Yea, who's this?' she decided to respond. The person on the other end turned out to be a woman who identified herself as 'Auntie Dawn', who wanted to invite Quentin to 'Auntie Debbie's celebration of life'. Dawn Burke had tried to text her nephew details about the event, which took place in Niagara Falls, Ontario, but had ended up inviting Ali instead. Leena Ali went to a stranger's wake after she received a text from Dawn Burke (pictured together), who had accidentally been trying to message her nephew Quentin Burke had tried to text her nephew details about the wake for her aunt Debbie Celar, which took place in Niagara Falls, Ontario, but had ended up inviting Ali instead But despite the fact that she had no idea who either Auntie Dawn or Auntie Debbie was, Ali decided she still wanted to come along. 'I'm just playin this isn't Quentin,' Ali responded. 'U got the wrong number auntie Dawn.' 'But can I come celebrate Debbie's celebration of life with you guys?' Burke was touched that Ali wanted to attend, and the Brock University student even promised she would come with a fruit bowl in hand. And Ali stayed true to her word, driving 30 minutes to the wake with her childhood friend Yasmin on September 21. Ali walked into a room of 400 strangers, who were all there to celebrate the life of Debbie Celar. But when Ali showed Burke the fruit bowl, she was recognized immediately. Burke was touched that Ali wanted to attend, and the Brock University student even promised she would come with a fruit bowl in hand 'She freaked out and got all excited,' Ali told the Toronto Star. Ali then got to learn all about Celar, a matriarch of the huge family who left behind 13 grandchildren. Celar was well-respected in her Niagara Falls neighborhood and would have invited anyone into her home. 'When I found out that it wasn't Quentin, I just thought "I've gotta go with this, because my aunt Debbie would,'" Burke said. 'Aunt Deb would invite these people, whoever they are, into her home. That's just who she was.' Ali met a number of Celar's relatives, including her husband. Many told the college student that she reminded them of their beloved family member. The event was truly a celebration of Celar's life - one of the reasons Ali had been intrigued to attend in the first place. 'I never knew this was a thing,' she said. 'I thought it was just funerals.' Ali tweeted about the sweet meeting on Twitter, and Burke replied she had 'brightened' their sad weekend After the event, Ali snapped a picture with Burke and decided to post their photo and text exchange on Twitter. 'I pulled through for auntie Debbie,' she captioned the tweet, which quickly went viral. The post has since received more than 5,000 likes and more than 1,000 retweets, which shocked Ali and her friends. 'This is something I would have done any day of the week,' she said. 'Even my friends know I'm just a person who does this, they were shocked that it got so much attention because they're so used to it.' Among the numerous replies was Burke herself, who told Ali she was glad the college student had showed up and 'with a fruit bowl to boot!' 'My family hasn't stopped talking about that all weekend long,' she wrote. 'They are telling everyone about this story! You are a truly amazing woman. You have brightened our weekend that's for sure.' Pret A Manger has updated the allergy information for sandwiches like the one that killed a 15-year-old schoolgirl - but still hasn't put it on the packaging itself. Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, was on a dream trip to Nice with her best friend and her father when she ate a sandwich laced with sesame seeds not listed on the label. After eating the artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette she went into anaphyactic shock and broke out in red hives. She later died in hospital 800 miles away from home on the Cote d'Azur. The fast food chain did not break the law by not having allergy information on the product itself, as a legal loophole does not require restaurants to do so if its products are made fresh in store - like Pret. But at an inquest into her death on Friday the coroner still slammed the chain's 'inadequate' packaging. Following Natasha's death and prior to her inquest, Pret updated the allergy information on its shelves - but their labels still have no ingredients list. Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15 (pictured) was on a dream trip to Nice with her best friend and her father when she ate the sandwich laced with sesame seeds not listed on the label This weekend Pret has updated the allergy information on its shelves, but there are still no ingredients lists on its products. The baguette picture is a similar sesame product, but not the same as the one Natasha ate Pret told MailOnline in a statement: 'Since almost all Pret products are made fresh each day, our nutritional values and weight per pack are only averages. 'We always indicate when a product does contain an allergen as an ingredient, but please be aware we use multiple ingredients in our kitchens and therefore cannot guarantee that our food is completely free of any allergen.' On Friday Pret was shamed by coroner Dr Sean Cummings who blasted its 'inadequate' packaging and said Natasha was falsely 'reassured' by wrappers and store signs at Heathrow Terminal 5. Pret didn't have to list sesame on sandwich ingredients because it was made in store Pret, one of the country's biggest food chains, did not have to list sesame seeds as an ingredient in the 3.45 sandwich. These products do not have to be individually labelled with allergen or ingredient information. This is because Pret sandwiches are freshly prepared in store. The loophole is supposed to free small, independent sandwich shops and cafe chains from onerous regulations applied to factory packaged foods. Instead, signs on shelves and by tills in Pret stores tell customers with allergies to speak to a manager who is trained to give allergen advice. Before hearing of the case, Pret had started to improve the allergen information it offers customers, but the inquest will explore whether more should be done. Pret's website now carries a list of allergens in its food and drinks, including highlighting sesame in the artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette. Advertisement Following the hearing, Pret CEO Clive Schlee said: 'We are deeply sorry for Natasha's death. 'We cannot begin to comprehend the pain her family have gone through and the grief they continue to feel. 'We have heard everything the Coroner and Natasha's family have said this week. And we will learn from this. All of us at Pret want to see meaningful change come from this tragedy. We will make sure that it does'. Describing the labels on packages and stickers in store he said: 'I am of the view that they were inadequate in terms of visibility'. And blasting their culture he said: 'Overall I am left with the impression that Pret had not addressed the fact that monitoring food allergy in a business selling more than 200million items a year was something to be taken very seriously indeed.' He then addressed her overwhelmed father, mother and brother he said: 'I can't imagine how this was for you on that day'. Dr Cummings also slammed her 'terrible' ordeal on the BA flight where heart stopped but cabin crew said it was too dangerous to get a defibrillator because they were descending to land and needed to stand by the doors. Outside West London Coroner's Court, with her brother Alex clutching a picture of his sister, Mr Ednan-Laperouse said: 'If Pret was following the law - then the law was playing Russian Roulette with my daughter's life'. He added that the tragedy of Natasha's death 'should serve as a watershed moment to make meaningful change to save lives'. Tanya and Nadim Ednan-Laperouse who have opened up about the devastating day they lost their daughter The brother, mother and father of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse today urged a law change after her tragic death Yesterday her mother and father told The Mail on Sunday of their last words to their daughter. NATASHA'S PARENTS' IMPASSIONED PLEA FOR CHANGE IN LAW Writing in the Sunday Times Mr and Mrs Ednan-Laperouse explained how they had always taken extra care when it came to 'Tashi's' severe milk, egg, avocado and sesame allergies. She believed the baguette she picked up from Pret was 'safe' because that is what she often eat on holiday with the family in France. But without a label on it, Tashi missed the allergy notice on the shelf saying it contained sesame. They now want 'Natasha's Law' in place as soon as possible. Her parents wrote: 'On the day she died, we checked and found out there were sesame seeds in the baguette, which had not been declared on the packet. 'We knew immediately that was what killed her. 'We got up the next day and visited chain stores such as Waitrose, Tesco, Costa Coffee and Wasabi. Their sandwich packets or shelf signs clearly declared the ingredients and allergens. 'Companies such as Pret must now be required by law to put ingredients and allergen warnings in bold packets.' Source: Sunday Times Advertisement Her father was at her bedside in France, while her mother was still at the departures lounge at Stansted waiting to fly out - but it would soon be too late. Sobbing her mother Tanya spoke as her Nadim husband laid his mobile phone on the pillow by Natasha's ear. 'You've got to say goodbye to her now,' her husband Nadim urged, his voice choked. 'Don't lose time. She's going to die any minute. Say something. She might hear it.' It took all the strength Tanya had not to crumble to the ground. She said: 'I said, 'Tashi, I love you so much, darling. I'll be with you soon. I'll be with you.' 'Because, when you've got children, you don't want them to be without you, do you? 'They still need you. I fell to the ground. I couldn't talk, I was engulfed with grief. I knew then she was gone she was dead.' Natasha's holiday to Nice, France, where the family owned an apartment, was the first time she had gone away without her mother. She died after eating the Pret baguette laced with sesame seeds, which she had been severely allergic to since the age of two. Today Mr and Mrs Ednan-Laperouse have made an impassioned plea for a change in the law on allergy information on food made fresh in-store. Writing in the Sunday Times they explained how they had always taken extra care when it came to 'Tashi's' severe milk, egg, avocado and sesame allergies. She believed the baguette she picked up from Pret was 'safe' because that is what she often eat on holiday with the family in France. But without a label on it, Tashi missed the allergy notice on the shelf saying it contained sesame. They now want 'Natasha's Law' in place as soon as possible. Her parents wrote: 'On the day she died, we checked and found out there were sesame seeds in the baguette, which had not been declared on the packet. 'We knew immediately that was what killed her. 'We got up the next day and visited chain stores such as Waitrose, Tesco, Costa Coffee and Wasabi. Their sandwich packets or shelf signs clearly declared the ingredients and allergens. 'Companies such as Pret must now be required by law to put ingredients and allergen warnings in bold packets.' A university has been slammed after its freshers' fair had a stand that advised new undergraduates on how to be sex workers. Brighton University's freshers' fair last week had a stand run by the Sex Workers' Outreach Project, Sussex. SWOP describes itself as 'A discreet and confidential trans inclusive service for women working in the sex industry who live or work in Sussex'. Before the fair, the group tweeted: '1 in 6 students does sex work or thinks about turning to sex work. We can help.' Sex Workers' Outreach Project Sussex had a stall at Brighton University's freshers' fair that gave out condoms and gave advice to students about sex work On A Level Results day, the group invited students to visit their stands for advice and information on sex work. At the Brighton freshers' fair, the group offered free condoms and lubricants for all students and invited to 'play on our wheel of sexual wellbeing'. Prizes from the wheel included underwear. Earlier, they had also tweeted: 'If you're topping up your fees with sex work, or struggling to balance work and studies, or want to talk and don't know where to go... we're here for you. We respect your autonomy, privacy and confidentiality.' The university and SWOP have both been slammed on social media, with many people stunned to see the group's presence at the freshers' fair. The university and SWOP have both been slammed on social media following the fair. Brighton University's freshers' fair was organised by its students' union One user commented: 'Saddened to see this. Students should not be encouraged into prostitution.' Another added: 'What the f***? Are you seriously encouraging young people to sell their bodies to fund university? "Sex work"? Do you mention this to prospective parent at open days?' A third simply said: 'This is grotesque beyond words.' Before the fair, the group tweeted: '1 in 6 students does sex work or thinks about turning to sex work. We can help' SWOP hit back in a tweet, that was later deleted: 'Rising living and tuition costs mean that more students than ever are turning to sex work and Swop believe that they deserve our help as well. 'Sex work is work. A later tweet said: 'SWOP have never idealised sex work. However, we understand why students may turn to sex work, and navigating the legal precariousness as well as potential danger mean that students are extra vulnerable and we will help. After the social media back clash, SWOP tweeted the following statement defensing themselves and the work they do This statement was also tweeted in the aftermath of the Freshers's Fair but has since been deleted by the organisation 'We hope every student had a wonderful Fresher's Week.' As reported by the Times, one of the leaflets offered by SWOP at the fair included tips on sex work like: 'If you don't have anyone to look out for you, fake it! Make your punter think that someone else knows where you are. Pretend to make a call ... to make it look like you are confirming your arrival ... put men's shoes or clothes out.' Brighton University's freshers' fair was organised by its students' union. Several people slammed the university and the organisation on Twitter for the advice that they gave to students during the freshers' fair Tomi Ibukun, president of the union, told the Times: 'Swop was at our freshers' fair event to raise awareness of the specialist support they provide should it ever be needed. 'They were not there to advocate sex work as an option to our new students. It is unfortunate that some people have misinterpreted the attendance of Swop at our freshers' fair.' A Brighton University spokesman told Mail Online: 'The Freshers Fair is an event organised by students for students and as such is managed by the Students' Union. 'The University is nevertheless exploring this matter further with the Students' Union to allow us to gain a full understanding of the aims in inviting SWOP to the event and to ensure due care is taken when presenting students with third-party information on highly sensitive and emotive issues. 'We would like to make it clear that the University does not promote sex work as an option to students. 'We provide a wide range of welfare support as well as financial assistance to any students who suffer hardship. This is offered on a confidential and non-judgemental basis, balancing respect for our students' right to make their own decisions and our wider duty of care.' Mail Online has contacted SWOP for comment. Daring thieves remain on the run after ramming their car into a pharmacy in an attempt to steal amphetamines, leaving debris strewn across the floor. CCTV captured the moment a stolen Subaru drove into an Airport West pharmacy, 11 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, on Friday night. The brazen robbery attempt left the owner of the store with $300,000 in damages. Scroll down for video Daring thieves rammed their car into a pharmacy in an attempt to steal amphetamines, leaving debris strewn across the floor The video shows a hooded thief jumping over the mess and bounding across the counters into the back of the store. He is then seen running out and getting back into the stolen car with boxes of medication in his arms. Although the raid was over in under 60 seconds, pharmacy owner, Lachlan Williams, told Nine News that he don't think the thieves got what they came for. Mr Williams believes that the thieves may have been after pseudoephedrine, a chemical which can be modified to make crystal methamphetamine. 'Funnily enough, he might have stolen some cholesterol tablets,' Mr Williams said. 'Don't know what he wants with cholesterol tablets.' CCTV captured the moment a stolen Subaru drove into an Airport West pharmacy, 11 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, on Friday night The brazen attempt at a robbery left the owner of the store with $300,000 in damages Mr Williams' family has owned the pharmacy for over a decade, and this robbery is the eighth time they've been hit. Damages are expected to exceed $300,000. 'It's disappointing you know, because we work our butts off,' Mr Williams said. The pharmacy wasn't the only store hit on that night, and detectives are investigating whether it was the same set of thieves responsible. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is considering new guidelines that could dramatically change the way allegations of sexual violence are investigated on college campuses. DeVos says the system put in place under President Barack Obama is skewed against the accused. She's expected to issue new rules in the near future. This comes after the dramatic Senate testimony last week by Dr Christine Blasey Ford who claims Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school. At stake is whether schools should require higher standards of evidence when handling complaints and whether both parties should have access to that evidence. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos (pictured in June) is considering new guidelines that could drastically change the way allegations of sexual violence are investigated on college campuses DeVos has said she wants to honor the rights of the victim and the accused. Also under review is the use of mediators and the possibility of the accuser and the accused cross-examining each other. DeVos' new guidelines are expected to address whether schools should have to investigate as soon as they are aware of alleged misconduct or only after a student files a formal complaint. The Department of Education declined to comment Friday about DeVos' plans for revising the sexual assault rules. But when issuing temporary guidance last year, DeVos said she was looking for a more balanced approach. 'Every survivor of sexual misconduct must be taken seriously. Every student accused of sexual misconduct must know that guilt is not predetermined,' she said in September 2017. 'These are non-negotiable principles.' Many victims of sexual violence never take that step. Dr Ford did not and only acted decades later when she learned that Kavanaugh was on a short list for the Supreme Court. This comes after Brett Kavanaguh testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee that he did not sexually assault Dr Christine Blasey Ford Advocates point to the Larry Nassar sexual assault scandal at Michigan State University and say that victims are shocked and unwilling to relive their traumatic experience. They say it should be the school's responsibility to investigate. 'It is the debate that we are having about how to handle these allegations on high school and college campuses,' said Mike Petrilli, president of the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute. Brett Sokolow, a lawyer who heads an association of sexual harassment investigators on campuses, said his colleagues closely watched the hearing and may use it for future trainings. 'If this was a student, would I believe them, would I not?' Sokolow said. 'Who comes out being credible?' Ford, a California psychology professor, has accused Kavanaugh of pinning her to a bed while he was intoxicated, trying to remove her clothes and placing a hand over her mouth as she tried to yell for help. Ford says the incident took place more than 35 years ago when they both were in high school. Kavanaugh adamantly denies the accusations and says he has never sexually attacked any one. He accuses Democratic senators of seeking to derail his nomination at all costs. Dr Ford accused Judge Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her in high school Sejal Singh with the advocacy group Know Your IX, which refers to a federal anti-discrimination law, said the Senate testimony should compel DeVos to boost protections for the victims of sexual harassment, not the perpetrators. 'Betsy DeVos should consider how to interrupt sexual violence when the people who commit it are in school and before they are nominated to the Supreme court,' Singh said. But Petrilli predicted that DeVos will now see more reason to roll back the Obama guidance and bolster the rights of the accused. Right now, a student may choose whether to report an assault to police or to have it investigated by a university under Title IX. Some students choose not to report attacks in part because police and the courts require higher standards of evidence, while others also may feel more comfortable dealing with university investigators than with police following a trauma. Petrilli said the Senate hearing demonstrated that universities, like Congress, are ill equipped to handle such cases. 'If people were faulted, that should be handled by the justice system rather than asking universities to create some shadow system themselves,' he said. An entrepreneur and domestic violence advocate has been beaten to death. Donna Alexander was taken off life support this week in Texas after suffering severe head injuries in her home. Grand Prairie police arrested her live-in boyfriend Nathaniel Mitchell, 34, and charged him with murder after continually changing his story about what happened. Alexander, a mother-of-two, was the founder of The Anger Room, a stress relief center that offers patrons a unique chance to smash things as a way to blow off steam. Donna Alexander was on life support after being severely beaten in Texas home and her boyfriend Nathaniel Mitchell, 34, is charged with murder after she died Alexander was a domestic violence advocate and founded The Anger Room in 2008 Alexander was attacked in her home last Friday September 21 and taken to Baylor University Medical Center. Mitchell was at the hospital alongside Alexander while she was on life support. She was taken off and died this week Mitchell was at the hospital alongside Alexander while she was put on life support. It was there that he gave police inconsistent statements. Mitchell was arrested on outstanding warrants and charged with aggravated assault. Once Alexander died, his charges were upgraded to murder. 'She was sweet. So sweet. So soft-spoken,' friend Delores Hodge told FOX 4. 'My last text message from her, she said ''I love you.''' Mitchell is being held in the Tarrant County Correction Center on $250,000 bond. Alexander founded the Anger Room in 2008 and gained national attention when she opened a store front in Dallas, Texas. 'I always wanted to be able to relate to what people are angry about,' Alexander said in a 2016 interview with The Dallas Morning News. 'Most people have stress from work or home-related issues.' The Anger Room is a stress relief center that lets patrons smash things Customers pay $25 to smash items in a simulation office, kitchen or living room. Alexander grew up on the South Side of Chicago would charge friends $5 to bash items in her garage. She was preparing to expand her company and open new locations in various states. 'For it to be that she expired the same way for something that she was advocating against' Delores said. 'You think about what makes your mind say, ''Wow, this thing is so real.'' You just never know.' A vigil is scheduled for 6 pm Monday at Cole Park in Dallas. The ACLU is breaking with its own neutrality policy on judicial candidates to oppose Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court. The civil rights group announced that it was Christine Blasey Ford's testimony on an alleged sexual assault by Kavanaugh the led to the unprecedented decision. 'This is not a decision taken lightly. We cannot remain silent under these extraordinary circumstances about a lifetime appointment to the highest court of the land,' the board said in a statement on Saturday. The ACLU voted to oppose Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court The civil liberties group cited Dr. Christine Ford Blasey's testimony as the reason 'The standard for such an appointment should be high, and the burden is on the nominee. That burden is not met as long as there are unresolved questions regarding the credible allegations of sexual assault,' it noted. As a matter of policy, the American Civil Liberties Union does not support or oppose candidates for political or judicial office. But its board held an emergency meeting to vote on this rare exception. And the organization specifically cited the assault charges for the reason, not any of his past judicial rulings. 'As a nonpartisan organization, the ACLU does not oppose Judge Kavanaugh based on predictions about how he would vote as a Justice. We oppose him in light of the credible allegations of sexual assault against him,' said Susan Herman, president of the ACLU. This is the fourth time in the group's 98-year history that the ACLU's national board of directors has voted to oppose a nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2006, the organization opposed President George W. Bush's nomination of Justice Samuel Alito citing concerns about his 'expansive view of executive authority' and decisions he has written on race, religion and reproductive rights. In 1987, the group opposed President Ronald Reagan's nomination of Robert Bork, whom was eventually voted down by the Senate. In 1971, it opposed President Richard Nixon's nomination of Justice William Rehnquist. In 1991, the group did not take a position on Clarence Thomas' nomination. Kavanaugh is the fourth Supreme Court nominee the group has opposed Thursday and Friday saw a dramatic show down in the Senate Judiciary Committee. In a roller coaster of 48 hours, Ford and Kavanaugh testified separately before the committee on Thursday. The next day committee members met to vote whether or not to recommend Kavanaugh to the full Senate for confirmation. But the day ended with Kavanaugh being investigated by the FBI after a sensational twist Friday as two key Republicans said their votes for him depended on a probe. Ford accused Kavanaugh of pining her to a bed, trying to take off her clothes and putting his hand over his mouth when she screamed during a high school party in the 1980s. Additionally, the FBI will look into allegations from Debbie Ramirez, who charged Kavanaugh with exposing himself to her during a college party when they were both students at Yale University, thrusting his penis in her face and forcing her to touch it when she pushed him away. Kavanaugh has denied all charges. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway revealed she, too, is a victim of sexual assault, choking up as she made her admission in an emotional interview on CNN Sunday morning. Conway was defending Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination when she said she, too, was a victim. 'I feel very empathetic, frankly, for victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment and rape. I'm a victim of sexual assault. I don't expect Judge Kavanaugh or Jake Tapper or Jeff Flake or anybody to be held responsible for that,' she said, clearing her throat and pausing to take a breath. 'You have to be responsible for your own conduct,' she told CNN's Jake Tapper on 'State of the Union.' White House counselor Kellyanne Conway revealed she, too, is a victim of sexual assault Kellyanne Conway was defending Brett Kavanaugh during an interview on CNN when she disclosed her own attack She went on to defend Kavanaugh, saying he was no Bill Cosby, who was convicted of drugging and raping a woman. 'This is not Bill Cosby,' she said, adding that Kavanaugh wasn't to be compared to Bill Clinton or Harvey Weinstein either. She also showed sympathy for the victims of sexual assault who confronted Republican Sen. Jeff Flake in an elevator on Friday, which he cited as part of the reason he asked for an FBI investigation into the allegations against Kavanaugh. 'I want those women who were sexually assaulted and confronting Jeff Flake, god bless them, but go blame the perpetrator. That's who is responsible for out sexual assaults - the people who commit them,' Conway said. Tapper expressed his sympathy to Conway, who offered no further details on her assault. 'This is the first time I've ever heard you talk about something personal like that and I'm really sorry,' he said. 'I've just had it,' Conway said. He went on to ask her about President Donald Trump, who has allegations of assault against him, but Conway warned him not to go there. 'You work for a president who said all the women who have accused him are lying...,' Tapper began. Conway interrupted him: 'Don't conflate that with this and certainly don't conflate it with what happened to me. It would be a huge mistake Jake. Let's not do it. Don't always bring Trump into everything that happens in this universe. That's mistake number one.' Kellyanne Conway with President Trump on election night in November 2016 Kellyanne Conway and husband George Conway with the twins, Vanessa Conway, five, and eight-year-old Charlotte Conway. She also warned users of Twitter and the media not to bring Trump into her story of sexual assault. 'People on Twitter and elsewhere are saying right now, 'oh how can she work for Donald Trump?' I work for President Trump because he's so good to the woman who work for him,' she said. 'I don't want to hear it from anybody.' Tapper asked her - as a survivor - if she thinks women need to be heard. 'They should all be heard. And they should be heard in courts of law,' Conway responded. 'They should be heard in proceedings. Those who can prosecute, those who have civil and/or criminal causes of action should pursue that. But we do treat people differently who are either the victims or perpetrators of this, based on their politics and based on their gender. That is a huge mistake. Don't make the mistake.' She went on to talk about her own children. 'You want to have the same kind of conversation that you have with your daughter that you have with your son. What do you think of your daughters? How do you talk to your daughters? How do I talk to my almost 14-year-old son?,' Conway said. And then she returned to defending Kavanaugh. On Thursday Kavanaugh and Ford offered separately emotional testimony about an incident from their high school years, where Ford claims Kavanaugh held her to a bed, tried to take off her clothes and covered her mouth when she screamed. Kavanaugh has denied the allegation. The FBI is investigating. Conway said the claim against Kavanaugh will keep others from wanting to be appointed to courts, given that it dates back to their high school years. 'This is Judge Kavanaugh now. It could be nip anybody by next week. Respectfully it could be any man in any position now. What would be the defense? It was 36 years ago. What would be the defense? There was nobody else to corroborate. I was 17,' she said. Kellyanne Conway defended Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and President Trump 'I feel badly for Brett Kavanaugh,' White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said Kellyanne Conway said the women that confronted Sen. Jeff Flake should go after their assailants. 'I want those women who were sexually assaulted and confronting Jeff Flake, god bless them, but go blame the perpetrator. That's who is responsible for out sexual assaults - the people who commit them,' she said. She added: 'I feel badly for Brett Kavanaugh.' Conway also echoed Republicans who sought to shift blame to the Democrats, saying they should have revealed the existence of the allegation earlier and let Christine Blasey Ford testify privately. 'I think the Democrats could have avoided all of this just by coming forward earlier and asking Dr. Ford and/or Judge Kavanaugh in those private phone calls. This woman got a say because of the Republican Party,' she said. She added: 'I think it was torturous for both Ford and Kavanaugh and people should stop using both of them for their own political gains, may I say. I'm happy if they were willing to do that they came forward and testified under oath. The whole thing has to matter. It has to matter who he has been throughout his life. People are afraid they won't be able to defend themselves against 36-year-old allegations.' President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has welcomed the decision of the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, and his companion, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, for a three-day state visit to Ghana. I welcome The Prince of Wales very warmly back to Ghana, a country he knows well. He is an old friend of our country, and we look forward to receiving him, as his visit will renew and strengthen the bonds of friendship between the United Kingdom and Ghana, the President said in a statement issued by the British High Commission. The heir to the British throne and his wife are expected in the country from November 2 to November 4, 2018. Their tour will, however, begin in Gambia from October 31. It will also take them to Nigeria. This is the Prince of Wales first visit to Commonwealth Nations after the Commonwealth Heads of Government unanimously decided in April this year that he should succeed The Queen as the Head of the Commonwealth. Prince Charles has visited 44 out of 53 Commonwealth nations. The Duchess has been on 18 of those trips with The Prince of Wales. However, this is the second visit of the Prince of Wales to Ghana and the first for the Duchess of Cornwall. Prince Charless first visit to Ghana was in March 1977 when he attended the Golden Jubilee of Achimota School, formerly The Prince of Wales College, and a durbar in his honour in Kumasi by Otumfuo Nana Opoku Ware II. Opportune moment With another journey to Ghana on the table, the British High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr Ian Walker, said, Their Royal Highnesses visit to Ghana comes at an opportune moment. The UK and Ghanas shared history and common values form the basis of our enduring friendship. But its the many and varied links between our peoples which make our ties so unique. This visit allows us to celebrate all that is good about our ties. And importantly to focus on shaping the common future we each want to create. This is a once-in-a-generation visit by the heir to the throne; one that I am confident will endure in the hearts and minds of us all, he said. The visit will highlight key themes in UK and Ghanas relationship, including the importance of our Commonwealth ties. The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will visit Ghana on November 2 to 4, 2018. This visit will highlight the UKs warm and enduring relationship with Ghana and the breadth of our dynamic contemporary partnership and shared values. Itinerary On arrival in Accra, the royal couple will be welcomed at the Jubilee House by President Akufo-Addo and First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo. They will attend a State Banquet organised by the Presidency in their honour celebrating the ties between the UK and Ghana, attended by senior dignitaries, a number of British Ghanaians, as well as prominent figures from business, arts, culture and media. The Prince will also attend a meeting with Ghanaian and international business leaders to discuss sustainable practice in Ghanas cocoa industry and key environmental issues, the statement said. Additionally, the Prince of Wales will visit the Christiansborg Castle, once a Danish, and then British, slave fort, which was until a few years ago, the seat of Ghanas Government after independence to discuss the future restoration and reuse of the area, as part of a major redevelopment of Accras waterfront, conceived by the Ghanaian Government with the Architect, Sir David Adjaye. The two will also visit Kumasi to meet Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene at the Manhyia Palace. The Prince and the Duchess will also attend a traditional durbar or procession at the Palace with the Asantehene and local chiefs. The Duchess, who is President of the Women of the World Festival, will also attend an event for a range of Ghanaian women in leadership positions. Source: Graphic.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 The young half-brother of Fremantle Dockers star Hayden Ballantyne has been hit and killed in tragic circumstances. Brendan Ballantyne, 22, was walking home when he was allegedly struck by a pizza delivery driver in Perth's south at about 9pm on Saturday evening. The young father was thrown several metres on Ennis Avenue, Waikiki, and died at the scene. Brendan Ballantyne (pictured, centre), 22, was walking home when he was struck and killed in Perth's south at about 9pm on Saturday evening Mr Ballantyne is the half brother of Fremantle Dockers star Hayden Ballantyne (pictured) Mr Ballantyne's family said the young man was about to welcome a second child with his pregnant fiancee, Shaynea, due to give birth in the coming weeks. 'He was a very loved family member, engaged to be married soon, a father of a beautiful two-year-old with a baby girl on the way,' the family said, 9 News reported. 'He will be very missed, that's all we wish to say.' A friend has launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for the young family. 'I have started this page to relieve some financial stress off this young family, any donations big or small will be a massive help,' the page said. The young father was thrown several metres on Ennis Avenue, Waikiki, and died at the scene Mr Ballantyne's family said the young man (pictured, centre) was about to welcome a second child with his pregnant fiancee, Shaynea, due to give birth in the coming weeks Police allege a 47-year-old man was behind the wheel of a Holden Aventura station wagon which fatally struck Mr Ballantyne. He is understood to have just finished a shift as a pizza delivery driver. The man has been charged with careless driving occasioning death and will appear at the Rockingham Magistrates Court on October 22. There are no street lights on Ennis Avenue and the speed limit is 100km/h. One year after he committed the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history, experts are still searching for the motive of Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock. The 64-year-old rained down bullets for approximately 10 minutes from his Mandalay Bay and Casino hotel room in the attack that killed 58 people and injured at least 500 on October 1, 2017. Some say he was searching for fame, others have said it was the result of a mental illness. But these theories are merely based on speculation with little evidence to back them up. Scroll down for video Stephen Paddock, 64 (left and right, on security footage), opened fire on a concert in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017, during which he killed 58 people and injured at least 500, making it the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history Since then, authorities have been trying to figure out Paddock's moment be it fame or due to a mental illness. Pictured: People run from gunfire at the Las Vegas shooting 'People are bewildered by the case - there's a bewilderment, and there's a horror,' Dr Reid Meloy, a forensic psychologist and clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California San Diego, told The Wall Street Journal. Dr Meloy has spent 30 years researching and writing about topics including psychopathy, criminality, personality disorder and targeted violence. He told the newspaper he is often asked questions about the Vegas shooting at conferences and lectures. 'The most troubling cases are those without an answer,' he said. Russell Palarea, president of the threat-assessment firm Operational Psychology Services, said that when there is no grievance, the motive is often infamy. He said: 'Some people kill for notoriety and infamy, and that's what he did.' The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department conducted dozens of interviews with Paddock's family, his ex-wife, his girlfriend, and his doctors, which didn't reveal much. Forensics lab have searched his cell phone, his computer, his browser history, but they didn't provide any answers either. As The Journal points out, Paddock did not leave a suicide note nor a manifesto, like past mass shooters have. 'We wish we knew more about it,' said Dr John Nicoletti, a psychologist and partner in threat-assessment firm Nicoletti-Flater Associates, told the Wall Street Journal. 'With all the missing data, what everybody says, it's just speculation' During a news conference last year, authorities updated the timeline of the mass shooting, saying Paddock shot a hotel security guard before he opened fire on concert-goers. Las Vegas Sheriff Joe Lombardo previously had said the guard was shot after Paddock had fired on the Route 91 Harvest Festival from his 32nd floor suite and the guard's arrival in the hallway outside could have caused Paddock to stop shooting. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department conducted dozens of interviews with Paddock's family, his ex-wife, his girlfriend, and his doctors, which didn't reveal much. Pictured: Officers stand by as medical personnel tend to a person after the shooting Authorities also said that Paddock targeted two large jet fuel tanks, stocked his car with explosives and had personal protection gear as part of an escape plan. Additionally, the 64-year-old had been attempting to drill a hole in an adjacent wall, potentially to mount another camera or to point a rifle through, but it was never completed, Lombardo said. Lombardo expressed frustration with the pace of the investigation to pinpoint the motive behind Paddock's motive to fire on the crowd of 22,000. 'It's because this individual purposely hid his actions leading up to this event, and it is difficult for us to find the answers to those actions,' Lombardo said. 'We believe he decided to take the lives he did and he had a very purposeful plan that he carried out.' There is still no evidence that Paddock was motivated by ideology, or that there was another shooter. Paddock's family have said that he didn't show any sign of mental illness and seemed to have his life together - after making millions from investing. Pictured: People lie on the ground after gun fire erupted at the Route 91 Harvest festival There is still no evidence that Paddock was motivated by ideology, or that there was another shooter. Pictured: Paddock appears on security footage at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino days before the attack While Paddock is white like the majority of mass shooters, he is not a young male nor did he have a social media account that gave hints about his intent. Paddock's family have said that he didn't show any sign of mental illness and seemed to have his life together - after making millions from investing. 'My brother was the most boring one in the family,' Patrick Paddock told The New York Times last year. 'He was the least violent one in the family, over a 30-year history, so it's like, who?' But investigators have since discovered that he started to show signs of angst in his final years, when he began to build up a massive stockpile of weapons. Several people noted that he started to smell of alcohol often. He was also reportedly prescribed the anti-anxiety drug Valium, which he was taking in its highest dose by June 2017. The side effects of the drug - which include suicidal thoughts and unusual risk-taking behavior - can be magnified when mixed with alcohol. Advertisement Hundreds of dashing riders took to the streets all over the UK in stylish suits and vintage motorbikes to raise money for the Movember foundation. The event is known as the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride and is held every year to raise money and awareness for men's mental health and prostate cancer. This year's event saw riders in London and 40 other locations in the UK take part, including Manchester, Cardiff and Edinburgh. As well as the UK events, there are 650 cities all over the world that are marking this year's Distinguished Gentleman's Ride - with more than $5.5 million (4.2 million) raised so far. According to the event's official website, today's event saw more than 120,000 people 'don their cravats, tustle their ties, press their tweed, and sit astride their classic and vintage styled motorcycles to raise funds and awareness for men's health, specifically prostate cancer and men's mental health'. The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride was founded in Sydney, Australia by Mark Hawwa. It was inspired by a photo of Mad Men's Don Draper astride a classic bike and wearing his finest suit. This year's London event saw hundreds take part and travel all over Tower Bridge - including a dashing dachshund dog called Sergeant Pepper. Hundreds of riders took to part in the annual Distinguished Gentleman's Ride that brings together people dressed in vintage clothes riding vintage motorbikes to raise money for men's mental health and prostate cancer. This picture was taken at the London event in Tower Bridge One of the stars of this year's London event was the adorable dachshund dog Sergeant Pepper (pictured) who looked dashing in his stylish helmet as he waited for the ride to get underway Riders take a picture at the start of the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride, and both are supporting an elaborate false moustache, including the woman, to reference the Movember foundation - which the riders are raising money for As well as the UK events, there are 650 cities all over the world that are marking this year's Distinguished Gentleman's Ride - with more than $5.5 million (4.2 million) raised so far. Here is a stylish rider taking part in the event at the Bournemouth Seafront, in Dorset And this rider is certainly sticking to the theme, dressed in a very slick three-piece suit with a smart bow tie and an elegant pipe perched in his mouth as he leads a procession of riders during the event on Tower Bridge in London And pipes were a popular prop among the vintage-wearing riders with plenty on display in dozens of photographs taken from the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride. Here is a photo of high-spirited male riders on the Bournemouth Seafront in Dorset Ben Bowers (left) and Anthony 'Dutch' van Someren, a motorcycle club founder, pictured at the start of the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride in London this morning. According to the ride's website, more than 120,000 people took part in the event This delighted rider can be seen making his way over Tower Bridge in London, while dressed in a smart grey suit. A woman perched on the back of his motorcycle also looks to be enjoying the ride while dressed in a vintage outfit The coolest rider at the event was Sergeant Pepper the sausage dog as he took his place at the start of the event. The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride is an annual event now, but it was founded in Sydney, Australia by Mark Hawwa It was inspired by a photo of Mad Men's Don Draper astride a classic bike and wearing his finest suit. So, riders are encouraged to look as dapper as they can - though most of them will struggle to match the style of Sergeant Pepper The annual event attracted some famous faces, including the former Crimewatch presenter Rav Wilding who took part in the event in London. He sported a classy scarf to compliment his suit Another famous face was presenter and radio host Gethin Jones (pictured) who was dressed in all leather and looked very ready for the start of the ride in London. He is believed to be one of more than 100,000 riders across the world who took part Spirits were high at the start of the ride with quite a few dapper-looking gentleman joined by their female partners. Most of the couples looked to have embraced the vintage theme as they raised money for men's health It was a family occasion as fathers were joined by sons before the ride. In this photo, taken in London, one man sports a Great Britain flag-embroidered pair of shorts as a little boy, who's also looking dapper, glances at the motorbike with wide eyes The event calls on riders to don their cravats, tustle their ties, press their tweed, and sit astride their classic and vintage styled motorcycles to raise funds and awareness for men's health, specifically prostate cancer and men's mental health A big part of the ride are vintage suits and dresses, however vintage vehicles are also important and something that the ride's website pride's itself on. This bike clearly fits the vintage theme and the photo was taken in Bournemouth Boris Johnson suffered a blow today as Tory activists clapped a vicious attack on him as 'irrelevant and offensive'. Despite Mr Johnson wooing the grass roots with his hardline approach to Brexit, the brutal assessment from former trade minister Digby Jones went down well with members at conference in Birmingham this afternoon. Meanwhile, David Davis swiped that Mr Johnson was focused on 'headlines' rather than sound policies. And a Cabinet ally of Mrs May added to the woes by telling MailOnline that he was only making so much 'noise' because he did not have the 'numbers' for an all-out leadership bid. Boris Johnson (pictured outside his Oxfordshire home yesterday) ensured the focus is still on his own leadership ambitions, using an interview with the Sunday Times to swipe: 'Unlike the Prime Minister, I campaigned for Brexit The brutal assessment from former trade minister Digby Jones (pictured) went down well with members at conference in Birmingham this afternoon The backlash came after the former foreign secretary launched another vicious attack on the PM's Chequers plan for Brexit - branding it 'deranged' and 'preposterous'. Mr Johnson upped the ante by pointing out that she was a Remainer during the referendum two years ago - whereas he is a true believer in the project. And he urged the government to back ambitious projects like building a bridge between Northern Ireland and Scotland. But a defiant Mrs May shot back that her critics were 'playing politics' and insisted she is 'not bluffing' about driving a hard bargain with the EU. Speaking during an interview on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show to kick off Tory conference, Mrs May said: 'I do believe in Brexit.' Lord Jones, a former Labour trade minister who now sits as an independent, pleased the crowd by praising the opportunities of Brexit. But he prompted applause by referring to alleged remarks by Mr Johnson when he responded 'f*** business' in response to questions about the concerns they have raised. Without naming Mr Johnson, Lord Jones took aim at the 'irrelevant and offensive person he really is'. 'Business is so important that when I heard a former foreign secretary say "f*** business", it showed him up for the irrelevant and offensive person he really is,' he said. 'I take great exception to that.' Lord Jones also hailed the response by Mrs May - who watched the speech from the hall - to 'bullying' by EU leaders over her Chequers plan at the Salzburg summit. Earlier, Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson also took aim at Mr Johnson, pointing out that he had stayed as a senior member of the government during the Brexit negotiations. A Cabinet ally of Mrs May played down the intervention, telling MailOnline that Mr Johnson does not have enough support among Tory MPs to oust the PM. They said: It is not that damaging to have stories like this in the papers today. He is making a lot of noise, but Boris does not have the numbers in the parliamentary party, and he knows that is the case. Lord Jones also hailed the response by Mrs May - who watched the speech from the hall - to 'bullying' by EU leaders over her Chequers plan at the Salzburg summit David Davis renewed his criticism of the Chqeuers plan, but swiped that Mr Johnson was focused on 'headlines' rather than sound policies There is a big contrast between the respectful stance David Davis has taken, arguing his case, and the way Boris has pursued his own personal ambitions. Business Secretary Greg Clark lashed Mr Johnson for attacking business for being sceptical about Brexit. Speaking on the fringes of the Tory conference in Birmingham, Mr Clark said Mr Johnsons jibe was totally the wrong thing to say. He said: I was surprised that anyone could even think like that. There is no successful economy anywhere in the world that does not have successful and flourishing businesses. In an interview with Sky News' Ridge on Sunday, Mr Davis admitted that the next couple of months would be 'really scary' as the EU tried to force deep concessions from the UK. But he said the government had to hold its nerve and push for a Canada-style agreement rather than Chequers. He also delivered a stinging barb when asked about Mr Johnson's attractions as a Tory leader. Ridiculing Mr Johnson's proposal of a bridge between Northern Ireland and Scotland, he said 'one of the blights of British politics is politicians having fantastic ideas'. He added: 'We have a very knockabout friendships, but quite a lot of his ideas are good headlines but not good policies.' Rubbing shoulders with Leonardo DiCaprio, partying with Lindsay Lohan, spraying Paris Hilton with bottles of expensive champagne. That was the life of Malaysian financier Jho Low, a pretend billionaire who fooled celebrities into thinking he was one of the richest men in the world. Low, 38, was an expert at cultivating his image, surrounding himself with stars who were attracted to his $250million superyacht and famous parties. But it all came crashing down when Low was accused of helping run a multi-billion-dollar money laundering scheme with his own prime minister. Malyasian financier Jho Low was a pretend billionaire who fooled celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio into believing he was one of the richest men in the world, according to a new book Low partied with the likes of Paris Hilton (pictured together in 2010 in St Tropez) on his $250million superyacht It seems that Low's path was decided from birth. He grew up wealthy, with millionaire parents and a mansion to call home. His father was famous for his over-the-top parties - one of which included models who were specially flown in from Sweden. Low began to master the art of cultivating his image from a young age, wanting so badly to fit in with the billionaire class that he aspired to be a part of one day. He rubbed shoulders with Asian and Middle Eastern royalty at the elite Harrow School in London, and did everything he could to impress his new friends. Once, as a teen, he borrowed a yacht from his father's friend and filled it with pictures of his family instead to convince his classmates that it was his own. But even in those early days Low was learning the art of the fraud, according to Tom Wright and Bradley Hope. But it all came crashing down when Low was accused of helping run a multi-billion-dollar money laundering scandal with his own prime minister Low began to master the art of cultivating his image from a young age, wanting so badly to fit in with the billionaire class that he aspired to be a part of one day Low soon fit himself in with the one percent and became known as a 'whale', the term used by casinos and clubs to identify big spenders The journalists, who have written a new book on Low, cited one instance in which he threw a huge party at a club while attending the prestigious Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. 'Unbeknownst to attendees he stiffed the owner on the bill for months and only paid a fraction of the total in the end,' Hope told Vice News. 'Giving the impression that he was rich and could make you rich and that he had a lot of rich friends was a critical component of Jho's whole way of doing business,' he added. 'We see him as the ultimate stage manager: He would think everything out, down to the types of flowers on the tables and which drink glasses would be available.' Low soon fit himself in with the one percent and became known as a 'whale', the term used by casinos and clubs to identify big spenders. He was known to drop hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions, on parties attended by Lohan and Hilton. Low's $250million superyacht Equanimity (pictured) has since been seized by government authorities in Malaysia Low (pictured at the Angel Ball in 2014) was known to drop hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions, on parties attended by the stars In addition to his yacht, Low bought a $35million private jet and paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Monet and van Gogh. With so much money flowing around him, celebrities were quickly drawn into Low's world. Even the likes of DiCaprio couldn't resist Low and his $400million promise to help finance The Wolf of Wall Street. 'The world of the 0.1 percent is extremely small,' Wright said. 'Once Low was in it, he was able to move from one person to the next.' 'In fact, he was one of the most skillful networkers the world has ever seen. He would size up someone's use to him and leverage it.' 'He used his friendships with Hollywood stars to entice Arab businessmen into deals. When they saw Kate Upton on a boat, they were hooked by Low.' In addition to his yacht, Low bought a $35million private jet and paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Monet and van Gogh. He is pictured here with Ludacris at the Angel Ball in 2014 With so much money flowing around him, celebrities were quickly drawn into Low's world. He is pictured here at the Angel ball with Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys It was this glittering image that Low presented - a life full of celebrities and yachts - that helped him continue to get into deals with the world's richest men. 'Many of his friends in the Middle East were excited to be involved in deals, but they also loved the lifestyle of being around Jho,' said Hope. 'Especially the celebrities and supermodels.' But everything about Low's life changed when he was accused of draining billions of dollars from the state-owned Malaysian investment fund known 1MDB. Low, who is currently in hiding, is facing eight charges of money laundering and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. Authorities are especially interested in Low's ties to former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak, who ruled the country for a decade. Investigations into 1MDB were reopened after Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad returned to power in a stunning election victory in May, ending Najib's reign. It was this glittering image that Low presented - a life full of celebrities and yachts - that helped him continue to get into deals with the world's richest men Najib, who has denied wrongdoing, was charged for money laundering and abuse of power in connection with funds transferred from a former unit of 1MDB in July. The DOJ says over $4.5billion was misappropriated from 1MDB, with some of the money being used to buy a private jet, a superyacht, Picasso paintings, jewelry and real estate. Authorities have seized Low's $250million superyacht and attempts are also under way to impound his $35million private jet. It is believed that Low is hiding out in China, moving between Macau, Hong Kong, and Shenzhen and staying in apartments and Marriott hotels. Wright said Low recently tried to buy a boat to moor at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, which could be a 'last-ditch escape route'. Maylasia's government says it is negotiating with China to extradite Low, but it may not be as simple as that. Low, who is currently in hiding, is facing eight charges of money laundering and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. He is pictured here with Padma Lakshmi and Swizz Beats in 2013 Wright may be 'protected by China', according to Wright. 'Low helped negotiate a number of dodgy infrastructure deals last year between China and Malaysia, from which money was allegedly stolen,' he continued. 'The idea seems to have been to use the cash to fill holes in Lows scheme and to pay off unknown enablers in China.' Malaysia has since canceled the infrastructure projects since Mohamed returned to power. 'But Beijing could be worried that Low knows too much about some senior Chinese officials,' Wright added. 'And thats why he's been able to remain there incognito.' As for Low, he has continued to maintain his innocence despite going into hiding and has even set up a website to defend himself. In a statement his lawyer said Low is 'confident he will be vindicated'. 'Mr Low and his lawyers request that the public keep an open mind until all of the evidence comes to light,' the statement reads. 'This has been a case of "trial-by-media" from the start, and unfortunately, the circus continues.' Samantha Markle has gone on a Twitter tirade saying her father Thomas 'might be a bit shy but has a huge heart'. Meghan's half sister touched down in London this week, with her publicist threatening she wants to meet the Duchess of Sussex to discuss their father's ill health 'whether she likes it or not'. The 53-year-old, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, said she was having a 'wonderful time' in the capital. But now she has posted online to lash out at the media, who she claims 'just regurgitate rumours' about her and her family, which are 'a joke'. She also appeared to hit out at negative comments about her father, Thomas Markle, 74 who is at the centre of the siblings' tensions. Samantha Markle (pictured) is now in the country. Her PR manager Rob Cooper (pictured with her last week) said a few days ago that she will be flying to the UK in a bid to meet with Meghan The 53-year-old hit out at negative reports about her father Thomas Markle, 74, who she claims 'might be a little shy but has a huge heart' Ms Markle wrote: 'I guarantee that 99% of you if you could meet my dad he would love him and want to give them a big hug he is a sweetheart and might be a little shy but he has a huge heart so it is very wrong to misinterpret him.' It comes six days after Ms Markle's publicist told her followers she 'had her in Italy' and they were not quite ready to head back to her home in Florida. He wrote on Twitter: 'Samantha Markle is coming to the UK. Pictured: The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, is reportedly not interested in meeting with her sister while she is in the UK 'After making numerous attempts in private to arrange a one on one meeting with The Duchess of Sussex to discuss their 74 year old father's health, Kensington Palace have refused to respond. 'I fear Meghan may not be made aware of these discreet, attempts and therefore making this public is the only option we have left. 'I currently have Samantha in Europe with just one short flight away. 'This DOESN'T need to be public, we would prefer to keep this private. Samantha is coming to the UK this week, like it or not.' When they arrived, Ms Markle posted: 'Having a wonderful time in London! British people have been so lovely and helpful! If I can survive the roundabouts it will be a miracle LOL!' The length of her stay in the UK is unknown, but it is thought that she intends to confront Meghan, 36, over their father's ill-health. Meghan is believed to have last seen her father Thomas Markle around two years ago. Meghan and Samantha's father Thomas Markle, 74, had heart surgery earlier this year and was unable to attend the Duke and Duchess's wedding at Windsor Castle in May The 74-year-old did not attend his daughter's wedding after reportedly suffering a heart attack in the lead up to the big day. Despite Ms Markle's apparent determination to see Meghan, her friends believe the Duchess will not see her half-sister. A few days earlier, Meghan's friends exclusively revealed to DailyMailTV that she has no intention of meeting with her sister when she comes to the UK. One told DailyMailTV: 'There is not a chance in hell that Meghan is going to lower herself and meet with her half sister. 'Samantha is kidding herself if she thinks there is any possibility of getting together with Meghan, or anyone from the Royal family for that matter.' Earlier this month, Samantha went on a furious social media tirade about her sister and her new husband. Samantha Markle, Meghan's half sister pictured last week an airport terminal as she claimed she was preparing to fly to the UK - she has now seemingly arrived Ms Markle tweeted to say she was having a 'wonderful' time in London wit her publicist Branding the Duchess the 'duch***', she slammed Prince Harry on his 34th birthday, saying: 'Happy Birthday Harry! As you 'Mack down' on your birthday cake, think about the birthday wishes you never extended to your FATHER-IN-LAW.' In a separate post, she fumed: 'I am not candy coating anything anymore! 'The DUCHA** should be humane to our father who has given her everything and this media crap can stop! 'He was the one who was always there for her. Fake waves and smiles can stop. The duchA** can bow to the daddy'. She also earlier went on an extraordinary Twitter rant, proclaiming Meghan 'wasn't much different than Trump'. She wrote: '[He] thinks he can shoot someone and still get votes. She can dump an entire family both sides and a best friend of 30 years and ignore it and be popular. Sad.' The friend explained that Meghan has long been dealing with Samantha who is 'very jealous' and 'always kept tabs on how much their father spent on her'. She said: 'Samantha has always tried to drive a wedge between Meghan and her father, and this is no exception. It's no surprise that Meghan doesn't have a relationship with her. 'And as far as her dad's health is concerned, Meghan is not worried. 'Her mom would be the first to know if there was some serious health issue with her dad, and she would tell Meghan.' Samantha previously slammed the Duke and Duchess (pictured) on Prince Harry's birthday, branding Meghan the 'duch***' Theresa May will dare Tory Brexiteers and Labour to throw Britain into 'chaos' by voting down her Chequers plan once a deal is done with the EU. The Prime Minister is determined to stake the future of the country on her blueprint despite a revolt by her own MPs and Jeremy Corbyn vowing to oppose it in the Commons. She will do what is 'best for the nation' by compromising instead of putting the unity of her own party first, Cabinet allies told MailOnline. The high-stakes gamble paves the way for a massive moment in Parliament as Mrs May demands MPs of all parties choose between her deal or 'market panic' and jobs losses. Despite an apparent stand-off with EU leaders at the Salzburg summit earlier this month, government sources are increasingly confident that there will be a divorce deal and the outlines of a future trade relationship agreed by mid-November. Theresa May (pictured at Tory conference today) will do what is 'best for the nation' by compromising instead of putting the unity of her own party first, Cabinet allies say The package is likely to be put to the Commons within weeks, as Mrs May tries to build on momentum from a resolution to the negotiations. A Cabinet minister admitted that the situation was 'very tight' and the government was likely to have to rely on some votes from Labour and the SNP. 'It will be a bumpy ride. The seat belt light will go, flight crew will be told to get to their jump seats,' they told Mailonline. But there will be a deal. We will get movement over the next eight weeks. 'This is a prime minister who is finely attuned to this parliament, and what will get through. People have to be pragmatic. Labour is going to have a decision to make. They will be going against not just the government, but 27 EU leaders who will have agreed it. 'If we do not get a deal through parliament there will be market panic, jobs will start moving. That is chaos. The same goes for Brexiteers. They will have businesses and constituents telling them that they want this settled - these people have to think about the consequences of their actions. The PM will make clear that she is doing what is best for the nation.' Boris Johnson (pictured outside his Oxfordshire home yesterday) ensured the focus is still on his own leadership ambitions, using an interview with the Sunday Times to swipe: 'Unlike the Prime Minister, I campaigned for Brexit Mrs May's determination to press on was underlined despite Boris Johnson launching another vicious attack on her Chequers plan - branding it 'deranged' and 'preposterous'. In one bruising jibe, Mr Johnson pointed out that she was a Remainer during the referendum two years ago - whereas he is a true believer in the project. And he urged the government to back ambitious projects like building a bridge between Northern Ireland and Scotland. But a defiant Mrs May shot back that her critics were 'playing politics' and insisted she is 'not bluffing' about driving a hard bargain with the EU. Speaking during an interview on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show to kick off Tory conference, Mrs May said: 'I do believe in Brexit.' The release from jail of a British hate preacher who inspired Melbourne youths to support ISIS could have an impact in Australia, a former UK police chief has warned. Anjem Choudary, who inspired around 100 British jihadis and set up an extremist sharia movement in Sydney, could be paroled this year, just two-and-a-half years into a five-year prison sentence he is serving in the UK. Former Commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police Sir Paul Stephenson told Australian CEOs and council leaders Choudary's release could see him continue to preach extremism. The release of British hate preacher Anjem Choudary (pictured) from jail could have an impact in Australia, a former UK police chief has warned 'It's a big problem with Anjem Choudary back on the streets after two-and-a-half years,' he told The Daily Telegraph. 'This man is a hate preacher convicted of being a hate preacher and allegedly linked to 15 terror incidents, and does anyone think he has reformed?' Stephenson said he would be open to the charge of treason being levelled against those convicted of terrorist activities. Sir Stephenson said many Australian businesses were unprepared for terrorist attacks, which could be carried out by a lone wolf like those inspired by Choudary. The former top cop is working with former New South Wales deputy police commissioner Nick Kaldas to improve intelligence sharing between public and private law enforcement. They have formed consulting group Stratium Global with other former police chiefs, which will also help companies find security breaches in their corporate networks. Former Commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police Sir Paul Stephenson (pictured) told Australian CEOs and council leaders Choudary's release could inspire more Australians to support Islamic State Choudary set up the group Sharia4Australia prior to his sentencing in 2016, and was in direct contact with several Melbourne youths. In 2014, he pledged allegiance to ISIS and jihadi group Al-Muhajiroun - a banned organisation linked to international terrorism. Sir Stephenson's warning comes after Mr Kaldas said the federal government should consider allowing those who have left Australia to fight for ISIS to return and be used to dissuade the country's youth from following the same path. A baby boy whose life support machine was switched OFF following a 40ft fall from a block of flats has defied medical odds to make a remarkable full recovery. Now known as the 'miracle boy of St George's Hospital', little Anwar Nyanzi was given just a one per cent chance of survival after falling from a fourth floor flat in London. Anwar suffered severe brain, spinal and neck injuries and broken bones, including several ribs, his left arm and hand, leaving doctors fearing for his life. Anwar Nyanzi fell from a fourth floor flat window (pictured left after the accident) when he was just 11 months old and was put on life support at St George's Hospital in London. Within three weeks of the fall he was able to crawl and stand again (pictured right in recovery) Then just 11-month-olds, he was so badly injured that doctors told family gathered at his bedside to say their goodbyes as his breathing machine was switched off. Medics held out hope that by switching off his life-support, Anwar's body would be shocked into breathing unsupported. Incredibly, to the disbelief of doubtful doctors, Anwar began to start breathing on his own after doctors turned off the life-saving machines. And 11 days after the fall, despite fears of Anwar being 'severely disabled' in survival, tests revealed the youngster was able to see and hear. Even more remarkably, Anwar was able to crawl and even stand just three weeks after the fall. Now two-years-old, he is home and his mother Hawa Rutansingwa, 32, said he's happy and healthy, just like any other toddler. Hawa, a support worker, from Croydon, said: 'To be told that your son is going to die is the worst thing a mother should go through. 'I went to kiss my son goodbye. I couldn't bear to see him with the wires going into his body. Now two years old the little boy has mad a remarkable recovery and is known as the 'miracle boy of St George's Hospital' 'It was a horrible experience and I can't explain how felt. 'I was told to prepare for the worst, but now here he is, playing with his toys at home and singing like any other child. It's a miracle.' Little Anwar fell after climbing through an open window whilst his aunt, Fauzia Rutansingwa, was in the bathroom, in July last year. He clambered onto a chair and hoisted himself onto the window ledge, before falling around 40ft. Fauzia only realised the sickening reality of where the youngster had vanished to when she peered out of the window to see him laying motionless on the pavement below. His aunt phoned 999 and then called Hawa, telling her Anwar was laying motionless on the pavement. Hawa, said: 'My sister called me to tell me. I couldn't breathe. I was in floods of tears. 'I went to work that morning and my son was happy and healthy, but I was told he was dying a few hours later. 'I caught the bus and spoke to the paramedics on the phone. They told me to hurry to the scene and I feared the worst. Mother-of-three Hawa Rutansingwa (pictured with son) said she couldn't breathe when her sister told her about the little boy's fall. She said her son is a happy and healthy toddler now and his recovery is 'a miracle' 'I arrived at the scene and there was police everywhere. 'I was told not to look at my son because of how badly injured he was. But I pushed the paramedics out of the way and opened the ambulance door. 'He was laying there still and his head was like a balloon. One of his eyes was almost popping out of his head. 'I just collapsed and thought 'God help me'. They almost pronounced him dead at the scene. I just wanted my son back.' Anwar was rushed to theatre at St George's Hospital just hours later. He had lost a 'significant' amount of blood and doctors feared the worst. After four days of operations and ICU care, doctors took the drastic decision to switch off Anwar's life support. They planned to let Anwar 'die peacefully', if he was unable to breathe on his own, as doctors feared they'd done all they can to save the boy's life and the family said their goodbyes. 'They told me they wanted him to die in peace. I'm a strong woman but as a mum I had to come to terms with the fact I was about to lose my son', said mum-of-three, Hawa. The family threw a big party to celebrate the youngsters second birthday in August, 13 months after he almost died. Pictured is Anwar Nyanzi with a police officer that came to visit him on his birthday But incredibly, to the disbelief of doctors, Anwar began to start breathing unsupported. Doctors warned if he was to survive, he would be unable to walk, talk, see or hear, but he once again defied belief. He spent a total of two months in hospital and was put through weeks of rehab and physiotherapy. Hawa, who has a second son, Abdulnoor Lule, 4, and a daughter, Nailah Bukirwa, 5, was finally allowed to take her son home in September 2017. The family threw a huge party to celebrate Anwar's second birthday in August, 13 months after he almost lost his life. Hawa says she 'thanks God' for her miracle boy's miraculous recovery, and recalls the moment she saw he son smile again for the first time after the fall. She said: 'I was so relieved and thought it was a miracle. I never gave up hope. I knew my son was a fighter.' A St George's Hospital spokesperson said: 'The whole team are delighted to hear that Anwar is doing so well. 'Our specialist teams go above and beyond every day, and when we hear about positive outcomes such as this, it makes it all worthwhile.' A county councillor admitted communications offences after making 'racist and malicious' posts on Facebook, including one in which he called Shadow Home Secretary Dianne Abbott a 'monkey'. Richard Alderman, a ward councillor for Rutland County Council, said 'the monkey is out of her tree again send it to the animal labs'. In another of a series of outrageous posts, Independent councillor Alderman, 72, called for Theresa May to be 'hanged for treason'. Richard Alderman called Dianne Abbott a monkey in a Facebook post Alderman, of Oakham, was charged with four counts of sending by public communication network an offensive, indecent, obscene, menacing message or matter. The charges relate to messages posted on 16 June and 15 July 2018, which were reported to police on 16 July. He admitted to the offences at Birmingham Magistrates' Court and will appear at the same court on Thursday, October 4 for sentencing. The council condemned the actions of Alderman (pictured) and has referred the matter to its monitoring officer and Leicestershire Police In another of his posts he called for Prime Minister Theresa May to be hanged for treason Detective Constable Damian Young, who investigated the reports, said: 'The content of the comments published by Alderman were deemed offensive. He is a prominent member of the Rutland community and should have known better as an elected councillor. 'We treat all reports of this nature seriously, irrespective of who has made them, and we're pleased that he has admitted the offences.' Leicestershire Police, which covers Rutland, arrested Alderman in July under the Communications Act 2003, after receiving complaints that the posts were racist and malicious. He was then released under investigation. Rutland County Council have condemned Alderman's apparent actions and referred the matter to its monitoring officer and Leicestershire Police. In a statement, the council said: 'Rutland County Council is continuing to follow proceedings at Birmingham Magistrates' Court involving Councillor Richard Alderman. 'Councillor Alderman has admitted his wrongdoing and pleaded guilty to all four charges brought against him. Criminal conduct of this kind is totally unacceptable. 'Following sentencing, Councillor Alderman's actions will be the subject of a further investigation by our own Standards Committee and reviewed against the Council's Code of Conduct.' Dianne Abbott spoke out in April about receiving a torrent of abuse online, saying she receives horrific messages include threats to kill or rape her, plus frequent use of the N-word. About Me Scott Because prophetic scriptures are found throughout the bible, it is obvious that a comprehensive, systematic approach would be useful, if not necessary, for the understanding of prophecy. Past prophecies have been fulfilled in a literal manner, as confirmed by the dating of these writings and historical records of confirmation. These past prophecies also serve as a model of how to interpret future prophecies. A literal view of prophecy clearly indicates a certain sequence of events will occur within a single generation, concluding with the Tribulation and Second Advent and these events will be obvious. The prophetic signs appear to be present in this generation and we believe these signs are revealed in the news from around the world. View my complete profile Theresa May's TV interview to kick off the Tory conference was bizarrely upstaged today by a man doing star jumps in the background. The Prime Minister was grilled by Andrew Marr in a makeshift studio looking out over Birmingham's canalside. A man emerged in the background while Mrs May was discussing Brexit and the EU's rejection of her plans in Salzburg. Looking directly into the room where the PM was being interviewed live, he leapt up and down three times. The curious incident came before Mrs May ended the interview with an icy glare at Marr following heated clashes over Brexit and the Windrush scandal. Theresa May's TV interview to kick off the Tory conference was bizarrely upstaged today by a man doing star jumps in the background Mrs May and Marr sat in frosty silence as the credits rolled at the end of the interview. The PM and the BBC presenter appeared to be left with nothing to say to each other after the bruising on-screen exchanges as Tory conference kicked off in Birmingham. When Marr did seemingly attempt to strike up conversation, there was no response. The frostiness was noticed by viewers, with some branding it 'super intense' and 'excruciating'. Others contrasted it with the way Marr chatted with Jeremy Corbyn at the end of his equivalent interview last week. Mrs May (pictured left arriving for her BBC interview today) is facing a fresh assault from Boris Johnson (pictured right at his Oxfordshire home yesterday) There was a frosty silence between Theresa May and Andrew Marr after the PM defended her 'ambitious' Chequers plan during her BBC interview at the Tory conference in Birmingham today (pictured) The frostiness was noticed by viewers, with some branding it 'super intense' and 'excruciating' Mrs May was repeatedly challenged over her Brexit stance during the appearance on the flagship show, insisting her blueprint was the only one 'on the table' that could guarantee a soft Irish border and smooth trade. The defiant message came after Mr Johnson launched another vicious attack on her proposals - branding them 'deranged' and 'preposterous'. In one bruising jibe, Mr Johnson pointed out that she was a Remainer during the referendum two years ago - and he urged the government to back ambitious projects like building a bridge between Northern Ireland and Scotland. But Mrs May shot back that her critics were 'playing politics' and insisted she is 'not bluffing' about driving a hard bargain with the EU. She told Marr: 'I do believe in Brexit.' The long silence between the PM and Marr was pointed out by a number of viewers. As well as Brexit, Mrs May had been grilled during the programme over Windrush, and pushed to offer a fuller apology to those affected by the immigration crackdown. Typically TV interviewers can be seen chatting with their guests as the credits roll, even though the sound is not audible. However, there was no conversation at the end of the show this morning. David Ghosh tweeted: 'Wow that was a super intense outro on #marr today. Awkward silence between marr and May as the jingles played, but Marr rightly didnt pull any punches throughout. Just what we want from our media.' Another user called Jordan commented: 'Is it me, or was that 30 seconds where Andrew and Theresa just glared at each other in silence as the credits rolled the most awkward bit of telly ever? #Marr' The bitter clashes came as Conservatives gathered in Birmingham for a conference that is set to be dominated by Brexit and questions about Mrs May's future. The premier is facing a desperate struggle to hang on amid grass roots fury about her 'soft' approach to cutting ties with the EU, and jostling by leadership rivals. In a bid to show her government is about more than negotiations with the EU, the PM has set out plans to crack down on foreigners buying homes and proposals for a nationwide festival in 2022 - the year of the next scheduled general election. But Mr Johnson ensured the focus is still on his own leadership credentials, using an interview with the Sunday Times to swipe: 'Unlike the Prime Minister, I campaigned for Brexit.' Mr Johnson - who is only coming to Birmingham for one fringe event on Tuesday - branded Mrs May's Chequers plan 'entirely preposterous'. PM presents Scots Tory leader Ruth Davidson with gifts for baby Theresa May presented Ruth Davidson with gifts for her baby, which is due in weeks Theresa May presented pregnant Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson with a Downing Street baby grow last night. Mrs May and Ms Davidson met to discuss Brexit and other key issues after arriving at the party's conference in Birmingham. But despite the high-stakes battle going on with Eurosceptics and the EU, the PM had found time to stock up on some gifts. Ms Davidson is less than five weeks away from giving birth to her first child, and has joked that she is the size of a 'naval frigate'. She tweeted a video of herself with Mrs May after being handed a No10 branded baby grow, teddy bear and a copy the PM's favourite book, Swallows and Amazons. The book, written in the 1930s, involves two competiting child families playing on an island in the Lake District. Ms Davidson said: 'Had a pre #CPC18 meeting with @Theresa_May to discuss all things conference/Brexit/budget. 'Didn't expect to be surprised with a gift for the wee one at the end (including the PM's favourite book, Swallows & Amazons, for when they're older).' Advertisement The blueprint would involve the UK effectively staying in the single market for goods, and collecting some tax on behalf of the EU. Setting out her case today, Mrs May said her plan was the only way of keeping smooth trade and ensuring there is no hard Irish border. She rebuked EU leaders for dismissing the plan, saying she wanted to hear why they objected to the mooted arrangements and denying that they would undermine the single market. 'This is challenging for the EU because it is an ambitious deal,' she said. But Mrs May ignored several chances to rule out fresh concessions to get a deal. She told Marr: What I have said to the EU is very clear. They have said they have some concerns with the proposals we have put together. Lets hear what the details of those concerns. If they have counter proposals, lets hear what those counter proposals are. What is clear is what we have put forward is in the national interest and we did it because what the EU was offering us was unacceptable. Asked if she was in a moving mode, Mrs May again failed to say she would make no further concessions. Mrs May said she always knew the negotiations would be 'tough and warned the final stages would be toughest. Brexiteers are demanding a looser Canada-style arrangement that would make it easier to strike trade deals elsewhere in the world. There are also signs that some senior figures in Cabinet would prefer a shift in that direction. Suggesting he may be able to strike a better deal than Mrs May, Mr Johnson told the newspaper: 'Unlike the Prime Minister, I fought for this, I believe in it, I think it's the right thing for our country and I think that what is happening now is, alas, not what people were promised in 2016.' Setting out an alternative policy platform as the Conservative Party conference began in Birmingham, the former cabinet minister said the UK should build a bridge to Ireland and put the HS2 rail line on hold to focus on a high-speed link in the north of England. A group of Southern California high school students are in hot water after posting a picture wearing T-shirts with letters that spell out the n-word. The racist photo was taken at a senior picnic for Escondido High School where it is a tradition for students to wear lettered shirts with school pride phrases to take photos with friends. Principal Dr Adriana Lepe-Ramirez said in a statement Friday the school 'will not tolerate actions that send messages of racism and promote divisiveness'. Now, about 10 students are facing 'disciplinary action' after the photo was posted to Instagram and reported. A group of seniors at Escondido High School posed for an offensive photo spelling out the n-word Another image posted online shows four female students spelling out an anti-gay word 'We are a campus that prides itself on inclusion and embraces diversity,' principal Lepe-Ramirez's statement read. 'We are a campus that prides itself on inclusion and embraces diversity,' principal Dr Adriana Lepe-Ramirez's said The words students spell are typically approved ahead of time but some students spell their own words once the official senior photo is taken, KGTV reported. 'After the photo took place without any incident, one student started pulling individuals together, and started doing inappropriate messages,' Escondido Union High School District spokeswoman Karyl O'Brien said Friday. Another image posted online shows four female students spelling out an anti-gay word. It is not clear if those students will face any disciplinary actions. 'We cannot allow the poor choices of others to take away from who we are and what we represent as a school and as a community,' Dr Lepe-Ramirez said. 'It is now, more than ever, that we need to stand united in peace and in love. We cannot and will not allow this incident to define us or divide us.' Now about 10 students face 'disciplinary action' after the photo was reported Students and alumni expressed their disappointment over the photo. 'It hurt me personally,' Escondido High School graduate Cade Pannell said. 'Whether they thought it was a joke, it's not. And if you do think it's a joke, I think that's very ignorant of you.' 'We all need to understand the power of our words and actions, and we must take responsibility for the decisions we make each and every day,' Lepe-Ramirez said. 'At Escondido High School we will continue to work every day to build a culture of family and unity across our community.' The students' parents or guardians have been notified of their child's involvement. The high school, along with the district office, has been working alongside the Escondido Police Department and others to conduct a thorough review of this incident. 'We have a long rich history on this campus, one that represents the heart and pride of our community,' Lepe-Ramirez said. 'We will continue to learn and grow from this incident and I believe that we will come out stronger in the end.' A dog that nearly drowned has been rescued by a man inspecting a flooded area with his boat in Turkey. The dog called Leo was found in the Beykoz district of Istanbul, Turkey, on September 30 after the Mahmut Sevket Pasa stream overflowed due to heavy rain. Pictures capture the moment the distressed dog was rescued by the man in his boat and brought back to the safety of dry land. A dog (above) that was close to drowning in Turkey has been rescued after a man who was inspecting the flooded area spotted the animal The dog called Leo was found in the Beykoz district of Istanbul, Turkey, on September 30 after the Mahmut Sevket Pasa stream overflowed due to heavy rain The pictures show the man rowing through the deep waters in his white boat before lifting the dog out of the waters Pictures capture the moment the dog was found by the local man and then taken out of his boat to receive medical care The pictures show the man rowing through the deep waters in his white boat before lifting the dog out of the waters. Following his rescue, people in the area were spotted carrying Leo away from the water and taking the animal to receive aid. Locals gathered around the animal, now safely away from harms way, to check its vitals and give it a reassuring stroke. The fragile animal is then laid on the ground, looking weak and tired after its terrifying ordeal as nearby dogs approach the animal. Safely back on dry land the frightened dog is seen looking weak and fragile after its terrifying ordeal Locals are seen gathering around the dog now safely away from harms way, to check its vitals and give it a reassuring stroke The fragile animal is then laid on the ground, looking weak and tired as nearby dogs approach the animal This is not the first time a frightened dog has been caught amid the chaos of a flood. In 2016, good Samaritan Josh Pettit rescued a dog in the deadly flooding of Louisiana. Posting on Love What Matters' Facebook wall he wrote: 'The dog could barely tread water anymore she was so worn out and had the saddest eyes I ever seen so scared for her life! 'We saved her and she came laid her head on my lap and cried and moaned like a big baby! She was thanking me. I thank God for letting me notice her.' Advertisement Dogs waxed down their surfboards and prepared to ride the waves in an annual surfing competition. Canines of different breeds and sizes participated in the 10th annual Surf City Surf Dog competition in Huntington Beach, California, on Saturday. The pups participated in a number of events including solo surfing, two-dog surfing, and human-dog surfing. They are also judged in several categories including wave size, difficulty of the surf, and riding an open-faced wave compared to a white-water wave. Photos captured some dogs cheesing for the camera as they rode the waves while others had terrified wide-eyes as they headed to shore. Hundreds of spectators turned up in the 74-degree weather, many of them owners of the pups in the competition, to cheer on their furry friends. Some were surf 'veterans' and past champions, such as Gidget the white pug and Skylar, an Australian cattle dog - both of whom came in first-place during events in the Imperial Beach Surf Dog Competition in San Diego in July. In the decade the competition has been held, more than 500 dogs from across the US and countries including the UK, Brazil and Canada have participated. Prince Dudeman has the best seat in the house as he perches on top of the head of his owner, Ryan Thor, at the 10th annual Surf City Surf Dog competition in Huntington Beach, California, on Saturday Surf 'veterans' and past champion Gidget the white pug returned for another chance at victory on Saturday On Saturday, a dog falls into the ocean after attempting to ride the waves in the annual surfing competition The pups participate in a number of events including solo surfing, two-dog surfing, and human-dog surfing They are also judged in several categories including wave size, difficulty of the surf, and riding an open-faced wave compared to a white-water wave A dog leaps from the surfboard as it competes in the Tandem category in the Surf City Surf Dog competition Skyler and surfer Homer Henard catch a wave during the competition at Huntington Beach on Saturday Hundreds of spectators turned up in the 74-degree weather, many of them owners of the pups in the competition, to cheer on their furry friends Surfers and surf dogs pose as they wait for their turn to participate in the events at the Surf City Surf Dog Competition Some dogs were first-timers and others were 'veterans' and past champions, such as Gidget the white pug (right) and Prince Dudeman (left) Photos captured some dogs cheesing for the camera as they rode the waves while others had terrified wide-eyes as they headed to shore Surf dog Maya jumps up to greet her own after participating in one of the events in the competition One dog competitor is hit by a large wave of water during the Surf City Surf Dog competition on Saturday In the decade the competition has been held, more than 500 dogs from across the US and countries including the UK, Brazil and Canada have participated Sugar the Surfing Dog and Kiwi the Surfing Dog compete in a two-dog tandem event on Saturday Gidget the pug lets Prince Dudeman join her for the two-dog tandem event in the Surf City Surf Dog competition Sugar the Surfing Dog and surfer Ryan Rustan finish their human-dog tandem event and head back to shore A photographer captures one of the surfing dogs lying on its board after riding solo in the competition Nigel Farage vowed to 'mobilise the people's army' today during a protest at the Tory conference. The former Ukip leader said politicians had to 'feel the heat' from Eurosceptics - as one of Theresa May's own MPs suggested he should be in charge of negotiations with the EU. Conservative backbencher Peter Bone told the march in Birmingham that the UK 'would have been out' by now if Mr Farage was Brexit Secretary. But the challenge Mrs May faces in reconciling her deeply divided ranks has been underlined by pro-Remain Tories joining a separate protest against Brexit in the city. Tory NP Peter Bone said the UK 'would have been out' by now if Theresa May had opted to make Mr Farage (pictured speaking at the rally in Birmingham today) Brexit Secretary Conservative MPs attended a demonstration with Mr Farage outside the party conference this afternoon (pictured) Theresa May (left at conference today) is struggling to keep her Chequers compromise plan on track amid attacks from Brexiteers, Remainers and the EU. Mr Bone (right) insisted she must 'chuck' the proposals The Prime Minister managed to find something to chortle at during the first day of the Tory party conference The premier is struggling to keep her Chequers compromise plan on track amid attacks from Brexiteers, Remainers and the EU. Allies insisted she will push ahead with trying to strike a deal with Brussels despite the backlash - and force Eurosceptics and Labour to choose between her package and 'chaos'. Mr Bone told the Leave Means Leave rally in Solihull that he wanted to 'chuck Chequers'. He suggested Mr Farage should have been made a peer and given responsibility for negotiations with Brussels. 'If he had been in charge, we would have been out by now,' he said. The Wellingborough MP added: 'I will stand up for Brexit but we need to chuck Chequers.' Setting out his opposition to the EU, he said: 'We didn't fight world wars to be subservient. We want to make our own laws in our own country.' Mr Bone dismissed suggestions that public opinion had changed since the 2016 vote: 'The idea that the British people have changed their minds and want to remain is completely untrue.' Tory Brexiteer Andrea Jenkyns was also at the march, telling reporters: 'I am simply saying: Prime Minister, listen to the people. 'Chequers is unpopular with the general public, the Opposition's not going to vote for it, it's unpopular with our party and our activists who actually pound the streets and get us elected in the first place. The challenge Mrs May faces in reconciling her deeply divided ranks has been underlined by pro-Remain Tories joining a separate protest against Brexit in the city (pictured) 'Please drop Chequers and start listening.' In a pointed message to Mrs May, she added: 'Prime ministers keep their jobs when they keep their promises.' Mr Farage told the rally politicians must be made to 'feel the heat' if they were about to betray the decision made in the 2016 referendum. 'This is now about a matter of trust between us the people and our political class,' he said. 'They are trying to betray Brexit and we are here today to tell them 'we won't let you get away with doing that'.' In a message to the enthusiastic crowd he added: 'I want you to make our political class, who are on the verge of betraying Brexit, feel the heat. 'We are mobilising the people's army of this country that gave us victory in Brexit and will never rest until we have become an independent, self-governing, proud United Kingdom.' Meanwhile, Remainers marched through Birmingham before holding a two-hour rally in the city centre. A smattering of activists waved Tories Against Brexit banners after the launch of the group this weekend. Labour peer Lord Adonis mocked the Conservatives for the security issues they suffered with a party app as the conference opened. 'These are the people who tell us they can have the IT systems in place and all of the technology for Canada plus plus, for the frictionless border, for free trade without borders in Ireland,' he added. 'It is a complete farce.' 'There isn't such a thing as a good Brexit,' he added. Advertisement Emmanuel Macron was seen embracing the residents on Saint Martin on Saturday after he visited the Caribbean one year after hurricanes devastated the French West Indies. The French president walked for five hours, sometimes through the rain, as he spoke to local people about the impact of the deadly storm on the island, which is still far from repairing all the devastation. Mr Macron was fulfilling a pledge to return to Saint Martin one year after making his first trip in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Irma in September 2017. Emmanuel Macron embraced islanders of Saint Martin as he made a tour of the French territory on Saturday to inspect recovery efforts after Hurricane Irma Mr Macron - pictured meeting the island's children - was fulfilling a pledge to return to Saint Martin one year after making his first trip in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Irma in September 2017 Mr Macron meets victims of the hurricane in the Cheesecake Cafe in the Orleans district on the island of Saint Martin Some families on Saint Martin, where the hurricane killed 15 people before continuing on its deadly path towards Cuba and Florida, are still living with no more than tarpaulins over their roofs as a new storm season gets underway. In the two weeks after Irma, Hurricanes Jose and Maria poured rain onto the damaged roof and inundated the rooms below. The island remains dotted with half-built homes and roofs still covered in tarpaulins, corrugated sheets and canvas. On the Dutch side, known as Sint-Maarten, 550 million euros of reconstruction aid was promised - but only 110 million euros have been paid out as anti-corruption checks have slowed the payouts. Just 40 percent of property owners on the French side were insured, and the island's sole deep water port is functioning at just 40 percent capacity, making it slow to bring in building materials. The island's Juliana international airport was also heavily damaged and will not be fully back up and running until late 2019 at the earliest. 'Lots of people have had to wait for insurance payouts, and now some of them are hesitant to rebuild ahead of the new hurricane season,' said Saint-Martin's top local official Daniel Gibbs. For children, this September marks a return to school after a year of heavy disruption to their education, and high school students will be going back to temporary buildings. In December, when the tourist season kicks off, only 800 rooms will be available - half the number before the storm. Some families on Saint Martin - where Mr Macron is seen on Saturday - are still living with no more than tarpaulins over their roofs as a new storm season gets underway President Macron speaks with a resident as he visits Quartier d'Orleans, a poorer area of Saint Martin, during his visit on Saturday The island remains dotted with half-built homes and roofs still covered in tarpaulins, corrugated sheets and canvas. Pictured: Mr Macron has a selfie with one of the islanders Recovery from the hurricane has been slow, in part because construction companies have been swamped and are lacking in qualified manpower In December, when the tourist season kicks off, only 800 rooms will be available - half the number before the storm. Pictured: Mr Macron meets a resident The French president walked through the rain for five hours as he spoke to local people about the impact of the deadly storm on the island, which is still far from repairing all the devastation Construction companies are swamped and lacking in qualified manpower, Gibbs said, while many hotels are putting off the rebuilding, taking the opportunity to modernise their facilities. Visitors who do come will find a tourism industry eager to restore its reputation for luxury in an idyllic setting. But despite an intensive campaign, wrecked cars remain by the roadsides, while rubble and other debris are still piled up everywhere. The island's waste treatment site at Grandes Cayes is overflowing. 'There is only so much one rubbish dump can hold,' said Gibbs, whose administration has poured more than 15 million euros into the clean-up operation. But volunteers have put a huge amount of work into tidying the island up, he noted. And two more mass clean-ups are planned for September and October, as Saint Martin gears up to welcome hordes of sun-seekers once again. President Macron visits the Quartier d'Orleans, during a trip in the French West Indies, one year after Hurricanes Irma and Maria damaged the island. The island's economy is dependent on tourism, and travel bosses are determined to revamp in time for the summer influx Adam Nolin, 33, is suspected of shooting dead his girlfriend Tia Randall, 27 A Michigan man suspected of murdering his girlfriend has been arrested after leading police on a chase that ended when he was mowed down by a police car. Adam Nolin, 33, is suspected of shooting dead his girlfriend Tia Mae Randall, 27, Thursday in Wyoming, Michigan. He was arraigned Friday in a hospital where he is being treated after an officer ran him down with a police SUV as Nolin shot at them while trying to flee on a busy highway. Nolin has been charged with five felony counts including assault with intent to murder and fleeing police. 'Arraigning at the hospital certainly isn't the norm, but it's not unheard of either,' Wyoming Police Capt. James Maguffee said. 'He is getting the treatment he needs, but we need the wheels of justice to turn. Judges will often make the accommodations to make that happen.' Cops pursued him Friday as he tried to flee on a highway in Wyoming, Michigan. One officer ran Nolin over with a police SUV, ending the chase The body of Nolin's girlfriend was found Thursday morning at Creekside Estates mobile home. The mother-of-two was killed by a single gunshot and police immediately identified Nolin as a suspect. The investigation into shooting death of Tia Randall, a mother-of-two, and Nolin's girlfriend, remains open Police then released an alert for the public to be on lookout for Nolin, giving a broad physical description of him and his 1996 black Dodge pickup truck. He was spotted in his trick and as police tried to pull him over Nolin hopped onto US 131. Nolin crashed his truck into a concrete median then got out and ran on foot down the highway. As he ran, Nolin shot at the officers chasing him. One cop took the police SUV and ran Nolin down from behind. The event was captured on video by an onlooker. He was transported to the hospital where he is in serious but stable condition and will remain until he is discharged and transferred to Kent County Jail. 'It shows the willingness of our police officers in West Michigan to put themselves in harm's way to protect this community,' Maguffee said. 'They got the guy in custody in an appropriate time frame and in an appropriate way and we're very proud of them.' In all, Nolin is charged with two counts of assault with intent to murder, fleeing police, carrying a concealed weapon and felony use of a firearm. He has yet to be charged in the death of his girlfriend as the homicide investigation remains active. 'There's absolutely an underlying homicide investigation that continues and we'll be close to wrapping that up and we'll present that to the Kent County prosecutor at the appropriate time,' Maguffee said. Advertisement More than 35,000 Elvis super-fans donned their Blue Suede Shoes and flocked to a Welsh seaside town in celebration of the King. Performers and fans from all over the world all met in Porthcawl, a town on the south coast of Wales, 25 miles west of Cardiff. Feature events take place over a specific weekend each year, in the magnificent Grand Pavilion which hosted the Best Festival Elvis competition. This wanna-be Elvis gets in to character in a figure-hugging red studded jumpsuit fit for a King in Porthcawl on Saturday A performer forms an uncanny resemblance to the King in Porthcawl this weekend as happy revellers look on Are you lonesome tonight? Then pull on your blue suede shoes. This performer gets into character as he strikes a pose Events take place over specific weekend each year, in the magnificent Grand Pavilion which hosted the Best Festival Elvis competition In addition, The Hi Tide host over 100 shows during the weekend, many with free admission. Over twenty venues in and around the Town form the Fringe Festival, a unique celebration of the American crooner. Garry Foley has been an Elvis impersonator for 15 years and performed in Porthcawl on Saturday, his 11th year of service at the festival. Elvis has left the building: The sea-front Elvis extravaganza drew crowds of over 35,000, building on success in recent years Blue Suede Shoes, Blues and a blue studded jumpsuit to boot! The 35,000 revellers, especially this man, looked the part These two super-fans got All Shook Up as they donned their jumpsuits and jewels to take part in the annual celebration 'It's a great job,' he told the BBC. He has just returned from Canada and tours India every January. In 2015 he toured China for three months, entertaining the crowds with hits such as 'Suspicious Minds'. 'It really is all age groups. It's great to see the legacy Elvis has left behind is still appealing to youngsters today,' said Foley, from Poole in Dorset. Suspicious Minds may claim that this isn't the real Elvis but how can they be so sure? One man prepares for the festivities Elvis Ain't Dead! Performers from all over the UK, Europe, United States and even Australia were in the Bridgend resort of Porthcawl The King dons a gold blazer as Elvis weekend event in Porthcaw gets into full swing on Saturday He added that his make up usually takes longer than his wife's does. The festival is a welcome, if not bemusing, attraction for the city. It also acts as a huge cash boost for local industries. 'It's a big boost to the local economy,' said festival organiser Peter Philips, with fans spending money on things like accommodation, food, drink, taxis. Even Hound Dogs need down-time. Elvis and a friend take a rest at the festival which pumps cash into Porthcawl, Wales You Ain't Nothin But A Hound Dog! Everyone got on board with the festivities, including this cool customer on Saturday The purveyor of southern soul takes a break to go get some southern fried chicken in Porthcawl on Saturday Elvis, his trusty guitar and a young fan lap up the attention from TV cameras spoiled for choice on which Elvis to interview Buckle up for a belter! Every September in Porthcawl Elvis is everywhere...even on one super-fan's belt buckle Are YOU Lonesome Tonight? More than 35,000 Elvis fans paid homage to the King this weekend in the south of Wales The body of a skydiving instructor who mysteriously became separated from his student during a tandem jump has been found in Maine. Officials said 41-year-old Brett Bickford of Rochester, New Hampshire, and his student participated in a jump around 2pm Thursday near Skydive New England in Lebanon. The student immediately alerted Maine State Police after safely landing, concerned that he was the only one with the parachute in the landing. The body of skydiving instructor, Brett Bickford (pictured with a student two weeks ago), 41, who became separated from his student during a tandem jump has been found, according to Maine authorities Officials said Bickford of Rochester, New Hampshire, and his student participated in a jump around 2pm Thursday near Skydive New England (pictured) in Lebanon The mystery of how the instructor came to plummet to the ground, despite the parachute originally being attached to him when they jumped, has yet to be explained Ryan Scutt, a skydiving instructor in Vermont, said instructors and students both wear harnesses on jumps. He said the main parachute and a backup in the harness is attached to the instructor. The instructor and student are usually connected by four metal buckles and it would be nearly impossible for them to become detached accidentally, Scutt told the Global Dispatch. 'The idea of the instructor not being in the harness anymore or falling out is essentially unheard of,' he said, and the pair 'can't become disconnected once they are connected'. Cpl John MacDonald, the spokesman for the Maine Warden Service, said a search team found Bickford's body shortly before 5.30pm Friday, about 750 feet from the Lebanon Airport runway. Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland said investigators determined the instructor and student became separated about a mile above the ground. McCausland says the instructor didn't have a backup parachute. In a press statement, a Skydive New England spokesperson said the freefall was 'uneventful' and that the only incident was that the instructor went missing. A massive search was launched by Maine game wardens, state police, and forestry officials who scoured the area for more than six hours before halting it around 8.30pm Thursday. The search for Bickford resumed Friday morning with K-9 officers, drones with heat-sensing capabilities, Maine State Police and Maine Warden Service's planes, and the Maine Forest Service's helicopter. The student immediately alerted Maine State Police after safely landing, concerned that he was the only one with the parachute in the landing. Bickford is pictured with a different student Cpl John MacDonald, the spokesman for the Maine Warden Service, said a search team found Bickford's (pictured with another student) body shortly before 5.30pm, about 750 feet from the Lebanon Airport runway Both people use the same parachute in a tandem jump. Police aren't sure how the skydivers became separated According to News Center Maine, Skydive New England has experienced several incidents over the past couple of years with skydivers getting injured and one person dying in 2002. A spokesperson clarified that the incidents are small in comparison to the 20,000 skydives the company completes a season. Police are still investigating the incident and trying to figure out how the skydivers became separated in the first place. Jessica Nicole, 33, from Atlanta, Georgia, had always been aware that she was adopted A woman, who was adopted when she was a baby, spent 15 years searching for her birth mother until she she received a surprise emotional FaceTime. Jessica Nicole, 33, from Atlanta, Georgia, had always been known that she was adopted but was curious about who her birth parents were. When Miss Nicole turned 18 she reached out to Catholic Charities - the organisation who oversaw her adoption - but was told her mother would have to 'want to see her first.' Disheartened but still determined, Jessica persevered for another 15 years, exhausting every online ancestry website and scouring the Facebook profiles of hundreds of women. She searched using the only common denominator she had - her mother's first name, Tammy. Ms Nicole spent 15 years searching for her birth mother until she she received a surprise emotional FaceTime Ms Nicole looks emotional as she documented the amazing moment she was contacted by her birth mother Ms Nicole, a single mother, said: 'My adopted family have always been open about my adoption and supportive in my search. 'I always wondered if she ever thought about me. 'I tried online ancestry websites, but I was only able to located third and fourth generations of family.' In March, Jessica set up a Facebook page, 'Looking for Tammy,' where she was contacted by Monica Monger, who works for Catholic Charities. When Ms Nicole turned 18 she reached out to Catholic Charities - the organisation who oversaw her adoption Ms Nicole said: 'I then started looking elsewhere again and decided to post a video to social media. 'Months went by, but when I heard from Monica, I was excited.' Discovering the mother-of-one's page by chance, Ms Monger reached out to Tammy in secret. Ms Nicole said: 'Letters were sent and then I got the call to say she'd found her. Ms Nicole's biological mother and father- who put her up for adoption when she was a baby Tammy, Ms Nicole's birth mother, was contacted by Monica Monger after she saw a social media plea 'I always knew we'd find each other - but I still couldn't believe it.' Soon after, Ms Nicole received a call from her birth mother. Catching the aftermath of the call in her video diary, she is noticeably overcome with shock and emotion as she struggles to recall the encounter. Ms Nicole admits she finally feels complete after more than three decades of uncertainty. Ms Nicole (pictured right) admits she finally feels complete after more than three decades of uncertainty 'I was sobbing on the phone because I felt like I was dreaming. 'I kind of zoned out, it was all very surreal. 'I've always thought about the moment we were separated, laying in her arms as a newborn in that cold hospital room - how she felt, what she was going through. The mother says she was sobbing as she received the FaceTime call and 'zoned out' 'I never hated her for what she did.' And now she has planned to meet up with Tammy in person. Ms Nicole said: 'We chatted for about 20 minutes. 'We haven't met yet, but we are working towards it.' Ms Nicole, a single other-of-one, has planned to meet up with her birth mother Tammy fell pregnant when she was still at high school, aged 15. Keeping the pregnancy a complete secret until she went into labour, Tammy was forced by her mother to give her baby up. Shortly after her birth, in 1984, she was placed into the care of Catholic Charities, before a family in Jackson, Mississippi, took her into their care. Ms Nicole said: 'My mother is a very private person and had been through a lot. Ms Niole says the feeling of finally finding her biological mother is 'indescribable' 'We've both had or share of ups and downs, but we're getting closer and connecting. 'I'm looking forward to hugging her. 'She's also supportive in my search for my birth father. 'The feeling is indescribable. 'We both have found each other at a time in our lives when we both need one another. 'I can't wait to continue discovering each other.' The drive to get that perfect selfie is compelling, but new research suggests it is costing an increasing number of people their lives. Scientists are now calling for 'no selfie zones' after a study found 259 people were killed between 2011 and 2017 taking photographs of themselves. The new phenomenon has been dubbed 'selficides' with people drowning, being hit by traffic or falling - all while trying to get that perfect photograph. Researchers want to see 'no selfie zones' near water bodies, mountain peaks, and over tall buildings - such as the one pictured in Dubai on which two people are seen taking a selfie (stock image) Falling from a great height is just one of the ways in which people have died taking a selfie over the past six years. Other ways include drowning and being struck by a vehicle Men are primarily falling victim to this new phenomenon making up 153 of the recorded deaths featured in the study, as reported by The Sun. A number of popular tourist spots in India have already implemented selfie bans this year following a string of recent fatalities. Study lead author Dr Agam Bansal, from the India Institute of Medical Sciences, said: 'Selfies are themselves not harmful, but the human behaviour that accompanies selfies is dangerous. SELFIE-RELATED DEATHS The selfie craze began in earnest in 2014, which has been dubbed the 'year of the selfie', sparking a number of tragic photo-related deaths. A US woman died in a highway accident that year just seconds after uploading a selfie of herself enjoying Pharrell Williams' hit Happy on her car stereo. Oscar Otero Aguilar, a young Mexican man, accidentally killed himself as he posed for a 'selfie' with a gun to his head. But the trend has continued beyond 2014. A 24-year old Thai woman was hit and killed by a train in February while attempting to take a picture of herself and her friend on a Bangkok rail track. In June British woman Louise Benson, 37, and her partner Michael Kearns, 33, fell 30 metres to their deaths after toppling off a beach wall in Ericeira, Portugal. Advertisement 'Individuals need to be educated regarding certain risky behaviours and risky places where selfies should not be taken. 'No selfie zones' should be declared across many areas, especially near water bodies, mountain peaks, and over tall buildings, to decrease the incidence of selfie-related deaths.' Researchers analysed newspaper clippings from English-speaking nations from across the world, noting the gender, age and cause of death of each victim. Drowning (70), being struck by a vehicle (51) or suffering a fall (48) were the most common causes of death. Meanwhile eight involved 'animals', 16 electrocution and 11 firearms. And while the researchers, writing in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, acknowledge that selfies are an important form of 'self expression', they say deaths are rising 'exponentially'. Dr Bansal added: 'Although our study has enlisted the largest number of selfie deaths and incidents to date, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Many cases are not reported.' Almost half of all selfie deaths occurred in 2029 year age group followed by 36 per cent of deaths in 1019 year age group. The highest number of deaths has been reported in India with the state of Goa bringing in official 'no selfie' zones in June this year followed by Russia, the USA, and Pakistan. The number of people who are killed while taking selfies in dangerous locations is on the rise, according to a new report. An average of 43 people per year have died while taking selfies since 2011, with drowning and falls among the biggest killers (stock image) The research team called for better reporting of 'selfie' related mishaps. They said: 'Selfies are never reported as an official cause of death. 'It is believed that selfie deaths are underreported and the true problem needs to be addressed.' In June this year British woman Louise Benson, 37, and her partner Michael Kearns, 33, fell 30 metres to their deaths after toppling off a beach wall in Ericeira, Portugal. The study has also been welcomed by a leading UK surgeon. Christopher Inglefield, medical director of the London Bridge Plastic Surgery and Aesthetic Clinic, said: 'This research reinforces the huge upsurge in selfie culture in the last decade. 'And while we should never criticise those who snap safely, the trend does raise some important questions. 'My message would be to love yourself, not your selfie.' Jeremy Hunt today likened the EU to a Soviet prison - warning that trying to lock Britain in could destroy the bloc. The Foreign Secretary made the striking comparison as he delivered a stark message that the UK would 'fight' if Brussels tried to block a fair divorce deal. He insisted the EU must learn the lessons of history and not try to keep countries in line with dirty tactics. Mr Hunt also issued a plea for Tories to come together behind Theresa May's Chequers plan, saying infighting only risked handing power to Jeremy Corbyn. The combative comments came in a speech to party conference in Birmingham that will fuel speculation Mr Hunt sees himself as a future leader. The Foreign Secretary delivered a stark message to Tory conference (pictured) that the UK would 'fight' if Brussels tried to block a fair divorce deal Mr Hunt arrived for his speech at Conservative Party conference with his wife Lucia The combative comments came in a speech to party conference in Birmingham (pictured) that will fuel speculation Mr Hunt sees himself as a future leader Mr Hunt's support for the premier has been crucial in holding the government together as she struggles to thrash out a deal with the EU. But Mr Hunt cautioned Brussels against pushing Britain too far, saying that Brussels would also lose out if it 'turns its back on history'. He said Eurocrats needed to accept that those who voted for are not 'rabid populists trying to build Fortress Britain'. In a direct message to the bloc's leaders, Mr Hunt said it was completely unacceptable for Brussels to demand Northern Ireland stays within its customs jurisdiction when the rest of the UK leaves. 'What happened to the confidence and ideals of the European dream? The EU was set up to protect freedom. It was the Soviet Union that stopped people leaving,' he said. 'At the moment you seem to think the way to keep the club together is to punish a member who leaves. 'Not just with economic disruption. But even by breaking up the United Kingdom with a border down the Irish Sea. 'What happened to the confidence and ideals of the European dream? The EU was set up to protect freedom. It was the Soviet Union that stopped people leaving. 'The lesson from history is clear: if you turn the EU club into a prison, the desire to get out wont diminish it will grow, and we wont be the only prisoner that will want to escape. 'If you reject the hand of friendship offered by our Prime Minister, you turn your back on the partnership that has given Europe more security, more freedom and more opportunities than ever in history. 'And a setback for the EU will become a wholly avoidable tragedy for Europe.' Mr Hunt said the government understood the EU wanted to 'protect itself'. 'But if the only way to deal with the UK leaving is to try to force its break up, as someone much more distinguished than me once said, the answer is "No No No." 'Punishing Britain for Brexit is dealing with the symptoms of the problem and not the cause, which is the failure of political elites across Europe - including people like me in Britain - to deal with people's concerns about migration.' He later told the Daily Telegraph that the EU could inspire a 'Dunkirk spirit' in Britain if it forced a bad Brexit deal on the Prime Minister. He said: 'The big mistake the Europeans are making is to underestimate Theresa May and to underestimate Britain. 'We are one of the great countries of Europe and there comes a point where we say "We're not prepared to be pushed around, if you're not serious about a deal then he won't be either" and that would be profoundly damaging.' And he hit out at French president Macron: 'If you call people have led a campaign "liars" you are also insulting the people who voted for that campaign by suggesting they didn't see through it.' The villa was the planning headquarters for the deadly St Valentine's Day Massacre in 1929, which killed seven Advertisement Notorious gangster Al Capone's Florida mansion has had its price slashed by more than $1million in a bid to find a buyer. Located on a guarded and gated island in Miami, the luxurious waterfront property is where Capone allegedly planned the notorious Saint Valentine's Day Massacre. The 30,000sq ft waterfront home hit the market in April for $15million. But now, it's going for $13.5million, a $1.5million decrease from its original asking price. Notorious gangster Al Capone's Miami Beach mansion (pictured) has had its price slashed by more than $1million in a bid to find a buyer The 30,000sq ft waterfront home hit the market in April for $15million. But now, it's going for $13.5million, a $1.5million decrease from its original asking price Capone relaxing in a striped robe on the patio of the Miami house in 1930 before his imprisonment The home is known for being the place where the mafia boss died after ending his life as a virtual recluse suffering from dementia on January 25, 1947. Capone bought the Spanish-style whitewashed compound on exclusive Palm Island in 1928 for $40,000, six years after it was built. It has three buildings a four-bedroom, 6,000sq ft villa plus a two-story pool cabana and a two-bedroom guest residence which the gangster built as a guardhouse. Capone was rumored to have planned the deadly St Valentine's Day massacre at his Miami mansion There is also a small private beach. The home overlooks Biscayne Bay with a view of the Miami skyline. In 2015, the home underwent a $1.5million renovation, preserving many of its original Art Deco features and the 30ft by 60ft swimming pool that Capone bragged was the biggest in Miami. Other original features include the black and gold Art Deco powder room, the 1920s ceiling lights, and the fireplace in the living room. America's most famous mobster used the mansion as a place to relax, hold lavish parties and scheme with cohorts during breaks from his crime base in Chicago. It was there he planned the February 14, 1929, massacre of members of the North Side Gang in a Chicago hit that became legendary. Seven rival mobsters were lined up against a wall inside a garage and executed by Capone's assassins wearing police uniforms and suits. The killings earned Scarface a new title Public Enemy Number One. Capone reputedly fell in love with 93 Palm Avenue because it reminded him 'of the sunny shores of Italy', although he had never visited the country of his heritage. He spent another $64,000 fortifying the property, including adding the guardhouse at the entrance next to a set of massive gates, searchlights and a 7ft-high surrounding wall. Capone was eventually convicted in 1931 for tax evasion, serving six-and-a-half years of an 11-year sentence. When he returned to the home from the island prison of Alcatraz, he was a broken man. Suffering from syphilis and dementia, he had a stroke and died in his bedroom on January 25, 1947 at the age of 48. In 2015, the home underwent a $1.5million renovation, preserving many of its original Art Deco features Other original features include the black and gold Art Deco powder room, the 1920s ceiling lights, and the fireplace in the living room (pictured) Capone spent $64,000 fortifying the property, including adding the guardhouse at the entrance next to a set of massive gates, searchlights and a 7ft-high surrounding wall. This photo shows the kitchen inside the home Real estate agent Nelson Gonzalez, EWM Realty, who is marketing the property said the sale was 'a rare opportunity to own a piece of American history' The villa's open planned terraces were said to have reminded the infamous gangster of Italy - even though he had never visited Real estate agent Nelson Gonzalez, EWM Realty, who is marketing the property said the sale was 'a rare opportunity to own a piece of American history'. 'On Miami Beach, it's not very often a property with this level of heritage comes up. It's quite rare. 'This was Capone's main residence and also the fact that it was built in 1922, makes it one of the oldest houses - if not the oldest house - that I know of in Miami Beach, and I've been doing this for 30 years,' Gonzalez said. Gonzalez added that 'Capone lived large, everything about the property tells you that - from the ceiling height to the size of the pool. 'The pool is 60ft long by 30ft wide, which is probably the largest swimming pool in all of Miami Beach for a residential home. The property has got some unique aspects about it. First of all, it's very luscious landscape, but it's also got a gatehouse and more importantly a poolhouse. 'And the poolhouse is right on the property line. It is literally right on the seawall of Biscayne Bay and you could never build that close to the water again.' Gonzalez said the home is 'all ready for the right buyer'. The house is located on the exclusive Palm Island in Miami nearby the modern day abodes of Lenny Kravitz and Shaquille O'Neal Outside there is an enormous 30-by-60 foot swimming pool which runs between the guest accommodation and the main building A rear terrace also provides a jaw-dropping view out over Biscayne Bay and the nearby Hibiscus Island President Donald Trump is bashing Democrats for questioning the timing and scope of the FBI probe into the sexual allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. 'Wow! Just starting to hear the Democrats, who are only thinking Obstruct and Delay, are starting to put out the word that the 'time' and 'scope' of FBI looking into Judge Kavanaugh and witnesses is not enough. Hello! For them, it will never be enough - stay tuned and watch!,' the president tweeted on Sunday afternoon. His tweet came shortly before former FBI director James Comey published an op-ed in The New York Times about what the agency was being asked to do, writing 'the F.B.I. is up for this. Its not as hard as Republicans hope it will be.' 'F.B.I. agents are experts at interviewing people and quickly dispatching leads to their colleagues around the world to follow with additional interviews. Unless limited in some way by the Trump administration, they can speak to scores of people in a few days, if necessary,' Comey wrote. 'They will confront people with testimony and other accounts, testing them and pushing them in a professional way. Agents have much better nonsense detectors than partisans, because they arent starting with a conclusion,' he added. Comey dismissed concerns about how long ago the incident took place, writing agents know that 'Significance drives memory. They also know that little lies point to bigger lies. They know that obvious lies by the nominee about the meaning of words in a yearbook are a flashing signal to dig deeper.' And Trump's tweet comes as Democrats have raised concerns about the limited number of witnesses being questioned by the FBI and as Trump officials claim the White House is not 'micromanaging' the probe. President Donald Trump is bashing Democrats for questioning the timing and scope of the FBI probe into the sexual allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh His tweet comes as Democrats express concerns not enough witnesses are being questioned Democrats like Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota have expressed concern over reports that only four witnesses will be questioned by the FBI in their investigation at the direction of the White House. 'What we are hearing are reports that they are trying to limit this,' Klobuchar said on CNN's 'State of the Union' Sunday. 'I'm very concerned about this because the White House should not be allowed to micromanage an FBI investigation.' She expressed concern some people who knew Kavanaugh when he was at Yale University would not be interviewed about their recollections of him drinking, some of whom claim he drank to excess at times. 'You have these other people from parts of his life who have said that he was belligerent when he was drunk and other things. Now, they have not been interviewed by the FBI,' she said. Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono said she hoped the investigation wasn't a farce. 'To limit the FBI as to the scope and who they're going to question, that really I wanted to use the word farce, but that's not the kind of investigation that all of us are expecting the FBI to conduct,' she said Sunday on ABC's 'This Week.' Both Klobuchar and Hirono sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee and questioned Kavanaugh on Thursday. Klobuchar specifically asked him about his drinking, including if he had ever drunk so much he 'didn't remember what happened the night before or part of what happened.' Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota has expressed concern over reports the White House is limiting the scope of the FBI investigation White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said the administration is not micromanaging the FBI investigation into the allegations against Brett Kavanaugh 'You're asking about blackout. I don't know, have you?' Kavanaugh responded. 'Could you answer the question, judge?' Klobuchar said. She told CNN she was 'stunned' at his behavior. 'I was really stunned by how he acted at that hearing. This is basically a job interview for the highest court of the land,' Klobuchar said. Meanwhile, White House officials took to the Sunday morning shows to defend the investigation, saying it was being done at the direction of the Senate. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders vowed the administration 'is not micromanaging' the FBI investigation into the charges against the Supreme Court nominee. 'The White House is not micromanaging this process. The Senate is dictating the terms,' Sanders said on 'Fox News Sunday.' Questions have arisen about who the FBI will be speaking to in its probe, particularly if investigators will question Julie Swetnick, who has accused Kavanaugh and his Georgetown Prep friend Mark Judge of being part of a group of boys that drugged and raped women. Agents are going to interview Judge as they investigate Christine Blasey Ford's allegation that Kavanaugh held her to a bed, tried to take off her clothes and covered her mouth when she screamed when they were at a high school party in the 1980s. Judge will also be questioned about Swentick, according to reports. Kavanaugh as denied all allegations against him. Then there are the questions as to why the FBI won't speak to Kavanaugh's high school and college classmates who have said in interviews with reporters that Kavanaugh drank heavily, including some who claimed he drank to excess. White House counsel Don McGahn, working with Senate Republicans, came up with the list of four witnesses: Judge; Leland Keyser, a high school friend of Ford's whom she said attended the high school party in question but was not told of Kavanaugh's alleged assault on Ford; P.J. Smyth, another guest at the high school party; and Debra Ramirez, who charged Kavanaugh with exposing himself to her during a college party when they were both students at Yale University, thrusting his penis in her face and forcing her to touch it when she pushed him away. Sanders said she's not aware if McGahn has given the FBI a witness list of who agents can and cannot talk to. Debra Ramirez (left) will be questioned by the FBI about her allegation against Kavanaugh but Julie Swetnick (right) will not Kavanaugh high school pal Mark Judge will speak to investigators 'The White House counsel has allowed the Senate to dictate what these terms look like and what the scope of the investigation is. Again, the White House isn't intervening, we are not micromanaging this process. This is a Senate process, it has been from the beginning. We are letting the Senate continues to dictate what the terms look like,' she said. She said it was up to the Senate if Swetnick was to be interviewed. 'That's a question you would have to ask the Senate. That's not something the White House is engaging in,' Sanders said on Fox. But, she cautioned, the FBI investigation will not become a fishing expedition. 'This can't become a fishing expedition like the Democrats would like to see it be,' she said. Trump insisted on Saturday the FBI has been given 'free rein' in the reopened probe, writing in a tweet: 'I want them to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion.' And Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Kavanaugh is not a 'stumbling bumbling drunk gang rapist' so there is no need to question his college classmates about his drinking. 'I think you're trying to portray him as a stumbling bumbling drunk gang rapist who during high school and college was Bill Cosby. Six FBI background checks over the years would have uncovered this,' Graham said on ABC's 'This Week,' when asked why the FBI would not be interviewing Yale University students who claimed to have seen Kavanaugh binge drinking. Graham repeated his defense when he was asked a second time if Kavanaugh's school contemporaries should be interviewed. Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono said she hoped the investigation wasn't a farce Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Kavanaugh is not a 'stumbling bumbling drunk gang rapist' so there is no need to question his college classmates about his drinking White House counselor Kellyanne Conway reiterated the administration would not interfere in the investigation 'He has had six FBI background checks. He has been on the political stage for 26 years. He's not a stumbling, bumbling drunk. I don't believe that you could accomplish what he has accomplished, to have been a serial rapist in high school, and stop it for the rest of your life,' he said. Sanders also went on the attack, echoing a Republican charge against Democrats and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, that they knew about Ford's allegation but didn't make it handle it as they should have. 'Dianne Feinstein and her staff knew about these accusations. If they could have done all of this in a private way to protect Dr. Ford. Instead, for the people that claim to champion women, Democrats have exploited Dr. Ford, have exploited this process and I think it's been totally disgraceful,' she said. She said Ford's testimony before the committee on Thursday was 'compelling' and that she was obviously a victim of an attack but noted there was no proof it was Kavanaugh who was the perpetrator. 'Nobody could deny that her testimony wasn't compelling, that it wasn't impactful and certainly it appears something happened to this woman and I don't think there's anybody in America who would condone that or be okay with that,' Sanders said. 'I do think the big question is was that Brett Kavanaugh and I think based on his testimony and the information he provided you can easily come away and say it wasn't.' She added: 'I don't think anyone of us can know 100 percent, but I think we have to look at the information that's provided. It is no doubt that her story is heartbreaking and it's heart wrenching to watch it. I've watched it a number of times. Again, I think you have to look at Brett Kavanaugh's testimony as well. Equally heartbreaking. Look at the destruction of his family, look at how this is played out.' Brett Kavanaugh has denied all charges against him The FBI is investigating Christine Blasey Ford's charge against Kavanaugh In their separate testimonies on Thursday, both Ford and Kavanaugh said they were '100 percent' certain of their stories. Kavanaugh delivered a fighting end to his Senate testimony when asked directly if he was innocent of claims he tried to rape Ford or had any doubts about his integrity. '100 per cent. Not a scintilla. Swear to God,' he said. Ford recounted in her dramatic testimony how Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed, tried to take off her clothes and covered her mouth when she tried to scream during a high school party in the 1980s. She dismissed theories a Kavanaugh-look-alike attacked her instead. When asked her degree of certainty it was Kavanaugh, Ford leaned down into the microphone and said: '100 percent.' And on CNN, Kellyanne Conway reiterated the administration would not interfere in the investigation. 'The White House is not getting in the FBI investigation that way. The president very much respects the Independence of the FBI and said feels, as he said last night, that they should look at anything in this limited scope,' she said on 'State of the Union.' Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who's angry defense of Brett Kavanaugh was mocked on 'Saturday Night Live,' says the Supreme Court nominee is not a 'stumbling bumbling drunk gang rapist' so there is no need to question his college classmates about his drinking. 'I think you're trying to portray him as a stumbling bumbling drunk gang rapist who during high school and college was Bill Cosby. Six FBI background checks over the years would have uncovered this,' Graham said on ABC's 'This Week,' when asked why the FBI would not be interviewing Yale University students who claimed to have seen Kavanaugh binge drinking. Graham repeated his defense when he was asked a second time if Kavanaugh's school contemporaries should be interviewed. 'He has had six FBI background checks. He has been on the political stage for 26 years. He's not a stumbling, bumbling drunk. I don't believe that you could accomplish what he has accomplished, to have been a serial rapist in high school, and stop it for the rest of your life,' he said. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Brett Kavanaugh is not a 'stumbling bumbling drunk gang rapist' so there is no need to question his college classmates about his drinking Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham's angry defense of Brett Kavanaugh (above) was mocked on 'Saturday Night Live' Brett Kavanaugh in high school with pal Mark Judge behind him Graham also said Ford has 'a problem and destroying Judge Kavanaugh's life won't fix her problem.' 'I am now more convinced than ever that he didn't do it, that he's the right guy to be on the court, that Ms. Ford has got a problem and destroying Judge Kavanaugh's life won't fix her problem,' he said. Asked to clarify what he meant about Ford having a 'problem,' Graham responded: 'Yes, I think she does. I think - it was clear to me that something happened to Ms. Ford. She's living an accomplished life. But we have to look at this through some prism. I don't assume that he's guilty and he's got to prove to me he's not. This is a very serious accusation. 36 years ago - to me, she was troubled by something. But when it comes to Brett Kavanaugh, he emphatically denied it.' He added: 'The people that she claimed were there said they don't know what she's talking about, she couldn't remember how she got there and how she got back. My problem is not with Dr. Ford. I really believe she was horribly treated. Whoever betrayed her trust will remain anonymous.' Graham also criticized those who mocked Kavanaugh's high school yearbook. He noted: 'So the 'devil's triangle' is not what people said on the internet, it is a drinking game. I think he's highly qualified. I think he's a capable man. I think he was - his life was ruined here. I'm going to vote for him unless some bombshell comes out that I don't know about.' Kavanaugh was asked about the 'devil's triangle' reference in his yearbook during his testimony on Thursday. He said it as a drinking game played with quarters. Urban dictionary says it's a threesome with one woman and two men. Graham also vowed to look into how nominees are treated by the Senate going forward. 'This is not going to be the future of the nomination process in the committee where you accuse a guy of being a gang rapist, an alcoholic, bumbling, stumbling sexual predator and you get upset when he forcefully fights back against liberal smears. This will not be the new standard of temperament,' he said. Democrats have raised concern about the limited scope of the FBI investigation into allegations of sexual assault against President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said the administration 'is not micromanaging' the FBI probe. 'The White House is not micromanaging this process. The Senate is dictating the terms,' Sanders said on 'Fox News Sunday.' Questions have been raised about whether investigators will question Julie Swetnick, who has accused Kavanaugh and his Georgetown Prep friend Mark Judge of being part of a group of boys that drugged and raped women. Kavanaugh has denied the allegation. Graham called it 'outrageous.' 'I think the allegation that she makes is outrageous, not one Democrat mentioned it. But Mark Judge who is named by Ms. Swetnick as being part of a gang rape and the drugging women will be asked did he ever see this happen or did see Kavanaugh engage in it,' he said. Agents are going to interview Judge as they investigate Christine Blasey Ford's allegation that Kavanaugh held her to a bed, tried to take off her clothes and covered her mouth when she screamed when they were at a high school party in the 1980s. Judge will also be questioned about Swentick, according to reports. Kavanaugh as denied Ford's allegation. There are also questions why the FBI won't speak to Kavanaugh's high school and college classmates who have said in interviews with reporters that Kavanaugh drank heavily, including some who claimed he drank to excess. The FBI is investigating Christine Blasey Ford's allegation about Kavanaugh Graham said he would call for an investigation into who leaked Christine Ford's letter from Sen. Dianne Feinstein's office. Feinstein, picture above, is surrounded by reporters when she leaves the Senate Judiciary Committee White House counsel Don McGahn, working with Senate Republicans, came up with the list of four witnesses: Judge; Leland Keyser, a high school friend of Ford's whom she said attended the high school party in question but was not told of Kavanaugh's alleged assault on Ford; P.J. Smyth, another guest at the high school party; and Debra Ramirez, who charged Kavanaugh with exposing himself to her during a college party when they were both students at Yale University, thrusting his penis in her face and forcing her to touch it when she pushed him away. Graham did say he would demand a federal investigation into who leaked Ford's letter that she sent to California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee. He also said he wants to know who in Feinstein's office referred Ford to her attorney, Debra Katz. Ford, in her testimony in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, said Feinstein's office referred her to Katz. 'But what we will investigate is who Dianne Feinstein's office referred Dr. Ford to Ms. Katz, that's illegal, inappropriate in the Senate. So the FBI will be a supplemental background investigation. Then I'm going to call for an investigation of what happened in this committee. Who betrayed Dr. Ford's trust, who in Feinstein's office recommended Katz as a lawyer, why did Ms. Ford not know that the committee was willing to go to California?,' he said. It's uncertain as to whether Julie Swetnick will speak to the FBI about her allegation 'We're going to do a wholesale full-scale investigation of what I think was a despicable process to deter her from having it at the end,' he added. Ford had sent a letter to Feinstein, her senator, after she discussed her allegation against Kavanaugh with her local Congresswoman, Anna Eshoo of California. Eshoo recommended Ford write the letter to Feinstein and had one of her aides deliver it to one of Feinstein's aides. In the letter, Ford requested privacy, which Feinstein said she was respecting. After the letter's existence was reported in the press, the senator sent it to the FBI with Ford's personally identifiable information redacted. Ford went public in an interview with The Washington Post. Feinstein has denied she or anyone on her staff has leaked the letter. Ryan Grimm, an editor of The Intercept, which first reported the letter's existence, said they did not get it from Feinstein's staff. Graham is determined to find the leaker. 'All I can tell you is it came from somebody with a political motive. There were three people who had the letter, people in Feinstein's office, the congresswoman from California, and Ms. Katz and the legal team,' he said. He added: 'If the shoe were on the other foot, the Republicans had done this, we would be destroyed. We would be under ethical investigation. So I'm going to make sure that when this debacle is over that we look at what happened to deter it in the future.' Advertisement Two reckless men were caught dicing with death when they posed urinating at the edge of a dangerously crumbling cliff. The fools posed for pictures while relieving themselves at the edge of the chalk cliff - hundreds of feet above jagged rocks. Despite giant cracks and signs warning that the cliffs could give way at any moment, the group of eight was spotted partying at the top of the famous Seven Sisters cliffs, on the East Sussex coastline. Scroll down for video Two reckless fools were caught dicing with death when they posed for pictures while urinating off the Seven Sisters cliffs Despite multiple warnings that the cliff was dangerous, the group of eight was seen partying above a giant crack in the rock Two brave idiots then moved closer to the edge of the famous chalk cliff Haven Brow and began urinating from it into the wind The group, who were apparently in search of the perfect picture, stood on a part of the edge which is separated from the cliff face by a huge crack. Two men then walked to the edge and urinated off the first of the famous cliffs, Haven Brow. Photographer Wayne Spring has seen scores of people gamble with death at the edge of the cliff, but said he never ceases to be amazed by their stupidity. He said: 'I've seen a lot of stupid people doing stupid things at the top of cliffs, but this really does take the proverbial. 'I'm not sure what they were playing at, but the weather was quite rough, so those guys were definitely peeing into the wind. 'There's an absolutely massive crack right where they were sat. Wayne Spring, who took the photographs of the two men, said has seen scores of people gamble with death on the cliff's edge Mr Spring believed the pair were urinating into the wind from Haven Brow as it was rather strong at the time of the pictures One of the two men, wearing a green hoodie and red shorts, retreats to his seven friends after relieving himself on the cliff 'You couldn't pay me enough to stand on those cliffs.' Mr Spring said the group were at the edge for about half an hour before they wandered away. He said: 'It's absolutely unbelievable. They were stood right on the edge, having a wee. 'Who does that? They were there about half an hour too. I dread to think of the worst that could happen.' The edge of the historic cliff is fractured with cracks, and every year along the iconic white cliffs, hundreds of tonnes of rocks fall onto the beach below. For years there have been calls to install security fences at the top of the cliff to prevent people falling off the sheer drop. Others were taking photographs from their dangerous position - one man even laid down on the grass to get his perfect shot The edge of the historic cliff is fractured with cracks, and every year along the iconic white cliffs, hundreds of tonnes of rocks fall onto the beach below For years there have been calls to install security fences at the top of the cliff to prevent people falling from the sheer drop Mr Spring added: 'If you fence it off you might spoil the area but you can't rely on people to use their common sense any more. 'I don't want the natural environment to be spoilt by a few idiots but if a fence stops them then so be it. 'I think they're uninformed. If you are not from the area you will not know about the dangers but people just need to use their common sense.' Last year Hyewon Kim, 23, plunged 200ft to her death after jumping in the air for a photograph on the Seven Sisters cliffs But the South Downs National Park Authority who maintain the Seven Sisters cliffs in between Seaford and Eastbourne, East Sussex, have said that fences are impractical because of erosion. Seven Sisters is along the same stretch of coastline as Beachy Head - one of the world's most notorious cliffs. On the Seven Sisters Country Park website, they issued a warning about the cliffs. They wrote: 'Recent cliff falls serve as a useful reminder that chalk cliffs are naturally unstable and visitors should stay well away from the edge and the base of any cliffs. 'While we would encourage people to enjoy the beautiful coastline of East Sussex, we would remind visitors that you do have a duty of care and responsibility for your own safety.' Each year more than 350,000 people visit Birling Gap, which has seen numerous cliff falls in the past. The cliffs are known not only for their phenomenal views, but for their danger. Last year Hyewon Kim, 23, plunged 200ft to her death after jumping in the air for a photograph on the Seven Sisters cliffs. The South Korean student, who had come to Britain to improve her English, had asked a stranger to take her picture but lost her footing as she landed and toppled over the cliffs. Photographs found on her mobile phone showed the student happily posing with her back to the cliff-edge in the seconds before her death. A Texas man found a scenic location in the Colorado mountains to propose to his girlfriend, but the couple ran into trouble on the way down. The Boulder County sheriff's office said 27-year-old Joshua Mason of Denton, Texas, took 28-year-old Katie Davis on a hike Saturday to Jasper Peak at an elevation of nearly 13,000 feet. They got lost as darkness fell. The couple were showing signs of altitude sickness and dehydration when a hiker found them. He led them to his camp and gave them food, water and a place to warm up. Another camper called for help. Jasper Peak in Colorado is pictured above. A Texas man proposed to his girlfriend on Saturday in the mountains. However, shortly after, the couple got lost and suffered altitude sickness and dehydration Another hiker found Joshua Mason and Katie Davis in the mountains and led them to his camp and gave them food, water and a place to warm up Deputies learned the couple's engagement is still on A paramedic with the Nederland Fire Protection District examined the couple, who were located at the Diamond Lake. 'He determined that Mason and Davis needed to move to a lower altitude immediately,' the Boulder County Sheriffs Office said. 'Mason was hoping to find an isolated scenic location "away from any other people" to propose to Davis.' Rescuers reached the camp early Sunday and walked the couple to their car. 'By that point they had recovered enough that they were both able to walk down to the trail head, assisted by Rocky Mountain Rescue Group personnel,' the sheriff's office added. They didn't require medical treatment. Sgt. Clay Leak said deputies learned the engagement was still on. The teenage girl who died from an allergic reaction to a Pret sandwich almost lost her life at just six months old and suffered several other terrifying near-misses, her grieving mother has revealed. Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, was on a dream trip to Nice with her best friend and her father when she ate a sandwich laced with sesame seeds not listed on the label. After eating the artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette she went into anaphylactic shock and broke out in red hives. She later died in hospital 800 miles away from home on the Cote d'Azur. Natasha, 15 (pictured), died of a severe allergic reaction after she bought the artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette from a shop at Heathrow Terminal 5 but was feeling ill within minutes Nadim Ednan-Laperouse with his wife Tanya Ednan-Laperouse and their son Alex Tanya and Nadim Ednan-Laperouse who have opened up about the devastating day they lost their daughter Now her mother has revealed how she suffered growing up and the elaborate precautions her family had to take to keep her from harm. Despite no family history of allergies, Natasha had developed eczema as a tiny baby in reaction to her first immunisations, believed to have been a reaction to the traces of egg that vaccines contain. At six months, she experienced her first serious allergic reaction after tasting a banana on holiday in Minorca. 'She spat it out so I stopped, and she carried on crying,' recalls Tanya. 'It was hot and the hood was up, so I put a muslin cloth over to keep the sun off. She kept screaming and screaming as I was walking and when I lifted up the hood, her lips were swollen and distorted. Her face was like a balloon it was shocking. 'We rushed her to hospital but because she was so tiny and chubby they couldn't find a vein. The fear we felt in that moment was overwhelming but she pulled through on her own. 'That night, I slept in a bed with her and held her. What I felt then, what gave me hope, was that this little baby managed to get through it on her own. She wasn't meant to die. She's here for a reason. She's a fighter, she got through it. I was in awe of this tiny baby I was just getting to know.' Natasha pictured with her brother Alex, who attended every day of the inquest this week A Pret-a-Manger artichoke, tapenade and olive baguette, the same sandwich that killed Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, At nine months she suffered an anaphylactic reaction to a bottle of formula milk. Tests in hospital found her to be allergic to a range of foods from tree nuts to dairy and eggs, and doctors warned the family to keep her away from anything which could prove to be an allergen. This they did scrupulously. Anything potentially dangerous was removed from the house and the couple policed her food at children's parties. Such was the strength of her reaction to dairy products, she became ill even in response to milk particles in the air. No wonder they warned parents to air their homes before play dates and parties. The family carried antihistamine piriton wherever they went, wiped down tables in cafes and took their own food with them for their eldest child. Menus were thoroughly checked on holiday, and bottles of oil in kitchens checked for evidence of peanut traces A Coroner said that Natasha would have been reassured that the baguette would be safe to eat - but it would actually kill her Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, from Fulham, west London, with her brother Alex and parents Nadim and Tanya They first discovered she had an allergy to sesame when Natasha was two, and she picked up a breadstick covered in the seeds at Tanya's mother's house. When she started school, Tanya was terrified - and, as it would turn out, justifiably so. 'Tashi developed a sense for what she could and couldn't have and was cautious with food. When they went on a school trip to London Zoo, a teacher gave her a bottle of drink that Natasha insisted wasn't hers. But the teacher made her drink it and she let it touch her lips. It was milk, and her face swelled up so she looked like the elephant man. A parent had mistakenly put it in Tashi's bag.' It is a tribute to their vigilance that she had not had an anaphylactic reaction since the age of six the only time Tanya has had to administer an Epi-pen to her daughter. That was after Natasha ate a biscuit on a playdate. Tanya had checked the ingredients, but she believes it must have contained traces of nut, which were not listed. City University of New York professors accused of selling drugs, raping and pimping out students got nearly $500K to study prostitution. Four professors from John Jay College have all been placed on paid leave while the Manhattan District Attorney's Office investigates the claims made by two female graduates. They said that Richard 'Ric' Curtis, 64, an expert on illegal drug markets, held court over a world of drug use and sex in a secluded annex building known as 'The Swamp'. Graduate Naomi Haber added that Curtis tried to entice her to have sex with academic colleagues, including a professor he was trying to recruit to teach at John Jay, and that he sold and used drugs in 'The Swamp'. Now it's emerged this time of alleged misconduct, that Curtis, and the other three accused professors; Anthony Marcus, the former anthropology chair; Barry Spunt, a former chair of the sociology department; and Leonardo Dominguez, an epidemiologist and adjunct professor, pulled in almost $1 million in grants from 2005 to 2016. Richard 'Ric' Curtis, an expert on illegal drug markets, was allegedly the ringleader, presiding over a world of drug use and sex in a secluded annex building known as 'The Swamp' Also placed on leave were (left to right): Leonardo Dominguez, Barry Spunt, Anthony Marcus Prostitution research was a big earner for Curtis and Marcus, the New York Post reports. Curtis received a $520,000 grant in 2005 from the US Department of Justice to research child sex workers in New York City. He also led a $1.3 million federally funded study on young people in the sex trade, but that study was halted in 2012 amid allegations that Curtis gave cigarettes to underage sex workers. Investigators later found that Curtis had offered cigarettes to people who offered to connect them with the prostitutes to interview, but had not given them to the prostitutes, according to the report. John Jay graduates Naomi Haber, 24, and Claudia Cojocaru, 39, allege rampant misconduct among professors at the criminal college in Manhattan He and Marcus later claimed that they found that most teen prostitutes did not have pimps but entered the sex trade willingly. Marcus and Curtis also got $6,000 for a sex worker mapping project. Curtis also received $25,518 from the National Institutes of Health for HIV research and he and Marcus received $20,000 from the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice to research homeless encampments. Marcus also received $120,000 from the AHA Foundation to study 'honor killings, female genital cutting and forced marriage in the United States' in 2011. The pair got $45,000 from the National Institute of Justice for a study of the Red Hook Community Court. A probe is underway into whether the professors misused grant money. The NYPD also found 'a quantity of heroin, cocaine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia were vouchered' during an August raid of the professors' offices on September 10. The allegations came to light after Haber, 24, and Claudia Cojocaru, 39, spoke out in an interview with the New York Post earlier this month, sharing their claims of rampant misconduct at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan. The four professors from John Jay College (pictured) have all been placed on paid leave while the Manhattan District Attorney's Office investigates the claims made by two female graduates The New York State inspector general and the Manhattan district attorney's office are investigating the allegations, which date back to 2014, though the probe is in the early stages, a spokesman for the inspector general said. In the interview, and in a formal complaints filed with the school's Title IX office in May, the two women accuse the professors of various degrees of misconduct. Perhaps the most heinous allegation is Haber's that Marcus, the former chair of the anthropology department, violently raped her at at academic conference in Washington DC when she was a 21-year-old sophomore. 'He put his hands around my throat, choked me with both hands and forced himself inside me without warning,' she wrote in her complaint. 'The only thing I could do was to go numb and detach myself from my body.' The women allege that the ringleader of the misconduct was Curtis, 64, a respected anthropology professor who's been at the school 30 years, who they say held court over a world of drug use and sex in a secluded annex building known as 'The Swamp'. Haber grew up in a Hasidic Jewish community in upstate New York, and says that Curtis took advantage of her sheltered upbringing. 'Ric was magnetic and introduced me to a world of deviance that I had no idea existed,' wrote Haber, who has cut ties with her religious community. 'Ric was an expert at sniffing out those vulnerabilities, so he was aware of how impressionable I was.' Haber claims that Curtis tried to entice her to have sex with academic colleagues, including a professor he was trying to recruit to teach at John Jay. Both Haber and Cojocaru say that Curtis, an expert in illegal drugs and especially heroin, often used and sold drugs from his office in 'The Swamp'. Cojocaru said Curtis groped her while at another professor's party in Brooklyn. Haber said in her complaint that Dominguez, 27, an adjunct professor, tried to have sex with her and 'continuously' harassed her 'even though I asked him to stop on many occasions. 'We'd be sitting on Ric's couch, and [Dominguez] would try and put his hands on my legs and on my butt,' she wrote. 'He would also stick his hands down my pants to see what underwear I was wearing and to feel my 'warm vagina.' Leo Dominguez is seen interviewing heroin users in the Bronx as part of his academic work in 2017. He is one of the John Jay professor placed on leave over misconduct allegations A Romanian native, Cojocaru says she was the victim of sex trafficking and became a permanent resident in 2011 through the Violence Against Women Act. She is now a John Jay adjunct professor teaching a Sex and Culture course. She filed a complaint against Spunt, 70, contending that the associate sociology professor 'placed his hand on my buttocks without my consent, groping me. 'He made inappropriate comments about my unwillingness to sit on Ric's lap to show 'gratitude' about being 'helped' by Dr. Curtis.' Spunt's attorney Carmen Jack Giordano told the Post that Cojocaru's accusations were 'vicious and defamatory'. He claimed the accusations were in retribution for Cojocaru's failure to get into John Jay's PhD program. Curtis' attorney Robert Herbst also accused Cojocaru of making up her complaints because she was rejected from the PhD program. Herbst told the Post that Curtis 'has never before been the subject of complaints of misconduct of any kind at John Jay. Because he works with, studies, and teaches about people involved in the sex and drug trade, he is more vulnerable than most to false allegations of the kind that Ms. Cojocaru and Ms. Haber have hatched here.' Professor Marcus's lawyer, Scott Simpson, told the New York Times that his client 'adamantly denied the allegations.' A lawyer for Professor Dominguez could not be reached for comment. A John Jay spokesman said that the school takes 'any allegations of misconduct seriously, and we are cooperating with law enforcement authorities. 'The safety of all members of the John Jay community is of utmost importance to us, and we expect every member of our community to live up to our standards of conduct,' the spokesman added. Leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg has demanded Britain leave the EU on 'supercalifragilisticexpialidocious terms' as he branded Theresa May's Chequers as a 'dying duck'. Conservative backbenchers warned the PM that they do not want to see her ousted from Number Ten, but warned her that she must chuck her under-fire Brexit plan. Their comments, at a packed fringe meeting at the Tory Party conference in Birmingham, piles yet more pressure on Mrs May who is facing a Tory revolt on Brexit. It came after Boris Johnson branded her plan 'deranged' and former Brexit Secretary David Davis toured the television studios and fringe events to urge her to ditch it. Mr Rees-Mogg borrowed the lengthy tongue twister from Mary Poppins to explain the sort of 'super Canada Brexit' terms that Britain should demand, adding that 'it is a word developed by a nanny and nannies are jolly good things'. Jacob Rees-Mogg, chairman of the European Research Group - the powerful group of backbench Eurosceptic Tories - (pictured tonight at the Tory Party fringe event) was met with thundering applause as he lashed Theresa May's Chequers plan Mrs May has just a month to come up with a Brexit plan that she can get her warring backbenchers and the EU to back. But the sheer level of anger many Tory activists feel towards Chequers was laid bare tonight as hundreds queued up around the conference centre to hear MPs tear into their leader's plans - with many unable to get a seat and turned away. Inside, half a dozen leading Tory Brexiteers piled into the PM's vision for Brexit, which they warned would leave Britain 'shackled' to the Brussels bloc. Mr Rees-Mogg, chairman of the European Research Group - the powerful group of backbench Eurosceptic Tories - was met with thundering applause as he lashed the plan. Gove says he worries about the prospect of a no deal Brexit Michael Gove today told how he worries about the prospect of Britain crashing out of the EU without a deal. Speaking at a fringe event at the Tory Party conference, he said that he thinks getting a dal would be far better. He said: 'I do worry about it. I do think a deal will be much much better. 'I think if we left without a deal I think we and the EU would put in place all sorts of arrangements in order to make sure the imapct was mitigated. 'But it is certainly not my favorite option.' He said that the Government has been engaged in no deal planning, and said a no deal Brexit would no have to be damaging for the eocnomy. But he added: 'It would certainly be disruptive initially and it would be a difficult period... 'We in government are preparing for every eventuality but it is certainly not something I would contemplate glad of heart.' Advertisement He said Chequers is 'simply remaining under the yoke of the European Union'. He added: 'It is a dying duck in a thunderstorm, it is the deadest of dying ducks.' Mrs May has insisted her Chequers plan is the only viable proposal on the negotiating table and the alternative would be a no deal Brexit. But Mr Rees-Mogg said there is 'nothing to fear' from crashing out of the EU without a deal and trading on world trade organisation terms as it would mean that Britain would not have to pay a 'farthing' of the 40billion Brexit Bill. He added: 'And we would be able to immediately get on with trading with the world...we would not have 21 months of vassalage where we have to be told what to do by the European Union and have no say in what was happening.' In a rallying cry to the 500 or so activists in the hall, the Tory MP added: 'Making a success of Brexit is easy as long as we hold our nerve. 'We either leave on supercalifragilisticexpialidocious terms - we want a super Canada Brexit, and to be positive about this. 'And I can't be more positive than supercalifragilisticexpialidocious - which as you all know is a word developed by a nanny and nannies are jolly good things. 'If we don't do that we leave on World Trade terms and then we have a proper, red-blooded Conservative approach to governing that frees the UK from being tied down.' Hundreds packed into the hall and Jacob Rees-Mogg was mobbed by photographers as he took to the stage to tear into the PM's Brexit plans and demand more optimistic vision for Brexit Theresa May (pictured with her husband Philip at the Tory party conference in Birmingham today) is facing a tough political battle to get a Brexit deal done amid a revolt from Tory MPs and activists And deploying his trademark colourful language, Mr Rees-Mogg said Britain should be inspired by the hero Gulliver in the famous novel Gulliver's Travels. He said: 'Ladies and gentlemen, we have been Gulliver, let us cut the rope the Liliputians have tied on to us and let us show our giant form once again Mr Rees-Mogg's was met with a thunderous round of applause and a standing ovation at the packed-out fringe. Tory MP Conor Burns was also cheered as he took to the stage to pile in, saying that if Chequers had a slogan it would be - Not in Europe but run by Europe He added: I say this in a spirit of affection towards the PM, Prime Minister, we dont want to change you, we want to change the policy of Chequers. Please, please. A defiant Theresa May (pictured speaking on the Andrew Marr Show today) shot back that her critics were 'playing politics' and insisted she is still confident of getting a deal with the EU Ross Thomson, Tory MP for Aberdeen South, said Chequers is a 'European dystopia'. He said: 'If we as Conservatives do not deliver on Brexit as we promised , as the public voted we will lose seats like Mansfield and Middlesborough and usher in the chaos of a Corbyn government. 'Chequers is an unmitigated disaster.' Former International Development Secretary Priti Patel said that Chequers would not fulfill the promise of the Brexit vote. She said: 'It is not going to give us our freedom or democracy. Chequers will leave us rule takers.' And she took a swipe at Britain's Brexit negotiating team, saying: 'There are many people who are involved in these negotiations who lack confidence in our country.' The high-profile airing of sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has led victims around the country to flood support center lines with calls, come forward with reports of rapes and publicly share long-held stories of their own experiences of being attacked. For many who had stifled painful memories for years, hearing Christine Blasey Ford share her accusation against Kavanaugh reopened old wounds. For others dealing with a recent experience of assault, it has spurred them to report the crimes or seek counseling or other help. 'Having this in the news all the time has flipped their lives upside down,' said Kristen Houlton Shaw, executive director of the Sexual Violence Center in Minnesota, where the number of first-time callers has increased in the past week. 'So many different things can trigger people, and this time it's the news.' Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's televised testimony about her alleged sexual assault by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh Thursday prompted many victims to come forward publicly or seek help for their own attacks The day after Ford's testimony, RAINN, the US' largest anti-sexual violence organization tweeted about a huge surge in calls to their hotline and delays with their online chat function Kavanaugh has denied any wrongdoing and gave an impassioned defense of himself at a Senate hearing on Thursday. It was Ford's words, though, that resonated with many who survived an assault and were stirred by testimony recounting terror they understood lasts a lifetime. 'It's a real mixed bag and a real mix of emotions about both the power of this moment and the pain,' said Jess Davidson, who leads the advocacy group End Rape on Campus and said she has heard from many survivors of sexual assault in recent days who are sharing their stories for the first time. 'I don't think there's any way we walk away from the conversation that our country is having this week without seeing a shift.' At the Our Voice rape crisis center in Asheville, North Carolina, executive director Angelica Wind estimated a 15 percent increase in calls from both survivors who were triggered by Ford's testimony and loved ones seeking advice on how to best support victims they know. Ford and Kavanaugh's (pictured) hearing is said to have been a triggering event for women who had suffered sexual assault or abuse in the past Loretta Weinberg, 83, majority leader of the New Jersey Assembly, went public with her sexual assault via Facebook post the day after Ford's testimony aired Weinberg's post Friday revealed the name of the man who allegedly assaulted her 70 years ago Wind said if the national conversation in coming weeks is supportive of Ford, more people might come forward, encouraged by a case in which an accuser is believed. But if not, many won't see the point in airing their stories. 'We're at a crossroads. We can either move forward and do a cultural change where we send a message to survivors that we are here for you. We believe you. It wasn't your fault and there are resources you can access,' she said. 'Or we can move back to dismantle all the progress we have done.' At TurnAround, which supports sexual assault victims in and around Baltimore, CEO Rosalyn Branson said a help line that typically gets two or three calls overnight got 11 on Thursday, specifically citing the Kavanaugh case. Some were people who had never told anyone of their assaults before. 'They felt the need to talk to someone about what they'd been through in a way they hadn't before,' Branson said. 'I can't imagine that there's any place that it's not happening. We're all experiencing this together and there are many, many people, more than anyone knows, who have been through it.' Across the U.S., advocates already seeing a growth in demand as the #MeToo movement has sent out ripples, saw an even greater spike with Kavanaugh. In California, YWCA crisis intervention manager Alexandra Richardson said centers in San Jose and Sunnyvale experienced a surge in calls to 24-hour support lines, some from people talking for the first time about sexual assaults from as many as two decades ago. Democratic candidate for U.S. House in Utah, Shireen Ghorbani (in September), is among the many public figures who have gone public with their personal claims of sexual assault California's Palo Alto Mayor Liz Kniss said Ford inspired her to speak publicly about the two times she was sexually assaulted, while Ronald Reagan's daughter, Patti Davis (right), revealed her own rape by a music executive At Safe Horizon in New York, call volume to its rape and sexual assault hotline was up 150 percent Thursday over the same day last year. On Friday, calls were up a staggering 500 percent. Kia Myrie-Edwards, the director of the hotline, said many of the callers were women over 60 who said watching the Kavanaugh hearing made them recall things that happened to them years ago that they may not have thought of as sexual assault at the time. Sharon Daugherty, the sexual assault outreach coordinator at Palm Beach County Victim Services in Florida, said 17 women had come in to undergo examinations for attacks in the past 10 days, far more than usual. She believes victims are being encouraged by the national debate. 'We're not going to change the whole world in one setting, but the level of conversation has been risen,' Daugherty said. The National Sexual Assault Hotline reported a 201 percent increase in calls Thursday over its average level. RAINN, the organization that runs the hotline, warned on Twitter that 'hearing about sexual violence in the media can be very difficult for survivors.' The organization's online chat services were still experiencing 'unprecedented wait times' on Friday. The Kavanaugh coverage has prompted some victims to talk about their own stories of abuse for the first time, sometimes in hushed conversations with a friend, others in a Facebook post. For some public figures, it was done in very high-profile ways. The majority leader of the New Jersey Assembly, 83-year-old Loretta Weinberg, revealed she was groped and forcibly kissed by a man when she was just 13. Shireen Ghorbani, a candidate for a U.S. House seat in Utah, went public with her sexual assault as an 8-year-old. And in Palo Alto, where Ford lives, Mayor Liz Kniss said she was inspired by her constituent to publicly speak about the two times she was sexually assaulted and narrowly escaped rape. Patti Davis, the daughter of the late President Ronald Reagan, came to Ford's defense last week by revealing her own rape by a music executive. Like Ford, she said, she couldn't remember what month the attack took place, what her assailant might have said to her, or if his assistant was still in the office. 'Your memory snaps photos of the details that will haunt you forever, that will change your life and live under your skin,' she wrote in The Washington Post, defending Ford's inability to remember some details of her alleged attack. 'It blacks out other parts of that story that really don't matter much.' A woman battling to raise 100,000 to privately prosecute her alleged rapist said police blunders leave her with no choice but to drop the bid. Emily Hunt, 39 who was shocked to see police files that reportedly called her 'obstructive' and 'difficult' says officers 'simply did not like me'. The strategy consultant says they failed to investigate properly whether she was drugged and attacked and wrote her off as an attention seeker. She accuses them of failing to obtain vital evidence. Her fury over her treatment led her to go public a year ago, waiving her anonymity. She raised 27,000 to pay for what would have been the first crowd-funded British private prosecution for rape. But the Crown Prosecution Service had said there was 'insufficient evidence' for a realistic prospect of a guilty verdict, a decision upheld by a further review. Emily Hunt, age 38, woke up naked and terrified at the Town Hall Hotel in East London Meanwhile, a QC specialising in sex crimes, who was hired with cash from her fighting fund, examined the police dossier and concluded any further legal fight is doomed. Instead, she hopes police will launch a new inquiry into voyeurism after the man admitted secretly filming her as she lay naked and unconscious. Last night Miss Hunt said: 'The rape case is such a disaster because of poor police work and this would have made it a struggle to bring it to court. They hated me and wrote down horrible things about me in their notebooks.' She was left suicidal in the wake of events at a trendy 200-a-night hotel in Bethnal Green, east London, in May 2015. After a long lunch with her father she met a man in a bar who took her back to a room for sex. She believes that at some stage she was drugged and can only remember waking alongside the man. Miss Hunt, who has an eight-year-old daughter, was 'flabbergasted' by the contents of notebooks, statements and toxicology reports when they were eventually provided by police. Emily Hunt raised 27,000 to pay for what would have been the first crowd-funded private prosecution They show that officers labelled her 'obstructive and negative'. They were unhappy when she did not immediately hand over her clothes and declined to undergo initial forensic tests. Miss Hunt, however, insists the only reason she did not hand over her clothes straight away was because they had nothing for her to change into. She also asked to be taken to a specialist rape crisis centre. 'I have always suspected that the reason the police did not do their job was they simply did not like me,' she said. 'The officers wrote in their notebooks that I was the kind of person who was trying to get attention. The police wrote that I was difficult. This was because I was utterly terrified.' Miss Hunt, who is originally from New York, found police did not test tablets held by the man which he claimed were Viagra and LSD. She believes she was given date rape drug GHB. She said most of the 27,000 she raised has been spent on her legal costs, as well as marketing for her campaigning work. The Metropolitan Police confirmed officers are examining whether an offence of voyeurism took place. A spokesman said prosecutors had previously found there was not enough evidence to bring a case to court. She said: 'The complainant made a number of complaints to the Met about its investigation and these were passed to the Independent Police Complaints Commission. The complaint was independently reviewed by the IPCC and not upheld.' Asia Argento has revealed that what hurt her most amid the accusations that she sexually assaulted a 17-year-old boy was being called a pedophile. Argento, 43, opened up during an interview on Italian news show Non e l'Arena, proclaiming that she has done nothing she has been accused of. 'I am not guilty and I would like to go back to the X Factor to do my job,' Argento said as she defended herself on Sunday. 'My children are proud of me, Italy wants me, and I have not done anything that I'm accused of.' Argento's appearance came a week after Jimmy Bennett, who has accused the actress of sexually assaulting him in a hotel room when she was 37, appeared on the show and said she had violated him. Asia Argento has revealed that what hurt her most amid the accusations that she sexually assaulted a 17-year-old boy was being called a pedophile Argento, 43, opened up during an interview on Italian news show Non e l'Arena (pictured), proclaiming that she has done nothing she has been accused of by Jimmy Bennett The MeToo movement leader said the interview made her both angry and sorry. 'His eyes were glassy and there was no expression on his face,' she said of Bennett. 'I saw him as a child who then failed to pursue his career, a lost soul.' Argento saved her harshest words for Rain Dove, the partner of her onetime close friend Rose McGowan. This week McGowan apologized for claiming Dove had told her that Argento had been receiving nude pictures from Bennett since he was 12 years old. 'On 27 August I released a statement about Asia Argento, which I now realized contained a number of facts that were not correct,' McGowan said. 'The most serious of these was that I said that the unsolicited nude text messages Asia received from Jimmy Bennett had been sent since Jimmy was 12 years old.' 'In fact, I had misunderstood the messages that Asia exchanged with my partner Rain Dove, which made clear that Jimmy had sent Asia inappropriate text messages only after they met up again when he was 17.' 'I am not guilty and I would like to go back to X Factor to do my job,' Argento said as she defended herself on Sunday. 'My children are proud of me, Italy wants me' Argento's appearance came a week after Jimmy Bennett, who has accused the actress of sexually assaulting him when he was 17, appeared on the show and said she had violated him The MeToo movement leader said the interview made her both angry and sorry. 'His eyes were glassy and there was no expression on his face,' she said of Bennett 'I deeply regret not correcting my mistake sooner and apologize to Asia for not doing so.' But the apology was not enough for Argento, who said that Dove makes her sick. She also claimed that Dove, McGowan, and Bennett were all people who were hungry for money. Earlier this week Argento shared an exclusive statement with DailyMail.com to hit back at McGowan and Dove. 'Although I appreciate the apology and the retraction, the shame of falsely being labeled a pedophile has caused unbearable distress,' the statement read. 'The consequences have led to me losing my job on X-factor Italy as well as other work opportunities and has had an unspeakable impact on my two young children.' McGowan's 'treachery' cut all the deeper, Argento told DailyMail TV, because it came at her darkest hour following boyfriend Anthony Bourdain's shocking suicide. 'I've endured all of this headache while still mourning the loss of my beloved partner Anthony Bourdain. It has almost destroyed me,' she said. Argento said she saw Bennett as a 'lost soul' who had filed to pursue his career in acting Argento saved her harshest words for former friend Rose McGowan and her partner Rain Dove, calling them both hungry for money 'I needed to take legal action because I want my name cleared. I still don't understand why Rose couldn't have done the right thing and retracted earlier when she knew she was just repeating the lies of her partner Rain Dove.' Earlier this month Dove, 28, retracted her statements but McGowan doubled down on her own, riding out the deadline laid down by Argento after which she vowed to take legal action against her former friend. Now Argento is viewing McGowan's apology as too little too late. 'The matter is far from over,' she said. 'I am currently seeking advice over criminal proceedings against Rain Dove for deception for financial gain.' Argento dated Bourdain for two years before he took his own life in June, an event that she said plunged her into an abyss of grief. Last week McGowan apologized for claiming Argento had been receiving nude pictures from Jimmy Bennett since he was 12 years old Argento said she appreciated the apology but 'the shame of falsely being labeled a pedophile has caused unbearable distress' The actress told Non e l'Arena that Bourdain's suicide was an 'unimaginable moment' that left her feeling guilty for not seeing his pain. 'He had never shown it to me,' she added. 'It was Bourdain who protected me, I was the depressed one. He told me that we would be happy.' 'He gave me the best two years of my life.' Argento said she does not know how she is still standing after both Bourdain's death and the sexual assault allegations. The Italian actress revealed she even had to send her son to live with her father in the US after people began to call her a pedophile. 'My children have suffered so much,' she said, holding back tears. 'It's not an easy time.' Bennett (left) first wrote a letter to Asia Argento (right), threatening to make public a sexual encounter between them that took place in California when he was 17 and she was 37 Dove (left) retracted her statements earlier this month but McGowan (right) refused to admit she was mistaken until last week Earlier this week Argento broke her silence to DailyMail TV to speak of her rift from McGowan, the fellow MeToo activist whom she once considered a 'sister'. And she also revealed that Dove told her Bourdain died with a prostitute after injecting heroin through his neck . Argento shared text messages with McGowan and Dove which she said backed her astonishing tale. In the texts Dove tells her the prostitute was wearing a hijab, that someone had obtained Bourdain's toxicology report, and that he had hanged himself because he did not want it to be known he had overdosed. None of those claims were true. The actress also spoke of her ordeal of being accused of driving him to suicide by cheating on him, revealing that they had an open relationship. Argento told Non e l'Arena that her partner Anthony Bourdain's suicide was an 'unimaginable moment' that left her feeling guilty for not seeing his pain And Argento addressed the accusations by Bennett, who worked with the Italian actress and director when he was just nine. She broke down in tears as she told DailyMailTV: 'I was the one who was assaulted. It was painful.' Argento repeated in the interview that she was the victim and 'froze' when Bennett jumped on her when he was 17 years old. The revelation in August that Argento had sex with Bennett and then agreed to pay him $380,000 four years later hit the actress and the MeToo movement like a bomb. Argento initially denied they had had sex. But when texts leaked two days later that showed her saying 'He jumped me', Argento said through an attorney that she was the victim, not Bennett. A week later, McGowan released a lengthy statement saying that Dove had told her that Argento had slept with Bennett. 'Rain also shared that Asia had stated that she'd been receiving unsolicited nudes of Jimmy since he had been 12. Asia mentioned in these texts that she didn't take any action on those images,' McGowan initially claimed. Argento attacked those claims and told DailyMail TV: 'This has destroyed my life. These lies have destroyed my life.' Argento repeated in the interview that she was the victim and 'froze' when Bennett jumped on her when he was 17 years old Last October Argento was among the first alleged Weinstein victims to speak up and be named in a New Yorker article that started a swell that built to what Argento calls the 'MeToo tsunami.' People who had never heard of the Italian - who has won numerous awards in her native country including a David di Donatello, the Italian equivalent of an Oscar - were suddenly talking about her. And the fact that she was dating Bourdain only added to the luster of her global celebrity. Bennett was among those watching Argento's growing fame and, one month after the New Yorker article, he wrote to the woman who played his mother in the 2004 movie The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things. In his letter Bennett threatened to make public the sexual encounter that took place between them in a California hotel room. A judge has praised a householder who confronted two thugs trying to break into his home giving him full marks for bravery. Despite one offender swinging a plank of wood at him, 63-year-old David Oldham refused to be cowed. Instead, the university estates manager fought back, punching both offenders and knocking one of the mens teeth out. The criminals fled but blood left on Mr Oldham from the scuffle led to one of them, Craig Ford, being identified and arrested four months later. David Oldham, 63, fought off two home intruders, knocking one of their teeth out Sentencing Ford, who lost a tooth after being hit by Mr Oldham outside his 400,000 detached home in Ormskirk, Lancashire, Judge Clement Goldstone, QC, told him: (Mr Oldham) gave you more than you bargained for because when he confronted you at the side of his house, disguised so only your eyes and nose were visible, he punched you. And not only did he punch you but when your accomplice, who had been breaking in upstairs, jumped down from the roof he punched him as well. Jailing Ford for three years and four months on Friday, the judge said: Youve learnt two lessons, I hope. One is you do not mess with David Oldham, and two, you dont mess with the police. For your pains in committing these offences you now have one tooth less than you had before and you got bitten by a dog. It is the least you deserve. He added: Full marks to Mr Oldham for the way in which he responded to what you did. Derek Jones, prosecuting, said that at the time of the burglary, Ford was on licence from a three-year sentence imposed in 2016, also for burglary. Judge Clement Goldstone, QC, said: 'Youve learnt two lessons, I hope. One is you do not mess with David Oldham, and two, you dont mess with the police.' Liverpool Crown Court heard Mr Oldham sprang into action when he heard noises outside his home at about 7pm on April 5. Mr Jones said: Mr Oldham, a man of some substance, bravely went out to the side of the property and was confronted by the defendant who moved towards him. Fearing for his safety he punched him once to the face which knocked him to the floor and also knocked a tooth out. The other intruder then jumped down from the roof landing in front of Mr Oldham who instinctively punched him to the face. Liverpool Crown Court (pictured) heard Mr Oldham sprang into action when he heard noises outside his home Mr Jones said the accomplice picked up a plank of wood and swung it at Mr Oldham, and Ford said: Shoot him, hes knocked my teeth out. The accomplice said to Mr Oldham: Well just leave it now if you let us go, and he and Ford fled the scene. Police caught up with Ford when they raided a house in Wavertree on August 2. Ford kicked out at a police dog, which then bit his shoulder. The second burglar is believed to be still at large. Ford, 25, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to burglary, assault by beating, and driving dangerously while disqualified and without a licence. Philip Hammond last night launched a personal attack on former foreign secretary Boris Johnson Philip Hammond last night launched a blistering personal attack on Boris Johnson. He said the former foreign secretary was incapable of 'grown-up' politics and did not have a clue how his own proposal for a Brexit deal would work. On the eve of his speech to the Tory Party conference, the Chancellor also said Mr Johnson was doomed to fail in his bid to be the next Conservative prime minister. 'I don't expect it to happen,' he told the Daily Mail in a candid and wide-ranging interview. Mr Hammond revealed he had repeatedly told Mr Johnson that his 'Canada-style' plan would not work but Mr Johnson made no serious attempt to defend it. In a withering put down, he said Mr Johnson's main political achievement was 'Boris Bikes' in his days as London Mayor and he had no grasp of 'detail' when it came to matters of state like Brexit. Mr Hammond shrugged off his cautious 'Fiscal Phil' image and openly mocked Mr Johnson by doing an impression of his trademark plummy vowels and stuttering bluff manner. Asked about Mr Johnson's attack on Mrs May's Brexit plan as 'supine' and 'deranged', he said: 'Boris is a wonderful character, but he's never been a detail man. I've had many discussions with him on Brexit.' When the pair discussed a 'Canada' style trade deal, 'Boris sits there and at the end of it he says 'yeah but, er, there must be a way, I mean, if you just, if you, erm, come on, we can do it Phil, we can do it. I know we can get there.' 'And that's it!' exclaimed the Chancellor, mimicking the Old Etonian. He continued: 'You know? No rebuttal of the arguments.' Then Mr Hammond resumed his Boris impression: 'We just have to want it a bit more, we just have to wish a bit harder, we just have to be a bit more bullish and it will all be fine.' But it won't all be fine because we are dealing with grown ups here and we have to deal with the real world situation we face.' Mr Hammond said Mr Johnson (pictured yesterday) was incapable of 'grown-up' politics and did not have a clue how his own proposal for a Brexit deal would work It came as: Mrs May rounded on Mr Johnson for questioning her commitment to leaving the EU declaring for the first time: 'I believe in Brexit'. Mr Johnson stepped up his rhetoric against the Chequers deal, describing it as 'deranged'. A new poll found that 64 per cent of Conservative voters want MPs to back whatever deal Mrs May comes back with from Brussels. Former Brexit secretary David Davis said there was an 80-90 per cent chance a Brexit deal would be struck, but said brinkmanship by the EU would result in a 'very scary few months'. Michael Gove said he would be 'open' to the idea of a Canada-style trade deal if the EU rejects the Chequers deal, warning that a no deal exit was 'not something I contemplate with a glad heart'. Mrs May joined a standing ovation for former CBI chief Digby Jones, after he described Mr Johnson as 'irrelevant and offensive'. Mr Hammond's outspoken remarks reflect a growing fury among Mrs May's Cabinet allies at Mr Johnson's increasingly provocative attacks on her handling of Brexit negotiations. Mr Johnson's call for a free trade deal based on a similar agreement between Canada and the EU is backed by many Tory MPs, and reportedly, by a growing number of ministers. It threatens to turn the Conservative conference into a political bloodbath and risk toppling Mrs May. The Chancellor also claimed Mr Johnson was doomed in his bid to become the next Tory Prime Minister Mr Hammond told the Mail he had had 'countless' discussions on Brexit with Mr Johnson when they served in the Cabinet together. 'He never argued back. He listened to what I was saying and then just said 'we gotta go for it, we gotta go for it, there must be a way.' Belittling Mr Johnson's track record, the Chancellor said his 'political experience is the triumph of will, of personality, that's his experience as London mayor. What were Boris' policies as mayor? 'You can think of one or two like Boris bikes. But I'm afraid when you are negotiating with the EU, you have to look at the facts and details.' Mr Gloomy? I'm a realist and optimist Brexiteer Tory MPs love to call Philip Hammond 'Mr Gloomy' over his 'Project Fear' warnings of the dangers of leaving the EU without a deal. But in his interview with the Daily Mail, he smiled and said: 'I don't recognise in myself the person I read about in the paper. 'Relentlessly negative? Downbeat? Always nitpicking? That's not me at all. I don't think I'm gloomy, but I do think I'm a realist. We have to understand the facts. But I'm an optimist for Britain.' When his 'Mr Gloomy' image was raised in the interview, his wife Susan, sitting nearby, burst out laughing. However, she is not so sanguine about personal barbs hurled at him, such as 'tin eared', 'arrogant' and insensitive', saying: 'It is horrible reading about it.' Mr Hammond vowed to carry on spelling out the economic facts about Brexit however unpopular it makes him but is determined to show off his optimistic side. 'We're treading water, noses above the waterline, but what we do next is crucial,' he said. Advertisement It was vital to understand the EU's position to have any hope of reaching an agreement with them. 'That's not supine, that's not capitulation. Anyone who's ever done any negotiation will tell you it's just simple common sense that you need to understand the position of your opponent to negotiate effectively with them.' Mr Hammond denied that Mrs May's Brexit deal was effectively dead in the water. Invited to compare it with the famous Monty Python TV sketch, he joked the Chequers plan was 'not an ex parrot'. He said Mr Johnson's deal was 'wishful thinking' and would not work because it could lead to a return to terrorism in Northern Ireland; would split Britain from Northern Ireland; cause delays in lorries crossing the Channel which would put food prices up - and the UK would have to cough up the 39 billion EU 'divorce' bill before Brussels agreed to detailed talks on any such deal. 'For all the noise I've heard from colleagues, Canada is just not on offer,' he said. 'Unless we want to carve Northern Ireland from the country, a Canada style agreement is not on offer (from the EU). And if we did do that Nicola Sturgeon would demand the same for Scotland within minutes. 'I for one am not prepared to sign up to any solution that would break up the UK. The single market of the UK and shared prosperity we have in the UK is far more valuable to us than any (EU) deal we might do. 'A lot of people in Ireland feel strongly about the open border being a symbol of the success of the Good Friday Agreement. A closed border would signal to many that we were going backwards. You can't rule out the risk out that that would give succour to terrorists as well as criminals. For decades terrorism in Northern Ireland was intimately connected with organised crime, particularly across the border.' And he issued a fresh warning to Brussels that they must reconsider their flat rejection of Mrs May's Chequers plan. 'The EU can't just sit there and say it doesn't work. They have got to come back and tell us which bits don't work and why.' Theresa May is facing a fresh Tory revolt over the controversial HS2 rail line. Senior party figures yesterday rallied behind a new drive to axe the 56billion project. At a Cabinet meeting last week, Andrea Leadsom urged fellow ministers to rethink the scheme. The Commons leader said that the vast budget would be better spent elsewhere. Boris Johnson and David Davis also ramped up pressure on Mrs May. But Business Secretary Greg Clark last night said that scrapping the link between London, the Midlands and the North of England would be completely the wrong approach. The first phase of the project between London and Birmingham was formally approved by Parliament 18 months ago after Tory rebels led by former Cabinet minister Dame Cheryl Gillan failed in their bid to scupper it. Work on tunnels and bridges is due to begin next year. Chris Grayling meets with construction workers at the Old Curzon Street station site, Birmingham, where work is underway to build the HS2 terminal But further stages taking the line to Crewe, and then Manchester, the East Midlands and Yorkshire are yet to be approved. Last Monday, Mrs Leadsom used a Cabinet meeting to warn against moving ahead. Among her list of criticisms was the vast sums paid to HS2 staff. This month it emerged that a quarter of its workers are on six-figure deals. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling argued at the meeting that extra railway capacity was needed between the North and the South. Meanwhile, yesterday at Tory conference, Mr Clark told a fringe event: Weve made a decision, its important we follow through with it. The row erupted as former ministers Mr Johnson and Mr Davis yesterday called for the project to be halted. In an interview with the Sunday Times, Mr Johnson said the UK should build a bridge to Ireland and put HS2 on hold to focus on a high-speed link in the North of England. The HS2 proposed line is in danger of being scrapped all together The former Foreign Secretary said: There are projects we should have on transport in the north of the country that ought to take precedence over HS2. Its crazy how long it takes to get east-west across the country. Mr Davis said HS2 was not well-thought through, but criticised Mr Johnsons proposal and said the money would be better spent on superfast broadband. The former Brexit Secretary told Skys Sophy Ridge on Sunday: He wants to cancel HS2 and spend it on a bridge in Northern Ireland. Well, I dont want to do that. I think one of the blights of British politics is politicians having fantastic ideas that cost a fortune and dont do much good and that would be one of them. If you are going to use the money use it for broadband or something else. Bosses at HS2 have been accused of failing to keep control of costs. The state-backed companys annual accounts show it spent more than 600million on consultants, engineers and lawyers, more than twice the previous years total. Chief executive Mark Thurston receives a 602,000 annual package. His predecessor Simon Kirby was paid 750,000 a year before he stepped down in 2016. An event featuring Arizona Senator Jeff Flake that was due to be held in Boston has been relocated for safety reasons due to a planned protest related to Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Flake, a Republican Senator, was scheduled to appear at the Forbes Under 30 Summit at Emerson College's Colonial Theater on Monday. He was set to appear alongside Republican Ohio Governor John Kasich for a panel discussion titled 'The Future of the Republican Party'. Republican Senator Jeff Flake (above on Friday) was scheduled to appear at the Forbes Under 30 Summit at Emerson College's Colonial Theater on Monday before it was relocated Emerson College president Lee Pelton announced they had tried to cancel the panel for safety reasons, before revealing it had been relocated to an undisclosed location. Pelton said in a statement that the college had rented the Colonial Theater space to Forbes and they were not initially aware of Flake's appearance. 'Forbes invited Senator Jeff Flake and Governor John Kasich to a panel discussion. We are seeking to exercise our right as the owners of the Colonial to have the panel canceled for safety reasons,' Pelton said in an initial statement. A follow statement said: 'The Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit panel discussion with Senator Jeff Flake and Governor John Kasich has been moved to a more secure location in Boston.' The event that was due to be held at Boston's Emerson College was relocated for safety reasons due to a planned protest related to Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh Flake upended his GOP colleagues' plans on Friday to move quickly to confirm Kavanaugh by saying he wants an FBI investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. A demonstration had been planned to urge Flake to vote against confirming Kavanaugh. The Facebook event page for the demonstration said NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, Boston Socialist Alternative and Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts had planned it. His appearance on the panel comes just days after two female protesters and alleged rape victims trapped him in an elevator and berated him after he announced he was voting to confirm Kavanugh. Pret A Mangers chief executive Clive Schlee finalised sale of company for 1,5billion The past week has been momentous for Pret A Mangers chief executive Clive Schlee. Inside the firms swanky new offices in Londons Victoria which consist of mountains of glass, pale wood and assorted funky-coloured cushions he has been party to a succession of important discussions. Mr Schlee, 59, and other senior figures were finalising the details of the sale signed and sealed last week of Pret A Manger to JAB, a Luxembourg-based conglomerate, for a reputed 1.5billion. As a result, Mr Schlee, who attended prestigious 35,000-a-year Rugby School and Oxford University where he read history, is in line for a windfall reported to be more than 30million. The sale means a cash bonanza for everyone at Pret not just the chief executive, married with three children, who has a large home in rural Suffolk and a house in Westminster. Next month all 12,000 employees will receive a bonus of 1,000. The deal was concluded as West London Coroners Court was hearing distressing details of 15-year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouses last moments, lying in the galley of a plane, her face turning blue following a severe reaction to sesame in a Pret baguette that had no allergen labelling on it. The successful sale of the firm and Natashas death are the most awful mix of triumph and tragedy. Mr Schlee, who is married with three children, who has a large home in rural Suffolk (pictured) and a house in Westminster Mr Schlee attended the inquest and looked pained at times as the evidence was heard. After the hearings conclusion on Friday, the CEO promised meaningful change at the sandwich chain. But arent the condolences of Mr Schlee, who joined Pret in 2003 as chief executive, inadequate? For a man who prides himself on attention to the detail, Mr Schlee seems to have had a blind spot in the case of Pret and its allergen policy. Natashas family say Prets laissez-faire attitude to allergen labels cost their daughter her life. So why, given that the company is awash with millions, didnt it invest more in allergen labelling? Its not as though the dangers hadnt been flagged up before. Natasha Ednan-Laperouse 15, from Fulham, west London, who died after she fell ill on a flight from London to Nice after eating a Pret a Manger sandwich In year up to June 2015, the company received nine alerts about customers who had suffered a severe allergic reaction to sesame. Four of the cases required hospital treatment and one, involving a 17-year-old girl, was nearly fatal. The inquest heard how the girl, who comes from Cardiff, was with her father, a doctor, at the time, and he helped treat her. Later, the girls horrified mother contacted Pret customer services and warned them other similar adverse events could easily occur after hearing that allergy information was only available on request, the inquest heard. In September 2015, David Matt, a self-employed father-of-one, went into anaphylactic shock after eating an avocado and roast corn salad flatbread at a Pret store in New York. Mr Matt, 34, who is also allergic to sesame and received life-saving treatment in hospital, told the Mail: I purchased the sandwich and sat down and ate it. After three minutes or so, I was having a reaction. Pret A Manger is to be sold for 1.5 billion to a Luxembourg-based conglomerate 'My lips stared swelling up, my palms got very itchy and I started sweating and feeling very hot. Hives broke out on my entire body and one of my eyes started shutting. The scariest part was when my throat started to shut and I was having difficulty breathing. At a certain point, I feared for my life. Mr Matt later filed a lawsuit against the chain, stating that the label did not list the allergen as one of the ingredients. However, sesame is not classified in the US as one of eight major allergens which have to be listed, and a court found in Prets favour in January this year. I was devastated when I heard what happened to Natasha, said Mr Matt. Our case was brought for that exact reason, to prevent things like this happening. So why didnt Pret just make a decision to put allergen labels on its products? The best one of its representatives could come up with was that to do so would create a risk of mislabelling. What emerged during the inquest is that the sesame bread baked for Pret off-site is delivered with an allergen label on it, but when the baguette is made up in store, no allergen sticker is attached. Instead of dreaming up its uber-stylish, eco-friendly new HQ and basking smugly in its seeming ethical credentials, wouldnt it have been more prudent for Mr Schlee and his executives to have spent a little more time thinking about Prets allergen policy? Pret A Manger, founded in London in 1983, is, in monetary terms at least, one of the great British success stories. Last year, sales went up 13.2 per cent to 878.5million (profits were not released). Yesterday a spokesman for the company denied that Mr Schlee is receiving 30million from the sale but declined to give another figure. He said Mr Schlee will be reinvesting a substantial sum back into the company. Mr Schlee, who also owns a large stake in Itsu, looks like hell be keeping his job, too. We have asked Clive Schlee, Prets CEO, to work with regulators to ensure that new food labelling laws are introduced into the UK, new German owner JAB said yesterday. Under Clives direction, Pret will very rapidly take action to ensure it is the leader in this critical area of food safety. But tragically this does not come in time for Natasha and her family. Cristiano Ronaldos girlfriend has issued a gushing statement in support of him amid allegations he raped a model in a Las Vegas hotel bedroom in 2009. Georgina Rodriguez wrote on Instagram that the Juventus and Portugal star was always able to transform the obstacles that were put in his path in a message signed off by five heart emojis. She also wrote I love you as she posed wearing a mini skirt and black high heels looking at the camera with a raised left eyebrow. Miss Rodriguez posted the picture after an astonishing report in German magazine Der Spiegel alleged Ronaldo had raped Kathryn Mayorga and paid her 287,000 hush money. Cristiano Ronaldos girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez has issued a statement in support of him Georgina Rodriguez's Instagram post in support of her boyfriend, Cristiano Ronaldo The sum was the equivalent of just a weeks wages from Real Madrid, where he was playing at the time. In an Instagram video a relaxed Ronaldo said the reports were fake news and suggested Miss Mayorga was trying to make herself famous by associating herself with him. In her Instagram post Miss Rodriguez, a 23-year-old Spaniard, said to Ronaldo: You always transform the obstacles that are put in your way into impulse and strength to show how great you are. Thank you for making us enjoy each game. Always more and better. I love you @cristiano. Miss Mayorga, 34, now an elementary school teacher, told Der Spiegel that she met Ronaldo on June 13 2009 at the Rain nightclub in Las Vegas when she was a 25-year-old aspiring model. She and some friends went back to his suite at the Hotel Palms Place where, in the bathroom, he allegedly asked her to touch him and perform a sex act. When she refused he allegedly pulled her into a bedroom and raped her, without using a condom. Miss Mayorga said that the incident took years to get over and she had serious breakdowns that needed extensive therapy. Ronaldo posted video telling his followers allegations are 'fake news' and he was a 'happy man' Rather than go through the trauma of a court case she decided to reach an out of court settlement with Ronaldo. As part of the process it is understood his lawyers sent Ronaldo a number of questionnaires asking for his version of what happened. According to Der Spiegel, who claim to have seen a copy of the documents, Ronaldos account of the evening was conflicting. In an early draft he is reported to have said: She said no and stop several times. But, in a later version of the document he apparently told his legal team sex had been consensual. Miss Mayorga said that she kept quiet until the #MeToo movement inspired her to speak out and because she feels Ronaldos lawyers violated the non-disclosure agreement on a technicality. She has hired new lawyers and on Thursday they filed a civil case at a court in Las Vegas under the allegation of Intentional Misconduct. Ronaldo is named as a party, as is Miss Mayorga. So far Mr Ronaldos only response has been his Instagram live video in which he smiled and seemed amused by the claims when asked about them. He said: No, no, no, no, no. What they said today? Fake, fake news. They want to promote my name. Its normal. They want to be famous to say my name, but it is part of the job. I am a happy man and all good. Lawyers for Mr Ronaldo said in a statement that the allegations were blatantly illegal. Christian Schertz said the report was an inadmissible reporting of suspicions in the area of privacy. Clive Schlee took tow years to apologise to the family Natasha Ednan-Laperouse The multi-millionaire boss of Pret A Manger took two years to apologise to the family of tragic schoolgirl Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, her heartbroken parents revealed yesterday. Clive Schlee sent a handwritten letter of condolence to the 15-year-olds family last month just weeks before the death in July 2016 was due to be scrutinised at an inquest. Her parents said the letter was too little, too late, and a friend suggested the move appeared to be a cynical public relations stunt, timed to deflect criticism from the high street sandwich chain. Natasha died after a severe allergic reaction to a 3.45 artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette she bought at Pret A Manger at Heathrow Airport. She had suffered from numerous food allergies all her life and had checked the sandwichs packaging, but found no alerts that the bread contained sesame seeds. Pret A Manger has apologised and promised meaningful change over its allergen warnings, which appeared on shelves but not on packaging. Her parents (pictured) said the letter was too little, too late, and a friend suggested the move appeared to be a cynical public relations stunt Yesterday, following 48 hours of sustained criticism over Natashas death, it said it had followed British laws on food labelling, adding: Clearly, these laws are inadequate for severe allergy sufferers. Natashas parents Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse said the sandwich chain had behaved irresponsibly and had valued its public image for selling natural products over its customers safety. The couple added: There was no proper internal investigation into our daughters death. We did not even get a letter from the chief executive until last month, offering his condolences for her death. It was too little, too late. Natasha died after a severe allergic reaction to a 3.45 artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette she bought at Pret A Manger at Heathrow Airport In an article in the Sunday Times, they insisted: Pret markets itself as selling natural products you can trust, but it was a wolf in sheeps clothing. If there had been just one written warning for her to see, she never would have bought the baguette. The vigilance we had learnt to live our lives by was gone in a second. It was heart-breaking. Natasha bought the baguette before boarding a flight to Nice and complained within minutes of eating it that her throat felt itchy. She collapsed on board the British Airways plane and died hours later in a French hospital, despite efforts to save her by her father and a doctor on the jet. Mrs Ednan-Laperouse, 51, described a heart-wrenching phone call as she tried to fly to France to be with her daughter. Pret a Manger benefited from a legal loophole which allows businesses to leave ingredients lists off packaging if the food is produced on-site Her husband, 53, a millionaire businessman, put his phone on Natashas pillow on her hospital bed and told his wife: Youve got to say goodbye to her now. Dont lose time. Shes going to die any minute. Mrs Ednan-Laperouse said she told her daughter: Tashi, I love you so much, darling. Ill be with you soon. Ill be with you. The grief-stricken couple are now considering legal action against Pret A Manger and Mrs Ednan-Laperouse said: We now know she didnt die on our watch she died on Prets watch, and all thanks to the absence of two little words on the packaging of her sandwich. If the label had listed sesame seeds, Natasha wouldnt have touched it and shed still be alive. The coroner wrote to Pret A Manger in March 2017 to inform it that an inquest would be held. The chain, which has 500 stores in nine countries, has employed corporate communications firm Brunswick to handle media coverage of the tragedy. Natasha collapsed on board the British Airways plane and died hours later in a French hospital Pret chief executive Mr Schlee attended the inquest at West London Coroners Court which was told the firm benefited from a legal loophole which allows businesses to leave ingredients lists off packaging if the food is produced on-site. Pret A Manger part-bakes its baguettes and then sends them to its shops, where they are baked, filled and packaged. The chain uses stickers on its food display units, but coroner Dr Sean Cummings said they were inadequate. He urged ministers to review whether food giants should benefit from a legal loophole designed for small shops and cafes. Environment Secretary Michael Gove said a review of food labelling was already under way. Mr Schlee was yesterday unavailable for comment. A spokesman for Pret A Manger repeated the companys apology to Natashas family, and said: We are committed to leading the changes required across our industry. Pret has always operated in accordance with UK laws relating to food labelling. Clearly, these laws are inadequate for severe allergy sufferers. The death of MP Stephen Milligan could have been 'foul play', John Simpson said The death of MP Stephen Milligan in a solo sex game had all the hallmarks of a Russian state assassination, veteran BBC journalist John Simpson said last night. The Conservative politicians death in 1995 by erotic asphyxiation helped spark the sleaze scandal which spelt the beginning of the end for John Majors government. But now Simpson has said the death of his close friend, who had worked as a journalist in Moscow, could have been foul play. Mr Milligans body was found naked in his West London flat in a pair of stockings and suspenders with an electrical flex tied around his neck and a black bin liner over his head. A coroner found he had suffocated himself accidentally, recording a verdict of misadventure. But Simpson, 74, said that this did not reflect the man he knew and raised his suspicions that the KGB secret police may have been involved. He suggested that Russia had a motive as Mr Milligan had successfully reported on the new Yeltsin government in Moscow for The Sunday Times and the BBC. Simpson also pointed to the deaths of two other opponents of the regime in similar ways. He was speaking at Henley Literary Festival to promote his new thriller Moscow, Midnight which opens with the death of a government minister who is discovered bound in a similar manner to the MP. Stephen Milligan was a real good friend of mine, said Simpson. When I read in the newspaper that he had died in this macabre fashion in this awful sex experiment with a bag over his head, I just couldnt believe it, there was nothing in that seemed to do with Stephen. Mr Milligans body was found naked in his West London flat in a pair of stockings and suspenders with an electrical flex tied around his neck and a black bin liner over his head A coroner found he had suffocated himself accidentally, recording a verdict of misadventure He said he thought little about it until much later when he spoke to another close friend of Mr Milligans. Simpson added: He said Im thinking of writing a book about it because it was so obvious that he was murdered by the KGB. What better way to kill somebody without there being any form of investigation than this? Many people just thought it was funny or savage or were too embarrassed to have anything to do with it. Then he came up with the fact that at least two people, critics of the Yeltsin government, had died in the same way in Russia. But now John Simpson said the MP's death had all the hallmarks of a Russian state assassination The Major government had sought to re-invent itself in 1993 with a socially conservative campaign to go back to basics. But it soon became the subject of ridicule as a series of scandals nicknamed Tory sleaze erupted. Mr Milligans death was one of the most explosive stories in a long list of affairs, sexual scandals and corruption allegations. They also included Neil Hamiltons cash for questions scandal and the jailing of former cabinet minister Jonathan Aitken for perjury and perverting the course of justice. Mr Milligan had been a rising star in the Conservative party with a junior defence position. Simpson added: I engineered it with him so he got a job with the BBC, he had been Sunday Times correspondent and had uncovered a lot of dodgy things. It was a bad time in Russia after the fall of Marxism and Leninism. And he got all sorts of stuff. He joined the BBC and worked for a couple of years before he became an MP. He was a really lovely man, very straight and straight-dealing. Simpson said of his book: In a way, it was kind of homage to Stephen who was a lovely intelligent and sensitive man, who died in such terrible circumstances that it marred the whole of his life. Malcolm Turnbull has taken a swipe at predecessors Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott, calling them 'miserable, miserable ghosts' and accusing them of being hate-driven. The former prime minister was secretly recorded discussing August's leadership spill at a 'young leaders' workshop in New York on Friday, according to the Today show. 'There is no way I would be hanging around like embittered Kevin Rudd or Tony Abbott - seriously, these people are like sort of miserable, miserable ghosts,' Mr Turnbull could be heard saying. Scroll down for video Malcolm Turnbull (pictured) has taken a swipe at predecessors Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott, calling them 'miserable, miserable ghosts' and accusing them of being hate-driven He also said it was 'entirely crazy' for Peter Dutton to call for a leadership ballot given internal tracking polls showed Mr Turnbull's party was actually ahead of the opposition by four points at the time. Mr Turnbull was alluding to him being behind 51 to 49 per cent in published polls, but ahead across 40 marginal seats internally. 'For reasons that they've not been able to explain...there was an element of the party and the media that wanted to blow the government up,' Mr Turnbull said. 'And of course, they did. And of course, they didn't get their guy, they got ScoMo (Scott Morrrison).' He then accused his predecessors of being motivated by hate, stating that each of their crusades for the top job arose because they despised the leader they were trying to oust. He also said it was 'entirely crazy' for Peter Dutton (pictured) to call on a leadership ballot given internal tracking polls showed Mr Turnbull's party was actually ahead Mr Rudd went after Australia's first female prime minister, Julia Gillard, while Mr Abbott (pictured) persevered to eventually knock off Mr Rudd Mr Rudd went after Australia's first female prime minister, Julia Gillard, while Mr Abbott persevered to eventually knock off Mr Rudd. Scott Morrison told the ABC's Insiders program on Sunday he was sure Mr Turnbull would have seen the government through a successful next election if it weren't for the spill. Mr Morrison deflected blame for the leadership spill, instead pointing the finger at the Liberal MPs who voted for it. 'As John Howard always said, the leadership of the parliamentary Liberal Party is the gift of the parliamentary party and you respect their decisions and you get on with your job,' he said. President Donald Trump on Friday ordered the FBI to complete a one-week investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Hours later Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley clarified that the expanded background investigation will be limited to 'current credible allegations' against the federal judge. At the center of the probe is Christine Blasey Ford, who claims Kavanaugh attempted to rape her when they were both in high school, which he strenuously denies. The FBI has reportedly also reached out to a second accuser, Deborah Ramirez, who claims Kavanaugh exposed his penis to her during a drunken party at a Yale University dormitory, when they were undergraduates. The probe into the allegations is not a criminal investigation, but rather an expansion on Kavanaugh's background check, and will thus not involve search warrants or subpoenas. Within the FBI, such investigations are known as 'special presidential inquiries', and they typically consist of voluntary interviews of the primary subject and any relevant potential witnesses. In this case, Trump was forced to order the one-week investigation, which was highly sought by Senate Democrats, after Republican Senator Jeff Flake announced he would not back a full Senate vote to confirm Kavanaugh until the probe took place. The FBI has one week to complete an investigation into sexual misconduct claims against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh (pictured) The work will begin with the assignment of a 'case agent', likely in the Washington Field Office. Given the highly politicized nature of the probe, the task is likely to be considered an unpleasant one for whomever draws the assignment. The case agent will start by generating a list of leads for potential interviewees, and send the list out to field offices close to the homes of the the various interview subjects. The interviews could take place at the person's home, the FBI field office, or even a coffee shop, experts say. Mark Judge, whom Ford claims was in the room and participated in the alleged attack, will likely be considered a key interview subject by the FBI. Judge has denied any knowledge of Ford's allegations, and has said he is willing to speak to the FBI for their probe. Agents may also want to speak with two men who contacted the Judiciary Committee independent of each other claiming that they were the person who attacked Ford in 1982. Republicans revealed that they had conducted interviews with the men on the eve of Thursday's blockbuster hearing, but did not bring up their claims in the hearing, a likely signal that they did not find the men credible. As well, Ford named two other individuals who she says were present in the house in suburban Maryland. Both have said they don't recall any such gathering, but the FBI will likely seek further information in interviews with them. From the interviews, FBI agents will generate what are known as 302s, named after the form used. The 302s will contain summaries of what each interview subject told the FBI agent who interviewed them. They will not include any analysis or conclusions about the veracity of the person's statements - although lying to the FBI is a crime. In addition to the interviews, agents could attempt to seek documents and records that might corroborate Ford's allegation or Kavanaugh's denial. Ford said in her testimony that she saw Judge several weeks after the alleged attack working at a Safeway, so the agency by try to get employment records from Judge or the supermarket chain. They could also ask the Columbia Country Club, where Ford says she swam on the day of the alleged attack, if any visitor logs still exist from the summer of 1982. The agents could also review the calendars that Kavanaugh submitted to the Judiciary Committee to see if there are other interview subjects listed in them who might provide further information. Since Ford is unable to specify where she alleges the attack took place, FBI agents may also examine housing records to determine where individuals connected to the allegation lived at the time, and whether floor plans of those houses match her description. 'It's unlikely that there's any physical evidence remaining from a sexual assault attempt that may or may not have happened over 30 years ago,' Barbara McQuade, a University of Michigan Law professor and former US attorney, told Slate. 'Although it's been suggested that Judge Kavanaugh should submit to a polygraph test, I think that would be highly unlikely and highly unusual. Polygraphs are used to assess the credibility of witnesses and defendants, but to ask him to do that strikes me as something they probably won't do.' The 302s and any other evidence gathered will be delivered to the White House no later than Thursday, and transmitted from there to the Judiciary Committee. Trump has expressed confidence that nothing revealed in the investigation will impact Kavanaugh's nomination. 'He will someday be recognized as a truly great Justice of The United States Supreme Court!' Trump tweeted on Friday night. The confirmation vote could be scheduled on Friday, over the weekend, or sometime over the week of October 7. 'This is a nomination that deserves to move forward - and that is precisely what is happening,' Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, said on the Senate floor on Friday. 'Now we will keep the process moving.' Reporting by Keith Griffith for DailyMail.com The London-based organisation claims to be an advocacy group for 'victims of the War on Terror', but has been accused of apologising for terrorism. Most notoriously, its director Asim Qureshi defended Mohammed Emwazi as a 'beautiful young man' shortly after he was identified as the ISIS executioner Jihadi John. A Daily Mail investigation in 2016 found it had been targeting young Muslims with campus speeches, which included calls for students to sabotage the government's anti-terror strategy Prevent. MPs are demanding an investigation into more than 50million Facebook users' accounts being hacked in what could be the biggest data hack ever. The social media giant discovered the huge security breach, which could have affected the accounts of Facebook bosses Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg, this week. Cyber attackers exploited the site's 'view as' feature, which allows users to see their profile as it appears to other people. Last night politicians demanded that the UK regulator should be allowed to step in and investigate the hack. Damian Collins, chairman of the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee, told The Times: 'The information commissioner and other international bodies should be allowed into Facebook to see how it is handling data,' Collins said. 'Currently all this investigatory work is done internally at Facebook there's no outside scrutiny. 'There's a lack of trust here because Facebook tends to give away the minimum information at at every turn that's why we need independent scrutiny.' MPs are demanding an investigation into more than 50million Facebook users' accounts being hacked in what could be the biggest data hack ever. Pictured: Founder Mark Zuckerberg, whose account was also at risk He also told the newspaper Zuckerberg is the only person who 'knows what is going on' and will get a summons to appear before politicians should he ever come to the UK again. The unknown attackers took advantage of a feature in the code called 'Access Tokens,' to take over people's accounts, potentially giving hackers access to private messages, photos and posts - although Facebook said there was no evidence that had been done. WERE YOU AFFECTED BY THE FACEBOOK BREACH? Facebook said it logged out around 90 million users as a result of the hack. Affected users will be prompted to log back in Facebook when they try and access the site. Users are sent a six-digit code via email or to a mobile device that authenticates their identity, which they're then instructed to enter on Facebook's site. After they have logged back in, people will get a notification at the top of their News Feed explaining what happened. Facebook also said it was temporarily turning off the 'View As' feature while it conducted a thorough security review. Advertisement The hackers also tried to harvest people's private information, including name, sex and hometown, from Facebook's systems. Facebook said it doesn't yet know if information from the affected accounts has been misused or accessed, and is working with the FBI to conduct further investigations. However, Mark Zuckerberg assured users that passwords and credit card information was not accessed. As a result of the breach, the firm logged roughly 90 million people out of their accounts earlier today as a security measure. The attack marks the latest in a string of recent setbacks for Facebook, which is still recovering from the fallout over the Cambridge Analytica scandal earlier this year, which saw some 87 million users' data shared with the research firm without their knowledge. As a result, some experts and officials have grown concerned about whether the firm can effectively manage and protect users' data. 'The implications of this are huge,' Justin Fier, director of cyber intelligence at security company Darktrace, told Reuters. The breach could also cause problems for Facebook with European privacy laws. Facebook said it hasinformed the Irish Data Protection Commission about the breach, a step required by Europe's GDPR regulations. The commission said it received the notification, but expressed concern with its timing and lack of detail. Virginia Sen. Mark Warner called the hack 'deeply concerning' and called for a full investigation. '...Today's disclosure is a reminder about the dangers posed when a small number of companies like Facebook or the credit bureau Equifax are able to accumulate so much personal data about individual Americans without adequate security measures. 'This is another sobering indicator that Congress needs to step up and take action to protect the privacy and security of social media users. As I've said before - the era of the Wild West in social media is over,' he added. Not long after the breach was announced, some Twitter users also began reporting that Facebook was blocking them from sharing links to stories about the hack from the Associated Press and The Guardian. When users attempted to share the links, they were served a message that read: 'Our security systems have detected that a lot of people are posting the same content, which could mean that it's spam. Please try a different post.' Friday's news sent Facebook's stock down as much as 3.4 percent in afternoon trading, adding to an already rough year for Facebook shares, which have fallen 6.7 percent so far this year The move caused some to speculate that it was a result of Facebook suppressing negative coverage of itself. However, Facebook later confirmed to the New York Times that it was a result of an error with the firm's spam detection tools. Friday's announcement sent Facebook's stock plunging by as much as 3.4 percent in afternoon trading, adding to an already rough year for Facebook shares, which have fallen 6.7 percent so far this year. Zuckerberg penned a post on his personal Facebook page about the incident, saying the issue was 'patched last night' but that the firm is working with law enforcement, including the FBI, to investigate the origins of the attack. 'On Tuesday, we discovered that an attacker exploited a technical vulnerability to steal access tokens that would allow them to log into about 50 million people's accounts on Facebook,' Zuckerberg wrote. Access tokens don't include a user's password, but they do allow users to log into a Facebook account without needing it. Not long after the breach was announced, some Twitter users also began reporting that Facebook was blocking them from sharing links to stories about the hack from the Associated Press and The Guardian. Facebook admits to security breach affecting 50 MILLION users 'Our security systems have detected that a lot of people are posting the same content, which could mean that it's spam,' the notice said. 'Please try a different post.' Zuckerberg acknowledged in a statement to reporters that Facebook needs to take additional steps to prevent these kinds of issues from occurring in the future. 'We're taking it really seriously...We have a major security effort at the company that hardens all of our surfaces,' Zuckerberg said in a call with reporters. 'I'm glad we found this. But it definitely is an issue that this happened in the first place.' Facebook doesn't know whether the accounts were misused, and hasn't yet found any evidence of them being misused. The social media giant said attackers stole Facebook access tokens through its 'view as' feature, which they could then use to take over people's accounts However, speaking with reporters, Zuckerberg said 'of course that may change,' meaning that there's a possibility they could find evidence of misuse upon further investigation into the incident. Facebook said it's now working with the FBI to further investigate the incident. Guy Rosen, Facebook's vice president of product management, said the breach appeared to stem from a bug in the firm's video-uploading program. Facebook began allowing users to upload videos to its site last year. 'The vulnerability itself was the result of three distinct bugs and the integration between them and it was introduced July 2017 through a video uploader,' Rosen said on the call with reporters. 'The attack did try to use the API to access profile information like name or gender,' Rosen said. HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FACEBOOK ACCOUNT Experts have warned Facebook users to be wary of possible 'phishing attacks,' where an attacker poses as a legitimate entity and tricks a user into opening a malicious message, email or text. This can lead to the installation of malware, freezing of a system through ransomware or theft of sensitive information. Such information can be used to make purchases, steal funds or facilitate identity theft. Following the announcement of the breach, Facebook issued guidance on the next steps to take. 90 million accounts have been automatically logged out, but no one needs to change their passwords. If you are having difficulty logging back in for example because of a forgotten password you should visit Facebook's help centre. If you have not been logged out automatically, but want to log out as a precaution, visit the 'Security and Login' section which lists all the places you are logged in to Facebook. Use the one-click option to log out of Facebook on all PCs and devices you may have accessed it on. Advertisement However, Rosen emphasized that the breach let attackers operate the profile as if they were the user. '...It's important to say: The attackers could use the account as if they are the account holder.' Facebook said it did not yet know the origin or identity of the attackers. However, the social media giant said in a blog post that it continues to investigate the origins of the breach While users' credit card information and passwords may not have been accessed, there's still the possibility that other sensitive information was, said Simon Migliano, head of research and cybersecurity expert at the online privacy website Top10VPN.com. 'Even if these accounts were quickly disabled, or login details changed, at the very least the hackers will have got their hands on primary email addresses,' Migliano explained. 'To get hacked once is careless, to get hacked again is frankly unforgivable, and this could irrevocably damage the trust users have in Facebook. 'Who is ever going to believe them again when they say they have fixed the problem. It just feels like one excuse after another,' Migliano added. FACEBOOK'S PRIVACY DISASTERS Facebook made headlines earlier this year after the data of 87 million users was improperly accessed by Cambridge Analytica, a political consultancy. The disclosure has prompted government inquiries into the company's privacy practices across the world, and fueled a '#deleteFacebook' movement among consumers. Communications firm Cambridge Analytica had offices in London, New York, Washington, as well as Brazil and Malaysia. The company boasts it can 'find your voters and move them to action' through data-driven campaigns and a team that includes data scientists and behavioural psychologists. 'Within the United States alone, we have played a pivotal role in winning presidential races as well as congressional and state elections,' with data on more than 230 million American voters, Cambridge Analytica claims on its website. The company profited from a feature that meant apps could ask for permission to access your own data as well as the data of all your Facebook friends. The data firm suspended its chief executive, Alexander Nix (pictured), after recordings emerged of him making a series of controversial claims, including boasts that Cambridge Analytica had a pivotal role in the election of Donald Trump This meant the company was able to mine the information of 87 million Facebook users even though just 270,000 people gave them permission to do so. This was designed to help them create software that can predict and influence voters' choices at the ballot box. The data firm suspended its chief executive, Alexander Nix, after recordings emerged of him making a series of controversial claims, including boasts that Cambridge Analytica had a pivotal role in the election of Donald Trump. This information is said to have been used to help the Brexit campaign in the UK. It has also suffered several previous issues. 2013, Facebook disclosed a software flaw that exposed 6 million users' phone numbers and email addresses to unauthorized viewers for a year, while a technical glitch in 2008 revealed confidential birth-dates on 80 million Facebook users' profiles. Advertisement The firm learned of the incident on Tuesday and notified law enforcement on Wednesday. By Thursday, the firm had patched the vulnerability and started resetting access codes. My personal data fears Megan White, 23, one of the 50million Facebook users logged out of their accounts, now fears her personal data may have been breached. 'If someone has hacked me they could have my mobile number, job details and email address,' she said last night. 'You don't know who has got that information now or what they could do with it.' She had no idea why she had been logged out of her account yesterday morning until she read about the hack later. Miss White, from North London, is considering deleting her account. Advertisement 'We're also taking the precautionary step of resetting access tokens for another 40 million accounts that have been subject to a 'View As' look-up in the last year,' Rosen wrote in a separate blog post. 'As a result, around 90 million people will now have to log back in to Facebook, or any of their apps that use Facebook Login. 'After they have logged back in, people will get a notification at the top of their News Feed explaining what happened. Users began noticing on Thursday that they had been logged out of their account. Affected users are prompted to log back in Facebook when they try and access the site. They'll then be sent an authentication code to an email address or mobile device. Users are instructed to enter the code in order to log back into their Facebook account. However, not all users were able to get back into their account. Facebook said it did not yet know the origin or identity of the attackers. 'Since we've only just started our investigation, we have yet to determine whether these accounts were misused or any information accessed,' Rosen explained. 'We also don't know who's behind these attacks or where they're based. We're working hard to better understand these details and we will update this post when we have more information, or if the facts change. 'In addition, if we find more affected accounts, we will immediately reset their access tokens,' he added. Tina Hutchence has candidly spoken about her family's heartache in losing touch with her half-brother's daughter. Speaking to Nine Honey on Saturday, the 70-year-old revealed the haunting turn of events that saw the late INXS rocker Michael Hutchence and her niece Tiger Lily 'ripped' from her almost instantly. 'She's a piece of him. But that was denied to us,' Tina claimed. 'Michael and Tiger Lily were ripped from us in an instant': Tina Hutchence (pictured) reveals Paula Yates banned her from making contact with the late INXS rocker's daughter after his death and Bob Geldof demanded custody Tina alleged that she was deprived from seeing Tiger, now 22 years old, by her mother Paula Yates since the summer before Michael's tragic death. 'When I asked about seeing her I was told that Paula had changed her number, that we weren't allowed to contact her,' she devastatingly recalled. After Paula died from a heroin overdose in 2000, Tina's family endured another gruelling hardship when they lost custody of Tiger to Bob Geldof. Loss of a half-brother and no contact with niece: Speaking to Nine Honey on Saturday, Tina (right) revealed the haunting turn of events that saw the late INXS rocker Michael Hutchence (left) and her niece Tiger Lily 'ripped' from her almost instantly Bob, who was Paula's ex-husband, allowed Tina to see her then four-year-old niece - whom she had not spent time with since Michael's funeral in November, 1997. Reflecting upon the poignant realisation that Tiger had no idea who she was, Tina confessed her desire to seek custody of the little orphaned girl. Tina said Bob responded with: 'I don't think so, love. She's staying with me.' She has since only seen Tiger twice and has completely lost touch with her today. Banned: Tina explained that she was deprived from seeing Tiger (pictured here), now 22 years old, by her mother Paula Yates since the summer before Michael's tragic death Tina's half-brother Michael was found dead in a hotel room at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Sydney's Double Bay in 1997 at the age of 37. NSW State Coroner Derrick Hand, who presided over the inquest into his death, previously confirmed he died from suffocation caused by hanging. 'When I asked about seeing her I was told that Paula had changed her number, that we weren't allowed to contact her,' Tina devastatingly recalled. Pictured Paula (right) with baby Tiger and Michael (left) Brutal: Tina confessed her desire to seek custody of the little orphaned girl when she recalled Bob's response: 'I don't think so, love. She's staying with me.' Pictured: Peaches Geldof, Pixie Geldof, Tiger Lily Geldof, Jeanne Marine and Bob Geldof Late last year, Tina came forward claiming she believed Michael's death was a tragic choice made in the heat of the moment. Speaking to WHO magazine, Tina said: 'I firmly believe Michael's death was a split-second decision made out of anger and frustration.' She added: 'I do believe the coroner Derek Hand's findings, though it is a lot more complex than this.' She recently sparked pregnancy rumours after sharing a snap of boyfriend Joshua Ritchie tenderly cradling her stomach. And Charlotte Crosby looked as smitten as ever with the Ex On The Beach star as they attended In The Style owners Adam Frisby and Jamie Corbett's engagement party at Impossible bar in Manchester. The Geordie Shore star, 27, turned heads in a skintight white corset dress as she cosied up to Joshua, 24, at the star-studded bash on Saturday. Cute couple: Charlotte Crosby and Joshua Ritchie looked smitten as they attended In The Style owners Adam Frisby and Jamie Corbett's engagement party at Impossible bar in Manchester Sticking to a monochrome palette, Charlotte completed her scanty ensemble with a pair of white lace-up heels and a Louis Vuitton clutch. She styled her blonde extensions in tousled waves and framed her features with a sweep of mascara and taupe lipstick. Josh, meanwhile, wore a bizarre striped waistcoat teamed with skintight black jeans and monk shoes. The duo were joined by a slew of Geordie Shore co-stars, including Chloe Ferry, Sophie Kasaei and Abbie Holborn. Skimpy: Sticking to a monochrome palette, Charlotte completed her scanty ensemble with a pair of white lace-up heels and a Louis Vuitton clutch Looking good: The Geordie Shore star, 27, turned heads in a skintight white corset dress as she cosied up to Joshua, 24, at the star-studded bash on Saturday Charlotte's outing comes after she sparked pregnancy rumours with an Instagram snap that showed Joshua cradling her stomach. Charlotte sent her fans into a meltdown with the shot, which showed her standing next to a shirtless Joshua who placed a tender hand on her tummy. The reality star, who suffered an ectopic pregnancy with ex Gary Beadle two years ago, paid tribute to Joshua in the caption. Glam: She styled her blonde extensions in tousled waves and framed her features with a sweep of mascara and taupe lipstick Bold look: Josh, meanwhile, wore a bizarre striped waistcoat teamed with skintight black jeans and monk shoes Dare to bare: Chloe Ferry, 23, left little to the imagination in a neon green minidress with a racy cut-out that flashed a generous amount of underboob Subtle look: She accessorised her eye-popping ensemble with Perspex heels and styled her brunette extensions in cascading waves 'I love you on all the good days. But more importantly I love you on the bad days,' she wrote. 'Through the rough and the smooth nothing changes, in fact I just keep loving you more. I think that's what love is.' Fans flocked to the comments to start quizzing the reality star, with one asking: 'OMG!! Are you pregnant??' Lovely in lace: Chloe arrived at the bash with her Geordie Shore co-star Abbie Holborn, 20 Turning heads: Abbie appeared to have suffered something of a fake tan fail, sporting an alarming mahogany glow 'ARE YOU PREGNANT ???!!!!' another exclaimed, while another asked: 'Erm why does this look like he's holding your belly?' 'This looks like a baby announcement. He's holding your belly!' yet another fan commented. Despite the feverish speculation, a source confirmed to MailOnline that Charlotte is not pregnant. Monochrome maven: Sophie Kasaei showed off her incredible weight loss in a bandage dress with dominatrix style buckle detailing Style statement: She added height with black barely there heels and a yellow pedicure All-in-one: Abbie donned a white lace jumpsuit which she teamed with a quilted Chanel bag The Geordie Shore crew: The girls were joined by their co-star Nathan Henry Charlotte recently hinted that she's ready to take the next step with Joshua, revealing that she wants to start preparing for their nuptials. The MTV star wrote on Twitter: 'I think Im gunna start to the plan my wedding now.' She added: 'I mean Im not engaged or haven't been asked but PREPARATION is KEY. HINT.' Josh seemed less than keen however, replying: 'Hahaha just seen this.. HINT.' Love is in the air! Love Island stars Samira Mighty and Dani Dyer were also in attendance at the bash Wild thing! Samira donned a plunging leopard print dress with a chic high-low ruffled hem Killer accessories: The West End actress accessorised with metallic sandals and a red suede bag Charlotte has been dating Josh since February but previously dropped the bombshell that she was texting him long before their romance started, as far back as before her split with Stephen Bear in October last year. The reality TV favourite even recently unveiled a new inking dedicated to her boyfriend - despite having undergone painful laser removal procedures to rid herself of tattoo tributes to her exes. Last month, she showed off her new 'Joshua' tattoo in flowing script across the back of her neck, as a sweet tribute to her beau. Stealing the limelight: Love Island winner Dani Dyer showed off her toned frame in a strapless minidress with lace-up detailing along the bust Keeping it simple: The 22-year-old finished off her look with nude heels and glossy hair and make-up He's one of New York's top ambassadors. So it's perhaps not surprising he took the stage at the Global Citizen Festival held in Central Park on Saturday. The 75-year-old Taxi Driver star looked quite well put together when he took the stage at the star-studded event. Star power! Robert De Niro took the stage at the Global Citizen Festival held in Central Park on Saturday Under a classic navy blue blazer he layered a green polo shirt sporting a pocket on the left side and a ruffled hem. Light-hued khakis rounded out his business casual ensemble. As he was speaking to the crowd in the afternoon sun, he also opted for a pair of rectangular shades. Keeping it casual! Under a classic navy blue blazer he layered a green polo shirt sporting a pocket on the left side and a ruffled hem His grey locks were brushed up off his forehead and back, and the double Oscar-winner was clean-shaven. Of course Robert wasn't the only celeb on hand for the festivities. He was joined on stage by The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's Rachel Brosnahan, and House star Kal Penn. Classic De Niro! His grey locks were brushed up off his forehead and back, and the double Oscar-winner was clean-shaven That group later took a photo with Wolverine star Hugh Jackman. Of course De Niro has been busy filming his latest mob film The Irishman, which is slated for release sometime in 2019. The Hollywood vet apparently plays another tough guy role in the Martin Scorsese-directed flick, if photos from on set are any indication. His position on the Today show is reportedly hanging in the balance, following claims he is facing the chop due to poor ratings. And despite Nine CEO Hugh Marks insisting his job is safe for now, Karl Stefanovic appears to be taking steps to protect his finances. The 44-year-old was spotted meeting with finance expert Simon O'Brien on September 07, weeks before an unconfirmed report in The Sunday Telegraph claimed Karl could be axed from Today due to low ratings. Scroll down for video Power lunch? Karl Stefanovic (right) meets with top wealth manager Simon O'Brien (left) in Sydney... as his future on the Today show hangs in the balance Simon is a senior partner at Crestone Wealth Management and manages the TV star's finances. Although Simon helps manage Karl's finances, his wife Caroline is also a close friend of the presenter's fiancee Jasmine Yarbrough. Jasmine shared a photo of both couples enjoying a day out together, along with several other friends, to her Instagram in December 2017. Sharply dressed: Karl and Simon were pictured strolling through Sydney on September 07 Looking serious: Although Simon helps manage Karl's finances, his wife Caroline is also a close friend of the presenter's fiancee Jasmine Yarbrough Big smiles: Jasmine (bottom left with Karl) shared a photo of both couples (Simon and Caroline bottom right) enjoying a day out together, along with several other friends, to her Instagram in December 2017 Their meeting came just two weeks before Karl's boss Hugh Marks fired a warning shot at the embattled Today host in the wake of rumours he could face the sack. Channel Nine's chief executive revealed that while Karl's job is safe for now, everyone on the show - 'especially Karl' - needed to lift their game. 'Clearly, it's been a tough and challenging year for Karl and Today,' Hugh said in a statement to news.com.au. 'No doubt the constant publicity surrounding issues with his personal life have had an impact on Karl, his colleagues and on the show. We can't hide from that. He added: 'And as a result we know there's a lot of hard work to be done to win back the audience.' 'Clearly, it's been a tough and challenging year for Karl and Today': Their meeting comes as Karl's boss Hugh Marks fired a warning shot at the embattled Today host in the wake of rumours he could face the sack Grabbing a bite: Karl and Simon followed up their meeting with lunch The controversy surrounding Karl comes after the Today show suffered some of its worst ratings ever in recent weeks. And as viewers continue to tune out, News Corp made the shocking claim on Sunday that Karl could soon be losing his job. It was reported that, despite Karl having a contract at the network believed to be worth almost $3million and not set to expire until the end of 2020, he is 'likely to be replaced in the New Year'. 'Top-level sources at Channel Nine's Willoughby studios say the embattled Today host is officially 'gone',' it was claimed. Tuning out: The controversy surrounding Karl comes after the Today show suffered some of its worst ratings ever in recent weeks 'We know there's a lot of hard work to be done to win back the audience,' Karl's boss said, while discussing the shot he co-hosts with Georgie Gardner (pictured) Karl's popularity first began to suffer following the breakdown of his 21-year marriage to former journalist Cassandra Thorburn in 2016. It wasn't helped when he quickly moved on and became engaged to 34-year-old former model and shoe designer Jasmine Yarbrough. The couple are set to marry in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico in December this year. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Karl's rep for comment. Top models from all around the world are currently at Paris Fashion Week 2018. And ensuring they stand out from the crowd in the French capital, Australians Jordan Barrett and Catherine McNeil made a bold statement on Saturday. The pair ensured all eyes were on them as they left the Zadig & Voltaire Spring Summer 2019 show, with Catherine, 29, baring her breasts for photographers. Scroll down for video Sheer delight! Jordan Barrett poses with model Cat McNeil as she boldly bares her breasts in a see-through top at Paris Fashion Week party The brunette donned a quirky outfit consisting of matching metallic silver trainers and bag, flared black trousers and a navy blue blazer, noticeably unbuttoned. Completing the look, Catherine then slipped into a completely sheer top below the blazer, which left nothing to the imagination as cameras flashed. Distracting fellow fashionistas at the event somewhat from her ample assets on display, Catherine accessorised with a fine silver chain. The piece of jewellery bared a predominant pendant resting on her cleavage, potentially in a bid to draw people's eyes away from her breasts. Making an entrance: The Australian pair ensured all eyes were on them as they left the Zadig & Voltaire Spring Summer 2019 on Saturday, with Catherine, 29, baring her boobs Baring it all! Catherine slipped into a completely sheer top below her navy blazer, which left nothing to the imagination Jordan, however, covered up a considerable amount in comparison. The 22-year-old model donned a tracksuit by American brand Richardson. His baggy black hooded top featured a rose design on the chest, with the words 'THE FLOWER SHOP' etched on the back in a bold print. The black track pants contained the branding 'Richardson' in contrasting white letters down the right leg - with a logo printed on the left. Keeping it casual: Jordan, however, covered up a considerable amount in comparison, with the 22-year-old model donning a tracksuit by American brand Richardson Good night then? Jordan seemed somewhat more flirtatious as he draped an arm around his female friend It appeared the pals had a great time at the event, both leaving later on clutching drinks in their hands. Jordan seemed somewhat more flirtatious as they exited as he draped an arm around his female friend, while looking at her with much adoration. At one point a third friend attempted to join the duo by photo-bombing their stylish departure in front of the waiting paparazzi. Long before earning her current title of top model, Brisbane born Catherine kick started her career in the industry after winning a model contest search by Girlfriend. She was just 14 at the time, and has since been declared as one of the top 30 models of the 2000s by Vogue Paris in the 15 years that followed that early win. She is worth approximately $200million. And Mary Kate Olsen's outfit exuded wealth on Saturday as the actress touched down in The Hamptons in a helicopter wearing equestrian gear. The 32-year-old fashion designer was greeted by her 49-year-old banker husband, Oliver Sarkozy. Loaded: Mary Kate Olsen rocked equestrian gear as she touched down in The Hamptons in a helicopter on Saturday The former Full House star looked like a million dollars or several in white jodhpurs, black riding boots and a white collared shirt under a black long sleeved top. She later finished her horse-loving look with a helmet and riding crop. Her hubby meanwhile, half brother of the former French president Nicholas Sarkozy, did not look ready to ride, in cream slacks, black boots and a brown sweater. Rich: The former Full House star looked like a million dollars or several Rider: She rocked white jodhpurs, black riding boots and a white collared shirt under a black long sleeved top Kitted out: She later finished her horse-loving look with a helmet and riding crop Beating traffic: She arrived to the upmarket spot via private helicopter Success: The business mogul is worth approximately $200million As she waited on her gear to be wrangled, Mary Kate sparked up a cigarette as she browsed through her phone. There was no sign of her twin sister Ashley, nor their younger Avenger's star sibling Elizabeth. Earlier this week Mary Kate and her horse Fatum competed in a jumping competition at The American Gold Cup in upstate New York. Hubby: The 32-year-old fashion designer was greeted by her 49-year-old banker husband, Oliver Sarkozy Spectator: Her hubby meanwhile did not look ready to ride, in cream slacks, black boots and a brown sweater Famous family: Oliver is the half brother of the former French president Nicholas Sarkozy 'I was six when I first fell in love and it was with a pony named 4x4,' Mary-Kate once revealed in her HITS rider profile. '[Horseriding] allows me to exist in another world and it allows me to practice being accepting, patient, disciplined, compassionate, competitive, and all of those other emotions that are very important to have in your everyday life. Horses teach you a lot about yourself.' Mary Kate and Oliver who has two teenage daughters from a previous marriage celebrate their three-year wedding anniversary in November. Toke a break: As she waited on her gear to be wrangled, Mary Kate sparked up a cigarette as she browsed through her phone He recently commemorated the one year anniversary of filming his Married At First Sight wedding to Gabrielle Bartlett. And despite that union quickly falling apart, it seems Nasser Sultan may have finally found his match after being linked to both women, and men, since his rise to fame. The 51-year-old was pictured groping, kissing and packing on the PDA with his new girlfriend Nori, 27, during a raunchy date in Sydney on Sunday. Scroll down for video PICTURE EXCLUSIVE: Get a room! MAFS' Nasser Sultan, 51, gropes and kisses his new girlfriend Nori, 27, as they enjoy a raunchy date in Sydney Nasser and the blonde bombshell were captured enjoying the lovely weather while strolling around Sydney's Barangaroo. The temperature clearly wasn't the only thing heating up as the couple couldn't keep their hands off each other. At one moment, Nasser physically groped the beauty's left breast as the spring sunshine danced down across her ample cleavage. The pint-sized reality star then slipped his hand on her perfectly bronzed legs in front of stunned onlookers. Get a room! Nasser and the blonde bombshell were captured enjoying the lovely weather while strolling around Sydney's Barangaroo All loved up: The temperature clearly wasn't the only thing heating up as the couple couldn't keep their hands off each other Remember them? Nasser recently commemorated the one year anniversary of filming his Married At First Sight wedding to Gabrielle Bartlett When asking about his blossoming romance, Nasser told Daily Mail Australia: 'We started speaking a long time ago on Instagram and one thing led to another. 'She's called Nori, she is 27 and I like her a lot so watch this space.' Nasser's confirmation comes after he recently opened up about his previously unsuccessful love life to the Nambucca Guardian. Talking of life after MAFS, he told the publication: 'There have been a couple of people I've dated but we've not been able to make it work. 'Distance was a big factor in one break up, another didn't trust me because of all the attention I was getting and another only wanted me for money! 'She kept asking if I could send her money she soon got a shock when she found out just because you've been on the TV you're not filthy rich.' When asking about his blossoming romance, Nasser told Daily Mail Australia: 'We started speaking a long time ago on Instagram and one thing led to another' 'She's called Nori, she is 27 and I like her a lot so watch this space,' Nasser said while remaining coy on his new lady friend Nasser donned his finest Adidas trainers while wooing his new love during their Sydney date on Sunday. The star styled the box-fresh sneakers with a polka-dot shirt and bootcut jeans. Nori slipped into a stylish bodycon dress with a bold colourful design, which no doubt excited Nasser with its plunging neckline. Despite the star remaining coy about their relationship when questioned, Instagram pictures reveal they've been spending plenty of time together lately. Fans first began questioning who the 'mystery blonde' was after Nasser posted, then deleted, a picture posing alongside her and co-star Justin Fischer at a recent fundraiser for the MS Foundation. In the photo, Nasser could be seen discreetly holding her hand. Other pictures, which have now also expired from his Instagram Story, showed the couple enjoying evening drinks and at Bondi Beach. Hand holding! Fans first began questioning who the 'mystery blonde' was after Nasser posted, then deleted, a picture posing alongside her and co-star Justin Fischer They've known each other a while! Social media is full of pictures of the loved-up pair Box fresh? Nasser donned his finest Adidas trainers while wooing his new love during their Sydney date on Sunday as Nori slipped into a stunning bodycon dress Their date came after Nasser won a defamation case against The Daily Telegraph. The Married At First Sight star was granted an undisclosed financial settlement from the newspaper after it printed a 'damaging' article about him on August 31. As well as the financial settlement, The Daily Telegraph also printed an apology to Nasser in its September 26 edition. The apology stated: 'An August Sydney Confidential item reported Nasser Sultan had gatecrashed an MTV event. 'In fact, Mr Sultan was on the guest list but was temporarily denied entry as the venue was at full capacity when he arrived. The Daily Telegraph regrets the error.' Fashionista: Nasser styled the box-fresh sneakers with a polka-dot shirt and bootcut jeans He was the highest ranking salesman at Dunder Mifflin for almost a decade. And Rainn Wilson was back making money via The Office on Friday but this time for a very good cause. The 52-year-old actor has teamed up with ScreenBid to auction off one-of-a-kind signed items to raise money for the Haiti earthquake victims. Good guy: Rainn Wilson auctions off The Office props with ScreenBid to raise money for Haiti quake charity Sporting a not very Dwight Schrute full beard, the thrice Emmy-nominated star dropped into ScreenBid HQ on Hollywood Blvd to autograph a number of props and items including scripts, posters and best of all a Dunder Mifflin paper box. Every dollar raised goes to Lide Haiti, the charity set up by Rainn and his wife of 23 years, writer Holiday Reinhorn. Lide which means both 'Leader' and 'Idea' in Haitian Kreyol is and educational initiative that uses the arts and literacy to build resiliency and empower at-risk adolescent girls in rural Haiti, helping them to transition into academic or vocational education. Within hours of going live, the first five items up for grabs had attracted collective bids of $2,500. Sign here: Sporting a not very Dwight Schrute full beard, the thrice Emmy-nominated star dropped into ScreenBid HQ on Hollywood Blvd Priceless: He autographed a number of props and items including scripts, posters and best of all a Dunder Mifflin paper box Good deed: Every dollar raised goes to Lide Haiti, the charity set up by Rainn and his wife of 23 years, writer Holiday Reinhorn Beacher Media Group's new charity arm founded by showman Jeff Beacher helped set up the initiative. Followers of the hit NBC mockumentary can also bid on more than 500 other props that featured in the show, with starting bids of around $20. Among the pieces going under the hammer is the Dunder Mifflin reception desk, conference room table and chairs; Michaels neon St. Pauli girl beer sign; and even Erins receptionist nameplate. Every item comes with a signed Certificate of Authenticity proving it appeared on the show. Tour: ScreenBid CEO Jeffrey Dash showed Rainn around the HQ Pricey: Within hours of going live, the first five items up for grabs had attracted collective bids of $2,500 Rainn linked up with showman Jeff Beacher and Joshua Jordison, VP of Social Impact at Beacher Media Group, who helped set up the initiative Potential bidders can go and check out the one-of-a-kind items online; alternatively they can go see them in person, as well as thousands of other items from other shows and films up for auction, at the new Screenbid HQ in Hollywood's Vogue Theatre, which opened in 2017. 'We are thrilled to be showcasing these monumental props from NBCs multi-award-winning comedy series at our brand new ScreenBid Retail Center. Fans of The Office can actually win their favorites characters standout keepsakes including Dwights pencil mug or Michaels paper tray,' said CEO Jeffrey Dash. Screenbid has hosted auctions for a number of hit shows, including Breaking Bad, True Blood, Sons Of Anarchy, Justified, How I Met Your Mother, Parks and Rec, CSI, Boardwalk Empire, Ghostbusters, Bates Motel, Empire, Mad Men and Oprah. In October more than $1million was spent on items during a hotly contested breaking bad auction, with Walter White's underwear selling for $10k and a paperback copy of Leaves of Grass going for $65k. Fan fave: Rainn played Dwight Schrute on all nine seasons on The Office Piece of history: Followers of the hit NBC mockumentary have the opportunity to bid on more than 500 items that featured in the show, including the Dunder Mifflin reception desk In April Don Draper's 1964 Imperial Crown Convertible from Mad Men was sold for $42,500. The Office ran for nine seasons and 201 episodes, from 2005 to 2013. It received 42 Primetime Emmy nominations and 5 wins, as well as a Golden Globe for Steve Carell. Ricky Jervais and Stephen Merchant, creators of the BBC original on which it was based, served as executive producers. They starred together in 90s comedy classic Mrs Doubtfire. And in an interview with Lisa Wilkinson set to air on Sunday night, Sally Field shared details about what it was really like working with the late Robin Williams. According to News Corp, the 71-year-old said there was one thing about working alongside her that 'drove him absolutely crazy'. 'It was insane': Sally Field reveals the ONE thing that drove late Mrs Doubtfire Robin Williams 'absolutely crazy' as she chats to The Project's Lisa Wilkinson The Oscar-winning actress revealed that Robin was frustrated hat Sally was so professional that she would never crack up during a scene - no matter how funny he was. 'What drove him absolutely crazy is that he could never make me laugh. He would never break me up,' Sally said. Describing her experience on the film with Robin as 'insane' and 'so fun', Sally admitted that his methods could sometimes tire her out. 'He had endless energy. And hed want to do take after take after take because every take he would want to do something different,' Sally explained. 'He could never make me laugh': Sally explained that Robin couldn't 'break' her when they were filming - no matter how funny he was Comedy classic: Sally and Robin worked together on 1993 hit Mrs Doubtfire In the yet-to-air interview, Sally also touches on her emotional memoir In Pieces, which details abuse by her step-father Jock Mahoney when she was a child. Asked by Lisa about how hard it was to write about that experience, Sally was candid in her response. 'Hugely emotional, because reliving what my childhood was with my stepfather is hugely complicated and emotional. Because he was so loveable at the same time that he was threatening,' she told Lisa. Candid: Sally wrote about being abused by her stepfather in new memoir, In Pieces, telling Lisa that opening up was 'Hugely emotional' Sally, whose big break came in 1965 when she starred in American sitcom Gidget, also opened up about much of her Hollywood past in the revealing memoir. She shared details about her tumultuous relationship with late A-list actor Burt Reynolds, accusing the star of being controlling and transforming her into 'a shadowy version of herself'. In another eye-opening passage, she spoke up about the era of the casting couch and recalled a director demanding she kiss him and saying 'I can't hire anyone who doesn't kiss good enough'. The Sunday Project airs on Network Ten from 6.30pm She's famed for looking flawless on both The Bachelor and Bachelor In Paradise. And on Friday, fans of Florence Alexandra Sophia could barely believe their eyes after she shared a surprising new selfie to her 92,200 Instagram followers. The 28-year-old stunned in a knitted sleeve crop top with ripped blue jeans, but it was her seemingly makeup free complexion that surprised her fans. Scroll down for video Who's that girl? Bachelor In Paradise star Florence Alexandra Sophia branded unrecognisable by fans after sharing makeup free selfie 'What?!!! Is that really Flo?!!! Why?' one fan commented in a Facebook group dedicated to the Bachelor franchise. 'I am honestly struggling to find Flo, she looks like a completely different person,' another fan added in disbelief. Continuing the confusion, a third wrote: 'Flo just wants to flo (sic) differently now.' Many other users even compared her appearance in the photo to British star Katie Price and Australian actress Bec Hewitt. Throwback: The 28-year-old show to fame on Matty J's season of The Bachelor in 2017 Wasn't meant to be: Despite failing to win Matty's heart, Florence later went on to star on Bachelor In Paradise in 2018 Pictured: Matty and Florence on The Bachelor Florence competed for Matty 'J' Johnson's heart on the 2017 season of The Bachelor. She later went on to star in Bachelor In Paradise earlier this year, where she was caught in a brief love triangle with Jake Ellis and Davey Lloyd. Before appearing on the show she admitted she had a fling with Jake, 31, but it was never 'super intense' and it 'fizzled out' after a couple of dates. 'But then he rocked up in Paradise and was pretty aggressive in pursuing me, even though I was getting to know Davey. I didn't know he was still interested' she told OK! magazine. 'What?!!! Is that really Flo?!!! Why?' one fan commented on the new photo in a Facebook group dedicated to the Bachelor franchise Florence previously found herself flooded with praise from fans after sharing unedited bikini photographs on social media. Last month, the Dutch-born beauty took to Instagram to share two images of her flaunting her peachy posterior and toned form in a cheeky bikini. Many users thanked the reality TV star for showing her 'real, authentic self,' with one fan gushing: 'So good to see you havent photoshopped the f**k out of this image! She's the glamorous New Zealand-born supermodel who famously walked the runway for luxurious lingerie brand Victoria's Secret. And on Saturday, Georgia Fowler, 26, turned heads yet again when she slipped her slender figure in a black mini-dress for Ellie Saab. Proving herself the ultimate catwalk queen, the beauty flaunted her endless pins as she strutted down the runway at Paris Fashion Week. Scroll down to video Leggy lady! Victoria's Secret model Georgia Fowler, 25, flaunted her endless pins while storming the runway for Elie Saab in a chic mini-dress at Paris Fashion Week on Saturday Looking tanned and toned, Georgia dazzled the fashion pack in the 1980s-inspired long-sleeved frock, which clung to her lithe frame. Gazing down the catwalk with a sultry look, Georgia paired the dress with a glamorous floral headscarf, a black clutch and a pair of strappy heels. Georgia's already flawless complexion was enhanced with a dewy-style foundation and a nude lipstick. Demure: The brunette beauty looked chic, with the body hugging dress paired with a floral scarf and a stylish black-and-gold clutch Wearing her brunette hair back, Georgia added a touch of mystique with a swipe of heavy eye-liner. Before the show, Georgia showed her knack for style by donning a pair of stylish red leather trousers. Cutting a chic figure, the model paired the metallic pants with a wool, scoop-neck jumper and shiny ballet-style flats. Leather lady! Georgia attracted plenty of attention while in the city, wearing a pair of tight fitting red leather pants before attending the show Finishing her fashion-forward look, she accessorised with a stylish black designer handbag. On Saturday, the model took to Instagram to show herself enjoying some much needed downtime on the balcony of her hotel room. Dressed in a a pink scoop-neck jumper, Georgia shot the camera a pensive look as she sat the balcony with the Eiffel Tower rising in the background. Red hot! Georgia proved she was just as stylish off the catwalk, pairing red leather pants with an black wool jumper while outside of the show In the relaxed photograph, the brunette model flaunted her trim pins yet again, while appearing to be make-up free. 'Bonjour mes amis,' Georgia captioned the snap in French, which translated to English means 'bonjour my friends.' The visit to Paris comes after it was announced Georgia will again walk for Victoria's Secret. The city of love! During her time in the French capital, Georgia shared a candid shot of herself earlier this week sitting on her balcony with the Eiffel Tower in full view Before Paris, Georgia enjoyed time in New York for Fashion Week, with the brunette beauty also being based in the city. Georgia is preparing to walk in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show later this year, for the third time. She first walked for the brand in 2016. He's been rumoured to be jetting out of Australia to avoid the huge fanfare that will surround this week's finale of The Bachelor after 'splitting' from the winner. And on Saturday, Nick 'Honey Badger' Cummins' friend confirmed the 30-year-old will not be around to take part in the press circuit that will follow the final episode. Instead, Nick is flying to Papua New Guinea on Monday morning and will be spending eight days on the Kokoda jungle trek - presumably out of phone range. Scroll down for video What about The Bachelor winner? Nick Cummins' friend CONFIRMED he's fleeing Australia on Monday ahead of finale ...after 'splitting' from reported winner Brittany Hockley 'If he can deal with 30 women then I'm pretty sure walking through the jungle for eight days is going to be a walk in the park,' James Brodie, who will be competing in the grueling challenge with Nick for charity, told the Manly Daily on Saturday. James also hinted that Nick's experience on The Bachelor will definitely help him on their trek, adding: 'I think it absolutely helped his mental state and built his mental toughness to deal with all these sorts of things.' The confirmation that Nick will not be in Australia for the finale is a telling sign that appears to confirm reports he has 'split' from rumoured winner Brittany Hockley. Usually following a Bachelor finale, the winner will accompany their partner in days of interviews after finally being able to go public with their relationship. Moving on! Nick is flying to Papua New Guinea on Monday morning with James Brodie (pictured) and will be spending eight days on the Kokoda trek - presumably out of phone range Where's the winner? Before flying out on Monday, an Instagram post from Nick's sister Bernadette on Saturday fueled the speculation the rugby star is single as he spent his final days in the country for a while with family and friends Before flying out on Monday, an Instagram post from Nick's sister Bernadette on Saturday fueled the speculation that the rugby star is single again. A picture showed Nick relaxing on a beach during sunset with a handful of family members and close friends. If he were still in a relationship with the winner of the show, however, it would make more sense for him to keep a low profile during these final days before they can go public. Over already? If he were still in a relationship with the winner of the show, however, it would make more sense for him to keep a low profile during these final days before they can go public Party time! On Friday, it appeared that the sportsman was single and ready to mingle as he attended the Deni Ute Muster in Deniliquin, in southern New South Wales, with a group of mates And on Friday, it appeared that the sportsman was single and ready to mingle as he attended the Deni Ute Muster in Deniliquin, in southern New South Wales. The 30-year-old was all smiles as he posed for photos with female fans at the event. With much excitement surrounding the show's finale, Nick's choice to attend the festival, alongside an estimated 20,000 other people, is very telling. Last year's Deni Ute Muster event featured naked mud dancing, gas-powered beer bongs and public spanking. This isn't naturally the environment you'd expect to find someone about to go public with the love of their life after months of hiding their apparent romance. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Network Ten for comment. The fashion industry's 'bad boy' Jordan Barrett has become a familiar face on the runway at Paris Fashion Week this year. And the 22-year-old Australian model did what he does best on Saturday when he modelled the latest looks from French label Zadig & Voltaire at the exclusive fashion event. Storming down the catwalk during the high-octane event, Jordan wore a grey T-shirt layered beneath a button-up shirt in khaki that exposed a glimpse of his chest. King of the catwalk! Jordan Barrett, 22, strutted his stuff in khaki green for the Zadig & Voltaire runway show during Paris Fashion Week on Saturday The ensemble was teamed with shorts, an embossed belt and a pair of white sneakers. To complete the outfit he wore a textured leather jacket with rivet detailing on the lapel. His deep blond locks were styled in loose waves, contrasting with his razor-sharp chiseled facial features. Strutting his stuff: Storming down the catwalk during the high-octane event, Jordan wore a grey T-shirt layered beneath a button-up shirt in khaki that exposed a glimpse of his chest Slick: His deep blond locks were styled in loose waves, contrasting with his razor-sharp chiseled facial features Jordan oozed confidence as he strutted his stuff on the runway with his hands in his pockets. His catwalk appearance comes after he recently spoke about the gender pay gap in the modelling industry. Speaking to The Courier Mail, he said 'It is kind of one of the only industries where women are paid more than men.' Pay gap: His catwalk appearance comes after he recently spoke about the gender pay gap in the modelling industry. Pictured with fellow model Emily Ratajkowski However, he wasn't concerned because models' pay reflects the fact women's fashion is a much more profitable industry. 'Sales in men's and women's products are completely different, it is obvious and fair that women make more money in modelling,' he explained. 'It is basically a women's industry. More women buy makeup, hair products and clothing than men. It is just simply that,' he said. She's recently spoken at the UN and is an activist who raises awareness about sexual and domestic violence. And Amber Heard took to the stage once again at the Global Citizen Festival in New York on Saturday night. The stunning actress, 32, cut a stylish figure in a modest full length dress with a high neckline at the festival, which was headlined by the Weeknd. Stunning: Amber Heard, 32, took to the stage once again at the Global Citizen Festival in New York on Saturday night It comes as her ex-partner, billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk, was fined $20million by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and stepped down as the company's chair. Meanwhile, Amber oozed glamour in a floor-length black and orange gown. The Friday Night Lights actress wore pointed red patent boots with thick black laces. Girl power: Joining Amber on stage was 47-year-old Blue Bloods actress Bridget Moynahan Pinning the outfit together was an ankle-length tweed jacket with a light green tartan pattern with a giant 'I'm Voting' sticker on raise awareness of the upcoming midterm elections. The Texan-born beauty, who divorced Johnny Depp in 2016 amid claims he was verbally and physically abusive, wore her golden locks loose and waved, tumbling just past her shoulders. Looking every inch the star, Amber emphasised her natural good looks with a lick of black mascara, pink blusher, and a matching lip. Oozing glamour: Looking every inch the star, Amber emphasised her natural good looks with a lick of black mascara and pink blusher Passionate: The Texan-born beauty wore her golden locks loose and waved, tumbling just past her shoulders Joining Amber on stage was 47-year-old Blue Bloods actress Bridget Moynahan. Bridget modelled a T-shirt that featured the event's megaphone logo in a take-off on Andy Warhol's painting Four Marilyns. Letting her wavy dark hair fall freely over her shoulders, she wore a pair of purple-tinted sunglasses and posed up a storm with her hands at her hips. On top of her activism, Amber has been keeping busy, with three movies coming out this year, including Her Smell, with Elisabeth Moss, which debuts at the New York Film Festival on Saturday. Busy schedule: On top of her activism, Amber has been keeping busy, with three movies coming out this year, including Her Smell, with Elisabeth Moss She also plays clairvoyant femme fatale Nicola Six in the upcoming London Fields and Queen Mera in the highly-anticipated Aquaman on December 21. The actress also has Gully in post-production, which she stars in alongside Terrence Howard and Charlie Plummer, slated for release next year. She was also honoured Thursday at Fashion 4 Development's eighth annual First Ladies Luncheon. Activist: She was also honoured Thursday at Fashion 4 Development's eighth annual First Ladies Luncheon Angel: She received the Angel Award, and reflected on her recent visit to Jordan to work with the Syrian American Medical Society The actress, along with Ellie Goulding, Carmen Busquets and Edwina Dunn, was recognised for her humanitarian work. She received the Angel Award, and reflected on her recent visit to Jordan to work with the Syrian American Medical Society. Last Sunday she spoke at the annual Social Good Summit during the United Nations General Assembly. Balancing act: The actress also has Gully in post-production, which she stars in alongside Terrence Howard and Charlie Plummer, slated for release next year And on Tuesday, The Justice League actress was back in New York City for the annual First Ladies Luncheon to celebrate the cooperation between diplomacy and fashion for the greater good of women worldwide. The Los Angeles native has also helped raise awareness about domestic and sexual violence. Together with actors Gabourey Sidibe and Freida Pinto, she read a speech on behalf of sexual assault victim Emily Doe at Glamour's Women of the Year Awards in 2016. Elsewhere at the festival, thousands of people panicked after a barrier fell in Central Park's main stage and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin was left to reassure the audience everything was under control. Speaking out: The Los Angeles native has also helped raise awareness about domestic and sexual violence Beauty and brains: Amber oozed glamour in a floor-length black and orange gown The show resumed by 8pm as the official Twitter page posted: 'Stay calm, everyone. A barrier fell at the #GlobalCitizen Festival in Central Park, but the show is back on.' Janet Jackson kicked things off again with her set and joined The Weeknd in headlining the festival. Shawn Mendes, Cardi B, and Janelle Monae also performed at the gathering. Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Republican Senator Jeff Flake and John Legend urged spectators to get involved in the nation's troubled politics. It reminds world leaders to fulfil their obligation to achieve the United Nations Global Goals for Sustainable Development and end extreme poverty by 2030. Global Citizens: Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Republican Senator Jeff Flake and John Legend urged spectators to get involved in the nation's troubled politics The 'World's Hottest Grandma' recently expressed concerns that her double-E cup breast implants could be slowly poisoning her. But over the weekend, Gina Stewart was more than happy to push her fears aside and embrace her killer curves in one of her most X-rated Instagram post to date. The 48-year-old stripped down to nothing and posed completely naked, while suggestively biting down on a pearl necklace. Pearly whites! The World's Hottest Grandma stripped down naked and chomped on a pearl necklace in an X-rated Instagram post over the weekend The Gold Coast granny was able to protect her modesty by placing her hand over her assets and strategically turning her back to the camera. Captioning the X-rated image, Gina write: 'A great life is nothing more than a series of days well lived strung together like a string of pearls.' Before that, the mother-of-four slipped her flawless physique into a skimpy yellow bikini with a G-string backside. Baywatch babe! The mother-of-four also slipped her flawless physique into a skimpy yellow bikini with a G-string backside She flaunted her pert derriere in the swimwear and pulled the straps down to reveal a glimpse of her incredible assets. The 48-year-old grandmother recently spoke to Daily Mail TV about her concerns that her Insta-famous implants could be killing her. 'I believe that the toxic bags are slowly poisoning me from the chemicals,' she said. 'I believe that the toxic bags are slowly poisoning me from the chemicals': The 48-year-old recently spoke to Daily Mail TV about her concerns that her implants could be killing her The busty granny continued: 'So I'm trying to stay alive as long as possible to see my grandchildren grow up.' Gina is currently a single mother to her children James, 27, Casey, 25, Cody, 22, and Summer, four, and a grandmother of one. The model and aspiring actress also said that she regrets undergoing a breast augmentation and admitted that she went under the knife for the wrong reasons. 'I'm trying to stay alive as long as possible to see my grandchildren grow up,' said the star 'I thought having the surgery would make me the happiest girl in the world,' she said. 'And that didn't happen... I was even more self conscious.' Gina is currently focusing on her budding acting career after signing with a major talent agency on the Gold Coast. Tracey Jewel has revealed that she's been left with bills in the thousands of dollars after entering a mental health clinic following her suicide attempt. The Married at First Sight star told Mamamia that she committed herself to the unnamed Perth institution upon arriving home to Australia following a disastrous trip to Germany and paid for the treatment out of her own pocket. 'I've had to pay for everything which is now several thousand dollars,' the 35-year-old said to the women's publication. Woes: Tracey Jewel has revealed that she's been left with bills in the thousands of dollars after entering a mental health clinic following her suicide attempt in Germany The troubled star spent nearly three weeks in a mental health clinic last month, after her suicide attempt in Berlin, Germany in late July. Tracey was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following her stint on Married At First Sight. She told Mamamia that she 'coped fine' with the filming and airing of the show itself, but the attacks she suffered online afterwards caused her immense distress. 'That took its toll on my mental health, and I couldn't repair the damage,' she told the online publication. Stress: The Married at First Sight star told Mamamia that she committed herself to the unnamed Perth institution upon arriving home to Australia. 'I've had to pay for everything which is now several thousand dollars,' the 35-year-old said In late June, Tracey was left 'stranded' in Berlin without money for a flight home after splitting with her boyfriend Patrick Kedemos while they were travelling through Europe. In a moment of desperation, the mother-of-one tried to kill herself by overdosing on medication. Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Tracey and Channel Nine for comment. Hell: At the end of June, Tracey was left 'stranded' in Berlin without money for a flight home after splitting with her boyfriend Patrick Kedemos (right) during a European holiday from hell. In a moment of desperation, she tried to kill herself by overdosing on medication Tracey took a lengthy hiatus from the spotlight to focus on her mental health however the TV star recently recently returned to the spotlight, filming a new ABC series and recording a radio advert for Perth's Brain Wellness Spa. Speaking to Daily Mail Australia on Friday, the brunette said that she is using her public platform to spread awareness around mental health issues. 'I'm doing mental health initiatives, such as ABC's new show Let's Talk Now, and TV and radio ads for the Brain Wellness Spa in Perth,' she said. She's now living back with her parents and has applied to study a post-graduate certificate in marketing to get her once-thriving career back on track. They've had an on-off relationship since 2011. And Rupert Grint and his girlfriend Georgia Groome enjoyed a glamorous date night as they attended an event at the Dinard Film Festival on Saturday. The Harry Potter star, 30, dressed to impress as he joined the Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging actress, 26, in Dinard, France. Fun night out: Rupert Grint and his girlfriend Georgia Groome enjoyed a glamorous date night as they attended an event at the Dinard Film Festival on Saturday Rupert looked dapper in a green tartan suit with a white shirt and a matching bottle green tie, which had a dragon on it. Showing off his fun side, the actor held a pair of red heart-shaped sunglasses in his hands as he made his way around the idyllic town. Meanwhile, Georgia looked effortlessly chic in a black dress with a matching coloured fur coat over the top. Glamorous: The Harry Potter star, 30, dressed to impress as he joined the Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging actress, 26, in Dinard, France Handsome: Rupert looked dapper in a green tartan suit with a white shirt and a matching bottle green tie, which had a dragon on it She accessorised her ensemble with a pair of black heeled ankle boots and a pair of socks. The actress styled her brunette locks into a relaxed and loose ponytail, as she added a slick of make-up. Rupert and Georgia were rumoured to have begun dating six years ago and have been spotted together on a few occasions looking loved-up and holding hands. Chic: Meanwhile, Georgia looked effortlessly chic in a black dress with a matching coloured fur coat over the top Georgia, who is also said to have dated actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, rose to fame in the coming of age comedy Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging in 2008. Meanwhile, Rupert became a global superstar after starring as Ron Weasley in Harry Potter, making his first debut in 2001 and filming his final scenes as the wizard in 2011. The Dinard Film Festival was created in 1989 in order to bring France an array of original British productions. Romance: Rupert and Georgia were rumoured to have begun dating six years ago and have been spotted together on a few occasions looking loved-up and holding hands Their relationship blossomed after their characters embarked on romance on The Inbetweeners more than eight years ago. And Hannah Tointon, 30, rocked a casual chic look as she joined fiance Joe Thomas, 34, and sister Kara, 35, at the press night for 'Hogarth's Progress' at the Rose Theatre in Kingston, in south west London on Saturday night. The acting sisters looked relaxed as they smiled, wrapped their arms around each other before they watched the play starring Keith Allen. Family first: Hannah Tointon, 30, rocked a casual chic look as she joined fiance Joe Thomas, 34, and sister Kara, 35, at the press night for 'Hogarth's Progress' at the Rose Theatre in Kingston, in south west London on Saturday night Loved up: Their relationship blossomed after their characters embarked on romance on The Inbetweeners more than eight years ago Looking effortlessly cool, Hollyoaks star Hannah framed her lithe limbs in highwaisted blue jeans paired with a deep brown polka dot shirt with a plunging neckline. A chunky black belt cinched in her enviably tiny waist and a grey cardigan was casually thrown over the look. The former Inbetweeners actress tied her look together with a nude boot. Sisters: Looking effortlessly cool, Hollyoaks star Hannah framed her lithe limbs in highwaisted blue jeans paired with a deep brown polka dot shirt with a plunging neckline Meanwhile, sister Kara dressed down in a pair of white converse, black jeans and a polo-neck blue jumper. The Strictly champion completed the look with a full length checked coat. Kara has set tongues wagging in recent months, sparking both pregnancy and engagement rumours. The former Eastenders star displayed a ring on her engagement finger and a prominent belly as she stepped out to support her soon to be brother-in-law at the premiere of The Festival, last month. Loved up: Joe, who is starring alongside partner of ten years Hannah in The Festival, went for a low-key ensemble wearing all black, blue and grey Hannah opted to style her brunette locks in a loose wave tumbling down bellow the nape of her neck, while big sister Kara scraped her raven tresses back into a well-coiffed updo. Joe, who is starring alongside partner of ten years Hannah in The Festival, went for a low-key ensemble wearing all black, blue and grey. The Fresh Meat actor paired black jeans with a wooly jumper and grey suede shoes. Stunning: A chunky black belt cinched in her enviably tiny waist and a grey cardigan was casually thrown over the look Joe told Christine Bleakley on ITV's Lorraine that he loved working with his fiancee again, eight years after their first worked together. Written by the BAFTA award-winning writers and producers behind The Inbetweeners, Iain Morris and Damon Beesley, The Festival stars Joe as Nick who is dumped by Hannah's character at his uni graduation and heads to a music festival with his pals in a bid to move on. 'He's kind of going there to get over her, it's all about letting yourself go and losing yourself at the festival.' 'Towards the end he kind of lets go, it's about enjoying yourself and enjoying life,' Joe explained to Christine. She returned to ITV screens earlier this month for the latest series of TOWIE . And Lauren Pope pulled out all the sartorial stops on Saturday night as she hit the town to celebrate her 36th birthday. The Essex original, left very little to the imagination as she stepped out in a plunging sheer bodysuit and skintight jeans at the at Roka restaurant in London. Birthday girl: Lauren Pope pulled out all the sartorial stops on Saturday night as she hit the town to celebrate her 36th birthday The gorgeous blonde paired her black skinny jeans with strappy peep toe stilettos and a full length black cardigan. Showing off her enviably tiny waist, the star cinched her outfit in with a chunky Gucci belt. Her ample assets were on full show as her see-though bodice had a deep plunge. Gorgeous from every angle: The gorgeous blonde paired her black skinny jeans with strappy peep toe stilettos and a full length black cardigan Always looking glamorous, the star let her golden locks tumble down past her shoulders in a loose wave and wore a full face of make-up. She finished off the look with giant golden hooped earrings and two chains. Lauren has always remained adamant that she would never reveal her biggest hang-ups or insecurities, as she accepts her body with all its flaws. Last summer Lauren chose to remove her E cup implants which she had put in as part of a second boob job. Speaking to MailOnline at the time, she said of the move: 'I'm back to small boobies! I've thought about it for a long time. It's really hard to explain but it's not a big dramatic decision. It's just I feel like I am taken seriously now in the world of business.' Lauren rose to fame glamour model and embarked on a career as a DJ over a decade ago, but became a series regular on TOWIE in 2010 when she started dating show original Kirk Norcross. Girls night out: Meanwhile, TOWIE co-star Chloe Sims pulled of an all-white ensemble on a girls night out at Mnky Hse latin american restaurant in Mayfair She has since gone on to launch her successful extension line Hair Rehab London. She told the Daily Star last year: 'I never tell people the parts I don't like about me as thats just noting out your flaws, I've learnt how to work with what I've got and accentuate the good parts, lets put it that way.' Meanwhile, TOWIE co-star Chloe Sims pulled of an all-white ensemble on a girls night out at Mnky Hse latin american restaurant in Mayfair. The 35-year-old reality TV veteran showed off her surgically enhanced figure in a skin-tight see-through white t-shirt with a plunging neckline. She paired it with an off-white midi dress with a high up thigh split. Taking out the bare minimum, she swung a bag casually over her shoulder. The glamour model wore heavy make-up, coating her face in thick strokes of bronzer and a glossy nude lip. Lisa McCune was once Australia's most famous TV actress, winning four Gold Logies for her role in Blue Heelers. But the 47-year-old has largely kept out of the spotlight over the past several years, after being spotted kissing her co-star Teddy Tahu Rhodes in 2012. At the time the kiss made headlines, it was reported that Lisa was still married to her husband, Tim Disney, with whom she shares three children. 'Sometimes people can know a bit much!' Lisa McCune spoke with Stellar magazine on Sunday and revealed why she's keeping her personal life out of the public eye In a new interview with Stellar magazine, published on Sunday, Lisa spoke about why she has started keeping her private life out of the public eye. She explained: 'Over the last couple of years I made a decision that while my kids are teenagers - and I feel really strongly about this - my story affects their stories. 'So until they get to a point where they are living their own lives, I have decided to be very quiet about mine.' What's going on? Lisa married Tim Disney in 2000 and the pair have not publicly announced a split. They are pictured at the 2002 Logie Awards The Sydney-born actress shot to fame at the age of 22 on Blue Heelers, starring as Maggie Doyle on the top-rating police drama from 1993 until 2000. Lisa married husband Tim in 2000, and the two went on to have children Archer, 17, Oliver, 14, and Remy, 13. In 2012, she starred alongside Teddy Tahu Rhodes in a stage production of the musical South Pacific before they were spotted kissing. Kiss: In 2012, Lisa starred alongside Teddy Tahu Rhodes (right) in a stage production of the musical South Pacific before they were spotted kissing. They are pictured together that year Lisa and Tim did not publicly confirm a split, but Stellar calls him 'her former husband'. During her interview with the magazine, the star also revealed that she finds actors more believable when she doesn't know the intricate details of their private lives. 'I think it helps with people watching you. They're not thinking about an article they might have read. Sometimes they can know a bit much,' she explained. Embrace: Teddy and Lisa went on to star in The King and I together in 2014 (pictured) Last year, Lisa spoke with The Daily Telegraph about how she had changed her opinions about talking about her private life. The actress stated: 'For me personally, I have always been open and happy to talk about my babies when they were born and my marriage, and then I hit a speed bump,' Lisa continued. 'I went, 'All of a sudden, this is not coming out in a positive way', and I rethought it.' Meanwhile, the TV talent is soon heading back to the small screen in a new sitcom called How To Stay Married, which will co-star Peter Helliar. She's showbusiness royalty with almost three decades in the music and film industry. And an array of famous faces ventured to Las Vegas on Saturday night to see Jennifer Lopez's final performance at her residency at the Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino, where she was joined on the stage by LL Cool J. Former New York Yankees player Alex Rodriguez, 43, was on hand to offer his girlfriend, 49, support as he bought the star's families along to see her last showcase of 'Jennifer Lopez: All I Have'. Showbiz Royalty: An array of famous faces ventured to Las Vegas on Saturday night to see Jennifer Lopez's, 49, final performance of her residency at the Planet Hollywood Hotel The stunning songstress wore a full length cat suit emblazoned with glitter and a halter neck. She showed off her gym-honed figure and toned arms at the show, as she brushed back her golden locks into a high ponytail paired with giant hoop earrings. The Jenny From the Block hitmaker finished off her look with sky-high golden stilettos. Jenny from the block: She showed off her gym-honed figure and toned arms at the show, as she brushed back her golden locks into a high ponytail paired with giant hoop earrings Family first: Former New York Yankees player Alex Rodriguez, 43, was on hand to offer his girlfriend, 49, support as he bought the star's families along to see her final showcase Jump and hug: J Lo shared a tender moment with her daughter Emme at the after party Loved up: Looking almost a glamorous as J Lo herself, A Rod paired pink silk trousers with a matching shirt Later, she donned a leopard print fur cover up and posed with her daughter Emme, 10, her niece, Lucie Wren Lopez-Goldfried, 10, and Alex Rodriguez's daughters Natasha, 13 and Ella, 10. Beau Alex opted for an all pink ensemble. Looking almost a glamorous as J Lo herself, A Rod paired pink silk trousers with a matching shirt. Collaboration: Rapper LL Cool J joined J Lo on the stage for her final performance, the residency was named 'All I Have' after her 2002 hit of the same name featuring the rapper Age defying beauty: The Jenny From the Block hitmaker finished off her look with golden jewellery Earlier this week, the Yankee couldn't contain his admiration for his love for the star after posting a video of the pair working out. The Instagram caption read: 'Full speed is the only speed @jlo knows, and thats one reason why she inspires so many people around the world. Tonight she completes a wild Vegas journey of 120 shows over a record-breaking 3-year residency.' '#AllIHave isnt just the name of the show, its what she has given to her audiences every single night. Thats what makes her great. When she hits the stage, the audience gets her best effort. 'That was true on her first performance, will be true tonight and it has been that way every show in between. She is working as hard today as she does every day and its amazing to watch.' Power vocals: The star wowed on stage in her final perfomance at the Zappos Theatre at Planet Hollywood Power couple: The two have been dating since March 2017 and often share pictures of their families hanging out together on social media Jennifer began playing the show at Planet Hollywood Resort And Casino in January of 2016. A-Rod and J-Lo - whose relationship has earned the affectionate fan nickname J-Rod - have been dating since at least last March. She shares 10-year-old twins Max and Emme with her third ex-husband Marc Anthony, who since splitting from J-Lo has married and divorced again. J-Lo has previously been married to actor Ojani Noa and backing dancer Cris Judd - with neither relationship producing any children. Mummy's girl: The Maid in Mahattan star linked arms with her daughter, Emme, as she left the after party The superstar later headed to Mr Chow at Caesars Palace for the show's after party. Amid the guests was Sean 'Diddy' Coombs, who had a high profile relationship with the Wedding Planner star in the late 90s. The pair locked eyes and chatted, both waving their arms in the air as hundreds of guests mingled with the stars, and were even photographed hugging. Reunited: Amid the guests was Sean 'Diddy' Coombs, who had a high profile relationship with the singer in the late 90s Old friends: The pair locked eyes and chatted, both waving their arms in the air as hundreds of guests mingled with the stars Kings of the game: Sean 'Diddy' Combs, manager Benny Medina and guest attend the after party for the finale of the 'Jennifer Lopez: All I have' residency Celebrations: The Grammy nominated star celebrated her achievement in style, and cut a luxurious looking cake while dancing with family and friends Cutting the cake: Jennifer beamed as she saw the 10-tier cake, created to celebrate her three years in Vegas Well baked: Former baseball player Alex showed his support for his girlfriend at the after party On the floor: The disco superstar later took to the dance floor and showed off her famous moves The Grammy nominated star celebrated her achievement in style, and cut a luxurious looking cake while dancing with family and friends. She later took to the dance floor and showed off her famous moves. Vanessa Hudgens lead the flurry of a-listers at the show to watch the last J Lo performance. The High School Musical alum smouldered in a silk khaki dress with a plunging neckline. She showed of her enviable limbs with a thigh-high split. Singing sisters: Vanessa Hudgens lead the flurry of a-listers at the show to watch the last J Lo performance Sultry: The High School Musical alum smouldered in a silk khaki dress with a plunging neckline The triple threat, 29, who released a new single this week, paired the sultry ensemble with a reflective chunky silver heel. Her silky raven tresses were pinned back into a smooth up do. Also there was supermodel Ashley Graham. No rest: Ashely Graham, 30, has just returned to the states from fashion weeks across the globe The 30-year-old, who has just returned from walking bevvy of shows in London, Paris and Milan flaunted her famous curves in a thigh-skimming snake-skin mini dress and matching heels. The 5ft9 star added to her height with a strappy stiletto heel and giant hoops. Also at the show was Pia Toscano, whose elimination of the tenth season of American Idol shocked then-judge Jennifer Lopez. The stunner showed off her incredible abs in a tiny crop top and strappy skirt. Old friend: Pia Toscano, who's elimination of the tenth season of American Idol shocked then-judge Jennifer Lopez went to see her former mentor Veteran rapper Ja Rule, 42, donned a burgundy suit and dark shades as he headed into the show. The Grammy-nominated star, who was recently dissed by Emimen on his new album Kamikaze paired the suit with a plain black t-shirt and polished black boot. Disney Channel alum Adrienne Bailon also attended wearing a thigh-skimming white shirt dress. She posed with Jersey Shore after hours host Julissa Bermudez who wore a tight black dress with thigh-high splits. Suited up: The Grammy-nominated star, who was recently dissed by Emnimen on his new album Kamikaze paired the suit with a plain black t-shirt and polished black boot She's currently starring in American Horror Story: Apocalypse. And Emma Roberts took a well-deserved break from her hectic schedule as she stepped out in Los Angeles, California, on Saturday, to grab a smoothie. The actress, 27, cut a casual figure as she wore Victoria Beckham's iconic carrier bag t-shirt with a pair of high-waisted bleach mom jeans. California dreamin': Emma Roberts took a well-deserved break from her hectic schedule as she stepped out in Los Angeles, California, on Saturday, to grab a smoothie Emma accessorised her ensemble with some bold gold jewellery in the form of a padlock necklace and hoop earrings. She also added a pair of leopard print loafers, a black crossover handbag from Rag & Bone, and aviator sunglasses. Emma, who was previously engaged to on-off, but currently on, boyfriend Evan Peters, also appeared to be wearing her engagement ring as she flashed a sparkly diamond on her ring finger. Posh spice: The actress, 27, cut a casual figure as she wore Victoria Beckham's iconic carrier bag t-shirt with a pair of high-waisted bleach mom jeans Bling: Emma accessorised her ensemble with some bold gold jewellery in the form of a padlock necklace and hoop earrings The Scream Queens star styled her blonde locks into a relaxed loose hairstyle as she appeared to go make-up free for the outing. Meanwhile, Emma is returning to TV screens in American Horror Story: Apocalypse, reprising her role as Madison Montgomery, who was first seen in Coven. As well as bringing her villainous character back to the small screen, her role on the latest season also re-teams her with her Evan Peters. Funky: She also added a pair of leopard print loafers, a black Rag & Bone handbag and aviator sunglasses The couple were even engaged at one point, and recently Emma, as such as Saturday, has been spotted on occasion with the engagement ring on. Back in 2013, the Scream Queens actress was arrested for alleged domestic abuse in Canada after officers responded to a report of a fight in a hotel room. Emma was taken into custody after they allegedly found One Tree Hill star Evan with a bloody nose and a bite mark. Romance: Emma, who was previously engaged to on-off, but currently on, boyfriend Evan Peters, also appeared to be wearing her engagement ring (pictured together in 2014) He declined to press charges and she was released several hours later, with the couple saying in a joint statement that it was 'an unfortunate incident and misunderstanding.' The pair have remained famously tight-lipped about their relationship since. Recently, Emma unveiled the first look at her Coven character Madison Montgomery resurrected (a second time) for American Horror Story: Apocalypse. In the on-set snap, the niece of Julia Roberts clutches a feather duster while clad in a vampy halter LBD near unearthed skeletons outside season one's Murder House. AHS: Meanwhile, Emma is returning to TV screens in American Horror Story: Apocalypse, reprising her role as Madison Montgomery, who was first seen in Coven alongside beau Evan As an official 'expert' on the Australian version of Married At First Sight, Dr. Trisha Stafford and her fellow relationship experts have had a shockingly low success rate with matching couples. But that hasn't stopped the New Zealand version of the reality series from bringing the neuropsychotherapist on board as a 'guest expert' for their second season. Trisha joins Kiwi relationship experts Tony Jones and Stephanie Dowse for the new season of the series, which premiered in New Zealand on Sunday. I'm back! Married At First Sight star Dr. Trisha Stafford has joined MAFS New Zealand as an official 'guest expert' Despite bringing her romantic expertise to New Zealand, the brunette has warned that the TV relationships may not work out. 'They may not necessarily find the love of their life, but I see it as being broader than that,' she explained to Stuff. 'I see it as people learning about who they are in relationships, what they do that doesn't serve them, what they do that does serve them, and what kind of [partner] they want.' Will they do better than Australia? Trisha joins Kiwi relationship experts Tony Jones and Stephanie Dowse for the new season of the series, which premiered in New Zealand on Sunday 'They may not necessarily find the love of their life': Despite bringing her romantic expertise to New Zealand, Trisha has warned that the TV relationships may not work out Trisha then explained that, although the relationships on the show rarely work out, the participants may be better quipped to find love in the real world after the show. 'A lot of them, when they come off the show, usually find someone quite quickly afterwards,' she reasoned. 'They have learnt about themselves and they know what they want.' Married At First Sight Australia has only created two successful matches in its five seasons on air. Disaster: Married At First Sight Australia has only created two successful matches in its five seasons on air Season one's Zoe Hendrix and Alex Garner stayed together for three years and had a daughter before tragically splitting in April, while season two's Bryce Mohr and Erin Bateman are currently still together. MAFS NZ has only aired one season so far, but the show yielded one perfect match in Brett and Angel Renall, who legally wed on the series. For season two of MAFS NZ, the marriages will no longer be legally binding, and the process has been 'supersized,' similar to the Australian version. Janice Dickinson emerged in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon, just days after disgraced comedian Bill Cosby was jailed. The model, who alleged she was drugged and raped by Cosby in 1982, was seen buying an ice-cream after paying a visit to Venice Beach delicatessen Salt and Straw. Having recently spoken out following the predatory comedians sentencing on Tuesday, Dickinson, 63, threw a peace sign towards onlookers as she made her way onto the street. Stepping out: Janice Dickinson emerged in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon, just days after disgraced comedian Bill Cosby was jailed The former model was just one of the dozens of women who provided testimony in the sexual assault case against the disgraced comedian, who was sent to prison for between three and ten years. 'The harrowing memory of the rape continues to this day,' she said in a statement, through her lawyer Lisa Bloom. 'I have reoccurring nightmares, I wake up in fear, I fear the dark. I struggle to discuss this even with my beloved husband of 6 years.' Treat: The model, who alleged she was drugged and raped by Cosby in 1982, was seen buying an ice-cream after paying a visit to Venice Beach delicatessen Salt and Straw Low-key: Janice looked relaxed as she ventured out in Los Angeles following an emotional week 'The rape shattered my ability to trust,' she continued. 'It made me extremely wary of becoming an actress. It affected my work. It affected my lifestyle. 'I lost a lot of spunk. I lost some of my effervescent attitude and lightness, qualities required of a model. 'I became less motivated to meet new people, a huge component of my daily work as a model. You dont move away from the jobs you run towards the work. My work suffered.' Cause for celebration: Having recently spoken out following the predatory comedians sentencing on Tuesday, Dickinson, 63, threw a peace sign towards onlookers as she made her way onto the street She revealed she even once moved to Milan in Italy, where she hoped not to see or hear of Cosby again. 'The rape is etched into my soul,' she concluded. 'Therapy has helped some but it has not helped to restore my innocence. I was never the same. I will never be the same.' After his first trial ended in a hung jury, Cosby was convicted in April of drugging and sexually assaulting Temple University women's basketball administrator Andrea Constand. He has faced a barrage of similar accusations from more than 60 women over the past five decades, but Constand's case is the only one that went to trial. She's been a front row regular at many of the New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2019 collection shows. And Kate Bosworth showed off her flair for style as she attended the RIDE Foundation's second Annual Dance For Freedom held at The Broad Stage, Santa Monica, California, on Saturday. The Blue Crush actress, 35, looked effortlessly chic as she cosied up to her husband, Michael Polish, at the star-studded event. Pretty in pink: Kate Bosworth showed off her flair for style as she attended the RIDE Foundation's second Annual Dance For Freedom held at The Broad Stage, Santa Monica, California, on Saturday Kate looked sensational in a dusky pink satin jumpsuit, with front slits on the leg and a structured neckline. Adding a few glamorous accessories, she teamed the item of clothing with both diamond earrings and an eye-catching choker. Kate also wore a pair of metallic barely-there heeled sandals and held a pink quilted clutch bag with a huge diamond on the front. Smitten: The Blue Crush actress, 35, looked effortlessly chic as she cosied up to her husband, Michael Polish, at the star-studded event Star-studded: Brooke Burke looked stunning in an off-the-shoulder asymmetrical silver metallic dress The actress styled her blonde locks into a sleek sweptback hairdo, as she added a slick of make-up and a dark nude lipstick. Kate's husband, Michael, looked dapper in a black suit with a brown shirt and black tie. Giving a nod to his wife's celebrity status, he wore a pair of oversized brown aviator sunglasses. Strike a pose: The former Dancing With The Stars host posed with actress Julia Butters on the red carpet The couple appeared in good spirits as they cosied up to each other and posed for pictures on the red carpet. Only recently, Kate celebrated her fifth wedding anniversary with her beau in August. They met when he directed her in the film Big Sur shortly after her split from Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgard in mid 2011. Kate and Michael announced their engagement the following year and married in August 2013 in Phillipsburg, Montana. Sally Field is one of world's leading actresses, with a glittering career spanning five decades. And the two-time Oscar winner has spoken candidly about Tinseltown, revealing she's not surprised by the 'abuse of power' rampant in the film industry. In an emotional interview with The Project on Sunday, the 72-year-old spoke out against sexual harassment in Hollywood and elsewhere saying: 'It's not only repulsive, it's criminal!' 'It's not only repulsive, it's criminal!' Sally Field has spoken out against sexual harassment in a fiery TV interview with The Project on Sunday When asked whether she was 'surprised' about the level of abuse in Hollywood, Sally replied: 'No, I've come across it.' She added: 'It's being seen in Hollywood right now, and thank God, but it's in every industry. It's in society!' The Norma Rae star continued, angrily stating: 'Some of it is downright criminal. It's not only repulsive, it's criminal! 'It's being seen in Hollywood right now, and thank God, but it's in every industry. It's in society!' Sally has spoken out against sexual harassment 'This has to change, and the outrage is just the beginning of it!' she stated. Meanwhile, Sally lent her support to Dr Christine Blasey Ford last week, with the university professor publicly testifying before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee. Dr Ford alleges that Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her sometime in the 1980s. 'Thank you': Sally threw her support behind Christine Blasey Ford in a Twitter post Taking to Twitter, Sally wrote: 'Out of the blue, a hero steps up and Im in awe. I know the pain of these kinds of memories, Dr. Ford. 'Memories that are indelibly imprinted on your brain no matter how many years go by. I, like millions of women across America, are behind you and thank you profoundly.' The actress is about to release a new memoir titled In Pieces, in which she claims that her step-father Jock Mahoney sexually abused her when she was a child. Iskra Lawrence once again showed off her incredible curves as she took to the LOreal catwalk at Paris Fashion Week on Sunday afternoon. The voluptuous model commanded attention as the French cosmetics brand launched its latest presentation on the banks of the rover Seine. Opting for a thigh-skimming red and black patterned minidress, Iskra, 28, ensured she claimed her fair share of the spotlight. Stunning: Iskra Lawrence once again showed off her incredible curves as she took to the LOreal catwalk at Paris Fashion Week on Sunday afternoon The model rounded off her look with strappy black heels, while her hair was pulled into a series of neat plaits. Last week, Iskra told Femail that she hopes to see all kinds of beauties being celebrated at this year's Fashion Week. She said: I want it to be a celebration of all women and a celebration of empowerment'. 'Fashion is a statement. Every time you get dressed in the morning you decide who you want to be and how you want to feel, and I think that New York Fashion Week is a celebration of that. Vibrant: The voluptuous model commanded attention as the French cosmetics brand launched its latest presentation on the banks of the rover Seine 'I love that it ties together so many other things as well including music and culture. I really enjoy coming to Fashion Week and seeing everyone who worked so hard get this time to just shine.' Iskra, who made her NYFW debut in 2016 for Chromat, doesn't expect to hit the catwalk during this year's event, though she's got a busy Paris Fashion Week between the end of this month and the beginning of October. Paris Fashion Week is the last of this year's catwalk season to showcase the Spring/Summer looks, with the series of shows finally coming to an end on Sunday 30th September. Eye-catching: Opting for a thigh-skimming red and black patterned minidress, Iskra, 28, ensured she claimed her fair share of the spotlight Other designers still to unveil their looks include Balenciaga, Valentiono and Givenchy. Plenty of the biggest names in modelling have also been seen making their mark onto the runway this year, including Cara Delevingne, Winnie Harlow and Kaia Gerber. Paris Fashion Week will conclude a busy month of global presentations when it ends this week. As host of ABC's 7.30, Leigh Sales is used to asking other people questions about their lives. But on Sunday's edition of The Project, the 45-year-old opened up about her own personal experiences which inspired her new book, Any Ordinary Day. While writing it, the acclaimed journalist met with people who had encountered tragedy, prompting her to reflect on her own traumas, including her failed marriage and the death of her father. 7.30 host Leigh Sales has spoken candidly about her failed marriage and the death of her father on Sunday's edition of The Project 'In 2014, I had a series of bad things happen to me, beginning with the birth of my second child (James)', Leigh explained to The Project's panelists. The journalist suffered a uterine rupture, which is normally fatal for both the mother and the child. 'We were just lucky that we were at the hospital at the time, but that really rattled me and made me have a sense of my own mortality,' she said. Tough: A series of struggles brought the 7.30 star to her knees, but the resilient journalist is pushing forward The Project's co-host Lisa Wilkinson then stated: 'Two years after that your marriage broke up, a number of things kept happening to you, and even just as you were finishing this book life kept throwing you curve balls'. In 2016, Leigh separated from Phil Willis, her husband of 20 years and the father of her two sons. And the tough times continued for the journalist this year, with Leigh having to take a month off 7.30 while her oldest boy, Daniel, had an operation. A series of unfortunate events: Earlier this year, Leigh's son had an operation a week before her father died 'A week after that (the operation), my father died. I went home to Queensland but then I had to fly back to Sydney to take my son to his post-operative appointment and on the way to the hospital, I got a flat tyre!' Leigh relayed. 'What did you think at that point?' Lisa asked. 'It just felt like the universe was conspiring against me,' she replied candidly, adding that she called an Uber and left her car by the side of the road. She's known for her flawless and age-defying figure. And The Real Housewives of Sydney star Krissy Marsh has revealed the secret she swears by to maintain her famous frame. On Sunday, the 47-year-old took to Instagram to gush about the benefits of a beauty regimen called 'body brushing'. So that's her secret! RHOS star Krissy Marsh, 47, has revealed the VERY unusual beauty treatment she swears by for her age-defying figure In a lengthy post, Krissy reminisced on routines she's been neglecting lately - such as her daily 'body brushing'. 'Body brushing' is a traditional beauty treatment that involves stroking the skin with a brush before showering,' she wrote. 'We are watching the #nrlgrandfinal and I realise the Chooks have this in the bag so I start thinking about things that I have been neglecting... like forgetting to do my daily #bodybrushing,' the mother-of-three thoughtfully penned. Simple trick! The 47-year-old took to Instagram to with her legions of fans that the secret to her age-defying figure is dry 'body brushing' 'I started #bodybrushing over 30 years ago. I have forgotten who told me to do this or why I started doing it but I sure know the benefits,' she proudly added. Krissy went on to list the benefits of dry body brushing, claiming the beauty routine minimises cellulite, exfoliates and increases blood flow. The raven-haired beauty explained that the process is very simple, revealing she brushes in circular movements starting at her feet and ending at her neck. Tried and true: 'I started #bodybrushing over 30 years ago. I have forgotten who told me to do this or why I started doing it but I sure know the benefits,' she wrote All-in-one! Krissy went on to list the benefits of dry body brushing, claiming the beauty routine minimises cellulite, exfoliates and increases blood flow 'It does not need to be a 5 minute process whatever works for you,' she added. 'It can only be a few quick strokes or if you have time enjoy the invigorating brush strokes for as long as want,' she explained. The former model shot to fame after appearing on The Real Housewives of Sydney. Katie Price has been pictured leaving rehab to attend her beautician friend's wedding, just four days after checking into The Priory for post-traumatic stress disorder. In the pictures, it sees the the mother-of-five, 40, in high spirits as she witnessed her manicurist Abigail Scott tie the knot this week. However, a representative for Katie told MailOnline that she will return to the facility on Monday, they said: 'The priory were aware Kate had a wedding to attend for her very close friend before she took the treatment. Wedding bells: Katie Price has been pictured leaving rehab to attend her beautician friend's wedding, just four days after checking into The Priory for post-traumatic stress disorder 'She went to the church and left the wedding for 4pm. Katie was driving. Her treatment resumes as usual on Monday.' In the snaps, former glamour model Katie beamed with joy as she congratulated her close pal on her special occasion and sipped a bottle of water. The brunette opted for her signature racy appearance as she showed off her very ample assets in a skimpy red lace corset. She teamed the daring item of clothing with a black blazer and flared trousers combination for the special day. Loyal friend: In the pictures, it sees the the mother-of-five, 40, in high spirits as she witnessed her manicurist Abigail Scott tie the knot this week Special day: In the snaps, former glamour model Katie beamed with joy as she congratulated her close pal on her special occasion and sipped a bottle of water Lady in red: The brunette opted for her signature racy appearance as she showed off her very ample assets in a skimpy red lace corset Katie accessorised the ensemble with a red animal print handbag with a gold chain and a pair of black platform stilettos. The mother-of-five, 40, styled her brunette locks into a high ponytail and added a slick of make-up for the wedding. For her rehab stint, the former Page 3 girl is on a 28-day treatment plan at The Priory after her family urged her to seek help following her recent wild partying antics in Mallorca. Making an entrance: She teamed the daring item of clothing with a black blazer and flared trousers combination for the special day Quick return: However, a representative for Katie told MailOnline that she will return to the facility on Monday Details: Katie accessorised the ensemble with a red animal print handbag with a gold chain and a pair of black platform stilettos Katie, who is dealing with financial ruin and divorce from Kieran Hayler, was confronted by her loved ones after shocking footage emerged of her rapping 'I love coke' during a booze-fuelled hen do. She broke down after the intervention and admitted she needed help to get over her chaotic behaviour - which has been blamed on her PTSD. She had a consultation at the clinic on September 19, where she was diagnosed with PTSD and started her 28 days of rehabilitation four days later. A source confirmed the news to MailOnline. Pals: The mother-of-five, 40, styled her brunette locks into a high ponytail and added a slick of make-up for the wedding 'Getting help': For her rehab stint, she is on a 28-day treatment plan at The Priory after her family urged her to seek help following her recent wild partying antics in Mallorca Katie's mother Amy, who has a terminal lung condition, said it was heartbreaking to watch Katie 'crumble'. 'Katie has been her own worst enemy and behaved like an idiot at times but she has been tearing herself apart for years,' she told The Sun. She added: 'To see what Katie is going through and how she has been treated hurts me and my family. Controversy: Katie was confronted by her loved ones after shocking footage emerged of her rapping 'I love coke' during a booze-fuelled hen do PTSD: She broke down after the intervention and admitted she needed help to get over her chaotic behaviour - which has been blamed on her PTSD Moving forward: She had a consultation on September 19, where she was diagnosed with PTSD and started her rehabilitation four days later. A source confirmed the news to MailOnline 'No mum or dad wants to see their child treated like this, watch as they crumble, and feel powerless to help. It's unbearable.' The reality star, who is fighting bankruptcy, met with her doctor and medical team earlier this month. She has been put on a curfew but will be allowed to go home in the evenings to look after her five children - Harvey, 16, Junior, 13, Princess, 11, Jett, five, and Bunny, four. Upsetting: Katie's mother Amy, who has a terminal lung condition, said it was heartbreaking to watch Katie 'crumble' Candid: 'Katie has been her own worst enemy and behaved like an idiot at times but she has been tearing herself apart for years,' she told The Sun Clinic rules: She has been put on a curfew but will be allowed to go home in the evenings to look after her five children - Harvey, 16, Junior, 13, Princess, 11, Jett, five, and Bunny, four (all pictured with her ex Kieran Hayler) Her phone has been confiscated and she's on a social media ban. If doctors believe she's a threat to herself or fails to follow the clinic rules, she will be brought in for residential treatment. WHAT IS PTSD? Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder caused by very stressful, frightening or distressing events. Someone with PTSD often relives the traumatic event through nightmares and flashbacks, and may experience feelings of isolation, irritability and guilt. They may also have problems sleeping, such as insomnia, and find concentrating difficult. These symptoms are often severe and persistent enough to have a significant impact on the persons day-to-day life. PTSD can develop immediately after someone experiences a disturbing event or it can occur weeks, months or even years later. Source: NHS Advertisement Her dad Ray has moved into a motor home near her East Sussex home and Amy and her husband Paul will be supporting her fully. Katie's loved ones stepped in to help her after she footage emerged of her rapping 'I love coke' after reportedly going to an after-party with two German men she met at a bar during a hen do in Mallorca. She appeared worse-for-wear as she danced next to a shirtless man and performed a rap at the revellers' apartment, in shocking footage from the end of August. This year, Katie, who split from husband Kieran in April after he admitted to cheating for a third time, enjoyed a fling with toyboy Kris Boyson, 29. She then moved onto wealthy Essex businessman Alex Adderson, 25, who she was seen grinding and dancing with at a Mallorca pool party. It was also reported that Katie will be given an official police summons for breaking her driving ban, after 'fobbing' off their demands for an interview. The troubled star was pictured driving a grey Ford Fiesta home from Gatwick while disqualified with her youngest children Jett and Bunny in mid-July. The images sparked a police probe, but Katie is said to have avoided being questioned so far and even told officers to 'email' her. 'The police have been extremely patient they have made several approaches asking her to talk to them about the matter and been fobbed off repeatedly,' a source told The Sun. Claims: It was also reported that Katie will be given an official police summons for breaking her driving ban, after 'fobbing' off their demands for an interview (pictured in March 2012) 'On one occasion she even asked them to email her. But their patience has worn thin now and the officers involved have begun the formal process of bringing her in for questioning.' The insider added that if she doesn't respond to the summons, she will be in 'serious hot water'. A police spokesman confirmed to the publication: 'A woman who was reported for driving while disqualified has spoken to police, but failed to attend a meeting with officers on September 28 to discuss the matter.' Emily Ratajkowski has posted yet another revealing photo of herself to Instagram. The DKNY model shared a selfie from her Paris hotel room where her body was front and center as she posed in a living room area. The 27-year-old cover girl captioned the image, 'Feeling myself in the Parisian light.' Naughty: Emily Ratajkowski has posted yet another revealing photo of herself to Instagram; she has been in Paris for fashion week She loves to wear very little clothes: The 27-year-old has a habit of posting risque images The star wore a crop top that was pulled up high enough to reveal her underboob as well as her very toned stomach. And the I Feel Pretty actress also had on skimpy briefs. In July she said she does have her insecurities though when she spoke to Pop Sugar. 'The whole idea that I don't feel insecure about my body. That is so crazy to me. I'm a human, and no one out there is perfect. You're not going to love yourself every f***ing day that's too much. I definitely have those issues and deal with it where I look in the mirror and I'm just like, "Oh, God. Not today. Please, not today." Finding a way to kind of get past that and love yourself and give yourself a break. I love that I am imperfect.' She has been in Paris for fashion week. On Thursday she stood out when arriving at Paco Rabanne's Spring/Summer '19 presentation. The beauty turned heads as she arrived at the City of Light's Grand Palais in a yellow crop top, which she teamed with perilously low-slung grey trousers allowing her to proudly show off her toned abs in all their glory. Passion for fashion: Ratajkowski was spotted attending Paco Rabanne's Spring/Summer '19 presentation at Paris Fashion Week on Thursday afternoon Standing tall in a pair of red strappy heels, the brunette beauty wore her locks in long, glossy waves, while she hid her eyes behind a pair of oversized cat eye shades. And while all eyes were on her Paco Rabanne ensemble, her glittering new double diamond ring from husband Sebastian Bear-McClard also battled for attention. Emily's outing comes after she revealed people often criticise her for flaunting her physique, which she says has apparently given the impression that she's vain. 'It's literally just my body... For women, it's such a huge part of our identity,' she told Pop Sugar in July. I'm a human, and no one out there is perfect. You're not going to love yourself every f**king day - that's too much. 'I definitely have those issues and deal with it where I look in the mirror and I'm just like, "Oh, God. Not today. Please, not today." Finding a way to kind of get past that and love yourself and give yourself a break. I love that I am imperfect.' Meanwhile, Emily recently got married to her beau Sebastian Bear-McClard, exchanging vows in a secret City Hall ceremony in New York in February. Cute couple: Emily recently got married to her beau Sebastian Bear-McClard, exchanging vows in a secret City Hall ceremony in New York in February. Pictured in March 2018 The low-key nuptials left fans shocked, coming just weeks after it was speculated that she and long-time boyfriend Jeff Magid split. Aside from her booming modelling career, Emily is also making a name for herself in the world of film and television. Since her breakout role as Andie Fitzgerald in 2014's Gone Girl, Emily has landed quite a handful of acting roles in Hollywood. She's expected to star alongside Lisa Kudrow and YouTube personality Lilly Singh in the upcoming NBC comedy Bright Futures. According to Deadline, Emily will play girl-next-door type Sarah, a woman who can 'just as easily bro out with the guys as she can be the girliest girl.' The pilot is not expected to premiere until 2019. An official release date has yet to be announced by the network. Lindsay Shookus split with Ben Affleck this summer. But the blonde beauty clearly has no issues when it comes to working with his friends as on Saturday night the producer oversaw Matt Damon's appearance on Saturday Night Live where he played Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Shookus was seen after the show in an elegant ensemble looking relaxed. All good: Lindsay Shookus looked elegant on Saturday in New York City when heading to an SNL after party; she is a producer on the show No bad vibes: The New Yorker worked with Matt Damon on a segment for Saturday's SNL Trying to heal: Affleck has served 30 days in rehab; here he is seen this week The beauty had on a black top with a black jacket over her shoulders. A long light pink pleated skirt made the most of her slender frame and light purple mules added even more color. Shookus was walking through an office building as she was on her way to the SNL after party, which Damon was likely attending. Classy: The beauty had on a black top with a black jacket over her shoulders. A long light pink pleated skirt made the most of her slender frame and light purple mules added even more color Since Lindsay split from Ben, he has been dating Playboy model Shauna Sexton. Damon's performance on Saturday is one for the history books. Kavanaugh was portrayed as a 'keg half full guy' as he began his furious testimony. 'I'ma start at an 11, and I'ma take it to a 15 real quick,' he said to the judicial committee. 'I'm not backing down you sons of b****es, I don't know the meaning of the world stop.' Brett Kavanaugh was mocked in the first act of Saturday Night Live's season premiere; here is Matt Damon in the role Kavanaugh's detailed calendars from his high school years were also mocked, with Damon pulling one out to display, before mimicking the judge telling the committee the accusations leveled against him were a political attack. 'Dr. Ford has no evidence, none. Meanwhile, I've got these. I've got these calendars,' he said. 'These beautiful, creepy calendars. 'About lifting weights with P.J. And Squee and donkey Donald Doug. But you don't care about Squee or donkey dong Doug, do you? 'You just want to humiliate me in front of my wife. My parents, and Alyssa freaking Milano.' Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein was seen in the skit, looking incredulous at the SCOTUS nominee's responses Alyssa Milano also made a cameo on the show, with a cardboard cutout of the actress seen popping up behind Kavanaugh and Feinstein Milano did attend the hearing on Thursday. Damon as Kavanaugh referenced the judge's vow that he did not have sex for many years after college, calling himself the 'proudest, drunkest virgin you've ever seen'. The cast did not miss the chance to mock some of the senators on the judicial committee, taking aim at Senator Lindsey Graham. When the floor was yielded to the Republican senator, Graham, played by Kate McKinnon, mocked the senator's support of Kavanaugh. 'I know I'm supposed to shut up because I'm a single white male, 5'10" uncut. But I will not shut up because this is a bunch of c***,' he said. Senator Lindsey Graham, played by Kate McKinnnon, compared Kavanaugh to Bill Cosby and said his performance at the hearing was 'an audition for the Trump cabinet' In the skit, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse asked Kavanaugh in the hearing what some of his yearbook entries meant - when he tried to say they were terms for farting or a drinking game, he responded: 'Judge Kavanaugh, my staff just googled all these terms and they clearly refer to sex' 'This ain't no trial. There ain't no due process. Do you know what this is, judge Kavanaugh? Do you know what this is? 'This is. Hell. That's what that is. It's hell. Is this hell to you, Judge Kavanaugh? It's horrific. And for what? You don't just be Bill Cosby and then suddenly you're not anymore.' 'Okay, you don't have to compare me to Bill Cosby,' Kavanaugh replied. 'No, you are him. Imagine this man in handcuffs like Cosby,' Graham said. 'Put this man on the Supreme Court right now. No votes, no discussion. You give him a god damn robe and you let him do whatever the hell he wants. 'Because this right now, this is my audition for the Trump cabinet.' Now its time to hear from Judge Brett Kavanaugh (Matt Damon). #SNLPremiere pic.twitter.com/dvu1VgJZt5 Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) September 30, 2018 Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, played by Pete Davidson, asked Kavanaugh in the hearing what some of his yearbook entries meant. When he tried to say they were terms for farting or a drinking game, he responded: 'Judge Kavanaugh, my staff just googled all these terms and they clearly refer to sex' 'Well that's impossible because I didn't have sex for many, many, many years,' Kavanaugh replied. 'All I did was drink a lot and not think about having sex at all. I was the proudest, drunkest virgin you've ever seen. 'And everyone can relate to that.' Damon's Kavanugh then raged: 'You think I'm angry, you're damn right I am. But you think I'm angry now, you just wait till I get on that supreme court because then you're all going to pay. Give me a can of water.' On Thursday in the real world, both Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Dr Christine Blasey Ford (left) has accused Kavanaugh (right) of dragging her into a bedroom during a high school party in 1982, pinning her to a bed and covering her mouth while he tried to disrobe her Blasey Ford was the first to testify, speaking to senators of a trauma that had haunted her for more than three decades. Many praised her appearance as 'raw' and 'powerful'. She alleges Kavanaugh dragged her into a bedroom during a high school party in 1982, pinned her to a bed and covered her mouth as she tried to scream, while he tried to disrobe her. Kavanaugh has rejected the allegation, claiming he never sexually assaulted anybody, though admitted to drinking frequently in his youth. When the SCOTUS nominee testified, he was seen yelling, becoming visibly emotional at some of the questions, and suggesting the accusation was a political maneuver. Debra Ramirez (left) has alleged Kavanaugh put his genitals near her face while she was intoxicated at a college dorm party, while Julie Swetnick (right) says Kavanaugh was present when she was drugged and gang raped at a party in 1982 Kavanaugh was eventually granted the judiciary committee's approval, providing a FBI investigation was launched before the full Senate gathered to confirm him as a new member of the bench. The embattled judge is facing multiple accusations of sexual assault, but the President has stood by his man, telling reporters he is a 'great guy', and his testimony, given in defense of the allegations, was 'powerful, honest, and riveting'. Deborah Ramirez has alleged Kavanaugh put his genitals near her face while she was intoxicated at a college dorm party, and Julie Swetnick says Kavanaugh was present when she was drugged and gang raped at a party in 1982. Thursday's Supreme Court nominee hearings were described as a case of 'she said he yelled' during SNL's Weekend Update segment. News anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che ripped into SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh for the bizarre defense he presented when he was questioned about allegations he had sexually assaulted Dr Christine Blasey Ford. At Thursday's hearing Kavanaugh mentioned how often he would drink beer with his friends, and how often he would work out, which Jost thought was counterproductive. 'I got to say, you're not really helping yourself in a drunken assault case when you yell about how much you liked drinking and how strong you were at the time,' he said. She is currently in her home country of Spain supporting her husband Chris Hemsworth during the premiere of his new film Bad Times At El Royale. And Elsa Pataky, 42, has taken to Instagram, on Sunday, to share a sweet selfie of herself with her beau, 35. In the photo, the blonde beauty shows off her collection ofdiamond rings created by Spanish jewellers Rabat, as the Thor actor crouches beside her. Check out that bling! Elsa Pataky has flaunted her diamond rings in a selfie with husband Chris Hemsworth The backdrop shows a hint of the picturesque coastal city of San Sebastian and its historic sandstone buildings. The Fate of the Furious actress captioned her post, 'Bye bye #sansebastianfilmfestival!' along with '#dimondsarethebestgirlsfriends'. Elsa and Chris's selfie comes after her the Marvel star shared the red carpet with his parents Leonie and Craig at the San Sebastian Film Festival, on Saturday. Family affair! Elsa and Chris's selfie comes after her the Marvel star shared the red carpet with his parents Leonie and Craig (pictured left and right, respectively) at the San Sebastian Film Festival, on Saturday Handsome: Cutting a dapper figure in a burgundy suit and navy collared shirt, the actor put on an animated display at the premiere of new film Bad Times at the El Royale Cutting a dapper figure in a burgundy suit and navy collared shirt, the actor couldn't wipe the smile off his face as he posed with his parents. Chris's ever-youthful mother Leonie looked radiant in red as she stunned in a figure-flaunting crimson mini-dress for the occasion. The blonde beauty teamed the outfit with a nude clutch and pumps in a similar shade. Meanwhile, dad Craig looked proud as punch as he rocked a smart grey blazer paired with black slacks. Crowd pleaser: Chris put on an animated display for the premiere of his new film Bad Times at the El Royale, which coincided with the festival's closing night Man of the moment: He took to stage to present the film and reportedly made reference to his Spanish wife Elsa Pataky Chris put on an animated display for the premiere of his new film Bad Times at the El Royale, which coincided with the festival's closing night. Looking every bit the Hollywood A-lister, the father-of-three posed for the cameras and lapped up the attention. Chris later took to stage with the film's producer Drew Goddard to present the movie, reportedly speaking in Spanish and referencing the star's Spanish model wife Elsa Pataky. Bona-fide superstar: Looking every bit the Hollywood A-lister, the father-of-three posed for the cameras and lapped up the attention Chris and his actor brothers Luke, 37, and Liam, 28, are known to be close to their parents. The close-knit family regularly appear on all three of the Hemsworth brothers' Instagram accounts. Fans are often left stunned by how youthful Leonie and Craig look, with many commenters praising the family for their 'good genes'. Not his first rodeo! Chris is a fixture on the red carpet thanks to his roles in Hollywood hits She's been the talk of the town during her appearances at the international Fashion Weeks. And Ashley Benson showcased her chic sense of style as she attended the L'Oreal Paris Fashion Week show in France on Sunday afternoon. The Pretty Little Liars actress, 28, flashed her lean legs as she slipped her envy-inducing frame into a trendy LBD, which featured a sizzling low-cut neckline. Looking good: Ashley Benson showcased her chic sense of style as she attended the L'Oreal Paris Fashion Week show in France on Sunday afternoon Blonde beauty Ashley turned heads during her time at the event as she boosted her frame in a pair of pointed stilettos. Ensuring onlookers focused on her stylish ensemble, the Spring Breakers actress accessorised with small gold earrings and wore her tresses in a straight fashion. The screen star appeared to to take beauty inspiration from Ancient Egypt as she complemented her porcelain complexion with a heavy cat-eye look, paired with heavy strokes of foundation. Wow-factor! The Pretty Little Liars actress, 28, flashed her lean legs as she slipped her envy-inducing frame into a trendy LBD, which featured a sizzling low-cut neckline Working it: Blonde beauty Ashley turned heads during her time at the event as she boosted her frame in a pair of pointed stilettos Ashley's display comes after she made a cosy departure with her rumoured actress girlfriend Cara, 26, from the Balmain show during Paris Fashion Week, in France on Friday. The British model put on an energetic display as she showed off her twerking skills while storming the runway in the heart of the French capital. Rumoured couple Cara and Ashley did nothing to dispel the rumours they are dating when the pair stepped out into the bustling streets of the city of love. Stunning appearance: The screen star appeared to take beauty inspiration from Ancient Egypt as she complemented her porcelain complexion with a heavy cat-eye look All in the details: Ensuring onlookers focused on her stylish ensemble, the Spring Breakers actress accessorised with small gold earrings and wore her tresses in a straight fashion Busy bee: She's been the talk of the town during her appearances at the international Fashion Weeks Ashley's appearance comes after it recently appeared that she had confirmed her relationship with Cara after commenting 'mine' and sharing suggestive emojis under a sultry shot of the catwalk queen at the Toronto Film Festival. However, the screen beauty claimed that her account was hacked, as she shared a snap of herself on Instagram posing at an airport on Tuesday with the caption: 'When you just get off a flight with no WiFi and find out your Instagram got hacked.' Revealing that she already had somebody on the case to deal with the problem, she added: 'Thank god for @remi.franklin fixing it.' Rumours of their romance first began in April after they were spotted holding hands together during a late night in New York. She went through one of the worst summers of her life after her best friend, Paul Burns, tragically passed away aged 37. And Vicky Pattison has exclusively spoke to MailOnline about her pal's, who was known as Mr Newcastle, shock death, her dedication to helping others in need and how her fiance John Noble has supported her over the tough few months. The former Geordie Shore star, 30, candidly spoke to us as she paid a special visit to long-serving volunteer Basil Priest at the Marie Curie Hospice Cardiff and the Vale on Friday. 'Better person': Vicky Pattison has exclusively spoke to MailOnline about her pal's, who was known as Mr Newcastle, shock death, her dedication to helping others in need and how her fiance John Noble has supported her over the tough few months Vicky met the 86-year-old, who has been volunteering since 1987 after his wife passed away, last year after he won Best Volunteer at the Who Cares Wins awards and wanted to congratulate him for his kindness once again. This is just the start of the I'm A Celebrity winner's charity journey and she exclusively revealed to MailOnline that she's trying her best to be a 'good person and help others' after tragically loosing her best friend. She said: 'I've had a tough time and grief has been a huge part of my summer. Im a huge advocate in helping anyone in anyway that I can. Heroes: The former Geordie Shore star, 30, candidly spoke to us as she paid a special visit to long-serving volunteer Basil Priest at the Marie Curie Hospice Cardiff and the Vale on Friday Sweet: Vicky met the 86-year-old, who has been volunteering since 1987 after his wife passed away, last year after he won Best Volunteer at the Who Cares Wins awards and wanted to congratulate him for his kindness once again 'I've just done the Great North Run, I'm actively involved with Marie Curie, and a number of other charities. It is coming up to Alcohol Awareness so I will be doing my bit for that, no doubt. 'I would like to work more with charities who are based helping people grief, mental health, things like that. 'I'm helping out with an upcoming suicide awareness campaign, I really dont want people to suffer on their own. It sounds juvenile and innocent, but I think it's so far-reaching being kind and showing compassion. 'It can help with so much stuff, that's where I am at the moment, trying my hardest to be a good person and help where I can.' Heartbreak: She went through one of the worst summers of her life after her best friend, Paul Burns, tragically passed away aged 37 Vicky went on to reveal that her best friend's shock death gave her a shake up and made her discover what's important to her. She said: 'I have just experienced one of the worst summers of my life and through that loss and pain, and subsequent road to recovery, I have discovered what is important and that's being there for people.' 'It's being honest, its being kind and genuine, helping when you can. So I think I've had a real shake-up this year, what's important and what my priorities are,' she continued. 'You will see me doing a lot of charity work, and still working hard trying to further my career, but youll also see me spending a lot more time with my friends and my family. I have definitely realised what is important in life.' Role model: This is just the start of the I'm A Celebrity winner's charity journey and she exclusively revealed to MailOnline that she's trying her best to be a 'good person and help others' after tragically loosing her best friend (pictured doing the Great North Run) While she added that she wants to get rid of the 'bulls**t' on Instagram and start sharing a real take of life on the social media platform. She said: 'There is so much, sorry about this, bulls**t, out there, there really is. So many people are so fixated with getting the perfect Instagram image and putting across this idyllic, perfect, perspective of their family, relationship or life. It's not real, it's not helping anyone either.' Vicky had to push back her wedding by a year after Paul's shock death and her fiance John Noble's grandparents suddenly passed away. Yet the devastating experience has made the couple 'stronger' after supporting each other and the reality star admitted that she loves him even more after learning more about him. She said: 'John has been an amazing support for me, after our summer, it's been very difficult to enjoy planning a wedding, as you know, it ground to a halt throughout the summer because he lost both his grandparents, I lost a best friend. Husband-to-be: Vicky had to push back her wedding by a year after Paul's shock death and her fiance John Noble's grandparents suddenly passed away Best friend: Yet the devastating experience has made the couple 'stronger' after supporting each other and the reality star admitted that she loves him even more 'Planning a wedding was a no go for me, we just needed to support each other, we tried our hardest to look after each other. 'Now we have started wedding planning and are looking forward to happier times, we are definitely stronger as a couple. 'What's changed? There's a definitely a bit of sadness now that I have lost Paul but I am looking forward to making a recovery from everything, but in the meantime, yeah, we have each other, which is a great support. 'I love him on his good days, thats dead easy, but I love him on the bad days as well, and every day I learn more about him - its not all good, but I love him! 'I love him more so I know its right, being in love, prepared to love them, make sacrifices and things, we are becoming stronger as a couple despite the hard year.' Candid: Vicky also wants to get rid of the 'bulls**t' on Instagram and start sharing a real take of life on the social media platform Yet despite planning their wedding once again, they haven't agreed on a location with John opting for abroad and Vicky wanting to stay home. She joked: 'We did nearly have a row about this. My wedding planner is currently showing us venues both here and abroad. I think it's just a case of let the best man win and let the wedding wars begin!' Talking about surprising Basil at the Marie Curie Hospice Cardiff, Vicky said: 'I met Basil last year at an awards ceremony. I can honestly say, I was captivated, he is just the nicest and kindest man I have ever met in my life. Kindness: Talking about surprising Basil at the Marie Curie Hospice Cardiff, Vicky said: 'I can honestly say, I was captivated, he is just the nicest and kindest man I have ever met in my life.' Compassion: She added: 'If you can offer some compassion, some comfort, some kindness to people in these situations, I just think it's an invaluable thing.' 'He dedicates his time and energy making sure that anyone suffering from long-term illness and their families are as comfortable and cared for as they possibly can. It's a very worthwhile cause so, yeah, I'm very excited.' She added: 'We all know someone who has been affected by cancer or a certain illness. We know family or friends who have been affected. If you can offer some compassion, some comfort, some kindness to people in these situations, I just think it's an invaluable thing. 'The work that Marie Curie do is incredible, so worthwhile, it's through a lot of volunteer work it is possible and people like Basil, out of the kindness of their heart, dedicating their time and energy. It's something close to my heart as it is so far reaching and all-encompassing.' If this article has affected you, you can contact Marie Curie on 0800 090 2309 or visit their website on mariecurie.org.uk/help. She achieved icon status with a scene-stealing performance as Alexis Carrington Colby on the hit 1980s soap opera Dynasty. And Joan Collins, who is back on American TV screens in the new season of American Horror Story, had a night on the town in Los Angeles Saturday. Joan, the sister of late bonkbuster author Jackie Collins, looked nowhere near her 85 years as she stepped out in West Hollywood with her fifth husband Percy Gibson. Drop dead beautiful: Joan Collins, who is back on American TV screens in the new season of American Horror Story, had a night on the town in Los Angeles Saturday The Empire Of The Ants star teamed a simple black cocktail dress with a matching wrap, glittering silver heels and a lavish costume necklace. Her features, which she studiously keeps out of the sunlight as a skincare measure, were accentuated by makeup including a slick of red lipstick. Meanwhile, Percy went for an elegant black suit, a pearl grey dress shirt he wore without a tie, and a snappy purple pocket square. The longest-lasting of her husbands, Percy is more than 30 years younger than Joan, a gap she dismisses in interviews with the line: 'If he dies, he dies.' The world is full of married men: Joan, the sister of late bonkbuster author Jackie Collins, looked nowhere near her 85 years as she stepped out with her fifth husband Percy Gibson Before working with Joan on American Horror Story, Ryan Murphy co-created the show Feud, the first season of which was about Joan's old co-star Bette Davis. Feud: Bette And Joan followed the battle of wills between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, who were played respectively by Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange. Joan Collins played opposite Bette in a 1955 movie called The Virgin Queen, and denounced her as 'quite an ogre' while recalling the experience decades later. Hollywood husbands: The longest-lasting of her spouses, Percy is more than 30 years younger than Joan, a gap she dismisses in interviews with the line: 'If he dies, he dies' Lady boss: The Empire Of The Ants star teamed a simple black cocktail dress with a matching wrap, glittering silver heels and a lavish costume necklace 'Well, Miss Davis is not a great admirer of young, attractive actresses, I have to admit. She was quite intimidating,' Joan told Sue Lawley on Desert Island Discs in 1989. 'She had - this was the second time she played Elizabeth I, and she'd shaved her head, which I thought was wonderfully daring of her. She'd shaved it back about five inches, so that she could wear these red wigs,' said Joan, who once starred in the film adaptation of her sister Jackie's novel The B****. 'And she's quite an ogre, I have to admit, Miss Davis is, but she - she's one of those people who came from a school of hard knocks. She always had to fight. But I think it probably didn't make her as nice a person as she should be.' Thrill: Her features, which she studiously keeps out of the sunlight as a skincare measure, were accentuated by makeup including a slick of red lipstick Her ex-husband 'Hot Felon' Jeremy Meeks has moved on to a billionaire lifestyle with Topshop heiress Chloe Green. And Melissa Meeks was taking the plunge herself, as she stepped out with a male companion in West Hollywood, California, on Saturday night. The 39-year-old mother-of-three showcased her recent make-over after putting her heartbreak behind her, as the pair were spotted at trendy Delilah restaurant. Taking the plunge: Melissa Meeks stepped out with a male companion in West Hollywood, California, on Saturday night The registered nurse - who was married to the convicted felon turned fashion model for ten years - proudly flaunted her cleavage in a sheer top which showed her black bra. She added ripped black jeans and black heels, and a splash of colour with a sexy red shoulder bag. The busty beauty was joined by a tracksuit-clad mystery gentleman, who seemed to choose to sit in the back seats of their luxury ride home. On the town: The busty beauty was joined by a tracksuit-clad mystery gentleman, who seemed to choose to sit in the back seats of their luxury ride home Natural brunette Melissa stepped out with newly blonde locks, which she had unveiled following an extensive makeover. It included eyebrow and eyelash treatments, a cryotherapy session, and even a 'vaginal tightening' performed by a plastic surgeon. She also had her eyebrows microbladed - a treatment favoured by stars such as Madonna and Bella Thorne, which makes the brows look neater and fuller. Melissa's ex Jeremy, 34, with whom she shares 9-year-old son Jeremy Jnr, welcomed son Jayden with new love Chloe at the end of May. New family: Melissa's ex husband Jeremy Meeks and heiress Chloe Green are the parents of baby son Jayden, who was born in May The unlikely couple reportedly met during the Cannes Film Festival in May of last year, where Jeremy was modelling for Phillip Plein. He was still married to Melissa, who had stayed with him throughout his stint in prison and with whom he shares one biological son when he was spotted canooling on a yacht with his now girlfriend. Melissa later told the Daily Mail of her devastation, admitting that her husband had been seduced by the glamour of his newfound modelling career. Picture perfect: Jeremy shared a selfie with son Jeremy Jnr I know it takes two to tango but she knew he was married. To me, thats unforgivable. My whole world has been torn apart by this. What do I tell our children? My heart is broken. What sort of woman would do something like this to another woman? My marriage wasnt perfect but I thought it could be saved, until this happened. Of course Im angry at her. What she did is unforgivable. And Im angry at him too. What they did destroyed my entire world. Moving on: Melissa took to Instagram to show off her sizzling physique last year, as she appeared to be beginning a post break-up body makeover 'Did either of them think about the children and how this will affect them? Theyre the innocent victims in this. And so am I. As well as Jeremy Jr, Melissa is mother to Robert, 12, and 17-year-old daughter, 17-Ellie, from a previous relationship. Jeremy, whose looks have earned him a huge fan base, has dramatically turned his life around since his release from prison. The California native shot to fame in 2014, when the Stockton Police Department posted his mugshot on their website following his arrest for gang activity and a misdemeanour charge of resisting/obstructing justice. The photo promptly went viral, with internet users dubbing him 'the hottest convict ever', and subsequently led to lucrative modelling contracts on his release. Her husband Kanye West hit the headlines for defending President Donald Trump during an off-air speech after performing on Saturday Night Live. And by Sunday during the day, Kim Kardashian was a stunner as she stepped out in New York City with their five-year-old daughter North. Kim, 37, flattered her famous curves in a skintight silver jumpsuit and kept cozy in the northeastern autumn with a denim jacket. Stepping out: On Sunday during the day, Kim Kardashian was a stunner as she stepped out in New York City with her and Kanye West's five-year-old daughter North So sweet: Kim was seen with a stroller that contained her infant daughter Chicago, whom she welcomed into the world this January via surrogacy The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star wore her wavy black hair down and was seen chatting on the phone as she headed along her way. Kim was seen with a stroller that contained her infant daughter Chicago, whom she welcomed into the world this January via surrogacy. The reality TV icon also appeared in an Insta Stories selfie with her 39-year-old sister Kourtney, with whom she has been filming Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Family matters: She married Kanye in Florence in Florence in 2014, and in addition to North they share three-year-old son Saint and infant daughter Chicago Smashing: Kim, 37, flattered her famous curves in a skintight silver jumpsuit and kept cozy in the northeastern autumn with a denim jacket While capturing herself on camera, Kourtney was also joined by the 23-year-old folk singer Harry Hudson, who is a family friend. That day, Kanye posted an Instagram selfie of himself wearing a Make America Great Again Hat, with a caption that doubled down on his support of the president. He wrote: 'this represents good and America becoming whole again. We will no longer outsource to other countries. First-born: Kim held hands with little North as they enjoyed their shopping trip together Like mother, like daughter: Kim and North appeared thrilled to be walking around the shop while cameras followed their every move Oh wow: Kim seemed rather thrilled at all the sights the shop had to offer Making their own style rules: Kim and sister Kourtney looked fashion forward in their very different get-ups Her little love: Kourtney treated Reign to a balloon sword on their day out together And away they go: Reign had a sweet smile on his face as the trip came to a close 'We build factories here in America and create jobs. We will provide jobs for all who are free from prisons as we abolish the 13th amendment. Message sent with love'. The 13th Amendment was an amendment to the United States Constitution, meaning that it was a change to the basic and most important laws that govern the United States. It abolished slavery in the United States, 'except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted....'. On the move: The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star wore her wavy black hair down and was seen chatting on the phone as she headed along her way How her weekend's going: Her husband Kanye hit the headlines for defending President Donald Trump during an off-air speech after performing on Saturday Night Live Advocacy: Kim herself visited the White House this year in a successful bid to get a pardon for Alice Marie Johnson, who had served over 21 years on nonviolent charges Arguably the most prominent theory posed online was that Kanye's critique of the 13th Amendment is centered on a specific clause in the writing which says people who have been convicted of a crime can still be enslaved. Kanye, 41, has switched his name to Ye after his recent album and wore his Make America Great Again hat onstage on this weekend's Saturday Night Live. After his musical performance on the show, Kanye earned boos for a speech in favor of Trump - one that NBC declined to put on air. Pre-Kanye: Her previous marriages were to songwriter Damon Thomas from 2000 to 2004 and then to Kris Humprhies, whom she separated from 72 days after their wedding Talking to Kanye?: Her husband had previously said he would be dropping his new album Yandhi on Saturday night - but by Sunday morning, it had still not materialized Superstar: Saint looked thrilled to be out on the day with his beloved family Up in the air: That day, Kanye posted an Instagram selfie of himself wearing a Make America Great Again Hat, with a caption that doubled down on his support of the president As seen on Chris Rock's Insta Stories, Kanye said of Democrats' history with the black community: 'You know, it's like the plan they did, to take the fathers out the home and promote welfare. Does anybody know about that? That's a Democratic plan.' At another point, he said that 'so many times I talk to, like, a white person about this, and they say: "How could you like Trump? He's racist." Well, if I was concerned about racism I would've moved out of America a long time ago.' The rapper had previously said he would be dropping his new album Yandhi on Saturday night - but by Sunday morning, it had still not materialized. Family time: Later on, Kourtney changed her look to head out with the family, including ex Scott Disick and son Mason Wow thing: Kourtney looked incredible wearing a crop top with wide leg pinstripe trousers Former flame: Scott looked incredibly well-groomed, wearing a khaki sweater, jeans and trainers Kanye caused a huge stir earlier this year for tweeting in support of Trump, as well as for going on TMZ Live and theorizing slavery had been 'a choice.' Kim herself visited the White House this year in a successful bid to get a pardon for Alice Marie Johnson, who had served over 21 years on nonviolent charges. She married Kanye in Florence in Florence in 2014, and in addition to North they share three-year-old son Saint and infant daughter Chicago. Her previous marriages were to songwriter Damon Thomas from 2000 to 2004 and then to Kris Humprhies, whom she separated from 72 days after their wedding. Family time: The reality TV icon also appeared in an Insta Stories selfie with her 39-year-old sister Kourtney, with whom she has been filming Keeping Up With The Kardashians Company: While capturing herself on camera, Kourtney was also joined by the 23-year-old folk singer Harry Hudson, who is a family friend Snap: Kourtney and Harry were captured in this full-length mirror selfie taken by the reality star as her daughter Penelope walked past City look: Kourtney looked sleek in a white unbuttoned shirt over a black top and white jeans as she carried son Reign in her arms Checking out what's in store: Kourtney looked like she meant business as she perused the rails Calling it a day: On Saturday night, Kourtney and Penelope were seen arriving back at their hotel hand in hand. The mom-of-three wore black leather flares and a white ribbed crop top Precious cargo: Her baby daddy Scott Disick was also snapped carrying the couple's youngest, three-year-old son Reign Australia is urging a peaceful resolution to presidential elections in the Maldives after the opposition claimed victory following a high voter turnout. Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne said the peaceful day of polling was testament to the democratic spirit of the people of Maldives. President Abdulla Yameen has conceded defeat after provisional results indicated opposition candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had won the election. "It is vital that events proceed peacefully and that the outcome respects the expressed will of the Maldives people," Senator Payne said on Tuesday. "Australia congratulates Mr Solih on his victory and we look forward to working with him." Labor's foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong said the Maldives election was a welcome reminder of the power and importance of democracy. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has no intention of jetting off to the White House any time soon. Mr Morrison on Tuesday welcomed news Donald Trump was making significant progress with North Korea and was planning a second meeting with Kim Jong-un. "To quote the president on so many other issues, let's just see what happens," the prime minister told Sky News. "I commend his efforts and I'm looking forward to catching up with him later in the year." Mr Morrison is due to meet the US president at the G20 summit in Argentina in late November. He will cross paths with Vice President Mike Pence at several international leaders' meetings before that. Mr Morrison, who first spoke to Donald Trump just days after becoming prime minister last month, isn't itching to visit Washington. "I have no immediate plans, no, I've got plenty to do just here," he said. "There's a lot to do here and I'm 100 per cent focused on right here." Australia's new Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne has admitted she has received a few "where's Julie?" questions since arriving at the United Nations in New York. Julie Bishop was a familiar face at the UN during her five years as foreign minister, but after the recent leadership spill in Canberra she stepped down and former defence minister Ms Payne took up the role as Australia's top diplomat. Ms Payne is leading the Australian delegation at this week's annual UN General Assembly attended by 130 world leaders including US President Donald Trump. Ms Payne said she explained to other delegations that political turmoil in Canberra was a "fact off life". "Indeed," Ms Payne told reporters on Monday when asked if other delegations had asked where Ms Bishop was. "Well, happily I'm a less familiar, but nevertheless familiar face having spent three years as Australia's defence minister. "A lot of people with whom I worked with over that time are here in various roles this week and I have had the chance to renew some of those relationships and hopefully reinforce to them we have a consistency of approach, a consistency of foreign policy and I'm getting on with the job." Ms Payne had bilateral meetings with UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, India's Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday. She described the Chinese meeting as "very productive and constructive", but declined to go into specifics, describing it as confidential. "Without going into the details I think I reinforced the strength we both bring to the table as proud sovereign nations who will always pursue our own interests and protect our national interests, but nevertheless absolutely have the capability to work together constructively and I think that was a message well received," Ms Payne said. A search is continuing for a low-security prisoner in Adelaide who has escaped from a pre-release work program. Shane Gauci was serving a five-year sentence for property and theft offences when he failed to return to a Department of Corrections bus after it stopped at a service station on Monday. Police have urged anyone who sees the 41-year-old not to approach him. He's described as about 180cm tall, clean shaven with brown hair and was wearing a blue T-shirt, khaki pants and black boots. Gazal Corporation is in preliminary discussions with the global owner of the Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein brands over a deal that could take the ASX-listed clothing firm private. Gazal said in a statement to market that it was in talks with PVH over a deal but that "the discussions are at the very earliest stages". Gazal has operated Van Heusen clothing in Australia for over 30 years under license from PVH, the US firm with whom it co-owns PVH Brands Australia, a joint venture that also owns local distribution rights to powerhouse brands including Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein. Australia Day has nothing to do with Captain James Cook landing in Sydney, no matter what politicians might say. Deputy Nationals leader Bridget McKenzie was arguing for Australia Day to stay on January 26 when she put her foot in it. "That is when the course of our nation changed forever. When Captain Cook stepped ashore," Senator McKenzie told Sky News on Tuesday. "And from then on, we've built an incredibly successful society, best multicultural society in the world." Actually, Australia Day marks the arrival of the First Fleet in January 1788, which was commanded by Captain Arthur Phillip. Captain Cook had been dead for nine years at that point. The English explorer and navigator first set foot in Botany Bay on April 29, 1770, about 18 years before the First Fleet landed at Sydney Cove. But Senator McKenzie isn't alone in the misconception. Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young earlier this year sent out a statement attacking the government for funding a Captain Cook monument. "Despite an important national debate about changing the date of Australia Day away from Captain Cook's landing at Botany Bay, the government has decided to spend taxpayer money it is stripping from the ABC on yet another monument to Captain Cook on the land of the Dharawal people," her statement read. A spokeswoman later said the senator had not read the statement before it was sent out. Australia Day has been held on various dates throughout the 20th century, but in 1994 it was celebrated as a national holiday for the first time. Prime Minister Scott Morrison is calling for another day to recognise indigenous Australians, many of whom recognise January 26 as Invasion Day. Batons with metal spikes, grabbers that electrocute people, and electric shock belts are in the sights of a global alliance trying to ban instruments of torture. Australia is one-of-five countries to newly join the Alliance for Torture-Free Trade, which is trying to get the United Nations to ban the sale of the products. At the UN Leaders Week meeting in New York, Foreign Minister Marise Payne joined the 60-country alliance in its push to end the torture trade. "We've come together with one voice to say that we will not stand for this trade - not in our countries, or anywhere else in the world," European Union trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said on Tuesday. The alliance wants to ban batons with metal spikes, electric shock belts, grabbers that seize people while electrocuting them, chemicals used for executions, as well as gas chambers and electric chairs. Australia, New Zealand, Cape Verde, Palau and Vanuatu were the five new countries to join the alliance this week. A series of international experts revealed torture is carried out daily with goods manufactured and then bought and sold internationally in a lucrative trade. In recent years, EU export bans on torture and execution equipment have made the trade more difficult. But torture traffickers have found ways around bans, leading the alliance to push for a UN-wide crackdown. A man drove into almost 20 pedestrians at a busy intersection in Melbourne's CBD before saying "Allahu Akbar" as he was arrested by an off-duty policeman, a court has been told. Saeed Noori, 33, allegedly drove his mother's Suzuki SUV into pedestrians outside Flinders Street Station on December 21 last year, including hitting one elderly man who later died. Noori is facing a Melbourne Magistrates Court committal hearing on multiple counts of attempted murder and prosecutors revealed on Tuesday that images of car attacks in London, Barcelona and Charlottesville were found on his computer. High profile Queensland horse trainer Rob Heathcote is calling on the Palaszczuk government to guarantee the money from its new gambling tax is directed back into racing. Labor's 15 per cent point-of-sale tax is due to take effect from October 1, however Queensland racing figures are worried the tax will hit the industry hard. Mr Heathcote says the extra tax money should be used to increase prize money to match the purses on offer in NSW and Victoria, as well as on infrastructure, with Brisbane's Eagle Farm racecourse still yet to come online after being out of action since 2014 with track problems Cameron Munster insists he and Melbourne's next generation of stars are ready to step up and take the club forward as Cameron Smith contemplates his NRL future. Smith admitted last Friday he could consider retiring alongside Billy Slater - both born on the same day in Queensland in June 1983 - if the Storm become the first team to win back-to-back premierships in the NRL-era by beating the Sydney Roosters in the grand final.. If that was to be the case, it would come as a shattering blow to the Storm who would see Cooper Cronk, Slater and Smith all exit AAMI Park in the space of 12 months. "We obviously had the big three ... (so) if we lost both of them this year it would be a huge blow for us," Munster said. "But in saying that we've got some great young depth coming through. "We've got Brandon Smith playing hooker. He's an enthusiastic little bloke when he comes on the field and brings a lot of energy. "And we've got Brodie Croft ... He's come in and helped himself out and worked on some things he's needed to work. "I guess us young blokes have got to step up. "Even me and Jesse (Bromwich) and some of the leadership boys have got to fill the gap for them two boys if they hang the boots up." Munster, 24, has shown signs of being able to lead the Storm into the future and has arguably been their best player this season - leading the club for try assists and linebreak assists and having also busted through 65 tackles. Melbourne players are split on where Smith's future lies after the off-contract 35-year-old said it was also still his intention to play on next year in last week's puzzling press conference. Munster said he could understand why Smith could make the decision to walk away, after what would be a record 384-game career in which he has achieved virtually everything possible. "If we do end up winning on Sunday it will probably be a good note to go out on but in saying that he's still got a massive achievement of making 400 games," Munster said. "He doesn't want to go on too far. He doesn't know if he'll get another opportunity. "If we win this year, hopefully, it would be great to go out on it to be honest." Meanwhile, fellow retiring Storm player Ryan Hoffman said Smith hadn't spoken to him about stepping away. "I just think the question was posed to him ... I don't think he is seriously contemplating it but that's just me personally," he said. "I just think he still wants to play." Ambitious young Australian scientists look out - the European Union wants to hear your riskiest, most ground-breaking research ideas. The European Research Council has opened up one of its funding streams to allow Australian scientists to apply as part of international teams. It is also negotiating to make Australia an associated nation for EU research purposes, opening up even more opportunities for Australian scientists to work and collaborate around the globe. ERC president Jean-Pierre Bourguignon says the money available is good but the process is highly competitive. "People know to be successful at the ERC, if you're not coming with something ambitious then you have no chance," he told AAP. "You really have to come with something which has the potential of being ground-breaking." Australian scientists can now be part of teams applying for the grants, which close in November. Professor Bourguignon says it is more likely the ERC will see applications from Australians in 2019, once they've had more time to prepare. He said the majority of funding went to scientists early on in their careers. "Two-thirds of our money goes to people typically below 40 years of age," he said. "You don't have to wait until you are with white hair like me to apply. "We really want to push the young people to really come up with their really most ambitious ideas." The EU is the world's largest investor in research and science, with the Horizon 2020 program funded to provide $120 billion over seven years. Australia has strong links to Horizon 2020 with more than 180 researchers working with Europeans as part of the program. Horizon 2020 funds projects including the Copernicus satellite program, which provides unprecedented coverage to monitor drought conditions, the growth of the Great Barrier Reef, and track natural disasters such as Cyclone Debbie. Prof Bourguignon said the current free trade deal negotiations between the EU and Australia were separate to the research discussions, but he hoped the "flow" of goodwill between the two parties would help smooth the path. When Martha Ojulo fled South Sudan for a better life in Australia, she believed her children would be safe from the horrors they had left behind. Instead, her son Liep Gony was murdered in southeast Melbourne and it's taken 11 years for the grieving mother to speak out - on the eve of his killers' prison release. "Things just spiralled out of control for those 11 years," she told AAP through a translator on Tuesday. Mr Gony, 18, died in hospital in 2007 after two Caucasian youths Clinton David Rintoull and Dylan Giuseppe Sabatino attacked him, causing head injuries. He was left to die in Noble Park. Rintoull and Sabatino were jailed for 20 years and 10 years respectively. "My son is gone because someone wanted to kill blacks," she said. "And now I have to live with the fact that my son is gone forever. "They (his killers) will both have the opportunity to restart their lives, move on." Ms Ojulo was at home when she got the call her injured son had been found at the train station and rushed to his aid, flanked by his brother, sister and cousin. "I jumped on him trying to hug him or touch him, and his brother was trying to get to him," she said. "One of us (was) being thrown a jacket covered in blood. I could see my youngest daughter and niece vomiting because there was just blood everywhere, and the smell." The loving mother thought no harm could reach her family in Australia, but that all changed. Ms Ojula's husband was tortured in South Sudan. She fled with the six children to a refugee camp and lost a child in a house fire before getting the others and her mother to Australia in 1999. She joined them in 2003 after spending more time in a refugee camp. She said the media and politicians complained about African gangs more frequently since her son's death and worried someone would die again, if such talk continued. "If you bring someone into your family you help them rather than casting them out," she said of how immigrants to Australia should be treated. Her concerns come after a spate of incidents in Melbourne involving African-Australian youths, with some groups claiming the city was in the grip of a gang crisis. A memorial walk will be held in Melbourne on Wednesday on the 11th anniversary of Mr Gony's attack, and his death a day later. Palestinians protest as Israeli forces fire tear gas near the Israeli fence east of Gaza City on September 21, 2018 A Palestinian was killed by Israeli fire in new clashes along the Gaza border on Friday, the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory said. A spokesman for the ministry told AFP that Karim Mohammed Kallab, 25, died after being shot in the stomach during protests east of Gaza City. More than 300 other people were wounded, including 54 who were shot with live ammunition, spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said. Palestinians have been demonstrating along the border for months in often violent protests that have seen at least 185 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since March 30. One Israeli soldier has been killed by a Palestinian sniper. AFP correspondents said Friday's clashes were more ferocious than in recent weeks. The Israeli army said more than 10,000 people had gathered in several locations along the border on Friday evening. "The rioters are hurling grenades and explosive devices, burning tires and hurling rocks at (Israeli) troops and the security fence," it said. It added that its forces were responding with live fire "in accordance with standard operating procedures". Ultra-Orthodox Jews demonstrate against construction work on a tramway during the Sabbath, on the outskirts of the Israeli city of Bnei Brak near Tel Aviv on September 21, 2018 Several thousand ultra-orthodox Jewish Israelis demonstrated near the coastal city of Tel Aviv on Friday against construction work on a tramway during the Jewish Sabbath. Protesters gathered quietly in Bnei Brak, an ultra-religious city on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, Israel's commercial capital, an AFP journalist said. They were protesting against a court ruling this week which authorised the company building the tramway to work in the neighbourhood during the Sabbath. Ultra-Orthodox Jews believe it is forbidden to work, drive or use electricity between dusk on Friday and dusk on Saturday. Respect for the Sabbath -- a key issue for ultra-Orthodox parties which advocate a strict application of Jewish law -- has been a contentious issue within the government since its formation in 2015. Around a fifth of deputies in Israel's ruling coalition, seen as the most right-wing administration in the country's history, come from the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Tora Judaism parties. According to the Times, Rosenstein was unhappy about being "used" by Trump in the firing of Comey, as well as concerned about other turmoil in the White House under the new president US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein denied Friday a report that he had suggested looking for ways to remove Donald Trump on grounds of mental fitness, just months after the president took office. Rosenstein said that The New York Times report -- which alleged that he also proposed around early May 2017 that cabinet members record Trump for evidence of his mental fitness -- as "inaccurate and factually incorrect." Rosenstein and the Justice Department did not deny the remarks themselves, but suggested they had been made jokingly. They were apparently made in the presence of other senior Justice Department officials only weeks after Rosenstein took office on April 29, 2017. According to the Times, Rosenstein made them just after Trump used a memo he wrote to fire FBI Director James Comey, who the US president was angry with over the investigation into alleged collusion by members of Trump's election campaign with Russia. According to the Times, Rosenstein was unhappy about being "used" by Trump in the firing of Comey, as well as concerned about other turmoil in the White House under the new president. He allegedly suggested invoking the US Constitution's 25th amendment, which provides for removing a president if they are judged unfit for office, and also recruiting top cabinet officials or Trump aides to record the president for proof. "The New York Times's story is inaccurate and factually incorrect," Rosenstein said in a statement. "I will not further comment on a story based on anonymous sources who are obviously biased against the department and are advancing their own personal agenda," he said. "But let me be clear about this: Based on my personal dealings with the president, there is no basis to invoke the 25th Amendment." The report, which appeared to be based in part on memos from Comey's interim successor Andrew McCabe, came as Special Counsel Robert Mueller -- who Rosenstein named to run the Russia collusion investigation on May 17, 2017 -- increasingly poses a threat to the White House and Trump himself. Trump has called the Mueller probe a witch hunt and attacked both Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions for not shutting it down. The Justice Department released a comment from a former senior department official who was "in the room" at the time Rosenstein raised the issues that stressed it was done as a joke. "The statement was sarcastic and was never discussed with any intention of recording a conversation with the president," the former official said. "Why didn't someone call the FBI 36 years ago?" President Donald Trump tweeted, referring to California professor Christine Blasey Ford's charge that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh groped her in the 1980s President Donald Trump's outburst demanding to know why a university academic accusing his Supreme Court nominee of sexual assault in the 1980s failed to come forward sooner, saw a new #MeToo era hashtag storm the internet Friday. #WhyIDidntReport was the top trending conversation starter on Twitter in the United States, as people, mostly women, vented outrage over past sexual transgressions and to stand in solidarity with Christine Blasey Ford, the Californian professor who took decades to accuse Brett Kavanaugh of groping her when they were teens. By mid-afternoon East Coast time, tens of thousands of tweets had been posted to the microblogging platform as users explained why they had not reported occasions on which they too had been sexually assaulted in the past. "I was sexually assaulted twice. Once when I was a teenager. I never filed a police report and it took me 30 years to tell me parents," tweeted actress Alyssa Milano. "The first time it happened, I was 7. I told the first adults I came upon. They said 'Oh, he's a nice old man, that's not what he meant,'" tweeted activist Ashley Judd, one of dozens of women who accused Harvey Weinstein of harassment. "So when I was raped at 15, I only told my diary. When an adult read it, she accused me of having sex with an adult man," she added. Friday's hashtag is the latest echo of the #MeToo movement, which was itself started by a hashtag, encouraging victims of sexual misconduct to speak out following the allegations that have toppled Weinstein and other powerful men. On Friday Trump abandoned any restraint over Blasey Ford as he demanded that the Republican-controlled Senate get on with confirming Kavanaugh -- and so tilt the highest US judicial body further to the right before November's crucial mid-term elections. "Why didn't someone call the FBI 36 years ago?" the president tweeted. "I have no doubt that, if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with local Law Enforcement Authorities by either her or her loving parents," he added. The UN, along with the US and its Western allies, have accused Myanmar's military of waging a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Muslim Rohingya The United States said Monday it had found evidence of systematic violence by Myanmar's military against the Rohingya minority, including widespread killings and rape. The State Department released the report just as the United States announced $185 million in new funding for Rohingya refugees during a meeting at the United Nations on Myanmar. The State Department study, based on interviews in April with 1,024 Rohingya adults who have taken refuge in neighboring Bangladesh, provided accounts consistent with reports from human rights groups but kept largely to dispassionate descriptions of events. The report notably did not use the terms genocide or ethnic cleansing to describe the mass killings of the Rohingya, a mostly Muslim group concentrated in Rakhine state that is despised by many in Buddhist-majority Myanmar and who are not considered citizens. "The survey reveals that the recent violence in northern Rakhine State was extreme, large-scale, widespread and seemingly geared toward both terrorizing the population and driving out the Rohingya residents," said the report by the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research. "The scope and scale of the military's operations indicate they were well-planned and coordinated," it said. "In some areas, perpetrators used tactics that resulted in mass casualties, for example, locking people in houses to burn them, fencing off entire villages before shooting into the crowd or sinking boats full of hundreds of fleeing Rohingya." - Most see killings, rape - The report said that 82 percent of the interviewed refugees personally witnessed killings, with 51 percent also reporting sexual violence. The State Department said that witnesses hailing from multiple villages reported similar rapes, in which military men would force all the women to leave their homes. "They would then choose a smaller number of women -- often four or five, but some refugees reported up to 20 -- whom as many 15 soldiers would then take to fields, forests, houses, schools, mosques or latrines to gang rape," it said. "Many victims were reportedly killed afterward, though not in all cases," it said, adding that soldiers in some cases would go door to door to find the "'prettiest' girls" to gang-rape. In an overwhelming 88 percent of cases, the witnesses said that the military was behind atrocities. Few said they saw attacks against them by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), the Islamic militant group whose assaults on military posts in October 2016 triggered the crackdown. The violence in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, was unleashed soon after the country transitioned to democracy, undermining what Western governments had hailed as a triumph of engagement. The campaign against the Rohingya has especially tarnished the reputation of Aung San Suu Kyi, the long-detained democracy advocate and Nobel laureate who has been reticent in addressing the violence. - Help for refugees - More than 700,000 Rohingya took refuge in Bangladesh, fearful of returning to Myanmar despite a repatriation deal between the two countries. Meanwhile, Britain hosted a meeting of about a dozen foreign ministers that was also attended by Myanmar's state counselor Kyaw Tint Swe and International Cooperation Minister Kyaw Tin, although Suu Kyi did not come to New York. Fresh from a visit to Myanmar, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned that military leaders must answer for any atrocities committed against the Rohingya, a foreign office spokesperson said. "If, in a year's time, we have not made a meaningful difference to the lives of the million or more people affected, then we have failed as an international community," Hunt told the closed meeting, according to the spokesperson. US Ambassador Nikki Haley announced the $185 million for food, water, health care and other critical aid to the refugees, even as the United States dramatically scales back its admission of refugees. Myanmar's army chief Min Aung Hlaing was recently quoted in a newspaper as telling his troops that no country, organization or group has the "right to interfere in and make decision over sovereignty of a country." 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But if North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un has seen his standing with the US president transformed in the 12 months since Trump's United Nations debut, the prospects of Hassan Rouhani undergoing a similar transformation appear far from clear. In his debut speech before the UN General Assembly last September, Trump gave an initial airing to his "maximum pressure" philosophy as he railed both against Iran and North Korea. But Kim, derided a year ago by Trump as "a little rocket man" who was on a "suicide mission" is now being hailed as a "terrific" leader by the US president after their historic summit in Singapore in June. A second get-together could be announced shortly. According to one senior European diplomat, the Trump administration is convinced that its tough talk -- allied with a massive program of sanctions -- forced the North Korean leadership to change course, even if doubts remain about how many concrete measures the North has actually taken towards ending its nuclear program. The Trump administration therefore plans to "do the same thing with Iran: hit hard and then negotiate from a position of strength", the diplomat added. Much to the dismay of Washington's Western allies, Trump slammed the door in May on a deal that the US and European powers brokered with Iran back in 2015 that allowed for a lifting of sanctions in exchange for restrictions on Tehran's nuclear program. With the Iranian economy showing increasing signs of strain, the Trump administration is hoping that Tehran will have no option if it wants to survive and return to the negotiating table. But Kim, derided a year ago by Trump as "a little rocket man" who was on a "suicide mission" is now being hailed as a "terrific" leader by the US president after their historic summit in Singapore in June Behnam Ben Taleblu of the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, whose organization is known for its hardline stance towards the regimes in both Pyongyang and Tehran, said there were clear parallels. "It's hard not to mention Iran and North Korea in the same breath when talking about rogue regimes and nuclear non-proliferation," he told AFP. "I believe that a 'maximum pressure' strategy towards both regimes is wise and warranted, but it will be challenging to conduct," added Ben Taleblu. While both regimes have been accused of trying to develop nuclear weapons, Washington's complaints against Iran are more extensive -- encouraged by its Sunni Arab allies who have long been hostile towards the mainly Shiite regime in Tehran. - Changing behavior - While US hardliners reject the president's reputation as a moderate, the Iranian government -- with Hassan Rouhani resoundingly re-elected last year on a platform of better relations with the world -- is far more multifaceted than North Korea Various administration officials have accused Tehran of destabilizing large parts of the Middle East by becoming directly or indirectly involved through proxy militias in the conflicts in countries such as Syria, Yemen and Iraq. "What we expect from Iran is massive changes in their behavior. And until that happens, we will continue to exert what the president has called 'maximum pressure,'" Trump's national security advisor John Bolton told reporters in New York on Monday. While Trump has not totally ruled out meeting with Rouhani on the sidelines of the General Assembly, the Iranian president appears in no mood to meet his US counterpart and rejects any comparison with the situation with North Korea. "The North Korean model cannot be a correct model, because we cannot draw such comparisons," Rouhani, who is to make his own address to the General Assembly on Tuesday, told the NBC network. While US hardliners reject the president's reputation as a moderate, the Iranian government -- with Rouhani resoundingly re-elected last year on a platform of better relations with the world -- is far more multifaceted than North Korea where Kim's family has ruled with an iron fist for more than a half-century. Thomas Countryman, who served in the State Department under Trump's predecessor Barack Obama, said that one of the reasons why Trump's strategy appears doomed to fail with Iran is that he has failed to work with key allies such as fellow members of the Security Council and has been instead too heavily guided by Tehran's enemies. "The campaign of pressure against Iran is driven in part by Middle Eastern friends of the Trump administration who wish to draw the US into an active confrontation with Iran," said Countryman who now heads the Arms Control Association pressure group. "The US is burning up its traditional credibility on the Security Council," he added. New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern holds her daughter Neve Te Aroha Ardern Gayford at the United Nations assembly hall in New York New Zealand's prime minister, who shot to international fame for giving birth while in office, turned heads Monday by bringing her three-month-old daughter into the UN assembly hall. Jacinda Ardern, 38, is only the second world leader to ever give birth while in the office. The first was the late Benazir Bhutto, who was prime minister of Pakistan when her daughter was born in 1990. The premier was photographed kissing and bouncing up and down daughter Neve in the main assembly hall next to partner Clarke Gayford, at a plenary meeting known as the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit, which she also addressed. Gayford, who is a television fishing show host and who plans to be the main caregiver for their daughter, tweeted a picture of the infant's UN diplomatic photo ID that classified her as "New Zealand first baby". "I wish I could have captured the startled look on a Japanese delegation inside UN yesterday who walked into a meeting room in the middle of a nappy change. Great yarn for her 21st," he wrote. Ardern became prime minister in October just three months after taking charge of the Labour Party as it languished in the polls. She returned to work last month after a six-week maternity leave. She had already announced that they would travel as a family to the United Nations in New York, where she will address the General Assembly. Earlier on Monday, she spoke at the launch of the annual "Climate Week" event. Pregnancy, motherhood and her coalition government have turned her into a poster child for feminism against the backdrop of the #MeToo movement in the United States, where she is taking part in a series of media appearances. "It felt at the time on par I have to say!" she joked on The Today Show, the flagship morning program on NBC News, when asked what was harder -- taking a three-month-old on a 17-hour flight or running the country. Two decades ago, te reo Maori was widely regarded as a dying language Beneath the carved timber roof of a traditional "marae" meeting house at Wellington High School, dozens of students watch entranced as a play performed entirely in the Maori language unfolds. Many only understand a smattering of the indigenous language, but pick up emotional cues from the performers. Some audience members are close to tears as the production in the New Zealand capital ends. It is a scene that actor Eds Eramiha says would have been difficult to imagine as recently as two decades ago, when te reo Maori was widely regarded as a dying language not worth teaching. "Attitudes have changed immensely," he said. "When I was at school, te reo Maori wasn't held in high value, it wasn't spoken, it wasn't as freely available as it is to our kids today." Te reo was banned in schools for much of the 20th century which, combined with the urbanisation of rural Maori, meant that by the 1980s, only 20 percent of indigenous New Zealanders were fluent in the language. The language is enjoying a surge in popularity among Kiwis embracing their nation's indigenous culture That number was virtually unchanged by 2013, when census figures showed that just 21.3 percent of the Maori population could converse in te reo. An official report published in 2010 warned the language was on the verge of extinction. "Te reo Maori is approaching crisis point," it said, with older native speakers "simply not being replaced" as they passed away. The contrast with New Zealand today is striking. The language is enjoying a surge in popularity among Kiwis -- Maori or otherwise -- embracing their South Pacific nation's indigenous culture. Te reo courses are booked out at community colleges, while bands, poets and rappers perform using the language. Te reo words such as 'kai' (food), 'ka pai' (congratulations), 'whanau' (family), and 'mana' (prestige) have entered everyday usage. Even the way Kiwis define themselves has taken on a te reo tone, with an increasing number preferring to use 'Aotearoa' rather than New Zealand. - 'More than a language' - Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is a passionate champion of the language, saying one of her great regrets is not being able to converse fluently in it. Te reo words have entered everyday usage "We have a guardianship role, a duty of care to te reo Maori," she said this month. "It's our job to nurture it because it's about more than a language." Ardern chose to give her daughter Neve a Maori middle name 'Te Aroha' ('the love') when she was born in June. Her government has set a target of having one million fluent te reo speakers by 2040. With the Maori comprising only about 15 percent of New Zealand's 4.5 million population, that would mean many non-Maori adopting the language. It is a prospect that excites Charles Royal, a Maori academic and storyteller at the national museum Te Papa (Our Place). "We've never had so many te reo speakers as we have now," he said. "What te reo enables me to do is articulate who I am in a very particular way...as a New Zealander," he added. Academic Charles Royal says the earlier rejection of te reo stemmed from a sense of inferiority "It's the vehicle by which humanity first gained a voice in this part of the world." Royal said the earlier rejection of te reo stemmed from a sense of inferiority and a mistaken belief that European history was more important that that of New Zealand. But he said Kiwis now felt more positive about their place in the world and the rising popularity of te reo was an expression of this confidence. - 'Flies off my tongue' - As an actor, Eramiha observes that te reo "flies off my tongue a bit better (than English), the flow's different". Actor Eds Eramiha says he has confidence in the language's future Head teacher Angela Fieldes has noticed a similar phenomenon among toddlers exposed to te reo at the Wellington child care centre she helps run. "They pick it up really, really quickly, so it just becomes part of their day," she said after the children performed a 'waiata' (song), reciting Maori colours, numbers and vowels. "They love the singing and I think a big part of learning te reo is that it's so rich in the way you can use song." Royal said there were still New Zealanders who maintained Maori culture was not valuable, but they were an ageing minority. He said the fact that so many non-Maori, including 'pakeha' (New Zealanders of European descent) wanted to learn te reo was "absolutely fantastic". "It makes me feel proud to be Maori, it's an act of generosity on both sides," he said. Eramiha echoes the sentiment, saying the passion for the language has been evident as his Taki Rua theatre troupe performs in te reo across the country. He expressed confidence in the language's future, saying: "People from other cultures come up to me after our shows and say 'can you teach me how to say hello?'. "It's a treasure for us to be able to pass it on and a great gift to see other people wanting to learn it. It's amazing." Thousands have turned up in recent years for Singapore's annual Pink Dot gay rights rally One of Singapore's most influential diplomats called Tuesday for the repeal of a law criminalising sex between men, saying it was time for the modern city-state to abandon the "antiquated" legislation. The Indian Supreme Court's decision earlier this month to decriminalise homosexual sex has sparked fresh debate in Singapore, and a new legal challenge has been lodged against the city's anti-gay sex law. Sex between men remains illegal in Singapore under "Section 377A" of the penal code, inherited from the British colonial era, although it is rarely enforced. Tommy Koh, a veteran diplomat and former ambassador to the United Nations and the US, wrote in a column for the pro-government newspaper The Straits Times that the statute should be abandoned. "Section 377A is an antiquated law, not supported by science, and should be repealed," said Koh, an international law expert and ambassador at large in the foreign ministry. The 80-year-old said Singapore is one of a minority of countries that still outlaw sodomy because the law was inherited from the old British penal code. "For a country which embraces science and technology, it is surprising that, on this one aspect, the law has not been updated in light of the scientific evidence," he said. Koh said the World Health Organization had removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders, and while religious leaders consider sodomy a sin it should not be a crime. The last time a challenge was brought against the law was in 2014 but the city-state's appeals court dismissed it, saying it was up to parliament to repeal the law. Singaporean DJ Johnson Ong lodged a new challenge earlier this month. Lawyers for Ong, known as DJ Big Kid, said they will seek to show the ban runs counter to the constitution's guarantee of personal liberty. While affluent Singapore boasts a modern and vibrant culture, official attitudes toward homosexuality remain conservative. But public support for gay rights has been growing, with thousands turning up in recent years for Singapore's annual Pink Dot gay rights rally. Kevin Systrom (pictured) and Mike Krieger have resigned from their posts as chief executive and chief technology officer respectively, not giving reasons and saying they planned to take time off, according to the Times Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger are leaving the photo-sharing app bought by Facebook six years ago, they said late Monday, leaving the parent company with a fresh test as it works to quell mounting turmoil. "Mike and I are grateful for the last eight years at Instagram and six years with the Facebook team," Systrom said in a statement, following a report on the departure in The New York Times. "We're planning on taking some time off to explore our curiosity and creativity again." Systrom, 34, created the app in 2010 with 32-year-old Krieger, now the outgoing "chief technical officer," when they were students at Stanford University in the heart of Silicon Valley. Systrom's fortune is valued at $1.4 billion by Forbes. "Building new things requires that we step back, understand what inspires us and match that with what the world needs; that's what we plan to do," the statement said -- though several US media outlets attributed the split to a disagreement with executives at Facebook. "We're now ready for our next chapter," the statement continued. Instagram in June announced it passed a billion active users, and unveiled a new long-form video feature in a bid to attract "creators" like those on YouTube. It became the fourth Facebook platform to eclipse the billion-user mark, including the namesake social network with more than two billion users, and the messaging applications WhatsApp and Messenger. Facebook acquired Instagram in April 2012 for a combination of cash and stock worth some $1 billion at the time. - Questions of autonomy - Instagram has been a hit with young internet users, an audience that Facebook is keen to keep in its fold. The Instagram co-founders have reportedly "clashed" with Facebook leadership over the photo-sharing service's "autonomy" within the company, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing people close to the matter. The departures come as Facebook grapples with the worst crisis in its history, vilified for not more zealously guarding information users share at the leading online social network. Many see Facebook as a top vehicle for spreading false information in recent years, and of being used by nefarious interests out to sway the results of the elections such as the one that put President Donald Trump in the White House. The Cambridge Analytica public relations disaster -- in which Facebook admitted that up to 87 million users may have had their data hijacked by the British consultancy firm -- came on top of widespread criticism of the social network's propensity to spread and accentuate large amounts of completely false information. Facebook is facing multiple inquiries from US and British regulators about the Cambridge Analytica user data scandal, and its boss Mark Zuckerberg was grilled by the European Parliament and the US Congress earlier this year. WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum earlier this year left Facebook, which bought the smartphone messaging service for $19 billion. Koum said in a post on his Facebook page that he was taking time off to pursue interests such as collecting air-cooled Porsches, working on cars and playing ultimate Frisbee. US media reports indicated that a disagreement with Facebook over the privacy of user data may have also been a factor in Koum's decision to quit his position as a high-ranking executive, and likely leave his seat on the board at the leading online social network. US President Donald Trump questioned at this rally in West Virginia why his country is "subsidizing" allied militaries President Donald Trump on Saturday complained that the US is "subsidizing" the military of Middle East ally Saudi Arabia, as well as Japan and South Korea. The comment, at a West Virginia rally for local candidates of his Republican Party, follows similar jibes at European members of the NATO alliance. "When you have wealthy countries like Saudi Arabia, like Japan, like South Korea, why are we subsidizing their military?" asked Trump, who pushes an aggressive "America First" policy on trade. "They'll pay us. The problem is nobody ever asks." He added that he had spoken to Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Saturday to make the same point. Saudi Arabia and Japan are major buyers of US-made weaponry, and the US provides intelligence and aerial refueling support to a Saudi-led coalition fighting rebels in Yemen. Japan and South Korea host tens of thousands of American troops. Trump said the United States pays "about 60 percent" of South Korea's military. Last year he suggested Seoul should pay for the $1.0-billion THAAD anti-missile system that the US has deployed on South Korean territory. Trump has long complained that European members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization do not pay enough for their own defense, singling out Germany for particular criticism. An Iraqi Kurdish man shows his ink-stained index finger after casting his ballot for the parliamentary election at a polling station in Arbil Voting began Sunday across Iraq's Kurdistan for a new parliament in the autonomous region which is mired in an economic crisis a year after an independence referendum that infuriated Baghdad. More than 3.1 million voters are eligible to cast ballots across three provinces in the northern region where 673 candidates from 29 political movements are vying for seats the 111-member parliament. Eleven of the seats are however reserved for religious and ethnic minorities: five to Turkmen candidates, five to Christians and one to the Armenian community. A massive yes vote in the September 2017 referendum for independence, deemed illegal by the Baghdad federal government, backfired on the autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq. Baghdad imposed economic penalties and sent federal troops to push Kurdish forces out of oil fields vital for the region's economy, depriving it of a key lifeline. Regional president Massud Barzani, who had dominated the region since the ouster of Saddam Hussein and was the driving force behind the plebiscite, stepped down in November. Sunday's election sees the parties that have long held sway set to come out on top yet again. The outgoing parliament is dominated by Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party -- as is the government -- and currently holds 38 seats in the assembly, while its traditional rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), has 18. The main opposition Goran (Kurdish for "change") party has 24 seats in the outgoing parliament. There is only one new political party competing -- the New Generation movement, founded in 2018 to channel public anger at the region's elite. The election is not expected to change the political map in Kurdistan, according to experts, but could shed light on the divisions that emerged after the September 2017 independence referendum. Ghassan Salame, UN special envoy for Libya, speaks during an interview in Tripoli on September 29, 2018 The UN envoy to Libya told AFP that it will be difficult to hold elections as hoped on December 10, following a new wave of fighting in the North African nation. "There is still a lot to do. It may not be possible to respect the date of December 10," Ghassan Salame said in an interview. Rival Libyan leaders agreed to a Paris-brokered deal in May to hold a nationwide poll by the end of the year. But Salame said that polls may not be organised before "three or four months". "We can hold elections in the near future, yes. But certainly not now," he added in the interview on Saturday evening at the highly fortified UN mission in Tripoli. Militia clashes in Tripoli's suburbs have left more than 100 people dead since late August. Libya remains divided between the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) based in Tripoli and a rival administration in the east that enjoys support from Egypt, Russia and the United Arab Emirates. The GNA was set up under a 2015 UN-brokered deal that raised hopes of an easing of the chaos that followed the 2011 NATO-backed revolution which ousted Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi. The Paris meeting brought together for the first time GNA head Fayez al-Sarraj and military strongman Khalifa Haftar, whose self-styled Libyan National Army dominates the country's east. Also present were Aguila Saleh Issa, the parliament speaker based in the eastern city of Tobruk, and Khalid Al-Mishri, the head of the High Council of State. The Paris agreement included a September 16 deadline to come up with an electoral law, forming the "constitutional base" for a vote later in the year. But many observers have said the timetable was overly ambitious given ongoing instability and territorial disputes across the country, along with a economy that is flagging despite Libya's vast oil wealth. The United Nations is hoping that presidential and parliamentary elections will help turn the page on years of chaos in Libya. On Monday France called for stronger UN sanctions on Libyans who stand in the way of a political solution. Two dogs, aged around one year old, were given as a gift to the South Korean President Moon Jae-in South Korean President Moon Jae-in received a pair of North Korean indigenous hunting dogs from Pyongyang, his office said Sunday, the latest token of the rapidly blossoming friendship on the peninsula. "Cheong Wa Dae (the presidential office) was offered a pair of Pungsan dogs from the North as a gift at the North-South summit and received them Thursday," the South's presidential office said in a statement. The canines, both aged around one, were handed over via the truce village of Panmunjom with three kilograms of dog food to "help with their adaptation", it added. Known for its loyalty and cleverness, the Pungsan breed -- a hunting dog with thick, creamy white coat, pointy ears and hazel eyes -- is one of the National Treasures of North Korea. The canine gifts come after a September meeting between Moon and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, at which Kim agreed plans to shutter a missile-testing site and visit Seoul. Relations between North and South Korea have been improving after three summits this year North and South Korea also announced that they would jointly bid for the 2032 Olympics. Former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung had also received a pair of Pungsan pups after his landmark summit in Pyongyang with then North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in 2000. The dogs were kept at the Seoul Grand Park and both died of natural causes in 2013 after giving birth to 21 puppies. The newly arrived pooches will reside at the presidential office with Moon -- an animal lover who already owns a Pungsan dog named Maru, a former shelter cat called Jjing-Jjing, and Tory, a black mutt he adopted after taking office. Cameroonian President Paul Biya arrives in Maroua, September 29, 2018 "It was as if time stood still," said an exuberant announcer as Cameroon's President Paul Biya landed in the country's north to kick-off campaigning ahead of next week's polls. He was in the town of Maroua on Saturday for the first time in six years, drumming up support ahead of voting on October 7 when the 85-year-old will seek a seventh term. The polls will be held to an unprecedented backdrop of violence, as clashes continue in the country's separatist anglophone regions and Boko Haram fighters continue to threaten Cameroon's northeast -- including Maroua. "We are proud that he is here, proud that he thinks of us," said a pro-Biya activist who wore a blue and white pagne print smock emblazoned with the president's face. Nearby, a local leader wearing a pagne outfit in the presidential colours jumped with joy and took the hand of the man beside him as the president made his way down the red carpet. Supporters of Cameroonian President Paul Biya gather at a stadium in Maroua for a campaign rally, September 29, 2018 "It is with barely concealed joy that we are covering this event," a journalist for the state CRTV broadcaster told his audience emphatically. The visit of Biya and a dozen of his ministers who come from the poor, under-developed region, was held amid tight security and only announced days ahead of the event. Army vehicles were deployed to upgrade the road along which Biya's long convoy travelled between the town and the airport. Even the lampposts were upgraded. "The RDPC promised us tar and lights," said a motorcycle taxi driver with a smile, referring to Biya's ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement. - 'Paul Biya is our pilot' - But in the Maroua-3 area of town, youngsters promised 3,000 CFA francs ($5.20, 4.5 euros) to help clean up the town ahead of the VIP arrival received little more than half that. "So now they're on strike," sighed one of the event organisers, visibly frustrated with the clean-up effort in the town which was adorned with Biya's signature blue. On Friday night the main opposition party Social Democratic Front's candidate Joshua Osih staged a night-time public meeting in the town. But it attracted just a few hundred supporters -- a far cry from the vast production staged by "Team Biya". Minibuses covered in Biya posters began to flow into the town from as early as Friday, bringing thousands of pro-government supporters on dilapidated roads from across the region and beyond. "I came from Ngaoundere to transport the supporters -- the RDPC paid," said one of the many drivers in Maroua referring to his town 500 kilometres (310 miles) away from Saturday's event. Another man added that "his uncle's minibus was requisitioned to transport the activists". All of the Biya supporters who spoke to AFP said that the aim of the event was to shore-up the president's voting base in a region that was solidly behind the ruling party in 2011. "The RDPC has already taken off, Paul Biya is our pilot, we'll vote for him, 100 percent," said one supporter of the president as he waited for his entourage to arrive. Supporters crowded along the town's streets which were lined with billboards bearing Biya's face, proclaiming him to be the "force of experience". Some told AFP that they had been paid for their "support". "2,000 CFA francs -- but it's not much," said one. Biya spoke to the crowds for just 15 minutes, his first public speech since February -- and his first appearance during official campaigning, which began the previous Saturday, September 22. - 'Overcome the worst' - He thanked the people of the region, which is Cameroon's poorest, for the "warmth of their welcome" and promised increased oil exploration efforts in the region. He also vowed to jump-start the tourist industry, which has been battered by Boko Haram violence. The country had "overcome the worst" of the conflict against anglophone separatists, as well as the bloody insurgency being waged in the far north by the Nigeria-based jihadist group Boko Haram, he said. Security has emerged as a key electoral battleground after English-speaking separatists vowed that the poll would not go ahead. Nine candidates will compete for the presidency, which Biya has held with an iron grip since 1982. Biya had been due to spend the night in Maroua but flew back to the capital Yaounde after just seven hours on the ground. By Saturday night, the customary hooting of motorcycle taxis had returned, replacing the incessant sirens of Biya's extended, heavily-armed motorcade. In 2016, Niger had 7.7 million mobile phone subscribers out of a population of 19 million. Niger is to reintroduce a tax on international calls in 2019, accusing telecom companies of failing to honour commitments to improve services, a parliamentary source said, The tax, dropped earlier this year, has been resurrected in the provisional 2019 budget, a member of the parliament's economic affairs committee told AFP. It will be set at 50 to 88 CFA francs (7-13 euro centimes) per minute for incoming international calls, according to the government's draft legislation. Deputies will vote on it at the end of the year. In 2017, this tax brought some 20 billion CFA francs (30 million euros) into Niger's public purse. In 2018, it was dropped at the request of the telecoms companies, who promised to invest and broaden coverage. Niger's Finance Minister Hassoumi Massoudou noted this week however that they had not kept their side of the bargain and the tax should be brought back. Opposition deputies had denounced the decision to drop the levy, calling it an unjustifiable tax break for the telecoms companies. In 2017, the ARTP public regulator handed out fines of more than 3.5 billion CFA francs to telecoms operators over their failure to improve services. In 2016, Niger had 7.7 million mobile phone subscribers out of a population of 19 million. Syrian rebel fighters from the National Liberation Front take part in combat training in Idlib province on September 11, 2018 Syrian rebels denied on Sunday they had pulled any heavy arms from a major opposition bastion in the north, as the deadline to implement a demilitarisation deal there draws closer. Regime ally Moscow and rebel backer Ankara agreed earlier this month to create a buffer zone around the opposition stronghold of Idlib that would be free of both jihadists and heavy arms. The deal has so far averted a massive assault on the region by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government, but its implementation in areas packed with rival jihadists and rebels is expected to be complex. The National Liberation Front, a pro-Turkey rebel alliance, welcomed the agreement but said Sunday it had not yet moved any heavy arms from the planned zone. "There have been no withdrawals of heavy weapons from any area or any front. This report is denied, completely denied," NLF spokesman Naji Mustafa told AFP. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor had earlier said one faction of the NLF began withdrawing its heavy weapons under the Turkish-Russian agreement. It said Faylaq al-Rahman, whose fighters number between 8,500 and 10,000, were leaving three towns in the planned buffer zone on Sunday "with heavy weapons, including tanks and cannons". The Britain-based monitor uses a vast network of sources including fighters, officials and medical staff. A spokesman for Faylaq al-Rahman also told AFP on Sunday it had not moved any forces or arms. "There have been no changes in the location of weapons or redistribution of fighters, even as we remain committed to the agreement reached in (the Russian resort of) Sochi," said Sayf al-Raad. "We are still coordinating with the Turkish guarantor on following the agreement and ways to implement it," he added. - Jihadists, rebels split on deal - On September 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to set up a demilitarised zone about 15 to 20 kilometres wide ringing around Idlib. Idlib, the last rebel stronghold All factions in the planned buffer must hand over their heavy weapons by October 10, and radical groups must withdraw by October 15, according to the agreement. The deal was welcomed by world powers, aid organisations, and the United Nations, which all hoped it would help avoid a bloody military assault on the area. But observers have pointed out its implementation would be tricky for Ankara. Most of the territory where the zone would be established is controlled by either hardline jihadists or by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which is led by former members of Al-Qaeda's Syria branch and widely considered the most powerful force in Idlib. The rest is held by the NLF and other rebels. HTS has yet to announce its position on the agreement, and there have been no signs it was moving out either fighters or heavy weapons. But Al-Qaeda loyalists Hurras al-Deen, which have a presence in the zone, rejected the deal last week. And on Saturday, formerly US-backed rebel group Jaish al-Izza followed suit. "We are against this deal, which eats into liberated (rebel-held) areas and bails out Bashar al-Assad," its head Jamil al-Saleh told AFP. Jaish al-Izza, which is not part of the NLF, clashed with regime forces throughout the night on Saturday and into Sunday in the province of Hama, bordering Idlib. - 'Purge' fighters - Separate clashes were also taking place in the coastal province of Latakia between jihadists and government fighters, the Observatory said on Sunday. Idlib and adjacent rebel territory are home to some three million people, about half of them displaced from other parts of Syria. Seven years of brutal war have forced more than half of Syria's people out of their homes, sending more than five million into neighbouring countries to seek refuge and leaving another six million internally displaced. After losing swathes of territory to rebel fighters, Assad appears to have regained the upper hand and now controls around two-thirds of the country. The areas still outside his control are Idlib in the northwest, and a northeastern chunk held by Kurdish authorities where US and other Western troops are present. On Saturday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said Damascus would keep "fighting this sacred battle until we purge all Syrian territories" of both radical groups and "any illegal foreign presence". Tens of thousands of Ethiopians gathered in upbeat mood for the annual festival of the Oromo people, the biggest ethnic group in the country, a year after the event turned into an anti-government protest Tens of thousands of Ethiopians gathered in upbeat mood for the annual festival of the Oromo people, the biggest ethnic group in the country, a year after the event turned into an anti-government protest. The thanksgiving Irreecha religious festival which took place in Bishoftu, 50 kilometres (30 miles) southeast of the capital Addis Ababa, celebrates the end of the rainy season. Reconciliation was the theme of this year's event, held two weeks after clashes between groups from the Oromo, who inhabit the land around the capital, and residents from other ethnic minorities. The violence left dozens dead in the capital and its Burayu suburb. The thanksgiving Irreecha religious festival which took place in Bishoftu, 50 kilometres (30 miles) southeast of the capital Addis Ababa, celebrates the end of the rainy season. Endrias Wegede, a thirty-something member of the ethnic Gamo ("Lion") people, said he was attending the festival for the first time, at the invitation of the Oromo elders and politicians to foster reconciliation "Oromo peoples kindness and cooperation helped avoid even more of a bloodbath in Burayu, while our community elders also protected Oromo lives and properties in our region" said Wegede. Reconciliation was the theme of this year's event, held two weeks after clashes between groups from the Oromo, who inhabit the land around the capital, and residents from other ethnic minorities Many of those killed in the recent violence were ethnic Gamos, who live side by side with the larger Oromo community. Sunday's festivities passed off peacefully. During the 2016 Irreecha, at least 55 people were killed after falling into deep ditches in a stampede as they ran to avoid tear gas fire from security forces. Last year the event turned into an anti-government protest. During the 2016 Irreecha, at least 55 people were killed after falling into deep ditches in a stampede as they ran to avoid tear gas fire from security forces But since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power in April, as the first Oromo head of government, there have been a series of gestures and reforms. However intercommunal conflict, often territorial, has continued and a million people have been displaced by the violence. PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Former Philadelphia Mayor W. Wilson Goode Sr., who led the city in 1985 when police dropped a bomb on a rowhouse and caused an inferno that killed 11 people and destroyed more than 60 homes, defended his legacy against shouting protesters Friday as the city named a street in his honor. Speaking at a dedication ceremony in a west Philadelphia neighborhood, Goode said he would not be defined by one day of his life. But more than a dozen protesters disagreed, shouting from behind a metal riot barrier that the city was naming a street after a murderer. Goode, the city's first black mayor, led Philadelphia when the city clashed with members of MOVE, a radical, black back-to-nature group. It culminated in the bombing of MOVE headquarters, which engulfed a city block in flames. Five children were among the 11 people who died. Former Philadelphia Mayor W. Wilson Goode Sr. kisses a supporter, as protesters demonstrate in the background, following a ceremony to celebrate the naming of a street after him Friday Sept. 21, 2018 in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma) Testifying at a trial more than a decade after the bombing, Goode said he ordered the fire to be put out, but the fire commissioner later testified that he never received the order. "I accept responsibility. I was mayor that day," Goode said Friday as protesters shouted over a sound system a short distance away. "You will not define me by one day of my life. I am more than that." The city added a red strip across the signs for the 2400 block of 59th Street bearing Goode's name Thursday night ahead of the dedication. The street and mailing addresses for that block will remain 59th Street. The city council voted in June to co-name the street. Residents and community activists said no one ever notified or contacted them about the plan. Maisha Sullivan-Ongoza lives nearby and canvassed the five surrounding blocks, speaking to dozens of neighbors. She said she found only one person who supported the designation. "There are still people suffering from post-traumatic stress from that day. Where's our sensitivity to those survivors who are still traumatized?" she said. "I was there that day. It felt like a war zone ... and I resent that we give him the chance to walk this back." Councilman Curtis Jones defended Goode at the dedication and called the former mayor a mentor. He said the decisions the day of the MOVE bombing were something that Goode has lived with. "It's not all peaches and cream and sunshine and roses," Jones said. "But it's a historical fact that he has made a contribution" to the city. Current Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney also spoke briefly, pointing out that Goode should get credit for changing the skyline and for building the convention center. He also noted the national organization Goode formed when he left office to support children of incarcerated parents. But protesters answered by talking about the five children of MOVE members who died in the 1985 bombing, shouting, "No Goode way" and "Take it down." It's not the only controversial decision to honor former politicians that the city has bumped up against. The city this year quietly named the 1300 block of South Broad Street after Jimmy Tayoun, a former city councilman and state representative who pleaded guilty to racketeering and fraud charges. The planned relocation of a statue of the late Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo, a polarizing figure in the city's history, has been put on hold for at least two more years. Those who want the towering bronze sculpture depicting a waving Rizzo descending the plaza steps of a government building to stay remember him as devoted public servant. His detractors say he led a police force that brutalized minorities, recalling his approach to policing and governing as corrupt and racist. A young demonstrator protests as former Philadelphia Mayor W. Wilson Goode Sr. and supporters gather for a ceremony to celebrate the naming of a street after him Friday Sept. 21, 2018 in Philadelphia. Goode said he was responsible for dropping a bomb on a home full of people 33 years ago, but said he would not be defined by one day of his life_ the 1985 police bombing of the MOVE headquarters that killed 11 people and destroyed more than 60 rowhomes. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma) A newly-installed street sign honoring former Philadelphia Mayor W. Wilson Goode Sr. is seen Friday Sept. 21, 2018 in the Overbrook section of Philadelphia. During a Friday ceremony, Goode said he was responsible for dropping a bomb on a home full of people 33 years ago, but said he would not be defined by one day of his life_ the 1985 police bombing of the MOVE headquarters that killed 11 people and destroyed more than 60 rowhomes.(AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma) Former Philadelphia Mayor W. Wilson Goode Sr arrives before a ceremony to celebrate the naming of a street after him Friday Sept. 21, 2018 in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma) Former Philadelphia Mayor W. Wilson Goode Sr. speaks to supporters, as protesters demonstrate in the background, during a ceremony to celebrate the naming of a street after him Friday Sept. 21, 2018 in Philadelphia. Goode said he was responsible for dropping a bomb on a home full of people 33 years ago, but said he would not be defined by one day of his life_ the 1985 police bombing of the MOVE headquarters that killed 11 people and destroyed more than 60 rowhomes. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma) Protestors demonstrate after a ceremony to celebrate the naming of a street after former Philadelphia Mayor Wilson Goode, Friday Sept. 21, 2018 in Philadelphia. During the ceremony, Goode said he was responsible for dropping a bomb on a home full of people 33 years ago, but said he would not be defined by one day of his life_ the 1985 police bombing of the MOVE headquarters that killed 11 people and destroyed more than 60 rowhomes.(AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma) LAWRENCE, Mass. (AP) - Hotplates and space heaters will be distributed to thousands of Massachusetts residents who were left without natural gas following a series of gas explosions and fires, officials announced Friday. The parent company of Columbia Gas, meanwhile, set a Nov. 19 deadline by which it expects to restore gas to all of the roughly 8,600 affected customers, with crews working to replace 48 miles (77 kilometers) of natural gas pipeline. The Sept. 13 disaster killed one person, injured about 25 others and damaged or destroyed dozens of homes and businesses in three communities. While most residents of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover who were forced to flee their homes have been allowed to return, thousands remain without natural gas service needed for cooking, hot water, and to heat their homes as fall arrives and temperatures begin to drop. Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker addresses reporters during a press update on the recovery efforts following last week's gas explosions in the Merrimack Valley in Lawrence, Mass., Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. Nearly 9,000 homes and businesses may be without gas for weeks as investigators continue to probe what set off the explosions.(AP Photo/Charles Krupa) "We all share the same goal of getting people back to their normal daily life, whether it's a hot shower, a home-cooked meal or the ability to open up a business," said Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, who declared a state of emergency last week. "We're bringing every available resource to make this happen." Joe Albanese, a retired U.S. Navy captain who founded a construction management company, Commodore Builders, will serve as chief recovery officer for the restoration project under a contract with Columbia Gas, Baker announced during Friday's news conference in Lawrence. The self-contained hotplate units will be delivered door-to-door to Lawrence residents beginning on Saturday and will be distributed to affected Andover and North Andover residents at designated claim centers in those towns over the weekend. About 24,000 space heaters will be made available to homes and businesses starting on Monday, but officials said local fire chiefs and electricians must first certify that the devices can be operated safely in each of the homes before they can be used. For homes where space heaters are not an option, "alternative home heating options" will be explored, the utility said in a news release. "Safety will be paramount," said Albanese. The governor said members of the Massachusetts National Guard have been activated to assist with the distribution of the hotplates and heaters. As many as 2,000 natural gas meters could be turned back on within a couple of weeks, according to officials, and the utility hopes to have nearly 200 crews working on the ground by early October. Joe Hamrock, the CEO of Columbia Gas' parent company, NiSource Inc., said the company on Wednesday would begin deploying teams to homes and businesses to determine if any damaged appliances need to be replaced before gas can be safely restored. "We owe it to this community to make sure everyone's needs are addressed," he said. Columbia Gas was sharply criticized by Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera for poor communication in the immediate aftermath of the rapid-fire explosions that rocked the city. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the blasts. Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren planned to meet with Rivera on Friday to discuss recovery efforts before attending a cookout for affected residents being hosted by the Lawrence Housing Authority. Warren and the state's other U.S. senator, Democrat Edward Markey, wrote to utility officials earlier this week that the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration had determined that the pressure in gas pipelines prior to the explosions and fires was 12 times higher than it should have been. Fire investigators pause while searching the debris at a home which exploded last week following a gas line failure in Lawrence, Mass., Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. Nearly 9,000 homes and businesses may be without gas for weeks as investigators continue to probe what set off the explosions.(AP Photo/Charles Krupa) Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Joe Albanese, right, who would serve as chief recovery officer for the gas explosion restoration project, and Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker, second from right, listen to NiSource President and CEO Joe Hamrock, left, during a press update on the recovery efforts following last week's gas explosions in the Merrimack Valley in Lawrence, Mass., Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. Nearly 9,000 homes and businesses may be without gas for weeks as investigators continue to probe what set off the explosions. At center is Andover, Mass. town manager Andrew Flanagan. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Joe Albanese, right, who would serve as chief recovery officer for the gas explosion restoration project, listens to NiSource President and CEO Joe Hamrock, left, during a press update on the recovery efforts following last week's gas explosions in the Merrimack Valley in Lawrence, Mass., Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. Nearly 9,000 homes and businesses may be without gas for weeks as investigators continue to probe what set off the explosions.(AP Photo/Charles Krupa) Lawrence, Mass. Mayor Daniel Rivera, left, listens to NiSource President and CEO Joe Hamrock, right, during a press update on the recovery efforts following last week's gas explosions in the Merrimack Valley in Lawrence, Mass., Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. Nearly 9,000 homes and businesses may be without gas for weeks as investigators continue to probe what set off the explosions.(AP Photo/Charles Krupa) Utility contractors dig up the road above natural gas lines along Dracut Street in Lawrence, Mass., Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018. Nearly 9,000 homes and businesses may be without gas for weeks as investigators continue to probe what set off the explosions last Thursday in the Merrimack Valley area serviced by Columbia Gas of Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) NiSource President and CEO Joe Hamrock addresses reporters during a press update on the recovery efforts following last week's gas explosions in the Merrimack Valley in Lawrence, Mass., Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. Nearly 9,000 homes and businesses may be without gas for weeks as investigators continue to probe what set off the explosions.(AP Photo/Charles Krupa) WASHINGTON (AP) - The congressional showdown taking shape between Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and the woman who has accused him of sexual assault is a battle of optics as much as truth, and it comes at the height of campaign season. At issue are logistics - Christine Blasey Ford's security, her questioners, the placement of reporters and who is allowed in the hearing room. The back-and-forth also is about how majority Republicans and Democrats answer women who allege assault and the men who deny the accusations in the #MeToo era. Leading the way for the GOP is President Donald Trump, the former reality show star who on Friday attacked Ford's credibility and zeroes in on people who "make me look as bad as possible." FILE - In this Oct. 11, 1991, file photo, Anita Hill testifies in the Russell Caucus room on Capitol Hill in Washington where the Senate Judiciary Committee was hearing testimony on the nomination of Clarence Thomas for the Supreme Court. (AP Photo/Greg Gibson, File) Snapshots of the Washington drama as early voting begins in some states ahead of the Nov. 6 elections: ___ ACCUSATION AND DENIAL Kavanaugh was headed toward confirmation to the Supreme Court until Ford identified herself to The Washington Post, alleging that he steered her into a bedroom and tried to undress her when both were teenagers in suburban Maryland in the 1980s. He has staunchly denied her account. Most everyone in Congress agreed at first that both should have a chance to tell their stories under oath to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Republican-controlled panel set a hearing for Monday. Kavanaugh accepted, and has spent most of the week at the White House preparing. But Ford said Monday is impossible for her, offering instead to testify later in the week under certain conditions. Their allies and opponents are issuing ferocious statements, further electrifying the election season atmosphere. Both families - Kavanaugh's and Ford's - have said they're getting death threats. ___ THE LEADER Trump spent most of the week unusually restrained and heeding the tone set publicly by counselor Kellyanne Conway. Ford, Conway said, should not be ignored or insulted and should be heard. Trump likewise avoided casting doubt on her account, at one point even acknowledging the possibility that Ford could make a credible case if she testifies. Then early Friday, Trump questioned Ford's credibility and challenged her to provide more evidence than the notes from a therapist reviewed by The Post. He tweeted, "I have no doubt that, if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with local Law Enforcement Authorities by either her or her loving parents. I ask that she bring those filings forward so that we can learn date, time, and place!" He also repeated a question he asked on Fox News Thursday night in Las Vegas: "The radical left lawyers want the FBI to get involved NOW. Why didn't someone call the FBI 36 years ago?" There could be many reasons for that, starting with the fact that it's not clear Ford's alleged account would have been a federal crime. Even now, no one is really asking for a criminal investigation. Ford and Democrats want the FBI to add to Kavanaugh's background check with more interviews about her allegation. Trump has refused to ask for that. Also, the government's Bureau of Justice Statistics says a majority of rapes and sexual assaults are not reported to police. The percentage reporting in 2016 for rape or sexual assault was just 22.9 percent. ___ THE FALLOUT Trump's abrupt change of course put off at least one person he may need to confirm Kavanaugh in the Senate Republicans narrowly control, 51-49. "I was appalled by the president's tweet," said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. "I'm not saying that's what happened in this case - but we know allegations of sexual assault are one of the most unreported crimes that exist. So I thought that the president's tweet was completely inappropriate and wrong." ___ THE TERMS Kavanaugh has said he wants to deny Ford's accusation in sworn testimony, and as soon as possible. As of Friday, he was scheduled to do so on Monday. Ford says she wants to appear, but has issued a series of conditions that Conway said Friday sound more like demands. The committee is considering Ford's terms: -Security, including by U.S. Capitol Police that could mirror Kavanaugh's. -Reporters kept at a distance, as they are for Kavanaugh and most other high-profile hearings. -Monday is too soon. She says she needs time to secure her home and family. -She does not want Kavanaugh in the room when she testifies. -She wants to the panel to subpoena Mark Judge, the other person Ford says was in the room when Kavanaugh allegedly attacked her. Judge has said he never saw Kavanaugh behave as Ford has described. -Ford would prefer that senators, and not an outside counsel hired by Republicans, question her. Having an outside counsel would seem too much like a trial, her attorney told the committee. ___ THE TOUGHEST OPTICS The hearing or hearings, if any, would have enormous stakes for Kavanaugh, Ford and their families. But Republicans have the toughest challenge in the Department of How It Looks. The GOP is defending House and Senate majorities in the election, and though Trump is not on the ballot Nov. 6, the contest is widely considered a referendum on his stewardship. The president has been accused of sexual misconduct by more than a dozen women - all liars, he has said. Inside the Senate, split 51-49, only six Republicans are women. On the Senate Judiciary Committee zero Republicans are women. In contrast, four Democrats are women - some with ambitions to challenge Trump in 2020. Haunting every politician is the memory of the 1991 confirmation hearings of Clarence Thomas, in which an all-male Senate panel hammered Anita Hill on her allegations of sexual harassment. Thomas heatedly denied the charge and was confirmed. Democrats were in charge, and the spectacle is widely regarded as a Senate embarrassment. Democrats suggest now that tough treatment of Ford at the hands of Republicans would victimize her. "The woman should be given the benefit of the doubt and not be, you know, abused again by the system," former Vice President Joe Biden told NBC's "Today" show in comments broadcast Friday. Biden, who chaired the Thomas hearing and is considering running for president, said he regrets the way Hill was treated. ___ THE GOP APPROACH Senate Republicans agreed almost immediately after Ford's name became public that her story should be heard. They've offered to hear her in public or private. The Judiciary Committee offered to send its investigators out to talk privately with Ford at a place where she's comfortable. But they're eager to avoid the spectacle of 11 Republican men cross-examining a woman who says she's been victimized by a man. Doing so would almost certainly evoke the panel's handing of Hill and potentially alienate suburban women voters who could decide the elections and control of the House and Senate. Republicans are considering bringing in an outside counsel, possibly a woman, to question Ford. ___ Associated Press Writer Patrick Whittle in Portland, Maine, contributed to this report. Follow Kellman on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/APLaurieKellman FILE - In this Oct. 12, 1991, file photo, then-Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., points angrily at Clarence Thomas during comments at the end of hearings on Thomas' nomination to the Supreme Court on Capitol Hill. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., watches at right. (AP Photo/Greg Gibson, File) FILE - In this Sept. 4, 2018, file photo, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, left, attends his confirmation hearing with the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File) MEXICO CITY (AP) - A judge in Mexico ordered the release Friday of a man accused of illegal fishing that endangers the world's smallest porpoise. The arrest of Oscar Parra in September had been depicted as an advance in efforts to save the critically endangered vaquita marina, of which fewer than 30 remain. Instead, it has proved an embarrassment. Police in Baja California state had claimed Parra was a lieutenant of the Sinaloa drug cartel who also oversaw fishing for totoaba, a fish that lives in the Gulf of California, around the port of San Felipe. The Gulf, also known as the Sea of Cortez, is the only place the vaquitas live. Vaquitas have been decimated by nets set for the totoaba fish, whose swim bladder is considered a delicacy in China and commands high prices. Totoaba are also a protected species and fishing for them is prohibited, but criminals equipped with go-fast boats and apparently allied with drug gangs catch and sell the bladders. On Friday, the federal judiciary council said a judge found evidence police hadn't told the truth about how they arrested the man. It appears police told two different versions of what happened, neither of which were true. In an initial press statement Sept. 13, state police said they pulled the suspect and two bodyguards over in two vehicles on a highway following "several months of hard investigative work." But according to the judiciary council, police said in court documents they were conducting routine patrols on the highway when they saw one of the trucks broken down on the side of the road with the hood up. They stopped, saw assault rifles and drugs in the vehicle and arrested the men. But a federal judge said relatives submitted evidence that state police actually dragged Parra and the other two from a house three hours earlier, beating him and taking him to the vehicles. "It is evident that these people were not arrested in the way that the police described," the council said in a statement. While Mexican police once routinely carried out warrantless searches and arrests, under Mexico's new criminal codes if police don't tell the truth about how an arrest was carried out, the arrest is illegal and the suspects can be freed. MILAN (AP) - Fashion may seem a respite for the cares of the world, but often it is actually an expression of them. Designers in Milan this week are finding ways to express their concerns about the global affairs through their collections, in some cases purposely providing an escape but in others using textiles and seams to stitch together a story. Milan Fashion Week on Friday held its third day of previews for next spring and summer with shows by Antonio Marras, Etro, MSGM and Versace. Former model Shalom Harlow, right, wears a creation as part of Versace's women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) ___ FREE-SPIRITED VERSACE Donatella Versace is all about emphasizing the power of women and she does it on and off the runway. For this season's show, she assembled this generation's top models to tell her story but remembered also those who blazed the trail. Gigi and Bella Hadid, Kaia Gerber, Kendall Jenner and Irina Shayk headlined fast-paced show the show, and Versace allowed a significant pause before sending out the final model: 1990s supermodel Shalom Harlow. The looks the models sported gave a sense of fearlessness. The collection was free-spirited and youthful, featuring skin-tight silhouettes of the finest transparent printed tulle that lent itself to colorful layering. A bohemian-Gypsy vibe was created by floral silk head-scarfs, embroidered hosiery and the clashing patterns and layering. A dark net overlay easily takes the dress from day to night. Power suits featured geometric checks and stripes, while leather looks had a tough-girl edge with a painted faux-python slit skirt and shiny cropped leather jacket. Versace's heritage came out most strongly in body-hugging matte leather ensembles, and a series of trademark evening dresses in satin with golden accents. ___ NIKKI MINAJ VINTAGE VERSACE Nikki Minaj held court in the Versace front row, patiently posing for photos as models made their final preparations back stage. Minaj wore a plunging black leather Versace corset and a long gathered skirt in a bold primary color print for the fashion outing. The look was accessorized with a plaid tam o' shanter bonnet and matching scarf, acid green gloves and a chunky Versace chain. "It felt very Italy to me," she said. "I love the colors. It made me feel really happy. I always love colors, but this is very Versace, I feel. Very vintage. " ___ ANTONIO MARRAS' JOURNEY INTO EXILE Designer Antonio Marras stitched a story into his garments for next spring and summer. It is a tale of exile, of military demands interrupting a tranquil life. Marras mixed masculine textiles, like camouflage and denim, with feminine laces, crochet work and animal prints. The garments are a patchwork, none with a clearly defined silhouette but with overlays indicating turbulence and forced journeys. Marras said he was inspired by the story of an Ethiopian princess who was forced under Italian rule into exile with her children on an island near Sardinia. "I think fashion can tell what is happening in the world. We are bombarded every day by images that are very strong. My work is to transfer the sensations I have inside onto textiles," he said. Marras said the work started with a simple men's shirt, which he completely redefined, cutting long holes in the sleeves that he trimmed with big ruffles, adding shreds and cutting-room castaways of khaki, reptile and leopard print to the bodice. The workmanship is evident in the details. Ruffles and scraps are stitched meticulously together to create a collage of stripes, checks and neutrals on a mini-wrap skirt-jacket combo. Chiffon leopard prints are ruffled and pieced together to create frothy details on the shoulders. Delicate crochet work was sewn into panels on a smock dress with a Victorian-era flair. More modern cues came in the form of a loose sweatshirt cape with leopard and reptile accents, and a drop-waist dress with a black hoody T-shirt over a leopard skirt, held together by sheer black lace. Marras added drama to the collection with enormous, sculptural mosquito-netting hats. ___ ETRO'S PACIFIC ZEN The Etro woman is seeking Zen somewhere in the Pacific between California, Hawaii and Japan. In Veronica Etro's mind's eye, the destination is a fantastical Paisley island, recalling the brand's trademark print. Etro said the collection explores the fluidity between the active West Coast lifestyle of surf and skateboard and the more meditative Asian martial arts disciplines. "We melted these references together to get this collection that I call Pacific Zen," Etro said backstage. The colors are bright but sophisticated, taken from kimono silks. A dreamy pattern of the sun on the water on a strapless sheath dress can just as easily represent a California sunset as an Asian sunrise. The looks have a contemporary edge that comes through in the silhouette, in particular a pagoda-tiered dress with a surfer's wetsuit bodice trimmed in ruffles. Relaxed patchwork denim looks with knitwear jackets and bikini tops played nicely against floral kimono tops with matching trousers. Etro is one of the rare fashion houses to showcase swimwear, in this case modeled by real-life surfers Victoria Vergara and Maribel Kouke who carried their boards. Accessories included myriad shell jewelry, marking a comeback for the puka shell with luxury pearl and gold accents. The family-run Etro brand is marking its 50th year with an exhibit opening Saturday at Milan's MUDEC museum. ___ MSGM'S COLOR-BURST DREAMS MSGM creator Massimo Giorgetti said his latest color-burst of a collection was inspired by dreams. For next spring and summer, the designer turned away from lace-trimmed sweatshirts that were an early inspiration and focused on dresses. "It is really like a new kind of attitude, and new kind of femininity," Massimo Giorgetti said backstage. Pretty florals pop on long flowing dresses, tight legging outfits with matching sheer jackets and blur into a matching denim print. Giorgetti breaks down the colors into wrap dresses in blocks of orange, pink black and tan. Some are mini, showing off ankle cowboy boots with clear PVC panels. The collection closed with a series of dreamy tie-dyes worn with painted feather mini dresses, and layered with hoodies. His overriding message was upbeat: "Sognare insieme," or "Dream together," emblazoned in Italian on the back of a jacket. ___ Associated Press journalist Paola Masera contributed to this report. Models wear creations as part of the Etro women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation as part of the Marras women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) A model wears a creation as part of the Marras women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) A model wears a creation as part of the Marras women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) A model wears a creation as part of the Marras women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) A model wears a creation as part of the Marras women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) A model wears a creation as part of the Marras women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) A model wears a creation as part of the Marras women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) A model wears a creation as part of the Marras women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) A model wears a creation as part of the Etro women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation as part of the Etro women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation as part of the Etro women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation as part of the Etro women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation as part of the Etro women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation as part of the Etro women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation as part of the Etro women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation as part of the Etro women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation as part of the Etro women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation as part of the Etro women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation as part of the Etro women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation as part of the MSGM women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) A model wears a creation as part of the MSGM women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) A model wears a creation as part of the MSGM women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) A model wears a creation as part of the MSGM women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) A model wears a creation as part of the MSGM women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) A model wears a creation as part of the MSGM women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) A model wears a creation as part of the MSGM women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) A model wears a creation as part of the MSGM women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) Models wear creations as part of the MSGM women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) A model wears a creation as part of the MSGM women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) Models wear creations as part of Versace's women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) A model wears a creation as part of Versace's women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) Former model Shalom Harlow wears a creation as part of Versace's women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) Model Bella Hadid wears a creation as part of Versace's women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) Model Irina Shayk wears a creation as part of Versace's women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) Top model Gigi Hadid wears a creation as part of Versace's women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) Model Kaia Gerber wears a creation as part of Versace's women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) A model wears a creation as part of Versace's women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) A model wears a creation as part of Versace's women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) A model wears a creation as part of Versace's women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) A model wears a creation as part of Versace's women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) A model wears a creation as part of Versace's women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) A model wears a creation as part of Versace's women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) A model wears a creation as part of Versace's women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) Donatella Versace comes on the catwalk at the end of Versace's women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) SAO PAULO (AP) - The key economic adviser to Brazil's leading presidential candidate cancelled two campaign events on Friday amid a disagreement with his boss. Market-friendly Paulo Guedes, the main adviser of far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro, canceled events at the American Chamber of Commerce and broker XP Investimentos in Sao Paulo. Bolsonaro has said that Guedes will be Brazil's economy minister if he wins. He leads polls at almost 30 percent support for the Oct. 7 vote, but faces a dead heat against any other opponent in a likely runoff weeks later. Employees of the Regional Electoral Tribunal work on the preparation of the electoral urns, during a public sealing, in Brasilia, Brazil Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. Brazilian electoral justice will use 600,000 urns in the first round of Brazilian general elections, on October 7. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) The cancelations come two days after Guedes defended reviving an unpopular tax on bank transfers. The presidential candidate quickly came out to say such a measure would not be adopted. Bolsonaro, a former army captain, is recovering in a hospital after being stabbed earlier this month while campaigning. Later Friday, in his first interview since the incident, he said Guedes is still in his campaign. "He doesn't have political experience," Bolsonaro told the daily Folha de S.Paulo, referring to Guedes. "He gives one-hour long lectures, says one thing in a few seconds and the press goes after him." Earlier in the day, Bolsonaro said on Twitter that his economy team "always ruled out any rise in taxes." "Free market and less taxes is my motto in the economy," he wrote. He also said he hopes to leave the hospital by the end of the month. His son Flavio denied that Bolsonaro would adopt income tax measures reportedly suggested by Guedes. But in the Folha interview the candidate didn't rule them out. On Wednesday, Brazilian media said Guedes told a group of investors that he planned to reduce income taxes on the wealthy to 20 percent from the current 27.5 percent. He also reportedly said he would have Brazilians making less than $500 a month start paying 20 percent of income tax. "It seems to be a good idea," Bolsonaro said. "A single levy for income tax is a good idea." BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) - Fourteen police dogs received medals and diplomas during an emotional retirement ceremony in Colombia's capital Friday as they wrapped up years of service sniffing out drugs, bombs and bodies. Some of the German shepherds, pit bulls and golden retrievers were treated to special scented baths before they were retired during the event in an auditorium at the Chief Prosecutor's Office. Among the retired dogs was "Canela," a 12-year-old Labrador who helped investigators undercover 65 mass graves containing the victims of paramilitary violence, and "Negra," a pit bull mutt who helped detect several tons of cocaine in her eight-year career. Handler Juan Carlos Rojas embraces sniffer dog Katy during a retirement ceremony for 14 sniffer dogs in Bogota, Colombia, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. The retiring dogs, including Katy, were presented with medals and certificates in a ceremony attended by dozens of their human comrades. The Chief Prosecutor plans to put the dogs up for adoption, placing them with families that will help them to live out their retirement years in peace and tranquility. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) Officials plan to put the dogs up for adoption, placing them with families that will help them live out their retirement years in peace. Some dogs could also be taken in by their former handlers. "We've shared a lot of things together and they are like our children," said David Maldonado, Negra's handler. Police dogs in Colombia often participate in dangerous missions, sniffing out landmines for officers who eradicate coca fields, or rescuing bodies in combat zones. "Sombra," which is Spanish for shadow, was recently relocated from her base on the country's Caribbean coast, after drug traffickers, angry over her success at sniffing out cocaine shipments, offered a bounty of $7,000 for her head. Hundreds of dogs serve with Colombia's police and military. A canine school run by the police near Bogota also provides training for dogs and handlers from other Latin American countries. Colombia's police dogs are usually retired when they reach eight or nine years old, and in the past they were then kept in kennels where police veterinarians provided them with food, play and medical treatment. But recently, Colombia's police have been looking for families to adopt the dogs. Earlier this month, the Anti-Narcotics Police put up 50 of its retired dogs for adoption. Adopting families must go through a rigorous screening process to ensure the sniffer dogs are not put to work for private security companies. "These dogs are very obedient and they are well trained," said Jeymy Bucuru, a veterinarian with Colombia's Anti-Narcotics police. "But we also want them to be able to rest." ___ Associated Press writer Joshua Goodman reported this story in Bogota and AP writer Manuel Rueda reported from Mexico City. Sniffer dogs and their handlers pose for an official group photo during a retirement ceremony for the dogs, in Bogota, Colombia, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. 14 dogs were awarded a certificate and gold medal by Colombia's deputy attorney general, as judicial workers packed into an auditorium documenting the ceremony with their smart phones. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) Sniffer dog Simon kisses his handler during a retirement ceremony, in Bogota, Colombia, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. 14 dogs, including Simon, who spent the past decade sniffing for explosives, cocaine, and in search and recovery efforts, officially retired Friday in a ceremony attended by dozens of their human comrades. The Chief Prosecutor plans to put the dogs up for adoption, placing them with families that will help them to live out their retirement years in peace and tranquility. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) Handler Pedro Camargo brushes companion sniffer dog Yaco in preparation for a retirement ceremony celebrating the service of 14 sniffer dogs, in Bogota, Colombia, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. Some in the aging group of German Shepherds, Pitbulls, Golden Retrievers and Labradors were treated to a special perfume bath on Friday before they were retired in a ceremony at an auditorium in Bogota. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) Sniffer dog "Canela", Spanish for cinnamon, right front, and her handler, arrive for a retirement ceremony for sniffer dogs, in Bogota, Colombia, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. Among the 14 dogs retired Friday was "Canela", a 12-year-old Labrador who helped investigators uncover dozens of mass graves containing the bodies of victims of paramilitary violence and drug trafficking gangs. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) Led by handler Pedro Camargo, sniffer dog Yaco is awarded a certificate and gold medal by Colombia's Deputy Attorney General Maria Paulina Riveros for his years of service, during a retirement ceremony for 14 sniffer dogs in Bogota, Colombia, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. The Chief Prosecutor plans to put the dogs up for adoption, placing them with families that will help them to live out their retirement years in peace and tranquility. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) Guwahati, Sep 29 : Assam police on Friday night had busted a LPG stealing racket in Barak Valleys Karimganj district and arrested two persons. Acting on a tip-off, a team of Karimganj district police had launched an operation near Nilambazar area and caught two persons red handed who stolen gas from sealed LPG cylinders and filled the empty cylinders with stolen gas. Police also seized two LPG cylinders laden trucks. When the police team reached the spot 10 others including driver of the trucks had managed to flee from the area. Karimganj district Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) James Sangate said that, the gang had stolen gas from sealed LPG cylinders and refilled it by water and it was continued since long time. When received the information, we have immediately launched operation and spotted two gas cylinder laden trucks parked near National Highway 8. When we reached the spot, the gang were stealing gas and filled empty cylinders with it, James Sangate said. The police official said that, the trucks came from Cachar Borkhola LPG plant to Agartala in Tripura. Meanwhile, police had registered a case at Karimganj police station and launched operation to nab other members of the gang. MOSCOW (AP) - The father of a Russian woman jailed in the U.S. on charges that she tried to infiltrate U.S. political organizations as a covert Russian agent said Friday that the U.S. authorities have eased her prison regime. Maria Butina has pleaded not guilty to the charges and Russia has dismissed them as "preposterous." Russia's Foreign Ministry has complained that Butina has suffered from "inhumane" conditions in U.S. solitary confinement that jeopardized her health and urged U.S. authorities to improve her conditions. Russian state-controlled TV stations have focused on Butina, portraying her as a victim of unfair prosecution and cruel prison conditions. FILE- In this file photo dated Sunday, April 22, 2012, Maria Butina, a gun-rights activist poses for a photo at a shooting range in Moscow, Russia. Russian woman Maria Butina has been jailed in the U.S. on charges that she tried to infiltrate U.S. political organizations as a covert Russian agent, and her father, Valery Butin, told Rossiya TV on Friday Sept. 21, 2018, that the U.S. authorities have eased her prison regime, that jeopardized her health. (AP Photo/Pavel Ptitsin, File) Her father, Valery Butin, told Rossiya TV on Friday that she called him to say that authorities would now allow her to take walks outdoors and talk to other inmates after more than two months in solitary confinement. "We have been waiting for that moment for a long time," he said from Barnaul, his Siberian home city. "She was subjected to all sorts of restrictions ... and, most importantly, her sleep won't be interrupted." On Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova protested what she called "absolutely inhumane" conditions for Butina, including regular checks at night time. "What bewilders and outrages us - not just the ministry but also the public - is the conditions she is being kept in," Zakharova said. U.S. prosecutors charge that Butina, 29, gathered intelligence on American officials and political organizations and worked to develop relationships with American politicians via her contacts with the National Rifle Association. They say her work was directed by a former Russian lawmaker who was sanctioned this year by the U.S. Treasury Department for his alleged ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Butina has pleaded not guilty to the charges of conspiracy and acting as an unregistered foreign agent for Russia. Her attorney Robert Driscoll has denied that Butina is a Russian agent, calling the case "overblown." He says his client was merely a student who wanted to see a better relationship between the U.S. and Russia and sought to network with influential people in American politics. CHICAGO (AP) - In front of jurors in the trial of a white Chicago police officer charged with murder in the shooting of a black teenager, race is hardly mentioned at all. Just once, during opening statements, have prosecutors even brought up the fact that 17-year-old Laquan McDonald was black, drawing a sharp rebuke from a defense attorney for Officer Jason Van Dyke. Yet the trial is being watched closely in Chicago and around the country as another chapter in a long national story about race and law enforcement. "At this point we have no precedent that says an African-American can get justice in this country when they are shot down in cold blood by a police officer," the Rev. Marvin Hunter, McDonald's great uncle, told reporters this week, trying to put the case in historical context. "From the days of Jim Crow until today we have never gotten justice for anything that has happened to us as African-Americans ... by rogue and unjust police officers." Tina Hunter, center, wipes her eyes as she watches from the gallery during Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke's trial for the shooting death of her son Laquan McDonald, at the Leighton Criminal Court Building on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018.(Antonio Perez/ Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool) The issue of race permeates the case - from concerns that releasing video of the shooting would ignite racial tensions in a city with a long history of troubled police relationships with minority communities, to protests after it was finally made public, to allegations during jury selection that Van Dyke's attorneys were trying to keep blacks from sitting on the panel, to concerns about possible unrest if Van Dyke is acquitted. The shooting of McDonald happened on Oct. 20, 2014, just a few months after a white officer shot 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, leading to months of sometimes-violent protests. In April 2015, the same month Freddie Gray died in police custody in Baltimore , touching off protests there, Chicago was agreeing to pay $5 million to McDonald's family for his death. It would be seven more months before the release of squad car video that would appear to contradict officers' accounts that McDonald had lunged at police with a small knife he had in his right hand. Even before its release, rumors swirled that the video would lead to unrest in a city where the names Fred Hampton and Mark Clark, two Illinois Black Panther Party leaders killed in a 1969 police raid, still resonate in the black community. The trial is of such consequence that local activist William Calloway has held community meetings to prepare residents for the disappointment an acquittal would bring and perhaps head off the kind of violent confrontations that erupted in Baltimore and Ferguson - his concerns silently underlined by Van Dyke and his wife, Tiffany, as they left the courthouse holding hands, both wearing bulletproof vests. Calloway said there is really no other way to see Van Dyke's trial than as a "watershed moment" for the city. "This is the first time in my life, and I'm 29, when there have been hundreds of police shootings and dozens ended up fatal, that a Chicago cop has gone on trial for first-degree murder," he said. A University of Illinois at Chicago sociologist who's written extensively on segregation and racial attitudes agrees. "I think people are watching this very carefully and through a racial lens that will have implications for race relations," said Maria Krysan. The case's impact on race relations was underscored when the Rev. Jesse Jackson told a reporter that the 16 shots fired into the body of McDonald was "the most heinous crime since the lynching of Emmett Till," the 14-year-old Chicago boy whose killing in Mississippi in 1955 shocked the nation and galvanized the civil rights movement. If that sounds like hyperbole, consider what McDonald's death has wrought since a judge forced the city to release video of the shooting: a police superintendent fired from his job, a top prosecutor losing hers at the polls, and a U.S. Justice Department investigation that ended with a scathing report that found a history of widespread civil rights abuses by the police force. Inside the courtroom , Van Dyke's attorneys have argued that he was afraid for his life and acted according to his training when he shot McDonald, while prosecutors have stressed that no other officers opened fire. Prosecutors rested their case Thursday and defense attorneys are expected to call witnesses on Monday. Race became an issue during jury selection when prosecutors accused defense attorneys of illegally trying to keep minorities from sitting on the jury. The 12-person jury includes just one African-American member, although blacks make up one-third of Chicago's population. Defense attorneys used preemptory challenges - an objection in which attorneys don't have to state a reason for wanting someone off the jury - to remove at least three African-Americans from the jury. But the judge said he was satisfied that the challenges were "race-neutral." The jury also has seven whites, three Hispanics and one Asian-American. Special prosecutor Joseph McMahon touched on race in his opening statement when he noted that Van Dyke didn't know that McDonald was a ward of the state or had PCP in his system when the officer encountered him that fall night. "What he did see was a black boy walking down a street ... with the audacity to ignore the police," McMahon said. "The government wants to you think this is a racial issue," Van Dyke's lead attorney Dan Herbert later told the jury. "Race had absolutely nothing to do with this." Tina Hunter, left, wipes her eyes as she watches from the gallery during Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke's first degree trial for the shooting death of her son Laquan McDonald, at the Leighton Criminal Court Building on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018.(Antonio Perez/ Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool) Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke listens during the fourth day of his first degree murder trial for the shooting death of Laquan McDonald at the Leighton Criminal Court Building on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018. (Antonio Perez/ Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool) Prosecuting attorneys gather together during the fourth day of the first degree murder trial for Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke for the shooting death of Laquan McDonald at the Leighton Criminal Court Building on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018. (Antonio Perez/ Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool) WASHINGTON (AP) - Evangelical activists want Republican leaders to act more forcefully to send Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, expressing skepticism about the decades-old allegations of sexual assault levied against the federal judge. The political flashpoint is playing out only weeks before midterm elections in which conservative voters will be critical to the GOP drive to maintain control of Congress. Kavanaugh's nomination was a prime topic Friday at the annual Values Voter summit as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, faith leaders and others vowed that President Donald Trump's nominee would win confirmation. Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, the organizer of the conference, said Republicans needed to "move much more aggressively," contending the Senate had been "very accommodating" to California college professor Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault more than 30 years ago when they were teenagers. Kavanaugh has denied the allegations and offered to testify under oath to the committee. Republicans and Ford were negotiating Friday on whether Ford will testify next week before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Gary Bauer, the president of American Values and a former policy aide to President Ronald Reagan, told the summit that he was praying for Ford but cast doubt over the allegations. To make his point, he re-enacted what a conversation might be like between Ford and law enforcement. "If you walked into a police station, or an FBI agent, if you walked in anywhere and said 'I want to report a sexual assault.' 'Yes, ma'am.' 'When did this happen?' '36 years ago.' 'Excuse me?' '36 years ago. Yes.' 'Do you have any eyewitnesses?' 'Well, there are two eyewitnesses but they both deny it happened,'" Bauer said, drawing laughter from the audience. "'Where did it happen?' 'It was at a house but I don't know whose house.' 'How did you get there?' 'I don't know how I got there.' 'How did you get home?' 'I don't know how I got home.'" McConnell was quick to reassure the crowd of core Republican supporters. "In the very near future, Judge Kavanaugh will be on the United States Supreme Court," the Kentucky Republican said. "Keep the faith, don't get rattled by all of this. We're going to plow right through it and do our jobs." Bauer added that he doesn't know Ford. "I don't know her values but what she's saying is unproven and I would argue it's unprovable," Bauer said. "There's reasons why most laws and most crimes have statutes of limitation. Because a week after a crime, it is difficult to reconstruct what happened. Thirty-six years later? Now look, we can't prove what she said. But there is something we can prove and that is Judge Kavanaugh's character." Perkins said McConnell had been methodical in attempting to win Kavanaugh's confirmation "but you've got to look at what he's working with. He's working with some Republicans who look like they grew up on a boneless chicken ranch. They don't really have much backbone and when it comes to the pressure, they hide." Perkins said Senate Republicans should allow Ford to speak. "If she says, 'I can't do it this day,' and they give her another day, 'I can't do it.' Look, move forward. The American people deserve a vote as well. Their voice needs to be heard in this process." Evangelical leaders said if Kavanaugh failed to win confirmation, that could drive up turnout among Republican voters in November, when the party is defending its House majority and a narrow edge in the Senate. But a collapse of the nomination also would direct finger-pointing at Senate leaders and derail a top priority for Trump, who is seeking to cement a conservative imprint on the court for decades. Michele Bachmann, a former Minnesota congresswoman and 2012 Republican presidential candidate, said the 36-year-old allegations against Kavanaugh had "come out of nowhere and I think the Senate has bent over backwards to take this woman's allegations seriously and to give her a hearing." "She's been back-peddling, her allegations have actually been falling apart, they haven't gotten stronger," Bachmann said in an interview, adding: "We're probably going to hear her make allegations and he will deny them. Then it's really up to the senators to vote. That's what this is about." "This whole rollout of this fight against Brett Kavanaugh has been nothing but Kabuki theater and really a disaster on the part of the Democrats," Bachmann said. "From the very first day when all of their paid people came in and were screaming throughout this hearing. This had nothing to do with order and decorum and getting to the truth." SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A prominent Utah real estate investor has been found guilty of 15 charges related to one of the biggest fraud schemes in state history. Federal prosecutors say Claud "Rick" Koerber tricked investors out of tens of millions of dollars, promising them high returns. Koerber was found guilty Thursday of 15 counts of wire fraud, fraud in the offer and sale of securities and money laundering. He was acquitted on two tax evasion charges. Prior to Thursday, federal prosecutors had failed twice to secure a conviction during the nine years they worked on the case, which included a dismissal and a mistrial. Koerber has maintained his innocence throughout the case. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 21. Koerber was not taken into custody and will remain free until he's sentenced. WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump went there. Republicans for days have been trying, with some success, not to blame the accuser in the high-stakes he-said-she-said roiling the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh. They calibrated their comments to avoid openly antagonizing Christine Blasey Ford, and by extension the women voters ahead of the November election. But in a single tweet, Trump appears to have upended that strategy. President Donald Trump speaks at a spending bill signing ceremony at VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) "I have no doubt that, if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with local Law Enforcement Authorities by either her or her loving parents," the president tweeted. "Judge Brett Kavanaugh is a fine man," he added, "with an impeccable reputation, who is under assault by radical left wing politicians." Attacking Ford, as Trump did, hardened the standoff between Ford and Senate Republicans into a risky, and now direct, confrontation. With the midterm election just 46 days away, the GOP can't afford to lose more women voters than they already have in the Trump era, particularly in crucial suburban districts that could decide control of the House. Yet even before Trump's outburst, the party discipline on Kavanaugh's accuser was cracking Stoking outrage, a prominent conservative floated an unsubstantiated theory on Twitter that someone else had actually committed the assault. Republicans quickly tried to distance themselves from the tweets. Nevada GOP Sen. Dean Heller, who is facing a difficult re-election race, told supporters on a conference call the accusations were a "hiccup" and that Kavanaugh would be confirmed, according to a report in the Nevada Independent. In South Carolina, GOP Rep. Ralph Norman opened an election debate at the Kiwanis Club making light of the allegations with a joke. "Did y'all hear this latest late-breaking news from the Kavanaugh hearings?" he said, according to the Post and Courier. "Ruth Bader Ginsburg came out that she was groped by Abraham Lincoln." Mississippi Republican Chris McDaniel, a Senate candidate, dismissed the "made-up" scandal. "All of the sudden, that disqualifies this man?" he said on the "Focal Point" show on American Family Radio. "No, not a chance." The party has been down this road before. Since even before the election, Trump has been fending off allegations of his own behavior - including a recording from years ago saying that, as a famous person, he could grope women with impunity - and lawsuits. And Trump backed Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore despite allegations of sexual impropriety with younger women. Kavanaugh's nomination was supposed to be a centerpiece of the GOP's argument for keeping control of the Senate. It would be a major accomplishment, showing conservatives and Christian evangelicals why they supported Trump for president in the first place. But that was before Kavanaugh's confirmation was transformed into a do-over of the 1991 Clarence Thomas hearings, which launched the Year of the Woman in 1992. Law professor Anita Hill accused Thomas, then a Supreme Court nominee, of sexual harassment. Thomas denied the allegation and was confirmed to the high court. Following in Hill's footsteps, Ford went public in The Washington Post on Sunday with her accusation that Kavanaugh groped her and muffled her cries as he tried to pull off her clothes during a party in high school. Kavanaugh, the Yale-educated appellate court judge who worked in the George W. Bush White House, denies the claim and said he wants to testify "as soon as possible, so that I can clear my name." Ford initially appeared reluctant to follow through on her offer to testify. Republicans seemed relieved that she might not show and began to talk of how they might soon have to move on. But now Ford says she's willing to testify publicly next week. Her attorneys are in negotiations with Republicans about how and under what conditions. Steve Schmidt, a veteran political strategist who left the Republican Party this year, said Ford testifying before the Judiciary Committee is "the worst conceivable outcome" for the GOP, because all 11 Republicans on the panel are men. The hearing will appear in "1000s of campaign ads" and further "sever" the GOP's relationship with college-educated suburban women, Schmidt said. "For a generation of American women, it will cause PTSD because of the Anita Hill hearings." Republicans are mindful of mistakes made during the Hill hearings and do not want to repeat them. Their solution: hiring a female attorney to question Ford. That would save them from the optics of 11 Republican men - it's an all-male line up on the GOP side of the Judiciary Committee - questioning a woman about the details of a sexual assault. The Republicans are reaching out to potential hires now. Democrats face their own complications, as senators from Trump-won states - Heidi Heitkamp in North Dakota, Joe Donnelly in Indiana and Joe Manchin in West Virginia - have yet to decide how they'll vote. Before the assault allegation, supporting Kavanaugh had offered them a chance to side with Trump, who remains popular in many of the red states, while showing independence from their own party. "This was always going to be a difficult vote for red-state Democrats, and it's only become harder," said Alex Conant, a GOP strategist. "Now it's the biggest story in the country and everybody is looking to see how the Democrats in Trump-country vote." Strategists from both parties said they were awaiting fresh polling on Kavanaugh that could provide better insight on how voters were viewing the situation. But for Republicans, particularly in the Senate, it appeared that the only outcome potentially worse than confirming Kavanaugh was not confirming him at all. "We're supposed to listen, but we're also supposed to get results," said Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota. "Judge Kavanaugh clearly is supported to be the next member of the United States Supreme Court, and we'll move forward with this process and allow the votes to be counted." __ Lisa Mascaro has covered Congress since 2010. She has also traveled the country covering congressional races and presidential politics. Follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/lisamascaro KODIAK, Alaska (AP) - Alaska troopers said they will begin issuing citations to people found stopping on bridges on Kodiak Island to watch bears. Kodiak Post Alaska State Troopers and Wildlife Troopers have responded to multiple calls this summer about drivers and pedestrians stopping on bridges and roads to see the bears, the Kodiak Daily Mirror reported Thursday. People caught walking on highways, impeding traffic, or stopping and parking on bridges might be fined, troopers said. Fines range from $25 to $60. "We're lucky we haven't had anybody hit or seriously injured standing on those bridges," Lt. Cornelius Sims said. "If you step out in front of a car, it's not going to be a good day for you." This kind of behavior happens every summer, Sims said, but this year was the first time the state Department of Transportation posted signs on Kodiak Island bridges warning people not to linger. Kodiak is the second largest U.S. island after Hawaii Island and its brown bears, also known as grizzlies, grow huge by feeding on the abundant salmon. Much of the island is covered by forest made lush by plentiful rain and a mild maritime climate. Fishing and hunting are draws for tourists. Kodiak also is home to the nation's largest Coast Guard base by area. About 1,000 Coast Guard personnel are stationed there. Bears are usually more active in the evenings, making it riskier for people who stop, Sims said. The chances of traffic collisions increase when visibility is poor, and troopers have less staffing at that time of day to respond, he said. With the end of salmon season nearing, there will likely be more bears around, resulting in more people stopping, Sims said. Most of the time people will move to a safe area when they're asked, he said. "Ninety-nine percent of the people, as soon as they point out the danger of them standing on the bridge, they realize right away," Sims said. ___ Information from: Kodiak (Alaska) Daily Mirror, http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - Two bull elk fighting for herd dominance in southern Wyoming got more than they bargained for when their antlers became entwined. Thanks to two humans, the animals are free to fight another day. Game warden Kim Olson said Friday she got a Sept. 5 call about the elk on a desert ridge. Olson shot video of biologist Patrick Burke shooting the exhausted elk with tranquilizers. They then sawed off some of both elks' antlers to free the pair. They marked each elk with a red X and ear tags to alert hunters about the tranquilizer, which can take several weeks to purge from an elk's system. Male elk are known to be aggressive during mating season in the Rocky Mountain region, head-butting cars and chasing people who get too close. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Gov. Jerry Brown signed a measure Friday allowing utilities to bill their customers to pay for future legal settlements stemming from devastating 2017 wildfires, even if the blazes are blamed on the company's mismanagement. The bill is aimed at preventing bankruptcy or other serious financial trouble for Pacific Gas & Electric Co. The nation's largest utility by revenue faces billions of dollars in liability if investigators determine its equipment caused the Tubbs Fire that destroyed thousands of homes and killed 22 people in Santa Rosa last year. "Wildfires in California aren't going away, and we have to do everything possible to prevent them," Brown said in a statement. "This bill is complex and requires investment - but it's absolutely necessary." FILE - In this Oct. 11, 2017 file photo, a Pacific Gas & Electric crew works at restoring power following a wildfire along the Old Redwood Highway in Santa Rosa, Calif. California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a measure Friday, Sept. 21, 2018, allowing utilities to bill their customers to pay for future legal settlements stemming from devastating 2017 wildfires, even if the blazes are blamed on the company's mismanagement. The bill is aimed at preventing bankruptcy for Pacific Gas & Electric Co. The nation's largest utility by revenue faces billions of dollars in liability if investigators determine its equipment caused the Tubbs Fire that destroyed thousands of homes and killed 22 people in Santa Rosa last year. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File) Critics call it a bailout for PG&E investors. The bill creates a special process for the 2017 fires, which caused more than $10 billion in insured losses, by far the most in state history. It seeks to determine how much liability the utility can absorb without triggering severe consequences like bankruptcy, and allows any additional costs to be billed to consumers. For fires sparked in the future, the bill allows the Public Utilities Commission to consider a variety of factors - including weather conditions, a utility's efforts to prevent fires and findings of mismanagement - to decide whether electric companies can pass costs to consumers. The utility protections are part of more than two dozen bills Brown signed to reduce the risk of wildfires, including efforts to make it easier to conduct controlled burns that aim to clear out dry vegetation that would fuel wildfires. PG&E is facing dozens of lawsuits from insurers, which have spent billions settling insurance claims from homeowners. Courts have ruled that utilities are entirely liable for damage caused by their equipment, even the utility followed all safety precautions. Regulators have required utility investors to shoulder the legal burden for fires caused by mismanagement of electrical equipment. Brown proposed eliminating that standard, known as inverse condemnation, but lawmakers dropped the idea amid pressure from insurers, trial lawyers and fire victims. Despite the legislation, Moody's Investors Service downgraded the credit ratings for California's three big investor-owned utilities. PG&E and its parent company were just above junk bond status. Moody's analyst Jeff Cassella said the legislation represented "extraordinary legislative intervention" but failed to rollback inverse combination. If PG&E is blamed for the most destructive fires and passes along costs to customers, they'll appear as a surcharge on monthly utility bills for the next 20 years. The cost is unknown because it's not clear which fires will ultimately be linked to PG&E, what its final settlement will look like or how much of the burden will be placed on investors. Sen. Bill Dodd, a key negotiator, said the average residential ratepayer would pay an estimated $5.20 extra for every $1 billion dollars that PG&E must finance. In the second quarter of this year, PG&E spent more on lobbying in California than any other entity, records show. It dropped more than $1.7 million, nearly three times as much as it spent the previous quarter, most of it on wildfire issues. Up from the Ashes, a group representing trial lawyers and people who lost homes in the fire, spent more than half a million dollars. The measure is the most hotly contested part of a wide-ranging plan to reduce the threat of wildfires, which have been larger and more destructive in recent years. The bill also requires investor-owned utilities - including PG&E, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric - to harden their equipment so it's less likely to cause fires. It would make it easier, in some circumstances, to do prescribed burns, clear dead trees and brush, log trees and build fire breaks. It includes $1 billion over the next five years for those purposes. Among the other bills Brown signed is a measure aiming to triple the amount of land in California treated with prescribed burns and to limit liability for private landowners conducting controlled burns on their property. The bill helps clarify that landowners who get a permit to conduct a prescribed burn and comply with its terms have done their due diligence. "These private landowners were afraid to get permits because they were afraid of getting sued if something happened," Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, a Santa Barbara Democrat who wrote the bill, told media during a conference call earlier this year. Brown also signed bills to maintain insurance coverage following disasters, improve emergency notifications and to require that garage door openers have a battery backup so people can get their cars out even if the power goes out. PHOENIX (AP) - The Latest on a fatal crash that left eight dead including four Guatemalans (all times local): 12:10 p.m. Court records show the driver and passenger of an SUV involved in a deadly head-on crash that left them and four Guatemalan men dead had been previously convicted of immigrant smuggling charges. Federal court records show 45-year-old driver Rodney Palimo pleaded guilty in March 2008 to a misdemeanor count of aiding and abetting an alien. He was initially charged with a felony count of transporting an illegal alien. SUV passenger Kathleen Palimo, 43, in 2004 pleaded guilty to a felony count of transportation of illegal aliens. They were both killed in the crash Wednesday that also left four Guatemalan men dead and three injured who had been in the SUV. The driver and passenger in the car they collided with also died. Authorities say the car veered into the opposite lane of traffic, striking the SUV. ___ 10 a.m. Authorities say Arizona residents and immigrants from Guatemala were among the eight people killed in a head-on crash. The Arizona Department of Public Safety released the names Friday of the victims from Arizona who died in the highway collision near Florence. Deputies say 41-year-old Angel Meza, of Eloy, was driving a Buick late Wednesday when it went into the opposite lane of traffic and struck an SUV. Meza and his passenger, 33-year-old Nicole Vidal, were pronounced dead. The SUV driver, 45-year-old Rodney Palimo, and a front passenger, 43-year-old Kathleen Palimo, both of Sells, also died. Seven men from Guatemala were also in the car. Four died. The other three were injured. Their conditions were not immediately known. Officials have not said whether the SUV was involved in a smuggling operation. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - A Missouri appeals court panel cleared the way Friday for voters to decide a November ballot initiative that could shake up of the state Legislature by requiring districts to be drawn to achieve "partisan fairness" and imposing new lobbying limits. The ruling overturned a decision issued a week ago by a state judge who said the so-called Clean Missouri initiative violated the state constitution by addressing multiple topics. The Western District appeals panel disagreed, ruling that the "multiple provisions all relate to a single central purpose: regulating the legislature to limit the influence of partisan or other special interests." Republican-aligned attorneys for those opposing the measure said they would appeal to the state Supreme Court. But time is running short. Missouri law sets a Tuesday deadline to make changes to the Nov. 6. ballot. The state's high court previously turned down a chance to hear the case in place of the appeals panel. As it stands, the measure would appear on the ballot as Constitutional Amendment 1. "We hope this brings an end to it and that the people can vote in November on whether they want to adopt these changes," said attorney Chuck Hatfield, who represents Clean Missouri. The initiative has been opposed in court by the president of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry and a Republican voter who was represented by the law firm of Missouri Republican Party Chairman Todd Graves. "Our concern is that people think they're voting for ethics reform," Graves said Friday. "That's certainly a small part of this measure, but what they're really voting for is a radical change in the way that we draw legislative districts." Missouri's state House and Senate districts are redrawn after each census by bipartisan commissions whose members are appointed by the governor from nominees submitted by the Democratic and Republican parties. The ballot initiative would create a new position of a nonpartisan state demographer to propose maps to commissioners that reflect the parties' share of the statewide vote in previous elections for president, governor and U.S. senator. The criteria of "partisan fairness" and "competitiveness" would rank ahead of more traditional criteria such as geographically compact districts. While supporters contend that their goal is to prevent partisan gerrymandering, opponents say the initiative would essentially require the gerrymandering of oddly shaped districts to try to mirror statewide voting trends. Redistricting has been a hot topic across the country . Measures revamping the process also are on the ballot this November in Colorado, Michigan and Utah. Though the details vary by state, all are designed to limit partisan influence on redistricting. Colorado's measure also would require districts to be drawn to "maximize the number of politically competitive districts." Michigan's would prohibit districts that provide a disproportionate advantage to any political party. Utah's prohibits the consideration of partisan voting records when drawing districts. National Democratic and Republican groups also have increased their spending for the 2018 state legislative elections as they seek to win control of as many chambers as possible ahead of the next round of redistricting. Republicans currently hold commanding majorities in the Missouri House and Senate, as well as most of the statewide executive offices. Democrats have won some urban legislative districts by large margins while generally losing throughout much of the rest of the state. Democrats typically have run closer to Republicans in statewide elections. Although some Republicans support it, the campaign for the Missouri initiative is run by a Democratic consultant and has received big checks from groups that typically back Democrats, including labor unions. In addition to the redistricting changes, the Missouri initiative would prohibit lawmakers from accepting gifts worth more than $5 from lobbyists. It would alter the waiting period for ex-lawmakers to become lobbyists, make lawmakers subject to the state open-records law and bar legislative candidates from raising political money on state property. Campaign contribution limits for legislative candidates would be lowered slightly, from the current $2,600 for all candidates to $2,500 for Senate candidates and $2,000 for House candidates. ___ Follow David A. Lieb: https://twitter.com/DavidALieb Kanchanpur, Nepal: Nirmala Pantas rape and murder case becomes mysterious after forensic report found no match between the DNA samples taken from three suspected persons with the victims vaginal swab. The DNA of suspended SP Dilliraj Bista, his son Kiran Bista and, Ayush Bista, nephew of Bhimdutta Municipality Mayor Surendra Bista, did not match with the DNA taken from the vaginal swab of the Nirmala Panta , the Nepal Police has said on Sunday confirming to the speculations to this effect. Similarly, Birendra KC, a member of the probe committee formed to investigate Nirmala rape and murder case has been attacked by an unidentified group o Sunday. It is likely that the case has been becoming mysterious with one after another incident. KC was attacked when was en route to Dhangadi in a vehicle of the law ministry of Province 7. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Latest on the sentencing of a Guatemalan man who pleaded guilty in a drunken driving crash that killed Indianapolis Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson and his Uber driver(all times local): 3:30 p.m. A man from Guatemala living illegally in the U.S. has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for a drunken-driving crash that killed Indianapolis Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson and his Uber driver. FILE - This file photo provided by the Indiana State Police shows Manuel Orrego-Savala, of Guatemala. Orrego-Savala, living illegally in the U.S., pleaded guilty Friday, July 20, 2018, to driving drunk when he killed Indianapolis Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson and his Uber driver on Feb. 4. 2018. Orrego-Savala is due to be sentenced Sept. 21, 2018. (Indiana State Police via AP, File) A Marion County judge sentenced Manuel Orrego-Savala to the maximum possible sentence Friday under his plea agreement. The 37-year-old had pleaded guilty in July to two counts of operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content of .15 or more, causing death. Orrego-Savala's blood alcohol content was 0.19 when his truck crashed into Jackson and his Uber driver, Jeffrey Monroe. The crash occurred in February along the shoulder of Interstate 70 in Indianapolis. Monroe had pulled over after Jackson became ill. The judge heard emotional testimony from Jackson's mother and Monroe's widow during Friday's hearing. ___ 9:07 a.m. A man from Guatemala living illegally in the U.S. is set for sentencing in a drunken driving crash that killed Indianapolis Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson and his Uber driver. Manuel Orrego-Savala will be sentenced Friday, two months after he pleaded guilty to two counts of operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content of .15 or more, causing death. The 37-year-old driver's blood alcohol content was 0.19 percent when his truck crashed into Jackson and Uber driver Jeffrey Monroe in February on Interstate 70. Monroe had pulled over because Jackson was ill. Authorities say Orrego-Savala had been deported twice from the U.S. and was in the country illegally when the crash happened. The case became a flash point in the nation's immigration debate. NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - The sheriff of New Jersey's most populous county resigned Friday amid mounting pressure from his own party after a recording surfaced in which he made derogatory remarks about blacks and about the state's first Sikh attorney general. A spokesman for Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino announced Saudino's resignation Friday along with the resignations of four undersheriffs. Bergen County is home to roughly 1 million people, directly across the Hudson River from New York City. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer and several state lawmakers had called for Saudino, also a Democrat, to step down Thursday when the recording was published by WNYC radio. On it, Saudino is heard saying Attorney General Gurbir Grewal was appointed because of "the turban." He also said Murphy's policies would allow blacks to "come in, do whatever the (expletive) they want, smoke their marijuana, do this do that." Saudino also questioned on the recording whether Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, who is not married, is gay. Murphy said in a statement Friday, "We can now begin the process of restoring faith in the Bergen County Sheriff's Office after so much of it was so quickly eroded. And, we can begin the process of ensuring that the bigoted beliefs displayed by the former Sheriff are not given shelter in any corner of the Bergen County Sheriff's Office - now or in the future." Grewal, who worked closely with Saudino when he served as Bergen County prosecutor before being appointed attorney general, praised the "overwhelming majority of law enforcement officers" in the county and across the state in a statement Friday. But he added that "the fact that a top official could make racist comments about the African-American community - and that no one in the room would challenge or correct him - raises serious concerns." On Thursday, Saudino released a statement apologizing for the comments and assuring that they were "not representative of the person that I am and they are in no way consistent with the manner in which I have conducted my life personally and as a law enforcement professional with over 46 years of service to the residents of Bergen County." He also said in the statement that he had reached out to community leaders and asked for forgiveness. WNYC radio obtained the tape from a person who was present during the meeting between Saudino and subordinates. It was recorded on the day of Murphy's inauguration in January. Grewal was at the center of a controversy in July, when the hosts of a popular New Jersey radio show were suspended without pay for 10 days for repeatedly referring to him during a broadcast as "turban man." NEW YORK (AP) - She says he sexually assaulted her; he denies it. Is somebody deliberately lying? Not necessarily. Experts say that because of how memory works, it's possible that both Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford - the woman who says a drunken Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed and groped her at a party when they were teenagers in the early 1980s - believe what they say. FILE - In this Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018 file photo made with a slow shutter speed and a zoom lens, President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, for the third day of his confirmation hearing. On Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018, an attorney for Christine Blasey Ford said she would testify to the Senate next week about her accusation that Kavanaugh assaulted her when both were high school students if agreement can be reached to "terms that are fair and which ensure her safety." (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) And which one of them believes his or her version more strongly is no tipoff to what really happened. "Confidence is not a good guide to whether or not someone is telling the truth," said Nora Newcombe, a psychology professor at Temple University in Philadelphia. "If they think they're telling the truth, they could plausibly both be confident about it." As the nation ponders the accusations from Ford that could derail Kavanaugh's nomination, the possibility that one of them simply got it wrong has been floated on Capitol Hill. Ford's lawyers have said some senators appear to have made up their mind that she is "mistaken" and confused. Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah told CNN, "Somebody's mixed up." Experts say a person's memory is not like a video recorder, perfectly capturing an objective record of everything that happens for later retrieval. "Memory is mostly true but sometimes unreliable," said psychologist Jennifer Talarico of Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. Generally, "we get the gist mostly right." Your beliefs and expectations shape what you perceive in your life and how you later remember those events, researchers say. "You are constructing the reality out there as it happens, and therefore you get stuck with that ... as the most accurate you can have for your memory," said David Rubin, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University. "That's all you have to base your memory on." So in a situation where a woman fears being raped by a man, her memories might be shaped by that fear into a recollection that overestimates the threat, whereas the man might consider it "just playing around" and simply forget it later on, Rubin said. And both could be completely honest about their recollections. Rubin noted the obvious fact that people can forget things they did while drunk. But he said the man in his scenario could forget about the event even if he had been sober. Typically, when people make mistakes in recalling an event, they unknowingly slip in details that would be typical on such occasions, Talarico said. (She would not speculate on particular memories at issue in the Kavanaugh matter.) When it comes to emotionally charged events, it's typical to remember a central person or an item such as a gun but forget the context and details, Newcombe said. "You have this vivid central thing and everything else is fuzzy," she said. "Emotion makes one thing go up and the other go down." So it would be wrong to challenge Ford's memory of the alleged incident over inability to recall details, Newcombe said. Ford, a 51-year-old California psychology professor, told The Washington Post that she told nobody about the alleged incident in any detail until 2012, while in couples therapy. Her husband said he recalled her using Kavanaugh's last name at that time. Some experts cited a classic case of how memory can fail: the 1973 Senate committee testimony of John Dean, former counsel to President Richard Nixon, regarding the Watergate affair. He testified about conversations that, it later turned out, had been recorded. In 1981, a psychologist published a comparison of his testimony to the tapes and found that even though Dean was basically right about the existence of a cover-up, his accounts of conversations were often wrong. As for the Kavanaugh matter, Rubin said, "We don't have the tapes for what happened at the party." ___ 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 more on Kavanaugh's nomination, go to: https://apnews.com/tag/Kavanaughnomination PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Frederica von Stade sat on a table singing, her face filled with fear and wonder, her character unsure where she was going and where she had been. Nearly a half-century after her professional debut, the 73-year-old teamed with fellow mezzo Marietta Simpson for a mesmerizing performance Thursday night in the world premiere of "Sky on Swings," Lembit Beecher's joyful and disturbing chamber opera about two women deteriorating from Alzheimer's disease. Commissioned by Opera Philadelphia for the first night of its season-opening O18 festival, the 78-minute work debuted on the eve of World Alzheimer's Day. It explores the cognitive decline of Danny (von Stade) and Martha (the 59-year-old Simpson), whose disease is more progressed. This Sept. 18, 2018 photo released by Opera Philadelphia, Mezzo-soprano Marietta Simpson, left, and Frederica von Stade in the new opera "Sky on Swings" premiering as part of Opera Philadelphia's O18 Festival. (Dominic M. Mercier/Opera Philadelphia via AP) In the third chamber opera by the 37-year-old Beecher and librettist Hannah Moscovitch after "I Have No Stories to Tell You" and "Sophia's Forest," jarring keyboard notes and pizzicato in the 11-piece orchestra punctuate melodic singing to create a disorienting intensity. "There was a feeling that the orchestral music in the piece needed to be about disintegration or degeneration in some way," Beecher said Friday. Moscovitch's libretto explores the place of the elderly in a society with longer life spans, much like Alan Bennett's "Allelujah!" which opened at London's Bridge Theatre in July. But while Bennett sets his play in the specific locale of a Yorkshire hospital and has sharp political commentary about cuts to Britain's National Health Service, Moscovitch focuses "Sky" on the collapsing minds of the two principal characters in their individual homes and a nonspecific facility. Danny's son Ira (tenor Daniel Taylor) and Martha's daughter Winnie (soprano Sharleen Joynt) depict the frustrations of caregivers, and a chorus of four elders adds pathos by voicing diminishment in clinical and practical terms. After Danny is unable to remember where she parked her car, Ira asks her to repeat 10 nouns. Shattered when she realizes that she is impaired, Danny bemoans her inability to recall appointments, yet touchingly reveals: "I remember pop's shaving cream/ I remember the smell of his face/ I remember the way you looked when you were born Ira/ And my first house/ And my first kiss." "It transcends sanity to a certain extent," von Stade said. "It's what's so marvelous about human nature, that even with this debilitating disease there are still great human touches that shine in spite of it." Director Joanna Settle has Danny and Martha sing as if to themselves and to all, much like a Shakespearean soliloquy. There wasn't a murmur in the crowd at the Kimmel Center's 550-seat Perelman Theater. "To experience the silences from the audiences was very, very impactful," Simpson said. Von Stade, who debuted in 1970 at New York's Metropolitan Opera, had two aunts die of Alzheimer's. "I find it very emotional to do it, especially I think at my advanced age," she said. "It's very pertinent." Andrew Lieberman's minimalist sets dominated by whites and grays include a line of twisted neon and a projected shadow that morph from words to squiggles and back. Choral passages turn into mumbles, and character phrases become disjointed. "Memorizing text for someone who's losing their mind - trying to find a pattern where there's not an obvious pattern, that is difficult," Simpson said. There are four more performances through Sept. 29. ___ Online: https://www.operaphila.org/festival/ SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - The Latest on a shooting at a memorial service in Syracuse that wounded five people, including an 8-year-old girl (all times local): 3:48 p.m. Police in Syracuse say they don't know if a shooting that wounded a 14-year-old girl was related to earlier gunfire that left five people, including an 8-year-old girl, hospitalized with gunshot wounds. Police say officers responding to a report of a shooting around 10 p.m. Thursday found a teenage girl suffering from a gunshot wound to her lower back. Officials say she was taken to a hospital and is expected to recover. The first shooting happened an hour earlier at a home four blocks away. Five people were hit by gunfire during an outdoor memorial service for a man who recently died from cancer. Police say the victims ranged in age from 8 to 35 and all are expected to survive. No arrests have been made in either shooting. ___ 8:57 a.m. Authorities say an 8-year-old girl and four other people wounded by gunfire during a memorial service in upstate New York are expected to survive. Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler says all five victims are in stable condition Friday after being shot around 9 p.m. Thursday outside a home. He says ages of the victims range from 8 to 35. The Post-Standard (https://bit.ly/2NtGqOf ) reports that witnesses say they saw two to three possible shooters and heard at least 10 shots. Police haven't confirmed the number of shooters or revealed a possible motive. Neighbors told police about 50 people had gathered outside a house to commemorate a man who recently died of cancer. ___ This story has been updated to correct the name of the newspaper to The Post-Standard, instead of The Syracuse Post-Stand. Weighing a 2020 campaign for president, former Vice President Joe Biden says he should have protected Anita Hill from what he called "character assassination" during the Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Justice Clarence Thomas more than a quarter century ago. Biden chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee during the contentious 1991 hearings. As sexual misconduct again shadows a high court confirmation, Biden said he failed to prevent the all-male committee from putting Hill on the defensive. "Anita Hill was vilified when she came forward, by a lot of my colleagues," Biden said during an interview on NBC's Today. "I wish I could have done more to prevent those questions and the way they asked them." FILE - In this Oct. 12, 1991, file photo, then-Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., points angrily at Clarence Thomas during comments at the end of hearings on Thomas' nomination to the Supreme Court on Capitol Hill. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., watches at right. (AP Photo/Greg Gibson, File) Biden was reflecting on his lead role in a seminal moment in the nation's debate over sexual harassment, long before the explosion of the #MeToo movement and the return of allegations of sexual impropriety in a Supreme Court confirmation. Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh is accused of sexually assaulting Christine Blasey Ford, now a university professor in California, when they were in high school more than 30 years ago. Kavanaugh has denied the allegation, which has rekindled questions of Biden's leadership of the Judiciary Committee as he considers another presidential run. With his wife Jill at his side, Biden struck a contrite tone during the NBC interview, arguing the experience prompted him to invite women senators to join the Judiciary Committee and for him to author the 1994 Violence Against Women Act. But he mainly expressed powerlessness to stop his male committee colleagues from being insensitive. During Hill's testimony to the committee, some members suggested she was exaggerating and that the lack of allegations of any physical contact by Thomas was defensible. "My biggest regret was I didn't know how I could shut you off, as you were a senator, and you were attacking Anita Hill's character," Biden said. "Under the Senate rules, I can't gavel you down and say you can't ask that question, although I tried. And so what happened was she got victimized again during the process." And though Biden said "I think I got it in '91," he memorably asked Hill flatly during the hearing to describe "what was the most embarrassing of all the incidences that you have alleged?" Friday, Biden said "it takes enormous courage for a woman to come forward in the bright lights of millions of people watching and relive something that happened to her." Biden, twice a candidate for president before two terms as vice president under Barack Obama, says he would run in 2020 if no other candidate steps forward who he believes can beat President Donald Trump, a Republican. Biden says he expects to decide whether to seek the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination by early next year. Meanwhile, fellow Democratic presidential prospects such as California Sen. Kamala Harris and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, sit on the Judiciary Committee today. They have already attracted attention for their roles on the committee during Kavanaugh's previous hearings. They could again assert themselves as national leaders on this politically charged issue if Kavanaugh returns to the committee next week to testify about the allegation . NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks that moved substantially or traded heavily Friday: Texas Instruments Inc., up $1.56 to $110.05 The chipmaker raised its quarterly dividend and said it will buy back $12 billion in stock. United Natural Foods Corp., down $2.88 to $30.97 The organic and specialty foods distributor reported weak earnings and sales, and said freight costs rose. Micron Technology Corp., down $1.32 to $44.74 The chipmaker said the new tariffs on imports from China will cut into its profit margins. Adobe Systems Inc., down $5.46 to $260.88 The software maker said it will buy business cloud computing company Marketo for $4.75 billion. Mazor Robotics Ltd., up $5.40 to $58.15 The surgical guidance system maker agreed to be bought by Medtronic for $1.54 billion. BHP Billiton Ltd., up 95 cents to $49.22 The British pound weakened and U.K. stocks jumped after talks over Britain's departure from the EU the reached an impasse. Apache Corp., up 29 cents to $45.96 Energy companies climbed as U.S. crude rose to its highest price since late 2014. McDonald's Corp., up $4.51 to $165.30 The burger chain raised its quarterly dividend to $1.16 from $1.01. ISTANBUL (AP) - The Chinese government has turned four of Meripet's children into orphans, even though she and her husband are alive. The kids were left with their grandmother when the couple visited Meripet's sick father in Turkey. But when Chinese authorities started locking up thousands of their fellow ethnic Uighurs for alleged subversive crimes such as travel abroad, a visit turned into exile. Then, her mother-in-law was jailed, and Meripet learned from a friend that her 3- to 8-year-olds were placed in a de facto orphanage in the Xinjiang region. In this Aug. 20, 2018, photo, Meripet, 29, prays at her home in Istanbul, Turkey. Meripet came to Turkey in February 2017 to visit her sick father, leaving four children behind. While in Turkey, she heard Uighur passports were being seized and that people who had gone abroad were being taken to reeducation, so she stayed in Turkey, giving birth to Abduweli. She hasn't seen her other four children since, and heard they were taken to a live-in kindergarten in Hotan, China. (AP Photo/Dake Kang) "It's like my kids are in jail," Meripet said, her voice cracking. Meripet's family is among tens of thousands swept up in President Xi Jinping's campaign to subdue a sometimes restive region, including the internment of more than one million Uighurs and other Muslim minorities. Now there is evidence that the government is placing the children of detainees and exiles into dozens of orphanages across Xinjiang. The orphanages are the latest example of how China is systematically distancing young Muslims in Xinjiang from their families and culture, The Associated Press has found through interviews with more than a dozen Muslims and a review of procurement documents. The government has been building thousands of so-called "bilingual" schools where minority children are penalized for using their native languages instead of Mandarin. Some of these are boarding schools, which Uighurs say can be mandatory and, in a Kazakh family's case, start from the age of five. China says the orphanages help disadvantaged children and denies the existence of internment camps for their parents. It prides itself on investing millions of yuan in education in Xinjiang to steer people out of poverty and away from terrorism. The country also maintains that strong measures are necessary to kill extremism in a region where it says Uighur separatists were responsible for the deaths of hundreds in past years. But Uighurs fear that these measures are wiping out their ethnic identity, one child at a time. "If the kids are forced to speak Mandarin and live like Han Chinese every day, I'm afraid they won't be like us anymore," said Meriyem Yusup, whose extended family has four children sent to state-run orphanages in Xinjiang. Experts say what China is doing echoes how white colonialists in North America and Australia treated indigenous children. "What we're looking at is something like a settler colonial situation where an entire generation is lost," said Darren Byler, a researcher of Uighur culture at University of Washington. Most of these families in China cannot be reached by journalists. However, the AP interviewed 14 Uighur families living in Turkey and one Kazakh man in Almaty with a total of 56 children who remain in China. The families say 14 appear to be in state-run orphanages and boarding schools, while the whereabouts of the rest are unknown because many of their adult relatives in Xinjiang have been detained. Some interviewees, like Meripet, requested that they be identified only by their first names because they feared official retaliation against their relatives. Since the start of last year, the government has budgeted more than $30 million (200 million Chinese yuan) to build or expand at least 45 orphanages, with enough beds to house about 5,000 children, an AP review of procurement notices in Xinjiang shows. In July and August alone, the government invited bids for the construction of at least nine such centers. These numbers do not include kindergartens and other schools where some children of Uighur detainees are also being housed. Shi Yuqing, a Kashgar civil affairs official, told the AP over the phone that "authorities provide aid and support to everyone in need, whether they're the children of convicted criminals or people killed in traffic accidents." The Xinjiang government did not respond to repeated requests for government. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang, said Thursday the measures taken in Xinjiang were necessary for "stability, development, harmony." Meripet's friend, who visited China last November, told her that her children are living in the Hotan City Kindness Kindergarten, where Meripet's sister-in-law was permitted to take them home for one night only. The schoolyard's entrance is blocked by an iron gate and adorned with the words "We Are Happy and Grateful to the Motherland." Armed police officers surrounded AP reporters minutes after their arrival and ordered them to delete any photos. Students at another kindergarten in Xinjiang were regularly asked by officials if their parents practiced religion at home, according to Dilnur, a 35-year-old business student in exile in Istanbul, whose children attended the school. A man was taken away by police after his grandson said in class that he had made a pilgrimage to Mecca, she recalled. Some bilingual schools are boarding schools, which are not uncommon in China. Adil Dalelkhan, an ethnic Kazakh sock merchant in exile in Almaty, said that even though his then five-year-old son could live with relatives, he was forced to stay at his preschool Mondays through Fridays instead. The father called the policy a "terrifying" step toward extinguishing Kazakh culture. An official Kashgar notice posted in February states that children in the fourth grade and above with parents in detention must be sent to boarding school immediately - even if one parent is still at home. In Istanbul, the only child still with Meripet is her fifth, a son born in Turkey whom she calls "my only light." "I have only been able to keep living because I know there is hope," she said. "I know one day I will see my children again." ___ Associated Press writer Gillian Wong in Beijing contributed to this report. ___ Follow Yanan Wang and Dake Kang on Twitter at @yananw and @dakekang. In this Aug. 20, 2018, photo, Meripet, 29, holds on to a photograph of her children in Istanbul, Turkey. Meripet came to Turkey in February 2017 to visit her sick father, leaving four children behind, her oldest son Abdurahman, 8, daughter Adile, 6, son Muhemmed, 4, and son Abdulla, 3. While in Turkey, she heard Uighur passports were being seized and that people who had gone abroad were being taken to reeducation - so she stayed in Turkey, giving birth to Abduweli. She hasn't seen her other four children since, and heard they were taken to a live-in kindergarten in Hotan, China. (AP Photo/Dake Kang) In this Aug. 21, 2018, photo, Meripet, 29, carries her son Abduweli, at a playground in Istanbul, Turkey. Meripet came to Turkey in February 2017 to visit her sick father, leaving four children behind. While in Turkey, she heard Uighur passports were being seized and that people who had gone abroad were being taken to reeducation - so she stayed in Turkey, giving birth to Abduweli. She hasn't seen her other four children since, and heard they were taken to a live-in kindergarten in Hotan, China. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) In this Aug. 21, 2018, photo, Meripet, 29, holds on to a photograph of her children in Istanbul, Turkey. Meripet came to Turkey in February 2017 to visit her sick father, leaving four children behind. While in Turkey, she heard Uighur passports were being seized and that people who had gone abroad were being taken to reeducation - so she stayed in Turkey, giving birth to Abduweli. She hasn't seen her other four children since, and heard they were taken to a live-in kindergarten in Hotan, China. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) In this Aug. 23, 2018, photo, Adil, 42, father to five children and a businessman from Kashgar, China, holds a phone showing an image of his family left behind in China while being interviewed by the Associated Press in Istanbul, Turkey. He got stuck in Turkey during a business trip after hearing that the Chinese government was seizing passports, and hasn't seen his children since. Three of his children were ordered to attend newly-built boarding schools in Kashgar and Turpan before he got stuck in Turkey. (AP Photo/Dake Kang) In this Aug. 24, 2018, photo, Abdurehim Imin, 42, father to 5 children and a poet and writer from Kashgar, China, works on an autobiography at his home in Istanbul, Turkey. He fled China in August 2013 and hasn't seen his children since then. In October 2015, his wife was arrested after he sent his family a gift of olive oil. He later heard two of his children were killed after being hit by a police cruiser and one was sent to a boarding school. He does not know what happened to his other two children. (AP Photo/Dake Kang) In this Aug. 24, 2018, photo, Abdurehim Imin, 42, father to 5 children and a poet and writer from Kashgar, China, prays at a mosque near his home in Istanbul, Turkey. He fled China in August 2013 and hasn't seen his children since then. In October 2015, his wife was arrested after he sent his family a gift of olive oil. He later heard two of his children were killed after being hit by a police cruiser and one was sent to a boarding school. He does not know what happened to his other two children. (AP Photo/Dake Kang) In this Aug. 21, 2018, photo, men pray at the start of the Eid al-Adha, or "Feast of Sacrifice," a feast celebrated by Muslims worldwide, at a mosque in a neighborhood where many members of the Uighur community reside in Istanbul, Turkey. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha, by sacrificing animals to commemorate the prophet Ibrahim's faith in being willing to sacrifice his son. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) In this Aug. 21, 2018, photo, members of the Uighur community watch as others slaughter sheep following prayers at the start of the Eid al-Adha, or "Feast of Sacrifice," a feast celebrated by Muslims worldwide in Istanbul, Turkey. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha, by sacrificing animals to commemorate the prophet Ibrahim's faith in being willing to sacrifice his son. Some of the meat is being given as aid to the poor and children also receive toys and money from their elders. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) In this Aug. 30, 2018, photo, Uighur children play outdoors in Hotan, in western China's Xinjiang region. Uighurs fear the Chinese government's expansion of compulsory Mandarin-intensive classes and boarding schools away from home will gradually erode their children's Central Asian ethnic identity and Islamic beliefs. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) In this Aug. 31, 2018, photo, a propaganda poster showing Chinese President Xi Jinping with ethnic minority children and the slogan which reads "Party Secretary Xi Jinping and Xinjiang's multi ethnic residents united heart to heart" decorates the side of a building in Kashgar, western China's Xinjiang region. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) In this Aug. 31, 2018, photo, shot through a car window, a child and a woman wait outside a school entrance with multiple layers of barbed wire and barricades in Peyzawat, western China's Xinjiang region. Uighurs fear the Chinese government's expansion of compulsory Mandarin-intensive classes and boarding schools away from home will gradually erode their children's Central Asian ethnic identity and Islamic beliefs. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) In this Aug. 31, 2018, photo, a woman walks past the entrance to the No. 4 High School also known as the Peyzawat Bilingual High School with signs which read "Entering School Grounds, Please speak Mandarin," left, and "Parents Waiting Zone" in Peyzawat, western China's Xinjiang region. Uighurs fear the Chinese government's expansion of compulsory Mandarin-intensive classes and boarding schools away from home will gradually erode their children's Central Asian ethnic identity and Islamic beliefs. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) In this Aug. 31, 2018, photo, a woman walks past the Kashgar Dongcheng No. 4 Junior Middle School, which is part of a cluster of schools with slogans which read "Study hard to realize the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation", "Kind Learning, Kind Thoughts, Kind Actions" and "Pursue Knowledge" on the outskirts of in Kashgar, western China's Xinjiang region. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) In this Aug. 31, 2018, photo, barbed wire protects the walls around a cluster of schools on the outskirts of Kashgar, in western China's Xinjiang region. Uighurs fear the Chinese government's expansion of compulsory Mandarin-intensive classes and boarding schools away from home will gradually erode their children's Central Asian ethnic identity and Islamic beliefs. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) In this Aug. 30, 2018, photo, security personnel inspect camera equipment of journalists outside the Hotan City Kindness Kindergarten, where Meripet learnt her children are kept in Hotan, in western China's Xinjiang region. Meripet lives in exile in Turkey but her family is among tens of thousands swept up in the internment of more than one million Uighurs and other Muslim minorities and there is evidence the government is placing the children of detainees and exiles into dozens of orphanages across Xinjiang. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) In this Aug. 31, 2018, photo, children play outside the entrance to a school ringed with barbed wire, security cameras and barricades near a sign which reads "Please use the nation's common language" indicating the use of Mandarin in Peyzawat, western China's Xinjiang region. Uighurs fear the Chinese government's expansion of compulsory Mandarin-intensive classes and boarding schools away from home will gradually erode their children's Central Asian ethnic identity and Islamic beliefs. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Vice President Mike Pence on Friday told a crowd of conservatives in Tennessee that a win by Democrat Phil Bredesen would help the U.S. Senate become the center of the Democratic resistance. In the White House's latest foray into the tight Tennessee contest, Pence contended that Bredesen would align with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as Democrats seek to upend a slim Senate Republican majority. The vice president directed attendees to back Bredesen's opponent, Republican Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn, calling her one of the strongest, most principled conservatives he's met. Pence and President Donald Trump have headlined previous Tennessee events with Blackburn, as the GOP tries to boost her candidacy and undercut Bredesen's message of political independence and continued popularity as a red-state Democrat who served as governor. Vice President Mike Pence speaks at the American Conservative Union's CPAC/365 Knoxville event supporting Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn in Knoxville, Tenn., Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (Brianna Paciorka/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP) Pence afterward headed to a Blackburn fundraiser Friday, also in Knoxville. "I know Marsha is going to stand with our president and this administration, on the agenda that we're delivering for the American people, just like she's done in the House of Representatives," Pence told attendees at the American Conservative Union's CPAC 365 Friday. "The truth is, Phil Bredesen's first vote in the United States Senate would be to make Chuck Schumer Senate majority leader. Phil Bredesen, if he becomes your senator, will actually help the United States Senate be turned into the center of the Democratic resistance. And I know Tennessee is not going to let that happen." Among his criticisms, Pence chided Bredesen for at one point describing Trump's tax cuts as "crumbs" for the middle class and opposing the president's U.S.-Mexico border wall proposal, which Bredesen has said is more political theater than practical policy. The vice president also acknowledged that Republicans face a real fight in November. "History records that the first midterm election for the party that's in the White House can be challenging," Pence said. "In fact, that's been true for the Republican Party in every midterm election except for two in the last 100 years. That's what the conventional wisdom says about midterm elections. But I think we all know what President Trump thinks of conventional wisdom." On Friday, Bredesen's campaign aimed to draw even more focus on his bipartisan appeal by releasing a TV ad that shows voters talking about being Republicans and supporting the ex-governor, and the campaign separately released their names. Blackburn's campaign has already tried the opposite - a previous ad shows voters who say they supported Bredesen as governor, but now can't get behind him for Senate. Bredesen's campaign aimed to brush off Pence's attacks. "Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn keeps bringing her D.C. friends to our state to tell voters what to think, but it is clear that Tennesseans want to turn things upside-down and tell Washington instead how we want to live," Bredesen campaign spokeswoman Alyssa Hansen said. The event brought in other reinforcements for Blackburn. Chris Cox, executive director of the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action, said Bredesen "might be a nice enough guy, he might make a decent senator for California or New Jersey, but not for this state." The NRA, which endorsed Blackburn, has blasted Bredesen for running ad touting his support for the 2nd Amendment and mentioning his 'A' NRA rating as governor. The group says he now has a 'D' rating. Republican nominee for governor Bill Lee also brought up the nomination of embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who is facing accusations of sexual assault from high school as his confirmation proceeds. Bredesen says he will give a yes-or-no answer on whether he would have supported Kavanaugh. Blackburn said Friday that "it is time for us to confirm Brett Kavanaugh." "What we've seen just in the last week, the tidal wave of pushback to the appointment of a conservative judge that will help shape the future of our country in a positive way, what we've seen there is just a real reminder of how important it is that we have Marsha Blackburn as our next U.S. senator," said Lee, who faces Democrat Karl Dean in the race to succeed Republican Gov. Bill Haslam. Vice President Mike Pence, left, stands with Republican Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn, right, at the American Conservative Union's CPAC/365 Knoxville event supporting Blackburn in Knoxville, Tenn., Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (Brianna Paciorka/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP) WARNING for European visitors European Union laws require you to give European Union visitors information about cookies used on your blog. In many cases, these laws also require you to obtain consent. As a courtesy, we have added a notice on your blog to explain Google's use of certain Blogger and Google cookies, including use of Google Analytics and AdSense cookies. SALEM, Ore. (AP) - Federal agents arrested an Oregon man who threatened to kill YouTube employees and specifically threatened the CEO of the company, saying he was coming for her, the FBI said Friday. William Gregory Douglas, 35, of Cave Junction, faces charges of cyberstalking and transmission of threats in interstate commerce to injure another. The FBI said Douglas was arrested Thursday outside a convenience store in his hometown in the forested mountains of southwest Oregon. He is scheduled to appear before a federal judge on Monday. Authorities said Douglas posted tweets under the Twitter handle LiamXmaiLRevolutionX, demanding a return of his channel and making threats. The account was still active on Friday but was private. This Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018, booking photo released by the Jackson County Sheriff shows William Gregory Douglas, of Cave Junction, Oregon, at the Jackson County Jail in Medford, Ore. The FBI arrested Douglas, who they say threatened to kill YouTube employees and specifically threatened the CEO of the company, telling her he's coming for her and that she should pray. Douglas faces charges of cyberstalking and transmission of threats in interstate commerce to injure another. (Jackson County Sheriff via AP) Douglas allegedly referenced a shooting at YouTube's California headquarters in April in which a woman, accusing YouTube of filtering or blocking her content, wounded three people before killing herself. Douglas' tweets included "I would kill the 100 YouTube employees" and "you want a bigger mass casualty aka shooting let's see what I can do," the FBI said. He also is alleged to have posted a message on Monday to YouTube CEO Susan Diane Wojcicki, telling her he's coming for her and that she should pray. Court documents available online did not indicate whether Douglas has an attorney. Phone calls to the public defenders' office in his county went unanswered. The complaint signed by FBI Special Agent Jeffrey Gray describes three videos in which the subject identified himself as Douglas and made "long rants about the 'Deep State' and stated he has been 'shadow-banned' from YouTube, which he described as a government operation." In one video, "he stated he has to go to Mountain View to 'visit' people at YouTube." Approximately 700 people work at the YouTube campus in Mountain View, California. Douglas faces charges of Cyberstalking and Transmission of Threats in Interstate Commerce to Injure Another. ___ Follow Andrew Selsky on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andrewselsky CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - The West Virginia Supreme Court's chief justice is asking the court to delay impeachment proceedings against her by the state Senate. Chief Justice Margaret Workman filed a petition Friday morning arguing the state Senate's articles of impeachment are not constitutional. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports Workman is asking to delay impeachment proceedings in the Senate until the case is resolved. She argues in the filing that the articles of impeachment violate the separation of powers in government and that her due process has been denied in the proceedings. She filed a separate motion disqualifying herself from presiding in the case. Workman is one of four current and former Supreme Court justices to be the subject of articles of impeachment that were adopted in the House of Delegates on Aug. 13. ___ Information from: The Charleston Gazette-Mail, http://wvgazettemail.com. WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh (all times local): 11 p.m. President Donald Trump says Democrats are "working hard to destroy" Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Trump says on Twitter that Kavanaugh is "a wonderful man, and a man who has the potential to be one of our greatest Supreme Court Justices ever." Trump says Democrats are attacking Kavanaugh "with an array of False Acquisitions the likes of which have never been seen before!" In a later tweet he corrected "Acquisitions" to "Accusations." Two women have accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct decades ago. He has denied sexually assaulting anyone. FILE - In this Sept. 5, 2018, file photo, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, for the second day of his confirmation hearing to replace retired Justice Anthony Kennedy. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File) The president tweeted Monday night from New York, where he is preparing to address the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday. Trump later urged his supporters on Twitter to "REMEMBER THE MIDTERMS!" ___ 7:40 p.m. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh says he's never sexually assaulted anyone. Kavanaugh told Fox News in an interview broadcast Monday night that he has "always treated women with dignity and respect." California professor Christine Blasey Ford has said Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a party when both were in high school. Another woman, Deborah Ramirez, says he exposed himself to her at a college party. He has denied both accusations. Kavanaugh says he made the unusual decision to do a television interview before a Senate committee votes on his nomination because he wants to clear his name. Kavanaugh says he is "looking for a fair process, a process where I can defend my integrity and clear my name. And all I'm asking for is fairness and that I'd be heard." ___ 7:35 p.m. A lawyer for a woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct says they will name her and release more details in the next two days. Attorney Michael Avenatti said Monday that the woman knew Kavanaugh around the time of high school but attended a different school. Avenatti says the woman has had multiple security clearances from the U.S. government, including the State Department and Department of Justice. He says there will be "many, many" corroborating witnesses to confirm the woman's account. Avenatti says his client will submit to a lie detector test if Kavanaugh agrees to do the same. He also called for an FBI investigation of the woman's allegations. Kavanaugh has been accused of committing sexual misconduct decades ago by Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez. He has denied sexually assaulting anyone. ___ 7:05 p.m. Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine says the woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct in college should be interviewed under oath. Deborah Ramirez says Kavanaugh exposed himself to her during a party. Kavanaugh denies the allegation, calling it "a smear, plain and simple." Collins says investigators on the Senate Judiciary Committee should reach out to Ramirez for an interview. That interview would be separate from Thursday's hearing with Christine Blasey Ford, who accuses Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her in high school. Kavanaugh denies both allegations. Collins is considered a key swing vote on Kavanaugh. If she and another Republican oppose him, his nomination is likely to fail. Collins says she has "not made a decision" about whether to vote for Kavanaugh. She says the hearing Thursday "is an important one." ___ 7 p.m. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh says he was a virgin in high school as he defends himself against accusations of sexual assault. Christine Blasey Ford asserts that Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed at a Maryland house party in the early 1980s and tried to take her clothes off. Ford says she escaped when Kavanaugh's friend jumped on top of them and they tumbled. Kavanaugh denies the accusation. In an interview airing Monday on Fox News, Kavanaugh says he did not have "anything close to sexual intercourse in high school or for many years thereafter." The interview gets even more personal when he is asked how much later he was still a virgin after high school. He responds, "Many years after, I'll leave it at that. Many years after." ___ 6:40 p.m. Sen. Dianne Feinstein says she is not pushing for the second woman accusing Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct to be included in a congressional hearing this week. Feinstein says the hearing Thursday "is about one specific thing," as determined by the Judiciary Committee chairman, Chuck Grassley. The specific thing is Christine Blasey Ford's allegation that Kavanaugh groped her and tried to undress her at a party in high school. Kavanaugh denies the allegation. Both Ford and Kavanaugh have agreed to testify. The hearing was scheduled before a second woman, Deborah Ramirez, accused Kavanaugh of exposing himself to her in college. Kavanaugh says that allegation is false. Feinstein called for Kavanaugh's confirmation process to be halted after Ramirez's accusation was published in The New Yorker. She said the FBI should investigate. ___ 6:25 p.m. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh says he's "not going anywhere" in a televised interview in which he denies accusations of sexual misconduct. Kavanaugh and his wife, Ashley, sat down for an interview with Fox News, which released excerpts before its broadcast Monday evening. Christine Blasey Ford has accused Kavanaugh of assaulting her at a party when they were teenagers. Kavanaugh says he was never "at any such party." He says he is not questioning that perhaps Ford had been sexually assaulted, "but what I know is I've never sexually assaulted anyone." It's rare for nominees to the Supreme Court to give interviews. Russell Wheeler, an expert on the judicial selection process at the Brookings Institution, says he is unaware of a similar media interview by a Supreme Court nominee in the past 100 years. ___ 6:15 p.m. The liberal Yale Law School professor who testified in support of Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court says the Senate should authorize "a full investigation" of the sexual misconduct allegations against the judge. Kavanaugh has denied Christine Blasey Ford's allegation that he assaulted her at a party when they were in high school. He's also denied a second accusation by a woman who says he exposed himself to her in college. Yale professor Akhil Amar says he supports "the best and most professional investigation possible - even if that means a brief additional delay on the ultimate vote on Judge Kavanaugh, and even if that investigatory delay imperils his confirmation." Amar's comments appear in a column posted Monday on the Yale Daily News website. Amar appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 7, calling himself a "constitutional scholar who voted for Hillary Clinton." ___ 6 p.m. A senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee says a new sexual misconduct allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is "phony." Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah says he thinks Deborah Ramirez is "sincere" in her belief that Kavanaugh exposed himself at a party when they were in college. But Hatch adds, "I also think she's sincerely wrong." Ramirez told The New Yorker that Kavanaugh thrust his penis in her face and caused her to touch it without her consent. Kavanaugh denies the allegation, calling it "a smear, plain and simple." Christine Blasey Ford has accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her in high school. Kavanaugh says that allegation is false. Hatch is asking why Democrats didn't bring forward the allegations earlier, saying, "It's strange how at the last minute all these accusations come up." ___ 5:05 p.m. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer says a "quiet, serious and thorough" FBI background check is the best way to resolve an increasingly ugly dispute over Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Schumer says that if Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans truly believe that allegations of sexual misconduct by Kavanaugh are part of "a smear campaign," they should welcome an FBI investigation. He says, "That's the obvious way to go." Schumer says McConnell's angry speech Monday attacking Democrats was filled with "wild, untethered allegations" that don't reflect well on him or the Senate. He says McConnell's words show "someone who is in a pickle, someone who has dug a deep hole." He's calling McConnell's vow to hold a quick vote on Kavanaugh "a rush job to avoid the truth." ___ 4:50 p.m. President Donald Trump is standing by his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in the face of sexual misconduct allegations from at least two women. Trump told reporters Monday after signing a new trade agreement with South Korea at the United Nations General Assembly in New York that "we hope he is going to be confirmed." Trump adds, "It would be sad indeed if something happened to reroute that." Trump is also praising Kavanaugh as a "fine, fine man" and a "great scholar" who has been "great at everything he's ever done." He says Kavanaugh's family has suffered through the process, adding, "What's going on is not something that should happen." Kavanaugh has denied the allegations and has denounced his accusers for launching "smears, pure and simple." ___ 4:05 p.m. A woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault says she is willing to meet one-on-one with senators to tell her story. Christine Blasey Ford made the offer in a letter to Chuck Grassley, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Ford is already set to testify Thursday to the Judiciary panel about her claim that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were teens in the early 1980s. Kavanaugh denies the accusation. In response to Ford's letter, Grassley wrote that he is committed to giving her "fair and respectful treatment." He did not address her offer for one-on-one meetings. A few minutes after Ford's letter was distributed to the media, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in a floor speech accused Democrats of waging a "smear campaign" against Kavanaugh. ___ 4 p.m. President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, is sitting down for a televised interview with Fox News Channel as he fights for Senate confirmation. Fox says host Martha MacCallum will be interviewing Kavanaugh along with his wife, Ashley Estes Kavanaugh. The interview will air Monday evening. The interview comes as Kavanaugh is facing sexual misconduct allegations from at least two women. Kavanaugh has repeatedly denied the allegations and denounced his accusers for launching "smears, pure and simple." The interview will come days before he and one of his accusers are set to testify publicly about allegations that he sexually assaulted her at a party when they were teenagers. Fox says the interview will address the allegations and the hearing as well as "the effect these claims have had on his family." ___ 3:35 p.m. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh will receive an up-or-down vote in the Senate "in the near future." McConnell on Monday angrily denounced Democrats, accusing them of waging a "smear campaign" against Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump's nominee for the Supreme Court. Kavanaugh is facing multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, including a report Sunday by The New Yorker magazine that dates to Kavanaugh's time as an undergraduate at Yale University in the 1980s. McConnell called the latest allegation "another orchestrated, last-minute hit on the nominee" by Democrats who oppose Kavanaugh's conservative judicial philosophy. McConnell says "Democrats won't let a complete lack of evidence get between them and a good smear. It's despicable." ___ 3:30 p.m. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is condemning allegations of sexual misconduct against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as a "shameful, shameful smear campaign" created by Democrats. Kavanaugh and his initial accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, will testify Thursday about her claim that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school. A second woman, Deborah Ramirez, has told The New Yorker that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her when he was in college. Kavanaugh denies both allegations. In a fiery speech from the Senate floor on Monday, McConnell said Democrats are using the allegations to delay and obstruct and "destroy a man's personal and professional life." He says it's an "orchestrated, last-minute hit on the nominee." Kavanaugh sent a defiant letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday vowing he will not withdraw his nomination. ___ 2:15 p.m. Judge Brett Kavanaugh says he will "not be intimidated into withdrawing" his nomination for the Supreme Court after allegations of sexual misconduct. Kavanaugh and his first accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, will testify to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. A second woman, Deborah Ramirez, has told The New Yorker that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her in college. Kavanaugh denies both allegations. In a letter to the Judiciary panel, Kavanaugh says, "These are smears, pure and simple." He calls the allegations "grotesque and obvious character assassination" and says they could dissuade others from entering public service. Kavanaugh says threats of violence against his family and "the coordinated effort to destroy my good name" won't drive him out. Several Senate Republicans have called the allegations "smears" and urged a vote on Kavanaugh after Thursday's hearing. ___ 1:15 p.m. Prominent Senate Republicans are dismissing a new allegation of sexual misconduct against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. They say the Senate should hear testimony from his first accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, and then immediately proceed to a vote on his nomination. Ford is slated to testify Thursday about her claim that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school. A second woman, Deborah Ramirez, has told The New Yorker that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her when he was in college. Kavanaugh denies both allegations. Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch says The New Yorker piece is a Democratic "smear campaign." He says the Judiciary Committee should hear from Ford and "then we should vote." Two other Senate Republicans, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Tom Cotton of Arkansas, are also urging a vote after the hearing with Ford. ___ 11:50 a.m. Dozens of people protesting the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court have been arrested outside the office of Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. The protesters wore black "Be A Hero" shirts and sat outside Collins' office chanting various slogans, including "we will not be silenced." Members of the U.S. Capitol police arrested them one-by-one and led them away. Protesters have targeted Collins because she is an undecided vote. If she and another Republican oppose Kavanaugh, his nomination could fail. One of the protesters on hand was Marie Follayttar. She is co-director of a group that has raised money to give to Collins' election opponent in 2020 if she supports Kavanaugh. Follayttar was not among those arrested. Kavanaugh is set to testify Thursday at a hearing with Christine Blasey Ford, who accuses him of sexual assault. Kavanaugh denies the allegation. ____ 11:10 a.m. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham says the furor surrounding sexual harassment claims against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is a "total collapse of the traditional confirmation process." Kavanaugh and his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, are scheduled to testify at a hearing Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Kavanaugh has denied her allegations that he assaulted her at a party when they were in high school. He's also denied new accusations by a woman who says he exposed himself to her while they were students at Yale. Graham, who is a member of the Judiciary committee, tweeted Monday that there are "no boundaries" when it comes to stopping President Donald Trump. Graham called the accusations a "game of delay, deception, and wholesale character assassination." Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton also criticized the accusations, saying Democrats "are engaged in a campaign of delay and character assassination against Judge Kavanaugh." Cotton is not on the Judiciary panel. __ 9:04 a.m. President Donald Trump is pledging his support for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, saying the sexual misconduct allegations against his choice are "totally political." Trump, at the United Nations in New York, declared that Kavanaugh is "outstanding," and added, "I am with him all the way." He spoke as Kavanaugh's nomination appeared in peril after The New Yorker published the account of a second woman who says he exposed himself to her while they were students at Yale. The woman said Kavanaugh forced her to come in contact with his penis while both were inebriated at a party. The first accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, has said Kavanaugh assaulted her in high school. She says he covered her mouth and tried to remove her clothing. Ford and Kavanaugh are expected to testify on Thursday. Kavanaugh has denied the allegations. __ 8:05 a.m. Kellyanne Conway says the country shouldn't make Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh pay for "pent-up" demand by women incensed about sexual misconduct. She said on CBS "This Morning" that the allegations against Kavanaugh, now by a second woman, sound like a "vast left-wing conspiracy." Conway said: "Are we going to put decades of pent-up demand for women to feel whole on one man's shoulders?" She added that the second woman, who alleges that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at Yale, is welcome to testify to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The first accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, is expected to do so on Thursday. Kavanaugh denies both charges. Conway said, "I don't think one man's shoulders should bear decades of the #MeToo movement" that has toppled powerful men across industries over the last year. __ 8 a.m. Writer Ronan Farrow is defending his article in the New Yorker in which a second woman accuses Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. The new accusation landed late Sunday hours after negotiators reached an agreement to hold a public hearing Thursday for Kavanaugh and his first accuser, California college professor Christine Blasey (BLAH'-zee) Ford, who says he sexually assaulted her at a party decades ago. The second claim against Kavanaugh dates to his first year at Yale University. Colorado resident Deborah Ramirez tells The New Yorker Kavanaugh thrust his penis in her face at a party and caused her to touch it without her consent. Kavanaugh denies the women's allegations, calling Ramirez's claim "a smear, plain and simple." Farrow told ABC on Monday there are "several people in this story who back Ms. Ramirez." __ 7:50 a.m. President Donald Trump was told about the new sexual misconduct allegations about Brett Kavanaugh in the New Yorker hours before the explosive publication Sunday, according to a White House official. Trump cast doubt on the veracity and the timing of the piece, believing it was further proof of what he has been saying privately: that the Democrats and media were conspiring to undermine his Supreme Court pick. That's according to a White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the office was not authorized to speak publicly. The president showed no initial sign of wanting to walk away from Kavanaugh and expressed frustration that the confirmation process has not moved more quickly. That reflected a growing sentiment in the West Wing: that delays in the process have allowed more time to produce additional politically motivated decades-old allegations intended to sully Kavanaugh's reputation, the official said. The White House remained firmly behind Kavanaugh Monday and planned an aggressive defense, said a White House official not authorized to speak publicly, who stressed the lack of corroborating evidence. -By Jonathan Lemire and Catherine Lucey __ 7:25 a.m. Presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway says sexual misconduct allegations by two women against Brett Kavanaugh sound like "a vast left-wing conspiracy." Conway noted Monday on CBS "This Morning" that Kavanaugh, in a statement Sunday, called the allegations a "smear campaign." he added, "This is starting to feel like a vast left-wing conspiracy." Conway's rhetoric echoes Hillary Clinton's 1998 description of allegations that her husband, President Bill Clinton, had had affairs. She called them a "vast right-wing conspiracy." Kavanaugh staunchly denies both accusations. He and Christine Blasey Ford, who says Kavanaugh assaulted her while both were teens in the 1980s, are set to testify Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The New Yorker on Sunday published an accusation from a second woman, who said Kavanaugh exposed himself and forced her to touch his genitals while both were at Yale. ___ 2:35 a.m. A second allegation of sexual misconduct has emerged against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, a development that has further imperiled his nomination to the Supreme Court. It has also forced the White House and Senate Republicans onto the defensive and fueled calls from Democrats to postpone further action on his confirmation. The new accusation landed late Sunday in a report from The New Yorker, just a few hours after negotiators had reached an agreement to hold an extraordinary public hearing Thursday for Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, who accuses him of sexually assaulting her at a party when they were teenagers. Kavanaugh denies the claim. In the second claim, Deborah Ramirez told The New Yorker magazine that Kavanaugh exposed himself at a drunken dormitory party in the 1983-84 school year. Brett Kavanaugh, with his wife Ashley Estes Kavanaugh, answers questions during a FOX News interview, Monday, Sept. 24, 2018, in Washington, about allegations of sexual misconduct against the Supreme Court nominee. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) President Donald Trump talks to Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, at the United Nations General Assembly, Monday, Sept. 24, 2018, at U.N. Headquarters. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) FILE - In this Sept. 5, 2018, file photo, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. Combat won out over caution. White House aides and congressional allies worked all week to keep President Donald Trump from unloading on the woman who has accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, walks through a tunnel towards the Dirksen Senate Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing room is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018, in Springfield, Mo. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) WASHINGTON (AP) - After a long weekend spent wondering if should resign or would be fired, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein still has his job - for now. President Donald Trump gave Rosenstein a three-day reprieve pending their face-to-face White House showdown on Thursday. That's when the man who oversees the Trump-Russia investigation will respond to reports that he had discussed secretly recording the president and possibly using constitutional procedures to remove him from office. The revelation that Rosenstein last year had broached the idea of taping the president touched off a dramatic weekend of conversations with the White House in which he offered to one official to resign and confided to another that he was considering doing so, according to two people familiar with the discussions who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. Even as he took issue with the reports, Rosenstein arrived at the White House on Monday expecting to be fired, according to another person who spoke on condition of anonymity. Instead, after he met with chief of staff John Kelly and spoke by phone to Trump himself, questions about his future were effectively tabled until the personal meeting on Thursday. The position of deputy attorney general is ordinarily a relatively low-visibility one in Washington, but Rosenstein has assumed outsized significance given his appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller to investigate potential ties between Russia and Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. Any firing or resignation spells immediate uncertainty for an investigation that Rosenstein oversees and would place that responsibility in the hands of a replacement who Democrats fear would be less respectful of Mueller's independence and mandate. Even some congressional Republicans and Trump aides have warned for months against firing Rosenstein for fear that it could lead to impeachment. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein leaves the White House in Washington, Monday, Sept. 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) The commotion about Rosenstein's future adds to the turmoil roiling the administration, just six weeks before midterm elections with control of Congress at stake. In addition to dealing with the Mueller investigation, the White House is also struggling to win confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations. The Trump-Rosenstein meeting will be on the same day as an extraordinary Senate committee hearing featuring Kavanaugh and a woman who has accused him of sexually assaulting her when they were in high school. Questions about Rosenstein's future, long simmering, took on new life Friday with a New York Times report that in May 2017 discussions with FBI and Justice Department officials he suggested the idea of secretly recording Trump - remarks his defenders insist were merely sarcastic - and of invoking the Constitution to have the Cabinet consider removing him from office. Rosenstein was summoned to the White House on Friday evening for a conversation with chief of staff Kelly after which he issued a denial that was even sharper in tone than the one the Justice Department sent out hours earlier. In conversations over the weekend, he told Kelly he would resign, though the terms were unclear. He also told White House Counsel Don McGahn that he was considering doing so. McGahn told Rosenstein they should discuss the issue Monday, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversation. He met again with Kelly on Monday and spoke by phone with Trump. Rosenstein was captured by photographers leaving the White House after his meetings Monday and was led out by Kelly. "At the request of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, he and President Trump had an extended conversation to discuss the recent news stories," White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. "Because the President is at the United Nations General Assembly and has a full schedule with leaders from around the world, they will meet on Thursday when the President returns to Washington, D.C." It's unclear what will happen Thursday. Despite his "You're Fired!" tagline from his "The Apprentice" reality show days, the president has shown himself reluctant to directly fire aides himself. While his White House has been marked with unprecedented staff turnover, Trump has often left the task to deputies, including Kelly. He dispatched his former bodyguard to fire FBI Director James Comey - though Comey was out of town. In other cases, Trump has publicly and privately shamed staffers, pushing them to resign. Trump, who on Friday said that he would remove a "lingering stench" from the Justice Department, did not publicly reveal any plans over the weekend. On Monday, he said he hoped Thursday's meeting would help him figure out "what's going on." Over the weekend, he appeared undecided on Rosenstein's fate, asking confidants, both inside and outside the White House, how to respond to the situation. Some urged him to fire Rosenstein. Others suggested restraint while checking whether the report was correct or if it was planted by some adversary. Though Trump has mostly spared Rosenstein from some of the harsher and more personal attacks he has directed at Attorney General Jeff Sessions, he has occasionally lashed out with angry tirades at the deputy, including after FBI raids in April targeting the president's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen. Rosenstein appointed Mueller in May 2017 after Sessions, who ordinarily would have overseen the Russia investigation, recused himself because of his close involvement in the Trump campaign. All that came one week after Rosenstein laid the groundwork for Comey's firing by writing a memo criticizing Comey's handling of the FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton's email server. The White House initially cited that memo as justification for Comey's firing, though Trump himself has said he was thinking about "this Russia thing" when he made his move. Were Rosenstein to be forced out, Solicitor General Noel Francisco, the highest-ranking Senate-confirmed official below him in the Justice Department, would take control of the Mueller investigation. Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, whose private memos document comments allegedly made by Rosenstein, said Monday he was concerned that a Rosenstein departure would put the investigation at risk. "There is nothing more important to the integrity of law enforcement and the rule of law than protecting the investigation of special counsel Mueller," McCabe said in a statement. "I sacrificed personally and professionally to help put the investigation on a proper course and subsequently made every effort to protect it." ____ Miller reported from the United Nations. Associated Press writers Ken Thomas, Michael Balsamo, Chad Day and Jon Lemire contributed to this report. FILE - In this July 13, 2018 file photo, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington. Rosenstein is expecting to be fired, heading to White House Monday morning.(AP Photo/Evan Vucci) JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A jury has been selected in the retrial of a man accused of killing a Mississippi woman by setting her on fire, allowing testimony to begin Tuesday. Jurors couldn't reach a verdict last year in the first trial of Quinton Tellis, charged with capital murder in the 2014 death of Jessica Chambers. Local media report a pool of 300 potential jurors in Starkville was narrowed Monday to 12 jurors and three alternates. They will be bused 90 miles (150 kilometers) northwest to Panola County, where Chambers died. Prosecutors say cellphone locations, videos, a keychain and Tellis' statements link him to Chambers' death. The defense emphasizes emergency personnel heard the dying Chambers blame someone named "Eric" or "Derek." Tellis faces another murder indictment in Louisiana in the death of Meing-Chen Hsiao. DALLAS (AP) - A white Dallas police officer who fatally shot her black neighbor inside his own apartment was fired Monday, the same day the man was being buried in his Caribbean homeland. Police Chief U. Renee Hall dismissed Officer Amber Guyger during a hearing Monday, according to the Police Department. Guyger is charged with manslaughter in the Sept. 6 shooting that left 26-year-old Botham Jean dead, and she was fired because of her arrest, according to the department. Court records show Guyger said she thought she had encountered a burglar inside her own home. She was arrested three days later and is currently out on bond. A statement from police said an internal investigation concluded that on Sept. 9, Guyger, a four-year veteran of the force, "engaged in adverse conduct when she was arrested for Manslaughter." Dallas police spokesman Sgt. Warren Mitchell later said that when an officer has been arrested for a crime, "adverse conduct" is often cited in the officer's termination. Mitchell said that adverse conduct is "conduct which adversely affects the (morale) or efficiency of the Department or which has a tendency to adversely affect, lower, destroy public respect and confidence in the Department or officer." One of the attorneys for Jean's family, Lee Merritt, said Jean was being buried Monday in St. Lucia. FILE - This file photo provided by the Kaufman County Sheriff's Office shows Amber Renee Guyger. Guyger, a Dallas police officer accused of fatally shooting her neighbor inside his own apartment has been dismissed, the police department announced Monday, Sept. 24, 2018. The Dallas Police Department fired Guyger weeks after she fatally shot 26-year-old Botham Jean inside his own apartment on Sept. 6. Court records show Guyger said she thought she had encountered a burglar inside her own home.(Kaufman County Sheriff's Office via AP, File) The family's attorneys, along with protesters, have been calling for Guyger to be fired since the shooting. In a statement, the attorneys said they see the termination as an initial victory. "However, we are committed to seeing through the next steps of the process of a proper murder indictment, conviction and appropriate sentencing," they said in the statement. Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson has said the case will be presented to a grand jury, which could decide a more serious charge than manslaughter. During a conference call with Jean's parents and their lawyers on Sunday, Hall reported she intended to fire Guyger and explained the delay in the action, according to the family's attorneys in their statement. Days before the firing, Hall said in a statement that she had not taken action against Guyger because she did not want to interfere with the ongoing criminal investigation. There are conflicting narratives over what led up to the shooting. Guyger told investigators that she had just ended a shift when she returned in uniform to the South Side Flats apartment complex where she lived. She said when she put her key in the apartment door, which was unlocked and slightly ajar, it opened, according to the affidavit. Inside, the lights were off, and she saw a figure in the darkness that cast a large silhouette across the room, according to the officer's account. Guyger said she concluded her apartment was being burglarized and gave verbal commands to the person, who ignored them. The affidavit said she then drew her weapon and fired twice. She called 911. Asked where she was, she returned to the front door to see she was in the wrong unit, according to the affidavit. The 911 tapes have not been released. But according to an affidavit for a search warrant Jean "confronted the officer at the door." After the shooting, Guyger's blood was drawn to be tested for alcohol and drugs, according to Hall. Authorities have not released results. Merritt has called into question Guyger's narrative. The lawyer has said that two independent witnesses have told him they heard knocking on the door in the hallway before the shooting. He said one witness reported hearing a woman's voice saying, "Let me in! Let me in!" Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said he agrees with the decision to fire Guyger. "The swift termination of any officer who engages in misconduct that leads to the loss of innocent life is essential if the Dallas Police Department is to gain and maintain the public trust," Rawlings said in a statement. Guyger graduated from Sam Houston High School in 2008, according to an official at the Arlington Independent School District. She also attended Tarrant County College, according to an official there, although it is not clear when she went to the school. Guyger also attended the University of Texas at Arlington in fall of 2012 and spring of 2013, said university spokeswoman Sana Syed. Guyger's intended major was criminology and criminal justice, Syed said. Dallas police say Guyger was hired in November 2013 and state law enforcement records show she was appointed as a peace officer in May 2014. Sgt. Michael Mata, president of the Dallas Police Association, said Guyger more recently worked on a team tasked with arresting some of the city's most violent offenders. He said the association, which is Dallas' largest police union, will be paying Guyger's legal fees. FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - The Latest on a California hearing on a proposal to roll back car-mileage standards (all times local): 5:15 p.m. Scores of people have spoken against the Trump administration's plan to roll back car-mileage standards at a hearing in California that ended earlier than expected. Officials at Monday's event in Fresno had initially predicted it could go late into the night. But the last speaker wrapped up late in the afternoon, and the hearing was adjourned a short time later. People who spoke expressed opposition to the mileage proposal, raising concerns it would exacerbate climate change and health problems that afflict California's Central Valley. The plan would freeze U.S. mileage standards at levels mandated by the Obama administration for 2020 instead of letting them rise to 36 miles per gallon (15 kilometers per liter) by 2025. Another hearing is scheduled in Dearborn, Michigan, on Tuesday and a third one in Pittsburgh the day after that. Benjamin Tuggy holds a sign while listening to speakers during the first of three public hearings on the Trump administration's proposal to roll back car-mileage standards in a region with some of the nation's worst air pollution Monday, Sept. 24, 2018 in Fresno, Calif. The day-long session by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a means to gather public comment concerning the mileage plan, which would freeze U.S. mileage standards at levels mandated by the Obama administration for 2020, instead of letting them rise to 36 miles per gallon by 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) ___ 12:40 p.m. A large auto industry trade group says during a California hearing on car-mileage standards that the current federal fuel economy requirements won't work. In testimony prepared for a public hearing Monday in Fresno, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers said customers aren't buying more efficient vehicles. "No one wins if our customers are not buying the new highly efficient products offered in our showrooms," said Steve Douglas, senior director of energy and environment for the alliance. The alliance has said there's a widening gap between the requirements approved by the Obama administration and what consumers are buying. The Trump administration's preferred plan is to freeze standards proposed by the Obama administration from 2021 through 2026. The alliance says it supports increasing the standards but it hasn't said by what amount. Automakers unanimously favor one standard nationwide so they don't have to design two vehicles, one for California and the states that follow its requirements and another for the rest of the nation. ___ 11:25 a.m. California officials say the Trump administration's plan to roll back car-mileage standards is not supported by science, will damage people's health and exacerbate climate change. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and California Air Resources Board chairwoman Mary Nichols were among several state officials on the first panel to testify at a hearing in Fresno on Monday. The hearing is intended to seek public comment on the administration's mileage plan. The proposal would freeze U.S. mileage standards at levels mandated by the Obama administration for 2020 instead of letting them rise to 36 miles per gallon (15 kilometers per liter) by 2025. Nichols said the administration's claims that the rollback would improve safety were absurd. Becerra said California could not afford to retreat in the fight against climate change. ___ 9:05 a.m. Demonstrators have gathered ahead of California hearing on the Trump administration's proposal to roll back car-mileage standards. The session in Fresno is set to begin at 10 a.m. Monday and is expected to last all day. It's the first of three events by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to gather public comment on the mileage plan. Paul Gipe and his wife Nancy Nies drove up from Bakersfield to protest the proposal. Gipe writes about renewable energy and calls the White House plan a step backward and a "statement that air pollution is acceptable." The proposal would freeze U.S. mileage standards at levels mandated by the Obama administration for 2020 instead of letting them rise to 36 miles per gallon (15 kilometers per liter) by 2025. ___ 12:05 a.m. Doctors, environmental groups and California officials will weigh in on the Trump administration's proposal to roll back car-mileage standards at what could be a raucous hearing in a region with some of the nation's worst air pollution. The daylong session in Fresno on Monday is the first of three events by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to gather public comment on the mileage plan. The proposal would freeze U.S. mileage standards at levels mandated by the Obama administration for 2020 instead of letting them rise to 36 miles per gallon (15 kilometers per liter) by 2025. Administration officials say waiving the tougher fuel efficiency requirements would make vehicles more affordable. Opponents say it would undercut efforts to reduce unhealthy tailpipe emissions that are a significant contributor to climate change. Mike Stoker, regional administrator of the US EPA and Jonathan Morrison of NHTSA listen to speakers during the first of three public hearings on the Trump administration's proposal to roll back car-mileage standards in a region with some of the nation's worst air pollution Monday, Sept. 24, 2018 in Fresno, Calif. The day-long session by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a means to gather public comment concerning the mileage plan, which would freeze U.S. mileage standards at levels mandated by the Obama administration for 2020, instead of letting them rise to 36 miles per gallon by 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) Benjamin Tuggy, left, listens to speakers during the first of three public hearings on the Trump administration's proposal to roll back car-mileage standards in a region with some of the nation's worst air pollution Monday, Sept. 24, 2018 in Fresno, Calif. The day-long session by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a means to gather public comment concerning the mileage plan, which would freeze U.S. mileage standards at levels mandated by the Obama administration for 2020, instead of letting them rise to 36 miles per gallon by 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) From left to right, Craig Lewis, Clyde Golden, center rear, Ben Gustafson, center front and Graham Noyes, listen to speakersduring the first of three public hearings on the Trump administration's proposal to roll back car-mileage standards in a region with some of the nation's worst air pollution Monday, Sept. 24, 2018 in Fresno, Calif. The day-long session by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a means to gather public comment concerning the mileage plan, which would freeze U.S. mileage standards at levels mandated by the Obama administration for 2020, instead of letting them rise to 36 miles per gallon by 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) Clyde Golden, center, listens to speakersduring the first of three public hearings on the Trump administration's proposal to roll back car-mileage standards in a region with some of the nation's worst air pollution Monday, Sept. 24, 2018 in Fresno, Calif. The day-long session by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a means to gather public comment concerning the mileage plan, which would freeze U.S. mileage standards at levels mandated by the Obama administration for 2020, instead of letting them rise to 36 miles per gallon by 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) California Attorney General Xavier Becerra talks to the media after speaking during the first of three public hearings on the Trump administration's proposal to roll back car-mileage standards in a region with some of the nation's worst air pollution Monday, Sept. 24, 2018 in Fresno, Calif. The day-long session by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a means to gather public comment concerning the mileage plan, which would freeze U.S. mileage standards at levels mandated by the Obama administration for 2020, instead of letting them rise to 36 miles per gallon by 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) California leaders, from left to right, Cal/EPA Secretary Matthew Rodriguez, California Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nichols and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra talk to the media after speaking during the first of three public hearings on the Trump administration's proposal to roll back car-mileage standards in a region with some of the nation's worst air pollution Monday, Sept. 24, 2018 in Fresno, Calif. The day-long session by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a means to gather public comment concerning the mileage plan, which would freeze U.S. mileage standards at levels mandated by the Obama administration for 2020, instead of letting them rise to 36 miles per gallon by 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) California leaders, from left to right, Cal/EPA Secretary Matthew Rodriguez, California Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nichols and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra talk to the media after speaking during the first of three public hearings on the Trump administration's proposal to roll back car-mileage standards in a region with some of the nation's worst air pollution Monday, Sept. 24, 2018 in Fresno, Calif. The day-long session by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a means to gather public comment concerning the mileage plan, which would freeze U.S. mileage standards at levels mandated by the Obama administration for 2020, instead of letting them rise to 36 miles per gallon by 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) Speakers comment to the board during the first of three public hearings on the Trump administration's proposal to roll back car-mileage standards in a region with some of the nation's worst air pollution Monday, Sept. 24, 2018 in Fresno, Calif. The day-long session by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a means to gather public comment concerning the mileage plan, which would freeze U.S. mileage standards at levels mandated by the Obama administration for 2020, instead of letting them rise to 36 miles per gallon by 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) California Attorney General Xavier Becerra talks to the media after speaking during the first of three public hearings on the Trump administration's proposal to roll back car-mileage standards in a region with some of the nation's worst air pollution Monday, Sept. 24, 2018 in Fresno, Calif. The day-long session by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a means to gather public comment concerning the mileage plan, which would freeze U.S. mileage standards at levels mandated by the Obama administration for 2020, instead of letting them rise to 36 miles per gallon by 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) Mike Stoker regional administrator of the US EPA directs speakers as Jonathan Morrison of NHTSA looks on during the first of three public hearings on the Trump administration's proposal to roll back car-mileage standards in a region with some of the nation's worst air pollution Monday, Sept. 24, 2018 in Fresno, Calif. The day-long session by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a means to gather public comment concerning the mileage plan, which would freeze U.S. mileage standards at levels mandated by the Obama administration for 2020, instead of letting them rise to 36 miles per gallon by 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) California Attorney General Xavier Becerra talks during the first of three public hearings on the Trump administration's proposal to roll back car-mileage standards as California Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nichols looks on, in a region with some of the nation's worst air pollution Monday, Sept. 24, 2018 in Fresno, Calif. The day-long session by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a means to gather public comment concerning the mileage plan, which would freeze U.S. mileage standards at levels mandated by the Obama administration for 2020, instead of letting them rise to 36 miles per gallon by 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) Linda Dunn, center, and Ron Freund, right, protest before the first of three public hearings on the Trump administration's proposal to roll back car-mileage standards in a region with some of the nation's worst air pollution Monday, Sept. 24, 2018 in Fresno, Calif. The day-long session by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a means to gather public comment concerning the mileage plan, which would freeze U.S. mileage standards at levels mandated by the Obama administration for 2020, instead of letting them rise to 36 miles per gallon by 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) Paul Gipe protests before the first of three public hearings on the Trump administration's proposal to roll back car-mileage standards in a region with some of the nation's worst air pollution Monday, Sept. 24, 2018 in Fresno, Calif. The day-long session by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a means to gather public comment concerning the mileage plan, which would freeze U.S. mileage standards at levels mandated by the Obama administration for 2020, instead of letting them rise to 36 miles per gallon by 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) David Lancaster, center, of BorgWarner automotive supplies and Rasto Brenzy, right, of Manufacturers of Emissions Controls Association chat before the start of the first of three public hearings on the Trump administration's proposal to roll back car-mileage standards in a region with some of the nation's worst air pollution Monday, Sept. 24, 2018 in Fresno, Calif. The day-long session by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a means to gather public comment concerning the mileage plan, which would freeze U.S. mileage standards at levels mandated by the Obama administration for 2020, instead of letting them rise to 36 miles per gallon by 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) David Zonana, left, and Sean Donahue, right, chat before the first of three public hearings on the Trump administration's proposal to roll back car-mileage standards in a region with some of the nation's worst air pollution Monday, Sept. 24, 2018 in Fresno, Calif. The day-long session by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a means to gather public comment concerning the mileage plan, which would freeze U.S. mileage standards at levels mandated by the Obama administration for 2020, instead of letting them rise to 36 miles per gallon by 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) FILE - In this June 23, 2017 file photo, cars and trucks roll along a section of Blackstone Avenue during rush hour in Fresno, Calif. Doctors and California officials will be among those weighing in on the Trump administration's proposal to roll back car-mileage standards at a hearing in a region with some of the nation's worst air pollution. The day-long session in Fresno on Monday, Sept. 24, 2018, is the first of three events by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to gather public comment on the mileage plan. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian, File) FARGO, N.D. (AP) - A man on trial in the death of a pregnant North Dakota woman whose baby was cut from her womb told a fellow jail inmate whose ex-girlfriend had an abortion that he would have cut out the baby, according to testimony in the case Monday. William Hoehn, 33, is accused of conspiracy in Savanna Greywind's death, which drew attention to violence involving American Indian women. Hoehn's former girlfriend, Brooke Crews, pleaded guilty earlier and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Inmate Bryan Grob, who was in the Cass County jail on a drug charge, said he had regular conversations with Hoehn after Hoehn's arrest in Greywind's August 2017 death. Grob testified that he and Hoehn talked about Grob's girlfriend's abortion and Hoehn responded by saying, "Well I just would have cut the baby out" of the woman. Grob said he responded with, "Really, dude?" Hoehn has admitted helping to cover up the crime but says he didn't know about Crews' plan to take Greywind's baby. Grob said Hoehn told him about first putting Greywind's body in a dresser and then taking the body out of the house. Hoehn repeatedly denied having anything to do with the murder, Grob said. A medical examiner testified earlier Monday that he isn't sure whether Greywind died from blood loss or strangulation. Dr. Victor Froloff called the death an unusual case with "two competitive causes of death." Hoehn says he came upon a bloody scene in the bathroom of the couple's apartment, with Crews presenting him with an infant girl and saying: "This is our baby." But prosecutors said in opening statements that when Crews told Hoehn she wasn't sure if Greywind was dead, he put a rope around Greywind's neck and tightened it. Forensic pathologist Dr. Brad Randall, testifying for the defense, said he agreed "in large part" with Froloff's findings. He added that it was "more than likely" that Greywind would have died from blood loss in less than 30 minutes. Crews and Greywind had been friends, and Greywind had texted her mother shortly before she disappeared to say she was going to Crews' apartment. After Greywind was reported missing, police searched Hoehn and Crews' apartment three times in six days. Crews originally told police that Greywind had given her the child. Crews later told police they had argued, saying she pushed Greywind down and knocked her out before cutting her open. Froloff testified Monday that there was no evidence of any head injuries to Greywind. Crews is expected to testify this week. Greywind's 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 slain Native American women . A similar bill has been introduced in the House. WASHINGTON (AP) - The Trump administration says it has approved the sale to Taiwan of $330 million in spare parts and related support for Taiwan's F-16 fighters and other military aircraft. A Pentagon statement Monday said the sale will improve Taiwan's ability to defend itself without altering the basic military balance in Asia. China opposes all U.S. military sales to Taiwan. Taiwan split with the mainland in 1949, but China claims it as part of its territory and has threatened to invade if necessary to reunite Taiwan with the mainland. Washington has no official relations with the island's democratically elected government but is obliged by U.S. law to see that it has the means necessary to defend itself. WASHINGTON (AP) - The first allegation against Brett Kavanaugh left Republicans rattled and nervous. The second left them angry and ready to fight back. The GOP punched back hard Monday, seeming to cast aside - for now - worries that the Supreme Court nominee could turn off female voters and sink their hopes of holding complete control of Congress following the November midterms. Many GOP senators seemed to stiffen their resolve instead of peeling away from Kavanaugh. The decision was based on the details of a new allegation. Many Republicans dismissed a report published late Sunday in The New Yorker magazine as weak and unsubstantiated. And some Republicans worried that not doing enough to push Kavanaugh across the finish line would hurt their standing with the GOP base heading into the midterms. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., returns to his office after speaking on the Senate floor about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Sept. 24, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., walks to his office after speaking on the Senate floor about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Sept. 24, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, center, listens to a reporter's question as she walks, on Capitol Hill, Monday, Sept. 24, 2018 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) The News, September 27, 2018 For a society that hopes to move towards progress and development a something the PTI government clearly aspires to achieve a we work in strange ways. The Air University, a public research university established by the Pakistan Air Force, held a seminar at its Islamabad campus in April this year to discuss jinns and the role of the occult in society. This widely-advertised event was presided over by aspiritual cardiologista Raja Ziaul Haq, who describes himself on his social media page as a aFUNdamentalista . Quite obviously, our society is becoming a place of increased confusion and intellectual chaos. This, of course, is not the first seminar about jinns. Others have been held over the years. Some were held as far back as in the era of General Ziaul Haq, who bizarrely attempted to introduce aIslamic sciencea and promote theories under which energy harnessed from jinns could be used to fulfil our fuel shortage and resolve other issues. Over 30 years later, it doesnat appear that these men of wisdom have succeeded in achieving what they had hoped for. If they had, many of our national problems would have been solved by now. Perhaps the third Mrs Imran Khan a who, according to reports, is able to summon jinns a could come to their assistance in this urgent matter. Jokes also appear everywhere about using jinns to build the Diamer-Basha Dam or other projects at a far faster pace than what would be possible from the donations collected from people across the country. In fact, the concept of black magic, jinns and other forces has come back to campuses across Pakistan with something of a bang a like a genie released from a bottle. There has always been a problem in attempting to combine religion with science. The issue is that it holds back both religion and science. What we urgently need to develop in our society is rationality, and the ability to think logically and with a definite purpose. Sadly, we have floundered in this. Scientific research, even at our leading universities, is generally of an extremely poor quality, and one reason for this is that we tend to shy away from the hard facts of science. The wonderful world of magic is, after all, far more potent. The belief of so many influential persons in its powers can only enhance the importance that ordinary people attach to it. Since the Zia era, scientists engaged in more serious research have attempted to encourage the ability to separate physics and related sciences from matters of personal belief. Despite the harsh and daring critiques put forward by some of them, they have floundered in their efforts. Even at the school level, pupils hesitate to embrace basic science. In a growing number of cases, both teachers and students put forward the idea that religious and scientific beliefs can be intermingled to form a whole. There are many loopholes in these theories. Yet, we seem to find these theories to be the only acceptable way to embrace science and its theories. No doubt, there are more and more confused high-school and college students wandering through the classrooms of even our leading institutions. We need to accept that a Pakistan of the future a the Naya Pakistan promised to us by the PTI a must be built on reality. As has happened in India, the refusal to create a break between beliefs and scientific facts creates a tremendous amount of uncertainty. It also prevents us from moving forward and leads respectable TV hosts to go along with absurd theories, such as the one presented some years ago by a group of young people who insisted that they had discovered a way to make a car run on water. Mainstream television channels reported this news with a great deal of enthusiasm. There is no understanding that something which seems too good to be true is probably untrue. The science behind that mythical car was always flawed. Few among us even understood the basics of science and instead clamoured for the mystical or magical. Even in major cities like Lahore, many centres offer classes in the art of the occult for people who are willing to pay for them. These classes include tarot-reading, palm-reading, tea-leaf reading and all kinds of other theories that are essentially based on myth. We have failed to develop mindsets that can promote independent research in the sciences or even the arts. Many of our top leaders, some educated at leading institutions around the world, turn to their spiritual leaders when it comes to making important decisions. Imran Khan has taken things one step forward by marrying his spiritual leader. This must make the transfer of information that much easier, avoiding the need for last-minute meetings or trips out of the home. What is dangerous is that there appears to be no reduction in beliefs involving the occult. At seminars where these matters are discussed, hundreds of students and many academics gather to hear the views of speakers. There is little or no attempt to question what they say. At street corners, even in our largest cities, we have signs from so-called doctors who say they can treat all living creatures a human, animal or jinns. It would, of course, be truly wonderful if we could simply wave a magic wand in the air or utter a few words to put into action an army from a world we cannot see to undertake various tasks for us. There are indeed many tasks that need to be completed. Apart from the building of dams, we need roads, schools, trees, hospitals, cleaner air, potable water and a great deal more. It is quite true that it sometimes seems like this can only happen if magic is deployed. The task appears to fall beyond the capacity of man, unaided by other means. It is, however, important to remember that we live in the real world, not one that belongs to a fantasy novel. To succeed in it, we need painstaking research and a careful review of facts. We have failed to achieve this not only in the sciences, but also in history and the other humanities. The facts contained in textbooks are often inaccurate. Even a cursory study reveals the flaws. Plagiarism is common, even at the highest levels of academic study. As a nation, we need to learn how to develop an ability to think scientifically. This capacity alone can help us address at least some of our difficulties. Holding conferences where the less certain aartsa of this world are discussed doesnat seem to be a useful activity. Yet, it is one that we are, more often than not, turning towards. We have in past years produced great scientists like Dr Abdus Salam a even if we donat accept his genius today. There are also other Pakistanis who have excelled in the world of science globally, such as Dr Nergis Mavalvala, who is the associate head of Physics at MIT and was part of a team that discovered gravitational waves in an award-winning research effort. It is people like her and others who excel in their fields across the world who we need to invite to our campuses to conduct seminars and inspire young people to pursue research and conduct discoveries of their own. Only then can we move from darkness to light. The writer is a freelance columnist and former newspaper editor. FARGO, N.D. (AP) - The Latest on trial of William Hoehn, accused of murder in the death of Savanna Greywind (all times local): 5:50 p.m. A former jail inmate says the man on trial in the death of a pregnant North Dakota woman advised him that he should have "cut the baby out" of his girlfriend rather than have her get an abortion. Former inmate Bryan Grob's testimony came Monday in the trial of William Hoehn (hayn), who is accused in the August 2017 death of Savanna Greywind. Greywind died as her baby was cut from her body by Hoehn's then-girlfriend. Grob testified that he was in the Cass County jail on a drug charge and had regular conversations with Hoehn. Hoehn is on trial for conspiracy in Greywind's death. He has admitted helping cover up the crime, but says he didn't know of his girlfriend's plans to kill her. ___ 1:30 p.m. A medical examiner says he's not sure whether a North Dakota woman whose baby was cut from her womb died from blood loss or strangulation. Dr. Victor Froloff testified Monday in the trial of William Hoehn (hayn), who is accused in the August 2017 death of Savanna Greywind. Froloff called it an unusual case with "two competitive causes of death." Hoehn's former girlfriend, Brooke Crews, pleaded guilty earlier and was sentenced to life in prison. Hoehn has admitted helping cover up the crime but says he didn't know about Crews' plan to kill Greywind and take her baby. Prosecutors say Hoehn came upon a bloody scene with Crews and Greywind. They say he put a rope around Greywind's neck and tightened it. MARS, Pa. (AP) - Officials say some minor injuries were reported after a school bus carrying children ran over an embankment in a construction zone in western Pennsylvania and landed on its side. Emergency dispatchers in Butler County say the crash on Route 228 in Adams Township occurred at about 2:40 p.m. Monday. The Mars Area School District says some minor injuries were reported. The district says it is contacting parents of all students who were on the bus. WPXI reports that at least four patients are being treated. The station says at 41 students were on the bus at the time of the accident. A spokeswoman for Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's District 10 told the Tribune-Review that the bus struck a piece of equipment in the median of the constriction zone. A Mars Area School District bus sits on its side on an embankment on Route 228 in Adams Township on Monday, Sept. 24, 2018. An Adams Township police officer said around 43 kids were on the bus when it rolled down the embankment. Officials say some minor injuries were reported. (Nate Guidry/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP) Officials in Adams Township investigate the scene of a bus accident along Route 228 Monday, Sept.24, 2018 in Adams Township. Officials said 44 people, including the driver, were on the bus at the time of the accident. Seven people were transported to area hospitals, according to officials. (Nate Guidry/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP) ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - An Alaska man has been charged with killing a 10-year-old girl who went missing for more than a week before her body was found near a remote Native village. State prosecutors charged Peter Wilson of Kotzebue with first-degree murder, kidnapping, sexual abuse of a minor and tampering with evidence Monday in Ashley Johnson-Barr's death. Prosecutors say an autopsy revealed signs of trauma, including strangulation and sexual abuse. The 41-year-old Wilson has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of making false statements as FBI agents and others searched for Ashley in Kotzebue, a remote Inupiat town on Alaska's northwestern coast. The girl disappeared Sept. 6. Her remains were found eight days later just outside the community. A federal grand jury indictment says Wilson took a cellphone from Ashley and lied when he said he had found it. This undated file photo provided by Scotty Barr shows Ashley Johnson-Barr. An Alaska man linked to the 10-year-old girl's death has pleaded not guilty to lying to federal authorities investigating the case.(Scotty Barr via AP, file) LAS VEGAS (AP) - A public airing of information about the death of an unarmed 40-year-old man at the hands of a Las Vegas police officer last year failed to satisfy the man's mother, who sobbed Monday through descriptions of her son's autopsy and later called the proceeding a cover-up of a criminal act. "They're not being fair to Tashii. It's like they put him on trial," Trinita Farmer said following the nearly three-hour non-judicial hearing about the May 2017 death of her son, Tashii Farmer Brown, outside a Las Vegas Strip resort. The former police officer, Kenneth Lopera, who was dismissed from the department last September, did not appear for the proceeding. Lopera had become the first Las Vegas police officer to face a manslaughter charge since 1990 in a city where police shootings and uses of force drew reform recommendations in 2012 from the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. The charge against the officer came after the Clark County coroner ruled that Brown asphyxiated due to the police neck restraint. Medical examiners also noted that Brown had an enlarged heart and methamphetamine in his system when he died. All criminal charges against Lopera, also including oppression under color of office, were dropped last month after his police union legal representatives presented to a criminal grand jury evidence that Brown's death was due to his heart ailment and drug use. The grand jury refused to indict. FILE - This undated file photo released by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department shows former Las Vegas police officer Kenneth Lopera. A public airing of information about the death last year of Tashii Brown, an unarmed 40-year-old man at the hands of the Las Vegas police officer, failed to satisfy the man's mother, who called the proceeding a cover-up of a criminal act. Trinita Farmer said Monday, Sept. 24, 2018, that her son, Brown, went to police for help but died after a foot chase, stun gun jolts, punches and a neck restraint. Medical examiners determined the chokehold killed Brown. But a grand jury found otherwise. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department via AP, File) "Everybody on our side feels bad for the family," police union executive Steve Grammas said Monday. He called the criminal case ended. A federal excessive force and wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of Brown's children is pending. "I don't think, whatever information is out there, they will be able to accept the loss of their family member," Grammas said. A critic of the informal hearing system, former local American Civil Liberties Union chief Gary Peck, characterized the public proceeding as a "glorified press conference" designed to defuse public anger and community protests like those following Brown's death. The proceeding, held in the Clark County Commission chambers, featured a summary of the case from a single police investigator under questioning by a county prosecutor and an ombudsman attorney appointed by the county manager to represent family interests. Brown was described as sweaty, agitated and disoriented when he approached Lopera and another patrol officer in a Venetian resort coffee shop. Brown said he thought someone was chasing him, and fled through employee hallways to a parking area behind the hotel. A video clip from Lopera's body camera showed him chasing and catching Brown and using seven stun gun jolts, at least 12 punches and a neck restraint on Brown for more than a minute - even after a sergeant, Travis Crumrine, told him to let go. Lopera was recorded calling for Brown to stop as Brown approached the tailgate of a pickup truck, and the officer was later heard on the recording saying he thought Brown intended to commandeer the truck from the driver. Detective Trever Alsup, the case investigator, noted several times that Lopera has never provided sworn testimony about Brown's death. District Attorney Steve Wolfson said 15 witnesses were invited to the proceeding but only Alsup agreed to speak. Attorney Craig Drummond, serving as hearing officer, chose 47 written public questions to answer from the 83 submitted by audience members. Drummond said the remaining 36 were irrelevant, repetitive or outside the scope of the hearing. Farmer said afterward she was left wanting to know "why the officers that were there did not stop (Lopera) from killing my baby (and) why it took so long to administer CPR." Alsup said officers checked Brown several times over several minutes after he became unconscious before failing to find a pulse and beginning CPR. Farmer's lawyer, Andre Lagomarsino, said he plans to ask the FBI for a criminal civil rights investigation. CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. (AP) - A case against a former Virginia Tech student accused of illegally possessing an assault weapon has been tossed out. News outlets report a judge dismissed Yunsong Zhao's case, citing a lack of evidence presented by prosecutors. Defense attorneys had filed a motion to dismiss Monday. The Chinese national had been accused of equipping an AR-15 with a 30-round magazine at a shooting range. Virginia prohibits non-citizens from having guns with magazines holding more than 20 rounds. An undercover detective said he saw Zhao shooting a 30-round magazine but couldn't get video or call backup before Zhao left. A salesman also said he sold Zhao a 30-round magazine, but couldn't produce a receipt. Zhao remains in immigration custody and has a hearing set for Thursday. UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza says he's going to crash a special meeting being held at the United Nations this week to discuss the flood of migrants fleeing his country. Neighboring Colombia called the meeting to create a fund for nations overwhelmed by Venezuelans escaping poverty and hunger. Venezuela was once a wealthy oil nation but it's in a deepening economic crisis. Arreaza said Monday he'll ask for $500 million to help his country pay for Venezuelans eager to return home. He says Venezuela may also seek compensation for those who swarmed into his country, such as masses of Colombians escaping past decades of violent strife. Colombian President Ivan Duque hasn't directly said Venezuela would be barred from the meeting. LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Latest on lawsuits filed against President Donald Trump by porn actress Stormy Daniels (all times local): 5:45 p.m. A federal judge appears inclined to toss out a defamation lawsuit against President Donald Trump by porn actress Stormy Daniels. Judge S. James Otero said in a Los Angeles courtroom that a tweet the president wrote in April appears to be "rhetorical hyperbole" and protected speech. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, sued Trump in April after he said a composite sketch of a man she says threatened her in 2011 to keep quiet about an alleged affair with him was a "con job." Trump says the man was "nonexistent" and that Daniels was playing the "fake news media for fools." FILE - In this May 23, 2018 file photo Stormy Daniels, speaks during a ceremony for her receiving a City Proclamation and Key to the City in West Hollywood, Calif. A federal judge will consider Monday, Sept. 24, whether to toss out a lawsuit brought by Daniels against President Donald Trump and his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, weeks after Trump conceded a non-disclosure deal she signed just before the 2016 presidential election is invalid. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu, File) Otero says Trump's statement seems like opinion and speech that is protected under the First Amendment. He will rule later. Otero scheduled hearings in December to discuss Trump's efforts to dismiss another lawsuit by Daniels over a hush-money agreement related to their alleged affair. ___ 11:16 a.m. Lawyers for President Trump are urging a judge to toss porn actress Stormy Daniels' lawsuit over a hush-money deal after their alleged affair. Trump's lawyers are expected to argue in a Los Angeles federal court Monday that the agreement and $130,000 payout was not valid and they won't punish her for breaking it. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has sued to escape the agreement so she can speak publicly without fear of reprisal. Daniels' lawyer wants to keep the litigation going to take testimony from Trump about whether the deal was inked to silence Daniels while he was running for president. Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, has pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations for arranging payments to both Daniels and a former Playboy model to influence the election. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-In at the Lotte New York Palace hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Monday, Sept. 24, 2018, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) NEW YORK (AP) - Brazilian President Michel Temer said Monday that corruption charges against him were the result of his administration's attempts to reform the country's pension system, an explanation sure to raise eyebrows, if not hackles, in Latin America's largest nation. Last year, Temer, a career politician known for his ability to whip votes in an often chaotic, multi-party system, was twice charged by Attorney General Rodrigo Janot in corruption cases involving alleged bribes and obstruction of justice. While as a sitting president Temer has been able to avoid trial, many political and legal observers believe those cases will be taken up after his term ends at the end of this year. In an interview with The Associated Press, Temer denied wrongdoing and said his administration had suffered an "indignity" because it was attempting to take on the pension system, long one of the country's most thorny issues. As part of that, Janot used all the resources at his disposal, Temer said. "On one hand, I was trying to combat privileges, and on the other hand this man was trying to protect those privileges," said Temer, speaking at the Four Seasons hotel. Temer was in New York to participate in this week's high-level meetings of U.N. General Assembly. Text messages sent late Monday to Janot, who stepped down as attorney general when his term ended late last year, were not immediately answered. As vice president, Temer came to power in 2016 after President Dilma Rousseff was impeached and removed from office for illegally managing the federal budget. While Rousseff accused Temer of being part of what she called a "coup" against her, he denied the accusations and promised to bring about reforms that would pull Latin America's largest economy from its worst recession in decades. His administration did pass a spending cap and a major reform to the labor code, and the economy returned to modest growth last year, just over 1 percent, after contracting nearly 4 percent in both 2015 and 2016. "When I took office in 2016, we found the country in a state of economic disaster," he said in the interview. "... Obviously, there is a lot more to be done. However, we enjoy peace of mind inasmuch as we're leaving the government ready for the next administration." However, several of Temer's Cabinet ministers, and Temer himself, have been at the center of many scandals. According to Janot, Temer allegedly orchestrated a scheme in which he would get payouts totaling millions of dollars for help resolving a business issue for JBS, a giant meat-packing company. Federal police caught on camera and arrested a former aide who was carrying a suitcase with $150,000 in cash, allegedly a payout for Temer. Because Temer is a sitting president, however, only the country's supreme court can try him. And that can only happen if a super majority in the lower Chamber of Deputies, considered the conduit of the people, vote to allow for a trial to proceed. Both times Temer got enough votes to avoid trial, with many deputies saying they voted with the president simply to save the country from the political turmoil that another presidential removal would cause. Temer's approval rating has consistently been in the single digits - at one point it was 3 percent - and presidential candidates, even one-time allies, have gone to great lengths to distance themselves from him. Brazilians go to the polls Oct. 7, with a second round Oct. 28 if no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote. The new president will take office Jan. 1. "Temer has few friends left and has been attacked by all the candidates," said David Fleischer, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Brasilia. Fleischer said Temer's best prospect to avoid being tried for corruption - police have since begun investigating two more potential cases against him - would be if he can get appointed to an ambassadorship by the incoming administration, which would give him partial immunity. "I'm not sure if any of the potential new presidents would take that initiative," said Fleisher. In the interview, Temer said he believed his administration would be appreciated with time. He noted that his reforms "were not popular measures" and that "people react negatively" to attempts at change. "History will recognize the achievements," said Temer, who earlier in the day said he would try to get Congress to vote on pension reform in the lame duck session. Prospects are slim, however, given Temer's approval rating combined with the reality that reforming the pension would take super majorities in Congress, not easy even when a president is very popular. In the interview, Temer lauded Brazil's response to a growing immigration crisis on its northern border. Tens of thousands of Venezuelans have crossed into Brazil, often famished and seeking medical attention, feeling economic and political turmoil at home. Temer's administration and higher courts have beat back repeated attempts of the northern state of Roraima to close the border. In the border city of Pacaraima and Boa Vista, the state capital, thousands of Venezuelans are sleeping on the streets. Roraima Gov. Suely Campos has said state resources have been pushed to the max, and can no longer attend to all the needs. Suely has accused the federal government of lying about providing millions of dollars to the state to help with Venezuelans. Temer said a program to relocate Venezuelans to other states was helping to alleviate the problems. As of last week, just under 2,000 Venezuelans had been relocated, a fraction of the estimated 50,000 to 80,000 in the country, mostly in Roraima. And what about the funds? "The governor, when she alleges the resources haven't arrived, surely has not been visiting all the shelters" and not considering other resources the government is providing in Roraima, said Temer. ____ Prengaman reported from Rio de Janeiro. Associated Press reporter Mauricio Savarese contributed to this report from Sao Paulo. OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Democrat trying to capture the governor's seat in Oklahoma said Monday his government experience is a benefit, but he also quickly pointed out that it's been eight years since he's held office in the red state where a dozen incumbents have already lost primary elections this year. Drew Edmondson, a 71-year-old former attorney general who served four terms, has painted the Republicans' nearly decadelong control of Oklahoma state government as a disaster that led to massive budget shortfalls and this year's teacher walkout over dwindling funding for public schools. "We've got 30 percent of our school districts that don't offer a foreign language anymore," Edmondson said during a forum Monday where he and Republican nominee Kevin Stitt faced off. "Twenty percent of our districts have gone to four-day school weeks." Neither man brought up the woman they are trying to replace - term-limited Republican Gov. Mary Fallin, whose popularity has declined amid voter frustration with incumbents. But Stitt, a 45-year-old mortgage company owner from Tulsa who touts his status as a businessman outsider, suggested career politicians are to blame for some of Oklahoma's budget woes. "If the career politician was going to fix it, they already would have," Stitt said during the forum, which was hosted by The Oklahoman newspaper in Oklahoma City. "It's going to take a fresh set of eyes on state government to turn things around." Oklahoma Democratic gubernatorial candidate Drew Edmondson, right, answers a question during a gubernatorial forum in Oklahoma City, Monday, Sept. 24, 2018. Republican candidate Kevin Stitt is at left. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) Edmondson, who noted he hasn't held political office in eight years, didn't shy away from highlighting his experience as an attorney general and a local district attorney. "I'm certainly proud of my record as a public servant ... and I think it commends consideration," he said. Republicans have dominated state elections across the country since 2010, the first midterm election after Barack Obama took office as president. The GOP's dominance in 2010 in Oklahoma was particularly striking, with Republicans flipping every statewide elected office from Democrat to Republican. But Democrats have been chipping away at the GOP's advantage in the Legislature, winning a string of four special election victories in seats previously held by Republicans over the last two years. Democrats also appear to be energized by their opposition to President Donald Trump and by April's teacher walkout that prompted dozens of educators to run for office. Stitt, who already has raised more than $6.5 million, including more than $3.2 million in personal loans, is expected to have a fundraising advantage over Edmondson, who raised about $2 million over the same period, according to the most recent campaign finance reports. Matt Romano and his wife, Lori, came to Monday's forum to learn more about the candidates, but appeared to be leaning in different directions. Lori Romano, 52, a retired teacher and registered Republican, said she likes the idea of a Democrat such as Edmondson serving as a check on the GOP's power in Oklahoma. She added that his experience in an elected position is a plus. "If you're going to be in the political arena, you have to know a little about it," she said. But Matt Romano, 57, a salesman, said he was leaning toward Stitt because he favored a political outsider and liked the idea of taking a business approach to state government. He said Edmondson's years in office were a liability. "That tells me he's part of the establishment," he said. "He's an establishment politician, and I think we've seen enough establishment politicians." ___ Follow Sean Murphy at www.twitter.com/apseanmurphy Oklahoma's Republican gubernatorial candidate Kevin Stitt, left, answers a question during a gubernatorial forum in Oklahoma City, Monday, Sept. 24, 2018. Democratic candidate Drew Edmondson is at right. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) Oklahoma's Republican gubernatorial candidate Kevin Stitt, left, moderator Chris Casteel, center, and Democratic candidate Drew Edmondson, right, applaud as audience members are introduced before a gubernatorial forum in Oklahoma City, Monday, Sept. 24, 2018. The forum was sponsored by The Oklahoman. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) Oklahoma's Republican gubernatorial candidate Kevin Stitt answers a question during a gubernatorial forum in Oklahoma City, Monday, Sept. 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) NEW YORK (AP) - A 52-year-old caregiver has been charged in the knife attack on five people, including three newborn babies, at a New York City home that was apparently being used as an unlicensed nursery for new mothers and their children. Prosecutors say Yufen Wang, of Flushing, Queens, was arraigned Monday on charges of attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon. A message left with her lawyer wasn't immediately returned. Wang is accused of stabbing and slashing a father, a female worker and three newborn babies inside the three-story residence in Queens early Friday. All were hospitalized and are expected to survive. Wang was apprehended in the building's basement with self-inflicted wounds to her neck and wrist. The motive for the attack is still unclear. Her next court date is Oct. 19. Why Narendra Modi will never be able to admire Mahatma Gandhi: Ramachandra Guha interview with ThePrint, historian Ramachandra Guha talks about his new book, Gandhi : The Years That Changed The World, where he explains Indias rapid transition to a Hindu Majoritarian state, the relation between RSS and Mahatma Gandhi, the mistreatment of minorities by the Modi cabinet and how nothing in Modias ideological training equips him to admire the Mahatma. o o o Financial Times, September 25, 2018 Narendra Modias paradoxical claim on the legacy of Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha The Indian prime minister is linking his name to a man his own mentor despised India has established a committee to commemorate next yearas 150th anniversary of the birth of the afather of the nationa , Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the members include politicians across party lines as well as some foreign representatives, among them the Nobel laureates Desmond Tutu and Al Gore. Hailing Gandhi as aIndiaas greatest gift to human-kinda , whose aname finds resonance across the continentsa , the committee plans a year-long prog-ramme of celebration, commencing on his birthday, October 2, and ending on the same day in 2019. Mr Modias bid to appropriate Gandhi is paradoxical. The prime minister spent most of his formative years in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a hardline Hindu organisation which reviled Gandhi for allegedly being too soft on Muslims. The antagonism between the RSS and Gandhi was at its most intense in the months after August 15 1947, when the subcontinent was freed from British rule but also divided into the separate nations of India and Pakistan. Gandhi went on peace marches and fasts to protect the rights of the millions of Muslims who had stayed in India. He insisted that aIndia does not belong to Hindus alonea . He told his compatriots that even if Pakistan persecuted its Hindu and Sikh minorities, India awould be betraying the Hindu religion if we did evil because others had done ita . His abasic creeda remained what it had always been - athat India is the home of Muslims no less than of Hindusa . The RSS, on the other hand, believed that, with the creation of Pakistan, there was no place any more for Muslims in India. Their hatred of Gandhi emanated from the organisationas head, a polemical preacher named MS Golwalkar. In December 1947, as Gandhi continued to campaign for inter-faith harmony, Golwalkar made a speech in which he declared that ano power on Earth could keepa Muslims in India. aThey would have to quit the country.a Golwalkar went on to say of Gandhi: aWe have the means whereby such men can be immediately silenced, but it is our tradition not to be inimical to Hindus. If we are compelled, we will have to resort to that course too.a Six weeks later, Gandhi was murdered by a Hindu fanatic who had once been a member of the RSS. Though this person may have been acting as a freelancer, the speeches made by Golwalkar showed very clearly that the organisation detested Gandhi. Many RSS members were not sorry to see Gandhi being aimmediately silenceda . The RSS was banned after Gandhias death. The ban was lifted a year and a half later, and in subsequent decades the organisation grew steadily in strength and influence. Its political arm, the Bharatiya Janata party, came to rule large parts of India. While the RSS muted their criticisms of Gandhi, their hatred of Muslims remained intense. In his own writings, Golwalkar characterised Muslims and Christians as enemies of the nation. When Mr Modi became prime minister of India in 2014, he had been in public life for close to 40 years. Joining the RSS as a young man, he was weaned on Golwalkaras ideas (and prejudices) and even wrote an adulatory biography of him. There is no evidence that he ever dissented from the RSSas views of Gandhi, or of Muslims. However, since becoming PM, Mr Modi has invoked Gandhias name often. He dedicated his flagship programme to rid India of open defecation to Gandhi. And he has made it a point to visit Gandhias ashram in the company of foreign leaders. He has gone there with Chinese president Xi Jinping, with prime minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, and, most recently, with the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This latest celebration of Gandhi is just the most recent attempt by Mr Modi to link his name with a man whom his own mentor cordially disliked. Might it be that he recognises that Gandhi is the most widely admired Indian outside India? And that he wishes to accrue credit for himself by association? That may be so, but it is hard to see this exploitation of Gandhias legacy as anything other than rank opportunism. In the four years that Mr Modi has been in power, Muslims have been attacked by Hindu lynch mobs and verbally abused by serving cabinet ministers. India has moved further in the direction of being a Hindu majoritarian state than at any previous time in its history. How can Mr Modi promote Gandhi abroad while at the same time denying what he stood for at home? Ramachandra Guha is author of Gandhi: The Years that Changed the World o o o [ See related material: The Economist. Savarkar, Modias mentor: The man who thought Gandhi a sissy https://www.economist.com/christmas-specials/2014/12/17/the-man-who-thought-gandhi-a-sissy ] HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - A court in southern Vietnam has sentenced an activist to 27 months in prison for Facebook posts that judges say insulted the ruling Communist Party and government. The Vietnam News Agency reported that Doan Khanh Vinh Quang was convicted by the People's Court in Ninh Kieu District in Can Tho province after a one-day trial Monday. The conviction comes as communist authorities step up a crackdown on dissent. Quang was third activist to be jailed in a week on similar charges. Despite sweeping economic reforms over the past 30 years that opened up Vietnam to foreign investment and trade, the Communist Party tolerates no challenge to its one-party rule. DALLAS (AP) - The Latest on the firing of a white Dallas police officer charged with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of her black neighbor in the man's own apartment (all times local): 10:35 p.m. The attorney for a white Dallas police officer charged in the fatal shooting of her black neighbor in the man's own apartment says his client's firing was premature and unfair. Robert Rogers, who represents the fired officer, Amber Guyger, said in a statement Monday night that Police Chief U. Renee Hall buckled under "pressure from anti-police groups" and acted "before all of the facts had been gathered and due process was afforded." It was Rogers' first statement since the Sept. 6 shooting of 26-year-old Botham Jean. Jean family attorneys and protesters had called for Guyger's firing following the shooting. The department dismissed her Monday. FILE - This file photo provided by the Kaufman County Sheriff's Office shows Amber Renee Guyger. Guyger, a Dallas police officer accused of fatally shooting her neighbor inside his own apartment has been dismissed, the police department announced Monday, Sept. 24, 2018. The Dallas Police Department fired Guyger weeks after she fatally shot 26-year-old Botham Jean inside his own apartment on Sept. 6. Court records show Guyger said she thought she had encountered a burglar inside her own home.(Kaufman County Sheriff's Office via AP, File) Rogers says the shooting was "a tragic mistake" and that Guyger "is completely devastated by what happened." Guyger was arrested on a preliminary charge of manslaughter days after the shooting. She is out on bond. ___ 11:10 a.m. Dallas police say a white officer accused of fatally shooting her black neighbor inside his own apartment has been dismissed. The Dallas Police Department fired Officer Amber Guyger on Monday, weeks after she fatally shot 26-year-old Botham Jean inside his own apartment on Sept. 6. Court records show Guyger said she thought she had encountered a burglar inside her own home. Guyger was arrested on a preliminary charge of manslaughter days after the shooting. She is out on bond. Jean family attorneys and protesters had called for her firing following the shooting. MEXICO CITY (AP) - For the first time, a Mexican government body has acknowledged that the massacre of student protesters at the capital's Plaza of the Three Cultures on Oct. 2, 1968, was a "state crime." The head of the Executive Commission for Attention to Victims said Monday that the government used "snipers who fired to create chaos, terror and an official narrative to criminalize" anti-government demonstrations. Commission head Jaime Rochin said this was "a state crime that continued beyond Oct. 2 with arbitrary arrests and torture." A specialized prosecutor's office was opened in 2002 to try to ascertain what happened and how many people were killed, but it was closed five years later without any prosecutions or determination of a death toll. Estimates of the dead range from 25 to more than 300. YOSHIKAWA, Japan (AP) - Japanese preschool programs equipped with tablet computers are aiming to prepare kids for the digital age. The Associated Press visited Coby Preschool, in a town northeast of Tokyo, where toddlers use tablets to color birds and flowers that appear to come alive as 3-D computer graphics. The school in a small town northeast of Tokyo is among nearly 400 kindergartens and nursery schools helping lead a national initiative in "digital play." They are using smartphone software applications designed especially for preschoolers called KitS. Experts say the applications are meant to encourage creativity and collaboration, although they warn of the risks of relying too heavily on technology. The government wants to strengthen technology education even while it struggles to meet its target of supplying one computer or tablet per three children. In this July 12, 2018, photo, a child works on a digital program at Coby Preschool in Yoshikawa, suburban Tokyo, on an assignment, which was to draw on a triangle on an iPad. For the kids, it's all about having fun. Japanese preschool programs equipped with tablet computers aim to prepare kids for the digital age. (AP Photo/Yuri Kageyama) In this July 12, 2018, photo, children work on a digital program at Coby Preschool in Yoshikawa, suburban Tokyo, on an assignment, which was to draw on a triangle on an iPad. For the kids, it's all about having fun. Japanese preschool programs equipped with tablet computers aim to prepare kids for the digital age. (AP Photo/Yuri Kageyama) In this July 12, 2018, photo, children work on a digital program at Coby Preschool in Yoshikawa, suburban Tokyo, on an assignment, which was to draw on a triangle on an iPad. For the kids, it's all about having fun. Japanese preschool programs equipped with tablet computers aim to prepare kids for the digital age. (AP Photo/Yuri Kageyama) In this July 12, 2018, photo, children work on a digital program at Coby Preschool in Yoshikawa, suburban Tokyo, on an assignment, which was to draw on a triangle on an iPad. For the kids, it's all about having fun. Japanese preschool programs equipped with tablet computers aim to prepare kids for the digital age. (AP Photo/Yuri Kageyama) In this July 12, 2018, photo, Masami Uno, a hospital worker, picks up her children, 5-year-old Ayumu, right, and his 2-year-old sister, not in the picture, at Coby Preschool in Yoshikawa, suburban Tokyo. For the kids, it's all about having fun. Japanese preschool programs equipped with tablet computers aim to prepare kids for the digital age. (AP Photo/Yuri Kageyama) In this July 13, 2018, photo, Yuhei Yamauchi, a professor of information studies at the University of Tokyo, who advises the KitS program, speaks in an interview with The AP at his university office in Tokyo. He says preparation for the digital age must start at a preschool age. (AP Photo/Yuri Kageyama) ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - A 41-year old Canadian man has been sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for conspiring to smuggle thousands of pounds of marijuana into the United States through the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation in northern New York. Colin Stewart, of Elgin, Quebec, admitted that he and his co-conspirators smuggled thousands of pounds of marijuana for distribution throughout the northeastern United States. Stewart also admitted that he organized the smuggling, paid his co-conspirators, and personally transported thousands of pounds of the drug across the St. Lawrence River onto the reservation. Chief United States District Court Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also ordered Stewart to serve five years of supervised release when he gets out of prison and pay a $10,000 fine. The sentencing was announced Monday in Albany. BEIJING (AP) - China cannot hold talks with Washington on ending their escalating trade dispute while the United States "holds a knife" to Beijing's neck by imposing tariff hikes, a Chinese official said Tuesday. The warning came after the Chinese government released a report that accused President Donald Trump of bullying other countries. It dampened hopes for progress toward a settlement of their war over Beijing's technology policy. Trump went ahead Monday with a tax hike on $200 billion of Chinese imports. Beijing retaliated by imposing penalties on $60 billion of U.S. goods. The conflict stems from U.S. complaints Beijing steals or pressures foreign companies to hand over technology. American officials say Chinese plans for state-led development of global competitors in robotics and other technologies violate its market-opening obligations and might erode U.S. industrial leadership. Beijing is open to negotiations but whether they proceed is up to Washington, said a deputy commerce minister, Wang Shouwen. Wang led the Chinese delegation to the last round of talks in Washington in August, which ended without progress. "Now that the United States has adopted such large-scale restrictive measures and holds a knife to another's neck, how can negotiations proceed?" said Wang at a news conference. "It would not be negotiations of equality." In this Sept. 13, 2018, photo, a container ship sails past the city skyline of Qingdao in eastern China's Shandong province. China raised tariffs Monday, SEPT. 24 on thousands of U.S. goods in an escalation of its fight with President Donald Trump over technology policy and accused Washington of bullying Beijing and damaging the global economy. (Chinatopix via AP) With no settlement in sight, forecasters say the conflict between the two biggest economies could trim global growth by 0.5 percentage points through 2020. Business groups say American companies report Chinese regulators also are stepping up pressure on them by slowing down customs clearance and increasing environmental and other inspections. In its report Tuesday, the Chinese government tried to reinforce its position that it is defending free trade, despite complaints by the United States, Europe and other trading partners about market barriers and industrial policy. It said Beijing has tried to protect the multilateral global trading system and accused Trump of abandoning "mutual respect" required for international relations. The report gave no indication of possible Chinese concessions or room for compromise. Businesspeople who have met Chinese economic planners say they appear unwilling even to discuss technology policy the ruling Communist Party sees as a route to prosperity and global influence. "The sharp criticism suggests that China might prefer to wait out the current U.S. administration, rather than embarking on potentially futile negotiations," said Cheng Wei Liang of Mizuho Bank in a report. "It is increasingly likely that both sides will not resume negotiations for some time, at least until there is a noticeable shift in the political mood on either side." In this Friday, Sept. 21, 2018, photo, foreign tourists watch people queue in line to enter the Apple Store for the debut of the latest iPhones in Shanghai. China imposed new tariff hikes on U.S. goods on Monday, Sept. 24, 2018, and accused Washington of bullying, giving no sign of compromise in an intensifying battle over technology that is weighing on global economic growth. (Chinatopix via AP) WASHINGTON (AP) - The first allegation against Brett Kavanaugh left Republicans rattled and nervous. The second left them angry and ready to fight back. The GOP punched back hard Monday, seeming to cast aside - for now - worries that President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee could turn off female voters and sink their hopes of holding complete control of Congress following the November midterms. Rather than peel away from Kavanaugh, many GOP senators seemed to stiffen their resolve. The decision was in part based on the details of a new allegation. Many Republicans dismissed a report published late Sunday in The New Yorker magazine as weak and unsubstantiated - allowing them to turn their aim on the media, a well-worn and effective tactic. And some Republicans worried that not doing enough to push Kavanaugh across the finish line would hurt their standing with the GOP base heading into the midterms. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., took the lead role in the fight. His resolve was evident in both public and private, according to those who were around him. He began his day at the University of Louisville in Kentucky, where he told confidants he didn't intend to back down. "I sensed absolute determination," said Scott Jennings, a longtime McConnell strategist. "He was not going to give up on Brett Kavanaugh." Back in Washington a few hours later, McConnell went to the Senate floor to blast "Senate Democrats and their allies" who he said "are trying to destroy a man's personal and professional life." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., walks to his office after speaking on the Senate floor about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Sept. 24, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) GOP leaders were already grappling with an allegation from Christine Blasey Ford, who said Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were both teenagers. But McConnell and some others were especially incensed by a second allegation in which a student who attended Yale with Kavanaugh said he exposed himself at a drunken dormitory party, thrust his penis in her face and caused her to touch it without her consent as she pushed him away. The accusation was "another orchestrated, last-minute hit on the nominee," McConnell said. Kavanaugh has vehemently denied both allegations. Jennings said The New Yorker story strengthened a consensus among many Republicans that they were contending with an orchestrated effort by Democrats to take down Kavanaugh's nomination. "When that thing hit, rank-and-file Republicans dug in and said, 'We are not going to let the mob get away with this,'" Jennings said. That sentiment was echoed by Doug Deason, a prominent donor close to Trump. "Certainly women deserve to be heard, but not 30, 40 years later when there's all the drinking and they don't remember most of it," he said. "It's a conspiracy from the left-wing loonies." Ford and Kavanaugh are expected to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. The showdown comes six weeks before Election Day, with early voting already underway in a handful of battleground states. Some polls suggest Republicans are already likely to lose the House majority and increasingly confident Democrats now see a path to the Senate majority as well. That's helped fuel a hard-line political strategy aimed squarely at the GOP base. Evangelical conservative leader Ralph Reed said the accusations against Kavanaugh are "firing up conservatives and faith-based voters" across the country. "We've had an enthusiasm gap," Reed said. "This could close it." Shrugging off the risks, Republicans are digging in for a messy confirmation fight. McConnell's allies warned that any delay in the process would merely open the president's pick to a never-ending loop of rumors and accusations. But holdouts, including retiring Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, whose vote on the committee is needed to ensure Kavanaugh's nomination moves favorably to the full Senate, remain in flux. Along with Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Flake's views on the latest development may determine next steps. Flake was central to weekend talks to ensure an agreement was reached for Ford to tell the committee her story, according to a GOP aide familiar with the talks but unauthorized to speak publicly. The aide spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Flake's reaction to the new allegations will be central to whether the hearing Thursday proceeds. Trump confidant Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina set the tone for GOP leaders with a series of tweets on Monday blaming Democrats for "wholesale character assassination" and urging fellow Republicans to push forward with Kavanaugh's confirmation. "What we are witnessing is the total collapse of the traditional confirmation process for a Supreme Court nominee," Graham tweeted. "The process needs to move forward with a hearing Thursday, and vote in committee soon thereafter." Another Trump ally, Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, struck a similar script. "The Democrats are engaged in a campaign of delay and character assassination against Judge Kavanaugh. It's time to vote this week," he said. Collins' constituents in Maine warned the four-term senator that women were paying close attention. "I'm speaking to people on a regular basis - people who have voted for her in the past and are very, very agitated," said Eliza Townsend, executive director of the Maine Women's Lobby. Asked if she believed Collins was on the side of Maine women, Townsend responded: "It's hard to tell." There were signs that Murkowski was also struggling under the weight of the Kavanaugh fight back home as well. Jeff King, one of the world's most successful professional dogsled racers, has campaigned alongside Murkowski before. It's unclear if he'll do so again. "Alaska stood firm for you, and I ask that you trust that we'll have your back if you make the right decision," said King, a four-time Iditarod champion, during a recent Alaska protest calling for Murkowski to block Kavanaugh's nomination. "You're our senator, Lisa, not Trump's." Neither Collins nor Murkowski is up for re-election this fall. But hundreds of other Republicans are. ___ Peoples reported from New York. Associated Press writer Mark Thiessen in Anchorage, Alaska, contributed to this report. With reporters following, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., returns to his office after speaking on the Senate floor about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Sept. 24, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, center, listens to a reporter's question as she walks, on Capitol Hill, Monday, Sept. 24, 2018 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, left, walks, on Capitol Hill, Monday, Sept. 24, 2018, in Washington. A second allegation of sexual misconduct has emerged against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, a development that has further imperiled his nomination to the Supreme Court, forced the White House and Senate Republicans onto the defensive and fueled calls from Democrats to postpone further action on his confirmation. President Donald Trump is so far standing by his nominee. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) WASHINGTON (AP) - The deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, is facing a showdown with President Donald Trump over whether Rosenstein will keep his job. He is expected to meet with the president at the White House on Thursday. A sure topic are the media reports that Rosenstein had discussed secretly recording Trump and possibly using constitutional procedures to remove him from office. Rosenstein disputes those reports. Rosenstein met Monday with White House chief of staff John Kelly. A person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press that Rosenstein expected to be fired. He ended up speaking by phone to Trump himself, and questions about his future were effectively tabled until Thursday. Rosenstein oversees special counsel Robert Mueller and his Russia probe, which would fall into uncertainty if Rosenstein left the Justice Department. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein leaves the White House in Washington, Monday, Sept. 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) FILE - In this July 13, 2018 file photo, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington. Rosenstein is expecting to be fired, heading to White House Monday morning.(AP Photo/Evan Vucci) CAIRO (AP) - The United Nations and individual donors are rushing food to a desperate corner of northern Yemen where starving villagers have been living off leaves. Aid officials are searching for ways to ensure aid reaches those in need amid alarm that the country's hunger crisis is worsening beyond the relief effort's already strained capabilities. The aid push was directed at a district called Aslam where earlier this month The Associated Press found some families eating leaves. But in a sign of the difficulties in tracking Yemen's near-famine, conditions appeared to be as bad or worse in a neighboring district, Khayran al-Maharraq. U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock issued a dire warning to the Security Council ahead of the world body's General Assembly, saying: "We are losing the fight against famine" in Yemen. In this Sept. 21, 2018 photo, men deliver U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) aid in Aslam, Hajjah, Yemen. The United Nations and independent donors are rushing food to a desperate corner of northern Yemen where starving villagers were found to be living off leaves. But the hunger crisis continues to worsen. (AP Photo/Hammadi Issa) In this Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018 photo, Shouib Sakaf the father of 3-year-old Zaifa who died of severe acute malnutrition, stands in front of his hut in Khayran al-Maharq, Hajjah, Yemen. On a recent day, Sakaf buried his 3-year-old daughter, Zaifa, the fifth child known to have died in the district this year from malnutrition-related illness. The United Nations and individual donors are rushing food to a desperate corner of northern Yemen where starving villagers were found to be living off leaves. (AP Photo/Hammadi Issa) This undated 2018 handout image provided by Dr. Mekkiya Mahdi, Head of Aslam Health Center, shows severely malnourished Zaifa Shouib before her death at the Aslam Health Center in Hajjah, Yemen. Zaifa was as old as Yemen's civil war, waged between rebels known as Houthis and a coalition led by Saudi Arabia. Born in the war's early days, Zaifa succumbed to the humanitarian crisis it has caused _ widespread hunger, the collapse of the economy and the breakdown of the health system. (Courtesy of Dr. Mekkiya Mahdi via AP) In this Sept. 22, 2018 photo, Amna Ali, mother of 3-year-old Zaifa Shouib, who was the fifth child known to have died in the district this year of malnutrition-related illness, stands in front of her hut holding a baby in Khayran al-Maharq, Hajjah, Yemen. At a local medical facility which did not have enough supplies, Zaifa's father was told she had to be taken to a hospital further away to treat kidney complications. He had no way to pay for transportation there. (AP Photo/Hammadi Issa) In this Sept. 22, 2018 photo, Amna Ali, right, mother of 3-year-old Zaifa Shouib, who was the fifth child known to have died in the district this year of malnutrition-related illness, sits in her hut holding a baby in Khayran al-Maharq, Hajjah, Yemen. At a local medical facility which did not have enough supplies, Zaifa's father was told she had to be taken to a hospital further away to treat kidney complications. He had no way to pay for transportation there. (AP Photo/Hammadi Issa) In this Sept. 22, 2018 photo, Shouib Sakaf the father of 3-year-old Zaifa Shouib who died of severe acute malnutrition, prays in front of her grave in Khayran al-Maharq, Hajjah, Yemen. On a recent day, Sakaf buried Zaifa, the fifth child known to have died in the district this year from malnutrition-related illness. The United Nations and individual donors are rushing food to the desperate corner of northern Yemen where starving villagers were found to be living off leaves. (AP Photo/Hammadi Issa) UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The Latest on the U.N. General Assembly (all times local): 8:15 p.m. The subjects have been varied, but what's been the main theme at the U.N. General Assembly this year? It's multilateralism - whether to work closely together or go it alone as nations. In speech after speech pretty much everyone has been talking about it. Behind that, though, is an important question: What should cooperation look like in a 21st-century world? Speaker after speaker has talked about how they must work together to fight global warming, improve the lot of refugees, eliminate gender bias, stimulate the economy. But a smaller contingent led by the United States and President Donald Trump says that too much multilateralism gets in the way of sovereignty and should be avoided. Foreign Minister for Eritrea, Osman Mohammed Saleh, addresses the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018, at the United Nations headquarters. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) The notion of where a nation's sovereignty ends and its allegiance to a global group of nations that doesn't govern, but that makes a lot of rules, begins is the basic question delegates are asking. For the most part, particularly with smaller nations, the attitude is that cooperation and following international rules make things better for everyone. ___ 7:55 p.m. Eritrea's foreign minister is touting his country's historic peace agreement with Ethiopia and calling for U.N. sanctions to be lifted immediately, calling them "unwarranted" and "a miscarriage of justice." Osman Saleh Mohammed told the U.N. General Assembly's ministerial meeting on Saturday that "with positive winds of peace flowing in our region" some Security Council members are calling for sanctions to be lifted while others are looking for pretexts "to move the goalpost" and maintain the illegal sanctions. The Security Council imposed an arms embargo on Eritrea and sanctions on its political and military leaders in December 2009 after U.N. experts said the Horn of Africa nation was supporting al-Shabab extremists in Somalia and had failed to withdraw its forces following clashes with Djibouti in June 2008. Mohammed said the previous U.S. administrations were mainly responsible for the "fabricated charges" which created serious economic damage and hurt the country's reputation and prospects for investment. As a result, Mohammed said Eritrea is not only calling for the immediate rescinding of sanctions but "amends for the damages incurred and opportunities forfeited." Eritrea recently restored diplomatic relations with Somalia and Djibouti. ___ 7:40 p.m. Somalia's foreign minister is telling the U.N. General Assembly that his young government has made significant strides in fighting violent al-Shabab militants, and called on the world body to lift its long-standing arms embargo. Ahmed Awad Isse says young people are no longer joining al-Shabab as they used to because "that ideology is no longer popular." In his address on Saturday, Isse said the Somali government has been engaging with religious leaders, young people, the elderly and women to "turn the tide against the twisted ideology of hate and religious intolerance." Isse also notes that many, including some of the militant group's senior commanders, have taken the government's amnesty offer and surrendered peacefully. He said lifting the arms embargo would level the field in Somalia's battle with extremist groups. He noted that "stronger fighting capacity would enable us to have the upper hand." Al-Shabab is trying to establish an Islamic state in Somalia, and is the deadliest Islamic extremist group in sub-Saharan Africa. ___ 7 p.m. A year after Dominica's prime minister made an impassioned plea at the U.N. for help for his and other island nations battered by hurricanes, Foreign Minister Francine Baron says the experience and response made her country "stronger and more motivated." Baron spoke Saturday at the General Assembly, where Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit urged world leaders last year to "let these extraordinary events elicit extraordinary efforts to rebuild nations sustainably." His country had been ravaged weeks earlier by powerful Hurricane Maria. In the year since, Dominica has been rebuilding while also forming a billion-dollar "climate resilience" plan. Baron noted that the cost of such improvements is beyond what small countries like Dominica can handle without help. She thanked the international community and individual people for their assistance so far. ___ 6 p.m. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland has postponed her U.N. General Assembly speech as trade talks between the U.S. and Canada intensify. Freeland had been scheduled to speak Saturday but exchanged the slot with another country. Freeland may or may not give the speech on Monday. Canada is the United States' No. 2 trading partner. It was left out when the U.S. and Mexico reached an agreement last month to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement. The U.S. and Canada are under pressure to reach a deal by Sunday, when the U.S. must make public the full text of the agreement with Mexico. The trade talks have been deadlocked over issues such as Canada's high dairy tariffs. - By Associated Press writer Rob Gillies in Toronto. ___ 4:40 p.m. The deadly Indonesian tsunami is on the minds of several other countries' envoys as they address the U.N. General Assembly. Indian foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Belize's foreign minister, Wilfred Elrington, and Sao Tome's foreign minister, Urbino Botelho, were among those expressing sympathy and condolences to Indonesians Saturday at the assembly. Swaraj promised that "India will cooperate in helping during this tragic time." A powerful earthquake triggered a tsunami Friday evening that unleashed waves as high as 6 meters (20 feet), killing hundreds on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. At least 384 people were killed in the city of Palu, and the number was expected to rise as rescuers reached surrounding coastal areas. Indonesian Vice President Muhammad Jusuf Kalla spoke at the General Assembly on Thursday. ___ 3:00 p.m. Pakistan's top diplomat is blaming India for a recent breakdown in their relations as he addresses a U.N. gathering of world leaders. He says Pakistan "prefers politics over peace." Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi's comments came a few hours after India accused his country of harboring terrorists. Qureshi and his Indian counterpart, Sushma Swaraj, were supposed to meet at the U.N. this week. But the day after the meeting was announced, India called it off after an Indian border guard was killed in the disputed region of Kashmir. Qureshi said India's current administration has called off dialogue between the two countries three times already, "each time on flimsy grounds." India earlier rejected the notion it was sabotaging peace talks, The two South Asian nations and nuclear powers are uneasy neighbors. They have fought two of their three wars since independence in 1947 over the disputed region of Kashmir. ___ 2:50 p.m. Austria's foreign minister raised a range of world issues in her U.N. General Assembly speech - in four of the world's languages. Karin Kneissl started her remarks Saturday in Arabic, saying that humanity has a voice in the General Assembly hall and needs to use it "to express the voice of those outside this hall" who dwell amid wars and conflict. Kneissl later switched to French, Spanish and English, thanking interpreters for their "patience and indulgence." Along the way, she quoted a Latin phrase and a Hebrew one. In the various languages, she touched on issues including global warming, gender equality, the future of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and how to move from a "military situation to a diplomatic transition" in wartorn Syria. ___ 11:40 a.m. India's foreign minister is using her address on the world stage to accuse neighboring Pakistan of harboring terrorists. Indian foreign minister Sushma Swaraj also rejected the notion that India is sabotaging peace talks with Pakistan, calling it "a complete lie." She accused Pakistan of "verbal duplicity," noting that Osama bin Laden was found living there, and said the mastermind of the 2008 attack in Mumbai "still roams the streets of Pakistan with impunity." Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart were supposed to meet on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly this week, but India called it off only one day after it was announced, following the killing of an Indian border guard in the disputed region of Kashmir. The announcement of the planned meeting had been considered an encouraging sign for restarting stalled talks between the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbors. Pakistan and India have fought two of their three wars since independence in 1947 over Kashmir, divided between the two countries but sought by each in its entirety. ___ 11:20 a.m. North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho says his nation will never disarm its nuclear weapons first if it can't trust Washington. Ri was speaking Saturday at the United Nations General Assembly. He called on the United States to follow through on promises made during a summit in Singapore between the rivals' leaders. His comments come as US. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo seems to be on the verge of restarting deadlocked nuclear diplomacy more than three months after the Singapore with North Korea's Kim Jong Un. Ri says it's a "pipe dream" that continued sanctions and U.S. objection to a declaration ending the Korean War will ever bring the North to its knees. Washington is wary of agreeing to the declaration without Pyongyang first making significant disarmament moves. Both Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump want a second summit. But there is widespread skepticism that Pyongyang is serious about renouncing an arsenal that the country likely sees as the only way to guarantee its safety. Pompeo is planning to visit Pyongyang next month to prepare for a second Kim-Trump summit. ___ 11:00 a.m. Syria's foreign minister is demanding the immediate withdrawal of all foreign troops from Syria who are there in the country "illegally." Walid al-Moallem cites U.S., French and Turkish troops who are in Syria without invitation from the Syrian government. He says the Syrian government considers them "occupation forces and will be dealt with accordingly." The United States has around 2,000 troops in northern Syria, working with local forces against Islamic State militants in the country. ___ 10:55 a.m. Syrian foreign minister Walid al-Moallem says a committee tasked with drafting a new constitution will not accept outside dictates. He says anything seen as intervention in Syria's internal affairs is rejected. He spoke on Saturday, a few days after the United States and six other nations called for the United Nations to convene a committee to begin drafting a new constitution for Syria and promote a political transition in the war-ravaged country. "Any conditions or pre-conclusions on the work of the committee will not be accepted," Muallem says. The U.N.-led effort to bring Syria's warring factions together to draft a new constitution under which elections would be held has been stalled for years. ___ 10:40 a.m. Syria's foreign minister is telling world leaders that his country's "battle against terrorism is almost over." Walid al-Moallem also vowed Saturday at the U.N. General Assembly that the Syrian government will free the country from all "illegitimate" foreign troops. And he called on all refugees to return home, saying that is a priority for Damascus. Syrian government forces, backed by Russia and Iran, have retaken most of the territory rebels seized during the war that has killed over 400,000 people and driven millions from their homes. ___ 10:30 a.m. The deadly Indonesian tsunami is on the minds of some world leaders as they address the U.N. General Assembly less than a day later. Indian foreign minister Sushma Swaraj expressed condolences to Indonesia during her speech Saturday. She promised that "India will cooperate in helping during this tragic time." The tsunami swept away buildings and killed at least several hundred people on the central Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said 384 people were killed in the hard-hit city of Palu alone. The nearby city of Donggala and the town of Mamuju were also ravaged by the magnitude 7.5 earthquake and tsunami. But aid had not reached those communities, due to damaged roads and disrupted telecommunications. ___ 9:00 a.m. Two of the planet's most troubled hot spots are sending envoys to have their say before the world. North Korea and Syria are places of international concern that spill trouble beyond national borders, and are to appear before the U.N. General Assembly on Saturday, at a time when both countries could be on the cusp of significant developments. U.S. President Donald Trump and his secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, are trying to regain momentum more than three months after the Singapore summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un. They are pushing for a second meeting in their quest to get Pyongyang to renounce its nuclear ambitions. Syria could be on the verge of emerging from seven years of bloody conflict that included the use of chemical weapons. Syria's foreign minister will take the podium with his government firmly in control of most of the territory the opposition held for many of the seven years of the conflict. Foreign Minister for Somalia, Ahmed Awad Isse, addresses the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018, at the United Nations headquarters. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl addresses the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly,Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018 at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) In this photo provided by the United Nations, Ri Yong Ho, left, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is greeted by United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres during the United Nations General Assembly, Friday, Sept. 28, 2018 at U.N. Headquarters. (Kim Haughton/The United Nations via AP ) CORRECTS NAME OF SYRIAN DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER TO WALID AL-MOALLEM - Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Walid al-Moallem addresses the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018 at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) Pension Parishad rally and sit-in in New Delhi from 30th Sept - 1st Oct 2018. Some 12000 people gathered from all over India demanding pension between Rs 2000 to Rs 3000 per month Having toiled all their life, they want dignity in golden years http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/66020647.cms PM Narendra Modi failed to secure pensioners rights, say protesters http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2018/sep/30/pm-narendra-modi-failed-to-secure-pensioners-rights-say-protesters-1879262.html Delhi: Senior citizens protest to demand universal pension scheme https://scroll.in/latest/896435/delhi-senior-citizens-protest-to-demand-universal-pension-scheme aPension is a recognition that everyone contributes to the economya https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/pension-is-a-recognition-that-everyone-contributes-to-the-economy/article25085045.ece aHigher pension required for us to lead respectable livesa https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/higher-pension-required-for-us-to-lead-respectable-lives/article25085042.ece 58 million Indians living without pension: Survey http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2018/sep/29/58-million-indians-living-without-pension-survey-1878800.html Centreas share in pension stagnant at Rs 200 and Rs 500 since 11 years https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/centre-s-share-in-pension-stagnant-at-rs-200-and-rs-500-since-11-years/660676.html UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Lots of leaders saying lots of things about lots of topics - topics that matter to them, to their regions, to the world. That's what the speechmaking at the U.N. General Assembly invariably produces each year. And each year, certain enormous topics and certain louder voices dominate. Here, The Associated Press takes the opposite approach and spotlights some thoughts you might not have heard - the voices of leaders speaking at the United Nations who might not have captured the headlines and the air time on Saturday. ___ "If there were no United Nations, today, we would be calling for its creation." - Yldiz Pollack-Beighle, foreign minister of Suriname Suriname's Foreign Minister Yldiz Pollack-Beigle addresses the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly,Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018 at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) ___ "For more than 70 years, the U.N. has been the epicenter of our rules-based multilateral system, where its work, from advocating values of mutual respect to promoting development, has made an impact on people all over the globe. And in spite of this, it still faces its fair share of criticism. The United Nations may not be perfect, but it is the best hope that we have to achieve a future that we want together." - Erywan Yusof, foreign minister of Brunei ___ "I am proud to stand here, one year later, representing a people who have fought against adversity from that day, to attain some form of normalcy in their lives. ... Twelve months ago, the international community heard our cry and have stood with us. This has made us stronger and more motivated. ... Let us set the example for a better future for all mankind." - Francine Baron, foreign minister of Dominica, which made an impassioned appeal last year for global action on climate change and help for itself and other small island nations after being ravaged by Hurricane Maria ___ "At the heart of our sovereign nations, our cultures and our languages, lies an individual being, who, at the very core, seeks a life of purpose, happiness and the opportunity to live in peace and prosperity. The challenge of our time is to pursue and achieve a sustainable future for all in the face of burgeoning threats to our shared humanity." - Dennis Moses, foreign minister of Trinidad and Tobago ___ "I call on the UN to lift the arms embargo on Somalia. This embargo has been long-standing; it is what is leveling the field in our battle with the terrorist groups. When our force has the same fighting arsenal as the enemy, the odds are split. Stronger fighting capacity would enable us to have the upper hand, it would entirely dismantle the terrorists, and possibly within a shorter time." - Ahmed Isse Awad, foreign minister of Somalia Foreign Minister for Somalia, Ahmed Awad Isse, addresses the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018, at the United Nations headquarters. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - The Latest on immigration into Europe (all times local): 4:50 p.m. A group of migrants who were stuck at sea in bad weather for five days have arrived in Malta after being transferred to a Maltese naval vessel from a humanitarian rescue ship. The Maltese government said Sunday the 58 passengers would be relocated in coming days to four countries that agreed to accept a share: France, Germany, Spain and Portugal. Malta said it participated in the operation "for purely humanitarian reasons." The migrants were picked up more than a week ago by the sole private rescue ship still operating near the central Mediterranean Sea route from North Africa to southern Europe. A deal reached Sept. 25 called for Malta to bring them to port, but bad weather delayed the operation. ___ A family is assisted as it disembarks from a Maltese naval vessel in the port of La Valletta in Malta after being transferred from a humanitarian ship which rescued them at sea over a week ago, Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018. The Maltese government said Sunday that the migrants would be then transferred in the coming days to the four countries agreeing to accept them: France, Germany, Spain and Portugal. (AP Photo/Jonathan Borg) 3 p.m. Spain's maritime rescue service says it has saved 466 migrants attempting the dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa to European shores. The service says its rescue craft pulled the migrants from 10 different boats intercepted in waters east of the Strait of Gibraltar on Saturday and Sunday morning. Over 300 people have died in waters separating Spain from the African coast so far this year, according to the United Nations, and over 1,600 have died in all trying to cross the Mediterranean. A recent spike in migrant arrivals in Spain has put a strain on public services and pressure on the Spanish government, especially since Italy's new hard-line interior minister has blocked humanitarian aid boats from docking in Italian ports with migrants rescued at sea. ___ 2:30 p.m. Turkey's state-run news agency says a boat carrying migrants has capsized off Turkey's northern Aegean coast, killing at least five people. The capsizing occurred as a rare and powerful Mediterranean storm is causing torrential rains in parts of Greece and Turkey. The Anadolu Agency said the rubber boat capsized Sunday off the town of Enez in Edirne province. The town is not far from the northern Greek coastal town of Alexandroupolis. It said it was not immediately clear how many migrants were on the boat and rescue crews were scouring the area for possible survivors or more bodies. Although their numbers have decreased in recent years, migrants still try and cross into Greece from nearby Turkey in the hopes of making their way to other European countries. A family disembarks from a Maltese naval vessel in the port of La Valletta in Malta after being transferred from a humanitarian ship which rescued them at sea over a week ago, Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018. The Maltese government said Sunday that the migrants would be then transferred in the coming days to the four countries agreeing to accept them: France, Germany, Spain and Portugal. (AP Photo/Jonathan Borg) A dog sits in a cage after it was rescued at sea with migrants and transferred from a humanitarian ship to a Maltese naval vessel which docked earlier in the port of La Valletta, in Malta, Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018. The Maltese government said Sunday that the migrants would be then transferred in the coming days to the four countries agreeing to accept them: France, Germany, Spain and Portugal. (AP Photo/Jonathan Borg) MALE, Maldives (AP) - A Maldives court has released a former president who was serving a 19-month sentence for failing to cooperate with a police investigation. The high court in the Indian Ocean archipelago released Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on bail Sunday. It comes a week after opposition candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih unexpectedly won the country's third-ever multiparty presidential election. Gayoom ruled as a strongman for 30 years until introducing democracy in 2008. Outgoing President Abdul Yameen Gayoom, Gayoom's half-brother, rolled back many democratic gains. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was sentenced in June to 19 months imprisonment after failing to hand over his mobile phone to investigators. He had been arrested in February on charges of plotting to overthrow the government. Former President Mohamed Nasheed earlier had been given a 13-year sentence after a widely criticized trial but won asylum in Britain. A Labour Party official was stood down from giving support to a politician sacked over sexual misconduct allegations on the day he was found dead, an inquest hearing has been told. Ian McNicol, now Lord McNicol, was the then general secretary of Labour who told party official Andy Smith to visit Welsh Assembly member Carl Sargeant. But at a pre-inquest hearing, Leslie Thomas QC told Ruthin Coroners Court the move was aborted. Mr Sargeant, 49, was found hanged by his wife Bernadette four days after being removed from his role as cabinet secretary for communities and children in the Welsh Assembly last November. The father-of-two, from Connahs Quay, North Wales, was suspended from the Labour Party over allegations of unwanted attention, inappropriate touching or groping. His family, who are critical of the way the matter was handled, say he was not told the details of what he was accused of and was unable to properly defend himself. Mr Sargeants widow Bernadette, left, pictured at her husbands funeral, and other family have been critical of an investigation (Peter Byrne/PA) Mr Thomas asked Jon Gittins, Senior Coroner for North Wales (East and Central), to get statements from Lord McNicol and Mr Smith for the forthcoming full inquest into the death of Mr Sargeant. He said: Ian McNicol, on the day of Carl Sargeants death, he instructed an Andy Smith to go and see Carl to give him support. I understand these were Labour Party people. We invite you to take witness statements. Secondly, but more importantly, Andy Smith, he was to go and give support but was then stood down, and this is on the day of the death. What we would say is that at the very least you should investigate and take statements from these. An independent investigation by the Welsh government ordered by First Minister Carwyn Jones has stalled due to Mr Sargeants family seeking a judicial review over how it will operate. Mrs Sargeant claims the government inquiry has the makings of a cover-up. Mr Thomas asked for the inquest to be delayed for six months until the judicial review is heard and the government investigation has been completed. But Mr Gittins declined the application and said the inquest will go ahead on November 26. During the two-hour hearing, the court also heard records from Mr Sargeants personal phone on the day of his death and the note he left will be heard as evidence at the inquest. Mr Gittins said part of his job as coroner is to make recommendations on the prevention of future deaths so lessons are learned. He said the handling of the sacking of Mr Sargeant, a man who had suffered depression, was one aspect and the way it was done will be of interest to the hearing. Thirty live witnesses, including Mr Sargeants wife and other family, friends and Labour Party officials, and 12 statements from other witnesses will be heard. Mr Thomas also asked the coroner for Mr Sargeants HR file, which could contain details of disciplinary matters or vulnerability, to be produced as evidence. But Cathryn McGahey QC, representing the department of the First Minister, told the hearing Mr Sargeant was a cabinet minister, not an employee, so no such file existed. The hearing was adjourned until the full inquest scheduled to begin on November 26. It is listed to last up to five days. A woman who was taken to hospital with her husband after a nerve agent scare at a Salisbury restaurant has said she was not involved in a hoax and her fears were genuine. Anna Shapiro and her husband Alex King were taken to hospital after apparently becoming ill at the Prezzo Italian restaurant on Sunday. Emergency services declared a major incident and the restaurant and surrounding area were sealed off, in scenes reminiscent of the nerve agent poisoning of Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in March. Ms Shapiro, who was born in Russia, later told a newspaper she feared she and her husband had been the victims of poisoning. A major incident was declared by emergency services and the area was sealed off (Jonathan Brady/PA) The pair tested negative for Novichok and have since been discharged from hospital. A police source told the BBC one line of inquiry could be that the incident was a hoax. But a statement from Janes Solicitors, on behalf of Ms Shapiro, said: There has been some media speculation that our client may have participated in an elaborate hoax as regards her fear of her husbands poisoning at Prezzo Restaurant on Sunday 16th September and its possible cause. She has asked Janes Solicitors to emphasise that she was not involved in any hoax and that her fears were genuine, both as to the poisoning and her suspicion of foul play. However, as the incident is now being investigated by the Wiltshire Police force, it is not appropriate to comment further at this stage. Update on incident at Prezzo in Salisbury on Sunday evening: We can confirm that both people have been interviewed and our enquiries are ongoing. We would ask people not to speculate whilst these enquiries continue. When we have further updates we will keep the public informed. pic.twitter.com/eNzjAMqSpu Wiltshire Police (@wiltshirepolice) September 20, 2018 We ask that the media respect our clients privacy whilst she recovers from her ordeal. Wiltshire Police said both Ms Shapiro and Mr King have been interviewed and there have been no arrests made as the investigation continues. A spokesman for the restaurant, which reopened on Thursday, said its staff had been brave and resilient during the very difficult incident. He added: As you will understand, we will not speculate any further on the individuals involved: this is now a matter between them and the police. The captain of a ferry which sank on Lake Victoria has been arrested as the death toll from the disaster climbed above 130. Tanzanias president John Magufuli announced four days of national mourning and ordered the arrests of all those responsible as a criminal investigation began. Authorities said the ferry was badly overcrowded and capsized shortly before reaching shore. At least 40 people were rescued but scores of bodies have been recovered. In a televised address, the president said the ferry captain had been detained after leaving the steering to someone who was not properly trained. The MV Nyereres capacity was 101 people but the ferry had been overloaded when it capsized on Thursday afternoon, the governments Chief Secretary John Kijazi said. More than 200 people are feared dead based on accounts from fishermen and other witnesses because passengers had been returning from a busy market day, Tanzania Red Cross spokeswoman Godfrida Jola said. The upturned passenger ferry MV Nyerere floats in the water near Ukara Island in Lake Victoria (AP) It was obvious that more bodies were trapped in the overturned ferry, the president said. He said even the cargo far exceeded the 25 tons allowed. Tanzanian ferries often carry hundreds of passengers and are overcrowded, and shifts in weight as people move to disembark can become deadly. Images from the scene showed the ferrys exposed underside not far from shore. Bodies were lined up on plastic sheeting as hundreds of people pressed near the waters edge, watching the search efforts. Pope Francis, the United Nations secretary-general, Russian President Vladimir Putin and a number of African leaders expressed shock and sorrow. His Holiness Pope Francis expresses his heartfelt solidarity with those who mourn the loss of their loved ones and who fear for the lives of those still missing, the Vatican said. The MV Nyerere, named after the former president who led the East African nation to independence, was travelling between the islands of Ukara and Ukerewe when it sank. Worried residents on Friday waited for any word of survivors. We try to make calls to friends, relatives, a local guide, Paschal Phares, said. He recalled how crowded his trip on the ageing ferry had been last month: Most of us were standing up. It was full. Accidents are often reported on the large freshwater lake surrounded by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. Some of the deadliest have occurred in Tanzania, where passenger boats are often said to be old and in poor condition. In 1996, more than 800 people died when passenger and cargo ferry MV Bukoba sank on Lake Victoria. Nearly 200 people died in 2011 when the MV Spice Islander I sank off Tanzanias Indian Ocean coast near Zanzibar. US deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein has denied reports that he floated the idea of using the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump as unfit for office. The New York Times also claimed he suggested secretly recording the president to expose the chaos in the administration. The Times cited several unnamed people, who described the episodes that came in the spring of 2017 after FBI director James Comey was fired. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has been heavily criticised by Donald Trump (Evan Vucci/AP) Mr Rosenstein is a frequent target of Mr Trumps attacks and the story could add to the uncertainty about his future at the Justice Department. The New York Timess story is inaccurate and factually incorrect, Mr Rosenstein said. I will not further comment on a story based on anonymous sources who are obviously biased against the department and are advancing their own personal agenda. But let me be clear about this: Based on my personal dealings with the president, there is no basis to invoke the 25th Amendment. A person who was in the room when the comment was made, and provided a statement through the Justice Department, said Mr Rosensteins comment was sarcastic and that he never discussed any intention of recording a conversation with the president. The newspaper reported that Mr Rosenstein, frustrated with the hiring process for a new FBI director, offered to wear a wire and secretly record the president when he visited the White House. He also suggested that FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe and other officials who were interviewing to become the next FBI director could also perhaps record Mr Trump, the newspaper reported. Mr McCabes lawyer, Michael Bromwich, said that his client had drafted memos to memorialise significant discussions he had with high level officials and preserved them so he would have an accurate, contemporaneous record of those discussions. Mr Rosenstein appointed Robert Mueller as a Justice Department special counsel to investigate potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign during the 2016 presidential election. He chose Mr Mueller for the job one week after he laid the groundwork for the firing of Mr Comey by writing a memo that criticised Mr Comeys handling of the FBIs investigation into Hillary Clintons email server. The White House initially held up that memo as justification for Mr Comeys firing, though Mr Trump has said he was thinking about this Russia thing when he made the move. As deputy attorney general, Mr Rosenstein oversees Mr Muellers work and has made two public announcements of indictments brought by the special counsel one against Russians accused of hacking into Democratic email accounts, the other against Russians accused of running a social media troll farm to sway public opinion. Shocked!!! Absolutely Shocked!!! Ohhh, who are we kidding at this point? No one is shocked that these guys would do anything in their power to undermine @realdonaldtrump. Rosenstein Suggested He Secretly Record Trump and Discussed 25th Amendment https://t.co/ZTEwS8E1iJ Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) September 21, 2018 On Friday, Mr Trumps eldest son, Donald Trump Jr tweeted the Timess story and said: Shocked!!! Absolutely Shocked!!! Ohhh, who are we kidding at this point? No one is shocked that these guys would do anything in their power to undermine @realdonaldtrump. Three people have been taken to hospital following a suspected chemical incident in Edinburgh. Emergency services were called to the Scottish Gas building in Waterfront Avenue at around 5.15pm on Friday. Police Scotland said 13 people were treated at the scene for minor illness, with three taken to hospital for further observation. Police are working with the fire service to establish the cause of the incident (David Cheskin/PA) We received a report of a possible chemical incident within a Scottish Gas building in Waterfront Avenue around 5.15pm today. Please avoid the Waterfront area while our response is ongoing. Waterfront Broadway, Waterfront Avenue and Caroline Park Avenue are currently closed EdinburghPolice (@EdinburghPolice) September 21, 2018 A spokesman said: We are working alongside our partners in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to establish the cause of this incident. We would ask people to avoid the Waterfront area while the emergency response is ongoing. A man who pretended to be a victim of the Grenfell Tower disaster has pleaded guilty to fraud totalling nearly 90,000, police said. Abdelkarim Rekaya, 28, received hotel accommodation and financial support totalling 88,183 after falsely claiming to have lost his home in the blaze on June 14 last year. Man who pretended to be victim of #Grenfell fire pleads guilty to fraud https://t.co/vF4om3Ehms pic.twitter.com/xigFSIkDak Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) September 21, 2018 Rekaya, of Lots Road, Chelsea, pleaded guilty at Isleworth Crown Court on Friday to fraud by false representation and obtaining leave to remain by deception, Scotland Yard said. Abdelkarim Rekaya had claimed he had been a victim of the Grenfell fire (PA) Detective Superintendent Matt Bonner said the actions of those who exploit the tragedy for gain are truly appalling. He added: Abdelkarim Rekaya invented a story for his own self gain and exploited the generosity of the public and the local council. Rekaya was remanded in custody to be sentenced on November 27 at the same court. Monacos winless run was extended to six games in all competitions as they were held to a 1-1 draw by newly-promoted Nimes in Ligue 1. Nimes captain Anthony Briancon had given the visitors the lead after 19 minutes, but Radamel Falcao equalised eight minutes later with a deflected shot from outside the area. Antonin Bobichon fired over after just two minutes as Nimes made a bright start and they went in front when Bobichons free-kick was headed home from eight yards by Briancon. Monacos Radamel Falcao earned his side a point against Nimes (Martin Rickett/PA) Falcao fired a free-kick over shortly afterwards before getting Monaco back on level terms in the 27th minute, his long-range shot taking a slight deflection before nestling in the bottom corner. The 32-year-old then had a header saved by Paul Bernardoni and should have put the home side in front early in the second half, only to crash a volley against the bar from close range having been picked out by a free-kick from Youri Tielemans. At the other end Briancons header was well saved by Diego Benaglio, while Monaco substitute Moussa Sylla blazed over 10 minutes from time after being played in by Samuel Grandsir with a cross. County Down is one of the worst regions in the United Kingdom for the number of incidents of illegal bird of prey persecutions, according to a charity. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) found the area is sixth out of 88 regions for birds of prey persecution incidents in a five-year period. Between 2012-2017, there were 19 incidents in the county, including the illegal killing of nine red kites. Red Kites were reintroduced to Northern Ireland in 2008 and the population remains unstable. The new Birdcrime 2017 report by the RSPB has found birds of prey continue to be at risk in the UK with 68 confirmed incidents of detected illegal bird of prey persecution in 2017. Five of these known incidents last year were in Northern Ireland. A white-tailed eagle over the Isle of Mull. (Iain Erskine/RSPB) These included three buzzards, two peregrine falcons, a red kite and a sparrowhawk. Two of the incidents occurred in County Antrim, one in County Londonderry, one in County Down and one in County Tyrone. While the Birdcrime report focuses on the figures between January and December 2017, in 2018 there was an incident in Katesbridge, County Down, with a breeding pair of red kites with three eggs in their nest dying from an illegally held poison in April. Roisin Kearney, RSPB NI conservation officer, said the shocking figures only scratch the surface with other incidents believed to be going undetected. The persecution of birds of prey is a widespread problem in the UK and its a grim statistic that County Down is sixth in terms of persecution incidents from 2012 to 2017, she said. Its sad that in 2018, which marks the 10th anniversary of red kites being reintroduced to Northern Ireland, we are still seeing red kites and other birds of prey being targeted. For each persecution incident we hear about, scientific studies suggest there are many more that go undetected and unreported. As such, these figures only scratch the surface of the true extent of raptor persecution. The head of Northern Irelands publicans group has said that a lack of local government is costing the hospitality sector millions of pounds. Chief executive of Hospitality Ulster, Colin Neill, compared the collapse of Northern Irelands Assembly to being like a scene from Father Ted, adding that it was damaging the potential for future growth in the industry. He cited the lack of progress in modernising the Liquor Licensing Bill as one of the major contributors to the losses. There is growing anger among the hospitality sector that the Liquor Licensing Bill was killed following a break-down in the powersharing government. Hospitality Ulster, which holds its latest AGM in Belfast on Tuesday, said that tens of millions of pounds are being lost every year because the draft legislation has not been passed by government. The annual meeting also comes as it emerged that every four days a pub in Northern Ireland closes, while hotels and restaurants say they are struggling to recruit staff. The annual meeting comes as it emerged that every four days a pub in Northern Ireland closes (Anna Gowthorpe/PA) The leading industry body has called for serious focus on developing the hospitality offer. Mr Neill said: Modern licensing laws wont result in more alcohol being drunk, it will mean our pubs, restaurants and hotels can offer our customers what they want and hopefully attract people away from home drinking into a controlled environment. With minimum unit pricing of alcohol also remaining an untouched issue, harmful drinking continues to rise. He said that latest research shows that 6% of the population consumes 44% of alcohol, predominantly at home, which he said has put a huge strain on health services. He added: Attracting them into a pub would help to counter the negative impacts of home drinking. Both the current and future potential of the hospitality sector is being damaged with outdated legislation, crippling business rates, and a lack of access to labour, due to the lack of a functioning government in Northern Ireland. Its like Father Ted, where the intentions are good, but descends into never ending calamity. We have now found ourselves caught up in a farcical episode on repeat. Its the careful now, down with that sort of thing scene but for seven years. Thats nearly a decade since the Northern Ireland Assembly started the process of modernising our antiquated licensing laws nothing has happened. These losses can now be counted in millions of pounds to the hospitality industry and the Northern Ireland economy. Since our last AGM we never thought we would continue to be in this pathetic position. We need someone to take the reins and make decisions, whether that is our politicians or civil servants. He said that the political paralysis is stopping the industry from growing and developing and called for MLAs to get back to Stormont. RSPB Scotland has called for greater regulation of grouse moors as a report detailed illegal bird of prey killings. The UK-wide Birdcrime 2017 study shows five incidents of illegal raptor persecution in Scotland last year. These include shootings of a hen harrier and short-eared owl on a grouse moor in Leadhills, South Lanarkshire, in May 2017, two nests destructions and one other incident. However, Scottish Land & Estates, which represents landowners including sporting estates, said illegal bird of prey killings are at a record low and grouse moor licensing is not needed. The body of a short-eared owl found on a estate in 2017 (RSPB Scotland/PA) RSPB Scotland believes illegal raptor persecution is more prevalent than the reported figures due to the disappearance of satellite-tagged birds of prey, including two golden eagles last year. Bodies were not found in these incidents, so the statistics are not included in the report, but the charity said as the tags continue transmitting after death, the ceasing of transmission and lack of bodies is highly suspicious. Ian Thomson, RSPB Scotlands head of investigations, said: Recent population surveys have continued to show the impact that persecution is having on Scotlands birds of prey is considerable, even though only a small proportion of incidents are being detected. As an example of this only a few raptors are satellite-tagged each year but the fact that so many of them disappear almost exclusively in areas managed for grouse shooting, never to be found or heard from again, suggests not only have they come to harm, but that a significant number of those birds which arent tagged are also being illegally killed. Its clear that those perpetrating these crimes have become more adept at covering their tracks, making it harder to uncover these incidents, and that there needs to be more accountability and regulation of the driven grouse industry if the future of birds of prey in Scotland is to be secure. His colleague Duncan Orr-Ewing, head of species and land management, called for driven grouse moors to be licensed with sanctions for license removal if illegal activity is discovered. David Johnstone, chairman of Scottish Land & Estates, said raptor persecution is totally unacceptable. He added: Reports published recently demonstrate that the confirmed illegal persecution of raptors is declining and is at an all-time low and we expect this trend to continue. Further legislation, such as grouse moor licensing, as demanded by RSPB, is not needed. It would be a sledgehammer to crack a nut and would place yet another bureaucratic burden on a sector that delivers widespread social, economic and environmental benefits in rural Scotland. He said some satellite-tagged birds may have been persecuted in the past but the tags can malfunction. He called for openness and transparency regarding satellite monitoring of birds including having tags transmitting live on a public website, adding: We have nothing to hide, so let everyone see it. Scammers stole more than 500 million from UK bank customers in the first half of 2018, figures have shown. A total of 145 million of that was lost through authorised push payment (APP) scams, where people are duped into authorising a payment to another account, trade body UK Finance said. The remaining 358 million was lost due to unauthorised fraud, where the transaction is carried out by a third party and is not authorised by the account holder. In most cases, victims of unauthorised fraud receive a full refund, but those duped by APP scams currently have no legal protection to cover them for losses. UK Finance said 30.9 million of the 145 million lost through APP scams this year had been returned to customers. The most prevalent type of APP scams accounting for almost two-thirds of reported cases in the first six months of the year were purchase scams, where victims pay in advance for a product or service, such as a car or a holiday rental, which is not received or does not exist. Criminals stole 500 million through fraud and scams in the first half of 2018 (Dominic Lipinski/PA) This type of fraud often takes place online, through auction websites or social media. There were also 3,866 reported cases of impersonation scams, where the criminal claims to be from the police, bank or another organisation in order to trick the victim into transferring money. The nature of these scams means victims are often persuaded to transfer significant sums of money, with the average loss in police and bank impersonation fraud amounting to 11,402. Katy Worobec, managing director of economic crime at UK Finance, said the figures showed scams posed a major threat to the UK. The criminals behind it target their victims indiscriminately and the proceeds go on to fund terrorism, people smuggling and drug trafficking, whether or not the individual is refunded, she said. She added that the industry was taking action to tackle the problem, by investing in security systems and cyber defences, as well as bringing in new standards to ensure victims get support from their payment providers. The organisation said financial institutions had prevented two-thirds of unauthorised fraud in the first half of 2018. But Gareth Shaw, money expert at consumer group Which?, said banks efforts had been woefully insufficient. Its now two years since our super-complaint highlighted the lack of protection for victims of bank transfer scams, but these shocking figures show just how widespread the problem still is, he said. Banks have not done enough to protect their customers, who continue to lose life-changing sums of money to ever-more sophisticated crooks. The Payment Systems Regulator has rightly committed to introducing a reimbursement scheme for victims. Its about time that banks step up and properly compensate customers who have lost money through no fault of their own. The Duchess of Sussex will carry out her first solo royal engagement when she attends the opening of a major art exhibition. The event will be a milestone in Meghans life as a member of the monarchy, as she will be venturing out without the support of Harry or other royals. The 37-year-old former actress will join guests at the opening of an exhibition of works from the Oceania region, at the Royal Academy of Arts in central London. The exhibition will celebrate the art of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia, encompassing the vast Pacific region including New Guinea, Easter Island, Hawaii and New Zealand. #RAOceania opens this Saturday! Marking 250 years since Cooks first voyage to the Pacific, we're celebrating the dazzling and diverse art of Oceania, from the historic to the contemporary. Book tickets here: https://t.co/kfRiw8x51O pic.twitter.com/shaMZyNS4J Royal Academy (@royalacademy) September 24, 2018 The Duchess of Cambridge carried out her first solo engagement, standing in for the Prince of Wales at a private fundraising dinner, in October 2011, almost six months after her wedding day. Meghan, who married on May 19, will take part in her first royal event by herself four months after becoming a member of the monarchy. The Duchess of Sussex will undertake her first solo engagement since joining the royal family (Eddie Mulholland/Daily Telegraph/PA) The exhibition marks the 250th anniversary of the Royal Academy, which was founded in 1768, the year Captain James Cook set out on his first Endeavour expedition. Meghan and Harry are due to tour Australia, Tonga, Fiji and New Zealand in October and the duchess will be shown art from the four countries during her exhibition viewing. She will meet the exhibitions curators, artists and descendants linked to the works on display, and view a short performance by Ngati Ranana, a Maori cultural group. Oceania at the Royal Academy of Arts will open to the public from September 29 to December 10. Arlene Foster will give evidence on Tuesday to a public inquiry into Northern Irelands botched green energy scheme. Questions over the Democratic Unionists handling of the overspending Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) led to the collapse of political powersharing at Stormont early last year. The DUPs former coalition partners Sinn Fein have refused to retake their seats around the ministerial table and endless rounds of negotiations have not persuaded them. Mrs Foster was enterprise minister when the flawed RHI scheme was being designed. Jonathan Bell (Liam McBurney/PA) Controls to limit the schemes costs were not introduced and overly generous subsidies saw the taxpayer bill spike dramatically. Mrs Foster has contested claims by a successor minister, former party colleague Jonathan Bell, that she asked him to keep the scheme open. After Mr Bells allegations were made public Mrs Foster was asked by Sinn Fein to step aside from her role as Stormonts first minister. When she refused the late Sinn Fein deputy first minister Martin McGuinness resigned and triggered the collapse of the devolved institutions. Mrs Foster has denied claims there was a party narrative from the DUP to discredit Mr Bell over the RHI scheme. A Coldstream Guardsman who was the first to wear a turban during Trooping the Colour is reportedly among a number of soldiers under investigation for alleged drugs misuse. Charanpreet Singh Lall, 22, was one of three soldiers who allegedly failed a random drugs test at Windsors Victoria Barracks, The Sun reported. Those caught taking drugs face being discharged from the Army. In June, Gdsm Lall, from Leicester, said it was an honour to be the first member of the Coldstream Guards to take part in Trooping the Colour while wearing a turban. He told how he hoped it would be looked upon as a new change in history, adding: I hope that more people like me, not just Sikhs but from other religions and different backgrounds, that they will be encouraged to join the Army. Gdsm Lall wore a black turban featuring the ceremonial cap star to match the bearskin hats during the ceremony to mark the Queens official birthday. Coldstream Guards soldier Charanpreet Singh Lall (PA) He joined the British Army in January 2016, having moved to the UK from Punjab, India, as a baby. Brigadier Christopher Coles, head of Army personnel services group, said: I can confirm that a number of soldiers from the Coldstream Guards are under investigation for alleged drugs misuse. Drugs abuse is incompatible with military service and those caught taking drugs can expect to be discharged. Bank scammers, an Alzheimers breakthrough and Brexit all feature on the front pages on Tuesday. The Daily Mail leads on a report by UK Finance, which revealed that 145 million went missing from UK bank accounts through authorised push payment fraud during the first six months of 2018. The paper says the figures reveal the scale of the fraud epidemic, and reports that banks often refuse refunds. The i reports that scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery that would allow medics to treat the cause of Alzheimers rather than the symptoms. Politics continues to dominate the agenda, with the Daily Telegraph carrying a warning from business leaders that a Jeremy Corbyn government would put the economy in the deep freeze as Labour revealed plans to seize control of swathes of industry. The Confederation of British Industry led warnings over Labours plans for state ownership of utility firms, the Daily Express reports, saying it could destroy pensions and savings. What the papers say - September 25 Tuesdays EXPRESS: Bills to soar 2,000 a year under Labour #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/NNwegS1zFb Helen Miller (@MsHelicat) September 24, 2018 The Daily Mirror reports that John McDonnell vowed to axe greedy water bosses and plough profits back into the industry in order to cut rising bills. Meanwhile, The Times says Theresa May has faced down Cabinet critics of her Chequers plan and won support from ministers. Tomorrow's front page: Hold your nerve on Brexit, May tells cabinet #tomorrowspapertoday pic.twitter.com/De0YIM9UnB The Times (@thetimes) September 24, 2018 The Guardian reports that prosecutors in England and Wales have been urged to take a more risk-averse approach in rape cases to help stem criticism of low conviction rates. Tuesdays GUARDIAN: Alarm as rape prosecutors are urged to abandon weaker cases #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/SR8cVu0VTY Helen Miller (@MsHelicat) September 24, 2018 And The Sun claims a Coldstream Guardsman who was the first to wear a turban at Trooping the Colour is one of a number of soldiers to be under investigation for alleged drugs misuse. Tomorrow's front page: First Sikh guardsman faces being kicked out of the army after testing positive for cocaine https://t.co/vm8YxE00YC pic.twitter.com/1vCOUi4BWH The Sun (@TheSun) September 24, 2018 Elsewhere, the Financial Times reports that North American companies went on a 50-billion-dollar (38bn) deal-making spree as executives ignored a pending trade war. Just published: front page of the Financial Times, UK edition, Tuesday 25 September https://t.co/2mgrOstD2x pic.twitter.com/cviXiTvlzo Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) September 24, 2018 And the Metro leads on the start of a public inquiry into the contaminated blood scandal. A white Dallas police officer who fatally shot her black neighbour inside his own apartment has been fired. Police Chief U Renee Hall dismissed Officer Amber Guyger during a hearing on Monday, according to the Police Department. Guyger is charged with manslaughter in the September 6 shooting that left 26-year-old Botham Jean dead, and she was fired because of her arrest, according to the department. Court records show Guyger said she thought she had encountered a burglar inside her own home. She was arrested three days later and is currently out on bail. A statement from police said an internal investigation concluded that on September 9, Guyger, a four-year veteran of the force, engaged in adverse conduct when she was arrested for Manslaughter. Dallas police spokesman Sergeant Warren Mitchell later said that when an officer has been arrested for a crime, adverse conduct is often cited in the officers termination. Sgt Mitchell said that adverse conduct is conduct which adversely affects the (morale) or efficiency of the Department or which has a tendency to adversely affect, lower, destroy public respect and confidence in the Department or officer. One of the lawyers for Jeans family, Lee Merritt, said Mr Jean was being buried Monday in St Lucia. The familys lawyers, along with protesters, have been calling for Guyger to be fired since the shooting. Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger (Kaufman County Sheriffs Office Jail/AP) In a statement, the lawyers said they see the termination as an initial victory. However, we are committed to seeing through the next steps of the process of a proper murder indictment, conviction and appropriate sentencing, they said in the statement. Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson has said the case will be presented to a grand jury, which could decide a more serious charge than manslaughter. During a conference call with Mr Jeans parents and their lawyers on Sunday, Ms Hall reported she intended to fire Guyger and explained the delay in the action, according to the familys lawyers in their statement. Days before the firing, Ms Hall said in a statement that she had not taken action against Guyger because she did not want to interfere with the ongoing criminal investigation. There are conflicting narratives over what led up to the shooting. Guyger told investigators that she had just ended a shift when she returned in uniform to the South Side Flats apartment complex where she lived. She said when she put her key in the apartment door, which was unlocked and slightly ajar, it opened, according to the affidavit. Inside, the lights were off, and she saw a figure in the darkness that cast a large silhouette across the room, according to the officers account. Guyger said she concluded her apartment was being burgled and gave verbal commands to the person, who ignored them. The affidavit said she then drew her weapon and fired twice. She called 911. Asked where she was, she returned to the front door to see she was in the wrong unit, according to the affidavit. The 911 tapes have not been released. But according to an affidavit for a search warrant, Mr Jean confronted the officer at the door. After the shooting, Guygers blood was drawn to be tested for alcohol and drugs, according to Ms Hall. Authorities have not released results. EU nationals should be subject to the same rules as migrants from the rest of the world after free movement ceases to apply in the UK post-Brexit, the Cabinet has reportedly agreed. The agreement in principle came following the recommendations of the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), which published a Government-commissioned report last week. The study said that, if immigration is not part of the negotiations with the EU and the UK is deciding its future system in isolation, there should be no preference given to citizens from the European Economic Area (EEA), which includes the present 28 EU countries, as well as Iceland, Norway and Lichtenstein. At a Cabinet meeting on Monday, ministers reportedly backed a system which would be based on skills rather than nationality following a presentation by MAC chairman Professor Alan Manning. A Downing Street spokeswoman said: Cabinet was told by Professor Manning that the MAC was recommending that, in the post-Brexit immigration system, EEA and non-EEA nationals should be part of one universal system. A key conclusion was that high skilled migration is of greater economic benefit than lower skilled migration, and as such the MAC recommended that the new system should make it easier for higher skilled than lower skilled workers to come to the UK. The Cabinet have reportedly agreed on a post-Brexit immigration system that would mean EU nationals were subject to the same rules as migrants from other countries (Stefan Rousseau/PA) The Cabinet agreed that, once free movement is brought to an end, the Government will be able to introduce a new system which works in the best interests of the UK including by helping to boost productivity. The MAC review published last week recommended ministers scrap an annual cap of 20,700 on the number of visas available under the Tier 2 skilled work scheme, and open up the route to medium-skilled jobs. But in a finding it acknowledged would attract opposition from some sectors, the MAC concluded that there was no need for a specific migration route for low-skilled work, with the possible exception of a seasonal agricultural scheme. Throughout this process, I have treated the EU with nothing but respect. The UK expects the same. A good relationship at the end of this process depends on it. pic.twitter.com/REqUEbMPuG Theresa May (@theresa_may) September 21, 2018 It said this would not mean there is no supply of low-skilled migrant workers, stating that most of the existing stock would remain and there would likely be a continued flow through family migration or the existing youth mobility scheme. Yesterdays Cabinet meeting also saw Theresa May tell ministers to hold their nerve as Brexit negotiations hit a difficult stage in the wake of the rejection of her plans by EU leaders at Salzburg. The Prime Minister said she remained confident of securing a withdrawal agreement with the EU, but the Government would continue to plan for the possibility of no deal. ABCNews.com(WASHINGTON) -- Melania Trump departs Monday for Africa for her first major solo international trip as first lady. During the weeklong trip, the first lady will make stops in Ghana, Malawi, Kenya, and Egypt. Her itinerary is geared toward her Be Best initiative that encompasses a broad array of issues affecting childrens well-being, with the first lady set to visit schools and hospitals focusing on mothers and newborn care, to learn more about the role of USAID, the U.S. Agency for International Development, in supporting development initiatives, her office said. Speaking about her upcoming trip at last weeks United Nations General Assembly in New York City, Melania Trump noted that she has engaged with children both in the United States and across the world since launching the initiative, and she expressed a view that many concepts can be applied globally. There are many programs across the country that are doing great things for children, and I believe we can replicate many of these programs overseas. This is why I am pleased to be working closely with USAID as I prepare for my first major International trip to Africa, Trump said. The first ladys trip has been planned in coordination with USAID and will showcase success stories involving U.S. government-administered aid, with the first lady set to highlight work that has been done to support women and childrens healthcare in Ghana and educational and anti-poverty programming in Malawi and Kenya. By working with developing countries around the world to help them with their journey to self-reliance, USAIDs work embodies much of what 'Be Best' stands for, Melania Trump said. In Egypt, her visit will focus on tourism and conservation efforts, but she said, Through USAID, we have worked with the people of Egypt to promote an environment in which all groups of society including women and religious minorities can lead productive and healthy lives. But while the first lady is set to highlight the positive impact of USAID, President Trump has consistently sought to cut back on how much the United States spends on foreign aid and assistance. The United States is the worlds largest giver in the world, by far, of foreign aid. But few give anything to us. That is why we are taking a hard look at U.S. foreign assistance, the president said just last week in his speech before the United Nations, charging Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to reexamine what countries receive aid. Moving forward, we are only going to give foreign aid to those who respect us and, frankly, are our friends, the president said, giving voice to a realpolitik outlook to aid. In his proposal for this past year's budget, President Trump called for slashing funding to USAID by 33 percent and a 17 percent cut specifically to programs fighting HIV and AIDS, which the non-profit ONE campaign, an international organization that fights extreme poverty and preventable disease, warned could lead to 26 million new HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa over the next 15 years. Congress ultimately rejected the president's steep cuts. In addition to the deep cuts that have been proposed, Africa is already feeling the effects of President Trump's re-implementation of the administration's so-called Mexico City policy, which restricts global health funding to any group that performs or promotes abortion as a family planning option. This policy has already had a devastating effect in local communities that require medical assistance, according to a report earlier this year by the Center for Health and Gender Equity. The report's fieldwork, which focused on Zimbabwe and Mozambique, found that one group, the Mozambican Association for Family Development, would lose 60 percent of its budget next year which would result in half of its clinics closing to close and dramatic reductions in the groups work consulting and testing for HIV among women in the community. Melania Trumps trip to the continent comes before President Trump has visited Africa as president. There are currently no known plans for the president to venture to the continent. The White House did not respond to an ABC News inquiry on whether the president intends to personally visit the region in the future. President Trump voiced enthusiasm for the first ladys trip last week, declaring, We both love Africa, and calling it the most beautiful part of the world, in many ways. But the presidents complimentary comments about Africa come against the backdrop of a prior derogatory remark. In January, the president referred to some African countries as "s---hole countries" during a heated debate on immigration with lawmakers, according to multiple sources who were in the room or briefed on the incident. The president later denied that he made the comments. In framing the trip, the first ladys spokesperson, Stephanie Grisham, said Melania Trump feels its very important that people around the world know how much we care about the global society. "We are a global society, and I believe it is through open dialogue and the exchanging of ideas that we have a real opportunity to learn from one another," the first lady said in a statement when announcing her trip back in August. But that appears to be a point of contrast to President Trump, who has been explicit in his rejection of the very notion of globalism. We reject the ideology of globalism, and we embrace the doctrine of patriotism, he said at last weeks United Nations General Assembly. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. The Supreme Courts recent Aadhaar verdict stating that the 12-digit unique identification number is constitutionally valid was along expected lines. It was believed that with Aadhaar penetration having come a long way, the clock could not be turned back by invalidating it altogether. But the many conditions that the court imposed on the use of Aadhaar cards have pertinent messages hidden in them. The court has made it clear that the use of Aadhaar will not be mandatory, except for a few services. (Photo: Reuters) The court has made it clear that the use of Aadhaar will not be mandatory, except for a few services. People had been fed up of being asked to produce Aadhaar cards everywhere they went at banks, phone companies, or even to access private buildings. But now the court has specifically banned banks, private companies and schools from demanding Aadhaar cards. This to some extent takes care of the data security concerns, because the risk of data theft was higher from private institutions. But while Aadhhar getting constitutional validity was a huge victory for the government, legal validity and data security are separate issues. While delivering its verdict, the Supreme Court has not deliberated much on the safety aspect. This has led to a bigger challenge before the government. It may have won the legal battle and got legal sanctity for Aadhaar, but on it lies the huge obligation to secure the Aadhaar database. All the judges of the Constitution bench agreed that having an Aadhaar card does not infringe upon our right of privacy, but at the same time, they pointed out that there should be a law on data protection. After all, a key concern still remains what if the government itself misuses our data? It can do so easily, because there is not enough room for check and balance on this aspect in our country. It is in this context that Justice Chandrachuds minority judgment must be given due importance. If the issues raised by him are not addressed properly, it can have far-reaching consequences in the days to come. Already, several organisations and individuals have demonstrated that the Aadhaar database can be hacked. The government has nonetheless continued to insist that our information is safe. Recently, the TRAI chairman, RS Sharma, tried to prove that the Aadhaar system was safe by making his Aadhaar number public. Soon, hackers proved to him and to the world how wrong he was. TRAI chairman RS Sharma had tried to prove that the Aadhaar system was safe by making his Aadhaar number public. He was soon proved wrong. (Photo: PTI/file) A lot needs to be done to secure the Aadhaar database. The first task before the government should be how to make the system immune from cyber-attacks. It is also necessary that all the stakeholders of the Aadhaar data be assigned their specific responsibility. We will also have to find ways to bring transparency in the entire system. Then, the biometric data transmission (transfer) or management aspect of the security framework will have to be taken into account. The problem is that Indias national cyber security policy does not say anything about the security of the Aadhaar. In fact, we do not even have any robust cyber security law. Our Attorney General claims that all information is safe within the confines of four walls that are 13 feet high and five feet thick. But, in saying so, he forgets that no data can be kept secure within physical walls today. We can only keep it safe with the help of new and advanced technology. There have been several reported cases of Aadhaar data theft so far. Clearly, the security of the database is a bigger issue than its legal validity. The government must take concrete steps in this direction and ensure the safety of our information. Because, once it is attacked, it will imperil our countrys sovereignty and integrity. Also read: Aadhaar is constitutionally valid: All you need to know It is the prerogative of the Government to plan for a sustainable future and not think of immediate benefits. While formulating key policies, it has to think of innovative approaches, potential of existing plans, allotment of budget and various trade-offs When Narendra Modi was sworn-in as the countrys Prime Minister, he proudly proclaimed that he was the first Prime Minister of India who was born after independence. His statement was not merely symbolic. He was communicating with India that had more than 50 per cent of its population that accounted for less than 25 years of age. He communicated well with aspirational India one that was free from the burdens of the colonial past and ready to claim its rightful place in the world. There were two features unique to the mandate of the 2014 election. First, countering the menace of policy paralysis, one that had engulfed the nation. Second, designing Indias future trajectory. The scale of challenges that a country as large as India faces is just mind-boggling and the task to work on them is herculean. These vary from jobs, education, skills, health, malnutrition, poverty, income inequality, justice delivery failure, climate change, pollution, water scarcity, caring for our elderly population, internal security challenges, securing our borders, foreign policy issues, et al. In this jigsaw puzzle, certain issues form the nucleus around which other issues oscillate. This article is on three such issues, which if worked upon, shall drive our country on an upward trajectory. Employing our women: Today, India has a working age population (15-64 years) of approximately 0.86 billion. This includes, 45.9 crore males and 42.7 crore females. Total labour force in India is around 52 crore, which is 59 per cent of the working age population. Female participation in the labour force is just 24.5 per cent, roughly meaning that only one in four women in the country is working. Now compare this to a situation 20 years from now, in 2040. The working age population would be around 110 crore. Projections estimate that female population will be around 53 crore. If status quo remains, we will have only around 16 crore women who are employed. If the Indian economy aspires to grow at the rate of 10 per cent, will it be possible to do the same without employing its women? The Government of India has been consistently focused to improve women participation. It has introduced initiatives like Stand Up India and Mahila E-Haat. Mega schemes like MNREGA and MUDRA have also focused upon increasing women participation. Also, the Government has been very pro-active in promoting and executing the Vishakha Guildelines that aims to protect women from sexual harassment at workplace. To improve participation of women scientists, the Government has come up with Knowledge Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing (KIRAN) scheme. Bridging inequality: The Global Wealth report by Credit Suisse found that while total wealth in India is rising, gap between rich and poor is also on the rise. Another report by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) of the Oxford University, found that in terms of countries, 31 per cent of the 689 million poor children live in India. India ranked 37th among 103 countries in terms of number of multidimensionally poor children as a proportion of the total population. The Hunger and Malnutrition Report 2011 covered 112 districts of India over nine States. The report stated that 42 per cent of Indias children were still underweight. Is this the model of development that our country seeks to follow? Inspired by Deen Dayal Upadhyays call of Antyodaya, the Government came out with the Jan Dhan Yojna, Aadhar and Mobile (JAM) trinity. JAM has streamlined the flow of subsidies, plugged loopholes and benefited the last beneficiary. Schemes like Give It Up have encouraged the privileged to give up subsidy benefits. Besides, the Government had enacted the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015. This was initiated to get hold of the black money stashed overseas. During the one-time compliance window in 2015, 644 declarations were made which yielded revenue of Rs 2,428.40 crore. Income Declaration Scheme 2016 yielded a revenue of Rs 29,362 crore. Demonetisation and Operation Clean Money led to 25 per cent increase in Income Tax returns and 41 per cent increase in collections. There is an old saying: Dont give a man a basket of fish, teach him how to fish. The Government has taken massive initiatives under Skill India, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana and Make In India programme to make people employable and create jobs. These have started to fetch results. Today, there are around three lakh village-level entrepreneurs running common service centres in the country. The Government has helped some 15,000 start-ups. Based on Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) payroll data, more than 41 lakh formal jobs were created between September 2017 to April 2018. Goods and Services Tax (GST) has helped formalise the economy. In the last one year itself, 48 lakh new enterprises were registered in comparison to 66 lakh registered enterprises from independence till July 2017. Under the MUDRA scheme, more than six lakh crore loans were disbursed and over one crore houses are under construction. These have created employment opportunities and helped people move out of poverty. Moreover, there has been a consistent decline in poverty in India and we no longer have the largest number of poor in India. Women and Child Development Ministry is undertaking a total revamp of the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) programme to fight malnutrition. Balanced growth of India: Indias Total Fertility Rate (TFR) stands at 2.3 today. But this data does not represent a uniform picture. While TFR in most States has reached replacement levels of 2.1 or in some cases, like Goa, it has fallen further, we have three States of Bihar, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh scripting a different story. These States make up around 30 per cent of Indias population and still have not been able to bring the TFR down. A study on economic disparity among Indias 12 largest States (Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal), that account for 85 per cent of total population, was conducted. It studied per capita net domestic product of these States from 1960 to 2014 and concluded that economic disparity within Indias States is the largest. This disparity has also given rise to migration within and outside India. In terms of prosperity and opportunity, India has over the years developed an economic fault line that divides the eastern and the western States. While southern and western States have stabilised in terms of population growth and have a steady increase in per capita income, in northern and eastern States, population is rising and economic opportunities reamain limited. According to the Economic Survey 2017, labour migration in India is significantly higher than previous estimates. The first-ever estimates of internal work-related migration using railways data for the period 2011-2016 indicate an annual average flow of close to nine million migrant people between the states. In China, during the Chunyun period, over 2.9 billion passenger trips are estimated. In comparison, migration within India might seem small this also presents the scale of challenge. Is India ready to accommodate such huge level of migrations within the country? To instil a coherent approach among States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi coined the phrase of Team India. Amongst the first steps that the Government took was increasing the devolution of funds to States under the 14th Finance Commission from 32 per cent to 42 per cent. Now with the implementation of GST, devolution of funds will change further. The NITI Aayog was set to help States plan better. By introducing ideas of cooperative and competitive federalism, each State is being pushed to plan according to their requirements and optimally use their resources. Schemes like Smart City and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Rurban Mission are helping in economic and infrastructure transformation of States. Several States that have been traditionally backward due to varying reasons are given special assistance packages from the Union Government. Government has also launched Ek Bharat-Shrestha Bharat programme to improve interaction among diverse cultures of India. Governments, while formulating policies, have to think of innovative approaches, potential of existing plans, allotment of budget and various trade-offs. It is the prerogative of the incumbent Government to plan for a sustainable future and not think of immediate benefits. The Government seems to be on track. (The writer is a Fellow with India Foundation) Karnataka has become the first State in the country which will grant legal protection to the good samaritans who help accident victims with emergency medical care within the golden hour. President Ram Nath Kovind has given assent to the related Bill passed by the State legislature. In medical parlance, golden hour means the first hour after the accident. Incidents of road accidents are on rise in India. As many as 1,50,785 people were killed in road accidents in 2016. The President has given his assent to the Karnataka Good Samaritan and Medical Professional (Protection and Regulation during Emergency Situations) Bill, 2016, a Home Ministry official said. Karnataka has followed the guidelines issued by the Union Ministry for Road, Transport and Highways, following the Supreme Courts direction in 2015 to protect good samaritans. After the apex courts directions, the Centre came out with guidelines in this regard for the States to make a uniform law in this matter. It has been found that bystanders often refrain from helping accident victims due to the fear of legal and procedural hassles, now with the passing of this law things will change as it provides protection to good samaritans and ensure quick medical aid for road accident victims and encourage people to offer first aid to victims without fear of legal wrangles. Under the new law, the Karnataka Government will provide financial help to good samaritans who help road accident victims. They will be exempted from repeated attendance in courts and police stations, in case attendance is mandatory, expenses of such running around to courts and police stations will be taken care through the proposed Good Samaritan Fund. After admitting the accident victim to the hospital, the good samaritan can leave immediately. All Government as well as private hospitals are bound to give first aid to the accident victims, according to the new legislation. Another official said there have been many instances when people get busy in clicking photos or making videos of the victims, instead of providing the accident victims medical help. With the new law, there will be clear message that good samaritans will not be harassed in any manner, the official said. There were 4,80,652 road accidents in the country in 2016 in which 1,50,785 people were killed. In 2015, there were 5,01,423 road accidents in the country in which 1,46,133 people were killed. Karnataka is one of the top five States which saw a large number of people getting killed in road accidents in 2016 and 2015. The Karnataka Good Samaritan and Medical Professional (Protection and Regulation during Emergency Situations) Bill, 2016, is the first such piece of legislation enacted in the country. The Department of Parliamentary Affairs sent the Bill to Kovind for his approval on February 18, 2017, as clauses 3, 4, 5, 9 and 13 of the Bill are repugnant to Chapter 12, 23, and 24 of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, 1973, which is a Central legislation. Teelajamalpura police have booked two miscreants for attacking a 23-year-old youth with sharp-edged weapons after the victim refused to give money for liquor near Kabitpura in the evening on Saturday. Police said that the victim identified as Satish Tomar was attacked by Shibbu and his friend while on his way to home after work. The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was discharged after providing treatment. In his complaint victim stated that he was on his way to home when he was stopped by Shibbu and his friend and asked money for liquor which he refused after which the accused started to abuse the victim and when victim opposed abusing Shibbu took a sharp edged weapon and attacked the victim. The victim in a bid to rescue himself sustained injury in his hands. The two escaped the spot and are still missing. Police have started search for the absconding accused. After the preliminary investigation the police registered a case under sections 324, 294, 327, 506 and 34 of the IPC and started further investigation. Police said that accused in involved in criminal activities for long and was acquainted with the victim. The accused is a resident of Shahjehanabad police and his crime record would be collected from Shahjehanabad police. Family members of the accused would be questioned in the investigation. Interestingly victim was booked for stealing wallet earlier and it was found that he was involved in minor offences in the past. He works with private contractor. Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee Chief Bhupesh Baghel has cut short his trip to Bastar division after he fell ill and his condition deteriorating with high fever and dehydration in Kondagaon on Sunday. He is being brought back to capital city, Raipur after cancellation of all the local programmes as per earlier schedule in Bastar region. President, Medical Wing of CGPCC, Dr Rakesh Gupta informed that Baghel has reached northern Bastar Kanker on Saturday evening as per scheduled programme at local level. On arrival, he started complaining of not feeling well. He, however, continued with his meetings and tour. He reached Kondagaon. After reaching Kondagaon his health further started to deteriorate. He was suffering from high fever and dehydration, Gupta said. The Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) attended him there. Baghel responded to the treatment provided and he is at present feeling better, Gupta said. However, cancelling all scheduled programme he is returning back to state capital and we have advised him to take complete rest, he informed. He would be taken to Ramkrishna Hospital in capital for check up in late evening. He would be admitted there for a day and kept under observation, informed Gupta. Extensive tour of the state, leading to a series of agitation and detention of him in jail for a couple days is the reason of exertion. We have advised him to take rest for a couple of days, Gupta said. The unprovoked killing of a multinational company executive by a policeman in the state capital has united the politician fraternity with Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker Rajani Tiwari writing a letter to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, requesting him to take action against the District Magistrate and Senior Superintendent of Police of Lucknow for not being sensitive to the plight of the victims family. The behaviour of the officials of local administration is highly deplorable. The local police told media that the accused have been arrested but later the main accused constable reached the police station and demanded that an FIR be registered against the executive who tried to kill him. This shows the insensitive face of the administration, Tiwari said in the one-page letter she faxed to the Chief Ministers office. The opposition parties have also demanded action against the district officials, saying the police are trying to water down the case by filing a weak FIR against the accused. Vivek Tiwari, an executive of Apple, was shot dead when he was going to drop his female friend at her home early Saturday morning. The killing has caused outrage. The police claimed that the two accused cops had been terminated from service and had been arrested. Talking to this reporter, the ruling party lawmaker said that she was moved by the plight of the victims family members. I saw the statement of the daughter of the deceased in which she said that the District Magistrate was asking her to say a particular thing. This is not the way to handle a sensitive case, said Tiwari, who is lawmaker from Shahabad constituency in Hardoi. I feel that the behaviour of the district administration was partisan towards the accused. I feel the conduct of district officials was aimed at maligning the image of the government. I, being one of the 403 elected members of the Vidhan Sabha, feel myself as part of the government and such behaviour of the officials has hurt me the most, Tiwari said. The MLA said that she would talk to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday. The long awaited Chief Ministers Scheme for Pilgrimage to Velankanni, Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu, began on Saturday at 11 am from Habibganj Railway Station. Fr Maria Stephen, the PRO of Archdiocese of Bhopal and his team together with Mary PP the official from the Government to accompany the pilgrims and Vishwarkarma, Fr Arul Samy, Fr Shaji, and Coordinator Sudhir Sharma reached Railway Station to see off the pilgrims to Vellankanni. Vellankanni is a world recognised pilgrimage centre for the devotees of all religions. The story goes back saying the sailors were saved from the storm and cyclone in sea through the intercession of Blessed Virgin Mary. Later the sailors built a small Church at Vellankanni village in honour of Mother Mary. So many miracles including healing the sick have been witnessed by a number of people. Fr Maria Stephen on behalf of entire pilgrims thanked Shivraj Singh Chauhan, the CM of MP and Archbishop Leo Cornelio for their generosity and kindness to arrange this wonderful pilgrimage to quench the thirst for God and said, The Happiness of human beings from external things remains temporary while the joy comes from inner being, related to God remains permanent. This is the secret of spiritual happiness. He also thanked the entire team of Railways for arranging a comfortable journey to Velankanni. Most Rev. Leo Cornelio, the Archbishop of Bhopal in his message also congratulated the pilgrims and blessed them to have a satisfied pilgrimage. Total 700 pilgrims from Bhopal, Indore, Sagar, Jabalpur and Betul districts have undertaken pilgrimage to Vellankanni. As per the scheduled the pilgrims will reach Vellankanni on October 1 at 4.30 pm and will start the journey to Bhopal the next day at 8.30 pm. A day long seventh national conference on implications of management theories on literature, social science and cultural issues was held at Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya. The conference was organised by Faculty of management studies and had scholars from all over India participating and discussing the implications of Western and Eastern management theories applied in multiple disciplines. Presiding over the conference as the chief guest the superintendent of police (Traffic) Manjunath TC said that the topic was very much relevant in todays times and the conference had given a platform to academicians with inter-disciplinary interests capturing contemporary developments in business and management. The guest of honour, Professor Ipshita Bansal, the registrar at Sonepat BPS womens college said, We have been using western theories of management but the need of the hour is to develop Indian theories which are rooted in Indian psyche. Citing example of western theory of motivation which always hints for what is my benefit, she said that Indian psyche believes as stated by Lord Krishna in Bhagavad Geeta that one should focus on discharging duty without expecting and bothering for result. She said with this theory whole world view changes. The student faces identity crisis in such an atmosphere. There is dichotomy in what he reads and what he is asked to implement. Similar views were expressed by Vivek Natarajan, assistant professor from Lamar University Texas who said the conference theme was very much topical. We need more such endeavours in which western theories are not followed blindly but rather new innovative theories are developed in the Indian context. Former Acharya Ved Prakash Shastri of Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya drew inferences from Vedas to bring home the point. Suryakant Tyagi explained business models which needed to be reshaped. Vageesh Paliwal from Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya discussed leadership theories how they needed a change. Professor Sunita Rani who teaches IAS officers in Mussoorie said that theories of management could not be isolated. Practise and theories must go hand in hand. Professor V K Singh, the dean and head of faculty of management studies of Gurukul Kangri said the basic purpose behind holding the conference was to provide local participants to share their ideas and experiences with peers and gain insight into scope of changes in management theories long practiced till date. The Gurukul Kangri dean, faculty of education, Pankaj Madan winded up the conference saying new finance policies like GST, demonetisation have pressed the need for modification on management theories in Indian context. India being the fourth largest economy has evolved and day to day changes are coming in business models. India cannot run on old management theories, new need to be formed. The registrar Dinesh Bhatt and vice chancellor Surender Kumar of the host university also expressed their views on the occasion. It is a welcome step which the Defence Services Officers Institute (DSOI) , Dehradun, has taken to create more interest in reading among its members who are all retired personnel of army, air force and navy. The library at this picturesque institute in Dehradun cantonment, has now been done up beautifully and also upgraded. It has a lovely ambience, just what is required for some peaceful and enjoyable reading. On Saturday evening, the new look of the library was witnessed by several people who had come in to attend a literary (Book Reading) session that featured three authors of the Doon valley namely Madhu Gurung, Jaskiran Chopra and Colonel (Retd) SP Singh. The three authors spoke about their writing and also read out passages from their books. The evening was conducted by Poonam Bakshi who first introduced the audience to the authors in great detail, talking about their writing journey. Colonel Sunny Bakshi, secretary of the DSOI, said that it was now being planned to make several efforts to encourage the reading habit among members and their families. He said it would be truly wonderful if the rich resources of knowledge provided by the library could be utilised by people belonging to the defence forces. He said that more such sessions were on the cards . Madhu Gurung spoke about her novel The Keeper of Memories and also read out excerpts from it.The book is based on the history of the Gorkhas in India and uses the battle of Khalanga(Nalapani). The Keeper of Memories is essentially a story of survival, of retracing the path to ones roots. The novel carries a dark undercurrent that eventually envelops the Gurung family home, nestled in the idyllic green hills of Uttarakhand.In the winter of her life, Dharamshila, the keeper of memories of her family of brave Gorkha warriors, tells her grandchildren the story of their ancestors who came from Nepal as conquerors and fought the British in the Khalanga War in Dehradun. She said that she had begun writing a bit late in life but now was a passionate and disciplined writer who wrote almost every day. She shared how she had researched deeply for this book which was published in 2016. Jaskiran Chopra spoke at length about her work Memories of Another Day in which she has gathered all her memories of the Doon valley and Mussoorie in order to preserve the vanishing glory and beauty of both cities. She said the book was her tribute to the valley where she had grown up and was very close to her heart . This book of mine is a mirror of my soul and also the essence of all my writing, she said while answering some questions posed by Poonam Bakshi . She shared with the audience a chapter of the book that narrated all the aspects of the valley that had always given it a unique place its canals, its forests, its orchards, its rice, litchis and tongas and its salubrious climate. She referred to the famous four oclock rain that Dehradun always experiences after two warm days. The clouds would gather at around four pm on the second warm day and it would pour ! She also spoke about warmth and leisurely pace of life that was once so characteristic of this place. Some members in the audience said they could relate to all the things she read out. She mentioned that she had started her schooling at the Cambrian Hall which is next door to the DSOI. Colonel (Retd) SP Singh told the audience that his book Parrot Under the Pine Tree had been inspired by a vacation he had taken in Kausani in Uttarakhand . Kausani is just an amazingly beautiful place and if someone is spiritually inclined , he or she can spend a lot of time there happily,, he said .He spoke of the various experiences during his army life that triggered his writing and made him first write many shorts stories before he penned this novel. A vast array of human emotions is portrayed by him in this book. The three authors were felicitated at the end of the session. The literary evening at this armed forces institute was indeed enriching and has laid the way to many more such interactions between writers and book lovers . There are many people fond of reading and writing among defence services families and the DSOI can be the ideal platform for them to revive literary activity and bring about a vibrancy to the campus by visiting the rejuvenated library more often and participating in sessions that can include genres like the short story, the novel, poetry and essay. Language need not be any barrier too. Along with English , Hindi and Urdu can be included in these sessions too. The vice president (policy), Colonel Tushar Kathuria was also present on the occasion. One welcomes the DSOI for having joined in with the many literary events that are now being held frequently in the Doon valley. Five persons died while two others fell ill after they allegedly consumed spurious liqour in Hatma area, located at the heart of Ranchi, on late Saturday evening. The administration has however maintained that the cause of the deaths could be ascertained only after autopsy report. The deceased persons have been identified as Asok Mirdha (60), Pinto Thakur (30), Paras Thakur, Vijay Mirdha (40) and Billu Mirdha (50). Police seized bodies of the deceased persons even as their relatives were readying to perform their last rites on Sunday morning. A medical board has been formed to carry out the autopsy of the dead bodies. Locals said most of the deceased persons vomited and complained of illness and dysentery before dying. Sister-in-law of one of the deceased Vijay Mirdha said that Vijay had a cup of tea before he complained of uneasiness. She added that soon after he passed away. Local people admitted that sale of illicit liqour was rampant in the area and that large number of the people consumed alcohol. After the incident the district administration setup a health camp at a local primary school to treat persons complaining of vomiting, stomach ache and other illnesses. Meanwhile a host of district administration and police officials including Additional Director General of Police RK Mallick and Ranchi DIG Amol V Homkar visited the spot. Mallick stated that his findings reveals that one person died of heart attack. Two did not exhibit symptoms of illicit liqour consumption while two other showed the clear signs. One lady has been admitted in hospital in critical condition where doctors are trying to stabilise her condition, he said. Ranchi SSP Anis Gupta added, It is not clear whether all the deaths took place due to spurious liqour. We would conduct inquiry whether the cause of the death was poisoning, food poisoning or spurious liqour. Urban Development Minister CP Singh, Kanke MLA Jitu Charan Ram and former union minister Subodh Kant Sahay also visited the locality later on. Sahay blaming the Government for tragedy asked, What we should expect from the people when the Government itself is selling liqour? He asked the people to provide the necessary details regarding the incident to the police. Meanwhile the district administration has formed a medical board to carry out the autopsy of the deceased persons. The district police and the Excise Department also undertook extensive search operations in the entire Hatma basti to trace illicit liqour. Police detained four suspected people from different places by the afternoon but had to let go three of them later on. The team comprising of DSP and police officers carried out the raids. The City SP Aman Kumar was present on the spot with a large contingent of police throughout the day. "Incapacitating Criminal Corporations" | Main | Former Illinois Gov Rod Blagojevich makes "plea for prison reform" September 30, 2018 Noting some worrisome trends in latest official FBI crime data The folks at Crime & Consequences have two recent posts spotlighting some notable state-specific trends in the latest FBI crime data. As noted in this post from last week, the FBI reported that violent crimes in the US appeared to "decrease 0.2 percent in 2017 when compared with 2016 data" and that property crimes also "dropped 3.0 percent" in 2017. But, for fans of sentencing reforms and/or marijuana reform, these two posts at C&C suggest a different tale: Crime in the United States and California, 2008-2017 by Kent Scheidegger Excerpt: California and United States [had] violent crimes rates falling in tandem prior to Realignment. That bill took effect in October 2011, so 2011 is mostly a pre-Realignment year. We would expect effects to show up in later years. There is a bump in 2012, while the national number is flat, followed by a drop the year after that. Beginning in 2015, California's violent crime rates have been above the national rate to a larger extent than previously. Overall, the California rate averaged 9% above the national rate before Realignment and 12% above since Proposition 47.... So what degree of proof would we say the simple comparison above establishes that California's soft-on-crime legislation has increased crime? In terms familiar to lawyers, is it "proof beyond a reasonable doubt"? Certainly not. "Preponderance of the evidence." No, I wouldn't claim that. "Probable cause"? Arguably. "Reasonable suspicion"? Certainly. UCR Data Raises Concerns by Michael Rushford Excerpt: Looking at significant recent changes in state criminal justice policy, states which have legalized recreational marijuana and states which have engaged in major sentencing reform to reduce sentences were more likely to have suffered increases in violent crime that those who have not. Of the nine states and the District of Columbia which have legalized recreational marijuana six had increases in violent crime. The increase in Vermont, which legalized recreational marijuana in July, was the highest at 21.4%, with Colorado coming in second at 7%. Of the legalized marijuana states and DC, six had significant increases in homicide, with Vermont not reporting. Massachusetts' increase was 27.5%, with Alaska's was 19.5%, followed by Nevada (17.8%), Washington (16%), Colorado (15.3%), and Maine ((14.5%). All nine legalized marijuana states had increases in rape, with Vermont (28.2%), Maine, (14%), and Nevada (10.5%) in double digits. Of the eight states which have enacted the most significant reforms to reduce sentences, seven had increased violent crime, and five had increases in homicide. Three of these states had double digit increases in homicide lead by Arkansas (18.3%), and followed by Washington (16%) and Hawaii (11.5%). One of these posts stresses the important point that "correlation does not prove causation." But it is at least worth nothing that some are eager to note certain correlations. September 30, 2018 at 03:10 PM | Permalink Comments Post a comment The ambitious Cycle Sharing project being initiated here in the State Capital under the flagship venture of Ranchi Smart City Corporation Limited has hit a regulatory road block. Information coming in suggests that the cycles which were to be imported have stuck into some kind of custom clearance procedures. The Green-Bike project is already running behind the schedule and was expected to kick start by mid-May. Reminder letter has been sent to the concerned company. The parts of the bicycles are being imported from Germany and Taiwan, hence, the project is getting delayed. As per the inputs received from the company, the consignment coming from Taiwan has received the custom clearance and will be delivered soon but the shipment from Germany is yet to reach India. The company has given the assurance to complete the assembling work of bicycles by October end, said Ranchi Smart City Corporation limited PRO Amit Kumar. The project being initiated with a purpose of promoting eco-friendly transportation mode apart giving respite to city residents from regular traffic jam is hanging in the balance for quite some time. No officials engaged in the project could clarify the exact status as on when the consignment of bicycle parts will reach Ranchi as per the agreement made with the concerned firm. Playing the same old broken record, the officials just stated that attempts are being made to bring the parts of customised bicycle soon. Notably, State Urban Development Agency (SUDA) had signed an agreement with Ahmedabad-based Transport Company Chartered Speed for starting this much awaited venture. Chartered Speed who recently partnered with Germany-based bicycle rental startup Next-bike will launch this project here in the State Capital covering major routes. In August 2017, the State Cabinet had approved the proposal of starting the bicycle sharing project on Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) Mode. The construction work of bicycle docks was initiated in May 2018. Out of 122 identified spots for construction of bi-cycle docks, civil construction work of nearly 60 docks has been completed. Over 23 bicycles docks are under construction at various places of Ranchi. According to the PRO, the Cycle Sharing Project is expected to start with 600 cycles in the first phase covering nearly 60 bicycle docks. However, when asked when the service will be formally inaugurated, he merely stated that attempts will be made to start the service before State Foundation Day. Only after the formal review about its status, inauguration dates will be announced, Kumar said. The bicycle docks are constructed covering localities like Kanke Road, Morhabadi, Radium Road, Kutchery Chowk, MG Marg including Big Bazaar. The project involves a whopping Rs. 21.8 crore. Rental charges, security, membership cost including its annual maintenance cost for availing this service are also yet to be disclosed by the officials. The 104th Kisan Mela will be held at the GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUAT) from October 5 to 8. The universitys vice chancellor and Kumaon commissioner Rajiv Rautela held a meeting with the Kisan Mela advisory committee members to review preparations for the event. Rautela said that works done by the agriculture and related departments connected to agriculture and farmers should also be displayed in the exhibition. Successful farmers should also be accorded a platform to share their experiences with other farmers. The vice chancellor said that the Kisan Mela will be considered successful if the farmers get to learn something new in it. He further directed that senior scientists should also be present at the various stalls to be set up by the university so that they can satisfy the curiosity of farmers and other visitors. Speeches and discussions with the farmers should be held in Hindi to easily communicate ideas and knowledge, he suggested. He also issued necessary directions for sign boards, map of the venue, identification cards for scientists and personnel, adequate health facility, security and proper publicity of the Kisan Mela to ensure its success. In the meeting, the heads of various committees formed for the Kisan Mela also informed Rautela about their respective preparations. The meeting was conducted by extension education director YPS Dabas. After the success of two big ticket eventsUP investors summit and MSME dedicated One district one product conclave, the Yogi Adityanath government is preparing to host three day global farmers summit Krishi Kumbh 2018 from October 26. An estimated 100,000 farmers, agricultural experts, scientists, entrepreneurs, public and private sector representatives are expected at the three-day international event, aimed at promoting modern farming techniques to achieve the ultimate goal of doubling the farm income. UP Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi said the Krishi Kumbh would incorporate all aspects of rural economy viz. agriculture and allied activities like horticulture, dairy, pisciculture, beekeeping, food processing, animal husbandry, farm implements etc to provide a holistic picture to farmers and the allied sectors. To make a pitch for the proposed event, the government had organised a promotional pre-event meet in the national capital recently to market the summit as an exclusive brand. Interestingly, the state government is also preparing for the mega congregation of faith Kumbh Mela 2019 to be held at Prayag, Allahabad, where 1.5 crore pilgrims are expected. Shahi said the Krishi Kumbh would introduce the farmers to the evolving dynamics of farming, so that they can increase their income by leveraging the vast untapped potential of agriculture and post-harvest management. After coming to power, the Yogi Adityanath government had taken a 360-degree approach to virtually turnaround economy for sustained socio-economic growth and job creation. The various investors summit and now the agri summit are strategic steps in the same direction. To support farmers, the state government had last year announced the flagship crop loan waiver scheme worth Rs 36,000 crore to benefit 86 Lakh small and marginal farmers. This year, the government has taken steps to boost the cultivation of coarse food grains to economise on the use of water, especially during deficient rainfall. The state also distributed 20,000 solar pumps and 15,000 sprinklers for drip irrigation and tapping solar energy for power. Meanwhile, the state has identified 25 Lakh farmers for giving Prdhan mantra Fasal Bima Yojna cover during the current kharif crop season in UP. Shahi claimed that the food grain production increased by 2 MT this year and that UP had a surplus food grain inventory of 10 MT. Besides, the agricultural and horticultural production has been robust, including potato, which clocked a record output of 15.5 million tonnes (MT) this year. UP is among the top agricultural and allied sector producers in India, accounting for almost 36 and 12 per cent of wheat and paddy respectively, besides potato (35%), sugarcane (40%) and the top dairy producer. This year, the government clocked wheat and paddy procurement of 37 Lakh MT and 52 Lakh MT respectively, much higher than previous years. National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE) has given a call for nation-wide strike on January 8 and 9 next year to protest against the Indian Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2014. The bill provides for privatisation of power distribution across the country and end subsidy for power consumers. A meeting of the NCCOEEE held at New Delhi on Saturday decided for nation-wide strike. It said that around 15 lakh power employees and engineers would go on strike for two days in January. The call for strike has been supported by all the trade unions, representatives of which were also present in the meeting chaired by All-India Power Engineers Federation chairman Shailendra Dubey. In a statement here on Sunday, Dubey said that the meeting also resolved that if the National Democratic Alliance government introduced the Indian Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2014 in the winter session of parliament, the power employees would go on lightning strike without serving any notice. All the trade unions have supported the strike called by the power employees and engineers and they have assured to join the agitation, he said. The power employees leader alleged that the private sector power generation companies had already siphoned off Rs 2.5 lakh crore from banks. He said the NDA government, instead of taking any action to recover the public money, was trying to benefit the private players by bringing the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2014 which would empower the government to hand over the power sector to private companies to benefit two industrial houses. With cooperation from people of Chhattisgarh, in each sector of development, success and new records have been made. Development is clearly visible in sectors of education, health, road, power, drinking water among others from Bastar to Surguja, said Chief Minister Raman Singh. He was addressing at block headquarter of Basna, district Mahasamund during the public meeting held on Sunday under Atal Vikas Yatra. He gave gift of Rs 253.89 crore worth 47 construction works to the region. 11 works costing Rs 14.66 crore have been completed which was dedicated to public and Rs 239.22 crore will be spent on 36 new sanctioned construction works for which he laid the foundation stone and bhoomipujan. The works for which bhoomipujan and foundation stone were laid are Rs 50 crore Gadphuljhar to Nanaksagar route with bridges and a bridge at cost of Rs 49 crore on Karmel rivulet. The 33/11 KV capacity four power sub stations were also dedicated by Chief Minster. He also distributed materials and financial aid to the beneficiaries under different schemes. He said Atal Vikas Yatra is a big pilgrimage undertaken on Chhattisgarhs development and belief. Chief Minister on the occasion highlighted the central and state government run different pro-people welfare schemes of last 15 years and its implementation to benefit the common man. The achievement has been possible by the hard work of people. This trip is also dedicated to the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for his vision of new state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also making all efforts by different schemes which can bring drastic changes in life of poor which Chhattisgarh is implementing at the best way. Massive changes have been observed in lives of poor after brought under benefit of Central and state government schemes. Raman Singh said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had increased support price of paddy by Rs 200 per quintal due to which now the common paddy is Rs 1750 and A-grade is Rs 1770 per quintal. Adding to it is the bonus amount of Rs 300, thus a farmer would get Rs 2050/Rs 2070 per quintal of paddy under minimum support price. Despite Sri Lankas slow and clumsy governance, it has performed well in developing its human capital. There is a clear emphasis on education, learning, and nurturing rational citizens, who respect one another. So, if the scaffolds of the nation fall, new young leaders will emerge as social and political reformers I was in Colombo for the first time last month for the launch of my book in Sri Lanka. The city is beautiful in an odd, cynical way. The chicest shopping and dining quarters of the city was once a dreary police station, before which it was a hospital built by the Dutch. An elegant recreational area once housed the Sinhalese Government offices, prior to which it was a mental asylum! The hotel where we stayed was built by a gallant British military general for his lover who was a local mestizo dancer, and boasted of a tunnel connecting to the ladys house. So on and so forth. At first sight, its people, however, seemed very familiar it felt as if I had never left India. It was only when we spoke about Dutch relics, orphaned elephants, and the island countrys chequered modern history strife with civil war and weak governance, I was reminded that I was in Ceylon. Amidst the conversations, I found two events in Sri Lankas political history to be especially peculiar. One was that Sri Lanka became a republic more than two decades after gaining political independence in 1948. Even after the British had retreated, the British held economic, ideological, and political influence in Sri Lanka until 1972. This was in stark contrast, to say, India, where we became a Republic only three years after our Independence, and immediately set in place a formidable constitution as well as economic, educational, and political institutions. The second event that surprised me was that Sri Lanka had established universal suffrage a decade before its Independence! Elsewhere it usually would be the other way around in the chronology of events. And so, Sri Lankas civil society has been democratically active and vibrant for far more number of years than the countrys political institutions. A few months ago I had challenged my students at a university in Paris where I teach, to propose solutions to Colombos desperate urban planning crisis. The students immediately huddled in their study groups to research the situation and were abhorred when they learnt about the gigantic 300 feet dump as high as a 14-storey building of Colombos garbage that had recently exploded, collapsed, and killed 32 people. Some students pointed out that the exact same scenario had played out in 2009 yet no corrective action had been taken. They suggested that, at the very least, the Sri Lankan Government should establish a Government policy for waste management. A waste management policy has allegedly been in the hands of the Sri Lankan Government since 1996, but it is still on hold. A few others spoke about leveraging technology for converting the massive amounts of waste to energy this was a hugely lucrative opportunity, they said enthusiastically. Nonetheless they all emphasised that any solution must be accompanied by a definite change in attitude for residents of Colombo towards waste the people of Colombo need to be more responsible. Whilst my students pondered over solutions, Sri Lanka rejected a proposal from the Japanese Government to help with the countrys waste disposal. Anguished, I wrote in the newspapers to raise awareness about this appalling state of affairs and approached the Sri Lankan Government with the suggestions made by my students amongst other recommendations. These efforts fell to deaf ears. Local Sri Lankan Government authorities said they had other more important priorities and that they had no time nor money for any action on this agenda. My dear friend and a prominent and young Sri Lankan intellectual Asanga Abeyagoonasekara said it well: Masons who built the walls of political culture in my country were so horrible, there are cracks everywhere and you see this every day. Usually when you build a good building you let the scaffolds fall, in Sri Lanka since Independence we cant let the scaffolds fall because the masons probably had no idea what they were doing. Last month while visiting Colombo a city emerging from the aftermath of war, struggling with weak governance, ethnic tension, and mountains of its own garbage I discovered its people. There is an evident thrust on education amongst the Sri Lankans. There is a desire for reform and a cognisance that the countrys political establishment is still young and in a flux. I saw both women and men at work outside home, and couples I spoke to seemed to be equally involved parents to their children. Serious crime such as murder or rape, I was told, was unheard of. Health and well-being featured high on peoples priority, and the people I met were unmistakably calm and stress-free. The country has come a long way its literacy rate in 1971 was 80 per cent, and now it is a laudable 96 per cent. In the latest Human Development Index report released last week, Sri Lanka ranked highest in South Asia for number of years of schooling, life expectancy, and it ranked least for inequality. Despite Sri Lankas slow and clumsy governance, the country has evidently performed well in developing its human capital. There is a clear emphasis in society, school, and family on education, learning, and nurturing rational, independent-minded, healthy citizens who respect one another. And this is why if the scaffolds of the Nation fall, I am full of hope that new young leaders will emerge as social and political reformers. In the long term, the defining characteristic of a nation is the collection of its people. Miniya is the author of Indian Instincts: Essays on Freedom and Equality in India, Penguin Random House (2018), and the CEO of Sustain Labs Paris, the worlds first sustainability incubator. Email: miniya@labsparis.com India Sunday strongly hit back at Pakistan for the "preposterous allegation" its Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi made at the UN that terrorists behind the 2014 attack on a Peshawar school were "supported" by India, saying the "despicable insinuation" dishonours the memory of the children killed in the assault. Indian diplomat from the country's Permanent Mission to the UN, Eenam Gambhir, exercised India's Right of Reply and rejected Qureshi's baseless allegation made during his General Assembly address last night. "Among the most outrageous was the preposterous allegation relating to the horrific terror attack on a Peshawar school four years ago," Gambhir said. She reminded the new Pakistan government under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, that there was an outpouring of sorrow and pain in India following the massacre of children in 2014. She said both Houses of India's Parliament had expressed solidarity while paying respects to those killed. "Schools all over India had observed two minutes of silence in their memory. The despicable insinuation made by the foreign minister of Pakistan dishonours the memory of the innocent lives lost to terrorists that day," Gambhir said. She said the allegation was a "desperate attempt" to look away from the monster of terror Pakistan has created in its quest to destabilise its neighbours and covet their territory. Qureshi had said that Pakistan will never forget the mass murder of more than 150 children in the Peshawar school, the Mastung attack and many others that "have links with terrorists supported by India." The Peshawar attack was carried out by heavily-armed 8-10 Taliban suicide bombers who stormed the army-run school and took several hostages. The attackers wearing paramilitary Frontier Corps uniforms had entered the school and started indiscriminate firing. Gambhir also took a dig at Qureshi's emphasis on a "new Pakistan" under Khan, saying while the Indian delegation had come to listen to Pakistan's "new" foreign minister outline the vision of a new Pakistan, "what we heard is a 'New Pakistan' cast in the mold of old." Gambhir tore into Pakistan's claim that it has turned the tide against terrorism, saying a fact-check of this claim will give a different picture. She asked if Pakistan can deny the fact that it is the "host and patron" of 132 of the UN-designated terrorists and 22 terrorist entities listed under the UN Security Council Sanctions regimes. "Will Pakistan deny that the UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed enjoys a free run inside Pakistan and spews venom and sets up candidates for electoral offices," she said. With Qureshi again raking up the Kashmir issue, Gambhir asserted that India is making it clear to the "new government" of Pakistan that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir is and will remain an integral part of India. India also ripped through efforts of the 'New Pakistan' to champion human rights. "This is vintage verbal duplicity," Gambhir said, citing the example of Princeton economic professor Atif Mian. The economist was appointed and removed by Khan's government from the Economic Advisory Council on the grounds that he belongs to a minority. Mian is an Ahmadi, a religious minority of Pakistan. "Before preaching to the world, championing of human rights should begin at home," Gambhir said. She said a report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Kashmir, which Qureshi mentioned and welcomed in his speech, is a publication that no UN member-state had asked for or supported and on which no action was taken. India lambasted Pakistan's assertion that New Delhi had called off the proposed foreign minister-level talks on flimsy grounds. "The new foreign minister of Pakistan chose to term the gruesome killing of our security personnel by Pakistani-sponsored terrorists as 'flimsy grounds'," she said. She said Qureshi's speech was made up of "fake allegations and fake facts" which can only make for a "fake vision." Qureshi had said Pakistan desires a relationship with India based on sovereign equality and mutual respect and sought resolution of disputes through a serious and comprehensive dialogue that covers all issues of concern. He said Pakistan was to meet on the sidelines of this UNGA Session to talk about all issues with India but New Delhi called off the dialogue for the third time on flimsy grounds. "They preferred politics over peace," he had said. India had called off the meeting, citing the brutal killings of three policemen in Jammu and Kashmir and after Islamabad released postage stamps glorifying Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani. "For a new vision to materialise, Pakistan must demonstrate that it has moved beyond a narrative of deception, deceit and distortion," Gambhir said. Exercising its Right of Reply, Pakistan said the claims of religious superiority are perpetrated through state patronage all across India. The Pakistani representative made a reference to Farook Ahmad Dar, saying he was tied to an army vehicle and used as a human shield in the Valley. He said members from India's minority communities are publicly lynched at the hands of Hindu zealots. He said Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally-recognised dispute and the UN has called for holding of a impartial plebiscite to ascertain the wishes of the Kashmiri people. He said Jammu and Kashmir is not a part of India, adding, "India cannot hide behind semantics anymore." 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. 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KG, BorgWarner Markdorf REH GmbH, BorgWarner Markdorf REM GmbH, BorgWarner Massachusetts Inc., BorgWarner Mauritius Holdings Ltd., BorgWarner Mexico Holding BV, BorgWarner Mexico Holdings II LLC, BorgWarner Mexico Holdings LLC, BorgWarner Morse Systems India Private Limited, BorgWarner Morse Systems Italy S.r.l., BorgWarner Morse Systems Japan K.K., BorgWarner Morse Systems Mexico S.A. de C.V., BorgWarner Muggendorf RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner NW Inc., BorgWarner Netherlands Holdings (PDS) B.V., BorgWarner Oroszlany Kft., BorgWarner PDS (Anderson) L.L.C., BorgWarner PDS (Changnyeong) LLC, BorgWarner PDS (Indiana) Inc., BorgWarner PDS (Livonia) Inc., BorgWarner PDS (Ochang) LLC, BorgWarner PDS (Thailand) Limited, BorgWarner PDS (USA) Inc., BorgWarner PDS Brasil Produtos Automotivos Ltda., BorgWarner PDS Irapuato S. de R.L. de C.V., BorgWarner PDS Mexico Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., BorgWarner PDS Technologies L.L.C., BorgWarner Poland Sp. z o.o., BorgWarner Pyongtaek LLC, BorgWarner Romeo Power LLC, BorgWarner Rzeszow Sp. z o.o., BorgWarner Shenglong (Ningbo) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner South Asia LLC, BorgWarner Southborough Inc., BorgWarner Spain Holding S.L.U, BorgWarner Sweden AB, BorgWarner Systems Lugo S.r.l., BorgWarner Thermal Systems Inc., BorgWarner Thermal Systems of Michigan Inc., BorgWarner TorqTransfer Systems Beijing Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Tralee Ltd., BorgWarner Transmission Products LLC, BorgWarner Transmission Systems Arnstadt GmbH, BorgWarner Transmission Systems GmbH, BorgWarner Transmission Systems Korea LLC, BorgWarner Transmission Systems Tulle S.A.S., BorgWarner Trustees Limited, BorgWarner Turbo & Emissions Systems France S.A.S., BorgWarner Turbo Systems Engineering GmbH, BorgWarner Turbo Systems GmbH, BorgWarner Turbo Systems LLC, BorgWarner Turbo Systems Worldwide Headquarters GmbH, BorgWarner Turbo Systems of Michigan Inc., BorgWarner Turbo and Emissions Systems de Mexico S.A. de C.V., BorgWarner UK Financing Ltd., BorgWarner UK Holding and Services Ltd., BorgWarner US Holding LLC, BorgWarner USA Industries L.L.C., BorgWarner United Transmission Systems Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Waterloo Inc., BorgWarner Wrexham Limited, Cascadia Motion LLC, Creon Insurance Agency Limited, Delphi Technologies, Dytech ENSA, Gustav Wahler GmbH u. Co. KG, Haldex, Kuhlman LLC, Kysor Europe Limited, M. & M. Knopf Auto Parts L.L.C., NSK-Warner (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., NSK-Warner K.K., NSK-Warner Mexico S.A. de C.V, NSK-Warner U.S.A. Inc., New PDS Corp., Old Remco Holdings L.L.C., Old Remco International Holdings L.L.C., Remy International, SeohanWarner Turbo Systems LLC, Sevcon, Sevcon New Energy Technology (Hubei) Company Limited, and Transmission Systems AutoForm LLC. The following companies are subsidiares of Carnival Co. &: 1972 Productions Inc., 6348 Equipment LLC, A.C.N. 098 290 834 Pty. Ltd., A.J. Juneau Dock LLC, AIDA Kundencenter GmbH, Adventure Island Ltd., Air-Sea Holiday GmbH, Alaska Hotel Properties LLC, Barcelona Cruise Terminal SLU, Bay Island Cruise Port S.A., Belize Cruise Terminal Limited, CC U.S. Ventures Inc., CCL Gifts LLC, CSSC Carnival Italy Cruise Investment S.r.L, Carnival (UK) Limited, Carnival Bahamas FC Limited, Carnival Bahamas Holdings Limited, Carnival Corporation & plc Asia Pte. Ltd., Carnival Corporation Hong Kong Limited, Carnival Corporation Korea Ltd., Carnival Corporation Ports Group Japan KK, Carnival Finance LLC, Carnival Grand Bahama Investment Limited, Carnival Investments Limited, Carnival Japan Inc., Carnival License Holdings Limited, Carnival Maritime GmbH, Carnival North America LLC, Carnival Port Holdings Limited, Carnival Ports Inc., Carnival Support Services India Private Limited, Carnival Technical Services (UK) Limited, Carnival Technical Services Finland Limited, Carnival Technical Services GmbH, Carnival Technical Services Inc., Carnival Vanuatu Limited, Costa Crociere PTE Ltd., Costa Crociere S.p.A., Costa Cruceros S.A., Costa Cruise Lines Inc., Costa Cruise Lines UK Limited, Costa Cruises Shipping Services (Shanghai) Company Limited, Costa Cruises Travel Agency (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Costa Cruzeiros Agencia Maritima e Turismo Ltda., Costa Group Digital & Strategic Services GmbH, Costa International B.V., Costa Kreuzfahrten GmbH, Cozumel Cruise Terminal S.A. de C.V., Creative Travel Lab Ltd., Cruise Ships Catering & Services International N.V., Cruise Terminal Services S.A. de C.V., Cruiseport Curacao C.V., D.R. Cruise Port Ltd., Ecospray Technologies S.r.L., F.P.M. SAS, F.P.P. SAS, Fleet Maritime Services (Bermuda) Limited, Fleet Maritime Services Holdings (Bermuda) Limited, Fleet Maritime Services International Limited, GXI LLC, Gibs Inc., Global Experience Innovators Inc., Global Fine Arts Inc., Global Shipping Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Grand Cruise Shipping Unipessoal LdA, Grand Turk Cruise Center Ltd., HAL Antillen N.V., HAL Beheer B.V., HAL Cruises Limited, HAL Maritime Ltd., HAL Nederland N.V., HAL Properties Limited, HAL Services B.V., HSE Hamburg School of Entertainment GmbH, Holding Division Iberocruceros SLU, Holland America Line Inc., Holland America Line N.V., Holland America Line Paymaster of Washington LLC, Holland America Line U.S.A. Inc., Ibero Cruzeiros Ltda., Iberocruceros SLU, Information Assistance Corporation, International Cruise Services S.A. de C.V., International Leisure Travel Inc., International Maritime Recruitment Agency S.A. de C.V., Milestone N.V., Navitrans S.R.L., Ocean Bahamas Innovation Ltd., Ocean Medallion Fulfillment Ltd., Operadora Catalina S.r.L., P&O Princess American Holdings, P&O Princess Cruises International Limited, P&O Princess Cruises Pension Trustee Limited, P&O Properties (California) Inc., P&O Travel Limited, Prestige Cruises Management S.A.M., Prestige Cruises N.V., Princess Bermuda Holdings Ltd., Princess Cays Ltd., Princess Cruise Corporation Inc., Princess Cruise Lines Ltd., Princess Cruises and Tours Inc., Princess U.S. Holdings Inc., RCT Maintenance & Related Services S.A., RCT Pilots & Related Services S.A., RCT Security & Related Services S.A., Roatan Cruise Terminal S.A. de C.V., Royal Hyway Tours Inc., Santa Cruz Terminal S.L., SeaVacations Limited, SeaVacations UK Limited, Seabourn Cruise Line Limited, Shanghai Coast Cruise Consulting Co. Lda, Ship Care (Bahamas) Limited, Sitmar Cruises Inc., Spanish Cruise Services N.V., Sunshine Shipping Corporation Ltd., T&T International Inc., Tour Alaska LLC, Transnational Services Corporation, Trident Insurance Company Ltd., Westmark Hotels Inc., Westmark Hotels of Canada Ltd., Westours Motor Coaches LLC, Wind Surf Limited, and World Leading Cruise Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.. Centrica plc operates as an integrated energy company in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, North America, and internationally. The company operates through British Gas, Energy Marketing & Trading, Centrica Business Solutions, Bord GAis Energy, and Upstream segments. It supplies gas and electricity to residential customers, as well as offers energy-related services; and generates power from combined cycle gas turbines and nuclear assets. The company also provides installation, repair, and maintenance services for domestic central heating, plumbing and drains, home electrical, and gas and kitchen appliances; and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment, as well as offers breakdown services. In addition, it is involved in the procurement, trading, and optimization of energy; procurement and sale of LNG; and supplies energy efficiency solutions and technologies to residential customers. Further, the company produces and processes gas and oil; develops new fields to maintain reserves; constructs, owns, and exploits infrastructure; and engages in the social enterprise investment fund activities. Additionally, it provides vehicle leasing, commercial, and insurance services, as well as energy management products and services; and operates a gas storage and franchise network. The company was formerly known as Yieldtop plc and changed its name to Centrica plc in December 1996. Centrica plc was incorporated in 1995 and is based in Windsor, the United Kingdom. Read More According to the notification issued earlier this week, the investigation was initiated on September 10 for some cement products exported to the Philippines in the period of 2013-2017. The investigation was based on import data obtained from official sources and information submitted by members of the Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines showing that increased imports of cement are a substantial cause of serious injury to the domestic industry in terms of declining market share, production sales, capacity utilisation, profitability, price depression, suppression and undercutting. The investigation has been initiated to determine whether safeguard measures are warranted. A review by the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) found that imports grew 70 percent year-on-year in 2014; 4,391 percent in 2015; 549 percent in 2016 and 72 percent in 2017. The DTI said Vietnam was the country with the largest export volume to the Philippines during the period 2014-2017. According to the existing regulations of the Philippines, the exporters and importers, organisations inside and outside the Philippines have the right to express their opinions and comments about this investigation, including comments on the impact of applying the safeguard measure to the public interest. Meanwhile, DTI required Vietnamese exporters that are already identified by the investigating authorities to respond to the questionnaire in the case. The General Department of Vietnam Customs said in the first seven months this year, Vietnams cement exports to the Philippines increased by 23.5 percent in volume to 3.49 million tonnes and 28.1 percent in value to 159.73 million USD. Price increased by 3.8 percent to 45.3 USD per tonne. According to the Ministry of Construction, Vietnam exported 23.28 million tonnes cement in the first nine months this year, 66 percent higher than the same period last year. This figure was 3-4 million tonnes higher than the export target at 18-19 million for the whole year. During the first nine months, the domestic cement industrys total consumption of cement reached 72.82 million tonnes, including 49.54 million tonnes in the domestic market. Of that, the cement consumption volume in September reached 7.88 million tonnes, 14 percent higher than the same period last year, including 5.68 million tonnes for the domestic market and 2.2 million tonnes for export.- Vietnamnews There is not enough analysis data for Directa Plus. 4.5 Community Rank Outperform Votes Directa Plus has received 102 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes Directa Plus has received 49 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment Directa Plus has received 67.55% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Directa Plus and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe DCTA will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe DCTA will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next The following companies are subsidiares of Exxon Mobil: AKG Marketing Company Limited, Aera Energy LLC, Al-Jubail Petrochemical Company, Ampolex (Cepu) Pte Ltd, Ancon Insurance Company Inc., Barnett Gathering LLC, Barzan Gas Company Limited, Caspian Pipeline Consortium, Celtic Exploration Ltd., Coral FLNG S.A., Cross Timbers Energy LLC, Ellora Energy Inc., Esmeroon Oil Transporta Imperial Oil Limited, Esso (Thailand) Public Company Limited, Esso Australia Resources Pty Ltd, Esso Deutschland GmbH, Esso Erdgas Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 15) Limited, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 17) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Angola (Overseas) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Chad Inc., Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Deepwater) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Offshore East) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, Esso Exploration and Production UK Limited, Esso Global Investments Ltd., Esso Italiana S.r.l., Esso Nederland B.V., Esso Norge AS, Esso Petroleum Company Limited, Esso Raffinage, Esso Societe Anonyme Francaise, Exxo Holdings Inc., Exxon Azerbaijan Limited, Exxon Chemical Arabia Inc., Exxon International Finance Company, Exxon Luxembourg Holdings LLC, Exxon Mobile Bay Limited Partnership, Exxon Neftegas Limited, Exxon Overseas Corporation, Exxon Overseas Investment Corporation, ExxonMobil (China) Investment Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil (Taicang) Petroleum Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil Abu Dhabi Offshore Petroleum Company Limited, ExxonMobil Alaska Production Inc., ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., ExxonMobil Australia Pty Ltd, ExxonMobil B Resources Company, ExxonMobil Capital Finance Company, ExxonMobil Capital Netherlands B.V., ExxonMobil Central Europe Holding GmbH, ExxonMobil Cepu Limited, ExxonMobil Chemical France, ExxonMobil Chemical Gulf Coast Investments LLC, ExxonMobil Chemical Holland B.V., ExxonMobil Chemical Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil China Petroleum & Petrochemical Company Limited, ExxonMobil Development Africa B.V., ExxonMobil Development Company, ExxonMobil Egypt (S.A.E.), ExxonMobil Exploracao Brasil Ltda., ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Malaysia Inc., ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Norway AS, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Romania Limited, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Tanzania Limited, ExxonMobil Finance Company Limited, ExxonMobil Financial Investment Company Limited, ExxonMobil France Holding SAS, ExxonMobil Gas Marketing Europe Limited, ExxonMobil General Finance Company, ExxonMobil Global Services Company, ExxonMobil Golden Pass Surety LLC, ExxonMobil Holding Company Holland LLC, ExxonMobil Holding Norway AS, ExxonMobil Hong Kong Limited, ExxonMobil International Services SARL, ExxonMobil Iraq Limited, ExxonMobil Italiana Gas S.r.l., ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Inc., ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Ventures Inc., ExxonMobil LNG Services B.V., ExxonMobil Lubricants Trading Company, ExxonMobil Oil Corporation, ExxonMobil PNG Limited, ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical BVBA, ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical Holdings Inc., ExxonMobil Pipeline Company, ExxonMobil Production Deutschland GmbH, ExxonMobil Production Norway Inc., ExxonMobil Qatargas (II) Limited, ExxonMobil Qatargas Inc., ExxonMobil Ras Laffan (III) Limited, ExxonMobil Rasgas Inc., ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company, ExxonMobil Russia Kara Sea Holdings B.V., ExxonMobil Sales and Supply LLC, ExxonMobil Technology Finance Company, ExxonMobil Ventures Finance Company, ExxonMobil Ventures Funding Ltd., Fujian Refining & Petrochemical Co. Ltd., Golden Pass LNG Terminal Investments LLC, Golden Pass LNG Terminal LLC, Gulf Coast Growth Ventures LLC, Imperial Oil Limited, Imperial Oil Resources Limited, Imperial Oil Resources N.W.T. Limited, Imperial Oil/Petroliere Imperiale, Infineum Italia s.r.I., Infineum Singapore Pte. Ltd., InterOil Corporation, Jurong Aromatics Corporation Pte Ltd, MPM Lubricants, Marine Well Containment Company LLC, Mobil Australia Resources Company Pty Limited, Mobil California Exploration & Producing Asset Company, Mobil Caspian Pipeline Company, Mobil Chemical Products International Inc., Mobil Corporation, Mobil Equatorial Guinea Inc., Mobil Erdgas Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Mobil Exploration & Producing Australia Pty Ltd, Mobil International Petroleum Corporation, Mobil Oil Australia Pty Ltd, Mobil Oil Exploration & Producing Southeast Inc., Mobil Oil New Zealand Limited, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, Mobil Producing Texas & New Mexico Inc., Mobil SerLimited, Mobil Venezolana De Petroleos Inc., Mobil Yanbu Petrochemical Company Inc., Mobil Yanbu Refining Company Inc., Mountain Gathering LLC, Mozambique Rovuma Venture S.p.A., Palmetto Transoceanic LLC, Papua New Guinea Liquefied Natural Gas Global Company LDC, Permian Express Partners LLC, Phillips Exploration LLC, Qatar Liquefied Gas Company Limited, Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited, Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited (II), SPI Limited, Saudi Aramco Mobil Refinery Company Ltd., Saudi Yanbu Petrochemical Co., SeaRiver Maritime Inc., South Hook LNG Terminal Company Limited, Tengizchevroil LLP, Terminale GNL Adriatico S.r.l, Trend Gathering & Treating LLC, Wolverine Pipe Line Company, XH LLC, XTO Delaware Basin LLC, XTO ENERGY, XTO Energy Canada, and XTO Holdings LLC. Ferrellgas Partners, L.P. distributes and sells propane and related equipment and supplies. The company transports propane to propane distribution locations, tanks on customers' premises, or to portable propane tanks delivered to retailers. It conducts its portable tank exchange operations under the Blue Rhino brand name through a network of independent and partnership-owned distribution outlets. The company's propane is primarily used for space heating, water heating, cooking, outdoor cooking using gas grills, crop drying, irrigation, weed control, and other propane fueled appliances; as an engine fuel for combustion engine vehicles and forklifts; and as a heating or energy source in manufacturing and drying processes. It serves residential, industrial/commercial, portable tank exchange, agricultural, wholesale, and other customers in the United States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. As of July 31, 2018, it operated 72 service centers and 859 propane distribution locations. The company is also involved in the sale of refined fuels; provision of common carrier services; and retail sale of propane appliances and related parts and fittings, as well as other retail propane related services and consumer products. Ferrellgas Partners, L.P. was founded in 1939 and is headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas. Read More First BanCorp (Puerto Rico) is a holding company, which engages in the provision of personal, commercial, and corporate banking services through its subsidiaries. It operates through the following segments: Commercial and Corporate Banking, Consumer (Retail) Banking, Mortgage Banking, Treasury and Investments, United States Operations, and Virgin Islands Operations. The Commercial and Corporate Banking segment consists of the company's lending and other services for large customers represented by specialized and middle-market clients and the public sector. The Consumer (Retail) Banking segment includes consumer lending and deposit-taking activities conducted mainly through FirstBank's branch network in Puerto Rico. The Mortgage Banking segment focuses on the origination, sale, and servicing of a variety of residential mortgage loan products and related hedging activities. The Treasury and Investments segment deals with treasury and investment management functions. The United States Operations segment represents all banking activities conducted by FirstBank on the United States mainland. The Virgin Islands Operations segment includes all banking activities conducted by FirstBank in Read More There is not enough analysis data for Tri-Continental. 4.8 Community Rank Outperform Votes Tri-Continental has received 223 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes Tri-Continental has received 91 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment Tri-Continental has received 71.02% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Tri-Continental and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe TY will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe TY will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next Halma plc provides technology solutions in the safety, health, and environmental markets. It operates through four segments: Process Safety, Infrastructure Safety, Environmental & Analysis, and Medical. The Process Safety segment offers specialized interlocks that control critical processes safely; instruments that detect hazardous gases; and explosion protection and corrosion monitoring systems. This segment serves the gas detection, industrial access control, pressure management, and safe storage and transfer markets. The Infrastructure Safety segment provides fire detection systems, specialist fire suppression systems, elevator safety systems, people and vehicle flow technologies, and security sensors. It serves the fire detection and suppression, People and Vehicle Flow, Security Sensors, and elevator markets. The Environmental & Analysis segment offers optical, optoelectronic, and spectral imaging systems; water, air and gases monitoring technologies; and systems for water analysis and treatment. It serves the optical analysis, water analysis and treatment, and environmental monitoring markets. The Medical segment provides critical fluidic components used by medical diagnostics and Original Equipment Manufacturers; laboratory devices and systems that provide information to understand patient health and enable providers to make decisions across the continuum of care; technologies and solutions to enable in-vitro diagnostic systems and life-science discoveries and development; and technologies that enable positive outcomes across clinical specialties. This segment serves the life sciences, health assessment, and therapeutic solutions market. The company was incorporated in 1894 and is headquartered in Amersham, the United Kingdom. Read More The contest received 407 submissions from 359 children of the three age groups 6 to 8, 9 to 12, and 13 to 16. After three assessment rounds, three young painters obtained the first prizes. They are Duong Tue Nhi, 6, from the northern province of Vinh Phuc, Pham Anh Vu, 10, from Hanoi, and Tran Minh Trong Nhan, 13, from Ho Chi Minh City. The organizers also presented five second, six third and 30 consolation prizes to outstanding contestants. Speaking at the award ceremony, Trinh Quoc Khanh, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam-Russia Friendship Association (VRFA), said the contest ran in Vietnam and Russia simultaneously. He noted the Russian edition recorded 270 entries, adding that the winners in Russia will soon be announced and honoured. Khanh said the paintings reflect Vietnam Russia relations through different lens. According to him, they introduce the people and land of the two nations and describe the life of Vietnamese and Russian children. He said the VRFA and relevant units will work to organise more activities to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries younger generations. Sergey Tanakov, Counselor at the Russian Embassy in Vietnam, stressed the special meaning of the contest to bilateral ties. He said the significant number of submissions showed Vietnamese youths love for and interest in their country and Russia. Tanakov said the embassy will support the organisation of the contest in coming years and plans to hold more similar activities.- Vietnamnews The following companies are subsidiares of Ingersoll Rand: 211 E. Russell Road LLC, Air-Relief, Belliss & Morcom Brasil, Belliss and Morcom, Boardwalk Enterprises, Charm Merger Sub Inc., CompAir, CompAir (Hankook) Korea Co. Ltd., CompAir Acquisition (No. 2) Ltd., CompAir Acquisition Ltd., CompAir BroomWade Ltd., CompAir Canada, CompAir Finance Ltd., CompAir GmbH, CompAir Holdings Limited, CompAir Holman Ltd, CompAir International Trading (Shanghai) Co Ltd, CompAir Korea Ltd, CompAir South Africa (SA) (Pty) Ltd., CompAir UK Ltd, CompAir USA, Consolidated Distribution Holdings Ltd., DV Systems Inc., Emco Wheaton, Emco Wheaton GmbH Branch, Emco Wheaton Gmbh, Emco Wheaton UK, Emco Wheaton USA Inc, Enza Air Propriety Limited (South Africa), GD Aria Holdings #2 Limited, GD Aria Holdings Limited, GD Aria Investments Limited, GD First UK Ltd, GD German Holdings GmbH, GD German Holdings I Gmbh, GD German Holdings II GmbH, GD German Investments GmbH, GD Global Holdings, GD Global Holdings II, GD Global Holdings UK II Ltd., GD Global Ventures I B.V., GD Global Ventures II B.V., GD Global Ventures III B.V., GD Industrial Products Malaysia SDN. BHD., GD Investment KY, GD UK Finance Ltd., Gardner Denver (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Gardner Denver Austria GmbH, Gardner Denver Bad Neustadt Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Belgium NV, Gardner Denver Brasil Industria E Comercio de Maquinas Ltda., Gardner Denver CZ + SK sro, Gardner Denver Canada Corp, Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments II Ltd., Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments II Ltd. - US Branch, Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments Ltd., Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments Ltd. - US Branch, Gardner Denver Deutschland GmbH, Gardner Denver Engineered Products India Private Limited, Gardner Denver FZE, Gardner Denver Finance II LLC, Gardner Denver Finance Inc & Co KG, Gardner Denver France SA, Gardner Denver France SAS, Gardner Denver Group Services Ltd, Gardner Denver Group Svcs Ltd, Gardner Denver Hoffman, Gardner Denver Holdings, Gardner Denver Holdings Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Investments Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Ltd, Gardner Denver Iberica, Gardner Denver Industries Ltd., Gardner Denver Industries Pty Ltd., Gardner Denver Industries Pty Ltd. Branch, Gardner Denver International, Gardner Denver International Ltd., Gardner Denver Intl Ltd Middle East Regional Rep Office, Gardner Denver Investments, Gardner Denver Italy Holdings S.r.L., Gardner Denver Japan, Gardner Denver Kirchhain Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Korea, Gardner Denver Korea Ltd, Gardner Denver Ltd, Gardner Denver Ltd South Africa, Gardner Denver Ltd., Gardner Denver Ltd. Branch (Ireland), Gardner Denver Machinery (Shanghai) Co, Gardner Denver Machinery (Shanghai) Co., Gardner Denver Nash Brasil Industria E Comercio De Bombas Ltda, Gardner Denver Nash Deutschland GmbH, Gardner Denver Nash LLC, Gardner Denver Nash Machinery Ltd, Gardner Denver Nash Machinery Ltd., Gardner Denver Nederland BV, Gardner Denver Nederland Investments B.V., Gardner Denver Oberdorfer Pumps, Gardner Denver Oy, Gardner Denver Petroleum Pumps, Gardner Denver Polska Sp z.o.o., Gardner Denver Pte Ltd., Gardner Denver S.r.l., Gardner Denver Schopfheim GmbH, Gardner Denver Schopfheim Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Schweiz AG, Gardner Denver Slovakia, Gardner Denver SudAmerica S.r.l., Gardner Denver Sweden AB, Gardner Denver Taiwan Ltd., Gardner Denver Thomas, Gardner Denver Thomas GmbH, Gardner Denver Thomas Pneumatic Systems (Wuxi) Co., Gardner Denver Thomas Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver UK, Gardner Denver Water Jetting Systems, Garo Dott. Ing. Roberto Gabbioneta S.r.l., Hamworthy Belliss & Morcom, ILMVAC (UK) Ltd., ILS Innovative Labor Systeme, ILS Inovative Laborsysteme GmbH, Indonesia Foreign Trade Representative Office, LeROI, LeRoi International Inc, MP Pumps Inc., Mako Compressors, Nash, Nash Elmo, Oina VV, Oina VV Aktiebolag, Robuschi, Rotary Compression Technologies, Runtech Systems, Runtech Systems (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Runtech Systems Inc., Runtech Systems OY, Shanghai CompAir Compressors Co Ltd, Shanghai Compressors & Blowers Ltd., Syltone, TCM Investments, TIWR Real Estate GmbH & Co. KG, TODO AB, Tamrotor Marine Compressors AS, Thomas Industries, Thomas Industries Inc., Tri-Continent Scientific, Welch Vacuum Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zinsser Analytic, Zinsser Analytik GmbH, and Zinsser NA. Invesco Dynamic Large Cap Value ETF's stock was trading at $32.67 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, PWV stock has increased by 46.8% and is now trading at $47.96. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. 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. DE C.V., METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT FUND LP, METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT GP LLC, METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT PARALLEL FUND LP, METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT PARALLEL GP LLC, METLIFE MULTI-FAMILY PARTNERS III LLC, METLIFE MUTUAL FUND COMPANY, METLIFE OBS MEMBER LLC, METLIFE OFC MEMBER LLC, METLIFE ONTARIO STREET MEMBR LLC, METLIFE PARK TOWER MEMBER LLC, METLIFE PENSION TRUSTEES LIMITED, METLIFE PENSIONES MEXICO S.A., METLIFE PET INSURANCE SOLUTIONS LLC, METLIFE PLANOS ODONTOLOGICOS LTDA., METLIFE POWSZECHNE TOWARTZYSTWO EMERYTALNE S.A., METLIFE PRIVATE EQUITY HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE PROPERTIES VENTURES LLC, METLIFE RC SF MEMBER LLC, METLIFE REAL ESTATE LENDING LLC, METLIFE REINSURANCE COMPANY OF BERMUDA LTD., METLIFE REINSURANCE COMPANY OF CHARLESTON, METLIFE REINSURANCE COMPANY OF VERMONT, METLIFE RETIREMENT SERVICES LLC, METLIFE SAENGMYOUNG INSURANCE COMPANY LTD., METLIFE SECURITIZATION DEPOSITOR LLC, METLIFE SEGUROS S.A., METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING FINCO LLC, METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING FUND LP, METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING GP LLC, METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING HOLDINGS LP, METLIFE SERVICES AND SOLUTIONS LLC, METLIFE SERVICES CYPRUS LIMITED, METLIFE SERVICES EAST PRIVATE LIMITED, METLIFE SERVICES EEIG, METLIFE SERVICES EOOD, METLIFE SERVICES SOCIEDAD LIMITADA, METLIFE SERVICES SP Z.O.O, METLIFE SERVICIOS S.A., METLIFE SLOVAKIA S.R.O. V LIKVIDACII, METLIFE SOLUTIONS PTE. 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. LTD., SOUTHCREEK INDUSTRIAL HOLDINGS LLC, ST. 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. New Jersey Resources Corp. is a holding company. The firm provides safe and reliable natural gas and clean energy services, including transportation, distribution, asset management and home services. It operates through the following segments: New Jersey Natural Gas, NJR Clean Energy Ventures, NJR Energy Services, NJR Midstream, and NJR Home Services. The New Jersey Natural Gas segment provides regulated retail natural gas service to residential and commercial customers in central and northern New Jersey. The NJR Clean Energy Ventures segment invests in, owns and operates solar projects. The NJR Energy Services segment manages a diversified portfolio of natural gas transportation and storage assets and provides physical natural gas services in the U.S. and Canada. The NJR Midstream segment serves customers from local distributors and producers to electric generators and wholesale marketers. The NJR Home Services segment provides heating, ventilation and cooling service, sales and installation of appliances services to its customers, as well as solar installation projects, and is the primary contributor to home services. The company was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Wall, Read More Savaii was next to see district led activities in health education this weekend, as part of a nationwide intervention program funded by the United Nations. Following district development planning last year, Samoas 13 districts have begun running a variety of programs addressing issues of concern. This week six organisations spread out across Vaa o Fonoti to run educational programs on health, sexual reproduction, gender based violence and non-communicable diseases, the third of the districts to run programs. Seminars were held in different areas of the district, focusing on cancer, sexually transmitted infections, and gender based violence to name a few. Chief Executive Officer Afamasaga Faauiga Palepua Mulitalo of the the Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development, which is coordinating the district programs, said everyone should be involved in the improvement of their villages. District committees responding to their own priorities are the key to improving the lives of families who most need it, she said. The nationwide program is running on a $70,000 U.S.D. grant (approx. $182,429 tala) from the United National Population Fund (U.N.F.P.A.), of which $5,000 tala is allocated to each district to help with operational costs. The grant is also going towards multimedia coverage of the programs, which will result in a documentary which can be used for future awareness campaigns by the ministry, and the operational costs of the program partners. The Samoa Family Health Association, Samoa Cancer Society, The National Kidney Foundation, Samoa Red Cross, Ministry of Police and M.W.S.C.D. are the program partners. Ministry of Women senior programme and training officer Heker Matai said based on the district planning, the ministry partnered with organisations that could deliver programs addressing key issues picked out by the districts. Each district told us what programs they wanted, and Savaii requested health screenings from N.H.S., the Samoa Family Health Association, and the Red Cross, he said. An important component of the program is the peer educators youth who go into the community to run programs for other youth. Peer educators are youth who implement community outreach programs through youth-to-youth talks on sensitive issues revolving around sexual reproductive health, non-communicable diseases and gender based violence. Some issues, especially issues relating to sexual reproductive health such as teenage pregnancies and family planning which are taboo to talk about, especially in public, so some youth feel more comfortable talking to other youth, said Mr Matai. Each district is also participating in a jingle competition to compose a song the ministry can use in future awareness campaigns. Two districts stand to win $2000 tala each for their jingles in prize-giving events in November and December. 49 minutes ago Climate talks resume, cautious coal phaseout still on table GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) Negotiators at the this year's U.N. climate talks pored over fresh proposals Saturday for sealing a deal that could credibly be said to advance worldwide efforts to tackle global warming. British officials chairing the talks in Glasgow, Scotland, released new draft agreements after shuttle diplomacy continued past the official Friday evening deadline. Read Article There is not enough analysis data for Centennial Mining. 5.0 Community Rank Outperform Votes Centennial Mining has received 57 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes Centennial Mining has received 17 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment Centennial Mining has received 77.03% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Centennial Mining and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe CTL will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe CTL will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next Duck Creek Technologies, Inc. provides software-as-a-service core systems to the property and casualty insurance industry in North America. It offers Duck Creek Policy, a full lifecycle solution for the development of products and quoting, binding, and servicing of policies across various channels from agents and brokers to end-users; Duck Creek Billing that provides payment and invoicing capabilities, such as billing and collections, commission processing, disbursement management, and general ledger capabilities for insurance lines and bill types; and Duck Creek Claims that supports the entire claims lifecycle from first notice of loss through investigation, payments, negotiations, reporting, and closure. The company also provides Duck Creek Rating that allows carriers to develop new rates and models and deliver accurate quotes in real-time based on the complex rating algorithms; Duck Creek Insights, an insurance analytics solution that allows carriers to gather and analyze data from internal and external sources and facilitate rapid analysis and reporting on a single system; Duck Creek Digital Engagement that offer digital interactions between property and casualty insurers and their agents, brokers, and policyholders; and Duck Creek Distribution Management that automates sales channel activities for agents and brokers, including producer onboarding, compliance, and compensation management. In addition, it offers Duck Creek Reinsurance Management that automates critical financial and administrative functions; and Duck Creek Industry Content that provides pre-built content, including base business rules, product designs, rating algorithms, data capture screens, and workflows for insurance lines of business. The company serves insurance carriers and leaders. Duck Creek Technologies, Inc. was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Read More Pictures of waterfalls, the To Sua Trench and people swimming with turtles caught the eyes of the Mackenzie-King children and their decision was final. Melbourne-based mother Jo Mackenzie-King said this when she told Samoa Observer how they choose Samoa for holidays. They wanted to have a different experience from Fiji and the Indonesian tourist destination of Bali, and Samoa was the answer according to the family. We wanted to come for the waterfalls, the (To Sua) trench and to swim with the turtles. To see something different than Bali or Fiji, said 11-year-old Allie. Jo, the mother added: It is much more filled with tourist there, where as here its still a tropical natural and beautiful island not overrun by tourism. Bali and Fiji are very touristy and Samoa is still natural. Samoa has managed to stay as it is in many ways, which Joe said is something she appreciates after visiting other countries. We had these beautiful tour guides, it is really nice to actually talk to Samoans and see what Samoa really has offer, it was brilliant. They took us to the beaches and waterfalls and the trench, which was fantastic. They showed us all around Samoan people and culture, it made it different because they were locals, she added. Travelling to Samoa with four children did not seem to be a problem for Jo and her children told Samoa Observer why they are enjoying their stay. I am happy here, I like it that it is laid back and not in a rush not like home, said 13-year-old Fraser. Fifteen-year-old Emma said it is like a piece of paradise here. The warm sea temperature, compared to waters around Australian, is a bonus and makes swimming an enjoyable experience, added Allie. Samoas tourism market is still in an early stage of development and that is what makes it charming according to Jo, as she sees potential for more growth in the sector. But it is the Samoan touch in the local tourism market that makes it different from other destinations in the world, which she believes will drive up tourist numbers. The people are lovely I really love the Samoan people. The standards of five-star hotels to other countries are different but it is still nice. I love the way the locals are into their culture. I dont think they will lose some of their values as they are so attached to their culture. I dont think more tourism would make that much of a difference to the culture, but I am glad I came before more tourism to experience like it is now, she said. For now, Jo and her children are having fun and plan to travel to Savaii to swim with the turtles, in order to tick all the boxes for this trip. And they plan to return to Samoa to do it all again. Steelcase Inc. manufactures and sells integrated furniture settings, user-centered technologies, and interior architectural products. It operates through Americas, EMEA, and Other Category segments. The firm's furniture portfolio includes panel, fence and beam-based furniture systems, storage products, fixed and height-adjustable desks, benches, and tables, as well as complementary products, including work tools and screens. Its seating products comprise ergonomic task chairs; seating for collaborative or casual settings; and specialty seating for specific vertical markets, such as healthcare and education. The firm's interior architectural products include full and partial height walls and architectural pods. It also provides textiles, wall coverings, and surface imaging solutions for architects and designers; and ceramic steel surfaces for use in various applications, including static whiteboards and chalkboards through third party fabricators and distributors, as well as workplace strategy consulting, data-driven space measurement, lease origination, furniture and asset management, and hosted event services. The company markets and sells its products to corporate, government Read More 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 Travis Perkins plc distributes building materials to the building, construction, and home improvement markets in the United Kingdom. It operates through four segments: Merchanting, Retail, Toolstation, and Plumbing & Heating. The Merchanting segment distributes interior building products, which include drywalls, ceilings, external envelopes, fire protection products, flooring and partitioning products, and tools and accessories to professionals within the construction industry; civil, drainage, and heavy building materials to specialist contractors and trade professionals; and pipeline and heating solutions. This segment also distributes building materials, plumbing and heating products, landscaping materials, timber and sheet materials, painting and decorating products, dry lining and insulation products, doors and joinery, and hand and power tools to trade professionals and self-builders. The Retail segment operates as a home improvement retailer, which sells kitchen, bathroom, paint, and timber products. The Toolstation segment supplies products to the trade, home improvers, and self-builders industry through approximately 350 branches, as well as online, call center, and a mobile website. The Plumbing & Heating segment supplies its products to the trade, home improvement, and DIY markets. The company also offers kitchens and joinery products to specialist joiners, kitchen fitters, house builders, local authorities, and national house builders; and operates as a tile retailer. The company was formerly known as Sandell Perkins Public Limited Company and changed its name to Travis Perkins plc in October 1988. Travis Perkins plc was founded in 1797 and is headquartered in Northampton, the United Kingdom. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Vodafone Group: 360 Connect S.A., [email protected] Telecom, A-ccelerator B.V., A-ccelerator Holding B.V, AAA (Euro) Limited, AAA (MCR) Limited, AAA (UK) Limited, Acorn Communications Limited, Africonnect (Zambia) Limited, Ag Mercantile Company Private Limited, Al-Amin Investments Limited, Amsterdamse Beheer- en Consultingmaatschappij B.V., Apollo Submarine Cable System Limited, Array Holdings Limited, Asian Telecommunication Investments (Mauritius) Limited, Aspective Limited, Astec Communications Limited, Autoconnex Limited, Aztec Limited, BelCompany BV, Bluefish Apac Communications Pte. Ltd, Bluefish Communications, Bluefish Communications Limited, Business Serve Limited, C&W Worldwide Nigeria Limited, C.S.P. Solutions Limited, CCII (Mauritius) Inc., CGP India Investments Ltd., CGP Investments (Holdings) Limited, COOP Mobil s.r.o, CT Networks Limited, CWGNL S.A., CWW Operations Limited, Cable & Wireless Access Limited, Cable & Wireless Americas Systems Inc., Cable & Wireless Aspac Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless CIS Services Limited, Cable & Wireless CIS Svyaz LLC, Cable & Wireless Capital Limited , Cable & Wireless Communications Data Network Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Communications Starclass Limited, Cable & Wireless Communications Technical Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd (Beijing Branch), Cable & Wireless Europe Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless GN Limited, Cable & Wireless Global (India) Private Limited, Cable & Wireless Global Business Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Global Holding Limited, Cable & Wireless Global Telecommunication Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Holdco Limited, Cable & Wireless Networks India Private Limited, Cable & Wireless Trade Mark Management Limited, Cable & Wireless UK Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless UK Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Waterside Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Pension Trustee Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Voice Messaging Limited, Cable & Wireless a-Services Inc, Cable & Wireless a-Services Limited, Cable and Wireless (India) Limited, Cable and Wireless (India) Limited Indian Branch Office, Cable and Wireless Nominee Limited, Cable and Wireless Worldwide South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Cavalry Holdings Ltd, Celfocus Solucoes Informaticas Para Telecomunicacoes S.A, Cellops Limited, Cellular Operations Limited, Central Communications Group Limited, Central Telecom (Northern) Limited, Centurion GSM Limited, Chelys Limited, City Cable (Holdings) Limited, Cobra do Brasil Servicos de Telematica ltda., Commnet Cellular Inc., Complete Network Technology, Connect (India) Mobile Technologies Private Limited, Cornerstone Telecommunications Infrastructure Limited, Dataroam Limited , Device Insight, Digital Island (UK) Ltd, Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited, East Africa Investment (Mauritius) Limited, Emtel Europe Limited, Energis (Ireland) Limited, Energis Communications Limited, Energis Holdings Limited, Energis Local Access Limited, Energis Management Limited, Energis Squared Limited, Erudite Systems Limited, Esprit Telecom B.V., Eudokia Limited, Euro Pacific Securities Ltd., Eurocall Holdings Limited, Europolitan Holdings AB (now Europolitan Vodafone AB), FB Holdings Limited, FM Associates (UK) Limited, FinCo Partner 1 B.V., FireFly Networks Limited, Flexphone Limited, GS Telecom (Pty) Limited, Gateway Communications Africa (UK) Limited, Gateway Communications Tanzania Limited, General Mobile Corporation, Generation Telecom Limited, Ghana Telecommunications, Ghana Telecommunications Company Limited, Global Cellular Rental Limited, Globe Limited, GrandCentrix GmbH, Grupo Corporativo ONO S.A.U., H3ga Properties (No 3) Pty Limited, HBO Nederland Cooperatief U.A., HBO Netherlands Channels sro, HBO Netherlands Distribution B.V., Hellas Online, How2 Telecom Limited, Hutchison Essar Ltd, Indus Towers Limited, Intercell Communications Limited, Internet Network Services Limited, Invitation Digital Limited, Ipergy Communications NV, Isis Telecommunications Management Limited, Jaguar Communications Limited, Jaykay Finholding (India) Private Limited, Jupicol (Proprietary) Limited, KABELCOM Braunschweig Gesellschaft Fur BreitbandkabelKommunikation Mit Beschrankter Haftung, KABELCOM Wolfsburg Gesellschaft Fur BreitbandkabelKommunikation Mit Beschrankter Haftung, Kabel Deutschland, Kabel Deutschland Holding, Kabel Deutschland Holding Erste Beteiligungs GmbH, Kabel Deutschland Holding Zweite Beteilgungs GmbH, Kabel Deutschland Neunte Beteiligungs GmbH, Kabel Deutschland Siebte Beteiligungs GmbH, Kabelfernsehen Munchen Servicenter GmbH & Co. KG, LG Financing Partnership, LGE HoldCo V B.V., LGE HoldCo VI B.V., LGE HoldCo VIII B.V., LGE Holdco VII B.V., LLC Vodafone Enterprise Ukraine, Le Bunt Holdings Limited, Legend Communications Limited, Liberty Global, Liberty Global Content Netherlands B.V., London Hydraulic Power Company, M-PESA Foundation, M-PESA Holding Co. Limited, ML Integration Group Limited, ML Integration Limited, ML Integration Services Limited, MV Healthcare Services Private Limited, Mannesmann AG, MetroHoldings Limited, Mezzanine Ware Proprietary Limited (RF), Mirambo Limited, Misrfone Trading Company LLC, MobiFon S.A., Mobile Commerce Solutions Limited, Mobile Phone Centre Limited, Mobile Wallet VM1, Mobile Wallet VM2, Mobile by Sainsburys Limited, Mobiles 4 Business.com Limited, Mobileworld Communications Pty Limited, Mobileworld Operating Pty Ltd, Mobilvest, Motifpros 1 (Proprietary) Limited, Multi Risk Indemnity Company Limited, Multi Risk Limited, ND Callus Info Services Private Limited, Nadal Trading Company Private Limited, Nat Comm Air Limited, National Communications Backbone Company Limited, Navtrak Ltd, Netforce Group Limited, Netgrid Telecom SRL, Number Portability Company (Proprietary) Limited, ONO, Omega Telecom Holdings Private Limited, Oni Way Infocomunicacoes S.A, Oskar Mobil S.R.O., Oxygen Solutions Limited, P.C.P. (North West) Limited, PPL Pty Limited, PT Network Services Limited, PTI Telecom Limited, Peoples Phone Limited, Pinnacle Cellular Group Limited, Pinnacle Cellular Limited, Plex Limited, Plustech Mercantile Company Private Limited, Prime Metals Ltd., Project Telecom Holdings Limited, Quickcomm Software Solutions, Radio Opt GmbH, Rian Mobile Limited, SBC SMART CITY 1517 B.V., SMMS Investments Pvt Limited, Safaricom Limited, Safenet N.P A., Sarmady Communications, Scarlet Ibis Investments 23 (Pty) Limited, Scorpios Beverages Pvt. Ltd, Silver Stream Investments Limited, Singlepoint (4U) Limited, Singlepoint (4U) Ltd., Singlepoint Payment Services Limited, Siro Limited, Spar Aerospace (Nigeria) Limited, Sport TV Portugal S.A, Starnet, Stentor Communications Limited, Stentor Limited, Storage Technology Services (Pty) Limited, T.W. Telecom Limited, T3 Telecommunications Limited, TKS Telepost Kabel-Service Kaiserslautern Beteiligungs GmbH, TKS Telepost Kabel-Service Kaiserslautern GmbH & Co. KG, TNAS Limited, TSM NZ Limited, Talkland Airtime Services Limited, Talkland Australia Pty Limited, Talkland Communications Limited, Talkland International Limited, Talkland Midlands Limited, Talkmobile Limited, Tele2 Italia SPA, Tele2 Spain, Telecom Investments India Private Limited, Telecommunications Europe Limited, Ternhill Communications Limited, The Cobra Group, The Eastern Leasing Company Limited, The Old Telecom Sales Co. Limited, Thus Group Holdings Limited, Thus Group Limited, Thus Limited, Thus Profit Sharing Trustees Limited, TnT Expense Management LLC, Tomorrow Street GP S.a r.l., Tomorrow Street SCA, Torenspits II B.V., Townley Communications Limited, Trans Crystal Ltd., UMT Investments Limited, UPC Nederland Holding I B.V., UPC Nederland Holding II B.V., UPC Nederland Holding III B.V., Unified Communications, Uniqueair Limited, Urbana Teleunion Rostock GmbH & Co.KG, Usha Martin Telematics Limited, VAPL No. 2 Pty Limited, VBA (Mauritius) Limited, VBA Holdings Limited, VBA International (SL) Limited, VBA International Limited, VEI S.r.l., VM SA, VND S.p.A, VSSB Vodafone Shared Services Budapest Private Limited Company, Verwaltung Urbana Teleunion Rostock GmbH, Victus Networks S.A., Vizzavi Finance Limited, Vizzavi Limited, Voda Limited, Vodacall Limited, Vodacash s.p.r.l., Vodacom (Pty) Limited, Vodacom Business (Angola) Limitada, Vodacom Business (Ghana) Limited, Vodacom Business (Kenya) Limited, Vodacom Business Africa (Nigeria) Limited, Vodacom Business Africa Group (Pty) Limited, Vodacom Business Africa Group Services Limited, Vodacom Business Cameroon SA, Vodacom Business Cote Divoire S.A.R.L., Vodacom Congo (RDC) SA, Vodacom Financial Services (Proprietary) Limited, Vodacom Group Limited, Vodacom Insurance Administration Company (Proprietary) Limited, Vodacom Insurance Company (RF) Limited, Vodacom International Holdings (Pty) Limited, Vodacom International Limited, Vodacom Lesotho (Pty) Limited, Vodacom Life Assurance Company (RF) Limited, Vodacom Payment Services (Proprietary) Limited, Vodacom Properties No 1 (Proprietary) Limited, Vodacom Properties No.2 (Pty) Limited, Vodacom Tanzania Limited Zanzibar, Vodacom Tanzania Public Limited Company, Vodacom UK Limited, Vodafone (NI) Limited, Vodafone (New Zealand) Hedging Limited, Vodafone (Scotland) Limited, Vodafone 2, Vodafone 4 UK, Vodafone 5 Limited, Vodafone 5 UK, Vodafone 6 UK, Vodafone Albania Sh.A, Vodafone Alternatif Telekom Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Americas 4, Vodafone Americas Virginia Inc., Vodafone And Qatar Foundation L.L.C, Vodafone Asset Management Services S.a r.l., Vodafone Australia Pty Limited, Vodafone Automotive Deutschland GmbH, Vodafone Automotive Electronic Systems S.r.L, Vodafone Automotive France S.A.S, Vodafone Automotive Iberia S.L, Vodafone Automotive Italia S.p.A, Vodafone Automotive Japan K.K, Vodafone Automotive Korea Limited, Vodafone Automotive SpA, Vodafone Automotive Technologies (Beijing) Co Ltd, Vodafone Automotive Telematics Development S.A.S, Vodafone Automotive Telematics S.A, Vodafone Automotive UK Limited, Vodafone Belgium SA/NV, Vodafone Benelux Limited, Vodafone Bilgi Ve Iletisim Hizmetleri AS, Vodafone Business Services Limited, Vodafone Business Solutions Limited, Vodafone Canada Inc, Vodafone Cellular Limited, Vodafone Central Services Limited, Vodafone China Limited (China), Vodafone China Limited (Hong Kong), Vodafone Connect 2 Limited, Vodafone Connect Limited, Vodafone Consolidated Holdings Limited, Vodafone Corporate Limited, Vodafone Corporate Secretaries Limited, Vodafone Czech Republic A.S., Vodafone DC Pension Trustee Company Limited, Vodafone Dagitim Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Data, Vodafone Distribution Holdings Limited, Vodafone Egypt Telecommunications S.A.E., Vodafone Elektronik Para Ve Odeme Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Empresa Brasil Telecomunicacoes Ltda, Vodafone Empresa Mexico S.de R.L. de C.V., Vodafone Enabler Espana S.L., Vodafone Enterprise Australia Pty Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Austria GmbH, Vodafone Enterprise Bahrain W.L.L., Vodafone Enterprise Bulgaria EOOD, Vodafone Enterprise Chile SA, Vodafone Enterprise Communications Technical Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Vodafone Enterprise Corporate Secretaries Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Denmark A/S, Vodafone Enterprise Equipment Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Europe (UK) Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Europe (UK) Limited Czech Branch, Vodafone Enterprise Europe (UK) Limited DubaiI Branch, Vodafone Enterprise Finland OY, Vodafone Enterprise France SAS, Vodafone Enterprise Germany GmbH, Vodafone Enterprise Global Businesses S.a r.l., Vodafone Enterprise Global Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Global Network HK Ltd, Vodafone Enterprise Global Network Pte. Ltd., Vodafone Enterprise Hong Kong Ltd, Vodafone Enterprise Italy S.r.L, Vodafone Enterprise Korea Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Luxembourg S.A., Vodafone Enterprise Netherlands BV, Vodafone Enterprise Norway AS, Vodafone Enterprise Regional Business Singapore Pte.Ltd., Vodafone Enterprise Singapore Pte.Ltd, Vodafone Enterprise Spain S.L.U. Portugal Branch, Vodafone Enterprise Spain SLU, Vodafone Enterprise Sweden AB, Vodafone Enterprise Switzerland AG, Vodafone Erste Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Vodafone Espana S.A.U., Vodafone Euro Hedging Limited, Vodafone Euro Hedging Two, Vodafone Europe B.V., Vodafone Europe UK, Vodafone European Investments, Vodafone European Portal Limited, Vodafone Finance Limited, Vodafone Finance Luxembourg Limited, Vodafone Finance Sweden, Vodafone Finance UK Limited, Vodafone Financial Operations, Vodafone Financial Services B.V., Vodafone Fixed Ltd, Vodafone Foundation, Vodafone Foundation Australia Pty Limited, Vodafone Gestioni S.p.A, Vodafone Ghana Mobile Financial Services Limited, Vodafone Global Content Services Limited, Vodafone Global Enterprise (Hong Kong) Limited, Vodafone Global Enterprise (Italy) S.R.L., Vodafone Global Enterprise (Japan) K.K., Vodafone Global Enterprise (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Vodafone Global Enterprise Limited, Vodafone Global Enterprise Russia LLC, Vodafone Global Enterprise Taiwan Limited, Vodafone Global Enterprise Telecommunications (Hellas) A.E., Vodafone Global Network Limited, Vodafone Global Network Limited Slovakia Branch, Vodafone Global Services Private Limited, Vodafone GmbH, Vodafone Group (Directors) Trustee Limited, Vodafone Group Pension Trustee Limited, Vodafone Group Services GmbH, Vodafone Group Services Ireland Limited, Vodafone Group Services Limited, Vodafone Group Services No.2 Limited, Vodafone Group Share Trustee Limited, Vodafone Hire Limited, Vodafone Holding A.S., Vodafone Holdings (Jersey) Limited, Vodafone Holdings (SA) Proprietary Limited, Vodafone Holdings Europe S.L.U., Vodafone Holdings Luxembourg Limited, Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Limited, Vodafone Hutchison Finance Pty Limited, Vodafone Hutchison Receivables Pty Limited, Vodafone IP Licensing Limited, Vodafone India Digital Limited, Vodafone India Limited, Vodafone India Services Private Limited, Vodafone India Ventures Limited, Vodafone Institut fur Gesellschaft und Kommunikation GmbH, Vodafone Intermediate Enterprises Limited, Vodafone International 1 S.a.r.l. Luxembourg Zweigniederlassung Bern, Vodafone International 1 S.a r.l., Vodafone International 2 Limited, Vodafone International Holdings B.V., Vodafone International Holdings Limited, Vodafone International M S.a r.l., Vodafone International Operations Limited, Vodafone International Services LLC, Vodafone Investment UK, Vodafone Investments (SA) Proprietary Limited, Vodafone Investments Australia Limited, Vodafone Investments Limited, Vodafone Investments Luxembourg S.a r.l., Vodafone Investments Luxembourg S.a r.l. Luxembourg Zweigniederlassung Bern, Vodafone Ireland Distribution Limited, Vodafone Ireland Ltd., Vodafone Ireland Marketing Limited, Vodafone Ireland Property Holdings Limited, Vodafone Ireland Retail Limited, Vodafone Italia S.p.A., Vodafone Jersey Dollar Holdings Limited, Vodafone Jersey Finance, Vodafone Jersey Yen Holdings Unlimited, Vodafone Kabel Deutschland Field Services GmbH, Vodafone Kabel Deutschland GmbH, Vodafone Kabel Deutschland Kundenbetreuung GmbH, Vodafone Kenya Limited, Vodafone Leasing Limited, Vodafone Libertel B.V., Vodafone Limited, Vodafone Luxembourg 5 S.a r.l., Vodafone Luxembourg 5 S.a r.l. Luxembourg Zweigniederlassung Bern, Vodafone Luxembourg S.a r.l., Vodafone Luxembourg S.a r.l. Luxembourg Zweigniederlassung Bern, Vodafone M-PESA SH.P.K., Vodafone M-Pesa S.A, Vodafone M.C. Mobile Services Limited , Vodafone Magyarorszag Mobile Tavkozlesi Zartkoruen Mukodo Reszvenytarsasag, Vodafone Malta Limited, Vodafone Marketing UK , Vodafone Maroc SARL, Vodafone Mauritius Ltd., Vodafone Mobile Commerce Limited, Vodafone Mobile Communications Limited, Vodafone Mobile Enterprises Limited, Vodafone Mobile NZ Limited, Vodafone Mobile Network Limited, Vodafone Mobile Operations Limited, Vodafone Mobile Services Limited, Vodafone Multimedia Limited, Vodafone Nederland Holding I B.V., Vodafone Nederland Holding II B.V., Vodafone Nederland Holding III B.V., Vodafone Net Iletisim Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Network Pty Limited, Vodafone New Zealand Foundation Limited, Vodafone New Zealand Limited, Vodafone Next Generation Services Limited, Vodafone Nominees Limited1, Vodafone ONO S.A.U., Vodafone Oceania Limited, Vodafone Old Show Ground Site Management Limited, Vodafone Overseas Finance Limited, Vodafone Overseas Holdings Limited, Vodafone Panafon International Holdings B.V., Vodafone Panafon UK, Vodafone Partner Services Limited, Vodafone Payment Solutions S.a r.l., Vodafone Portugal Comunicacoes Pessoais S.A., Vodafone Procurement Company S.a r.l., Vodafone Property Investments Limited, Vodafone Pty Limited, Vodafone Qatar Q.S.C., Vodafone Retail (Holdings) Limited , Vodafone Retail Limited, Vodafone Roaming Services S.a r.l., Vodafone Romania S.A, Vodafone Romania M - Payments SRL, Vodafone Romania Technologies SRL, Vodafone Sales & Services Limited, Vodafone Satellite Services Limited, Vodafone Servicios SL.U, Vodafone Servizi E Tecnologie S.R.L, Vodafone Servicos Empresariais Brasil Ltda., Vodafone Shared Services Romania SRL, Vodafone Specialist Communications Limited, Vodafone Stiftung Deutschland Gemeinnutzige GmbH, Vodafone Technology Solutions Limited, Vodafone Teknoloji Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Tele-Services (India) Holdings Limited, Vodafone Telecel-Comunicates Pessoais S.A., Vodafone Telecommunications (India) Limited, Vodafone Telekomunikasyon A.S, Vodafone Towers Limited, Vodafone UK Content Services Limited, Vodafone UK Investments Limited , Vodafone UK Limited1 , Vodafone US Inc, Vodafone Ventures Limited1 , Vodafone Vierte Verwaltungs AG, Vodafone Worldwide Holdings Limited, Vodafone Yen Finance Limited , Vodafone m-pesa Limited, Vodafone-Central Limited Vodaphone Limited, Vodafone-Panafon Hellenic Telecommunications Company S.A., VodafoneZiggo Group Holding B.V, Vodata Limited , Vouchercloud SA (Pty) Ltd, Wataneya Telecommunications S.A.E, Waterberg Lodge (Proprietary) Limited, Wayfinder, Wheatfields Investments 276 (Proprietary) Limited, Wireless Interactions & NFC Accelerator 2013 B.V., Woodend Cellular Limited, Woodend Communications Limited, Woodend Group Limited, Woodend Holdings Limited, XB Facilities B.V, XLink Communications (Proprietary) Limited, Your Communications Group Limited, ZUM B.V., ZYB, Zelitron S.A., Zesko B.V., Ziggo B.V., Ziggo Bond Company B.V., Ziggo Deelnemingen B.V., Ziggo Finance 2 B.V., Ziggo Financing Partnership, Ziggo Holding B.V., Ziggo Netwerk B.V., Ziggo Netwerk II B.V., Ziggo Services B.V., Ziggo Services Employment B.V., Ziggo Services Netwerk 2 B.V., Ziggo Zakelijk Services B.V., and Zoranet Connectivity Services B.V.. Youre late! Oops, you overslept, got caught in traffic, the elevator was slow. Phone lines were down, email was down. You forgot, and youre late, sorry. Or, as in the new book Would You Rather? by Katie Heaney, your understanding was just a bit delayed. Where do you go when youre looking for love? For Katie Heaney, it was, well, pretty much anywhere. Shed always wanted a boyfriend and shed had lots of crushes in her life but she was never meaningfully kissed. At age twenty-one, she went to Madrid for a semester with the hopes of meeting someone, but there were only seven men in the group of a hundred students. In Spain, though, after binge-streaming The L Word and falling for Shane, she began to think that maybe she might be a lesbian. Musing, she messaged her best friend, who let Heaney talk it out and decide that there was a big MAYBE involved. Even so, she never saw herself with a girlfriend. She grew up in the cold of Minnesota, had planned on spending the rest of her life close to home, and moved into an apartment near Minneapolis with her straight best friend but that was too cozy-comfy. Heaney on-and-off flirted with the possibly being gay and she met a woman who was, no question, lesbian, which made her decide to shake herself out of her complacency. She visited New York, and then moved there. Being in The Big Apple was a big deal, but Heaney remained frustratingly dateless. By age twenty-four, everyone she knew had dated and she began blogging about it, she wrote a book, and she noticed that that affected the way men acted toward her. Four years later, her attraction to men was just gone and picturing herself with a woman came pretty easily, which was all it seemed to take: shortly thereafter, Heaney met Lydia online, and her almost-thirty-year dating desert became an oasis. She not only imagined herself with a woman, she was with a woman and nothing felt more right. And now, says Heaney, I am living with the best roommate I have ever had. Sometimes funny, sometimes self-depreciatingly cringe-worthy, Would You Rather? is a refreshing change over the Ive-known-since-I-was-a-child LGBTQ memoirs. Readers may also notice that its a bit overboard. Author Katie Heaney writes of her journey with a charming awkwardness that endears her to any reader whos ever felt as though the different drummer theyre marching to is actually playing the bongos: same beat, different crowd. This book will resonate with all who feel left behind in a world where peers are hooked up solid, and frustration mixes with indecisiveness mixes with self-questioning. Once readers have gotten to the happy not-quite-ending, though, Heaney continues to examine her situation which, while it doesnt completely ruin the books earlier allure, bruises the story somewhat. Still, this book is worthy, if nothing but for its unique coming-out POV. For that, Would You Rather? fits perfectly for memoir-lovers, Heaney fans, and those who bloom late. The following companies are subsidiares of ABB: A88 for Electrical Industries (ABB ARAB) S.A.E., AABB Business Services Sp. z o.o., ABB (China) Investment Limited, ABB (China) Ltd., ABB 0y, ABB A/S, ABB AB, ABB AG, ABB AS, ABB Asea Brown Boveri Ltd, ABB Australia Pty Limited, ABB Automacao Ltda., ABB Automation GmbH, ABB Automation Products GmbH, ABB B.V., ABB Beijing Drive Systems Co. Ltd., ABB Beijing Switchgear Limited, ABB Beteiligungs- und Verwaltungsges. MbH, ABB Bulgaria EOOD, ABB Canada EL Holding GmbH, ABB Capital AG, ABB Electrical Control Systems S. de R.L. de C.V., ABB Electrical Industries Co. Ltd., ABB Electrical Machines Ltd., ABB Electrification Canada ULC, ABB Electrification Norway AS, ABB Elektrik Sanayi A.S., ABB Eletrificacao Ltda., ABB Engineering (Shanghai) Ltd., ABB Engineering Trading and Service Ltd., ABB Finance (USA) Inc., ABB Finance B.V., ABB France, ABB Global Industries and Services Private Limited, ABB Group Investment Management Pty. Ltd., ABB Holding AS, ABB Holdings (Pty) Ltd., ABB Holdings B.V., ABB Holdings Inc., ABB Holdings Limited, ABB Inc., ABB Inc., ABB India Limited, ABB Industrial Solutions (Bielsko-Biala) Sp. z o.o., ABB Industrial Solutions (Klodzko) Sp.z o.o., ABB Industries (L.L.C.), ABB Information Systems Ltd., ABB Installation Products Inc, ABB Installation Products International LLC., ABB Investment Holding 2 GmbH, ABB K.K., ABB Limited, ABB Ltd., ABB Management Services Ltd., ABB Mexico SA. de C.V., ABB Motors and Mechanical Inc, ABB N.V., ABB Norden Holding AB, ABB Pte. Ltd., ABB S.A., ABB S.p.A., ABB SAS, ABB Schweiz AG, ABB Shanghai Free Trade Zone Industrial Co. Ltd., ABB Shanghai Motors Co. Ltd., ABB South Africa (Pty) Ltd., ABB Sp. z o.o., ABB Stotz-Kontakt GmbH, ABB Treasury Center (USA) Inc., ABB Xiamen Low Voltage Equipment Co. Ltd., ABB Xiamen Switchgear Co. Ltd., ABB Xinhui Low Voltage Switchgear Co. Ltd., ABB s.r.o., APS Technology Group, ASTI Mobile Robotics, Asea Brown Boveri S.A., Asea Brown Boveri S.A.E., Asea Brown Boveri SA. de C.V., B + R Industrie-Elektronik GmbH, B&R Holding GmbH, B&R Industrial Automation, B&R Industrial Automation GmbH, Baldor Electric Company, Busch-Jaeger Elektro GmbH, Chargedot, Codian Robotics, Cylon Controls, DynaMotive Ltd., ELBI Elektrik, Edison Holding Corporation, Envitech Energy, Epyon, GE Industrial Solutions, Gomtec, Gresin Grupo Estudios Industriales, Industrial C&S Hungary Kft., Industrial C&S of RR. LLC, Industrial Connections & Solutions LLC, KEYMILE - Business, Kuhlman Electric Corp., Lorentzen & Wettre, Los Gatos Research, Mincom, NUB3D S.L., Newave Energy Holding, Newron System, Power-One, Powercorp, RGM - Rail vehicle power business, SVIA, Spirit IT, Thomas & Betts, Trasfor, Tropos Networks, Validus DC Systems, Vectek Electronics, and Ventyx. 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 contact@marketbeat.com | (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. 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. 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 KB Financial Group, Inc. engages in providing financial services through its subsidiaries. It operates through the following segments: Corporate Banking, Retail Banking, Other Banking Services, Credit Card, Life Insurance, Investment and Securities business. The Corporate Banking business segment provides services such as loans, overdrafts, deposits, credit facilities and other foreign currency activities. The Retail Banking business segment offers services such as private customer current accounts, savings, deposits, consumer loans and mortgage loans. The Other Banking business segment provides services relating to banking business besides corporate banking and retail banking services. The Credit Card business segment offers services such as domestic as well as overseas credit and debit card operations. The Investment and Securities business segment provides services such as investment banking and brokerage. The Life Insurance business segment provides products such as life insurance and wealth management. The company was founded on September 29, 2008 and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. Read More Brookfield Asset Management, Inc. engages in the management of public and private investment products and services for institutional and retail clients. It operates through the following segments: Asset Management, Real Estate, Renewable Power, Infrastructure, Private Equity, Residential Development, and Corporate Activities. The Asset Management segment includes the management of its listed partnerships, private funds and public securities. The Real Estate segment is comprised of the ownership, operation and development of core office, core retail, LP investments and other properties. The Renewable Power segment encompasses the ownership, operation and development of hydroelectric, wind, solar, storage and other power generating facilities. The Infrastructure segment consists of the ownership, operation and development of utilities, transport, energy, data infrastructure and sustainable resource assets. The Private Equity segment refers to the broad range of industries, and is mostly focused on business services, infrastructure services and industrials. The Residential Development segment represents homebuilding, condominium development and land development. The Corporate Activiti Read More Cenovus Energy Inc., together with its subsidiaries, develops, produces, and markets crude oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas in Canada, the United States and the Asia Pacific region. The company operates through Oil Sands, Conventional, and Refining and Marketing segments. The Oil Sands segment develops and produces bitumen in northeast Alberta. Its bitumen assets include Foster Creek, Christina Lake, and Narrows Lake, as well as other projects in the early stages of development. The Conventional segment holds assets primarily located in Elmworth-Wapiti, Kaybob-Edson, and Clearwater operating areas of British Columbia and Alberta, as well as various interests in natural gas processing facilities. The Refining and Marketing segment transports and sells crude oil, natural gas, and NGLs. This segment owns a 50% ownership in Wood River and Borger refineries located in the United States; and owns and operates a crude-by-rail terminal in Alberta. Cenovus Energy Inc. was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Basf: AO Achimgaz, Aachener Chemische Werke Gesellschaft fur glastechtechnische Produkte und Verfahren mbH, Albemarle - Surface-Treatment Chemetall Unit, B.C. Foam - PET foam, BASF (China) Company Ltd., BASF (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., BASF (Thai) Ltd., BASF A/S, BASF AB, BASF AS, BASF Advanced Chemicals Co. Ltd., BASF Agri-Production S.A.S., BASF Agricultural Specialities Limited, BASF Agricultural Specialities S.A.S., BASF Agricultural Specialties Ltd., BASF Agro B.V., BASF Agro Trademarks GmbH, BASF Agrochemical Products B.V., BASF Akquisitions GmbH, BASF Americas Corporation, BASF Antwerpen N.V., BASF Argentina S.A., BASF Asia-Pacific Service Centre Sdn. Bhd., BASF Australia Ltd., BASF Battery Integration B.V., BASF Battery Technology Investment GmbH & Co. KG, BASF Beauty Care Solutions France S.A.S., BASF Belgium Coordination Center Comm. V., BASF Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, BASF Business Services GmbH, BASF California Inc., BASF Canada Inc., BASF Care Chemicals (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., BASF Catalysts (Guilin) Co. Ltd., BASF Catalysts (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., BASF Catalysts Asia B.V., BASF Catalysts Canada B.V., BASF Catalysts Germany GmbH, BASF Catalysts Holding China LLC, BASF Catalysts Holding LLC, BASF Catalysts India Private Ltd., BASF Catalysts LLC, BASF Catalysts UK Holdings Limited, BASF Central Asia LLP, BASF Chemcat (Thailand) Ltd., BASF Chemicals Company Ltd., BASF Chemicals India Pvt. Ltd., BASF Chile S.A., BASF Coatings (Guangdong) Co. Limited, BASF Coatings GmbH, BASF Coatings Services (Pty.) Ltd., BASF Color Solutions Germany GmbH, BASF Colors & Effects GmbH, BASF Colors & Effects Japan Ltd., BASF Colors & Effects Korea Ltd., BASF Colors & Effects Netherlands B.V., BASF Colors & Effects Shanghai Ltd., BASF Colors & Effects Singapore Pte. Ltd., BASF Colors & Effects Switzerland AG, BASF Colors & Effects USA LLC, BASF Company Ltd., BASF Construction Chemicals (China) Co. Ltd., BASF Construction Chemicals (UK) Ltd., BASF Construction Chemicals Algeria SARL, BASF Construction Chemicals Egypt (SAE), BASF Construction Chemicals Espana S.L., BASF Construction Chemicals Europe AG, BASF Construction Chemicals Italia Spa, BASF Construction Chemicals Limitada, BASF Construction Chemicals Peru Sociedad Anonima, BASF Construction Chemicals South Africa (Pty.) Ltd, BASF Construction Chemicals UAE LLC, BASF Construction Solutions GmbH, BASF Corporate Services Chile S.A., BASF Corporation, BASF Crop Protection (JiangSu) Co. Ltd., BASF DOW HPPO Holding B.V., BASF DOW HPPO Production BVBA, BASF East Asia Regional Headquarters Ltd., BASF Educational Trust, BASF Electronic Materials (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., BASF Enzymes LLC, BASF Espanola S.L., BASF FZE, BASF Finance Europe N.V., BASF Finance Malta GmbH, BASF France S.A.S., BASF Gao-Qiao Performance Chemicals (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., BASF Grenzach GmbH, BASF HOCK Mining Chemical (China) Co. Ltd., BASF Handelsund Exportgesellschaft mbH, BASF Health and Care Products France S.A.S., BASF Hellas S.A., BASF Holdings South Africa (Pty.) Ltd., BASF Hong Kong Ltd., BASF Hungaria Kft., BASF IP Licensing GmbH, BASF IP Management C.V., BASF Idemitsu Co. Ltd., BASF India Limited, BASF Interservicios S.A. de C.V., BASF Intertrade (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., BASF Intertrade AG, BASF Intertrade Corporation, BASF Investments Canada Inc., BASF Ireland Ltd., BASF Isocyanate China Investment GmbH, BASF Italia S.p.A., BASF Japan Ltd., BASF Lampertheim GmbH, BASF Leuna, BASF Leuna GmbH, BASF Ludwigshafen Grundbesitz SE & Co. KG, BASF Markor Chemical Manufacturing (Xinjiang) Company Limited, BASF Metal Forwards Ltd., BASF Metals (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., BASF Metals GmbH, BASF Metals Japan Ltd., BASF Metals Ltd., BASF Metals Recycling Ltd., BASF Mexicana S.A. de C.V., BASF Nederland B.V., BASF New Business GmbH, BASF New Zealand Ltd., BASF Niedersachsische Grundbesitz GmbH, BASF Operations B.V., BASF Orgamol Pharma Solutions France, BASF Osterreich GmbH, BASF Oy, BASF PETRONAS Chemicals Sdn. Bhd., BASF Pakistan (Pvt.) Limited, BASF Panama S.A., BASF Paper Chemicals (Huizhou) Co. Ltd., BASF Paper Chemicals (Jiangsu) Co. Ltd., BASF Performance Polymers GmbH, BASF Performance Products France S.A.S., BASF Performance Products GmbH, BASF Performance Products Ltd., BASF Personal Care and Nutrition GmbH, BASF Peruana S.A., BASF Pharma (Callanish) Ltd., BASF Pharma Belgium N.V., BASF Pigment GmbH, BASF Pipeline Holdings LLC, BASF Plant Science Company GmbH, BASF Plant Science GmbH, BASF Plant Science LP, BASF Plastic Additives Middle East S.P.C., BASF Poliuretanos Ltda., BASF Polska Sp. z o.o., BASF Polyurethane Specialties (China) Co. Ltd., BASF Polyurethanes (China) Co. Ltd., BASF Polyurethanes (Chongqing) Co. Ltd., BASF Polyurethanes (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., BASF Polyurethanes GmbH, BASF Portuguesa S.A., BASF Properties Inc., BASF Qingdao Pigments Co. Ltd., BASF Qtech (Canada) Inc., BASF Qtech Inc., BASF Quimica Colombiana S.A., BASF S.A., BASF Schwarzheide GmbH, BASF Schweiz AG, BASF Services (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., BASF Services Americas S.R.L., BASF Services Europe GmbH, BASF Shanghai Coatings Co. Ltd., BASF Slovensko spol s.r.o., BASF South Africa (Pty.) Ltd., BASF South East Asia Pte. Ltd., BASF Specialty Chemicals (Nanjing) Co. Ltd., BASF Stavebni hmoty Ceska republika s.r.o, BASF T.O.V. LLC, BASF TODA Battery Materials LLC, BASF TOTAL Petrochemicals LLC, BASF Taiwan B.V., BASF Taiwan Ltd., BASF Trostberger Grundbesitz GmbH, BASF Tuerk Kimya Sanayi ve Ticaret Ltd. Sti., BASF UK Finance LLC, BASF UK Holdings Ltd., BASF US Verwaltung GmbH, BASF USA Holding LLC, BASF Uruguaya S.A., BASF Vietnam Co. Ltd., BASF Vitamins Company Ltd., BASF Wohnen + Bauen GmbH, BASF Wolman GmbH, BASF de Costa Rica S.A., BASF de Mexico S.A. de C.V., BASF plc, BASF spol s.r.o., BASF watertechnologies GmbH & Co. KG, BASFIN Corporation, BTC Europe GmbH, BU International Holding Company Ltd., Becker Underwood, Becker Underwood (UK) Limited, Becker Underwood UK Inc., CerTho Produktions GmbH, Chemetall, Chemetall (Australasia) Pty. Ltd., Chemetall (Proprietary) Ltd., Chemetall (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Chemetall AB, Chemetall Asia Pte. Ltd., Chemetall B.V., Chemetall Canada Limited, Chemetall GmbH, Chemetall Hong Kong Ltd., Chemetall Hungaria Vegyianyagokat Forgalmazo Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Chemetall India Company Ltd., Chemetall India Private Ltd., Chemetall Italia S.r.l., Chemetall Ltd., Chemetall Mexicana S.A. de C.V., Chemetall New Zealand Ltd., Chemetall Philippines Co. Ltd. Inc., Chemetall Polska Sp. z o.o., Chemetall S.A. Unipersonal, Chemetall S.A.S., Chemetall S.R.L., Chemetall Sanayi Kimyasallari Ticaret ve Sanayi A.S., Chemetall Surface Treatment Holding Co. Ltd., Chemetall U.S. Inc., Chemetall do Brasil Ltda., Chemical Insurance Company Ltd., Ciba (Australia) Pty. Ltd., Ciba Holding, Ciba Specialty Chemicals Eurofinance Ltd., Ciba Specialty Chemicals Finance Luxembourg S.A., Ciba Specialty Chemicals Water Treatments Ltd., Ciba UK Investment Ltd., Cognis, Cognis B.V., Cognis Holding GmbH, Cognis IP Management GmbH, Cognis International GmbH, Cognis S.A., Cognis USA LLC, Construction Research & Technology GmbH, CropDesign, E & A Internationale Explorationsund Produktions GmbH, EnerG2, Engelhard Asia-Pacific LLC, Engelhard China Ltd., Engelhard Corporation, Equateq, Esuco Beheer B.V., Grunau Illertissen GmbH, Guano-Werke GmbH & Co. KG, Guilin Reecat Environment Industry Co, HPPO Holding and Finance C.V., Hi Con China, Huntsman - TDI, Hydro Coatings Group, ITWC Inc., Imperarva S.A. de C.V., Inge Watertechnologies, Innofil3D, Isobionics, Johnson Polymer, KENDELL S.r.l., KOLON BASF innoPOM Inc., Knight Chimiques de Specialite S.A.S., Lanxess - SAN, Lumerica Insurance Company, MicroBio Canada Limited, NOF (Thailand) Ltd., Nanjing Chemetall Surface Technologies Co. Ltd., Novolyte Technologies, OOO BASF, OOO BASF Stroitelnye Sistemy, OOO BASF Wostok, OOO Chemetall, OPAL Gastransport GmbH & Co. KG, Ovonic Battery Company, Ovonic Battery Company Inc., P.T. BASF Care Chemicals Indonesia, P.T. BASF Indonesia, PCI Augsburg GmbH, PCI Bauprodukte AG, PEMEAS GmbH, PT BASF Distribution Indonesia, Pinturas Thermicas del Norte S.A. de C.V., Polymer Chemical Company B.V., ProCat Testing Holdings Inc., ProCat Testing LLC, Pronova BioPharma Norge AS, Rhenania Coatings - coil coating, Rockwood Specialties Group GmbH, Rolic Technologies, Rolic Technologies Ltd., SOREX, Saudi BASF for Building Materials Co. Ltd., Sculpteo, Shanghai BASF Polyurethane Company Ltd., Shanghai Chemetall Chemicals Co. Ltd., Societe Fonciere et Industrielle S.A.S., Solvay - Polyamides Business, Sorex Holdings, Sorex Holdings Ltd., Sorex Limited, THERMOTEK, TRADEWINDS Chemicals Corporation, Taiwan Sheen Soon Co, Toray BASF PBT Resin Sdn. Bhd., Untertage-Speicher-Gesellschaft MbH, W & G Transport Holding GmbH, WIGA Transport Beteiligungs- GmbH & Co. KG, Watson Bowman Acme Corp., Wintershall Energia S.A., Wintershall Group, Wintershall Holding GmbH, Wintershall Middle East GmbH, Wintershall Nederland B.V., Wintershall Nederland Transport and Trading B.V., Wintershall Norge AS, Wintershall Oil AG, Wintershall Petroleum (E&P) B.V., Wintershall Vermogensverwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Yasar BASF Automotive Coatings Company, ZAO Gazprom YRGM Trading, Zandvliet Power N.V., ZedX Inc., bcd Rohstoffe fuer Bauchemie HandelsGmbH, hte, hte GmbH, and inge GmbH. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. is an insurance and financial services company. The company provides life insurance, group and employee benefits, automobile and homeowners insurance and business insurance, as well as investment products, annuities, mutual funds, and college savings plans. It operates through the following segments: Commercial Lines, Personal Lines, Property & Casualty Other Operations, Group Benefits and Hartford Funds. The Commercial Lines segment provides workers compensation, property, automobile, liability and umbrella coverage under several different products, primarily throughout the U.S., within its standard commercial lines, which consists of The Hartford's small commercial and middle market lines of business. The Personal Lines segment includes automobile, homeowners and home-based business coverage to individuals across the U.S. The Property & Casualty Other Operations segment includes certain property and casualty operations, currently managed by the company, that have discontinued writing new business and substantially all of the company's asbestos and environmental exposures. The Group Benefits segment offers group life, accident and disabi Read More NTT DOCOMO, INC., a telecommunications company, provides various mobile services in Japan and internationally. It operates through three segments: Telecommunications Business, Smart Life Business, and Other Businesses. The company offers iPhone, iPad, smartphone, tablet, and feature phone products and services under the docomo name, as well as d POINT CLUB, a point program. It also provides technical and operational services to mobile operators and other companies. In addition, the company offers LTE, FOMA, and FOMA high-speed services; docomo Wi-Fi services; VoLTE voice call services; docomo Hikari, an optical Internet service; and docomo Shop services. Further, it provides optical-fiber broadband, satellite mobile communications, and international services; distributes video, music, and electronic books, etc.; and offers finance/payment services, online shopping service, other life-related services, etc. Additionally, the company engages in the mobile device protection service, commissioned development/sale, system maintenance businesses, etc. As of March 31, 2019, it had 78.45 million cellular subscriptions; and 70.15 million d POINT CLUB memberships. NTT DOCOMO, INC. has collaboration with Tohoku University to research on an artificial-intelligence technology to detect periodontal disease by photographing a person's gums with a smartphone. It also has a mobile payment alliance agreement with Merpay, Inc., LINE Pay Corporation, and KDDI Corporation for merchant stores. The company was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. NTT DOCOMO, INC. is a subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation. Read More CMC Markets plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides online retail financial services to retail, professional, stockbroking, and institutional clients in Australia, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company provides its clients with the ability to trade contracts for difference and financial spread betting on a range of underlying shares, indices, foreign currencies, commodities, and treasuries through its trading platform. It also offers Australian clients the opportunity to trade Australian and selected international instruments, including shares, options, managed funds, warrants, and exchange traded funds. In addition, the company provides its clients a range of education opportunities through weekly and monthly webinars and seminars, as well as Trader Development programme, which provides a range of in-platform, on-demand education, and tailored market commentary. CMC Markets plc was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Read More The 2018 Atlantic racing season has yet to produce a two-year-old filly that can touch Magical Mistress as she remained unbeaten Saturday, Sept. 29 at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park. Adam Merner was in the bike for the victory, the ninth of her undefeated career, for trainer Stephen Gass and owner Barry Martin of Sydney, N.S. The two-year-old daughter of Camystic was on top at every call in her $11,000 Lady Slipper gold division on her way to a 1:57.1 victory by over four lengths. Second went to Therealdeal while Howmac Sabrina was third. Woodmere Tango claimed the other two-year-old pacing filly $11,000 Lady Slipper gold division in 1:59.1 over Elm Grove Nellie and Miss Dynamite D. Clare MacDonald trains and drives Woodmere Tango for owner Morah Kerr of Greenfield, N.S. A pair of $7,000 Lady Slipper grassroots divisions for two-year-old pacing fillies were also contested. You Aint Dolly won her split in 2:00.4, while Clare Hall Hanover won her division in 2:00.2. The Saturday program also featured the two-year-old pacing colts in the Joe OBrien Memorial. The first $9,000 OBrien gold division went to Purple Poet in 1:59.1 for trainer Robert Phillips and owner Kevin Harvey of Hammonds Plains, N.S. with Barrieau driving. The two-year-old son of Stonebridge Terror utilized a pocket ride on his way to a 1:59.1 win over Dusty Lane Cortez and Southfield Sandy. Thisishowwedoit won the second $9,000 OBrien Gold split in 1:59.1 for trainer-driver Danny Romo and owners Kevin Dorey of Middle Sackville and Robert Sumarah of Halifax, N.S. Race-favourite Red Dirt Boomer finished second while Woodmere Bolt had to settle for third. In OBrien grassroots action, A Grand Terror broke his maiden in his $6,000 division for two-year-old pacing colts with trainer Barrieau in the bike for the 1:59.2 score. The other $6,000 split saw Mall Peen Hammer visit the winners circle after stopping the clock in 1:59.2 for driver Kenny Arsenault and trainer Sean Dooley. (Red Shores Charlottetown) To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Charlottetown Driving Park. The harness racing community in Cape Breton celebrated 120 years of Standardbreds at Northside Downs in North Sydney, Nova Scotia with a special card on Saturday (Sept. 29). First holding races on July 31, 1898, the track was originally known as the North Sydney Trotting Park according to documents recently unearthed by local participant Diane Collins. Charlie Ballard owned the track from 1930-1950. Theres a couple of stories with that, Collins told the Cape Breton Post. Some say he bequeathed the track to the farmers, to the exhibition with the understanding it would always be a racetrack. The other story is he sold it for a dollar. I dont know which one to be true. One stipulation remains common between the stories: that the land remained as a racetrack. Collins noted that surnames the likes of Ratchford, Peck, Rankin have been fixtures at the track since opening in the late 19th century. Those names are synonymous with harness racing across the country and the continent. There were and are a lot of good horsemen to come out of North Sydney and surrounding areas that went on to make their own name for themselves but never forgot that Northside Downs is where it all started, continued Collins. Stealing the spotlight on the Saturday card was horseman Kevin Bailey, managing to win one-third of the afternoon's races including the Northside Downs' 120th Anniversary Pace with pacing mare Im A Sumbunnie. Bailey left sharply with Im A Sumbunnie from post four to position his contender behind public choice Burn Em Up Burr (Gerard Kennedy), whose rail spot allowed for the shortest path to the lead. Burn Em Up Burr carved out fractions of :28.1, :58.3 and 1:29 before feeling the pressure of Eastview Dexter (Mark Pezzarello) around the final turn. Bailey found a seam up the inside for Im A Sumbunnie and left-lined his mare for a stretch drive rally. The horses were three across at the wire but Im A Sumbunnie made it there first, a half length ahead of Eastview Dexter and Burn Em Up Burr respectively with the mile timed in 2:00.4. Bailey trains and owns seven-year-old Im A Sumbunnie (Western Paradise - Cams Newsmaker), now a winner of 18 races over her career with purses totalling $18,650. The win with Im A Sumbunnie bookended the Bailey training hat-trick, as Wildcat Jet connected in race four for catch-driver Kennedy and The Good Wife capped the three-win day for Bailey in race seven. One of the oldest invitational races in Cape Breton is the J.A. Ferguson Memorial, a race in honour of the forefather of harness racing Cape Breton and a fixture at Northside since 2007. Fittingly, a horse that's made a name for visiting the winner's circle at Northside captured the 2018 edition of the race in dramatic fashion. Southwind Ricardo (Ryan Campbell) did all the work on the front end through fractions of :28.3, :58.3 and 1:29.1 before the field of six started to bunch up around the final turn. Charlottes Style (Barry Bates) was challenging first-up, Keep A Secret (Roddy Hurley) was three-wide and Surrealist -- who was sixth and last at the half -- was sent four-wide turning for home by Paul Langille. Keep A Secret took the lead in mid-stretch but Surrealist was just hitting his best stride. A photo was called as those two pacers hit the line together in a time of 2:00.2 with Surrealist getting his nose on the wire first. Surrealist (#1) gets up to nose out Keep A Secret (#2) Surrealist (#1) gets up to nose out Keep A Secret (#2) Still one of the top horses in Cape Breton at the age of 12, Surrealist (Modern Art - Keeping Secrets) how sports eight wins on the season and 78 lifetime along with nearly $300,000 in purses for trainer-owner Dana Getto of New Waterford, N.S. For the charted lines from the Saturday card at Northside, click the following link: Saturday Results - Northside Downs. Edgewell Personal Care Company is a manufacturer and marketer of personal care products in the wet shave, sun and skin care, feminine care and infant care categories. As of September 30, 2016, the Company had a portfolio of over 25 brands. It manages its business in four segments: Wet Shave, Sun and Skin Care, Feminine Care and All Other. Its Wet shave products are sold under the Schick, Wilkinson Sword, Edge, Skintimate, Shave Guard and Personna brand names. Its Sun and Skin Care products are sold under the Banana Boat, Hawaiian Tropic, Wet Ones and Playtex brand names and offers Wet Ones, portable hand wipes category, and Playtex household gloves, the branded household glove in the United States. Its Feminine Care segment markets its products under the Playtex, Stayfree, Carefree and o.b. brands and markets pads and liners. Its All Other segment includes infant care, pet care and miscellaneous other products. Read More There is not enough analysis data for Gramercy Property Trust. 4.3 Community Rank Outperform Votes Gramercy Property Trust has received 269 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes Gramercy Property Trust has received 147 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment Gramercy Property Trust has received 64.66% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Gramercy Property Trust and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe GPT will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe GPT will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next Toyota Motor Corp. engages in the manufacture and sale of motor vehicles and parts. It operates through the following segments: Automotive, Financial Services, and All Other. The Automotive segment designs, manufactures, assembles and sells passenger cars, minivans, trucks, and related vehicle parts and accessories. It is also involved in the development of intelligent transport systems. The Financial Services segment offers purchase or lease financing to Toyota vehicle dealers and customers. It also provides retail leasing through lease contracts purchase by dealers. The All Others segment deals with the design and manufacture and sale of housing, telecommunications and other businesses. The company was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda on August 28, 1937 and is headquartered in Toyota, Japan. Read More Trainer Jimmy Takter swept the top three spots when he piloted Tactical Landing to a 1:51.1 lifetime best ahead of stablemates Zephyr Kronos and Wolfgang in the second of two divisions of the $242,000 Explosive Matter Bluegrass Three-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Trot, sponsored by the Explosive Matter Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms, at The Red Mile on Sunday (Sept. 30). Zephyr Kronos swept to the front ahead of Wolfgang, another stablemate, in the pocket. Jimmy Takter placed Tactical Landing wide in fourth through the first quarter in :28.4 before gradually advancing towards the lead. Following a :56.2 half, Tactical Landing gained separation. Tactical Landing held a 2-1/2 length lead while Muscle M Up attempted to gain position first-over. By three-quarters in 1:24.2, Tactical Landing spun into the stretch while Zephyr Kronos cut his deficit from second well ahead of Wolfgang battling for third. Patent Leather, from last, rallied through the centre of the track to take fourth. An $800,000 yearling purchase at the 2016 Lexington Select Sale, Tactical Landing, a colt by Muscle Hill out of the Varenne mare Southwind Serena, won his fifth race from nine starts this season and of 11 overall, earning $313,600 for The Tactical Landing Stable. He paid $3.60 to win. Sent the 1-2 favourite, Mets Hall delivered a wire-to-wire 1:51.2 performance in the first division of the Bluegrass colt trot. Andy Miller put the Julie Miller-trained Cantab Hall colt on the point as Evaluate secured the pocket from post 1. Mets Hall trotted to the quarter in :28.2 and faced no pressure to the half, timed in :56.1. Maxus, positioned fourth, moved first-over heading into the final turn tracked by Shoshie Deo second-over. Mets Hall maintained a length lead past three-quarters in 1:25.1 and initiated a sprint into the stretch. Maxus lost stride, leaving Evaluate to chase from the pocket two lengths away at the wire along with Fashionwoodchopper in third. Shoshie Deo took fourth. Earning $964,754, Mets Hall won his fourth race from nine starts this season and his ninth from 20 overall. The $3.00 winner races for Stroy Inc. and the Andy Miller Stable Inc. Four Straight For Phaetosive In Bluegrass Filly Trot The Trond Smedshammer-trained Explosive Matter filly Phaetosive won her fourth consecutive race and her seventh from nine starts this season when she cruised to a 1:51.3 victory in the third of three divisions of the $206,000 Cantab Hall Bluegrass Three-Year-Old Filly Trot, sponsored by Hanover Shoe Farms and Brittany Farms. What A Knockout led early as Lily Stride, from post 1, inherited the pocket and Phaetosive floated into third. Past the first quarter in :28.4, What A Knockout trotted unchallenged to a :56.1 half while Seviyorum, racing second from last, tipped off the rail and began an uncovered bid. Smedshammer flushed first-over with Phaetosive heading into the final turn and swiftly overtook What A Knockout past three-quarters in 1:24.1. Phaetosive kept to task through the stretch, as Lily Stride finagled out of the pocket to snag second from Seviyorum in third. Piranha Fury, off a rail trip, closed for fourth. Surpassing $800,000 in career earnings, Phaetosive, competing for the Purple Haze Stables LLC, collected her 11th victory in the 16th start of her career. Sent the 1-9 favourite, she paid $2.10 to win. Odds-on favourite Supergirl Riley circled to the top past the half and kicked to a 3-3/4 length victory in the first split of the Bluegrass filly trot, winning in 1:52.2. The Erv Miller-trained daughter of Muscle Mass pushed for the lead early before yielding to Urban Legend toward the centre of the track. By the first quarter in :28, Marcus Miller pulled Supergirl Riley from the pocket to cleared control before a :56 half. Live Laugh Love, positioned fifth, tipped first-over and rushed towards the pacesetter around the final turn. Supergirl Riley maintained a half-length lead past three-quarters in 1:24.3 and sped into the stretch, expanding her margin to 2-1/2 lengths with Live Laugh Love chasing in second. Fury Road, who edged off the rail and into the second-over spot around the final turn, trotted another two lengths back in third, with Passionate Miss closing from the back for fourth. Owned by Paymaq Racing, George Golemes and Harvey Eisman, Supergirl Riley won her fifth race in 14 starts this season and her ninth from 23 overall, collecting $375,763 in earnings. She returned $3.80 to win. Andy McCarthy launched Chuck Sylvester trainee Hey Blondie from off cover to take the second Bluegrass split in 1:51.1. S M S Princess cleared control from post 7 with Top Expectations, from post 1, sitting the pocket. Hey Blondie sat fifth past the quarter in :28 and stayed in position as S M S Princess quickened to the half in :55.2. Nixie Volo, from third, angled first-over rounding the final turn with Bella Glos second-over and Hey Blondie in behind. S M S Princess held onto a half-length lead by three-quarters in 1:23.4 and braced for the backfield blitz into the stretch. Bella Glos fanned off cover and surged to the front under pursuit of Hey Blondie and Pat Matters kicking wide from fourth-over. Hey Blondie overpowered Bella Glos late in the stretch and surged to a three-quarter length victory, with Pat Matters finishing two lengths behind in third and Top Expectations holding fourth. Winning her third race from 11 starts this season and her eighth from 24 overall, Hey Blondie, by Cantab Hall, has accrued $473,935 in earnings for owners Steve Jones, Mary Kinsey Arnold, Paul Borgogna and David McDuffee. She paid $8.20 to win. Grand Circuit action continues at The Red Mile on Thursday (Oct. 4) with divisions of the $350,000 (est.) International Stallion Stakes for two-year-old trotting colts and geldings. First post Thursday is 1:00 p.m. (EDT). (The Red Mile) Valley National Bancorp is a bank holding company, which engages in the provision of retail and commercial banking services. It operates through the following segments: Consumer Lending; Commercial Lending; Investment Management; and Corporate and Other Adjustments. The Consumer Lending segment consists of residential mortgage loans, automobile loans and home equity loans, as well as wealth management and insurance services. The Commercial Lending segment includes the floating rate and adjustable rate commercial and industrial loans as well as fixed rate owner occupied and commercial real estate loans. The Investment Management segment refers to investments in various types of securities and interest-bearing deposits with other banks. The Corporate and Other Adjustments segment represents the income and expense items not directly attributable to a specific segment. The company was founded on November 12, 1982 and is headquartered in New York, NY. Read More Like many teams, the Buffalo Bills like to put out sponsored travel graphics on social media. That went quite wrong for them last week, with their graphic putting them in Wisconsin instead of Minnesota, and that led to plenty of mockery. Well, the Bills social media team made up for it this week now that theyre actually heading to Wisconsin to play the Green Bay Packers Sunday, delivering a graphic that had them first going to Minnesota, then backtracking to Wisconsin in the shape of a W: We think we got it right this time. Your Bills have landed in Green Bay, Wisconsin. pic.twitter.com/hI1fm3ub0P Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) September 29, 2018 Well played, Bills, well played. Although, last week saw them pull off a 27-6 upset of the Vikings despite being a 17-point underdog, the biggest upset since 1995. So maybe erroneous travel graphics are the secret to victory? [Buffalo Bills on Twitter] This page may be updated if the event is repeated Past Event - Saturday, October 16, 2021 This page may be updated if the event is repeated Dayton's Party of Parties, Masquerage is back! Daytons Masquerage is a biennial event which raises money for the life-saving working of Equitas Health (formerly AIDS Resource Center Ohio). Since Masquerages inception in 2002, this Party of Parties for a Cause has has helped raise awareness and now more than $1,250,000. This years event represents one of the largest public opportunities to raise awareness and critical funds for HIV/AIDS medical care and treatment, HIV prevention (which includes PrEP), and a variety of other services like primary care, behavioral health counseling, and dental care one of the highest unmet needs for those living with HIV. North Korea will not disarm without trust in US There has been little progress since the landmark summit between the leaders of the two nations. AFP, United Nations : North Korea's foreign minister on Saturday told the United Nations there was "no way" that his country would disarm first as long as the United States continued to push for tough enforcement of sanctions against Pyongyang. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Ri Yong Ho accused Washington of creating a deadlock in talks on denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. "The recent deadlock is because the US relies on coercive measures which are lethal to trust-building," Ri told the assembly. "Without any trust in the US, there will be no confidence in our national security and under such circumstances, there is no way we will unilaterally disarm ourselves first." The United States is insisting on a "denuclearization-first" policy that "increases the level of pressure by sanctions to achieve their purpose in a coercive manner," said the foreign minister. "The perception that sanctions can bring us on our knees is a pipe dream of the people who are ignorant about us." Led by the United States, the UN Security Council adopted three sanctions resolutions last year aimed at depriving North Korea of revenue for its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. A landmark summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June led to a warming of ties and a halt in Pyongyang's missile launches, but there has been little concrete progress since. While in New York, Ri met with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who agreed to return to Pyongyang next month to discuss US demands that the North scrap its weapons programs. Pompeo will also try to arrange a second summit between Trump and Kim, whose June meeting in Singapore was the first ever between sitting leaders of the long-time enemy states. The North Korean foreign minister told the UN assembly that his government had stopped nuclear and missile tests, dismantled a nuclear test site and continued to make efforts to build trust. "However we do not see any corresponding response from the US," he said North Korea's complaints have gotten a sympathetic ear from Russia and China, which this week called for an easing of sanctions to encourage Pyongyang to make concessions. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the "positive developments" in relations between North and South Korea-combined with warmer US-North Korean ties-should lead to sanctions relief. The United States however has pushed for full enforcement of the tough measures that include a cap on oil and fuel deliveries, a ban on exports of North Korea's raw commodities and an end to contracts for its workers abroad. China is Pyongyang's top trading partner, while Russia has welcomed tens of thousands of North Korean laborers that provide a vital source of hard currency. Human rights groups say the laborers often work in slave-like conditions. The United States is also hearing calls for step-by-step sanctions relief from ally South Korea, whose left-leaning President Moon Jae-in helped arrange Trump's diplomatic drive. This has been made possible with Apples latest operating system for the iPhone, iOS 12. Gone are the days when if you had an iPhone and were using Apple CarPlay in your car, you had to solely depend upon Apple Maps for navigation. With the latest iOS update, users can now use Google Maps with Apple CarPlay. This has been made possible with Apples latest operating system for the iPhone, iOS 12. After having updated to the latest iOS, users will also have to update their Google Maps to version 5.0 or higher to use it with Apple CarPlay. Users will still not be able to use Siri to give voice commands to the navigation software, but Google provides their own voice assistant to do the job for you. The voice assistant can be summoned by just a touch of the screen, still better than having to look at the screen while driving. The updated iOS not only supports Google Maps, but also opens the route for other third-party navigation software, like Waze, to be compatible with Apple CarPlay. While Google has gone ahead and already updated their application to be compatible with CarPlay, Waze is still in the process. In recent years, almost all manufacturers have integrated Apple CarPlay in their infotainment systems. There are only a few manufacturers in India, like Mahindra, that do not offer Apple CarPlay in their cars. Check out: Cars Worth Skipping Diwali Purchase For; Harrier, Civic, Kicks & More Disclaimer: This article has not been edited by Deccan Chronicle and is taken from a syndicated feed. Photos: CarDekho. Burger Singh has raised two rounds of pre-seed funding and was listed in Top 50 Hot Start-ups in 2017. (Photo: Youtube) Burger Singh, the largest chain of homegrown Indian flavour burgers in the QSR category, today announced its plans to open up investment in forty franchises for shop owners across the country. The investment model, also known as franchise-owned-company-operated, is hassle-free and offers guaranteed returns for shop owners with just shop-set-up investment. The brand, growing at 600% YoY with the robust presence in West and North India with twenty outlets and counting, is inviting these franchises as part of its aggressive expansion strategy. Kabir Jeet Singh CEO & Co-founder of Burger Singh, said, We are looking to target shop owners only right now. The idea fits our vision to make Burger Singh synonymous with QSR globally. Having established a strong foothold in the Northern and Western region of the country, the franchise model makes sense to expand the business further. It is a win-win for all involved since we get the space, and the shop owners get guaranteed returns on their investment. Along with the benefits to shop owners, Burger Singh will ensure highest quality and standards are met and maintained in all upcoming franchises. Our customers are the top priority and there are no compromises there, Singh added. The requirements for the shops are no frills. Since inception in November 2014, Burger Singh has raised two rounds of pre-seed funding and was listed in Top 50 Hot Start-ups in 2017. About Burger Singh Burger Singh is the largest chain of homegrown Indian flavour burgers in the QSR category in India. Launched in November 2014 by Kabir Jeet Singh & Nitin Rana, the company already has a strong & established presence in West & North India with 23 outlets and 2 outlets in London. Known for Indianizing a typical western flavour, Burger Singh specialities include the vegetarian Keema Pao, the Pao Bhaji Burger, the Malabar Express Chicken Burger & Channa Burger for the vegetarians, the Jaatputt Chicken Burger, the Amritsari Murgh Makhani Burger, the Udta Punjab Burger, the Bunty Pappeh Da Aloo Burger and the United States of Punjab Burgers in both vegetarian & non-vegetarian options, amongst others. The company is headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana. The Founders vision is to establish Burger Singh as the new face of QSR globally. Popularly known as the Singh of Burger Singh, Kabir aims to drive Burger Singhs international expansion by taking the true tastes of Indian burgers to food aficionados the world over. The company has already raised over $1 Million in two rounds of pre-seed funding from both strategic & angel investors. Disclaimer: This article has not been edited by Deccan Chronicle and is taken from a syndicated feed. Photos: NewsVoir. Nana Patekar had earlier denied Tanushree Duttas claims of sexual assault by saying it wasnt possible as there were many people on set. Mumbai: Actor Tanushree Dutta on Saturday said that she is yet to receive any communication from "bluffmaster gogo", a day after the latter's lawyer said a legal notice would be filed against Tanushree on the allegations levelled against Patekar by her. Speaking to the media, Tanushree said that in the wake of the developments, she is putting together a "team of lawyers and advocates" to defend herself. "Contrary to claims made by Nana's lawyer I have not received any legal notice. So bluffmaster gogo needs to step up his game a bit here. Instead of making empty threats to intimidate me into silence, send me a legal notice and then you will see what I will do with it!!" Tanushree said. This comes a day after Patekar's lawyer, Rajendra Shikodkar, told ANI that a legal notice to the actor would be sent on the grounds of her "false allegations". Furthermore, Patekar's lawyer said the notice would be sent to extract an apology from Dutta on account of the claims made by her. Keeping her fight alive against the veteran actor, Tanushree said "bankrupt and corrupt lawyers and advocates" were defending "serial harassers and offenders" in order to attain few seconds of fame. "Despite witnesses coming forward and all evidence in my support, I'm being subjected to criminal intimidation and harassment by Nana's helper. I'm sure this guy has many skeletons in his closet too as birds of a feather always flock together," said Dutta. Continuing her tirade, she said Nana's lawyer was one of those who "make a mockery of not only our judiciary but also our esteemed constitution by trying to disrupt a person's freedom of speech by such threats." In the wake of this, Dutta also issued a request to the Bar Association of India in order to call out Patekar's lawyer and take action against him and other such people "who help perpetrators further harass their victims and witnesses in the name of the law." Dutta, on September 26, had alleged that Patekar misbehaved with her on the sets of the 2006 film 'Horn Ok Pleassss. She said that Patekar harassed her while shooting for a special dance number in the movie, and also accused dance choreographer Ganesh Acharya of teaming up against her. The 'Aashiq Banaya Aapne' actor further alleged that she and her family were attacked after she refused to perform the intimate step. Actor Ravi Teja, who is known for taking up commercial roles with mass appeal, has given his nod to a scientific thriller for the very first time. The film will be produced by Ram Talluri and directed by V.I. Anand, who has made a couple of supernatural and sci-fi films in the past. A source reveals that the script is based on a real incident, with a fictional twist. Ravi Teja is excited about the project and is waiting to start shooting for it, the source adds. The actor is currently working on director Srinu Vaitlas Amar Akbar Anthony. He is expected to wrap it up soon and then begin work on his science-fiction project. The film will have Ravi romancing three female leads, and Nabha Natesh has been finalised to play one of them. The two other female leads are expected to be announced soon. Women exposed to secondhand smoke as children may be more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than people who didnt breathe cigarette fumes growing up, a French study suggests. Rheumatoid arthritis is an immune system disorder that causes debilitating swelling and pain in the joints. Its less common than osteoarthritis, which happens when cartilage on the ends of bones wears down over time. Smoking has long been linked to an increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis. But the new study suggests that secondhand smoke may also increase this risk. Altogether, the study involved 71,248 women, including 371 who eventually developed rheumatoid arthritis. Current and former smokers who were not exposed to smoke as children were 38 percent more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than those who had never smoked. When current or former smokers were also exposed to secondhand smoke during childhood, they were 67 percent more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis. Among women who never smoked at all, exposure to secondhand smoke during childhood was associated with a 43 percent higher risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis compared with no secondhand smoke exposure growing up, although this difference was not statistically significant, meaning it was too small to rule out the possibility it was due to chance. In adults exposed to active smoking, the mechanism leading to rheumatoid arthritis onset is quite well understood, said study co-author Dr. Marie-Christine Boutron-Ruault of the INSERM epidemiology and population health research center at Paris-Sud University in Villejuif, France. Rheumatoid arthritis happens when the immune system thats supposed to attack invaders like bacteria and viruses mistakenly attacks healthy cells. In adult smokers, changes in some proteins in the air cells of the lungs are thought to trigger this autoimmune activity, leading to rheumatoid arthritis, Boutron-Ruault said by email. It is highly likely that the phenomenon described in adult smokers occurs similarly in passively exposed children, Boutron-Ruault added. The triggering of autoimmunity in children might not be restricted to rheumatoid arthritis risk, and could possibly increase the risk of other autoimmune diseases. For the study, researchers examined survey data collected every three years, starting in the 1980s. Participants were 50 years old on average when they joined the study and about 54 percent of them had never smoked. About 14 percent were current smokers and 32 percent were former smokers. The study wasnt designed to prove whether or how secondhand smoke exposure during childhood might cause rheumatoid arthritis. Researchers also relied on women to report their smoking history and tobacco exposure during childhood, and self-reported information may not be as reliable as data from lab tests or medical records. Its also possible that secondhand smoke exposure during childhood increases the risk of rheumatoid arthritis just because it leads to more cumulative years of smoke exposure among people who smoke as adults, said Jill Norris, a researcher at the Colorado School of Public Health in Aurora. While its not clear that avoiding smoke exposure during childhood can prevent rheumatoid arthritis in the future, there are many other good reasons not to expose kids to secondhand smoke, Norris, who wasnt involved in the study, said by email. The general advice is that if a parent is going to smoke, they should not smoke in the home or in the car when their children are riding with them, Norris said. It is also important to ask any caregivers (nannies, relatives, etc) to do the same. It allegedly lured people by claiming that the investments would be under Islamic and halal principles. (Representational Images) Bengaluru: A Bengaluru-based financial company allegedly duped thousands of people of thousands of crores while systematically targeting the city's Muslim community. It allegedly lured people by claiming that the investments would be under Islamic and halal principles. The company had its victims spread across Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, and is said to have made away with a whopping Rs 4,000 crore. Feroz Khan, a resident of R.T. Nagar, said that the victims on Saturday filed a complaint at the Ramamurthy Nagar police station, exposing how the supposed Dubai-based company targeted only the Muslim community. The company, Morgenall Ventures LLP, claiming to be headquartered in Dubai, had its local office at Horamavu since 2017. The financial investment and consultancy firm, headed by one Irfan Pasha, allegedly promised to give higher than normal returns. Another complainant Kabir Mohammed said that he invested Rs 16 lakh three months ago and realised that he was duped only recently. Irfan Pasha had allegedly put up posters of the company on schools and Islamic centres too to attract more gullible investors. Dubious investment plans One of the investment plans of Morgenall Ventures LLP was P+P or Principal + Profit. If one invested Rs 1 lakh, he received the principal amount of Rs 25,000 in the first instalment and an additional 5% profit on the remaining Rs 75,000. The second month, he received another Rs 25,000 and 5% profit on the remaining Rs 50,000 and it continued this way till the fourth month. The investor was expected to get back the entire principal amount of Rs 1 lakh, 20% profit earned in interest, an additional Rs 25,000, a 2-gram gold coin and Rs 2,000 worth gift vouchers from Big Bazaar, sources said. Soon, hundreds of people fell into the trap and ended up losing large amounts of money, as the fly-by-night operator shut shop and fled. A group of victims recently met senior police officials and are approaching the Central Crime Branch on Monday. Kumar tried to flee the spot, but soon five other people surrounded him and attacked him with machetes and sharp-edged weapons, killing him on the spot, police said. (Photo: Facebook/@Ravikumar Ravi) Bengaluru: A former mayor and JDs corporator was hacked to death by a gang in full public view at a busy locality of Tumakuru town Sunday, police said. Ravi Kumar, who had a criminal past, was having tea with his friend in Batawadi area when two people came and threw chilli powder on their face. Kumar tried to flee the spot, but soon five other people surrounded him and attacked him with machetes and sharp-edged weapons, killing him on the spot, police said. Even as the people present in the area were struck by shock, the gang fled the scene. The gangster-turned politician was a former mayor of Tumakuru Corporation and had been elected as a corporator in the recent local body elections. Police said several criminal cases were pending against him. Police said they suspected old rivalry to be motive behind Kumar's killing, adding a manhunt had been launched to track the assailants. Lucknow: The Yogi Adityanath government has agreed to give a compensation of Rs 25 lakh and a job to the wife of the Apple executive who was shot dead by two policemen in Lucknow on Saturday morning. After receiving the assurance from the state government, the family cremated the body of Vivek Tiwari on Sunday morning. Even as opposition parties demanded the resignation of chief minister Yogi Adityanath and asked him to take moral responsibility for the incident, several opposition leaders met the family of the deceased on Sunday. UPCC president Raj Babbar was among the first to reach the New Hyderabad residence of the deceased. This is the constituency of Union home minister Rajnath Singh and yet the state government is taking the matter so lightly. Why the medical examination of the two accused constables was not done and why was the colleague of Vivek Tiwari who was in the car at the time of the incident, detained by the police for several hours? Why did the police not inform the family after the incident? Who is responsible for these lapses? he asked. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, who is presently in Madhya Pradesh, has termed the killing a result of the prevailing jungle raj and demanded the resignation of the chief minister, Samajwadi Party spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said. AAP MP Sanjay Singh visited the residence of Tiwari and said that the incident was an example of the brutality of the UP police force that took pride in killing innocent people. UP minister Dharampal Singh, on the other hand, came up with a shocker when he tried to blame the victim by saying the state government made no mistake in encounters. Bullets are hitting only those who are criminals. Gundaraj during Samajwadi Partys regime is making noise, everything else is normal. We will not compromise when it comes to criminals, the minister told reporters. Meanwhile, Kalpana Tiwari, wife of the deceased, gave another FIR on Sunday, naming the accused cops. The FIR registered on Saturday did not include the names of the cops but said unnamed police wale. It may be recalled that Tiwari, 38, was shot dead by cops on patrol duty when he refused to stop his car in the wee hours of Saturday. The cops claimed that they had fired in self defence since Tiwari, area manager for Apple, tried to mow them down. New Delhi: The outgoing Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, who demits office on Monday, will go down in the history as one who brought in social reforms through his path-breaking judgements in the Sabarimala, Aadhaar, gay sex and adultery cases. He leaves behind an indelible legacy as the Supreme Court rendered several judgments on all branches of law and commitment to human rights during his tenure. Monday is the last working day for Justice Misra though his actual retirement date is October 2. Justice Ranjan Gogoi will be sworn in on October 3 as the 46th Chief Justice of India. Justice Misra is the 45th Chief Justice since August 28, 2017. He has been a judge of the Supreme Court and former Chief Justice of the Patna and Delhi High Courts. He is the nephew of Justice Ranganath Misra, the 21st Chief Justice of India, from 1990 to 1991. Justice Misras commitment to upholding the supremacy of constitutional values and his refusal to flinch before the weight of societal morality and age-old customs is what will likely be remembered about him. Justice Misra had the dubious distinction of facing an impeachment motion in Parliament initiated by the Congress, which was rejected at the initial stage by the Rajya Sabha Chairman. He had to face this ignominy as the Congress felt that he might bring about a solution to the Ayodhya title suits during his tenure. Justice Gogoi and three other judges Justices J. Chelameswar, Madan B. Lokur and Kurian Joseph held a press conference on January 12 complaining about Justice Misras style of allocation of important cases to junior judges and allotment of Judge Loya case to Justice Arun Misra became a trigger point. Though this open revolt by four senior judges sent shock waves, Justice Misra proceeded to hear the cases unmindful of the complaint of lack of transparency in preparation of the roster system. Within days, he put up on the Supreme Court website the classification of cases and the categories allocated to each Bench. He did not address the major criticism that he had kept to himself all the important cases, particularly those decided by the Constitution Benches, which he headed. None of the four judges were part of the Constitution Benches, except in one case where Justice Kurian Joseph was accommodated. During the initial hearing of the Ayodhya title suits, senior Congress leader and advocate Kapil Sibal and senior counsel Dushyant Dave urged CJI Misra not to hear the matter at this juncture and adjourn the proceedings till July 2019, after the Lok Sabha polls. Both the lawyers said a verdict either way would result in serious consequences and impact the polls. But CJI Misra did not buckle and continued to hear the case. Having failed in their efforts, a new demand was made to refer the case to a five-judge Constitution Bench and to revisit the 1994 verdict in which an observation was made that offering namaz in mosque is not an integral part of Islam. He has posted the matter for hearing from October 29, and it remains to be seen whether Justice Gogoi will render a verdict before the polls next year. In informal chats, Justice Misra has indicated that he would not take up any post retirement posts and it remains to be seen whether he sticks to this principle. During his tenure he gave several verdicts which impact society at large. Particularly in the last few days prior to his retirement, Justice Misras bold judgments are bound to bring about social transformation. Here are few such judgments. Cauvery dispute Bringing the curtains down for the nearly four-decade-old Cauvery river dispute, the Supreme Court reduced the allocation of water to be released by Karnataka from its reservoirs from 192 tmcft to 177.25 tmcft. Drinking water requirement of the overall population of all the states has to be placed on a higher pedestal as we treat it as a hierarchically fundamental principle of equitable distribution. The waters of an inter-state river passing through the corridors of the riparian states constitute national asset and cannot be said to be located in any one state, the court said. Sabarimala verdict The Supreme Courts 4:1 ruling that the exclusionary practice violates the rights of women devotees establishes the legal principle that individual freedom prevails over purported group rights, even in matters of religion. The three concurring opinions that form the majority demolished the principal defences of the practice that Sabarimala devotees have constitutionally protected denominational rights that they are entitled to prevent the entry of women to preserve the strict celibate nature of the deity, and that allowing women would interfere with an essential religious practice. The decision reaffirms the Constitutions transformative character and derives strength from the centrality it accords to fundamental rights. Aadhaar law In upholding the Aadhaar law and clarifying areas in which it cannot be made mandatory, the Supreme Court restored the original intent of the programme: to plug leakages in subsidy schemes and to have better targeting of welfare benefits. A unique identity number, that could be availed on a voluntary basis, had threatened to morph with the Centres tacit acceptance into something that was mandatory for various aspects of life. The judgement narrows the scope of Aadhaar but provides a framework within which it can work. The controversial circulars and rules making it mandatory to link mobile phone numbers and bank accounts to Aadhaar and compulsory for schools and college admissions, scholarships, examination have been declared unconstitutional. Adultery In de-criminalising IPC Section 497 relating to adultery, CHI Misra laid emphasis on transformative constitutionalism, that is, treating the Constitution as a dynamic document that progressively realises various rights. His ruling furthered the frontiers of personal freedom and liberated the idea of individual rights from the pressure of public opinion. Constitutional morality trumps any imposition of a particular view of social morality. The judgement categorically said the State has no legitimate interest in punishing citizens for matrimonial or personal aberrations. Leprosy stigma It has long been a blot on society that while leprosy is curable, there lingers a stigma attached to it. Justice Misras ruling that stigma attached to leprosy should be removed and they must be rehabilitated will go a long way in societys thinking towards leprosy. It may mark the beginning of the end to the culture of ostracisation that most of them face and help remove misconceptions about the disease. Cow vigilantism The court said there can be no shadow of doubt that the authorities who are conferred with the responsibility to maintain law and order in the states have the principal obligation to see that vigilantism, be it regarding the cow or any other, of any perception, does not take place. The court said states shall designate a senior police officer, not below the rank of SP, as nodal officer in each district for taking measures to prevent incidents of mob violence and lynching. They shall constitute a special task force so as to procure intelligence reports about the people who are likely to commit such crimes or who are involved in spreading hate speeches, provocative statements and fake news. Rapist gets life-term jail A Correspondent : A Chattogram court on Wednesday awarded life-term rigorous imprisonment to a youth on charges of violating a female child in Biswaspara area under Pahartali thana in the city in 2011. The court also fined him TK 50 thousand for the same crime in default to suffer more six-month imprisonment. The judge Motahar Ali of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal- 2 delivered the judgment convicting Mohammad Sabuj, 20, son late Nuruddin, hailing from Noakhali district. The prosecution story in brief, is that Mohammad Sabuj violated a seven- year-old female child alluring her to give chocolates on October 28, 2011. Later, the victim's father filed a case with Pahartali thana on the same day. The court after examining nine out of 14 prosecution witnesses awarded the judgement convicting Mohammad Sabuj. According to reports, the glitch hit the engine when the aircraft was at an altitude of 36,000 feet. The aircraft had taken off from the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at about 10 am. Hyderabad: A Jet Airways aircraft that took off from Hyderabad with 96 passengers and seven crew on board for Indore made an emergency landing at Indore airport due to a glitch in the engine. All the passengers and crew were safe. Flight 9W-955 landed safely at 12.06 pm at Indores Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar airport, according to airport director Aryama Sanyal. The commander of the Hyderabad-Indore flight sought an emergency landing from the Air Traffic Control (ATC) after one of the engines of the aircraft failed, Ms Sanyal added. According to reports, the glitch hit the engine when the aircraft was at an altitude of 36,000 feet. The aircraft had taken off from the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at about 10 am. The incident comes a week after several passengers suffered a nose bleed on a Mumbai-Jaipur Jet Airways flight because the crew forgot to switch on the cabin pressure switch. The aircraft made emergency landing in Mumbai after cabin pressure dropped, resulting in at least 30 passengers suffering from nose bleed and pain. Jet Airways in an official statement said the airline had informed the authorities of the event and engineering teams were inspecting the aircraft. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that while India staunchly believes in peace and was committed to taking it forward, this would not be at the cost of compromising its self-respect and the sovereignty of our nation. This in itself was our commitment and dedication towards peace, the PM said. His remarks came days after India called off the planned meeting of Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers in New York, citing the brutal killings of three policemen in Jammu and Kashmir. The external affairs ministry said talks in the circumstances would be futile and also cited stamps issued by Pakistan in July to glorify Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani as a reason for the cancellation. The PM also pointed out that India was one of the largest contributors to various United Nations peacekeeping forces in terms of sending its personnel. For decades, our brave soldiers wearing blue helmets have played a stellar role in ensuring the maintenance of world peace, he said. Mr Modi had said on Saturday that Indians celebrated the Parakram Parv to mark the second anniversary of the surgical strikes. We remembered the surgical strike carried out in 2016, where our soldiers gave a befitting reply to the audacity of a proxy war under the garb of terrorism, he said. He said such celebrations remind the youth of the glorious heritage of the Indian Army. It also inspires us to maintain the unity and integrity of the country, he said. Days before Air Force Day will be celebrated on October 8 to mark its birth in 1932, Mr Modi said that our air warriors have proved themselves through the display of sheer might in the skies. He also recalled the IAFs contribution in transporting men and material to Srinagar in October 1947 when Pakistani attackers had tried to capture Jammu and Kashmir. He said the IAF played a key role in the 1965, 1971 and Kargil wars, and be it in relief and rescue or disaster management, the nation was indebted to the IAF for its commendable efforts. Now the Air Force is offering the option of permanent commission to women, besides the short service commission... India can proudly claim that in the armed forces, not only manpower but womanpower too is contributing equally. Women are already empowered and now getting armed too, he said. The Prime Minister also stressed on the importance of human rights and inculcating them into practice, saying it was the very basis of his governments Sabka saath, sabka vikas principle. The PM made these remarks while referring to the role of the National Human Rights Commission, which completes 25 years next month. The bike rider lost control of the two-wheeler and rammed into a goods vehicle, resulting in the death of one of the pillion riders. (Representational Image) Bengaluru: While the Lucknow police shootout may have shocked the nation, a similar case of police high handedness was reported recently in Bengaluru. An angry traffic cop attached to Banaswadi traffic police station kicked a biker for riding triple near Hennur on Tuesday. As a result, the bike rider lost control of the two-wheeler and rammed into a goods vehicle, resulting in the death of one of the pillion riders. However, the Banaswadi traffic cops tried to put blame on the bikers and the driver of the goods vehicle, to save the erring cop. The deceased has been identified as Chetan (25). Immediately after the accident he was rushed to a hospital, where he later succumbed. The rider of the bike has been identified as Vinay (21), while the other pillion rider was Kiran (22) and they are undergoing treatment for injuries. All this happened after a hot chase by two bike-borne cops who wanted to nab the three traffic offenders. The trio had taken a U-turn and accelerated the bike after spotting the traffic cops near Gunduthoppu bus stop to avoid being fined. When the cops noticed them taking a U-turn, they launched a chase and the cop who was riding pillion kick the biker from behind, leading to the accident. Though the entire chase was caught on CCTV cameras, the police are in a denial mode. They have registered a case of accident making Vinay as the accused and named all the others, including the goods vehicle driver Santosh. Cops refused to take complaint The hot chase was also witnessed by the public. Some of them tried to file a complaint against the two bike-borne cops, but the police inspector allegedly refused and instead abused them. However, after the death of Chetan, senior police officers are investigating the case. The Internet has been a blessing for us to reach out to the youth and introduce the old tradition of kite flying to them. Dasara too provides us with a similar platform, said Mr Rao Mysuru: Setting the stage for the 10- day annual Dasara extravaganza, that is still over a week away, dozens of kites took to the skies over Mysuru Saturday evening as part of a two- day kite festival that began at the Lalit Mahal helipad here. Thirty professional kite flyers from Mangaluru, Surat, Rajkot, Hyderabad and Mumbai are showing off their skills at the festival hosted by the Mysuru district administration and the tourism department. While Ministers G.T. Devegowda, U.T. Khader, MLAs Taveer Sait, Ashwin Kumar, Harshavardhan and L. Nagendra and Mysuru DC Abhiram Shankar launched the festival by flying a kite, over a 100 varieties of kites dotted the sky to loud music by the Stone Age band as the event took off. Children enjoyed some fun games and people made a beeline for food trucks serving traditional girmit, chokri chat, paav baaji, momos and ice creams. The largest kite at the show was 36 feet tall and 10 feet wide and belonged to Mr Sarvesh Rao (56) and his team . The owner of an electrical motor winding workshop in Mangaluru , his team is made up of three chartered accountants, engineers, and a professional art master. With a reputation for flying kites depicting Indian classical dances like Kathakali, Yakshagana, Bharathanatyam and Bhootha Kola , the team has flown them at events across India and the world, including Canada, France, UK, Thailand, Hongong, Qatar and Dubai. The Internet has been a blessing for us to reach out to the youth and introduce the old tradition of kite flying to them. Dasara too provides us with a similar platform, said Mr Rao Other teams at the event are flying kites of a variety of shapes and sizes, including some resembling Garuda vahana. Bengaluru: When Russian President Vladmir Putin arrives in New Delhi for the 19th Indo-Russian summit on October 4-5, three MiG-21 fighter jets built right here at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited will be gift-wrapped in Indian colours and rolled out - one Type 75 aircraft and two Type 77 - and flown back to Moskva. The gift to President Putin, replete with pure nostalgia, will underscore the fact that despite Washington's best efforts to pry India out of Russia's arms, its oldest ally continues to be its largest arms supplier. More so, if the other deals in the pipeline fructify including the signing of the Rs 40,000 crore S-400 air defence missile deal, the agreement to produce AK-103 assault rifles, the joint venture between HAL and Rostec, the Russian helicopter production unit to add Ka-226 light utility helicopters to the assembly line as well as 4 Talwar class frigates and two IL-78 transport planes equipped with Israeli early warning systems and the training of ISRO astronauts at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre. The MiG-21 may no longer be produced in Russia, at least not since 1985, but in India, which inducted the MiG-21s as the IAF's first supersonic fighter back in 1963 soon after the debacle of the Sino-Indian war, there are still some 120 MiG-21s in service that will only be phased out in 2021-22. Till then, the upgraded variants Type 75 and Type 96, remain at the heart of the IAF's strike fleet. The exercise would continue till the model code of conduct was in force in the state where the assembly had been dissolved more than eight months ahead of the expiry of its term on the recommendation of TRS government. (Photo: Representational Image) Hyderabad: The Election Commission with the help of the Income Tax department would monitor high-value transactions in banks in poll-bound Telangana as part of attempts to curb illegal money flow, state Chief Electoral Officer Rajath Kumar said Sunday. The exercise would continue till the model code of conduct was in force in the state where the assembly had been dissolved more than eight months ahead of the expiry of its term on the recommendation of TRS government, which wants early elections. A high-level team from the EC which recently visited the state had held discussions with the office of the Principal Chief Commissioner of the Income Tax of Telangana on monitoring bank transactions. "The (I-T) office has been sensitised on the need to monitor these transactions. We are keeping a watch on that. Currently, it is being tracked through the income tax department. If there are violations or if need be we will collect the data from banks," Kumar told PTI. He also said the EC had issued notices to 122 candidates of various political parties who had contested in the previous elections and yet to submit their election expenditure. The official said over 1,000 mobile units will be deployed in a day or two for sensitisation of voters and other stakeholders on the Electronic Voting Machine and VVPATS (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) across all constituencies of the state. He said the Election department had received Rs 275 crore from the State government to meet the expenditure toward the conduct of elections. "If necessary, we will seek more budget... the electoral expenditure is not incurred entirely by the state administration," he said adding the EC also took care of costs on procurement and testing of EVMs and deployment of manpower, including central forces. On the preparedness of polls, he said a lot of EVMs and VVPATS were received by the state and about 70 per cent of them have been checked. According to him, in a day or two, they will launch a state dissemination centre at Ranga Reddy District Collectorate for familiarisation of usage of EVMs and VVPATs for the public. He said they will be using mobile that would visit every ward in every panchayat and if possible all polling station and conduct mock polls. We will be carrying out a very extensive campaign. We are looking at deploying about 10 mobile vans for each assembly constituency, he said. Telangana Cabinet had on September 6 recommended dissolution of the 119-member assembly. A team of senior officials from the EC recently visited the state and reviewed the preparedness for polls. Dharampal Singh said only those who are actual 'criminals' have been shot dead in police encounters and the state government had been very cautious on this issue. (Photo: ANI) Varanasi: Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Minister Dharampal Singh said on Saturday only "real criminals" were shot dead in encounters during the term of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Singhs comments came after he was repeatedly asked by reporters in Mathura over the gunning down of 38-year-old Vivek Tiwari early in the morning by a policeman when the Apple executive allegedly refused to stop his car for checking in Lucknow's posh Gomti Nagar area. "Everyone will get justice... There will be no politics of appeasement. Those who commit mistakes will be punished," the minister said. Also Read: Lucknow techie dead after constable fires in 'self-defence', 2 cops arrested He said only those who are actual "criminals" have been shot dead in police encounters and the state government had been very cautious on this issue. Saying that "goonda raj" and "mafia raj" prevailed during the previous governments in the state, Singh said the country was "fortunate" to have Narendra Modi as prime minister and Adityanath as UP chief minister. Under Adityanath's rule, Singh asserted injustice would not be done to anyone and the guilty would not be spared. The tribunal was meant to help old people in their times of distress, but instead they are often forced to run from pillar to post to have its orders enforced despite their poor health or limited income. (Representational Images) Udupi: Senior citizens, cheated by their children or caretakers, have not always been able to rely on the Maintenance Tribunal to come to their rescue. Their complaints are sometimes dismissed and even when upheld, the orders in their favour are not implemented, leaving them as badly off as before. But now the Udupi district administration has appointed an enforcement officer to make sure the tribunals orders are implemented and they get justice. Headed by the Assistant Commissioner and set up under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, the tribunal was meant to help old people in their times of distress, but instead they are often forced to run from pillar to post to have its orders enforced despite their poor health or limited income. Their cause was finally taken up by the Human Rights Protection Foundation, whose president, Ravindranath Shanbhag, informed the Udupi district Deputy Commissioner, Priyanka Mary Francis about the problems they encountered. She responded by issuing an order appointing the district disabled welfare officer, Niranjan Bhat as enforcement officer to implement the tribunals orders. The officer has been asked to co ordinate with Mr Shanbhag to see that senior citizens do not continue to suffer as they have been. "The appointment of the enforcement officer will help in proper implementation of the tribunals order. Hundreds of senior citizens will benefit," said Mr Shanbhag , who is now trying to fight for the cause of the elderly in other parts of the state and country as well. "Our organisation has already approached other states and the Union government to follow the example of the Udupi administration. We will work to appoint enforcement officers in all the districts of our state first and then in other states too," he added. Our Supreme Court was established on January 26, 1950, the day our Constitution was brought into force. You may know it because we take some time on that day, every year, to remind ourselves about the greatness of our Constitution. However, there may not be any other month in the history of our Supreme Court where more number of monumental judgments touching upon the daily lives of the citizens was delivered, besides this month September 2018. Thanks to one man, the Chief Justice of India: Justice Dipak Misra! He is retiring in the coming week, October 2, 2018. Earlier this year, Justice Dipak Misra also became the only Chief Justice of India to witness an open rebellion and outpouring of dissatisfaction by the next four senior judges of the Supreme Court. However, thanks to a set of stunning judgments delivered by Justice Misra in these last four weeks of his tenure, few people may remember the days that plagued him earlier this year. Lets discuss here the significance to the public from the major judgments delivered this month by different Benches that were all presided by CJI Misra. Lets start with the judgment on live streaming of Court proceedings before the Supreme Court. I have been publicly canvassing for electronic (audio and video recording) of Court proceedings for the past ten years and therefore, I see this judgment as transformative of our judiciary (I had no involvement in this particular judgment). In the coming weeks and months, you will begin to see on television and your mobile phones, the proceedings in our Supreme Court and the various High Courts and your public life will never be the same again! There will be a massive increase in public awareness of our laws, we will witness robust and orderly discussions inside the Courtroom about legal issues that plague our lives, there will be a manifold efficiency in how court proceedings are conducted, your cases will move very swiftly to completion as your lawyers may not wa nt to embarrass themselves in full glare of the public by seeking adjournments or exhibiting unpreparedness, trials of corruption cases and other criminal cases involving public servants will now move swiftly in Courts and people will see their executive government suffer repeated embarrassments in Courts in the initial days. However, over time, we will see our government publicly improve in numerous ways. In my view, this judgment is one of the greatest judgments of our Supreme Court! Then, take the judgment striking down a part of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. Under it, homosexual activity between two consenting adults would have invited a jail term of 10 years. Unless you are a homosexual yourself or a member of his or her family, you would never know the draconian nature of this provision. It used to rob all dignity and sense of purpose for homosexual and bisexual people. The Supreme Court emphatically threw out this archaic law and thereby, millions or even crores of homosexuals in this country witnessed what they call as their real independence day! Take the judgment striking down Section 497 of the IPC. Adultery takes numerous forms and our lawmakers were keen to profess that adultery must be punished with five years in jail. However, Section 497 had less of a purpose to punish adultery and more a purpose of treating a married womans honour as the prized property of her husband! Thankfully, the Supreme Court struck it down as archaic and incompatible with our times. However, contrary to popular perception, the Supreme Court did not declare that the very offence of adultery cannot be criminalized, only Justice Dipak Misra held so and he was joined by another judge. Three other judges did not go so far. So, the Parliament could technically reintroduce Section 497 with substantial modifications, however. Lets come to the Aadhaar judgment. While the Supreme Court used to deliver its monumental judgments in the 1950s to 1970s within an average time of 6 months, in the case of Aadhaar, it aimlessly took 6 years to come to a judgment. In these years, more than 99% of the adult population adopted the Aadhaar and the Central Government had already spent tens of thousands of crores of rupees. So, though the Supreme Court has upheld the Aadhaar scheme and has imposed numerous restrictions and caveats, I think that the public will continue to experience Aadhaar as mandatory even for services the Court has declared as not mandatory. When you have 99% of the adult population covered under this scheme and too many people content to flash it as their identification even for services declared to be voluntary, you are also more likely to force yourself to flash your Aadhaar card as well to avoid prying eyes, more questions, suspicion and demand for and rejection of more records. There is so much more to discuss! The author is an advocate of Supreme Court. History is replete with tales of how snakes cast their magical spell on mankind, of how there was always a twist in the tale just because a serpent was lurking around. Would the fate of the Roman empire have taken a different turn if Cleopatra had not killed herself using an Egyptian serpent rather than fall into the clutches of Octavius? Who has not read of little Krishna defeating the dreaded multi-hooded serpent, Kaliya to keep the waters of the Yamuna sparkling and pristine as ever? And of Nagini in the famous Harry Potter series? GURURAJ A. PANIYADI explores the mystery of the snake god, after the recent discovery of countless idols in Karnataka's coast In Bangady and in nearby villages in the foothills of the Western Ghats, a Naga revival is on after unique idols of the serpent god were excavated in a rubber plantation in Sahasra Nagabana, a hotspot for historians here. Several rare Naga stones have been unearthed, some a few inches in length and others about 3 feet tall! Bangady is situated in Belthangady taluk, about 75 km from Mangaluru city and was once the capital of the Banga royal family which ruled parts of Dakshina Kannada district between the 12th and 17th century. The belief is that the land in the foothills of the Western Ghats was once under water and was a favourite spot for snakes which was later claimed by Lord Parasurama from the sea. He assured the snakes that even after humans inhabited the region, snakes which had lost their original home, would be protected and worshipped with devotion. This is how snake worship became an integral part of the life of people on the coast. That people were fascinated by snakes from time immemorial is evident from the shape of the idols-some are carved like snakes, others have the serpent god in human form with long teeth. People agree that the place had an apt name- Sahasra Nagabana, which means abode of the snake god with thousands of snakes! The digging work at Sahasra Nagabana started about five years ago and soon uncovered over 150 idols of Naga. The idols have now been arranged in a temporary place of worship and the construction of a new temple is underway which is expected to be completed in a year. And how did the precious relics of history in Nagabana remain hidden till now? Wild growth had covered the place completely isolating it from the outside world till 2009 when some village elders while grazing their cattle, noticed structures of an ancient temple in ruins. On realising that someone was trying to encroach the land and set up a rubber plantation illegally, the villagers grouped and ensured this did not happen by forming a trust to renovate Nagabana. An Asta Mangala Prashna, - an astrological practice - was done to know the past of the temple and how to go about the renovation. The astrologer said the place was known as Sahasra Nagabana as there were hundreds of idols here. He asked us to excavate deep and take out the idols. When we started digging, we were spellbound on seeing what we had found. The number of Naga stones was beyond our imagination - we got over 150 stones of which about 50 were damaged. The remaining were carefully kept in the temporary shrine (Baalalaya), explains Sri Sahasra Naga Brahmalingeshwara Seva Trust member Ramananda Bangady. The Asta Mangala Prashna also revealed that the place was famous for Naga worship and equalled the Kukke Subrahmanya shrine in stature. It lost its glory over the years and we want to restore its place, adds Ramananda. Historians agree on the antiquity of Nagabana and feel it might have enjoyed great patronage once. Based on the carvings, I feel worship must have started around the 8th century. This place might have been patronised by the Jain kings from the 8th to 15th century, Historian Prof. P.N. Narasimha Murthy told Deccan Chronicle. Most of the stones are of the Naga Yaksha, mainly worshipped by the Jains then. A Ganesha idol and carved stones in the ruined temple too are pointers to their antiquity as the style dates back to an ancient age, he says. Mr Murthy notes some similarities between Sahasra Nagabana and the Sahasra Lingeshwara Temple at Uppinangady which is about 38 km from Bangady. Both were important under Banga rule. The Shiva temple situated near the confluence of Netravathi and Kumaradhara at Uppinangady is called Sahasra Lingeshwara. At Bangady the Sahasra Nagabana is situated at the confluence of two streams (Pichalar and Linganthyar) before the two streams meet the Netravathi. It indicates that this must have been a famous place of worship several centuries ago. The place could date back to a period even before the Banga royal family set up their capital at Bangady, he adds. Meticulous research could throw up a treasure trove of information on Nagabana and Bangady, say historians and more so if the focus is on why Naga worship became so popular in the region. Mr Murthy admits that he has not seen so many Naga stones at a single place in the region. All the stones are unique which is why we need a proper study on Naga worship which is sure to throw more light on the history of the coastal belt, he adds. Revered and feared, a symbol of fertility, immortality and death too, the snake god maybe served as a spiritual wall of protection against the deepest anxieties of ancient society, the ferment and suffering and all that they dreaded. But how did hundreds of these idols come to be buried at a little village in Belthangady-was it because a troubled people felt this was the ideal worship to stave off evil and ill-luck? Unravelling the mystery behind the Bangady idols is a task thats only just begun! Bangladesh Chhatra League, Moheshkhali Upazila Unit brought out a rally on the occasion of the 72nd birthday of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday. Congress however appears not to give much importance to the newly formed political combination. Bhopal: Eight Opposition parties on Sunday began talks to cobble a coalition, christened Mahagathbandhan or grand alliance, to stop division of non-BJP votes in year-end assembly elections and 2019 parliamentary polls in Madhya Pradesh. The eight parties, the Loktantrik Janata Dal, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Bahujan Sanghars Dal, Gandwana Ganatantra Party, Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Samant Dal and Prajatantrik Samadhan Party, also decided to approach Congress soon to join their alliance, Lok Janata Dal convener Govind Yadav told reporters. Incidentally, all the eight parties barring Gandwana Ganatantra Party (GGP) are considered no forces in Madhya Pradesh. GGP, a tribal party, has influence in around half a dozen assembly constituencies particularly in Mahakoshal region of MP. The party can however influence outcome of polls in the assembly elections in around 15 assembly constituencies. BSP has already decided to go it alone in MP, while SP has initiated talks on seat sharing with GGP separately. Congress however appears not to give much importance to the newly formed political combination. It is a pressure tactics by these parties on Congress to concede a few seats to them in MP. We will not buckle under their pressure since we know the seats allotted to them will be lost and finally will go to BJP, a spokesman of Congress said. Hyderabad: TRS president and caretaker Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has finalised the party's candidates for the 14 seats which were left out of the September 6 list. Mr Chandrasekhar Rao will resume his poll campaign from October 3 and is expected to announce the names in the respective districts during public meetings. He last addressed an election meeting on September 7 in Husnabad a day after dissolution of Assembly on September 6. The CM is learnt to have rejected tickets for two outgoing TRS legislators from Medchal and Malkajgiri. Medchal legislator M. Sudheer Reddy and Malkajgiri MLA C. Kanaka Reddy are all set to be replaced by Malkajgiri MP Chamakura Malla Reddy and MLC Mynampally Hanumantha Rao respectively. With Warangal East MLA Konda Surekha quitting the TRS to join the Congress recently, the TRS boss is expected to announce the name of partys candidate for this seat in the first week of October. The TRS leadership took the decision to hold public meetings featuring the Chief Minister in the five erstwhile districts of Nalgonda, Warangal, Mahbubnagar, Khammam besides Nizamabad. The first meeting will be addressed in Nizamabad on October 3, followed by Nalgonda on October 4, Wanaparthy on October 5. Mr Chandrasekhar Rao is scheduled to address public meetings in Warangal and Khammam on October 7 and 8, respectively. With a massive demand for party tickets in GHMC limits, the leadership is trying to pacify the contenders and make them work in favour of official candidates. A few GHMC corporators have raised a banner of revolt against the party for renominating TD defectors from the Uppal, Qutbullapur, Kukatpally and Serilingampally Assembly constituencies. Mr K.T. Rama Rao has been holding meetings in the GHMC limits and pacifying the disgruntled leaders and asking them cooperate and ensure victory for the official candidates with a promise that they would be given suitable posts after the TRS retains power. Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who the BJP says is their star campaigner for the elections in Telangana, has been invited to contest from Secunderabad constituency, considered to be a safe seat for the party. It is learnt that BJP leader Bandaru Dattatreya made this proposal to the partys national president Amit Shah during his recent meeting at New Delhi. Sources in the BJP said that since the BJP was trying to establish its reach in southern states, Mr Modi contesting from Secunderabad would add to partys prospects. Citing Congress leader Indira Gandhi, who contested from Medak in Telangana and Chickmagalur in Karnataka, the sources said that Mr Modi also contesting from south India will benefit the party. Former prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao also contested from Nandyal in Kurnool and Ramtek in Maharashtra. Modi is currently representing Varanasi constituency in Uttar Pradesh. However, it is to be seen whether he would be interested in contesting from Secunderabad, said a party leader. Hyderabad: Film actor P. Babu Mohan, who was denied a ticket by the TRS from the Andhole (SC) Constituency in Sangareddy district on Saturday joined the BJP in the presence of party president Amit Shah. Mr Babu Mohan was denied renomination by the TRS based on the feedback from surveys conducted by the party on the winning chances of the candidates. The TRS chose TV journalist Kranthi as its candidate in place of Mr Babu Mohan. Sulking since then, Mr Babu Mohan chose the BJP after being assured that he would be given a ticket from Andhole. BJP state president Dr K. Laxman said that with Mr Babu Mohan joining the party, the BJP had sent out a signal that it was the only party which provided equal opportunity to all communities. Mr Babu Mohan, who has acted in several films mostly as a comedian and a villain, was earlier a minister in the Cabinet of Mr N Chandrababu Naidu when Mr Chandrasekhar Rao served as Deputy Speaker in the Assembly in undivided AP. Behind the Brands is a campaign launched by Oxfam to help create a world where everybody has enough to eat. Every brand has a story to tell, so said some marketing experts. What the experts failed to share is that most brands also have stories to hide. These are the stories of unjust, unlawful treatment of those who create products which are wrapped up in illusions of comfort, grandiosity and pride of possession called brand and sold to beguiled consumers. But as long as hope is alive in human hearts, the battle between the brands and those who expose the brands will continue. The key point is: these battles are spurred by the alliances formed in developed countries in solidarity with people workers, trade unions and civil society in developing countries who are often often the victims of the brands greed. The alliances lobby Western governments and international bodies, mobilise consumers and push brands to respect workers rights and earn a positive image through affiliations and compliance. Behind the Brands is a campaign launched by Oxfam to help create a world where everybody has enough to eat. The initiative has resulted in over 700,000 actions by people from all over the world demanding from the top 10 food brands that they improve their policies vis-a-vis labour rights, human rights and the environment. The top 10 companies allegedly involved in land-grabbing, environmental destruction, paying low wages, ignoring dangerous working conditions and using child labour are now trying to improve their score on key issues monitored by Behind the Brands. The Ethical Trading Initiative is taking concrete actions to ensure fundamental human rights, transparency and accountability in the global supply chain through membership-based partnerships with companies, trade unions and civil society organisations. An important component of the ETI is its lobbying with the UK government to promote ethical trade and labour compliance in the public sector procurement of products and services. The Fair Labour Association, another alliance, is tackling abusive labour practices by the brands. The International Labour Rights Forum has addressed the issue of child labour in cocoa, tobacco and palm oil production in global supply chains. The Worker Rights Consortium, developed by students of 140 colleges and universities in the US, monitors conditions in factories producing for major brands, investigates and issues public reports. An alliance of labour unions and civil society, the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC), is up against unlawful acts by brands in the garments sector. It runs campaigns in 15 European countries, with a network of more than 250 partner organisations around the world. The alliance pressurises brands to ensure decent work conditions in the supply chain living wages, minimum working age, gender equality, safety and health, right to form unions and collective bargaining and holds the brands accountable for their misdeeds. In 2013, international labour alliances played an instrumental role in mobilising the brands to sign a five-year Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, a legally binding agreement between 151 global apparel brands and retailers across 21 countries, eight Bangladeshi trade unions, two international trade union federations and four international labour alliances, including the CCC. Signed in the aftermath of the Rana Plaza building collapse and based on a strict plan of action, the accord was supported by brands like PVH Corp, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Abercrombie and Fitch, American Eagle, H&M and Adidas. By April 2018, more than 1,600 factories had undergone the inspection and remediation process to make the premises safe and healthy. A follow-up accord signed in May 2018 will continue and complete the process in 2021. In Pakistan, the CCC played the key role, along with the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research, in making the German retailer KiK Textilien pay long-term compensation to the affected workers families of the 2012 Baldia factory fire. A lifelong pension scheme matching ILO standards, which materialised in 2018 after a long struggle, has set a global precedent for ensuring accountability of brands and retailers in the garments industry. The achievement that came about through the alliance between local, national and global stakeholders has established that collective struggles cross-border and cross-continents are essential to push brands to ensure workers rights. By arrangement with Dawn An article on a news portal that described in great detail as to how retired bureaucrats had cornered cushy sinecures on boards of blue-chip companies they had once regulated triggered a think on a more rudimentary question. Has the time come to abolish the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service, Indian Police Service, Indian Information Service and a myriad other such organisations that form the alleged steel frame of Indias governance structure? The Union Public Service Commission conducts a combined examination to recruit candidates to all three India services, 16 Group A services and five Group B services. In addition to this the Staff Selection Commission of the Government of India carries out recruitment for what are colloquially called Group B, C, and D posts. The states mirror this structure with their respective public service and State Selection Commissions. The paramilitary structures have their own recruitment paradigms. On paper all this looks very impressive but in reality how does this play out on the ground? India has a population of 121 crore people as per the census conducted in 2011. The rural-urban distribution is 68.84 per cent and 31.16 per cent respectively. Of the 121 crore Indians, 83.3 crore live in rural areas while 37.7 crore stay in urban areas. For a substantive bulk of these 83 crore odd people living in the countryside their interaction with the Indian state is primarily with a patwari, at best a kanugo, and rarely a tehsildar on the civil or revenue side. It is also called diwani administration in Urdu or Hindustani. On the law and order or criminal side the bulk of the interface of these people is with either a beat constable, police havaldar or at best an assistant sub-inspector in charge of a thana (police station). It is also called faujdari administration in Urdu or Hindustani. Even after seven decades of Independence whenever the Indian state comes in contact with the people it is not a pleasant experience to put it mildly. It is an oppressively tyrannical, usually extractive and a mendacious occurrence. If you happen to live in Jammu and Kashmir, Northeast or Maoist-affected areas, especially those that are declared as disturbed areas and come within the purview of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), then maybe the only face of the Indian state you would encounter would be one wearing olive green or khaki carrying an AK-47 kicking down your front door and perhaps your posterior after that. The situation is no different in the urban areas with the interaction of a bulk of the 31.16 per cent of the people being confined to rent-seeking municipal authorities and an equally repressive police apparatus. The only saving grace being that people are more easily able to access the instruments of grievance redressal and despite the current pet performing poodle status of a substantive bulk of its stakeholders, the media has played generally a vigilante role in highlighting police atrocities and state high-handedness against citizens. There may be a mitigating factor in terms of public hospitals, primary health centres and government-run educational institutions that poor citizens can access either for free or at a subsidised charge but even there the quality of service leaves much to be desired. Most of the other government-run public delivery services are afflicted with the same rent-seeking malady the most notorious being the ration shops and government-owned petrol pumps and gas agencies. What is the solution to this problem? One remedy that the political right suggests is privatisation of public services. From the late 1970s to the great economic meltdown in 2008 the world witnessed the privatisation of public services from sewage to railways as the state withdrew from its role. This phenomenon acquired a new impetus after the collapse of the Soviet-led command economic model in 1989. However, this is a model unsuited for India insofar as delivery of public goods is concerned. Where do we then go from here? There is only one-way bottoms-up administrative reform. Since Independence the government has set up two administrative commissions, the first on January 5, 1966 under the chairpersonship of Morarji Desai. It had an expansive 10-point remit: the machinery of the Government of India and its procedures or work; the machinery for planning at all levels; Centre-state relationships; financial administration; personnel administration; economic administration; administration at the state level; district administration; agricultural administration and problems of redress of citizens grievances. A second administrative commission was constituted on August 31, 2005 under the chairpersonship of Veerappa Moily. It also had a capacious 13-point mandate. Organisational structure of the Government of India; ethics in governance; refurbishing of personnel administration; strengthening of financial management systems; steps to ensure effective administration at the state level; steps to ensure effective district administration; local self-government/panchayati raj institutions; social capital, trust and participative public service delivery; citizen-centric administration; promoting e-governance; issues of federal polity; crisis management and public order. Both commissions submitted voluminous tomes as reports. However, the bureaucracy led by the Indian Administrative Service buried both these reports 10 fathoms deep and ensured that nothing would come of it. Even the political executive came up short in seizing the moment and dismantling the colonial era structures of the Mai-Baap sarkar that was put in place by the British to oppress the natives, extract revenue and terrorise them into accepting the over lordship of the imperialists. The IAS founded in 1858 as the Indian Imperial Service has remained largely unchanged in its disposition. After Independence we have added on a host of other such structures. The time has come to dismantle all of them lock, stock and barrel as they are way past their expiry date. For all the loud protestations that would be articulated that the alleged steel frame saves the country from the vagaries of mercurial if not unhinged politicians the counter is simple Prime Minister Nehru handpicked Indias best diplomats when there was no Foreign Service. H10 India has done well to demand that Islamabad withdraw the stamp it released recently to honour Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani as external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday tore into Pakistan over terrorism. This wasnt unexpected: practically every year for 20 years, India and Pakistan exchanged hostile language at the UN General Assembly. Generally, for India, the focus is terrorism from Pakistan. But this year theres another reason: key elections in India are nearing. Thus, even a tentative move toward breaking the ice with Pakistan wasnt really on. But the government goofed up in accepting a meeting between the two foreign ministers at the UNGA session after Pakistan PM Imran Khans letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging this. Later, it had to pull back, but some of the reasons cited dont appear to stand up. The Burhan Wani stamp was issued by Pakistan in late July, and yet the Modi government gave a positive response to Mr Khans letter in September. The abduction and killing of three special police officers, a reason Ms Swaraj cited in her UN address for not going ahead with the meeting with the Pakistani minister, is a part of a process we have seen in J&K over some time. It should not have caused any extra surprise in New Delhi. The fundamental problem with the governments handling of Pakistan is its mishandling of Kashmir. Nevertheless, Ms Swaraj was right to note that the UN convention on terror, proposed by India in the mid-1990, has not been passed as its the United States, which speaks loudly against terror and routinely castigates Pakistan, has refused to even define terrorism. And the US is Indias critical ally these days. Our legislatures are seeing the entry of a rising number of lawmakers of criminal background in the state Assemblies as well as Parliament. This further strengthens the crime-politics nexus, which has been a subject of national conversation in the last quarter century. To take the example of the Lok Sabha, in 2004 there were 124 MPs with criminal antecedents, in 2009 the figure rose to 162, and in 2014 the numbers jumped to 182, as per ADR data. Many of their legislators are guilty of serious crimes such as murder, rape and abduction, besides serious wrongdoing in the field of finance. The situation is hardly better in the state legislatures. This state of affairs casts a shadow on policy-making. It distorts governance. And yet, last Tuesday, the Supreme Court, playing a glaringly non-interventionist role in sharp contrast with the decisiveness it has demonstrated in respect of matters related to leading social questions, treated the issue of criminal legislators with kid gloves. The court reiterated that it is Parliament that must legislate on how best to deal with the worrying situation. But since tainted legislators belong to all the principal parties in the system, the biggest number coming from the BJP in the present Lok Sabha, we may take it for granted that Parliament will not move an inch. Its record in this respect is one of callous indifference. The standard response of the political system has been that convicted legislators will not be permitted to run in elections. This is in keeping with the Representation of the People Act. But a conviction is nearly impossible to secure, given the delays that characterise our judicial system, and criminals among politicians continue to make hay. Recommendations of the Election Commission in this regard, which could be helpful, lie wholly disregarded. The EC has been of the view that no candidate against whom a charge has been framed in serious criminal cases should be permitted to contest an election. Politicians get away by saying that their rivals tend to foist false cases on them. This is true enough to some extent. To meet this difficulty, the EC has proposed that a candidate may not contest if a chargesheet in a serious criminal matter has been framed against him at least six months prior to an election. But this is so much water off a ducks back. It would be best if parties were responsible enough not to give party tickets to known criminals. But since criminals bring money and muscle power to the table, and their winnability is deemed high, they are sought after by parties instead of being shunned. In the circumstances, the legislature and the executive among the three pillars of State have a vested interest in the status quo continuing. That leaves only the judiciary. It is to be hoped that in the not distant future the Supreme Court will rise to the occasion even if failed to do so earlier this week. H10 Imagine.. if you were Paul McCartney, would you also write a picture book for kids? Somehow McCartney reminds me of our very own Amitabh Bachchan who can go on and on winning accolades creating a diverse career. McCartney is always in the news and this book called Hey Grandude was actually inspired by one of his eight grandkids, who called him by that name leading him to visualise a story in which a grandfather takes his grandkids on an fantasy adventure. In the book, he calls the children Chillers. Here of course it used in an upbeat manner but it reminded me of Mira Nairs film, Salaam Bombay, where Chiller was also used for children but in quite another context. The dystopian Chiller home was where orphaned and runaway children were kept. McCartneys book will be much more fun as this grand dad rightly called Grandude, can really rock and roll. It might be one of Shakespeares longest plays, but the recently opened production of Anthony and Cleopatra has been running to full houses at the National Theatre, garnering five star reviews . This latest offering, directed by Simon Godwin has Ralph Fiennes in the lead as Anthony, while Sophie Okonedo plays Cleopatra. It was delightful to see a multicultural cast and, for once, the modern day costumes and references to a modern war, through clever use of stage props and electronics did not jar. The contemporary feel is well done and the acting was excellent dominated by Fiennes, bare chested and slightly overweight, who padded over the stage like an ageing gigolo. The only criticism I had of the play was that both Fiennes and Okonedo failed to ignite the stage with passion when they were together. The middle-aged romance often appeared a little too hilarious for the audience which (shock and horror) laughed at times quite inappropriately . But then one remembers that in Shakespeares days many of the productions were performed in front of very ordinary folk and these plays were meant to be bawdy bringing royalty down witha bang. People would have enjoyed the conspiracy and hilarity at the end of working day but alas, the awe in which we had held Cleopatra certainly swam into oblivion. Okonedo carried off being sad or comic with aplomb, but was rarely regal. And certainly not the beauty who sailed down the Nile. Fiennes especially when he interacted with Caesar and Pompey came across with much more majesty . Nonetheless the play must not be missed, nor must the live snake (a very special act nipping at Cleopatras bosom) . The production was truly spectacular. One of the advantages of living in London. And it must be remembered that the National Theatre is supported largely through private endowments. Indians are also stepping forward to support the arts as we have already seen in the Partition Museum as well but one hopes that many more will also contribute towards building up a theatre movement in India independent of the government. Speaking of museums there are an ever growing number of countries asking that the loot from the colonial years be returned. The latest request comes from the Solomon Islands. The Oceania exhibition that is on right now at the Royal Academy of Arts in London has generated a furore over some of the exhibits. For instance, a crocodile-shaped trough, seven metres long with a human head in it. It was brought back by Captain Edward Davis , in the late nineteenth century and later given to the British Museum. The human head embellishing it gives a whole new dimension to the term headhunters, which apparently those who lived on these islands indulged in. Now the director of the Solomon Islands National Museum, Dr Tony Heorake, has said that these abducted trophies must be given back so the local historical culture could be preserved. ..Well, this is a concern that India has been raising for a long time. Just as material was divided between India and Pakistan after the Partition why cant the British Museum evenly divide their collections with the countries that the material was taken from? After all, why should indigenous cultural heritage belong to the colonisers? Can we politely ask for the Kohinoor? Or shall we begin to make lists? Two years ago there was a horrific case in the UK: a severe allergic reaction caused by a Pret A Manger artisan baguette, which led to the death of a teenager. The coroners report finally came out, this week. Apparently, this fast food international chain is not mandatorily required to reveal the entire list of all the ingredients within the food products, especially not that of freshly made sandwiches. This led to the tragic demise of a young girl in 2016 who was allergic to sesame seeds. She had eaten the baguette at the airport, without knowing it contained sesame seeds and shockingly the airline also could not provide her the urgent help she needed. She died in flight while travelling with her family. This is a wake up call for all and it is something that we must all request for even in India where many of these chains now have branches . All ingredients in all edible products must be labelled clearly. And airlines must be properly equipped and trained for medical emergencies! No sandwich is going to look innocent to me, ever again. On her 85th birthday a woman was asked: Whats the secret of your happiness? She replied, At our age, its important to keep using all our potential or it dries up. It is vital to be with people and earn ones living. She was asked again, Do you still work for a living? She replied, Oh, yes! I look after an old lady nearby! Today is International Day of Older Persons. The UN does not define who older persons are. You and I can decide whether we come under this category or not. No matter how young you are, people always ask: How old are you? I know many old people who are young; and young people who are old. Some youth even retire before they begin working. Age is not a matter of the body but of the mind. In my 50-plus years, Ive been boasting: Ive never spent a single day in any hospital! Alas, a month ago I was hospitalised and horizontalised, undergoing traction for three days for severe backache. In moments like these one realizes that one must sometimes go slow!. Growing old gracefully is not easy. Some get depressed when they enter vanaprastha literally, retiring into the forest stage of life when one compulsorily retires from official service on account of age. This neednt be a time for regression or depression. Rather, to retire is time to re-tyre ones mental, physiological, psychological and spiritual engines to embark upon something new and soul-satisfying. Hinduism has beautiful Shashti Poorti ceremonies commemorating advancement into the 60sa time to be grateful not only to the railways for welcome discounts, but to look inward and Godward with gladness and gratitude. When society asks you to hand over the reins of power which has been given to you from outside, you can simply draw from inside and be an :authority in the art, science or skill youve mastered over some 40 years. The Bible describes God as the Ancient of Days, and, on the one hand, tells of characters like Sarah who was beautiful in her old age and Moses who, at 120, was with undimmed sight and unabated vigour. However, on the other hand, blind Isaac was deceived by his wife. Are your elders at home comfortable? Do you consider them as burdens or blessings? Remember the times they fed you and fondled you, taught you and brought you up to who you are today. Even if your house is small, it is enough that your heart is big to embrace them with love, gratitude and compassion. I remember Robert Brownings words: Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be; the last of life, for which the first was made. Suu Kyi lost KL's support for her role against Rohingya: Mahathir Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has said Malaysia will no longer support the leadership of Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi because of her handling of the Rohingya crisis in her country. In an interview with Turkish international news channel TRT World, Dr Mahathir said Suu Kyi seemed to be a 'changed person' in over the plight of the Rohingya people, Malaysia's The Star Online reported on Sunday. "Over this issue, she seems to be a changed person. She didn't want to say anything against the action taken by the military against the Rohingyas. So, we make (it) quite clear that we don't really support her anymore," he told host Ghida Fakhry. Dr Mahathir also admitted that he had lost all faith in her. He, however, said when he had recently written to Suu Kyi, he did not even receive a reply from her, and thus felt 'very disappointed'. "We've complained about the treatment of the Rohingyas to the world. In fact, we've ourselves received quite a lot of Rohingya people in our country," he said. Dr Mahathir, currently in New York, addressed the UN General Assembly on Friday (Sept 28) on the state of the Rohingya people in Myanmar. He criticised the authorities in Myanmar and Suu Kyi for denying that the Rohingya people were being murdered, and their homes torched, forcing over a million refugees to flee. Dr Mahathir also questioned the world for staying mum on the massacres that were carried out. Earlier, United Nations investigators said that Myanmar's military carried out mass killings and gang-rapes of Rohingya with 'genocidal intent', and that its commander-in-chief and five generals should be prosecuted under the international law. Suu Kyi has also been heavily criticised for her failure to speak out against the treatment of the Rohingya by her country's military. She earlier said in hindsight, her government 'could have handled it better', referring to the Rohingya situation with a lame understatement. There have been calls to revoke the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to her in 1991. Canada has also revoked Suu Kyi of her honorary citizenship over the Rohingya crisis. A United Nations report last month called for the army chief's prosecution for genocide against the Rohingya and singled out Aung San Suu Kyi for failing to speak up for the group. Facebook also took down the accounts of several army generals. However, many people within the Buddhist-majority country see the issue through the lens of ethnic and religious sentiments, which had been worsened through a revised version of 'national history'. They have been influenced by years of rhetoric to be suspicious of Muslims and some regard the military action against the Rohingya as an operation against 'terrorists'. While the PDP-BJP government was in power in J&K, the Centre had sat on repeated requests from the state government to repatriate some IAS officers on deputation in Dilli to ease the babu crunch in the state. But things have changed after Presidents Rule was imposed on J&K, and now even governor N.N. Vohra has been replaced by Satya Pal Malik. But a new governor does not change the scenario much. According to sources, Mr Vohra had reportedly written to the Centre to repatriate a few senior IAS officers, namely Arun Kumar Mehta, Atal Dulloo and Manoj Kumar Dwivedi serves as additional secretary in the ministry of environment, forests and climate change; Mr Dulloo is joint secretary in department of rural development while Mr Dwivedi serves as joint secretary, department of commerce. Mr Malik is likely to persist with the request made by his predecessor. As of now, the fixed strength of IAS officials in the state is 137 against the availability of 84 officers. Out of in position 84 officers, 11, including the three mentioned above, are serving in key departments of the Narendra Modi sarkar. Short-handed at finance ministry The finance ministry is staring at a whopping 30,000 vacancies across all levels. Oddly, the ministry is not showing any sign of urgency to fill these posts. The most vacancies are in the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), which is responsible for the effective implementation of GST, with a staggering 20,000 vacancies. Despite repeated reminders from the department and CBIC workers union, the Centre has displayed no enthusiasm in filling them up. According to sources, there are 1,884 senior-level posts vacant against 5,583 sanctioned posts of Group A executives. The vacancies include all seven posts of Indirect Tax Ombudsman, 30 posts of commissioners, 422 posts of additional commissioners and joint commissioners, and 1,351 posts of deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners. If the sources are to be believed, vacancies in the recovery department and at regional centres are the main reasons for the slow processing of GST returns by the government. Even at the policy level, right from the chief economic adviser to chief statistician, their key posts are lying vacant. Meanwhile, the grapevine has it that finance secretary Hasmukh Adhia may be named the next Comptroller and Auditor-General of India (CAG). Mr Adhia, a 1981-batch officer, is considered very close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is set to retire this November. An IPS retired for non-performance Four years after he came under the scanner for having disproportionate income, IPS officer Mayank Jain has been forced to retire prematurely by the Centre. Interestingly, the premature retirement is for non-performance. Sources say that the 1995-batch officer was retired on the recommendation of the Madhya Pradesh government after due processes. The state government concluded that based on Mr Jains performance he was not fit to be retained in service. It also clarified that the early retirement was independent of the Lokayukta raids on the officers properties. The decision to retire Mr Jain is related to the officers non-performance. Apparently, the state government had recommended the action against Mr Jain in March itself. The Centre considered the case and finally accepted the recommendation. Mr Jain was IG (community policing) and posted at police headquarters in Bhopal when the Lokayukta police teams raided houses and properties in Bhopal, Ujjain, Indore and Rewa. The anti-corruption body said it had received a slew of complaints against the senior police officer. B09 With the military, the judiciary and the executive of the country appearing to be on the same page on key national issues, Imran Khan seems comfortably ensconced in office. This should give the Prime Minister considerable elbowroom to pursue his manifesto promises and implement his agenda. At the same time, he and his close aides including ministers must also safeguard against becoming so smug that their conduct is seen as rash. Last Thursdays exchanges in the National Assembly between Opposition members and the information minister which led to the formers walkout were indicative of how supremely self-confident the government is. Perhaps, the government can get away with using the sort of language the minister spoke while the going is good. But in the long run, it leads to so much animosity that if, ever, the ride for the government gets a bit bumpy, such an attitude may cost it dearly. Also, the PTI is a party in power and should now learn to wear that fact too. The kind of oratory and language which some of its leaders might have used during those long years in the political wilderness needs to be parked somewhere. The PM has not left any doubt about his commitment to battling corruption. He also has a low opinion of anyone he considers corrupt but members of Parliament no matter which party they belong to represent their constituents. If there is no legal impediment to Opposition members being present in the National Assembly and/ or Senate, then whatever the PTI leader/ministers/members may think of them does not take away their entitlement to the same privileges as those sitting on the treasury benches. A news report suggests that the Intelligence Bureau, which was developing reputedly into a fine counter-terrorism civilian agency, has now been asked to shift its focus to mainly pursuing corruption cases. Recently, there have been several transfers and postings at a fairly high level in the agency. Possibly, the PM was told that many of IBs key officials, all career police/IB officers, were suspected of being loyal to the former PML(N) government. Whatever the reason, the PM would be well advised to understand the importance of a civilian agencys mandate to fight terrorism and gather intelligence so the services security forces can focus on their own priorities for countering external threats to national defence. In equal measure, it is important that any anti-corruption campaign the PM orders is transparent and above board. Any such badly needed drive will need to establish at the very beginning that it is not part of a political witch-hunt. This is being said keeping in mind that there have been figures bandied about in the media and WhatsApp groups trying to show that a couple of hundred billion dollars of Pakistans wealth is stashed abroad or that former PM Nawaz Sharif and his family have some 300 billion (ill-gotten) rupees hidden somewhere. However, if after due diligence the authorities reach the conclusion that was just WhatsApp banter and there was no truth in it, then that should also be openly acknowledged, and officially sponsored media trials must end. There are partisan people who will only see things from their own perspective. But there are many nonpartisan, impartial observers too who have no agenda except to see the rule of law and Constitution being established in the country. Due process cannot be sacrificed at the altar of political rivalries or vendettas. It is every Pakistanis right, and, collectively, society must ensure that it prevails. Side by side with upholding due process, if the PTI feels the criminal justice system has loopholes that allow the corrupt to get away scot-free then it should legislate to plug them so the net can be tightened. For such a worthwhile goal as fighting corruption, and in having targets such as building five million homes for the homeless and creating 10 million jobs, one has no hesitation in supporting the government unconditionally. It is incumbent on the government, too, to act as one which respects the rights of all and has compassion at its core. The PM and his Cabinet need to also spell out their commitment to democratic values and freedom of speech and association. Neither the PTI nor the PM can live in the past. Their focus should firmly be on the future. By arrangement with Dawn B09 United Nations: Pakistan raised the Kashmir issue in the UN General Assembly on Saturday, saying the "unresolved dispute" is impacting achieving durable peace between India and Pakistan and remains a "blot on the conscience of humanity". Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, addressing the General Debate of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, said Islamabad wanted a relationship with New Delhi based on "sovereign equality and mutual respect". "We seek resolution of disputes through a serious and comprehensive dialogue that covers all issues of concern," he said in his address. On the cancellation of the foreign minister-level talks on the margins of the General Assembly, Qureshi said Pakistan was to talk about all issues with India but New Delhi called off the dialogue, preferring "politics over peace". "India and Pakistan were supposed to meet on the sidelines of the UNGA, but its Narendra Modi government called off dialogue for the third time on flimsy grounds," he said. "They used the pretext of stamps issued months ago...and depicting grave human rights violations, including pellet gun victims, as an excuse to back out from the talks," Qureshi added. India had called off the meeting, citing the brutal killings of three policemen in Jammu and Kashmir and Islamabad releasing postage stamps "glorifying" Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani. "Dialogue is the only way to address long-standing issues that have long bedevilled South Asia, and prevented the region from realising its true potential," he said, adding that the "unresolved Jammu and Kashmir dispute hinders the realisation of the goal of durable peace" between the two countries. "For over seventy years now, it has remained on the agenda of the UN Security Council and a blot on the conscience of humanity," he said. Qureshi also said that Pakistan is ready to engage with India for meaningful confidence building, risk reduction and avoidance of arms race in the South Asian region. Qureshi also said that if India ventures across the Line of Control, or acts upon its doctrine of "limited" war against Pakistan, "it will evoke a strong and matching response." Describing Pakistan as a victim of terrorism, Qureshi said his country wanted to sit with India to discuss all issues, including terrorism, which have created violence in cities and towns, and have led to tens of thousands of casualties. Pakistan also brought up the issue of Kulbhushan Jadhav, an Indian national who was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court in April last year on charges of espionage and terrorism. Health Minister Shivananda Patil promised to upgrade the district government hospital. Better facilities will be made available to the poor patients visiting the hospital, he told reporters after visiting the on Saturday. The minister said currently the hospital has sufficient number of medical and para medical staffs. Once the hospital is upgraded, measures will be taken to ensure additional required staffs. New ambulances will be deployed into service shortly. Nearly 400 doctors and 1,600 nurses have been recruited in the state. The ambulances will also be allotted to Udupi district. Citizens met the minister and urged him and the government not to hand over Koosamma Shambhu Shetty Memorial Haji Abdullah Maternity and Children Hospital, Udupi, to a private party. BRS Ventures is entrusted with a task of managing the 200-bedded hospital and also another multi-speciality hospital. Civic Federation of Save Government Maternity and Children Hospital Struggle Committee, Udupi, convener Dr P V Bhandary said the association is against the agreement. A case in connection with the issue is pending in court. However, since September 22, the treatment facilities at the old building of the child and maternity hospital has been stopped and made available at the new building. Philanthropist Haji Abdullah had donated the land only for a government hospital. Now a private company is having the stake in the new building, Dr Bhandary added. MLA Raghupathy Bhat also met the minister and requested him against handing over the hospital. Patil said that it was a decision that was already taken by the government. He promised to direct the private venture to abide by the suggestions of the citizens and the elected representatives in the area in the process of offering the health care amenities. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, popularly known as Mahatma Gandhis life has inspired many across the globe including Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela. His teachings and ideologies still hold powerful meaning for the young generation. So much so that his extraordinary life is taken as an inspiration in the popular culture especially in films, books and music. Not to forget, Gandhijis portrait has been the centrepiece of Indian currency notes since the year 1996. On the 150 years of Gandhi Jayanti celebration, Metrolife brings to you a few films and songs where Gandhi gets a mention in the pop culture. Life of Gandhi on stage Gandhi - The Musical Mahatma Gandhi has been a favourite character for kids to dress up like, and even a favourite topic for plays and theatres. Inspired by his works and ideologies, a dance drama named Gandhi The Musical was written and directed by Danesh Khambata. This musical talks about Gandhijis journey and his experiments with truth. It had 18 original songs along with a set that defined the bygone era. Yugpurush - Mahatma ka Mahatma Written by Uttam Gada and directed by Rajesh Joshi, Yugpurush is a play that depicts the relationship between Gandhiji and his spiritual mentor Shrimad Rajchandraji. The 2016 Gujarati play has now been adapted into seven different languages including English, Hindi, Kannada, Bengali, Marathi and Tamil. The play, since its inception, has been a huge success and this can be seen by the many awards it has received through the years like Dadasaheb Phalke Excellence Awards 2017 for best play. Songs which paid homage to the father of the nation There are many songs written as tributes to the Father of the Nation. It depicts the kind of influence he had on many of these musicians. From John Lennons reference of Gandhi, while discussing his views on non-violence to American rapper Eminem referring to Gandhi in the title track of the upcoming Hollywood film Venom, Mahatmas idea of non-violence has surely been of great impact on people of every generation. Sabarmati Ke Sant Tune Kare Diya Kamal This is one of the most popular songs on Gandhiji. Written by Kavi Pradeep and sung by Asha Bhosle, this song is from the film Jagriti. The bhajan-like tune of the song became a huge hit. Movies on him Mahatma: Life of Gandhi 1869-1948 (1968) Directed by Vithalbhai Jhaveri, this documentary gave a detailed biography of the Mahatmas life. The 5-hour documentary included old stills and photographs, which gave a sneak peek into Gandhijis life and teachings. Gandhi (1982) The next big hit was this English filmmaker Richard Attenborough epic Gandhi. The movie captured the different aspects of Gandhijis life like his struggle in South Africa where he faced racial discrimination, his fight for Indias independence through movements like Quit India and his final days until he was assassinated by Nathuram Godse. It truly defined the man of nonviolence. The Making of the Mahatma (1996) The Making of the Mahatma was a well-received movie directed by Shyam Benegal. This was a collaboration between India and South Africa and is an adaptation of Fatima Meers book, The Apprenticeship of a Mahatma. The movie has won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in English in the year 1996. Hey Ram (2000) With the partition of Bengal as the background, Hey Ram was directed by Kamal Hassan who also played the protagonist, Saket Ram. The movie did fairly well in the box-office with a total of Rs 8 crore earnings. Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006) One of the most talked-about movies based on the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi is the 2006 superhit film Lage Raho Munna Bhai. Directed by Rajkumar Hirani, the movie catches momentum after the lead character, Sanjay Dutt, who plays the role of an underworld don, starts to see the spirit of Gandhi and eventually begins to practice Gandhigiri instead of bhaigiri to help people solve their problems. This film is also considered one of the best films in Sanjay Dutts acting career. Indian astronauts may get an opportunity to fly onboard a Russian shuttle to the International Space Station (ISS) for a hands-on training session before they crew the nation's first manned mission to the low earth orbit. Moscow of late conveyed to New Delhi that it could take the crew of the Gaganyaan the proposed first manned space mission of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to the ISS for a real out-of-the-world training session. The details of the proposal are likely to be discussed when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in New Delhi next Friday. If New Delhi accepts Moscows offer, it could relive a high point in India-Russia cooperation Indian astronaut Rakesh Sharmas historic April 1984 flight on board the Soviet shuttle Soyuz T 11 to Salyut 7 space station. Putin is arriving in New Delhi on Thursday. He and Modi will hold the 19th annual India-Russia summit on Friday. He will also call on President Ram Nath Kovind before leaving New Delhi at the end of his two-day visit to India. A review of bilateral cooperation in space exploration and research, as well as the application of space technology, is likely to be high on the agenda of the summit between Prime Minister and Russian President. The two sides are likely to explore ways to expand cooperation in the field of the human space programme, particularly on life support system crew module and training of astronauts sources aware of the agenda of the summit told the DH. With the ISRO planning to launch the Gaganyaan by December 2021, the Roscosmos the space agency of the government of Russian Federation offered to help train the crew of the first manned space mission of India. Moscow conveyed to New Delhi that the Roscosmos could arrange training for the ISRO astronauts, not only at its facilities in Russia, but also at the Russian Orbital Segment of the ISS, sources said in New Delhi. The ISS is a habitable artificial satellite in low earth orbit. It has been operational since 1998 as a joint project by the Roscosmos of Russia, National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the US, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Canadian Space Agency and European Space Agency. It serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory. The Roscosmos offer to help train the ISRO astronauts in Russia as well as at the ISS was discussed when External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, and Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Yuri Borisov, met in Moscow on September 14 and co-chaired the meeting of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation. It was also discussed when Dmitry Rogozin, the Director General of the Roscosmos, visited New Delhi on September 25. Rogozin met Modis National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to discuss the issues related to bilateral space cooperation ahead of the summit between Prime Minister and Russian President. New Delhi sought more details from Moscow about the proposal to train the ISRO astronauts at the ISS. A decision could be taken only when we would know the expenses required for sending our astronauts to the ISS and whether we could afford it, said a source who asked not to be identified. Russia is an old friend of India and we hope we can work it out with them. Modi-Putin summit in New Delhi on October 5 is also likely to give both sides an opportunity to review and discuss the expansion of cooperation in advanced technologies in remote sensing of earth, ground stations for satellite navigation system and space solar power systems. Cabinet to discuss editors' concerns Editors' Council's objections to nine sections of the pending 'Digital Security Act' and its demand for amending those will be placed before the Cabinet for discussions, said Law Minister Anisul Huq on Sunday. He came up with the information while talking to reporters after a meeting with the Editors' Council, a forum of newspaper editors, at the Information Ministry. Anisul Huq, Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu, Posts, Telecommunications and IT Minister Mustafa Jabbar and Prime Minister's Media Adviser Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury held the meeting with 13 editors of different newspapers over the recently passed 'Digital Security Bill'. The Law Minister said, "There's a necessity of the act and the Editors' Council at the meeting agreed over the necessity of section 21 of the act but they demanded amendment to sections 8, 21, 25, 28, 29, 31, 32, 43 and 53." "I'll place their demand at the Cabinet meeting and we'll sit with the Editors' Council again over the terms of reference to be given by the Cabinet," he said. Anisul, however, said the next Cabinet meeting scheduled to be held on October 3 will not discuss the issue as it has many agendas for discussions. "It'll be placed before the Cabinet meeting to be held afterwards." Information Minister Inu said the Editors' Council expressed worries and made objections to some sections of the pending 'Digital Security Act'. "Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is committed to ensuring freedom of press and the security of media people. She is also firm over the expansion of the media. To make that happen, we had asked them to sit in a meeting and they responded to our call," Inu said, adding that they made a list of the points of concern of the Editors' Council over the new law and need to meet the editors again for more discussions. The Daily Star Editor and Publisher Mahfuz Anam, also the Editors' Council general secretary, said, "There're several things of concern over the act. We think it goes against the ideology and ideals of the Liberation War as well as is contradictory to the democratic rights. We think it's also against the ethics of journalism." Mentioning that they published in details their concern over some sections of the recently passed Digital Security Bill, he said they postponed their scheduled human chain over the issue at the call of the Information Minister and came here for discussion. "They (ministers) have heard our statements and agreed with us. About our objections, the Law Minister said that he would place our objections or proposals before the Cabinet meeting and then they would sit with us again," Mahfuz Anam said, adding that the ministers assured them that they do not want to enact any law which is contradictory to democracy. Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman, Manabzamin Editor Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, News Today Editor Reazuddin Ahmed, New Age Editor Nurul Kabir, Kaler Kantho Editor Imdadul Haq Milan, Bangladesh Pratidin Editor Naem Nizam, Daily Inqilab Editor AMM Bahauddin, The Independent Editor M Shamsur Rahma, Jugantor acting Editor Saiful Alam, Bonik Barta Editor Dewan Hanif Mahmud, Dhaka Tribune Editor Zafar Sobhan and Samakal Editor Mustafiz Shafi also attended the meeting. The much-talked-about 'The Digital Security Bill, 2018' was passed in Parliament on September 19, aiming to deal with cyber crimes, including hurting the religious sentiment, negative propaganda against the Liberation War and Bangabandhu, and illegal activities in e-transactions and spreading defamatory data. SALT LAKE CITY President and CEO of Zions Bank Scott Anderson remembers his mother hoping one specific thing for him as a child: She wanted him to learn to play an instrument. She had me take the violin, she had me take piano, she had me take voice lessons, and unfortunately, I didnt have talent to make it in any of those areas, Anderson said with a laugh. Although Andersons skillset pointed him toward a life in business rather than a life in the arts, his mothers persistence in exposing him to the arts has nevertheless had a lasting impact. It did teach me to appreciate (art) and Im forever grateful to her for that, Anderson said in an interview with the Deseret News. That appreciation for the arts shines through in the work Anderson does at Zions Bank and in the companys commitment to Utahs arts scene, which is the basis for the company being named a recipient of Americans for the Arts BCA 10 Award. Every year, Americans for the Arts, through its Business Committee for the Arts (BCA) program, recognizes 10 businesses of all sizes for their exceptional involvement with the arts that enriches the workplace, education and the community, according to americansforthearts.org. These companies set the standard for excellence and serve as role models for others to follow. The 10 honorees show commitment to the arts through grants, partnerships, volunteer programs, sponsorships and board membership, according to the website. Zions Banks arts initiatives vary widely from the banks collection of more than 3,800 original works of art by regional artists, to the companys support of local arts organizations, to its annual art shows and this year marks Zions Banks second time receiving the award. The company was previously honored in 2008. So Im very honored and appreciative of this recognition, said Anderson, who will travel to New York City to accept the award for Zions Bank on Oct. 2. We recognize that (the arts) enriches not only our community but it enriches our workplace and our employees. The Deseret News spoke to Anderson about the award, Zions Banks involvement in the arts and the state of the arts in Utah. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Deseret News: As president and CEO of Zions Bank, how does it feel for the company to receive this award? Scott Anderson: I am so pleased and honored that the BCA would recognize Zions. I truly believe (it is because) part of our guiding principles is we want to create value for our customers and for our communities and our shareholders and our employees and that (supporting the arts) is part of that endeavor. As we create value in the community, we create economic prosperity and that creates cultural prosperity and everyone benefits. I believe that when the arts and business work together, creativity flourishes and we enjoy a better life. DN: Zions Bank supports the arts in many ways, but is there one of those ways that is something that you are particularly passionate about or proud of? SA: I think there are a couple of things that Im particularly proud of and this year, one of them is we participated in helping fund the student program for Hamilton, which allowed high school students from across the state to come (see the show). When you met and saw this audience of high school students from literally across the state, from White Horse High School in Montezuma Creek and in Kanab and in Salt Lake City and Brigham City, it was just amazing. Here they were, not only watching this performance but participating and sharing what they had done, and I thought it was just exciting to see this rebirth of the American spirit and the creative thinking. Who would have thought they were enjoying a musical about the founding of a national bank? I mean, that was rewarding to me and I thought that was terrific. (Another) thing that I would point out is we sponsor art shows. We do one in Boise, we do one in Salt Lake and we do one in Provo, in fact our art show in Salt Lake will happen on Nov. 2, and the one here will probably get about six to seven thousand people come through. Well have over 60 artists showing their works (and) people can walk through, they can meet with the artists, they can see their work, they can buy the art, they can commission the art and if they buy the art, 100 percent goes to the artist. A third example I would give is weve been involved in helping the Native American Navajo weavers weave their baskets and sell their baskets. We were helpful in getting the Natural History Museum of Utah to acquire the modern basket collection of the Twin Rocks Trading Post, and in fact, the first exhibit at the new Museum of Natural History was an exhibit of these baskets, which is probably the best in the world of modern Navajo weaving. The thing that excites me about this is that this is a real art form and when someone sits down to weave a basket, its not something that they do in a few minutes. Most of them go out and gather the sumac, they process it, they split it, they soak it, they get the dye, they dye it and then as they weave it, they dont have a pattern that they draw like you would use if youre making a sweater, this is all in their heads and it is incredible when you see how they weave. They come up with incredible pieces of work. DN: In what ways do you think individuals in the state can contribute to the arts? SA: We should take pride in teaching our children about the arts, having them take piano lessons and violin lessons and painting lessons and dancing lessons so that they learn how to appreciate the arts and then to develop their talents. I think as parents, as adults interested in the youth that we can make these programs available to the youth to teach them to appreciate the arts and to develop their talents. I think then we need to support the arts by buying tickets and going to the ballet, going to the opera, going to the theater because not only does that help defray their costs, but it shows that the community is supportive of that genre of art. No ones going to put on a play if no one comes to it. No ones going to study and put on a concert if no one comes to it. An artist, if they cant sell their paintings here in Salt Lake, theyll go elsewhere. We are lucky (to have these arts groups) and if we dont show support to them here, if we dont support them through the legislative funding, if we dont support them through buying tickets and that, they could go any place in the world and we would lose. So I think we should study arts, we should practice the arts, we should develop our talents, we should support the arts. It makes us better people, it makes our community a richer community. DN: Why are the arts important to you personally? SA: Theres a lot of similarities between business and the arts, and I think both strive for excellence, both push the envelope of human creativity, and both impact our communities, and I appreciate the arts and support them personally for a couple of reasons. One, because they enrich my life. I like to look at a painting; I like to listen to a song; I like to watch dance; I like to see a piece of theater or drama on the stage. All of that enriches me just as an observer, and I appreciate how I feel when I go to a play or a symphony or see a piece of art. The second thing is that it enriches our community. We talk about how the states economy is booming, but we dont talk about some of the reasons for that, and I think one of the reasons is that Salt Lakes a good place for business because its a good place for the arts. We have a cadre of artists performing and it makes it a better place to live, so people want to come here. There are things to do and they feel like their life is richer here than it may be in another place. And then lastly, I think just from a cultural point of view, we should see cultural prosperity as well as economic prosperity, and we should be about improving the world by bringing beauty into the world. O.C. Tanner was a great believer of this. You walk around this city and you see the fountains that he put in and the paintings that he commissioned and the buildings that he built with the thought that these things of beauty improves our lives, improves the world and makes everything richer, and I believe in that philosophy of his and I think its important. Bangladesh crush Pakistan 17-0 Sports Reporter : Bangladesh Under-18 National Women's Football team crushed Pakistan Under-18 National Women's Football team by seventeen goals to nil in their Group-B match of the SAFF Under-18 Women's Championship at Thimphu, the capital city of Bhutan on Sunday. The pre-lemon session saw a formidable 8-0 lead for the winners.12 Shawpna of Bangladesh scored seven goals with a hat-trick and her teammate Marjia netted four goals with a hat-trick, while Sheuli Azim scored twice. Akhi Khatun, Mishrat Jahan, Tahura Khatun and Krishna Rani of red-green outfit successfully struck one time each into the goalbar. By virtue of yesterday's victory, Bangladesh stormed into the semi-final. Earlier, Pakistan lost to Nepal by twelve goals to nil in their opening Group-B match at the same venue on September 28. Bangladesh will take on Nepal in their last Group-B match tomorrow at the same venue. Like many, we were skeptical of early claims about the medicinal value of cannabis, assuming it was only a smokescreen for justifying recreational pot use. Our views changed after learning from the firsthand accounts of cannabis patients and the growing medical support for cannabis-based medicines, particularly the non-psychoactive ingredients. A growing consensus among Utahns is now calling for legislation to alleviate the suffering of those who can benefit from medical marijuana. But Utahns should not settle for the one-sided and poorly crafted marijuana initiative known as Prop 2. While the initiative seeks to alleviate suffering, it comes at the cost of unravelling significant protections for public health and safety. Simply put, Prop 2 violates the first principle of responsible medicine to do no harm. Here are five likely scenarios to unfold if Prop 2 passes. 1) An 18-year-old high-school student learns by word of mouth that its easy to obtain a marijuana card by complaining of chronic pain. After a one-time visit to a local physician, the teenager receives a card and obtains four ounces of marijuana every month, the equivalent of eight joints a day. Under Prop 2, parents have no right to learn if their teens obtain marijuana cards, and the state of Utah has no right to sanction physicians for liberally dispensing cannabis cards to persons as young as 18 years old. 2) Police stop a person who possesses an unusually large amount of marijuana. The individual is a drug dealer who obtained a medical cannabis card (complaining of chronic pain) in order to conceal his illegal trade. If the dealer can show a cannabis card and labels from any legally purchased marijuana (or if the dealer lives more than 100 miles from a dispensary), Prop 2 requires the police to presume the dealers marijuana is legal, but does not provide a realistic way for the police to verify the labels match the dealers marijuana. Prop 2 also requires the deliberate destruction of state cannabis records after 60 days to prevent federal prosecution. 3) A cannabis card holder carelessly gets high on marijuana obtained from a legal dispensary and then causes a fatal automobile accident. Because theres no evidence the driver consumed marijuana while driving, Prop 2 makes it ambiguous whether the intoxicated driver may be charged with a felony DUI. 4) A homeowner learns the tenants in its basement apartment regularly vaporize marijuana in violation of federal law and against the wishes of the homeowner. (Prop 2 prohibits smoking marijuana, not vaporizing it.) Because one of the tenants is a medical cannabis card holder, a lawyer advises the landlord that evicting the tenants could run afoul of Prop 2s nondiscrimination provision, while allowing them to stay could expose the landlord to penalties for facilitating a federal crime. 5) A marijuana dispensary deliberately cultivates strains of marijuana with very high amounts of psychoactive ingredients to attract a clientele who are primarily interested in the intoxicating effects of marijuana. Prop 2 does not regulate cannabis dosages or potency, allowing for marijuana cultivated for recreational use to be disguised as medicine. Prop 2 doesnt address these consequences because it hasnt undergone the usual give and take of legislative compromise. We dont doubt the sincerity of Utahs medical cannabis community, but theres also no denying the outsized influence by out-of-state lobbying groups. Prop 2s single largest donor, the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project, played a key role in drafting the initiative. For those whove heard Prop 2 is just about medical marijuana, take note that the motto of this national lobbying arm of the marijuana industry is We Change Laws! and their unequivocal mission is to legalize recreational marijuana use across the United States. Thats not the Utah way. Our state has a unique opportunity to change the dynamics of medical marijuana, forging a compromise between the serious advocates of medicinal use and the conscientious medical, civic and police associations opposed to its misuse. Such a compromise would follow the pattern chartered by the Utah Compact on immigration policy and the Utah Compromise on nondiscrimination laws. We need a Utah Consensus on medical marijuana. It could come at just the right time. In June, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first drug comprised of an active marijuana ingredient to treat severe forms of epilepsy. This new drug contains only cannabidiol, or CBD, which is not intoxicating, in contrast to marijuanas more well-known psychoactive ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. As the Food and Drug Administration commissioner explains, Controlled clinical trials testing the safety and efficacy of a drug, along with careful review through the Food and Drug Administrations drug approval process, is the most appropriate way to bring marijuana-derived treatments to patients. The FDAs approval is a groundbreaking development. The Drug Enforcement Agency has publicly announced that CBD will be downgraded from a Schedule I drug under the Drug Enforcement Agencys Controlled Substances Act, allowing for a sea change in research and development of cannabis-based drugs. In the wake of the opioid epidemic, we need more not less thoughtful policies on drugs to balance the benefits of medical use against the risks of abuse. Utahns wary of triggering another legally enabled drug crisis should vote No on Prop 2. Since the news cycle of national politics is now shorter than the lifespan of a fruit fly, we will avoid for this week the latest Washington firestorms. However, we also have hot issues in Utah, particularly the most interesting election contest this year Proposition 2, the medical marijuana initiative. With the election getting close, could there be a last-minute compromise? Will the proponents and opponents of Prop 2 mount a final blitz to pass or defeat this initiative? Pignanelli: "Make the most you can of the Indian Hemp seed and sow it everywhere." George Washington A huge billboard on 600 South advertises a passage from the Doctrine and Covenants (All Wholesome Herbs God Hath Ordained for the use of Man) in support of Prop 2. The sheer existence of this signage demonstrates a battle not between cultures but within one. An almost daily imbiber of alcohol, I support The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints position to regulate but not prohibit its consumption. Booze is a mind-altering product requiring government control of its distribution. Most Utahns expect and rely upon guidance from the states largest religious institution in constructing policies for liquor, gambling and narcotics. I vigorously defend their right to provide such counsel. Similar emotions are driving compromise discussions between Prop 2 combatants. If negotiations falter and Prop 2 is defeated, opponents must assist in resolving outstanding issues of therapeutic marijuana use. The church, medical associations and law enforcement have a responsibility to provide a robust regulatory alternative that remedies concerns of recreational use with compassion and common sense. We all hope for a billboard praising the "Utah Way" for solving this dilemma. Webb: Good-faith discussions are occurring to find a compromise that both sides of Prop 2 can live with. However, even if the protagonists get close to an agreement, both will likely keep fighting to pass or defeat the proposal. Opponents bargain for changes from a dramatically better position if voters reject Prop 2. And supporters will argue they have the will of the people on their side if the initiative passes. Personally, I believe Prop 2 is deeply flawed and should be rejected because it lacks basic controls that we impose on other medications that can be abused. Law enforcement and the medical community oppose it because they know it threatens the well-being of our young people and will result in more impaired driving and health problems. I dont doubt that components of the marijuana plant have medicinal purposes for certain medical problems. Thus, cannabis medicine ought to be produced, regulated and dispensed like other prescription medications. What is the political and societal fallout from the passage or defeat of this initiative? Pignanelli: Because of their aggressive opposition, Prop 2 adversaries have "ownership" in the issue beyond the election. Should the initiative succeed, questions will arise as to the relationship between leaders and members of these religious, medical and law enforcement organizations. Political and demographic analysts will study this for years. Failure of Prop 2 is a short-term victory for opponents because unless additional legislation expanding the use of marijuana for medical purposes is implemented, over the long term resentment will fester. The church and others must participate in developing a legal framework that accomplishes the major goals of both sides. Webb: The involvement of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in such a political, moral and societal issue is not unprecedented, but is unusual. It clearly reflects the deep concern top church leaders have about this matter. The church doesnt get involved in these issues on a whim. As with many difficult issues, the extremes on both sides will fight any compromise. Some of the hardcore opponents dont realize that society has turned a corner on this matter and medical marijuana is coming whether they like it or not. Theyre not going to be able to ban all uses of marijuana, even in Utah. The best course is to support true medical marijuana, with appropriate regulation and controls. Is the Legislature likely to amend the initiative should it pass? Will they enact something if it does not pass? Pignanelli: Legislators are reluctant to tinker with public will expressed by ballot. But this dispute is different. Prop 2 contains some provisions that are problematic. Utahns will support officials who cure public safety concerns while maintaining the medicinal spirit of the initiative. Conversely, lawmakers will not touch the matter if the initiative fails, unless opponents in good faith request action. Webb: Whether Prop 2 passes or not, the Legislature is almost certain to act. The old conventional wisdom that if voters approve it you dont mess with it doesnt apply here. That will especially be true if it wins by a small margin. And if the opposing sides can come up with anything close to an agreement, that will grease a legislative solution. Meanwhile, the federal government ought to get off its collective rear end and allow proper development and clinical testing of cannabis-derived medicines. Utility bills are dropping in Utah. Some of the Beehive State's largest utility companies, including Rocky Mountain Power and Dominion Energy, recently slashed their rates on electricity and natural gas. The reason? The companies saved millions thanks to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act so they passed much of that windfall along to customers. Utah's entire congressional delegation voted for tax reform. Constituents are already reaping the benefits of that decision. The law completely overhauled the corporate tax code. It slashed the federal corporate tax rate to 21 percent, down from the previous rate of 35 percent, the highest in the industrialized world. Tax reform opponents feared that businesses would simply pocket these savings, leaving workers no better off. That hasn't happened. Instead, companies have passed these gains on to employees and customers in the form of pay raises, 401(k) contributions, bonuses and price cuts. Consider the generosity of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies, which owns everything from car dealerships to Megaplex movie theaters and even the Vivint Smart Home Arena, home of the Utah Jazz. The conglomerate, which is headquartered in Sandy, just south of Salt Lake City, doled out $1,000 bonuses to its 10,000 employees. SkyWest Airlines, based in St. George, gave out generous bonuses and hiked its contributions to workers' 401(k) plans. Zions Bank awarded $1,000 bonuses to 80 percent of its workforce and gave about 40 percent of employees a permanent pay raise. Utah companies aren't just rewarding existing workers they're also using their tax savings to hire new ones. State businesses will create over 2,000 new jobs in 2018 thanks to the law. Today, Utah's unemployment rate stands at only 3.1 percent well below the national average. The unemployment rate could drop even further thanks to new rules governing "repatriation" of profits earned abroad. Before the law took effect, companies technically owed taxes on their foreign profits. But they could avoid paying those taxes indefinitely as long as they kept the funds outside the United States. That created a perverse incentive for multinational firms to invest in other countries rather than bring their money back to the United States. The tax law eliminated this loophole and required companies to pay a reduced, one-time levy on foreign profits. As a result, businesses have repatriated record levels of capital a staggering $305 billion in the first three months of this year. Companies are looking to put that cash to work. That's good news for Utah job seekers, especially those hoping to find a position in our state's burgeoning "Silicon Slopes" tech industry. Facebook recently announced plans to open a new data center in Eagle Mountain. Rachel Peterson, Facebook's vice president of data center strategy, said the company is looking forward to a "long, successful partnership" with the state. This new facility will greatly boost our state's tech industry, as Rep. Mia Love, a strong proponent of tax reform, has rightly noted. "The scope of this project is certain to gain the attention of other companies looking for a future here in the state of Utah," she said. It's been less than a year since tax reform took effect, but Utah residents already have more money in their pockets, better benefits and vastly improved job prospects. The false notion that tax reform only benefits large businesses can officially be put to rest. Shortly after last year's shooting massacre on the Las Vegas strip, Ohio Gov. John Kasich convened a working group to explore possible reforms to state gun laws. A Republican, Kasich wanted to be sure the panel's members clearly supported the Second Amendment. Yet it also was to be bipartisan, with members from across the political spectrum. The panel's work accelerated after the Valentine's Day slaughter at a high school in Parkland, Florida, and it eventually produced a legislative package of what Kasich labeled "sensible changes that should keep people safer." The legislation was introduced by a Republican lawmaker in the GOP-dominated Legislature. It went nowhere. Among other objections, the Republican leadership raised constitutional concerns about a provision allowing courts to order that weapons be seized from people showing signs of violence. "The way we put it together, the fact that you had people on both sides of the issue I would have thought something would have happened," said Kasich, who watched the bill package languish in legislative chambers run by his own party. "But the negative voices come in unison and they come strongly." The Ohio experience is not unusual. An Associated Press review of all firearms-related legislation passed this year, encompassing the first full state legislative sessions since the Las Vegas attack, shows a decidedly mixed record. Gun control bills did pass in a number of states, but the year was not the national game-changer that gun-control advocates had hoped it could be. Even in a year that included yet another mass school shooting and an unprecedented level of gun-control activism, state legislatures across the country fell back to largely predictable and partisan patterns. "It's exactly what happened after Newtown: The anti-gun states became more anti-gun and the pro-gun states became more pro-gun," said Michael Hammond, the legislative counsel for Gun Owners of America, referring to the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut that killed 20 children and six educators. The major exceptions were Florida and Vermont. Both states have Republican governors and long traditions of gun ownership. Lawmakers passed sweeping legislation after the February shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 14 students and three staff members and after a foiled school shooting plot in Vermont days later. The law signed by Florida Gov. Rick Scott banned bump stocks, raised the gun buying age to 21, imposed a three-day waiting period for purchases and authorized police to seek court orders seizing guns from individuals who are deemed threats to themselves and others. The latter provision has already been used hundreds of times, court data show. Florida is a rare case in which gun laws approved by a Republican legislature and governor are being challenged in court by the NRA. ___ No other Republican-dominated state followed Florida's lead, the AP review found. The Parkland shooting did slow momentum for additional gun rights bills in some Republican-led states, but others pushed forward with a pro-gun policy agenda. They widened the definition of who can legally carry a weapon in public, allowed more concealed weapons in schools, churches and government buildings, and strengthened legal protections for people who claim they shot someone in self-defense. In Tennessee, county commissioners were granted the ability to carry concealed handguns in their workplaces. Oklahoma approved a bill allowing permit holders to carry handguns while scouting. Nebraska lawmakers enacted a long-sought bill shielding all documents related to gun permits from the state's open records law. In South Carolina, where a state senator was killed in the 2015 church shooting in Charleston, lawmakers rejected a simple bill requiring court clerks to enter convictions and restraining orders in a timely fashion to strip gun rights from people who have been disqualified from possessing firearms. The most significant policy development, the review found, was the enactment of so-called "red flag laws" in eight states. Those laws allow police or relatives to seek court orders to seize guns from people who are showing signs of violence. Five Republican governors signed those laws, which have been used to seize guns from hundreds of individuals already this year. Supporters say the laws are proven to save lives, and they were a rallying cry amid reports that the suspected Parkland high school gunman, Nikolas Cruz, was deeply troubled yet allowed to own guns. Nine states also approved laws to ban bump stocks, the rapid-fire devices that a gunman used as he shot hundreds of people at the music festival in Las Vegas, including 58 who were killed. But often, the debate over public safety and the reach of the Second Amendment played out in statehouses with familiar results. In Colorado, a state rocked by the 1999 Columbine High School and 2012 Aurora theater mass shootings, lawmakers in the divided Legislature refused to compromise. The Democratic-controlled House passed bills to ban bump stocks and enact a red flag law that had the support of many police officers and prosecutors. But the Republican-controlled Senate quickly assigned those to a "kill" committee and defeated them. "To me, the Second Amendment and individual rights demand the highest respect. That's the basis of where I come from," said Republican Sen. Tim Neville, a member of the committee and one of the capitol's most ardent gun rights activists. The Colorado House returned the favor by rejecting Republican plans to allow concealed guns on school grounds and repeal the state ban on large-capacity ammunition magazines, a law passed after the Aurora shooting. Tom Sullivan, whose son Alex was killed by James Holmes as he celebrated his 27th birthday in the Aurora theater, said he is encouraged that the state has maintained the post-Aurora ammunition limits and is calling for further gun control as he runs for a Colorado state House seat. Sullivan sees long-term promise in gun-control efforts by Parkland students and survivors of other mass shootings. "It's like any major change. It can take 20, 30, 40 years," Sullivan said. "I tell the Parkland kids that this is the natural progression of things." In North Carolina, where Republicans hold majorities in the legislature, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper asked lawmakers a few weeks after the Florida school shooting to pass new gun regulations, including more background checks and permit requirements. But Republicans never took up gun-related proposals from him or legislative Democrats, whose efforts to force floor debate on them failed. "We are really missing an opportunity for something serious for school safety," said Democratic Rep. Pricey Harrison. Republicans instead approved money to hire more campus police officers, school nurses, psychologists and social workers, as well as to create a statewide phone app for students to report tips to deter school violence. ___ Democratic-controlled legislatures in states with already strict gun control laws, such as Illinois and New Jersey, made them tighter in the wake of the tragedies. New Jersey expanded background check requirements to nearly all private sales and transfers of firearms and put into a law a strict definition requiring a "justifiable need to carry a handgun" for citizens to qualify for a permit. The Illinois Legislature extended an existing three-day waiting period to buy a handgun to rifles and other firearms, a measure signed by Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner. Advocates for stricter gun laws pointed to the changes in Florida and Vermont, the new red flag laws, the bump stock bans and laws meant to disarm accused domestic abusers as major victories in 2018. They say many of the laws passed with bipartisan support and could mark the beginning of a slow turn in their favor. "We've got a lot more work to do, but I do think we're seeing progress and the pace of progress is increasing," said Robyn Thomas, executive director at the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, who said at least 55 bills backed by her group became law. One policy change many thought would be noncontroversial turned out to be a harder sell: banning bump stocks. Lobbying by gun rights activists succeeded in blocking many states from enacting proposed bans, which they had feared would quickly spread nationwide after the Las Vegas shooting. Congress hasn't acted on them, either. Hammond, the lawyer for Gun Owners of America, said that after early defeats his group also is beginning to succeed in thwarting red flag bills. He argues that they can allow authorities to unfairly seize guns from owners who are not dangerous. In Texas, for example, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott had said the state should consider adopting some type of red flag bill. Supporters of the legislation were hoping for a breakthrough in the most populous of the GOP-dominated states, which has seen mass shootings at a high school and a church over the past year. Instead, the Legislature's Republican leaders have already declared Abbott's idea dead, and the governor has backed away from it. ___ Vermont was a rare case of a Republican governor signing into law far-reaching gun control measures passed by a Democratic legislature. The action by Gov. Phil Scott was out of step with his previous position on guns and angered his political base. The Vermont law is similar to Florida's but also requires background checks on most private firearms sales and bans high-capacity magazines. Scott told a reporter the day after the Parkland shooting that he thought Vermont's loose gun laws were adequate. But later the same day, he learned of what police called a near-miss high school shooting in a town along the state's border with New York. Police have said a former student threatened to shoot up the school, hoping for more dead than the 32 killed during the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting. The next day, a visibly shaken Scott, a life-long gun-owner and hunter, called on lawmakers to consider "gun safety" legislation. The resulting restrictions were the first significant gun ownership limits in Vermont history and came after weeks of intense debate. Ohio's Republican governor never got the same chance as Scott. A coalition of groups representing students, teachers, school counselors, police chiefs, pediatricians and Catholic clergy joined in a letter to state legislative leaders urging them to pass the changes recommended by Kasich's panel. State Rep. Nickie Antonio, a Cleveland-area Democrat, said she could have told the governor it would fail. She said Republican lawmakers sound to her "like automatons" when the topic of gun control arises. "They go to these automatic catchphrases that come right out of a pamphlet from either Buckeye Firearms or the NRA," she said. "That's what I think it's about. I do believe it's a case of follow the money." To express his frustration, Kasich refused to sign the next gun bill that crossed his desk, which waived certain concealed carry license fees and training requirements for current and former military members. It became law without his signature. Asked months later about the defeat of his legislation, the governor said gun-control groups are simply not as unified as the pro-gun lobby. "And so you," he said, "you have disparate groups going against a force that totally knows what it wants." MIDVALE About a year and a half ago, the Thayne family's life changed forever. On May 29, 2017, Sean Thayne was visiting the Bridal Veil Falls area of the Provo River along with his wife, parents and in-laws when a little girl fell into the rushing water. The girl's mother jumped in after 4-year-old London DeDios and five bystanders, including Thayne, followed. "It just didn't surprise me much. He was too brave for his own good," Thayne's father, Troy Thayne, said of his son leaping into the water in an attempt to save the mother and child, both strangers to the Thaynes. The girl's mother, Brenda DeDios, 34, and Sean Thayne were later pulled from the river unconscious and pronounced dead shortly after. Searchers found London's body the next day. Last week, Sean Thayne received a posthumous Carnegie Hero award for his bravery. The recognition was given to 16 people "for risking their lives for others found in perilous circumstances," according to the award's website. Troy Thayne sat down for a recent interview with the Deseret News at his Midvale home to discuss facing life after loss. Though he says he is glad Sean received the award, "it's been kind of a tough week," bringing memories to the surface that he's tried to block out. A "self-taught computer programmer," Sean could "learn anything," Troy Thayne recalled. "He was just a strange, amazing boy," the father said. The family owned an internet business and from a young age Sean Thayne saw the computer as a "giant toy" and began helping customers with tech support at age 12 or 13. Troy Thayne said Sean, along with his older sister, had helped take care of his three younger brothers and was "always a leader." "It's just been like a giant cog in the clock missing or something he's the one that kind of kept us informed about what everyone was doing, even if he got in trouble for gossiping, because he wanted to make sure everybody was OK," the father said. Thayne returned to the river after the accident and stayed in the area for about a week, during which he "yelled at the river" and eventually "made peace with it." "It was cathartic to yell at the river," he said. He said now, when he watches the news and hears of tragedies that happen to other families, "I feel it every time." He hopes to educate people about aquatic victim-instead-of-rescuer syndrome, which he says prompts people, usually men, to jump into water after younger children. "Most people don't know to reach, rope throw, don't go," Thayne said. "The last thing you do is you jump in." A study published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health discusses the syndrome and advocates for parents to learn "basic lifesaving skills of noncontact rescue." "The instinct to save a child is overwhelming," Thayne said. When people jump in after a child, "Such 'rescuers' who attempt to save a drowning child may themselves drown, a tragic event we term the aquatic victiminsteadofrescuer (syndrome)," according to Richard C. Franklin and John H. Pearn, the authors of that study. Thayne has also kept in contact with Utah County officials in the hopes of convincing them to implement safety measures at the river, including lowering the water during holidays and putting a rope up. Thayne said since Sean passed away, his brothers have moved around the country. "I don't know if they scattered because it was too hard. That truck right there is his, his dogs are here, he had a house and a condo, so it's kind of hard to he was such a big part of our lives." Sean's wife, Xin-Li Thayne, or "Poppy" as she is known, is working on her master's degree. "She hasn't missed a beat. She's amazing. Most people would use that as an excuse to just call it good," Troy Thayne said. "I'm very proud of her. I'm proud of all my kids for keeping moving." And Sean's mother has also been "very strong," Thayne said. He said in the wake of his son's death, the community has been supportive of the family. A GoFundMe memorial fund started by Sean's aunt raised thousands of dollars For other families who are dealing with loss, Thayne says, he would tell them that "it shouldn't destroy a family. They should want what their child would want, which is for them to continue on." "I've seen so many examples before this happened different things where the mother and father implode with their grief. And we haven't really thrived, but we've definitely bonded better in some ways," Thayne said. SALT LAKE CITY Dr. Bethami Dobkin was sworn in as Westminster College's 19th overall and second woman president on Saturday, joining a historic and unprecedented slate of women leading Utah's post-secondary schools. Dobkin comes to the school following a decade serving as provost and vice president for academic affairs of Saint Mary's College, which is a private, comprehensive and Catholic university in Moraga, California. While taking over the post in July following the retirement this spring of former Westminster President Stephen R. Morgan, Saturday saw Dobkin's formal swearing-in ceremony outside on the school's Richer Common plaza. Hundreds of attendees included a large group from Saint Mary's College and representatives from numerous colleges and universities. Westminster's interim provost, Richard Badenhausen, said Dobkin was well suited to address the challenges ahead for the school's faculty and 2,500-strong student body. "In a world that is changing rapidly, almost beyond recognition, how do we keep our bearings, how will we evolve and do so in ways that are just and compassionate?" Badenhuasen asked. "How do we go forward boldly, unabashedly holding firmly to our mission of educators of the whole person, the real person, the human person? "I have great confidence that President Dobkin is the right leader to help us navigate this new world, bravely, thoughtfully and humanely." Dobkin has spent time as both a teacher in her field of communications and in administrative positions, including working at the University of San Diego for 17 years before joining Saint Mary's in 2008. A former Dobkin student, who is now a professor at University of San Diego, told the Westminster audience it was a distinct advantage to have a new leader who knows, first-hand, the challenges of the college classroom. "She taught classes that were inspiring," said professor Kristin Moran. "The kind of classes that make you rethink everything you ever knew. The kind of classes that you want to talk about with your roommates." Moran noted the sum total of Dobkin's resume in academia was uniquely suited for her new role at Westminster. "As I reflect on Beth's past achievements, it is clear that she's been preparing for this exact future," Moran said. "She is a careful steward of financial resources, a fierce advocate for academic freedom and strongly grounded in the liberal arts tradition." Heather Batchelor, Westminster education professor and faculty chairwoman, also highlighted Dobkin's well-rounded credentials. "As a faculty, we are excited that our new president spent many years in the classroom," Batchelor said. "Understanding the individual professor's experience will help her balance the competing, but also interconnected, interests of so many different departments." In her inauguration address, Dobkin celebrated the decision that led her to the presidency, one she said was motivated by both the quality of her new institution and the community in which it resides. "(My husband) and I chose Westminster College partly because the history, values and traditions of the college align with our own," Moran said. "The place we chose needed to be a vibrant and scholarly community dedicated to teaching and learning. It needed to be in a place we found physically compelling, a place where we'd want to live, a community where we'd want to build a life. "We found these things in Westminster College." Dobkin outlined the challenges ahead for the school, including some she said are currently being shared by schools across the country. "The value proposition of liberal arts colleges is under attack at the very time it is most needed," Dobkin said. "Part of the problem is the very word, liberal. In public communications, increasingly translated to tweets and labels, the word has been drained of substance, shutting out consideration of what it has traditionally meant. "At a time when our social and political institutions seem most imperiled we need to provide education that reclaims our common humanity and restores our faith in democracy." Dobkin also connected her new school and its work to the booming Utah economy and the state's status as one of the fastest growing in the U.S. "We have a beautiful, dynamic and vibrant world right here where we can continue to connect programs in science, health, education and leadership to our place in the Intermountain West," Dobkin said. "Westminster is poised to take advantage of a region that's growing and diversifying in people and industry, a country built on creativity and innovation and a world looking for the next generation of ethical and adaptive leaders." The new Westminster president also outlined a trifecta of goals that she said, when accomplished together, can create the best experience and outcomes for every student who attends her school. "At its core, Westminster is about developing people," Dobnik said. "Bringing students together in a community where they learn the freedom to think, the wisdom to know and the aptitude to act." Dobkin is one of five women heading Utah colleges and universities, joining the U.'s President Ruth Watkins; Utah Valley University President Astrid Tuminez; Salt Lake Community College President Deneece Huftalin; and Utah State University President Noelle Cockett. SALT LAKE CITY Two women confronted Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake at an elevator as he was headed to that key Senate hearing to push forward the nomination of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to the full Senate for a vote. Ana Maria Archila raised her voice and pleadingly told the Arizona senator: "On Monday I stood in front of your office. I told the story of my sexual assault." Maria Gallagher was also there at the elevator. "I was sexually assaulted and nobody believed me," she said. "I didn't tell anyone, and you're telling all women that they don't matter." Later that afternoon in Salt Lake City, a confrontation occurred between a downtown protester and a man walking by the protest, criticizing their tactics. Jamie Carter sprang into action, saying the man didn't care about women who had been raped, including herself. "There's so many women that have been through this. It has been a release to me," Carter told Deseret News reporter Lisa Riley Roche. These are three women telling their stories. They've gone public thanks to another named woman, Christine Blasey Ford, who came before the Senate committee to tell her story about a high school sexual assault. She says Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was the teenager who attacked her. News organizations, including the Deseret News, often include the following paragraph in stories of alleged sexual assault victims: "The Deseret News typically does not name the victims of sexual assault without their permission." The hope is to protect victims from being revictimized. And the reaction to Blasey Ford, who first sought to give the Senate information anonymously, shows how people can be victimized when they are the center of the storm. But the power of putting a name and a face behind an allegation can't be underestimated and can prompt change for the better. It's why journalists, and subsequently the public, are seeing more and more women and men willing to go on the record to tell their stories. It provides weight to the #MeToo movement. Even those who were and remain in support of Judge Kavanaugh's nomination and feel like he's been wronged found Blasey Ford's testimony both powerful and heartbreaking. The Senate is open to justifiable criticism for how last week's hearings played out. Blasey Ford's allegations were to be private, but they were leaked and many are using her story as a weapon. The Senate also remains divided on partisan lines and has declared as much, regardless of what's yet to come from an FBI investigation of Judge Kavanaugh and the allegations by Dr. Blasey Ford. You'll find that detailed in a Saturday commentary by my colleague Boyd Matheson. There is plenty here from both political sides to be called disgraceful. But take a step back and watch what is occurring in the country. Real people are telling their stories and putting their names behind those stories and experiences. Jaime Aikele Caliendo came forth to talk about alleged abuses and problems in the music program at Utah State University. She then filed a lawsuit seeking more change. The story by Deseret News reporters Erica Evans and Gillian Friedman includes the following sentence: "The Deseret News usually does not identify alleged victims of sexual assault, but Caliendo, now 41, agreed to be identified and is named as the plaintiff in the lawsuit." Earlier other women had also come forward to help bring change to the piano program at USU. Whitney McPhie Griffith, who said she was raped by her piano instructor in 2009, and Amy Cannon Arakelyan, who said she was sexually harassed by faculty members, were among the first to come forward and prompt an investigation by the university. And since a report issued in April, the university has made key changes to help protect students. But none of this is easy for those who come forward, facing questioning, doubt and exposure, and it gets muddied by those who use false allegations as weapons in domestic violence cases, or to cover other stories, as in this Deseret News story from July: "A woman who said she was sexually assaulted by a man who claimed to be a door-to-door salesman Sunday made up the incident, according to police. ... Police said the woman confessed to making up the story." Inside the newsroom we're taking stock of it all and try to be responsible in how we cover sensitive, life-altering stories. As the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics states: "Ethical journalism treats sources, subjects, colleagues and members of the public as human beings deserving of respect." Minimizing harm means balancing "the public's need for information against potential harm or discomfort." It doesn't eliminate it, and poor journalism makes it worse. But it's one of several pillars we try to stand on. The benefit of those going on the record was seen in the response to the national Sexual Assault hotline on Thursday, which surged by 201 percent as Blasey Ford told her story. Prior to that, on Wednesday inside the newsroom, two women I greatly respect engaged in a conversation. The first said she had a problem with allegations centered around a high school encounter. "He has no way to defend himself," she said, referring to Kavanaugh. Her colleague strongly disagreed, saying Blasey Ford's story disqualifies the judge from joining the high court. Back and forth the conversation went. It was civil. It was interesting. Then it became more revealing, as personal experiences were shared. That was the "ah-ha moment," when debate or conversation became understanding. Understanding then turns to compassion and from compassion solutions to one of society's great problems sexual abuse can be addressed. The Deseret News wrote an editorial this week noting that the nation lost something on Thursday: "It lost the safety and security every victim should have to confidently bring forth allegations of abuse. It lost the certainty that the accused should have a fair and honest process." And yet, all is not lost and humanity emerges in trying times. Whatever happens this week in the Kavanaugh hearings, if some victims of abuse are helped and if greater compassion can be found in homes and offices, it will prove that these voices have been heard. Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. SALT LAKE CITY The 2018 water year that ended Sunday was about anything but water for most of Utah. "It was a miserable, horrible winter and it was a hot, dry, smoky summer," said Troy Brosten, a hydrologist and the acting data collection office supervisor with the Utah Snow Survey. The survey, operated within the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service, is finalizing its numbers this week, and most water watchers expect Utah Gov. Gary Herbert will then declare the entire state in emergency disaster due to drought. "We certainly have the conditions to justify it," said Mike Styler, executive director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources. Last month, as required under state law, Utah leaders and weather experts convened an emergency meeting due to the drought that continues to spread across the state. With the exception of 0.04 percent of the state's 54 million acres, Utah is in some category of drought ranging from moderate to exceptional, the latter being the worst category. A little less than half the state is either in exceptional or severe drought as of late September, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System. "Water may be a renewable resource, but the last couple of winters what we have seen is that it is not renewing," Styler said. During the 2018 snowpack accumulation season, the state saw just half the volume of snowpack it typically does. Brian McInerney, senior hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City, said the worst seasonal conditions combined to produce a dreary year for water supply. "It was bad all the way around. There are a couple of ways to look at it: record low snowpack in central and southern Utah in the wintertime, below average runoff and then an incredibly hot and dry summer," he said. Styler said the 2018 water year basically turned into the water year that wasn't. Yuba Reservoir, where Styler depends on water for a family farm, began the irrigation season at 38 percent. The reservoir in Juab and Sanpete counties can hold 236,000 acre-feet of water, Styler said. "Right now it is down to 4 percent. We are going into the fall with reservoirs that are basically empty." Tage Flint, general manager of the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, cut short his service area's irrigation season beginning Monday, ending it two weeks early to bank an extra 6,000 acre-feet. Some individual irrigation companies within the district cut allotments of water by half earlier this year to last through the remaining irrigation season. "There are local mountain streams on the Wasatch Front north of Salt Lake City that had some of the lowest yields in history," Flint said. "Farmington Creek didn't even peak. We also know that the last three months we are breaking records of the lowest precipitation in at least the last 20 years. What that has done is drive up the demand." Hryum Reservoir south of Logan in Cache Valley is just 26 percent full and Echo Reservoir is in worse shape, at 13 percent full, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Some reservoirs like Deer Creek and Jordanelle are holding on, at 56 percent and 68 percent full, respectively. Across Flint's entire district, reservoirs on average are sitting at 51 percent. "The good news is that we are going into next season at half full," he said. Generally, Utah reservoirs had more carry-over this time last year than now. McInerney said that hold over is what saved irrigators, for the most part, over the dry winter and searing dry summer. "All that carry over we've used up. It's like money in the bank, and we didn't work that much this year, and now we have a lot less money in the bank," McInerney said. "If we get an average year, we will be good." What happens in the coming season for water is anyone's guess at this point, however. But McInerney pointed out the importance of having a steady supply of average years, or even a couple months where snowfall is relentless and setting records. From 2012 to 2017, the region had below average snowpack and runoff setting up the West for its extreme drought, he said. But in December of 2016 and January 2017, blockbuster snowpack at 300 to 400 percent of average saved many areas. "It was those two months that filled reservoirs across the West that saved those five years of drought," McInerney said. He added that the changing climate and warming trends should have people perking up and paying attention. "This is our future. We are playing with loaded dice." One sprinkle of hope is that next week, the dry weather pattern is expected to shift and rain from Hurricane Rosa will move into the state. Nana Patekar Ends Silence On Tanushree Dutta's Sexual Harassment Claim, Check Out His Response Nana Patekar has broken his silence about the recent accusations of sexual harassment levelled against him by actor Tanushree Dutta. Contacted by Mirror Now, the actor laughed when questioned about the allegations and asked, What does she mean by sexual harassment? We were on the set and there were 200 people sitting in front of us. Asked if he will take any legal action, the veteran actor said, 'I will see what can be done legally. Let's see. It is also wrong/inappropriate to talk to you (media) since you publish anything.' On Tanushrees allegation that there's a different face to the National Award-winning actor, Nana said: 'Let anyone say anything. I will continue to do in my life what I have been doing.' Tanushree had alleged in a recent interview that Nana Patekar, a Padma Shri and National Award-winning actor, had behaved inappropriately towards her during the shooting of a song for 2008s Horn OK Pleassss. Everyone knows about Nana Patekar that he has always been disrespectful towards women. People in the industry know about his background... that he has beaten actresses, he has molested them, his behaviour with women has always been crude but no publication has printed anything about it, she had told Zoom. Patekar, who had remained unavailable for comment since the news broke, told Mirror Now, What can I do about it? You tell me, and contemplated taking legal action. 'He misbehaved on the sets. He was being aggressive and was pushing me around. I complained about him, but it was not heard. They (film crew) were forcing me to do an intimate step. My contract stated that it was a solo dance sequence, and it was not supposed to be a duet. It was a way to manipulate me. This was the whole harassment situation going on,' she said in an interview. The actor that her family was also attacked when she refused to do the dance step. 'It was horrific. They made sure that we didn't escape the studio as they locked the gates. Ganesh Acharya was the one who pressurised me to perform an intimate step. Everybody was involved including Amit Siddiqui and Rakesh Sarangi. All of them are good friends,' Tanushree claimed. Tanushree had wondered why established stars such as Akshay Kumar and Rajinikanth continue to work with Patekar despite his well-known history of inappropriate behaviour towards women. The entire industry saw what happened but there was not one word of condemnation from anybody. Every single person in this country remembers my incident and this was something on national TV for three days but even today theres a stoic silence on that. So, my question is, Who is going to believe these hypocrites? These are the people who stand up and raise their voice against women empowerment, she had said. The films choreographer, Ganesh Acharya, had spoken up in defence of Patekar. Hes a very sweet person, he can never do that. He is very helpful and he has actually helped a lot of artistes in the industry, he can never do anything like that. He also added that he doesnt remember what happened that day as the incident is from 10 years ago. When I was called for rehearsal I was told that Nana ji was also there in the song. I dont have the agreement with me because that time we used to do it verbally. But that particular song didnt involve any kind of indecent step in the first place. It was pure dancing. Thats all, he News18. Tanushree in response called Ganesh a bloody liar for being complicit in her abuse. Hes not the end goal of this discussion. Hes the reason why this discussion started. I want the industry to ban these people from working just to set an example for others. You cant get away with this behaviour. My fight is not with Nana Patekar or Ganesh Acharya. I dont want them to work. I want them to suffer the consequences of their actions, Tanushree told ANI. Meanwhile, stars Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan have weighed in on the controversy after they were asked about it at the trailer launch event for their new film, Thugs of Hindostan. Neither my name is Tanushree nor Nana Patekar. So, how can I answer your question? said Amitabh, while Aamir said, Without knowing the veracity of something, its not right for me to comment on it. But whenever something like this does happen, its a sad thing. Whether this has happened, that is for people to investigate it. The #MeToo movement began with allegations of sexual harassment and rape against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein and triggered a global movement. It eventually led to structural changes in Hollywood and the launch of the Times Up campaign. Indian actors such as Radhika Apte, Richa Chadda, Swara Bhasker and Konkona SenSharma have spoken about it, without revealing names. The Undead Archives I have finally salvaged my pre-Blogger TDR archives and added them into Blogger. They are almost totally in the form of one giant post for each month. And the formatting strayed from the originals. Sorry. But historians everywhere can rejoice that this treasure trove of my thoughts is restored to the world. HSE RETIRED GROUP AND FRIENDS There will be a bus leaving the Church of the Irish Martyrs at 2pm on Thursday week, the 11th of October, going to The Millennium Forum, Derry for a Matinee performance of the musical Evita. There will be a meal in Newtowncunningham on the return journey. Bookings must be made as soon as possible, as tickets have to be bought and paid for in advance. Tickets cost 30 stg. To book, please contact Kathleen on 074-91 21551, Brid on 074-91 22605 or Charlie on 074-91 26696. PIONEER ASSOCIATION MASS The 2018 Mass for Deceased members of the Pioneer Association in the Raphoe Diocese will take place this Wednesday the 3rd of October, at 7:30pm in St Bridget's Church, Ballintra. Everybody welcome. Each Centre please take note and it is hoped as many as possible will attend. COURSES AT LETTERKENNY CDP We are now taking bookings for courses available in Letterkenny CDP. We have Paverpool, Introduction to Sign Language, Papercraft, Jewellery Making and Ukulele. If interested, please contact 074-91 20633. Classes are starting up next week so please register as soon as possible. ADULT CEILI CLASSES Adult Ceili classes will recommence tonight Monday 1st of October in St Eunans GAA Centre. Dancing 8pm 10pm. Beginners welcome. For more information phone 086-3144 699. CURSILLO WEEKENDS, ARDS FRIARY OCTOBER 4th & 11th "Like many, I have undertaken various courses to improve my lot, reach my potential, become the person I could be. The best one was a Cursillo weekend at Ards. There I met many ordinary people with hurts and problems who had learned to open their hearts to Jesus, to be filled with His love. Step away from life for a few days and Jesus will do the rest. Call Pat 086-3029 838 or phone Ards on 074-91 38909. BRIDGE LESSONS Bridge Lessons for beginners / Refresher courses available throughout Donegal depending on demand. Learn a new skill or relearn an old one, improve concentration and memory and meet new people. Contact County Development Officer Marion 086-60222 88. WE CARE FOOD BANK The We Care Food Bank require the following items of food: Tea Bags, Coffee, Sugar, Cereals, Peas, Tinned Tomatoes, Tinned Fruit, Tinned Veg, Pasta and Pasta Sauce. Drop off points are: Letterkenny Community Centre, So Lo, Pearse Road, Macs Mace, High Road, Simpsons, Circular Road. The Annual General Meeting of the We Care LK Food Bank will take place this Friday, the 5th of October 2018, at 8pm in the Station House Hotel, Letterkenny. All welcome. Refreshments served. DONEGAL TUNNEL TIGERS COMMITTEE The committee are currently looking for names and details of any Donegal miners that were killed in tunnels all over the world or that died from tunnel related diseases, with a view to having a memorial erected. For further information, please contact Katrina Boyle on 087-055 0008. IRISH CANCER SOCIETY DAFFODIL CENTRE Letterkenny University Hospital are currently looking for volunteers to work with our Daffodil Centre Nurse based in the hospital. The centre functions as a walk-in information and support centre for cancer patients, their families and anyone with concerns about cancer. Training will be provided, and further information can be obtained from Deirdre Murphy, Irish Cancer Society on 01-231 0564 or by e-mail to: dmurphy@irishcancer.ie. ANNUAL HOSPICE REMEMBRANCE SERVICE The Annual Hospice Remembrance Service will take place in The Church of the Irish Martyrs on Sunday, October 7th at 4pm. This service is for anyone that has experienced the loss of a loved one either in the Hospice or Homecare. TABLE QUIZ There will be a Table Quiz in aid of The Donegal Sexual Abuse & Rape Crisis Centre in Backstage Bar & Grill at Century Cinema Complex on Friday, October 19th at 10pm. There will be prizes for the winning team and runners-up. Teams of four, no entry fee but donations greatly appreciated. Come along and support a great cause, everyone welcome. SLEEP OUT FOR NW SIMON COMMUNITY The annual Sleep Out in aid of the North West Simon Community will take place this Friday, October 5th in Letterkenny and Sligo. The event forms part of Simon Week, an awareness campaign for homelessness and its causes that will take place nationally between Monday October 1st and Sunday October 7th. North West Simon Community are urging businesses, entrepreneurs and individuals from all walks of life to sign up today and support this worthy cause. Each participant will receive a certificate and return home with the satisfaction that they have helped make a difference in their local Simon Community. Once a participant signs up and meets the fundraising team they will receive a fundraising pack that will provide details of the event and include a sponsorship card. If you are interested, please phone Collette on 074-91 21613 or 087-055 2478 or by e-mail at: collette@northwestsimon.ie. You must be over 18 to take part in the Sleep Out. For further details check out North West Simon Community Facebook page: www.facebook.com/northwestsimoncommunity. ALZHEIMERS SOCIETY FUNDRAISING DANCE The Alzheimers Society of Ireland Donegal Branch are holding their Annual Fundraising dance in The Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny, on Saturday the 10th of November. Dancing 10pm until late. Spot prizes on the night. Music by Country Sensations. Admission 5. All welcome. ALZHEIMERS CAFE The next Alzheimers Cafe meeting takes place this Thursday, October 4th from 11am until 1pm in The Silver Tassie Hotel. The Cafe is free of charge and open to all people with Dementia and their families. Please join us for a morning of information on Dementia, music, fun and laughter. Tea / coffee and scones will be provided. For more information, contact Mary (Secretary) on 087-944 9903. LETTERKENNY & DISTRICT PIPE BAND The Letterkenny & District Pipe Band will hold their Annual Supper Dance this Friday night, October 5th in Biddy Friels, Drumoghill. Tickets are priced at just 10 and can be purchased from any member of the band or on the door on Friday night. The Pipe Band will perform at 10:30pm followed by supper served at 11pm. Music and Dancing until late with Martin Orr and the Honky Tonk Heroes. Supported by Donegal County Council. GIFT & FOOD FAIR The organisers of the Annual Letterkenny Christmas Craft, Gift & Food Fair have set the date for this years event. The Fair will take place on Sunday, December 2nd between 12 noon and 5pm in The Clanree Hotel. For all enquiries and stand bookings, contact 085-8068 507. QUALITY OF LIFE PROGRAMME Quality of Life is a free HSE programme for adults that are dealing with the impact of health conditions on their lives. The next programmes will start next Monday, October 8th from 7pm and in Milford on Wednesday, November 7th at 11am. There will be one workshop per week for six weeks and the workshops last approx. two and a half hours. Places are limited and must be booked in advance. For full details or to book a place, please ring 071-98 67979 or 087-756 9743 or for more information you can visit: www.hse.ie/selfmanagementsupportdonegal. THE SCHUBERT SESSIONS Presented in association with the 5th Donegal Chamber Music Festival and Letterkenny Cathedral Quarter, The Schubert Sessions will showcase some of his finest songs for his friends old and new. The event takes place in Conwal Parish Church on Friday, October 19th from 8:30pm. The line-up includes Paul Martin (baritone) and Gerard Bradley (piano) and will be presented by Peter Barry. Tickets are priced at 10 and are available on the door. LETTERKENNY NO. 1 CSC The next meeting takes place this Wednesday night, October 3rd in The Station House Hotel at 8pm. New members welcome. Chairman, Denis ODonnell is currently taking names for the following games: St. Johnstone (away) on 7th of October; Hibs (home) on October 20th; Motherwell (home) on October 28th; Hearts (home) on November 3rd and RB Leipzig at home on Thursday, November 8th. Contact Denis on 085-174 3866. NEW YORK -- The Fourth CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival, to be held in New York, Sept. 30-Oct. 3, will feature cutting-edge research studies from around the world that endeavor to answer urgent questions in the field of cancer immunotherapy to advance progress more rapidly for patients. Cancer immunotherapeutics work by unleashing the power of a patient's immune system to fight cancer the way it fights pathogens like viruses and bacteria. Immune checkpoint inhibitors such as pembrolizumab and nivolumab, as well as CAR T-cell therapy, have revolutionized cancer care in recent years by yielding dramatic, durable responses in patients who previously had few treatment options. However, such responses are seen in only a fraction of patients, and many patients develop resistance to these treatments. There is a need for continued research and innovation so that more patients may benefit from the promise of cancer immunotherapy. "We have made extraordinary progress in cancer immunotherapy in the past decade -- the number of immunotherapeutics increased almost five-fold and the number of cancer types that can be treated by at least one immunotherapeutic more than tripled," said AACR President Elizabeth M. Jaffee, MD, co-chair of this year's conference and deputy director of The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University. "As research expands our knowledge of the immune system and how it interacts with cancer cells, we will see a lot more progress in immunotherapy, with new approaches to treatment that will increase the number of patients who benefit." A media luncheon will take place on Monday, Oct. 1, at 1 p.m. ET featuring cancer immunotherapy experts who will discuss these areas of research interest and other themes from the meeting. Reporters interested in attending remotely can watch live at https://youtu.be/9G_ufP3LEjg. Several presentations at the conference also address these issues. Who responds to immune checkpoint inhibitors, and why? Developing new approaches in identifying responders and non-responders to immune checkpoint inhibitors can help determine who should receive these drugs and who should receive alternate treatment. One study that utilized big data and genomic analysis to identify new patients who may respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors is Abstract B085, "High mutation burden and response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in angiosarcomas of the scalp and face," to be presented by Corrie Painter, PhD, from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard during Poster Session B on Tuesday, Oct. 2. What can be done to improve response rates and overcome resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors? Immune checkpoint inhibitors improve outcomes for only a subset of cancer patients, and many see their cancers stop responding to treatment. The following abstracts are examples of work that is being done to address these issues: -Roberta Zappasodi, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, will present Abstract A225/PR1, "Mechanistic rationale to combine GITR agonism with PD-1 blockade in cancer patients," during Poster Session A and Session 1: Regulating T Cells and Their Response to Cancer on Sunday, Sept. 30. This study investigates a new combination treatment that may help counteract resistance. -Elizabeth Evans, PhD, Vaccinex, Inc., will present Abstract A068/PR10, "Reprogramming myeloid cells in TME with pepinemab, first-in-class semaphorin 4D MAb, enhances combination immunotherapy," during Poster Session A on Sunday, Sept. 30 and Session 5: Novel Vaccine Platforms and Combinations on Tuesday, Oct. 2. This pre-clinical research evaluates the mechanisms behind a new therapeutic's ability to bolster the activity of immune checkpoint inhibitors as these combinations are being investigated in several clinical trials. -Stephen Schoenberger, PhD, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, will present Abstract B090/PR12, "Functional identification and therapeutic targeting of tumor neoantigens," during Poster Session B and Session 6: Mutational Analysis and Predicting Response to Immunotherapy on Tuesday, Oct. 2. The technology described in this study may eventually help identify a broader array of tumor-specific neoantigens, which is important for the development of personalized cancer vaccines and cellular immunotherapies. In addition, this year's recipient of the William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Tumor Immunology, Padmanee Sharma, MD, PhD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, will deliver a lecture titled "From the clinic to the lab: Investigating response and resistance mechanisms to immune checkpoint therapy," Sunday, Sept. 30, at 2:15 p.m. ET. What novel immunotherapies are on the horizon for cancer patients? Besides immune checkpoint inhibitors and CAR T-cell therapy, researchers are investigating other ways to unleash the immune system against cancer. These two abstracts are examples of new approaches to cancer immunotherapy that are being tested in early-phase clinical trials: -Jay Berzofsky, MD, PhD, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, will present Abstract A004, "HER2 cancer vaccine phase I clinical trial shows clinical benefit in 54% of evaluable patients," during Poster Session A on Sunday, Sept. 30. According to these trial results, treatment with a HER2-targeted therapeutic cancer vaccine provided clinical benefit to several patients with metastatic HER2-positive cancers who had not previously been treated with a HER2-targeted therapeutic. -Filip Janku, MD, PhD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, will present Abstract A011, "First-in-man clinical trial of intratumoral injection of Clostridium novyi-NT spores in patients with treatment-refractory advanced solid tumors: safety, activity, and immune responses," during Poster Session A on Sunday, Sept. 30. This trial demonstrated that the use of bacterial Clostridium novyi-NT spores as an injectable monotherapy had manageable toxicities and showed early clinical efficacy in patients with treatment-refractory solid tumor malignancies. The scientific program will feature talks from more than 50 leaders in the field, and attract more than 1,200 attendees from academia, industry, and the advocacy community. A full program is available here: http://www.cancerimmunotherapyconference.org/program-of-events/. All abstracts are available through the conference app: http://www.cancerimmunotherapyconference.org/abstracts/. ### Pound Sterling to US Dollar (GBP/USD) exchange rate unable to hold on to gains UPDATE: The Pound Sterling to US Dollar (GBP/USD) exchange rate faced heavy selling pressure and tested the 1.3000 level on Tuesday morning. The King dollar rules the roost amid risk-off market profile, induced by the Italian budget worries and US-China trade spat. The UK will release the Nationwide Housing Price Index for September, and of more relevance, the Construction PMI, expected at 52.5 from the previous 52.9. Late Monday, GBP/USD witnessed a knee-jerk spike to 1.3105 after the latest Brexit-related headlines hit the wires, citing that the UK is said to plan a compromise on the Irish border issue. However, the spot failed to sustain above the 1.31 handle and quickly retreated to 1.3070 region on Monday afternoon. The UK manufacturing PMI saw the activity rising more than expected to mark a reading of 53.8 in September after decelerating unexpectedly sharply to 52.6 in August. The British Pound traded near 1.3030 against the US dollar on Monday morning. Brexit headlines continued to cross the wires over the weekend and into the new trading week, however little momentum is seen on trade talks between the UK's Prime Minister Theresa May and European Union leaders in Brussels. Hard-line Brexiteers in PM May's own Conservative party continue to threaten to vote down any trade plan the PM assembles. Stoic EU leaders giving little ground in talks, and the bets that the UK may face a hard Brexit after all are back on the rise. Last week the pound sterling US dollar (GBP/USD) exchange rate fluctuated between lows of $1.30 and highs of $1.32. On Friday the British Pound was close to its worst levels of the week, but could Sterling storm higher in the days ahead? In a brief to clients on Friday, analysts at ING suggest the key risk for the GBP/USD exchange rate is the Tory party conference, and more specifically, PM May's speech. "The key event risk for sterling is this weekends Tory party conference a pivotal one, to say the least, for prime minister Theresa May, who speaks on Wednesday. While we remain constructive on the big picture outlook for GBP/USD and see 1.40 at the turn of the year its difficult to ignore the potential downside risks stemming from UK politics in the week ahead. Indeed, GBP has traded with a negative bias in and around the last two Tory party conferences; on average GBP/USD has fallen around 1.0% after PM Mays prior conference speeches. We wouldnt be surprised to see a hat-trick of GBP sell-offs if the prime minister has another difficult conference." Pound Sterling US Dollar (GBP/USD) Exchange Rate Forecast Eyes UK Services, Manufacturing and Construction PMIs Last week was pretty dull in terms of UK data, but there are plenty of releases with the potential to impact the GBP/USD exchange rate in the days ahead. From the UK the main releases to focus on are Markits Services, Manufacturing and Construction PMIs for September. If the measures show that output picked up at the end of the third quarter, the Pound could climb against rivals like the US Dollar. As the UK services sector accounts for over 70% of total GDP that measure will be of particular importance. In August the services PMI rose from 53.5 to 54.3, taking the gauge further above the 50 mark separating growth from contraction. At the time, IHS Markit Chief Business Economist Chris Williamson stated: Faster service sector growth comes as much needed welcome news after disappointing manufacturing and construction PMI surveys in August. The survey data indicate that the economy is on course to expand by 0.4% in the third quarter, a relatively robust and resilient rate of expansion that will no doubt draw some sighs of relief at the Bank of England after the rate hike earlier in the month. Another uptick in September would is therefore likely to send Pound Sterling (GBP) exchange rates broadly higher. US Jobs Data Could Lift US Dollar Exchange Rates Of course, the Pound to US Dollar (GBP/USD) exchange rate will also be driven by news from the US, including the nations ISM manufacturing/non-manufacturing PMIs, a speech from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, final durable goods orders figures and, crucially, US employment stats. The US non-farm payrolls figures are due for publication on Friday, alongside the nations unemployment rate and wage data. The US Dollar could benefit if the US unemployment rate remains at 3.9%, a good number of positions are added in September and average earnings increase. What Else Could Move the Pound Sterling to US Dollar (GBP/USD) Exchange Rate this Week? The Pound Sterling to US Dollar (GBP/USD) exchange rate is also likely to fluctuate in reaction to any Brexit developments. Any headlines which indicate that the UK is moving closer to striking a deal with the US would be Pound-positive. However, if it appears that tensions are rising again Sterling could be pressured lower. GBP USD Data Releases Monday October 1 2018 09:30 GBP Markit Manufacturing PMI 15:00 USD ISM Manufacturing (SEP) Tuesday October 2 2018 09:30 GBP Markit Construction PMI 17:00 USD Feds Chairman Speaks at NABE Conference in Boston Wednesday October 3 2018 09:30 GBP Markit Services PMI 13:15 USD ADP Employment Change 15:00 USD ISM Non-Manufacturing PMI Thursday October 4 2018 15:00 USD Durable Goods Orders Friday October 5 2018 13:30 USD Change in Non-Farm Payrolls 13:30 USD Unemployment Rate 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. Even though the clouds remained dark and heavy in the sky and rain continued to come down, nothing seemed to stop 27 dedicated runners from taking part in the Gator Gallop 5K. Welcome to the News Release Wire Selection Control Panel. Instant News Wire In shelters from Kansas to New York, hundreds of migrant children have been roused in the middle of the night in recent weeks and loaded onto buses with backpacks and snacks for a cross-country journey to their new home: a barren tent city on a sprawling patch of desert in South Texas. Until now, most unauthorized children being held by federal immigration authorities had been housed in private foster homes or shelters, sleeping two or three to a room. They received formal schooling and regular visits with legal representatives assigned to their immigration cases. But in the rows of sand-colored tents in Tornillo, Texas, children in groups of 20, separated by gender, sleep lined up in bunks. There is no school: The children are given workbooks that they have no obligation to complete. Access to legal services is limited. These midnight voyages are playing out across the country, as the federal government struggles to find room for more than 13,000 detained migrant children the largest population ever whose numbers have increased more than fivefold since last year. The average length of time that migrant children spend in custody has nearly doubled over the same period, from 34 days to 59, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees their care. Now Playing: Reporters were allowed to tour a facility in Texas that holds more than 300 children separated from their migrant parents. A facility administrator said the main complaint he hears from the children is that the tents get too cold sometimes. (June 26) Video: Associated Press To deal with the surging shelter populations, which have hovered near 90 percent of capacity since May, a mass reshuffling is underway and shows no signs of slowing. Hundreds of children are being shipped from shelters to South Texas each week, totaling more than 1,600 so far. The camp in Tornillo operates like a small, pop-up city, about 35 miles southeast of El Paso on the Mexico border, complete with portable toilets. Air-conditioned tents that vary in size are used for housing, recreation and medical care. Originally opened in June for 30 days with a capacity of 400, it expanded in September to be able to house 3,800, and is now expected to remain open at least through the end of the year. It is common to use influx shelters as done on military bases in the past, and the intent is to use these temporary facilities only as long as needed, said Evelyn Stauffer, a spokeswoman for the Health and Human Services Department. Stauffer said the need for the tent city reflected serious problems in the immigration system. The number of families and unaccompanied alien children apprehended are a symptom of the larger problem, namely a broken immigration system, Stauffer said. Their ages and the hazardous journey they take make unaccompanied alien children vulnerable to human trafficking, exploitation and abuse. That is why HHS joins the president in calling on Congress to reform this broken system. But the mass transfers are raising alarm among immigrant advocates, who were already concerned about the lengthy periods of time migrant children are spending in federal custody. The roughly 100 shelters that have, until now, been the main location for housing detained migrant children are licensed and monitored by state child welfare authorities, who impose requirements on safety and education as well as staff hiring and training. The tent city in Tornillo, on the other hand, is unregulated, except for guidelines created by the Department of Health and Human Services. For example, schooling is not required there, as it is in regular migrant children shelters. Mark Greenberg, who oversaw the care of migrant children under President Barack Obama, helped to craft the emergency shelter guidelines. He said the agency tried to the greatest extent possible to ensure that conditions in facilities like the one at Tornillo would mirror those in regular shelters, but there are some ways in which thats difficult or impossible to do. Several shelter workers, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being fired, described what they said has become standard practice for moving the children: In order to avoid escape attempts, the moves are carried out late at night because children will be less likely to try to run away. For the same reason, children are generally given little advance warning that they will be moved. At one shelter in the Midwest whose occupants were among those recently transferred to Tornillo, about two dozen children were given just a few hours notice last week before they were loaded onto buses any longer than that, according to one of the shelter workers, and the children may have panicked or tried to flee. The children wore belts etched in pen with phone numbers for their emergency contacts. One young boy asked the shelter worker if he would be taken care of in Texas. The shelter worker replied that he would, and told him that by moving, he was making space for other children like him who were stuck at the border and needed a place to live. Some staff members cried when they learned of the move, the shelter worker said, fearing what was in store for the children who had been in their care. Others tried to protest. But managers explained that tough choices had to be made to deal with the overflowing population. The system for sheltering migrant children came under strain this summer, when the already large numbers were boosted by more than 2,500 young border crossers who were separated from their parents under the Trump administrations zero-tolerance policy. But those children were only a fraction of the total number who are currently detained. Most of the detained children crossed the border alone, without their parents. Some crossed illegally; others are seeking asylum. Children who are deemed unaccompanied minors, either because they were separated from their parents or crossed the border alone, are held in federal custody until they can be matched with sponsors, usually relatives or family friends, who agree to house them while their immigration cases play out in the courts. The move to Texas is meant to be temporary. Rather than send new arrivals there, the government is sending children who are likely to be released sooner, and will spend less time there mainly older children, ages 13 to 17, who are considered close to being placed with sponsors. Still, because sponsorship placements are often protracted, immigrant advocates said there was a possibility that many of the children could be living in the tent city for months. Obviously we have concerns about kids falling through the cracks, not getting sufficient attention if they need attention, not getting the emotional or mental health care that they need, said Leah Chavla, a lawyer with the Womens Refugee Commission, an advocacy group. This cannot be the right solution, Chavla said. We need to focus on making sure that kids can get placed with sponsors and get out of custody. The number of detained migrant children has spiked even though monthly border crossings have remained relatively unchanged, in part because harsh rhetoric and policies introduced by the Trump administration have made it harder to place children with sponsors. Traditionally, most sponsors have been unauthorized immigrants themselves, and have feared jeopardizing their own ability to remain in the country by stepping forward to claim a child. The risk increased in June, when federal authorities announced that potential sponsors and other adult members of their households would have to submit fingerprints, and that the data would be shared with immigration authorities. Last week, Matthew Albence, a senior official with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, testified before Congress that the agency had arrested dozens of people who applied to sponsor unaccompanied minors. The agency later confirmed that 70 percent of those arrested did not have prior criminal records. Close to 80 percent of the individuals that are either sponsors or household members of sponsors are here in the country illegally, and a large chunk of those are criminal aliens. So we are continuing to pursue those individuals, Albence said. Seeking to process the children more quickly, officials introduced new rules that will require some of them to appear in court within a month of being detained, rather than after 60 days, which was the previous standard, according to shelter workers. Many will appear via video conference call, rather than in person, to plead their case for legal status to an immigration judge. Those who are deemed ineligible for relief will be swiftly deported. The longer that children remain in custody, the more likely they are to become anxious or depressed, which can lead to violent outbursts or escape attempts, according to shelter workers and reports that have emerged from the system in recent months. Advocates said those concerns are heightened at a larger facility like Tornillo, where signs that a child is struggling are more likely to be overlooked, because of its size. They added that moving children to the tent city without providing enough time to prepare them emotionally or to say goodbye to friends could compound trauma that many are already struggling with. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. There was no bickering, no finger-pointing, no infighting among the panelists during a Texas Tribune Festival discussion focused on the future of the state. The way forward for Texas is through its largest urban areas, and Saturday, the mayors of some of those places discussed the challenges they face. But had GOP lawmakers from the Legislature been on the panel, there would have been far less agreement. Ron Nirenberg, Steve Adler and Dee Margo the mayors of San Antonio, Austin and El Paso, respectively talked about gridlock, housing crises fueled by soaring property values, the need for continually building infrastructure and more. The officials pointed to some issues that cut across the state while others were unique to their city. But the clear consensus was that the state needs to fix its problems and stop messing with municipal government, as well as things that stray from the most basic, pressing needs in Texas. Moderator David Brown, managing editor and anchor of The Texas Standard statewide public radio program, asked the panelists to consider the 2017 legislative session and what seemed to occupy the time of a lot of lawmakers code for their failed push for a so-called bathroom bill, among other things. Its quite possible that a state lawmaker is listening to you now, Brown said. Were moving into a new legislative session. What do you tell them that you need as a mayor of a Texas city that is exploding? Nirenberg explained that San Antonio is expecting an additional 1 million residents by 2040, which will increase the average commute time in the Alamo City by 75 percent. We need funding for transportation alternatives. Theres an unsustainable push towards putting more concrete on our landscape as the sole solution for equitable transportation, he said. Weve been pushing our Legislature for years to stop placing more restrictions as opposed to taking some restrictions away from formula funding for the Texas Department of Transportation to allow us to build transit through our cities, and its getting worse, not better. His one request of the Legislature, Nirenberg said, would be to loosen up funding regulations on transportation projects. Lets have a more realistic conversation about transportation and what the needs are in the 21st century, he said. Adler said the state lawmakers should focus on fixing things, such as what is alternatively called a camouflage state property tax and a hidden state property tax the bulk of a homeowners tax bill, charged by independent school districts. Those funds, he said, are taken out of the area by the state and not fully returned to the school districts. Dont spend time on things like the bathroom bill, he said. What I would ask the state Legislature is to focus on your job. Margo, too, said the Legislature should leave the cities alone and allow them to govern themselves. He said he was unhappy with a proposal by a Houston senator that would require state approval on individual cities publicly adopted charter amendments. Well, ladies and gentlemen, they dont have a dad-gum thing to do with El Paso, he quipped. If we want to pass something on our charter, its us. We, us and ours! The fourth member of the panel, former Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne, who was appointed by President Donald Trump to serve as a regional administrator for the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department, defended the Legislature. Weve heard some criticism of whats going on at the state level, but I think you also have to look at some of the positive things theyre doing. The fact that youre getting so many companies that are moving to Texas and so many people who are moving, and not just companies, but theyre bring jobs that are also bringing people here, Van Duyne said. The business environment and that whole climate the Legislature has created is what is the lifeblood of this state. Margo, a Republican and a former member of the Legislature, said the statewide success of attracting business here is because of the workforce and the lack of a state income tax. He noted the significant pushback from businesses across the state when lawmakers pitched the idea of a bathroom bill. Among the working mayors on the panel Democrat Adler, Republican Margo and independent Nirenberg there was significant resolve to push back against attempts by the Legislature to swipe power from cities. Responding to a question from the audience about using a collective bully pulpit to fight for urban residents best interests, Margo said the big-city mayors get together frequently to discuss such matters. We probably need to articulate our vision a little more cogently and out there, but I hear Sylvester (Turner, the Houston mayor), I hear Ron, I hear Steve, he said. I think were trying to do what we can do. Afterward, Nirenberg said there are often one-on-one conversations between Texas mayors, along with other, larger meetings. Next month, hell host one in San Antonio with mayors from the 10 largest cities in the state. 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 Texas Latino scholars will arrive at the University of Texas at San Antonio Downtown Campus this week with various sets of data, none of which say Texas is No. 1. Theyll be drawn specifically to one overarching reality: Texas Latino families, when compared to Latino families in other states, come in about 30th. They already know why: Inequitable public policies now and throughout state history. They also know why this approach cant persist if Texas expects its economy, its cities and people, its schoolchildren especially, and its businesses, to prosper. Rogelio Saenz, a sociologist and demographer at the UTSA College of Public Policy, repeated the warning all demographers have issued for several decades. The future of Texas depends on the success of the Latino population. The future lies in the youth of our state in so many ways, he said. If we continue the track were on, he said, pointing to low educational levels and low incomes, the state will suffer the lack of investment. Texas Latino scholars will be joined by Latino nonprofit leaders. Theyre two powerful forces academics driven by data and analysis and social workers, community organizers and advocates who work on the ground and see the data in human terms every day. Theyll gather at the second annual Latino Policy Symposium: Path to Power and Prosperity Thursday and Friday and will focus on ways to strengthen Latino influence on local and state policymaking. The work on which the group will build started three years ago when Saenz, public policy guru Juan Flores and others got together and asked themselves big questions, including how well Latino families in Texas are doing their bienestar, or well-being. Flores has been consulting for the UTSA College of Public Policy for a few years and before that led the La Fe Policy Research and Education Center. He and Saenz did a comprehensive review of studies and statistics around Latino families that led to a look at the inequitable policy decisions throughout Texas history. The symposiums first report in October of last year didnt pull any punches. Texas has a sordid history of racial inequities and limited human capital investment policymaking, it said. For many Texans, and Latinos disproportionately, it has meant generational perpetuation of low-income and poor families with limited economic mobility opportunities. Today, Latinos represent 38.7 percent of the Texas population. Latino families represent 64 percent of family growth between 2000 and 2013 and have significantly less asset resources (such as education, income and employment benefits, health care access, homeownership) than non-Latino whites. As a result, half or 2.3 million Latino children are at risk of becoming another generation of low-income and poverty families. Present public policy will perpetuate these outcomes. Flores says the evidence is in the 35 or 40 years that were still trying to make the state fund public education equitably. Business and higher education leaders have argued about the lack of preparation of high school graduates, but how many of those leaders are working to change the inequity in state school funding that affects curriculum, counseling, class size and teacher pay and thus student outcomes? In minimum wage polices, we rank second or third in the largest number of people on minimum wage, Flores added. We dont do Medicaid, which disproportionately impacts Latino families. In our state, we have proportionately more Latinos in debt, including medical debt. Heres the payoff: Changing public policy will benefit all of Texas. The symposium will focus on how current policymaking happens, how state budgeting works and how the Latino community can drive the narrative about its policy concerns, because messaging is everything in influence. Scholars and nonprofit leaders will look at efforts to influence policy on local and state levels and share best practices. As always, another key is organizing and exercising electoral power. Ultimately, another goal at the UTSA gathering will be the creation of a Texas Latino think tank that can push the policy button continually; producing short policy briefs quickly and effectively. Because pushing an agenda doesnt mean reacting to issues, but getting out in front of them. Elaine Ayala covers religion and minority affairs in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | eayala@express-news.net | Twitter: @ElaineAyala Whats the best education for your child? How can you even know, unless you have more than one choice? Dont you deserve the chance to explore a variety of options, just like you have when making other decisions that impact your familys future? Nearly 40,000 students in San Antonio replied Yes! to that question. Thats the number of students who are waiting for an opening in public charter schools in San Antonio, according to a new report from Families Empowered, a Houston-based nonprofit that advocates for school choice. And that number is not even 30 percent of the number of students across the state who end up on wait-lists at schools that dont have enough space to take all who want to attend. These wait-lists surpassed 141,000 children statewide in recent years. This mirrors the growing demand nationally for more public charter schools. More than 3.2 million students attend charters schools nationally, and there are more than 1 million names on wait-lists across the country. In Houston, 29,484 families signed up to attend a KIPP Houston Public Schools or YES Prep Public Schools in the 2017/2018 school year. Tens of thousands of those kids were put on a waiting list because the schools didnt have enough space for all of them. In Austin, 8,913 families wanted to attend Austin Achieve Public Schools, KIPP Austin Public Schools or IDEA Public Schools in the 2017/2018 school year. What the Families Empowered report shows is abundantly clear: that parents want more choices for their childrens education. With our increasingly diverse student body and their wildly diverse needs, no school can be a perfect fit for every child. This is the beauty of public charter schools. Across Texas there are charter schools serving students who need something different. Maybe thats extra time at school, maybe its a curriculum focused on science, technology, engineering and math, maybe its a drop-out recovery program. Charter schools are like our public schools special ops team. For many children who need something a little different, charters are there to meet their needs. Davinna Zapatas oldest daughter Maria struggled with reading. Her dyslexia wasnt diagnosed by her district school. It was only when Zapata enrolled Maria at YES Prep, a public charter school in Houston, that her dyslexia was finally recognized, and she began to improve academically. They immediately ran tests for Maria and discovered she has both dyslexia and Irlen syndrome, Zapata said. I noticed a dramatic change in her grades. From pre-K to fifth grade, she always made C-D-F grades. She was barely making it. I saw the change when she was in sixth grade [when she enrolled in YES Prep], her grades went up to A-B-Cs. She was more comfortable and relieved that somebody finally understood her and saw her point of view. Having the option to find the school setting that is the best fit for your individual children isnt just something parents need, its something they deserve. Marias story does not mean that ISD schools cant meet many students needs; they can and they do. And they will continue to do so for the vast majority of students in Texas. Charter schools do not have to be a replacement for ISDs; were simply another path to do what we all agree public education is supposed to do: Get kids prepared for life. And were both better together. School leaders in San Antonio have recognized the value of working together. Through a pathway created by Senate Bill 1882, San Antonio ISD is partnering with high-performing public charter schools and local nonprofits to improve the educational outcomes for thousands of students who have been underserved for years. Some of the benefits of these partnerships include extra funding to keep children from falling behind and access to the innovative practices used in public charter schools. Collaboration and cooperation put the needs of students and families first. Other Texas cities and ISDs are beginning to follow San Antonios lead, and we hope more will continue to do so. So, what is the best education for a child in Texas? Its one where parents have the opportunity to examine multiple options and decide for themselves which school will suit their childs individual needs the best. Coleman is the CEO of Texas Charter Schools Association. 5 1 of 5 Contributed Photo / Milford Police Department Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Contributed Photo / Milford Police Department Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Contributed Photo / Milford Police Department Show More Show Less 5 of 5 MILFORD Lock your cars, take your valuables out from the cars and report any suspicious activity. This is the message Milford police are sending after a rash of vehicle break-ins around the city. Police shared images of busted car windows on Friday, that appeared to happen overnight. BRIDGEPORT Doctors said a woman involved in a head-on collision Friday night died of trauma, a police report said. First responders were sent to the intersection of Holly Street and Seaview Avenue at around 10 p.m. Friday for a crash involving a 2002 Ford Ranger and a 2006 Chrysler Town Country. The two vehicles appeared to have been in a head-on collision, the police report said. Denise Fogle, the driver of the Chrysler, was rushed to Bridgeport Hospital after the crash. She was initially in critical condition when police went to the hospital to talk to her, but was pronounced dead at 12:17 a.m. Saturday. Her age and address were not provided in the police report. The driver of the Ford, a Stratford resident, refused medical attention, police said. The Ford driver stated that he was traveling northbound on Seaview Avenue approaching the intersection of Seaview Avenue and Holly Street, the report said. The man told police he watched the Chrysler make a left turn off Holly Street onto Seaview Avenue. (He) stated that the Chryslers turn was tight and (it) was traveling south in the northbound lane, the report said. Initially, the man said, he tried to move to the right and hit a light fixture on the side of the roadway. He said the driver of the Chryslers driver continued in the northbound lane, so he swerved to the left and crossed the double yellow line to go around the Chrysler. When doing so, the Chrysler then turned to its right, back into the southbound lane, the report said. (He) attempted to apply the brakes but did not have enough time before colliding with the Chrysler. Investigators said what they observed appeared to corroborate the mans account of the crash, the report said. Police gave the man a verbal warning for failing to maintain his lane. The Bill of Rights was passed by Congress on September 25, 1789 and ratified on December 15, 1791, giving the United States its first 10 Constitutional Amendments. The First Amendment provides for freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition. The Fairfield Museum and the League of Women Voters of Fairfield will partner to present an informative session on the First Amendment on Sunday, Oct. 7, at 2:30 p.m. The program is free and open to the public. Ormat Technologies, Inc. operates as a holding company. The firm engages in the provision of geothermal and recovered energy power business. It operates through the following segments: Electricity, Product and Energy Storage. The Electricity segment focuses in the sale of electricity from the company's power plants pursuant to PPAs. The Product segment involves in the manufacture, including design and development, of turbines and power units for the supply of electrical energy and in the associated construction of power plants utilizing the power units manufactured by the company to supply energy from geothermal fields and other alternative energy sources. The Energy Storage segment consists of battery energy storage systems as a service and management of curtailable customer loads under contracts with U.S. retail energy providers and directly with large commercial and industrial customers. The company was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Reno, NV. Read More Fortis Inc. operates as an electric and gas utility company in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean countries. It generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 433,000 retail customers in southeastern Arizona; and 98,000 retail customers in Arizona's Mohave and Santa Cruz counties with an aggregate capacity of 3,233 megawatts (MW), including 59 MW of solar capacity. The company also sells wholesale electricity to other entities in the western United States; owns gas-fired and hydroelectric generating capacity totaling 65 MW; and distributes natural gas to approximately 1,048,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in British Columbia, Canada. In addition, it owns and operates the electricity distribution system that serves approximately 572,000 customers in southern and central Alberta; owns 4 hydroelectric generating facilities with a combined capacity of 225 MW; and provides operation, maintenance, and management services to five hydroelectric generating facilities. Further, the company distributes electricity in the island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador with an installed generating capacity of 143 MW; and on Prince Edward Island with a generating capacity of 130 MW. Additionally, it provides integrated electric utility service to approximately 67,000 customers in Ontario; approximately 270,000 customers in Newfoundland and Labrador; approximately 31,000 customers on Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; and approximately 15,000 customers on certain islands in Turks and Caicos. The company also holds long-term contracted generation assets in Belize consisting of 3 hydroelectric generating facilities with a combined capacity of 51 MW; and the Aitken Creek natural gas storage facility. It also owns and operates approximately 91,000 circuit Kilometers (km) of distribution lines; and approximately 49,500 km of natural gas pipelines. Fortis Inc. was founded in 1885 and is headquartered in St. John's, Canada. Read More There is not enough analysis data for Bahamas Petroleum. 4.0 Community Rank Outperform Votes Bahamas Petroleum has received 157 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes Bahamas Petroleum has received 103 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment Bahamas Petroleum has received 60.38% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Bahamas Petroleum and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe BPC will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe BPC will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next Guyana Goldfields Inc. provides exploration and production of gold. It engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, production, and operation of gold mineral properties. The company also owns and operates gold drilling rights. The company was formerly known as Chiboug Copper Company Limited and changed its name to Guyana Goldfields Inc. in January 1995. Guyana Goldfields Inc. was incorporated in 1994 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. As of August 25, 2020, Guyana Goldfields Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Zijin Mining Group Company Limited. Read More iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF's stock was trading at $36.70 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus (COVID-19) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, EWT stock has increased by 78.0% and is now trading at $65.31. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF's stock was trading at $36.70 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, EWT shares have increased by 77.9% and is now trading at $65.28. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF's stock was trading at $25.60 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, EWU stock has increased by 30.9% and is now trading at $33.51. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. Wells Fargo & Co. is a diversified, community-based financial services company. It is engaged in the provision of banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance. It firm operates through the following segments: Community Banking, Wholesale Banking, Wealth & Investment Management, and Other. The Community Banking segment offers complete line of diversified financial products and services for consumers and small businesses including checking and savings accounts, credit and debit cards, and automobile, student, and small business lending. The Wholesale Banking segment provides financial solutions to businesses across the United States and globally. The Wealth and Investment Management segment includes personalized wealth management, investment and retirement products and services to clients across U.S. based businesses. The Other segment refers to the products of WIM customers served through community banking distribution channels. The company was founded by Henry Wells and William G. Fargo on March 18, 1852 and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA. Read More The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, produces, distributes, and markets gas in Hong Kong and Mainland China. It is involved in the provision of liquefied natural gas, methanol, and coal and other chemicals; conversion and utilization of biomass, and industrial and agricultural waste; and operation of natural gas refilling stations, piped city-gas projects, upstream and midstream developments, water and wastewater treatment projects, energy exploration and utilization ventures, and aviation fuel facilities. The company supplies town gas to approximately 1.9 million customers. It also provides network connectivity, and data center and cloud computing services; and engages in the software development, solution implementation, and systems integration activities. In addition, the company offers consultancy and engineering contractor services, including utilities installation, infrastructure construction, and civil and building services engineering for public and private projects; and designs and manufactures gas meters and metering systems. Further, it is involved in water supply and wastewater treatment serving 2.4 million customers. Additionally, the company manufactures polyethylene piping and fittings; and engages in the customers center, cafA, restaurant, retail sale, automatic meter reading system development, laboratory testing, payment gateway and related, project management, landfill gas project, financing, logistics, oil, research and development, property development, and securities investment activities. The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited was founded in 1862 and is headquartered in North Point, Hong Kong. Read More Westpac Banking Corp. engages in the provision of banking and financial services. It operates through the following segments: Consumer Bank, Business Bank, BT Financial Group (Australia), Westpac Institutional Bank, Westpac New Zealand and Group Businesses. The Consumer Bank segment covers consumer banking products and services under the Westpac, St. George, BankSA, Bank of Melbourne and RAMS brands. The Business Bank segment involves in sales and customer service of small-to-medium enterprise, commercial and agribusiness customers under the Westpac, St.George, Bank of Melbourne and BankSA brands. The BT Financial Group (Australia) segment manages wealth and insurance division. The Westpac Institutional Bank segment delivers a range of financial services to commercial, corporate, institutional, and government customers. The Westpac New Zealand segment comprises sales and service of banking, wealth, and insurance products for consumer, business, and institutional customers. The Group Businesses segment treasury which is responsible for the management of the Group's balance sheet, group technology which includes functions for the Australian businesses, and core support which covers Read More by John Aubin | Jaguars Correspondent | Sun, Sep 30th 6:23pm EDT Jordan Wilkins rushed eight times for 16 yards in the Colts' Week 4 loss to the Texans. Fantasy Impact: Wilkins had an opportunity to show he should be starting with Marlon Mack out for the third game in four weeks. The rookie has struggled so far and maybe losing snaps to fellow rookie Nyheim Hines who had a big day catching the ball. Wilkins is not worth owning in standard fantasy leagues and should only be on the bench in deeper leagues. A 'no deal' Brexit would be "disastrous" for the farming industry in Northern Ireland, particular for sheep farmers, according to the Ulster Farmers' Union. The latest set of UK Governments Brexit no deal technical papers further reinforce the importance of the UK leaving the EU with a deal in place, the union said. The government's latest, and last, batch of technical notices on Brexit no deal scenarios suggest that the UK would need to be approved by the EU as an exporter a process which could take a minimum of six months. In order to export to the EU, Export Health Certificates would be required from the end of March 2019, with consignments needing to travel through a Border Inspection Post within the EU. The EU would require the UK to be a listed third country, but Defra acknowledged it "cannot be certain" of the EU response to such a request or its timing. It is expected the process could take at least six months. Without listed status no exports to the EU could take place. The total value of agri-food exports to the EU in 2017 was 13bn, of which 3.15 billion was animals and animal products. 'Completely unacceptable' Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) president, Ivor Ferguson said the notices suggests the Northern Ireland farming industry would face a cliff-edge scenario if the UK leaves the EU with no deal. "This is completely unacceptable and would be disastrous for farming in Northern Ireland, particularly for our sheep industry, and for the economy. The papers confirm what we already knew: a no deal Brexit is bad for farming," Mr Ferguson said. The UFU said the papers underline the importance of securing a deal that delivers free and frictionless trade with the EU. We understand that the government must prepare for all eventualities but it is critical that they do everything they can to ensure the no deal scenario is avoided. If we leave the EU without a deal the UK becomes a third country trading partner. This means tariffs, checks, paperwork, and delays. Ultimately, a no deal poses a serious threat to livelihoods and businesses, said the UFU president. Border The border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland remains a key issue. The UFU stressed that any solution must ensure minimal disruptions to trade north and south. While at the same time, not hamper trade east/west. Mr Ferguson added: GB is our biggest market and the Republic of Ireland has always been one of our main trading partners. Trade between Northern Ireland and the ROI existed long before either country joined the EEC. It is essential that it is maintained. The UFU said it believes that it is possible for the UK and EU to reach a deal, however farmers must be prepared. The worst possible outcome for the farming industry is a no deal. We continue to work with our farming union counterparts in GB to urge both sides to ensure an exit deal is agreed, Mr Ferguson said. Slurry legislation changed in Scotland to cut emissions Changes to way that slurry & digestate is stored The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike. We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve. A post shared by Jacqueline Fernandez (@jacquelinef143) on Aug 28, 2018 at 1:02am PDT A post shared by Dia Mirza (@diamirzaofficial) on Jun 5, 2018 at 6:11am PDT A post shared by Kangana Ranaut (@team_kangana_ranaut) on Jun 25, 2018 at 8:43am PDT A post shared by Jessica Alba (@jessicaalba) on Jul 11, 2018 at 2:29pm PDT A post shared by Drew Barrymore (@drewbarrymore) on Mar 22, 2018 at 12:50pm PDT A post shared by Miranda (@mirandakerr) on Aug 7, 2018 at 12:57pm PDT Going vegan or taking a conscious decision to be against animal cruelty and testing requires one to change their habits and even cosmetics. While bulk of the beauty brands are packed with chemicals, there are others that are taking that extra step to be against these practices in a bid to be more sensitive as a beauty company.As more and more spas and salons grow conscious of the spaces beyond their immediate scope of action, they are becoming sensitized to the environment and its needs. This has given birth to vegan and cruelty-free products. Kirthi Jayakumar explores the burgeoning trend.Rows and rows of coloured potions and lotions greet you from the shelves at any spa or salon. But progressively, there is an uproar of sensitized consumerism, where care is taken in investing in products that are environment friendly and sustainable.Spas and salons are investing in fair-trade, vegan, ethical and cruelty-free products. The larger undercurrent that unites this kind of consumerism is, they all share common values of being fair and compassionate to other living beings. While this is on the ethical side of things, these products are also being sought after not only by the consumers for compassionate reasons, but also for the value they add to the treatments itself. India is the first country in South Asia to ban the import of animal tested cosmetics since October 2014. It goes without saying that India has opened its cosmetic industry to incorporate a range of sensitized products. Globally, manufacturers have started to cut back on the use of animals to test products unanimously. The industry is now being introduced to a bunch of home-grown products which are not derived from animals or tested on them.As Charles R Magel put it, Ask the experimenters why they experiment on animals, and the answer is: Because the animals are like us. Ask the experimenters why it is morally okay to experiment on animals, and the answer is: Because the animals are not like us. Animal experimentation rests on a logical contradiction. Every year, thousands of animals like rats, guinea pigs, hamsters and rabbits suffer through cosmetic testing. They are put through tests for skin sensitivity, skin irritation, eye irritation and oral toxicity in order to determine how safe a product is for human use. In the process, aside of the obvious physical brutality, there is a 50 per cent fatality rate.Veganism per se is a philosophy and lifestyle choice, where animals are not used for food, clothing or any other purpose. Vegans do not consume any form of animal produce, and while pursued on occasion for health reasons, veganism is known to benefit the environment. From veganism then developed the cruelty-free brand of thinking, where the aim was to avoid products that stem from manufacturing processes or testing processes that are cruel to animals. Cruelty-free products include products that are tested on animals, products that contain parts or materials obtained from dead animals. Cruelty itself can range from everything to harming the animals directly, or separating it from its mother or isolating it and such. Sumamol Menon, who holds a chain of salons across metropolis in South India explains, Cosmetic and non-cosmetic spa products have had a long tryst with testing on animalsand often, such products were not released for use until they were tested. Now, awareness has played a very important role where customers and clients vigilantly make specific requests for cruelty-free products. While we would have been mandated by law since such products are no longer imported into India, our customers also urged us to taken on cruelty-free products for their cosmetic well-being and for the sake of the environment. There is also a progressive reduction of chemicals in cosmetics, by substituting parabens (chemical preservatives), petroleum, Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) (chemical detergents that increase lathering), PEG/PPG, Genetically Modified Ingredients (GMO) and other synthetic ingredients with vegan optionspurely out of being skin friendly. Sumamol adds, Of course, these products are environmentally friendly and socially ethical. But in terms of a users point of view, they are extremely friendly to sensitive skin, and even add nutritive value. Chemicals may be strong and quick to act, but they also do have side effects that vegan products dont.Starting with the hair colour industry that has had many instances of actively testing on animals, there has been a progressive shift towards plant-based extracts, oil-based colour delivery systems and organic dyes like henna and indigo as substitutes for chemical-filled dyes. Given that henna and indigo have had a long drawn heritage in India, their familiarity gives a general sense of confidence in the product range. Shampoos have been known to have what is called Hydrolyzed Animal Protein, which is an extract that is derived from cows, pigs, and / or chickens. It helps add gloss and reduce the occurrence of split ends. With the advent of vegan products, there are plant-based natural extracts that help keep the product relevant and capable of delivering its due, while being cruelty-free. Similarly, conditioners comprised Stearic Acid that is derived from cows, sheep, dogs, and / or cats, and steroids derived from animal glands. Instead, natural conditioners such as banana, ginger and apple cider vinegar have become active ingredients in the production.While these products have an altruistic impact, in that they do not harm the environment or animals, they enrich the body rather than denuding it or plying it with chemicals that have a negative impact of their own. Ami Dhaga, a private stylist, explains, I work both at salons and with clients on location for weddings or events, so I carry products according to their preference. Recently, there has been an increased need for vegan and cruelty free products, where clients have consciously made it a point to not only enquire about the products we use, but to also recommend products based on their research. In hindsight, having worked with both kinds of products, I guess I can safely say that the use of sensitised products have resulted in better effects on the skin and hair.With the ban on the import of cruelty-free products that are tested on animals, the focus has shifted towards home-grown products that have a strong stand against animal testing. For instance, a line of Ahimsa products by Omved comprise a variety of products for skin, hair care, baby care, essential oils and more. They do not conduct animal testing on their products and do not sell products in countries that require animal tested products. Another interesting brand is Rustic Art, which includes organic ingredients in its product range that comprises baby care, hair and body care, pet care and bath essentials.Internationally, The Body Shop is a brand that Dhaga recommends, I especially like their collectionthey have everything you need, be it for bath and beauty or for a complete spa experience. Each product is animal free and vegetarian, and is very mild on the skin. It also preserves the natural goodness of the skin. When it comes to spas, the most sought after brands include Fab India, Andalou, MUA, Aroma Magic, LOreal, Avalon, Aveda and Burts Bees, Shahnaz Hussain and Crabtree and Evelyn, among others, although Im biased towards The Body Shop. They may be a bit expensive, but think about ityoure cutting back on dermatological repair from side effects of the chemicals and being mindful of the environment.Celebs often have a big role to play to make anything popular and trendy. Like us, many celebs care for the environment and think twice before investing in beauty products that have been tested on animals. Some of these celebs who actively endorse being cruelty-free are as follows.She is the brand ambassador for The Body Shop brand and it goes without saying that she makes sure that her beauty products are not tested on animals. Jacqueline often posts images and messages on her social feed asking people to stop being cruel to animals. She not only has pet cats but is also someone who loves to stay healthy by eating fresh and nutritious food. Complementing healthy eating habits with the right beauty products have given Jacqueline great skin and hair.Dia is another actor who actively promotes being against any kind of cruelty to animals and the environment in general. She is always using eco-friendly products that include her cosmetics as well. While Dia was also the brand ambassador for The Body Shop earlier, now she advocates this philosophy on her own and implements it in her life in every aspect.The bold and beautiful Kangana has stood up for several causes from time to time, and going vegan and being against animal-cruelty is also one of them. Kangana believes in natural beauty and even refused to endorse a fairness cream as she did not agree with the concept that fair is beautiful. She is a strong supporter of this cause.Not just in Bollywood, Hollywood celebs too are crucial in ensuring that this trend becomes global. Many in fact, have their own line of cosmetics or beauty care lines that are not tested on animals and are also eco-friendly. Here are some of them.This Hollywood actor started her own line called The Honest Company that first came out with baby products. But now, she has ventured into personal care line for adults as well with moisturisers, lotions, creams, etc that are eco-friendly.Barrymore is the co-founder of the beauty brand Flower, that is again eco-friendly and has great makeup products that are also affordable. Though it is not available in India right now, it is a great way to show your support for a cause that you believe in. This supermodel is known for her great skin and hair for obvious reasons, but unlike many others, she likes to keep it natural and has started her own line of organic, eco-friendly beauty range. Called KORA Organics, the products are available worldwide but are made in Australia. Home remedies to the rescue While these cosmetics and beauty products are available easily now, if you want, you can also go back to your roots and use herbal home remedies that are all natural and zero chemicals. You need to know which ingredients to use on your skin and hair especially if you suffer from a skin problem as some of them might not suit you, but there are those that are gentle and work on every skin type. Aloe vera gel This soothing ingredient is perfect for skin and hair and can be used every day. You can cull out the gel from the aloe leaf and then store it in the fridge for a few days. Or else just use fresh gel whenever you need. Apply it on your skin, hair and scalp and see the difference in a few weeks of usage. Sandalwood paste One of the best soothing ingredients, sandalwood paste is also great for the skin. It can be used on the scalp too and is perfect for the summers to get rid of the excess heat. It cools the surface it is applied to. You can make it by adding rosewater to the powder and then applying a thin layer on your face. Let it dry and then wash it off with water. Rosewater Another mild ingredient that can suit any skin type, rosewater is great when used as a toner or just applied chilled to soothe the skin. You can make rosewater using petals of the plant or buy one that is available in the market. Apart from giving you a fragrant scent, it also helps in keeping the skin hydrated. Store in a bottle and spritz it as many times as you want in a day, especially during the summer months. With inputs from Kriti Saraswat Satpathy ***This article has been guest edited by students Karthik, Gargi, Adreeja, Subhayush, Mahika, Pakhi, Jigyasha, Hemil, Abhinav of Ryan International School. Special note by guest editors: More statistics and data should be given to back the animal cruelty testing that is happening. We would have loved to see actual images instead of placeholder images that are being used. Lastly, the article should highlight not just the good, but the pros and cons. Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category critic's rating: 3.0/5 Trailer : Smallfoot Those of whom we don't understand, who sound different, we turn into monsters. But instead of being afraid of those differences, isn't it better if we celebrate them? And seek out our commonalities as well. This is the powerful message of this animated comedy. The makers have turned the legend of Bigfoot on its head, telling the tale from the point of view of the Yetis, where the humans are the monsters for a settlement of the Yetis who live above the cloud cover. Director Karey Kirkpatrick has created a whole world, a whole culture for the Bigfoot. They have their own legends, have their own society, own way of doing things -- which aren't that different from that of the humans when you scrutinise them closely.The film starts with an air crash. A single-seater plane crashes near a Yeti establishment and our hero, Migo, voiced by Channing Tatum, is the sole witness to it. The pilot glides off the area using a parachute before Migo could catch him. He reports the incident to his village but their chief, Storekeeper (rapper Common), dismisses his reports as heresy and banishes him away from the village. To prove his innocence, Migo makes his way down the cloud cover and chances upon Percy Patterson (James Corden), a wildlife show producer who wants to revive his career. Migo picks up Percy as a proof that Smallfoot exists and takes him to his settlement. There, while some villagers take to him and Percy too realises that the monsters are just people like him. Still, the village head casts him out and brainwashes the Yetis into believing that humans don't exist. He's doing it to save them from the human race because he knows humans consider them as monsters and would hunt them to extinction. How, through a turn of events, the humans and Yetis reconcile their differences forms the crux of the story.Warner aren't that known for their animation but are fast making inroads into the Disney territory. This film certainly has its heart in the right place, putting forward a message of inclusion, of living without prejudices, of not letting the burdens of the past influence your present. Around the globe, man is killing man over the difference in religion, over different skin colour, over different eating habits and it would be nice to teach the children that beneath the facade, we aren't that much different after all.The animated characters are well drawn and have distinct personalities. The animation is fluid and the various adventures that Migo and Percy go through are certainly laughter inducing. The Yeti world is imaginatively executed as well, with elements of Norse mythology reflecting in their customs, clothing and hairstyle. The voice cast, especially Channing Tatum and James Corden, have done a decent enough job.Watch the film with your kids for its heartwarming story and some funky animation. The release timing is a bit odd. The film would have done better for sure if it was released during vacations... Last year, the veteran actor-director Kamal Haasan added a new dimension to his career when he made his small screen debut with Bigg Boss Tamil and impressed one and all with his hosting skills. This June, he returned to the small screen with Bigg Boss Tamil Season 2 and once again proved that he is the coolest host ever. Just like the first season, the second one too clicked with the audience in no time and became a rage. Just like its predecessor, Bigg Boss Tamil Season 2 has managed to captivate the fans with its wild twists and engaging format. However, unlike the first season, the current one has been quite unpredictable and this has helped it become even more popular with 'Gen Y'. Last night(September 30, 2018), Bigg Boss Tamil Season 2 concluded in the most spectacular manner possible. Kamal interacted with the finalists one last time and was soon joined by the eliminated contestants. He even indulged in a bit of role-reversal and asked the finalists to question him as if he was a contestant. After the fun and games, the 'Ulaga Nayagan' informed Vijayalakshmi that she had been eliminated. The 'Wild Card' joined him on stage and said that she was pretty happy about her Bigg Boss Tamil Season 2 journey. With Viji out of the picture, Kamal interacted with Aishwarya and Rithyvika. Thereafter, he announced that the Kabali actress had defeated Aishwarya to emerge as the winner. Needless to say, she was thrilled by this and thanked the fans for supporting her. We are extremely happy about her achievement and wish her good luck for the future. All in all, Bigg Boss Tamil Season 2 was a memorable affair and the fans will surely miss the show in the days to come. Washington, D.C.--(Newsfile Corp. - September 29, 2018) - The Securities and Exchange Commission announced today that Elon Musk, CEO and Chairman of Silicon Valley-based Tesla, Inc., has agreed to settle the securities fraud charge brought by the SEC against him last week. The SEC also today charged Tesla with failing to have required disclosure controls and procedures relating to Musk's tweets, a charge that Tesla has agreed to settle. The settlements, which are subject to court approval, will result in comprehensive corporate governance and other reforms at Tesla-including Musk's removal as Chairman of the Tesla board-and the payment by Musk and Tesla of financial penalties. According to the SEC's complaint against him, Musk tweeted on August 7, 2018 that he could take Tesla private at $420 per share - a substantial premium to its trading price at the time - that funding for the transaction had been secured, and that the only remaining uncertainty was a shareholder vote. The SEC's complaint alleged that, in truth, Musk knew that the potential transaction was uncertain and subject to numerous contingencies. Musk had not discussed specific deal terms, including price, with any potential financing partners, and his statements about the possible transaction lacked an adequate basis in fact. According to the SEC's complaint, Musk's misleading tweets caused Tesla's stock price to jump by over six percent on August 7, and led to significant market disruption. According to the SEC's complaint against Tesla, despite notifying the market in 2013 that it intended to use Musk's Twitter account as a means of announcing material information about Tesla and encouraging investors to review Musk's tweets, Tesla had no disclosure controls or procedures in place to determine whether Musk's tweets contained information required to be disclosed in Tesla's SEC filings. Nor did it have sufficient processes in place to that Musk's tweets were accurate or complete. Musk and Tesla have agreed to settle the charges against them without admitting or denying the SEC's allegations. Among other relief, the settlements require that: Musk will step down as Tesla's Chairman and be replaced by an independent Chairman. Musk will be ineligible to be re-elected Chairman for three years; Tesla will appoint a total of two new independent directors to its board; Tesla will establish a new committee of independent directors and put in place additional controls and procedures to oversee Musk's communications; Musk and Tesla will each pay a separate $20 million penalty. The $40 million in penalties will be distributed to harmed investors under a court-approved process. "The total package of remedies and relief announced today are specifically designed to address the misconduct at issue by strengthening Tesla's corporate governance and oversight in order to protect investors," said Stephanie Avakian, Co-Director of the SEC's Enforcement Division. "As a result of the settlement, Elon Musk will no longer be Chairman of Tesla, Tesla's board will adopt important reforms -including an obligation to oversee Musk's communications with investors-and both will pay financial penalties," added Steven Peikin, Co-Director of the SEC's Enforcement Division. "The resolution is intended to prevent further market disruption and harm to Tesla's shareholders." The SEC's investigation was conducted by Walker Newell, Brent Smyth, and Barrett Atwood and supervised by Steven Buchholz, Erin Schneider, and Jina Choi in the San Francisco Regional Office and Cheryl Crumpton in the SEC's Home Office. KOBE, Japan, September 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Japanese brands dominate UK's electrified new car market, representing 59.5% of registrations YTD. British demand for hybrid, plug-in-hybrid and zero emission cars surges 27.4% in first eight months, with UK now EU's biggest alternatively fuelled vehicle market. [ 1 ] Japan remains UK Auto's second biggest Asian export market, as 60.5% more Japanese drivers choose British-built cars so far in 2018. [ 2 ] remains UK Auto's second biggest Asian export market, as 60.5% more Japanese drivers choose British-built cars so far in 2018. Mutual benefits of Japan-UK trade and innovation highlighted at 31st Electric Vehicle Symposium in Kobe . The ongoing strength of the automotive relationship between the UK and Japan was highlighted today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) at the 31st Electric Vehicle Symposium (EVS), the world's largest electric mobility expo, in Kobe, Japan. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/634002/SMMT_Logo.jpg ) Latest figures from the UK trade body show that six out of 10 (59.5%) new hybrid, plug-in and pure electric vehicles registered by British buyers this year had a Japanese badge, with demand up by a fifth (18.5%) over the past 12 months.[3] Models enjoying particularly strong growth, included the hybrid Toyota Yaris (+47.9%) and Lexus NX (+24.7%, and the plug-in hybrid Toyata Prius (+109.4%).[4] Meanwhile the Nissan LEAF, which is manufactured in the UK for Europe, was the UK's market leading pure electric vehicle, accounting for more than two fifths of registrations. With a growing range of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and pure electric cars and a reputation as a nation of earlier adopters of technology, the UK's AFV market has surged in recent times, helping to secure the UK's position as the second biggest plug-in market in Europe, only behind Germany. Overall, 250,089 British motorists have chosen Japanese brands this year, with these models accounting for more than one in six (16.0%) of new car registrations. At the same time, 68,545 UK car buyers chose Japanese-built cars accounting for one in 20 new cars registered on British roads.[5] Meanwhile, demand for UK-built cars in Japan has grown significantly in 2018, up 60.5% year on year in the first eight months of 2018. The country is now Britain's second largest Asian car export market after China, driven by rising demand from Japanese motorists for premium and luxury models, for which the UK is renowned. After Germany, the UK is the EU's second biggest manufacturer of premium products, including synonymously British brands Aston Martin, Bentley, Jaguar Land Rover, Lotus, McLaren, MINI and Rolls Royce. Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said, "Our relationship with Japan has gone from strength-to-strength in recent years, based on a mutual commitment to trade, investment and innovation, with both countries benefitting greatly from its success. With our reputation for world class engineering and premium products, alongside ongoing government collaboration and huge investment to position the UK as a world leader in electric vehicles, strengthening our trade ties with Japan will no doubt significantly benefit both countries. While the recent signing of the EU-Japan Free Trade Deal could help increase trade, for the UK to benefit from open trade post-Brexit, we need long-term agreements with both the EU and Japan" The British automotive sector is a success story, employing some 856,000 people and worth some 82 billion. It has the highest productivity levels in Europe, a history and great expertise in engineering some of the world's most sought-after brands, and is globally competitive, exporting 80% of vehicle production to over 160 global markets. Government initiatives such as the Industrial Strategy and Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill help to position the UK at the forefront of the design and manufacturing of zero emission vehicles, while billions of pounds of manufacturer, stakeholder and government investment is fuelling research and development into the technology. Current programmes include the Faraday Battery Challenge, a 246 million fund to support the development and industrialisation of new battery technologies, 30 million of support for the development of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technologies to enable vehicles to deliver electricity back to the smart grid, and market-based incentives such as the Plug-in Car and Van Grant. In addition, the Advanced Propulsion Centre, a 1 billion joint government and industry investment, has been created to accelerate development of low carbon propulsion technologies in the UK. The Japan-UK automotive manufacturing relationship has a strong heritage, stretching back to 1981 when Honda set up a joint venture with British Leyland to develop and produce the Honda Ballade, combining Honda engine and transmission with a British Leyland body. By 1989, Honda was making engines at Swindon and five years later, the plant began producing the Civic. Meanwhile, in 1986 Nissan became the first Japanese manufacturer to open a British plant in Sunderland where currently it produces the Qashqai, Juke and the world's best-selling EV, the LEAF. In 1992, Toyota entered the market with a factory at Burnaston in Derbyshire, where the Auris Hybrid model is built. Japanese component manufacturers have since followed suit, with some 50 suppliers now based in the UK including five of the world's largest. SMMT and a delegation of its UK-based members visit Japan this week to exhibit at the Electric Vehicle Symposium in Kobe. Based at stand 331 in Hall C, Kobe Convention Centre, SMMT and its members will demonstrate the capabilities of UK Automotive, particularly in the area of electric vehicle technology, while highlighting its collaborative government, favourable legislative environment and rapidly growing plug-in car market. UK Companies exhibiting at EVS Japan include: The Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC ) - A 1 billion UK Government and industry programme to facilitate funding, provide expertise and enable collaboration to create low emission technologies. ) - A 1 billion UK Government and industry programme to facilitate funding, provide expertise and enable collaboration to create low emission technologies. Crowd Charge Ltd - An intelligent data-based platform that works to provide smart, clean, cheap, flexible charging solutions while balancing demand on the electricity grid. - An intelligent data-based platform that works to provide smart, clean, cheap, flexible charging solutions while balancing demand on the electricity grid. Drive System Design - An award winning engineering consultancy, working to refine future powertrains and associated technologies. - An award winning engineering consultancy, working to refine future powertrains and associated technologies. Intelligent Energy Ltd - A fuel cell engineering company development and commercialisation of Proton-exchange membrane fuel cells. Headquartered in the UK with representation in Japan . - A fuel cell engineering company development and commercialisation of Proton-exchange membrane fuel cells. Headquartered in the UK with representation in . Pro Drive - A world leading motorsport and technology group designing, developing and manufacturing advanced engineering solutions. - A world leading motorsport and technology group designing, developing and manufacturing advanced engineering solutions. Sunamp Automotive - Develops, manufactures and sells compact, highly efficient advanced thermal storage technology called Heat Batteries that can be used to store heat for later use. Top 5 British-built bestsellers in Japan MINI ONE HONDA CIVIC MINI CLUBMAN RANGE ROVER EVOQUE JAGUAR F-PACE Top 5 Japanese car models registered in the UK HONDA JAZZ SUZUKI SWIFT NISSAN X-TRAIL MAZDA CX-5 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER Top 5 plug-in vehicles in the UK TOYOTA YARIS TOYOTA CH-R TOYOTA AURIS BMW 3 SERIES MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER Notes to editors Alternatively fuelled vehicles include hybrid cars, plug-in hybrid cars, battery electric cars and fuel cell cars. 28,414 in 2018 compared to 17,704 in 2017. 54,200 in 2018 compared to 45,751 in 2017. Toyota Yaris = 9,801 in 2018 compared to 6,626 in 2017. Lexus NX = 3,013 in 2018 compared to 2,365 in 2017. Toyota Prius = 535 in 2018 and 256 in 2017. Year-to-date UK car registrations = 1,571,986. About SMMT and the UK automotive industry The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) is one of the largest and most influential trade associations in the UK. It supports the interests of the UK automotive industry at home and abroad, promoting a united position to government, stakeholders and the media. The automotive industry is a vital part of the UK economy accounting for 82 billion turnover and 20.2 billion value added. With some 186,000 people employed directly in manufacturing and 856,000 across the wider automotive industry, it accounts for 12.8% of total UK export of goods and invests 3.65 billion each year in automotive R&D. More than 30 manufacturers build some 70 models of vehicle in the UK supported by 2,500 component providers and some of the world's most skilled engineers. More detail on UK automotive available in SMMT's Motor Industry Facts 2018 publication at smmt.co.uk/facts18 Saad Warraich, Pakistan's envoy to the United Nations, said, 'The breeding ground of terrorism in our region is the RSS centres of fascism.' A day after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj lambasted Pakistan for spreading terrorism in India, Islamabad took aim at the RSS and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath at the United Nations General Assembly. According to News18, Saad Warraich, Pakistan's envoy to the UN, said: "The breeding ground of terrorism in our region is the RSS centres of fascism. The claims of religious superiority are perpetrated through straight patronage all across India." He referred to Adityanath as an "unabashed Hindu extremist", saying that the chief minister "openly advocates religious superiority of the Hindus"."Members of India's minorities, including Christians and Muslims, are publically lynched at the hands of Hindus elites, where an unabashed Hindu extremist Yogi Adityanath, who openly supports the superiority of the Hindus, serves as the face of the largest Indian state Uttar Pradesh," Warraich said, according to The Indian Express. Warraich also made a reference to the Assam National Register of Citizens (NRC) process, saying said that the "right to citizenship to Bengalis in Assam is being arbitrarily rescinded", and that they have "suddenly been made stateless". He made a reference to BJP chief Amit Shah, albeit without naming him, mentioning his comparison of Bangladeshi immigrants with termites. "For a country where right to citizenship to Bengalis in Assam is being arbitrarily rescinded and who have suddenly been made stateless and been called 'termites' by a prominent Indian leader, where churches and mosques are torched, is surely not qualified to give sermons to others," he said. His statements were in extension to a slew of allegations Pakistan made against India at the UN, most notably the claim that India had a hand in the 2014 attack on a school in Peshawar. Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had said that the country will never forget the mass murder of more than 150 children at the Peshawar school, the Mastung attack and many others that "have links with terrorists supported by India". The Peshawar attack was carried out by eight to 10 heavily-armed Taliban suicide bombers who had stormed the army-run school and taken several hostages. The attackers had entered the school posing as personnel of the paramilitary Frontier Corps and opened indiscriminate fire. At the UN on Sunday, India strongly hit back at Pakistan for the "preposterous allegation" by Qureshi. Indian diplomat from the country's Permanent Mission to the UN, Eenam Gambhir, reminded the new Pakistan government under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan that there was an outpouring of sorrow and pain in India after the massacre of children in 2014. She said both Houses of India's Parliament had expressed solidarity while paying respects to those killed. "Schools all over India had observed two minutes of silence in their memory. The despicable insinuation made by the foreign minister of Pakistan dishonours the memory of the innocent lives lost to terrorists that day," Gambhir said, adding that the allegation was a "desperate attempt" to look away from the monster of terror Pakistan had created in its quest to destabilise its neighbours and covet their territory. Warraich made his statement after Gambhir's remarks. She had also asked whether Pakistan can deny that it is the "host and patron" of 132 UN-designated terrorists and 22 terrorist entities listed under the UN Security Council Sanctions regimes. "Will Pakistan deny that the UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed enjoys a free run inside Pakistan and spews venom and sets up candidates for electoral offices?" she said. With inputs from PTI Vivek Tiwari was shot by a policeman in Lucknow when he allegedly refused to stop his car for checking in Lucknow's posh Gomti Nagar neighbourhood Facing flak over the killing of an Apple executive by a police constable in Lucknow, the Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday announced Rs 25 lakh ex-gratia to the family of the victim, Vivek Tiwari, and a government job to a family member. Tiwari was shot by a policeman when he allegedly refused to stop his car for checking in Lucknow's posh Gomti Nagar neighbourhood, the police said. Two constables were arrested on the basis of an FIR lodged by his colleague Sana Khan, who was travelling with the victim. The government has so far accepted two demands of the bereaved family, an official told IANS, adding that on the third demand of a CBI probe into the killing, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has already said that if need be, the state government will recommend it. Following these assurances, the victim's family agreed to end its protest and go ahead with the cremation procedure of Tiwari. Kalpana, the widow of the 38-year-old Tiwari had been protesting outside their apartment in New Hyderabad, asking the chief minister to come and explain to her why her innocent husband was shot dead by policemen. She was joined by local leaders of the Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP). Tiwari's brother had earlier said the family will take the body to Adityanath's house if he did not come visit them. He told ANI that the family has three demands special investigation team (SIT) be formed for probe, a job be given to Tiwari's wife and adequate compensation. Meanwhile, a fresh FIR has been filed naming the accused Prashant Chaudhary and Sandeep Kumar based on a complaint filed by Kalpana Tiwari. In the complaint, she has referred to her husband's colleague Sana Khan's statement which narrates the alleged sequence of events. The previous FIR filed in the case had not named the accused. According to the statement, the police personnel came in front of Tiwari's car when he and Khan were travelling in it at about 1.30 at night. Subsequently, Tiwari is said to have attempted to evade them as a woman was travelling with him. Later, Chaudhary got off from his motorcycle and shot Tiwari dead, according to Khan's statement. Khan has further alleged, "Subsequently, some police personnel came to me, and stopped me from making any calls, or answering them. They later forcibly took my signature on a blank paper and under pressure from the media and higher authorities, they made me write certain statements." She also alleged that the police personnel made inappropriate comments about her. District magistrate announces job for widow of deceased Earlier, medical education minister Ashutosh Tandon went to pacify the aggrieved family members, relatives and neighbours of the victim, but to no avail after which the district magistrate of Lucknow, Kaushal Raj Sharma, met Kalpana and handed her the cheque of compensation and announced that she will be given a job in the Lucknow Municipal Corporation. It was after this that the protests were called off and the family announced that Tiwari will be cremated as per their religious traditions on Sunday. The police have also set up a special investigation team, which arrived at the spot of the incident on Sunday to probe. Meanwhile, News18 reported that Adityanath met the core group leaders of the BJP in New Delhi on Sunday and the incident was discussed at length. Party's top brass advised the Uttar Pradesh government to immediately address the concerns of the family. Adityanath is also likely to meet Tiwari's kin on Sunday, News18 reported citing sources. Uttar Pradesh police chief OP Singh condemned the shooting in Lucknow and called it a "criminal case". He also said that no policeman is permitted to gun down anybody. "It's an unfortunate incident in which a person was shot dead by two constables. Constable said that he did it under self-defence cover but self-defence can't exceed the threat perception. It is a pure crime," he added. Akhilesh Yadav seeks UP govt's resignation Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday demanded the resignation of the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh over the incident and also sought a judicial inquiry in the case. "What else can we expect from Uttar Pradesh's BJP government? Numerous fake encounters are taking place in the state," Yadav told mediapersons at Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh. If the family members demand, a sitting judge should conduct an inquiry into the Lucknow incident, he said. "Uttar Pradesh cannot be saved from fake encounters until inquiry of such incidents is conducted by a sitting judge." "The Yogi Adityanath government should resign as it is responsible for this incident," he said. Adityanath, however, denied that Tiwari's killing was an encounter, and assured that the investigation will be handed over to the CBI, if required. "It was not an encounter. An investigation will be conducted in this incident, and if needed, we will order a CBI inquiry into the incident," he said. SP leaders also met Tiwari's family on Saturday and sought justice. Party leader and former minister Ravidas Malhotra visited Tiwari's residence to pay condolences and demanded justice for the family. Colleagues of accused begin crowdfunding campaign in their support Even as the crime has evoked nationwide outrage, some colleagues of the accused have launched a campaign seeking to raise Rs 5 crore to help Chaudhary. They have alleged that Chaudhary and his wife also sought to register an FIR, but were not able to do so, and that he had fired at Tiwari in self-defence. Some Facebook users put out posts slandering Tiwari and Khan, while one post said in a sarcastic vein, "We request the government to give us police personnel baby rattles instead of pistols or rifles. We will play those rattles and sing praises of the government." With inputs from agencies and Saurabh Sharma/101Reporters Earlier in the day, the SIT arrived at the spot of the incident in Lucknow's Gomti Nagar extension, where Apple executive Vivek Tiwari was killed. Lucknow: Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Keshav Prasad Maurya, on Sunday visited the family members of Vivek Tiwari, who was allegedly shot dead by a police constable in Lucknow's Gomti Nagar area on Friday. Maurya's visit comes a day after Tiwari's kin threatened to take his body to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's residence if he failed to visit them and address their grievances. "First and foremost, the government is equally saddened with the tragedy that took place on Friday night. We, too, are grieving along with the victim's family members. We will ensure the family gets due justice and punish the accused in accordance with the law. The government will take every possible step to make sure such an incident is averted in the days to come. We are also ready to assist the Uttar Pradesh Police in investigating the matter as well," Maurya told reporters in Lucknow after visiting Tiwari's family. In the wake of the incident, the Uttar Pradesh Police have decided to give protection to Tiwari's family, and assured of a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the matter, if needed. "A 24-hour protection will be given to the family. A CBI inquiry will also be initiated if the family asks for it. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe under Lucknow Inspector General Sujeet Pandey will be taken forward on the basis of a fresh FIR that will be lodged by the family," Lucknow Additional Director General (ADG) Rajiv Krishna told reporters. Earlier in the day, the SIT arrived at the spot of the incident in Lucknow's Gomti Nagar extension, where Tiwari was killed. An employee of Apple Inc, Tiwari was returning home in the early hours of Saturday, when he was allegedly shot by patrolling cops for refusing to stop his vehicle. While the constable claims that he fired at Tiwari's car in self-defence as it tried to run over his bike, the incident has raised questions over police's excessive use of force on Tiwari. The country has been shocked and outraged at the cold-blooded murder of Apple executive Vivek Tiwari in Lucknow in the wee hours of Saturday. The country has been shocked and outraged at the cold-blooded murder of Apple executive Vivek Tiwari in Lucknow in the wee hours of Saturday. Two police constables Prashant Chaudhary who pulled the trigger and his beat partner Sandeep Kumar were dismissed from service by Saturday evening in an apparent show of the Uttar Pradesh government's zero-tolerance for thuggery in uniform. Justifying the dismissals, state police chief OP Singh termed the constables' action a "criminal act, a clear case of murder" and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that "this was not an encounter". They might as well have spared us this tasteless charade. This apparent outrage is at complete odds with the "thok denge" (we'll bump them off) philosophy of the administration. It is a war cry that has empowered and emboldened thousands of Prashant Chaudharys in all corners of Uttar Pradesh to become trigger-happy hunters in uniform. The swift action against the two constables, deserving though it is, is in reality a set-up to hang individuals for aberrations and absolve the system that thrives on excesses. There are certain glaring instances of criminality that the Uttar Pradesh government is seeking to cover up in this instance. Constables are neither trained nor authorised to carry the pistols. During their training, they are not familiarised with the operation of the weapon. The question arises: how then do they carry the pistol on their person? The reality of how Prashant Chaudhary would have acquired the weapon will send shivers down your spine. Such weapons (which are rarely available in the police stations armoury) are issued to the most favoured constables of the station head. These favoured men then prowl the area and throw their weight around to extort money from the vulnerable and indulge in wanton criminality in the garb of khaki. Interestingly, though none of these constables are trained to handle the weapon, they prefer to carry pistols instead of vintage 303 rifles because it is a status symbol. With a pistol in their belts and Yogis thok denge dinned into their ears, they genuinely believe that they have license to kill. Ever since the Uttar Pradesh police has launched the latest encounter-spree, they have unleashed thousands of Prashant Chaudharys on citizens of the state. Rest assured Vivek Tiwari is not an aberration in Yogis Uttar Pradesh, just about anybody can well end up in the same way. The moment the state police had launched its thok denge drive, I had a premonition for the worst. When the police claimed to have gunned down 18 criminals in encounters and chest-thumping itself in glory, I had cautioned that it would be nothing less than unleashing of a Frankenstein that would come back to bite its creator. But in this age of state-authorised insanity under the regime of a self-righteous chief minister who doubles up as head of a prominent Hindu spiritual seat, caution is meaningless as everything he does is believed be divinely ordained. Remember the manner in which the police had called the media to record a live encounter in which two youths, Mustaqueem and Naushad, were shot dead by the police at Harduagang of Aligarh on 20 September? They were accused of having criminal antecedents by the police to justify their execution in a shockingly extra-judicial manner. It is this brazen legitimisation of violence by the state that is reflected in the cockiness of Prashant Chaudhary. Will it be right to put the entire blame on Yogis doorstep for this malignancy which has criminalised governance in Uttar Pradesh? Obviously not. Yogi is just a sequel to the long story that began in the eighties under VP Singh. He was the first chief minister to give the police a licence to kill in their fight against the legendary dacoit gangs of Chambal. The killing of citizens on the pretext of launching operations against dacoits found legitimacy in the culture of governance. VP Singhs machismo proved to be his undoing. His brother was killed by dacoits near Banda forcing him to quit as the chief minister in July 1982. VP Singh was consumed by the Frankenstein when his brother was killed by dacoits near Banda and he had to step down as chief minister. But the culture of violence that gradually criminalised the state police outlasted him as reflected in the manner in which the state police was involved in mass-killings in Aligarh, Hashimpura, Maliana and Pilibhit and got away with it. What is particularly baffling is the abject surrender to this culture by successive DGPs in the state whose instinct for survival got the better of their commitment to policing. Let me recount an instance to point out how the police itself became part of the underworld and gang wars. In 1991 there was a shoot out in Lucknows posh Hazratganj area in which a gangster, Virendra Singh, was killed by the police. But this story was a half-truth. The complete truth was that the gangster was attacked by his rivals from Gorakhpur owing allegiance to Harishankar Tiwari, an ex-minister and warlord of the region. Virendra Singh took shelter in a building to save himself from the killers when the police reached the spot and gunned him down. In effect, the police acted like a hired assassin of the Tiwari gang. Since the nineties, the state police have been reduced to playing second fiddle to gangsters across the state as most warlords acquired political legitimacy after being elected to either the state Assembly or Parliament. Nobody knows it better than Yogi Adityanath whose emergence in politics as popular face is attributed to his fierce fight against Harishankar Tiwari and his associates. That is perhaps why he is not averse to violence as a legitimate political tool to control organised crime. But he seems to be totally oblivious to the fact that there is a world of difference between running the Gorakhnath Peeth and fighting the underworld and heading a government that swears by the Constitution. His flaunting of the states masculinity has inexorably criminalised the police which has been truly reflecting the essence of Allahabads Justice Anand Narayan Mullas description of the state police in the sixties: I say it with all sense of responsibility that there is not a single lawless group in the whole country whose record of crime is anywhere near the record of that organised unit which known as the Indian police force. Dismissing Prashant Chaudhary will do nothing to make citizens of Uttar Pradesh safer. Moderating the "thok denge" philosophy of crime busting will help more as it is less likely to provide state cover for men in uniform to transform into demons. The woman was allegedly raped on 12 July while her husband was away. She alleged that her husband returned and saw what was happening, following which the accused attacked the couple and threatened them. An Indian Army Major has been booked by the Delhi Police after his domestic help accused him of raping her. An FIR has been registered at Delhi Cantonment Police Station, ANI reported. The woman has also accused the army personnel of threatening her husband, who recently committed suicide, The Indian Express said. The report quoted police sources as saying that the woman was allegedly raped on 12 July while her husband was away. She alleged that when her husband returned home and saw what was happening, the accused attacked the couple and threatened them. She also alleged that the accused raped her on many occasions, following which she went to her in-laws home, but her husband stayed back. Later that month, she got a call from the army Major saying her husband had hanged himself, following which she approached the police, the report said. The report also claims that the police officials did not acknowledge her complaints, following which she approached a court in Delhi. As per a report from Times Now, a case under sections 376 (rape), 354 (molestation), 323 (causing hurt) and 506 (threatening) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against the Major upon the court's direction. The police claim that the accused was summoned and asked to join the investigation. No arrest has been made so far, Times Now reported. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha in July 2016, seeks to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955. Patna: Assam agriculture minister and Asom Gana Parishad president Atul Bora on Saturday warned that his party will break its alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state if the Centre passes the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016. "Currently, we (Asom Gana Parishad) are a part of the BJP led Assam government. If Centre passes the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016 in the Parliament then we will break our alliance with the state government," he told ANI. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha in July 2016, seeks to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955, to give citizenship by naturalisation to persecuted minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan belonging to the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who came to India before 31 December, 2014. Making the stand of the Government clear on the issue of illegal immigrants, BJP president Amit Shah on 21 September said, "After 2019, we won't allow even a single infiltrator in India. Narendra Modi to inaugurate projects across Gujarat today; Sushma Swaraj hits out at Pakistan in UNGA address, Padma Lakshmi's NYT op-ed makes her assaulter apologise, and more. Sushma Swaraj attacks Pakistan in UNGA address External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj made headlines after her speech at the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Naming the Indian government programmes aimed at achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, she said that climate change and terrorism are the biggest challenge of our era. In her speech, Swaraj blamed Pakistan for spreading terrorism in India. "In India, it is unfortunate that terrorism comes from one nation in our neighbourhood. The biggest evidence of this fact is that Osama bin Laden was found in Pakistan," she said. Swaraj also defended India's decision to cancel the proposed talks between India and Pakistan. She said: "There have been rumours that India is not ready for talks. On the contrary, we believe that even the most complex issues can be resolved through talks. That is why we began talks with Pakistan many times. But on all those occasions, talks stopped because of negative action by Pakistan." Swaraj hit out at Pakistan for accusing India of human rights violations, saying "who can be a greater transgressor of human rights than a terrorist?" The external affairs minister also said that the influence of the United Nations was slowly decreasing and that the Security Council needed to be expanded and improved. Narendra Modi to visit Gujarat Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit his home-state Gujarat on Sunday, where he will inaugurate a number of projects including Amul's modern chocolate plant in Anand, Mundra LNG terminal in Anjar and Mahatma Gandhi Museum in Rajkot. The Prime Minister will also inaugurate the Anand Agricultural University's incubation centre-cum-centre of excellence in food processing, and a solar cooperative society at Mujhkuva village. He will also lay the foundation stone for the expansion of Amul manufacturing facilities in Anand and Khatraj. In Anjar, he will inaugurate the Mundra LNG terminal, the Anjar-Mundra Pipeline Project and the Palanpur-Pali-Barmer pipeline project, said a statement from the Prime Minister's Office. At both places, he will address public gatherings too. Narendra Modi to address nation on Mann Ki Baat today Prime Minister Modi will address the nation on the 48th edition of his Mann Ki Baat radio programme today. The programme will be broadcasted on the entire network of All India Radio and Doordarshan at 11 am. Apart from it, the monthly radio programme will also be streamed on the YouTube channels of the Prime Minister's Office, Information and Broadcasting Ministry, AIR and DD News, and will be simultaneously broadcast on AIR's website. AIR will broadcast the programme in regional languages immediately after the Hindi broadcast. The regional language versions will also be repeated at 8 pm. In the 47th edition of Mann Ki Baat last month, Prime Minister Modi assured justice to Muslim women through Triple Talaq Bill. He had also expressed his sympathy with those affected by recent floods in Kerala. Toll in Indonesia tsunami surpasses 400, hundreds more suspected to be injured Almost 420 people have been killed in a tsunami that hit two central Indonesian cities, swept away buildings and pulverised a substantial bridge, dumping victims across a devastated landscape that rescuers were struggling to reach, hindered by damaged roads and broken communications. Disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said 384 people have died in the hard-hit city of Palu alone. He earlier said the fate of "tens to hundreds" of people involved in a beach festival in Palu when the tsunami struck was unknown. The 3-metre-high (10 foot) tsunami was triggered by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake and smashed into two cities and several settlements at dusk on Friday. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said UN officials were in contact with Indonesian authorities and "stand ready to provide support as required". Indonesia is prone to earthquakes because of its location on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. UP deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya expected to meet family of Lucknow techie today Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Keshav Prasad Maurya will likely meet the family of the 38-year-old Apple employee who was shot dead by the state police. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has also assured of strict action against all those found guilty. "It was not an encounter. An investigation will be conducted in this incident. If needed, we will order a CBI inquiry into the incident," he said. The Uttar Pradesh Police has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the case, and a magisterial inquiry has also been launched. The probe team will comprise of SP, Crime, and SP Lucknow Rural and it will be headed by the Lucknow IG. The SIT will submit their report at the earliest, Anand Kumar, ADG, Law And Order said. Padma Lakshmi's NYT piece prompts woman's attacker to apologise Padma Lakshmi's op-ed in the New York Times was not only a way for her to speak her truth, but it was also a way for others to realise the truth about their own actions. The 48-year-old Top Chef host wrote a powerful piece for the NYT in which she revealed she was raped by her 23-year-old boyfriend when she was 16. "There was this woman that came up to me and said, I read your piece and I wanna thank you and it was really moving,'" Lakshmi recalled. The woman then went on to explain that she received "an email from someone I haven't seen since high school, and it was the boy who assaulted me. And he sent me the link to the article and he said, I'm sorry. I didn't know then what I know now and I shouldn't have ever done that to you. And I apologise.'" After the CBI, a BJP leader had also moved the court supporting the plea seeking permission to carry out further investigations in the Bofors case. New Delhi: A Delhi court has decided to hear on 4 December the CBI's plea seeking a direction to allow it to go for further probe into the politically sensitive Rs 64-crore Bofors payoff case. The matter came up before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ashu Garg, who deferred the matter after noting the submission of advocate and BJP leader Ajay Agrawal that the original records will come back to the court after the Supreme Court hears his matter, which is likely to come up for hearing in the second week of October. The court was told that the original records file pe rtaining to the case was with the apex court. It had earlier deferred the matter due to unavailability of the documents provided to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court was seized of Agrawal's plea challenging the 31 May, 2005, verdict of the Delhi High Court quashing all charges against the accused. Agrawal, who had contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Rae Bareli against then Congress president Sonia Gandhi, had filed the appeal in the top court after the CBI had failed to challenge the high court verdict within the mandatory 90-day period. The CBI had on 1 February moved the trial court, seeking permission for further probe in the matter, saying it had come across fresh material and evidence. A day later, it had also filed an appeal against the high court decision in the Supreme Court. After the CBI, the BJP leader had also moved the trial court supporting the plea of the probe agency in the case. The agency had swung into action after the Attorney General of India had orally given it a go ahead to file the appeal in the case, in which it cited the October 2017 interview of private detective Michael Hershman, alleging that the then Rajiv Gandhi government had sabotaged his probe. Justice RS Sodhi (since retired) of the Delhi High Court had, on 31 May, 2005, quashed the CBI case in the Bofors payoff scam. Before the 2005 verdict, another Delhi High Court judge, Justice JD Kapoor (since retired), had, on 4 February, 2004 exonerated the late prime minister in the case and directed the framing of forgery charges under section 465 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the Bofors company. The Rs 1,437-crore deal between India and Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors for the supply of 400 155mm howitzer guns for the Indian Army was entered into on 24 March, 1986. On 16 April, 1987, had claimed that the company had paid bribes to top Indian politicians and defence personnel. The CBI on 22 January, 1990, had registered an FIR for alleged offences of criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery under the IPC and other sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act against Martin Ardbo, the then president of AB Bofors, alleged middleman Win Chadda and the Hinduja brothers. It had alleged that certain public servants and private persons in India and abroad had entered into a criminal conspiracy between 1982 and 1987, in pursuance of which the offences of bribery, corruption, cheating and forgery were committed. The first chargesheet in the case was filed on 22 October, 1999, against Chadda, Ottavio Quattrocchi, the then defence secretary SK Bhatnagar, Ardbo and the Bofors company. A supplementary chargesheet was filed against the Hinduja brothers SP Hinduja, GP Hinduja and PP Hinduja on 9 October, 2000. A special CBI court in Delhi on 4 March, 2011, had discharged Quattrocchi from the case, saying that the country could not afford to spend hard-earned money on his extradition, which had already cost Rs 250 crore. Quattrocchi, who had fled India on July 29 and 30, 1993, never appeared before any court in India to face prosecution. He passed away on 13 July, 2013. The other accused who died are Bhatnagar, Ardbo and Chadda. One could officially deny Christians and Muslims some political rights under a Hindu rashtra, however, because a Hindu rashtra also erodes the power and the rights of the majority of Hindus, one can be assured that this is not something that the BJP, or any other force can do One of the concerns of people who are looking ahead to the 2019 Lok Sabha election is the fear of India becoming a Hindu rashtra (Hindu state). This is a concept that will pull India away from our current Constitution that is not religious, towards one that is. It will make India a more Hindu or fully Hindu state. The theory is that a second consecutive, and possibly, a sweeping victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party will embolden it to add to the Constitution certain elements that will make it a Hindu rashtra. I do not think that it is possible to have such a thing and I will explain why in a moment. I should start off by saying that from the point of view of individual rights, it does not make much difference which party governs India. The organisation I am a part of has worked on Jammu and Kashmir for decades and the issues there in terms of excessive use of force and impunity of the armed forces is not recent and not a product of this government. Similarly AFSPA, the law which protects the army from prosecution in our courts, is not the creation of the current BJP government. Any major problem that comes up when one thinks of individual rights of Indians and the suppression by the state is an old one. Any issue which relates to the rights of the weak in India, from Dalits to Adivasis to Muslims and other religious minorities, is not recent. The only new thing that the policies and rhetoric of this government has introduced is the meat-based lynching. But other than that, one could argue, things are not that different. Secondly, as someone who has often been to Pakistan and has studied it for many years, I can say that life is not very different for the individual in a 'religious' state as compared to an individual in a 'secular' state in the subcontinent. It is true that some of the laws in Pakistan are deliberately discriminatory against the minorities. For example, the Pakistani constitution forbids non-Muslims from holding the office of the President and Prime Minister. Also there is a Muslim community, the Ahmedias, who cannot freely practice their religion. But everything else is more or less the same as in India. Minorities are fewer in Pakistan but they have the same sense of insecurity and marginalisation that minorities in India do. Let us now turn to what a Hindu rashtra can be. There are two elements here, just as there are in any religious or theocratic state. One is that aspects of the religions values and culture are introduced into laws. In some Muslim states, for example, there is a prohibition on alcohol and people are forced to shut their restaurants during the day in the month of Ramadan. Some of these things we already have in India. Prohibition of alcohol and cow slaughter already exist in our laws in some form and in many states. The second is that the dividing of people by religion or gender and telling them what they can and cannot do. This is the deeper aspect of a theocratic state, and this is the one that people fear. The problem of a Hindu rashtra is that it has no text which can be adapted to the modern world. The most prominent element of the Hindu way of organising the society and the state is through caste. This is not acceptable to most Hindus. The dominant political communities across the country from north to south is the Shudra peasantry comprising castes like Patidars, Vokkaliga, Jats, Yadavs, Reddys, and so on. Most chief ministers and ministers come from these castes. These communities are not going to give up their power to Brahmins voluntarily because of some change in law. A Hindu rashtra does not offer them anything they do not already have. Similarly, Dalits and Adivasis, who are a quarter of our population, do not get anything under a Hindu rashtra and there is no reason for them to want it. A system that privileges the Hindu religion and its adherents must necessarily look to caste, and that is a non-starter. Till 2008, Nepal was the only Hindu state on earth. The Chhetri (Kshatriya) dynasty ended with the republic of 2008. Why was Nepal a Hindu state? Because executive power flowed from a warrior king, as prescribed in the Hindu code, Manusmriti. But Nepal was a Hindu state only to that extent. Nothing else from Hindu texts could be applied because much of it is against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. So what changes can be introduced to the Constitution to bring about Hindu rashtra? One can discriminate against non-Hindus and deny them their rights. Some of this have already been done. In Gujarat and Bihar, Christians cannot drink their sacramental wine and in most parts of India, Muslims cannot sacrifice a cow. Other rights we have not taken away officially but they are non-existent for all practical purposes. Muslims are not banned from becoming the prime minister, but it is unimaginable in this time to see that happening anytime soon. Indeed, Muslim representation in politics is at its lowest since 1947 and it is not even an issue in India. One could go ahead and officially deny Christians and Muslims some political rights under a Hindu rashtra. However, because a Hindu rashtra also erodes the power and the rights of the majority of Hindus, one can be assured that this is not something that the BJP, or any other force can do. That is why the idea of a Hindu rashtra and what it actually is remains vague and will always be so. E Palaniswami listed the Telugu Ganga Water Scheme for Chennai and waiving of Rs 330 crore of farm loans and others as the major welfare schemes implemented by AIADMK founder MGR during his rule between 1977 and 1987. Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami on Sunday said that after the British, it is the AIADMK which has ruled the state for the longest period of time. Speaking at AIADMK founder and late Chief Minister MG Ramachandran's (MGR) centenary celebrations in Chennai, Palaniswami said till MGR was alive, the Opposition parties were not even thinking of taking power in Tamil Nadu. Taking a dig at the much older DMK, Palaniswami said that after the British, it is only the AIADMK that has ruled the state for the longest time from Fort St.George, where the Secretariat is located. "After MGR, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa took the party to further heights," he said. Palaniswami said MGR was the first actor-turned-politician to be elected the chief minister of any state in the country and he was an example of how a leader should be. MGR introduced the much acclaimed Nutritious Mid-Day Meals Scheme for school students to arrest the dropout rate of poor pupils. The chief minister listed the Telugu Ganga Water Scheme for Chennai and waiving of Rs 330 crore of farm loans and others as the major welfare schemes implemented by MGR during his rule between 1977 and 1987. Palaniswami announced his government will increase the Floor Space Index (FSI) in cities, set up a new international airport near Chennai; form a body to protect and restore water bodies and encourage households to grow vegetables in their homes. "The Chennai Muffosil Bus Terminus, popularly known as Koyambedu Bus Stand, will be renamed as Purathi Thalaivar Dr MGR Bus Stand," he added. The decision is in line with a 3 July agreement between Tripura and Mizoram governments, the Home Ministry and refugees' body Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum (MBDPF). Agartala/Aizawl: With the Centre deciding to stop relief from Monday to over 32,000 Reang tribal refugees living in north Tripura for over two decades, it is not clear if they will start returning to Mizoram although nearly 180 have done so. The authorities made the announcement about the decision - taken earlier in September - through public address on Friday and Saturday. A north Tripura district administration official said a week's relief was provided to the Bru refugees on Saturday evening. A total of 32,876 refugees had been staying in Tripura after fleeing their villages in Mizoram due to ethnic tension. "The government is very serious in asking the tribals to return to their homes immediately. But we are not sure whether they will start leaving their camps soon," the official told IANS on the condition of anonymity on phone from Dharmanagar, 190 km north of here. He claimed that some refugee leaders were misguiding those staying put. "The Central government will stop relief and other assistance from 1 October to tribal refugees staying in six camps in Tripura," North Tripura District Magistrate Raval Hamendra Kumar told IANS. The decision is in line with a 3 July agreement between Tripura and Mizoram governments, the Home Ministry and refugees' body Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum (MBDPF). The agreement entails benefits to each refugee family, including Rs 4 lakh aid, monthly allowance of Rs 5,000, Rs 1.5 lakh for building house and free ration for two years. As per the agreement, the Reang tribals, comprising 5,407 families, were scheduled to start returning to three Mizoram districts from 16 August or 17 August. But they refused and reiterated their demands, including security in Mizoram by paramilitary forces and allotment of sufficient land for farming, besides formation of Area Development Council for Reang tribals, locally called 'Bru'. MBDPF General Secretary Bruno Msha said their demands were not incorporated in the agreement, including allotment of five hectares of land to each refugee family on their return. On the other hand, 177 refugees from 32 families returned to Mizoram on 19 September and 26 September. One refugee family left for Mizoram on Sunday. The District Magistrate, who along with SDMs of Kanchanpur and Panisagar is supervising the matter, said a few more refugee families were likely to return to Mizoram any time. Refugee leader Bruno Msha told IANS from Kanchanpur that they were preparing a list of families willing to return to Mizoram. A Monitoring Committee headed by Special Secretary (Internal Security) of the Ministry of Home Affairs has been set up, also comprising officials from Tripura and Mizoram and representatives of MBDPF, to supervise the repatriation and settlement process. Mizoram Home Department Additional Secretary Lalbiakzama told the media in Aizawl that 4,199 Reang tribal families will be resettled in 48 villages in Mamit district and 824 and 384 families in 10 villages in Kolasib and four villages in Lunglei districts respectively. Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Jitendra Chowdhury, a former Tribal Welfare Minister in Tripura, urged the Centre not to repatriate the Reang tribals without settling land and other issues. "I have raised the issue in the Lok Sabha but the Central government is yet to respond," Chowdhury told IANS. According to police, the trekking group in Himachal Pradesh comprised mostly of foreign tourists, including nine British and one Irish national. There were three Indians and three porters in the group as well. Chamba: A group of 16 trekkers, who went missing after they lost contact due to inclement weather conditions in Himachal Pradesh's Chamba district on Saturday, have been rescued. According to police, the group comprised mostly of foreign tourists, including nine British and one Irish national. There were three Indians and three porters in the group as well. The trekkers, according to police reports, have safely reached Sechu area in Pangi. Earlier, a team of policemen, mountaineering experts, and local experts conducted a thorough search operation to locate the group, before they were eventually rescued. The state of Himachal Pradesh, of late, has been witnessing heavy rainfall and snow throughout the week. Recently, a group of students from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkie were rescued after getting stranded in the state's Lahaul-Spiti region. Narendra Modi on Sunday addressed the nation on the 48th edition of his 'Mann Ki Baat' radio programme and lauded the valour of the armed forces. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday addressed the nation on the 48th edition of his 'Mann Ki Baat' radio programme and lauded the valour of the armed forces. He said that the entire nation celebrated 'Parakram Parv' on Saturday and remembered the surgical strike of 2016, when Indian "soldiers gave a befitting reply to the proxy war under the garb of terrorism". Every Indian is proud of the armed forces, he said while adding that it is now clear that India's soldiers will give a befitting reply to those who try to disrupt the atmosphere of peace in our country. While saying that India believes in peace and is committed to preserve it, Modi also said that it should not come at the cost of compromising self-respect and sovereignty. He further said, "We recently celebrated 100 years of the Haifa War of Israel on 23 September and we remembered the brave soldiers of Mysore, Hyderabad and Jodhpur Lancers who liberated Haifa." The prime minister said that India remains committed to peace and is one of the nations to send the highest number of soldiers to the various peacekeeping forces of the United Nations. Modi also said that India will celebrate Air Force Day on 8 October. The Indian Air Force started with six pilots and 19 airmen in 1932, but today it has become one of the most powerful air forces in the 21st century, he said, while saluting the valour of all airmen and their families. He also recalled the contribution of the air force in transporting men and material to Srinagar in 1947 when Pakistani attackers had tried to capture Jammu and Kashmir. While remembering the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War and the 1999 Kargil War, Modi said that the Indian Air Force has protected the nation time and again and is also at the forefront of relief and rescue work during times of disasters. Modi also said that the Indian Air Force has also set an example in gender equality by offering the option of permanent commission to women. Time and again, the Indian Air Force has protected the nation. #MannKiBaat pic.twitter.com/JPYTcynXqC PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 30, 2018 Remembering the struggle of Indian sailor Abhilash Tomy, the prime minister said that he was the first Indian to complete solo circumnavigation. Tomy braved the storm for days when his boat was damaged while participating in the Golden Globe race and he is an extraordinary example of courage and valour, the prime minister said. Talking about 2 October, Modi said that this year will mark the start of celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary. He said that Gandhi inspired a lot of people including Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. In 1941, the prime minister said, Gandhi started writing his thoughts in the form of 'Constructive Programme' and later when the freedom movement gained momentum, he prepared a revised version of the same. Also called 'Gandhi Charter', Modi said that Gandhi presented his thoughts on subjects like farmers, villages and education among others. He also said that Gandhi gave an inspirational mantra, called 'Gandhiji's Talisman', and it is relevant even today. Calling Gandhi a 'mass leader', Modi said he endeared himself to people across all sections of society. Modi also remembered Lal Bahadur Shastri and said that he used to appear humble, but was resolute like a rock. Shastri's slogan of 'Jai Jawan Jai Kisan' is emblematic of his strong personality. He also congratulated the people of India on the success of the 'Swachhata Hi Seva' movement, which was launched on 15 September. He said that people from all sections of society joined the movement and he himself participated at the Ambedkar School in Delhi. Modi also said that the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) will complete 25 years in a few days and said that the NHRC has created awareness about human rights. Remembering Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Modi said that even the former prime minister had said that human rights are not alien to us. "We must recognise the importance of human rights and practice it, this is foundation of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'," he added. On a one-day visit to Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated an ultra modern chocolate plant for Amul. He is also to launch other projects in the state, such as a solar energy cooperative society, and a museum honouring Mahatma Gandhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a new chocolate plant of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), owner of dairy giant Amul, at Mogar in Anand district on Sunday. The chocolate plant, built with an investment of Rs 190 crore, will produce 1,000 tonnes of chocolates every month against the capacity of 600 tonnes of the existing plant. PM Shri @narendramodi inaugurates Amul's new chocolate plant & other projects in Anand, Gujarat. LIVE at https://t.co/aW38WH7GgS pic.twitter.com/0Hpa8KPdUk BJP (@BJP4India) September 30, 2018 The prime minister toured the plant's premises before the official inauguration. ANI reported: Anand: PM Narendra Modi at the launch of various plants in AMUL including an ultra modern chocolate plant. #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/pJG2QivuI3 ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2018 Modi also addressed a gathering of farmers at the event talked about the global prominence of the Amul brand, saying: "In a few years, Amul will complete 75 years. This is a team that is unstoppable. I admire their spirit. Let us think about what targets Amul can set for their own 75th anniversary and for 2022, when India marks 75 years of freedom," The prime minister also paid tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's contribution to the state of Gujarat, saying the country's first housing society was set up in 1927 under the leadership of Sardar Patel in Gujarat. Modi said that when Sardar Patel won the municipal election in Ahmedabad by a solitary vote and became its chairman, he for the first time introduced the concept of urban development. "And, the first experiment was that of creating a housing society to give people from the middle income group houses," Modi said. The prime minister said one Pritam Rai Desai was asked to initiate work on this project, and under Sardar Patel's leadership and guidance, the first housing society was formed in the country in Gujarat's Ahmedabad. "Sardar saheb inaugurated it on January 28, 1927 and said it was a new model of development. Since he wanted people to remember this, the place was named Pritam Nagar (after Pritam Rai Desai)," Modi told the gathering. A century ago, Sardar Patel entered civic politics of Ahmedabad. He won from Dariapur. His margin of victory then was 1 vote. When he assumed office as the head of the municipality, he laid emphasis on urban development, planning and in that he worked on cooperative housing: PM pic.twitter.com/OBAkuhvY2X BJP (@BJP4India) September 30, 2018 The Indian Express quoted him as saying, "For a long time, we had people sitting in Gandhinagar who disliked the cooperatives. They prevented the sector from acquiring a foothold in Saurashtra. Things changed after the late 1990s and today almost all districts in Gujarat are doing well in the sector." Modi further said that when he was the chief minister of Gujarat, he had advocated the use of camel milk because of its nutritional benefits, but he was mocked for it. "I said camel milk is very nutritious. Being the chief minister, I don't know what crime I committed, but I was mocked at. Cartoons and derogatory comments were made against me. Today, Amul's chocolates have a huge market and the rate of camel milk is double than that of cow milk," Modi said. He further said he is convinced that if a mother and her child remain healthy, the country can never be unhealthy. Speaking to the betterment of farmers, Modi said: "We are focussing on Jan Dhan, Van Dhan and Gobar Dhan. This will help our farmers." He also gave credit to the farmers, saying: There was a time when there would be scarcity. We had to import food grains. Now, things have changed. Today, the time has come to give importance to innovation and value addition: PM @narendramodi in Anand PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 30, 2018 From the same venue, the prime minister will launch a solar energy cooperative society at Mujkuwa in Anklav tehsil of the district, via video link. The society has been formed by eleven farmers to produce solar energy for irrigation and sell the surplus. Modi will also dedicate, at Anjar in Kutch district, a natural gas pipeline laid by Gujarat State Petronet Limited (GSPL) between Mundra Port and Anjar. Additionally, he will perform a ground-breaking ceremony for four-laning work of the highway connecting Varsana, Bhimasar, Anjar and Bhuj towns of Kutch. Narendra Modi will address the nation on the 48th edition of his 'Mann Ki Baat' radio programme on Sunday. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation on the 48th edition of his 'Mann Ki Baat' radio programme on Sunday. The programme will be broadcast on the entire network of All India Radio and Doordarshan at 11 am. Apart from it, the monthly radio programme will also be streamed on the YouTube channels of the Prime Minister's Office, information and broadcasting ministry, AIR and DD News and will be simultaneously broadcast on AIR's website allindiaradio.gov.in. AIR will broadcast the programme in regional languages immediately after the Hindi broadcast. The regional language versions will also be repeated at 8 pm. In the 47th edition of 'Mann Ki Baat' last month, Prime Minister Modi assured justice to Muslim women through Triple Talaq Bill. He also expressed his sympathy with those affected by recent floods in Kerala. Besides that, the prime minister congratulated all players, who won medals for the country in the 18th edition of Asian Games in Indonesia last month. Arvind Kejriwal's tweets drew sharp reaction from the BJP. Delhi BJP President Manoj Tiwari on Twitter asked AAP workers to see how 'narrow-minded' Kejriwal was. New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the murder of an Apple executive in Uttar Pradesh by a constable, saying the saffron party does not protect the interests of even Hindus. In a series of tweets, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader asked why Vivek Tiwari was killed even though he was a Hindu when the BJP claims to be a protector of Hindus. "Vivek Tiwari was a Hindu. Then, why did they kill him? The BJP is not a well-wisher of Hindus. They (BJP) will not even think for two minutes if they will have to kill all Hindus to grab power," said Kejriwal, who also spoke to Tiwari's wife on telephone. Kejriwal's tweets drew sharp reaction from the BJP. Delhi BJP President Manoj Tiwari on Twitter asked AAP workers to see how "narrow-minded" Kejriwal was. He said his party was with the family of the deceased and action would be taken against those behind the murder. Kejriwal responded, saying: "BJP called us narrow-minded when we asked for justice." Vivek Tiwari was killed in Lucknow on Saturday when he was heading home after the launch of the iPhone XS and XS Max. The constable has been arrested and booked for killing the executive. Raja Farooq Haider, the prime minister of 'Azad Kashmir', was reportedly in the helicopter that breached Indian airspace in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch sector. The helicopter from across the border that violated the Indian airspace in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch sector on Sunday was reportedly carrying the "prime minister" of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Raja Farooq Haider was believed to have been on his way to condole the death of his brother Chaudhry Abdul Aziz when Indian forces opened fire on his helicopter near the Line of Control between India and Pakistan, The Express Tribune reported. Kashmirs prime minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan was travelling in this chopper when Indain Forces Open Fire... These Pics From My Home Town Haveli LOC Pir Panjal Area Poonch Kashmir.#AJK #kashmir #farooqHaider #Indianfiring #kashmiri #Rajafarooqhaider pic.twitter.com/Wv6n0o547R Haider Sherazi (@ImHaiderSherazi) September 30, 2018 As per norms recognised by both India and Pakistan, helicopters are not supposed to come within a kilometre of the LoC and fixed-wing aircraft within 10 kilometres of the LoC. The rules require that forces of both countries inform each other in advance about the movement of military aircraft in the region, though the exercise is not compulsory for civilian helicopters, according to Geo News. The Express Tribune report claimed that Pakistan had informed Indian security forces about Haider's chopper trip, and that "the helicopter's white colour clearly indicated that it was a civilian chopper". The Jammu-based public relations officer of the Indian Army, Lieutenant Colonel Devender Anand, said the helicopter had violated the India airspace around 12.10 pm on Sunday. Official sources that said the white-colour chopper crossed over to the Indian side and hovered in the Indian airspace for sometime, but headed back across the border after it was "engaged by air sentries". No injuries were reported in the incident. The helicopter had retreated after Indian Army sentries opened fire on it. It landed safely without damage. "Indian forces made the excuse that the helicopter had crossed the LoC," Haider was quoted as saying by Geo News, adding that the Indian security forces were incompetent and cowards to have fired at a civil helicopter. "They are lying (about the chopper crossing the LoC). They are doing it because they are going to polls in the coming days. I was travelling with my ministers." The incident took place a day after India and Pakistan traded barbs at the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi hit out at each other, with Swaraj accusing Pakistan of spreading terrorism in India. In response, Qureshi accused India of practicing terrorism as a state policy and calling off talks "on flimsy grounds". As per norms recognised by both India and Pakistan, helicopters are not supposed to come within a kilometre of the Line of Control or LoC and fixed-wing aircraft within 10 km of the LoC. A Pakistan chopper breached the Indian airspace along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch area on Sunday, after which the army made efforts to shoot it down. ANI released a video of the chopper flying in the Indian airspace: #WATCH A Pakistani helicopter violated Indian airspace in Poonch sector of #JammuAndKashmir pic.twitter.com/O4QHxCf7CR ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2018 Jammu-based public relations officer of the Indian Army Lieutenant Colonel Devender Anand said the helicopter violated the India airspace around 12.10 pm on Sunday. Official sources that said the white-colour chopper crossed into this side in Gulpur sector. It hovered in the Indian airspace for sometime but headed back across the border after it was "engaged by air sentries", the army said. "Air sentries at forward posts had engaged it with small arms," Lieutenant Colonel Anand said, adding that, it was most likely a civilian chopper and was flying very high. Three forward posts fired small arms after noticing the airspace violation, sources said. As per norms recognised by both India and Pakistan, helicopters are not supposed to come within a kilometre of the LoC and fixed-wing aircraft within 10 kilometres of the LoC, NDTV reported. India and Pakistan lock horns at UNGA The incident comes amid a war of words between India and Pakistan after a series of events heightened tensions between the two neighbours. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi have hit out at each other on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) this week in New York. In Swaraj's address, she blamed Pakistan for spreading terrorism in India. "In India, it is unfortunate that terrorism comes from one nation in our neighbourhood. The biggest evidence of this fact is that Osama bin Laden was found in Pakistan," Swaraj had said on Saturday. "America was searching for Osama bin Laden everywhere but did not know that Pakistan, which claims to be a big friend of the US, was hiding him," she said. "And then, Pakistan behaves as if they didn't do anything wrong. And this sort of behaviour continues. The mastermind of 26/11 (Mumbai Attacks), Hafiz Saeed, continues to roam free in Pakistan and conducts rallies and participates in elections," she added. Pakistan shot back in its own speech, accusing India of financing terrorists and declaring that New Delhi "preferred politics over peace". Qureshi said it was the third time that the current Indian administration had called off talks, "each time on flimsy grounds". He said in his speech that "Pakistan continues to face terrorism that is financed, facilitated and orchestrated by our eastern neighbour". He referred to extremist attacks in his home country, including one at an army school in the northwestern city of Peshawar in 2014 that killed more than 150 children, which he said were perpetrated by "terrorists supported by India". Qureshi's speech prompted a vehement response from India, which exercised its right of reply at the end of the daylong meeting and accused Pakistan of spreading "fake allegations and fake facts". Pakistan, in turn, responded by accusing India of "practising terrorism as an instrument of state policy". Prior to the UNGA, New Delhi had called off the meeting between Swaraj and Qureshi that was scheduled to take place on the sidelines of the UNGA. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said that since the announcement when India confirmed the talks, two extremely disturbing developments have taken place. The developments Kumar was referring to were the brutal killings of three Jammu and Kashmir policemen at the hands of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists; as well as Pakistan's decision to declare slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani as a "freedom icon". Pakistan also commemorated the "victims of atrocities by Indian troops in Kashmir" by issuing 20 special postage stamps which carry captions such as: 'Burhan Wani (1994-2016) freedom icon'. The stamps carry photos of Wani and his two associates who were killed in a gunbattle with police in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir in July 2016. "The latest brutal killings of our security personnel by Pakistan-based entities and the recent release of a series of 20 postage stamps by Pakistan glorifying a terrorist and terrorism confirm that Pakistan will not mend its ways," Kumar had said. With inputs from PTI The Health Ministry has ordered a probe after traces of polio type 2 virus were found in some batches of oral polio vaccine (OPV) manufactured by a Ghaziabad-based pharmaceutical company, even as the firm's managing director was arrested Saturday New Delhi: The Health Ministry has ordered a probe after traces of polio type 2 virus were found in some batches of oral polio vaccine (OPV) manufactured by a Ghaziabad-based pharmaceutical company, even as the firm's managing director was arrested Saturday. Polio type 2 virus strain has been eradicated worldwide, including in India. The managing director of Biomed Pvt Ltd, which was supplying polio vaccines for only government-run immunisation programmes, was arrested after the Central Drug Regulator filed an FIR in this case. The Drugs Controller General of India has also asked the company to stop "manufacture, sale or distribution till further orders". "The company has five directors. While the managing director has been arrested, we have asked the police to trace the rest directors as they also need to be questioned," a government official said. According to a Health Ministry source, the contamination came to light after surveillance reports from Uttar Pradesh showed signs of the virus in stool samples of some children. Immediately, the OPVs were sent for testing which confirmed that some of them were contaminated with type-2 virus. The ministry has also alerted the Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra governments assuming a possible usage of the vaccine there. In a report on intolerance in India, PEN International has urged the government to amend laws that curb freedom of expression. Pune/New Delhi: India has witnessed "a rising tide of violence, impunity, extended pre-trial detentions and surveillance" under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government, PEN International said on Saturday, as it wound up the 84th PEN International Congress with representation from over 80 countries in Pune. The international writers' body called upon the Indian government to safeguard the freedom of expression in the country. It released a report titled "India: Pursuing truth in the face of intolerance", outlining how dissenting voices journalists, writers, academics or students "face intimidation, harassment, prosecution, online abuse and physical violence. "The report illustrates the varied ways in which critical voices are targeted and silenced. It highlights "directed attacks online and offline; the systematic stifling of academic research and freedom; and the continued marginalisation of and hostility towards women's voices." "Laws that stifle speech, an environment hostile to dissenting views, and emboldened critics online and in the real world have cast a chill over free expression in India. Journalists and writers have been sued, intimidated, threatened, and sometimes murdered. There is little political will to amend the laws that prevent free expression or to enforce laws that protect the writer," said Salil Tripathi, chair of the Writers in Prison Committee. PEN International said in an official statement that it "calls on the Indian authorities to protect its writers, journalists and all others exercising their right to free expression" and to "bring its legislation in line with its obligations under international law". "While this gathering has been about the promotion of peace-building and celebrating the power of the written word, it is also about protecting free expression and remembering those of us who pay the ultimate price for exercising this fundamental right. Today, we honour Gauri Lankesh, who was shot to death outside her home a year ago. Even though we welcome the progress that has been in the investigation, we're still waiting for justice. Unless the cycle of impunity is broken, those who want to use violence to silence will be embolden to do so," said PEN International president Jennifer Clement. Asked about the views and findings of the PEN as far as worsening of situations under the ruling regime is concerned, American-Mexican author Clement unequivocally said there has been "a rising tide of violence, impunity, extended pre-trial detentions, impunity and surveillance". "We have quite a few recommendations to the Indian government: To ensure the safety of journalists and make sure that there is no impunity against them, to ensure that they are not harmed, as has been seen in several high-profile cases, train the police, launch public information campaign to inform citizens of their legal rights in the face of online harassment and threats," Clement, the first female president of the body, said. She added that the PEN International felt "very strongly", especially in a country like India, as "the differences are what unites people and not what divides them". "The government should be thinking about the things that bring people together and not tear them apart. I think what PEN is concerned about is that India has always been a country that one could uphold for being tolerant and being democratic. It used to be (said) that India could be held as an example to the rest of the world. It's very sad to see this turn. What would the future of such a democracy look like," she asked. The 15-page report "India: Pursuing truth in the face of intolerance" is highly critical of the Modi government and opens with a poster of the firebrand journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, who was murdered outside her Bengaluru home in September 2017. PEN said that it prepares "a freedom of expression report" every year on the country in which its Congress is being held. The report contends that "future generations will likely look back at the Bharatiya Janata Party's win in 2014 elections" as "the beginning of a drastically different era in independent India". Notably, of its three new vice presidents, chosen for their "literary merit", two are dissenting voices from India: Tamil writer Perumal Murugan, who was himself hounded by right-wing activists, and Nayantara Sahgal, who has been at the forefront of protests by writers and intellectuals against the Modi government. Travancore Royal Family representative Sasikumara Verma said that the court had relied heavily on the argument that there was discrimination against women in the Sabarimala temple. After the Supreme Court on Friday ruled that women of all ages will be allowed entry into Lord Ayyappa's Sabarimala temple in Kerala, the president of Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), administrative authority of the temple said on Sunday that not a large number of women would visit the temple. TDB president A Padmakumar said that the board held discussions with Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and promised toilet facilities would be made in the Nilakkal area. He, however, said that there would be some limitations in making all the necessary arrangements as the pilgrim season is about to start. In the view of SC verdict to allow entry of women of all ages to Sabarimala, we held discussions with Kerala CM.We'll arrange toilet facilities in Nilakkal.There are limitations to make elaborate facilities as the pilgrim season is about to start: Pres, Travancore Devaswom Board pic.twitter.com/DHoKDTzWiu ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2018 The TDB president also confirmed that the board will discuss filing a review plea against the judgment on 3 October. The TDB had earlier said that the organisation was neither happy nor disappointed with the verdict. However, ANI had reported Padmakumar saying that he will go for a review petition after getting support from other religious heads. As reported earlier, a senior TDB official had said that "the government has set up a high-level committee to speed up the works in view of the coming season. We may be able to restore many of the lost facilities, but creating additional facilities for women within such a short time is an impossible task." A Constitutional Bench headed by CJI Dipak Misra passed a verdict allowing women of all ages to access to the iconic temple and said that rules of the temple administration restricting entry of women between 10 to 50 years violated Articles 14 and 25 of the Constitution. The judgment has evoked reaction from women rights activists, temple authorities and politicians among others. On Friday, after the verdict, Travancore Royal Family representative Sasikumara Verma had said that the court had relied heavily on the argument that there was discrimination against women in the Sabarimala temple. This is not true. There is only a restriction on the (entry of) women of certain age. This is a reasonable restriction. I hope the court will realise this and correct the decision, he had added. ANI quoted WCD minister Maneka Gandi as saying, "Its a wonderful decision. It opens up and brings the way forward for Hinduism to become even more inclusive and not a property of one caste or one sex." The two girls were abducted Friday night when they were asleep with their parents inside a make-shift hut at a construction site in Indore's MG Road area, and found near the hut in a brutalised condition. Indore: Two minor sisters, aged one and four years, respectively, were allegedly abducted and raped in Indore city of Madhya Pradesh, police said Saturday. A suspect has been detained in the case. The two girls were abducted Friday night when they were asleep with their parents inside a make-shift hut at a construction site in MG Road area, police said. The girls' father works as a watchman at the construction site, said Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Harinarayanchari Mishra. The parents realised in the morning that the girls were missing and started a search, he said. Both were found near the hut in a brutalised condition, Mishra said, adding that a police team reached the spot after getting information about the incident and took the girls to a government hospital. "We have detained a suspect who is being questioned. We are also examining CCTV footage in the area," the DIG said. Both the girls have been kept in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital, a doctor said. They were out of danger, he added. Chief Election Commissioner dismissed the possibility of simultaneous elections in Telangana, and said the new election schedule is yet to be announced. Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Electoral Officer (CEC) Rajat Kumar on Saturday refuted reports that a decision has been taken by the Election Commission (EC) to club the Assembly elections of Telangana with that of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Mizoram and Chhattisgarh. "The Chief Electoral Officer, Rajat Kumar, has refuted the reports that a decision has been taken by the EC, to club the Assembly elections of Telangana with that of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Mizoram and Chhattisgarh. Referring to the news item published in some newspapers on Saturday, the CEO said that such reports are purely speculations," said a release from the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer. "He requested that all press and media reports on election-related matters should only be issued after due authentication from the authorities concerned," the release further stated. 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. However, Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat dismissed the possibility of simultaneous elections, and said the new election schedule is yet to be announced. Chhattisgarh is scheduled to go to polls later this year with Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Mizoram. For the past two decades, Sambhaji has been selling calendars. This started off in the late 1990s when one of his uncles suggested him to make a living out of it. The piece of advice changed Sambhajis life as he embarked on the journey of traversing villages. This story is part of a series on the everyday heroes of rural Maharashtra. Sambhaji Bhor is not tired of selling calendars. He greets me with a smile and asks, Is it 10.30 am? With the rains and scorching heat leaving everyone confused in the village, Sambhaji is steadfast about reaching Pune. He is not venturing out to sell calendars on this day though. Today, our group of friends will meet and discuss the issues of the disabled and will fight for it collectively. I lost my eyesight at the age of three, he narrates as we talk in his village Wade Bolhai in Punes Haveli taluka. He couldnt complete his education beyond grade X because of the financial constraints. 41-year-old Sambhaji is brutally honest about his experiences battling the society which once disdained him for his impairment. Work for the society. Be independent, he says proudly. Thats exactly the way in which people from the nearby villages describe him. His achievements spread across two decades triumphed over the name shaming he was subjected to. Today, Sambhaji has been actively involved in fighting for the rights of the disabled. This has taken him to several protests, each leaving him with more passion than ever before to fight for the cause. Bitter experiences In 1998-99, Sambhaji boarded the Kesnand-Wagholi bus. The bus conductor misbehaved and pushed him which led to a minor head injury. Angered by the incident, Sambhaji found his batch number and filed a complaint in the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited [PMPML] head office in Pune city. No one has misbehaved with me in the bus after this incident, he says. Bus experiences were his first encounters with the conservative folks and the way they had labeled the disabled. He has a bank of experiences to draw from, each conveying the story of inhumanity and the cruelty which people had resorted to. In 2008-09, he and his friend Sanjay Bhairat wanted to book a Dadar-Pune railway ticket. The fair for visually impaired people was Rs 14 then, but the railway officer was charging us Rs 16, he remembers. The fair was hiked because of the introduction of additional facilities for the disabled by the Indian Railways. Unaware of this, Sambhaji questioned the official about the increased fair. However, the official swore cuss words at both the friends and said, You are blind, why do you need to know about this, he remembers. Immediately, Sambhaji went to the senior official and spoke about the incident. Finally the officer had to apologise and tell us about the increased fair. Everyone has the right to know and I was just doing that, he says proudly. These incidents have made him vocal about several issues lingering around for decades now. Selling calendars Now I dont have to shout in the streets and villages [to sell calendars], people know me, he says proudly. For the past two decades, Sambhaji has been selling calendars. This started off in the late 1990s when one of his uncles suggested him to make a living out of it. The piece of advice changed Sambhajis life as he embarked on the journey of traversing villages. He sells calendars in the villages of Haveli, Shirur and Daund taluka in Pune district. There is enough work for nine months a year, he says. In November and December, he sells calendars in the schools and offices of Pune city. For this, every day he walks six kilometers to the nearby Kesnand village to take the bus to other villages of Pune district. Due to the infrequent bus facility, he prefers walking to the nearby villages of Ashtapur, Pimpri Sandas, Manjari Khurd, and Awhalwadi. Previously, he used to travel all the way to Baramati and Mumbai in Maharashtra to sell the calendars. Now, I dont get time to travel so far, he says. Everyday he carries at least 350 long calendars with him in a blue coloured travelling bag which weighs around 20 kg. He sells Urdu, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and English calendars. In 2000, he had to buy them from Dadar for which he would commute by train alone. After four consecutive years, he then found an agent in Pune city who would supply it. In this journey, he witnessed a lot of experiences, both good and bad. Once in the market, a man didnt pay for the calendar. Immediately, a few people ran and caught him, he says. Another experience worth remembering is that of a man who didnt pay him for the calendar, but returned after two years, paid Rs 20 and apologised. Every day he leaves at 7.30 in the morning and comes back at around 7.30 pm after travelling to several villages. A lot of people who have now become good friends drop me if I get late in the evening, he says smilingly. While sitting in the weekly markets, a lot of people have taken calendars from me but never paid, he says. Now he asks people to pay beforehand. On an average, Sambhaji manages to earn Rs 25,000 yearly from this business. Finding success Suvarna Bhor, Sambhajis wife, 42, couldnt complete her education beyond grade XII because of the finances. For 12 years, she worked as a nurse in the hospitals in Pune city and before that as a telephone operator in a firm in Amravati city of Maharashtra. At the age of three, she was diagnosed with 52 percent Polio. One day, Sambhajis elder brother who was being treated in the hospital [Pune city] spoke about Sambhajis plight and how he couldnt get married because of the disability. Suvarna overheard the conversation and decided to marry him. As a nurse, I always accept all the patients and help them. I thought of helping such a man and change his life, she says. Her decision was met with a fit of rage as her parents decided not to show up for the marriage. My parents said marriage is not a drama. How will you live with him? she recollects. She was faced with terrible word shaming from several acquaintances. One of my friends asked wont you be ashamed of marrying a blind man. His uncle who is a Police Sub Inspector later convinced the family members and supported Suvarna. After several years now, my friends say that I made the right choice, she says. Generating hope In 2007, Suvarna then started working as a labourer in a garment factory in the nearby Kesnand village where she was paid Rs 2,000 monthly. After Suvarnas mother-in-law asked them to leave the house, the couple decided to start a grocery shop in the village in 2008. Initially I thought no one will buy grocery from us. We earned as little as Rs 13 daily for months, she recollects. Coupled with several instances of disappointment and ostracism faced by the society, the couple didnt lose hope. We had decided to work at least for ten years before shutting down the shop, they say. Today, Suvarna manages to earn close to Rs 250 daily from the grocery shop. If you work hard, it happens. But first, youve to work hard, she now says proudly. Under the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Pension Scheme, collectively Sambhaji and Suvarna get a monthly pension of Rs 900. The Government hasnt been proactive in helping the disabled, says Sambhaji. In March 2018 he went to the Azad Maidan in Mumbai for a protest demanding rights for the disabled. After his travels and bitter experiences, Sambhaji has made several friends across Maharashtra and is collectively fighting for the disabled. We meet every month and discuss the issues, he says. Suvarna always wonders how he befriended so many people on his travels. Whats the point of education, if people dont respect us? We should accept others and not tease them. With my son and me, my husband now has four eyes, says Suvarna smiling as she rushes back to the next customer. The collection at the Government Museum of Chandigarh, divided in Lahore on 10 April 1948, came this side of the border after long and complex negotiations between the representatives of the two newly formed governments of India and Pakistan. Toba Tek Singh, a popular short story of Manto, describes the exchange of lunatics between India and Pakistan. It made people aware of the absurdity of partition on both sides of the freshly carved border. The division of land and its people also entailed division of cultural inheritance. Albeit, the communal violence that engulfed Punjab and Bengal post declaration of the Independence destroyed tangible and intangible heritage, irretrievably. The Lahore Museum (established in 1865), a repository of vast cultural inheritance of undivided India, housed in a majestic building, designed by Sir Ganga Ram, thus became a major point of contention. Fortunately, no harm was caused to the museums, on both sides, during the communal rioting of 1947. Soon after the dust settled, it was decided that the collection of the Lahore Museum needs to be divided on the lines of division of the Panjab University Library books, manuscripts, the artefacts of the ASI etc. The Government Museum of Chandigarh, that completes 50 years this year, houses the collection received from Lahore Museum. The collection, divided in Lahore on 10 April 1948, came to this side of Punjab towards the end of 1949 after long and complex negotiations between the representatives of the two newly formed governments. After the euphoria subsided on receiving the first cart full of artefacts in Amritsar, the question arose of where to house them? Lahore was the culture capital of undivided Punjab, this side of the land had no infrastructure to house the delicate pieces of sculptures and art, dating back to 1st BCE. Buddha keeps one foot in Lahore In 50 years, the Government Museum of Chandigarh has not been able to solve the riddle how and on what basis the division of artefacts, especially that of Gandhara sculptures, the prized possession of Chandigarh Museum, took place. The story of the origins of these sculptures and their division remains buried in the archives. Gandhara sculptures are works of the Greco-Buddhist school that flourished in what is now Pakistan, and parts of Afghanistan, just before and after the birth of Christ. In an article written by senior architect SD Sharma, who worked with Le Corbusier, published in the journal of the Museum, Roop Lekha, he writes that since the Gandhara region fell in Pakistan, India received 40 percent of the total collection of Lahore Museum. Things were not that simple though. Mrinalini Venkateswaran, who is working on the development of museums in Punjab post-1947 from the University of Cambridge, states in an e-mail interview, Things were negotiated following due procedure, along with all the other assets and liabilities that were being divided. There were many rounds of discussion, in some cases arbitration, that took into account the resources, both new Dominions required (which included cultural heritage). She adds, In the case of the Lahore Museum, the division was first and foremost between two provinces of Punjab, rather than India and Pakistan. Some of it was based on population ratios of the new provinces of East and West Punjab, but different formulae were applied for different things it was a complicated, lengthy process. There were a range of people involved in the process, such as politicians, bureaucrats, and specialists from the museums and Archaeological Survey of India. The sculptures and paintings, which were reproduced in books, were not divided and were retained by Pakistan Government. Similarly, archeological materials from Mohenjo-daro and Harappa were not divided as the sites were in Pakistan. The pre-historic Dancing Girl, is an exception (displayed at National Museum, New Delhi) and has been part of much controversy. It has also been claimed several times by Pakistani citizens, citing territorial right. Former Director of Chandigarh Museum, late VN Singh, who had visited Lahore Museum, once observed an interesting detail about the division of Gandhara sculptures one foot of Buddha is in the possession of Chandigarh Museum, while the other rests in Lahore. The coveted image of an emaciated Fasting Buddha too was retained by Lahore. Finding a home for the Buddha From Amritsar, the artworks were moved to Shimla, and were displayed in a church and an adjoining building called, Manse. The temporary museum was inaugurated by S Ujjal Singh, the then Finance Minister of Punjab, in 1952. Punjab Government moved to Chandigarh in 1954, but there was no place in the city to keep the art collection. Therefore, it was exhibited at Moti Bagh Palace, Patiala. Dr Randhawa, the first Chief Commissioner of Chandigarh, thought it was disastrous to keep artworks in a building full of windows and fireplaces. He asked the Punjab Government to get the matter examined by WG Archer, the keeper of Indian section at Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Archer seconded Randhawas opinion in a report he submitted to the Punjab Government in 1960. The collection was then moved to Government Art School, the building adjacent to where the museum stands today, in 1962. It was decided that the museum should have a building of its own. In the Third Five-year Plan, the Chandigarh Capital Project Scheme was included, designed by Le Corbusier, the museum building received a grant of Rs 2 lakh, for construction. The wars of China and Pakistan The war with China in 1962 meant that India had to curb extra expenditure and the museum was labelled as one. In a letter he wrote to the then chief minister of Punjab, PS Kairon, Dr Randhawa, made an impassioned appeal in favour of the continuity of the construction work. In between, the labour on the site threatened to sue the Punjab Government if the promised work was not completed. In 1965, the positive outcome of India-Pakistan war provided much-awaited impetus and the construction was resumed. As a reminder of history, a Patton tank, captured by the Indian Army, still stands outside the museum. Chandigarh became a Union Territory on 1 November 1966, and the completed building of the museum was inaugurated on 4 May 1968. Roman to Asian identity of Buddha Partition became a cause for the creation of Chandigarh, and later its museum, an abode for the many faces of Buddha. Partition also divided the journey of the iconography of the Buddha; evolved from a Greco Roman, muscular figure donning moustache, long, curly hair and adornments to a delicately featured Buddha in a sitting, meditative position, wearing his hair in ushnisha (top knot). Even the shape of his ears changed over centuries of cultural influences from Hellenistic, it became more and more Indian. Yet, Buddha, sitting in Lahore or Chandigarh, roots his quest for peace in love and forgiveness. The Chandigarh museum received a total number of 627 Gandhara sculptures, 450 miniature paintings, 18 paintings of contemporary artists like Nand Lal Bose, AN Tagore, Jamini Roy et al, eight tankhas and few decorative artworks. (All dates, places and names mention in the article are sourced from the library of Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh.) Ahead of the 2019 elections, the BJP, Congress and other parties are trying to project themselves as the champions of soft Hindutva and trying to wash away the 'pro-Muslim' image . Lucknow: If you thought the 2019 Lok Sabha elections would be fought by politicians on issues concerning the common citizen, think again! For the politically-crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, with a population of 220 million people, is all set to see a keen contest of affection for Hindu gods in the mother of all battles in 2019, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a second term for himself. Yes, you got it right, read on. This time, it is Lord Ram yet again for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Lord Shiva for the Congress and Lord Vishnu for the Samajwadi Party (SP) who will spearhead elections in the interesting times that lie ahead of the general elections. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is also not averse to drumming up support by taking names of Hindu gods and positioning itself beyond the cliched image of being just a party of Dalits. And so it's not just the saffron camp that is sharpening its armory with the name of Lord Ram for 2019. All parties relevant to the contest are on the drawing board trying their best to project themselves as the champions of soft Hindutva and trying to wash away the image of being "pro-Muslim", something that hit their image hard in 2014, when Modi, riding on this perception, romped home with a big mandate in the state. While the BJP has once again started the drum-beating on its commitment to the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya and has set its eyes on the team of holy men to help it sail through once again, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliate units like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) are working on the ground to ensure a "repeat of the Hindu wave of the 90s" when the Ram temple issue was at its peak, paying political and electoral dividends to the BJP. The Congress, which was hurt the most by being portrayed as a party of Muslims, this time is trying very hard to shrug off its image. And so the prefixes of "Thakur, Pandit, Hindu Hriday Samraat" can be seen against names of its political stalwarts in hoardings and posters. Congress president Rahul Gandhi, thanks to his many visits to temples in recent times, is now being portrayed by party cadres as a "Shiv bhakt" who has just returned from the divine abode of the deity, Kailash Mansarovar. During a recent visit, Rahul was welcomed in his Amethi parliamentary constituency with hundreds of posters showing him as a Shiv bhakt. Small-time party workers and leaders can be seen delivering speeches on how great a Hindu Rahul is and how much he follows the rituals of the religion he belongs to but does not flaunt it on his sleeve. Overzealous Congress supporters seem to be going overboard, as well. This week, the Congress president looked annoyed when he was greeted by party men at the Bamrauli airport in Allahabad with slogans of "bum, bum Bhole" (glory to Lord Mahadev). The last time, these slogans became part of campaigning were in Varanasi in 2014 when Modi began his campaign in the holy town. Rahul Gandhi was greeted with slogans of "Jai Shri Ram" at Chitrakoot when he visited a temple recently. The BSP has in the past dabbled with slogans like the "Haathi nahin Ganesh hai, Brahma, Vishnu Mahesh hai" (It is not just an elephant [the party symbol] but the trinity of Hindu Gods). This is part of the BSP's effort to break the image of being a Dalit-run dispensation and of working for the "sarv samaj" (entire society). "We will certainly use this slogan again to our benefit," a senior party strategist averred. Surprisingly, and interestingly, the SP this time is trying the hardest to maintain its distance, at least overtly, from the Muslim community and not come across as their champions at the cost of Hindus. "We were wrongly portrayed as a Muslim-appeasing party. This time we are careful and will reply to the rumors of the BJP deftly," a senior party leader said. SP chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has publicly announced that he is getting a temple of Lord Vishnu constructed at his native village Saifai. Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya of the BJP chuckled at this "change of heart". "I am happy that he missed no opportunity to appease Muslims but is now chanting the name of Hindu gods... it shows the power of the Hindus," he said. Rajya Sabha member and former SP general secretary Amar Singh, however, trashed the "hriday parivartan" (change of heart) of the SP president and dubbed it a "drama for votes". Whom the gods will side with and who will get the blessings of the voters is for time to tell but, for now, the gods are going to be busy in the election season as everybody is wooing and propitiating them for electoral and political dividends. Rajnath Singh also highlighted that the Central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has equipped the armed forces with modern technology to combat infiltrators. Ambala (Haryana): Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said that more security personnel were killed than Naxals under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. "During UPA, more of our jawans were being killed than Naxals, but I am proud to say that we have reversed this situation," the Home Minister said while addressing a gathering in Amabala. Singh also took the occasion to highlight that the Central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has equipped the armed forces with modern technology to combat infiltrators. "After Prime Minister Narendra Modi handed me the responsibility of maintaining safety and security of the country, the Home Ministry considered using of high-tech solutions for border security. We have set up many control rooms near the border so that our jawans can easily see what is happening near the border and can take actions appropriately," he said. Further elaborating about the initiatives undertaken by his government said, "If one looks closely, no big terror attack has taken place in the country after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power. I thank all the security forces for their efforts in making our country safe for people." The panchayat bypolls were necessitated in Tripura due to large-scale resignations of elected representatives of the Left and other parties after the BJP-led coalition came to power in the state in March. Agartala: Over 81 percent of the around 55,000 electorate on Sunday cast their votes in the bypolls to panchayati raj institutions (PRI) in 11 blocks in Tripura, an official said. The Tripura State Election Commission (SEC) and police officials said that except for some minor squabbles in northern parts of the state, no untoward incident was reported from the 11 blocks. The by-elections to 3,386 seats 3,207 gram panchayat seats, 161 panchayat samiti seats and 18 zilla parishad seats were scheduled for Sunday, but polling was necessitated only for 11 blocks because most of the seats were filled with candidates elected unopposed. These seats fell vacant after large-scale resignations of elected representatives of the Left and other parties after the BJP-led coalition came to power in Tripura in March. Some of the three-tier panchayat seats were lying vacant, also due to death of PRI representatives. "The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) earlier won unopposed around 96 percent of the gram panchayat and panchayat samiti seats and all 18 zilla parishad seats in Tripura," the SEC official said. Nearly all parties, including BJP's junior partner Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), following large-scale violence during electioneering, had been demanding rescheduling of the 30 September panchayat elections to ensure participation of all parties. The Opposition Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM)-led Left Front, the Congress and the IPFT, a tribal-based party, had separately urged the SEC to reschedule the election process as they claimed that "massive violence prevented their nominees from filing papers". State BJP spokesperson Mrinal Kanti Deb said the Opposition, especially the CPM, could not find suitable candidates and also that most people are not interested to contest as candidates of Left parties and the Congress. CPM leader Gautam Das told the media: "There was no conducive atmosphere for holding free and fair elections. Out of 35 blocks, non-BJP parties were not allowed to file nominations by supporters of the ruling party in 28 blocks. That's why we were demanding rescheduling of the panchayat elections, but the state poll panel did nothing positive." Reuters Tesla and Elon Musk have agreed to pay $20 million each to financial regulators and the billionaire will step down as the companys chairman but remain as chief executive, under a settlement that caps a tumultuous two months for the carmaker. The securities fraud agreement, disclosed by the US Securities and Exchange Commission on 29 September, will come as a relief to investors, who had worried that a lengthy legal fight would only further hurt the loss-making electric car company. The SEC on 27 September charged Musk, 47, with misleading investors with tweets on 7 August that said he was considering taking Tesla private at $420 a share and had secured funding. The tweets had no basis in fact, and the ensuring market chaos hurt investors, it claimed. Investors and corporate governance experts said the agreement could strengthen Tesla, which has been bruised by Musks recent behavior, which included smoking marijuana and wielding a sword on a webcast, and attacking a British rescue diver via Twitter. The settlement should place more oversight on Musk while not taking the devastating measure of forcing him out, said Steven Heim, a director at Boston Common Asset Management, which owns shares in Tesla battery maker Panasonic Corp. Tesla must appoint an independent chairman, two independent directors, and a board committee to set controls over Musks communications under the proposed agreement. The prompt resolution of this matter on the agreed terms is in the best interests of our markets and our investors, including the shareholders of Tesla, SEC Chairman Jay Clayton said in a statement. Thursdays charges shaved about $7 billion off high-flying Tesla, knocking its market value to $45.2 billion on Friday, below General Motors Cos $47.5 billion. In the settlement, the agency pulled back from its demand that Musk, who is synonymous with the Tesla brand, be barred from running Tesla, a sanction that many investors said would be disastrous. I think this is the best possible outcome for everyone involved said Ivan Feinseth of Tigress Financial Partners, who rates Tesla neutral and who called the SECs penalty a slap on the wrist for Musk. The fact that he can remain CEO is very important for the company. Neither Musk nor Tesla admitted or denied the SECs findings as part of the settlement, which still must be approved by a court. Tesla and Musk did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Hunt for a strong chair? Musk had been directly involved in almost every detail of Teslas product design and technology strategy, and drove the companys employees to extraordinary achievements - much as another Silicon Valley chief executive, Steve Jobs, did at Apple Inc. The entrepreneur is now required to step down as chairman of Tesla within 45 days, and he is not permitted to be re-elected to the post for three years. The SEC charged Tesla with failing to have required disclosure controls and procedures for Musks tweets. The SEC said the company had no way to determine if his tweets contained information that must be disclosed in corporate filings, or if they contained complete and accurate information. Musk walked away at the last minute from an earlier settlement with the SEC that would have required him to give up key leadership roles at the company for two years and pay a nominal fine, according to media reports on 28 September. Reuters on 28 September reported that Musk could settle with the SEC but was ready for a court fight. Investors said on 28 september that it has been a mistake for Musk to turn down that settlement, especially at a time when the company has been pushing hard to meet aggressive production targets for its Model 3 sedan. The settlement tasks the Tesla board, which critics have accused of failing to rein in Musk, with the tricky challenge of finding an independent chairman able to work closely with the sometimes unpredictable chief executive. It was not immediately clear who would be appointed to the role. Antonio Gracias, the current lead independent director and CEO of Valor Equity Partners, has been criticized as being too close to Musk and his companies. The question is whether Musks buddies on the board decide to bring in a really strong chair who will stand up to Musk, said Erik Gordon, a University of Michigan business professor who follows corporate governance. Musk has driven the company to the verge of profitability with a costly ramp-up of production of its Model 3 over the past year. Electric vehicle news site Electrek reported that Tesla had produced 51,000 Model 3s with a couple of days left in the quarter, hitting its goal of 50,000 to 55,000. The CEO, who has often turned to Twitter to promote Tesla and confront critics, said on 27 September that the SECs actions were unjustified. Tesla shares jumped after his Aug. 7 tweets, a blow to short-sellers betting on the stocks decline. As the public face of Tesla, Musk had gained legions of fans for his bold approach to business and technology. He used his Twitter account to promote the achievements of Tesla, his rocket launch company SpaceX, and other projects such as his tunnel venture, the Boring Co, to his nearly 23 million followers. The Associated Press Former US President Barack Obama urged private businesses on 27 September to come out of "isolation" and to engage more with governments when developing new products and services to avoid problems like those challenging Facebook. Obama told business leaders attending the Nordic Business Forum in Finland's capital that "you cannot separate the business environment from the political and social environment." "A good example is Facebook," Obama said, referring to the public relations pummeling the social media company has received following US intelligence service reports that Facebook was a conduit for Russian election meddling in 2016. Obama quickly noted that he personally knew Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg, and said he genuinely believed the power of social media to connect people "is something that is potentially extraordinarily valuable and can be positive." "But what is also true is that those systems were built in isolation (by private companies) detached from potential social consequences," he added. Obama made the remarks while being interviewed by Niklas Zennstrom, the Swedish billionaire entrepreneur who founded technology investment firm Atomico and co-founded Skype. Obama said he hoped to see business leaders engaging "more directly" with governments to keep politicians posted on new products and applications, but also as an acknowledgment that "there's going to be issues involved" with technological innovations. "Too often, at least in the United States, there's a tendency for business leaders to say, 'Let's just avoid the government as much as we can.'" "That strategy can work for a time, but eventually as I think Facebook has now discovered you're going to have to engage," the former president said. Facebook's Zuckerberg appeared before the US Congress this year to discuss user privacy and other issues. In recent years, Facebook has faced intense public pressure over the amount of fake news, hate speech and depictions of violence being delivered through its services. Obama's Helsinki visit was part of a speaking tour that took him to Norway on 26 September and will conclude in Denmark on 28 September. Reuters A US trade judge on Friday declined to block the importation of Apple Inc iPhones with chips from Intel Corp, handing a major defeat to Qualcomm Inc in its high-stakes legal dispute with the iPhone maker. A US International Trade Commission judge said Apples phones infringed one Qualcomm patent related to power management technology, but denied the chipmakers request for a ban on the import of some iPhones into the United States. Thomas Pender, an administrative law judge at the ITC, said that public interest factors weighed against granting Qualcomms request for a ban. The determination will be reviewed by other judges. Qualcomm, the worlds largest mobile phone chipmaker, has another pending patent case against Apple before the ITC. Apple said in a statement that Qualcomm had unfairly demanded royalties for technologies it had nothing to do with. Were glad the ITC stopped Qualcomms attempt to damage competition and ultimately harm innovators and US consumers, Apple said. In a statement, Qualcomm general counsel Don Rosenberg said the company was pleased the judge did find patent infringement, but it makes no sense to then allow infringement to continue by denying an import ban. That goes against the ITC mandate to protect American innovators by blocking the import of infringing products, Rosenberg said. There are many ways Apple could stop infringing our technology without affecting the public interest. Apple and Qualcomm are locked in a wide-ranging legal dispute in which Apple has accused Qualcomm of unfair patent licensing practices. Qualcomm has, in turn, accused Apple of patent infringement. San Diego, California-based Qualcomm initiated an ITC case against Apple in July 2017, alleging that iPhones containing Intel chips infringed six patents describing technology that helps smartphones perform well without draining the battery. Qualcomm did not allege that Intel chips violate its patents, but claimed that the way Apple implemented them in the iPhone does. In a blog post on Friday after the ITC decision, Intels general counsel, Steven Rodgers, said Qualcomm had publicly disparaged Intels products as inferior to Qualcomms during the case. It is easy to say things, but Intels track record is clear, Rodgers wrote in his post. Every day, we push the boundaries of computing and communication technologies. And, the proof is in the pudding: last year, the U.S. Patent Office awarded more patents to Intel than to Qualcomm. The ITC is a popular venue for patent disputes because it handles cases relatively quickly and can more easily bar an infringing product from the US market than federal courts can. Lt Gen Asim Munir is expected to be the new chief of Pakistan's powerful spy agency ISI after its current boss, Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar, retires on Monday. Islamabad: Lt Gen Asim Munir is expected to be the new chief of Pakistan's powerful spy agency ISI after its current boss, Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar, retires on Monday, according to a media report. The Army Promotion Board headed by Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa approved the promotions of six generals in place of five generals who are retiring on Monday. According to the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the promoted officers are: Maj Gen Nadeem Zaki Manj, Vice Chief of General Staff Maj Gen Shaheen Mazhar, ISI DG (Planning) Maj Gen Abdul Aziz, Military Intelligence Director General Maj Gen Asim Munir, Maj Gen Syed Muhammad Adnan and Frontier Corps IG Maj Gen Waseem Ashraf. It is highly expected that Lt Gen Munir would be appointed as the Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), The News reported. Lt Gen Mukhtar assumed the office of ISI director general in December 2016. The new ISI chief will be appointed by Prime Minister Imran Khan, The Express Tribune reported. Army chief General Bajwa on Friday met Khan along with the current ISI chief. Usually, the army chief sends three names for the coveted slot and the prime minister has the authority to pick any one of them, the report added. A day after Sushma Swaraj rebuked Pakistan for spreading terrorism in India at the UN, media outlets across the border gave prominent coverage to her statement. A day after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj rebuked Pakistan for spreading terrorism in India at the United Nations General Assembly, media outlets across the border gave prominent coverage to her statement. While Geo News dismissed her charges against Pakistan as "baseless", The Express Tribune carried a headline, saying Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi "exposes India as state sponsor of terror". The report by Geo News said, "The Indian minister entirely ignored the worst human rights violations by Indian forces in occupied Kashmir." Interestingly, while Geo News quoted Swaraj as saying that the mastermind of the Mumbai terror attacks has not been brought to justice, it refrained from naming Hafiz Saeed. In her speech, Swaraj had made a specific reference to Saeed, a UN-designated terrorist and how he enjoys impunity in Pakistan. In a similar vein, an opinion piece published on 27 September in The Express Tribune referred to allegations in the Indian media about postal stamps glorifying "martyred Kashmiri leader Burhan Wani". The article omitted the fact that he was a commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen, which is recognised as a terrorist organisation by the United States and European Union. The report in The Express Tribune, while quoting Qureshi, made detailed references to the Kashmir conflict between the two nations. Qureshi was reported to have said that a recent UN report "on occupied Kashmir has exposed Indian atrocities on innocent civilians". The report also incorrectly refers to Swaraj as a "diplomat". While The Nation carried an agency report on Swaraj's remarks, it published a detailed report with the headline "Qureshi exposes Indian terrorism at UN" on the Pakistani foreign minister's statements, in which he accused India of "state-sponsored terrorism". He was quoted as saying that India had called off dialogue with its western neighbour "on flimsy grounds". This report also quoted Qureshi making an indirect reference to Wani as a "Kashmiri activist". In a strong attack against Pakistan, India told the UN General Assembly on Saturday that its neighbour's commitment to terrorism as an instrument of official policy has not abated one bit. "The biggest challenge of our era comes from the existential threats of climate change and terrorism. We imagined that the arrival of the 21st Century would bring with it an age of common good, defined by cooperation in the quest for peace and prosperity. But here, in New York, the horrific tragedy of 9/11, and in Mumbai, the catastrophe of 26/11, became the nightmares that shattered our dreams," Swaraj said. With inputs from PTI By Gram Slattery and Gabriel Stargardter SAO PAULO/RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Brazil's major cities on Saturday in women-led protests against far-right presidential front-runner Jair Bolsonaro, who flew home after weeks in hospital recovering from a near-fatal stab wound. By Gram Slattery and Gabriel Stargardter SAO PAULO/RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Brazil's major cities on Saturday in women-led protests against far-right presidential front-runner Jair Bolsonaro, who flew home after weeks in hospital recovering from a near-fatal stab wound. Angered by Bolsonaro's history of making offensive comments, which includes belittling rape and calling the gender pay gap justified, female protesters used the hash tag #EleNao, or #NotHim, to drum up support for a series of international protests against the former army captain. Flag-waving protesters flocked to downtown Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo on Saturday afternoon, pouring out of subway trains and into the streets while chanting in unison against a divisive candidate who has led polls for months ahead of the Oct. 7 election, the most polarizing in a generation. Later, as night fell, television images showed protesters starting small fires and banging drums in the center of Rio. "I could never be friends with someone who supports a person (like Bolsonaro), who is racist, homophobic and a misogynist," said Tassia Casseli, who was at the Sao Paulo march. Bolsonaro nearly died from a stab wound earlier this month and has been confined to Sao Paulo's Albert Einstein hospital ever since. He was discharged on Saturday morning, and flew to Rio, where he has served as a federal congressman for nearly three decades, in the afternoon. In a telling sign of the divisive nature of the election, videos uploaded to social media from Bolsonaro's commercial flight back to Rio showed some of his fellow passengers clapping and chanting "Legend" when he boarded, while others booed. "Finally back home, with my family in the warmth of our home. There is no better feeling! Thank you for all the expressions of affection that I saw on the way back and all over Brazil," Bolsonaro wrote on Twitter. "A big hug to everyone!" A former army officer who has voiced admiration for Brazil's 1964-1985 military dictatorship, Bolsonaro has won over many with his hard-line stance on crime, unvarnished rhetoric, and a career that has been largely free of corruption accusations. Yet he has also repelled many others with comments widely considered sexist, misogynist, and homophobic. Saturday also saw rival rallies in support of the right-winger across the country. "I never heard him say anything wrong about women," said Alessandra Sampaio, 39, at a pro-Bolsonaro rally in Rio. "He's against rape, drugs and in favor of the family. I have two daughters and want the best for them." Bolsonaro stirred fresh controversy on Friday night, when he said that he would not accept the result of next month's election if he loses, adding that he could not "speak for the armed forces commanders." Bolsonaro's relative lack of support among women could spell trouble for a candidate who has become investors' favorite after embracing free-market policies on the campaign trail. His biggest rival and likely opponent in an expected Oct. 28 runoff is leftist candidate and former Sao Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad. Haddad is running for the Workers Party, whose jailed founder, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, was barred by a corruption conviction. Haddad has surged in recent polls with support from the working class and voters who cannot stomach Bolsonaro. According to a recent survey by pollster Ibope, 18 percent of women plan to vote for Bolsonaro in the Oct. 7 first round, versus 36 percent of men. In an Oct. 28 second round scenario, among those who expressed a preference, women favored Haddad over Bolsonaro by 47 to 30 percent. Among men 47 percent favored Bolsonaro versus 37 percent for Haddad. (Reporting by Gram Slattery; Additional reporting by Pilar Olivares in Rio de Janeiro; Editing by Alistair Bell and Marguerita Choy) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Brexit is due for 29 March, 2019, but the terms of the departure remain unclear. May, under fire from critics in Brussels, opponents at home and some lawmakers in her own party, has said talks on a divorce deal are at an impasse. London: British Prime Minister Theresa Mays Conservative Party began gathering for its annual conference on Saturday with bitter divisions over her Brexit plans rising to the fore, raising doubts about her own future. Britain is due to leave the European Union on 29 March, 2019, but the terms of the departure remain unclear. May, under fire from critics in Brussels, opponents at home and some lawmakers in her own party, has said talks on a divorce deal are at an impasse. In an interview with the Sunday Times newspaper ahead of her partys conference, May took aim at those who have scorned her Chequers Brexit proposals accusing them of playing politics with Britains future and undermining the national interest. However, in a demonstration of the challenge she faces, the newspaper ran an interview with former foreign minister Boris Johnson alongside on its front page in which he openly questioned Mays commitment to Brexit and called her plans deranged. Unlike the prime minister I campaigned for Brexit, said Johnson, the bookmakers favourite to succeed May who on Friday declined to answer directly whether he would rule out a leadership challenge. Unlike the prime minister I fought for this, I believe in it, I think its the right thing for our country and I think that what is happening now is, alas, not what people were promised in 2016. May says her Chequers proposals are the only viable option, but EU leaders have said parts of them are unacceptable and many Conservative lawmakers have threatened to vote down a deal based on Mays blueprint. The uncertainty has led to business concerns that there will be no deal, potentially leading to tariffs and border delays. Japanese carmaker Toyota on Saturday warned that leaving without an agreement would hit its production and jobs would ultimately be at risk. Of course we want a deal, Business Secretary Greg Clark, one of those who supports Mays plans which seeks the free trade of goods with the EU, told BBC radio. We need to have a deal. The evidence from not just Toyota and other manufacturers is we need absolutely to be able to continue what has been a highly successful set of supply chains. A summit of EU leaders last week ended in a blunt dismissal of Mays proposals, which they said would fail to resolve arguments over the land border of Northern Ireland, in the UK, with the Irish Republic, in the EU, one of the main sticking points to a deal. Britains Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab said the Irish issue was being used by some in the EU Commission for political purposes, but said he was open to suggestions from the bloc. We arent pretending there arent alternative proposals that we would look at, he told the Sun newspaper. But we need credible responses for the proposals we have set out or credible alternatives, and we havent seen them yet. Fears over no deal As Conservative lawmakers and party members began arriving in Birmingham, central England, for what is expected to be a fractious party conference which starts on Sunday, many have said the Chequers plans are dead and should be torn up. While May and government ministers continue to express confidence that a final Brexit deal can be agreed, they have also insisted no-deal would be better than a bad deal. However, Toyota became the latest high-profile business to warn that leaving the worlds biggest trading bloc without any trading agreement could add costs and cripple output at plants which rely on the just-in-time delivery of tens of thousands of components. If we crash out of the EU at the end of March the supply chain will be impacted and we will see production stops in our factory, said Marvin Cooke, managing director of Toyotas Burnaston plant, which produced 144,000 vehicles last year. Earlier this week other carmakers in Britain including BMW, McLaren and Honda said they had triggered some contingency plans, such as certifying models in the EU, redrawing production schedules and stockpiling parts. The additional burden of import and export cost would add permanent costs to our business, Toyotas Cooke said. It would reduce our competitiveness. Sadly I think that would reduce the number of cars made in the UK and that would cost jobs. Donald Trump ordered the FBI on Friday to reopen Brett Kavanaugh's background investigation after several women accused the US Supreme Court Nominee of sexual misconduct. Washington: The woman who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct when they were students at Yale has agreed to cooperate with an Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigation, her lawyer said, and President Donald Trump says the bureau has "free rein" to conduct the inquiry. Deborah Ramirez's lawyer, John Clune, said Saturday that agents wanted to interview Ramirez, who has alleged that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party in the early 1980s. Two other women have accused the appeals court judge of sexual misconduct. Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court, once seen as assured, became uncertain after the allegations and then dramatic Senate testimony Thursday by Christine Blasey Ford, who alleges that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a party when they were teenagers. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted in favour of Kavanaugh along party lines on Friday. While the precise scope of the reopened background investigation of Kavanaugh remained unclear, Trump told reporters Saturday that "the FBI, as you know, is all over talking to everybody" and said "this could be a blessing in disguise." "They have free rein. They're going to do whatever they have to do, whatever it is they do. They'll be doing things that we have never even thought of," Trump said at the White House adding "And hopefully at the conclusion everything will be fine." The president revisited the question of the scope of the FBI's probe in a late-night tweet Saturday, writing in part, "I want them to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion." In a separate action involving the FBI, Senantor Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, asked the Justice Department and the FBI to open a criminal investigation into "apparent false statements" that were made to committee investigators alleging sexual misconduct by Kavanaugh in 1985. A constituent contacted the office of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., alleging that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted an acquaintance on a boat in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1985, but Grassley said the person later "'recanted' and apologised for the allegation via social media. Trump ordered the FBI on Friday to reopen Kavanaugh's background investigation after several women accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. Kavanaugh has denied the allegations. Senate leaders agreed to delay a final vote on Kavanaugh's nomination to allow for a one-week FBI investigation. The Judiciary Committee has said the probe should be limited to "current credible allegations" against Kavanaugh and be finished by next Friday. Leaving the hearing on Friday, Senator Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said it was his understanding there would be an FBI investigation of "the outstanding allegations, the three of them," but Republicans have not said whether that was their understanding as well. The FBI conducts background checks for federal nominees, but the agency does not make judgments on the credibility or significance of allegations. The investigators will compile information about Kavanaugh's past and provide their findings to the White House and include the information in Kavanaugh's background file, which is available to senators. Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault when they were teenagers, testified publicly before the Judiciary Committee on Thursday. Kavanaugh's high school friend Mark Judge, who Ford says was in the room when a drunken Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her, said that he will cooperate with any law enforcement agency that will "confidentially investigate" sexual misconduct allegations against him and Kavanaugh. Judge has also denied misconduct allegations. Lawyers for PJ Smyth and Leland Ingham Keyser, two others who Ford said were in the house when she was attacked, have said their clients are willing to cooperate "fully" with the FBI's investigation. "An attorney for Keyser reaffirmed her previous statement that she didn't know Kavanaugh and had no recollection of ever being at a gathering or party where he was present," the Judiciary Committee said in a statement Saturday night. A third woman, Julie Swetnick, accused Kavanaugh and Judge of excessive drinking and inappropriate treatment of women in the early 1980s, among other accusations. Kavanaugh has called her accusations a "joke" and Judge has said he "categorically" denies the allegations. Swetnick's attorney, Michael Avenatti, said Saturday that his client had not been contacted by the FBI but is willing to fully cooperate with investigators. Speaking to supporters at a rally Saturday night in Wheeling, West Virginia, Trump accused Democrats of using "ruthless and outrageous tactics" against Kavanaugh and urged voters to support Republicans in November's midterm elections. "We see this horrible, horrible, radical group of Democrats. You see what's happening right now," Trump said. "And they're determined to take back power by any means necessary. You see the meanness, the nastiness. They don't care who they hurt, who they have to run over to get power," he said. "We're not going to give it to them," Trump said. On Friday, United States President Donald Trump ordered the FBI to conduct a supplemental investigation into Kavanaugh over Christine Blasey Ford's sexual assault allegation. Washington: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has contacted the second victim, Deborah Ramirez who has accused Supreme Court Judge Nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault. Ramirez had accused Kavanaugh of exposing himself to her at a Yale college party in the 1980s. On Friday, United States President Donald Trump ordered the FBI to conduct a supplemental investigation into Kavanaugh over Christine Blasey Ford's sexual assault allegation. Trump also conveyed his confidence in the FBI investigation claiming that it might be a "blessing in disguise". "The FBI I believe is doing a really great job. They have been all over already. They have free rein. They're going to do whatever they have to do, whatever it is they do. They'll be doing things that we've never even thought of, and hopefully at the conclusion, everything will be fine," he added. The investigation was requested by Republican Party Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona, who supported Kavanaugh on a condition that the nomination of the judge will be delayed and an FBI investigation will be ordered to probe the case. He, however, insisted that the delay should not be more than a week. Ford, a professor at Palo Alto University in California, had alleged that Kavanaugh had assaulted her during a party in the 1980s when they were both in high school. She had accused Kavanaugh of groping her and attempting to remove her clothes. Kavanaugh, however, denied all the allegations during the testimony, saying that his reputation and that of his family has been "totally and permanently destroyed". Indonesia president Joko Widodo visited the region on Sunday afternoon, urging a 'day and night' effort to save all those who can be saved. Palu: The death toll from Indonesia's earthquake and tsunami disaster nearly doubled to 832 on Sunday and was expected to rise further, prompting authorities to announce mass burials in a desperate attempt to stave off disease. As shattered survivors scoured make-shift morgues for loved ones, and authorities struggled to dig out the living or assess the scale of the devastation beyond the city of Palu, grim warnings came that the eventual toll could reach thousands. "The casualties will keep increasing," said national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, whose agency announced the jump in the toll from 420 earlier. "Today we will start the mass burial of victims, to avoid the spread of disease." Rescuers on Sulawesi island raced against the clock and a lack of equipment to save those still trapped in the rubble, with up to 60 people feared to be underneath one Palu hotel alone. Rescuers said they heard voices and a child's cries from under the rubble. Desperate survivors, now facing a third straight night sleeping outdoors, turned to looting shops for basics like food, water and fuel as police looked on, unwilling or unable to intervene. The government was left with little option but to promise it would reimburse owners. "Record everything taken, inventorise it. We will pay for it all," said security minister Wiranto, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. One survivor, Adi, was hugging his wife by the beach when the tsunami struck on Friday. Like countless others he has no idea where she is now, or whether she is alive. "When the wave came, I lost her," he said. "I was carried about 50 metres. I couldn't hold anything. The water was spinning me around," he said. "This morning I went back to the beach, I found my motorbike and my wife's wallet." Others have centred their search around open-air morgues, where the dead lay in the baking sun - waiting to be claimed, waiting to be named. Help at hand? Indonesia president Joko Widodo visited the region on Sunday afternoon, urging a "day and night" effort to save all those who can be saved. But disaster agency spokesman Nugroho indicated sheer power of will may not be enough. "Communication is limited, heavy machinery is limited... it's not enough for the numbers of buildings that collapsed," he said. Still, as dire as the situation in Palu was, it was at least clear. In outlying areas, the fate of thousands is still unknown. Indonesian vice-president Jusuf Kalla said the final death toll in the north of Sulawesi island could be in the "thousands" since many regions have still not been reached. Indonesias Metro TV on Sunday broadcast aerial footage from a coastal community in Donggala, close to the epicentre of the quake. Some waterfront homes appeared crushed but a resident said most people fled to higher ground after the quake struck. "When it shook really hard, we all ran up into the hills," a man identified as Iswan told the Metro TV. The 7.5-magnitude quake struck Friday, sparking a tsunami that ripped apart Palu's coastline. Save The Children program director Tom Howells said access was a "huge issue" hampering relief efforts. "Aid agencies and local authorities are struggling to reach several communities around Donggala, where we are expecting there to be major damage and potential large-scale loss of life," Howells said. The national disaster agency said it believed about 71 foreigners were in Palu when the quake struck, with most safe. Three French nationals and a South Korean, who may have been staying at a flattened hotel, had not yet been accounted for, it added. Getting enough aid in may prove a problem. Satellite imagery provided by regional relief teams showed severe damage at some of the area's major ports, with large ships tossed on land, quays and bridges trashed and shipping containers thrown around. A double-arched yellow bridge had collapsed, its ribs twisted as cars bobbed in the water below. A key access road had been badly damaged and was partially blocked by landslides. "People here need aid -- food, drink, clean water," said Anser Bachmid, a 39-year-old Palu resident. Far and wide Friday's tremor was also felt in the far south of the island in its largest city Makassar and on neighbouring Kalimantan, Indonesia's portion of Borneo island. As many as 2.4 million people could have felt the quake, it is believed. The initial quake struck as evening prayers were about to begin in the world's biggest Muslim majority country on the holiest day of the week. As news of the scale of the disaster spread, the European Union (EU) announced 1.5 million euros in immediate aid. From the Vatican, Pope Francis offered prayers for victims. President Donald Trump turned his embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh into a rallying cry for Republicans to vote in November, saying they can reject the 'ruthless and outrageous tactics', he says, Democrats used against the judge Wheeling: President Donald Trump on Saturday turned his embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh into a rallying cry for Republicans to vote in November, saying they can reject the "ruthless and outrageous tactics" he says Democrats used against the judge. "We see this horrible, horrible, radical group of Democrats. You see what's happening right now," Trump said at a rally with thousands of supporters in West Virginia. Trump won the state in 2016 by 42 percentage points and remains popular there. "And they're determined to take back power by any means necessary. You see the meanness, the nastiness. They don't care who they hurt, who they have to run over to get power," he said. "We're not going to give it to them," Trump said. Kavanaugh, the federal appeals judge Trump nominated to the nation's highest court, appeared headed for confirmation until California professor Christine Blasey Ford accused him of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers in Maryland in the 1980s. Kavanaugh denied her accusations and those of two other women who since have accused him of sexual misconduct. Ford initially made her claims in a confidential letter to Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, the Senate Judiciary Committee's top Democrat. But the letter was leaked after Kavanaugh's initial confirmation hearing and Ford then told her explosive story to The Washington Post. Feinstein denied being the source, but Trump has blamed her for the leak and he mocked her at the rally. "The entire nation has witnessed the shameless conduct of the Democrat Party," Trump said. Feinstein responded to Trump on Twitter, saying she acted "consistent" with Ford's wishes for privacy from the moment she received the professor's letter. "We kept her letter confidential and did not leak the contents or its existence to anyone," she said. Trump took a humorous jab at another Judiciary Committee Democrat, Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, the former Newark mayor considered a possible challenger in 2020. The president told the crowd that Booker ran Newark "into the ground" and asked: "Now he wants to be president?" During Kavanaugh's initial confirmation hearing, Booker declared he was having a "Spartacus" moment in breaking committee rules and releasing documents about Kavanaugh, though the papers had already been cleared for release. He was referencing the 1960 movie starring Kirk Douglas about the leader of a slave revolt in antiquity. "What was the moment he said he had?" Trump asked the crowd, which yelled back, "Spartacus!" Trump said: "I don't think so. I think we take Kirk Douglas in his prime." Trump issued a fresh defense of Kavanaugh, praising him as "one of the most accomplished legal minds of our time" and saying he had suffered "the meanness, the anger" of Democrats. The president urged his supporters to go to the polls on Nov. 6, when control of Congress is at stake, to vote Republican and "reject the ruthless and outrageous tactics of the Democrat Party." Trump appeared in Wheeling a day after he reversed course and ordered a new FBI investigation of Kavanaugh. Democrats and some Republicans had been asking for the new investigation, which will delay by at least a week a Senate vote on his confirmation. In a dramatic appearance Thursday before the Judiciary Committee, Ford publicly accused Kavanaugh of groping her and trying to remove her clothing after he pinned her to a bed at a house party when she was 15 and he was 17. Following her to the witness table, Kavanaugh denied the allegations and angrily defended himself. The panel followed up Friday by voting 11-10, along strict party lines, to recommend that the full Senate confirm Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court. But one committee member, Senator Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., balked at voting for confirmation without the investigation. Republican leaders want Kavanaugh seated on the court before the election and could do little but agree to Flake's demand. Flake asked for the investigation to be limited in scope and last no more than a week. Trump agreed to an investigation after he had vigorously resisted asking the FBI an agency he has repeatedly criticized to look into the sexual assault and misconduct allegations. In defending Kavanaugh, Trump and other supporters noted that the allegations had never surfaced in six previous background checks during Kavanaugh's long career in the executive and judicial branches of the U.S. government. Trump sounded familiar themes during the hour-plus rally, including talking about the economy's performance, his 2016 opponent Hillary Clinton, the escalating trade war with China and his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jon Un. Besides the Democrats, Trump leveled some of his harshest criticism at the news media, criticising its coverage of his June summit with Kim and pointing to reporters in the WesBanco Arena. The audience broke into chants of "CNN sucks" when he again referred to journalists as the "enemy of the people." "They report incorrect news. They report phony news," said Trump, who spent more than 80 minutes last Wednesday answering questions from journalists at a news conference the White House scheduled during the UN General Assembly session in New York. "When I say and come out with very, very strong statements about the media, I'm talking about the fake news media. They are truly an enemy of the people ... This November you have a chance to reject these disgraceful political hacks." Trump's visit to West Virginia was intended to help rally support for GOP candidates in the November elections, including Senate nominee Patrick Morrisey. The Democratic incumbent, Joe Manchin, faces a tough road to re-election in a state where Trump is popular. Manchin supports the new FBI probe of Kavanaugh but has yet to announce his position on the nominee. He voted for Neil Gorsuch, Trump's first nominee to the Supreme Court. Trump again criticized Manchin for supporting Clinton and joining all Senate Democrats in voting against tax cuts Trump signed into law last year. Saturday's rally was one of many Trump planned to headline as part of a commitment to campaign aggressively he has said seven days a week, if necessary to help the Republican Party overcome significant Democratic opposition and anger to keep control of both houses of Congress. Campaign rallies were scheduled next week in Tennessee, Mississippi and Kansas. Tariff wars between the U.S. and China have been heating up, and they show no sign of cooling off anytime soon. Automakers are prepared to have their businesses disrupted in a major way, as tariffs on both imports of auto parts and exports of finished vehicles will affect many people. With China making up a large segment of global auto demand, the situation could spell trouble for automakers. All industries will be affected by shifting supply chains, as businesses adjust to the new tariff rules. Motley Fool analysts Jim Mueller and Nick Sciple discuss this and more, on this segment of Industry Focus: Energy. A full transcript follows the video. This video was recorded on Sept. 27, 2018. Nick Sciple: OK, Jim, now that we've talked about what's going on with these tariffs, what does this mean for the companies that might be affected? There's some non-tariff impacts, there's impacts to specific industries. Let's just jump in and talk about, who are the big industries that are being impacted? Obviously, we can't talk about everything. It's going to impact all of U.S.-China trade. But what are these big, major industries that might be affected? Jim Mueller: So far, steel manufacturing here in the United States has been positively affected. Nucor, the biggest steelmaker in the country, for instance, has reported that the tariffs have helped push sales up for them in the first half of the year. They're quick to claim that "We're doing all right anyway. We don't necessarily need the extra help. But it's nice to have, and we expect that to go forward." But on the downside, that raises the costs for everyone who needs to use steel in whatever they're making, a big one being automakers, for example. This latest round of tariffs includes things like brake pads and cables and everything else you need to build an automobile. The automakers are going likely see a large increase in their costs for making those cars. Sciple: Autos are an interesting industry here. They're going to get bit on both ends of these tariffs. There's a substantial number of auto parts manufactured in China, shipped to the United States, then assembled into vehicles here in the U.S. And, China is a massive market for U.S. automakers. GM, as a matter of fact, sells more vehicles in China than they do in the United States. Ford, their second biggest market is China. Their CEO, Jim Hackett, this week came out and said these tariffs on steel have taken away, they estimate, a billion dollars in profit from Ford. And that's only going to get worse. This isn't limited only to U.S. automakers. We think about this as a U.S.-China trade spat, this is only going to affect U.S. automakers. But think of a company like BMW. This is a German automaker, but this is really affecting them. They manufacture a lot of their popular SUVs -- for example, the BMW X5 is made in the United States, here in Spartanburg, South Carolina. They, again, are getting hit on both ends of this, from importing the auto parts to assemble into their vehicles and also getting hit on the back end importing their vehicles into China. Automakers are really going to be significantly impacted by these tariffs. Mueller: Yeah. This has a secondary effect, too. That's the supply chain. The global economy has spent many, many years making the supply chain as efficient as possible. It's manufactured here, ships the goods there, it goes through customs real fast, it goes to the manufacturer here, and so on. Adding just a little bit of extra time or more friction is like throwing sand into the gear wheels of this very efficient supply chain. Matt Koppenheffer yesterday on Market Foolery mentioned that a British survey of supply chain manufacturers pointed out that adding even 20 or 30 minutes to this really efficient supply chain can have huge impacts down the road, even to the point of putting companies out of business because they run such a tight ship. Sciple: I mentioned earlier a survey from the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, China. Another part of that survey, 52% of those companies reported that they are facing slower customs clearance, and increased inspections in bureaucratic procedures in China as a result of these tariffs. It ties in exactly with what you said. If you're having to deal with more robust bureaucratic red tape to get your products into the country, that's going to delay your imports, it's going to slow down your supply chain. That's really going to trickle down all the way to the bottom line of the business and their profits. There's a lot of moving parts to these tariffs, and they affect these companies in ways that might not be immediately apparent just from common sense. Mueller: So the companies have to respond somehow. One way, of course, is to pull in ahead a bunch of your inventory and try to get up a stock supply to try to have a supply of stuff that you need, as well as trying to get ahead of when the latest round on Monday's 10% jumps up to 25% by the end of the year. Companies are trying to get ahead of that, so they don't pay as much. But also, they're going to have to start looking for other suppliers elsewhere in the world. For exporting, they need to look at other buyers around the world. That's not an easy task. The whole thing has taken years to build. It's going to take a while to figure things out, moving the supply chain around. Another item that companies can do is to petition the U.S. government and ask for, "Hey, I'm buying something from China. It's made nowhere else in the world," which is one of the requirements of such a petition. "Because of that, if I don't get it, I can't sell what I sell." So the government can look at that, and say, "All right, this one is now exempt from the tariff." But it's a long process, takes several months, and it's not guaranteed, even if everything the company says is accurate. Sciple: We mentioned earlier that Apple had success with this with the iWatch. There's some other companies that have been trying to do that. Jo-Ann Fabrics is looking at tariffs on fabric and yarn, how that's going to affect them. McCormick is talking about some of their spices that might be affected. Mueller: I thought that was one of the more amusing ones. [laughs] Garlic. Who thought garlic, right? Sciple: That's the thing about these tariffs, they touch products that you might never think about coming from across the world, but are being affected by this. Industries that you don't think about when you think about these big metal tariffs. Automakers are top of mind immediately. But you wouldn't think about McCormick, a spice maker, being somebody that's really being affected by this. One other thing, we're talking about these supply chains, and how these tariff impacts, just slowing down a little bit is going to affect them. I think an important thing to point out is, these supply chains were built over years and decades. To change these supply chains will take years and decades. As long as these barriers remain in place, this is going to be affecting businesses over the long-term. There's going to be a lot of friction to try to move around to fit this new dichotomy. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ni Nyoman Wira (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, September 29, 2018 20:01 1141 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877536349 1 Art & Culture Rancage-Literary-Awards,Literature,Indonesia,Jakarta-Arts-Council Free Seven authors of ethnic-language publications have received recognition through the annual Rancage Literary Awards at an event held at Taman Ismail Marzuki in Central Jakarta on Wednesday. It was the first time for the award ceremony to be held in Jakarta. The authors clinching awards are Nazarudin Azhar (Miang) in the Sundanese (West Java) literature category, Suharmono K. (Kakang Kawah Adi Ari-ari) for Javanese literature, Nirguna or I Gde A. Darma Putra (Bulan Sisi Kauh) for Balinese literature, M. Harya Ramdhoni (Semilau, Sang Rumpun Sajak) for Lampung literature, Panusunan Simanjuntak (Bangso na Jugul Do Hami) for Batak literature, Hatmiati Masyud (Pilanggur) for Banjar (South Kalimantan) literature and Tetti Hodijah (Ulin di Monumen) for Sundanese childrens literature. Each winner received a prize of Rp 5 million (US$335) and a trophy. Established in 1989 by literary veteran Ajip Rosidi, the Rancage Literary Awards this year had two main categories, namely one to appreciate regional-language works from six provinces of Indonesia and another awarded for Sundanese childrens literature. Read also: Respected authors awarded Rancage Ajip Rosidi talks on stage during the awarding night of the Rancage Literary Awards at Taman Ismail Marzuki in Central Jakarta on Wednesday. (Jakarta Arts Council/File) Dadan Sutisna, the vice secretary of the Rancage Literary Awards committee, explained how they had gathered all the material for the event. We asked each of the provinces to send us literary works written in ethnic languages, said Dadan prior to the awards night on Wednesday. Not all provinces of Indonesia were considered for awards, since a requirement for being listed is that a province consistently produce a minimum of three literary works annually. If a province only has one publication, it will be accumulated, and they can join the award the following year if the quota has been fulfilled. For the assessment, the committee collaborates with local literary experts who understand the regional language and culture. Each province has one judge, except for the Sundanese literature category, which has two judges. There should ideally be three judges for each province, but the number [of judges] is still limited, Dadan said. Hopefully we can add more [judges] next year. The seven works were chosen based on the authors capability in applying their ethnic language and other aspects of literature. As for the forthcoming Rancage Literary Awards, the committee is hopeful that works from Madura, East Java, can join. They plan to include only books that are listed with the International Standard Book Number (ISBN). We've received many indie books with just 20 to 30 exemplars printed. Were not against indie books, we just want them to be listed, Dadan said. (kes) 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. Trend: Azerbaijan calls upon the international community to exert pressure on Armenia to start resolving the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council, said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov at UNGA. " We call upon the international community to send a strong message to and exert pressure on Armenia to ensure its full compliance with international law and to immediately and unconditionally start implementation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions adopted with regard to the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, Mammadyarov said. The minister stressed that new leadership should understand that their promises to the Armenian people to make Armenia economically developed and prosperous state can't be possible without peace, good neighborly relations and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbors. "If the new Armenian leadership is calling itself democracy, then they have to act in accordance with the rule of law and democratic values and let those uprooted people return to their homes and withdraw its armed forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, as it is demanded by the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and other international organizations", added Mammadyarov. "In its resolutions of 822 (1993), 853 (1993), 874 (1993) and 884 (1993), the UN Security Council acknowledged the fact that military force was used against Azerbaijan; that such actions are unlawful and in contradiction with the purposes and principles of UN Charter; and that they constitute an obvious violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. The numerous decisions and documents adopted by other authoritative international organizations have been framed along the same lines. However, the key Security Council demands, including in the first place the withdrawal of the Armenian forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, have not been implemented yet. "Azerbaijan sincerely believes that there is no alternative to peace, stability and mutually beneficial regional cooperation and is the most interested party in the earliest political settlement of the conflict. At the same time, no settlement of the conflict can be reached which violates the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan and is inconsistent with international law. The resolution of the conflict is possible only on the basis of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders," he added. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Russian Investigative Reporter Leaves Country Fearing Prosecution For Work September 29, 2018 A Russian investigative journalist says he has left the country fearing possible prosecution for his work. Sergei Kanev, who took part in a Bellingcat probe into the identity of the two main suspects accused by Britain in the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, said he was on "vacation" in one of the Baltic states. Speaking to the Russian news outlet RBK on September 29, Kanev said "There are a load of my investigations that have angered certain high-ranking officials." "This is not only about Boshirov and Petrov," Kanev added, referring to the two main suspects in the Skripal poisoning in Salisbury on March 4. The investigative website Bellingcat on September 20 said a joint investigation with Business Insider had confirmed the two suspects, Ruslan Boshirov and Aleksandr Petrov, had links to Russian military intelligence, casting doubts on the two's claims that they were mere tourists visiting England at the time of the attack. On September 26, Bellingcat said it and Insider had determined that Borishov was actually Anatoly Chepiga, a member of the Russian military intelligence agency GRU who was awarded Russia's highest award in 2014. The Kremlin has denied any role in the nerve agent poisoning of Skripal and his daughter, Yulia. The Skripals survived the attack with the Soviet-designed nerve agent Novichok in Salisbury on March 4. A resident of a nearby English town later died after apparently having contact with the poison. The poisoning has dealth a further blow to ties between Russia and the West, already strained over Syria and Russia's actions in Ukraine. Based on reporting by Current Time TV and RBK Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-investigative-reporter-leaves- country-fearing-prosecution-for-work/29516628.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 UN officials urge support as Darfur attempts to 'turn the page' from conflict to peace 28 September 2018 - Stating that while the Darfur region of Sudan, which for years was torn by strife and displacement, is now increasingly stable, top United Nations officials on Friday urged continued international support to ensure that hard-won gains take hold. "This is not the time to disengage," Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told participants at the high-level meeting on Darfur, held on the margins of the General Assembly's annual general debate. "We have invested $16 billion in peacekeeping alone over the past ten years, in addition to humanitarian funding and bilateral aid to alleviate the suffering of the population. As the region recovers from war, now is the time to consolidate gains," she said, adding that it was time to "step up and make sure Darfur moves towards peace and prosperity." A civil war which broke out in 2003, led to the deaths of tens of thousands of Darfuris and the displacement of nearly two million. In the fighting between Sudanese Government troops and militias and other armed rebel groups, widespread atrocities such as murder and rape of civilians were committed. Ms. Mohammed noted that today's Darfur "looks very different" from the Darfur of ten years ago when the African Union and the UN deployed their joint peacekeeping mission, known as UNAMID, to help bring stability to the region. "In the Darfur of today, we see intermittent clashes in the mountains of the Jebel Marra, but violent conflict has subsided. Outside of that zone, fighting has largely ended, and intercommunal clashes have been considerably reduced," she stated. "This is a significant achievement and a clear expression that our goal of silencing the guns in Africa can be a reality." In July, the UN Security Council extended UNAMID's mandate until the end of June next year, but reduced the number of troops deployed in the field with an eye towards the mission's eventual exit. At today's meeting, the Deputy Secretary-General proposed the creation of a "Group of Friends of the Transition in Darfur" to provide political support and ensure the UN Country Team has sufficient resources during this period. It was also proposed to have a pledging conference in the near future to ensure that the UN system can "ramp up" its work and avoid any gap in critical work as UNAMID draws down. Echoing these sentiments, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix told reporters after the meeting that today was an important occasion to express support for the transition from an international support based on peacekeeping to one focused on peacebuilding. Eldirdiri Mohamed Ahmed, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sudan, said the withdrawal of peacekeeping troops means that his Government will now be entrusted with the primary responsibility of ensuring that security and peace prevails in Darfur. In this regard, he said Sudan is appealing to the international community to help Sudan undertake this responsibility by lifting the sanctions placed on it. "Sanctions were mostly imposed on Sudan because of what has taken place in Darfur. We believe it is now timely to lift the sanctions so that Sudan can undertake its responsibilities in their entirety," he told reporters at the UN. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Commander Wants Coalition Forces in Afghanistan to Know Why They Fight Sept. 29, 2018 By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity WARSAW, Poland -- "Why are we here?" is a basic question that coalition troops in Afghanistan have to answer. The simple question evinces a lot of different answers, said Army Gen. Austin S. Miller, the new commander of NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan. "Each nation has its own objectives, and then there are NATO objectives," Miller said prior to the NATO Military Committee meeting here. "So you get a lot of different answers when you speak to the troops. But it all comes down to protecting the citizens at home." This is easy enough to forget. The events that precipitated military actions in Afghanistan occurred 17 years ago. To put this in perspective, some of the coalition soldiers assigned to Afghanistan were a year old when al-Qaida terrorists killed 3,000 people in America. They have no direct memories of the planes crashing into the World Trade Center in New York, or an aircraft slamming into the Pentagon, or Americans fighting back and forcing a plane commandeered by terrorists to crash in a field in Pennsylvania. They know about Sept. 11, 2001, because they studied it, but they don't have the visceral emotions that those who watched the Twin Towers fall or counted the number of friends dead in the rubble of the Pentagon. Al-Qaida had safe haven in Afghanistan. The Taliban leaders of the nation protected Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants as they planned the attack against the United States. NATO invoked Article 5 of the Washington Treaty that created the alliance for so far the only time in its history, as the nations of the alliance came to the aid of America in the aftermath of the horrific attack. Article 5 states that an attack on one member nation is an attack on all. In the more than 17 years since the attack, more than 1,100 NATO and coalition troops have lost their lives combating terrorism in Afghanistan. And this is not just an American conflict or problem. Terrorists have struck London, Madrid, Paris, Nice, Bali, the Philippines, Mumbai and many other cities and countries. Ungoverned or loosely governed areas attract terror groups. They use monies raised from taxing areas they occupy or like the Taliban and others money from illegal activities such as the drug trade to finance their attacks. They use these safe havens to train new terrorists and indoctrinate new recruits into the hateful ideologies they espouse. Making Their Own Countries Safer Miller, who has been commander of the NATO mission only since Sept. 2, reminds coalition troops that what they are doing in Afghanistan makes their own countries safer. They are protecting their fellow citizens. The "train, advise, assist" mission allows Afghan security forces to take the fight to the enemy. They are working to give the Afghan government the security needed to provide stability. That makes the nation untenable for terrorists who want to make it a safe haven again. The answer in Afghanistan is reconciliation between the government and the Taliban. The war has continued for 17 years. NATO and coalition forces are in for the long haul, and the Taliban cannot hope to wait out the coalition. The smart option is to reconcile and rebuild Afghanistan together, the general said. Terror groups such as ISIS-Khorasan, al-Qaida and others have no role in a new Afghanistan. Afghan security forces and coalition operators target those groups to crush them to erase their ideology. There are many challenges ahead for Miller and the coalition. There are Afghan elections next month and presidential elections set for next year. The coalition needs to provide more training for more units in the Afghan army and police. The Afghan air force needs to continue to grow and develop to provide support to those on the ground. Neighboring nations need to do more. And the coalition troops in the country need to remember why they are there, Miller said: to protect their own citizens and families. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NATO Military Committee Examines Full Range of Alliance Challenges Sept. 29, 2018 By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity WARSAW, Poland -- NATO chiefs of defense will discuss the alliance's full range of challenges, operations and processes as part of the Military Committee meeting here today. Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, joined 28 other alliance chiefs as the committee looked at Afghanistan, the threats from the south and operations to deter Russia. British Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach, the new chairman of the Military Committee, said the alliance faces "an unpredictable and fluid environment, with many challenges and developing threats posed by state and nonstate actors in the traditional domains of land, sea and air, as well as hybrid warfare and cyberattacks." Peach reminded all that the chiefs of defense work together under the alliance structure "to safeguard the security of 1 billion citizens on both sides of the Atlantic." At the beginning of the meeting, the chiefs observed a minute of silence for the NATO troops killed in the line of duty since the Military Committee last met in May. Three Czech soldiers and two American soldiers made the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan. The chiefs will first look to missions and operations. Almost 20,000 NATO military personnel are engaged in operations around the world in complex ground, naval and air operations in all types of environments, Peach said. Unwavering Commitment The two main efforts are in Afghanistan and the new training mission in Iraq. "Our commitment to Afghanistan is unwavering," the air chief marshal said. "The security situation remains challenging. Nevertheless, the Afghan national security forces are working hard to secure their country and deny a safe haven to terrorists." In Iraq, NATO continues to support the Iraqi government and its efforts to stabilize the country and fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, he said. The meeting's second session will focus on NATO military strategy. "As the alliance adapts and modernizes in line with political decisions and guidance, the Military Committee needs to ensure the alliance continues to have an overarching framework to promote a common understanding of NATO's military goals, intended approaches and resource requirements," Peach said. "The alliance does not have the luxury of deciding which security threats we face, so we must be able to operate across all domains now and in the future." Resilient Posture The third session will focus on readiness, responsiveness and reinforcement, as the military chiefs look to ensure the alliance's deterrence and defense posture remains credible, coherent and resilient. "It is of strategic importance to improve responsiveness, heighten readiness and improve reinforcement," he said. NATO's readiness initiative will ensure that more high-quality national combat forces will be available to NATO, quickly, the committee chairman said. "From within the pool of forces, allies will offer an additional 30 naval combatants, 30 heavy or medium maneuver battalions, 30 kinetic air squadrons with enabling forces at 30 days readiness or less," he said. The final session will look at NATO's modernization, command structure adaptation and headquarters functional review. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saudi military positions hit by Yemeni missiles IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Sept 29, IRNA -- Yemeni Army's missile and artillery unit targeted Saudi Arabia military positions in south of Saudi Arabia. According to Almasirah news website, Yemeni Army's missile unit fired a Zelzal 1 missile at Saudi military positions in Al-Faras Heights, near Najran. Meanwhile, Yemeni Army's artillery unit destroyed a Saudi Arabia military convoy in Najran. Saudi military positions were also targeted by Yemeni popular committees and artillery unit. Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched a devastating military campaign against Yemen in March 2015, with the aim of bringing the government of Hadi back to power and crushing the country's Houthi Ansarullah movement. Some 15,000 Yemenis have been killed and thousands more injured since the onset of the Saudi-led aggression. The assaults of the Saudi-led coalition forces have failed to stop the Yemenis from resisting the aggression. Recently, the Yemeni army unveiled its home-made underground missile launching pads. 8072**1396 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Under SECNAV Visits Federated States of Micronesia for Partnership Building Navy News Service Story Number: NNS180929-01 Release Date: 9/29/2018 9:29:00 AM From the Office of the Navy Chief of Information POHNPEI, Federated States of Micronesia (NNS) -- Under Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly completed a partnership-building visit to the Federated States of Micronesia, Sept. 29, 2018. Modly was in the area to meet with senior officials to discuss bilateral and multilateral maritime security issues and efforts. Meetings were held with a delegation from the Federated States of Micronesia government and Pohnpei Island government. Modly discussed, among other topics, improving our security cooperation, shared security interests, and our mutual desire for safety, security and prosperity in the region. "The United States enjoys a historic partnership with the Federated States of Micronesia," said Modly. "The United States and the Federated States of Micronesia have a unique relationship through the Compact of Free Association and its citizens have developed a strong connection to the United States. As part of this special relationship, many citizens of Micronesia have served in the U.S. military, and many of these brave service members have given their lives to ensure freedom for us all. I enjoyed the opportunity to meet with the nation's and island's leadership and look forward to our continued partnership." Modly also spent time with Construction Civic Action Detail, Federated States of Micronesia (CCAD FSM) from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1 (NMCB 1) out of Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC) Gulfport, Mississippi. Modly participated in a ground breaking ceremony for a CCAD FSM development project at the Madolenihmw High School with the U.S. ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia. The Seabees of CCAD FSM are on six-month deployment to Pohnpei to conduct civic engagements and construction projects. Modly's stop in Pohnpei is part of a multi-nation visit to the Oceania region focused on strengthening partnerships and cooperation. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 'Yemeni ballistic missiles hit targets in Saudi Arabia's Jizan region' Iran Press TV Sat Sep 29, 2018 02:15PM Yemeni armed forces have reportedly fired a domestically-designed and -developed ballistic missile at a military target in Saudi Arabia's southwestern border region of Jizan, in retaliation for strikes by a Saudi-led military coalition waging war on Yemen. Yemen's Arabic-language al-Masirah television network, citing an unnamed military official from the missile unit of the Yemeni army, reported that a gathering of Saudi-led forces in Tabba Reshash area near the mountainous region of al-Doud had been targeted with a short-range Zelzal-1 (Earthquake-1) missile late on Friday, without giving the number of potential casualties of the strike. Yemeni army also hit two other gatherings of Saudi-led mercenaries in the east of al-Doud and in the Majaza border area of the southwestern province of Asir in early Thursday and late Wednesday, respectively, with the same type of missile. They also managed to strike a group of Saudi-led military hardware and equipment in the Midi Desert in Yemen's northwestern Hajjah Province with Zelzal-1 missile earlier on Wednesday, inflicting damage. Meanwhile, al-Masirah reported that at least two Yemeni civilians lost their lives and three others wounded after an airstrike carried out by Saudi-led warplanes hit a vehicle in the city of Abs in Hajjah. Furthermore, a Yemeni citizen was killed and a number of others sustained injuries after Saudi-led fighter jets conducted an airstrike on Munirah city in the western province of Hudaydah. Saudi Arabia and some of its allies, including the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and Sudan, launched a brutal war against Yemen in March 2015 in an attempt to reinstall Yemen's former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and crush the country's popular Houthi Ansarullah movement, which has played a significant role, alongside the Yemeni army, in defending the impoverished nation against the Saudi war machine. The aggression initially consisted of a bombing campaign but was later coupled with a naval blockade and the deployment of ground forces to Yemen. Some 15,000 Yemenis have so far been killed and thousands more injured. More than 2,200 others have also died of cholera, and the crisis has triggered what the United Nations has described as the world's worst humanitarian disaster. The Saudi-led war has also taken a heavy toll on the country's infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories. The UN has said that a record 22.2 million Yemenis are in dire need of food, including 8.4 million threatened by severe hunger. A number of Western countries, the United States and Britain in particular, are also accused of being complicit in the ongoing aggression as they supply the Riyadh regime with advanced weapons and military equipment as well as logistical and intelligence assistance. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US State Department approves sale of $300 million tactical missiles to Bahrain Iran Press TV Sat Sep 29, 2018 02:12PM The US State Department has endorsed the proposed sale of more than 800 tactical missiles to Bahrain amid the Al Khalifah regime's heavy-handed crackdown on pro-democracy campaigners and political dissidents in the tiny Persian Gulf country. The approval includes Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) Unitary Rocket Pods and Army Tactical Missiles System (ATACMS) Unitary missiles for an estimated cost of $300 million, the Arabic-language al-Khaleej al-Jadeed news website reported. The report added that the Manama regime has requested to buy 120 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) M31 Unitary Rocket Pods (six rockets per pod for a total of 720), and 110 Army Tactical Missiles System (ATACMS) M57 T2K Unitary missiles. Personnel training, software development, contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services in addition to other related elements of logistical and program support are also among the items included in the deal. The M31 GMLRS is a low-cost guided rocket for use on the M270 multiple launch rocket artillery systems. It can hit targets accurately with less chance of collateral damage as it utilizes global positioning system (GPS) technology for accuracy. The ATACMS T2K is an all-weather, long-range unitary surface-to-surface guided missile. It is reported to have a range of up to about 300 kilometers. Thousands of anti-regime protesters have held demonstrations in Bahrain on an almost daily basis ever since a popular uprising began in the country in mid-February 2011. They are demanding that the Al Khalifah dynasty relinquish power and allow a just system representing all Bahrainis to be established. Manama has gone to great lengths to clamp down on any sign of dissent. On March 14, 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were deployed to assist Bahrain in its crackdown. Scores of people have lost their lives and hundreds of others sustained injuries or got arrested as a result of the Al Khalifah regime's crackdown. On March 5, 2017, Bahrain's parliament approved the trial of civilians at military tribunals in a measure blasted by human rights campaigners as being tantamount to imposition of an undeclared martial law countrywide. Bahraini monarch King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah ratified the constitutional amendment on April 3 last year. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saudi, allies cry foul over UN resolution on Yemen Iran Press TV Sat Sep 29, 2018 11:12AM Saudi Arabia and its allies have cried foul over a UN Human Rights Council resolution that extended the mandate of an international investigation into war crimes in Yemen, despite Riyadh's efforts to abort the mission. Saudi Arabia, the Riyadh-backed former Yemeni government, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt issued a joint statement late Friday, claiming that the resolution was "biased." "We are left with a resolution which is biased, and which clearly contradicts the clear mandate laid out by the United Nations Security Council," said the joint statement. "In particular, we are disappointed that certain member states failed to consider the real and legitimate concerns of those states who are most affected by the situation in Yemen," the statement added. The UN's top human rights body voted by 21 votes to eight on Friday to extend an inquiry into human rights violations in war-torn Yemen. Saudi Arabia launched its war on Yemen on March 2015 to bring former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi back to power and crush the country's popular Houthi Ansarullah movement. Earlier on Friday, Hadi's side in Yemen announced that it "refuses to extend the mission's mandate because its findings outlined in the report, did not meet the standards of professionalism and impartiality or the basic principles of the United Nations." Last month, investigators detailed evidence of possible war crimes committed in the war-torn country. Their August 28 report said Saudi airstrikes had caused "most of the documented civilian casualties." The UN mission voiced "serious concerns about the targeting process." According to the report, Saudi Arabia airstrikes hit Yemen's residential areas, markets, weddings, medical facilities and funerals. Some 15,000 Yemenis have been killed and thousands others injured since the onset of the Saudi aggression. More than 2,200 others have died of cholera, and the crisis has triggered what the United Nations has described as the world's worst humanitarian disaster. An estimated five million Yemeni children may not see their next birthday in a war the UN children's fund has described as a "living hell" for minors, with 18 million of its 29 million population food insecure. The World Food Program (WFP) warned on Thursday that there "very well could be" famine in remote areas of the country, where the UN's food agency does not have access. "Yemen is a disaster and I don't see any light at the end of the tunnel right now," WFP's Executive Director David Beasley told reporters at a closed briefing during the UN General Assembly in New York City. "Yemen is undeniably the world's worst humanitarian crisis by far," said Beasley. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Taliban deny meeting Afghan officials in Saudi Arabia ahead of elections Iran Press TV Sat Sep 29, 2018 10:50AM A Taliban spokesman has rejected reports that the group's representatives have met an Afghan government delegation this week in Saudi Arabia, after sources said a meeting was held to discuss security issues ahead of Afghanistan's parliamentary elections. Zabihullah Mujahid, a self-proclaimed spokesman for the Taliban group, released a short statement denying the meeting less than a month before voters are scheduled to go to the polls to elect a new Afghan parliament. The news came amid fears of Taliban attacks on polling stations and campaign rallies. The denial of the meeting is perceived as a blow to Riyadh as it sought a mediation role between the Taliban and Kabul to help the United States continue its presence in Afghanistan. Previous reports by Reuters said representatives from the militant group had met an Afghan government delegation in Saudi Arabia and agreed on reinforcing security during the upcoming elections and also on a limited prisoner release. "They requested us to help them conduct peaceful elections," the news agency reported, quoting what it called an anonymous Taliban official. The Taliban have generally insisted on negotiating only with the United States, but plans for another meeting with American officials broke down over US demands for a three-month ceasefire. The United States has reportedly agreed to participate directly and has appointed former US ambassador to Kabul Zalmay Khalilzad as the special envoy. The Taliban say they will not enter talks unless US troops leave the country and have pledged to make Afghanistan "another graveyard" for foreign forces. Saudi Arabia has been pressuring the militants to stop attacking US troops. The kingdom was one of the only two countries that had officially recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001. The Taliban were ousted from power in 2001 following a US-led invasion. That war, which continues to this day, has failed to bring stability to the country despite the presence of thousands of foreign forces. The United Nations said in a recent statement that blasts, attacks and clashes between militants and Afghan forces killed over 1,600 civilians in the first six months of the year, the highest number in the past decade. Since late last year, the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, which has already lost all its urban strongholds in Iraq and Syria, has also taken advantage of the chaos in Afghanistan and established a foothold in the country's eastern and northern regions. Afghanistan's former president Hamid Karzai has accused the US of propping up Daesh and using it as a "tool" for its own agenda in the country. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trend: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has sent a letter of condolence to his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo. I am deeply saddened by the news of heavy casualties and destruction caused by a natural disaster that hit Sulawesi island. On my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, I extend my deepest condolences to you, families and loved ones of those who were killed and the whole people of Indonesia on the occasion of this tragedy, and wish those injured the soonest possible recovery. Allah rest the dead in peace! Ilham Aliyev said in his letter. Thousands Protest In Kosovo Over Possible Serbia Land Swap RFE/RL's Balkan Service September 29, 2018 PRISTINA -- Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of the capital of Kosovo on September 29 to protest a possible territory swap with Serbia. Supporters of Kosovo's opposition Self-Determination Party held banners and national Albanian flags as they marched through Pristina toward Skanderbeg Square, chanting "No bargaining with national land!" Kosovo President Hashim Thaci has mentioned a "border correction" that would bring southern Serbia's Albanian-dominated Presevo Valley into Kosovo. Some Kosovar and Serbian officials have discussed a deal based on where ethnic minorities are concentrated, such as the Presevo Valley and the northern region in Kosovo where many Serbs live. Although some EU and U.S. officials have said they would support an exchange of territories an agreement on the issue was reached by Belgrade and Pristina themselves, Germany as well as rights activists and analysts have said it is a bad idea that could renew old ethnic hostilities throughout the Balkans. The Self-Determination Party has accused Thaci of bargaining Kosovo's territory with Serb President Aleksandar Vucic. "Kosovo cannot be partitioned, independence is non-negotiable," Kurti told protesters. Earlier in the day, Thaci visited an area around the Kosovo side of Gazivode Lake in the country's Serb-dominated north. Kosovo special police were deployed in the area for the visit, prompting Serbia to put security forces on alert, according to Marko Djuric, Serbian director for the Office of Kosovo. Vucic, who had visited the same area three weeks earlier, said late on September 29 that Kosovo had broken agreements. But he insisted negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina must continue. There was no immediate reaction from Kosovo. Maja Kocijancic, a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, called on all sides to "react with calm and restraint." Echoing that appeal, NATO-led peacekeepers in Kosovo, a force known as KFOR, said they would continue monitoring the situation along the Serbia-Kosovo border with ground patrols and helicopters. Thaci's office issued a statement acknowledging his visit to a border crossing and the lake. "During the weekends the head of state usually goes to Kosovo's beauties," the statement said. Serbia lost control over Kosovo in 1999 after a NATO bombing campaign to stop the killing and expulsion of Albanians by Serb forces during a two-year counterinsurgency war. Kosovo declared independence in 2008 and has been recognized by more than 100 countries, but not by Serbia. The two sides in 2013 committed to EU-mediated talks to resolve their differences, but little progress has been made. Based on reporting by AP and Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/protest-in-kosovo-over-possible -land-swap-with-serbia/29516478.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 All Eyes On Turnout As Macedonians Head To Polls Over Name Change Alan Crosby September 29, 2018 Macedonians head to the polls on September 30 in a referendum on a name change that could pave the way for the country qualify for European Union and NATO membership. The question doesn't appear to be whether they approve of the move, but whether enough will turn out to vote. Opinion polls put the yes camp in a ballot asking Macedonians to approve an agreement its new Socialist government reached with Greece this year to change the country's name to the Republic of North Macedonia at around 70 percent. But Macedonian law requires a turnout of at least 50 percent plus one vote for the referendum to be valid and a campaign to suppress turnout among the country's 1.8 million registered voters by the president, opposition politicians, and even murky online sources, have cast doubt on the final outcome. "There is clearly a concerted effort to thwart the democratic rights of Macedonians and delegitimize the referendum vote," the Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity said in a statement just days before the vote. "Macedonians alone must decide what future they want for their country. We urge them to make their voice heard this Sunday. The local authorities, together with the international community, must take all necessary measures to ensure the integrity of Sunday's vote, and that no malign action will go unpunished." The name dispute between Macedonia and Greece dates back to 1991, when Macedonia peacefully broke away from Yugoslavia. Greece says the name Macedonia implies territorial and cultural claims on the northern Greek region of the same name. Greece, an EU and NATO member, has cited the dispute to veto Macedonia's bids to join the two organizations. In June, Athens and Skopje hammered out a tentative compromise to end decades of squabbling if Macedonia adopts the name Republic of North Macedonia. Faltering Economy Macedonia's economy is sputtering after a two-year financial crisis that pushed unemployment above 20 percent, one of the highest rates in the Balkans, and an average monthly net salary of about $400, the lowest in the region. "Changing our name is the price we have to pay if the country wants to join the EU and NATO," says Mirche Chekredzi, head of corporate strategy at the offset and digital printing company Arkus in the capital, Skopje. "Within the EU there will be no customs barriers, faster deliveries. It would cut a lot of bureaucracy for smaller companies like ours," he adds. Analysts also say further integrating Western Balkan countries such as Macedonia into European and transatlantic structures is the best way to ensure the stability and development of a region still healing from the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. "We must not forget that, if the referendum fails, we will remain the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, as I don't believe any other Macedonian politicians will be brave enough to enter this battle," former Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski told RFE/RL. "And I think that the international community will completely cool on this issue, so I really think we have to use this opportunity," he added. Dissenting Voices Not everyone agrees, however, including President Gjorge Ivanov, who has called the name change a "criminal act" that violates the Balkan country's constitution. Ivanov has staunchly declared that he won't vote in the referendum, and in a speech to Macedonia's diaspora in the U.S. city of Detroit on September 22 tried to tamp down expectations that a "yes" vote would guarantee EU and NATO accession. "Even with the adoption of the harmful Greek treaty and [relevant] constitutional amendments, membership in NATO and the European Union will not come automatically," Ivanov said. If the referendum is successful, the next step would fall on lawmakers to pass a constitutional amendment accepting the name change by the end of the year. Government officials say they have 71 MPs ready to approve the move, short of the two-thirds majority, or 80 MPs, needed to amend the constitution. Christian Mickoski, the leader of the main opposition VMRO-DPMNE, has said that, if the referendum is successful and the majority votes in support of the referendum issue, he expects his party will respect the result. "The more people will say yes, we want to go forward, we want to join NATO, it will bring us stability, assure our statehood, create better conditions for a successful Macedonia, the easier the political process in the parliament will be," said Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov. Voting stations open at 7 a.m. local time and close at 7 p.m., with the first results expected about two or three hours after that. With reporting by RFE/RL's Balkan Service Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/macedonian-referendum-name- change-turnout-eu-nato-zaev-ivanov/29516611.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 Burundi should no longer be on UN Security Council's agenda, says Foreign Minister 29 September 2018 - The United Nations Security Council should "have the courage to remove Burundi from its agenda", Foreign Minister Ezekiel Nibigira said on Saturday from the rostrum of the General Assembly. The political and security situation, he said, is far from posing a threat to international peace and security. "The place that Burundi deserves today is not in the oval hall of the Security Council. It should be at the level of the United Nations agencies in charge of development to boost its economic recovery." Mr. Nibigira reminded those present that his country organized a constitutional referendum on May 17, "in calm and serenity". He added that when the new constitution was promulgated on 7 June, the President of Burundi announced that "his second term of office will end in 2020 and he is ready to support the new President." The Minister pointed out that "the spirit of tolerance, honesty and openness of the political space is growing stronger in Burundi", as shown by the return of several thousand refugees and political leaders. As for the inter-Burundian dialogue, Mr. Nibigira added that dialogue as a means of finding peaceful solutions to disputes has become "a culture". More than 20 political parties have already adopted a road map for the 2020 elections, and a new national electoral commission will be set up, which will respect political, ethnic, regional and gender inclusion, explained the Minister. The Minister pointed out that the unilateral economic sanctions were imposed by the European Union in the wake of the 2015 "election fever", and that the situation has fundamentally changed since then. While he reiterated his availability and cooperation with the UN to promote human rights, the Burundian Minister denounced "the dangerous tendency of some States to want to transform the Human Rights Council into a tool for political pressure and geopolitical regulation in the countries of the South." He recalled that the African Union called for the lifting of these "unjust and immoral sanctions" at its summit last summer. On the security front, the situation in Burundi is calm, stable and under control, said Mr. Nibigira, a positive finding that is shared, he said, by the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General and the Security Council. The Minister called for all countries sheltering those behind the coup attempt of 13 May 2015, to extradite them to Burundi, so that they will answer for their actions in court. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address At UN Eritrea's Foreign Minister says peace deal with Ethiopia ends 'dark chapter,' paves way for development 29 September 2018 - Osman Mohammed Saleh, Eritrea's Minister for Foreign Affairs, told the United Nations General Assembly that the recently signed Peace Agreement between Eritrea and Ethiopia "brings to an end the dark, two-decades-old, a chapter of war, constant tension, and strife." "This historic achievement even if belated by almost 16 years will allow both countries to funnel their resources, potential and positive energy solely towards much-needed development," he said on Saturday. Apart from infusing hope and optimism on both countries, he called the positive dividends for regional peace and security "palpable." "This is indeed attested by new frameworks of all-round cooperation that have been set in motion in the past two months or that are on the offing at the regional level," stated the Foreign Minister. He then brought up the "perplexing injustice," of "unwarranted sanctions that were imposed on Eritrea in December 2009 and 2011 respectively." "The transgressions perpetrated against Eritrea are, in many ways, symptomatic of the hubris and perverse power games that have primarily governed international relations in our contemporary times," Mr. Saleh said. "When the rule of law is suppressed and supplanted by the logic of force; when global power balance is compromised, the inevitable outcomes are intractable crises and escalating wars," the Foreign Minister asserted. He enumerated a list of "forces and factors" that brought about sanctions against Eritrea that encompassed previous United States administrations and systemic flaws in the UN Security Council. The sanctions imposed on Eritrea "have entailed considerable economic damage to the country and unnecessary hardships on its people," he said, including "immeasurable damage" to the country's reputation, which has also impacted its investment potential, and instability at the regional and national levels. Mr. Saleh noted that over the past six decades, Eritreans have struggled to advance justice and foster a climate conducive for mutual security and stability in the region. "Through characteristic resilience and hard toil, they have now vanquished the injustices perpetrated on them," he asserted. As the people of Eritrea have not committed a crime or transgression that impels them to seek clemency, they are not only calling for the immediate rescinding of sanctions but also asking for "amends for the damages incurred and opportunities forfeited," concluded the Foreign Minister. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Opposition Candidate Confirmed Winner in Maldives Presidential Poll By VOA News September 29, 2018 The Maldives election commission has released the official results of last week's presidential election, confirming victory for opposition leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. The commission announced Saturday that Solih received 58.4 percent of the votes, while current President Abdulla Yameen garnered 41.6 percent. The commission had released provisional results Monday, but was legally bound to release official results within seven days of the election. Voters went to the polls Sunday. "We received a lot of threats to delay the announcement following baseless accusations," said election commission chief Ahmed Shareef. "There were more than 400 complaints, but none of them were deemed to have changed the outcome." Sunday's vote was widely seen as a referendum on whether democracy would survive in the country as Yameen had rolled back many of the democratic freedoms introduced to the nation. Police conducted a raid on the Solih's campaign office the day before the election, saying that they wanted to stop "illegal activities." Hamid Abdul Gafoor, an opposition spokesman and a former Maldives lawmaker, said the raid was seen by many as a troubling omen that Yameen was about to "muzzle his way" to re-election. Yameen was seeking a second five-year term in office. His path to re-election seemed assured with his main rivals either in jail or in exile. He imposed a state of emergency earlier this year after refusing to comply with a Supreme Court order to release detained political leaders. Maldives is an archipelago of more than 1,000 islands and atolls in the Indian Ocean and is known for its sandy white beaches and luxury resorts. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Evidence Indicates China Set to Target US Elections By Jeff Seldin September 28, 2018 China may be taking a page of the playbook used by Russia to meddle with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, targeting U.S. political action committees and various think tanks with spear-phishing emails. The observation by FireEye, a private cybersecurity firm, still leaves key questions unanswered. What information China was able to get as a result of the attacks, if any, and how Beijing may intend to use any information are unclear. "We have not yet directly observed subsequent attacker activity that would indicate the motivation or intent," FireEye told VOA via email. But it adds to growing concerns that China is no longer content to steal information either to boost its military or the fortunes of Chinese technology companies, and may be ready to train its cyber capabilities on larger, strategic goals. "They would like to see me lose an election because they've never been challenged like this," U.S. President Donald Trump alleged Wednesday, citing China's displeasure with tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of Chinese products, part of an escalating trade war. "We have evidence. It will come out," he added. So far, Trump administration officials have been tight-lipped, promising more revelations in a speech next week in Washington by Vice President Mike Pence. Still, U.S. intelligence officials have been hinting for months that China is poised to act more aggressively. China is "asserting a whole-of-nation strategy in the cyber domain that is unprecedented in scale," U.S. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said at an event this past week, prior to the president's comments. "China exploits our transparency and open society," Coats said. "China is also targeting U.S. state and local government and officials. It is trying to exploit any divisions between federal and local levels on policy." FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich, speaking at the same event as Coats, went further, calling China the top counterintelligence threat. "China is expanding its intrusions," Bowdich said. "We have folks throughout the country that are being approached." There are also indications China has been testing out its ability to infiltrate the electoral systems of other countries, most notably targeting political organizations, politicians and journalists in Cambodia in the months leading up to that country's election this past July. Cambodia targeted "This includes compromises of Cambodian government entities charged with overseeing the elections," FireEye said in a report, attributing the attacks to a group known as TEMP.Periscope, known for its focus on the maritime industry. But not everyone is convinced China is ready to weaponize its cyber capabilities and unleash them on the U.S. election in November. "So far, at least, they don't seem to have made the political decision, the political calculation, that they want to go in that direction, the same direction that the Russians have," Ned Price, a former CIA analyst and former spokesman for the National Security Council under President Barack Obama, told VOA. China is thought to have hacked the presidential campaigns of both Obama and Republican Senator John McCain in 2008. But while the hackers took a significant number of files, it is not clear the information was "weaponized" in any way. Accusations rejected Price said what China has been doing still seems to be in the realm of "what we would expect of other strategic adversaries, collecting information for political advantage or economic gain." "But obviously that's always one decision away," he added. "I unfortunately have no doubt that they have plenty of fodder and material that they could use." For its part, China has rejected the accusations by Trump as "crazy talk," attributing his remarks to "campaign strategy." "China has always adhered to the policy of noninterference in the internal affairs of other countries," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Wednesday. "We don't accept any groundless accusations made against China." 'It employs cyberbullying' But U.S. intelligence officials and defense officials have long argued the question is not whether China interferes but what types of tactics Beijing wants to bring to bear. They also worry China is learning from Russia's efforts during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, combining cyber tools and attacks with other means to wield influence. "It employs cyberbullying. It employs, in some cases, corruption," a senior Trump administration official told White House reporters following the president's public accusations. "It employs propaganda, and things that appear to be more normal modes of interacting and studying information," the official added. And not all of those tools are necessarily being deployed to influence campaigns in the near term. 'The long game' "China plays the long game," National Security Agency Deputy Director George Barnes warned a security conference in Washington in June. "They're very thoughtful, methodical, strategic, and they're taking steps that may not be realized for 20 years, but they're taking them and they're bold about it." It is an approach that has a growing number of officials and analysts warning that, in the end, China may be able to have a bigger impact than any meddling by Moscow. "The real challenge, in the long run, is honestly China," said Jamie Fly, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund. "China can take all the tools the Russians deployed against us in 2016 and use them much more effectively." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty For Uzbek Immigrant In New York Killings RFE/RL September 29, 2018 U.S. prosecutors said they are seeking the death penalty in the trial of an Uzbek immigrant accused of mowing down eight people with a truck on a New York City bike path last year. The call for the death penalty came in court documents on September 28 in the case of Sayfullo Saipov, 30, who is charged with driving a rented pickup truck down a crowded bike path in Manhattan not far from where the twin towers of the World Trade Center once stood. The attack on October 31, 2017 was the deadliest in New York since the September 11, 2001 Al-Qaeda hijackings that brought down the towers. Saipov's attorneys in earlier court proceedings indicated he was willing to plead guilty if prosecutors did not seek the death penalty -- something that U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly advocated in the days following the attack. Responding to the prosecution's decision on September 28, Saipov attorney David Patton said: "We think the decision to seek the death penalty rather than accepting a guilty plea to life in prison with no possibility of release will only prolong the trauma of these events for everyone involved." 'Cruel And Depraved' Prosecutors said that they decided to seek the death penalty because of the multitude of victims and the "heinous, cruel, and depraved manner" of their killings, because Saipov showed no remorse, and because they believe he is likely to commit further violence if set free in the future. Saipov told investigators shortly after the attack that he was inspired by Islamic State videos and literature, and the extremist group later claimed him as "soldier" of its so-called caliphate. Prosecutors said that Saipov felt so good about what he allegedly did that while he was recuperating from a gunshot wound he sustained during his arrest, he demanded to hang the IS flag in his hospital room. Five of those killed were friends from Argentina who had flown to New York to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their high school graduation. Twelve other people were wounded. The attack only ended when police chased down Saipov and shot him in the abdomen. Saipov is due to go on trial in October 2019 on a raft of terrorism and murder charges. A one-time professional truck driver and Uber driver, the father-of-three has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Saipov moved to the United States legally in 2010 from Uzbekistan. His family told RFE/RL's Uzbek Service that he appears to have been radicalized after moving to the United States. Prosecutors say he planned the attack for a year and chose to carry it out on Halloween day because he believed crowds of people would be outdoors and that would give him the opportunity to kill more people. With reporting by AP and AFP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/us-prosecutors- seek-death-penalty-uzbek-immigrant -new-york-city-truck-killings-bike-path- world-trade-center-saipov/29515947.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 China's FTC-2000G versatile fighter jet takes maiden flight Iran Press TV Fri Sep 28, 2018 10:03PM China's domestically-developed FTC-2000G versatile warplane has taken its maiden flight in southwestern China, its developer says,expressing hope the new fighter jet would meet the demands of the international market. China's official Xinhua news agency broke the news on Friday, adding that the new aircraft had been developed by the Guizhou Aviation Industry Corporation under the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China. It also said that the FTC-2000G successfully had made its maiden flight in the city of Anshun in the southwestern Chinese province of Guizhou earlier in the day. The developer said the multi-functional warplane can be employed for attacking, engaging in combat and daily training. It added that the aircraft was also flexible, reliable, cost-effective, and equipped with a variety of functionalities, including the night vision capability. The Guizhou Aviation Industry Corporation further said that its new military aircraft, if armed with additional equipment, could perform reconnaissance, electronic warfare and other tasks to meet customers' different needs. It took the FTC-2000G some seven months to be developed using technological innovation for improvement of its flight performance, said Wang Wenfei, the chief commander of the project. Back in February, China said it had begun introducing its domestically-developed J-20 stealth warplanes into combat units, in a potentially significant upgrade of its air force capabilities. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China's FTC-2000G versatile aircraft conducts maiden flight People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 07:31, September 29, 2018 GUIYANG, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's self-developed FTC-2000G versatile aircraft successfully conducted its maiden flight Friday in the city of Anshun in southwest China's Guizhou Province, according to its developer. The FTC-2000G was developed by the Guizhou Aviation Industry Corporation under the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China. The multi-functional military aircraft can be used for attacking, combat, as well as daily training. The aircraft is flexible, reliable, cost-effective and is equipped with a variety of functions such as night vision. In addition, it has a strong capability for functional expansion. With additional equipment, the plane can perform reconnaissance, electronic warfare and other tasks to meet users' different needs. According to Wang Wenfei, the chief commander of the aircraft, they spent seven months developing the aircraft and used technological innovation to improve its flight performance. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chinese FM warns against increasing negative sentiment in U.S. People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 14:48, September 29, 2018 NEW YORK, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday warned against the rising negative sentiment towards China in the United States. "Many people who are committed to maintaining and promoting China-U.S. relations feel the cold wind blowing from behind, which should arouse the attention and vigilance of both sides," he said while meeting with Richard Haas, president of Council on Foreign Relations, a New York-based think tank, as well as other members of the council. He listed a few basic numbers to refute the claim by some people that the United States has suffered a huge loss in its economic and trade exchanges with China. "In 2017, every U.S. farmer exported an average of more than 10,000 dollars of agricultural products to China; GM sells 4 million vehicles every year in China, exceeding its sales in the United States over the same period; in 2016, U.S.-owned enterprises achieved sales of over 600 billion dollars in the Chinese market. Now (they sell) definitely even more," he said. Wang said some people in the United States have accused China of rolling back its opening-up policy, and this is groundless. President Xi Jinping has repeatedly stated clearly that China will not its door to the world and will expand its opening, Wang said. The top Chinese diplomat pointed to the fact that China has taken the lead among developing countries in terms of the speed and scope of its opening-up effort. He cited China's opening-up in the service trade as an example. "The World Trade Organization (WTO) has set up more than 160 sub-sectors that need to be opened. The developed countries in average opened 108 of them, while China opened 100 of them, far exceeding developing countries' average of 54." As for tariffs, China's commitment to the WTO was to reduce the tariff to 10 percent and now it stands at 9.8 percent, Wang said, adding that the Chinese government has announced its decision to further reduce it to 7.5 percent as of Nov. 1. Particularly, China's tariff on agricultural products only stands at 15 percent, much lower than the average rate of 39 percent in the developed countries, he pointed out. With regard to foreign investment, he said China has been lowering the threshold for foreign investment and China's environment is increasingly favorable to foreign investment. Wang said China has never forced U.S. companies to transfer technology. The truth is U.S. companies voluntarily signed contracts with their Chinese partners to transfer technologies in order to access the Chinese market and those U.S. companies have also charged fees for such transfers. According to statistics, Chinese companies paid more than 28 billion dollars to foreign companies for the use of intellectual property last year, and in the first eight months this year, Chinese companies already paid 30 billion dollars for intellectual property, a large part of which went to the pockets of U.S. companies, said Wang. He said it is unfair for U.S. companies to blame China when they not only gained market shares in China, but also made money through technology transfers. Wang also reiterated China's stance on issues including the situation on the Korean Peninsula and in the South China Sea. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trend: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres welcomed the meeting between the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia with the participation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, said the UN statement. "[The Secretary General] confirms the UN's support for the mediation efforts of the co-chairs, and also calls on the parties [of the conflict] to take steps to build confidence and show political will to achieve a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," said the statement. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Soaring US-China tensions may lead to cancellation of key security meeting Iran Press TV Sat Sep 29, 2018 11:22AM Soaring US-China tensions may lead to the cancellation of a major diplomatic and security meeting between officials of the two global economic powers next month amid their persisting trade war, sources have said. Two Beijing-based diplomatic sources briefed on the planned meetings were cited by media as saying that US Defense Secretary James Mattis and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were both due to take part in the US-China Diplomatic and Security Dialogue next month in Beijing, noting that the event was now in doubt. The last such meeting was held in Washington last year in a bid to reboot earlier high-level discussions under prior US administrations. The continuing US-China tensions are now escalating beyond trade after US President Donald Trump accused Beijing during his UN General Assembly address earlier this week of trying to meddle in the upcoming US midterm congressional elections. Beijing has also been enraged by Washington's imposition of new sanctions on the People's Liberation Army (PLA) for its purchases of Russian weaponry. The Chinese government has also objected against what it regards as surging US support for the self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its sacred territory. "There is a lot of uncertainty because of the turbulence in the relationship [between Beijing and Washington]," said one of the sources quoted in the report. The second source further asserted that China was especially disappointed by the US sanctions on the Chinese military as well as its support for Taiwan which included sales of weapons to the island. Both sources spoke on condition of anonymity, but further cautioned that the meetings may still take place as planned, and that no final decisions have been reached. This is while China's Defense Ministry declared in a statement that it was communicating with US officials about the dialogue, saying: "China and the US have all along maintained communication about the diplomatic and security dialogue." China's Foreign Ministry further announced in a short statement that the two countries were in "close contact" about the dialogue and that it would react toward any new developments in a timely fashion. In his latest criticism of China on Wednesday, Trump accused the country of seeking to interfere in US congressional polls on November 6, claiming that Beijing did not want him or his Republican party to do well due to his aggressive position on trade. This is while prior to Trump's remarks, Beijing had cancelled a round of military talks with Washington over the sanctions on China's military and denied permission to a US warship's visit to Hong Kong in October. Chinese President Xi Jinping stated earlier this week that amid the rising unilateralism and trade protectionism, China should embark on a path of self-reliance. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address North Korea says will 'no way' abandon nuclear program without trust in US Iran Press TV Sat Sep 29, 2018 06:45PM North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho says continued sanctions against the North are just further deepening the rift of mistrust in the United States, stressing that there is "no way" that his country will abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons unilaterally as long as Washington is resolved to push for tough enforcement of sanctions against Pyongyang. "Without any trust in the US there will be no confidence in our national security and under such circumstances there is no way we will unilaterally disarm ourselves first," said North Korea's top diplomat, addressing world leaders at the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Saturday. Ri added that his country had taken "significant goodwill measures" in the past year, such as halting nuclear and missiles tests, dismantling the nuclear test site, and pledging not to proliferate nuclear weapons and nuclear technology. "However, we do not see any corresponding response from the US." On June 12, at a historic summit with US President Donald Trump in Singapore, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed to "work towards complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula" in return for security guarantees and an end to a dangerous stand-off with US forces. Kim had earlier said his country's nuclear arsenal was a deterrent against potential US aggression. While the summit has since been seen as a test for diplomacy that could end the long-running nuclear standoff, foreign policy experts say the stakes are high if it does not result in a nuclear agreement. The North's leader has already told Trump that denuclearization depends on ending antagonism between the two nations, while Washington says tough sanctions will remain in place against Pyongyang until its complete denuclearization. Ri further told the assembly that the White House was in fact creating a deadlock in talks on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. "The recent deadlock is because the US relies on coercive measures which are lethal to trust-building," he said, adding that Washington is insisting on a "denuclearization-first" policy that "increases the level of pressure by sanctions to achieve their purpose in a coercive manner." He further warned that sanctions would never make North Korea surrender and give up its nuclear program. "The perception that sanctions can bring us on our knees is a pipe dream of the people who are ignorant about us. But the problem is that the continued sanctions are deepening our mistrust." Ri made no mention of plans for a second summit between Kim and Trump that the American president highlighted during his speech at the assembly earlier in the week. Earlier this week, however, the North's top diplomat met with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who agreed to return to Pyongyang next month to discuss US requests that the North scrap its weapons programs. The UN Security Council has unanimously imposed several rounds of tough sanctions on North Korea since 2006 in an attempt to choke off funding for Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. North Korea stresses that denuclearization will have to be phased, with each stage coming in return for reciprocal steps by the US, potentially including the removal of US forces from the South Korea and lifting rounds of sanctions one by one. Some analysts, however, do not believe Pyongyang intends to give up its nuclear or ballistic missile weapons program easily any time soon. Pyongyang knows very well that accepting to dismantle its nuclear arsenal could ultimately lead to its destruction as was the case in Libya. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address North Korea Rejects Unilateral Disarmament Amid Lack of Trust in US - FM Sputnik News 18:20 29.09.2018(updated 20:02 29.09.2018) The "step-by-step" disarmament of North Korea should be gradual and should be accompanied by measures that would build trust, the head of North Korea's Foreign Ministry said. "Our position dictates that the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula should be implemented in combination with the settlement of peace in accordance with the principle of simultaneous gradual steps, beginning with the things that we can do by giving priority to the measures that would build trust," the head of North Korea's Foreign Ministry, Ri Yong-ho, said during his speech at United Nations General Assembly. The official also stressed in his speech that the sanctions that the United States was imposing on North Korea would only augment distrust of the US instead of bringing the Asian state to its knees. "The US insists on the principle of 'denuclearization first' and increases the level of pressure to achieve its goal by coercion The notion that sanctions will bring [us] to the knees is a constant dream of people who know nothing about us. The problem is that the continuation of sanctions increases our distrust," Ri said. He emphasized that North Korea did not see reciprocal steps from the United States to moves of Pyongyang taken in the spirit of goodwill. "We do not see any corresponding steps from the United States. On the contrary, instead of sharing the concern about the lack of peaceful regime on the Korean Peninsula, the US insists that we [should] first carry out denuclearization, and increases pressure through sanctions," the minister said. Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that peace on the Korean peninsula was only attainable through diplomacy and denuclearization. On Wednesday, the US State Department announced that Pompeo has accepted an invitation to visit Pyongyang next month that was extended to him by North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho during a meeting in New York. On June 12, US President Donald Trump and Kim held their first official summit in Singapore. Upon the conclusion of the talks, the two countries signed a bilateral agreement outlining their joint commitment to work toward the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. However, the agreement did not specify steps or deadlines as to when would denuclearization be achieved. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN Chief praises efforts to reduce tension on Korean Peninsula 29 September 2018 - UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has welcomed the latest efforts made towards building trust and reducing military tension on the Korean Peninsula, following his meeting with North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho on Friday, during High-Level week of the General Assembly. In a statement, the UN chief expressed hope that recent positive developments, in particular the important summits between the leaders of North Korea, officially known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and South Korea (officially the Republic of Korea), and between North Korea and the United States, will contribute to "an atmosphere conducive to advancing sustainable peace and complete and verifiable denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions." The conversation with Ri Yong Ho took place the day after the US Secretary of State chaired a ministerial level Security Council meeting on North Korea. During that meeting, Mike Pompeo said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and President Donald Trump "share a common, personal understanding of what must take place" to transform relations between the two countries. The Secretary-General pledged his "commitment and readiness of the United Nations system to further assist the parties in any way they deem appropriate." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address DPRK Says Will Not Denuclearize Before More Trust in US By Margaret Besheer September 29, 2018 North Korea's foreign minister said Saturday that his government would not denuclearize before it has sufficient trust in the United States. "Without any trust in the U.S., there will be no confidence in our national security, and under such circumstances there is no way we will unilaterally disarm ourselves first," Ri Yong Ho told the U.N. General Assembly. "The DPRK government's commitment to the denuclearization is solid and firm, however, it is only possible if the U.S secures our sufficient trust towards the U.S.," the foreign minister said. DPRK is the acronym for the country's formal name. Ri said this lack of confidence in Washington is the reason denuclearization discussions have stalled since the historic Singapore summit in June between President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un. He warned that if both countries continue to harbor mistrust, the summit's joint statement would suffer the same "fate of failure as all the previous agreements between the two countries." He noted that Pyongyang had taken "significant" goodwill steps, including stopping nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests (both are forbidden activities under existing U.N. Security Council resolutions) and dismantling the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, but had seen no corresponding response from Washington. Critical of sanctions The minister also said sanctions against his government only deepen the mistrust. "The perception that sanctions can bring us on our knees is a pipe dream of the people who are ignorant about us," Ri said. President Trump has said that sanctions will remain in place against North Korea until complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization is achieved. North Korea's top diplomat did not mention Trump by name during his speech, nor did he offer him any praise or credit for the summit or warming of relations. Instead, he pointed to progress with South Korea the leaders of the two countries have had three meetings and said if the denuclearization issue were between them and not Washington, it would not be deadlocked. By contrast, Trump in his remarks to the assembly on Tuesday, thanked Kim "for his courage and for the steps he has taken." On Wednesday, he praised the isolated and reclusive North Korean leader again, saying he is "a man I have gotten to know and like." Trump said the two would meet again in the "very near future" and expressed optimism that a deal could be reached. North Korea's foreign minister put much of the blame for the stalled momentum on U.S. domestic politics. "Those in the political opposition in the U.S. make it their daily business to slander the DPRK claiming that we cannot be trusted, with the sole purpose of attacking their political opponent and they are forcing the administration to make unreasonable unilateral demands to our side, thereby impeding the smooth progress of the dialogue and negotiations." U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Ri in New York and is planning to go to Pyongyang next month to continue discussions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address India approves purchase of S-400 missile system from Russia Iran Press TV Sat Sep 29, 2018 09:45AM India has approved a plan to purchase five Russian-built S-400 Triumph defense systems, despite earlier warnings from the US against any military transaction with Russia. India's highest defense approval body the Cabinet Committee on Security approved the $5.43 billion program earlier this week. The committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided on the program just days before Russian President Vladimir Putin pays a visit to the country for the 19th India-Russia summit on October 5. The two sides are expected to sign a formal contract during Putin's visit. Regarding the plan, a top Ministry of Defense official said New Delhi has already "communicated our stand on the subject to Washington." India has earlier received warnings from Washington about buying Russian arms. Under its current rules against Moscow, Washington could impose sanctions on third countries should they transact with Russian defense or intelligence sectors. A former financial adviser on defense acquisition for the India's defense ministry, Amit Cowshish, however, said that "there is no reason for India to buckle under the US pressure to roll back procurement of hardware from Russia." "Apparently, the Indian defense establishment is convinced that S-400 Triumf system is ideally suited to fill a critical gap in our existing capabilities," he said. The Russian-built S-400 is capable of intercepting and destroying airborne targets at a distance of up to 400 kilometers (250 miles) and can simultaneously engage up to six targets. Cowshish also noted that New Delhi could not afford to distance itself from Moscow. Moscow and New Delhi signed an intergovernmental agreement on the sale of five S-400 units during 17th India-Russia summit back in October 2016 in Indian coastal region of Goa. Russia will deliver the first missile system by the end of 2020. In addition, India plans to seal a new 10-year framework deal with Russia to manufacture and upgrade at least a dozen types of Russian armament systems in the country, including fighters, artillery guns and rocket launcher systems. The United States has recently imposed sanctions against the Chinese military for buying Russian-made missiles. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address India 'will not let you fail' to reach Sustainable Development Goals, Foreign Minister tells UN 29 September 2018 - India is "totally committed" to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) said Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday, addressing the United Nations General Assembly's annual debate, promising to get there ahead of time, thanks to an "unprecedented economic and social transformation", now underway. Ms. Swaraj said that it had been a "common refrain" since the SDGs were agreed by 193 countries in 2015, that it would only be possible to reach the 17 Goals, if India was fully onboard. "I assure this august gatheringthat India will not let you fail", she said, adding that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the "world's biggest exercise in poverty elimination and social transformation" in line with key goals on poverty, equality and economic development was already showing results. She pointed to the recent inclusion of more than 320 million Indians in the formal banking system, the launch only last week of "the world's biggest health insurance programme", and a housing scheme which was on target to provide 21 million new homes by 2022. At the heart of it all, she said, was the "radical" empowerment of women, with "the welfare of women" at the core of all socio-economic development initiatives. Turning to what she called, "the existential threats of climate change and terrorism", Ms. Swaraj urged developed nations who had "exploited nature for their immediate needs" to help "lift the deprived, with financial and technical resources", to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement on climate change. In the fight against international terrorism, she accused neighbouring Pakistan of duplicity: "Pakistan's commitment to terrorism as an instrument of official policy has not abated one bit", she claimed. On the state of peace talks between the two States, she said that it was "a lie" that India had been responsible for sabotaging the process. "Talks with Pakistan have begun many times. If they stopped, it was only because of Pakistan's behaviour," she said, claiming that it was Pakistan sabotaging any hopes of dialogue. Even this past week, she said she had been obliged to cancel a meeting suggested by Pakistan's Foreign Minister at UN Headquarters in New York, after "terrorists" had allegedly killed three Indian soldiers, asking delegates in the Assembly: "Does this indicate a desire for dialogue?" Finally, Ms. Swaraj moved on to reform of the United Nations, which is a key priority of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "Reform cannot be cosmetic," she said: "We need change to the institution's head and heart to make both compatible to contemporary reality." She said "the importance, influence, respect and value of this institution is beginning to ebb" but also made a rousing defence of multilateralism, saying that reform was essential if it was to thrive. "We will never weaken the multilateral mechanism. India believes that the world is a family, and the best means of resolution is shared discourseThe UN cannot be run by the 'I', it only works by the 'We'". NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran's Zarif says Netanyahu desperate to find a smokescreen Iran Press TV Sat Sep 29, 2018 08:37PM Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is desperately seeking to find a pretext to create a hype about Iran's nuclear program. Zarif said in an excerpt of an interview set to air Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation" that Netanyahu's latest attempt at the United Nations General Assembly, in which he put on show pictures of an alleged Iranian nuclear weapons storage site, was meant to conceal the regime's own nuclear arsenal. "He's just trying to find a smokescreen ... Nonsense," said Zarif of Netanyahu's accusations. The top Iranian diplomat said that Netanyahu had repeatedly been proven wrong in his claims about Iran's nuclear program as shown by recurrent probes of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). "He's been wrong about the previous [allegations] and he's wrong about this one," said Zarif, adding, "The previous allegations that Netanyahu made have been investigated by the IAEA and have been rejected." Zarif had earlier dismissed Netanyahu's claims about Iran's secret nuclear sites, saying in a tweet on Thursday that the Israeli regime was the only entity in the world that had always refused to disclose facts about its nuclear weapons. "No arts & craft show will ever obfuscate that Israel is only regime in our region with a *secret* and *undeclared* nuclear weapons program - including an *actual atomic arsenal*. Time for Israel to fess up and open its illegal nuclear weapons program to international inspectors," said the Iranian foreign minister in a tweet on Thursday. The IAEA has issued 12 reports on Iran's compliance with terms of an international agreement on the country's nuclear program which was signed in July 2015 between Tehran and six world powers. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address FM Lavrov: You cannot lock Iran within its borders Iran Press TV Sat Sep 29, 2018 08:36AM Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has criticized certain Western countries for seeking to isolate Tehran, saying that Iran cannot be locked within its frontiers. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Friday, Lavrov stressed that it was unrealistic to sideline the Islamic Republic as a regional player in the Middle East. "So, it seems that in order to stabilize all these countries Yemen, Syria, and Iraq you have to achieve for the Iranian positions to be weakened, and even better, to be eliminated, so that there will be no Iranian influence there," he said. "I don't think that you can lock it in a cage within its borders." Iran has been assisting Syria and Iraq in their counter-terrorism fights at the request of their respective governments. Lavrov also noted that Saudi Arabia and Qatar were also pursuing their own interests beyond their borders. The top Russian diplomat further rejected accusations by Western powers that Iran supported terror, adding, "We do not have proof that, for example, Iran is a state that sponsors terrorism." He further welcomed a recent agreement between the remaining parties to the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), to establish a "special purpose vehicle" to facilitate payments related to Iran's exports. "All avenues, all ways are being discussed for Iran to receive what was promised by the Security Council," including a barter system for oil, Lavrov said. Russia to do 'everything possible' to save JCPOA Separately on Friday, the Russian foreign minister addressed the General Assembly, where he blasted the West for using "any methods, including political blackmail, economic pressure and brute force" to stop a multipolar world. He also accused Washington of having undermined a series of international treaties and agreements, among them the Iran nuclear accord. "Attacks have been launched against the basic principles of the Middle East peace process, the JCPOA, commitments of the World Trade Organization, climate agreements and many more," Lavrov said. Back in May, President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the JCPOA despite objections from other signatories of the agreement. Besides re-imposing the anti-Iran sanctions it had lifted under the deal, the Trump administration has also been seeking to discourage the European firms from doing business with Iran by threatening them with penalties. Lavrov said that Iran was "fully complying" with its obligations under the JCPOA, adding that Washington's "unilateral" withdrawal from the deal violated UN Security Council Resolution 2231. He emphasized that Moscow remained committed to preserving the landmark nuclear agreement despite the US pullout. "We will do everything possible to preserve the deal that was approved by the UN Security Council," Lavrov said. Tehran has emphasized that it will stay in the nuclear accord only if it is provided with "practical guarantees" that its economic dividends of the deal will remain intact. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US hosts Arab FMs to push for anti-Iran alliance Iran Press TV Sat Sep 29, 2018 06:14AM The United States hosted a meeting of top Arab diplomats in New York on Friday to push forward a plan to establish a NATO-like regional alliance to confront Iran. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with foreign ministers from Egypt and Jordan as well as six Persian Gulf Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, to discuss the formation of the so-called "Arab NATO." The State Department said in a statement that the participants in the meeting had all underlined "the need to confront threats from Iran directed at the region and the United States." The foreign ministers, the statement read, had "productive discussions" on creating what is to be known as the Middle East Strategic Alliance (MESA). However, it is generally believed that a diplomatic standoff between Qatar and a Saudi-led quartet of countries is still hampering the formation of the anti-Iran alliance. Following Friday's meeting with Pompeo and other regional peers, Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said that a regional alliance envisioned by the US would not work unless the issue of the Saudi-led blockade on Doha was resolved. "This gathering is important. But we need to address the challenges among these countries," he said, adding, "The real challenge facing the US-led alliance is to solve the [Persian] Gulf crisis." He also complained that the Persian Gulf crisis remained at a "stalemate" and that the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council was currently in "a sort of complete paralysis." The Qatari foreign minister further stressed that there had been "no progress" in resolving the dispute with Saudi Arabia. In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, and the UAE imposed a land, naval and air blockade on import-dependent Qatar, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism, an allegation strongly denied by Doha. The Saudi-led bloc presented Qatar with a list of demands and gave it an ultimatum to comply with them or face consequences. Doha, however, refused to meet the demands and stressed that it would not abandon its independent foreign policy. Riyadh backs Washington's stance on Tehran Separately on Friday, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir expressed Riyadh's support for the anti-Iran policy adopted by the administration of US President Donald Trump. Saudi Arabia "supports the new US strategy to counter Iran," he said in an address to the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly in New York. Jubeir further denounced what he called Iran's "terrorist activities and aggressive behavior" and claimed that achieving peace in the Middle East required "deterring Iran's expansionist and destructive policies." Back in May, Trump pulled the US out of the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), despite objections from other signatories of the accord. Besides re-imposing the anti-Iran sanctions it had lifted under the accord, the Trump administration has also been seeking to discourage the European firms from doing business with Iran by threatening them with penalties. Elsewhere in his address, Jubeir accused Qatar of supporting terrorism and harboring extremism, saying, "There was no other choice but to boycott it." Saudi Arabia is widely known to have been supporting some of the most dangerous terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq. The country is the birthplace of Wahhabism which has inspired such terrorist groups as Daesh and al-Qaeda. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Bank ABC, a leading player in the regions banking industry, has recently appointed Amr El Nokaly as Group head of Corporates at the banks headquarters in Bahrain. Reporting to Jonathan Robinson, Group Head of Wholesale Banking, El Nokaly will be responsible for overseeing Group Corporate Coverage and driving the significant growth of this strategic client segment envisaged across the Banks global network. El Nokaly joins Bank ABC from Mashreq Bank in Dubai, where he served as Head of Corporate Banking. He has held a number of senior positions in the banks Investment Banking Group since 2004. Prior to that, he worked with Citibank in Egypt as Senior Relationship Manager-Global Corporate and Investment Bank. Commenting on this appointment, Robinson said: "I am delighted that Amr has joined our expanding Wholesale Banking team. He is a seasoned banker with proven experience in driving corporate client business both expanding the base and deepening wallet. His appointment will accelerate the growth of our global wholesale banking business and further improve our ability to provide tailored financial services to corporations in the region and globally. For his part, El Nokaly said: I am look forward to working with the wholesale banking team at Bank ABC, one of the key players in Mena. Our mission will be to further enhance the Banks wholesale banking franchise in the region, utilising its international network of offices in around 15 countries around the world." El Nokaly holds a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from Helwan University, Egypt. He has completed the Program of Investment Appraisal, Risk Analysis and Project Finance at Harvard Business School. Bank ABC provides innovative wholesale financial products and services that include corporate banking, trade finance, project and structured finance, syndications, treasury and financial markets products and Islamic banking. It also provides retail-banking services through its network of retail banks in Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria. TradeArabia News Service US closes its consulate in Iraq's Basra, citing 'security concerns' Iran Press TV Sat Sep 29, 2018 12:08AM The US State Department has announced its decision to close and evacuate its consulate in Basra in southern Iraq over what it has called security risks after violent incidents near the facility. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on Friday US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had placed the US consulate in Basra on "ordered departure," temporarily relocating the US diplomatic personnel in the Arab country. Pompeo said the decision had been made to protect American diplomats against the violence, which he blames on Iran. The American diplomat claimed Iran was trying to use the potential risk to US staff there as a form of leverage on the administration of Donald Trump and his anti-Iran policies. "Given the increasing and specific threats and incitement to attack our personnel and facilities in Iraq, I have directed that an appropriate temporary relocation of diplomatic personnel in Iraq take place," Pompeo said on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. However, Pompeo's claim was rejected by a senior Iraqi security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Washington Post quoted the official as saying the decision to close the consulate in Basra did not appear driven by any credible threat from Iran or the groups it supports. "We are not aware of any intention by Iran or its friends in Iraq to attack American diplomats or the consulate," the official said, dismissing the "unfortunate move" as a politically-motivated decision. The developments come a few weeks after a group of attackers set fire to the Iranian consulate in Basra. Later, a number of rockets were also fired at the American consulate, which is located near the city's airport. The attacks followed several weeks of unrest in Basra, triggered by the residents' anger over poor electricity supplies and impure water, which made thousands of people ill. While Iran itself has fallen victim to the crisis and tension in the city, the US administration insists the Islamic Republic of Iran would be held accountable for any attack against US facilities. The US' blame game is in sharp contrast with the assertion of Iraqi officials, who have blamed the US, Daesh terrorists and remnants of the former Ba'ath regime for the recent wave of violence in Basra. Leader of Iran's Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei blamed the US and its regional allies for a recent deadly attack on a military parade in Ahvaz in southwestern Iran. In reaction, Pompeo has sent messages through diplomatic channels to Iran, denying that the US had a role in the terrorist attack, The Wall Street Journal quoted a senior administration official as saying. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. To Close Consulate In Iraq, Citing 'Threats' From Iran And Allied Militias RFE/RL September 29, 2018 The United States has announced it will close its consulate in Basra, citing what it said were threats from the Iranian government and Iran-backed militias in Iraq that have launched rocket attacks on the facility. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in the announcement late on September 28 that he would hold Iran directly responsible for any attacks on Americans and U.S. diplomatic facilities in the neighboring country. The U.S. announcement followed recent rocket attacks that Pompeo said were directed at the consulate in Basra and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. The rockets did not do any damage to the facilities. "Threats to our personnel and facilities in Iraq from the government of Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force, and from militias facilitated by and under the control and direction of the Quds Force leader Qassem Soleimani have increased over the past several weeks," Pompeo said. "I have advised the government of Iran that the United States will hold Iran directly responsible for any harm to Americans or to our diplomatic facilities in Iraq or elsewhere...whether perpetrated by Iranian forces directly or by associated proxy militias," he said. "I have made clear that Iran should understand that the United States will respond promptly and appropriately to any such attacks." Without giving details, Pompeo said the threats against U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq were "increasing and specific" and included " incitement to attack our personnel and facilities in Iraq." He said that Washington was working with Iraqi forces and U.S. allies to address the threats. "We look to all international parties interested in peace and stability in Iraq and the region to reinforce our message to Iran regarding the unacceptability of their behavior," he said. Pompeo, who as a U.S. congressman was a leading critic of former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her handling of a deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi, stressed in his statement that he was putting a high priority on the "safety and security" of U.S. diplomatic personnel. 'Economic War' The Iranian Foreign Ministry called the U.S. allegations of fomenting violence in Basra "astonishing, provocative, and irresponsible." In a statement issued on September 29, Iraq's Foreign Ministry said it "regrets the American decision to pull its staff out of Basra." The developments in Basra come after a week of confrontation between the United States and Iran at the United Nations, including dueling speeches by the presidents of each country. U.S. President Donald Trump in his address to the UN General Assembly accused Iran's leaders of sowing "chaos, death, and destruction" in the Middle East and called on other nations to join the United States in imposing economic sanctions on Tehran. Iranian President Hassan Rohani in his speech denounced the United States for waging what he called an "economic war" against his country, and proclaimed that Trump's bid to isolate Iran had fallen on deaf ears, with most UN members ignoring it. Despite Iran's defiance of Trump's demands, his move in May to withdraw the United States from Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and reimpose U.S. economic sanctions has contributed to a major loss in the value of the country's currency, the rial, and an economic slump this year. 'Ordered Departure' In announcing the closure of the Basra consulate, which is located in the city's airport, the U.S. State Department said it had instituted an "ordered departure," which means the staff will be drawn down and relocated at least temporarily, although some personnel could remain in the diplomatic compound. The department also renewed its advisory urging Americans not to travel to Iraq, saying "numerous terrorist and insurgent groups are active in Iraq" and "U.S. citizens in Iraq are at high risk for violence and kidnapping." The port city of Basra has been rocked recently by seemingly unrelated violent protests against the Iraqi political establishment, which currently has the support of both the United States and Iran but which protesters have contended has failed to provide critical services and improve people's lives. The protesters earlier this month torched the Iranian Consulate in Basra and ransacked and set alight Iraqi government buildings there, shouting denunciations of what they said was Iran's sway over Iraqi domestic affairs. While Iran's consulate was destroyed during the protests, no one was injured. An Iran-backed Shi'ite militia vowed revenge for the attack on the consulate, and about a week later, three Katyusha rockets were fired at Basra's airport, which houses the U.S. consulate. Pompeo suggested in a tweet at the time that the attack was aimed at the U.S. diplomatic facility. Also, for the first time in several years, mortar shells landed this month inside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses the U.S. Embassy and other foreign consulates as well as the Iraqi parliament and government buildings. With reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/us-closes-consulate-in- basra-iraq-citing-threats-from-iran-quds-force-allied -shiite-militia/29515934.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 US Warns Iran, Moves Diplomatic Personnel in Iraq By Hasib Danish Alikozai, Mehdi Jedinia September 29, 2018 U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday the United States has ordered a temporary relocation of diplomatic personnel in Iraq because of growing threats to U.S. diplomatic facilities by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force and its allied militias in Iraq. In a written statement Pompeo said, "Given the increasing and specific threats and incitement to attack our personnel and facilities in Iraq, I have directed that an appropriate temporary relocation of diplomatic personnel in Iraq take place." Pompeo warned Iran against any attacks on U.S. diplomatic facilities in the region. "I have advised the government of Iran that the United States will hold Iran directly responsible for any harm to Americans or to our diplomatic facilities in Iraq or elsewhere and whether perpetrated by Iranian forces directly or by associated proxy militias," Pompeo said. Congressional hearing The secretary's warning follows a hearing this week in the U.S. Congress on Iran's growing influence inside Iraq. Some experts and U.S. lawmakers voiced concerns that as Iraq is trying to put together a cabinet to form the new government following its general elections in May, Iran and its loyal Shiite militias in Iraq will not only have influence in the new government, but also have access to U.S.-provided military equipment. "The Iranian-supported terrorists-turned-politicians regularly threaten Americans and our allies while their militias have committed countless atrocities across Iraq and Syria," Republican Congressman Ted Poe, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee's Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade, said during Wednesday's hearing. "While we do nothing, Iran is doing everything. They are expending all their efforts to consolidate their power in Baghdad and it is paying off. Decisive action must be taken now," Poe added. Michael Pregent, an analyst at the Washington-based Hudson Institute, echoed Poe's concerns and told lawmakers that Iran's influence in neighboring Iraq is unprecedented. "The level of Iran's influence in Iraq has never been as high as it is now," Pregent said. "These militias [Iran-backed] are now in Iraqi security forces. That means they have access to U.S. intelligence, U.S. equipment, and U.S. funds." Pregent added that Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC] Quds Force, now has an armed political party under his influence in Iraq, and that party came in second in the country's general elections. Engagement Barbara Leaf, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and a visiting fellow at the Washington Institute, said that Iran's growing influence in Iraq is partly because of Washington's relative disengagement in the country. "We need a coherent approach and a visible high-level Washington engagement," Leaf said. "The Trump administration appears fixed on fixing Iran's destabilizing regional activities. If it is serious, Iraq is the place to set that effort into motion with method and energy." Kimberly Kagan, the president of the Institute for the Study of War, a nonpartisan public policy research organization, warned lawmakers about the potential consequences of the lack of U.S. engagement in Iraq. "Victory for the Iranian proxies would likely lead to the expulsion of the U.S. from Iraq," she said, adding that efforts must be made to implement a more coherent strategy in Iraq through which Iran would not be able to maneuver beyond its borders and destabilize the region. Sanctions Kagan says sanctions should be imposed against IRGC-supported elements inside Iraq and argues sanctions would help keep Iranian agents from gaining control of the Iraqi government. But she said that the timing of imposing sanctions should be closely coordinated with U.S diplomats. "Now is not the moment, however, for Congress to mandate the imposition of sanctions on these or any other specific groups or individuals in Iraq," Kagan said. "The threat of sanctions, either broad or highly targeted is the most powerful non-military weapon American diplomats in the region currently have," she added. "They must retain the power to choose exactly when, where and how to deploy this tool." Behnam Ben Taleblu, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based think tank, echoed Kagan's assessment and told lawmakers that sanctions against IRGC have proved effective in the past and that they should be used against select Iranian proxies in Iraq. "Three U.S. presidents have used designations before to disrupt the IRGC financial support networks, expose its agents and affiliates, and publically stigmatize them. It is now time to grow that approach in Iraq," Taleblu said. "It is my recommendation that use counterterrorism authorities to designate select Iranian proxies in Iraq that retain close ties to the IRGC. The legal authorities for such a move already exist," he added. Growing Iraqi consensus Pregent of the Hudson Institute said there is a growing consensus among various ethnic and religious groups in Iraq that Iran's influence inside their country must be countered and now is the perfect time to gain the momentum and introduce sanctions against Iran-backed elements. "You have all Iraqis, Sunni, Shia and Kurds saying Iran needs to get out of Iraq," Pregent said. "We ignored it when the Sunnis said it. We ignored it when the Kurds said it. We cannot ignore it when the 60 percent Shia population of Iraq saying it. "Now is the time to use U.S. leverage and treasury tools to help Iraqis limit Iran's influence," Pregent added. But ambassador Leaf said sanctions should be imposed with caution not to allow Iran to exploit them. "It is a tool which should be levied with an eye to timing and sequencing to maximize the desired effects and minimize Tehran's ability to exploit domestic Iraqi backlash," Leaf said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia's Lavrov Warns UN Against Unilateralism in Treating World's Old Wounds Sputnik News 02:42 29.09.2018(updated 02:43 29.09.2018) MOSCOW (Sputnik) - In his address to the annual UN General Assembly on Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov took a swipe at those hoping to end the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian crisis unilaterally and called for global unity on UN-backed peace processes elsewhere. Need To Preserve Focus on Fair Israeli-Palestinian Settlement "Despite complexity of the situation in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Libya, we must not lose sight of the age-old Palestinian problem. A fair solution is crucial if we want the entire Middle East to recover. I want to warn against a unilateral approach and attempts to monopolize the peace process," Lavrov said. The Russian top diplomat underscored the need for a consolidated global effort to restart peace talks between Israel and Palestine, guided by UN resolutions and aided by the Arab community. Russia would work toward peace within the Middle East Quartet and other regional groups, Lavrov added. The Russian foreign minister also expressed concern about attempts to undermine the potential settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict under the so-called two-state solution. "We never abandoned the mechanism that was universally endorsed for mediation the quartet We see what is going on, it's a persistent attempt to dismantle all the basic cornerstones of the potential deal on the two-state solution, and this is a cause of concern," Lavrov said at a press conference at the United Nations after his Friday speech. Meeting Promises Crucial for Peace on Korean Peninsula Lavrov offered cautious praise for the progress on the Korean Peninsula and called on the UN Security Council to encourage the rival Koreas to meet each other halfway and deliver on their bilateral promises. The diplomat added that Moscow was committed to multilateral Korean peace process that would guarantee durable security in Northeast Asia. Speaking about the sanctions against North Korea at a press conference, Lavrov expressed solidarity with China's point of view that these restrictions should be lifted in order to encourage progress in the negotiations on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Syrian Ceasefire Guarantors Share Goal of Fighting Terrorism The minister urged numerous UN agencies to step in and help the Syrian warring parties resolve problems "in the interests of all Syrians with no double standards." Lavrov also warned Islamists and their allies against using chemical weapons in Syria. The diplomat reiterated that the goals of Iran, Russia and Turkey in Syria were different, but the three ceasefire guarantor states were allies in the fight against terrorism in the war-torn country. Speaking about the situation about the Syrian Idlib province, which remains the last insurgency stronghold in the country, Lavrov told reporters at a press conference that Russia could guarantee that the humanitarian catastrophe would never occur in the region. "We will be acting very carefully in order to minimize any possible risks for the civilian population," Lavrov added. Moreover, the minister covered the issue of the Syrian Constitutional Committee. Pressure on UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura with regard to requiring the hasty creation of this committee was counterproductive, Lavrov suggested. "It is important not to rush things. Civil society figures should be appointed to the Constitutional Committee with great care. These members should be approved by both the government and the opposition The Constitutional Committee is being formed, with [Syrian] President Bashar Assad being the first to send his delegates, while the opposition took several months to draw up its lists. Talks are underway to add civil society members to the list of Constitutional Committee members," the minister added. Good Prospects for Iran Nuclear Deal On Iran, the Russian foreign minister again lashed out at the United States for pulling out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and six world powers, saying Russia would work to keep the pact alive. The foreign minister reaffirmed Tehran's full compliance with the agreement. Moscow was involved in creating the mechanism of transactions with Iran aimed at circumventing the sanctions that Washington has been re-imposing on Tehran after the former's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. "I see quite good prospects here if only our European colleagues will not say that their companies are not willing to work in Iran," the diplomat stressed. Kiev Cherishes Illusion of Occupying Donbas On Ukraine, Lavrov reiterated Russian support for sending UN troops to protect OSCE monitors in the buffer zone and accused authorities of cherishing the idea of sending troops to occupy breakaway eastern provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk in violation of the Minsk peace accords, aimed at the settlement of the conflict in the region. "We support the OSCE mission in Ukraine and are open to giving it the protection of UN [troops]. But those sponsoring the authorities in Kiev must bring their proteges back to their senses, make them end the Donbas blockade and discrimination against ethnic minorities across Ukraine," Lavrov said. During the press conference, the foreign minister suggested that US Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker was promoting ideas that undermined the Minsk agreements. Russia's Support for Serbia in Balkans On the Balkans, Lavrov bashed the United States for trying to "transform" UN-approved military presence there into their permanent base and assured Serbia of Russia's support in finding a viable solution to its row with Kosovo. "Kosovo armed forces are being formed. Agreements reached by Belgrade and Pristina with EU mediation are violated. Russia calls on the sides to engage in a dialogue in line with UNSC Resolution 1244," Lavrov pointed out. The Russian diplomat slammed US and EU leaders for pro-NATO campaigning among Balkan nations, saying this ran counter to their dislike of foreign meddling in other countries' home affairs. Artificial Deadlines for Libyan Elections Unhelpful During the press conference, Lavrov welcomed the meeting between four leaders of the Libyan parties in Paris in May and expressed support for the settlement efforts of UN Special Envoy Ghassan Salame and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Lavrov noted, however, that setting up artificial deadlines for elections in the conflict-torn country was not wise since the vote should be held when all political forces were ready to accept its results. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Al-Moallem delivers Syria's speech at UN General Assembly IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Sept 29, IRNA -- Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign and Expatriates Minister Walid al-Moallem delivered Syria's speech at the United Nations General Assembly's 73th session. In the speech, al-Moallem affirmed that Syria is bent on cleansing all of its territory from terrorism and evicting any illegal foreign presence, SANA reported. He reassured that the situation on the ground in Syria has become safer and more stable with the battle against terrorism nearing its end 'contrary to the bets and wishes of some', indicating that Syria is keen to push ahead with the political track in parallel with counterterrorism, reconstruction and the return of the displaced files. This, he added, is in line with preserving the firm national principles as represented by Syria's sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity. Al-Moallem blasted governments which have denied Syria its enshrined right to fight terrorism and protect its own people 'on its own soil and within its boundaries,' forging an illegal coalition led by the United States with the stated claim of fighting terrorism. "But this Coalition has fought everything but terrorismInstead; it has proved that its goals are almost the same as those of terrorist groups, mainly fostering chaos, death and destruction. The Coalition, al-Moallem continued, has entirely flattened Raqqa city, destroyed infrastructure and basic service institutions and committed atrocities against civilians, all designated war crimes according to international law. On the other hand, the Coalition has provided direct military support for terrorists in the fight against the Syrian army. Al-Moallem said the situation in Syria is inseparable from the situation on the international arena where two axes are at loggerheads: one which seeks to spread peace, stability and prosperity in the world and promotes a culture of dialogue and mutual understanding, and respects international law, while another is keen to force chaos on international relations and maintains a colonialist and hegemonic mentality to realize narrow interests, even if this takes resort to dirty tactics such as backing terrorism and economic embargo to subjugate peoples and governments which reject foreign dictates and hold on to their independent decision. ''Now that the situation on the ground is safer and more stable thanks to the achievements against terrorism, and given the government's unrelenting efforts to rehabilitate areas destroyed by terrorism and bring back normalcy, the situation is now suitable for the voluntary return of the Syrian refugees to their homeland which they fled due to terrorism and the unilateral coercive economic measures which targeted them in their livelihoods." Al-Moallem said the return of "every displaced Syrian is a priority for the Syrian government, and doors are wide open for all Syrians abroad to return voluntarily and safely. This applies to Syrians inside and outside Syria," he added. The minister pledged every effort, with the assistance of Russia, to help the displaced Syrians return, citing the formation of a special coordination body to facilitate their return and help them build normal lives again. Al-Moallem blamed Western states for attempts to obstruct the return of the displaced Syrians by discouraging them under lame pretexts, politicizing this humanitarian file and using it as a card to advance political agendas, which he considered a continuation of the role they have played since the beginning of the crisis in Syria. Al-Moallem said Syria welcomes the initiatives of countries that have not been involved in the aggression against it and have embraced a firm and clear approach against terrorism during the reconstruction stage, with friendly countries which have stood by Syria given the advantage in the reconstruction programs. The countries who are predicating their participation in the rebuilding process on preconditions and restrictions are "not welcomed and not invited in the first place," he added. Syria has reacted positively to the outcomes of the Syrian-Syrian dialogue congress in Sochi and put forward an integrated vision of how the committee to discuss the Constitution must be formed and run, handing a list of the members whom the Syrian state supports, al-Moallem added. The committee's action framework and powers are confined to discussing the current constitution which is completely led and owned by Syria with the special envoy for Syria as a facilitator of the Committee's work, he affirmed, rejecting any preconditions or conclusions related the Committee's work or recommendations. "The Syrians have the final say in any matter related to the Constitution or any other sovereign affair,'' he added. Al-Moallem pointed out that national reconciliations have been proceeding actively which have helped in stemming bloodshed and sparing many areas destruction, and brought back security and stability to these areas and enabled their inhabitants to return. Syria's battle with terrorism has not only been military but also cultural: It was a battle between a culture of destruction, extremism and death, and a culture of construction, tolerance and life, he added, calling for the enforcement of UN counterterrorism acts with a special reference to resolution No. 2253. Al-Moallem reiterated Syria's position against the use of chemical weapons which it considers "reprehensible', indicating that Syria has disposed of its chemical weapons and fulfilled its obligations in this regard as confirmed by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)'s reports. ''Every time Syria declared willingness to receive professional and objective teams to conduct investigations into chemical weapons allegations, these countries would place hindrances because they already knew that the findings will not be compatible with their vicious goals and intentions," al-Moallem said, citing in this regard the prefabricated scenarios and charges which were invoked to justify a tripartite aggression against Syria last April. Al-Moallem said that Syria has repeatedly warned of terrorist organizations obtaining chemical weapons and cited incidents when they used chemical weapons to frame the Syrian government, which went unheeded. Al-Moallem affirmed that any foreign presence of the Syrian soil without the consent of the Syrian government is deemed illegal and a violation of the international law and the UN Charter which obstructs the mission to eradicate terrorism and threatens regional peace and security, adding that Syria considers the US, French and Turkish troops as "occupying forces" and will be treated accordingly. Al-Moallem demanded that the international community take action to end Israeli practices in the Syrian Golan and to pressure Israel to implement the relevant UN resolutions, and pushing for the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital and the return of the Palestinian refugees to their lands according to international legitimacy resolutions. Concluding the speech, al-Moallem said Syria strongly condemns the decision of the US administration to pull out of the nuclear deal with Iran, which proves once again its lack of commitment with international treaties and agreements, reaffirming solidarity with the Islamic Republic of Iran. 1396**1396 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Army fixes its points in Sweida, kills many Daesh terrorists IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Sept 29, IRNA -- Syrian Army units advanced in the area of Toloul al-Safa, the last stronghold of Daesh terrorists in the eastern Badyia in Sweida Province. SANA reporter said that the army units in cooperation with supporting forces established control over the area of Qabr al-Sheikh Hussein after fierce clashes with the terrorists. Many of the terrorists including snipers were killed by the army fires according to the source. The army units discovered amounts of ammunition and weapons in the liberated areas. Meanwhile, Army units operating in Hama foiled terrorist infiltration attempts towards the army's advanced points in the northern countryside of Hama. SANA's reporter said that the army units positioned in al-Masasnieh village on Saturday observed a terrorist group trying to infiltrate between Koroum al-Zaytoun and al-Jrouf al-Sakhrieh at al-Assi river banks from the eastern part of Latamina town, 35 km north of Hama city, killing and injuring many of the terrorists while the others fled towards Latamina town. The reporter said that an army unit positioned in Breidege village targeted with machineguns a terrorist group who tried to infiltrate from the western parts of al-Jaisat town with the aim of planting IEDs on the agriculture roads, inflicting heavy losses upon the terrorists' ranks while the others fled. The reporter added that the army units combed the farmlands on the outskirts of al-Zakat town after monitoring terrorist groups infiltrating the farmland and conducting monitoring and reconnaissance. 1396**1396 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US-led coalition doing everything but fight against terror, says Syrian FM Iran Press TV Sat Sep 29, 2018 05:35PM Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem says the US-led coalition purportedly fighting the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group has been doing everything it could since the onset of its airstrikes but combat terrorism and militant outfits wreaking havoc in the Arab country. Addressing world leaders at the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Saturday, Muallem described the military alliance as "illegitimate" and censured the "hegemonic policies" pursued by certain countries against the Damascus government. The US-led coalition has been conducting airstrikes against what are said to be Daesh targets inside Syria since September 2014 without any authorization from the Damascus government or a UN mandate. The military alliance has repeatedly been accused of targeting and killing civilians. It has also been largely incapable of achieving its declared goal of destroying Daesh. Muallem noted that thousands of displaced Syrians were returning home after government forces reclaimed previously militant-held territories. "The Damascus government will spare no effort to provide basic commodities to refugees and ensure that their basic needs are met. Present conditions are conducive to voluntary repatriation of refugees," the top Syrian diplomat pointed out. He added that the Syrian government supported a political solution to the ongoing foreign-sponsored conflict, emphasizing that Damascus was opposed to any initiative which paves the way for foreign inference in Syria's internal affairs. "Syria welcomes reconstruction aid from counties not involved in the conflict. Those states which offer conditional aid are neither invited nor willing to assist," Muallem said. The Syrian minister went on to say that his country did not a pursue a chemical weapons program, as all its chemical weapon stockpiles had been destroyed under the supervision of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) . He also said the so-called White Helmets aid group was indeed affiliated to the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham Takfiri terrorist group, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, and was set up by Britain's secret intelligence service under a humanitarian guise. Muallem then leveled strong criticism at neighboring Turkey, stating that it had served as a "terror hub and corridor" ever since the Syrian crisis began in March 2011. He also called on France, the US and Turkey to immediately withdraw their troops from the Syrian soil. "Any foreign military presence in Syria without the government's consent amounts to flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter," Muallem said. He also condemned Israel's continued occupation of the strategic Golan Heights, and the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with Iran. "The Syrian government will never compromise on the country's national interests," Muallem concluded. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syria reopens Nasib border crossing with Jordan after 3-year closure by militants Iran Press TV Sat Sep 29, 2018 10:24AM Syria has reopened a vital border crossing with Jordan, three years after the major transit route was shut down by foreign-sponsored Takfiri militants. In a post on its official Facebook page on Saturday, the Syrian Transport Ministry said that the Nasib border crossing, situated in the southern Dara'a Province, had resumed operating. "The Syrian Transport Ministry announces the opening of the Nasib border crossing, with trucks and transit vehicles beginning to cross the Syrian-Jordanian border," the ministry said. A Jordanian government spokeswoman Joumana Ghonaimat, however, rejected the re-opening of the checkpoint. "Jaber Nasib crossing is still closed. It hasn't reopened yet for movement of goods and passengers." The development came two months after Syrian army forces and allied fighters liberated the Syrian side of the crossing under a Moscow-brokered deal with anti-Damascus militants. The terrorists had completely sealed the border crossing since they overran it in April 2015. The Nasib crossing was a major trade route between Syria and Jordan as well as Lebanon and the Persian Gulf countries. Earlier this week, Syrian Prime Minister Imad Khamis announced that all necessary steps had been taken to reopen the border crossing with Jordan. "This crossing will be invested in according to our national interest. The customs fees were amended to achieve the interests of the Syrian state, increased from $10 to $62 for a four-ton truck," he said. Damascus has recently been engaged in technical talks with Amman to resume movement via the Nasib route. Over the past few months, Syrian forces have made sweeping gains against Takfiri elements, especially in the country's southern areas and Damascus suburbs. Now, the Syrian army prepares for ridding the strategic Idlib Province from several foreign-backed militant groups. Earlier this month, Russia and Turkey announced an agreement on Idlib, which stipulates a demilitarized zone of 15-20 kilometers in the province along the contact line between the armed opposition and Syrian government troops by October 15. The deal also involves the withdrawal of "radically-minded" militants, including the al-Nusra Front, from the region. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia says already started delivering S-300 missile system to Syria Iran Press TV Sat Sep 29, 2018 01:54AM Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says his country has already started delivering the S-300 surface-to-air missile defense system to Syria as part of its efforts to ensure the safety of Russian forces in the Arab country. "The delivery has been started already. And as President [Vladimir] Putin said, after that incident [] the measures which we will take will be devoted to ensure 100 percent safety and security of our men in Syria," said Lavrov at a press conference following his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday in New York. By "incident," Lavrov meant the recent downing of a Russian aircraft by the Syrian air defenses, which both Moscow and Damascus blame on the Israeli regime's fighter jets. Israeli fighter jets attacking Syrian military posts misled the country's air defenses into shooting down the Russian Ilyushin Il-20 reconnaissance plane on September 17, killing all 15 passengers onboard. Russia says it had suspended the delivery of its S-300 missile defense system for years over concerns raised by Tel Aviv; however, the recent plane crash prompted the Kremlin to press ahead with its earlier plan to deliver the missile system to Syria within two weeks in a bid to boost the Arab country's air defense capabilities and take "adequate retaliatory measures". Shortly after Moscow announced its decision to deliver the missile system, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called President Putin to warn him about the delivery. In the Monday phone conversation, Netanyahu claimed the delivery of the missile defense system would increase dangers in the region, a statement by his office said. Tel Aviv has long lobbied Moscow not to provide the S-300 to Syria, fearing this would prevent its jet fighters from launching illegal aggressions against targets in the Syrian territory. The US has also called Kremlin's decision a "major mistake." US National Security Advisor John Bolton recently warned Russia against the decision, advising it against escalating the already high tensions in the Middle East region. Idlib no safe passage for extremists Addressing the same press conference on Friday, Lavrov referred to his country's recent agreement with Turkey over the northern province of Idlib, where both anti-government militants and Takfiri terrorists are living, and said Moscow won't let terrorists use Idlib as a safe passage to run away. Based on the deal, Ankara has agreed to separate the armed opposition from radicals and extremists who belong to groups branded as terrorists by the United Nations. "There is talk that they will be sent off to other hotspots, for example Afghanistan," Lavrov said, slamming the decision as unacceptable and vowing not to let that happen. The Russian diplomat underlined that the terrorists have to be eliminated or there has to be a judicial process to punish them. The leaders of Turkey and Russia said on September 17 they had agreed to create a demilitarized buffer zone to separate Syrian government troops from Takfiri militant groups in Idlib. The deal came amid Turkey's concerns about thousands of terrorists living in the province. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia Delivering Advanced Air Defense To Syria, Despite U.S. Objections RFE/RL September 29, 2018 Russia has started delivering an S-300 missile defense system to Syria, despite objections raised by the United States and Israel, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said. "The delivery started already," in line with President Vladimir Putin's orders after the downing of a Russian military jet on September 17 that killed 15 servicemen,Lavrov told a news conference at the United Nations late on September 28. "The measures we will take will be devoted to ensure 100 percent safety and security of our men in Syria," he said. The Russian Ilyushin Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft was shot down by Syrian antiaircraft fire, but Moscow partly blamed Israel for the incident, claiming that Israeli fighter pilots who were staging raids against targets in Syria at the time had dodged behind the Russian jet to avoid being hit. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Putin to express sorrow at the loss of life, but he vowed that Israel would continue to stage bombing raids against Iranian military targets in Syria and warned Russia about the "dangers" of introducing an advanced antiaircraft system into what he called "irresponsible hands" in Syria. Washington also expressed concern about the S-300 delivery, saying it would "escalate" the conflict in Syria. Russia, along with Iran, in the last year has played a critical role in helping Syrian President Bashar al-Assad recover much of the territory he lost during the course of a seven-year war that has killed more than 400,000 people and displaced millions. With the Russia-Syria-Iran alliance now preparing to try to reassert control over the last remaining rebel-held areas in the country, Lavrov warned outside powers against trying to reintroduce Western terms for ending the conflict through the UN. The United States, Egypt, France, Germany, Jordan, Britain, and Saudi Arabia this week called on the UN's special envoy for Syria, Steffan de Mistura, to restart talks on writing a new constitution and staging new elections in Syria. Assad already has rejected the initiative, and Lavrov warned that any outside attempt to impose a resolution in Syria now would be a "grave mistake." He said Russia, Syria, and Iran have already been more successful than the UN at resolving aspects of the conflict through a forum they created along with Turkey. That alternative negotiating process recently produced an agreement over how to proceed in the last rebel-held province, Idlib. The agreement called for creating a "demilitarized zone" in the province by October 15, and Lavrov said Turkey, which is allied with more moderate rebel groups fighting Assad, currently is carrying out the agreement, convincing hard-line militant groups to pull out of the zone with their heavy weapons. Once the extremist group Jabhat al-Nusra, an Al-Qaeda affiliate with an estimated 10,000 fighters, has been separated from other opposition groups that are "willing to be involved in a political process," Lavrov said, it is still Russia's and the Syrian government's intent to "eliminate" them. "There is talk that they will be sent off to other hotspots, for example Afghanistan," he said. "This is unacceptable...They have to be eliminated, or there has to be a judicial process." With reporting by AP, AFP, Interfax, and Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-delivering-s-300- advanced-air-defense-system-syria-despite-us- objections-israel-lavrov/29515935.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 The UAE Cabinet approved a zero-deficit federal budget of Dh180 billion ($49 billion) for the next three years (2019-2021) at a meeting today. The session, chaired by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, was attended by Lt General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, a Wam news agency report said. "I have chaired today a Cabinet meeting, during which we approved the federal budget of Dh180 billion for the next three years," Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid tweeted. "Fifty-nine percent of the budget will go to education and social development," he added. The 2019 budget was approved at a total value of Dh60.3 billion ($16.42 billion), allocated to various sectors with a focus on those directly linked to citizens well-being, health, and education. The budget includes 42.3 percent for community development, 17 percent for education development, and 7.3 percent for healthcare services. During the Cabinet meeting, a new federal law was adopted to regulate the space and advanced technology sectors in the UAE. Sheikh Mohammed tweeted: "The goal is to open up the space sector to investment, research and partnership building." "It was a coincidence to adopt a large federal budget with the new law for space sector. Both will take the Emirates to new heights," he added. All Syria Should Be Cleared of Terrorists, Foreign Presence - Foreign Minister Sputnik News 17:46 29.09.2018(updated 18:59 29.09.2018) Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said Saturday that the fight against terrorism in the country was almost over, adding that the situation had become more secure. "The situation on the ground has become more secure and stable, and the battle against terrorism is almost over. We are committed to continuing the holy battle until we clear the entire territory of Syria of terrorist groups and illegal foreign presence," Muallem said at the annual General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly. In addition, the top Syrian diplomat stressed that the US-led coalition provided direct military support to terrorists. "Governments [of some countries] formed an illegal international coalition led by the United States under the pretext of fighting terrorism in Syria. It became clear that the goals of the coalition fully coincide with the goals of terrorist groups that wreak havoc, death and destruction in their path," the Syrian minister said. "The coalition completely destroyed the Syrian city of Raqqa. It destroyed the infrastructure and public services in the areas against which its actions were directed at. It committed mass killings of civilians, including children and women, which are war crimes under international law," Muallem stressed. On Chemical Weapons Use At the same time, according to Muallem, allegations that Damascus used chemical weapons are being utilized to justify aggression against Syria. "Western countries dispose of scenarios and accusations prepared in advance in order to justify aggression against Syria," Muallem noted. He called the White Helmets the main tool for staging chemical attacks, adding that this was a terrorist organization created with the financial aid of the UK intelligence. Muallem reiterated that Syria had destroyed all its chemical weapons arsenals and had not used them. Last week, member of the Syrian parliament Ahmad Kuzbari told Sputnik that the White Helmets and militants in Syria's Idlib were planning to film a false flag chemical attack in an attempt to mar the Syrian government. On Refugees The senior official noted that all conditions were currently in place in the Arab Republic for the voluntary return of refugees to their homes. "The Syrian authorities continue restoring areas destroyed by terrorists. Currently, all conditions have been created for the voluntary return of Syrian refugees to the country," he said, addressing the UN General Assembly. During his speech, Muallem also pledged that Syria would not spare any effort to return the refugees to the homes, commending Russia's facilitation of process. He also noted that Western countries were seeking to prevent the return of refugees by spreading "irrational fears" and using refugees as a bargaining chip. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syria, Iran Agree to Continue Cooperation on Idlib on UNGA Sidelines - Damascus Sputnik News 13:42 29.09.2018(updated 13:43 29.09.2018) DAMASCUS (Sputnik) - Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem has discussed the implementation of the Russian-Turkish memorandum on the creation of the demilitarized zone in Syrian Idlib and Astana peace process with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday. "The discussion revolved around the latest meetings between the guarantors of the Astana process, the implementation of the Sochi agreements [on the establishment of the demilitarized zone] and the constitutional commission. The sides agreed to continue consultations, cooperation and coordination," the Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement via its official Facebook page commenting on the meeting that took place on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly in New York. The ministry also stated that, during the meeting, Walid Muallem has discussed the establishment of the demilitarized zone in Syrian Idlib province and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the country with the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. In addition, the parties discussed the agreement on Idlib and the efforts aimed at forming the constitutional commission which led to the confirmation from the Secretary-General that the United Nations was ready "to make efforts aimed at forming the constitutional commission and to work to provide humanitarian aid." In his turn, Minister Muallem, confirmed that "the UN was promoting the political process, which should be conducted under the Syrian guidance, belonged to Syrians without any external intervention," the ministry said. The meeting of the high profile officials took place on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly in New York which involved Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, Syrian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Bashar Jaafari and the adviser of the Syrian foreign minister Ahmad Arnus. The discussions of the demilitarized zone during the meeting came following the reports last week stating that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed an agreement on setting up a 9-12 mile demilitarized zone in Idlib along the contact line of the armed opposition and the government forces by October 15. The agreement was aimed at preventing bloodshed, as the Syrian government was preparing an offensive in response to what it said were provocations from the militant-held enclave. Idlib is the last holdout for extremist and rebel forces fighting to topple the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Russia and Turkey, along with Iran, are the guarantors of the ceasefire in Syria, constantly engaged in dialogue on crisis settlement. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address At UN, Syria slams US for 'supporting terrorism', thanks Russia for cooperation 29 September 2018 - Denouncing the United States for supporting terrorism and war crimes in his conflict-torn country, Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Walid Al-Moualem reported to the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday that the seven-year war is almost over, calling all those opposing President Bashar al-Assad terrorists. "To the disappointment of some, here we are today, more than seven years into this dirty war against my country, announcing to the world that the situation on the ground has become more secure and stable and that our war on terror is almost over, thanks to the heroism, resolve, and unity of the people and the army, and to the support of our allies and friends," he told the Assembly on the fifth day of its annual general debate. He delivered a withering attack on the US-led "illegitimate international coalition" supposedly formed to combat terrorism in Syria. "The so-called international coalition has done everything but fight terrorism," he said. "It has even become clear that the coalition's goals were in perfect alignment with those of terrorist groups; sowing chaos, death and destruction in their path." "The coalition destroyed the Syrian city of Raqqa completely; it destroyed infrastructure and public services in the areas it targeted; it committed massacres against civilians, including children and women, which amount to war crimes under international law. The coalition has also provided direct military support to terrorists, on multiple occasions, as they fought against the Syrian army. "It should have been more aptly named 'The Coalition to Support Terrorists and War Crimes'," he declared holding up Russia, as an example of legitimate international cooperation. Mr. Moualem also denounced Turkey for supporting terrorism and committing direct aggression against towns in northern Syria in violation of the country's sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity as well as of international law. "Since day one of the war on Syria, the Turkish regime has trained and armed terrorists, turning Turkey into a hub and a corridor for terrorists on their way to Syria," he said. While he stressed that Syria had eliminated all its chemical weapons, he accused the rebels of using them to falsely incriminate the Government and provoke "wanton aggression" launched by the US, France, and the United Kingdom in April in response. With the situation becoming ever more stable, Mr. Moualem invited the millions of refugees who have fled their homeland over the past seven years to return. "All conditions are now present for the voluntary return of Syrian refugees to the country they had to leave because of terrorism and the unilateral economic measures that targeted their daily lives and their livelihoods," he declared. "The return of every Syrian refugee is a priority for the Syrian State. Doors are open for all Syrians abroad to return voluntarily and safely,' he said, adding that thanks to Russian help his Government will spare no effort to meet the basic needs of the returnees. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Taiwan welcomes U.S. bipartisan support for Asia bill ROC Central News Agency 2018/09/29 18:58:17 Taipei, Sept. 29 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed welcome Saturday to bipartisan support extended to Taiwan by lawmakers in the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, who recently cleared the draft Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018. The passage of the bill Sept. 26 by the committee demonstrated that U.S. lawmakers across party line support and attach high importance to Taiwan-U.S. relations and regional peace and stability, the ministry said in a statement. The bill, initiated by Cory Gardner, chairman of the Senate's Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, demands that the U.S. government faithfully enforce all its existing commitments to Taiwan as enshrined in the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances. The bill also requires that the U.S. president conduct regular transfers of defense articles to Taiwan that are tailored to meet the existing and likely future threats from China and authorize the travel of high-level U.S. officials to Taiwan in line with the Taiwan Travel Act. (By Matt Yu and Shih Hsiu-chuan) Enditem/J NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address More allies voice support for Taiwan's inclusion in U.N. activities ROC Central News Agency 2018/09/29 12:44:15 New York, Sept. 28 (CNA) More countries which have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan voiced support on Friday, the fourth day of the general assembly of the United Nations, for Taipei to be allowed to take part in U.N. activities. Speaking in the week-long debate session of the U.N. Assembly held in New York, prime ministers from Solomon Islands, Saint Lucia, and Saint Kitts and Nevis, three of Taiwan's 17 allies, urged the world organization to allow Taiwan to participate in U.N. specialized bodies, which they said would enhance the welfare of all human beings. "Whilst we speak of leaving no one behind, we still close our doors to Taiwan and continue to contradict our own principles by leaving Taiwan's 23 million people behind," Solomon Prime Minister Ricky Nelson Houenipwela said during his speech in Friday's general debate. In his more than 25-minute long speech, Houenipwela used much of the time to speak about his country's support for Taiwan. "The implementation of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals of the U.N.) requires a unified global partnership. Taiwan is ready, willing and able to engage in and contribute to the wide range of substantive U.N. programmes for the welfare of humanity," the Solomon prime minister said. "Solomon Islands continues to call for the participation of Taiwan in the United Nations' specialised bodies, including UNFCCC (the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)," he said. Houenipwela said Taiwan is the 22nd largest economy in the world so the country is able to take advantage of its experience and technological capability to serve as part of the global solutions in various international frameworks and make a contribution. "If we are to focus on shared responsibility and promote peaceful, equitable and sustainable societies, we must give Taiwan and its 23 million people a chance," Houenipwela said. "Despite the contributions of Taiwan towards the well-being of citizens of the globe, we continue to ignore the right of Taiwan to self-determination." "The time has come for this august body to give due recognition to Taiwan as a legitimate member of the Family of Nations," he said. Also voicing support for Taiwan in the debate session, Saint Lucia's Prime Minister Allen Michael Chastanet urged the U.N. to end restrictions on Taiwan's "legitimate aspirations" to participate as an observer in key international institutions, including the WHO, the ICAO, and the UNFCCC. "This is as much for us as it is for them," Chastanet said. In the debate session, Timothy Harris, Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis, told the U.N. Assembly, the U.N. is a "people organization" for all of the people on the planet, including 23 million in Taiwan. "We strongly believe Taiwan has an important and continuing role to play in international development strategies as they have had great success in technology, agriculture, health and renewable energy," Harris said. "We advocate that Taiwan be given space to add to the dialogue, progress and well being of the global community." The general debate of the latest U.N. Assembly will run through Monday. (By Ozzy Yin and Frances Huang) Enditem/cs NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey arrests 14 bankers over affiliation to Gulen movement Iran Press TV Sat Sep 29, 2018 04:02PM Turkish security forces have arrested more than a dozen bankers on suspicion of affiliation to a movement led by the US-based opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom the Ankara government accuses of having masterminded the July 2016 coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to a statement by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the 14 suspects used encrypted messaging application ByLock, which the Turkish government claims to be the top communication tool among members of the Gulen movement. During the 2016 botched putsch, a faction of the Turkish military declared that it had seized control of the country and the government of Erdogan was no more in charge. The attempt was, however, suppressed a few hours later. Ankara has since accused Gulen of having orchestrated the coup. The opposition figure is also accused of being behind a long-running campaign to topple the government via infiltrating the country's institutions, particularly the army, police and the judiciary. Gulen has denounced the "despicable putsch" and reiterated that he had no role in it. "Accusations against me related to the coup attempt are baseless and politically-motivated slanders," he said in a statement. The 77-year-old cleric has also called on Ankara to end its "witch hunt" of his followers, a move he says is aimed at "weeding out anyone it deems disloyal to President Erdogan and his regime." Turkish officials have frequently called on their US counterparts to extradite Gulen, but their demands have not been taken heed of. Turkey, which remains in a state of emergency since the coup, has been engaged in suppressing the media and opposition groups suspected to have played a role in the failed coup. Tens of thousands of people have been arrested in Turkey on suspicion of having links to Gulen and the failed coup. More than 110,000 others, including military staff, civil servants and journalists, have been sacked or suspended from work over the same accusations. The international community and rights groups have been highly critical of the Turkish president over the massive dismissals and the crackdown. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Four People Injured In Donetsk Explosion RFE/RL September 29, 2018 At least four people, including a candidate for the head of the Russia-backed formation called the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), have been injured in an explosion in Donetsk. The explosion on September 29 took place in a building where the local Communist Party held a meeting, officials in Ukraine's separatist regions said. Igor Khakimzyanov, a candidate for the post of heading the DPR who was nominated by the Communist Party, said he was entering the building when the explosion happened. "We were entering the building with one of my campaign staff. An explosion thundered as we were entering [the building]," he told reporters. Separatist Telegram channels posted pictures online that appeared to show his injuries. Gennady Filonenko, a Communist Party member, told reporters that about 50 people were inside the building during the explosion. "A package was found at the site of the explosion. Two women were injured, one of them sustained severe burns," he said. Communist Party leader Boris Litvinov said the building was heavily damaged. The incident is the latest violence in eastern Ukraine where the Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting the central government in Kyiv since 2014 in a war that has killed more than 10,300. It comes about a month after Donetsk separatist leader Aleksandr Zakharchenko was assassinated by a bomb blast in a cafe in the eastern Ukrainian city. The November elections to select a new leader were announced after his assassination. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said earlier this month that neither Kyiv nor the international community will recognize the elections on the "temporarily occupied territories" in eastern Ukraine. The United States and the European Union have also condemned plans by Russia-backed separatists to hold "elections," calling them "phony procedures" that undermine peace efforts in the region. Russia's actions in eastern Ukraine and its seizure and annexation of Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula led the United States and the EU to impose sanctions against Moscow and has heightened tensions between Russia and the West. With reporting by Current Time, Interfax and Hromadske International Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/three-people-injured- in-donetsk-explosion/29516384.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 Azizi Developments, one of the leading private developers in the UAE, said it is set to deliver nine major projects across prestigious locations in Dubai starting from now until 2025. Azizi currently has more than 200 projects at different stages of development, said Group Chairman Mirwais Azizi while presenting the company's project development strategy to Sultan Butti bin Mejren, the director general of Dubai Land Department (DLD), and Marwan bin Ghalita, CEO of Real Estate Regulatory Agency (Rera). The developer highlighted its handed-over projects and those in the pipeline set for delivery besides its detailed construction timelines and future showcases. "We are actively demonstrating our commitment to deliver our projects on time which has helped us earn a reputation of trust and goodwill in the real estate sector among our customers," remarked Azizi. "Our project portfolio aims to introduce unique properties and world-class communities befit for a city that continues to raise the bar as one of the best places in the world to work and reside," he stated. "By presenting our portfolio to DLD and Rera, we consolidate our promise to handover our projects on time and at the highest global standards," he added. Dubais attractiveness for home buyers and investors is due to several factors, including Dubais status as one of the safest cities in the region, its global strategic location, the steady currency, its world-class infrastructure, transparent real estate market, and the high ROI on real estate investments. Based on the recent figures and numbers shared by DLD, 27,642 real estate transactions worth Dh111 billion ($30.2 billion) were recorded in the first half of 2018, consolidating Dubais position as an attractive destination for investors seeking a safe return on investment.-TradeArabia News Service Bahrain-based Investcorp, a leading global provider and manager of alternative investments, has appointed Yusef Al Yusef as the new chief representative officer of its Abu Dhabi office, in conjunction with his current role at the company. Yusef joined Investcorp in 2005 and has held various leadership roles within the placement and relationship management team, building upon the firms success. In his new role, Yusef will oversee and promote Investcorps presence in the UAE. Welcoming the appointment, Executive Chairman Mohammed Alardhi said: "Goal-oriented, talented individuals, like Yusef, are key to Investcorps growth strategy. As an experienced market leader, he has built solid and long-term relationships with clients, consistently contributed to the firms organic growth and managed a team of highly qualified relationship managers." "He has proven himself to be a very capable, driven and dedicated ambassador and will reinforce our presence in Abu Dhabi," he noted. Investcorp said the last few months have been an exceptionally active period for the firm, led by a number of successful investments including the recent strategic stake in a Swiss private bank Banque Paris Bertrand. The company also announced its first private equity investment in China, where it partnered with Everbright, to invest up to $150 million in their New Economy Fund. The firm made its second investment in Germany, through the acquisition of a modern office campus situated prominently in the commercial area of Eschborn, Germany, part of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area. On his new role, Yusef said: "My journey with Investcorp began 13 years ago, where I joined as a Relationship Manager. Over the years, and through working alongside some of the brightest minds in the industry on various exciting deals and business, I saw myself grow as an individual in a company that highly values talent." "I am eager to assume my new role as the head of Investcorps Abu Dhabi office, and I look forward to maintaining our growth momentum and driving the business forward," he added.-TradeArabia News Service The Smart Solutions & Services Authority (ADSSSA) recently met with the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EDA) to discuss mutually beneficial projects and initiatives to improve the quality of marine water in the capital city. The meeting was held in adherence to the directives of the Higher Committee for Enhancing Marine Water Quality to preserve and promote Abu Dhabis marine environment. Both parties tackled the next steps to develop an integrated environmental system to be reviewed at the World Summit of Oceans set to be held in March 2019 in Abu Dhabi, UAE, said a statement. The meeting was chaired by Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, secretary general of Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD), and Dr Rauda Al Saadi, director general of ADSSSA. The two sides agreed to cooperate in implementing their joint environmental projects, including an executive plan for marine environment preservation to be implemented by Abu Dhabi authorities. The plan will cover environmental monitoring, data collection methods and techniques, and optimisation of government resources and services through the Spatial Data Infrastructure (AD- SDI) Program. Dr Al Saadi said: Both institutions aim to harness the power of spatial data for the preservation of the environment, thus contributing to the smart analysis and decision-making process within the government. Maximising data enables local communities to quickly and smoothly access the latest geospatial information and take advantage of the existing infrastructure developed to meet the highest international standards. Dr Al Saadi added that ADSSSA has been harnessing all technological resources to support the environment quality sector, in line with the Abu Dhabi Governments efforts to ensure a healthy and sustainable marine environment and develop an integrated environment system in Abu Dhabi. Razan Al Mubarak said that the meeting had paved the way for concerned parties to further enhance their joint sustainability efforts, including quality improvement of the marine waters, amid Abu Dhabis continuous development. She noted that protecting the local marine waters is one of the governments main priorities as evidenced by the passage of key relevant laws; implementation of globally accepted environmental monitoring programmes; enactment of standards to determine the levels of harmful contaminants present in the marine environment; and strict environmental assessment and inspection of industrial activities and their impact on the marine environment. Since 2006, EDA has been implementing a program to monitor the quality of marine water. It has built a network of monitoring stations to collect and measure samples for analysis of the levels of nutrients, organic elements, microbes, heavy metals in water and marine sediments. It has also developed an automated early warning system that can predict the rate of harmful algal blooms (HAB). The system uses automatic buoys that collect data related to marine water characteristics every hour and throughout the week. The information collected is used to develop and enforce policies and legislations to moderate the impact of human activities on the marine environment and protect public health and biodiversity. The Abu Dhabi Spatial Data Infrastructure Program managed by ADSSSA aims to facilitate the exchange of spatial data among stakeholders and work to raise the emirates geospatial capabilities. The programme coordinates different relevant activities to avoid duplication and optimise the use of geospatial resources by the government entities, it stated. TradeArabia News Service The Old Greenwich community promoted plastic conservation at the Skip the Straw Greenwich Kickoff Celebration at Old Greenwich School on Sunday. The Skip the Straw initiative urges restaurant-goers to resist using a plastic straw and restauranteurs to provide plastic straw alternatives. A delegation comprising representatives of Japanese companies recently visited officials in Dubai, UAE, to discuss boosting cooperation with Japanese businesses. The director of Dubai Customs Ahmed Mahboob Musabih received the delegation, which was headed by the Japanese Consul General to Dubai, Dr Akima Umezawa, said a statement. Abdullah Mohammed Al Khaja, executive director of clients management division and Farid Hassan Al Marzouqi, executive director, human resources, finance and administration division attended the meeting which covered topics such as the means of boosting economic cooperation between Japan and the UAE and expanding cooperation with Japanese businesses and diplomatic missions, it said. Musabih reaffirmed the importance of cooperating with the Japanese diplomatic missions and companies to support mutual trade between the two friendly states through providing high quality services and facilities to clients and partners, it added. Its very important for us to boost ties of partnership with our friends in the Japanese business councils and corporates. Official relationships between the UAE and Japan started more than 40 years ago with the opening of the UAE embassy in Japan in 1973 and the Japanese embassy in the UAE in 1974, he said. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the UAE in April and a number of agreements in energy, technology, innovation, education, and security were signed between the two friendly countries, he added. Musabih continued: Preparations toward hosting Expo 2020 is gaining more momentum. Our ties with our partners are gaining more weight and importance, and we work hard at Dubai Customs to develop our initiatives for a better delivery of services and products. With this in mind we launched a number of programmes such as the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) which helps harmonise and facilitate trade in a safe environment across the globe, he said. Musabih added that the UAE has put up a promising plan to achieve a number of leading projects in the coming years following the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. On his part, Dr Akima Umezawa applauded Dubai Customs efforts in supporting mutual trade with Japan, and its leading initiatives to develop customs work and environment. Edris Behzad, client management director invited the Japanese representatives to learn about the latest services and products Dubai Customs is offering to facilitate legitimate trade. Eman Badr Al-Suwaidy, director of customs declaration management introduced the AEO to the visitors and talked about the great advantages that recognized corporates in the programme can gain. The value of Dubai foreign trade with Japan in 2017 totalled Dh42 billion ($11.43 billion), making 12 per cent growth between 2013 and 2017, it stated. TradeArabia News Service This appeared in Sunday's Washington Post. - - - National Security Adviser John Bolton triggered alarms in Congress in recent days when he told reporters at the United Nations that the United States will remain in Syria as long as Iran does. "We're not going to leave as long as Iranian troops are outside Iranian borders, and that includes Iranian proxies and militias," he said. That sounded like a major change of policy for an administration that has deployed 2,000 troops in eastern Syria, but says the only mission is to destroy the remains of the Islamic State. Some Democrats pointed out that Congress has provided no legal authorization to target Iranian forces in Syria or anywhere else. Then came this clarification: Staying "is not necessarily American boots on the ground," said James Jeffrey, the State Department's special representative for Syria. What's more, "we're not going to force the Iranians out of Syria . . . because force implies force, military action. . . . This is all about political pressure." So the good news is, President Donald Trump is not planning to start a war with Iran in Syria without congressional authorization. The bad news is, his administration still lacks a realistic policy for ending the ongoing conflict and the threat that it, and Iran's presence, pose to vital U.S. interests. As Jeffrey pointed out during a briefing with reporters, Iran's aim in Syria is not just to prop up the regime of President Bashar Assad but to entrench its own network of long-range missiles, antiaircraft systems and other arms that would give it "power projection over the region." More than 200 airstrikes by Israel have failed to stop the Iranian buildup. But U.S. strategy boils down to trying to revive a moribund U.N. peace process that the Assad regime has implacably resisted. The theory is that if a political settlement can be reached that is acceptable to Iran and Russia, the Iranians might be induced to withdraw. Jeffrey points out that the scenario envisioned by Russia and the Assad regime for 2018 - that their forces would recapture remaining rebel-held areas, the United States would withdraw from the territory it controls in eastern Syria, and international reconstruction aid would start to roll in - has failed to materialize. He says Trump, who has pushed in the past for the withdrawal of U.S. forces, is now prepared to leave them there. The United States and Europe have meanwhile joined in refusing to supply rebuilding aid until there is a political settlement. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently held up a major new offensive in the northern province of Idlib, where 3 million civilians are crammed in with a few tens of thousands of rebels and al-Qaida militants. Instead, he agreed with Turkey on a buffer zone from which the rebels are to be evacuated. That, in theory, could create space for Jeffrey's diplomacy. But the United States still lacks meaningful leverage over the Assad regime. It can only hope that other actors - Turkey, Israeland Russia - somehow create conditions for peace and an Iranian withdrawal. Otherwise, the United States is going to be stuck in Syria, unable to control events or to leave, for a long time. Never mind the ugly notch, the Pixel 3 XL is going to be a big deal In just over a week, on October 9, Google will unveil the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL to the world. I've marked that day on my calendar and I can't wait. Here's why I think the Pixel 3 XL, in particular, will be a big deal (and likely my next phone). Before we start, a few introductory words. I'm an avid Google Pixel fan and former Pixel 2 XL owner. I like the camera, the software experience, the feel and the stereo speakers (in that order) of the Pixel phones. And I've always found they have that special X factor that most other phones lack. The Google Pixel 3 XL will almost certainly have a better camera, it will come running Android 9 Pie, better speakers and an interesting design. Bear with me on that last one. The multitude of leaked Pixel 3 XL images have been met with universal disdain. Nobody is shy about hating the notch on it. But as I have said before it doesn't really bother me. For one the notch will house some new infrared-powered face scanning tech, which means it will unlock the phone even in complete darkness and for another the bezels around it appear slimmer than any I've seen. Third, I've been using the iPhone X for the past 8 months and wouldn't really notice a new notch in my daily life. Google Pixel 3 XL I'm excited about the new hardware on the Pixel 3 XL. It will have a bigger display and more importantly it will likely be a better panel than last year's P-OLED, which wasn't befitting of a phone that cost north of 900. Then there are the speakers. I expect Google will make them louder but more importantly I hope it makes them better. The Pixel 2 XL's were cracking (the reason I returned the phone) on multiple units I tested. It was a well-documented issue that was acknowledged by Google. I'm confident that Google will release a device with no hardware issues - no burn-in, no cracking speakers, no battery drain and fully functioning microphones. The Pixel 3 XL will also likely have a better camera. Whether it's through hardware (faster chipset, faster Visual core) or through software, the Pixel 3 XL will have a better camera than the current best camera in the world (the Pixel 2 XL). I'm satisfied with the cameras on the iPhone X but I still miss that incredible snapper on my old Pixel 2 XL. It gave me the reassuring feeling that it will always capture a great photo, no matter the conditions. No overbearing AI scene recognition, no gimmicks, no animoji - just solid, grade-A images. Google Pixel 2 XL camera samples The Google Pixel 3 XL will be Google's flagship for the better part of 2019 and as such it will champion Android 9 Pie and its gesture-based approach. It will be the phone embodiment of Google's vision for mobile software. Outside of the iPhone X/XS/XS Max, there are no well-optimized gesture-based UIs. I expect Google to double-down on gesture implementation on Android and the Pixel 3 XL will be in the center of it all. Like its predecessor, the Pixel 3 XL will likely be the fastest phone on the market (unless iOS 12-running iPhone XS' and Oxygen 9-running OnePlus' have something to say about it) and I expect it to have the same kick-ass battery as the Pixel 2 XL. The Google Pixel 2 XL was a solid phone, despite its issues. And it was an important phone, despite its limited market presence. Its successor will be better in every way. The Pixel 3 XL will have the best camera in the world, it will be the fastest phone in the world, it will have great battery life and will always be first in line for new Android software. Finally, as Google's flagship phone, the Pixel 3XL will be one of the most important phones of the year. Now all Google needs to do is put that special sauce on it, that special X factor. It will all unfold on October 9. Tune-in for our coverage of it. Introduction Headsets and audio equipment reviews are hardly a daily occurrence here at GSMArena, but most of us have deep personal interest in the area. That's why the TONE Platinum SE caused quite a lot of excitement here at HQ and I am happy to share my impressions of how the headset performs. Heads-up - this is going to be more of a personal experience review than a benchmark-filled test. First things first, then. We have used and even reviewed LG Tone headsets in the past, like the LG Tone Infinim HBS-900 and the HSB-730 Tone+. And the basic design concept and form factor are pretty much unchanged since. However, the TONE Platinum SE with its Google Assistant puts the headset in a very unique position. LG does have a regular LG TONE PLATINUM (HBS-1100) currently on offer for pretty much the same $200 MSRP as the HBS-1120 TONE Platinum SE. That one lacks the Assistant integration, but it does offer a somewhat more premium material build with anodized brushed aluminum. The LG TONE Platinum seems to be a closer match - same overall design as the TONE Platinum SE, sans the Google Assistant functionality, at $150. So, here comes the key question that needs an answer - is the Assistant integration good enough to make you spend $50 extra? I hope to have made up my mind about this by the end of this review. LG TONE Platinum SE (HBS-1120) specs Body: Plastic and rubber, 15.24mm (width) x 17.88mm (length) x 1.27mm (height), 54 grams Plastic and rubber, 15.24mm (width) x 17.88mm (length) x 1.27mm (height), 54 grams Battery: 220 mAh, Up to 14 days standby, 12 hours talk, 12 hours music playback; Charges in less than 2 hours 220 mAh, Up to 14 days standby, 12 hours talk, 12 hours music playback; Charges in less than 2 hours Connectivity: Bluetooth V 4.2 (Headset/Hands-Free/A2DP/AVRCP), microUSB port for charging Bluetooth V 4.2 (Headset/Hands-Free/A2DP/AVRCP), microUSB port for charging Controls: Volume slider, next previous song slider, Google Assistant button, Play/Pause/Call button, Power switch Volume slider, next previous song slider, Google Assistant button, Play/Pause/Call button, Power switch Other: Dual MEMS microphones, Hybrid (Balanced Armature + Dynamic) speaker units, Harman Kardon Platinum sound calibration If you are faced with a purchase decision yourself you may want to keep in mind that the TONE Platinum SE only supports Bluetooth v4.2. In contrast, the cheaper TONE Platinum model is rocking Bluetooth 5.0, and in turn, offers an hour longer endurance out of the same 220 mAh battery pack. Not a huge omission, but still would have been nice. Design, build, comfort and controls Design, quality, and comfort often outweigh specs when it comes to headset purchases. Like most of the LG Tone line, the TONE Platinum SE has a very solid feel to it. In fact, with it tipping the scale at just over 54 grams, you can definitely feel the neck band. Now, whether that's a good or bad thing will definitely depend on your personal taste and the intended usage of the TONE Platinum SE. I definitely appreciate that the particular design practically eliminates nasty tugs and pulls on the cords and earbud displacement. However, they are not exactly well suited for sports, since the neckband tends to bounce around a lot. Unlike the other popular head-strap design, though, which might be better suited for sports, the neck band works a lot better while laying down on a bed or reclining on a couch, since it sits comfortably on your shoulders, instead of getting pushed around by the cushions or pillow. You can definitely find even more comfortable Bluetooth models out there, featuring only a thin wire between the two buds, which could be even more comfortable, but that also means sacrificing on battery life, among other things. Bottom line, the TONE Platinum SE wins plenty of points in the ergonomics department, when judged within the constraints of their particular form factor. I already mentioned the LG TONE PLATINUM (HBS-1100) offer a few extra premium material choices, but unless you are really into the brushed metal look, I kind of prefer the TONE Platinum SE. The primarily plastic construction feels really sturdy and the carbon-like textured finish on both ends makes for a nice little two-tone look and accent. At the back, the two parts are joined together by a flexible yet rigid bit of softer plastic, which I particularly enjoy. It instilled enough confidence in me to just place the TONE Platinum SE in a bag full of luggage, without worrying about a case or any other protection. It's not all good though. I do have my reservations about the retracting mechanism. The wires seem rather thin so it's unclear how much tugging and pulling they can survive. The retracting motion is not smooth and if you've ever owned a retracting cable, you know it is bound to get stuck at some point down the line and leave your buds hanging. In fact, during the review, I managed to get a couple of pretty scary jams, which were only resolved after very careful pulling and releasing. Having used the older HSB-730 "hanging wire" system in the past, I have to say, it definitely gave off a more reassuring initial impression. In fact, seeing how the magnets on each bud still work with the cables fully extracted, I simply decided to stop using the mechanism at some point and left the wires hanging. While on the subject of the buds, I have to note that like any good high-end unit, the TONE Platinum SE includes more sizes of the plastic tips in the box. LG's has had plenty of years to perfect its material of choice and it feels really comfortable, even for prolonged wear. I'll wrap the hardware tour up with a few words about the controls, of which the TONE Platinum SE has quite a few. I like the "clicky" and nice tactile nature of the buttons and the satisfying linear actuation of the sliders. Also, I appreciate that the power switch is an actual switch and that it's hard to flick accidentally. It did cause a few issues with setup, but more on that later. We also have to congratulate LG for giving the Google Assistant its own button on the right-hand side instead of implementing it as a gesture on the play/stop button. I wasn't as thrilled to find an increasingly outdated microUSB port. Simply for the sake of convenience in carrying around one less cable we deserved a USB-C port. Also, next track is down on the right control, but on the left control down is volume down. The latter makes sense, but the former much less so. Setup, Google Assistant integration and additional software features Apple's AirPods are pretty much the benchmark for straight-forward and easy setup. You just bring them near your phone, open up the case and like magic - a notification pops up on your iPhone to connect. Google couldn't afford to stay too far behind the curve and also implemented a similar setup routine and shipped it to all Android devices, running Android 6, or newer, with Google Play Services 11.7+. So, chances are, you have the hidden party trick as well. However, it can hardly be observed in the wild, since the list of supported headsets for what Google has dubbed Fast Pair is short, to say the least: Google Pixel Buds or Libratone's Q Adapt On-Ear, Bose QuietComfort 35 II, Plantronics Voyager 8200 series. And, apparently, the TONE Platinum SE, even though it is not listed. The way setup goes is this: You turn on the TONE Platinum SE and bring it close enough your phone (in this case a Samsung Galaxy Note8). Behind the curtains, a BLE broadcast from the phone gets picked up by the headset as long as you have Bluetooth and Location on (I seriously don't know why the latter is a requirement). After that, the headset sends back its device ID to the phone, which contacts Google servers and fetches the appropriate product image for the headset, its features and app compatibility information. On the outside however, a popup shows up on the phone alerting you that this headset is around and you can pair it. You get a simple, one tap notification. Color us amazed! Initial setup However, this is about the point where simplicity ended. Tapping the notification lead us through a whole Google Assistant setup, for some reason. Even though it was already up and running on the test phone. One of those steps included going into the permission settings and granting the Google Assistant access to notifications. Fair enough, since one of the cooler features of the TONE Platinum SE is the ability to hear your notifications read outloud, by the Assistant. Plus, let's be real here, it's not like you can hide anything from Google anyway. Headset settings within Google Assistant Once all that is done, you get to see the available Google Assistant settings menu, which is actually pretty well organized. You get some basic information about the device you are using, including the battery level and a menu to control per-app Spoken notifications. So why all the whining then? Well, remember when I said that one of the steps in the setup process included the phone fetching some app and features info for this particular TONE Platinum SE headset off the internet? Well, the Assistant really insists you install LG's Tone&Talk app off Play Store to get access to all of the features of your shiny new headset. Tone&Talk app Another fairly quick setup later, you get a similar interface, with a battery meter, some hero graphics and settings menus. Pretty repetitive already. Then, the app prompts you to give it access to your notifications as well. More notification settings Then things got really confusing. I thought I had already enabled the voice notification features and selected my apps within the Google Assistant. Yet, here are more options for it with some interesting, but very confusing conditional settings, sprinkled in. The speech rate selector is a nice touch, though. Furthermore, there is an entire section for vibration notifications, entirely separate from the voice one. LG seriously needs to re-work this. There is an EQ setting within Tone and Talk, but it is only available while you are playing music, otherwise it appears grayed out. Shortcut settings With so many buttons on the TONE Platinum SE, one would imagine that there would be a lot of options for custom shortcuts. That isn't really the case in the current state of the app. You get to customize what a long press on the play/pause/call button does, but the only options are related to calling contacts. Holding down the next song button can either start a voice memo or tell you the current time. That's it. Annoying UI elements Another slight annoyance is the persistent notification that is left in my notification shade by default. Plus, SmartThings is also picking up the TONE Platinum SE and providing an extra row of controls to take up space. The latter is admittedly a Samsung issue. Mercifully, you can turn off LG's persistent notification, but that can lead to Android, in its OCD ways, often closing out certain services in the background and breaking things like the Assistant integration. I'll get back to that in a minute. Last, but definitely not least. I got this constant toast notification pop-up on my phone, with the remaining battery percentage on the TONE Platinum SE. The logic behind this eludes me as it didn't seem to matter if the batter level has changed or not or what I have open at the moment. It simply poped up once every couple of minutes, just to nibble at my sanity. At least, I never got notified about something or read a notification twice, as a result of two apps apparently trying to control the text to speech features. After getting somewhat bombarded by the Android setup process, I decided to move on the the PC and see how well the TONE Platinum SE works on that front. As we already mentioned, there is sadly no multi-point support, so had to turn off Bluetooth on my phone. Since the power button is an actual switch, rather than a button, like on most Bluetooth devices, the trusty old "hold until the status LED blinks" trick was not applicable. After fumbling about for quite some time, trying to invoke some manual connection mode I finally saw the headset pop-up on my Windows 10 PC notifications right after simply switching it off and back on. Audio quality, real-time translation and overall performance Finally, you've set up the TONE Platinum SE and all of the proper notification preferences, across the two apps. So, what is it like to actually use the Google Assistant on a daily basis? Well, that all depends on how familiar and comfortable you already are with the Assistant. While holding down the special button on the TONE Platinum SE, you can talk to it without using any trigger word, thus saving yourself that little bit of extra awkwardness. Feature-wise, LG hasn't really added any specific trigger or action on top of the standard Google AI experience. You can still do searches, control music playback, send out messages, control your smart home - the works. At least, most of the time, that is. The TONE Platinum SE has the nasty habit of constantly loosing its connection to the Google Assistant. We were, originally, ready to blame Samsung's background service management for that, but switching over to a Huawei then a Moto simply changed the frequency at which the problem occurred. So, pretty frequently, pressing the Assistant Button simply yielded a "Google Assistant is not connected" voice prompt. Other times, when the Assistant did work and started listening, it would go quiet, stop listening in the middle of a sentence and then never really recover. Sometimes that would leave my music player constantly paused. Just random nasty hang-ups all around. The voice notification feature is, admittedly, pretty neat. But it is also far from perfect. By tapping the Assistant button once, you can get your new notification read via text to speech. I really recommend filtering the apps you really need dictated to you, since even at the highest pace of reading, the process still takes quite a bit of time, since the AI isn't smart enough to skip through unimportant parts of email headers or any meta info, present in the notification. The dictation voice also sounds pretty rough and robotic, compared to the Assistant's increasingly humanized tone. But, that's mostly nitpicking. Another nifty feature that we haven't mentioned so far is the Google Translate integration. It goes like this: You get the Google Translate app, then simply hold down the Google Assistant button on the TONE Platinum SE and say something like "Help me interpret German". That then launches Translate with the proper settings. The way the conversation goes is that you press and hold the Assistant button and talk, then the translation plays through the phone. The other person has to talk into the phone for you to hear the translation into the headset. For the most part, it works and doesn't suffer quite as much from connection issues, probably since it doesn't use a background service. However, I have to note that you an accomplish the same thing using the Translate app alone. Calls are a cornerstone convenience feature of most smartphone headsets nowadays. LG promises an improved experience thanks to the Dual MEMS microphones on the TONE Platinum SE. Apparently, these are "strategically" placed on the top and side of the device to ensure clearer sound with less noise. Yet, I found the microphones' sound rather distorted and quiet. I frequently got complaints during calls on the TONE Platinum SE. People mentioned echo, as well as low volume, which forced me to lift the microphone closer to my mouth, kind of defeating the purpose of having a handsfree headset. Last, but not least, we have to touch on general sound quality. In keeping with tradition, LG has collaborated with Harman Kardon on this front, who, apparently provide the "tuning" part of the sound equation. In terms of hardware, the headset has two Hybrid BA speaker units. Its main pitch seems to be a "high precision band separating tube for perfect separation of bass, mid and high ranges, without interfering". Without throwing around any lofty audiophile claims, I will give LG that one. Still, I wouldn't exactly call the sound the TONE Platinum SE produce really dynamic, nor the tones exceptionally clear. Nothing is blown out of proportion and the experience is balanced, but not spectacular. I have no real complaints in the battery department. The TONE Platinum SE mostly deliver the advertised numbers of about 12 to 13 hours of playback or talk on a single charge. Of course, it depends on volume. That's perfectly fine in my book, since the number roughly matches the multimedia playback endurance of a normal phone and is effectively an all-day charge. But if you only listen to music on your commute, a charge can easily last you a week. Pros Solid build, great materials, ergonomic design Comfortable buds, suitable for prolonged wear Great battery life Google translate integration works pretty well, even if it doesn't really enhance the experience Balanced, if not spectacular audio quality Cons A bit on the heavy side and not suited for physical activity, due to their form factor The retracting mechanism feels very fragile and doesn't provide smooth operation Confusing and difficult setup with overlapping settings, scattered across different apps The headset constantly loses connection to Google Assistant. Software and connection bugs are common. Bad microphone quality, low volume and a lot of echo during calls Verdict Tallying all the pros and cons up, it is really hard for me to give an instant recommendation for the TONE Platinum SE. Then again, the headset scene is so rich and diverse that no headset can realistically be a perfect universal fit for everybody. In fact, not even for every occasion. So I'll put it like this. If you find the neckband form factor convenient and the Assistant integration really appeals to you, then the TONE Platinum SE could be a great choice. However, if you intend to use the headset mainly for hands-free calls, then we can't really recommend it as its performance in this respect is subpar. It seems that Samsung has brought in a winning mid-fielder the Galaxy A7 (2018) got a 74% approval rating. This is a phone built around its Infinity Display and triple camera and the early response to them is a positive one. As expected, some people wished for more features a tele camera and a faster chipset were the most commonly requested. We suspect those will be present on the Galaxy S10 instead, so there wont be any in fighting in Samsungs lineup. Plus, this A7 is a 350 phone, so it can get away with those. Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) One warranted criticism was about the microUSB port the switch-over to USB-C is already taking longer than it should have. Then again, some brands keep the micro port in similarly-priced phones (were looking at you, Oppo F9 and vivo V11). Those who love it will be able to snag a Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) from Flipkart starting tomorrow (at a price of INR 24,000). Europe may have to wait until early October (which is far off). PS. there was some debate on the side fingerprint reader and how it relates to Sonys phones. Theres not a lot of clarity on that, when asked the Sony Mobile US representatives pretty much dodged the question. The fifth edition of Gulfood Manufacturing, to be held in November in Dubai, UAE, will highlight a host of international breakthrough technologies set to reshape the regions food processing and supply industry as it races to meet major changes in consumer demand and drive 4th industrial revolution efficiency to heighten competitiveness. The new technology drivers, from micro-conveyor systems for small producers, sensor-based sorting machines and integrated analytical post-harvest systems, to production optimised software and digital automisation solutions, will be on show at the Middle Easts biggest food and beverage processing industry event, which runs at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from November 6 to 8. With game-changing technologies coming from all over the world, including George P Alexandris, a Greek conveyor belt manufacturer making its regional debut; and Tomra, Norways sensor technology pioneer; to Japanese heavyweight, Ishida, and Germanys global solutions provider, Siemens, the event has evolved into an industry-specific, world-renowned innovation centre, said a statement from organisers. Trixie LohMirmand, senior vice president, exhibitions and events management, DWTC, said: This years event, more so than any in the past, is putting the future in focus we are going to see Gulfood Manufacturing come of age this year. When Gulfood Manufacturings doors open, 35,000-plus visitors will engage with a laboratory of the future exposed by some 1,600 exhibitors from 60 countries, including Scandinavian innovator Tomra, which believes technology holds the key to many of the challenges now facing the food production sector. Tomra will stage a live demonstration of its new sensor-driven Tomra 5B sorter for vegetable and potato processing industries at the show. The sorter combines smart technology with a 360-degree, surround view inspection system that reduces final product waste three times faster than previous systems. Bjorn Weyts, global marketing manager food, Tomra, said: This technological advancement not only improves the quantity of food available, but it also maintains the high levels of quality expected by consumers who are increasingly interested in what they are purchasing and in brand protection. There is a worldwide requirement for improved food safety and robust traceability systems. Finite water and land resources, combined with ever-increasing populations, mean we must obtain greater yields from our natural resources, including food, he said. Labour scarcity in both developed and developing countries, where people either do not want to undertake food processing work or they move away from rural agricultural areas to cities, also presents us with opportunities to introduce our machines, he added. Worldwide demand for food traceability is lining up alongside calls for reductions in food wastage and energy efficiency to drive innovation, according to Weyts. Advancements in technology mean the use of satellite imagery and real-time data will increasingly be utilised to enhance the efficiency of produces journey from field to fork. Being a conveyor specialist, the Greek firm George P Alexandris SA maintain that technological advancements are not the domain purely of the industrys big players. Making its Gulfood Manufacturing debut, the company will leverage the show for a regional launch of a micro conveyor system which reduces production costs and increases the competitiveness of local food manufacturers. We will be actively looking for local partners, affirmed George Alexandris, owner of the company. Moreover, Gulf Manufacturings focus is being sharpened by the inclusion of a two-day Food Tech Summit, running November 7 and 8. The conference will unveil the Factory of the Future by exploring how next-gen technologies, including artificial intelligence, digitalisation, the Industrial Internet of Things, automation, robotics and blockchain can transform food and beverage manufacturing. The programme will also explore future food security and how the industry can innovate and create alternative food supply and resources. Innovation demos will ensure that visitors, including some of the 2,000 C-level executives being hosted on the shows Big Buyers programme, get deep insights into the technology on offer. The tours will take in the shows five dedicated sectors: ingredients, processing, packaging, automation and controls, and supply chain solutions. Meanwhile, DWTC is looking to further push the innovation agenda with its future-themed Gulfood Manufacturing Industry Excellence Awards, which are open to show exhibitors. Ten awards will be presented following assessments by a panel of independent judges. The awards will recognise innovation across the entire industry eco-system from ingredients, to technology, waste prevention to customer service, packaging and marketing, it stated. TradeArabia News Service Haiti - Politic : The Ministry of Planning discusses self-sufficiency with USAID Stevenson Jacques Thimoleon, the Director General of the Ministry of Planning and External Cooperation (MPCE) met this week with a delegation from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) on the theme of self-reliance, while the latest report of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reminds that Haiti still depends on the assistance of the United Nations to meet its food needs https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25642-haiti-humanitarian-haiti-depends-on-international-assistance-to-feed-its-population.html The Ministry's Technical Directors and Senior Executives participating in this first working session of a series aimed at strengthening collaboration between the Department and this important financial partner, have learned from the new USAID analytical framework, which measures the commitment and capacity of the Government and Civil Society in Haiti. The delegation explained the indicators of this new analysis grid and their roadmap presenting USAID's new mission is to see the partners progress and become autonomous. In this perspective, USAID relies on the Ministry to increase the effectiveness of its actions and their alignment with national priorities. Thimoleon reminded the delegation, the mission and the functions of the Ministry to help them better understand the tools and mechanisms promoted or developed by the MPCE, implemented in particular in the Strategic Plan of Development of Haiti (PSDH), the three-year investment plan (PTI) 2014-2016, the establishment of the PPPBSE chain and the coordination of development aid (CAED). Thimoleon advocates "[...] an alignment, effective ownership of development cooperation and non-fragmentation in order to achieve the Government's development goals, but also to allow international aid to realize its real vocation to know how to be effective and to disappear [...]" See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25642-haiti-humanitarian-haiti-depends-on-international-assistance-to-feed-its-population.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... Morals : 2 police officers arrested On Friday, Clame Ocnam Dameus, the Government Commissioner of Port-au-Prince arrested two of the five police officers who filmed in the evening of September 15, at Camille Leon Street, a couple in love in a car (and broadcast on the internet) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25607-haiti-news-zapping.html . They are agents Joassaint Estafort and Bombay Jean-Michel. Moreover, these 2 police offciers who would have drawn 2,500 gourdes from the couple, will be prosecuted for bribery and attacks on morals. Moise back home Friday, Jean-Marie Reynaldo Brunet, the Minister of the Interior and its Director General Fednel Monchery, alongside Prime Minister Jean Henry Ceant and other government officials, went to the Toussaint Louverture Airport, to host the President Jovenel Moise returns from his participation at the 73rd Ordinary Session of the United Nations General Assembly, held from 23 to 28 September in New York See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25657-haiti-flash-intervention-of-jovenel-moise-at-the-un-tribune-speech.html CSPJ : The appointment of Dameus disputed Following the recent appointment, by the Superior Council of the Judiciary (CSPJ), the Government Commissioner Ocnam Clame Dameus, as Coordinator of the Directorate of Judicial Inspection, the "Collective Defenders Plus" calls the CSPJ to reconsider this decision considering that "appointing an Executive Agent to the Judicial Inspectorate is tantamount to forcing the judges to work in the interest of the political power". Customs : new DG at PAP airport Thursday, Odly Dubreus the Deputy Director General of the General Administration of Customs (AGD) proceeded to the installation of Herve Joseph as the new Director General of the customs of Toussaint Louverture International Airport. He replaces Renet Previlon. The Minister of Social Affairs meets Ambassador Sison US Ambassador to Haiti Michele Sison met with Elise Gelin the new Minister of Social Affairs and Labor to discuss the implementation of the National Action Plan against Human Trafficking and the importance of tackling the critical problem of human trafficking in Haiti. They also discussed how trade union leaders, manufacturers and international partnerscan promote the respect of Haitian and international core labor standards for the continuous growth of employment and production in the industrial sector. For better physiotherapy services The Office of the Secretary of State for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities has visited the Haitian Society of Physiotherapy, an opportunity for physiotherapy professionals to promote this discipline and advocate for better services to patients. HL/ HaitiLibre Published on 2018/09/30 | Source The last thing dementia patients want to forget is memories of their family, especially their children, a survey shows. Advertisement Pharmaceutical company Handok asked 373 dementia patients at community health centers in 25 districts of Seoul what memory they wish to retain the most. Some 66 percent said memories of their family members are the most cherished. Next were memories of their own lives (12.5 percent), their home towns (3.5 percent) and friends (3.2 percent). Among memories of their family, 38 percent want to cherish memories of their children the most, followed by their family (28 percent), spouse (12.3 percent), parents (12 percent) and grandchildren (7.4 percent). Published on 2018/09/30 | Source Incheon International Airport will open the country's first duty-free shops in an arrivals section next year as part of a bid to support smaller companies as well as boost domestic spending. Advertisement The shops will not sell cigarettes, fruit or processed meat products, and each arrival will be allowed to buy only up to US$600 worth of products. Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon announced the plan on Thursday. It will require revising regulations by early 2019 and selecting operators, with the aim of opening the shops in late May or early June. After a six-month trial run, the arrivals sections at Gimpo, Daegu and other major airports across the country will also get their own duty-free shops. Only small and mid-sized companies can vie for the operating licenses, and any profits the airports make from the rent will be spent to support low-income households and other public welfare projects. Incheon will also set up a special booth that sells products made by SMEs. Some 149 airports in 73 countries already have duty-free shops in arrivals, and numbers are growing especially in Japan and China. Tesla CEO Elon Musk resigned yesterday as the chairman of the company after the US Securities and Exchange Commission slapped him with a hefty fine of $20 million over his aborted bid to take the company private. The SEC had sued the South African-born billionaire after he reportedly turned down an initial deal at the last minute. As part of the new agreement announced on Saturday settling the SECs suit, Musk will resign as Tesla chairman within 45 days, and he wont be able to be re-elected to the post for three years. He will stay as the company's CEO. Musk and Tesla will each pay a separate $20 million penalty, which will be distributed to harmed investors, and Tesla will appoint two new independent directors to its board. A judge will have to approve the settlement. The SEC's enforcement action brings to a conclusion a saga which began in early August, when Musk announced via Twitter that he had secured enough funding for a massive private buyout of Tesla. The SEC complaint alleged that in doing so, Musk issued "false and misleading" statements, and failed to properly notify regulators of material company events. Under the deal's terms, Musk and Tesla neither admit or deny wrongdoing alleged by regulators. "This matter reaffirms an important principle embodied in our disclosure-based federal securities laws," SEC chairman Jay Clayton said in a statement. "Specifically, when companies and corporate insiders make statements, they must act responsibly, including endeavouring to ensure the statements are not false or misleading and do not omit information a reasonable investor would consider important in making an investment decision," Clayton added. "Musk tweeted on August 7, 2018 that he could take Tesla private at $420 per share a substantial premium to its trading price at the time that funding for the transaction had been secured, and that the only remaining uncertainty was a shareholder vote," regulators said on Saturday. However, "in truth, Musk knew that the potential transaction was uncertain and subject to numerous contingencies. Musk had not discussed specific deal terms, including price, with any potential financing partners, and his statements about the possible transaction lacked an adequate basis in fact," they added. Published on 2018/09/30 | Source President Moon Jae-in (right) meets with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in New York on Tuesday. /Yonhap Advertisement There was little love lost on Tuesday between President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as they met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. The two leaders clashed over a deal compensating women who were forced into sexual slavery by imperial Japan during World War II. Abe urged Moon to "faithfully abide by the agreement" signed in murky circumstances with the Park Geun-hye administration in 2015 that indirectly compensates the victims but compels no admission of guilt from Tokyo. Moon instead hinted that his government will dismantle the foundation established in 2016 with 1 billion yen from Japan to support the former sex slaves. The foundation drew widespread criticism from the victims, political groups and the Korean public for agreeing to take the money in the absence of a sincere apology from Japan. At the beginning the two leaders were all smiles. Moon promised "active support and cooperation to ensure a North Korea-Japan summit" and added that he urged North Korean leader Kim Jong-un three times to hold a summit with Abe to resolve the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by the North. In his speech to the UN General Assembly, Abe also voiced his intention to meet Kim. But the atmosphere changed when Abe raised the issue of the former sex slaves, reiterating that as far as Tokyo is concerned the 2015 agreement settles the matter, and everything else was settled by a deal Park's father, strongman Park Chung-hee, signed with Japan back in 1965 normalizing diplomatic relations in return for lump-sum compensation for all crimes of the occupation. Moon said he does not intend to tear up or renegotiate the 2015 agreement, but explained that the foundation can't operate due to opposition from the victims and the public and faces increasing calls to be dismantled. He added that the issue requires a "wise resolution". Regarding Korean forced laborers in wartime, Moon said that some evidence has emerged that the Park administration attempted to influence judges in trials involving compensation for the victims. Among the 47 surviving former sex slaves, 36 accepted the money offered by Japan or said they would, and around 400 million yen has been spent. Dismantling the foundation could be interpreted as a refusal by Korea to hold up its side of the deal. Troubled by the prospect of reneging on an international treaty, the Moon Jae-in administration took the peculiar position of saying it will not backtrack on the agreement but tap into its own coffers instead to compensate the victims. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family cobbled together a W10 billion fund for that purpose. Seoul also pointed out that some parts of the agreement, like taking down statues honoring the victims in the vicinity of Japanese diplomatic missions, were simply not in the central government's power to implement since they stand on municipal land and break no laws. Political pundits in Japan fear that the issue of compensating victims of Japan's World War II atrocities will keep taking center stage in relations with Korea for the foreseeable future. One diplomatic source in Japan said, "If the Supreme Court of Korea makes a ruling ordering Japanese businesses to compensate victims of Japan's World War II atrocities, Tokyo will instruct businesses not to comply. This could lead to another source of friction". Select Group has acquired the 344-room niu Air Frankfurt Hotel from GBI AG, Germanys largest hotel developer. Ideally located at Rebstock Park on Frankfurt's Leonardo da Vinci Allee, the hotel is scheduled for completion in Q4,2019. Situated at the gateway to the much frequented exhibition grounds, the hotel will feature an innovative and open Living Lobby as a gathering place not only for hotel guests but also for locals. Catering to the modern traveller, all rooms are equipped with Bluetooth boxes, numerous sockets, USB ports, smart flat screens and high speed Wi-Fi. An Instagram wall and background beats throughout the building are additional distinctive features of the brand. Rahail Aslam, Group chief executive officer, Select Group, stated: We are very pleased with the addition of niu Air Frankfurt to Select Groups growing hospitality portfolio. This acquisition is in line with our strategy to invest in core European markets with a sound growth potential. The combination of GBI AGs credible track record of delivery, Novum Hospitality Groups expertise in hotel operations and the hotels strategic location, being in close proximity to major demand drivers such as the Frankfurt Messe and airport, will certainly place niu Air Frankfurt as a destination of choice for the discerning consumer and a great showcase for the exciting Niu brand. Reiner Nittka, CEO of GBI AG, said: "This is an impressive endorsement of how attractive the hotels developed by GBI AG in Germany have become for real estate companies operating worldwide. Choosing us from a global selection speaks for a high real estate and investment quality. "The thriving hotel market in Frankfurt with its steadily rising demand was decisive for our commitment to this transaction," explained Uwe Hellendahl, managing director, Duxton Capital the transaction advisors for this acquisition. According to PwC's European Cities Hotel Forecast, room revenues in Frankfurt increased by 3.7 per cent to EUR 85 in 2017. Revenues are forecast to continue rising over the next two years and for the first time Frankfurt recorded over nine and a half million stays. Like all hotels of the niu brand, the name of this hotel is also inspired by its location and surroundings. niu Air Frankfurt is located at the Leonardo da Vinci Allee. Hence, the epithet is 'Air' which refers to aviation and is a tribute to the aviation pioneers who have also been the godparents of the street names close-by. The air theme continues and is also reflected in the contemporary interior de-sign that is inspired by the first aviation experiments, including Zeppelin & Co. TradeArabia News Service Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) of Jordan welcomed a record 1,002,010 passengers (PAX) during one month during August - represented by an upturn of 6.8 per cent compared to 2017, said the Airport International Group. During the month, aircraft movements (ACM) increased by 8.8 per cent and handled cargo decreased by 16.8 per cent. Between January and August 2018, passengers travelling via QAIA amounted to 5,804,735, marking a 7.2 per cent growth in year-to-date (YTD) PAX numbers as opposed to the same period last year. In addition, figures registered a 3 per cent rise in ACM and a 2.9 per cent decline in cargo - with 52,365 movements and 68,996 tons respectively. August has been an extremely successful month, proudly crossing the one million passenger mark for the first time in QAIA history, said Kjeld Binger, CEO of Airport International Group. The increased activity we witnessed was led by the Eid al-Adha holiday, Hajj season and end of the summer vacation, reaffirming our standing as a leading airport in the region. To this end, we strive to continue to build on our achievements in order to maintain the exceptional and unique travel experience we provide, while further cementing QAIAs distinguished position on the global aviation map, Binger added. TradeArabia News Service Hitec Dubai 2018, a hospitality industry technology event, is an ideal forum for startups in the travel technology sector to promote their technology and convince target markets, said a travel trade expert. Speaking at the Hitec Dubai Advisory Council meeting recently, Samir Hamadeh, general manager of Alpha Destination Management, who is also a member of Hitec Council, stated: New technologies are revolutionising the travel industry with entrepreneurs targeting ever-narrower niches in each sector of the industry. At the same time, travel tech ecosystem is getting bigger with more diverse players getting involved and startups are an integral part of the structure. This is transforming our industry faster than ever, where small moves are creating massive disruptions. Co-produced by Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) and Naseba, Hitec Dubai 2018 is the regions largest hospitality Technology Exhibition and Conference and will be held on December 5 and 6, 2018 at the Madinat Jumeirah Dubai. Dubais drive towards technology-powered future is aimed at becoming the Middle Easts biggest tech hub and a pioneer in smart services. This is attracting to the emirate the worlds leading technology companies and events such as Hitec Dubai 2018 organised in association with Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). Events such as Hitec Dubai are the ideal forum to bridge the knowledge gap between startups and established brands as startups often face challenges both in commercialising their tech and in convincing target markets, said Hamadeh. Some of the most celebrated startup success stories that have emerged and inspired globally in recent years include names such as Dropbox, Airbnb and Reddit. Talking about the Middle East, Hamadeh said: Careem, a Dubai-based ride-hail startup has enjoyed great success and expanded into 26 cities across the region and beyond. Another home-based hero firm is e-commerce retailer Souq, once called the Amazon of the Middle East and now literally so. Amazon acquired Souq last year. Elaborating on the need for greater participation from startups at Hitec Dubai, Hamadeh added: It is important to engage startups from the Middle East in the show and listen to their ideas and concepts as well as give them an opportunity to connect with international technology leaders. After inception, accelerator and incubator programs and exposure in platforms such as Hitec Dubai can provide startups the springboard to realise the full potential of their ideas. This will not only encourage them but will also benefit the wider travel tech community. Startup investment in the UAE exceeded $1 billion in 2016 and continues to grow at a steady pace. UAE startups dominated the Middle East region attracting 70 per cent of all investment amounts in 2017. The industry gained huge momentum in the first half of 2018 and will end the year on a very favourable note with optimism for 2019. The growth of incubators and business accelerators like Turn8, ImpactHub, Astrolabs Dubai and In5 are all at the center of the drive to make Dubai the next Silicon Valley, with Dubai Internet City, the emirates designated technology and innovation zone, aiming for 10 per cent annual growth in the number of new business it hosts for 2018 and beyond. Further to that, technology giant Cisco recently demonstrated its confidence in Dubai when it opened an Innovation and Experience Centre. TradeArabia News Service For Subscribers Parents call for removal of books from school system libraries Two of the books that have explicit content are "Lawn Boy," by Jonathan Evison, and "L8r, g8r," by Lauren Myracle. By Daisy Katta, TwoCircles.net The news of the caste killing of Pranay in Telangana has sent shockwaves throughout India. This is not an isolated incident this has been preceded by cases of caste killings like Divya and Ilavarasan, Kausalya and Shankar and many others, following intercaste marriages. In such a scenario, it has become imperative to revisit the ideas of reformers like Periyar and his concept of self-respect and rationality. Ambedkar and Periyar were two radicals of their time who broke down the notions of Brahmanism and Brahmanic dogma and brought in a revolution of ideas to uplift the oppressed people. TwoCircles.net spoke to people who are taking on the Periyarist idea of Self Respect and trying to make a personal and political statement. Shridhar, 34, came to Mumbai in 2007 after he completed his engineering in Tamilnadu. He started staying in Dharavi, where many of the Tamil migrants stay, and being new to the city Shridhar got in touch with other youngsters from Tamil Nadu in Dharavi. It was a time when the Tamil Eelam movement was at its peak. Support TwoCircles This was also the time when he came in contact with people who were involved in the Ambedkarite and Periyar movement in Mumbai. Sridhar says that until he came in contact with them, he was a god-fearing person. He adds, There was so much going on, so many people were being killed. I questioned my own belief system. I read Buddha, Quran also the Bible looking for answers. In school no one taught us about Ambedkar, no one taught us about Periyar. He went back and studied both works of Ambedkar and Periyar. He worked in the Periyarist and Ambedkarite Movement and also started his own rationalist initiative called Awareness. Sridhar adds, I had almost 12 cases against me because of the protests within a span of four years from 2009 to 2012. People said look you an engineer you have a good job, but I wanted to do something good for the society. It is at this point where he decided that he needs to change his life, he learnt about the Self Respect Marriages and he wanted to implement that in his life. At the same time his family wanted him to get married, he had only one condition that it should be an intercaste marriage. But this wasnt as easy as he taught. He adds, Caste is like a pyramid, I saw that caste is everywhere, there is caste within caste itself, even within the Schedule Castes. Miles away in Tamil Nadu, Mohan (30) who is a artist and a Parai Trainer based in Tamil Nadu is planning to marry in next six months. He says that the works of Periyar and Ambedkar influenced him a lot in making this decision, also a chance visiting a friend respect marriage left a lasting impression on him. Mohan whose partner is an artist, have mutually decided to have a Self Respect Marriage. Mohan says, Ours will be an inter-caste and inter-religion marriage. Self-Respect marriage is about equalityI want to give equal respect to my partner. He further adds that he is planning to call people from the movement to the marriage so it can make people aware of this. Contested ideas of self-respect Both Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have seen a long tradition of the non-Brahmin movement. This radical anti-caste movement or the non-Brahmin movement was started by E Ramasamy Periyar in 1925. During 1925 in the midst of the nationalist movement, Periyar put forth the discourse of Self Respect. He proposed that every non-Brahmin caste should have equal human rights. This formulation of the idea of self-respect was different than what was propagated by Gandhi and Nehru. The Gandhian idea of self-respect came from more spiritualistic tenets of Hinduism specifically the varna system, where he said that the one should take dignity in labour and all occupations are equal. In contradiction, Nehrus idea of Self Respect came from more of nationalistic discourse and taking pride in being a nationalist. Periyar contested both of these ideas, saying that self-respect should start with the individual himself, and that there and said that basic Self Respect will only come through over-throwing Brahminical Hegemony and bring in rationality amongst the citizens. Periyar spoke in the context of caste-based society and said that national freedom is of no use if there is no individual self-respect. To break the hegemony of the Brahmins, Periyar conceptualised Self Respect Marriages. One of the earlier self-respect marriage took place between Shanmugam and Manjula who was a widow in Araku near Madurai in her early 1920s. But it was only in 1967 when DMK, which came from the Periyarite tradition under the leadership of Annadurai came to power, that Tamil Nadu became the first and only state to legalize Hindu marriages conducted without a Brahmin priest. Hence a self-respect marriage saw marriage as a contract in a more constitutional non-sacred non-religious way. It encouraged inter-caste marriages and widow remarriage. An amendment was brought under section 7A of Hindu Marriage Act which validated self-respect marriages. Basically, legalizing Self Respect Marriages threw out the regressive practices built on Brahmin Hegemony, firstly that being that it can take place without a Brahmin priest The Provisions of section 7 A Amendments are 1)Section 7-A of the Act applies to any marriage between two Hindus solemnized in the presence of relatives, friends and other persons. 2)The main thrust of this provision is that the presence of a priest is not necessary for the performance of a valid marriage.3) Parties can enter into a marriage in the presence of relatives or friends or other persons and each party to the marriage should declare in the language understood by the parties that each takes other to be his wife or, as the case may be, her husband.4)The marriage would be completed by a simple ceremony requiring the parties to the marriage to garland each other or put a ring on any finger of the other or tie a thali. The validity of Self Respect Marriages was critiqued on basis that, the movement of Self Respect was basically a political philosophy and marriage which is considered as a sacred and non-customary institution cannot be based on a radical political philosophy. It was also further objected on basis of Section 3(a) and Article 14 stating that it was contrary to the very tenets of Hinduism. The High Court ruled that it does not violate Article 14 since whoever wants to marry according to the Hindu Custom can do so through Hindu Marriage Act 1955. The High Court further ruled that the Hindu religion by itself is pluralistic in character and thus various forms of marriage have traditionally existed. Legal framework In 2011, the Supreme court declared the caste panchayats illegal and barbaric. In the purview of increasing caste violence perpetrated after inter-caste marriage, the Prohibition of Unlawful Assembly ( Interference with the Freedom of Matrimonial Alliances) Bill, 2011 proposes no person or any group of persons shall gather with an intention to deliberate on, or condemn any marriage, not prohibited by law, on the basis that such marriage has dishonored the caste or community tradition or brought disrepute to all or any of the persons forming part of the assembly or the family or the people of the locality concerned. Marriage, according to the draft law, includes a proposed or intended marriage. Though the Bills for Matrimonial interference and Unlawful assembly have been proposed since 2011 in the wake of increasing Caste/Honour Killings, it is yet to be made into a law. Ambedkar says that Endogamy is the only characteristic that is peculiar to caste. Thus the superposition of endogamy on exogamy means the creation of caste and both the surplus man and the surplus woman constitute a menace to the Caste if not taken care of. Like Ambedkar, Periyar did not trust to the enabling power of individual consciousness alone to bring about transformation. Consciousness war for him always already collective. Ambedkar in his thought-provoking essay, What is worse untouchability or slavery? mentions two kinds of law. One is the legal law and another is the public law which according to him in India works on the caste-normative. This public law often overpowers the legal constitutional laws in India. Not only that, observing closely, this public law undermines the practice of legal law in day to day life. The caste-normative propounded in the Manusmirti always looked down upon women as the citizen of fundamentally a human being. Therefore, even in the presence of constitutional law in front which men and women in India have equal rights, the public law that has been the everyday philosophy behind peoples action in public and personal places does not fully allow people to perceive women as an equal citizen. The instances of rape or domestic violence are often found dealt with as per the caste-background of the victims. Sridhar wanted to prove a point to the society, to turn around all the religious mores, he says, I started right from the invitation card, and quote of Dr.Ambedkar. We had called people from the Periyar and Ambedkarite Movement. My wife was worried as to what will people say if she doesnt wear a Mangalsutra. But then we both decided that we will wear a gold chain with a Bodhi tree leaf. Its been a few years since his marriage, although in Mumbai it is not yet legally validated. Sridhar says he has no choice apart from getting it registered in Tamil Nadu, but he is hopeful that some intellectual discourses have been created to take the idea of self-respect marriage forward. Like Mohan, Sridhar adds , Many people are having inter caste marriages, but they might do it according to the customs of either of the community their partners belong. Sridhar echos similar sentiment , he says, Its now that people are learning to give self respect to themselves, they are refusing dowries and other such things, so it is slowly catching up. Sridhar aims to take up the Self Respect Marriage and hopes that it is validated in other states. He says, There needs to be a community of people who do not adhere to any caste or religion, or those who dont believe in it, we need such people to come together, to form a community on their own. After claims and counter claims, heres an opinion on the ongoing controversy surrounding Tanushree Duttas allegations of sexual harassment against actor Nana Patekar that makes for a compelling read. Well-known actor, Renuka Shahane, immensely popular as the bhabhi in Hum Aapke Hain Koun! has come out in support of Tanushree and has questioned the way the film industry works in a Facebook post. Renuka begins by stating clearly that while she supports many of Tanushrees claims, she doesnt refute the fact that Nana may not be all black. She states that Nana is known in the industry, both for his temper as well as his charity and that many have faced his wrath before. However, she reasons that even if one was to accept that it may not have been Nanas intention to molest, if a colleague says that she was uncomfortable with certain steps, what stopped the other members of the team (director, choreographer and producer) to not change it? She questions, Tanushree made it clear that she was uncomfortable with a certain step in the dance and did not like Nanas gesture/touch during that step. Even if Nanas intentions might not have been to molest her, couldnt he, the director and the choreographer come up with a step that made her feel comfortable? Would the film have suffered earth shatteringly if the steps were changed so that an actor felt more comfortable? (File Photo): Tanushree Dutta during the launch of Samsung product in New Delhi (May 24, 2006). (REUTERS) She wonders if the matter would have played out differently if the lady in question had been the daughter of one of those four men. In a sarcastic vein, she writes, that after all, there is a difference in being a beti (daughter) and beti jaisi (like a daughter). If she was truly the daughter of any of the men around would they have really asked her to do something that made her feel very uncomfortable or would they want to change the step? Shayad yehi fark hai beti jaisi or asli beti hone mein! Her damning indictment continues, And now lets come to the aftermath. Whose career did this incident affect? None of the men had a difficult time. Their ego had won! The men got all the support that any industry (not just the film industry) gives to powerful men. The only person who was traumatized was Tanushree. The scars have still not healed. Please do the math. In an era where sentiments easily get hurt, she comments on the overreaction to Tanushrees actions. She talks of how an environment of intimidation was created by alleged members of a political party. She continues: As if four full grown men werent enough against one girl, allegedly some members of a political party were called in to intimidate Tanushree and her parents! WTH!!! If that is not a huge overreaction then what is? Allegedly, the political party wanted Tanushree to apologise for hurting the pride of Maharashtra. Can you believe this? Would this behaviour, to force a girl uncomfortable with a dance step, really make Maharashtra proud? Isnt the pride of Maharashtra enshrined in respecting women and making it safer for women to live life? Tanushree has spoken up about the alleged sexual harassment at the hands of Nana on the sets of the 2008 film, Horn OK Pleassss and how choreographer Ganesh Acharya and director of the film did nothing about it. Her claims have found support from a number of young Bollywood stars including Farhan Akhtar, Priyanka Chopra, Parineeti Chopra and Richa Chadha. However, Tanushree has taken umbrage to Priyanka calling her a survivor stating that she has a name. Read the complete post here: Nana Patekar is known as much for his volatile temper as he is for his phenomenal talent or his social service towards farmers. Many men & women from the film industry have faced his wrath. I have never worked with either Nana or Tanushree & neither was I a part of Horn Ok Pleassss. But there are some points in Tanushrees story that resonate with me. Id like to share them: 1) Tanushree made it clear that she was uncomfortable with a certain step in the dance and did not like Nanas gesture/touch during that step. Even if Nanas intentions might not have been to molest her, couldnt he, the director and the choreographer come up with a step that made her feel comfortable? Is the work place meant for terrorising people or about working in a healthy atmosphere? Would the film have suffered earth shatteringly if the steps were changed so that an actor felt more comfortable? What made Tanushree uncomfortable might not cause discomfort to other women perhaps but that is no reason for the men on the set to gang up against a person who is part of their team. If she was truly the daughter of any of the men around would they have really asked her to do something that made her feel very uncomfortable or would they want to change the step? Shayad yehi fark hai beti jaisi or asli beti hone mein! 2) As if four full grown men werent enough against one girl, allegedly some members of a political party were called in to intimidate Tanushree and her parents! WTH!!! If that is not a huge overreaction then what is? Allegedly, the political party wanted Tanushree to apologise for hurting the pride of Maharashtra. Can you believe this? Would this behaviour, to force a girl uncomfortable with a dance step, really make Maharashtra proud? Isnt the pride of Maharashtra enshrined in respecting women and making it safer for women to live life? Talk about ironies! 3) And now lets come to the aftermath. Whose career did this incident affect? None of the men had a difficult time. Their ego had won! The men got all the support that any industry ( not just the film industry) gives to powerful men. The only person who was traumatized was Tanushree. The scars have still not healed. Please do the math. P.S: A little birdie from the set told me that the great producer of that particular film had many legal issues about non payment of dues & even talk of being funded by the underworld. But hey hey hey thats okay I guess. He must have been impeccably honest. After all he was upholding the pride of Maharashtra! Right??? There are small people( both men & women) with big egos in many places of power all over the world. When I see that too many people gang up against one person I consider that bullying and bullying cannot be right from any angle. It dehumanizes the victim! Follow @htshowbiz for more The world was a different place when Frederick Forsyth wrote his first novel. The year was 1967. Forsyth, broke from being a news correspondent in West Africa, thought it might help to write a novel. It wasnt the brightest idea. People said Rob a bank if you like; dont write a book, he recalls. But he did anyway. He based his first story on his time as a 23-year-old rookie in France, covering the chaotic aftermath of the attempted assassination of President Charles de Gaulle in 1962. The Day of the Jackal, didnt just change Forsyths fortunes; it altered the template of the espionage thriller. The book focused on spy-craft, intelligence and counter-intelligence, and had a mystery that lasted until the end. A hit film followed, as did 20 more books and a style that influenced writers for decades. It was all luck, luck, luck for me, he says. Fifty-six years on, The Fox follows a young hacker the British use to spy on enemy nations. But The Fox is a novel in disguise an old-fashioned spy tale underneath the barest references to technology. Agents place coded ads in the papers when its time to meet. Readers get explanations for Trojans and firewalls The Fox is a clever book. An old-fashioned spy novel disguised as a tech thriller. What made you think of writing about hacking? Id read that somewhere in Britain, a young man [activist Lauri Love] had been charged by the American government with breaking into one of their most secret databases. But he also had a fragile mind he had Asperger Syndrome, which makes it hard to get along with other people, but was at home in cyberspace. I didnt know such a brain existed. Everything Ive ever written about has depended upon two half-answered questions: What would happen if? and Would it be possible to? I wondered what it would be like to take this young man with a strange talent, put him on the payroll, and have him peek into our enemies secret archives. Parts of the book are almost eerily familiar, especially the bits about Russia sending assassins to kill spies in England. I didnt even need to look at the papers. The poisoning of a former Russian spy in Salisbury in March had nothing to do with computers, like in my book. But it was an indication that the man in Kremlin was prepared to murder people in foreign countries if he was upset enough. By the time I wrote the book, hed already done it. I didnt even need to hack into a database to figure out what he was thinking. I didnt name Putin, but its obvious its him. I didnt name Trump either, but its obvious its him. Thats my little joke. Your first book, The Day of the Jackal, is so meticulous: post-boxes are watched, paper trails examined. Theres almost no tech. Do you think we rely on the digital world too much now? Id say yes; because I dont. I dont go online, Im not on Twitter or Instagram, or Facebook, where you believe you have 400 friends but cant tell if they may want to kill you. People hurl horrible insults online. I choose not to engage. We were told the computer would be our servant, but it is now our master. In the film version of The Day of The Jackal, everything is meticulous. Even assassins do test runs and make measured adjustments to their process. (Universal Pictures) And yet, as your books show, you can still bring down governments and orchestrate assassinations without tech. How has spying changed between Jackal and The Fox? Back in the 40s and 50s, almost all espionage was about people. Then technology crept in. Americans got satellites to look down on us. But radio signals, email and mobiles could be intercepted, and so the old person-to-person methods are coming back. Were realising that all espionage is about people. Or rather all espionage is about men? There are hardly any women in The Fox. Thats because in that world there arent many women. Its not sexism. The worlds I write about are still predominantly male; they shouldnt be, but they are. And 70% of my readers are male. What else has stayed the same? Mankinds fascination with espionage. It goes back to the Christian and Jewish Bibles. The British have a long tradition of espionage. Weve been doing it since Queen Elizabeth I appointed Francis Walsingham as her spymaster. But the time the CIA was formed in 1947, wed been doing it for more than 300 years. Id agree. You were a spy for MI6 in West Africa in the 60s and 70s and only revealed it to the world in 2015... We are a secretive people. Its a bit of a British specialty still, as youll see in how The Fox plays out. The air quality in the national capital turned poor on Saturday, after a gap of almost two months. The last time the citys air quality had entered the poor zone was in the first week of August when the winds brought in huge amounts of dust particles from Oman. The situation in Gurgaon and Greater Noida was worse, with the air quality levels on the brink of being very poor. SAFAR, which works under the ministry of earth sciences and is Indias official pollution forecasting system, has forecast that pollution levels are likely to increase over the next two days. The Supreme Court-appointed body Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) has called for a meeting on Friday to explore possible solutions to control local dust. The air quality of Delhi started deteriorating since Thursday night and by Friday the average air quality of the city was standing at 197, just four notches below the poor zone. On Saturday, the AQI in Delhi was recorded to be 219, which is poor according to the National Air Quality Index. Pollution levels started increasing soon after rains stopped in the city. The AQI of Gurgaon and Greater Noida were 298 and 299 respectively, said a senior official of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). On a scale of 0 500, an AQI value between 201 and 300 is considered to be poor while a value between 301 and 400 is considered to be very poor. Beyond 400 it is tagged as severe. In the winter of 2017,- Delhi encountered a week-long spell of smog when the AQI hit a peak of 486 on November 9. CPCB scientists had then blamed it on incoming dust particles from west Asia. Experts said that the sudden spike in pollution levels this time is because of the rise in natural and coarse dust particles, the levels of which have shot up alarmingly since September 24 the day when Delhi received its last monsoon rain. From around 39ug/m3 at 6pm on September 24, the level of PM10 (coarse dust particles) has shot up to 254ug/m3 around the same time on Saturday. It is now more than 2.5 times above the daily permissible limits of 100ug/m3, said the CPCB official. The level of PM2.5 (ultrafine particles that comes out from vehicles, industries and garbage burning) has also risen, but not to that extent. PM2.5 level was registered to be 101 ug/m3 at 6 pm on Saturday. The permissible limit is 60ug/m3. Such deterioration of air quality is normal during this time of the year when southeasterly winds of the monsoon season gives way to northwesterly winds before winter. During this time the air becomes dry and its velocity is almost zero. As a result, local pollutants are not getting dispersed. This will continue till wind speed picks up, said D Saha, former head of the CPCBs air quality laboratory. We are gradually entering the danger zone because the rains have ended and winter is approaching. We have to take stock of the preparedness before the Graded Response Action Plan comes into play from October 15 and tougher measures would have to be implemented to keep situations under control, said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy) at Centre for Science and Environment. At least 20 traffic heavy stretches across Delhi may soon get location-specific decongestion plans to reduce traffic jams and facilitate smooth vehicular movement, officials from Delhi Traffic Police said. As a pilot project, Delhi Traffic Police has already implemented decongestion plans at two locations Teen Murti roundabout and Shanti Van-ISBT Kashmere Gate stretch near Yamuna Bazaar area on Ring Road. The plan to tweak traffic movement includes allowing one-way traffic during specific hours on certain stretches, enforcing diversions, and closing or opening particular sections of roads. Traffic police officials said the decongestion plans have already started yielding results at both the locations. Preliminary estimates show that on the Teen Murti roundabout, there was a 50-60% reduction in waiting time since the decongestion plan was implemented, while on the Shanti Van-ISBT Kashmere Gate stretch there was a 40% reduction in hold-up period, officials said. We have started new traffic plans at two stretches and are in the process of identifying other areas. Dedicated plans are being made for each of these areas based on a study pertaining to the traffic volume, kind of traffic, and need of the commuters, said joint commissioner of police (traffic) Alok Kumar. Traffic police have closed traffic on Kushak Road moving towards the Teen Murti roundabout during the peak traffic hours in the evening (5pm to 9pm). Officials said traffic is diverted to adjacent roads of Teen Murti Marg and South Avenue. This has reduced bunching of vehicles at the roundabout, officials said. This plan, which started from August 23, is operational during weekdays. The second plan targets the Shanti Van-ISBT Kashmere Gate stretch. It was first put in place on a trial basis on September 25 and will be implemented on Tuesdays and Saturdays between 5pm and 9pm, when the devotee rush at the Hanuman Temple increases snarls along the stretch. No traffic will be allowed on Ring Road from Shantivan Chowk towards Hanuman Setu on both days. Traffic from Red Fort and Chandni Chowk on Nishad Raj Marg heading towards Kashmere Gate ISBT would not be allowed to take a left on Ring Road. Vehicles will have to go straight on Raja Ram Kohli Marg and take a left on the Ring Road (Salimgarh) bypass for Kashmere Gate ISBT. Meanwhile, traffic on Ring Road from Rajghat, heading towards Kashmere Gate, will have to take a right on Raja Ram Kohli Marg. From there, vehicles can take a left to cover the journey on Ring Road bypass. Similar plans are being studied for other traffic heavy stretches, officials said. In fact, the traffic department had earlier this year released a list of 137 traffic prone spots in the city, which have remained clogged for over a decade. Delhi Gate intersection, Kalkaji Mandir crossing (Outer Ring Road), Khajoori Chowk, Loni Road crossing, Lajpat Nagar intersection (Ring Road below the flyover), Majnu Ka Tila, Moti Bagh intersection (Ring Road below the flyover), Punjabi Bagh Chowk, and Uttam Nagar metro station crossing, were a few traffic heavy stretches identified in the list. Our focus will be to ease these points. Even if all of these do not require a change of circulation plan, we will find alternatives such as additional deployment or installing traffic signals to find solutions, Kumar said. Universities and colleges in Delhi celebrated surgical strike day on Saturday to mark the second anniversary of the Indian Armys strike at terror pods across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The educational institutions were advised by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to observe the day. While the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) organised a series of day-long events, Jamia Millia Islamia had a two-day gala to celebrate the surgical strike day. Even though the colleges across the Delhi University (DU) organised their individual programmes, the university administration also held a talk session by retired army officers and defence experts on the strike. At JNU, amid cheers of bharat mata ki jai, Major General (retd.) Gagandeep Bakshi said, The surgical strike was just a glimpse of what we can do. It was just to give them an idea that they (Pakistan) cannot kill our soldiers and get away with it I wish more such strikes should take place in the future and it should not stop with one The blood of over 80,000 Indian soldiers who died in the asymmetric wars that Pakistan raged against us from time to time should not go in vain. Bakshi said that no other educational institution in the country has as intimate relationship with the security forces as JNU. JNU gives degrees to six defence institutions and in this way all of us are alumni to JNU, he said. JNU Rector-III RP Singh said that the day gave the university an opportunity to pay tribute to their security forces. Its not just to about the surgical strike day. It is an opportunity to recognise the valour and sacrifices of our soldiers, he said. In Delhi Universitys colleges, including SGTB Khalsa college, Ramjas college, Lady Shri Ram college, Hansraj college and Aryabhatta college, parades and demonstrations were conducted by the NCC cadets. We organised a talk session wherein students got opportunity to discuss the surgical strike incident with the retired army officers. We also paid tribute to the Kargil martyrs, said Manoj Khanna, principal at Ramjas College. While the students at Lady Shri Ram college took a pledge in the support for the armed forces, a demonstration of how to defend the borders was organised at SGTB Khalsa college. In Jamia Millia Islamia, around 500 students scribbled messages on postcards and letters and sent that to Indian army personnel. The students were also shown a short film on surgical strike. Retried Colonel Gopal Singh, who was invited to deliver a lecture to students said, I am so overwhelmed by seeing the strength of students and their enthusiasm here. I would urge the youth to join army and keep nation as the prime concern of their lives. The NCC (National Cadet Corps) unit of the university also took out a parade. Most cases of uncomplicated acute appendicitis can be treated using antibiotics and do not require surgery, according to a large study from Finland that has turned on its head the standard treatment for the very common, painful and potentially life-threatening abdominal infection. Using antibiotics alone treated three in five patients with uncomplicated, with only 39.1% of the patients initially treated with antibiotics alone needing surgery over the next five years, found the five-year observational follow-up of 257 patients ages 18 to 60 years in Finland. This long-term follow-up supports the feasibility of antibiotic treatment alone as an alternative to surgery for uncomplicated acute appendicitis, the say authors in the study published in JAMA, which is the Journal of American Medical Association. The appendix is a finger-shaped pouch in the colon located in the lower right abdomen. Once considered a useless, vestigial organ that was expendable, the appendix has lately been identified as a reservoir for beneficial good gut bacteria, which helps the digestive system recover after bouts of diarrhoeal and other gastrointestinal illnesses. For more than a century, surgery has been the standard treatment for appendicitis, which is an inflammation of appendix because of acute infection and that causes symptoms of sudden, severe pain in the lower abdomen, nausea, vomiting and abdominal bloating. Uncomplicated appendicitis is infection without complications such as perforation, abscess, or suspicion of a tumour. Medicines first Antibiotic treatment led to fewer complications and faster recoveries, with the antibiotic group taking an average of 11 days of sick leave to recover, compared to 22 days taken by those who underwent surgery. Antibiotics also lowered complication rate to 6.5%, compared a rate of 24% post surgery, mostly as a result of infections. Though the study did not compare costs, patients who do not undergo an operation spend less on treatment, including treating surgical complications. On average, the surgery patients stayed in the hospital for three days, while those treated using antibiotics were given three days of intravenous drugs in hospital, followed by one week of oral antibiotics prescription after discharge. The antibiotics used were intravenous Ertapenem for three days followed by seven days of oral Levofloxacin and Metronidazole, all of which are broad-spectrum antibiotics that act against a wide range of disease causing bacteria. An important finding was that none of the patients in the antibiotics group who eventually needed an operation had complications related to delaying surgery. Although patients may be concerned about the ultimate need for surgery from the health outcome perspective, non-surgical treatment in uncomplicated appendicitis before proceeding for surgery is a reasonable option, said an accompanying editorial in JAMA. Right price The studys finding is not entirely surprising and is a long-term follow-up Appendicitis Acuta (APPAC) trial in 2015, which compared the outcomes for open appendectomy (appendix removal) with antibiotic therapy for acute uncomplicated appendicitis and declared antibiotics were a reasonable alternative to surgery. Of the 257 patients in the antibiotic group, 186 (73%) initially treated with antibiotics did not require surgery after one year, but concerns were raised on whether the antibiotics just improved the situation temporarily and if initial drug treatments left patients worse off later if they eventually did need surgery. Despite the evidence on the effectiveness of antibiotics, experts groups recommended that the APPAC results could not be used for clinical decision-making until the long-term outcomes were known for the patients on antibiotic treatment, which was provided by the few study. These findings have great implications in places, such as many parts of rural India, where surgeons are not available 24x4 for emergency surgeries. Further research now needs to identify the best treatment for appendicitis compared to minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery, which is replacing conventional open surgery in most parts of the world, including in India. Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter: @htlifeandstyle SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Venom actor Riz Ahmed was on the Jimmy Kimmel show to promote the upcoming antihero film and he spoke about his upcoming track, Mogambo. Riz moonlights as a rapper by the name of Riz MC. A fascinated Kimmel asked Riz what the title means, and the actor launched into a passionate talk about Mr India and Amrish Puris iconic character. Ive heard this word before, what does it mean, asks Jimmy. Riz replies, Mogambo is probably the most famous supervillain in all of Bollywood film history. Hes really famous because hes got the best catchphrase. The moment when @jimmykimmel said "mogambo khush hua". Post ur a vid of your best #mogambo impression, lemme see what u got! New track #mogambo drops 3rd October pic.twitter.com/zQJqr8GRfi Riz Ahmed (@rizmc) September 28, 2018 Riz tells Jimmy that he loves Mr India, the Anil Kapoor-Sridevi film directed by Shekhar Kapur, and that he used to watch it as a five-year-old. Riz is a Britisher of Pakistani origin. A sequel to the film has long been in the pipeline, with the cast and producer Boney Kapoor expressing interest, but with the recent death of Sridevi, the plans are up in the air. When Jimmy asks Riz what the catchphrase is, Riz says that hell tell him, but Jimmy will have to try and say it as well. Mogambo khush hua (Mogambo is pleased), Riz says in his best Amrish Puri impression, and Jimmy nails it in one go. Riz tweeted out a video of the exchange and asked his fans to send him their own videos of the classic line. Riz has been retweeting replies. Riz is known for starring in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Jason Bourne, Nightcrawler, Mira Nairs The Reluctant Fundamentalist and HBOs The Night Of, for which he became the first Muslim, first Asian and first South Asian male to win an acting Emmy. He plays Carlton Drake, a genius billionaire in Venom, a spin-off of the Spider-Man series, starring Tom Hardy as the titular character. Drake will transform into the villainous Riot in the film, directed by Ruben Fleischer and due out on October 5. Well have to wait and watch if he incorporates Mogambo into his performance. Follow @htshowbiz for more At least 109 people, including 56 security personnel, were killed in 2,855 incidents of cross-border firing and ceasefire violations by Pakistani forces along the border in Jammu and Kashmir between January 2016 and July this year, an RTI response has revealed. The information provided by the Kashmir desk of the Union home ministry to Jammu-based RTI activist Raman Sharma showed a steep increase in ceasefire violations by Pakistani forces this year, compared to 2016 and 2017 along the international border (IB) and Line of Control (LoC). Till July, there were 1,435 ceasefire violations by Pakistan as compared to 449 in 2016 and 971 in 2017. The numbers showed that firing and violations by Pakistani forces increased post the surgical strikes by the Indian Army on terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), two years back on September 29. The home ministrys response stated that during the period, 35 armymen and 21 BSF personnel were killed. Also, 28 civilians were killed this year, more than the combined figures of 2016 and 2017 13 and 12. Besides, since January 2016 till this July, 565 people, including 263 security personnel, had been injured. This number comprised 302 civilans, the home ministry response said. Faced with criticism from Sikhs for skipping his visit to a gurdwara in Dachar village of Karnal on Friday, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar has clarified that he cancelled the visit as the gurdwara management refused to remove a portrait of Khalistan ideologue Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale installed in the langar hall. I had earlier allotted time to visit the gurdwara, but later we came to know about Bhindrawales photo there. They (gurdwara management) were asked to remove it, but they refused to do so, following which I cancelled my visit, Khattar told mediapersons here on Saturday. The CM undertook a day-long visit to 13 tiraths (pilgrimage sites) in Karnal, his constituency, on Friday. In addition to these sites, he was scheduled to visit the gurdwara in Dachar village. On the gurdwara managements argument that the portrait was installed several years ago, he said, It doesnt matter when it was installed. We appealed them to remove it and they didnt do so. Regarding the protest by agitated Sikhs in the village after cancellation of his visit to the gurdwara, the CM said, Law will take its own course if someone takes it into their own hands. The protesters had vandalised a fire brigade vehicle in the village and an FIR was registered against about 50 unknown people. The CM, who visited the Dera Kar Sewa here on Saturday, said he has conveyed his message to the members of the Sikh community. Sikhs hold meeting On the other hand, local Sikhs later held a meeting in the Dera Kar Sewa on Saturday and demanded that the CM apologise in the village gurdwara, failing which they will boycott the BJP. We have decided to boycott the BJP and its leaders, including chief minister, ministers and MLAs, until the CM apologises, said Janpal Singh, president of the gurdwara committee of Dachar village. Talking to mediapersons, Baba Sukha Singh of Gurdwara Kar Sewa, who chaired the meeting, said, The decision to boycott BJP leaders was taken unanimously in the meeting. Janpal said they have called another meeting in Dachar village on October 6. If the CM doesnt apologise till then, we may boycott Prime Minister Narendra Modis rally in Karnal on November 1. The controversy The members of gurdwara committee had claimed on Friday that they were told by the district administration last week that the CM will visit the gurdwara in the village at around 1.30 pm on Friday and also partake langar there. We were told to remove the statue of Khalistan ideologue Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale on Friday morning, but we refused to do so, saying this could lead to tension in the village. However, the authorities did not inform us that the CM will not visit if we will not remove the statue, Janpal said. We prepared langar for about 1,000 people, including sugar-free kheer for the CM as instructed by the authorities. But at the last moment, the CMs visit was cancelled and he left after paying obeisance at a temple near the gurdwara, he added. Chief Justice of India (CJI)-designate Ranjan Gogoi on Saturday said he intends to focus on dealing with a rising backlog of cases clogging up the courts and providing access to justice to the poor. Two things are troubling me--pendency of case, which brings in a lot of disrepute to courts, and providing justice to poverty-stricken population, justice Gogoi said in his keynote address in New Delhi at an interactive session on the Role of Bar and Bench in Social Engineering, organised by the Youth Bar Association of India. On an increasing number of civil cases that add to pendency, justice Gogoi said: In civil cases, parties get relief after two or three generations. I have a plan to tackle it and request everyones support. Supreme Court judges have often expressed concern at the increasing backlog of cases in the judicial system, with outgoing CJI Dipak Misra in June writing a letter to all high court chief justice to focus on reducing pendency in the high courts and lower courts. According to the data available on the National Judicial Data Grid, a monitoring tool to identify, manage and reduce pendency of cases, the backlog reached alarming levels, touching 33 million currently. Of these 33 million cases, 27.8 million cases were pending in the subordinate courts. The backlog in 24 high courts across the country stood at 4.3 million. The Supreme Court had a pendency of over 57,000 cases. Of all the pending cases, 60% are more than two years old, while 40% are more than five year old. As per the National Judicial Data Grid, Uttar Pradesh had the highest pendency at 6.158 million cases; the lowest pendency was in the high court of Jammu and Kashmir at 148,000 cases. Justice Gogoi takes over as the 42nd Chief justice of India on October 3. He will be the first CJI from the northeast. Justice Gogoi added that the increasing case pendency and access to justice to the poor were the two issue that have to be addressed. We have done well in terms of Jurisprudence, he said, also reminding the bar of its role in shaping the society. . Senior advocate Sanjay Hegde said both issues raised by Justice Gogoi are chronic problems for the Indian legal system. Access to justice is a problem world wide whether the issue can be solved on the judicial side, we dont know. It requires massive government intervention and working in tandem with the judiciary, he said. A Class 9 student killed herself a day after she was allegedly gang-raped by three men on her way back home from school, police said. The police have arrested one of the rape accused while the other two are absconding. According to an officer at Kultali police station, the 14-year-old was abducted by three men on Friday evening when she was returning home from school. She was taken to a deserted place where the three allegedly took turns to rape her, police said. The girl was in an unconscious state when she was dumped in front of her maternal grandfathers house late on Friday night, police officials familiar with the matter said on the condition of anonymity. The girls parents said that on Saturday she consumed pesticides when her grandfather had gone out of the house. The girl was taken to the Kultali block hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead. Her family lodged a complaint at Kultali police station on Saturday. The post-mortem has been conducted and we are waiting for the report. Meanwhile, search is on for the other two accused, said a police officer requesting anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the media. Baruipur superintendent of police Arijit Sinha could not be reached for comments. The culprits must receive exemplary punishment, demanded Jaykrishna Haldar, former MLA of Kultali and a leader of Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) It was her mothers training to limit portions of food at the dining table that Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has deftly put to use in Parliament. So if MPs who break bread with her, be it during an all party meeting or a conference, are left wondering why the portions in their thali are half of what they used to be, they need to go dig into her past. Brought up in a modest household, Sumitra watched her mother counsel family members against wasting food. Therefore, soon after she took over, Mahajan not only replaced lavish buffets with a no-fuss thali but also instructed the staff to limit portions. Instead of four pakoras give two because it is always better to serve less than let food go waste, she said. The mother in her also ensured that complaints of cold food were resolved. During her predecessor Meira Kumars tenure, there were issues with storing gas cylinders within the Parliament House premises. But Sumitra Mahajan succeeded in getting piped gas, which has led to hot food being served to MPs. Being the Lok Sabha speaker When Prime Minister Narendra Modi handpicked the soft-spoken Sumitra Mahajan as Lok Sabha Speaker over many others, there were doubts whether the then 71-year-old would be able to steer the House into order. In the last four years that she has held the post, disruptions have marked sessions of Parliament. Mahajan cracked the whip when she suspended Congress MPs from Lok Sabha for unruly behavior in the House. Congress leader Sonia Gandhi had then decried Mahajans act as a black day for Indian democracy. Mahajan, on her part, agreed. Of course it was a black day but who was responsible for this? It is a black spot on the conduct of those obstructing proceedings, Mahajan said quite confident that her action was correct. In any case she is not the first Speaker to use her powers to discipline unruly members. Her predecessor Meira Kumar too had suspended MPs after one of them used pepper spray in the House. That afternoon four years ago, mikes and computer screens too were broken. Making a difference But this is one part of being Speaker and Mahajan surely does not want to limit her role to playing headmistress. She is determined to make a difference and among the many initiatives she has taken, one is to reach out to legislators and bring them out of their states to focus on development. It was to use empowered women to empower the nation, she said. The idea followed her restlessness at the mere tokenism when women gathered every year to celebrate Womens Day, gulp gallons of coffee and go back home. Mahajan decided to give this a new meaning and use women lawmakers do their bit. The next time around, the men said that they should also be included and it became broad-based. Sumitra Mahajan is the longest-serving woman member of Parliament, this being her eighth term. She has never lost a Lok Sabha election, her first being in 1989. However, when it came to assembly elections, she was thrice unlucky. She lost from Indore, a constituency which returned her as an MP over and over again. Dushman bahut hain Despite consecutive wins, things have not been easy. If in 2014, she had an impressive margin of over four lakh votes, she barely managed to retain her seat in 2009. Envious of her dream run, there were many who wanted to see her out. Had the party not checked inner sabotage, Sumitra Mahajan may have stumbled then. For someone who has learnt to take things in her stride, Mahajans ability to take people along has helped her steer clear of controversy. Her life may be an open book, but it is not free of enemies. Dushman bahut hain, many enemies. But I dont waste time on them. I tread my path, look at the positives and move on, Mahajan said somewhat philosophically. Of ice-creams, saris and watches Popular as Tai, Marathi word for elder sister, Sumitra Mahajan has often played the role and mediated to settle disputes. This did take a toll on her husband Jayants legal practice. Being a lawyer, he handled marital disputes. But Sumitra made him promise that he would let her counsel his clients against divorce and she would often resolve discords amicably and her husband would be left holding a brief that never reached the courts. It broke Sumitras heart to see estranged couples spew venom at each other. However, her husbands death took away the fun days and put an end to her eating ice-creams and shopping. It was a post dinner ritual to ride the pillion for ice cream. And it was never one ice-cream. We would try many flavours at one go. After Jayants death, Sumitra Mahajan has almost given up on ice-cream. Her enviable collection of saris, mostly Chanderis and Maheshwaris, is because her husband bought her countless, like he did jewellery. The reason she has more ear studs than gold chains is because those were cheaper. There was limited money and we could not afford to buy chains, she said, delving into the past. Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan has an enviable collection of saris, mostly Chanderis and Maheshwaris. (Burhaan Kinu/HT Photo) Sumitra Mahajans current passion is watches. She has dozens of them, her favourite brand being an Indian one. I have a weakness for watches and change one almost every day. When she travels abroad, even if she does not buy one because the prices are prohibitive, a must-do on her list is to go window -- shopping and see what is trending. Had it not been for the imposition of the Emergency by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Sumitra Mahajan would have been content being a homemaker and taking care of her kids. I could not be a fence sitter Politics in any case was not Sumitra Mahajans first choice. She entered it rather late. The wrongs perpetuated during the Emergency had to be corrected and I could not be a fence sitter, she said. For starters, she took it upon herself to take care of families of leaders who had been thrown in jail, pedalling to their homes with packets of food. It was Sumitras father, who ingrained in her the concept of politics being a national service. Appa to her, Purushotam Neelkanth Sathe was a RSS Sanghachalak. His second marriage to a widow way back in 1937 had kicked up a storm in Chiplun, Maharashtra. A believer of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family), the concept of having a property was alien to Sathes children. So when Sumitra Mahajan expressed the need for apna makaan (own house) she was told that their home is in the peoples heart. It is another matter that when she married, her in-laws home was a three-storey building. Or that as Speaker, her official vehicle is a Jaguar worth lakhs of rupees, a big jump from the bicycle that she used to tour her constituency, and later a moped that her husband bought her. Even as a politician, the mother in Sumitra Mahajan never took a back seat. She has often made party colleagues wait because her son suddenly demanded that she makes ladoos before she left for a party meeting. Ladoo banane ke baad aati hoon, (I will come after making ladoos) Mahajan had then called the party office to say that she was running late. Like every good Hindu and especially one belonging to the BJP, Sumitra Mahajan also used to give discourses on the Ramayana. Women, she felt, had little time to read and therefore she took it upon herself to deliver sermons. It was during these interactions that she initiated many of her ilk to take a leaf from history. She regaled them with stories of Ahilyabai Holkar, the Maratha Queen, whose reign was legendary: I am her disciple, Mahajan said, quite keen that she too should leave her footprints on the sands of time. An executive of global tech company Apple Inc was cremated in the presence of Uttar Pradesh ministers and family members on Sunday, a day after a constable allegedly shot him dead in Lucknows Gomti Nagar as the 38-year-old tried to drive away from two policemen on patrol duty. Additional director general of police Rajeev Krishna said a special investigation team (SIT) set up to probe the incident visited the spot where Vivek Tiwari was killed around 1.30am on Saturday and collected forensic samples. Tiwari was unarmed when he was killed. All the aspects are being looked into the SIT probe. We have visited the spot with forensic teams and ballistic experts and collected details including articles found there, tyre marks, etc. I met family members of the victim... I will share details with the SIT and the guilty will not be spared. Action will be taken against those involved in the act in any way, including hiding evidence or trying to shield accused, the ADG said about the status of the investigation amid allegations by family members that some policemen were trying to protect the accused. Tiwari was travelling in his car with a female friend, a former colleague, when the incident took place. Two constables, identified as Prashant Chaudhary and Sandeep Kumar, were arrested on the basis of an FIR lodged by Tiwaris friend, Sana Khan. Krishna said a fresh FIR of murder was lodged against the two constables on Sunday after a complaint by the victims wife that local policemen were trying to fabricate the sequence of events and shield the accused. He said the complaint was booked under a special provision to register fresh FIR or second FIR in the same matter. The police have provided security to the Apple executives family amid fears of a threat to their lives. Inspector general Sujit Pandey said the police would also look into reports that relatives and friends of the accused constables, who were sacked from the police force after the incident, were collecting funds through social media campaigns to support them. We will take into consideration all the points raised by media in their reports and the probe will be scientific, said Pandey, who is leading the SIT. State minister Brijesh Pathak and MLA Ashutosh Tondon and senior police officials were among hundreds who attended Tiwaris funeral. Its an unfortunate incident and we are with the family members of the victim. We will try to fast-track the case so that the family can get justice. I will also request principal secretary home and the DGP to post sensitive policemen in big cities, Pathak said at the cremation site. Kalpana Tiwari, the wife of the Apple area sales manager, demanded that she be allowed to meet the CM. I am worried about the future of my two daughters... They have snatched away the lone bread earner of the family. I will not relent till justice is done, she said. The executive is survived by his wife, and two daughters, aged seven and 12. Kalpana said the killing of her husband should not be politicised. Her remark came after Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted to say that the BJP is not a well-wisher of Hindus. Reacting to the tweet, Kalpana said: Kejriwal ji is a sensible person. How can he say such a thing? This issue is not related to caste. Everything should not be connected with caste. The police initially said the constable may have fired in self-defence, but later conceded that excessive force had been used by the policemen. Chaudhary has changed his statement to say he pulled out the pistol to threaten the driver, but discharged the weapon accidentally. Tiwari and his friend were in an SUV at around 1.30am on Saturday when the two policemen on patrol duty stopped them, senior superintendent of police Kalanidhi Naithani said on Saturday, adding that the constables questioned the duo because they felt there was some suspicious activity. Naithani added that Tiwari tried to reverse the car and drive away, allegedly hitting the motorcycle of the policemen. It was around this time that his friend, Khan, heard a gunshot, according to her statement, he added. Police quoted Khan as saying that the vehicle speeded up and crashed into the pillar of a flyover nearby. Tiwari later died at a hospital after being taken there by an emergency response team of the Uttar Pradesh Police. Khan has not directly corroborated this sequence of events.The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Uttar Pradesh government has been criticised by political opponents over the incident. Former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav called for his successor Yogi Adityanaths resignation and alleged that there have been numerous fake encounters under this government. Uttar Pradesh Police have been engaged in a month-long drive against crime, allegedly gunning down dozens of suspected gangsters. Chief minister Aditynath said on Saturday that the case of Tiwaris death was not an encounter. The states director general of police OP Singh said no amount of apology would suffice for the loss of a precious life or heal and wounds of the devastated family. We are determined to punish and wean out such rogues in uniform who hang our heads in shame, at the same time we have also embarked on systemic reforms through behavioural training and humanisation of the force, the DGP said. Thankamma needs to get to Kottayam. Since the floods hit in August, the 68-year-old who lives in Pathanamthitta districts Sabarimala forest reserve area has not been able to visit the Kottayam Medical College, where she has been receiving esophageal cancer treatment for the past few years. Thankamma, who is from a scheduled caste community, has lived all her life by the Pampa river. None of Thankammas childrenfour sons and a daughterscattered across Pallakad, Pathanamthitta and Thiruvananthapuram, were able to send her the bus fare, as their daily wage work came to a standstill. One way to understand the scale of devastation that Kerala has faced is to look at the numbers. Around 10,000 km of highways have been destroyed because of the floods and landslides that affected the state in August. Over 45,000 hectare of farmland have been damaged. As per the revenue ministry, 11,000 houses have been wrecked, and 111,000 houses partially damaged. The state announced monetary rehabilitation: Rs 10 lakh loan to re-launch small and medium scale businesses; a Rs 1 lakh interest-free loan to buy household items. More than a million people were displaced by the floods; over 400 died and the state announced Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia compensation to their families. The Kerala State Electricity Board estimates the loss to its infrastructure to be Rs 350 crore, and its revenue loss to be Rs 470 crore. The Public Works Department estimates a loss of Rs 5,000 crore based on the damage caused to roads and bridges. The tourism ministry, whose revenue in 2017 was 10% of the states GDP, estimates a loss of Rs 1,000 crore worth of business till December due to cancellations. An initial assessment by the state pegs the damage at Rs 19,512 crore, said chief secretary Tom Jose. The state has asked the centre for Rs 6,000 crore, needed just for repair work. However, the centre has only extended Rs 600 crore. On September 15, state finance minister Thomas Isaac tweeted that the centre would hardly foot the bill. One is revenue expenditure, which includes repair and maintenance of houses, roads, support for livelihood, various types of compensation to be made to people and relief work. There is no way we can raise much revenue because GST has taken (away) our right to tax. The central government is not giving money. So how do we meet this? Were telling central government, give us National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), so that takes care of livelihood. Still we will require Rs 6,000 crore. (Part of this) we are trying to raise from people. Thats why we are asking employees to give one months salary. We are also appealing to Malyalees outside (the country), the minister told HT. The Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) hopes to raise Rs 50,000 crore, which will go into infrastructure projects such as industrial parks and coastal roads. The state also plans to borrow from the World Bank and the Asia Development Bankthe amount will be determined after the two institutions complete their rapid damage need assessment. In the aftermath of the floods, a Rebuild Kerala vision has found centerstage as experts, politicians and Malayalees around the world weigh in on what this should entail. Everyone HT metministers, bureaucrats, residents alikespoke of three main things this entails: sustainable construction, such as rainwater harvesting; a serious re-look at management of the states 35 big dams whose untimely opening worsened the flood situation (according to a 2017 Comptroller and Auditor General of India report, disaster management plans had not been made for any of the states 61 dams till 2016); and a greater consciousness regarding land use, especially as Kerala has moved to being a cash crop-rich state. Concerns were also raised regarding the decreasing water levels in rivers after the floods, and the need to rehabilitate river basins that have been encroached by construction, or sand-mined. We have to look at areas which are flood prone and landslide prone and ensure that legal measures are put in place so that no building or construction activity takes place. We need to identify land in a safe zone for the landless. This is being done by the local self-government agencies, said Jose. First things first, though The supply of drinking water and electricity is mostly restored. As of 11 September, only 120 camps with 4,778 persons were still in operation (at the height of the floods, over 1.4 million people were living in over 3,000 camps); in most affected districts like Alappuzha, Ernakulum and Pathanamthitta, cleaning work entailed removing slush from homes as well as medicating water in wells, which is where 70% of the state gets its drinking water from. As a short-term measure, Rs 10,000 was given to all families residing in campsa total of 450,000 families. One of them was Shailaja, a 50-year-old tea stall owner on the Mannarkulanji Pampa road, which runs alongside the meandering Pampa in Pathanamthitta district. The need of the hour, she says, is a toilet. The roof over her mothers house, which shares a wall with the tea stall, caved in when the Pampa was in spate. Her mother, a 96-year-old cancer patient, is too frail to walk to the neighbours house, a short distance away on the snaking mountain road, to use their toilet. As a result, her health is worsening, and Shailaja is trying to do all she can to maintain hygiene inspite of limited resourcesthe only cleaning liquid in her shop is a fast depleting bottle of dettoland even less money. Shailaja says that she has spoken to the Perunad village officer who came for inspection to assess damage in the area. He said they will do their best to get this done. But he didnt give me any timeline of when this will happen. Meanwhile, multiple assessments are underway: The local self government bodies have begun to use an application, to which taluk engineers are adding photographs of flood damaged areas. Once these are geo-tagged, a database of more accurate information will be available. The water resources ministry is undertaking a flood mapping project with the help of the Kerala Water Authority. The Indian Institute of Architects is assessing the damage caused to and by the Pampa river, particularly in Aranmula area of Pathanamthitta district. The United Nations Development Project is also in the process of conducting a study. The Centre for Water Resources Development and Management has been assigned the task of studying fall in water levels, changes in groundwater and land cracks. Preliminary research shows that river bed erosion due to the floods1.1m in some places such as in Poonoor Puzha river in Kozhikodedeepening of river beds due to mining, and accumulation of debris and clay, has resulted in a worrying decrease of water levels in the rivers said VP Dinesan, senior principal scientist and head of the geomatics division of the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management . As the state returns to normal, healthcare is an important concern. Kerala has had one of the best health indices in the country because of a higher standard of living, and affordable healthcare. For instance, all government hospitals, including the Kottayam Medical College that Thanknamma visits, offer free cancer treatment under the states Sukrutham scheme. This years budget allocated Rs 1,685.70 crore for the Plan for Public Health Services. However, the floods have placed additional demand on the state. In some areas, hospitals were either submerged, or had fallen down. For instance, the 125-year-old Chalakudy Taluk Hospital in Thrissur district, which caters to over 300,000 people in the area, suffered a loss of over ?10 crore. Several hospitals in the worst affected districts of Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Alappuzha, had to evacuate their patients, and cancel critical surgeries. In August, the Union health ministry approved a grant of ?18.71 crore under the National Health Mission to be disbursed across villages. While the state established temporary hospitals and took the help of private clinics and non-government organisations to stock up on medicine, equipment like CT Scans or X-Ray machines, and offer free medical aid in relief camps, their work is far from over. Soon after the flood waters began to recede, cases of Leptospirosis were reported, particularly from Alappuzha and Ernakulam districts. Between 3 and 13 Septemberaccording to the National Centre for Disease Controls district-wise daily reportthere was a 344% rise in confirmed cases. Seventy eight suspected cases have emerged and 22 people have died in this period. Till 18 September, over 30,000 new cases of acute diahorreal diseases and 194,000 cases of fever have also been reported. Then theres the concern of livelihood: Thankammas bus fare to receive chemotherapy depends on her sons receiving daily wage work. According to the state finance minister, NREGS will benefit rehabilitation efforts as much as it will help the poor get back on their feet. But for those working in the diary and agricultural sectors, such as in Alappuzha district, which is a rice-growing region, or even the migrant workers who were working in the plantations in Wayanad and Idduki, the loss of livelihood demands an ecologically sound response, and fastthe Northeast monsoon begins next month. A Jet Airways flight from Hyderabad to Indore with 104 passengers and crew on board made an emergency landing at the Indore airport Sunday noon after an engine failure, the airports top official said. The aircraft landed successfully at 12:06 pm at the Indore airport. All the 104 passengers and crew are safe, Indore airport director, A Sanyal said. Sanyal said the pilot of the Jet Airways flight 9W 955 informed the air traffic control (ATC) that one of the planes engine had failed. We made all the necessary arrangements as per protocol, Sanyal said. Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, The speeches delivered during the general discussion at this session of the UN General Assembly confirm the fact that international relations are going through a very complex and contradictory historical stage. Today, we are witnesses to a collision of two opposing trends. On the one hand, the polycentric principles of the world order are growing stronger and new economic growth centres are taking shape. We can see nations striving to preserve their sovereignty and to choose the development models that are consistent with their ethnic, cultural and religious identity. On the other hand, we see the desire of a number of Western states to retain their self-proclaimed status as world leaders and to slow down the irreversible move toward multipolarity that is objectively taking place. To this end, anything goes, up to and including political blackmail, economic pressure and brute force. Such illegal actions devalue international law, which lies at the foundation of the postwar world order. We hear loud statements not only calling into question the legal force of international treaties, but asserting the priority of self-serving unilateral approaches over resolutions adopted by the UN. We are witnessing the rise of militant revisionism with regard to the modern international legal system. The basic principles of the Middle East settlement process, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear programme, commitments under the World Trade Organisation, the multilateral climate agreement, and much more are under attack. Our Western colleagues seek to replace the rule of law in international affairs with some rules-based order. These rules, which are made up as political expediency dictates, are a clear case of double standards. Unjustified accusations of interference in the domestic affairs of particular countries are made while simultaneously engaging in an open campaign to undermine and topple democratically elected governments. They seek to draw certain countries into military alliances built to suit their own needs, against the will of the people of those countries, while threatening other states with punishment for exercising freedom of choice in their partners and allies. The aggressive attacks on international institutions are accompanied by attempts to privatise their secretarial structures and grant them the rights of intergovernmental bodies so that they can be manipulated. The shrinking space for constructive international cooperation, the escalation of confrontation, the rise in general unpredictability, and the significant increase in the risk of spontaneous conflicts all have an impact on the activities of this world organisation. The international community has to pay a high price for the selfish ambitions of a narrow group of countries. Collective mechanisms of responding to common security challenges are faltering. Diplomacy, negotiation and compromise are being replaced with dictates and unilateral exterritorial sanctions enacted without the consent of the UN Security Council. Such measures that already affect dozens of countries are not only illegal but also ineffective, as demonstrated by the more than half-century US embargo of Cuba that is denounced by the entire international community. But history does not teach the same lesson twice. Attempts to pass verdicts without trial or investigation continue unabated. Some of our Western colleagues who want to assign blame are content to rely on assertions in the vein of the notorious highly likely. We have already been through this. We remember well how many times false pretexts were used to justify interventions and wars, like in Yugoslavia in 1999, Iraq in 2003 and Libya in 2011. Now the same methods are being used against Syria. On April 14, it was subjected to missile strikes carried out under an absolutely falsified pretext, several hours before international inspectors were supposed to arrive at the site of the staged incident. Let the terrorists and their patrons be warned that any further provocations involving the use of chemical weapons would be unacceptable. The conflict in Syria has already lasted for seven years. The failed attempt to use extremists to change the regime from the outside nearly led to the countrys collapse and the emergence of a terrorist caliphate in its place. Russias bold action in response to the request of the Syrian Government, backed diplomatically by the Astana process, helped prevent this destructive scenario. The Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi, initiated by Russia, Iran and Turkey last January, created the conditions for a political settlement in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254. The intra-Syrian Constitutional Committee is being established in Geneva on precisely this basis. Rebuilding ruined infrastructure to enable millions of refugees to return home as soon as possible is on the agenda. Assistance in resolving these challenges for the benefit of all Syrians, without any double standards, should become a priority for international efforts and the activities of UN agencies. For all the challenges posed by Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya, it would be unacceptable to ignore the protracted Palestinian problem. Its fair resolution is critical to improving the situation in the entire Middle East. I would like to warn politicians against unilateral approaches and attempts to monopolise the peace process. Today, the consolidation of international efforts in the interests of resuming talks on the basis of UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative is more in demand than ever before. We are doing everything to facilitate this, including in the format of the Middle East Quartet and in cooperation with the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Mutually acceptable agreements should ensure the peaceful and safe co-existence of the two states Israel and Palestine. Here in the UN that was built on the lessons of World War II we are all obliged to think about the future and not repeating the mistakes of the past. This year is the 80th anniversary of the Munich conspiracy that crowned the criminal appeasement of the Third Reich and serves as a sad example of the disastrous consequences that can result from national egotism, disregard for international law and seeking solutions at the expense of others. Regrettably, today in many countries the anti-Nazi vaccine has not only weakened, there is a growing campaign to rewrite history and whitewash war criminals and their accomplices. We consider sacrilegious the struggle against monuments to the liberators of Europe, which is going on in some countries. We are calling on UN members to support a draft resolution of the UN General Assembly denouncing the glorification of Nazis. The growth of radical nationalism and neo-Nazism in Ukraine, where criminals who fought under SS banners are glorified as heroes, is one of the main factors of the protracted domestic conflict in Ukraine. The only way to end it is consistent and faithful implementation of the Minsk Package of Measures that was unanimously approved by the UN Security Council. We support the activities of the OSCE mission in Ukraine and are ready to provide UN protection for its members. However, instead of fulfilling the Minsk agreements and engaging in dialogue with Donetsk and Lugansk, Kiev still entertains the illusion of introducing an occupying force in Donbass, with the support from the West, and increasingly threatens its opponents with scenarios based on force. The patrons of the current Ukrainian authorities should compel them to think straight and end the blockade of Donbass and discrimination against national minorities throughout Ukraine. In Kosovo, the international military presence under UN Security Council mandate is morphing into a US base. Kosovo armed forces are being created, while agreements reached by Belgrade and Pristina with EU mediation are being disregarded. Russia calls on the sides to engage in dialogue in accordance with UNSC Resolution 1244 and will support any solution which is acceptable to Serbia. In general, we are against turning the Balkans once again into an arena of confrontation or anyone claiming it as a foothold, against forcing the people of the Balkan nations to make a false choice or creating new dividing lines in the region. An equal and undivided security architecture also needs to be created in other parts of the world, including the Asia Pacific Region. We welcome the positive developments around the Korean Peninsula, which are following the logic of the Russian-Chinese roadmap. It is important to encourage the process with further steps by both sides toward a middle ground and incentivise the practical realisation of important agreements between Pyongyang and Seoul through the Security Council. We will keep working to put in place a multilateral process as soon as possible, so that we can build a durable mechanism of peace and security in Northeast Asia. Denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula is among the challenges facing the world community in the key area of international security the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Unfortunately, serious obstacles continue to pile up on that road. Lack of progress in ratifying the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and in establishing a WMD-free zone in the Middle East has been compounded by the unilateral US withdrawal from the JCPOA in violation of Resolution 2231, despite the fact that Iran is fully in compliance. We will do everything to preserve the UNSC-approved deal. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is being pushed in an increasingly negative direction as the West attempts to turn its Technical Secretariat into a tool for punishing undesirable governments. This threatens to undermine the independent professional status of that organisation and the universal nature of the CWC, as well as the exclusive prerogative of the UN Security Council. These and other issues related to non-proliferation were discussed in detail at the September 26 Security Council meeting, convened by the US chair not a moment too soon. We are convinced that any problems and concerns in international affairs should be addressed through substantive dialogue. If there are questions or criticisms, what is needed is to sit down and talk, produce facts, listen to opposing arguments, and seek to find a balance of interests. To be continued A 20-year-old man, who was arrested for allegedly raping a one-year-old girl and molesting her four-year-old sister in Indore on Friday night, wanted to have a relationship with the girls mother and targeted her daughters in revenge after she spurned his advances, police said on Sunday. Deputy inspector general of police, Indore, Harinarayanchari Mishra said the accused, who is a distant relative of the family, was arrested on the basis of statement given by the four-year-old victim. The accused, who works as a guard in a nearby building, confessed to his crime. He said he wanted to have a relationship with the victims mother. He had been calling the woman at least 3-4 times a day for the past few days and she was avoiding him. On Friday, he decided to rape her and had gone to her place in the afternoon but failed to do so. The same night, he again visited their place in an inebriated state and raped and molested the girls, who were sleeping with their mother, he said. The girls were admitted to the Indore district hospital where their condition is stable, police said. The victims family hails from Sagar and had moved to Indore for work. The girls father works is a caretaker of an under-construction building, said police. A case of rape and sexual harassment has been registered against the accused under the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Children from Sexual Offence (POCSO) Act. Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday announced plans to set up a cow ministry that would replace the existing Gau Samvardhan Board, in a bid to outdo the Congress in wooing cattle-loving voters in the state ahead of the upcoming elections. Chouhans announcement comes days after Congress state president Kamal Nath promised to set up cow shelters in every village panchayat, because he was pained by the deaths of cows that often stray on the highways and get hit by vehicles. The BJP had hit back by saying that it was Congresss policy of giving away common chornoi (grazing) land to squatters that had reduced local fodder for the cows. Speaking at the Jan Ashirvad Yatra in Khajuraho, 375 km north east of Bhopal, Chouhan said, We have a Gau Samvardhan Board, but I thought it would be better if we have a cow ministry. The board has financial constraints, but with the ministry this would be gone. Chouhan said that while gaushalas were a good idea, it would be great if cows were kept at every home. If there was a gaushala in every home, where there were 2-3 cows, it has the potential to bring about a revolution. Jain monk Vidyasagar Maharaj, a known advocate of cow protection, was present at the function and Chouhan sought his blessings in this endeavour. Responding to the chief ministers proposal, Congress spokesperson Narendra Saluja in a tweet alleged that the BJP did nothing for setting up cow shelters during its 15 years in power. It sat on the Ram Vangaman path the route taken by Lord Ram during his exile to the forests for 11 years and woke up only after Kamal Nath announced initiatives for the same. Madhya Pradesh set up the first cow sanctuary of the country under the board in September last year at Agar Malwa district, spread over 472 hectares, with a capacity for housing 6,000 cows. The Board also runs 600 cow shelters across the state where there are roughly 1.4 lakh bovines. The board officials say that both the sanctuary and shelters have been plagued by financial constraints. India believes in peace but wont compromise on its self-respect and sovereignty, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday in his Mann Ki Baat radio address. Modi spoke about Parakram Parv, the second anniversary of the Indian Armys surgical strike against Pakistan, and praised soldiers for giving a befitting reply to enemy. Parakram Parv reminds the youth of the glorious traditions of our armed forces and inspires us to preserve the unity and integrity of our country, he said. I attended one such programme in the land of the brave--Jodhpur. It is now clear that our soldiers will give a befitting reply to those who try to disrupt the atmosphere of peace and progress in our country. We believe in peace and are committed to preserve it, but not at the cost of our self-respect and sovereignty. The Indian Army carried out the surgical strike in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir on September 29, 2016 in response to the Uri terror attack. A team of commandos from the Armys Para Special Forces destroyed at least four terrorist launch pads. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday Indias economy will soon surpass that of Britain even as he took a veiled dig at the Opposition. Speaking at the inauguration of an LNG terminal at Mundra port in Gujarat, Modi said some people were sceptical about everything. But I am not here to waste time. I am here to take the country ahead, the PM said, listing his governments development programmes. I have made a commitment to myself of providing education to every child, irrigation to every farm, income to every youngster and medicine to every senior citizen. When you have given us this responsibility, we are committed to fulfil every requirement, he said. Mundra was the second stop of of Modis day-long visit to his home state where he inaugurated and laid foundations for projects worth over Rs 17,000 crore. The day is not far when our countrys economy will surpass Britains economy, Modi said, hailing the governments performance in areas such as aviation and electrification. After surpassing France this year, Indian economy is poised to become the fifth largest economy by overtaking Britain next year. He inaugurated various plants, including a chocolate plant, by Amul at Anand. His last stop was at Rajkot, where he opened a museum on the life and times of Mahatma Gandhi. He hailed the Amul dairy co-operative for providing an alternate model of economy to the world. Modi also called Indias first home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel a pioneer of the co-operative movement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday invoked Indias first home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel as a pioneer of the co-operative movement as he hailed the Amul dairy co-operative for providing an alternate model of economy to the world. Modis comments came while presiding over inauguration of various projects worth over Rs 1,100 crore at Anand in central Gujarat during a day-long visit to the state. Amul (Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation) is not just a production company, but a model of economy. It provides the world with an alternative to socialist or capitalist economy. It is a model of cooperative economy, said PM Modi. Through Amul, Sardar Patel showed another way. Here is a way where neither the government nor industrialists call the shots. It is the people who matter. This is a unique model, he added. The PM remembered Patel who he said had won by just one vote from Dariyapur seat and became the Ahmedabad municipalitys chairman for giving Gujarat its first co-operative housing society Pritamnagar in Ahmedabad on January 28, 1927. It was Sardar Saab who introduced the concept of urban development. Modi said that various value addition and processing projects like chocolate production from camel milk, solar energy generation and usage through agriculture are steps taken by his government towards doubling farmers income by 2022. In a swipe at his opponents, he said, There were people who did not have vision and were buried under their ego. They mocked me, made my cartoons, hurled derogatory comments when years back I tried to promote camels milk for its nutritious value. Today, I thank Amul, which makes chocolate from camel milk, for fulfilling my dream. He further said that his government is focusing on Jan Dhan, Van Dhan and Gobar Dhan. Through Gobar Dhan (dung), we can do best from waste. In a few years, Amul will complete 75 years. This is a team that is unstoppable. I admire their spirit. Let us think about what targets Amul can set for their 75th anniversary and for 2022, when India marks 75 years of freedom, he said. Modi is scheduled to return to Gujarat on October 31 to inaugurate the worlds tallest statue dedicated to Sardar Patel. India will sign the S-400 missile system deal with Russia during the annual summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin next week, hoping that it has done enough business with the US to secure a waiver from sanctions, and to prevent Russia from directly selling weapon systems to Pakistan if India says no to the deal. Hindustan Times had first reported in April that the deal would be signed during the October summit and, in May, that New Delhi would go ahead with the purchase despite US sanctions against countries buying arms from Russia. South Block officials said that the deal is also in line with Indias efforts to maintain strategic autonomy and not be dependent on any one nation for its military hardware imports. The South Block officials told Hindustan Times on condition of anonymity that while the purchase of five units of the S-400 missile system was cleared this week by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), the deal to build four stealth frigates in collaboration with Russia is stuck on technical aspects. Even though India has apprised US of its intentions to purchase the S-400 system and has requested a presidential waiver of CAATSA (Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act), the Modi government has had to tread a fine balance between a new partner and an old ally which could cut off hardware spares in case the missile system acquisition is either delayed or shelved. More than 60% of Indian military equipment, including fighters, tanks and missiles, come from Russia and without the spares, the armed forces fighting capability will be significantly emasculated. For instance, the Indian Air Force Sukhois and Indian Army T series of tanks and Indian Navys aircraft carrier Vikramaditya are all from Russia. The other reason why the Modi government is keen to push the deal through is because it is worried, the officials added, that an upset Russia may directly sell arms to Pakistan just as it is doing so to China, skewing the military balance in the region. Diplomatically too, deferring or shelving the S-400 deal will sour the close relationship shared by Prime Minister Modi and President Putin. PM Modi has personally invested a lot in building close ties with Putin, the officials said, although this has not come at the cost of Indias relationship with the US. According to the officials, while Russian hardware may not be top of the line as compared to the US platforms in terms of technology, it is much cheaper initially and comes without additional conditionalities on the buyer. While the tussle between the US on one side and Russia/China on the other have made a fit case for Indian state-owned defence manufacturers to step up to manufacture indigenous weapons at a rapid rate, the fact is that most have been found wanting. For instance, the officials pointed out, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) cannot keep up with the requirements of the Indian Air Force for light combat aircraft (LCA). Nevertheless, the government is clear that the only way out of this imbroglio is to manufacture indigenous systems and platforms rather than be dependent on anyone, the officials admitted. Meanwhile, the Modi government has deepened its military ties with the Pentagon by placing over $5 billion worth of orders with US defence contractors for strike platforms. India has placed orders for one more C-17 heavy lift transport aircraft (it already has 10), four additional P8I Neptune anti-submarine warfare aircraft, six additional Apache attack helicopters for the army, 24 Sikorsky helicopters for the navy, and M-777 lightweight howitzers. US F-18 and F-35 fighters are also in contention for the additional fighter order the Indian Air Force is evaluating. The Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government is deliberately hiding facts and figures, provided to it by the Centre, on Bangladeshi immigrants illegally entering and residing in the state, senior BJP leader Sidharth Nath Singh said on Sunday. The Union government has forwarded to the state government the details of about 1.5 lakh illegal Bangladeshi immigrants who are currently staying in West Bengal. But the state government is hiding the fact. I do not understand why they are doing so. The state government should understand that it is all about national security, since people staying in West Bengal illegally is nothing but a criminal offence, he said. Singh, who is also the Uttar Pradesh health minister, was in Kolkata on Sunday to attend a programme on Ayushman Bharat organized by the Bharatiya Janata Partys doctors cell in Bengal. His allegations come just a day ahead of Union home minister Rajnath Singhs likely meeting with chief minister Banerjee at the state secretariat on October 1 to discuss issues pertaining to the India-Bangladesh borders. Apart from Banerjee, chief ministers of Assam, Tripura, Mizoram and Meghalaya, which also sharing borders with Bangladesh, will also be present at the meeting. Of the total 4,096 km India-Bangladesh border, West Bengal has the maximum length at 2,217 km. Tripura comes second with 856 km, followed by Meghalaya at 443 km, Assam at 262 km and Mizoram at 180 km. However, the ruling Trinamool Congress rubbished Singhs allegations. State food and supplies minister Jyotipriyo Mullick said the BJP was always making such baseless allegations to create communal divide and tension in the state to reap political benefits. We do not give any importance to such allegations anymore, he said. Meanwhile, Singh also criticised the Bengal government for the latters reluctance in implementing the Ayushman Bharat scheme, the dream project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Ayushman Bharat scheme is doing very well in UP as well as in many other states. Despite signing a memorandum of understanding in this regard, Bengal government is reluctant in implementing the same here. Trinamool might be taking up the matter in a political way but they fail to understand that ultimately their reluctance will benefit us politically ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Singh said. He also criticized Bengal government for failing to control outbreak of dengue in different pockets of the state. Bengal ministers should come and see how BJP-ruled states have been able to control dengue there by effectively implementing Swachh Bharat Mission. If the Bengal government desires to learn from us we are ready to teach them, said Singh. On the case of Uttar Pradesh policemen shooting dead an Apple executive in Lucknow, Singh said BJP condemns the incident. Our stand is clear on this issue. The incident was murder and not an encounter and we do not approve of such things, he said. Indias booming economy will surpass that of Britain: PM Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed Indias booming economy will soon surpass that of Britain as his government works hard in changing life of common man like no previous governments did in 60 years of independence. Paucity of energy does not let any nation come out of poverty: PM Modi Paucity of energy does not let any nation come out of poverty, says PM at Anjar in Gujarat while inaugurating gas pipeline project Inauguration of LNG terminal highlight of todays programme: PM Modi The inauguration of the LNG terminal is the highlight of todays programme. I am fortunate to have inaugurated 3 LNG terminals. Now, we are poised to make fourth LNG terminal: PM Narendra Modi in Anjar in Kutch PM Modi inaugurates Mudra LNG Terminal Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated Mundra Lng Terminal, Anjar-Mundra Pipeline Project and the Palanpur-Pali Barmer Pipeline Project in Anjar in Kachchh district. Time for innovation and value addition: PM I told several dairies in Gujarat to also work on the sweet revolution, which is related to honeybees. I am aware that Banas Dairy and the dairy in Amreli have done commendable work in this direction. I urge more dairies to also devote attention to this: PM @narendramodi PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 30, 2018 There was a time when there would be scarcity. We had to import food grains. Now, things have changed. Today, the time has come to give importance to innovation and value addition: PM @narendramodi in Anand PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 30, 2018 Amul will soon complete 75 years: PM In a few years, Amul will complete 75 years. Let us think about what targets Amul can set for their own 75th anniversary and for 2022, when India marks 75 years of freedom, said PM Narendra Modi in Anand, Gujarat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Amuls Chocolate Plant at Anand, Gujarat. ( ANI/Twitter ) Our focus is on Jan Dhan, Van Dhan, Gobar Dhan: PM We are focussing on Jan Dhan, Van Dhan and Gobar Dhan. This will help our farmers, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address in Gujarats Anand. Cooperative housing, Sardar Patels unique model: PM Hailing Sardar Patels emphasis on urban development and planning when he assumed office in Ahmedabad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Patels idea of cooperative housing. A century ago, Sardar Patel entered civic politics of Ahmedabad. He won from Dariapur. His margin of victory then was 1 vote. When he assumed office as the head of the municipality, he laid emphasis on urban development, planning and in that he worked on cooperative housing: PM PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 30, 2018 Amul, a model of empowerment: PM Modi The brand of Amul is known the world over. It has become an inspiration. This is an excellent model of empowerment, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gujarats Anand, reports ANI. PM inaugurates Amuls new chocolate plant Anand: PM Narendra Modi at the launch of various plants in AMUL including an ultra modern chocolate plant. #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/pJG2QivuI3 ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2018 PM arrives at Anand to inaugurate various plants by Amul Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a number of projects including Amuls modern chocolate plant at Anand, Mundra LNG terminal at Anjar and Mahatma Gandhi Museum at Rajkot. Anand: PM Narendra Modi to inaugurate various plants including an ultra modern chocolate plant in AMUL later today #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/3TfAbjJfQB ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2018 PM to reach Mogar around 11am After landing at Ahmedabad airport, PM Modi left for Mogar. He is expected to reach around 11am. PM Modi arrives in Ahmedabad Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Gujarat on a day-long visit. He will address three rallies at Mogar in Anand, Mundra-Anjar in Kutch and Rajkot. The Prime Minister will visit the Mahatma Gandhi Museum, before returning to New Delhi. One of the factions of the banned Naga insurgent group NSCN (Khaplang), mostly comprising Nagas from the Indian side led by Khango Konyak who was recently impeached as chairman may join talks with the central government, underlining a split in the rebel group. The group had ended the ceasefire in 2015 and has been responsible for some deadly attacks on security forces. In a significant development, Isak Sumi, a top operative and spokesperson of the NSCN (Khaplang) claimed that the group was seriously considering talks with the Government of India. The Indian government is in talks with seven Naga groups including the dominant NSCN (Isak-Muivah) for a solution to the vexed Naga issue. It signed a framework agreement with the NSCN (IM) in 2015. Backed by more than 500 and still many more readying to join hands, the NSCN/GPRN led by Khango Konyak shall continue to defend the rights and identity of the Nagas, and we are also seriously considering the Naga peoples genuine appeal for peace and political dialogue with government of India, Sumi said in a statement on Friday. This may have been prompted by the latest split in the Khaplang faction in August, when Konyak was impeached and replaced by Yung Aung, the 45-year-old nephew of SS Khaplang, also a Naga from Myanmar. Konyak, had taken over as the self-styled chairman of the NSCN (K) after the death of Khaplang in 2017. Reacting to Sumis claims, Joseph Lamkang, of the other faction released a statement on Saturday calling the Konyak-led faction traitors. NSCN/GPRN re-pledge ourselves before God and to the people to continue the Naga freedom struggle, and will not tolerate anti-national elements conniving with the enemy to demean the struggle, the statement said adding the group remained intact under the new leadership. The Nagaland government said the NSCN(K) would be welcome to join the talks. The government of Nagaland has been pursuing all groups including NSCN(K) to join the peace talks, said Rovilato Mor, Secretary, Home. It is well and good if they are willing to join, he said. Mor said while there was no direct contact between the insurgent group and the state government, the latter had asked civil society organisations to reach out to the group. In August, Konyak Union, an organization representing the Konyak tribe reached out to the Khango Konyak faction. It is a positive sign if they are going to join, said Manlep Konyak, president of the Konyak Union. They should join the peace talks. That is the popular demand that all groups should come together, said Theja Therieh of the Naga Tribes Council adding how the group risks isolation if it doesnt join. The Konyak-led groups location is not known for certain despite rumours that it is already in Nagaland and may be willing to join the ranks of the NSCN (IM). The state government believes the group is still in Myanmar. They are still in Myanmar, said Mor. We have no information of their crossing over, said Thavaseelan K, Deputy Commissioner of the Konyak-dominated Mon district on the border with Myanmar. Meanwhile, Sumi claimed that the impeachment of Konyak was instigated by ULFA and Meitei insurgent outfits (United Liberation Front of WESEA which comprises of NSCN(K), ULFA(I) and Manipuri insurgent groups have their camps in Myanmars Sagaing division) and that it was carried out by Pangmi Nagas in connivance with the Myanmars military without even a single Naga from the Indian side on board. The Pangmi sect connived with the Myanmar Army and mounted a full-scale military operation to assassinate his Excellency Khango Konyak. The offensive is still continuing to hunt down NSCN/GPRN workers guided by the Pangmi renegades, Sumi said alleging that leaders of the splinter Pangmi sect will be endowed with huge monetary bonus and other lucrative offers in the form of gold and jade mining licences and permanent citizenship privileges anywhere in Myanmar. Sumi claimed that the rival faction wants to enter the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with Myanmars government. It is for this reason, Sumi said, that they connived to oust Konyak with the Myanmars military for he is staunchly opposed to the NCA. India has said that a supposedly new Pakistan on display at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is cast in the mould of the old and dismissed as despicable and preposterous Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshis insinuation on Saturday linking India to the 2014 terrorist attack on a school at Peshawar in Pakistans Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Qureshi, who spoke at UNGA after external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, accused India of sponsoring terrorism and aggression against all its neighbours and stalling peace efforts citing flimsy reasons. He also blamed India for fomenting terrorism in Pakistan and in the region, rendering South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation ineffective and violating human rights in Kashmir. India exercised its right of reply to hit back. This morning my delegation came to this august Assembly to listen attentively to the new foreign minister of Pakistan outline the vision of a New Pakistan, said Eanam Gambhir, a counsellor at Indias permanent UN mission. What we heard is a New Pakistan cast in the mould of the old. Gambhir pointed out several baseless charges in Qureshis speech. And one of them was the preposterous allegation regarding the Peshawar attack. She added there was outpouring of sorrow and pain in India over the massacre. Both Houses of Parliament had condemned it and schools across India had observed silence in memory of the victims. The despicable insinuation made by the Foreign Minister of Pakistan dishonours the memory of the innocent lives lost to terrorists on that day, she said. This is the first UN general assembly since a new regime took over in Pakistan in August with former cricketer Imran Khan as prime minister. In the assembly in 2017, Pakistans permanent representative to the UN, Maleeha Lodhi, presented pictures of a woman she claimed was wounded by Indian security forces in Kashmir. The woman in the picture was actually wounded in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza strip in 2014. During his speech, Qureshi said: Pakistan shall never forget the mass murder of more than 150 children in a Peshawar School, the terrible (July 2018) Mastung attack (in Pakistans Baluchistan) and many others that have links with terrorists supported by India, He also cited the arrest of former Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav, who is on death row in Pakistan. Pakistan claims Jadhav has been involved in spying and terrorism in the country at Indias behest. India has appealed his arrest and sentence in the International Court of Justice. Earlier, Qureshi claimed that Pakistan has turned the tide on terrorism even as the Financial Action Task Force, an international watchdog, put his country on its short list of countries being monitored for terror financing last June. Can Pakistan deny the fact that it is the host and patron of 132 of the UN-designated terrorists and 22 terrorist entities under the 1,267 and the 1988 UN Security Council sanctions regime as of today? asked Gambhir. Will Pakistan deny that UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed enjoys a free run inside Pakistan and spews venom and sets up candidates for electoral office? she added, referring to the Lashkar-e-Toiba founder, who carries a US $10 million bounty on his head. Gambhir questioned Pakistans efforts to champion human rights. She was responding to Qureshis demand for an inquiry into allegations of rights in Kashmir based on a UN human rights report. We have also today heard support by Pakistan for a report no member state had asked for; none supported, and on which no action was taken, Gambhir said. She attacked Qureshi for calling flimsy one of Indias reasons the death of three policemen in Kashmir for calling off a meeting of the foreign ministers of the two countries on the sidelines of the UN general assembly. While it may not be the case for Pakistan, for India every loss of life counts, Gambhir said. Hence our belief that talks and terror cannot go together. Pakistan, too, hit back in its first right of reply statement and alleged that the breeding ground of terrorism in the region is the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) centres of fascism. About Swarajs attacks on Pakistan over terrorism, a Pakistani official said that listening to the speech one would indeed marvel at the credentials of the pontiff for who would be more qualified to talk of terrorism than those who practice it as an instrument of state policy. Swaraj launched a frontal attack on Pakistan on Saturday, calling it an expert in trying to mask malevolence with verbal duplicity, accusing it of funding and glorifying terrorists and warning of a conflagration if terrorism was not rooted out. Swaraj blamed Pakistans continued support to terror for stalled peace efforts between the subcontinental neighbours, and defended Indias record on human rights, saying there was no bigger transgressor of rights than terrorists. Pakistan glorifies killers and refuses to see the blood of innocents, she said. Read: Pakistan lies, glorifies killers, says Sushma Swaraj in UN tough talk 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. A Pakistani helicopter crossed 700 metres into Indian air space along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmirs Poonch sector on Sunday afternoon. According to reports from Pakistan, Pakistan-occupied Kashmirs prime minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan was travelling in this chopper. Reuters quoted Pakistan-occupied Kashmirs PM Raja Farooq Haider Khan as saying that his civilian helicopter was fired upon by India. The Indian army fired to show that Pakistan had violated their airspace, Khans office said in a statement, but added when the firing took place, we were within our own airspace. Khan claimed his helicopter was not armed in any way, and called for calm heads. We do not want any war hysteria in this region, he said. Defence spokesman Lt Col Devender Anand said a white-coloured Pakistani helicopter had violated Indian airspace around noon on Sunday. It entered around 700m inside the Indian territory and flew over Krishna Ghati sector before returning, he said. Air sentries at forward locations had engaged it with small arms, a move intended to warn the pilot about the intrusion and force the chopper to turn back. The chopper wasnt hit. Defence sources said the chopper flew over Gulpur area across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmirs Krishna Ghati sector at 12:13 pm before returning to Pakistani airspace. A 30-second video of the chopper flying over Indian airspace was also released by news agency ANI. The incident comes at a time when relations between the two neighbours are at a low. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had launched a particularly stinging attack on Pakistan at the UN General Assembly on Saturday, accusing it of funding and glorifying terrorists and warning of a conflagration if terrorism was not rooted out. Just an hour before the intrusion was reported on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his monthly radio programme, too had underscored Indias commitment to peace and its commitment to take it forward but not at the cost of compromising our self-respect and sovereignty of our nation. It has now been decided that our soldiers will give a befitting reply to whosoever makes an attempt to destroy the atmosphere of peace and progress in our nation, PM Modi said, a message that was widely seen to have been targeted at Pakistan. In February this year, a Pakistani military helicopter flew dangerously close to the LoC) in Khari Karmara area of Poonch district, where Indian army had foiled an attack by Pakistans Border Action Team (BAT) on January 18 killing a heavily armed terrorist. An intelligence official had then said the Pakistani helicopter had come within 300 meters of the LoC in clear violation of international conventions. India staunchly believes in peace, but its soldiers will give a befitting reply to any attempt to destroy the countrys atmosphere of peace and progress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday in his monthly radio talk show Mann ki Baat. Citing the surgical strike carried out across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir in 2016, Modi showered praise on the armed forces, hailing their valour and glorious heritage. He added that Indians soldiers involved in the surgical strike gave a befitting reply to the audacity of a proxy war under the garb of terrorism. Modi indicated a wider policy on how to deal with adversaries of Indias peace and progress. It has now been decided that our soldiers will give a befitting reply to whosoever makes an attempt to destroy the atmosphere of peace and progress in our nation. We staunchly believe in peace; we are committed to taking it forward but not at the cost of compromising our self-respect and sovereignty of our nation, he said. Modis comments came a day after foreign minister Sushma Swaraj lashed out at Pakistan at the United Nations General Assembly, dubbing the neighbour an expert in trying to mask malevolence with verbal duplicity. India also accused Pakistan of funding and glorifying terrorists in an oblique reference to Jammu and Kashmir and slain militant Burhan Wani. Last week, 25 hours after it was announced, India called off a proposed meeting between Swaraj and her Pakistan counterpart, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, citing the brutal killing of security personnel by Pakistan-based entities in Jammu and Kashmir. It also took offence to the release of a series of Pakistani postage stamps that glorified a terrorist and terrorism. In Islamabad, Qureshi had said, The refusal of India shows the Indian government is facing internal pressure. It seems that India is already preparing for its elections due in the country next year. The cancellation followed a verbal duel between Pakistans new premier Imran Khan and the Indian foreign ministry. Khan tweeted he had seen many small men occupying big offices. Modi also took the opportunity to emphasise Indias long-standing commitment to peace and pointed out that New Delhi has never eyed someone elses territory maliciously. This in itself was our commitment and dedication towards peace. India has always been resolutely committed to peace. In the two world wars fought in the 20th century, over a lakh of our soldiers made the supreme sacrifice that too in wars where we were not involved in any way, he said. With the Supreme Court throwing open the doors of Keralas Sabarimala temple to women of all ages, the Travancore Devasom Board (TDB) is examining its options on implementing the order which could see the number of pilgrims to the hilltop shrine increase significantly and require additional infrastructure. It is also considering filing a review petition against the verdict. Following a five-judge constitution bench of the apex court deciding 4:1 on Friday to lift the ban on women aged between 10 and 50, the TDB said it was expecting a 30 per cent hike in devotees during the three-month pilgrimage season starting in November. The board, which manages the hilltop temple in the Pathanamthitta district, may seek for more time to implement the order or advise the state government and tantri (head priest) Rajeevaru Kandararu to keep the temple open round the year to ease the rush of devotees. As the tantri had earlier shot down the second option, it is difficult to convince him, sources with the TDB said. With the shrine situated in Periyar Tiger Reserve, which is a habitat for both tigers and elephants, space is a big constraint for TDB in augmenting pilgrim facilities in view of womens entry, which will need more area for separate queues and rest facilities. The verdict also comes as the TDB copes with the destruction let loose by the devastating floods, the worst in a century. The temples base camp Pambha, was completely destroyed after river Pambha changed its course. After its initial response welcoming the judgment, the states Left Democratic Front government is reportedly worried after many Hindu outfits are out on a campaign saying a non-believers government (referring to the Marxists perceived atheism) played a key role in changing the customs. Some groups even called a Jallikettu model movement, referring to the bull-taming custom in Tamil Nadu which was banned by the Supreme Court but continued after protests by youth groups, leading to the state government passing a law allowing it. While Keralas previous Congress regime had favoured a status quo on the Sabarimala issue, the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led government had supported the move to open doors for women of all ages. I dont think any women from my family will rush to the temple when it opens doors, TDB president A Padmakumar, also a former legislator of the CPI (M), said after meeting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday. There are reports that some TDB members favour a review petition in the Supreme Court. Sabarimalas tantri , considered last word in temple rites, and the Pandalam royal family, which are involved in temple affairs, had expressed displeasure over the verdict. The TDB president said he will meet both to discuss the matter. After supporting the verdict initially, now opposition Congress and BJP have asked the temple body to file a review petition. We have to go by the apex court verdict. At the same time, we have to factor in practical difficulties and social impact. The state government is playing a double game. It is better to file a review petition, said leader of opposition Ramesh Chennithala, of the Congress. Two organisations - the Sabarimala Samrakshana Samiti and former VHP leader Praveen Togadias Antharashtra Hindu Parishad - have called blocking of all national and state highways in the state on October 2 demanding enactment of legislation to protect customs and rituals of Sabarimala. Fearing fringe outfits may hijack the emotional religious issue, all political parties in the state are in a quandary.While the national leadership of both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress have lauded the verdict, their state units complain the ground situation and social issues were overlooked in the name of gender equality. A sub-divisional magistrate in Uttar Pradesh reportedly shot himself dead with the rifle he had borrowed from the homeguard posted at his official residence on Sunday, police said. Hemendra Kumar Kandpal died on the spot, Lalitpur superintendent of police OP Singh said. Police are trying to ascertain the reason that prompted him to take the extreme step. Kandpal had returned home after overseeing the visit of Union minister Uma Bharti. The official was posted in Mandvara tehsil for the past two months. The staff at his residence told police he had returned around noon and was seen strolling in the house before he came out, took the rifle of home guard Santosh Kumar and fired two shots. Kumar objected but Kandpal reportedly rebuked him, went inside and locked the door. Kumar said before he could react, he heard another gunshot. Pinki Kandpal, the wife said her husband was tensed over not getting leaves and transfer from Lalitpur. Kandpals son reportedly has health-related issues, and the official had applied for transfer. District magistrate Manvendra Singh said, Deceased was a serious and sensible officer. He asked for leaves only when necessary and those were immediately sanctioned. The charge of the family will be investigated. Kandpal is the third high ranking official to have allegedly committed suicide this year in Uttar Pradesh. A social media campaign has been started for police constables accused of killing Apple executive Vivek Tiwari even as the Uttar Pradesh police have assured his family of a fair investigation into the case. ..senior police officials are not supporting our brothers...let us come together to ensure justice to our brothers Prashant Chaudhary and Sandeep Rana... reads a post being circulated across social media platforms. Chaudhary and Sandeep Kumar aka Sandeep Rana are the main accused in Tiwaris killing. The post contains bank details of both the constables and the wife of Prashant Chaudhary, who is also a constable, with a message to provide financial assistance to the family. We will give 5 Crore to our brother Prashant, says the post. The origin of the message could not be immediately ascertained. Veer Singh Raju, who according to his Facebook profile details is a constable with the Uttar Pradesh police, shared the post on the social networking website on Sunday morning. The post received several reactions in a short time. The post was removed later in the afternoon. There is no need to give any explanation, wrote Ashish Kumar Dwivedi on Facebook. One Rohit Pal posted a screenshot on Facebook showing a transfer of 1,000 into the account of Chaudharys wife. Chaudhary reportedly headed a protest of constables in Lucknow in 2016, which apparently had made him popular. Top police officers said the matter is being looked into internally. Such posts are being reviewed by our officials and necessary action will be taken if needed, an officer said on condition of anonymity. Most of the comments to the post are vicious. One Vishnu Chahar used derogatory language for Tiwaris widow. Another user, Pradeep Yadav, warned the police chief. A day after a special police officer (SPO) attached with legislator from Wachi, Ajaz Mir, decamped with seven rifles and one pistol from the official residence of the legislator at high security zone Jawhar Nagar, the J&K director general of police (DGP) said that the SPO was in touch with the militants. We have found that the SPO had joined the other side (militants). We have got many leads about the persons who helped him and are working on those leads, DGP Dilbagh Singh told reporters in north Kashmir on the sidelines of a function. He said that police will take action against all those found involved in dereliction of their duties. The police have questioned all seven policemen whose AK-47 rifles were stolen by the SPO, identified as Adil Bashir of Zainpora, Shopian. On Saturday, legislator Mir also met senior police officers and gave details about the incident and the SPO. Mir was not present at his official residence when the incident took place and was at Jammu. The police had sealed the rooms of the house from where the weapons went missing and also confiscated mobile phones and a laptop from the official residence of the legislator. The SPO, who is now missing and believed to have joined a militant group, is the neighbour of the assembly member and lives to close to his native house at Zanipora village in Shopian. Sources said that the SPO who usually used to cook for the legislator and his guests had arrived at the official residence in the afternoon on Friday and told the guards outside the official residence that he had come to clean the house as the legislator was supposed to return to his official residence on Saturday. However, the personnel security officer and other guards reached the house in the evening and when they didnt find the SPO, they called him on his mobile phone which was switched off. Later, the security personnel also called his family and were informed that he was at the official residence of the assembly member. It was then that the guards started looking for their weapons and found that seven AK-47 rifles and one licenced pistol belonging to the assembly member was missing from the room. The security personnel then informed the legislator who communicated the same to the police. Officials said that the SPO was at his home in Shopian from the day when the legislator was in Jammu and they were trying to ascertain as to how the SPO came in touch with the militants in south Kashmir. The police are also looking into how the SPO managed to steal eight weapons when the house was guarded. Meanwhile, sources said that police have got some clues that the SPO had come to the official residence in a private vehicle and there was a possibility that the weapons were taken in the same vehicle to south Kashmir. Police spokesman said that a case has been registered at Rajbagh police station and reward money of 2 lakh has been announced for giving information about the SPO. The Taj Mahal will remain temporarily closed for three hours on Sunday for Uzbek president Shavkat Mirziyoyevs visit, according to officials from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma will welcome the visiting dignitary at the Taj Mahal on Sunday afternoon after he arrives. This is Mirziyoyev first visit to India since assuming office in 2016. A family from Tamil Nadus Nagapattinam district on Saturday alleged that a private hospital in Thanjavur had charged them for three days of medical treatment to their kin after his death. In a complaint lodged with Thanjavur south police station, Subash, son of the deceased N Sekar (55) said the private hospital kept his fathers body for three days, claiming that they were still treating him and charged the family for this period. My father was suffered from stomach pain on September 9. Therefore we admitted him to a local hospital at Nagapattinam. As the doctor referred him to a private hospital in Thanjavur, we took him there on September 10. The hospital charged us Rs 5 lakh for his medical expenses and further they asked us to pay Rs 3 lakh to continue the treatment on Friday. Hence, we decided to shift my father to Thanjavur government medical college hospital. When we took him there, the doctors who examined my father said that he died at least three days before, Subash saidin his complaint. G Palanisamy, a former Communist Party of India MLA and kin of the deceased, said that the private hospital failed to inform them about Sekars death. Instead of informing us about Sekars demise, they asked us to pay the fee. How they can treat a deceased person for three days, Palanisamy told Hindustan Times. When contacted, a senior police officer of Thanjavur south police station said they are waiting for the post-mortem report to come to a decision. On receiving the complaint, we requested the post-mortem procedure to know when Sekar died. If their allegation is true, we will take proper action, the officer told Hindustan Times. However, Vinoth Kumar, administrative officer of the private hospital, denied the allegation, saying that the family of deceased is trying to defame the hospital. We have the records to prove that the patient died on Friday. However, we are waiting for the autopsy report. How an established hospital like us could keep a deceased man for three days? We suspect our competitors have triggered the family to raise this issue to defame us. We have filed defamation suits in a local court against this, Vinoth told Hindustan Times. Vice president M Venkaiah Naidu Sunday met ailing Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar at AIIMS in Delhi to enquire about his health. Parrikar was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on September 15. Parrikar, 62, was flown to the national capital owing to his declining health. He had returned from the US in the first week of September, days after which he was admitted to a hospital in Goa. Earlier this year, he had undergone a three-month-long treatment in the US. Met Shri Manohar Parrikar, the Chief Minister of Goa and inquired about his health at AIIMS today. He is one of the most lovable and honest senior politicians of our country. I wish & hope he will get well soon and serve the society as he ever does, the vice-presidents secretariat tweeted. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday dismissed demands for his resignation over the killing of an Apple executive by police constables, saying his government has acted firmly and quickly in the case. They (opposition) are free to demand whatever they want. My government acted firmly and quickly in the case. An SIT has been set up. The guilty has been arrested. A thorough probe has been ordered and we will ensure that justice is done in the case, Adityanath said in Saharanpur, where he had gone for a party meeting. A local employee of Apple, Vivek Tiwari was shot by constables Prashant Chowdhury and Sandeep Kumar while he was going to drop his colleague Sana Khan in an SUV late on Friday night. Opposition parties tried to corner Adityanaths government and the state police, which have been recently accused of staging encounters and being trigger happy. The Yogi Adityanath government should resign as it is responsible for this incident, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav said, alleging that there have been numerous fake encounters in the state. The Congress said the incident exposed the real character of the BJP, which had come to power on the promise of ending goonda raj and jungle raj, and asked Adityanath to resign on moral grounds. In a tweet in Hindi, Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson Sanjay Singh said, Earlier, the slogan was Smile, you are in Lucknow. Under Yogi raj, be scared, you are in Lucknow. You can be shot in an encounter anywhere. However, Adityanath has asserted that action has been taken in the case. The two constables were arrested and dismissed from the job and an FIR was registered in the matter. He has also said that the case was being probed by a SIT and could be given to the CBI if need be. An SIT team visited the spot of the crime along with the forensic team and recreated the scene to piece together details of the shooting. Constable Chaudhary had claimed that he had asked the victim to come out of the SUV after noticing some suspicious activity but Tiwari did not and instead tried to hit him with the vehicle, forcing him to open fire in self defence. However, Tiwaris family members questioned the promptness with which the constable fired on Tiwari, and asked the chief minister himself to come and explain to them how the police could shoot an unarmed person. In a bid to placate the family, deputy chief minister K P Maurya and top police officers visited Tiwaris family. Senior ministers, Ashutosh Tandon and Brajesh Pathak, and police officers also attended Tiwaris cremation. Maurya vowed to punish the guilty and ensure similar incident doesnt happen again. Union home minister Rajnath Singh, also of the BJP, had called up Adityanath and asked him to take effective action in connection with the shooting. Vicki Suttle * * * In 2012 before I retired, a senior in my English class, Talon Harris, was being scouted by dozens of colleges and even the Atlanta Braves when he was critically injured in a wreck. He was in ICU for weeks and then spent months at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta learning to walk and talk again. His traumatic brain injury drastically changed his life and the lives of his family. Jared Hensley, his baseball coach, came to see him every day when he was in the hospital. He raised money for Talon's family and became like a member of their family. When Talon returned home from Shepherd, Coach Hensley visited him, took him to ball games, and worked with him weekly, trying to help Talon relearn how to throw and hit a baseball. He tried to make Talon a part of the team again and help him feel normal. Coach Hensley worked with Talon quietly and without fanfare. His dedication to his former player was one of the most poignant and touching things I witnessed in my 33-year teaching career. His story with Talon is newsworthy. Also that year, Coach Hensley came to me as head of the English Department and asked what I thought about requiring his baseball boys to read a book. He wanted them all to read a book that exemplified perseverance, courage and teamwork. Of course, I was elated at the idea of cross curricular instruction and gave my stamp of approval of the book he chose, American Sniper. He purchased a book for each young man on the team and one for me. Many of the boys on the team were also in my senior English class, and I heard them one day, as they were leaving class for lunch, talking about setting, antagonists, and theme. One of them asked me if the desert could be an antagonist. Imagine that. A bunch of jocks sitting around discussing literary terms at lunch. Thats newsworthy. In the past week I have read some pretty nasty comments about Jared Hensley - that he is ignorant, that he is a misogynist and a chauvinist, and that he should not be allowed to lead a school. These comments have been made, of course, by people who have never met and dont know him, all based on a 15-second, ad-libbed comment at the end of a hectic morning. I know this young man and can attest to his exemplary character and to the fact that he is nothing like the hyper-sensitive press has made him out to be. He is well-educated, clever, kind-hearted and dedicated. He does not have a misogynistic bone in his body. He is literally adored by the faculty and student body at Soddy Daisy High School and is admired throughout the community. If this sort of witch hunt can happen to him, it can happen to any of us. I would challenge you to examine your own life. Would you think it was fair for someone to take a 15-second quip that youve made at some hectic point in your life and have that tiny bit of time represent your entire career? Thats pretty scary and would be like reading a few lines that you deemed offensive from Othello or the Grapes of Wrath and deciding that those great works werent worth reading. This unfortunate incident, which is not newsworthy, has been blown out of proportion, has tarnished a good mans reputation, and could cost him his livelihood. Our school system and our students need this good and honorable role model to continue as an exemplary administrator and positive influence in our community. What I think should happen is that he needs to go back to work, assemble the student body, and say, I messed up in my choice of words, and I apologize. What a great learning opportunity that would be for 1,200 young adults. Then everyone needs to simply carry on. No crime was committed. No one was hurt. I sure hope the leaders of Hamilton County Department of Education respond to this minor incident pragmatically and with good, common sense. What has happened to Jared Hensley today is not newsworthy. If he sarcastically joked about girls not following the SDHS dress code, I'm sure that what he said needed to be said. He may not have used the best example, but what he said was the truth. My educated guess would be that 90 percent of the dress code infractions in high schools are from girls wearing low cut or see-through shirts and blouses. Link Raulston Sparks * * * Oh you are missing the point entirely. He may be the very best coach in Hamilton County but that doesnt change the fact he went on social media (not cool for a teacher or coach to begin with) and made some very sexist comments. Honestly, in the context of a conversation among friends or fellow teachers, his comments might have been considered a little funny but one doesnt go on camera and make such foolish remarks. Totally inappropriate and yes, he deserves to be sanctioned. He is supposed to be a leader..Not very impressive. Perhaps while he has a little vacation he will do some growing up. Dawn Devine * * * 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 drunk driver ploughed his BMW into multiple vehicles in Mumbai on Saturday night before police arrested him after chasing him for 4 km, police said. The incident took place between Reay Road and Kidwai Road. We caught him after chasing for 4 km. He is a driver. The owner of the car left for Dubai yesterday. Two injured have been taken to hospital. Action will be taken, a Mumbai police officer told ANI. The car also suffered damages and the windscreen was completely destroyed. (With ANI inputs) Its been four years since 62 acres was acquired for establishing a permanent campus for Indian Institute of Management (IIM), but it still looks like a distant dream as the authorities have set 2022 as the new tentative deadline for the completion of project. The institute established in 2015, still has a temporary campus, in the building of Government Polytechnic College affiliated to Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar, near Guru Nanak Dev University main campus.The construction work for the permanent campus situated close to national highway-1 between Jandiala Guru town and Manawala village is underway at snails pace. The project has been delayed due to deadlock between the IIM management and state government. First, the IIM committee had to accomplish formalities for the change of land use from the town planning department, following which it had to get a no objection certificate from National Highway Authority of Indian (NHAI) for a proposed entry gate towards NH-15. So far, a boundary wall covering only 3.35km has been constructed. We are executing the project in a phased manner. The construction of boundary wall has been completed. Tendering process for further works has been started and the campus will be completed in 2022 tentatively, said IIM civil engineer RK Rampal.However, no tender notice was found on the official website of institute. The administrative arrangements for the IIM are temporary.The future of this institute is uncertain. For running an institute successfully, a permanent director is required, said activist Kulwant Singh Ankhi, Amritsar Vikas Manch. IIM-Kozhikode director, Debashish Chatterjee, is mentor director of IIM Amritsar and Pawan Kumar Singh, nodal officer, is managing the affairs of the institute in absence of permanent director. Despite repeated attempts, they could not be contacted. We are facilitating the students in every possible ways, but we cannot do everything at a temporary campus. For instance, we can set up big library and hostels on the permanent campus, said public relations in-charge Mukesh Kumar. He said, Currently, 107 students are studying here and arrangements for their accommodation have been made in a distant building that we have taken on rent. With Rotary Chandigarh all set to celebrate its 60th anniversary in Chandigarh tricity, Barry Rassin, the president of Rotary International, was in town to take part in the celebrations. Rassin, a hospital administration specialist from the Bahamas and a lifetime member of the American Hospital Association, took over as the president of the Rotary on July 1. This year, he was recognised as an officer of the order of distinction by Bahamas government. On his first visit to Chandigarh, Rassin addressed over 2,500 schoolchildren and also chaired the Lead to Inspire summit at Chandigarh Judicial Academy, where around 500 Rotarians had assembled. How do you plan to involve 1.2 million Rotarians into health services? Health is our major focus. We work for maternal-child health and disease prevention. So far, in partnership with the World Health Organisation, we have almost eradicated polio. There are only 18 cases left in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Rotary International has spent over USD 1.8 billion for the eradication of polio in the world, including India. What steps were taken by Rotary International to eradicate Polio in India? In 1988, the World Health Assembly took a decision to eradicate polio. However, the Government of India was not part of the strategy back then. Rotary International launched the campaign in 1992. But then we realised that till we take the government on board, we cannot eradicate polio. Initially, even polio vaccines were supplied by Rotary International, however, after the government got into the drivers seat, it became a national programme. GOI took the financial roles and we were responsible for awareness. On March 27, 2014, Rotary International got a certificate of polio eradication after years of regular immunisation. However, the goal hasnt been achieved internationally yet. What are your opinions about the Indian health industry? I am really impressed by the health sector in India. Its affordable and doctors are committed and well-trained. What are the dynamics of finance of Rotary International? Most of our funds are generated through crowdfunding. We have generated more than 400 million dollars so far. In fact, India is second only to the USA in their contribution to The Rotary Foundation, which funds the service projects around the world. Do you face trouble in coordinating with governments around the globe? I try to avoid politics as much as I can. There are certain things that the government cannot do, but Rotarians can do. For instance, Aziz Mahmood, a Rotarian in Pakistan, persuaded Taliban to get their children vaccinated. Our work and governments work is distinct. In Chandigarh to deliver the second Comrade Swapan Mukherjee Memorial Lecture, the newly elected president of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) N Sai Balaji, hit out at the central government and said that the country is being turned into a lynchistan. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh are trying to turn Hindustan into Lynchistan but the people of the country will not let this happen, said Balaji, who belongs to the All India Students Association (AISA), the student wing of Communist Party of India Marxist-Leninist (Liberation). He added, People will defeat Modi in the 2019 elections to save democracy. One who questions is lynched Beginning his lecture with Red Salute, Balaji said, Whenever someone questions the attack on democracy, he or she is thrown into jail or a mob is sent to lynch the person. The BJP leaders welcome these mob-lynchers and distribute sweets. It has become an everyday affair so much so that when one hears about a lynching these day, it not longer troubles ones conscience. He further said, The attack on JNU is an attack on the democracy. It is the mini-India where students from everywhere come to study and then go to different institutions all over the country to teach. This is what frightens the BJP and RSS and this is why they cut our funds, reservation, fellowship and seats. Balaji maintained that calling JNU the hub of anti-nationals is a conspiracy against the India that questions. It is being done because JNU is a voice of the common people of the country, he said. Explaining the attack, he said that the BJP government is trying to destroy public institutions, and democracy. He said that the government does not want people to question GST, demonetisation, or the Rafale scam. However in the last elections, the majority in JNU resisted the attack. It is the people of the country that resisted it. In Panjab University too, the attack was challenged and students chose the organisation which fights for their rights. I congratulate Kanupriya for her victory, he said. Calling JNU model as the countrys model of resistance, Balaji said, Modi has brought all those fighting for their rights together. This is the unity that he and his government fear. The people will show Modi his place in 2019 elections and will reaffirm the faith in democracy. BJP govt betrayed the defence forces Balaji said that the BJP government claims to be a champion of the defence forces but in reality, it is decreasing the spending of the forces. They also betrayed the defence forces with the Rafale scam. Solidarity for 24/7 hostels Balaji said that he supports the demand of girls hostels being open 24/7. He said that those talking of parent consent are the ones advocating patriarchal thoughts. Parents too need to understand that the students will be fighting for their rights whether it is 24/7 hostel entry or jobs. They need to come and support them, he said. Later in the evening, he visited Panjab University campus to meet the newly-elected PU student body leader Kanupriya and discussed how they can create solidarity among various campuses in the run up to the 2019 elections. Phone numbers and other personal details of senior ministers from Britains Conservative party were made public by an app security flaw on Saturday, including those of top Brexiteers Michael Gove and Boris Johnson. Several top MPs reportedly received nuisance calls after their profiles were accessed on the official mobile application for the annual party conference, which kicks off this weekend. The security breach saw members of the public able to enter the profiles using just the politicians email addresses -- easily available online -- to view and edit the data stored within. Former foreign secretary Johnson had his profile picture briefly swapped for pornography and his job title changed to a profane insult, according to several Twitter users. Meanwhile Environment Secretary Goves picture was changed to one of media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, his former employer when he was a journalist. Among the first to report the flaw was Dawn Foster, a columnist for daily The Guardian. The Tory conference app allows you to log in as other people and view their contact details just with their email address, no emailed security links, and post comments as them, she wrote on Twitter, using a colloquial name for the party. Theyve essentially made every journalist, politician and attendees mobile number public. Fantastic. A Conservative party spokesperson apologised for the breach, saying the technical issue had been resolved and the app is now functioning securely. Britains data watchdog, the Information Commissioners Office (ICO), said it was investigating the data breach related to the app, which was developed by an Australian firm called Crown Comms. The opposition Labour Party said the blunder showed the ruling party could not be trusted in matters of security. They cant even build a conference app that keeps the data of their members, MPs and others attending safe and secure, said shadow cabinet office minister Jon Trickett. The breach is the latest embarrassment for Prime Minister Theresa Mays embattled party, whose yearly gathering begins on Sunday in the city of Birmingham in central England. Last years conference was peppered with mishaps, with Mays attempt to move past Brexit splits marred by a protest, a collapsing set and a coughing fit. During the 2017 event, a prankster interrupted the leaders address by handing her a P45 -- a form given to those leaving a job. No sooner had she resumed, May began coughing uncontrollably and continued to struggle on and off throughout the rest of the speech, as two letters fell off the slogan on the wall behind her. There is little prospect of the return of priceless Indian artefacts currently with Britains royal family, museums and people whose ancestors served the British Raj, but one such family is keen to give back an item discovered in a newly opened chest. Iain Shore, whose ancestors include John Shore, the governor general of India during 1793-1797, returned a set of instruments used by another ancestor, engineer Arthur Garrett, during the restoration of Jaipurs Jantar Mantar in 1902, to the Albert Hall Museum in 2016. Shore is now keen to return a silver rose bowl dated 1906, which was found in a family chest that lay unopened for decades. It was presented to another ancestor, a soldier in the 35th Sikhs, the infantry regiment in the British Indian Army that saw action in several wars and conflicts. It eventually became the Sikh Regiment after 1947. The rose bowl with a black wooden plinth bears the badge of the 35th Sikhs, with signatures inscribed of every officer of the regiment in 1906. It was presented to a captain, Shores great-uncle, GWG Lindesay, who was the brother-in-law of Major Arthur Garrett. The chest was with Shores maternal uncle, Nicholas Lindesay Lyons, the last survivor of the generation who knew Lindesay. Being very frail, he expressed a "strong desire" that the rose bowl be returned to the Sikh Regiment in India. He considers the Sikh Regiment to be its natural home, where it can be seen, used and enjoyed by the officers of that historic, illustrious, honourable and battle-hardened band of brothers. One never leaves the regiment in which one has served - it is always in your blood, Shore, himself a former army officer, said on Friday. "It is my belief that much of India's history was removed from India. As far as my family is concerned, I feel a personal debt to the country which gave so many of my family birth and infant nurture. I should like to return whatever I have, which is of historical significance, so that it can be enjoyed in the place where it belongs. Based near Bristol in southwest England, Shore is keen to travel to Ramgarh in Jharkhand to present the historic item to officials of the Sikh Regimental Centre, just as he went to Jaipur in 2016 to return Garretts instruments to much local interest. India is our home, really. It is in our bones, our hearts. We always felt alien in England, said Shore, whose family's India links go back nearly 250 years. He is married to Gujarati-origin Kshama. Neither of my parents went back to India after 1944, they were dismayed by the terrible events of Partition, and by the descent of Pakistan into seemingly intractable pseudo-religious stupidity and disastrous corruption. But they were later buoyed by India's climb to progress and modernity after the neo-communist dalliances of (former prime minister Jawaharlal) Nehru had been discredited and ditched by his successors. The FBI has contacted Deborah Ramirez, whos accused Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct when he was a Yale student, as part of the bureaus investigation of the Supreme Court nominee, her attorney said Saturday. Ramirezs lawyer, John Clune, said agents want to interview her and she has agreed to cooperate. Ramirez has said Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party in the early 1980s when they were Yale students. President Donald Trump ordered the FBI on Friday to reopen Kavanaughs background investigation after several women accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. Kavanaugh has denied the allegations. Senate leaders agreed to delay a final vote on Kavanaughs nomination to allow for a one-week FBI investigation. The Senate Judiciary Committee has said the probe should be limited to current credible allegations against Kavanaugh and be finished by next Friday. Leaving the hearing Friday, Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, said it was his understanding there would be an FBI investigation of the outstanding allegations, the three of them, but Republicans have not said whether that was their understanding as well. While the precise scope of the investigation remained unclear, Trump told reporters Saturday that the FBI, as you know, is all over talking to everybody and said this could be a blessing in disguise. They have free rein. Theyre going to do whatever they have to do, whatever it is they do. Theyll be doing things that we have never even thought of, he said. And hopefully at the conclusion everything will be fine. White House spokesman Raj Shah said the Senate set the scope and duration of the investigation and that the White House is letting the FBI agents do what they are trained to do. The FBI conducts background checks for federal nominees, but the agency does not make judgments on the credibility or significance of allegations. The investigators will compile information about Kavanaughs past and provide their findings to the White House and include the information in Kavanaughs background file, which is available to senators. Kavanaugh and another of his accusers, Christine Blasey Ford, who says Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when both were teenagers, testified publicly before the Judiciary Committee on Thursday. Kavanaughs high school friend Mark Judge, who Ford says was in the room when a drunken Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her, said that he will cooperate with any law enforcement agency that will confidentially investigate sexual misconduct allegations against him and Kavanaugh. Judge has also denied misconduct allegations. Lawyers for P.J. Smyth and Leland Ingham Keyser, two others who Ford said were in the house when she was attacked, have said their clients are willing to cooperate fully with the FBIs investigation. A third woman, Julie Swetnick, accused Kavanaugh and Judge of excessive drinking and inappropriate treatment of women in the early 1980s, among other accusations. Kavanaugh has called her accusations a joke and Judge has said he categorically denies the allegations. Swetnicks attorney, Michael Avenatti, said Saturday afternoon that his client had not been contacted by the FBI but is willing to fully cooperate with investigators. On Saturday, Sen. Chuck Grassley, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, asked the Justice Department and the FBI to open a criminal investigation into apparent false statements that were made to committee investigators alleging sexual misconduct by Kavanaugh in 1985. A constituent contacted the office of Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse alleging that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted an acquaintance on a boat in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1985, but Grassley said the person later recanted and apologized for the allegation via social media. Separately on Saturday, Whitehouse, a Democrat, said he expects the FBI would provide adequate staffing for Kavanaughs background investigation, with teams working in parallel to investigate separate allegations. Agents should get support from the Judiciary Committee for rapid immunity and subpoena decisions, he said. Last week, Trump tweeted that if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with local police. On Thursday night, he attacked Democrats, saying they have a search and destroy strategy and said this process has been a total sham and effort to delay, obstruct and resist. After Ford appeared before the Judiciary Committee, Trump said her testimony was very compelling and that she appeared to be certainly a very credible witness. In the last week, Trump has spoken repeatedly with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has scolded Trump about comments that appeared to cast doubt on Fords claim, according to two Republicans familiar with the discussions but not authorized to speak publicly about private conversations. McConnell urged Trump to support Kavanaugh but to avoid attacking his accusers, warning that he was in charge of counting votes and those kinds of disparaging remarks could cause him to lose Republican senators whose votes could be key to confirming Kavanaugh, including Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, they said. McConnell also strongly warned Trump against firing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein following reports that Rosenstein had discussed possibly secretly recording the president and using the Constitutions 25th Amendment to remove him from office, telling him it could lead to a bloodbath, according to the Republicans familiar with the conversations. The Kentucky senator feared it could not only heighten the tension around the delicate Kavanaugh proceedings but could endanger Republican control of the Senate. McConnell has repeatedly stressed to Trump that he should not act on Rosenstein or his boss, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, until after the midterm elections. McConnells office declined to discuss the leaders calls with the president, but spokeswoman Antonia Ferrier said the two speak regularly and have had good conversations. Longtime McConnell adviser Scott Jennings said it wouldnt surprise him that the Senate leader would be giving the president his best advice on how to be most helpful, even in direct terms. Ive never known McConnell to be anything other than candid and honest, said Jennings, who did not have direct knowledge of the conversations with the White House. Taking stock of the week, Jennings noted that the president, by weeks end, has been pretty helpful. Rosenstein wasnt fired. Trump didnt lash out at Sen. Jeff Flake, the Arizona Republican who forced the delay of Kavanaughs confirmation with the FBI probe. And Trump signed a bill to fund the government and avoid a federal shutdown without making a stink about extra money for his border wall with Mexico. Look at what happened, Jennings said. The president was striking the tone. A US Navy destroyer sailed near islands claimed by China in the South China Sea on Sunday, a US official told Reuters, potentially angering Beijing at a time of tense relations between the two countries. Beijing and Washington are locked in a trade war that has seen them impose increasingly severe rounds of tariffs on each others imports. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the destroyer Decatur travelled within 12 nautical miles of Gaven and Johnson Reefs in the Spratly Islands. The operation was the latest attempt to counter what Washington sees as Beijings efforts to limit freedom of navigation in the strategic waters, where Chinese, Japanese and some Southeast Asian navies operate. Chinas claims in the South China Sea, through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes each year, are contested by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. We conduct routine and regular freedom-of-navigation operations, as we have done in the past and will continue to do in the future, the US official added. Chinas foreign ministry did not respond immediately to a request for comment. The United States has criticised Chinas construction of islands and military facilities in the area and is concerned they could be used to restrict free nautical movement. The US military has a long-standing position that its operations are carried out throughout the world, including in areas claimed by allies, and are separate from political considerations. The latest move comes at a particularly tense time in relations between the United States and China. Friction between the worlds two biggest economies is now moving beyond trade, with U.S. President Donald Trump accusing Beijing this week of seeking to interfere in congressional elections, marking a new phase in an escalating campaign by Washington to put pressure on China. China recently denied a request for a US warship to visit Hong Kong and this month Beijing postponed joint military talks in protest against a US decision to impose sanctions on a Chinese military agency and its director for buying Russian fighter jets and a surface-to-air missile system. In May two US Navy warships sailed near South China Sea islands claimed by China. JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. You should upgrade or use an You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.You should upgrade or use an alternative browser Khloe Kardashian is having a rough time as the parent of a biracial child under the scorn of the public eye. She recently had to defend her infant against racist cyberbullies and now, she is facing another race-related challenge. After making a comment about her family's being color blind, Twitter users read her for filth. The debacle started with a message against those racist remarks. "I dislike the fact that people are allowed to comment on my daughter's skin color but as soon as I comment kindly back and praise her for all that she is, the comment gets erased. If you have the courage to post your nasty criticism please allow one to defend or comment back" https://twitter.com/_/status/1045518606979780608 She then slipped into dangerous territory when responding to one of her fan's supportive message. In an attempt to speak of unity, Khloe claimed that her family simply doesn't see color. "I try to put myself in their shoes &maybe they were brought up in a different type of household then I was. So instead of shaming I try to educate. In our household we do not see color. We see emotion and action. We see love. We feed off of energy" https://twitter.com/_/status/1045520398698319872 In response, people clapped back at the social media star while pointing out that her mindset is dismissive rather than inclusive. "To say you don't see color means you are turning a blind eye to the blatant racism that poc...more specifically black people face DAILY! Trust me when I tell you in this world your daughter will be seen as black and you don't even know how to prepare her for what's to come. Smh." https://twitter.com/_/status/1045549134969810944 https://twitter.com/_/status/1045745505626656768 https://twitter.com/_/status/1045739731059986437 https://twitter.com/_/status/1045727785917001728 https://twitter.com/_/status/1045736500388868096 https://twitter.com/_/status/1045683487326507008 If you haven't heard Saweetie's "Icy Girl," released last October, you might want to get with it. The West Coast rapper has been making moves ever since releasing a series of car raps were posted on her Instagram page, she gradually flipped into followers and views, and eventually a budding rap career. She's now managed by Max Gousse, who A&R'd for Beyonce's B'Day, and started her own label last November (fittingly titled "Icy"). While her atmospheric rise might seem as if it's happened overnight, Saweetie (real name Diamonte Harper) has long been grinding to be "on top" like her idol J. Cole. Here are some things you should know about the up-and-comer. She Grew Up Listening To The Greats Born in 1993, Saweetie was exposed to the Death Row and Bad Boy lineups early, along with a host of R&B acts like Blackstreet and The Isley Brothers. But it wasn't until she discovered the music of J. Cole that she truly knew what she wanted from her career. Saweetie went so far as to wait outside a Cole concert back in 2012 for the rapper to appear, asking if she could rap for him. "Im going to be on top with you one day,' she recalls saying to Cole, in an interview with Rolling Stone. She's Got Connections In The Industry Saweetie's mother Trinidad Valentin was a video vixen in both R. Kelly and LL Cool J videos. Her cousin's dad is MC Hammer. Not only that, but the legendary Zaytoven also happens to be her cousin. Despite these ties, Saweetie has been clear that she wants to make it on her own, without relying heavily on producers or industry pros. On the remix of "Icy Girl" with Kehani, Saweetie references how it is trying to make it in a male-centric genre. In talking about the industry, she's noted that sometimes producers wouldn't invite her back if she didn't hang out afterward. "'I didnt want to compromise my morals. Im glad I didnt take any shortcuts.' Grandma Helped With Her Stage Name Growing up, her grandmother always referred to her as "sweetie," a nickname that she would one day flip for a "jazzed up" version of the expression. Quavo Is Her New Boo The two were linked after she starred in his "Workin Me" video. Soon after, the couple was spotted at New York Fashion Week, further fueling rumors of their union. She's Headlining TheInaugural ESVN Festival In Brooklyn with Tinashe The event is catered to recognizing and celebrating the accomplishments of women. In addition to musical acts, there will be over 20 guest speakers talking about fashion, mental health, diversity, and more. Her Debut EP Came Out In March The nine-track project, High Maintenance, features Saweetie's big-baller aspirations and her slick flow. There's plenty of Bay Area shoutouts and beats that positively slap. Standout tracks "B.A.N." and "Agua" are must-listens. She Recently Collabed With G-Eazy, Rich the Kid, & London On Da Track Saweetie linked up with the rappers and producer for "Up Now", a trap-influenced track where she intones, "if it ain't about that money it's a waste of conversation." All the ingredients are in place for a hit, and "Up Now" is sure to make the rounds at clubs and college parties. PAWNEE Ava DeLeon, one of six eighth grade students in this small towns only school, knows a thing or two about oil and gas since both her parents work in the industry in the nearby Eagle Ford shale. But now shes learning what happens to the contaminated soil, drill cuttings, and other solid waste that piles up at well sites. A lot of that waste could be headed two miles down the road from her school, where the Phoenix waste management company Republic Services wants to build a 156-acre landfill that would rise more than 170 feet just outside of this South Texas community. DeLeon worries about heavy metals, chemicals and other pollutants from drilling waste escaping into the environment and how they could affect her health and that of her 12-year-old sister, Olivia, and 14-month old brother, Augie. It can go into the air. It can go into the water, she said, sitting at table in the schools cafeteria. Its just the little things that concerned me because were always outside. DeLeon is part of the local opposition to Republics proposed waste dump as Pawnee joins a handful of small communities in South Texas that have fought similar facilities that they say bring toxic materials, heavy trucks and industrial operations, and mar the quiet, rural character of their communities. Other small towns will likely face similar fights. Even with an increase in the number of landfills, there are still not enough to handle solid waste generated in oil and gas fields around the state. RELATED: Crude oil top petroleum export from U.S. in first half of 2018 The proliferation of these sites represents another side to a drilling boom that is generating mountains of money for energy companies and their investors, but leaving small communities like Pawnee to deal with mountains of waste. At least 19 oilfield landfills already operate Texas, and the Railroad Commission of Texas, which oversees the oil and gas industry, has approved at least 5 new permits this year alone. Inevitably, the siting of the oilfield landfills pits poor rural communities against the states powerful oil and gas industry and rich landfill operators such as Republic. In 2017, for example, Republic reported profits of $1.3 billion. All the property in the Pawnee Independent School District is valued at less than $330 million, according to the Texas Education Agency. Even if they spend a bunch of money on lawyers and experts its nearly impossible to stop such a project, said Neil Carman, clean air program director for the Texas chapter of the Sierra Club, a national environmental advocacy group. The best they can do is delay it. Pawnee, population 166, passes by in a flash while traveling along Highway 72 through a countryside of of huisatche, oak and rolling fields, where towering drilling rigs rise over hay baled in large rounds. The town has a single intersection, but no traffic light, next to the one-story school that educates students from pre-K to eighth grade. In a county where one in four people live in poverty, most of the 156 students qualify for free lunches; Superintendent Michelle Hartmann said the school provides free lunches to all because its just easier. Republic, which has a stock market value of more than $24 billion, acquired the property for the landfill in 2015 when when it bought a subsidiary of the Canadian waste management company Tervita. In July, Republic proposed developing the property, about 2 miles southeast of Pawnee, into a landfill with the capacity to hold more than 11.6 million cubic yards of oilfield waste piled 170 feet high an amount that would cover 11 square miles if the waste was spread a foot deep. RELATED: New review shows oil and gas debt at lowest levels since late 2014 As many as 50 trucks a day would pass through and near the town, hauling waste to the 24-hour, 7-days-a-week operation. Republic says that material, which would include waste oil and gas liquids, fracking fluids and other materials, would be separated and dried at its facility, then stacked in a disposal pit with double lining and leak detectors to prevent liquids from leaching into the environment. In Pawnee, residents worry about increased truck traffic and more accidents. But they are most concerned about fly ash and other fine materials that could blow from the landfill to the school and town, where residents young and old would breathe the polluted air, the tiny particles settling in their lungs. Friable, which refers to easily pulverized materials that can become suspended in the air, has become a frequently used term around town. Dennis DeWitt, who represents Pawnee on the Bee County Commission, has urged residents to send letters to the Railroad Commission, which regulates oilfield waste sites. to voice their opposition. He held up two binders side by side. One brown folder a few inches thick was the amount of paperwork DeWitt said it took to get a similar site near his land rejected. The other, about an inch-and-a-half thick, was the folder of letters and supporting materials opposing the Republic project. Government continues to run on paper I dont care what anybody says, it runs on paper, said DeWitt, a veteran of state government, including long stints with Texas Parks and Wildlife. The more paper we can stack up, the more they listen. Ava DeLeon, 13, was among the first in her class to write a letter to the Railroad Commission. This was an instant where I was like, I have to say something or I have to do something, she said. RELATED: Flint Hill to expand Ingleside oil export facility Floyd Wolff, 63, is a pharmacist who owns land across the road from the proposed landfill. Wolff is familiar and comfortable with the oil and gas industry. At least three natural gas well pads sit on his land. A saltwater disposal well is also on the property, on the hill behind the gas wells, surrounded by scrub brush. A nearby natural gas processing facility operates on land that his grandfather sold to the energy company Pioneer Natural Resources. But he doesnt like what Republic is proposing. Youll have numerous things dispersed in there, and its flying right to the children, right to the children day after day after day, he said. After a period of time, somebodys going to die prematurely. Gary McCuiston, a Republic executive overseeing the landfill development, said fly ash would be used only as a last resort to dry liquid wastes, which would primarily be mixed with dry waste and, if needed, dry soil. Safety is a priority for Republic, McCuiston said, and the company would work with residents to mitigate truck traffic. Truckers would have to follow rules adopted by the town or they would be prohibited from using the landfill which Republic has done at other sites, McCuiston said. On Aug. 28, the Railroad Commission sent a letter requiring Republic to clarify or provide information on 35 points, including clarification of the ownership of the property, design dimensions of the disposal pit, and safety data sheets related to the materials, such as fly ash, that Republic is proposing to use. Republic has 45 days from the day it received the letter to respond to the Railroad Commissions concerns. Floyd said he will stay on his land if the landfill comes, but he doubts his children or grandchildren would want to keep it. He also fears that health and safety concerns will lead parents to take their children from Pawnees school and send them elsewhere, making it difficult for the little school to survive. If theyre not here, then our little community just its gone if the kids arent here, he said. Taylor Swift goes big, huge gargantuan, even on her Reputation Stadium Tour. Flames and fireworks explode within the first few songs. The entire stage is framed by a pair of giant screens. Her signature snakes are everywhere, even towering above the NRG Stadium crowd at points. She channels Beyonce, awash in red lights and wearing a sequined black bodysuit, during opener "... Ready for It?" THE CARTERS: Beyonce and Jay-Z - go on the run in Houston "Don't Blame Me," with its black, gold and dramatic dance sequence, felt very Gaga. Swift repeatedly called the show by its full name the "Reputation Stadium Tour stressing the bigness of it all. Very few women, or solo performers in general, could fill such a mammoth venue. (Beyonce is the only other who comes to mind. She did it for two nights.) Swift's last local date was in early 2017 as part of the lead-up to the Super Bowl. It was her only live show that year. "I know we're supposed to play it cool. But I have to be honest with you. This is the most fun I've ever had on tour," Swift said. But the best moments during Saturday night's show came when Swift, in spangly blue, pink and purple, took to a pair of small stages at the back of the stadium to get closer to fans. She was joined by openers Charli XCX and Camila Cabello, who donned a Houston Texans jersey, for a vibrant, colorful run through "Shake it Off." But soon it was just Swift and her Swifties. She strummed an acoustic guitar during "Dancing with Our Hands Tied" and "Wonderland." And she led the crowd through an ebullient "Blank Space" singalong. Swift walked among the crowd to move between stages, giving out handshakes and high-fives. It was all a reminder of what made her so special in the first place an intense, personal connection with the people who love her music. SINCE U BEEN GONE: Kelly Clarkson's upcoming tour is skipping Houston Several of them showed off homemade costumes, T-shirts and posters inspired by song titles and lyrics. There was lots of sparkle. And lots of snakes. (Swift embraced the reptile after her social media was inundated with snake emojis, incited by feuds with Calvin Harris and Kanye West/Kim Kardashian.) "Ever since I was a little kid, I've been hearing from my mom about this magical place called Houston, Texas where she grew up," Swift said. Her mother attended Memorial High School and graduated from the University of Houston. "This is the place where you can find some of the loudest crowds you can see or hear in the entire world." Some fans were left waiting outside during sets by Charli XCX and Cabello. At least one entrance gate ran out of wristbands for floor seat access. No one was allowed onto the floor without a wristband, and dozens of angry fans argued with flustered venue staff, who seemed to have no idea what was going on. More wristbands eventually showed up. All seemed forgiven once Swift was onstage. Her show often played like a celebration of women onstage and in the crowd. She drew heavily, of course, from the "Reputation" album, both in sound and image. There was lots of production around everything, from costumes to dancers to music, but it's to Swift credit that she stayed on top of it, particularly during standouts "Gorgeous," "Look What You Made Me Do" and soaring above the crowd during "Delicate." When she did dig into her back catalog "Love Story," "You Belong With Me" it felt like sweet, quaint remembrances. Even "Style," from the 1989 album, felt like a long time ago. Swift's most effective bridge between past and present came when she mashed up "Bad Blood" with "Should've Said No," a single from her first album. It felt seamless and sounded terrific, proving maybe she's still not so different from that girl with long curls and a glittery guitar. WASHINGTON - The FBI has begun contacting people as part of an additional background investigation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, including a second woman who alleges that the Supreme Court nominee sexually assaulted her. The bureau has contacted Deborah Ramirez, a Yale University classmate of Kavanaugh's who alleges that he shoved his genitals in her face at a party where she had been drinking and become disoriented, her attorney said Saturday. "She has agreed to cooperate with their investigation," Ramirez attorney John Clune said in a statement. "Out of respect for the integrity of the process, we will have no further comment at this time." President Donald Trump ordered the new background investigation of his nominee on Friday under pressure from key members of his party. Now Playing: President Trump posted another tweet about Brett Kavanaugh late Friday evening. Video: GeoBeats Late Saturday, the president said the FBI probe would be exhaustive, but the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday afternoon said that the supplemental investigation would be limited to "current, credible allegations." And a lawyer for one woman who has accused Kavanaugh of misconduct said his client had not been contacted. In brief remarks to reporters before leaving for a rally in West Virginia, the president said the FBI is "all over talking to everybody. . . . They have free rein, they can do whatever they have to do, whatever it is that they do. They'll be doing things we have never even thought of." But Michael Avenatti, an attorney for Julie Swetnick, who alleged that Kavanaugh and another boy got teenage girls drunk at parties, where the girls were sexually assaulted, sometimes by groups of boys, said Saturday that Swetnick has not been contacted by the bureau. Swetnick said in a sworn statement this past week that she knew Kavanaugh in high school and was raped by such a group at a party where Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge were present. She has not accused Kavanaugh of raping her. Swetnik described Kavanaugh as a "mean drunk" in high school who was physically and verbally aggressive with girls. "We have not heard anything from the FBI, and with each passing hour, I'm growing increasingly concerned that this is a sham of an investigation," Avenatti said. He noted that Swetnick has had multiple security clearances and said that lying in a sworn declaration would be disastrous to her career. "Why would Miss Ramirez be questioned but not my client?" he asked. "Donald Trump is not supposed to be determining who is credible. That's the job of the FBI." Trump reiterated his defense of his nominee for the high court, calling him a "good man" and a "great judge." The president also said the FBI investigation "will be a blessing in disguise. It will be a good thing." Kavanaugh has denied the accusations by Ramirez and Swetnick and has said emphatically that he never abused or assaulted anyone. He also has pointed to half a dozen other background checks the FBI conducted on him for other federal positions over the years, none of which surfaced evidence or allegations of sexual assault. The FBI also is following up on allegations by Christine Blasey Ford, a psychology professor at Palo Alto University in California, who testified to the Senate last week that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in the early 1980s when they were in high school in suburban Washington, District of Columbia. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., a member of the Judiciary Committee, had pressed for the FBI probe and a delay in voting on the nomination. Asked on Friday about "current, credible allegations" that should be investigated, Flake said, "We'll leave that to the FBI." White House spokesman Raj Shah said on Saturday: "The scope and duration has been set by the Senate. The White House is letting the FBI agents do what they are trained to do." A Judiciary Committee spokesman on Saturday declined to elaborate beyond the panel's initial statement. Democrats were not included on a call that Republican staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee held with the White House discussing the FBI investigation, according to an official familiar with the discussion who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Trump, in his remarks to reporters, also said he wants to know who leaked a confidential letter by Ford that was sent to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Calif., the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, and suggested it could have been the California lawmaker. "I think frankly the FBI has a chance to reveal a lot of different things. I'd like to find out who leaked the papers," Trump said, referring to the letter. "Was it Senator Feinstein? Certainly her body language was not exactly very good when they asked her that question. I would like to find out as part of it who leaked the papers, which Democrat leaked the papers." Feinstein said at Thursday's hearing that she did not leak the letter nor did anyone on her staff. Ryan Grim, the reporter for the Intercept who first reported on the existence of Ford's letter, has also said neither Feinstein nor her aides were his sources. During Thursday's testimony, Ford recounted in detail how Kavanaugh and Judge allegedly attacked her in a bedroom during a small gathering at a house when she said the teen boys were both drunk. Ford said the alleged attack has caused her lasting trauma, and she was visibly anguished as she recalled the events Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Following Ford's testimony, Kavanaugh vigorously denied the allegations before the committee and accused Democrats of launching a last-minute attempt to derail his nomination. He decried the confirmation process as a "circus." Each of the people Ford identified as being at the gathering - Judge, Leland Keyser and Patrick J. Smyth - has said they will cooperate with the FBI. An attorney for Keyser, a friend of Ford's, said that Keyser has no recollection of the party where Ford alleges Kavanaugh assaulted her. "Notably, Ms. Keyser does not refute Dr. Ford's account, and she has already told the press that she believes Dr. Ford's account," the attorney, Howard Walsh III, wrote in an email to the Senate Judiciary Committee. "However, the simple and unchangeable truth is that she is unable to corroborate it because she has no recollection of the incident in question." Judge, the high school friend of Kavanaugh's who Ford says was in the room during the alleged assault, also has agreed to cooperate with the FBI. His account has been particularly sought after because, unlike Kavanaugh, Judge has not denied Ford's allegations but has said he has no memory that such an assault occurred. Ford told the Judiciary Committee that some weeks after the alleged assault she ran into Judge at a grocery store where he was working for the summer. "I said hello to him. His face was white and very uncomfortable saying hello back," she said. "He was just nervous and not really wanting to speak with me, and he looked a little bit ill." According to Ford, a boy named "PJ" was also at the gathering but not in the room where the alleged assault occurred. Last week, Smyth, who attended Georgetown Prep high school with Kavanaugh, told the Judiciary Committee that he had no knowledge of the gathering or of any improper conduct by Kavanaugh. On Friday, Smyth said through his lawyer that he was "happy" to cooperate with the investigation. On Friday, Republicans on the committee voted to proceed to a full Senate vote on Kavanaugh's nomination, but back-room negotiations led to a surprise twist in what has already been a wrenching confirmation process for a Supreme Court nominee, among the most polarizing in recent memory. Flake, a key swing vote to confirm Kavanaugh, said he would vote to proceed to a full Senate vote, but that the Senate vote should be preceded by a new, expanded FBI investigation of the allegations against Kavanaugh. Recognizing that Flake and a handful of other senators' votes appeared contingent upon the investigation, Republican leaders and the White House relented. Later that day, Trump ordered the investigation and that it be limited in scope and completed by Friday. Lawmakers and Trump administration officials had few expectations that the FBI would settle Ford's and Kavanaugh's dueling accounts. A background investigation is, by its nature, more limited than a criminal probe, and FBI agents will not be able to obtain search warrants or issue subpoenas to compel testimony from potential witnesses. The FBI's interviews, which will take a few days to conduct, won't turn into a sprawling inquest of everyone Kavanaugh went to a party with in high school, said a person familiar with the investigation. The FBI's findings will not necessarily become public. When investigators have completed their work, anything they've discovered will be turned over to the White House as an update to Kavanaugh's background check file. The White House would then likely share the material with the Senate committee. At that point, all senators, as well as a very small group of aides, would have access to it. The White House or the Senate would decide what, if anything, should be released publicly. The bureau's work will probably consist mostly of reports of interviews with witnesses and accusers. The bureau will not come to a conclusion on whether the accusations are credible and will not make a recommendation on what should become of Kavanaugh's nomination. On Saturday, the Judiciary Committee said it referred for criminal investigation apparent false statements made to the panel's investigators about Kavanaugh. Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said in a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and FBI Director Christopher Wray that he was seeking a criminal review of the actions of one individual whom he did not identify. - - - The Washington Post's Aaron Blake, Emma Brown and Alex Horton contributed to this report. --- Video Embed Code Video: At a rally in West Virginia, President Trump praised Judge Brett Kavanaugh's "courage" during his testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.(The Washington Post) Embed code: Kellyanne Conway cleared her throat for what she was about to say. "I'm a victim of sexual assault," President Donald Trump's adviser told CNN on Sunday. Conway and anchor Jake Tapper were discussing the political edges of sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh after the Supreme Court nominee's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. A final vote on his nomination has been delayed to allow time for the FBI to investigate those allegations. "I feel very empathetic, frankly, for victims of sexual assault, sexual harassment and rape," Conway said during the interview on "State of the Union." Then she paused and made her revelation. "This is the first time I've ever heard you talk about something personal like that, and I'm really sorry," said Tapper, who, like Conway herself, appeared taken aback. "I've just had it," she replied, referring to what she characterized as politically motivated accusations. She said that perpetrators should bear the responsibility for their actions but that conservatives have become targets for political score settling. Bloomberg photo by Joshua Roberts "I don't expect Judge Kavanaugh or Jake Tapper or [Senator] Jeff Flake or anybody to be held responsible for that," she said, appearing to speak about her experience. "You have to be responsible for your own conduct." Conway did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It is notable that she made the revelation on CNN, the network Trump has often accused of being biased and broadcasting "fake news." Tapper said that Conway's boss, the president, has been the subject of numerous sexual assault allegations and has said that the women lied. "Don't conflate that with this, and certainly don't conflate that with what happened to me," she told Tapper. Conway said the women making the allegations against Kavanaugh should be heard through the criminal justice system but not through partisan avenues. "We do treat people differently who are either the victims or perpetrators of this based on their politics now or based on their gender now. That is a huge mistake," she said. She then turned to the camera briefly and said, "America, it's a huge mistake." Conway previously defended Christine Blasey Ford, who on Thursday testified that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her in the early 1980s when they were high school students. He has denied the allegation. Ford "should not be insulted, and she should not be ignored," Conway said on Fox News Channel after Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. appeared to mock the allegations against Kavanaugh on social media before Ford's claims were publicly revealed by The Washington Post on Sept. 16. Conway said Ford "should be heard," but, she added, "so should he," referring to Kavanaugh. On Sunday, before she even left the CNN set, she appeared to anticipate the social media and talk show backlash over her loyalty to Trump in the face of assault accusations against him and lewd statements he has made about women. " 'How could she work for Donald Trump?' I work for President Trump because he's so good to the women who work for him," she said. "So, I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear it from any of them." A man was shot in the back early Sunday near a southwest Houston club, according to authorities. Gunfire broke out around 5:30 a.m. near Alrover and West Fuqua. When police arrived, they found the wounded man lying in the street next to a white car. Johnny Hanson, Staff / Houston Chronicle Texas education officials don't just keep track of how many students are graduating from campuses across the state, they also pay keen attention to how prepared these graduates are for tackling life's challenges. More specifically, the Texas Education Agency calculates how prepared high school graduates are for either attending college, jumping into a career, or joining the military. If President Donald Trump is trying to emulate Reagan-style toughness with his continued talk of tariffs and trade wars, hes off the mark. The pain inflicted on American farmers by the continued conflict with China and failure to sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership probably has the heartland thinking more of Jimmy Carter than the Gipper. Specifically, theyre thinking of the time Carter implemented an embargo against the Soviet Union in retaliation for the communist nation invading Afghanistan. As part of that policy, farmers were prohibited from selling wheat to our Cold War opposition. The plan backfired. Soviets just ended up buying their grain from other nations or learned to grow it themselves. U.S. farmers lost the market and never truly got it back. Now were seeing that happen again. Already China is importing more soy from Brazil than the United States. Texas pecan growers are losing out to Mexico and South Africa. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has compared the tariffs effects to a painful drought except this disaster is man-made. Farmers are saying that promised federal aid wont cover the damage, leaving the United States in the odd scenario of borrowing $12 billion from China to pay farmers because they cant sell their goods to China. How much longer until farmers start lining up their tractors outside the Department of Agriculture in protest, as they did during the Carter administration? Some farmers who voted for Trump say they thought he would renegotiate trade agreements for Americas benefit not destroy trade relationships to our detriment. The goal of Trumps trade fight is to force people to come to the table, but the strategy simply doesnt work if someone else can fill our seat. Thats why the Bank of England and European Central Bank both predict that a global trade war would hurt the United States more than any other country. Were the ones erecting barriers, and that would only drive major economies like European Union and China into a closer relationship, leaving us isolated. In fact, Chinese state media is proposing a trade deal with Japan and South Korea to fill the gap left by a U.S. retreat. The European Union and Japan signed their own deal earlier this year. From Chinas perspective, this trade war doesnt end with a bang, but with a shrug. Literally. When Trump talked about "winning on trade" at the United Nations Security Council last week, all Foreign Minister Wang Yi had to offer was a casual roll of his shoulders. More than The Economist, Foreign Policy or The New York Times, it was the satire website The Onion that best encapsulated Trumps performance: Everyone At U.N. Watching Trump Speak Cant Believe They Used To Consider U.S. A Superpower. Yes, the United States may still have the worlds largest economy for now and incomparable military power. What were losing is something less tangible but equally important: our confidence and standing in the eyes of the world as a superpower. Our presidents threats are dismissed as hollow boasts. Our promises are cast aside like a cheap salesmans pitch. Friendly nations like Canada and Mexico, our Pacific allies and the European Union, nations whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, can no longer count on us to keep our word, let alone our loyalty. Now theyre targets in a chaotic barrage of tariffs that undermine an international order of trade and commerce delicately constructed with the United States at its center. Trump promised that he only wanted to ditch multilateral trade agreements like NAFTA, the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership in pursuit of new, better deals. Those deals havent arrived, and the United States is starting to face the consequences. The irrational implementation of these trade taxes is scaring off investment at a time when the world should be investing in our growing economy. For the first time in years, foreign direct investment into the United States declined last quarter. Jay Timmons, president of the National Association of Manufacturers, has compared the uncertainty around the tariffs to Obama-era regulations. Comparisons to Obama and Carter arent exactly what Trump supporters want to hear. Beyond their self-inflicted harm, Trumps tariffs are failing to accomplish their primary goal. The U.S. trade deficit has grown by $30 billion since August 2017. The nation cant wait for the warnings and projections about trade consequences to become reality. Congress needs to restrain this president. If current members refuse to step up, then voters should pick new candidates to fill their seats come November. Want to know why property taxes are so high? Follow me The latest state budget reads: Property values, and the estimate of local tax collections on which they are based, shall be increased by 7.04 percent in tax year 2017 and 6.77 percent in tax year 2018. The budget always says this estimate, and the increases over the last four years were the highest anyone can remember. The four-year total increase was 26.88 percent. If a Texas family paid $5,000 in property taxes in 2014, a 26.88 percent increase means their taxes went up to $6,343 in 2018. Texans are furious about these property tax increases! If you listen to state politicians, you would think that school boards and county commissioners are to blame. If you listen to school boards and county commissioners, you would think that state politicians are to blame. With an election coming up, Texans want to know, What on earth is going on here? Well, its actually quite simple. The state cant pay its bills. A combination of corporate tax cuts, interest charges and rising cost of services (particularly health care) are draining the states coffers. While we have $11 billion in the Rainy Day Fund, we now owe more than $100 billion in debt. We simply cant keep up. So the state has been playing a sinister game of pushing costs down to school districts and counties. School districts and counties get their money from property taxes. Local property values keep going up, so school and county tax collections keep going up. And that lets the state slough off its obligations to local taxpayers. Heres how it works. Before the state Legislature meets to work on the budget, a team of economists goes out and predicts how much Texas property values will rise. They then predict how much more local property tax dollars will flow into school district and county coffers. Once they have that number, the Legislature takes whatever money they expect to collect from sales tax, oil and gas tax, the business margin tax, etc. (but not property taxes, because property taxes are local) and allocates that money as best they can. The result is a state budget that makes sure we get higher property taxes and nothing for it. Once the state budget is set, state officials make darn sure the estimates of local tax increases actually materialize. Because if local property tax dollars dont materialize as expected, somebody is going to run short of cash. And thats a huge headache. When the Texas Legislature signs a state budget that says property taxes shall be increased, they mean it. So much so that the state Comptrollers Office checks on appraisals. If an appraisal district is not keeping up with market value, the comptroller tightens the screws. At the same time, the Texas Education Agency makes sure school districts dont lower their tax rates. The agency recently sent a letter to every school district in Texas, telling them that if they lower their tax rates, they could lose state funding. There is no question that the state is responsible for skyrocketing property taxes, even though property taxes are collected locally. And its not just the school funding mechanism that drives property tax increases. The state passes laws that force counties to spend more money, and counties have no choice but to use rising local property taxes to pay their bills. State politicians know this, and they know that if Texans ever figured it out, theyve be in deep trouble. So they deliberately confuse the matter to avoid accountability. Theyve gotten away with it for years, and property taxes have skyrocketed for years. But state politicians have never had to deal with a Democrat who happens to be a CPA, who knows were being cheated and why, and who is determined to bring honest solutions to the table rather than obfuscation. With Election Day a few weeks away, the candidates should present their views, and they should allow their views to be vigorously challenged. Then (and only then) can voters figure out which candidate will deal honestly with one of the most vexing problems we face in Texas. Collier is the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor of Texas. Judge Brett Kavanaugh decided that to have any chance to reach the court, he would have to shed the pretense he was a fair-minded, calm, judicious thinker. He came out in the afternoon filled with venom, screaming at the committee. His life was being ruined, he claimed. This was a Clinton-like smear. His anger was both frightening and unexpected if you thought he was that intellectual whom conservatives have swooned over. He yelled, and he cried. If you thought he was sincere, one could also appreciate how partisan and emotional he had become. The shouting didnt end with his opening statement. He barked at the ranking Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. Then the Republicans got into the screaming act, pushing their outside lawyer Rachel Mitchell aside in favor of histrionics from Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and John Cornyn, R-Texas. If President Donald Trump loved the nasty, male grievance game, the rest of us had reason to wonder if anyone of this temperament Cornyn, Graham or Kavanaugh should be in a position of power. If they were women, they would be called hysterical. Kavanaugh, as of this writing, made a couple major errors. First, he refused to call for an FBI investigation (even when Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois invited him to ask it of White House counsel Donald McGahn). When Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., questioned about his friend Mark Judge, Kavanaugh slipped and said youd have to ask [Judge], who of course the Republicans refuse to summon as a witness. The refusal to get the facts is both a telling admission of concern about what they would find and a violation the judicial goal of truth-seeking. Its a political calculation, exactly what you dont want to see from a judge. The worst moment was his confrontation with Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who questioned him about blackout drinking. She explained that she understood alcohol abuse because her father was an alcoholic. Have you ever blacked out? she asked. He sneered in response, Have you? It was a moment of singular cruelty and disrespect. One saw a flash in the exchange with Klobuchar the same sense of entitlement, cruelty and lack of simple decency that Christine Blasey Ford allegedly experienced way back when, the memory seared in her brain of two obnoxious teens laughing at her ordeal. After the break, no doubt advised by a White House minder, he apologized. But the damage was done. The spontaneous reaction was the real one. Kavanaugh says he was not the attacker. But even if you believe that - despite Fords riveting testimony - one can reasonably conclude he is not the right person to sit on the court. His anger toward liberals is palpable, his lack of humility bracing. He has the partisan mind-set that opponents are unworthy of respect and kindness. One has had the sense, since his testimony skated past the truth on his involvement with Charles Pickering and on his awareness that documents he received were purloined, that his heart is that of a conservative partisan, one who tried so very hard to make himself into Supreme Court material. The mentality of a political operative - willing to go on Fox News, ready to inflame passions, disrespectful toward opponents - is still there. A nonpartisan would ask for, if not demand, an FBI investigation and Judges appearance. Kavanaugh wants to avoid both at all costs. I believe Dr. Ford. But even if one does not, one can easily and firmly reach the conclusion Kavanaugh is far too partisan and angry to be on the Supreme Court. Rubin writes reported opinion from a center-right perspective for The Washington Post. This piece first appeared in the Post. Trawling for peace in a warming planet September 27,2018 | Source: UNEP From the South China Sea to the English Channel, Lake Victoria to the Pacific Ocean, the last few decades have seen increased competition for fish stocks. Unlike many other agricultural products which are stationary, many species of fish are highly migratory across various maritime boundaries. Annually, more than 80 million metric tons of seafood is harvested from the oceans, providing nearly 3 billion people with more than 20 per cent of their animal protein needs and sustaining the livelihoods of 10 per cent of the global population. However, research published in the journal Science warns that climate change is already compromising these benefits through changes in stock productivity and location. The authors of the article titled Preparing ocean governance for species on the move, published in June, say that while there is considerable scope to increase global fisheries yield, conservation and profitability by improving current fishery management, climate change could compromise these potential upside benefits through changes in stock productivity distribution. They caution that shifting species have caused conflict domestically and between countries that historically had close ties. The oceans have already absorbed 93 per cent of the heat from anthropogenic climate change, and if future species geographic shifts exceed historical variation, adjustment to existing ocean governance will be needed, say the authors, adding that limiting greenhouse gas emissions would therefore reduce the potential for new fisheries conflicts. In 2009, a UN Environment report titled From conflict to peacebuilding: the role of natural resources and the environment warned that as the global population continues to grow there is significant potential for conflicts over natural resources to intensify in the coming decades. It also noted that cooperation over the management of shared natural resources provides new opportunities for peacebuilding. While international law recognizes the importance of cooperation in management of shared fish stocks, the current legal framework for international regulation of fisheries does not directly account for fluctuating or changing distribution of stocks. The recent dispute between French and British scallop fishing crews in the English Channel could be a pointer to increasing difficulties in enforcing maritime boundaries around rapidly changing natural habitats. Days after a truce was reached on the scallops row, a fresh disagreement emerged after the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation accused French trawlers of deliberately damaging crab pots off the Cornwall coast. While disputes over access to fish stocks can cause tensions between countries or communities, fisheries management can also provide avenues for cooperation by drawing on lessons learnt from other initiatives for sharing natural resources. In Sudans North Darfur, UN Environment, in partnership with the non-governmental organization Practical Action, implemented the Wadi El Ku food security and disaster resilience project which was funded by the European Union. It targeted about 81,000 residents from farming, pastoralist and agropastoralist communities in North Darfur where recurrent flash floods and droughts were a source of food insecurity and sometimes a cause for conflicts at local level. In June 2017, UN Environment and Practical Action won the Land for Life Award in recognition of the role of the project in establishing five community forests, irrigating 315 hectares of land, rehabilitating existing water structures, reseeding 1, 214 hectares of rangeland and setting up a water management committee. While war and conflicts pose risks to the environment, and tensions over natural resources can also fuel or amplify local conflicts, they also offer significant opportunities to foster cooperation and peacebuilding. UN Environment, in collaboration with the Environmental Law Institute, the Earth Institute at Columbia University, Duke University, and the University of California at Irvine, developed a groundbreaking massive open online course on environmental security and sustaining peace. The inaugural course, which was conducted between 1 March and 10 May 2018, synthesized 100,000 pages of material and 225 case studies from over 60 post-conflict countries into seven hours of dynamic video lectures. It was based on experiences and lessons learned from over 1,000 experts and ten UN agencies. United Nations Environment Programme Theme(s): Fisheries Resources. Group calls for rules to protect major Philippines fishing grounds September 27,2018 | Source: PNA An international ocean conservation and advocacy organization has called on the Philippines' government to issue guidelines to protect the countrys major fishing grounds, to curb overfishing and illegal fishing activities in municipal waters and ensure the livelihood of small fishers. The policy, as among those provided for under the amended Fisheries Code, pertains to the designation of Fisheries Management Areas, or FMAs, in the country. It is envisioned that a comprehensive science-based fisheries management plan will be enforced on these areas to ensure sustained productivity and protect them from overfishing, illegal fishing, and destructive fishing practices that destroy critical marine habitats, said Gloria Estenzo Ramos, environment lawyer and vice president of Oceana Philippines. She added that the designation of FMAs is needed to rebuild and restore the abundance of the countrys fishing grounds, two-thirds of which are considered "overfished." Our fishing grounds are in dire need of compelling interventions, with the continued encroachment of commercial fishers in municipal waters and the lack of effective management by local authorities, except, of course, for some local champions, who are showing the way to effectively manage their municipal waters, which have tremendously benefited their constituents, Ramos said. The Department of the Interior and Local Government recently issued a memorandum circular for coastal local government units to regulate and monitor fishery activities in their municipal waters. It likewise rolled out nationwide a scorecard for local government units (LGUs) to fill up, as a self-validating transparency and monitoring tool in assessing its compliance with the amended Fisheries Code. Ramos added that consultations led by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources have been conducted since last year, to craft the rules on fisheries management areas for major fishing grounds. There is already a draft Fisheries Administrative Order on the designation of around 15 FMAs in the country and outlining the management plan for these FMAs. These rules are urgently needed now, especially in the Visayan Sea, which is a major fisheries area for sardines, blue swimming crabs, and squid, producing around 2 million kilos of wildish annually, and providing half a million municipal and commercial fishers with livelihood, she said. The Visayan Sea directly benefits 100,000 municipal fishermen and about 1 million rural folks in 33 municipalities in the provinces of Cebu, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Masbate, and Capiz. BFAR studies showed a steady decline in seafood supply in the Visayan Sea since the 1980s, due mostly to the prevalence of blast fishing, plus the encroachment of trawls, Danish seines, and other destructive gears in municipal waters. 2018 Philippine News Agency Theme(s): Fisheries Resources. How much fish do we consume? First global seafood consumption footprint published September 28,2018 | Source: CORDIS The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission have examined the impact of seafood supply chains across national boundariesthe global seafood consumption footprint. The scientists from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) have examined the impact of seafood supply chains across national boundariesthe global seafood consumption footprint. -- Global seafood consumption has more than doubled in the past 50 years, putting stress on the sustainability of fishing -- Net importing nations must consider the sustainability of their trading partners' fishing practices, not just their domestic ones -- New analysis on international supply chains makes the case for international collaboration on long-term sustainability of all seafood production Taking into consideration both food that humans consume and seafood processed for feed production, seafood consumption in EU member states equals 27 kg per head. The highest consumption at EU level is observed in Portugal (61.5 kg per head) while outside the EU, the top consumers are Korea (78.5 kg per head) followed by Norway (66.6 kg per head). The global per head consumption is estimated at 22.3 kg. Global seafood consumption has more than doubled in the past 50 years, to over 20 kg per capita per year in 2014. As demand for seafood rises, the sustainability of fish stock becomes an ever more pressing issue. Compared to other commodities, the share of globally produced seafood products that are traded internationally is very high and growing, mostly due to globalisation and the geographical discrepancy between aquaculture production happening mostly in Asia, and seafood demand mostly in Europe, North America and Asia. Given that many nations rely on imports to meet national demands, assessments of the sustainability of seafood need to consider both domestic production and net imports, and whether imported seafood comes from sustainable sources. In a recent article "Global seafood consumption footprint", JRC scientists use a new methodology to examine the impact of seafood supply chains across national boundariesthe global seafood consumption footprint. This is the first ever measure of national footprints based on seafood consumption rather than production, broken down by sector to quantify the dependencies between capture fisheries and aquaculture through fishmeal production and trade by country. The seafood consumption footprint provides policy-makers with evidence to encourage international collaboration and promote policies to ensure long-term sustainability of all seafood production. What is our global seafood consumption footprint? According to calculations using baseline data from 2011, global demand for seafood destined for human consumption is 143.8 million tonnes per year, and the overall consumption footprint, which also includes other uses of seafood, is 154 million tonnes. China has by far the largest seafood consumption footprint (65 million tonnes), followed by the European Union (13 million tonnes), Japan (7.4 million tonnes), Indonesia (7.3 tonnes) and the United States (7.1 million tonnes). In terms of consumption footprint per capita, the Republic of Korea scored highest (78.5 kg per capita), followed by Norway (66.6 kg), Portugal (61.5 kg), Myanmar (59.9 kg), Malaysia (58.6 kg) and Japan (58 kg) China comes in seventh at 48.3 kg per capita. JRC scientists developed a model (Multi-Region Input-Output, MRIO) for the world seafood supply chain to investigate the impact of seafood consumption across national boundaries. The model explores the interactions between capture fisheries and aquaculture, fishmeal and trade at the global level, and accounts for trade flows and interdependencies between different countries along the international supply chain, linking the extraction of raw materials, inter-industry flow, trade and final consumption. Results from the model can provide policy-makers and consumers with information on the extent of reliance on producer nations for their seafood supplies. They can support the assessment on whether seafood sources are exploited in accordance with the applicable or desired sustainability standards and objectives. This information can help encourage international collaboration and promote policies to ensure long-term sustainability of all seafood production. The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is a set of rules for managing European fishing fleets and for conserving fish stocks. Stocks may be renewable, but they are finite. Some of these fishing stocks, however, are being overfished. As a result, EU countries have taken action to ensure the European fishing industry is sustainable and does not threaten the fish population size and productivity over the long term. As a major fishing power, and the largest single market for fisheries products in the world, the EU also plays an important role in promoting better governance through a number of international organisations. This involves developing and implementing policy on fisheries management and more generally the Law of the Sea. Phys.org 2003 - 2018, Science X network Theme(s): Others. Fisheries nations to decide fate of declining bigeye tuna by MARLOWE HOOD September 30,2018 | Source: AFP Dozens of nations with commercial fisheries in the Atlantic Ocean will grapple next week with a new finding that bigeye tuna, the backbone of a billion dollar business, is severely depleted and overfished. Unless catch levels are sharply reduced, scientists warned, stocks of the fatty, fast-swimming predator could crash within a decade or two. Less iconic than Atlantic bluefin but more valuable as an industry, bigeye (Thunnus obesus) -- one of several so-called tropical tunas -- is prized for sashimi in Japan and canned for supermarket sales worldwide. It is not farmed. An internal report by 40-odd scientists working under the inter-governmental International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), finalized last week, shows that populations have fallen to less than 20 percent of their historic levels. Even more critical, the stock is barely half the size needed to support a "maximum sustainable yield" -- the largest catch that can be taken without compromising long-term stability of the species. Current harvests, overwhelmingly legal, are also more than 60 percent above levels that would give bigeye at least a fighting chance of recovering its numbers, the report said. "The stock is in the red with a very high level of certainty," said Paulus Tak, a senior officer for the Pew Charitable Trusts, and an official observer at the ICCAT meeting in November that will renew or revise current bigeye quotas. Indeed, 18,000 runs of three distinct computer models returned an unprecedented 99.5 percent degree of certitude. "Bottom line, there are simply too many boats in the water chasing too few fish," Tak told AFP. A preparatory meeting of ICCAT's technical body in Madrid next week will likely validate the new assessment and formulate policy recommendations, including catch limits, for governments to consider in November. Japan and the European Union -- which together account for half the 80,000 and 77,000 tonnes caught, respectively, last year and in 2016 -- will play a decisive role. "If they come to the table ready to hammer out a solution, they will be successful," said Tak. "But if they try to delay, or implement something that doesn't give bigeye a reasonable chance of recovery, it will continue to decline." That is what happened in 2015 after the previous head count, the first to show that the species was in trouble. Despite warnings then from in-house scientists, countries opted for catch levels that only gave the fish a coin's toss chance of recovering over a 10-year period. "Not only has the recovery not begun, the starting line has now been moved backwards so there is less time and more ground to cover," said Grantly Galland, a scientist at Pew's Global Tuna Conservation who took part in the ICCAT stock assessment. Some experts have calculated that cutting total catch to 50,000 tonnes per year would give bigeye a 70 percent probability of recovery by 2028. ICCAT, which struggles to balance commercial and conservation goals, has been here before. A decade ago, the industry -- led by Spain, France and Japan -- fished Atlantic eastern bluefin to the brink of collapse, triggering a motion at the UN body governing trade in endangered species to ban international trade outright. The motion failed, but jolted the industry into lowering quotas and cracking down on illegal fishing. Stocks recovered fairly quickly. "This qualifies at ICCAT's biggest challenge since the bluefin crisis," said Tak. "It is obvious that urgent action will have to be taken." It would appear to be in the common interest of all bigeye fishing nations to protect the species, but proposals on the table favor some more than others. There are calls, for example, to rein in European vessels -- mostly Spanish -- that use enormous nets to scoop up hundreds of fish attracted by so-called FADs, or "fish aggregation devices". Traditional "one pole, one line" tuna fisheries in Portugal's Azores that have seen catches decline in five years from nearly 5,000 to 500 tonnes say these distant factory ships have indiscriminately harvested the juveniles that used to reach maturity in their waters. But curtailing these nets would give an advantage to Japanese and Taiwanese longliners, which trail fishing lines baited with hundreds, even thousands, of hooks. Currently, the global catch is roughly divided between the two. Also criticized is the legal practice of reflagging vessels from major fishing nations, especially Spain, to developing coastal countries that currently have no catch limit. This is the main reason the bigeye catch last year exceeded the allocated quotas by nearly 20 percent. 2018 PT. Niskala Media Tenggara Theme(s): Fisheries Resources. GCC+2 Ministerial New York - Secretary Michael R. Pompeo hosted the foreign ministers of Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates at the GCC+2 Ministerial today on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York. The Secretary thanked the foreign ministers for their partnership with the United States. The Secretary emphasized the importance of defeating ISIS and other terrorist groups, bringing peace and stability to Syria and Yemen, ensuring a thriving and inclusive Iraq, and stopping Irans malign activity in the region. All participants agreed on the need to confront threats from Iran directed at the region and the United States. The Secretary and the foreign ministers had productive discussions on establishing a Middle East Strategic Alliance, anchored by a united GCC, to advance prosperity, security, and stability in the region. The Secretary looks forward to continuing these discussions over the coming weeks and months. ICE removes Pakistani man convicted, ordered to pay $71 million in laundering scheme Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) removed a citizen of Pakistan, yesterday, Sept 25, 2018, upon his release from the Moshannon Valley Correctional Center (MVCC) in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania. Muhammad Sohail Qasmani, 50, was convicted on June 28, 2017, in federal court for the offense of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and sentenced to 48 months imprisonment and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $70,960,070.73. On Dec. 22, 2014, he applied for admission to United States at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California, as a B-2 nonimmigrant visitor. U.S. Customs and Border Protection paroled him into the United States for the purpose of criminal prosecution and released him to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). In an interview with FBI agents, Qasmani admitted that from November 2008 up to and including Dec. 31, 2012, that he agreed to provide money laundering services to coconspirators in exchange for a percentage of the money he transferred. Qasmani provided these services with the knowledge, understanding, and/or belief that his collaborators had obtained this money from victims of an international telecommunications fraud scheme. On June 28, 2017, Mr. Qasmani was convicted federally for the offense conspiracy to commit wire fraud. On July 24, 2017, ERO Philadelphia encountered him at MVCC in and lodged an immigration detainer on Mr. Qasmani. On May 3, 2018, ERO Allenwood issued him an order of expedited removal, charging him as being inadmissible to the United States, as an alien not in possession of a valid unexpired immigrant visa, reentry permit, border crossing identification card, or other valid entry document required for entry. On June 15, 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons released Mr. Qasmani to ERO Philadelphia custody, and he was subsequently detained at the Pike County Correctional Facility in Hawley, Pennsylvania, pending his removal. Mr. Qasmani was removed from the United States and turned over to Pakistani authorities without incident. Former Puerto Rico teacher sentenced to 10 years for child exploitation San Juan, Puerto Rico - Former teacher Yaira Tanies Cotto-Flores was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison followed by eight years of supervised release for transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual conduct. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) conducted the investigation that led to the arrest and subsequent conviction of Cotto-Flores. On April 27, after a nine-day jury trial Cotto-Flores was found guilty of one count of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. According to the evidence presented at trial, on March 1, 2016, the defendant transported a 14-year-old male student to a motel located in San Lorenzo with the intent to engage in sexually explicit conduct. Cotto-Flores was the victims English teacher. They met at the beginning of the school year and the defendant gave the victim various gifts including an acne treatment kit, a neckband and wristwatch. Children who are sexually exploited either physically or through the dissemination of child pornography suffer immeasurable harm, said Ivan J. Arvelo, special agent in charge of HSI San Juan. While this significant sentence cannot repair the damage done, it should serve as a stark reminder that we are watching, and the aggressive investigation and prosecution of predators remains a high priority for HSI. U.S. District Court Senior Judge Daniel R. Dominguez sentenced Cotto-Flores Monday. This investigation was conducted under HSIs Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 16,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2016, more than 2,600 child predators were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 800 victims identified or rescued. HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST. Department of Justice, EPA Settle With Derive Systems Over Aftermarket Emissions Defeat Devices in Vehicles Washington, DC - Monday, the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a settlement with Derive Systems (Derive) addressing the sale of approximately 363,000 aftermarket products which the United States alleges were designed, in part, to defeat the emissions control systems of cars and trucks in violation of the Clean Air Act. Over a span of multiple years, Derive sold products, including custom engine tuning software and parts, online and at distributers across the nation under the brand names of Bully Dog and SCT for use in many types of gasoline and diesel-fueled cars and trucks. Under the terms of the settlement, Derive will spend approximately $6.25 million to bring the company and its products into compliance with the Clean Air Act. Derive will also pay a civil penalty of $300,000. For decades, Americans have worked hard to significantly reduce harmful emissions from cars and trucks. Tremendous progress has been made and the air is much cleaner today across the nation. Unfortunately, not everyone is playing by the rules. Todays settlement will bring Derive Systems and its aftermarket products into compliance with the Clean Air Act, and demonstrates to other manufacturers that products designed to unlawfully thwart vehicle emissions control systems will not be tolerated, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey H. Wood for the Justice Departments Environment and Natural Resources Division. The Department of Justice will continue to work with our partners at EPA to hold companies who violate environmental laws accountable, and to protect clean air for all Americans. Manufacturers and sellers of automotive emissions control defeat devices should stand up and take notice of this settlement, said Susan Bodine, assistant administrator for EPAs Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. EPA will protect air quality by vigorously enforcing the Clean Air Acts prohibition on these devices. Derive manufactured and sold custom tuning software designed to access and overwrite the original vehicle manufacturers software. Vehicle manufacturers design vehicle software to reduce air pollution, monitor the vehicles on-board diagnostics of emissions controls, and otherwise comply with the Clean Air Act. Derives software enabled the user to remove emission control components that reduce tailpipe emissions, including catalysts, diesel particulate filters, exhaust gas recirculation systems, elements of on-board diagnostic systems, and other elements of design certified by vehicle manufacturers to comply with the Clean Air Act. In addition, Derive sold parts or components for motor vehicles and motor vehicle engines that bypass, defeat, or render inoperative elements of design that were installed by the vehicle or engine manufacturer to comply with Clean Air Act emission standards. These handheld productscommonly known as tunersenabled the user to easily turn off emission controls installed and certified by vehicle manufacturers to comply with the Clean Air Act. Under the terms of the settlement, Derive must stop introducing new noncompliant tuners into commerce and retrofit existing tuners so that they comply with the Clean Air Act. All new and existing tuners offered for sale must have a reasonable basis demonstrating that the use of the products will not adversely affect vehicle emissions. Besides tuners, Derive must limit access to key emission control parameters in their custom tuning software and create a customer verification program for users of the custom tuning software, which includes training about vehicle functions, emission controls, and the Clean Air Act requirements. Derive must stop any marketing that would provide information on how consumers can defeat emission controls in their vehicles, and work with their national distributors to prevent the packaged sale of their products with companion defeat devices. Derive must train their employees to comply with the Clean Air Act. Derive must also pay a penalty of $300,000 based on the companys demonstrated limited ability to pay a larger amount. 2-state ICE operation nets 105 arrests over 10-day period Detroit, Michigan - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) deportation officers arrested 105 individuals during a 10-day targeted enforcement operation that ended Sept 25, targeting criminal aliens and other immigration violators. Most of the aliens targeted by ERO deportation officers during this operation, which spanned Michigan and Ohio, had prior criminal histories that included convictions for the following crimes: domestic violence, DUI, assault, theft, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, driving while under the influence of drugs, criminal sexual conduct 2nd degree, illegal entry to the U.S., operating a motor vehicle without securities, sale or transportation of a controlled substance-cocaine, breaking and entering, fleeing police officer 3rd degree, probation violation, child abuse, false information to police officer, disorderly conduct, possession of cocaine, arson, retail fraud, hit and run, bringing and harboring aliens, attempted criminal sexual conduct, forgery, flee and elude, unlawful flight from law enforcement vehicle, petty theft, possession of marijuana, unlawful use of a weapon in a vehicle, trespassing, burglary of a habitation, assault causing bodily injury, illegal re-entry after deportation, and criminal endangering, among others. This operation reflects ICEs continued effort to uphold public safety by focusing on removing criminal aliens, said Rebecca Adducci, field office director for ERO Detroit, which covers both Michigan and Ohio. These operations highlight ICEs vital role in keeping our communities safe. Among those arrested during the operation are: A 39-year-old Mexican male was arrested near his residence in Columbus, Ohio, Sept. 19. He has previous convictions for possession of cocaine, arson, and operating motor vehicle while intoxicated. He is also faces federal prosecution for re-entry after deportation A 40-year-old Mexican male was arrested in Detroit Sept. 19. He has previous convictions for operating while intoxicated, fleeing police officer, and operating while intoxicated 2ndoffense. A 28-year-old Burmese male was arrested at his residence in Grand Rapids m Michigan, Sept. 18. He has previous convictions of criminal sexual conduct 3rd degree, victim 13-15 years of age. The arrestees (96 males and nine females) included nationals from 21 countries: Albania, Burma, China, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Macedonia, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mexico, Suriname, Vietnam, and Yemen. The arrestees who are not being federally prosecuted will be processed administratively for removal from the United States. Ten of the individuals arrested during the enforcement action have been accepted for federal prosecution for re-entry after deportation, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Those who have outstanding orders of removal, or who returned to the United States illegally after being deported, are subject to immediate removal from the country. The remaining individuals are in ICE custody awaiting a hearing before an immigration judge, or pending travel arrangements for removal in the near future. ICE focuses its enforcement resources on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security. However, ICE does not exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement. All of those in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States. ICE does not conduct sweeps or raids that arrest aliens indiscriminately. U.S. Trustee Program Reaches $5 Million Settlement with Citibank to Protect Debtors in Bankruptcy Washington, DC - The Department of Justices U.S. Trustee Program (USTP) has entered into a national settlement agreement with Citibank N.A. (Citibank), Department Stores National Bank (DSNB) (collectively Citi), and FDS Bank requiring Citi to pay $5 million to remediate robo-signed proofs of claim filed in consumer bankruptcy cases in connection with more than 71,000 Macys-branded credit card accounts, Director Cliff White of the Executive Office for U.S. Trustees announced today. The proposed settlement has been filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Georgia, where it is subject to court approval. In the settlement, Citi acknowledges that its affiliate DSNB issued Macys-branded consumer credit card accounts. FDS Bank was responsible for account servicing activities and contracted certain bankruptcy-related services to vendors. Between 2012 and 2015, tens of thousands of proofs of claim were filed in bankruptcy cases across the country on DSNBs behalf. These proofs of claim were improperly signed, under the penalty of perjury, by employees of a third-party vendor who had not reviewed and/or lacked knowledge of the contents of the proof of claim. In some cases, the electronic credentials of the vendors employees were used to file claims where the employee did not review the claim. These improper practices were identified when Citibank took over the servicing of the accounts in late 2015 from the third parties. Citi self-reported the errors to the USTP. I am pleased that Citi has acted responsibly by self-reporting these deficient bankruptcy practices and agreeing to remediate affected borrowers to address the errors, said USTP Director White. I am also encouraged that Citi has instituted internal bankruptcy procedures to ensure that the vendors errors should not be repeated. When creditors fail to comply with the bankruptcy laws and rules, they must be held accountable. The U.S. Trustee Program remains diligent in its effort to ensure that creditors as well as debtors who disregard the law will be held accountable for their actions. Settlement Terms Citi agrees to pay $5 million to remediate DSNB account holders in whose bankruptcy cases improperly signed proofs of claim may have been filed. Using the former vendors data, Citi has undertaken a review and identified more than 71,000 eligible accounts. Each eligible account will receive a pro rata share of the $5 million dollar payment. Citi will also send a notice to eligible accounts informing the account holder of the reason for the payment. Citis independent internal compliance group will perform an audit to ensure that Citi has met its obligations under the settlement. Citi will then file a report with the Court certifying that it has completed its corrective action obligations under the settlement. While the settlement resolves any actions that could be brought by the USTP for the covered conduct, it does not impact the rights of borrowers or other third parties, including trustees. Former Non-Profit President Charged with Scheme to Conceal Foreign Funding of 2013 Congressional Trip Washington, DC - The former president of a Texas-based non-profit has been charged in an indictment unsealed Monday for his role in a scheme to conceal the fact that a 2013 Congressional trip to Azerbaijan was funded by the Azerbaijan government. Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, and Assistant Director in Charge Nancy McNamara of the FBIs Washington Field Office made the announcement. Kemal Oksuz, aka Kevin Oksuz, 48, previously a resident of Arlington, Virginia, allegedly lied on disclosure forms filed with the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ethics prior to, and following, a privately sponsored Congressional trip to Azerbaijan. According to the indictment, Oksuz allegedly falsely represented and certified on required disclosure forms that the Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasions (TCAE), the Houston non-profit for which Oksuz was president, had not accepted funding for the Congressional trip from any outside sources. According to the charges, Oksuz in truth orchestrated a scheme to funnel money to fund the trip from the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR), the wholly state-owned national oil and gas company of Azerbaijan, and allegedly concealed the true source of funding, which is alleged to violate House travel regulations. The five-count indictment was returned earlier this year in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and ordered unsealed today. It charges Oksuz with one count of devising a scheme to falsify, conceal, and cover up material facts from the Ethics Committee and four counts of making false statements to Congress. Oksuz is considered a fugitive. A warrant for his arrest was issued earlier this year and remains outstanding. Oksuz was recently detained by authorities in Armenia. The investigation was conducted by the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Marco Palmieri of the Criminal Divisions Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Misler of the District of Columbia. An indictment contains only allegations. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Republic of Palau National Day Washington, DC - Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo: "On behalf of the Government of the United States of America, I warmly congratulate all Palauans as you celebrate your 24th Independence Day. "Palau and the United States have a long tradition of friendship and partnership. This vital relationship is built on a foundation of common values and shared sacrifices for freedom. Our bilateral relationship is flourishing under the U.S.-Palau Compact of Free Association, which enables the United States to ensure Palaus continued security and economic prosperity. We look forward to working with Palau as a key Indo-Pacific partner to continue to build our strong partnership in the years to come. "On this day of celebration, know that the United States has been and will continue to be a close friend of Palau." The People's Republic of China National Day Washington, DC - Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo: "On behalf of the people of the United States, I wish congratulations to the Peoples Republic of China as you celebrate your National Day on October 1. "Please know that the United States wishes you a joyous holiday, and that this year brings peace and prosperity." Tuvalu National Day Washington, DC - Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo: "On behalf of the Government of the United States of America, I congratulate the people of Tuvalu on their Independence Day. "The U.S.-Tuvalu bilateral relationship is strong and growing. Together, we are working on matters of regional and global importance, such as promoting health and education in the Pacific. Our cooperation to ensure full implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions and combat transnational crime is contributing to a safe and secure Indo-Pacific region. I look forward to building upon our relationship through these and other joint efforts in the years to come. "Once again, congratulations on this special occasion." Former Owner of Marble Mining Company in Afghanistan Convicted for Defrauding U.S. government Agency and Defaulting on a $15.8 Million Loan Washington, DC - The former owner of a now-defunct marble mining company in Afghanistan was found guilty Monday by a federal jury for his role in defrauding the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), a U.S. government agency, and defaulting on a $15.8 million loan. Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John F. Sopko and Assistant Director in Charge Nancy McNamara of the FBIs Washington Field Office made the announcement. After a seven-day trial, Azam Doost, aka Adam Doost, Mohammad Azam Doost and Mohammad Azim (Doost), 40, most recently of Freemont, California, was found guilty of three counts of major fraud against the United States, eight counts of wire fraud, four counts of false statements on loan applications or extensions and five counts of money laundering. Doost is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 14 by U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta of the District of Columbia, who presided over the trial. The evidence admitted at trial showed that in February 2010, while working at his company, Equity Capital Mining LLC, Doost, along with his brother, obtained a $15.8 million loan from OPIC for the development, maintenance and operation of a marble mine in western Afghanistan. The loan proceeds were paid directly from OPIC to the alleged vendors who provided equipment for the mine, as reported to OPIC by Doost or his consultant. Doost was required to deal with these companies in arms-length transactions or, to the extent any transactions were other than at arms-length, he was required to report to OPIC any affiliation he had with a vendor. Instead, Doost falsely informed OPIC that he had no affiliation with any of the vendors with whom he dealt, when in fact he had financial relationships with several of them. The evidence further showed that Doosts business partner was listed on the bank accounts for a number of these vendors and, upon receipt of money from OPIC into the respective accounts, significant amounts of this money were then transferred from that respective account to companies and individuals with whom Doost was associated, or to pay debts Doost owed. For example, Doosts consultant received a commission of $444,000 for his purported consulting services with the first of three disbursements from OPIC, yet $40,000 was transferred from the consultants account to a Doost company in California. The evidence at trial further showed that when the time came for Equity Capital Mining LLC to repay the loan to OPIC, Doost provided purported reasons to OPIC why it was not able to make those repayments at a time when Doost had control of sufficient funds to make those repayments. Ultimately, Doost and his brother failed to repay any of the principal on the OPIC loan, paying only a limited amount of interest, and ultimately defaulted on the loan, the evidence showed. SIGAR, with assistance from the FBI, investigated the case. The Criminal Divisions Office of International Affairs also provided important assistance in this case. Trial Attorneys Daniel Butler and Michael McCarthy of the Criminal Divisions Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. Et tu, JetBlue? For several years now, JetBlue has had a simple advantage over airlines like Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and United Airlines. In fact among the biggest airlines, only Southwest shared it with them. Because while three of the four biggest airlines rolled out bargain basement fare classes with intentionally stripped-down experiences in an effort to compete with low cost, high complaint carriers like Spirit and Frontier, JetBlue held fast. There was no such thing as so-called Basic Economy on JetBlue (or Southwest for that matter). No loss leader base fares, for which you literally only got a ticket. No fares that didn't allow checked bags, or prevented you from choosing your seat in advance, and came with no guarantee you'd be able to sit next to family members or other traveling companions. No fares that offered no chance to upgrade if such an opportunity became available, no way to make a change if you absolutely needed to. But not anymore, apparently. JetBlue's president and chief operating officer, Joanna Geraghty, told JetBlue employees that a JetBlue version of basic economy is on the way. "At JetBlue, we never liked the 'no frills' approach," Geraghty said, according to Skift. But she added, "customer behavior suggests our success is at risk if we do not disrupt this market by lowering fares without sacrificing the experience." Without sacrificing the experience. That's kind of the trick isn't it? So far, it's been hard to imagine any airline pulling it off. How do you strip out important features that passengers naturally expect from an airline ticket without making it a worse experience? "Customers who opt for this fare will agree to some limits, which might include things like boarding order, seating, and change/cancellation flexibility, but we will not make them feel like second-class citizens," she promised. Which sounds nice. Nobody wants to feel like a second-class citizen. But just to add another wrinkle: Other airlines admit that part of the reason basic economy works for them is precisely because it's such a terrible experience. Meaning, passengers comparison shop, and are lured in by the low price--until they see just how little they're getting. And then, they're upsold at every stage of the purchasing process. For example, American Airlines admits it's managed to upsell 60 percent of passengers who started out looking at basic economy, only to realize later in the process how little they get with the fare. Actually, "admits" isn't the right word. More like "bragged," because it means much more money for the airline. So maybe JetBlue has to do this. For what it's worth, their stock jumped right after Geraghty's announcement at the conference. But there's a risk. Airlines like to think that passengers decide what flight to take based only on hard factors--meaning things like the specific features they get for their fare. But that's only part of the puzzle. Passengers also make choices based partly on how they feel about the airline. I experienced this myself when I flew the same route, days apart on JetBlue and United Airlines (regular economy, not basic). The seats and service were basically identical. But the intangibles? JetBlue won. Can you maintain that kind of advantage if you start chasing the cheap dollar fares? Is it a slippery slope? Hard to say, of course. But on JetBlue until now, we haven't had to guess. It looks like now we will. Absurdly Driven looks at the world of business with a skeptical eye and a firmly rooted tongue in cheek. Dear United Airlines customers, things are really much better than you think they are. It's just that you haven't quite grasped it yet. You haven't quite grasped that as the airline grasps for more of your money, it's for your own good. I know this because United CEO Oscar Munoz just said so. Speaking to the terminally taciturn Jim Cramer of CNBC, Munoz was giddy about how well things are going. The share price has risen 25 percent over the last three months. I wonder if Dr. David Dao, the man whom the airline so memorably bloodied as it dragged him down an aisle got shares as part of his settlement with the airline. Still, I haven't received too many emails from United customers lauding how wonderful the airline has suddenly become. (None.) It's hardly likely that they're excessively chipper given that United -- along with other carriers -- has just raised baggage fees by $5. Why, Munoz was asked, did it do that? "It's important to reinvest in the business," he said. And that is something that you, dear customer, just don't get. "That's one of things about this industry that customers don't always understand," continued Munoz. "All of that money we get is being plowed back into the business." I fear one or two customers might be confused. They might wonder whether "being plowed back into the business" includes "being plowed back into executives' huge bonuses"? Then again, Munoz insisted the airline commits the money customers give it to "the right things." Would this include shoving more seats into planes, something that United is cheerfully doing, along with American and others? Those extra seats cost a lot of money, you know. Moreover, it seems that Munoz is upgrading United's promise to put so much of its customers' money back into the business. When baggage fees were first raised, United's employees were given a hilarious script to use if customers complained. It included the wording: "Our hope is to reinvest in a more enjoyable and caring flight experience for you and all of our customers." That hope now seems to have turned to certainty. It's a touch painful, perhaps, for customers to hear all this upbeat wittering when they may not have seen any improvements in United's offerings at all. "You guys are lucrative," Cramer gushed. That must be, I hear you mutter, why it needs to raise baggage fees. Munoz explained that the airline's balance sheet was very strong and that customers would see many improvements,"literally every week," next year. Can you cope with good news "literally every week"? Can you literally cope with the notion that United will, in Munoz's words, "de-stress the travel lifestyle"? Munoz and his fellow managers must be magicians if they can reduce legroom, stuff more seats into planes and somehow de-stress you. The big Tesla news this week has been the Security and Exchange Commission's lawsuit against Elon Musk and the settlement they just reached in which Musk will pay a $20 million fine and step down as Tesla chairman for three years, although he will remain CEO. That very big piece of bad news may have distracted some observers from a very big piece of good news. According to the electric vehicle news site Electrek, which says it's been tracking production, Tesla reached its ambitious goal of building 50,000 Model 3 vehicles during its third quarter of 2018. In fact, it beat that seemingly unreachable goal with two days to spare, producing 51,000 cars by September 28. Of course, this is not an official number. It normally takes weeks for Tesla to release reverified production numbers, and given that the company's board now needs to find two new outside directors and put a new chair in place to comply with its SEC settlement, it might be even longer this time. Still, Electrek's preliminary count is likely pretty accurate. Assuming it is, these production numbers are actually the biggest news about the company this week, at least in terms of its long-term prospects. Musk may not be chairman anymore, but he will still be around as CEO, and Tesla will still be very much his company. But hitting these production targets is a must for the company to become profitable, and sustainable for years to come. The question is, will it be enough to make Tesla profitable? Tesla claims that it will be, and that it won't need to raise any more money for the moment, while observers predict that it will need to. If that's true, hitting these Model 3 production targets should make it much easier for the company to raise that money at more favorable terms. Musk and Tesla have been doing everything they can to get and keep the company at a higher production capacity. For example, Tesla reduced the number of available colors for the Model 3, removing Obsidian Black and Metallic Silver from the menu, so that they'll only be available via special order. The New York Times, which followed Musk around for a day, described him working late into the night on the factory floor at the company's Fremont, California facility, fixing malfunctioning robots and rewriting manufacturing software in order to speed production. In an interview with the Times, Musk described spending nearly all his time in the factory and apparently he often sleeps under his desk, prompting some warnings about work-life balance from friends, including Arianna Huffington. Treasure Island Foods, a family-owned Chicago gourmet grocery chain is closing down after 55 years in business, with is remaining six stores shutting down on October 12, according to an article in The Chicago Maroon, the University of Chicago's student newspaper, which first broke the story. The Chicago Sun-Times obtained the text of the note the chain's CEO, Maria Kamberos, sent to its employees last week. "We made the very difficult decision to wind down operations as a company," the note said. After apologizing for the impact on employees, Kamberos explained: "We have done everything we could to attempt to get the company on solid ground to try to operate for another 55 years. Unfortunately, given the current industry conditions, it has been impossible for us to continue to operate without losing money." In other words, this much-loved mom-and-pop chain is the latest victim of Amazon and Whole Foods. Treasure Island Foods was founded in 1963 by Christ Kamberos and his brothers. Christ Kamberos was born in Chicago to Greek immigrants. His father sold produce from a cart. Kamberos, on the other hand, became known as a grocery innovator who traveled the world to find exotic foods for Chicagoans to sample. Julia Child once praised the store as "America's most European supermarket." Kamberos died in 2009, and his death was followed by a lawsuit in which his daughter Christi Kamberos Matthews accused her stepmother, Maria Kamberos, the company's current CEO of deliberately alienating her from her father and reducing her inheritance. Despite this unpleasant incident, things seemed to continue to go well under Maria's leadership. Less than a year ago, the chain was planning a new location, its eighth, in Uptown Chicago. "Our company is doing great. We're expanding, we're remodeling our stores," Christ Kamberos Jr., the chains vice president of marketing told the Chicago Tribune at the time. Still innovative, the company planned to introduce a "produce butcher" who would peel, dice and slice fresh fruits and vegetables for customers. But none of that ever happened. Treasure Island Foods pulled out of the deal for its new location and closed its Lincoln Park store in September. That leaves six stores still operating until October 12, although some shoppers report badly under-stocked shelves. Overlooking one of the busiest intersections in the central city of Cape Town, en route to one of its biggest tourist attractions, the Waterfront, are two road stubs hanging high above the ground. They form part of the citys unfinished Foreshore freeways. Follow the arc that the road describes and you can see another stub of a freeway also suspended and incomplete at the opposite side of the intersection. Elsewhere, more hidden from public scrutiny, are four more suspended and incomplete pieces of two-lane freeway. The unfinished roads are iconic Cape Town structures. Theyre a source of some embarrassment. They are also an anachronism of road engineering, which values the speed and the throughput that freeways deliver, and which tends to finish what it starts. The roads were designed in the 1960s and spearheaded by a Cape Town engineer who was inspired by the freeway building work of New Yorks famous planner Robert Moses. Cape Towns city council stopped construction of the Foreshore freeways in 1975. A number of factors contributed to this. Internationally, the mood had shifted away from urban freeway building. In the US, for example, there were anti-highway protests. Locally, the South African government was directing infrastructure spending to new townships. These were being built to accommodate so-called coloured people who were being forced to move out of areas the apartheid government was setting aside exclusively for white people. There was also a widespread sense that the freeways were over-designed. Because of these various shifts, money was no longer available from the national government to subsidise the Foreshore scheme. In the decades that followed, there have been various attempts at getting the freeways completed. The most recent has been over 2017 and into 2018, when the latest iteration of Cape Towns Foreshore Precinct scheme was launched with great fanfare. Finally, it looked as though the unfinished freeways would be completed. But it was not to be. A few years ago, I used the unfinished Foreshore Freeway scheme in my PhD research to answer questions about major road projects. How do they happen? What causes them to stop and, in some cases as with the Foreshore schemes to stay stuck in an unfinished state for more than 40 years? The findings offer some useful insights into what it might take to finally complete work on Cape Towns white elephant freeways: consensus building, and commitment. Understanding freeway engineering My work drew on thinking that views traffic and freeway engineering as political disciplines not as politically neutral applied sciences (which is how they think of themselves). For example, theres evidence that early traffic engineering was influenced by motor and oil companies. It shouldnt be surprising, then, that traffic engineering and transport planning have skewed attention and resources towards schemes such as freeways that favour private vehicles rather than towards major public transport investments. My research drew on theory from, among others, the field of science and technology studies. In particular I drew on the writing of Dutch scholar Wiebe Bijker. Bijker theorised that technologies only become stable once sufficient interests coalesce around a particular idea. He used the example of early bicycle development, showing how myriad bicycle designs had been in use until the various groups interested in building bicycles came to some shared, implicit consensus. Cape Towns unfinished freeways fit Bijkers theory: all of the plans to finish them, including the most recent set, didnt attract the consensus of interests he describes. There wasnt a clear voice on the scheme from city of Cape Town authorities in the brief to consultants. Mutterings against the scheme were evident from early on. The exact role and use of low-income housing in the location was questioned. The impact of most of the proposed schemes on the citys greater waterfront area was questioned. And then the scheme was halted once more, leaving the unfinished freeways again untouched. So what would it take to get the Foreshore Freeway scheme going again? Marshalling shared interests If we take Bijkers theories seriously, then shifting the status quo would require one of two routes. The first would involve an authoritarian-type regime. The second would see consensus among the various interest groups in the Cape Towns administration, and in the city at large. An authoritarian-type regime would drive the scheme through regardless of opposition. But it cannot be imagined in the robust civic activism currently surrounding transport and space issues in South Africa. A consensus approach would lead to the eventual coalescing around a shared idea for the area. This would mean significantly more interests who were in favour, and far fewer in opposition. A stable solution would be one that cannot be upended by oppositional voices because the political weight of those in favour is too strong. I dont see this kind of marshalling of shared interests in favour of development on the Foreshore coming from the City of Cape Town itself. But there are now multiple design agencies that have invested their resources to examine the Foreshore area in detail. If they are able to overcome their own vested interests and work towards a coalescing of interests then perhaps there is a possibility that the logjam will finally be broken. I believe its possible to end the impasse. But it will require an approach that hasnt been mastered yet: genuine consensus building, and the patience and commitment this will require. Neither has been in evidence for the past half a century. Lisa Kane is an honorary research associate at the University of Cape Town. This article first appeared on The Conversation (theconversation.com) Big-ticket donors watch expectantly from a parking lot across the street as Turkish-American artist Refik Anadol transforms the billowing steel superstructure of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles into a swirling, phantasmagorical collage. The 12-minute performance is fashioned from artefacts from the Los Angeles Philharmonics history: millions of photographs, printed programmes and audio and video recordings, each one digitised and algorithmically activated to play in abstract form across the buildings dynamic metal surface. WDCH Dreams, as the production is known, kicked off the orchestras centennial season with the kind of brio that befits the company Zachary Wolfe described in 2017, in The New York Times, as the most important orchestra in America. Period. Anadol, a bubbly and rather cherubic-looking 32-year-old who dresses entirely in black, likes to imagine the building designed by Frank Gehry as an enormous artificial intelligence, one that recalls the orchestras past and slips into reverie about its future. Armed with animations and storyboards, he showed up at the philharmonics administrative offices an elegant but understated building next to the concert hall to detail his progress. Gathered in a small conference room are Kenric McDowell, an artificial-intelligence expert from Google, and several philharmonic officials, chief among them Chad Smith, the orchestras chief operating officer and de facto head of programming, a man whose preppy demeanour belies a reputation as one of the most innovative figures in classical music. The buildings performance, staged for patrons paying upward of $2,500 (1,900) per person for the opening-night gala, and free on the nine evenings after that, falls into three parts. First, Centennial Memories, when data from the philharmonics history 44.5 terabytes of it, Anadol says is projected onto the buildings skin. Tickets came at premium for the opening night of the WDCH Dreams show (Refik Anadol) (Refik Anadol) Smith breaks in: Forty-four-point-five? The last time we were together, it was 7 terabytes. That was a while ago, Anadol reminds him. The audio recordings alone nearly 77,000 of them now came to 7 terabytes. Thats an average of two recordings a day, Smith observes, doing a quick calculation based on the 99 years the orchestra has been playing the actual centennial wont come until September 2019. Interesting. OK. Next would come Consciousness, when the building would process the billions of data points to form a vast web of connections: every performance of every symphony, every trumpet, every oboe, every note the orchestra had ever played. And finally, Dream, when the concert hall would fuse it all together to generate a combinatorial fantasia to hallucinate, as Anadol puts it. This, he declares, will be a very divine moment. And one long in coming. It took 16 years for the concert hall to be built after Lillian Disney Walts widow donated $50m for its construction, and it has taken another 15 years since its completion in 2003 to realise the architects vision for its exterior. I have always had the dream that images and videos would be projected onto the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Gehry says in an email. During the design process, I selected the metal for the express purpose of taking projection. Im happy that the L.A. Phil is going to do it now for its anniversary. Architect Gehry has said that he designed the structure for just such a display (Alamy) (Alamy Stock Photo) The memories that inform WDCH Dreams are usually locked away in a 2,500 sq ft corner of the Los Angeles County Hall of Records, a nearby 1960s highrise. But even as the show mines the orchestras past, WDCH Dreams speaks to current issues in computing. It uses some of the same artificial-intelligence algorithms that underlie facial recognition, which has become increasingly controversial as its potential for abuse becomes clearer. And Anadols idea that a building can think and dream is a fanciful version of the internet of things, the fast-growing network of smart objects home appliances, thermostats, cars what have you that are being given a sliver of intelligence, with little thought for how to secure them against digital intruders. The project also loops back to popular culture, in particular to the films of Christopher Nolan who, in movies such as Memento and Inception displays a narrative sleight of hand that transforms everyday experiences like dreaming and remembering into the stuff of wonder and suspense. A key methodology behind WDCH Dreams, a machine-learning technique that originated in a Google lab in Switzerland, has been labelled inceptionism, after the 2010 movie that starred Leonardo DiCaprio as a corporate spy who set out to manipulate his targets dreams. The swooping lines of the concert building have made for a perfect canvas (Refik Anadol) (Refik Anadol) Anadol first connected with the Google AI team at a 2016 symposium at a San Francisco art gallery. Later that year he was offered a residency at Googles Artists and Machine Intelligence programme, a nascent effort to bring artists and engineers together to ponder big questions, such as the nature of intelligence and the relationship between humans and machines. With Google supplying machine-learning experts and cloud-computing, Anadol and his team set to work to make their computer system dream. They used different types of neural networks the computing technology that underlies most AI efforts to process pictures and text from the orchestras archives and generate new imagery based on them, as well as to fashion a sound collage from decades of recordings. Its about the idea of the machine as collaborator, Anadol says. New York Times GPs should be given extra training on performing caesarean sections, according to a proposal being considered by managers of a health trust for staffing a local maternity unit. One of nine options being considered by Oxfordshire health chiefs, the proposal is modelled on a rural or remote maternity service where women may not be able to access a dedicated obstetrician at short notice. It is hoped that this could address a serious shortage of obstetricians that led to caesarean births and other procedures at Horton General Hospital, Banbury, being suspended over safety concerns. Recommended Why hospitals should never turn down elective Caesareans Local doctors however, called the proposal unsafe and said it would also be hampered by a national shortage of GPs. The scheme was debated at a meeting of the Horton Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, which campaigners hope will allow a fully staffed labour and delivery service to be reinstated at the Hospital. But Oxfordshire Cinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said that it had not yet shortlisted any options and all suggestions submitted by the public and other stakeholders were included at this early stage for completeness. Horton General Hospital (HGH) maternity service has not had a consultant-led birth unit since 2016, meaning women requiring more complex care or a caesarean have to travel from Banbury to John Radcliffe Hospital (JRH) in Oxford 45 minutes further away. The CCG had applied to make the change permanent after a recruitment drive was unable to uncover any more doctors. However, an intervention from former health secretary Jeremy Hunt in March 2018 ordered a more detailed appraisal of the options before the unit was downgraded permanently. NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary Show all 18 1 /18 NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, addresses demonstrators following the march AFP/Getty NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary EPA NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary Reuters NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary REUTERS NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary EPA NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary REUTERS NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary PA NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary REUTERS NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary REUTERS NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary PA NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images In a letter, Mr Hunt recommended that Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Oxfordshire University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust should not proceed without first consulting councillors and patients in neighbouring south Warwickshire and Northamptonshire who also use the hospital. The proposals were spotted among meeting documents by the Banbury Guardian. They state: This means there would be obstetric units at the John Radcliffe Hospital and Horton General Hospital. The staffing model at the HGH would be specialist GPs local GPs given extra training to be able to perform caesarean sections with access to on-call support from the JRH. Other options would see only elective caesareans or other procedures where there isnt a medical complication or necessity, carried out at the Horton site. But local GP Dr Hugh Gillies told the paper: GPs are not a safe alternative to experienced middle grade obstetricians. Its not a viable option and anyway, there would not be enough GPs to cover 24-hours a day. A spokesperson for Oxfordshire CCG said: We have included the views of public and stakeholders about potential options for the delivery of obstetrics at the Horton General Hospital. As such, one of the options included is modelled on something similar to that described by the National Maternity Review - Better Births as a remote and rural service. Out of respect to those who suggested this option, it has been included at this early stage (before shortlisting) for completeness as part of the work to address the Secretary of States recommendations on obstetric services at the Horton General Hospital. A gangrene-causing bacteria which can be harmful at high doses may help treat late stage cancer patients where other options have failed, medical trials have shown. Safety tests on a new type of bacterial therapy found that tumours which have become resistant to other treatments became necrotic and shrank when injected with bacterial spores. University of Texas doctors used a strain of bacteria related to the lethal hospital superbug clostridium difficile, which has been modified to make it less harmful to humans. Clostridium novyi-NT needs a very low oxygen environment to survive; this means it wont develop in healthy tissue with a good blood supply, but dense, rapidly growing tumours are a perfect host. By exploiting the inherent differences between healthy and cancerous tissue, Clostridium novyi-NT represents a very precise anti-cancer therapeutic that can specifically attack a patients cancer, said Dr Filip Janku, of the universitys Anderson Cancer Center. The bacteria could be particularly powerful in tandem with a new generation of cancer treatments known as immunotherapies, which stimulate the immune system to identify and attack tumours, he added. The findings are being presented on Sunday at the International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference in New York and, while they have not yet been published in a scientific journal, they have already sparked further trials. Potential new medical treatments require multiple rounds of human testing, first to check their safety and then to prove they consistently improve survival across large populations of patients. In the trials, Dr Janku and his colleagues were chiefly concerned with finding what doses could be safely used. They enrolled 24 patients with solid tumours that had become resistant to conventional chemotherapy and other treatments, and injected them with between 10,000 and three million bacterial spores. The authors report that the two patients given the largest dose developed severe sepsis and gas gangrene. As a result the team identified a safe dose of one million spores where side effects were manageable. In the remaining 22 patients the early results showed the treatment stopped their tumours growing, and in 23 per cent of cases the tumours shrank in size by more than 10 per cent. Science news in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Science news in pictures Science news in pictures Pluto has 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen Pluto has a 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen that is doing strange things to its surface, Nasa has found. The mysterious core seems to be the cause of features on its surface that have fascinated scientists since they were spotted by Nasa's New Horizons mission. "Before New Horizons, everyone thought Pluto was going to be a netball - completely flat, almost no diversity," said Tanguy Bertrand, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author on the new study. "But it's completely different. It has a lot of different landscapes and we are trying to understand what's going on there." Getty Science news in pictures Over 400 species discovered this year by Natural History Museum The ancient invertabrate worm-like species rhenopyrgus viviani (pictured) is one of over 400 species previously unknown to science that were discovered by experts at the Natural History Museum this year PA Science news in pictures Jackdaws can identify 'dangerous' humans Jackdaws can identify dangerous humans from listening to each others warning calls, scientists say. The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter. In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or contact calls (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average. Getty Science news in pictures Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females. But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the Goldilocks Zone which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal Ye et al/Current Biology Science news in pictures Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found. It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017. Reuters Science news in pictures Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planets oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago A. Gennari Science news in pictures Animal with transient anus discovered A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a transient anus that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste Steven G Johnson Science news in pictures Giant bee spotted Feared extinct, the Wallace's Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands Clay Bolt Science news in pictures New mammal species found inside crocodile Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal New Mexico Museum of Natural History Science news in pictures Fabric that changes according to temperature created Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold Faye Levine, University of Maryland Science news in pictures Baby mice tears could be used in pest control A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males Getty Science news in pictures Final warning to limit "climate catastrophe" The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase Getty Science news in pictures Nobel prize for evolution chemists The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies Getty/AFP Science news in pictures Nobel prize for laser physicists The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his "optical tweezers" which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers Reuters/AP Science news in pictures Discovery of a new species of dinosaur The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means "a giant thunderclap at dawn" Viktor Radermacher / SWNS Science news in pictures Birth of a planet Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever. This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star. ESO/A. Muller et al Science news in pictures New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the interstitium. These compartments are found beneath the skin, as well as lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles, and join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins Getty Science news in pictures Previously unknown society lived in Amazon rainforest before Europeans arrived, say archaeologists Working in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, a team led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter unearthed hundreds of villages hidden in the depths of the rainforest. These excavations included evidence of fortifications and mysterious earthworks called geoglyphs Jose Iriarte Science news in pictures One in 10 people have traces of cocaine or heroin on fingerprints, study finds More than one in 10 people were found to have traces of class A drugs on their fingers by scientists developing a new fingerprint-based drug test. Using sensitive analysis of the chemical composition of sweat, researchers were able to tell the difference between those who had been directly exposed to heroin and cocaine, and those who had encountered it indirectly. Getty Science news in pictures Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter's great red spot The storm bigger than the Earth, has been swhirling for 350 years. The image's colours have been enhanced after it was sent back to Earth. Pictures by: Tom Momary However, the final tumour reduction might be even greater, Dr Janku said, because the treatment initially causes inflammation and makes the tumour swell up with immune cells attacking it. This treatment method has two strengths: in 46 per cent of cases the bacterial spores germinated and started multiplying, rapidly causing necrosis and cell death in the tumour; however even when the spores did not develop, because oxygen levels or other conditions werent right, the presence of these bacterial spores helped trigger immune system cells to wake up and begin attacking the tumour. From these preliminary results, it appears that Clostridium novyi-NT is able to activate the immune response besides causing tumour destruction, Dr Janku added. We were extremely encouraged by the results of this trial, especially in patients with advanced sarcomas, where immunotherapy hasnt proven very efficacious. This bacteriolytic strategy has the potential to be clinically meaningful, especially in combination with checkpoint inhibitors, for patients with advanced solid tumours. I woke up really early in the morning, I couldnt sleep because I was so excited, it was like Christmas, recalls Hoda Ali. I went to my mums room and asked: Is it time yet?. She asked me what I was doing up at 6am and told me to go back to bed. I remember going to bed and just waiting. But Ms Ali, who was then just seven years old, was not waiting for presents. She was waiting to undergo female genital mutilation (FGM). Practiced on an estimated 98 per cent of girls in Somalia at the time, she had grown up to view it as a rite of passage shared with her friends and family. The night before Ms Ali and her younger sister were due to undergo the procedure, their family had thrown a party at their home in Mogadishu and given them gifts. There are certain parts of the world where they dont tell girls what theyre going through but in Somalia nobody hid it from us, Ms Ali tells The Independent. I would come home from school and say to my mum: When is my time? Because I need this so I can be like my friends. Ms Alis mother arranged for a traditional cutter to come to the family home to perform FGM on her two daughters, and even paid extra for local anaesthetic. This woman came in, she was wearing black head to toe, Ms Ali remembers. The first thing she said to me was: Hoda, youre the oldest, you know your sister is going to go first. FGM victim and Dahlia Project founder on the culture of the practice within family groups She said: Make sure you dont cry, make sure you dont scare her, make sure youre strong for her, and then she left and went into our room. She described the woman putting a cloth down on the floor before two of her aunties held her six-year-old sister down and the FGM started. She had a needle and a syringe, she administered the local anaesthetic and then she cut. My sister was crying and screaming, I was crying too and I had my hand over my mouth. I was very frightened. But when I went in, I did what the woman said. I lay down on the floor - I didn't move, I didn't scream. The real pain only started when the local anaesthetic wore off. Ms Alis legs were bound together from hip to ankle and she was confined to her bed for two weeks, before the cutter came back to check on her work. If a stitch was out of place they would do it again, she adds. The whole point is for a husband to force himself and prove the woman is a virgin. When women give birth, it's very dangerous. Then they are stitched up again exactly the same, it happened to my sister four times. Ms Ali had undergone type three FGM, one of the most severe types of non-medical procedures that are practiced on girls across parts of Africa, Asia,and the Middle East. Afterwards, she felt she was finally fitting in with a society where it is taboo to talk about FGM or the pain it caused. But when Ms Ali turned 11, she fell seriously ill. It was 1991 and the Somali civil war had started the week before. Her parents took her to a hospital run by an Italian charity, where doctors discovered, what they believed, a cyst formed by an accumulation of menstrual blood that had been unable to escape. FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County Show all 12 1 /12 FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County Kenya FGM A Pokot girl cries after being circumcised REUTERS FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County Kenya FGM The traditional practice of circumcision within the Pokot tribe is a rite of passage that marks the transition to womanhood and is a requirement for all girls before they marry Reuters FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County Kenya FGM Pokot girls are encouraged to leave their hut and make their way to a place where they will take off their clothes and wash during their circumcision ceremony REUTERS FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County Kenya FGM A Pokot girl, covered in animal skins, walks to a place where she will rest after being circumcised in a tribal ritual in a village about 80 kilometres from the town of Marigat in Baringo County REUTERS FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County Kenya FGM Pokot girls, draped in animal skins, sit on rocks during their circumcision ceremony REUTERS FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County Kenya FGM A Pokot woman performs a circumcision on a girl REUTERS FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County Kenya FGM A Pokot woman holds a razor blade after performing a circumcision on four girls REUTERS FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County Kenya FGM A Pokot girl bleeds onto a rock after being circumcised REUTERS FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County Kenya FGM A Pokot girl is smeared with a white paint after being circumcised REUTERS FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County Kenya FGM More than a quarter of girls and women in Kenya have undergone genital cutting, according to United Nations data REUTERS FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County Kenya FGM A Pokot girl, covered in animal skins, walks to a place where she will rest after being circumcised Reuters FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County Kenya FGM Pokot girls covered with animal skins squat on rocks after being stripped naked and washed during their circumcision rite in a village about 80 kilometres from the town of Marigat in Baringo County REUTERS Doctors then attempted to perform an FGM reversal operation but Ms Alis cycle did not return to normal and she underwent repeated operations to drain the blood. When hospitals in Mogadishu started getting bombed, the medical charity sent her over the border to Djibouti for more operations. But they were unsuccessful and Ms Ali was transferred to Italy, where she and her father found themselves unable to return home in 1993. Recommended Survivor recounts horror of FGM as police launch crackdown A refugee in Milan, she finally had doctors perform a successful reversal operation. Ms Ali and her father lived in an Italian refugee camp and later sought asylum in the UK. But the consequences of FGM never left her, causing heavy bleeding, infections and illness that eventually resulted in infertility. Ms Ali and her husband, a British man who knew nothing about FGM, attempted IVF but the first cycle ended with a miscarriage. After that I got really sick, she says. I had pelvic infections, my organs were shutting down, I ended up in intensive care for four weeksthey were feeding me through my neck. Ms Ali wanted to attempt another cycle of IVF but doctors said it was too dangerous. She is now using her experience to fight to end the practice around the world, and teach women and families in Britain about the law, as a lead on safeguarding with Ealing council in London. Ms Ali at a session on FGM and other safeguarding issues in the London borough of Ealing (Supplied) She is reaching out to other survivors so they can support each other, build intelligence on how and where FGM is taking place, and seek professional help from groups like the Dahlia Project. Ms Ali says legal changes that made it mandatory for health workers, social care professionals and teachers to report FGM cases to the police, were a major step towards shifting attitudes. But she favours education over prosecution, hoping the former can ultimately bring the practice to an end. My mother was cut, my grandmother, my great-grandmother all the women before me, she says. Even though they knew the suffering and the pain, they were doing what they were doing so we could fit into society, we could go to school and not be bullied, we can get married. So a lot of the parents had that pressure on them from society and from everywhere else. While FGM is on the decrease in Somalia and in other practicing countries, Ms Ali is wary of calls for the practice to be medicalised. Advocates of allowing registered doctors to carry out mutilation in a clinical environment claim it would be safer than using cutters, whose profession is passed down the generations from woman to woman. Professionals cut deeply and more dangerously, Ms Ali warns. FGM is child abuse full stop. Its against women and girls rights. Nobody should be opening my legs at the age of seven, holding me down and cutting me just to control my sexuality. That is what FGM is. Her fight against the practice has caused her to be targeted with vile online abuse by supporters of FGM, but Ms Ali is determined to turn the tide. She says: I had no childhood, I cant have children and now Ive dedicated my life to make sure I hopefully see a world that is free from FGM. So-called cutters are being flown into the UK to perform female genital mutilation (FGM) on young girls, a campaigner has warned. Hoda Ali, an FGM survivor and activist who works in safeguarding in Ealing in west London, said families were paying for the practice in the UK as well as taking children abroad. The practising community talk together, saying, My girl needs to be cut, and pay the cutters to come into the UK and cut the girls here, she told The Independent. The reality is we need to open our eyes. We dont need to think just about faraway countries because right now we have girls who are in their late teens or even early twenties who were cut in this country. They are British girls who were born here and they were cut here. Ms Ali said that despite improvements in UK laws against FGM and awareness, data on the extent of procedures in Britain does not exist because of the secrecy still surrounding the practice. We know this is happening from talking to survivors who were cut in the UK ... it could be in Sheffield, in Birmingham, in London it could be anywhere because if you believe something they are going to do it, she added. Things are changing but we know there are medical professionals from practising communities are for FGM and who will cut girls still, even here in the UK. Both police and the National FGM Centre have received reports of cutters being brought into the UK from countries in Africa where mutilation is prevalent, but none have yet contained actionable intelligence that could lead to a prosecution. Operation Limelight, which sees police, the Border Force officers and social workers intercept flights from countries in Africa and the Middle East where FGM is prevalent, aims to raise awareness and prevent girls being taken abroad to undergo the procedure. Operation Limelight: The FGM unit operating in Heathrow Airport to intercept families taking their children to be mutiliated Officers have previously been instructed to stop older women travelling alone and search luggage for potential cutting implements. Commander Ivan Balhatchet, the National Police Chiefs Council lead for FGM, said it constitutes child abuse, a crime and a human rights violation. It is a global issue that transcends our borders, he added. There are over 30 communities that practice FGM in some way but there is real variation in how, why and where they commit it. This means we need as much information and intelligence from communities and professionals to help us understand the range of travel routes and target cutters. We do not have specific intelligence about cutters being brought to the UK but we urge anyone with information about female genital mutilation to share it with the police to help build our intelligence picture. A multi-agency and international response is needed to address this incredibly complex issue so that we can safeguard those who are vulnerable and help prevent FGM. According to the most recent NHS statistics, 1,015 cases were newly recorded between January and March this year, although the procedures may have been performed many years before. It brings the total number of survivors recorded in the UK to 17,330 since 2015 but Ms Ali believes that is a fraction of the true number, which has been estimated at 100,000. The concern was echoed by an academic study published this week, which found the mandatory reporting procedures brought in for health workers, social care agencies and teachers have been more symbolic than effective. FGM victim and Dahlia Project founder on the culture of the practice within family groups Researchers from The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and University of Salford called for national data to be collected by a central authority, led by a dedicated FGM Commissioner. Professor Andrew Rowland said a huge mismatch between health and police data suggests that the medical reports are not being followed up and the true scale of FGM is not being properly investigated. FGM, which refers to any procedure that intentionally alters female genital organs for non-medical reasons, can result in death, internal injuries, infection, long-term health problems and complications in childbirth. It has been illegal in the UK since 1985 and the law was strengthened in 2003 to prevent girls travelling to undergo FGM abroad. Recommended Survivor recounts horror of FGM as police launch crackdown But there are yet to be convictions in Britain, with two prosecutions under specific FGM laws and a child-cruelty case related to FGM resulting in acquittals. As well as prosecuting people for FGM, British authorities also use court-issued protection orders to prevent potential victims from being taken abroad. Despite mounting awareness, police have said intelligence on the practice is woeful, while prosecutions were frustrated by FGM happening abroad and victims being unwilling to give evidence against relatives. Ms Ali, who underwent FGM at the age of seven in Somalia, believes education is a more effective tool against the practice than prison sentences. My mother was cut, my grandmother, my great-grandmother, all the women before me, she said. FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County Show all 12 1 /12 FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County Kenya FGM A Pokot girl cries after being circumcised REUTERS FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County Kenya FGM The traditional practice of circumcision within the Pokot tribe is a rite of passage that marks the transition to womanhood and is a requirement for all girls before they marry Reuters FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County Kenya FGM Pokot girls are encouraged to leave their hut and make their way to a place where they will take off their clothes and wash during their circumcision ceremony REUTERS FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County Kenya FGM A Pokot girl, covered in animal skins, walks to a place where she will rest after being circumcised in a tribal ritual in a village about 80 kilometres from the town of Marigat in Baringo County REUTERS FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County Kenya FGM Pokot girls, draped in animal skins, sit on rocks during their circumcision ceremony REUTERS FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County Kenya FGM A Pokot woman performs a circumcision on a girl REUTERS FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County Kenya FGM A Pokot woman holds a razor blade after performing a circumcision on four girls REUTERS FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County Kenya FGM A Pokot girl bleeds onto a rock after being circumcised REUTERS FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County Kenya FGM A Pokot girl is smeared with a white paint after being circumcised REUTERS FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County Kenya FGM More than a quarter of girls and women in Kenya have undergone genital cutting, according to United Nations data REUTERS FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County Kenya FGM A Pokot girl, covered in animal skins, walks to a place where she will rest after being circumcised Reuters FGM tribal circumcision ceremony in Baringo County Kenya FGM Pokot girls covered with animal skins squat on rocks after being stripped naked and washed during their circumcision rite in a village about 80 kilometres from the town of Marigat in Baringo County REUTERS Even though they knew the suffering and the pain, they were doing what they were doing so we could fit into society, we can go to school and not be bullied, we can be married. So a lot of the parents had that pressure on them, from society, from everywhere else. She said that some first-generation immigrant communities are not aware of the law against FGM and she is working to educate parents in London. Ms Ali said: At the end of the day its not good for anybody to put the mother and father in jail and put children in care. What is that bringing for them? What life is that child going to have? Instead of concentrating on breaking families we need to concentrate on the education so they know the law. She is currently working on a programme teaching thousands of primary school children, teachers and parents about FGM and other welfare issues. Three mothers from Africa and the Middle East have so far disclosed that they underwent the practice themselves and sought help as part of the training, and Ms Ali would like to see it spread across the UK. I was cut at seven years old, so if we are educating boys and girls in secondary school it might be too late, she added. We need to educate parents, we need to educate children, we need to educate ourselves in order for this practice to end. Yvonne Johnson, cabinet member for schools and childrens services in Ealing council, said: Despite being illegal since 1985, FGM remains far too common and we are determined to change this. It stands where gastropubs now jostle beside the old East End of Petticoat Lane market, where streets are overshadowed by the gleaming towers of the modern City of London. Amid such bustle, it is easy to overlook the lower rise, altogether more modest Toynbee Hall, and still easier to miss its significance. Yet this is the place that provided formative experiences for two key architects of the welfare state, William Beveridge and Clement Attlee. This is the place that can claim a pivotal role in the creation of social justice initiatives such as the Child Poverty Action Group. It is where the Poor Mans Lawyer scheme started in 1898, and where free legal advice is still offered today along with debt counselling, investigation of social problems and many other community services. More than a century after Toynbee Hall opened in 1884, it remains a place of pilgrimage for researchers and innovators the world over, seeking out the institution where so much began, and where so much is still being done. And now, after a 17m restoration and redevelopment, chief executive Jim Minton is determined the reopening of the Grade II listed building should be marked by an exhibition showcasing Toynbee Halls history as a powerhouse for social change and suggesting what it could do in the future. Theresa May will this week challenge both Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn to back her plan for Brexit or risk panic and chaos. A close cabinet ally of the prime minister urged Tory eurosceptics and Labour to think about the consequences of their actions before committing to vote down Ms Mays deal. The senior Conservative figure told The Independent the PM was finely attuned as to what kind of deal would be acceptable to both parliament and the country, and that her Chequers plan was the closest to it anyone had come. It comes after Mr Johnson launched a series of withering attacks on the PM and her plans, while Labour indicated last week it would likely vote down the deal she comes back with. The senior Tory said: Labour is going to have a decision to make. They will be going against not just the government, but 27 EU leaders who will have agreed it. "If we do not get a deal through parliament there will be market panic, jobs will start moving. That is chaos. The same goes for Brexiteers. They will have businesses and constituents telling them that they want this settled these people have to think about the consequences of their actions. Ms May has been trying to position herself carefully as the only person trying to deliver a politically viable Brexit, and will, at conference, sharpen the message by indicating that those willing to vote down her plan on the Tory right and in the opposition are failing to act in the national interest. Emmanuel Macron says Britain could stay in the EU for sure if it changes its mind on Brexit The cabinet source added: This is a prime minister who is finely attuned to this parliament and the country, and what it will get through. People have to be pragmatic. After the Tory conference ends there will be just two weeks until the next European Council summit, and then around four more weeks until a likely special gathering to sign off any deal in November. They will be going against not just the government, but 27 EU leaders who will have agreed it If we do not get a deal through parliament there will be market panic, jobs will start moving. That is chaos Senior Cabinet source Despite some fears that a deal will not be struck, the Conservative frontbencher was confident it would, saying: It will be a bumpy ride. The seatbelt light will go, flight crew will be told to get to their jump seats. But there will be a deal. We will get movement over the next eight weeks. In Liverpool last week Mr Corybn suggested Labour could back the PMs deal if it met his partys six tests though they are set up in such a way as to make it almost impossible. Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer indicated it was likely Labour would not be able to back anything the PM came back with. Meanwhile, ex-foreign secretary Mr Johnson undertook a series of interviews on Friday and Sunday attacking Ms May and her plans, leading to a backlash from leading figures in the party including former cabinet minister David Davis. People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Show all 30 1 /30 People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Rex People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty Images People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal A young protestor shouts as she takes part in the People's Vote demonstration against Brexit Getty Images People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Reuters People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal A protester's pro-EU t-shirt EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty Images People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Gina Miller and Caroline Lucas EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Tens of thousands of people march through London EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Demonstrators at the People's Vote March Getty People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal 'Two months too young to decide on my future' REUTERS People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal A young girl joins in the march PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal An EU flag is draped across the statue of Winston Chruchill in Parliament Square REUTERS People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty Images People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Vince Cable MP, Pro-EU campaigner Gina Miller, Tony Robinson and Caroline Lucas MP join with crowds PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Crowds gather on Pall Mall PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal A man resembling Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, joins EU supporters Reuters People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Reuters People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal People gather in Trafalgar Square REUTERS People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Pro-EU campaigner Gina Miller and Tony Robinson PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EU supporters, calling on the government to give Britons a vote on the final Brexit deal, participate in the 'People's Vote' march REUTERS The cabinet source said the prime ministers team was confident Mr Johnson does not have enough support in the parliamentary party to launch a successful challenge. The person went on: It is not that damaging to have stories like this in the papers today. He is making a lot of noise, but Boris does not have the numbers in the parliamentary party, and he knows that is the case. There is a big contrast between the respectful stance David Davis has taken, arguing his case, and the way Boris has pursued his own personal ambitions. Theresa May has signalled she may be willing to compromise further with the EU on her under-fire Chequers proposals for Brexit, risking anger from Tory eurosceptics. The prime minister used an interview at the opening of Conservative conference to urge Brussels to set out detailed concerns and bring forward counter proposals, referring to her own plans as the only ones available at the moment. The move risks further antagonising those in her party who want her Chequers plans dropped altogether, with both Boris Johnson and David Davis branding them unworkable on Sunday. The prime minister did receive some support however, including from Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson, who called for the party to back her and launched a scathing attack on Mr Johnson. It comes at the start of the Tories annual event in Birmingham where attempts to refocus the party on the domestic agenda look set to be overshadowed by Brexit squabbling. Once the conference is finished there will be just two weeks until the next European Council summit at which Ms May had hoped to have a Brexit deal wrapped up. But with leaders having said her proposals will not work as they stand, she sought to send them a message, saying: Theyve said they have some concerns with the proposals weve put together, lets hear what those detailed concerns are. If they have got counter proposals, lets hear what those counter proposals are. Conservative MP Heidi Allen backs fresh referendum on Brexit She added on the BBCs Andrew Marr show: Chequers, at the moment, is the only plan on the table that delivers on the Brexit vote in the way Ive set out. The prime minister did also seek to reassure eurosceptics in her party, saying I do believe in Brexit following questions raised about her commitment to withdrawal. Theyve said they have some concerns with the proposals weve put together, lets hear what those detailed concerns are Prime minister Theresa May On Saturday The Independent revealed officials have already started working on an evolved Chequers 2 proposal, with some adjustments that the prime minister hopes will make it more amenable to the European Union. Meanwhile, some cabinet ministers are still hoping to push the prime minister towards a Canada-style free trade deal, an approach Ms May had rejected. Among those in the wider party who spoke out against her plans on Sunday morning were former Brexit secretary Mr Davis, who resigned over the PMs approach. He said: Its just wrong. It doesnt do either what the referendum led people to expect, bringing back control of laws, in fact it explicitly doesnt do that. It doesnt bring back control of borders, so those two things straight away theres much more than that. Amber Rudd: People's Vote is preferable to No Deal Brexit outcome The former cabinet minister distanced himself from Mr Johnson however, who had in the morning papers appeared to attack the PM, as well as her proposals. Mr Davis said that regardless of his criticism of her approach, he would still back Ms May in any vote of confidence and criticized Mr Johnson for conflating leadership and policy issues. Asked if Mr Johnson would make a good leader, Mr Davis said: You take what he said this morning in the papers he talks about cancelling HS2 and spending it on a bridge to Northern Ireland. Well, I dont want to do that, I think one of the blights of British politics is politicians having fantastic ideas, that cost a fortune and dont do much good, and that would be one of them. Ms Davidson called the language that Mr Johnson had used in his attacks on her plans unwise. She also questioned Mr Johnsons claims that he only backed Ms Mays plans while foreign secretary last December, because the prime minister misled him over critical elements. Ms Davidson said: This is someone who was praising what the prime minister had brought home in terms of moving on to the next stage last December, someone who was in one of the great offices of state, who was sitting round the cabinet table, who now says that he was in some way deceived. People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Show all 30 1 /30 People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Rex People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty Images People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal A young protestor shouts as she takes part in the People's Vote demonstration against Brexit Getty Images People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Reuters People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal A protester's pro-EU t-shirt EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty Images People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Gina Miller and Caroline Lucas EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Tens of thousands of people march through London EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Demonstrators at the People's Vote March Getty People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal 'Two months too young to decide on my future' REUTERS People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal A young girl joins in the march PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal An EU flag is draped across the statue of Winston Chruchill in Parliament Square REUTERS People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty Images People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Vince Cable MP, Pro-EU campaigner Gina Miller, Tony Robinson and Caroline Lucas MP join with crowds PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Crowds gather on Pall Mall PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal A man resembling Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, joins EU supporters Reuters People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Reuters People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal People gather in Trafalgar Square REUTERS People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Pro-EU campaigner Gina Miller and Tony Robinson PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EU supporters, calling on the government to give Britons a vote on the final Brexit deal, participate in the 'People's Vote' march REUTERS I dont sit around the cabinet table Im not in governmentbut I knew what was being said in December, Im not sure how the former foreign secretary didnt. Ms Davidson called the PMs proposals credible, adding: There is a deal to be done and I support the prime minister in getting it. Part of what the party should be doing is giving her space to get in and get the job done. China warned Friday that its critical relationship with the United States could break like a glass, and used the most global of stages to warn the Trump administration it wouldnt be pushed around on trade. Foreign Minister Wang Yi insisted that his country will not be blackmailed or bow to pressure. Protectionism will only hurt oneself, and unilateral moves will bring damage to all, he told the U.N. General Assembly gathering of world leaders. As Japan News writes in an article "China blasts U.S. over trade moves", U.S. President Donald Trump this week cranked up punitive tariffs on China, and Beijing responded in kind, escalating a trade war between the worlds two largest economies. Trump upped the ante by then accusing China of meddling in the upcoming U.S. midterm elections because it opposes his trade policies. He has presented little evidence to back up the allegations, which China says are untrue. Wang, in separate remarks at a think tank, said the U.S.-China relationship was at a critical point, four decades since ties were normalized. The relationship between our two countries is a common asset. It must be preserved and valued. Its the result of generations of peoples efforts, Wang said. Its like a glass. Its easy to break it and would be difficult to repair, he said. Although Wang presented China as upholding multilateral institutions drawing an implicit contrast with Trumps anti-globalist stance Beijings top diplomat said the suspicions that China seeks global hegemony and to displace the United States as a world leader is false. But he warned its an idea that is spreading, amplifying differences between the two countries. This is a serious strategic misjudgment, Wang told the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, that will be extremely detrimental to U.S. interests and the future of the United States. He said China rather seeks a path of peaceful development. He defended Chinas assertive behavior in the South China Sea, where it has built man-made islands to reinforce its sweeping territorial claims that are disputed by its neighbors. He said military facilities on those islands are for defensive purposes to counter military activities by other nations in the area, including the United States. Wang also defended Chinas recent participation in military drills with Russia that have added to U.S. anxiety that its key strategic rivals are setting aside historical differences and teaming up against it. He said military-to-military ties are normal to build mutual understanding. On human rights, Wang was asked about the reported harsh treatment of Uighur Muslims in Chinas far west. He maintained that China had brought law and order to a region once blighted by terrorism. The Trump administration is reportedly considering sanctions in response to members of the religious minority being forced into reeducation camps on a massive scale. Notwithstanding all these differences, the main driver of the current discord between the United States and China is trade. Trump increased tariffs Monday on $200 billion of Chinese goods. Beijing responded by imposing penalties on $60 billion of American products. That was on top of an earlier duty increase by both sides on $50 billion of each others goods. The tit-for-tat is fueling anxiety that smaller nations will suffer.Speech A significant number of Tory MPs would be prepared to back a second referendum on Theresa Mays Brexit deal, a senior Conservative has said. Ex-attorney general Dominic Grieve said the prime minister was facing a polite rebellion of pro-EU Tories who think a new vote is indispensable to avoiding a damaging no-deal Brexit. Mr Grieve became one of the first senior Tories to break cover over the need for a new referendum earlier this year, telling The Independent it was the only sensible way forward. He has been joined by prominent backbenchers Anna Soubry, Justine Greening, Sarah Wollaston, Philip Lee and Guto Bebb and South Cambridgeshire MP Heidi Allen, who declared the Chequers plan was dead on Saturday. The Independent has been campaigning for the public to have a say on any deal Ms May secures with Brussels, which has won the backing of more than 820,000 people. Mr Grieves intervention comes at the start of what promises to be a fraught party conference for the prime minister, as she seeks to sell her Brexit plan to her divided party. Labour members voted to keep the option of a second referendum including the potential to remain in the EU on the table at their conference last week, which means there could be a parliamentary majority in favour of another vote, Mr Grieve said. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, the MP for Beaconsfield said: I believe the time has come for a polite rebellion by pragmatic Conservatives. Including myself, it is now clear that there is a significant group of Conservative MPs who think that a Peoples Vote a vote on the final form Brexit will take, is absolutely indispensable for the future wellbeing of our country. Mr Grieve added: A no-deal Brexit is a proposal so damaging to our future that it cannot be accepted. So the only possible response must be to return to the British electorate and ask them what they want. That, it seems to me, is a good pragmatic Conservative position. People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Show all 30 1 /30 People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Rex People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty Images People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal A young protestor shouts as she takes part in the People's Vote demonstration against Brexit Getty Images People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Reuters People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal A protester's pro-EU t-shirt EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty Images People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Gina Miller and Caroline Lucas EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Tens of thousands of people march through London EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Demonstrators at the People's Vote March Getty People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal 'Two months too young to decide on my future' REUTERS People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal A young girl joins in the march PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal An EU flag is draped across the statue of Winston Chruchill in Parliament Square REUTERS People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty Images People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Vince Cable MP, Pro-EU campaigner Gina Miller, Tony Robinson and Caroline Lucas MP join with crowds PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Crowds gather on Pall Mall PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal A man resembling Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, joins EU supporters Reuters People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Reuters People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal People gather in Trafalgar Square REUTERS People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Pro-EU campaigner Gina Miller and Tony Robinson PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EU supporters, calling on the government to give Britons a vote on the final Brexit deal, participate in the 'People's Vote' march REUTERS Mr Grieve warned that the crisis over Brexit was paralysing government and damaging the Tories reputation. It reduces our reputation for quiet effectiveness in delivering positive change for our country, he said. His comments came as Boris Johnson launched a fresh broadside against the prime minister, where he described her Brexit policy as deranged. The former foreign secretary is ramping up the pressure on Ms May as the Tory faithful gather in Birmingham, where the EU exit strategy is likely to dominate. Conservative Brexit divisions have been laid bare once more as an ally of Boris Johnson publicly called for a Eurosceptic campaigner to challenge a pro-EU MP. Conor Burns, who was a ministerial aide to the ex-foreign secretary, claimed BeLeave founder Darren Grimes had been "victimised and persecuted by the provisional wing of Remain" after he was fined for breaching strict campaign spending rules during the referendum. He suggested Mr Grimes try for Dr Sarah Wollaston's parliamentary seat, saying: "Have a look down in Totnes, you'd be brilliant." Dr Wollaston, a respected backbencher who chairs the Commons Health Committee, has been vocal in her support for a second referendum on the Brexit deal. The challenge came during a boisterous BrexitCentral rally at the party's annual conference, where Tory MPs lined up to condemn the prime minister's Chequers proposals. Mr Burns told party activists: "If Chequers had a slogan, it would be: 'Not in Europe, but run by Europe'." But he claimed he was in a "compromising mood" and offered a hand of friendship to the prime minister, saying: "Adopt Canada-plus-plus, seal the deal. If you want to call is Chequers 2 then that's cool with me. "Prime minister, we don't want to change you. We want you to change the policy of Chequers. Please, please, do it now." Prominent Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg was given a standing ovation by activists after a speech where he said Chequers was opposed by not just the Tories but Labour and the EU. "It is not only a dying duck in a thunderstorm, it is deadest of dying ducks," he said. The Tories should "not fear" a Brexit on World Trade Organisation terms, he said, adding that it could be a "proper, red-blooded, Conservative approach to governing that frees the people from being tied down". "We have been Gulliver," he said. "Let us cut the ropes that the Lilliputians have tied onto us and show our giant form once again." 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 Scots Tory MP Ross Thomson said Chequers was an "unmitigated disaster" and the Conservatives would face "severe" consequences at the ballot box for not properly delivering Brexit. He added: "It has humiliated us at home and in the EU, it is breaking this party in two and it sets us on a course to become a voiceless EU rule-taker." The row comes as the Conservative Party's annual conference got underway in Birmingham, where Ms May sought to put herself on the front foot by announcing a new levy on foreigners buying homes in the UK and plans for a national festival in 2022. However Mr Johnson cast a shadow over the first day of conference by describing the prime minister's Brexit plans as "deranged". Jeremy Hunt has likened the EU to the Soviet Union, accusing it of becoming a prison and vowing to fight for the Brexit deal Britain wants. In extraordinary rhetoric, the foreign secretary attacked EU leaders for turning their backs on the confidence and ideals of the European dream. Instead, he told the Conservative conference, Brussels appeared to think the way to keep the club together is to punish a member who leaves. What happened to the confidence and ideals of the European dream? he asked. The EU was set up to protect freedom. It was the Soviet Union that stopped people leaving. The lesson from history is clear: if you turn the EU club into a prison, the desire to get out wont diminish, it will grow and we wont be the only prisoner that will want to escape. Mr Hunt then invoked Margaret Thatchers famous battle cry against EU centralisation, saying: We understand the EU wants to protect itself. But if the only way to deal with the UK leaving is to try to force its break-up, as someone much more distinguished than me once said, the answer is No No No. And he added: Let me say one more thing about these talks. Never mistake British politeness for British weakness because, if you put a country like Britain in a corner, we dont crumble we fight. The speech came as speakers appeared to compete to make the most anti-EU address on the opening day of the conference in Birmingham. 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 Digby Jones, the former CBI leader, warned Emmanuel Macron he would pay a heavy price for saying he wants to punish us, over the Brexit negotiations. And Andy Street, the West Midlands mayor, joked that local workers made the weapons system for the F35 fighter and the EU should remember that next time they pick our fight with our prime minister. In his speech, Mr Hunt urged the EU not to reject the hand of friendship offered by our prime minister. And he said: Punishing Britain for Brexit is dealing with the symptoms of the problem and not the cause, which is the failure of political elites across Europe including people like me in Britain to deal with peoples concerns about migration. Mr Hunt was quickly condemned as a fifth-rate Boris impersonator by Tim Farron, the former Liberal Democrat leader and supporter of the anti-Brexit Best for Britain group. Comparing the EU to the USSR is just downright offensive. He seems to have taken Boriss job and his outlandish jibes, Mr Farron said. And the speech which appeared to be part of Mr Hunts manoeuvrings to be a future Tory leadership contender also went too far for Conservative MP Steve Baker, an arch-Brexiteer. People who were for Remain trying to appeal to Brexiteers time and again go too far, he said. Time and again, saying things that are just too strident and make my toes curl. Mr Hunt campaigned for Remain in the 2016 referendum and, following David Camerons resignation, suggested there should be a second public vote on the eventual Brexit deal. However, he has since reinvented himself as a firm Leave supporter, insisting the UK would thrive even if it crashes out of the EU without a deal. Close Conservative Party Conference: Five things to watch Boris Johnson has been denounced from the stage of the Conservative Party conference as "irrelevant" and an "offensive person" by Lord Digby Jones for his contentious remarks about businesses. It comes after the party was hit by a humiliating security gaffe in the official conference app, which allowed members of the public to access the contact details and mobile phone numbers of senior members of the government and prominent journalists. On Sunday - the first day of the party's annual conference in Birmingham - a sizeable protest also took place in Birmingham as demonstrators demanded a second public vote on the final Brexit deal. This liveblog has now closed - follow again tomorrow for day two of the Conservative Party conference Foreign buyers of UK homes will be hit with higher stamp duty, as Theresa May seeks to counter criticism that her mission to tackle the housing crisis is a flop. The one per cent hike possibly rising to three per cent will raise tens of millions of pounds to cut the number of rough sleepers, the prime minister will announce. The government believes there is evidence that allowing foreign buyers to snap up homes while paying the same duty as British residents is inflating house prices. Recommended Theresa May promises to personally solve UK housing crisis Now the surcharge will be levied on top of existing higher levels of stamp duty, introduced in 2016, on second home and buy-to-let purchases. The move comes amid criticism that Ms May has failed to follow through on her pledge, nearly one year ago, to take personal charge of solving a housing crisis she has acknowledged. Stamp duty was scrapped for first-time buyers, but there has been no government-led housebuilding programme to reach the target of 300,000 new homes a year. Earlier this year, a former housing minister and the Tory head of the Local Government Association (LGA) both warned the nonsense will go on and nothing will change unless the proposals were dramatically beefed up. Gary Porter, the LGA chairman, said the only solution was for the Treasury to lift harsh restrictions on borrowing, to allow local authorities to build the homes themselves. The governments efforts to curb rough sleeping after a sharp rise in recent years have also come under fire, after it emerged that none of a promised 100m was new money. UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Show all 8 1 /8 UK Housing Crisis: in pictures UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Members of generation rent, as the younger generation is often known, are finding it far more difficult to get on the housing market than previous generations PA UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Then chancellor George Osborne visits a Help to Buy housing development in Lewisham in 2014. Osborne had announced the Help to Buy scheme in the 2013 budget as a means of helping first-time buyers on to the housing market PA Archive/PA Images UK Housing Crisis: in pictures In February 2017, then communities and local government secretary Sajid Javid issued a government white paper on housing. Introducing it in the Commons, he stated our housing market is broken and that the idea of owning or renting a safe, secure place of your own is, for many, a distant dream PA UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Residents of Fitzroy Road in Primrose Hill have demonstrated how urban areas might be built up without using extra land. 12 homeowners along the street all agreed to extend their house upwards by 1 floor. The government recently held a consultation on the revised National Planning Policy Framework, which, if approved, will support building above homes, shops and offices Google Earth UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Social Bite, a charity in Scotland, is creating a small housing community for the homeless. Up to 20 people will be housed for 12-18 months, with the charitys focus being on transitioning the residents into permanent housing and employment AFP/Getty UK Housing Crisis: in pictures A homeless man was found dead yards from Parliament in February. His death was taken by many, including Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, to be symbolic of the governments poor record on housing. PA UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Emergency homeless shelters in London had to be opened numerous times throughout the past winter to house those unable to find a room in an ordinary shelter or hostel Getty UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Carillion, the UKs second largest construction company, entered liquidation early this year. It held numerous government construction and maintenance contracts, for many of which the future is still uncertain AFP/Getty Ahead of the start of the Conservative conference in Birmingham, Ms May repeated her commitment to fixing our broken housing market. Britain will always be open to people who want to live, work and build a life here, she said. However, it cannot be right that it is as easy for individuals who dont live in the UK and dont pay taxes here, as well as foreign based companies, to buy homes as hard working British residents. For too many people the dream of home ownership has become all too distant and the indignity of rough sleeping remains all too real. No 10 pointed to a York University study which found that 13 per cent of new London homes were bought by non-residents between 2014 and 2016. Meanwhile, research by Kings College London estimated a one percentage point increase in the volume of homes being sold to overseas companies put up house prices by 2.1 per cent. A 1 per cent stamp duty surcharge, on any individual or company not paying tax in the UK, is expected to raise 40m a year rising to 120m, if a 3 per cent levy is introduced later. The existing surcharges, on second homes and buy-to-lets, are three per cent (homes below 125,000), 5 per cent (125,000 to 250,000), 8 per cent (up to 925,000), 13 per cent (up to 1.5m) and 15 per cent (above 1.5m). The worlds first test tube lions are thriving a month after they were born, raising hopes the process could be used to save endangered big cats from extinction. The two cubs, named Viktor and Isabel, arrived following the artificial insemination of their mother by scientists at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. Experts say the pioneering IVF in which a males sperm was placed into the female egg could now be used to breed species of tiger, lynx and snow leopard, whose numbers are all falling. The way in which the cubs were bred may help save endangered big cats (AFP) Andre Ganswindt, professor at the universitys Mammal Research Institute, said: There are tremendous threats to wildlife due to the loss of habitat and anthropogenic pressures which also affect big cats. That is why a number of species are listed as vulnerable or endangered but this research could combat the threat of extinction facing several types of big cat around the world. Previous attempts at encouraging breeding among lions required physically putting a male and female together and hoping they mated. Recommended Lion kept in glass case in cafe as customers sit just feet away But this process which was carried out at the Ukutulu Game Reserve and Conservation Centre worked by collecting sperm from a lion, then inseminating it into the lioness when her hormones were at their optimum levels. She gave birth on 25 August. The research was led by Isabel Callealta, a Spanish veterinarian and PhD student. She said: This was a world first for lions and the idea is to improve our knowledge and understanding of the big cats and move the research quickly forward. The research will hopefully mean we can start working towards carrying out similar procedures on some of the much rarer big cats. Lions are extinct in 26 African countries and numbers in the wild have plummeted to just 20,000, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which lists the animal as vulnerable. The lions were artificially inseminated using IVF treatment (AFP) By the same token, there are thought to be fewer than 4,000 tigers left in the wild in Asia and no more than 7,000 snow leopards surviving. Willi Jacobs, owner of the reserve, said: "They are both absolutely perfect cubs in every way and we decided to honour the researcher Isabel by naming the female cub after her and the male cub after her fiance Viktor. When they are big enough they will be introduced to the other lions but meanwhile they are happy and healthy and playful and leading us a merry dance." A 13-year-old boy was seriously injured after being attacked by an 11-foot shark while diving for lobsters in southern California. Bystanders rushed to save the boy after he was heard shouting I got bit! while swimming at Beacon's Beach, north of San Diego, on Saturday morning - the first day of the areas lobster season. He was airlifted to hospital and more than nine hours later, he was reported to be in a critical but stable condition, according to a spokesperson from Rady Childrens Hospital. Recommended How to survive a shark attack The victim, who has not been named, suffered traumatic upper torso injuries, Encinitas Lifeguard Captain Larry Giles said, but is expected to survive the attack. One of the witnesses who helped save the boy, Chad Hammel, said: We heard this kid scream. I started paddling towards him and there was a big old wake of blood behind him, [The shark] ripped open everything in the back and then the top teeth came down and got his cheek. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Mr Hammel and two other rescuers helped take the boy aboard a kayak and carry him to shore. His whole clavicle was ripped open, you could see the ball and socket joint and everything, he added. Witnesses said the shark was about 3.3 metres (11 feet) long. However, Mr Giles said the species had not been identified yet. [The boy] was conscious, he was above water and he was talking all the way to when he was transported, Mr Giles added. He also praised Mr Hammel and his other two rescuers for providing a tremendous amount of aid to that young man. The full identities of the rescuers have not been revealed, but they were described as an off-duty police officer, an off-duty state lifeguard and a friend who was diving for lobsters with them. The boy was attacked approximately 137 metres offshore and authorities have decided to close about four miles of beach for 48 hours for safety reasons. A local surfing competition has also been cancelled. Donald Trump has insisted the FBI has free rein to investigate Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh after reports that the White House had restricted the scope of the investigation. Taking to Twitter, the US president moved to deny an NBC News report which suggested that the bureau was not allowed to investigate claims made by Julie Swetnick, who along with Dr Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez, has accused Judge Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. Ms Swetnick claimed that she witnessed Judge Kavanaugh and his former classroom, Mark Judge, attempt to get teenage girls inebriated and disoriented so they could then be gang raped in a side room or bedroom by a train of numerous boys. The 55-year-old has said that she was the victim of one of those gang rapes, but did not single Judde Kavanaugh or Mr Judge out as one of her assailants. Judge Kavanaugh has denied all of the allegations. Mr Trump denied the investigation had been hampered and asking the network to correct its report, claimed he wanted the FBI to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion. He also told reporters that the FBI, as you know, is all over talking to everybody, He said: They have free rein. They're going to do whatever they have to do, whatever it is they do. They'll be doing things that we have never even thought of. And hopefully at the conclusion everything will be fine." The Presidents denial was echoed by senior White House officials today who rebuffed suggestions the administration wanted to limit the probe. The White House is not micromanaging this process, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told Fox News, before insisting the Senate was in control of the scale of the investigation. "The Senate is dictating the terms," she said. "The FBI, this is what they do. And we're out of the way and letting them do exactly that." White House adviser Kellyanne Conway also insisted that the investigation was not meant to be a fishing expedition and would be limited in scope. She too argued any restrictions were set by the Senate, not the Trump administration. In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Show all 21 1 /21 In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing EPA In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AP In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AP In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing REUTERS In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing REUTERS In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing REUTERS In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing EPA In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing EPA In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images The FBI is already investigating an accusation by Dr Ford, who said Judge Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a party when they were both teenagers. Deborah Ramirez, the second woman to accuse him, had been contacted by the FBI, according to her lawyer John Clune. Ms Swetnick's attorney Michael Avenatti claimed on Twitter that his client had not been contacted by investigators. He added that his client was prepared to testify under oath before the US Senate Judiciary Committee but media reports subsequently suggested that the FBI was not planning to question her. Mr Trumps decision to launch an investigation into the allegations against Judge Kavanaugh came after mounting pressure from Ms Fords Senate testimony last week and concern from Democrats and Republicans. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-10 (11 Republican for, 10 Democrats against) nonetheless voted to advance Judge Kavanaughs nomination to a full Senate vote. The vote passed after Senator Jeff Flake urged Republicans to delay the final vote and allow time for a one-week FBI investigation. On 1 October last year, Catalonias independence referendum deemed illegal by Madrid created Spains worst political crisis in decades. A year on, with images of baton-wielding policemen charging at polling stations fading in memories, a long-lasting political solution has yet to take shape. (Weeks later, on 27 October, the Catalan parliament declared independence but was dissolved when Madrid invoked the article 155 of Spains constitution for the first time and imposed direct rule.) The arrival of new heads of government has allowed something of a thaw in political relations with Socialist Pedro Sanchez taking over from the centre-right Mariano Rajoy in Madrid, while Catalonias ruling Nationalists have a new leader in hardline Republican Quim Torra, But the underlying pessimism remains. According to a late-September poll by Metroscopia, 69 per cent of Spaniards consider the political situation in Catalonia to be worse than last year; only 15 per cent believe it has improved. The Socialists willingness to hold meetings with the Nationalists and deal with some long-running budget questions and investments has definitely provided some oxygen in an atmosphere which, under the previous Partido Popular government, was simply asphyxiating, says Germa Capdevila, a longstanding political analyst for LEsguard magazine and online Catalan daily NacioDigital. But the change of climate hasnt produced a real change of positions. The Catalan government continues to demand a referendum or an advance towards a republic and the state government continues to say such questions cannot even be discussed, let alone negotiated. Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures Show all 14 1 /14 Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures Reapers' War In 1640, amidst the Thirty Years War, Philip IV of Spain sent his Castilian soldiers into the Catalan region to defend the border with France. The soldiers were not on their best behaviour and drew the ire of the Catalan peasants and politicians alike, at a time when the region was already agitated by economic decline. On June 7, reapers arriving to Barcelona for seasonal harvest work were dismayed to find little of the sort and blamed the stationed soldiers. After a reaper was killed, the revolt began in full force with a fierce uprising known as Corpus de Sang (depicted here in a 1910 painting by Ermenegild Miralles) Ermenegild Miralles i Angles Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures Reapers' War More Castilian forces arrived, strengthening the Catalan resolve and leading Pau Claris, President of the Generalitat (Catalonia's political assembly) to declare Catalonia an independent republic on January 17 1641. A week later the republic swore its allegiance to Louis XIII of France and the war came to a head at the Battle of Montjuic (depicted above by Pandolfo Reschi) where the Franco-Catalan forces were victorious. Following negotiations, Catalonia became an independent republic under the protection of France Pandolfo Reschi Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures War of the Spanish Succession As Charles II of Spain died in 1700 without an heir, a variety of nations and other powers across Europe had their own ideas of who ought to succeed him. Catalonia sided with the Austrians, English and the Dutch in endorsing Archduke Charles of Austria, a Habsburg. Unsuccessful in their aims, they were violently brought back under the Spanish crown by the victorious Phillip V. (Depicted above is the Battle of Almansa, a decisive battle in the War of the Spanish Succession) Ricardo Balaca Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures Tragic Week The conflict of the Tragic Week of July 1909 resulted from Spanish Prime Minister Antonio Maura's desire for power gains in Morocco. He relied on, mostly poor, Catalonian conscripts for the cause, who questioned the motives of the conflict and doubted their chances of survival Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures Tragic Week A general strike commenced on Monday 26 July. By midday the crowds had set fire to the San Jose Workers Foundation, the first of around 80, mostly religious, buildings that they would burn that week. Soldiers and police barricaded streets and fought openly with the strikers Alamy Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures Tragic Week By the end of the week, the police and army had taken control. Over 1000 strikers were arrested and 5 leading figures executed. This caused disgust across Spain and wider Europe and the episode contributed to the downfall of Maura's government Getty Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures The Spanish Civil War In the Spanish Coup of July 1936, Republican forces opposed the Nationalist presence in Catalonia. The National Confederation of Labour (CNT), an anarchist organisation, began to take hold of power in Catalonia AFP/Getty Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures The Spanish Civil War As the CNT took control of the Generalitat, companies and organisations were ordered to collective control Getty Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures The Spanish Civil War Nationalist forces eventually regained control of the territory. Pictured are their tanks entering Barcelona in 1939 Getty Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures The Spanish Civil War Barcelona nationalists rejoice at the arrival of General Franco's forces. Catalonia, along with the rest of Spain, was to remain under dictatorship until 1975 Getty Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures Independence Referendum 2017 In 2017 the Generalitat passed a motion that a referendum would be held on Catalan independence. The Constitutional Court of Spain ruled that the referendum was a breach of the Spanish constitution, therefore illegal Reuters Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures Independence Referendum 2017 Catalan government buildings were raided in the lead up and polling stations were blockaded by police on the day but the vote went ahead illegally. Turnout was 43% and of those 92% voted for independence Reuters Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures Independence Referendum 2017 Catalan President Carles Puigdemont declared victory and is pictured here signing a declaration of independence on October 27. Warrants were issued for the arrest of Puigdemont and five other Catalan politicians and the Spanish government did not recognise the result and imposed direct rule over Catalonia, as opposed to its then status as an autonomous community of Spain Reuters Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures 2018 A year on from the vote Spain has ended direct rule in the region and dropped the arrest warrants. But on the anniversary of the vote, more than 180,000 protesters took to the streets of Barcelona with the cry "1 October, no forgiving, no forgetting" AFP/Getty The problem has turned chronic because there is no real will for dialogue on either side, believes Juan Jose Lopez Burniol, lawyer and political columnist for La Vanguardia, Catalonias biggest newspaper. Catalonia certainly does not have the strength for unilateral independence but it has a massive ability to destabilise the whole of Spain. Polls in Catalonia confirm the ongoing stalemate, with no clear majority either in favour or against remaining in Spain. Yet while nationalist parties squabble to the point where the regional parliament was suspended for 70 days this summer because of their infighting, the Republican movement has shown no sign of losing its power to mobilise its grassroots supporters. Recommended Hundreds of thousands to join Catalonia independence rally Around a million pro-independence supporters gathered on 11 September for Catalonias most important national day, the Diada, roughly the same as last year. On Sunday evening across Catalonia, demonstrations were being held to commemorate the referendum. The referendum marked a watershed in political life, says Xavier Diez, a teacher and writer on Catalan modern history, because a large number of people, even those who were not independentist, saw what happened. If you are attacked for going to vote, that affects you. A likely start date in January for the trials of those jailed for their role in the 1 October referendum will continue to maintain the pro-separatist parties momentum through the winter. If the prisoners faced a normal series of charges for civil disobedience, rather than distorting it with charges of rebellion with violence, that would help defuse things, believes Mr Capdevila, firstly because they would probably be released, and secondly because calling it rebellion with violence makes an agreement much more difficult. Recommended Catalonia elects hardline separatist as new regional president Currently, though, the question of how the agenda will be moved forward on either side is much harder to see. Direct rule from Madrid, hugely unpopular in Catalonia, was ended last winter, but Mr Sanchez has warned it will return if there are any attempts to move towards unilateral independence. The current Spanish government would have a very hard time making an offer that could even be debated with the Nationalists, let alone accepted by them. And with the opposition of [Spanish rival parties] Ciudadanos and the Partido Popular, its virtually impossible, says Mr Lopez Burniol. If I was a Spanish politician and I wanted to improve the situation in Catalonia, my career would probably be over, adds Mr Diez. As for the Nationalists, their big error last year was believing that in the Europe of the 21st century, Spain would not be prepared to accept the damage to its international image in return for its continuing unity, says Mr Capdevila. The consequences of such a longstanding, ongoing confrontation are deep divisions, but even the nature of those divisions are the subject of much debate. The more urban part of Catalonia is more diverse and the rural part more singularly Catalan, says Mr Lopez, who argues that the split has been partly fostered by the separatist movement, but that the actions of the central government, particularly the era when Mariano Rajoy led it, have caused the problem to stagnate. And that includes the social fracture. The fracture is only true on a political level, not in terms of day-to-day living, counters Mr Capdevila, who says the mainly peaceful nature of the separatist question post-1 October should be a source of pride for independentists and nationalists alike. If you dont like different political opinions, go with North Korea. Here there are two visions of how things ought to be, and thats the same as you can find in the United States where there are two big political parties, or in Britain, with those in favour of or against Brexit. Mr Diez cites his own family, where his sister is not pro-independence, while he is, in any family get-together some subjects dont get discussed. He adds: In todays Catalonia, when you dont know somebody, youre very careful about your words and gestures, because you dont want to create divisions. Yet at state level, dialogue between Madrid and Barcelona over Catalonias future remains off the table completely, a situation for which Mr Lopez Burniol believes both parts to be partly responsible. Mr Lopez Burniol said: The separatists thought they could break with the constitution and proclaimed unilateral independence, something which is absolutely unacceptable in a democratic state, but there was also a huge error on the part of the [previous] government. He added: They did not realise that this question only has a political solution, and that its ending up in the courts would be a serious mistake, only making the situation worse. And when a problem like this is approached in this way, we were always going to end up where we are now. I saw Theresa May interviewed on The Andrew Marr Show. She refused to answer questions about how many people have been wrongly affected by HER hostile environment policy such as how many died, lost jobs, homes and so forth, and refused to apologise except for the bureaucratic errors. Like IDS & McVey and all those suicides, she neither knows nor cares. Neither do Javid or Raab. All of them have betrayed humanity in the worst ways. R Kimble Leeds Yes minister! As we now appear to have a minister for stockpiling food, I thought I would suggest the next appointments for Ms May. Firstly, a minister for gridlocked roads (has to be Chris Grayling); a minister for the sheer amount of wasted public money for over two years and still going (Liam Fox), and last but not least, a minister for a glorious future tomorrow (Boris Johnson). Next year, we shall possibly see a minister for turning around our position as second biggest laughing stock in the developed world Sir Keir Starmer? Robert Boston Kent The government doesnt create crime, people do I know that its popular and usual to blame the government for everything bad. But unless its the government itself committing violent crimes, isnt it criminals who are responsible for crime rates? Mark Thomas Histon Easy dressing for the elderly? I was pleased to read about Marks & Spencer launching a new range of easy-to-wear clothing for children with disabilities but what I would love to see is the same sort of range for the elderly, or any adult that has difficulty dressing. My elderly father has difficulties with buttons and I would love to find decent looking trousers that have an easy stretch waist that he can pull up. Jogging bottoms look appalling on a man who has always dressed smartly. I have also struggled to find a long sleeved polo shirt that could take the place of his casual brushed cotton shirts and their multitude of buttons. Please M&S take note! Sally Nicholas Address Supplied An allergy labelling solution A simple interim solution to the non-labelling of potentially lethal ingredients would be a to put a red sticker or spot on the packaging of any product containing known allergens, with a corresponding code letter to identify which allergens are present in a particular product. E.g. S for sesame, P for peanuts, D for dairy etc. Very simple and could be extended to menus too. It could be implemented within days, would incur almost no cost to the retailer and, far more importantly, would give an immediate and obvious warning to the buyer to be cautious and check that product. It may not be the best long-term solution but is a lot better than simply doing nothing in the short to medium term. Judith Barrow Bournemouth Irans Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says seven European central banks have agreed to create a special payment system between EU and his country to guarantee business and trade between the two sides sides in the face of U.S. sanctions. As Radio Farda writes in an article "Zarif Says Seven European Central Banks Will Assist Trade With Iran", in an interview with Irans state TV and radio news agency on Friday, September 28, Zarif promised that the new channel will be created soon and it will ultimately lead to the establishment of a new institution. He did not name the seven countries involved. The establishment of the new institution however will take longer, he said and added that the new payment system will not use the U.S. dollar and will be based on the euro. The special arrangement mentioned by Zarif seems to be what earlier in the week was announced by the EU, as a special payment system to facilitate trade. Following the withdrawal of the United States from the landmark 2015 nuclear accord and the reimposition of nuclear-related sanctions, Iran and the EU scramble to find ways to save the agreement. Despite their efforts, many European companies, including the oil giant Total, and car manufacturers such as German Daimler have stopped business with Iran. As the European Unions foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini announced, this special financial channel was not limited to Europe, but all other countries and companies that had financial transactions with Iran, could use it to maintain their business Zarif said in his interview on Friday. Representatives of Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and Iran issued a statement on Monday announcing the creation of a "Special Purpose Vehicle" (SVP) that will be established in the European Union in order to facilitate payments related to Iranian exports, including oil. After the deal was announced, Federica Mogherini told reporters that the SPV gives EU member states "a legal entity to facilitate legitimate financial transactions with Iran and allow European companies to continue to trade with Iran in accordance to EU law and could be open to other partners in the world." Mogherini said the financial agreement is aimed at preserving the nuclear deal with Iran to scale back its nuclear program in exchange for relief from strict economic sanctions. The proposed SPV would essentially act as an accounting firm, tracking credits against imports and exports without the involvement of European commercial or central banks, writes Samantha Sultoon, a former Treasury official with the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank. For example, Iran could ship crude oil to a French firm, accumulating credit that could then be used to pay an Italian manufacturer for goods shipped the other way without any funds traversing through Iranian hands. By using credits instead of cash, the SPV would not require any funds to transfer outside of the European Union, Ms. Sultoon says. However, many experts doubt that the plan would work, not only because international companies would not join the effort, but also the US government has always the possibility to expand the scope of the sanctions and undermine the new initiative. They may be able to find some small or medium-size companies that have negligible supply chain or customer exposure to the U.S. and would suffer less from being sanctioned, but the universe of companies willing to [do that] is very small, David Murray, a vice president at the consultancy Financial Integrity Network, who previously worked at the U.S. Treasury Department on sanctions and other issues told Wall Street Journal. We are now into the third year of the eve of Tory party conference tradition of Theresa May doing a non-interview with Andrew Marr, non-answering some questions and offering a range of non-apologies for the latest disaster everyone thinks is her fault. Lets be clear about this, however, actually isnt, so before we get on to that lets start with the background. Jeremy Corbyn really could not have made it any clearer last week that over the coming days, unless the Conservative Party starts doing an even vaguely convincing impression of an even vaguely competent party of government, he stands absolutely ready to be the least Conservative prime minister this country has ever had. In the face of such a clear and present threat, it appears not only that the two big ideas on offer so far in Birmingham are a Brexit Festival and a bridge to Ireland, but that the party is willing to fight a civil war over them. And were not done yet if you dont like either of them, after a massive data breach on the official app, you can text, call or just turn up at the front door of any member of the cabinet and tell them exactly what you think. Think of Tory Conference 2018 as a bucking bronco ride. Tory Conference 2018 has already stacked it with spectacular effect while not even especially close to the front of the queue. If Theresa May knows her priority in coming days is to see off the first phase of Boris Johnsons assault on her job, at least on that front things are going well. The only notable bit of his weekends onslaught of media interviews was ITVs Robert Peston being reduced to breathless laughter either at how stupid or how nakedly disingenuous Johnson was being. And, in his big interview with The Sunday Times, his big idea is a 15bn bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland, to go with the bridge to France he promised in January. By 10.30am on Sunday morning, his erstwhile ally David Davis had told Sky News his policies are not serious and the home secretary Sajid Javid had tweeted jokes about a bridge from Belfast to Birmingham. In other good news for the PM, that so much of her interview with Andrew Marr was spent trying and failing to extract a meaningful apology for the Windrush scandal, they never got on to discussing her big idea, the Brexit Festival, which will apparently showcase to the world the most divisive event to occur in Britain since the Civil War, and which the vast majority of young people hate. Ms May, if you want to know what a festival that only elderly Brexiteers will turn up for looks like, well youve come to Birmingham slightly late Ukips conference was last week. None of which is to say that events with Andrew Marr did not get off to an acceptable start. Asked, Is Chequers dead? she simply replied, No. It was the straightest answer she gave all morning, albeit probably the least true. We heard again the familiar pitch that Chequers is the only meaningful option on the table her table, that is, because just as shes rejected all the EUs proposals, they have rejected Chequers. Yet may maintains that it keeps the single market intact from the EUs point of view. The whole, economic, political and just utterly fundamental point of the single market is that it requires the free movement of goods, services, capital and labour. And here was Theresa May, yet again, carving out one aspect of it (goods), telling the EU everythings fine and wondering what on earth the problem is. Just as last week with Mr Marr, Jeremy Corbyn was taken on a painful walk through twists and turns of Labours antisemitism crisis and asked if he wanted to apologise, so Theresa May was played a clip of Sarah OConner, a Windrush-scandal victim denied basic services despite having lived in the UK since for 51 years. She died two weeks ago, aged 57. The prime minister was again glad to apologise for the wrong people having got caught up in her hostile environment policy, but not for the policy itself. Still, as the credits rolled for what felt like an eternity, Mr Marr and Ms May sat in the kind of silence that felt like it might shatter the screen, there was time to be grateful for small mercies. At least its another four years till the festival. Executives from Walkabout, which said surveys in Co Tyrone have yielded results Australian exploration firm Walkabout Resources has identified copper, cobalt and silver targets in the Co Tyrone countryside following an airborne survey it carried out last May. Walkabout is just one of a number of mineral explorers to have upped the ante across a large swathe of the Border counties in recent times, with gold causing the most excitement. The Australian company said the airborne survey had established drilling targets across its licensed area in Co Tyrone. The company said soil sampling around the Corvanaghan-Golden Hollow area had delineated several anomalies associated with previously reported high-grade gold and other minerals in samples from the area. "We are assembling a portfolio of highly prospective exploration licences for gold and base metals in a part of Europe that has seen significant under-prospecting for decades," said Walkabout Resources chairman Trevor Benson. "While European exploration environments are somewhat different to those in Africa and require extensive community engagement, Walkabout believes that potential value upside for all stakeholders is achievable and will strive to introduce our unique brand of inclusive, community-integrated mineral exploration." Meanwhile, Canadian company Group Eleven Resources welcomed the recent commencement of the Geological Survey of Ireland's airborne geophysical Tellus survey covering 2,500 sq kms of its exploration ground in the Limerick and Silvermines Basins. Eleven Resources said the survey would help materially advance high-quality near-term drill targets "in this very prospective region". It added that the survey could answer some of "the biggest questions still lurking in this very under-explored portion of the Irish zinc-lead district". Boris Johnson has lobbed a political hand grenade at Theresa May as the Tory conference begins, branding her Brexit plan "deranged" and "preposterous". The former foreign secretary's incendiary comments came as the Prime Minister set out plans aimed at bolstering her position, announcing measures to crack down on foreigners buying homes and proposals for a nationwide festival in 2022 - the year of the next scheduled general election. In remarks that will fuel speculation about Mr Johnson's leadership ambitions, he highlighted a key distinction between himself and Mrs May: "Unlike the Prime Minister, I campaigned for Brexit." In an interview with the Sunday Times, Mr Johnson said the UK should build a bridge to Ireland and put the HS2 rail line on hold to focus on a high-speed link in the north of England. He branded Mrs May's call for a facilitated customs arrangement - part of the Chequers plan to break the impasse in Brexit talks - "entirely preposterous". Suggesting he may be able to strike a better deal than Mrs May, he told the newspaper: "Unlike the Prime Minister, I fought for this, I believe in it, I think it's the right thing for our country and I think that what is happening now is, alas, not what people were promised in 2016." Setting out an alternative policy platform as the Conservative Party conference began in Birmingham, the former cabinet minister said: "I think we need to make the case for markets. "I don't think we should caper insincerely on socialist territory. You can't beat (Jeremy) Corbyn by becoming Corbyn." Mrs May used her own interview with the Sunday Times to set out her political agenda. Under her plans, people and businesses who do not pay tax in Britain will face a surcharge of between 1% and 3% when they buy a property, with the money funding measures to tackle rough sleeping, the newspaper said. Signalling that she intended to remain in Number 10 for years to come, she said: "There's a long-term job to do." She added: "It's not just about Brexit, it's about the domestic agenda as well. "I think we're at a very important and historic moment for the UK. There are real opportunities for the UK outside the European Union." Setting out her plans for a festival in post-Brexit Britain, she said: "We want to showcase what makes our country great today. "We want to capture that spirit for a new generation, celebrate our nation's diversity and talent, and mark this moment of national renewal with a once-in-a-generation celebration." Mrs May also told the Sun on Sunday that she was "not bluffing" when she said "no deal is better than a bad deal" when it comes to leaving the EU. "I believe that we can get a deal," she added. "I believe we can get a good deal and that's what we are working for. But nobody should be in any doubt." The Tory gathering in Birmingham has been marked by a deepening rift over Brexit policy. The party was also hit by an embarrassing security gaffe as a flaw in the official conference app allowed access to the contact details of Cabinet ministers and senior MPs. Tory chairman Brandon Lewis apologised for the breach of security and the UK's data watchdog said it would make enquiries about the case. Activists and journalists heading to the conference discovered the major security problem in the official app which many use to keep track of events. Mr Lewis said the "technical issue" had been resolved but "we are investigating the issue further and apologise for any concern caused". The Information Commissioner's Office said it would be "making enquiries with the Conservative Party" and "organisations have a legal duty to keep personal data safe and secure". The profiles of former foreign secretary Mr Johnson and Environment Secretary Michael Gove were among those reportedly accessed. Former Brexit secretary David Davis has claimed that the Euro and the Pound can both be spent on either side of the border while claiming that the border issue is 'exaggerated'. The Conservative Party MP who claimed to be reasonably familiar with the Irish border over the course of twenty years or so was on Ridge on Sunday to debunk what he says is the 'exaggeration' of the border issue in Northern Ireland. Mr Davis said that there is already a border in Northern Ireland and that the UK already deals with it. Theres already a border there, he said. There is a customs border there is a judicial border theres a currency border. Those borders all operate invisibly. It doesnt matter whether you carry a euro or pound, you can buy your drinks in Belfast in euros and you can buy in Dublin with pounds. The simple truth is; Its tax, which we deal with already, he added. David Davis says he thinks the Irish border is an exaggerated and oversimplified issue when it comes to Brexit negotiations #Pledge pic.twitter.com/QOO0kskbOc Trevor Phillips on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) September 30, 2018 Its regulations which is the hardest one and its what they call rules of origin that is goods coming from the rest of the world going into Europe by a back door through Belfast. We can control that. There are only five ports in Northern Ireland, five big ports. We can control that bit of it. While Mr Davis claimed that the Irish government was simplifying the border issue, he also said that the matter has been exaggerated and that the UK government would not take extra time to deal with an Irish border or the problems that could arise from it. We dont need one (an extended period of time), we literally dont need one, he said. I dont accept the phrase an inconvenient truth, I think its an inconvenient exaggeration. He resigned as Brexit Secretary in July in protest at Theresa May's Chequers plan. Related video: Europe has its general data protection regulation, but American legislators have been dragging their heels when it comes to updating online consumer data privacy. This matters because so many of the companies that use and abuse consumer data are American. Facebook, Google, Amazon and more have built wildly successful business models that collect and monetise online habits and information. To date they've existed in a regulatory wild west, and they haven't covered themselves in glory when it comes to self-regulation. But things are changing. California has passed a law that will give consumers the right to request their personal data from businesses that have collected it and find out what they're doing with it, including selling it onto others. Georgia is working on its own privacy legislation. This has kick-started a discussion on personal data across the States, which will ultimately effect consumers and marketers further afield. This discussion hit Washington last Wednesday, when the US Senate commerce committee heard from Silicon Valley's finest about their privacy practices. It was a chance for the tech companies and their lobbyists to prove they support legislation - but on their terms. Most of the tech titans insisted that personal data is something they take very seriously. Twitter said privacy was part of its DNA. Apple said that privacy was a core issue not an add-on. And Amazon said it followed privacy-by-design principles since its founding. "We design our products and services so that it is easy for customers to understand when their data is being collected and control when their data is shared," said Andrew DeVore, Amazon's vice-president and associate general counsel, "and we are not in the business of selling our customers' personal data." But some companies are less transparent about how they use personal data. Google showed up and admitted it made mistakes in the past, but said it had improved its privacy protections. The search giant is used to apologising to legislators. And paying fines too. It was hit with a $5bn fine for violating EU antitrust laws earlier this year. In 2011 it agreed to 20 years of privacy audits by the US Federal Trade Commission for violating user privacy with its new social network, Google Buzz. In 2012, it paid a $22.5m civil penalty for misrepresenting privacy practices to users of Apple's Safari browser. To prove it has learned its lesson, Google pro-actively issued a detailed policy paper called a Framework for Responsible Data Protection Regulation ahead of the hearing. One of the key principles in this document relates to global interoperability. "Countries should adopt an integrated framework of privacy regulations, avoiding overlapping or inconsistent rules whenever possible," Google said. "In particular, geographic restrictions on data storage undermine security, service reliability, and business efficiency. Privacy regulation should support cross-border data transfer mechanisms, industry standards, and other cross-organisation cooperation mechanisms that ensure protections follow the data, not national boundaries." The Interactive Advertising Bureau wasn't invited to the hearings, but it has skin in this game - it's the trade group that represents the online advertising industry. But the IAB did send a letter from afar. Dave Grimaldi, EVP, public policy, wrote: "The exponential growth and innovation in the digital advertising industry over the last decade has been revolutionary for consumers. Any approach to privacy must be flexible and nimble so that 'rules of the road' can evolve with innovation and consumer expectations." This is rubbish. Ask yourself, have you ever seen an online ad and thought it was "revolutionary". What's more, the IAB seems to have confused innovation with surveillance. And let's not kid ourselves, most consumers have little or no expectation around how their data is used. And those that do expect greater transparency and fewer creepy ads that follow them around the web. The IAB weren't the only ones irked not to be invited. It was notable that this was a hearing on consumer privacy where no one represented consumers. The committee did reveal that other hearings were on the way, though. And the next, in a month or so, will include testimony from consumer groups, privacy advocates and the head of GDPR enforcement for the EU. Testimony from Europe is interesting. Especially given the cries from Google and others for international privacy standards and interoperability. They should be careful what they wish for. US legislation probably won't end up being identical to GDPR, but it could be crafted in its image. Italy's establishment has been dealt a body blow by the populist duo of Luigi Di Maio and Matteo Salvini, who have won their first battle to fund costly campaign promises. After long and tense negotiations which threatened the job of Finance Minister Giovanni Tria, deputy premiers Di Maio and Salvini announced triumphantly the government had agreed to set next year's deficit target at 2.4pc of gross domestic product. That's over the 2pc threshold which emerged as a litmus test for financial markets worried pressure to deliver on election promises would jeopardise state finances and breach EU limits. The target is a blow to Tria and President Sergio Mattarella, who had sought to moderate the more extreme instincts of the government, formed by Di Maio's anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and Salvini's anti-migrant League. "This is a defeat for Tria," said Erik Jones, professor of international political economy at Johns Hopkins University in Bologna. "Debt is going to grow relative to GDP, and the government's going to be under pressure as it drafts the budget." The fiscal targets set a framework for a draft 2019 budget the government has to present to the European Commission by mid-October for approval. 5-Star and the League want to deliver on expensive campaign promises to shore up support ahead of European elections in May. That ballot will reveal just how powerful Euro-sceptic forces have become as right-wing parties across the region step up their attacks on ruling elites, press for greater national sovereignty and seek stricter limits on migration. "Mamma mia," exclaimed a European Union official stunned by the deficit figure. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the headline deficit should have been around 1.6pc to ensure a marginal improvement in the structural balance. The 2.4pc figure puts squarely Italy in breach of its obligations, the official said. Tria has been locked in a tussle, especially with Di Maio, who said this week a budget deficit above 2pc "isn't a taboo," and that the government needs to spend lavishly to boost growth. Di Maio and Salvini said measures included a basic income for the poor, tax cuts and rolling back a pension reform which had raised the retirement age. Di Maio hailed "a budget for the people, which for the first time in the history of this country cancels poverty thanks to the citizen's income" at a cost he put at 10bn. Salvini has taken a more discreet stand in public, but in ministerial meetings he has also pushed for a wider deficit, according to a government official close to the League. Tria, Mattarella, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi have formed a quiet alliance based on their shared commitment to the EU and its budget rules, according to senior officials. Di Maio has suffered more from the growing tensions in the coalition than Salvini, who has won backing for his party with his hard line on immigration. Support for the League has risen to 32pc, while 5-Star has declined to 28.7pc, according to a poll published this week. In March's general election, the League got 17.4pc of the vote and Five Star 32.7pc. "Attention will now turn to the details and assumptions of the budget to determine whether they are attainable or not," said Mohammed Kazmi, portfolio manager at Union Bancaire Privee. 5-Star adopted a defiant stand moments after the deficit target was agreed. "We don't fear the spread" - a reference to the gap between Italian and German 10-year bonds - "we don't fear the markets," said Stefano Patuanelli, head of 5-Star senators. "At last the government is answering the demands of citizens." Washington Post An arson attack on a farm in Co Fermanagh has left three animals dead, the PSNI has said. Detectives said the fire occurred a large shed on Killsmullen Road in Tedd at about 10.30pm on Wednesday. The shed housed a cow and two calves and it also contained expensive farm equipment, including tractors. The animals died in the fire and the equipment was completely destroyed. The fire service said the blaze was started deliberately. Police are appealing for anyone who was in the area around the time of the fire to contact them. The nanny of old image is gone, and au pairs are employees under law, with a range of rights Query: I am think of hiring an au pair. I know that the law has recently changed in this area and I was hoping that you could confirm what my obligation will be in this area. Answer: In the event that you do proceed a hire an Au pair you will take on the obligations of an employer. In 2016 a number of cases were taken which confirm the legal view that anyone employed in such a position is deemed to be an employee under the law, therefore entitled to the same rights and entitlement as any other employee. In one such case an au pair made a claim to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) regarding her rate of pay. The WRC adjudicator found that the employer had breached the National Minimum Wage Act, 2000 by failing to pay in line with the Act. The employee was awarded 1,900 in total; 1,700 of that award was in relation to failure to pay in line with the Minimum Wage Act; while 200 was awarded for breaching her terms of employment. More recently the matter reached the headlines again when an au pair was awarded 5,500 by the Labour Court. In this case she was working as a live-in au pair. She was in Ireland on a student visa and was only permitted to work 20 hours per week during term time and 40 hours per week during the holidays. It emerged during the case that the au pair had worked from 7am to 5pm every day - plus four additional hours babysitting - bringing her working week to 54 hours. She was paid 150 per week plus board and lodging - an effective hourly rate of 2.78, and well below the then national minimum wage of 9.15 per hour. Furthermore, she did not receive any written contract or statement of her terms and conditions of employment. When she decided to leave this employment, giving two days' notice, the employer informed her that she must give a payment of 540 in lieu of four weeks' notice. Given her length of service she would have been required to give one week as she had never been informed of a notice period. The Labour Court ruled that the au pair had entered into a valid contract which could not be rendered illegal by the number of hours which she had been required to work by the employer as had been argued by the employer's representative. In this case the employer stated he had not been aware when engaging the services of the au pair that he was entering into an employer-employee relationship, or that a person working in his home had the same rights as other workers. The Labour Court awarded the au pair 4,947.05 to bring her wages up to the national minimum wage, along with 510 to reimburse her for the "notice" money which she had been forced to pay the employer. IMPLICATIONS: These cases mean that anyone who does employee an au pair must: Ensure that they are registered with Revenue and that the necessary contributions are paid on behalf of the employee; Ensure that payment is made in line with the National Minimum Wage Act, 2000; Ensure that the maximum number of hours that an employee should work in an average working week is 48 hours, (this working week average should be calculated over a four-month period); Ensure that the au pair gets rest breaks in line with the Organisation of Working Time Act which states that an employee is a break of 15 minutes after a 4.5-hour work period. If they work more than six hours they are entitled to a break of 30 minutes, which can include the first 15-minute break. There is no entitlement to be paid during these breaks and they are not considered part of working time; Ensure that annual leave is given in line with the Organisation of Working Time Act; Ensure that they issue written terms of employment in line with the Terms of Employment (Information) Acts 1994-2014 which states that an employer is obliged to provide an employee with a written statement of terms of employment within the first two months of the commencement of employment. Caroline McEnery, MD of The HR Suite, is a member of the Low Pay Commission and is an adjudicator in the Workplace Relations Commission Local police from Dallas, Texas, the United States, informed Chinese consulate general in Houston Saturday that the suspect who murdered and injured two Chinese has been captured. A sketch of the suspect revealed by Dallas Police Department.[File Photo: Dallas Police Department] The Chinese consulate general in Houston has posted the information on its official website Saturday, thanking the effort of police and hoping the murderer will soon be punished by law. A Chinese citizen was murdered and another one injured on Sept. 21 night in an attempted burglar in Dallas, about 380 km north of Houston. According to the Chinese Consulate-General, two Chinese citizens with stab wounds were rushed to a nearby hospital. One of them was pronounced dead, and the other's condition was not available yet. Local media reported that after interviewing several residents, homicide detectives learned that the woman who died had gone outside to walk her pet and was followed by the suspect back into her apartment. The suspect was described as a white man who was wearing a white and red t-shirt with a black design. The Chinese consulate general attaches great importance to it. Issuing a notice on its website, the consulate urged Chinese citizens to pay attention to safety and security. Dallas is the ninth largest city in the United States. According to a 2017 U.S. Census Bureau report, Asians account for 3.3 percent in city's total population. Baku and Shamakh host the large-scale Nasimi Festival dedicated to great Azerbaijani poet. One of the events of this grand festival of Azerbaijani culture was held in the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum, where Vestnik Kavkaza correspondent was able to interview famous Italian expert on oriental carpet weaving, Mirko Katai, who donated ancient Haji Gaib carpet from his own collection to the museum. - Mr. Katai, could you tell us about Haji Gaib? - It's an Azerbaijani carpet created in the middle of the 19th century in the Guba area. It's a very rare and ancient exhibit with simple pattern, which has animalistic elements typical for the Guba region. It has a very beautiful, soft color with delicate white background. I think this carpet was created for some special event, it wasn't part of some series, because elements of its pattern are very unusual, there are many images of animals. I like this carpet, because despite its traditional nature, it's very different from others. It's a special carpet for me, and when I thought which of my carpets should be exhibited in the museum, I realized that it must be an unusual carpet from Azerbaijan. I hope that people will look at it and want to visit the place where it was created. - Why did you decide to donate the Haji Gaib carpet to the Azerbaijani Carpet Museum? - I study ancient carpets since I was 25 years old, specializing in Azerbaijani carpets, I have about 600 of them. Of course, I knew about the Azerbaijani Carpet Museum, I knew its director, Dr. Shirin Melikova. The Azerbaijani Carpet Museum is a very serious project, and it's very important for me, since it's a huge source of knowledge for future generations who can study the history of their country's culture here. - Do you think you will donate more carpets? - I like unique, original carpets, which don't have any copies, and there are several of them that would look great in this museum. I didn't think about this yet, anything can happen. All the people I met in Azerbaijan were very kind to me. I'm very happy that I had an opportunity to come here with such a gift. - What do you think about the Nasimi Festival? - I have never been to Azerbaijan before and didn't know about traditions of Azerbaijani culture aside for the art of carpet weaving, and this festival is a great opportunity to learn a lot about Azerbaijani culture. I really liked music, national instruments, it seems that it's pretty difficult to use them, and it's very impressive. Overall, those performances that I saw were magnificent, very beautiful. All of this is new for me in comparison with Italian culture. In Budget 2019, the Government is set to offer two extra weeks of paid parental leave. While we wont learn the precise details of the scheme until 9 October, it certainly represents a positive step forward in providing greater support to new parents in navigating the acute costs of childcare and the competing demands of two parents careers. However, there are concerns about just how effective the measure will be. Minister for Social Protection Regina Doherty TD previously expressed concern about the low number of men taking up paid paternity leave in 2017. In the UK, just 9,200 parents took advantage of the shared parental leave scheme, a number deemed to be remarkably low. The Irish Government has decided that this new leave will not be mandatory, but they hope that take-up will be improved by making it non-transferrable between mothers and fathers. Orla OConnor, Director of the National Womens Council of Ireland, has welcomed this distinction, suggesting it is an important recognition of the role that fathers have to play in ensuring a more equal distribution of care between parents. Ultimately, however, it is not up to the Government alone to encourage greater use of parental leavethe onus must be shared by Irish businesses. Employers that encourage both mothers and fathers to take their full leave allowance will not only help to address the gender pay gap, but will also make themselves more attractive to potential hires. Building a more flexible workplace To effectively implement parental leave, Irish employers must create a working environment in which taking parental leave isnt viewed as a hindrance to professional development or earning potential for either men or women. Henrik Kleven, an economist at Princeton University, found a sharp decline in womens earnings after the birth of their first child, with no comparable drop for men. Called the child penalty, the cumulative effect is that women earn 20pc less than their male counterparts over the course of their career. Last years Hays Ireland Gender Diversity Report revealed that only 28pc of women maintain the same job with the same hours after having children, compared to 55pc of men. While some women may prefer a change in working hours, these figures show that parenthood has a more significant impact on a womans professional life than a mans. Shared parental leave The 2017 Gender Diversity Report showed that 38pc of employees believed that new fathers in their organisation do not take the full allowance of parental leave because they fear an adverse impact on their finances; 28% said it was because fathers think they may be viewed as less committed to their career. Over a quarter (26pc) of both men and women said that it was because parental leave is still viewed as the exclusive domain of the mother. When companies offer equal parental leave, it is vitally important that they create a culture of work-life balance where men are encouraged to take full advantage of the policy. Certain Dublin-based tech companies including Facebook, LinkedIn and Zendesk offer new fathers between two and four months fully paid paternity leave. Critically, these companies have created an employer culture whereby male employees are expected to take full advantage of these generous terms. One of the key rationales for this policy is that it creates better people managers in the long run. By taking some time out of the office, a new father returns to his role with a clearer understanding of what it is like for other colleagues re-entering the workforce after an extended absence. A sound business investment Supporting a work-life balance for parents results in long-term benefits for the businesses that implement them. Having more women in the workforce increases the available talent pool, thereby addressing skills shortages. It also better enables businesses to attract and retain workers and increase productivity. Employee work-life balance can be fast-tracked by putting in place career plans and return-to-work schemes. These programmes will also aid more women in hitting the ground running when they return to work. Creating this culture will give peace of mind to new mothers and fathers, encourage them to take the leave theyre entitled to, and make the organisation more attractive to talented jobseekers. Starting early Governments should, and must, do more to promote and encourage the uptake of parental leave. However, businesses that wait for governments to act will find themselves at a disadvantage. By actively encouraging parental leave uptake and work-life balance, organisations can build a more dynamic and innovative workforce, improve morale, and better attract and retain the best talent. More than that, Irish companies can lead the way in bettering the cause of gender equality, finally giving women a more level playing field. Maureen Lynch is a director at Hays Ireland A new fast-track system for accountancy graduates has been introduced to help meet the intense demand for new hires. Certified Professional Accountants Ireland (CPAI) has reached agreements with 12 third-level institutions including Trinity College Dublin, the National College of Ireland, University College Cork, University of Limerick, and the Dublin Institute of Technology. Under the programme, students who have to carry out internships or work experience as part of their degrees will be able to use it towards the mandatory three years of working needed to qualify. President of CPAI Cormac Mohan said Ireland and the UK are bucking a global trend with fewer students entering the practice year on year. "Globally, the number of new students pursuing accountancy is increasing and was up 2.4pc last year," he said. "The number of accountancy students in Ireland, 16,425 in 2017, remains far below pre-crisis levels, 18,289 in 2007, and this is going to cause considerable problems in the years ahead." Mohan said the education and training that has been provided to the profession has "stagnated" in recent years and the current system does not reflect the needs of the 21st century. He warned that the industry will face a "massive shortage" within the next five years if there wasn't a rethink in how accountants were trained. "Currently students who want to qualify as accountants are required to undertake three years of on-the-job training. Now, for the first time in Ireland, students who complete accredited work experience or internships as part of their degrees can count this towards the CPA training requirement," Mohan said. "This means that with CPA FastTrack, students from across Ireland can qualify as professional accountants a year quicker than was previously possible." The fast-track scheme will also be available at Athlone IT, IT Carlow, Cork IT, Dundalk IT, Maynooth University, Waterford IT, and IT Tralee. CPA has estimated that a shortfall of almost 15,000 trainees has emerged over the last decade. It said that following the economic downturn many students emigrated with more potential students opting to choose a different course. Earlier in the year, Morgan McKinley identified financial accountants, financial analysts, and payroll as the most in-demand and best-paid jobs in the sector. Asset management, fintech and investment banking were also noted as being in demand. This year SAS International has already secured the extension to Hong Kong Airport among other prestige projects. (AP) The McElhinney family's metal ceiling tile manufacturing firm, SAS International, has booked a 9.1m profit on sales of 113.1m in its latest filed accounts as it seeks export growth in the US, Australia and Hong Kong. A rise in profits from 7m last year was driven by increased sales in the UK-headquartered firm's key markets, here and in the UK, as well as Australia and Hong Kong, according to Cavan-born founder Eddie McElhinney's youngest daughter, Siobhan, who chairs the business. Landmark buildings the firm has worked on here include the Royal College of Surgeons and the Central Bank, as well as Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport. "This year we've secured the Dubai Metro, the extension to Hong Kong Airport, and skyscrapers 60 Martin Place in Sydney and 22 Bishopsgate - London's tallest, at 62 storeys. We've also completed Muscat International Airport in Oman, and are in the final stages of the huge new Kowloon MTR underground station in Hong Kong, where we have worked since 2012," said Siobhan McElhinney. "Ceilings are becoming more bespoke and specialised as clients and architects continue to demand something unique. The biggest innovation we have seen is the integration of lighting and ceilings, where we have brought a number of new products to market which include new materials and finishes. In addition, acoustic demands are ever increasing in the commercial office, education and infrastructure environment and we see increased demand for products that can solve those acoustic challenges," McElhinney said. "The USA is a big opportunity for us and we're excited about securing a number of projects that we are bidding on. We are focusing on the east coast now, driven by project demand from specifiers for bespoke metal and timber solutions. "We've had a very good year in Australia as our products increasingly become the product of choice for commercial new-build and fit-outs in Sydney and Melbourne. The business is optimistic about securing infrastructure work in those cities as well. In Hong Kong, building on the success of the Kowloon project, we have secured more work at the city's airport and continue to target further opportunities," she added. The UK and Europe accounted for about 80pc of sales last year, according to the accounts, while the remainder were booked in the Middle East, Australia and Asia. The firm has gained a reputation for its innovative design-led work, such as that for the landmark London HQ of Bloomberg, where its petal-shaped ceiling tiles have a lighting, acoustic, cooling and design function. However, McElhinney added that she is concerned about the company's ability to attract skilled international staff to work at its factory in Wales in the wake of Brexit, and is contingency planning with regard to both its supplies of raw material supplies and logistics needs. Cavan-based civil engineering company Cleantech has won a 1.7m (1.9m) tender contract to upgrade the water infrastructure at Glasgow Airport. The company will improve the security of the supply network into Paisley on behalf of Scottish Water and its delivery partners the Caledonia Water Alliance. The 12-week programme of works, which will start tomorrow, is one of a number of projects Cleantech has secured across Scotland and Ireland. The deal was announced during Enterprise Ireland's trade visit last week, when 56 Irish companies travelled to Scotland. The aim of the mission was to consolidate Irish exports to the UK after Brexit. Director of UK and northern Europe Marina Donohoe told the Sunday Independent Ireland and Scotland both had very strong trade ties. "While Enterprise Ireland has a focus on supporting clients to grow beyond the UK and diversify their geographic footprint where they can, we continue to see significant growth opportunities within the UK market," she said. "Last year Irish exports to the UK increased by 4pc to 7.62bn. Aligned with our market diversification strategy, Enterprise Ireland is supporting Irish companies to extend their customer range and geographic footprint in the UK." The Cleantech deal was the first of four new contracts signed by Enterprise Ireland clients with Scottish partners this week. Limerick-based water company Central Solutions signed a partnership with food giant ABP to introduce its technology across the company. Data traffic collection company Idaso announced it will open an office in Edinburgh in October while Over-C, an Irish data analytics firm, signed up to a five-year deal with Scottish Rail to increase safety along their lines. "As Brexit negotiations progress, uncertainties remain for both Scottish and Irish companies and this has reinforced the need for us to strengthen our dialogue and interaction at company and government level," said Minister for Business Heather Humphreys. Aer Lingus has claimed new hand-held devices designed to streamline its operations at Dublin Airport have been interfered with. Photo: Bloomberg Aer Lingus has claimed new hand-held devices designed to streamline its operations at Dublin Airport have been interfered with as a row over redundancies has erupted. Last Tuesday, Aer Lingus director of employee relations and change Sean Murphy wrote to Siptu aviation sector organiser Neil McGowan to say "a number of worrying developments have arisen in Dublin ramp operations in recent days". "Most notably," he wrote, "the interference with a significant number of Netline devices." Siptu had claimed the airline had threatened at a meeting to make redundant more than 40 so-called red caps, who coordinate and handle individual flights on the airport ramp. The Netline devices increase efficiency, allowing the airline to amalgamate a number of ramp functions. An Aer Lingus spokeswoman later said it had been in discussions with Siptu since 2016 about introducing modernised work practices. "There will be no redundancies and no outsourcing as a result of these changes - it is simply a question of moving with the times and introducing industry-standard work-practices at Dublin," she said. In his letter, Murphy claimed there was a coordinated refusal by staff to make themselves available for overtime. He said: "These actions have impacted the operation and come on the back of a number of other behavioural issues previously highlighted to Siptu and staff representatives." He sought "an urgent meeting of the key principles from both Siptu and Aer Lingus", to be led by chief operating officer Mike Rutter. McGowan wrote back denying Murphy's allegations, but agreed to meet Rutter tomorrow. "There has been no interference with Netline devices. We would advise that the company focus on software issues that have been ongoing for some period of time before making unsubstantiated allegations against our members," he wrote. He said Siptu was not aware of any coordinated refusal by staff to refuse overtime, but said he had consistently raised concerns about unfair rostering practices that "greatly affected our members". Last week, in an earlier fiery email exchange, McGowan accused the airline of raising the possibility of redundancies and threatened "an appropriate response". The airline responded to confirm the Netline plan initially envisaged 43 redundancies but this had been reconsidered and the red-cap role would now be restructured and retained. "With respect, the only person who referenced redundancies and in particular compulsory redundancies in the room on the day was your good self," wrote an Aer Lingus IR specialist, who said McGowan's claim was "completely disingenuous". Moments later McGowan responded, denying he had raised the issue of redundancy: "To suggest that I am being disingenuous is something I take great issue with." A sub-group of a global organisation representing women in finance was launched in Dublin last week aimed at supporting women with less then 10 years experience in the sector. English royal Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, formally launched 100WF NextGen, part of 100 Women in Finance, last Thursday. The global CEO of 100WF, Amanda Pullinger, said the organisation had been established to support women in an industry which is dominated by men. The global nature of financial services also means that having a network in cities around the world is very useful to women in the profession. "With 100WF, women have a ready-made community when they land in a new location," said Pullinger. The organisation has a three-pronged strategy - peer engagement, philanthropic activities, and educational initiatives. Fiona Gallagher, Deutsche Bank managing director, global head of securities services and chief country officer for Ireland, also addressed the event, outlining how she had risen to a senior level in the industry. Attendees included Bank of Ireland CEO Francesca McDonagh. Imposters beware! After Belgium's beers and Naples' pizzas, the oh-so-French baguette may soon join Unesco's world list of cultural wonders. France's baguette bakers, backed by President Emmanuel Macron, have put in a bid to have their traditions and techniques added to the UN rankings of intangible treasures. Supporters led by La Confederation Nationale de la Boulangerie-Patisserie Francaise (CNBPF) say the craft loaf is already being pushed off shop shelves, even in France, by frozen bread sticks made on giant assembly lines. "If it continues like this, there'll be no more bakeries left in France, even though they're world famous," says master baker Mahmoud M'seddi, whose baguettes won the annual best-in-France prize this year. "We need this (the Unesco listing) to be able to protect this French know-how." The real thing, say supporters of the bid, is supposed to be sold at the bakery that made it or an affiliated business. The dough should not be frozen. Nothing should be added apart from the classic ingredients - flour, water, yeast and salt. The bakers' moment may come at the annual review meeting of Unesco scheduled for late November in Mauritius. The Unesco "intangible heritage" marker -meant to recognise oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals and methods of traditional craftsmanship - already covers ancient methods of making flat breads in Iran, Kazakhstan and other countries. The craft behind 1,500 or more beers brewed in Belgium has already been given the nod, as has the Neapolitan art of pizza twirling. "There's nothing more French than the baguette," Parisian student Tiphaine Balanche said. "I have seen other countries try to reproduce it but no one can make it quite like in France. I think it's one of our treasures. It's great if we can preserve and protect it in France." Reuters With sales in excess of 2bn, Ornua is Irelands largest exporter of dairy products and owner of brands such as Kerrygold, Dubliner and Pilgrims Choice. Roisin Hennerty, managing director of its Ornua Foods division who is also responsible for global marketing talks to John McGee about the challenges she faces. Describe your role with the company? As managing director of Ornua Global Foods division, I work with cross-functional teams, across our markets, to strategise and grow our portfolio of brands. This portfolio includes our greatest asset; the iconic Kerrygold brand. It is our responsibility to develop marketing strategies which provide a basis on which our brands can grow. As custodians of such brands, we understand the importance of a brand purpose and developing our marketing strategies to sustain relevance. What marketing challenges do you face? While we pride ourselves on the global presence we have built for Irish dairy, we do face challenges. For Kerrygold, the brand positioning and the platform upon which our messaging is built pivots on Germany, the US and UK and of course Ireland. Our brand portfolio is also focused on many developing markets where our team needs to consider the cultural and regional differences which inform our market strategies. More than ever, consumers script the rules of engagement and dictate how brands should interact with them. We monitor the evolution of attitudes and behaviours surrounding Kerrygold and Irish dairy, and the arena in which these interactions take place. This helps us to maintain meaning and relevance, ensuring we meet consumers needs. How do you manage these challenges? As the brand grows, competitive pressure increases in-market. As such, a consumer-led brand strategy is integral to our activity. Its our job to tell the story of Kerrygold, in a creative and engaging way, to help protect and maintain our premium brand position. In the coming weeks we will be launching a digital campaign in Ireland, Germany, the UK and the USA that shares one platform across all markets. It highlights the superior quality and taste of our products while meeting consumers where they live and play in the digital environment. Its a perfect example of how a strong and authentic message and brand purpose can traverse cultural nuances. What are the key trends in the market? There have been seismic changes in food trends in recent years and many are connected to consumer demand for natural, sustainably produced products. Consumers demand transparency, particularly when it comes to the food they eat and feed to their families. Given the interest in foods rooted in honest origins and simple traditions, Kerrygold is presented with a remarkable opportunity we have a unique story and we will work hard to make sure it resonates. A woman in her 40s is in a critical condition in Cork University hospital after she fell from her bicycle while cycling near Bandon this morning. The accident took place before 9am at Gurteen Cross Roads, Bandon, Co Cork. The woman suffered serious head injuries in the incident and was rushed to Cork University hospital where she is in critical condition. Gardai were called to an incident this morning the 30th of September 2018 at the Gurteen Cross Roads, Bandon Co Cork. A female cyclist (40s) received serious head injuries and was brought to Cork University where her condition is thought to be critical. There was no other vehicle involved in the collision. Investigations are on-going. The Road between Baxters Bridge on the R586 & Gurteen Cross Roads remains closed, gardai said in a statement. This incident follows news that a woman has sustained serious head injuries in a collision involving a car in Castlebar and a man in his 30s in Dublin has died after having been hit by a van. The Feylak al-Sham armed group has started pulling out its units from an area on the border between Syrias Idlib and Aleppo Governorates, where a demilitarized zone is due to be set up by October 15, Al MayadeenTV channel reported. The militants are leaving their positions with military hardware. Feylak al-Sham is the third largest group in northwestern Syria after Jabhat al-Nusra (terror group, outlawed in Russia) and the Ahrar al-Sham Islamist group. Its commander, Fadlallah al-Haji, leads a coalition of pro-Turkish forces, which are part of the moderate opposition. According to the Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, representatives of the Turkish General Staff and field commanders held a meeting and Ankara demanded that they withdraw their units from the contact line with the government forces. Not all radical groups have agreed to comply with the ultimatum. The leader of Jabhat al-Nusra, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, has not yet responded to the demand. Sources in Damascus told the paper that should the terrorists refuse to pull out their forces from the buffer zone, which is being set up, a military operation in northwestern Syria may be resumed. A spokesman for the command of the so-called Free Syrian Army, Ahmad Tumah, voiced confidence that Ankara would force radicals to leave their bases. Idlib is the only large Syrian region, which still remains under control of illegal armed groups. In 2017, a northern de-escalation zone was established in the region, where militants reluctant to lay down their arms and sign reconciliation deals with the authorities moved together with their families. The September 17 talks between the Russian and Turkish Presidents, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Russias Sochi yielded an agreement to establish a demilitarized zone (15-20 km deep) in Syrias Idlib, along the contact line between government troops and the opposition by October 15. At Ankaras initiative, it is planned to withdraw the oppositions tanks, multiple missile launcher systems, artillery systems and mortars from this zone by October 10. Control in this zone will be the responsibility of mobile patrol groups of Turkish troops and units of Russian military police. Gardai, Irish Coastguard and the local RNLI are assisting at the scene. (File Photo) Credit: Domnick Walsh 30-09-18 The scene at Coonana Harbour where three fishermen were drowned on Sunday. Photograph by Don MacMonagle Members of the Coast Guard at the scene of the tragedy. Photo/Don MacMonagle GARDAI are investigating the discovery of three bodies after a suspected fishing tragedy in Kerry. The grim discovery was made shortly after 6pm this evening on a stretch of coast just outside Cahersiveen in south Kerry. An upturned boat was found just a short distance away - and it is feared the men may have drowned after getting into trouble offshore. It is understood the vessel is a Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB). Gardai, Irish Coastguard and the local RNLI are now assisting at the scene. While details of the tragedy remain unclear, it is believed to have been a freak marine accident. It is not known if the deceased were fishing or engaged in some other form of marine leisure activity when the tragedy occurred. While Gardai are still working to confirm the identities of those involved, it is believed all three are from Eastern Europe and may have been fishing. All three bodies will be transferred to University Hospital Kerry (UHK) in Tralee for full post mortem examinations which are expected to commence tomorrow. The Office of the State Pathologist has been informed. The tragedy was discovered when a person out walking near Coonanna spotted when they thought was a submerged boat just a short distance offshore. Coonanna Pier is popular with fishermen and anglers, lying to the north of Cahersiveen and just off one of the most popular stretches of the Ring of Kerry. It is just a short walk from Ballycarbery Castle. It was later discovered that the object jutting out of the water was a section of the RIB which had apparently capsized. The Irish Coastguard's Shannon-based Sikorsky helicopter, Rescue 115, assisted in the major search operation launched. The first body was recovered just a short distance offshore. Two other bodies were recovered in the same vicinity and within roughly a 100m radius of where the partially submerged boat was discovered. Gardai are now trying to determine the last known movements of the men and have appealed for anyone who may have seen the men leaving the south Kerry coastline either on Friday or Saturday to contact them. A landmark case could see residents in private nursing homes receive a significant windfall as part of an appeal over the charging of commercial rates on care facilities and buildings. Private nursing home operators are appealing to the Valuations Office. They say their facilities are residential units and commercial rates currently charged on them should not apply. Industry representatives estimate up to 100m in repayments dating back over the past five years would be made available if the legal action is successful. This would see money returned to private residents and the Fair Deal system. The case is set to start in November, and, if successful, will increase pressure on local authorities and the Government to reimburse elderly residents and their families who have been made responsible for paying sizeable portions of the rates applied to their nursing homes. HSE homes are exempt from commercial rates. Disability and other healthcare services are also exempt from paying commercial rates. Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI) CEO Tadhg Daly called for equality in the valuations system, saying residents should not be expected to pay commercial rates for the place they live in. "NHI can confirm that member nursing homes are appealing to the Valuation Tribunal this coming November," he told the Sunday Independent. "The imposition of commercial rates upon residents in private nursing homes is discriminatory and requires redress. The nursing home is the residents' home." The Valuations Office, a central body established to give valuations of commercial and industrial properties to ratepayers and rating authorities, declined to comment on the appeal. However, a spokesman said commercial rates are paid to local authorities based on how a property is used. "One of the key principles underpinning the rateable valuation system is that properties of occupiers operated with the intention of making a profit are rateable," he said. Rates are calculated by assessing the rent a property may receive for one year and the expenses a tenant may be liable for. Irish Patients' Association chairman Stephen McMahon said many families would not realise tenants were being made liable for commercial rates charged on nursing homes. "If they were in their family home they would not pay rates. If they were in a home operated by HSE or charity they would not pay rates," he said. "For fairness and equity is to be restored, either commercial rates are not charged to voiceless nursing home residents or all households pay rates. If they are exempted then the cost of refunds to residents or their estates for previous years could amount to 100m." A spokesman for the Valuation Office said there were a number of avenues for redress when the occupier of a rateable property was dissatisfied with rates paid. If an appeal to the Valuation Tribunal is unsuccessful there were avenues for appeals to be made through the courts. Many residents cover the cost of commercial rates in their monthly nursing home bills. If the appeal rules in favour of the nursing homes, private residents paying for their care could be in line to be reimbursed these charges. In the case of Fair Deal recipients, the money would have to be returned to the HSE. Mr Daly said it was unfair that private homes faced these charges: "HSE nursing homes, those in receipt of fees that are a national average 60pc above those payable to private and voluntary counterparts, are exempt from commercial rates. Furthermore, disability and other healthcare services are exempt. Equality must be applied for all residents in nursing home care." Homeowners in the capital have expressed fears over a "sinister" sellotape trick they believe is being used to mark vacant properties. Locals in the North Strand area reported their concerns after a number of residents noticed the tape on their doors. They believe burglars or squatters are placing the clear tape over keyholes to see which houses could be potentially vacant or unvisited. It is the latest in a trend of 'property markings' that have hit headlines in recent years. Residents on Dublin's northside have described the issue as "deeply concerning" and raised the issue with local TDs and gardai. One resident, who did not wish to be named, said; "It's a tactic they use, they cover the keyhole with clear sellotape to establish if the house is being accessed. "Two houses were found to have this tape on my street recently in North Strand. "This is deeply concerning for residents." The resident said they requested additional patrols in the area and gardai are "taking the matter seriously". Dublin City Councillor Ciaran Cuffe said he heard of a few similar incidents in recent months. "It can be a way of determining whether a building is in use," he said. "I could see it being used for sinister uses like burglary, or there may be other reasons." Cllr Cuffe said there are a "huge amount" of empty buildings in his constituency, but noted some are vacant for "the right reasons"; "Some are vacant because people are away on holidays and someone may have died and the house is being put through probate," he added. The 'sellotape tape' is the latest marking to cause concern for homeowners. Last year, a community expressed its fears after mysterious road markings appeared on footpaths in the Ballybrack and Shankill areas of Dublin, believed to be used by burglars to target homes. The local council confirmed to Independent.ie at the time that the markings were not created by council staff. While in Clonaslee, Co Laois, locals believed farmers' homes were being targeted with stones and markings, to alert burglars of 'valuable properties to be hit'. The 'markings' included stone mounds or marking with stones outside properties that people believed were being targeted. People suspected of having extramarital affairs and "illicit relationships" during the 1980s will be selected for DNA testing by experts working to solve the Kerry Babies case. Interpol is assisting gardai with the inquiry that will see increased DNA sampling carried out in Kerry and further afield. People who left South Kerry in 1984, soon after Baby John was discovered murdered near Cahersiveen, will also be among those vetted as gardai follow a number of lines of inquiry. This will include people who eventually returned to the area or settled elsewhere. No DNA samples were taken on Valentia last week as gardai went door to door with their inquiry for the first time in more than three decades. The number of people from whom officers have taken DNA is already in "double digits". Forensic efforts will be stepped up in the coming weeks and are expected to continue for months. They will not be confined to Kerry. "This is selective sampling and it will continue for as long as it needs to," a source told the Sunday Independent. "Discussions about illicit relationships are being followed up and cases where people went away." Baby John was just five days old when his body was found. He had been stabbed 28 times. Investigators have not ruled out that abuse, rape and incest may have been factors in his murder. Supt Flor Murphy, the garda leading the inquiry, believes local knowledge will help the investigation. "We are convinced people were aware of this event - the pregnancy, the birth and the series of events after Baby John was born. We want those people to come forward," he said. The word 'Michaelmas' might not mean a lot to many these days apart from legal eagles in the Law Library at Dublin's Four Courts. The Feast of St Michael on September 29 is the start of a new term in the legal calendar and was once, and no doubt still is, a traditional quarter-day for settling rents and accounts. In rural Ireland, it marked the end of harvest time, apart from apple picking and cider making, and farmers reckoned how many animals they could afford over winter; they would have done their sums by now. The tail-end of the summer, swallows will have departed and on this last day of the month, tradition has the devil going about urinating on blackberries - the Archangel Michael had thrown him out of Paradise to land in thorny brambles. The now hardened and bitter berries are unpalatable - this caused by a saliva-dripping fly. The folklorist Kevin Danaher says Michaelmas was of no significance in ancient Celtic Ireland but arrived with the Normans and their new legal practices in the 12th Century. The rod-and-line fishing season ends and hunting begins when people and hounds gallop the countryside, with the landowner's permission of course, but not approved, nor supported, by everybody. In many parts of rural Ireland, a roast goose was traditionally eaten and farmers' wives gave geese as gifts to the less well off, with the feathers and down being sold for mattress and pillow fillings. Plump birds were sold, with wives in charge of flocks, at this time of Fomhar-na-ngean and portions of mutton, known as Cuid Mhichil, or St Michael's Sheep, were "bestowed upon the relieving poor" according to the 17th Century historian Geoffrey Keating. (Some years ago, I mentioned that this kind tradition might well be still carried on but in an unobtrusive way by generous farming folk). The goose feast probably arrived from our neighbouring isle where the custom may have been given fresh impetus by the first Queen Elizabeth during the time of the Spanish Armada. There is an English saying: "He who eats goose on Michaelmas Day shan't money back or debts to pay" but the queen made an order to her subjects to so dine when she received news of the Armada debacle. Having addressed her troops at Tilbury in August 1588 ("Let tyrants fear"), a month later the storm of the century scattered the Armada which tried to struggle home via Scotland and down the Irish west coast. The queen was dining on Michaelmas night, with a Sir Neville Umphreyville, on roast goose and raised her glass to 'Death to that cursed Armada", when, the story goes, a messenger arrived with the news that Spanish ships had foundered in a storm in the Blasket Sound. Elizabeth, calling for a "bumper of Burgundy", proclaimed that "henceforth shall a goose commemorate this famous victory". This historic event may no longer be commemorated in Britain, let alone in this country, but the truth is that the weather was the real victor over the Spanish rather than a battle in the Channel. You hear Simon Harris saying hes going to encourage the HSE to engage in talks, and then you hear that no talks have begun. Weve been aware from the medical side that talks have not begun with the HSE. Lorraine OMalley has been campaigning for a life-saving drug Spinraza for her nine-year-old daughter Grace who has Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). We just found out yesterday that the HSE hasnt even contacted the company do they realise how serious it is? Were planning how to keep her well over the winter, and theyre possibly planning a budget. Were none the wiser towards the actual drug. Youre trying to put your all into making them realise. When we got the diagnosis that day it was like a death sentence. He said theres nothing we can do. When we heard about Spinraza, we thought this is her lifeline. I dont get it as a mother, is it that they dont understand the severity of the condition? This week, when Independent.ie asked the HSE if it had begun negotiations to acquire Spinraza, a spokesperson said: No decision has been arrived as yet on the application for the reimbursement of Nusinersen (Spinraza) as the statutory assessment process is still ongoing. Without access to the treatment, children with SMA will lose the ability to crawl, walk and swallow. Already, Grace uses a motorised wheelchair and cannot do everyday tasks like dress herself or put toothpaste on her toothbrush. After nearly collapsing, when Grace was diagnosed the doctor told me dont go Googling it I remember words coming out and hearing pneumonia could kill her. And he told us that it was in the worst possible category of the muscular conditions. She was diagnosed when she was 22 months old; they started the investigations when she was 18 months old. I just got thrown into such a horrible place that I dont remember, youre going through every day to get by. We werent offered counselling, it was such a dark time. Trying to get to the realisation of dealing with a disability. Its something that has made us stronger. Looking at Grace, shes so intelligent, she gets it, she wakes up in the morning and says any news on Spinraza, mam?. Ive had to explain to her. Every morning, Grace uses the cough assist machine for ten minutes to help her breathing. She has a physiotherapy routine of tummy time, using a standing frame, and doing stretches. She can have up to five appointments every month, many of which are in Dublin. Thats what she hates, being taken out of school. She has to be hoisted out of the chair twice a day already to get pressure relief, and for the appointments she has to be hoisted again. Grace has had spinal surgery for scoliosis, where she had a rod inserted into her spine, and this has to be adjusted every six months. But Lorraine added: We learn from Grace. Shes bouncing around the place in her motorised wheelchair. She cant put toothpaste on her toothbrush; she cant turn herself at night, we come down the stairs six times a night to turn her, we dont mind doing it. How can the HSE, a government, or a medical company even make this [about money]? I just find it soul destroying when something is proven to give your child a longer life and a better life. I just wish they could spend a day with Grace. If we dont have Grace we dont have anything. She got iInfluenza type B last year. I was going down to the hospital thinking were losing her, she couldnt breathe. Were coming into that time of year now again. [Spinrazas] efficacy has been proven. Its basically boiling down to cost. We heard they had reduced the cost by 60pc from the original list price. Youre inflated and then deflated straight away. Suicide attempts: Caitriona McCaughley was given Lariam on missions to Africa in 2006 and 2009. Photo: Dominick Walsh They say war is hell, but for many Irish soldiers, the real ordeal only began when they came home. Former Defence Forces private Caitriona McCaughley felt so low after a tour of duty in Chad she wanted to shoot herself. For another ex-soldier, former private Paul O'Reilly, his return from Liberia brought with it nightmares, anxiety and unexplained bouts of anger and aggression. They are not alone. While the symptoms and their severity can vary, similar stories have become increasingly common in recent years among army personnel who served on peacekeeping missions in sub-Saharan Africa. While being a soldier can be a dangerous job, the symptoms McCaughley and O'Reilly describe are not being attributed to any traumatic or stressful event they encountered while on overseas duties. Instead, the finger of blame is being pointed at mefloquine, an antimalarial drug better known by its brand name Lariam, which has been administered to Irish soldiers on missions in malarial regions since 2001. Late last year, in what was widely regarded as a test case, a civil action by 33-year Defence Forces veteran Anthony Cole was settled by the State on confidential terms without any admission of liability. Cole claimed he had not felt normal since a five-month tour of duty in Chad in 2009 and that he continued to suffer from headaches, nightmares and mood swings. Expand Close Nightmares: Former soldier Paul OReilly during a mission to Liberia in 2004 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Nightmares: Former soldier Paul OReilly during a mission to Liberia in 2004 A raft of other lawsuits has followed since then, including personal injuries actions filed by McCaughley and O'Reilly last May. Their cases are among 47 currently being handled by the State Claims Agency. Dozens more are in the pipeline. Dublin-based solicitor and former soldier Norman Spicer, of Coleman Legal Partners, says his firm alone has instructions to issue 85 sets of proceedings and has 350 clients affected by Lariam. It is all shaping up to be something of a legal tsunami which could cost the State tens of millions of euro in legal costs and damages. Major questions are now being asked about why the Defence Forces has persisted with the drug for so long and why it continues to do so today. The problems with Lariam are no secret. The drug is either not used or is treated as a medication of last resort by the military in France, Germany, the US, Canada and Australia. In advice to doctors in 2013, manufacturers Roche said the most common neuropsychiatric reactions to it included abnormal dreams, insomnia, anxiety and depression. The manufacturer said hallucinations, psychosis, suicide, suicidal thoughts and self-endangering behaviour had also been reported. A report commissioned by the Department of Defence on the drug and delivered the same year remains under wraps. The department has refused to publish it, saying it is "legally privileged". Despite the mounting number of lawsuits and harrowing stories of ruined lives, Lariam remains one of three drugs currently prescribed to personnel on duty in malarial regions. The others are Malarone and Doxycycline. In reality though, for many missions, Lariam appears to have been the only sanctioned option. Internal Defence Forces documents seen by Review reveal instructions were given by the Defence Forces Medical Corps during the 2000s that personnel not suited to Lariam would not be considered fit for deployment in Eritrea, Liberia and Chad. According to Spicer, this "no Lariam, no trip" policy discouraged the reporting of adverse symptoms as personnel feared they would be deemed "unfit" for overseas missions and that this could impact on their promotion prospects. As recently as last May, the junior minister responsible for defence, Paul Kehoe, told the Dail he had been advised by a medical officer in the Defence Forces that Lariam was the most suitable drug available. "For as long as they are happy to prescribe it on medical advice, I will accept it," he said. Of the three drugs available, Lariam is the least expensive option, but is considered to have the harshest side effects. Dr Remington Nevin, a former US Army major and expert on the effects of antimalarial drugs, told Review that what was "apparently intended as a cost-saving measure" was "almost certain to instead prove penny wise and pound foolish". According to Dr Nevin, certain side effects, such as nightmares, insomnia, anxiety and changes in mood, affect over one in 10 who take the drug. Nevertheless, mefloquine continues to be considered an effective antimalarial by international health agencies, including the World Health Organisation. Many of the lawsuits focus on the manner in which the drug was prescribed. According to the department, it is Defence Forces policy that personnel are individually screened for fitness for service overseas and medical suitability. However, several lawsuits contain allegations that Lariam was administered in a "conveyor belt" manner, without the sort of in-depth individual consultation needed to establish if it was suitable for the person receiving it. For example, the drug is contraindicated for people who have previously suffered from depression. Yet, soldiers like McCaughley, who had depression in her medical history, were given it. The 33-year-old Tralee woman joined the Defence Forces in 2002 as a 17-year-old, just weeks after doing her Leaving Certificate. Not long after enlisting, her grandmother, who she was close to, died. "I was a bit low and I had my weapon taken off me. I was placed on unarmed duties," she says. However, in 2006, while stationed at Collins Barracks in Cork, she was passed fit to serve with the UN mission in Liberia, where she was given Lariam. "Nobody ever talked to me about my mental health before I went over," she says. McCaughley also alleges she was not given specific advice or guidance about potential side effects. On her return, she experienced sudden and unexpected periods of crying and tearfulness. Within months, the relationship she was in broke down. Her weapon was removed from her for a second time and she received psychiatric treatment, but had no idea her symptoms may have been related to Lariam. A further tour of duty followed in Chad in 2009. Again, she says she did not receive any particular individual assessment of her suitability for the drug. She also says there was no discussion about putting her on an alternative antimalarial drug due to her history of depression. "I went to Chad and had a grand trip. When I got home, everything turned to shit," she says. "I remember returning to duty and walking into the doctor, saying: 'I actually can't do this. I am so ready to shoot myself'." She was admitted to hospital but says her life became increasingly chaotic and a number of suicide attempts followed. McCaughley says that at no stage during her treatment was she told what she was experiencing may have been related to Lariam. Instead, she says she was left to feel as though whatever was happening to her was somehow her own fault. When she decided to leave the Defence Forces in 2011, she didn't even say goodbye to those she had served alongside. "I was too ashamed," she says. "I felt that I was so wrong, that I was so sick, that I was such a bad person, that I didn't deserve anybody's friendship, anybody's acknowledgement or care." To this day she is battling health difficulties, but hopes her civil action will lead to an apology and an acknowledgement mistakes were made. "I want them to say they are sorry for twice giving me this drug knowing that I had depression. That is all I want," she says. "There are a lot of guys who have committed suicide in the army. Some of them I know. I really hope that anybody that I served with overseas [and who became ill] doesn't feel like it is their own fault. When they are crying at night on their own, I really hope they know they are not sick because of anything they have done." For O'Reilly, a 49-year-old former soldier from Crumlin in Dublin, the Lariam ordeal began during a mission in Liberia in 2004. "I remember a few weeks into the trip everybody started to get nightmares. There were six of us sharing a tent. Everybody suffered the same. If you weren't having a nightmare, you were listening to someone else having one," he says. Bouts of anger and anxiety followed. "You would fly off the handle for absolutely no reason," he adds. O'Reilly says he was not given any advice or literature about the potential side effects of Lariam before the Liberia trip. After returning home, things "went downhill rapidly". His aggressive behaviour continued and he withdrew from social and family life. The nightmares continued, too. O'Reilly says he came close to suicide twice, but swept how he was feeling "under the carpet" for several years. It wasn't until 2009 he sought medical help from the Defence Forces. "I was basically told I needed a kick up the arse and to get on with my life. That was the diagnosis," he says. He eventually left the Defence Forces in 2011 after 21 years of service, It was only years later, after connecting with former colleagues on social media, that he drew the link to Lariam. Now, he says he wants someone "to be held responsible". "I am looking for justice for the people who have taken their lives, the people whose marriages have split up," he says. "I can't believe they are still prescribing Lariam. It is flabbergasting. I can't believe they are still giving this to young men and women." Review put a series of detailed questions to the Department of Defence, but it declined to respond to any of the allegations made by former soldiers. "It would be inappropriate for the department to comment on individual cases or on matters that may arise in the course of this litigation," it said in a statement. The department would not say if any changes or improvements had been made in recent years to the manner in which members of the Defence Forces are assessed for suitability to receive Lariam. The statement said the choice of medication for overseas deployment, including the use of Lariam, was a medical decision made by medical officers in the Defence Forces, having regard to the specific circumstances of the mission and the individual personnel. Deployment on mefloquine increases suicide risk several fold Mefloquine, the controversial anti-malarial drug better known by its brand name Lariam, was withdrawn from the Irish market in July 2016. However, it remains available to the Defence Forces from international wholesalers. Manufacturers Roche said the withdrawal was a commercial decision and denied it was linked to any legal or safety issue. The continued use of the drug by the Defence Forces goes against the prevailing trend internationally. Lariam is no longer used by the French or German militaries, while the US, Canada and Australia consider it a drug of last resort. In the UK, a 2016 House of Commons defence select committee report recommended Lariam should no longer be issued, except as a drug of last resort. Of considerable concern internationally is the apparent link between the drug and the suicides of soldiers. One former Defence Forces member, Anthony Moore, told Review he knew of at least 12 former comrades who had been on Lariam and later took their own lives. The Department of Defence declined to say if it had conducted or commissioned any research to ascertain if there was a link between Lariam and the suicides of personnel. It also declined to say whether, given the mounting number of personal injuries actions being filed, it is considering a redress scheme. Dr Remington Nevin, a former US Army major and expert on antimalarial drugs, says that from the data he had been able to obtain, it appeared that within the Irish military deployment on a mefloquine mission increases several fold the subsequent risk of suicide, in comparison to deployment on a non-mefloquine mission. He tells Review: Several countries, including the US and Australia, have quietly acknowledged the role of mefloquine poisoning in causing chronic disability among veterans, and have implemented processes to award disability benefits to those affected. In contrast, the policy of the Irish Government appears to be to place its soldiers at continued risk while refusing to acknowledge any basis for veterans claims. Richard Lewis, Ireland's truly most elegant of dress designers, died last week aged 73. He is survived by his sister, Mary. My predecessor, the late, Terry Keane, who was extremely discerning about quality, wrote in this paper that if her house was burning down, she would rescue her blue Richard Lewis dress. Such was the devotion Richard's work always inspired. Born in Drimnagh, Dublin, Richard grew up in the clothing industry; his mother and her sisters, produced school uniforms and nuns' habits. Richard hated school, but he loved drawing women in dresses. He attended the Grafton Academy in 1963, graduating in 1965, and immediately opened his first shop on Baggot Street. Later, he moved his salon to South Frederick Street and stayed there until his retirement in 2016. He was inspired by two of the greats of the 1960s British fashion scene: Jean Muir and Ossie Clarke. The mid 1970s were when Richard Lewis found his design stride. Several things came together for him. He discovered matt jersey, the fabric that was to become his signature and the foundation to his timelessly-elegant, colour-block focused, feminine creations. Fashion in Ireland was finally freeing itself of its 1950s-depression heritage with designers such as Ib Jorgensen, Paul Costelloe and later, Michael Mortell, making waves and making real news. Peter Mark, a new hair salon on Grafton Street in the 1960s, started to expand and be a creative force on the fashion scene, thus Richard embarked on a life-long fashion relationship with them and their hair creatives, including Gary Kavanagh, Michael Leong and Michael Doyle. Richard met a 17-year-old model, Sharon Bacon, who became his life-long muse. And he met his life-time partner, Jim Greeley. In the mid 1990s, when I was a young fashion stylist and the nature of the work was not understood nor respected, Richard Lewis was one of the few people who welcomed me when I streeled in the door, dressed in jeans and sweater, to borrow divine white jersey trousers suits and elegant evening gowns. Before Richard could get two sentences out, Jim would be out of the workroom and by his side, gossiping and interrogating me as to all 'the news' in the fashion scene, mutual friends, all the while puffing on a cigarette. As Jim would take over, Richard would look indulgently at him, loving him totally. One day, I asked Richard how he and Jim met; this was long before being 'gay' became a norm in Ireland. Richard told me he was volunteering for the Samaritans. They both were. He was 27. He didn't know he was gay at the time; he didn't particularly know what 'gay' was; he was old fashioned; they were different times. But he met Jim and he knew. Theirs was an enduring love affair that inspired the entire fashion industry and all who met them. Richard Lewis's salon was always friendly and unassuming. It was something I always tried to convey when I wrote about him. He never judged people. Truly. He was the least judgemental man I have ever met. He loved his ladies, the clients who were devotedly loyal to him throughout his career such as Mary Finan and Tona O'Brien. Richard Lewis just wanted to make dresses, be with Jim and have fun. Video of the Day Richard Lewis's work was inspired by the cut and drape of the sensuous 1930s. He was a designer who loved women's curvy bodies. His models were always beautiful women and he especially loved to use black or Latin models, if he could find them. He made women feel like goddesses and he made men appreciate that quality in their women. I always noticed that Richard Lewis's shows were the most attended by men - because men liked what he did for women. Richard Lewis was all soft lines. Richard appreciated design and skill in others. He loved to see young people succeed and always, he would attempt to embrace new technology. I used to have hilarious exchanges with him and Jim as they struggled with some new fad, such as websites. When video came in, Richard met a young videographer called Karl Hayden. Thereafter, Karl became an essential component of the 'Richard Lewis set up' and a loyal comrade. Up to his death, Richard was using LinkedIn to message people. Richard loved to love people. He adored Catherine Condell's styling. He loved Aisling Eyre and Paula Callan's make-up. Peter O'Brien's skill and friendship. In the 1990s, Richard collaborated with Bernadette Madden, the batik artist. In the noughties, he loved Paula Rowan's leather gloves and used them in his shows. He greatly enjoyed his knitwear collaboration with St Finian's Development Group in Finglas through Miriam Gogarty. He and Jim were regulars in Jenny Vander and Dublin antiques houses, seeking out art deco pieces and designs from the 1920s and 30s. Despite his 50-year career, Richard's was not one full of awards. But in 1988, the first year of the prestigious Satzenbrau fashion awards, he was named Best Designer. When Maureen O'Hara received her IFTA Lifetime achievement Award, it was to Richard she went. In 2014, Richard Lewis was celebrated for his 50 years in the industry with a fashion show organised by Eddie Shanahan, a life-long friend and colleague, and Brown Thomas CREATE honoured him with a display presentation. He was delighted with it all and the subsequent re-interest in his work and career. But Richard never got over the death of his true love. In 2006, Jim suffered a massive heart attack not far from their salon. He was on his way back from the travel agent, in his pocket were tickets for a trip to Milan to see the opera at La Scala, a long-held dream of theirs and to be a surprise for Richard. That day, Richard lost his heart. In an extraordinary act of courage, three months later, Richard honoured Jim's work and delivered the most beautiful and rich collection of his career. And though he suffered immensely in the immediate years, Richard found some solace in his creativity and his friendships. Richard Lewis loved and appreciated all of the fashion industry and his friends' support and efforts. But, nothing, nothing compared to Jim. I feel Richard would have loved that his life and death is being discussed via our current 'new technology' - social media. Consistent in all the comments is sincere and simple appreciation of Richard Lewis, his life's work and kindness, and the heartfelt wish that he is reunited with his one love, Jim Greeley. I have no doubt. People survey the damage of a shopping centre following earthquakes and a tsunami in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana) Indonesias disaster agency has said the death toll from an earthquake and tsunami that devastated part of the island of Sulawesi has climbed to 832. Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the spokesman of the national disaster mitigation agency, told a news conference on Sunday that 821 of those killed were in the city of Palu. He said another 11 people were killed in the town of Donggala. He said access to Donggala, as well as the towns of Sigi and Boutong, is still limited and there are no comprehensive reports from those areas. He said: The death is believed to be still increasing since many bodies were still under the wreckage while many have not able to be reached. Expand Close A motorbike passes the wreckage of a car in Palu (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A motorbike passes the wreckage of a car in Palu (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana) A magnitude 7.5 earthquake spawned the deadly tsunami on Friday evening. Rescuers are scrambling to reach trapped victims while looters risked entering an unstable shopping centre to grab whatever they could find. People could still be heard calling out from the eight-storey Roa-Roa Hotel which collapsed as the disasters swept through the city, said Muhammad Syaugi, the head of Indonesias search and rescue agency. I can still hear the voices of the survivors screaming for help while inspecting the compound, he told local online news portal Detik.com, adding there could be 50 people trapped inside. Aid and supplies are being sent in via military and commercial aircraft, including helicopters, to reach badly affected areas. TV footage showed images of destroyed houses in Donggala and areas that were once land now inundated with water. Aerial video also showed the battered coastline surrounding Palu. Looters were stealing from a badly damaged shopping centre in Palu that was not being guarded. They did not appear to be concerned about their safety, despite ongoing aftershocks and the structures questionable stability. Residents were also seen returning to their destroyed homes, picking through waterlogged belongings, trying to salvage anything they could find. Expand Close A mosque was badly damaged (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A mosque was badly damaged (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana) Disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said tens to hundreds of people were taking part in a beach festival in Palu when the tsunami struck at dusk on Friday. Hundreds of people were injured and hospitals damaged by the quake were overwhelmed. Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo is set to visit the area later on Sunday. Azerbaijan has made great strides under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, said Irans Minister of Internal Affairs Abdulrza Rahmani Fazli in his interview with AZERTAC. The minister noted that by demonstrating political will, the Azerbaijani and Iranian heads of state pave the way for close cooperation between the two countries. He pointed out the projects jointly implemented by Azerbaijan and Iran. Minister Rahmani Fazli expressed Irans keenness to closely cooperate with Azerbaijan in fighting against international terrorism and transnational criminal groups. He described Azerbaijan as a friendly and brotherly country for Iran. The FBI has contacted Deborah Ramirez, who has accused Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct when he was a Yale student, as part of the bureaus investigation of the Supreme Court nominee, her lawyer said. Ms Ramirezs lawyer, John Clune, said agents want to interview her and she has agreed to cooperate. Ms Ramirez has said Mr Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party in the early 1980s when they were Yale students. President Donald Trump ordered the FBI on Friday to reopen Mr Kavanaughs background investigation after several women accused Mr Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. Mr Kavanaugh has denied the allegations. Senate leaders agreed to delay a final vote on Mr Kavanaughs nomination to allow for a one-week FBI investigation. The Senate Judiciary Committee has said the probe should be limited to current credible allegations against Mr Kavanaugh and be finished by next Friday. Leaving the hearing on Friday, Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, said it was his understanding there would be an FBI investigation of the outstanding allegations, the three of them, but Republicans have not said whether that was their understanding as well. While the precise scope of the investigation remained unclear, Mr Trump told reporters on Saturday that the FBI, as you know, is all over talking to everybody and said this could be a blessing in disguise. They have free rein. Theyre going to do whatever they have to do, whatever it is they do. Theyll be doing things that we have never even thought of, he said. And hopefully at the conclusion everything will be fine. The nomination of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh to serve as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court is reported favorably from the Senate Judiciary Committee by a vote of 11-10 to the floor of the United States Senate for a full chamber vote. #SCOTUS Senate Judiciary Republicans (@SenJudiciaryGOP) September 28, 2018 White House spokesman Raj Shah said the Senate set the scope and duration of the investigation and that the White House is letting the FBI agents do what they are trained to do. The FBI conducts background checks for federal nominees, but the agency does not make judgments on the credibility or significance of allegations. The investigators will compile information about Mr Kavanaughs past and provide their findings to the White House and include the information in Mr Kavanaughs background file, which is available to senators. Mr Kavanaugh and another of his accusers, Christine Blasey Ford, who says Mr Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when both were teenagers, testified publicly before the Judiciary Committee on Thursday. Expand Close Christine Blasey Ford being sworn in before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill (Win McNamee/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Christine Blasey Ford being sworn in before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill (Win McNamee/AP) Mr Kavanaughs high school friend Mark Judge, who Ms Ford says was in the room when a drunken Mr Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her, said that he will cooperate with any law enforcement agency that will confidentially investigate sexual misconduct allegations against him and Mr Kavanaugh. Mr Judge has also denied Ms Fords allegations. Lawyers for PJ Smyth and Leland Ingham Keyser, two others who Ms Ford said were in the house when she was attacked, have said their clients are willing to cooperate fully with the FBIs investigation. A third woman, Julie Swetnick, accused Mr Kavanaugh and Mr Judge of excessive drinking and inappropriate treatment of women in the early 1980s, among other accusations. Mr Kavanaugh has called her accusations a joke and Mr Judge has said he categorically denies the allegations. Ms Swetnicks lawyer, Michael Avenatti, said on Saturday afternoon that his client had not been contacted by the FBI but is willing to fully cooperate with investigators. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democratic member of the Judiciary Committee from Rhode Island, said he expects the FBI would provide adequate staffing for the investigation, with teams working in parallel to investigate separate allegations. Agents should get support from the Judiciary Committee for rapid immunity and subpoena decisions, he said. The FBI has embarked on a high-stakes investigation into Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh ahead of a vote this week that will shape the contours of the United States for decades to come. Last Friday evening US President Donald Trump threw his support behind the investigation, which is designed to search for any information supporting either Mr Kavanaugh's emphatic insistence that he never sexually assaulted Christine Blasey Ford at a party in 1982, or Prof Ford's unwavering belief that he did. Mr Trump said the FBI's inquiry "must be limited in scope and completed in less than one week", after which the Senate will vote on whether to approve Mr Kavanaugh to the lifelong role of justice on the Supreme Court. James Gagliano, a retired supervisory special agent at the FBI, said compiling all the information in a week, from an incident 36 years ago, was "a damn daunting - if not impossible - task". But, he added, it was the "right path". The investigation into the alleged incident, which Prof Ford said took place at a house in Maryland, will be run from the FBI's Washington DC office, with oversight at the most senior levels. Extra officers are likely to be drafted in to meet the deadline. "They could drop everything else they're doing, every other background check for generals to get the next star, and cabinet secretaries and US attorneys," said former FBI assistant director Tom Fuentes. "If they want to put 500 agents on this they could do that." One of their tasks will be speaking to possible corroborating witnesses. Mark Judge, Mr Kavanaugh's friend, was said by Prof Ford to be in the room when the then 17-year-old Mr Kavanaugh allegedly hustled her into a bedroom, closed the door, pinned her to the bed and attempted to rip off her clothes. Mr Judge, who has been hiding out at a beach house in Delaware for the past week, declined to speak at last Thursday's Senate hearing, but has said he is willing to speak to the FBI. He denies all knowledge of the attack, saying Prof Ford's accusations are "bizarre" and politically-motivated, adding: "It's no situation I recall ever being in." Prof Ford told the committee she crossed paths with Mr Judge at a Safeway supermarket a few weeks after the attack, and that he looked ashen upon seeing her. The FBI could ask Safeway for its employment records in an attempt to narrow down the time frame of the attack, Prof Ford being unable to recall the exact date that summer. For Mr Kavanaugh's defenders, such as South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham, the investigation is a time-wasting distraction. "You can have the FBI, the CIA and the Foreign Legion," he said. "And they're not going to tell us more than we already know." Telegraph Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] It is no coincidence that the harshest words in President Donald Trump's speech at the UN General Assembly last Tuesday were aimed at Iran and China respectively. While the president's focus that morning was short-term, casting the Iranian regime as regional troublemakers who've disenfranchised their own population and the Chinese as economic rent seekers who've been coasting for years on unfair trade deals, in the long-term, it is quite possible that the relationship between these two nations will prove to be among the most crucial in all of world politics, and that the Trump administration's treatment of both today will determine the character of our international order for many decades to come. This all has to do with China's Belt And Road Initiative, a staggeringly grand foreign policy vision for two massive, interconnected trade routes permanently linking the country to European and East African markets through the Middle East and Indian Ocean. In terms of potential scope, the project has been compared with the US Marshal Plan which drove reconstruction in Europe from the late 1940s onwards and established US political hegemony in the western world during the most important years of the Cold War. More than $300bn has already been spent on the project since its announcement in September 2013, with at least another trillion dollars anticipated within the next decade. Through these funds China is aiming to develop an infrastructural network across the developing world vast enough to begin challenging the US's status as the pre-eminent global superpower. Reaching Europe represents the logical conclusion of this project. Not only would it give China greater access to the largest single market economy in the world, but it would allow it to cultivate a relationship with the United States's most important political partner. The Chinese understand this, promoting the initiative as the culmination of an historical destiny which stretches back many thousands of years: the long-awaited connection of humanity's two greatest civilisations, which emerged independently of each other on opposite sides of the great landmass Eurasia, which they can now finally master as coequal empires. This is an extremely powerful piece of myth making, from which the United States is, of course, conveniently excluded. It is additionally worth noting that those of us in the developed West who might be apprehensive about drifting into such close ties with an increasingly authoritarian China may not have much choice in the matter either way if we plan on maintaining the European Union. This is because in necessarily accessing our markets via theirs, the initiative stands to benefit the economically lagging Eastern Europe more than anyone. To this end it is buttressed by the 16+1 initiative, which aims to develop closer economic ties between China and the eastern states in suspiciously non-transparent deal-making. When it comes to fully realising these illustrious goals, Iran is indispensable. Not only does its highly educated population of 80m and enormously lucrative oil and gas reserves make it an essential Chinese trading partner in its own right, but more importantly, its geographical location, pinched in between the Caspian Sea and Arabian Gulf, make it China's only viable land bridge out of Central Asia. In other words a strong trade link with Iran is the difference between China the regional superpower and China the global superpower. So how does this affect the United States? While the extent of US investment throughout the world means it would benefit monetarily from the sheer uptake in trade involved, ultimately these would be the residuals of a Chinese system, operating on Chinese terms. Europe, which has settled rather well over the years into its role as the sophisticated trophy wife of power politics, may be able to abide by such a transition, but the Americans are not about to play second string to anyone. They have therefore found themselves playing the containment game once more. The last administration's strategy was, one might say, more proactive in this regard. As the Iranian regime floundered in the wake of the Green Movement of 2009, Obama rode in with a lifeline. The historic Iran deal of 2015 stabilised the Iranian economy, and set the stage for an unlikely mending of relations between the two countries. While not necessarily bad for China, in that it allowed them to further invest in Iran also, it might have been the occasion for a concentrated influence race between the world's two premier powers, which the US would have been in a reasonably good position to win. A risky strategy perhaps, but a strategy all the same. Trump's strategy is riskier still. In pulling out of the Iran deal he has badly damaged America's global reputation and risked totally alienating his European allies, but he has also thrown the Iranian economy back into disarray, and deeply strengthened US relations with Israel and Saudi Arabia. Many articles were published in the fallout of his decision discussing how the move drives Iran into the arms of China, but this, in Trump's eyes, may not be a bad thing. What better way to stop China coasting to victory as it were, than by forcing them to play their hand in a decisive way at the most inopportune moment imaginable? In the midst of an unprecedentedly large trade war which is already beginning to slow both country's growth, Trump's Iranian play aims to shake up a hornets' nest of social distress and then force the Chinese to reach their hand in to clean up the mess. Whether or not the strategy works, the reasoning behind it exhibits a surprisingly sophisticated reading of Iranian history. For a while now the Iranians have been stuck trying to decide whom they despise more between their own leaders and the leaders of other, globally ambitious countries. While in recent years the first hatred has become naturally hotter to the touch, the second is a more ossified beast, born out of 200 years' experience being tossed around as the pet project, first of Russia and the British Empire and then later on of the United States itself. Although the revolution of 1979 certainly wore an Islamist skin, at its beating heart was a strong anti-colonial fervour. Against this political backdrop, the image of an under-prepared China acting too quickly to prop up a failing regime could be disastrous. Any apparent rerun of the 1953 Mosaddeq crisis would not be tolerated for a moment by the Iranians, and yet it may be no worse an option for the Chinese than trying to deal down the road with a consolidated, nationalistic Iran which is strongly suspicious of outsiders. In fact, such an Iran would constitute one of the few educated peoples in the world who wouldn't be inclined to laugh along with the rest of the UN assembly when Trump starts talking about putting his own nation first, and keeping out of others' business. North Koreas foreign minister has urged the United States to keep moving past what he called seven decades of entrenched hostility if it wants to restart stalled negotiations meant to rid Pyongyang of its nuclear bombs. Boiling the rivals diplomatic standoff down to the Norths deepening feeling of mistrust, Ri Yong Ho sought to lay out a vision of peace on the troubled Korean Peninsula provided the North gets what it wants from the US. Mr Ri, standing at a podium at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, said North Korea was ready to implement the points that his leader, Kim Jong Un, and US president Donald Trump agreed to in June during a summit in Singapore. But his comments were infused with what came across as impatience at the slow pace of progress in a process the world hopes will cause Pyongyang to abandon an arsenal of nuclear-tipped missiles that aims to accurately target the entire US mainland. Expand Close North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho addresses the United Nations General Assembly (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho addresses the United Nations General Assembly (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) In recent weeks, Mr Kim has said he would permanently dismantle North Koreas main nuclear complex, but only if the US takes unspecified corresponding measures. Mr Kim has also promised to accept international inspectors to monitor the closing of a key missile test site and launch pad. The North, however, does not see any corresponding response from Washington. On the contrary, Mr Ri said, the US is increasing pressure and sanctions. The perception that sanctions can bring us on our knees is a pipe dream of the people who are ignorant of us, he said, adding that the continued sanctions were deepening our mistrust and deadlocking the current diplomacy. Without any trust in the US, there will be no confidence in our national securityand under such circumstances there is no way we will unilaterally disarm ourselves first, he said. The perception that sanctions can bring us on our knees is a pipe dream of the people who are ignorant of usRi Yong Ho There was no immediate response from Washington. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said last week he would return to Pyongyang to set up a sequel to the Singapore meeting between Mr Kim and Mr Trump. Once the Singapore agreements are implemented, the current trend toward detente will turn into durable peace and the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula will also be achieved, Mr Ri said. The Korean Peninsula, the hottest spot in the globe, will become the cradle of peace and prosperity. After their summit in Singapore, Mr Trump and Mr Kim issued a vague statement about a nuclear-free peninsula without describing when and how it would occur. Post-summit nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang were rocky and quickly settled into a stalemate. There is widespread scepticism that Pyongyang is serious about renouncing an arsenal that it likely sees as the only way to guarantee its safety. Senior Trump administration officials have insisted the White House is not micromanaging a new FBI background check of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and that senators are dictating the parameters of the investigation. President Donald Trump initially opposed such an investigation in the face of sexual misconduct claims against Kavanaugh, but the president and Senate Republican leaders agreed to an inquiry after Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona made clear he would not vote to confirm Kavanaugh without one. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said oversight of the investigation belonged to the Senate. The White House counsel has allowed the Senate to dictate what these terms look like and what the scope of the investigation is, she said. The White House isnt intervening. Were not micromanaging this process. Its a Senate process. It has been from the beginning, and were letting the Senate continue to dictate what the terms look like. White House counsellor Kellyanne Conway said the investigation will be limited in scope and will not be a fishing expedition. The FBI is not tasked to do that. Yet the precise scope of the investigation remained unclear. Mr Trump told reporters the FBI, as you know, is all over talking to everybody and said this could be a blessing in disguise. They have free rein, he added. Theyre going to do whatever they have to do, whatever it is they do. Theyll be doing things that we have never even thought of. And hopefully at the conclusion everything will be fine. The president revisited the question of scope on Twitter, writing in part: I want them to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion. Ms Sanders said Mr Trump, who has vigorously defended Kavanaugh but also raised the slight possibility of withdrawing the nomination should damaging information be found, will listen to the facts of the FBI investigation. But she expressed confidence that no new information will be uncovered, noting the allegations did not surface during the judges six prior background checks for positions in the executive and judicial branches of government. I think were all pretty confident, given that weve been through this process a number of times, but we would assess that at that point, Ms Sanders said. At least three women have accused Kavanaugh, a federal appeals court judge, of years-ago misconduct. He denies all the claims. The lawyer for Deborah Ramirez, who has accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct when they were students at Yale classmates, has agreed to cooperate with the FBI. Ms Ramirez alleged Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party in the early 1980s. A third woman, Julie Swetnick, accused Kavanaugh and his high school friend Mark Judge of excessive drinking and inappropriate treatment of women in the early 1980s, among other accusations. Kavanaugh has called her accusations a joke and Judge said he categorically denies the allegations. Swetnicks attorney, Michael Avenatti, said his client had not been contacted by the FBI but was willing to cooperate with investigators. Judge, who California professor Christine Blasey Ford says was in the room when a drunken Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her, said he will cooperate with any law enforcement agency that will confidentially investigate sexual misconduct allegations against them. He has also denied misconduct allegations. Expand Close Christine Blasey Ford waves as she testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday (Tom Williams/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Christine Blasey Ford waves as she testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday (Tom Williams/AP) Lawyers for PJ Smyth and Leland Ingham Keyser, two others who Ms Ford said were in the house when she was attacked, have said their clients are willing to cooperate fully with the FBI. An attorney for Ms Keyser reaffirmed her previous statement that she does not know Kavanaugh and has no recollection of ever being at a gathering or party where he was present, the Senate Judiciary Committee said in a statement. Calls for an FBI investigation of Kavanaugh mounted after Ms Ford alleged he sexually assaulted her at a party when they were teenagers. Kavanaugh has denied being the perpetrator. In duelling appearances on Thursday, he and Ms Ford told their stories during sworn testimony before the Senate Committee. The panel voted on Friday, along party lines, to send the nomination to the full Senate, and Mr Flake then offered his proposal for the FBI investigation. Mr Trump ordered the FBI to reopen Kavanaughs background investigation, delaying a final vote on the nomination. The committee has said the probe should be limited to current credible allegations against Kavanaugh and be finished by Friday. The FBI conducts background checks for federal nominees, but the agency does not make judgments on the credibility or significance of allegations. The investigators will compile information about Kavanaughs past and provide their findings to the White House and include the information in Kavanaughs background file, which is available to senators. Ms Sanders spoke on Fox News Sunday and Ms Conway appeared on CNNs State of the Union. Over 11 million tourists have visited Turkeys Antalya city since the beginning of the year, Trend reported citing the Turkish media. According to the Culture and Tourism Department of Antalya province, from September 1 to September 29, 2018, 1,877,500 tourists arrived in the region through the airports of Antalya and Gazipasa. The number of tourists increased by 25 percent compared to the same period of 2017. "From January 1 to September 29, 11.4 million tourists arrived in the region through two airports, the department said. Thus, 10.71 million tourists arrived at the Antalya Airport, while 287,800 - Gazipasa Airport. The number tourists grew by 28 percent compared to the same period of 2017." During the reporting period, 2,416,100 tourists visited Antalya which is more than in 2017. When two people are in love, no distance is too long that can't be covered. While we have heard how people cross oceans for people they love, it's true in the literal sense in case of Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas. To give his fiance' Priyanka Chopra a company in Mumbai, he flew down to be with her. PC is in Mumbai currently for the shoot of her upcoming film 'Sky Is Pink' and to make sure that she doesn't miss her beau, Nick came to give her company. After landing in Mumbai on Saturday, Priyanka and Nick went out on a special dinner date. Without shying away from the paps or people, PC and Nick held hands as they walked towards the cafe. Before joining PC in India, the couple was in Italy to attend Isha Ambani's engagement ceremony at Lake Como in Italy. They were also spotted lazying around on a special pool-side date with Sonam Kapoor Ahuja and Anand Ahuja. Taapsee said, I dont want to label Tanushree Dutta as an attention seeker. I am not going to judge her whatsoever but with this, we finally have these issues on the forefront. There are other women out there with similar stories and with Tanushree talking about it, we have other women feeling more empowered and courageous to tell their stories too." US television host Padma Lakshmi's op-ed in the New York Times was not only a way for her to speak her truth, but it was also a way for others to realize the truth about their own actions. The Top Chef host, 48, spoke at the Open Endoscopy Forum on Friday - just three days after she wrote a powerful piece for the Times in which she revealed she was raped by her 23-year-old boyfriend when she was 16. Speaking at the forum held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lakshmi told the audience that she had one woman approach her to tell the host how she was personally impacted by the op-ed, reports people.com. Sharing her story on Twitter, she wrote, "He was a friend. It was New Year's Eve my senior year of high school. Everyone was drunk. He broke into the bathroom I was in. I hoped it was a dream but my ripped tights in the morning proved otherwise. I thought no one would believe me. I didn't want to be called dramatic. After all, I didn't say no. Shock can do that to a person. While we have heard how people cross oceans for people they love, it's true in the literal sense in case of Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas. To give his fiance' Priyanka Chopra a company in Mumbai, he flew down to be with her. PC is in Mumbai currently for the shoot of her upcoming film 'Sky Is Pink' and to make sure that she doesn't miss her beau, Nick came to give her company. He was referring to the rapes in Unnao and Kathua while ironically being the face of the governments Beti Padao, Beti bachao campaign. Despite such hypocrisy, we continue to see his name on hoardings. In an operation spread over a week, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) with the help of a team of scientists from Defence Research & Development Establishment busted an illegal laboratory in Indore and recovered 9 kg of a deadly synthetic opioid, fentanyl, that could have potentially killed 4-5 million people. Run by a local businessman and a US-hating PhD scholar chemist, the fentanyl seizure, first in India, has raised security concerns in Delhi as the chemical can cause large-scale casualties if used in chemical warfare, a scenario reminiscent of the plot in Alistair Macleans thriller Satan Bug. A Mexican national has also been arrested. Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and even inhaling its particles can be fatal. This is the first significant seizure of Fentanyl by any law enforcement agency in India. reuters/representational image It is a landmark and unique seizure as DRI has been able to thwart first attempts to manufacture this toxic drug in India , said D P Dash, DG, DRI. The discovery has baffled scientists because manufacturing the drug requires the kind of expertise which is available only to trained scientists and high-end research laboratories. It is a controlled substance used with other medication for anaesthesia and pain relief. The drug spreads easily. Absorbed through the skin or inhaled accidentally, just 2mg two milligrams of Fentanyl is enough to kill a person. bccl/representational image A team of experienced scientists dealing with protection against chemical and biological warfare were called from the DRDE, a defence laboratory of the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), to confirm and authenticate the seizure of Fentanyl last week. A 100 times stronger than morphine, the value of the narcotic seized is Rs 110 crore. Usually Fentanyl is trafficked by drug syndicates to US where it fetches a high street price and is sold as pills mixed with other chemicals. Sources said, quoting estimates made by US authorities, that more than 20,000 people have died by overdose of Fentanyl in US in 2016. The common street names of Fantanyl pills is Apache, China Girl, China Town, said agency sources. reuters/representational image Recently, the Mexican drug cartels have started using India as a base to manufacture the lethal drug, shifting operations from China where a crackdown has begun. Indian authorities are tracking the procurement of precursor chemical 4ANPP which is used to manufacture the deadly Fentanyl. Till recently it was smuggled from China but it is not known how this has infiltrated into the illegal Indian market. If 4ANPP is not available, Fentanyl can be manufactured using another precursor chemical NPP but it requires advanced skills, sources said. Recently, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi was awarded United Nations highest environmental honour, Champions of Earth award for his leadership in International solar alliance and pledge to eliminate single-use plastic by 2022. Now, Indias health ministry along with National Health Missions Director, Manoj Jhalani have been conferred with the UN Interagency Task Force (UNIATF) Award for their contribution towards prevention and control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). The award ceremony which took place in New York on sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly saw Union health minister JP Nadda accepting the awards on behalf of the health ministry, the Hindustan Times reported. Photo: BCCL National Multisectoral NCD Action Plan was developed by the Indian Health ministry that involved 39 ministries to combat the non-communicable diseases. President of the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), K Srinath Reddy had nominated the Action Plan for the award categories. NCDs lead to 62% of deaths in India and the health ministrys action plan focused on areas of tobacco control, control on excessive consumption of fats, salt, and sugar along with controlling air pollution. India not only adopted the World Health Organizations Global Action Plan on NCDs but also set its 10th target by undertaking the the National Monitoring Framework on NCDs. Photo: BCCL/Patient friendly services being inaugurated by the Union Health ministry The NMAP which is considered as the national blueprint for combating non-communicable diseases was established by conducting various meetings with diverse stakeholders from various government departments, civil society organisations, academic and research institutes, policy think-tanks and policy experts. WHO India office had nominated Manoj Jhalani for his contribution in strengthening the national programme for controlling NCDs. The programme not only covers all the states and union territories now but has grown by leaps and bounds in the last four weeks. According to media reports, the government has also initiated a population level screening, early detection, risk reduction and management initiative in almost 200 districts under the programme, which aims to provide free diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up to 500 million adults. A Pakistani helicopter was seen violating Indian airspace in the Poonch area of Jammu & Kashmir, following which the army tried to shoot it down. The video of the same is doing rounds on the internet. Read more Here's more top news of the day: 1) 16 Trekkers, Including 10 Foreigners, Missing In Himachal Pradeshs Chamba District Amid Deadly Weather Representational Image Extreme weather conditions have displaced hundreds of people Himachal Pradesh following incessant rains and snowfall. Sixteen trekkers, including 10 foreigners, have gone missing in the higher reaches of tribal Pangi sub-division in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh. Read more 2) Alwar Mob Lynching Victim Pehlu Khans Sons, Key Witnesses Shot At On Way To Court AFP/Representational Image Prime witnesses in Pehlu Khan mob lynching case, including his two sons, were shot at by a group of unknown assailants on Saturday morning while they were on their way to a court in Rajasthan's Behror to depose in the case. Read more 3) Left With Just 2, Indian Navy Urgently Needs Minesweeper Ships To Safeguard Its Coastlines The Indian Navy is not in a very good position to safeguard the countrys sea lanes and ports spread across thousands of kilometres of coastlines in the east in western seaboards as it has only two minesweeper ships at its disposal. Read more 4) Wife Of Murdered Apple Executive Given Rs 25 Lakh As Compensation And A Government Job The government has offered a compensation of Rs 25 Lakh to the wife of an Apple executive who was murdered by a police constable thinking that he is a criminal in Lucknow. Read more 5) Demonetised Currency Worth Rs 7 Lakh Found Dumped In Washrooms Dustbin In A Noida Mall The demonetisation drive will soon observe its second anniversary on November 08 this year but the demonetised currency still finds a safe haven in a washrooms dustbin in Noida. Read more Across the nation, especially while travelling along countryside, one picture that's hard to miss is women carrying cauldrons over their head and going on long (compulsive) morning/evening walks to fetch water. This image depicts India's two major issues - one, India's decade-long struggle for water, and two, women putting in tremendous efforts for themselves and their families - something not always highlighted. Due to this, they do not get enough time to perform more productive tasks, which thus hinders women's empowerment. Today, the water crisis is just as important as the women's issue. As per data revealed by National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), a wing of the ministry of statistics and programme implementation, in 2012, about 54% of rural women had to travel between 200 m to five km each day to get drinking water. Rutuja Chougale Every year, a rural woman would spend 210 hours fetching water. Also, this leads to a loss of 27 days of wages for household task, the NSSO data points out. It is the woman's responsibility to collect, transport, store and manage water. This has become a major obstacle in girls' education. India, which receives 90% of its rain through seasonal rainfall, possesses 4% of the world's fresh water, and supports 16% of world's inhabitants. This fresh water supply is under great threat due to over-pumping of water for Agrarian purposes, leading to a depletion in the level of groundwater, which calls for an urgent need to recharge the water table. Rutuja Chougale Fortunately, there are various technologies designed by our ancestors for water storage, such as composite dams, masonry weirs, vanarai bandhara and more. Percolation tanks are one of the best examples of the watershed development programme. This water harvesting structure is effective for recharging groundwater. Generally, it is constructed across streams and bigger gullies. In this geo-hydrological phenomenon, water finds its way into the subsoil, recharging the groundwater level. Bhudargad sees the benefit There are many percolation tanks in the Kolhapur district, which Maharashtra built for the purpose of water conservation. Percolation tanks are artificially created on the surface of a water body, submerging in its reservoir a highly permeable land so that surface run-off is made to percolate and recharge groundwater. Rutuja Chougale They are suitable for alluvial as well as hard rock formations. In Pachawade village of Bhudargad tahsil, percolation tanks have proved efficient for water storage. It has reduced women's efforts, as well as brought great benefits to crop production. The tank is constructed on a plateau, surrounded by various hills. Rainfall in the locality is high due to thick forest cover. Run-off water gets collected in the reservoir. At the centre, there is an underground well, which gets refilled due to percolated water. Also, at the bottom of the downstream recharge area, there are wells that get benefits from the percolated water. One-foot wide & 1.5 feet deep trenches remove the excess water from the tank. It is then diverted to the field for crop production. Also, water from the reservoir is connected to the jack well, which is channeled through pipes to taps in village homes. Prior to this construction, water scarcity was the main challenge in the area. The project was initiated by the then district supply officer Shankar Khopade. By considering the need of villagers, Khopade, who is now retired, proposed the construction of percolation tanks to the District Planning Committee. After approval, percolation tank of 1/2 tmc capacity was built. Today, the responsibility of maintenance of the reservoir lies with the Gram Panchayat and Panchayat samiti and gramsevak P S Katkar is the person-in-charge. "Today, desilting needs to be undertaken to improve the working condition of percolation tank," Katkar says. Rutuja Chougale Parvati Chougale, an 82-year-old who has witnessed the progress in availability and access to clean water, says, "Earlier, all us women of Pachawade would walk four kms every day to fetch water for household use. Washing clothes and other chores were carried out at Cheral well, located in the hilly region. It used to take half a day and I couldn't send my daughters to school due to this responsibility. After the construction of the percolation tank, all our issues have been sorted out as there is no need to go out for water. It is a safe source of drinking water." Her younger son, Balasaheb Chougale, 54, who saw the crisis first-hand and is now benefiting from the structure, says, "Watershed development has really proved to be a boon for our village.It was built around 1986. Water scarcity was a major issue in the summers. There were limited water sources in the village. Construction of the percolation tank, jack well and other wells have benefited our village. It has also saved the women from putting in so much effort. Girls from the next generation are able to attend school due to the time saved. The literary rate has gone up too." Chougale is a primary school teacher at Nilpan. Rutuja Chougale Among the younger generation, Rupesh Bhandigare, 35, who grew up with the percolation tank, says, "The reservoir is not only useful in boosting agrarian production, but has also played a major role in raising the overall economic status of the villager. The location of the reservoir is such that it has became a wonderful recreation spot for us." Thus Percolation tank has brought prosperity to the village. Though water scarcity has been a major issue, there are several local watershed structures playing a big role in conservation. By studying and adapting such practices, we can bring relief to the half-billion population, that is women, and their efforts can be diverted to more productive activities such as entrepreneurship, education and sports. The author is a Pune-based freelance writer. Prime Minister Narendra Modis Swachch Bharat campaign is nearing its fourth year anniversary on October 02, however, a selfie with garbage campaign seems to be gaining more prominence in the national capital. A certain section of sanitation workers in New Delhi has been on strike since the past 17 days because their demands remain unaddressed by the local and civic authorities. While many workers demand that their salary hasnt been increased, many contractual workers havent been made permanent despite working for decades. The female sanitation workers allege that they dont have proper toilets and others are demanding arrears. As a result, piles of garbage can be seen lying in the open, in front of medical clinics, shops, marketplaces, at a time when people are falling prey to a record number of dengue cases. A joint front from East Delhis residents' welfare association has, therefore, started the selfie with garbage campaign where annoyed residents are posting pictures with heaps of squalor around their residential areas. Geeta Colony, Krishna Nagar, Dharampura, Vikas Marg markets, Kailash Nagar and Gandhi Nagar are witnessing alarming levels of filth and dirt. B S Vohra, who heads RWA Bhagidari Movement told TOI, No solution is in sight. The corporation says it has no funds. The Delhi government says it has released funds. The corporation claims that it is facing an acute financial crunch as the Delhi government has refused to allocate funds as per the fourth Delhi Finance Commissions recommendations despite an order from the high court. Many sanitation workers who have been working since 1998 deserve regularisation. The money will come later but administrative approval should be given, said the president of the workers union, Sanjay Gahlot. Though, mass regularisation is not an option since it would generate a hefty amount of salary bills as well as arrears. Meanwhile, Corporation commissioner Ranbir Singh said they had been talking to the protesting unions. The government has offered a compensation of Rs 25 Lakh to the wife of an Apple executive who was murdered by a police constable thinking that he is a criminal in Lucknow. Kalpana Tiwari, the wife of victim Vivek Tiwari, had earlier demanded a compensation of Rs One crore and a government job. Meanwhile, the Lucknow district magistrate also said that the enquiry into the matter will be completed in 30 days. All demands of the family sanctioned, given in written. If they want CBI enquiry, then it will be initiated.Job will be given to his wife&Rs. 25 lakhs will be given as compensation. Enquiry will be completed within 30 days: Lucknow DM on Vivek Tiwari shot at by police constable. pic.twitter.com/cZUPJu2iSw ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 29, 2018 UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath said that the state government is open to refer the matter to the CBI, maintaining that the incident was not an encounter. Earlier, the police said the post-mortem report has confirmed a bullet injury on the left side of the chin. "Post-mortem report establishes a firearm injury from a bullet on the left side of the chin, viscera of the victim has been preserved. A thorough investigation is being conducted to establish the sequence of events," Anand Kumar, UP ADG Law & Order, said. 38-year-old Vivek Tiwari was in a car with a former woman colleague when he was shot dead by a UP police constable during early hours on Saturday. Human activities like hunting, poaching, excessive tourism is leading to the extinction of a wide variety of species all around the globe. At the beginning of this month, the world was left in tears when popular Brazilian parrot, Spixs Macaw was declared extinct in the wild according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) red list. Different ways of keeping the endangered species alive in the habitat are being developed by researchers and scholars. The South African nation has perhaps made a revolution in this area by producing the first ever pair of lion cubs to be born by artificial means, news agency AFP reported. Photo: AFP/ World's first pair of lion cubs born through artificial insemination in South Africa's Pretoria A pair of absolutely healthy and spirited African lion cubs could be seen playing at a conservation centre outside of South Africas administrative capital, Pretoria. The avant-garde was carried out by the scientists of the University of Pretoria who had been researching the reproductive system of female African lions and carrying out intensive trials for the last 18 months. Andre Ganswindt, the Director of the University of Pretoria's mammal research institute informed that the cubs were born on August 25 and are absolutely healthy. Ganswindt further said that they had collected the semen from a perfectly healthy lion. Photo: AFP When the hormone levels of the lion were found to be feasible, she was inseminated artificially. "There were several attempts, but surprisingly it didn't take too much effort", Ganswindt further added saying that luckily the insemination process was successful. This breakthrough invention could be used to preserve other endangered species. The lions can simply be moved for the sole process of breeding where the sperm can be transported to receptive females. In Northern America and Europe, elephants are being bred in captivity in the same way. The research for reproduction of lions was carried out by a Spanish veterinarian and PhD student at the University of Pretoria, Isabel Callealta. Photo: AFP Isabel personally trained the lions who would lie next to a fence and would freely give blood samples to determine hormonal levels and assess the perfect time for insemination. Imke Lueders, a scientist involved in the study told AFP "Having the first lion cubs ever born from artificial insemination in their natural range country, and not in a zoo overseas, is an important milestone for South Africa". However, animal welfare organisations have their qualms regarding this practice. For instance, Mark Jones of the Born Free Foundation said that the captive lion breeding industry in South Africa is exploitative and profit-driven. The industry earns a fortune by conducting interaction activities like lion cub petting and lion walks, canned lion trophy hunting and the lion skeleton trade while doing nothing to save the lion. Photo: AFP A group of 18 international and African conservation organisations wrote a letter addressed to the scientists saying they do not support the study, but did acknowledge artificial insemination could help other imperiled wild cats like the cheetah. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), only 20,000 lions are left in 26 African countries with the African lion being the most vulnerable and the numbers in the wild have plummeted 43 percent over the last two decades. Dear Facebook, We've been together a long time, and I dont know if I've ever appreciated you for what you do. You remind me of birthdays I'd surely miss otherwise, you help me keep in touch with old friends, for a while there you even had a few games I enjoyed. Times have really changed since, youve gotten bigger and absorbed my favourite messaging client. Which brings me to my main point. ALSO READ: A Hacker Will Delete Zuckerberg's Facebook Page At 3:30 PM IST On Sunday, And You Can Watch It Live Thank you so much for not pushing ads straight into my WhatsApp inbox. I really appreciate not being spammed in chats the way I've been through SMS. You know, to the point the Indian government believes it necessary to take executive action? Anyway, I do appreciate not having to slog through ads in my chat logs for an overpriced flat i can't afford, or a feminine hygiene product I don't need, or how to get healthy on Ayurvedic medication. Seriously, thanks for not doing that. However, I do feel like we need to address a little bit of oversight that might have occurred between that whole data privacy hullabaloo earlier this year and now. You see, the problem I had then wasn't JUST specifically with the fact that my data wasn't being regulated once out of your hands. I also kinda didn't like that you weren't being completely honest. I mean think about it. Have I ever complained when you've shown me ads in my timeline? I know you have a job to do and you need to be paid for it, so 've tried to be a good friend. But then you started taking more and more data. And I think I'm obliged, as your friend, to let you know you're kinda losing it. I'm honestly fine with you letting business partners proposition me in your office, your platform, because at least then they ask if I want to chat with them on WhatsApp. But when you send their ads straight to my Status tab, you're basically sending strangers into my home. Oh, I can opt-out? Oh how lovely. Sure, go ahead and keep having strangers wait in my living room, I mean it's all ok if I can kick them out once theyre already sitting on my couch right? It doesn't matter that they've already poked their noses through my things right? That's totally not an invasion of my privacy. Sigh... Look. Im trying to stay calm here, but you do make things difficult. I mean, did all the trouble with the US senate and the Indian government, and so many other places teach you nothing? Even as I write this, I hear that you've been hacked and sensitive information of 50 million Facebook users has been siphoned off. I mean I know you've grown, but I thought you would've grown up, too. Let me appeal to your sense of reason here. How long do you think people are going to tolerate your behaviour? Sure, you were kind of a big deal back in the day, but you know there are plenty of other guys to post and share and like with right? Most of the people coming back to you right now are older and don't like change, but even they won't stand for the same nonsense a second time. I knew things were going downhill when Brian and Jan left, but now I hear Kevin and Mike are gone too? And Brian's been telling everyone how awful you are and all the horrible plans you have, shouldn't at least that make you take the hint? Can anyone stand to work with you anymore? I dont know, that's just my two cents on the matter. I've been seeing the path you've set yourself on, and it doesn't look good. Everyday I hope you learn from past mistakes, but that seems like a distant possibility now. Maybe there's still a chance for you, but only if you wake up and take a good look in the mirror. You can lose money, it's always possible to earn it back later. But once you lose the trust of the people youre appealing to, it's a harsh climb back out of that pit. I hope you read this Facebook, and I hope you listen. It's been fun, but there are some things I'm willing to deal with from you, and some things I'm not. So learn and change before it becomes too much. Or it may be too late. Signed Your old friend Now a distant well-wisher Macedonians were deciding Sunday on their country's future, voting in a referendum on whether to accept a landmark deal ending a decades-old dispute with neighboring Greece by changing their country's name to North Macedonia, paving the way to NATO membership, Fox News reported. The June deal would end a dispute dating from the early 1990s when Macedonia declared independence from Yugoslavia. Greece argued use of the term implied territorial ambitions on its own province of the same name, and blocked the country's efforts to join NATO. But the agreement has faced vocal opposition from much of the public on both sides of the border. Opponents in Macedonia, including the country's president, Gjorge Ivanov, have called for a boycott of Sunday's referendum. Ivanov has called the deal "poisonous" and a "flagrant violation of sovereignty." Voters heading to polling stations were confronted with the question: "Are you in favor of membership in NATO and European Union by accepting the deal between (the) Republic of Macedonia and Republic of Greece?" The referendum was called as a consultative, non-binding move even though the vote was not required as part of the deal. The distinction means the government could take the outcome as a fair reflection of public opinion and act accordingly, regardless of how many Macedonians participate in the referendum. Under the country's constitution, a binding referendum would need a minimum turnout of 50 percent to be considered valid. We all have bad days when Murphys law is in full swing which means that everything that can go wrong will go wrong. But we bet you, you cannot be having a bad day that worse than Mandie Stevensons. The 29-year-old was diagnosed with cancer in 2015. While filling an application form for visa waiver to the United States, she mistakenly marked herself as a terrorist. According to a BBC report, while filling the online application form she was asked whether she is seeking to or has engaged in terrorist activities or genocide. To this she mistakenly seems to have answered yes. Gadgets now She explained how the mistake probably happened. I believe I ticked no and then when I have scrolled down to click confirm, I think it has nudged and moved. Thats the story Im sticking to, she told BBC on the show Mornings With Stephen Jardine. At first, I thought it was a bad dream and then I realised what I had done, she added. Needless to say, all of this quickly turned into a nightmare. Stevenson, who hails from Falkirk, Scotland had her visa rejected. She then had to fly to the US embassy in London to convince the authorities that what she had said in the form was a mistake and she did not pose any kind of threat to anyone around her. After multiple and intense interviews, she was granted a full visa but was told that her visa might not arrive before her scheduled flight. She suffered losses of about 800 (Rs 75,589) in order to reschedule her flight. Heres hoping she finally makes it to New York safe and sound. When Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi alleged Indias involvement in 2014 Peshawar school attack, he probably did not know that he would get a more than befitting reply. Eenam Gambhir, Indias First Secretary in Permanent Mission of India to UN exercised the right to reply and gave it back to Pakistan in words that it best understands. This morning my delegation came to this august assembly to listen attentively to the new Foreign Min of Pakistan outline the vision of a new Pakistan. What we heard is a new Pakistan cast in the mould of old: Eenam Gambhir, India's First Secy in Permanent Mission of India to UN pic.twitter.com/SuI8my3UpQ ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2018 Among the most outrageous was the preposterous allegation relating to the horrific terror attack on a Peshawar school four years ago. Let me recollect for the new government of Pakistan the outpouring of sorrow and pain in India that followed the massacre of innocent children in 2014. Both houses of Indias Parliament had expressed solidarity while paying respect to the memory of those killed. Schools all over India had observed two minutes of silence in their memory," she said. She also said that it was a new Pakistan cast in the mould of old and that it had created the monster of terror it was now trying to ignore. Heres her complete speech: Bill Ackman has seen better days. His high-flying hedge fund, Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd., was once the envy of money managers everywhere, boasting a 40% return for 2014 (the S&P returned 13% the same year). However, due to the implosion of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. and his battle with Carl Icahn over Herbalife Ltd (HLF), Pershing Squares returns have been severely diminished: The fund posted a YTD return of 15.8% as of September 30, 2018, - 4.0% for 2017, and -13.5% for 2016, thus grossly underperforming the market. In October 2018, CNBC reported that Ackman's Pershing Square Capital made a$900 million bet on Starbucks. It was reported in February 2018, Ackman exited his entire $1-billion short bet against Herbalife. The fund faced a wave of redemption from institutional investors like the Blackstone Group and many asset managers like JP Morgan are no longer recommending it to clients, reported the Wall Street Journal in April. Here is a brief look back at the best and worst highlights of Bill Ackmans investing career. Hits Municipal Bond Insurance Association Inc. (MBI) One of Ackmans biggest successes came even before he founded Pershing. In 2002, 36-year-old Ackman was one of the first investors who noticed something was amiss in the billions of dollars worth of credit default swaps (CDS) against mortgage-backed collateral debt obligations (CDOs) that MBIA was as a counterparty to (Ackman's thesis). Ackman acted on his hunch by purchasing his own credit default swaps against MBIAs own debt, as well as shorting the companys stock, betting that the insurer would go into default due to its CDO exposure. After five years of slugging it out with MBIAs management, Ackmans persistence paid off as the bond insurers shares and debt ratings plunged during the 2008 financial crisis. The Wendy's Company (WEN) Wendys was one of Ackmans first successes at the helm of Pershing. In 2004, Pershing took a large stake in the fast-food chain and successfully pressured management to spin off its Tim Hortons brand (a veritable religion in Canada). Ackman would later exit his position at a substantial profit, though Wendys stock price would underperform in the post-spinoff, without the presence of its fastest-growing unit. (For a comparison, read about Burger King, Tim Hortons and Restaurant Brands International.) General Growth Properties Inc. The greatest bet of Ackmans career, and arguably one of the best hedge fund trades of all time, was Pershing Squares turnaround of troubled mall operator General Growth Properties from the brink of bankruptcy, netted the hedge fund a whopping $1.6 billion return on a $60 million investment. Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. (CP) In 2011, after Pershing acquired a 14.2% stake in CP, a fierce proxy battle between the CP Board and Ackmans hedge fund ensued. Eventually, Pershing emerged victorious, afterward installing a new CEO and revamping the companys business strategy. As reported by the Financial Post, the results were a dramatic increase in CPs stock from $49 per share to $220 per share from September 2011 to December 2014. In 2016, Pershing sold its 6.7% stake valued at approximately $1.45 billion. Misses Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. Unless youve been living in a cave, you would be well aware of Pershing Squares nightmarish position in the troubled pharmaceutical company, Valeant. Originally entered at around $180 per share, Ackmans massive 8.5% stake in the company has been thoroughly smashed, following accusations of channel stuffing/fraud levied against Valeant. The company is battling a host of challenges, including management mishaps, horrible earnings and guidance slashes, shady conference calls, and the possibility of covenant breaches leading to technical defaults on the companys debt. On March 13, 2017, it was reported that Pershing Square had sold its entire position, taking a loss of more than $3 billion. But that wasn't the end of the story for Valeant. Target Corporation (TGT) Even the most bull-headed investors have to throw in the towel sometimes. While Ackman ultimately triumphed in his proxy battle at CP rail, the results were starkly different when Pershing attempted to take over five board seats in the second-largest discount retailer in the United States. Unable to convince shareholders, which mostly consisted of his peers in the Wall Street institutional investment community, that him and his choice of board members were the right people for the job, and faced with staggering losses in a fund he specifically set up to invest in Target derivatives, Ackman eventually was forced to throw in the towel (Source: Barrons). Borders Group Another misstep in Ackmans career was his activist position in the now-defunct Borders Group. After taking a stake in the bookseller in 2006 and boosting his holdings in 2008, Ackman entered into loan agreements as Borders tried to find a buyer for itself. Even after pledging a $960 financing for Borders to take over Barnes & Noble Inc. (BKS), which ultimately went nowhere, Borders declared bankruptcy in 2011, losing Pershing Square hundreds of millions (WSJ). Herbalife Ltd. (HLF) Perhaps the biggest trade associated with Bill Ackman is his conviction short of health supplement company, Herbalife Ltd. (HLF). Arguing that the company was a pyramid scheme, with an intrinsic value of zero, Ackman entered into a short position worth $1 billion in 2012. The trade has been chronicled at length by almost every financial news outlet even to this day and was famous for an on-air argument between Ackman and Carl Icahn on CNBC, who (amongst other major hedge fund players) had taken a long position in the stock. In the weeks following his short position, Ackman saw Herbalife's shares plunge around 60 percent, but the company has proven remarkably resilient and has rebounded to its pre-short levels, thus costing Ackman millions in borrowing fees, and paper losses. As of February 28, 2018, Ackman has reportedly exited his entire short bet on Herbalife. The Bottom Line Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman is both celebrated and derided for his confidence and tenacity when it comes to making big bets on a handful of positions. His all-or-nothing approach has led to some of the greatest, most prescient calls in the investing world and some of the biggest busts. By Joe Leogue Want to pass your driving test? Head west and avoid Dublin. An analysis of figures over a 10-year period shows some driving test centres in the west consistently rank above average national pass rates, while areas in the Dublin region suffer the lowest. The Irish Examiner examined the pass rates of the Road Safety Authoritys (RSA) driving test centres from 2008 up to and including last year and found some consistent patterns among the 50 or so centres that issued results over the past decade. The test centre in Clifden, Co Galway, is the only such facility to appear in the top 10 highest pass rates in every year for the past 10 years. It posted a pass rate of 64.46% last year, compared with a national average of 52.9%. The lowest pass rate it recorded in the past 10 years was in 2009, when 59.5% of people taking the test in Clifden passed, compared with a national average of 51.8% that year. Centres in the west of Ireland consistently appear among the centres with the highest pass rates. Sligo, Roscommon, and Ennis have appeared in the top 10 in eight of the last 10 years. Though not appearing in the top 10 for highest pass rates as frequently as Clifden, Sligo recorded the highest average pass rate over the 2008-2017 period. The 10-year average of 67.7% in Sligo was closely followed by Ennis (67.3%), and Clifden (64%). This compared with the national average of 53.9%. At the other end of the scale, centres in and around the capital are consistently appearing in the lowest 10 pass rates every year. The centres in Finglas and Tallaght have been in among the lowest pass rates every year since 2009. Naas, Raheny, and Rathgar have appeared in the bottom 10 pass rates eight times since 2008. Between them, Raheny and Rathgar have finished bottom of the pass rates list in five of the last 10 years. The Rathgar centre, which closed in 2017, had the lowest average pass rate over the decade. Its average pass rate of just over 41% fell short of the national average of almost 54%. Advertisement By The Associated Press Sep. 28, 2018 | LOUISVILLE By The Associated Press Sep. 28, 2018 | 11:36 PM | LOUISVILLE In a victory for abortion-rights supporters, a federal judge struck down a Kentucky law that had put the state's last abortion clinic at risk of closing when Gov. Matt Bevin's administration cited it in a licensing fight with the facility. U.S. District Judge Greg Stivers, in a long-awaited ruling, said Friday that the two-decade-old law violates constitutionally protected due process rights. The law required Kentucky's abortion clinics to have written agreements with a hospital and an ambulance service in case of medical emergencies. Stivers said the so-called transfer agreements "do not advance a legitimate interest" in promoting the health of women seeking abortions. "The court has carefully reviewed the evidence presented in this case and concludes that the record is devoid of any credible proof that the challenged regulations have any tangible benefit to women's health," Stivers wrote in his 60-page ruling. "On the other hand, the regulations effectively eliminate women's rights to abortions in the state. Therefore, the challenged regulations are unconstitutional." The ruling was welcomed by the American Civil Liberties Union, which joined the legal fight on behalf of the Louisville abortion clinic. A spokeswoman for Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin said the decision will be appealed. In a statement, ACLU attorney Brigitte Amiri said: "The court's decision recognized the Kentucky law for what it is: an attack on women wrapped up in a bogus justification and pushed by politicians who've been transparent in their pursuit to ban abortion in the state of Kentucky." The governor's spokeswoman, Elizabeth Kuhn, said Bevin's administration is confident of winning a reversal on appeal. The Republican governor is a staunch abortion opponent. "We are disappointed that the court would strike down a statute that protects the health and well-being of Kentucky women," Kuhn said. EMW Women's Surgical Center, the state's last abortion clinic, challenged the state law. The case revolved around a licensing fight that began when Bevin's administration claimed the clinic lacked proper transfer agreements and took steps to shut it down. The clinic countered with a federal lawsuit to prevent the state from revoking its license, arguing that doing so would violate a woman's constitutional right to an abortion. A trial on the lawsuit was held a year ago. Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky joined the suit, claiming Bevin's administration had used the transfer agreements to block its request for a license to provide abortions in Louisville. Stivers said that despite the "best efforts" of EMW and Planned Parenthood, no Louisville hospital is willing to join in a transfer agreement. As a result, it's impossible for them to comply with requirements for transfer agreements, he said. Attorneys for the state contended the transfer agreements did not put a substantial burden on a women's right to obtain an abortion. They said the law is needed to ensure that women experiencing complications from abortions are properly transferred to hospitals. The state's attorneys also had noted the availability of abortion facilities in neighboring states, even presenting charts depicting the distance from various Kentucky cities to abortion clinics in those of other states. Stivers said the availability of out-of-state clinics did not "cure the infirmities" in the Kentucky law. "Defendants' contention that it can trample upon the rights of Kentucky women because those rights could be exercised in other states is without merit," the judge wrote. In his ruling, Stivers also referred to the testimony of one of the clinic's founders, who said he had never had a patient die because of an abortion and said the ratio of hospital admissions to abortions was about 1-in-2,000. When complications do arise, they typically occur long after women have left an abortion facility, the judge noted. "Therefore, the existence or absence of transfer or transport agreements between abortion clinics and hospitals or ambulance services has no impact on the vast majority of the rare post-abortion complications," Stivers wrote. Dr. Ernest Marshall, who opened the clinic decades ago, said the ruling means the facility will remain open. "The patients that walk through our doors have already dealt with so many obstacles," he said. "I'm glad that despite those challenges, they will still find our doors open to them thanks to this victory." The case was the latest setback for abortion foes in a bitter legal feud between the ACLU and Bevin's administration. Last year, another federal judge struck down a Kentucky law requiring doctors to perform ultrasounds and show fetal images to patients prior to abortions. Bevin's administration appealed, and a federal appeals court heard legal arguments in the case in July. Meanwhile, a new Kentucky law seeking to ban a common procedure for second-trimester abortions is on hold temporarily pending a trial later this year after the measure was challenged. The law would ban a procedure known as "dilation and evacuation." It seeks to ban those procedures performed 11 weeks after fertilization. Deput Police in Northern Ireland investigating an incident in Derry earlier this week have arrested three men. A disturbance is believed to have taken place at a property in Ballynagard Crescent at around 7.30pm on Thursday night. The Irish Navy is so understaffed that sometimes they cannot set sail, according to Senator Gerald Craughwell. The Senator said even when they do go to sea the inexperienced crews are a source of danger. Ted Ts'o: claims of a ban on his attending LCA have been denied. Claims that Linux Australia has a ban in place on well-known kernel developer Ted Ts'o attending the organisation's annual national conference which is known as LCA have been denied by LA president Kathy Reid. The claims were made by ex-kernel developer Sage (formerly Sarah) Sharp in a blog post a few days after Linux creator Linus Torvalds announced he was taking a break from leading the kernel development project in order to obtain professional advice about his behaviour issues. In the wake of Torvalds' decision claimed to have been prompted by an article in The New Yorker the project announced that its existing code of conflict would be replaced by a code of conduct. Referring to the latter code, Sharp wrote: "Its also important to note that four of the Linux Foundation Technical Advisory Board members did not sign off on the new Code of Conduct. One of them is Ted Ts'o, who was banned from Linux Conf Australia for questioning rape statistics on the conference mailing list." Sharp citedto justify the claim of a ban on Ts'o attending LCA, but the post makes no mention of any ban. On 23 September, Brisbane-based free software developer Anthony Towns raised the issue of Ts'o on the Linux Australia mailing list, asking whether the claim made by Sharp was true. "I had noticed he (Ts'o) didn't seem to be at LCA as much any more, but looking now it seems like he hasn't given a talk at any LCA since 2011 in Brisbane, which was the incident mentioned above," Towns wrote. "I'd kind of figured that Ted just didn't find LCA as fun anymore, especially given [former kernel developers] Valerie Aurora and Matthew Garrett did a big PR thing in Oct 2012 attacking him as a rape apologist based on the Jan 2011 thread. I can see how you'd see that and say 'you know, these aren't my people' and not want to visit even without a ban." Aurora has also taken aim at Ts'o in a series of tweets. Reid responded to Towns' query on Sunday, writing: "LA Council is not aware of any ban, nor can we find evidence of any ban previously being in place." In 2011, Ts'o made some comments on the mailing list of that year's conference. These were later interpreted by Aurora to call him a "rape apologist". That was picked up by Garrett and used to whack Ts'o. In response to these claims, Ts'o denied that he had ever believed that rape is not a problem. Ts'o, the main developer of the ext4 filesystem, works for Google. Attacking industrial control system computers is an attack on the computers that control the world around you, be it at a utility, factory, air-con systems and more, and these attacks are rising. It's not just a plot line from a Die Hard movie, but an actual reality attacks on systems that we as individuals don't really think about, but which can affect hundreds, thousands or even millions of people. The Shodan search engine for security, IoT, buildings, power plants, Web cams, the Web and other Internet-connected devices describes ICS in a nutshell as "computers that control the world around you. They're responsible for managing the air conditioning in your office, the turbines at a power plant, the lighting at the theatre or the robots at a factory". Whether it's nation states attacking each other in this way, or hackers with maniacal plans to cause havoc, these systems need protection more than ever in the 21st century, and there are a range of Internet security providers who do just that. One such security company is Kaspersky Lab, well known for being one of the most successful Russian tech companies, while also being a target of US intelligence agencies in claims of Russian spying that, incredibly enough, have never actually been proven. Meanwhile, Kaspersky's own customers think the company is doing an award-winning job, as you can see from the 2017 Gartner Peer Insights Customer Choice Awards for Endpoint Protection Platforms. Unfortunately, the damage to Kaspersky Lab's reputation has been done, and it will naturally take time to recover, but that hasn't stopped the company from continuing its mission to protect as many computers and technologies as it can worldwide from hackers, viruses, trojans, malware, ransomware and more, and the company is clearly concerned with its actions speaking very much louder than the words of others. This is demonstrated by the details below, which start off with Kaspersky Lab noting that over 40% of all ICS computers protected by the company's solutions "were attacked by malicious software at least once during the first half of 2018". "The most impacted countries turned out to be Vietnam, Algeria and Sri Lanka, while the safest region for industrial machines was Denmark. These are among the main findings of the Kaspersky Lab ICS CERT report on the industrial threat landscape in H1 2018." After all, it's obvious and scary that cyber attacks on industrial computers are considered to be "an extremely dangerous threat as they cause material losses and production downtime for a whole system. Moreover, industrial enterprises knocked out of service can seriously undermine a regions social welfare, ecology and macroeconomics". Statistics collected by the company's researchers show that this kind of threat is of growing concern. In the first half of 2018, we're told that "41.2% of ICS computers were attacked at least once. Moreover, this is a continuation of a trend: in 2017, the figure increased from 36.61% in the first half of the year to 37.75% in the second half". We're also told that top countries by the number of ICS computers attacked in 2018 were "Vietnam, where 75.1% of ICS computers were attacked, Algeria, with 71.6% and Morocco with 65%". As for the least attacked industrial facilities, Kaspersky Lab notes that "the top three countries turned out to be Denmark with 14% attacked computers in industrial enterprises, followed by Ireland with 14.4% and Switzerland close behind". "More than 40% of ICS computers were attacked in H1 2018 accounting for 15.9%. Developing economies account for highest numbers of ICS computers attacked, while developed regions have the lowest number of targeted ICS computers." Meanwhile, Australia stands at number 11 for the main sources of ICS infections as you can see at the infographic at the end of this page. Where are these attacks originating from? The largest number of threats come from "the Internet, which over the years has become the main source of infection for ICS: 27% of threats are received from the world wide web; while removable storage media is ranked second with 8.4%. Mail clients occupy third place in terms of volume they represent 3.8% of threats". Kirill Kruglov, security researcher at Kaspersky Lab, said: "The percentage of cyber attacks on ICS computers is a concern. Our advice is to pay attention to systems security from the very beginning of their integration, when the systems elements are first connected to the internet: neglecting security solutions at this stage could lead to dire consequences". Kaspersky Lab ICS CERT recommends implementing the following technical measures: Regularly update operating systems, application software and security solutions on systems that are part of the enterprises industrial network. Restrict network traffic on ports and protocols used on edge routers and inside the organisation's OT networks. Audit access control for ICS components in the enterprises industrial network and at its boundaries. Deploy dedicated endpoint protection solutions on ICS servers, workstations and HMIs to secure OT and industrial infrastructure from random cyberattacks; and network traffic monitoring, analysis and detection solutions for better protection from targeted attacks. Provide dedicated training and support for employees as well as partners and suppliers with access to your network. You can read the full report for H1 2018 with more charts, graphs and info at the Kaspersky Lab ICS CERT website here. 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airport general manager, speaks at a news conference held on Saturday, September 29. [Photo: Xinhua] Thailand's Don Mueang International Airport authorities on Saturday apologized to a Chinese tourist who was assaulted by the airport's security guard, reports the Xinhua News Agency. The apology follows a video clip showing a security guard at Don Mueang airport attempting to hit a Chinese tourist, which triggered criticism. At a press conference held on Saturday, September 29, Suteerawat Suwnnawat, general manager of the Don Meuang international airport, said the involved guard got into a dispute with the Chinese visitor outside the detention room; the latter was refused entry to Thailand. Screenshot of a video clip showing a security guard at Don Mueang airport attempting to assault a Chinese tourist. [Screenshot: takefoto.cn] Bangkok Post reports that the manager expressed regret over the incident, and apologized to the Chinese tourist at the conference, blaming miscommunication for the cause. According to Xinhua News Agency, the manager said that the guard's action seriously violated relevant disciplinary protocol, and he ordered the guard to be suspended from duty pending a disciplinary investigation. A formal apology will be sent to the Chinese Embassy by the airport, said the manager. As Chinese tourists reportedly claimed refusal to give a tip led to his failed entry, the manager said the airport will make rectifying measures to improve visa services. You may be unaware of this, but the organic breakfast cereals you regularly buy from grocery stores may be heavily saturated with toxic chemicals. In a podcast titled Health Ranger Podcast , food blogger Mike Adams explains how conventional grocery stores keep numerous toxic laundry products, which emits VOCs (volatile organic chemicals). Some of these products include dryer sheets, laundry detergents, fabric softeners, and other cleaning products. These products emit harmful chemicals that end up saturating the whole grocery store. Eventually, they end up penetrating and contaminating cereal packages and other products. Health conscious individuals that usually avoid using toxic laundry products end up smelling these laundry products on their clothes just from visiting the grocery store. Adams also said he had tasted laundry chemicals in some of the organic cereals that were purchased from regular grocery stores. Sadly, the organic cereals manufacturers are doing everything right. Despite all that, the cereals still end up contaminated because of careless grocery stores. They stock natural food products in the same building as laundry chemicals and toxic detergents, which disrupts the meticulous process manufacturers go through to give you an organic food product. The good news is theres a simple solution to avoid eating toxic chemicals in your foods; buy from natural grocery stores. These stores do not sell laundry products that emit toxic chemicals. Some people believe organic food products from regular grocery stores are clean' because they can smell any laundry products on them. In reality, their senses have been nullified due to constant exposure. Continued exposure diminishes olfactory sensitivity. Its why people who wear a lot of cologne or perfume cant smell it on themselves. If youre looking for a store, where you can buy food products that arent contaminated by toxic chemicals, then you may want to check out the Health Ranger Store. All the food products sold in the Health Ranger Store are kept in an environmentally controlled warehouse free from synthetic chemicals, toxic detergents, and artificial fragrance products. The Health Ranger Store warehouse has been inspected and certified as organic and environmentally controlled. Every product used in the warehouse is approved organic, even their pest control plan has been USDA-approved as organic. They make sure not to use any toxic pesticide chemicals anywhere near the warehouse so theres no risk of the food products getting contaminated. You can get over 700 food products at the health ranger store. Each one of the product has been laboratory tested for microbial contamination, heavy metals and more. Everything sold in the store has been laboratory verified as clean. This is why the health ranger store is fast becoming the number one online retailers to go to whenever you want to buy fresh food and clean products. Consuming contaminated organic food products can have severe implications for your health, which is why you want to make sure that you only buy food products that are clean and free from any toxic chemicals. Since the real estate market cooled down from last year, brokers say theres an increase in greater Toronto area homes for sale. These houses are just sitting vacant mostly due to stubborn sellers who think they can hold out until the market returns to 2017 prices. The President of Realosophy Realty Inc., John Pasalis, says he believes the lower cost of houses is the primary cause for all the vacant homes on the market. After combing through several data, Pasalis found that up to 28% of the GTA properties listed as being for sale are advertised as being vacant on MLS. That number is up from the 17% it was at last year. He also added that the actual number of vacant properties is probably higher. He noted that it is natural for vacant homes to be on the market, but stated that the rising number is most likely due to sellers who are still holding out even after theyve moved homes- that the price of housing will return to the levels it was throughout most of 2017. When house prices fell last year, it caught a lot of owners off guard, he said. A lot of them are really just trying to hold out for sort of those peak prices. Pasalis also stated that despite all that, they are still seeing more than a fair amount of sales and that most sellers have realistic expectations of what they can get for their properties. I'd still say that the majority of people are pricing based on today's prices, not last year's, said Pasalis. In an article on CBC, he mentioned that the inventory levels in the GTA have been relatively stable. He also stated that the regions that experienced the biggest price decline in 2017 are the ones with the most increase in a vacant home. Most of the increase in vacant homes occurred in low-rise homes, in the 905 regions, in places like Durham, Oakville, and York Region. Pasalis noted in the article that a fair number of recently renovated or newly built homes are vacant. If a house flipper were to sell at todays prices especially if they purchased in early 2017 or late 2016, they would incur financial loss. The market has pretty much plateaued right now, said Pasalis, who added that there has been a decline in sales and demand. Although its quite normal for the housing market to pick up in the fall, he doesnt expect any rapid change in housing prices. However, it is still very much a sellers market in the GTA, he said. Another real estate broker also shared his views on the price of housing in the GTA. The housing market is usually at its slowest during the summer and winter months, and strongest in the fall and spring, said Andrew Ipekian, real estate broker. In the next two weeks you're going to find the number of listings on the market, they're going to double and triple in size, said Ipekian. Twenty-five years on, Pat McCabes Frank Pig Says Hello returns to the Watergate Theate on Friday, October 12 in a new touring production that brilliantly captures the legendary original and brings one of the great classics of modern Irish theatre to a new generation of audiences. Frank Pig Says Hello tells the desperately funny and tragic story of the life of Francie Brady growing up in a small Irish town in the 1960s and his descent towards a brutal act that shocks his community. Described as one of the saddest and funniest tales I have seen The Irish Times; a masterpiece The Evening Herald and an extraordinary piece of theatre The Sunday Independent, the original production coincided with McCabe's Booker-winning novel of the same story entitled The Butcher Boy. The play distils Francie's infamous narrative into a riveting evening of pure, outstanding theatre. Featuring a mesmerising performance by two actors, Darragh Byrne and John Ruddy, Frank Pig is regarded as the most vivid, hilarious and heartbreaking evocation ever seen on a stage of an Irish childhood gone wrong. From the opening live trumpet notes over an image of a happy boy acting the piglet, to the breathtaking depiction of a dreadful murder, this is theatre at its most entertaining and gripping best. Pat McCabe and Joe OByrne collaborated on the original Frank Pig Says Hello production for the 1992 Dublin Theatre Festival where it won Best Production, before embarking on a world tour that began in Clones, Co. Monaghan and concluded in New York. Since then the two have produced together Loco County Lonesome, The Dead School and The Revenant. Set design is by leading Irish artist Robert Ballagh. The show was recently recreated for the 2017 Dublin Theatre Festival winning high praise for exceptional young actor Darragh Byrne and the multi-talented actor, trumpet player and cartoonist John Ruddy, known for his Youtube video animations which have had millions of hits worldwide. A senior nurse shows how to insert needles into blood vessels, with a new nurse as the subject, during a training session at Daejeon St. Mary's Hospital in this February photo. It was disclosed recently that at some nursing schools students are forced to receive an enema in front of classmates as a guinea pig, raising issues of human rights infringement. / Yonhap By Jung Hae-myoung A human rights violation controversy has emerged after it was found that some nursing schools here force students to act as guinea pigs by receiving an enema in front of classmates. Act Now Nurse, a group advocating nurses' human rights, said it plans to file a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea against seven schools for human rights infringement. The practice became known after a student accused one school of randomly picking one student each from four- to five-member groups to become the "patient of the day" for the enema training. "One student in each group is picked by drawing lots, and it is the atmosphere that the selected student cannot say no. Having to show my anus to others because of bad luck in the lots I think this is an issue of human rights, and I wonder if other schools do this too," the student said anonymously in an online community of nurses, Sept. 18. The "patients of the day" lie on the bed, having to expose their anus in front of their classmates who insert the tube and inject drugs, according to the accuser. "The picked students feel like crying," the student said in a radio interview. "Showing their private parts to others is humiliating, and other students also don't want to give an enema because they also know how they feel." Act Now Nurse has received reports that seven schools follow this practice. Korea has 203 universities with nursing schools, and most other schools use manikins for the same practice. According to the accuser, their professor justified the practice, saying nurses can provide better medical services when they experience the pain of patients. Choi Won-young, an activist of Act Now Nurse, said there is an enema kit that makes the enema procedure simpler nowadays. "The nurses don't have to go through all the pain in order to sympathize with patients," she said. "At nursing schools, students do take training and practice on each other for some procedures. But enemas seem unnecessary, especially when it could cause mental and physical trauma to the students by making it public," said Choi who is a nurse with eight years of experience at a Seoul hospital. It is hard for the selected students to say no, because refusal means their group cannot participate in the training, the accuser said. Also, the students feel reluctant to leave a bad impression by speaking up against the professor because students have to encounter the professor for the rest of their time in college, she added. "Students in nursing school have a tight schedule that is already fixed from the start of the term. They cannot graduate when they do not engage in the assigned classes and with professors," Choi said. A majority of students in other nursing schools and medical schools were astonished by the practice, while citizens showed mixed responses. "Many feel humiliated when showing their anus to nurses even as patients. It is absurd that nursing school students have to just endure the humiliation only because they are nursing school students," a blogger said. But another agreed with the professor's instruction. "If the students do not practice enema training like this, it means a patient will become their first guinea pig. What patient will want to get an enema from a nurse who has never done it before?" an internet user wrote. Another internet user wrote: "There are manikins and other tools to practice administering enemas. This is like sexual assault, causing such humiliation. The professor should become a guinea pig him or herself, setting an example for the students." According to a survey by the Korean Nurses Association and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, nearly 70 percent of the nurses said they have had their rights violated in the workplace. Colombo, Sept 30 (AFP) Former Maldives president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was released from jail Sunday, a week after his estranged half-brother suffered a shock electoral defeat, raising hopes that other high profile political prisoners could soon have their convictions overturned. Gayoom, 80, and his legislator son Faris Maumoon, were released on bail by the High Court in Male, a week after strongman Abdulla Yameen's spectacular loss at the polls in the Indian Ocean archipelago nation. Gayoom's daughter Dunya, a former foreign minister, welcomed the release and said she hoped the sentences of other dissidents, including another former leader, Mohamed Nasheed, would soon be withdrawn. "These are all politically-motivated convictions and I hope they too will be overturned soon, allowing... Nasheed to return home," Maumoon told AFP by telephone from Male as Gayoom returned home. Nasheed, the country's first democratically-elected president, was convicted on a terrorism charge and sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2015. He obtained prison leave in 2016 and travelled to London for medical treatment and has remained abroad since. Nasheed was barred from contesting the September 23 presidential election because of his conviction which the United Nations said was a travesty of justice. Former foes Nasheed and Gayoom both backed Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to challenge Yameen, who had locked up all his key political opponents or forced them to flee the country. Sunday's release followed appeals from President-elect Solih, who urged Yameen to free all political prisoners in the tourist paradise atoll nation after his stunning victory last week. Gayoom had ruled the nation of 340,000 Sunni Muslims for 30 straight years till he was defeated by Nasheed at the country's first multi-party elections in 2008. He supported Yameen against Nasheed in a controversial run-off election in 2013 although the half-brothers later fell out and became bitter foes. Gayoom was arrested in February along with the country's Chief Justice and another Supreme Court judge on a charge of attempting to topple Yameen. He declared a 45-day state of emergency to block impeachment. Gayoom was serving a 19-month jail term for obstruction of justice and was also under trial on a "terrorism" charge when the High Court ordered his release. The ex-leader had bail set at 60,000 rufiyaa ($3,900) and his son Faris at 40,000 rufiyaa, and they were ordered not to travel abroad without the court's permission. Another high profile Maldivian dissident, Qasim Ibrahim, was also granted bail. He, however, is not in the Maldives. He had obtained prison leave for medical treatment and has remained in Europe. Almost all key opposition leaders and a number of ruling party dissidents had either been jailed or gone into exile in recent years under Yameen who relied heavily on China for political and financial support. Soon after his defeat, Yameen freed five other political prisoners but was delaying the release of his half-brother who could have made a claim to the leadership of his PPM party. Yameen secured the leadership of the party on Friday. His five-year term as president will come to an end on November 17 when Solih is due to be sworn in. AFP (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Shimla/Manali, Sep 29: The five-day long air rescue operation in Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul Valley came to an end on Saturday with 252 people, comprising largely tourists, being evacuated safely from the snow-marooned region. Another 4,770 were rescued by road. The rescued include foreigners from Germany, Norway, Denmark and Nepal, and a large number of Indian children and women. "The air rescue operations have been called-off as per the direction of the government of India in the wake of fresh assessment of the situation," an official statement said. State Tribal Development Minister Ram Lal Markanda told reporters that 80 per cent of the apple crop and 90 per cent electricity supply have been damaged with the recent snow, the heaviest since 1955 in the region. The electricity supply in the entire Lahaul-Spiti district is likely to be normalized in 10 days. Airlifting of tourists by the Indian Air Force (IAF) was hampered on Friday afternoon owing to the onset of snowfall in the high hills, including Keylong, 122 km north of Manali. IAF Rescues 224 People By Conducting 110 Sorties In Last Five Days. Harjit Singh, a tourist from Chandigarh who was stranded with this family, told IANS: "We were stranded near Baralacha Pass for three days without food and water. Finally, a team of rescuers came to help us and others. They took us to a nearby army base camp from where the IAF airlifted us and gave us a new life." Kullu Deputy Commissioner Yunus Khan told IANS that if there is need, rescue operation would be carried out in the next few days. As per the assessment, all people have been either evacuated or moved to safer places. Some of the stranded people didn't prefer to leave the place without their vehicles so they have stayed back until the roads are motorable again, he said. Khan said the rescue operation has been carried out in three formats. First, the IAF was airlifting the tourists from vulnerable spots. Second, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) was rescuing the people by road. And third, the local administration was providing logistic support to both the IAF and the BRO in rescuing people. Nearly 300 Rescued from Lahaul, Solang Valley Through Rohtang Tunnel. Work to clear snow from the Rohtang Pass and Baralacha Pass is in the final stage, Khan added. Two light utility helicopters were additionally deployed along with three IAF choppers, including MI-17, to speed-up the rescue process in Lahaul. Early snowfall in the higher reaches, cloudburst, and heavy rain devastated large parts of the state from September 22 to 24. It has been one of the longest and largest rescue operations of its kind, an official said on the fifth day of the rescue. Heavy snowfall on the Rohtang Pass, the Kunzum Pass, and the Baralacha Pass had cut-off the Lahaul and Spiti Valleys, affecting a large number of tourists and hampering water and electricity supply. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 29, 2018 08:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). New Delhi, September 30: In a shocking incident, a serving Indian Army major has been accused of rape by her domestic help. The Delhi police have registered a case against the major. The domestic help also alleged that the officer threatened her and her husband, who committed suicide. The major allegedly raped woman on July 12, when her husband was away, reported The Indian Express. The complainant said that once her husband came to know, the accused beat them up and threatened them. She also alleged that the officer raped her on other occasions too, due to which she went to her in-laws. According to the report, later that month the major called and informed the maid that her husband had committed suicide by hanging himself. She even raised doubts about the suicide of her husband. Army Major's Wife's Murder in Delhi: Another Officer Arrested From UP's Meerut For Alleged Role The police have registered the case under IPC sections 376 (rape), 354 (molestation), 323 (causing hurt) and 506 (threatening) against the army officer at Delhi Cantonment police station. The police have summoned the accused and told him to participate in the investigation. Another case surfaced earlier this month, in which An Army major has been charged for allegedly subjecting his wife to domestic abuse and demanding dowry. A case has been registered at the Palam village police station. According to a report of news agency PTI, The complainant alleged that on August 19, 2017, the officer asked her to get at least Rs. 25 lakh from her parents, failing which he would leave her. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 30, 2018 10:32 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Noida (UP), September 28: A property dealer was hospitalised with severe injuries after he rammed his speeding Jaguar into the divider on a highway in Greater Noida, police said Friday. The incident took place at 'Zero Point' on the Expressway around 7 pm Thursday, they said. He was alone in the car, they added. The victim, Prashant Kasana (27), a native of Kasana area of Gautam Buddh Nagar district, lives in Alpha 1 sector of Greater Noida, officials said. A private security guard who witnessed the accident said, "The car was coming at a high speed. Must have been around 120 kmph. Suddenly, the driver peeped his head out to spit gutkha/pan masala, and lost control over the vehicle, which rammed into the divider." "I rushed to the spot and with the help of another passerby, who was in a Scorpio, rushed him to a hospital here," the guard, Mahaveer, said. A neighbour of Kasana said he suffered serious injuries to the head and was referred to a private hospital in Delhi's Sarita Vihar early Friday. According to senior police officials, no complaint was registered in the case but a PCR had reached the spot for basic probe. Islamabad, September 30: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists has called for a nationwide protest on October 9 against retrenchments in the media, non-payment of salaries, unannounced censorship and registration of treason cases against media persons. The PFUJ took this decision on Saturday during its Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held at the Abbottabad Press Club, reports Dawn news. The FEC meeting is being attended by representatives of journalists from across the country to devise a comprehensive strategy for launching a long struggle not only for the economic rights of media workers but also to protect the freedom of expression as enshrined in the Constitution. Pakistani TV News Anchor Shows Middle Finger On Live Bulletin Covering Asia Cup 2018 Match. "The state institutions are trying to control the media through curtailing their advertisements, hampering the distribution of newspapers and taking off-air those television channels who do not toe their line," the FEC said in a statement. "These state actors are also trying to harass the working journalists through front men or other government departments to initiate cases of treason or register FIR against them under Anti-Terrorism Act." The PFUJ decided to launch a struggle against these state actors and to expose them and their designs and has decided to form a united action committee. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 30, 2018 12:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Three men, one of whom might have included the perpetrator, are confirmed dead in a car explosion Saturday evening in Allentown, authorities said Sunday afternoon. The explosion happened shortly after 9:30 p.m. on the 700 block of West Turner Street -- a block from the PPL Center and two blocks from Hamilton Street, a popular downtown dining area. Multiple witnesses told WFMZ-69 News there appeared to be more than one person in the car when it exploded. Residents told various media outlets they heard a loud booming sound and felt buildings shaking around the time of the blast. An NBC viewer shared a video of the aftermath which showed a car engulfed in flames, as well as what appeared to be body parts on the ground. The Allentown Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, FBI agents, the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office, the Lehigh County Homicide Task Force, the Lehigh County Coroner's Office and Pennsylvania State Police continue to investigate the blast. During a Sunday afternoon press conference, authorities provided little information about what led to the explosion. Officials expect to release more information during a second news conference tentatively scheduled for Monday morning in Allentown. Lehigh County coroner Scott Grim said authorities are withholding the identities of the deceased, including one person whom they believe is the person who committed the crime, until next of kin have been notified. Grim said an autopsy is planned Monday to determine the exact cause and manner of death for each person. "We know there's been a criminal incident," Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said. "We have a high degree of confidence that the perpetrator was probably killed (in the blast)." Martin also said there's a high degree of confidence that "A. This was an isolated incident and B. There's no continuing threat as a result of it." Allentown police said a portion of the roadway between Sixth to Ninth streets and Chew to Linden streets will remain closed as a result of the investigation. Martin asked for neighbors to continue to be patient as authorities continue to investigate. "It's going to be inconvenient for the people who live in that area, surrounding that area, until the ATF and everybody is able to collect the evidence and lead us to hopefully a conclusion ... we're asking for the public's cooperation," Martin said. A shelter was opened up Sunday morning for residents displaced by the blast at Cleveland Elementary School. By noon, an estimated dozen people came and went from the shelter, said Dave Skutnik, regional director of communications for the Red Cross. A second shelter was opening Sunday evening at the East Side Youth Center, 1140 E. Clair St., in the city. Allentown Police Chief Tony Alsleben said additional victims and witnesses continue to be interviewed. There was high police activity Sunday afternoon in the vicinity of North Lumber and Chew streets -- just blocks away from the scene of the explosion. Authorities did not release information if the activity at that scene was related to Saturday's blast. The chief added the FBI and the ATF are taking the lead on the investigation. "We'll be here as long as it takes," said Steve McQueen, assistant special agent in charge for the FBI Philadelphia office. What you can do: Investigators have asked anyone with information about Saturday's explosion to call the Allentown Police Detective Bureau at 610-437-7721 or 1-888-ATF-BOMB. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. The FBI says a car explosion Saturday evening that claimed the life of at least one person is no longer a "threat to public safety," but investigators have yet to announce the suspected cause of the blast. "We thank residents of the area for their patience as evidence is collected and secured," agents with FBI Philadelphia stated over Twitter Sunday afternoon. The FBI continues to work with @ATFHQ & @AllentownPolice at the scene of last night's explosion. There is not believed to be any remaining threat to public safety. We thank residents of the area for their patience as evidence is collected and secured. FBI Philadelphia (@FBIPhiladelphia) September 30, 2018 The FBI -- along with several agencies including Allentown police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office, the Lehigh County Homicide Task Force, the Lehigh County Coroner's Office and Pennsylvania State Police -- continue to investigate the blast, which occurred shortly after 9:30 p.m. in the 700 block of West Turner Street. The cause of the explosion remains unknown. However, a news conference has been scheduled for 4 p.m. Sunday, according to Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim. Multiple witnesses told WFMZ-69 News there appeared to be more than one person in the car when it exploded. Allentown police confirmed one fatality, but it's unclear if the deceased was in the vehicle or near the explosion. Residents told various media outlets they heard a loud booming sound and felt buildings shaking around the time of the blast. An NBC viewer shared a video of the aftermath which showed a car engulfed in flames, as well as what appeared to be body parts on the ground. A shelter has been opened at Cleveland Elementary School for anyone displaced. At least a dozen people had visited the shelter before noon Sunday, said Dave Skutnik, regional director of communications for the Red Cross. Several fire departments across the Lehigh Valley also have been dispatched to the scene of the explosion. Investigators have asked anyone with information about Saturday's explosion to call the Allentown Police Detective Bureau at 610-437-7721. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. UPDATE: 1 death confirmed in Allentown car explosion Authorities are investigating a car explosion Saturday night near the center of Allentown. An emergency dispatcher, citing Assistant Police Chief Gail Struss, confirmed a car had blown up in the 700 block of West Turner Street. The call came in at 9:32 p.m., the dispatcher said. Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim was on scene, as were federal agents from the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. NBC 10 cited city police as saying at least two people were hurt. The coroner could not immediately confirm if there were multiple fatalities. Struss said that people should avoid the area, and residents on Seventh and Eighth streets between Linden and Chew streets should shelter in place as a precaution. The explosion was a block from the PPL Center and two blocks from Hamilton Street, a popular downtown dining area. News of the explosion spread quickly on social media. ALLENTOWN JUST HAD SOME SORT OF VEHICLE EXPLOSION DOWNTOWN - BETHLEHEM POLICE WERE ADVISED TO USE CAUTION@FOX29philly @6abc TIME 2214 hours Bethlehem PA Fire PD EMS Calls (@windemeer) September 30, 2018 This story will be updated as we receive more information. Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook. A shelter has been opened at Cleveland Elementary School for anyone displaced by an Allentown car explosion confirmed to have taken at least one life Saturday night. The shelter is located at 424 N. 9th St. and is being operated by the American Red Cross Eastern Pennsylvania. Dave Skutnik, regional director of communications for the Red Cross, said at least a dozen people have come and gone at the shelter since early Sunday. City police said the explosion occurred around 9:30 p.m. Saturday in the 700 block of West Turner Street, a block from the PPL Center and two blocks from Hamilton Street, a popular downtown dining area. Multiple witnesses told WFMZ-69 News there appeared to be more than one person in the car when it exploded. It's unclear if the person confirmed dead in the explosion was in the vehicle or near it. The FBI in Philadelphia, on Twitter, said agents are helping local law enforcement "assess the situation and determine the cause, with public safety the Bureau's highest priority." Anyone who witnessed or has information on the blast who has not yet spoken to investigators is asked to contact us as soon as possible at 215-418-4000 or https://t.co/M0Wg0RiRKf.https://t.co/sysF5CR0Rf FBI Philadelphia (@FBIPhiladelphia) September 30, 2018 Police on Sunday said the public should continue to avoid the area from 7th Street to 8th Street and Linden to Chew streets. "We also ask that the residents that live inside that area to shelter in place until further notice," police said in a statement. Authorities believe the explosion was "intentional," NBC-10 News has reported. Residents told various media outlets they heard a loud booming sound and felt buildings shaking around the time of the blast. An NBC viewer shared a video of the aftermath which showed a car engulfed in flames, as well as what appeared to be body parts on the ground. Authorities said city police are being assisted by the Allentown Fire Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office, the Lehigh County Homicide Task Force, the Lehigh County Coroner's Office and Pennsylvania State Police, in addition to the FBI. Investigators have asked anyone with information about Saturday's explosion to call the Allentown Police Detective Bureau at 610-437-7721. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. By Nancy Tate The year 2009 is deeply etched in my memory. My mother died in May, a long-time activist friend and my father-in-law, both died in October, and my interest in Central America that started in the 1980s led me to pay special attention to the bizarre and tragic June coup in Honduras. The news about the popular protests in Honduras since the apparent fraud around their Nov. 26 election has made me think back to 2009 - to ponder what might have been had the kidnapping and overthrow of the country's elected president, Mel Zelaya, not occurred. What might have been if the U.S. had joined with the other countries in the Organization of American States in condemning the coup in Honduras and in calling for the return of the elected government in 2009? Would Zelaya's social programs, such as a significantly higher minimum wage, free education for all children, and subsidies for small farmers, have made people's lives better? Would dozens of Honduran journalists still be alive to report on the reality of their country? (As of April 2016, 59 Honduran journalists had been assassinated since the 2009 coup.) Would the dozens of assassinated peasant and environmental leaders including the internationally acclaimed Berta Caceres of the Council of Popular and Indigenous Organization of Honduras, still be alive and organizing their communities for a better life and the protection of rivers and forests? Earlier this year Global Witness, an environmental watchdog, named Honduras the "deadliest place to defend the planet" and linked the country's business and political elite to the brutal human rights abuses. Without the 2009 coup would children have had a better life at home and been much less likely to join the thousands of young immigrants fleeing gang violence and other hardships in Honduras and thereby risking their lives on the dangerous journey across borders to the U.S.? We cannot know the answers to these questions because the chances to stop the 2009 coup were not taken. We do, however, have another opportunity to support the people of Honduras as they speak out for a better future. They face a possible turning point as they are calling for a credible election of their president. News reports say the count from the November vote was strangely halted as the opposition candidate, Salvador Nasralla, was leading, and after a rather long pause, suddenly the incumbent president, Juan Orlando Hernandez, had assumed the lead. Amid reports of ballot box stuffing and bribes being paid at the polls, the observer mission of the Organization of American States has stated that they cannot endorse the outcome even with the modest recounts that have occurred: "The tight margin of the results, and the irregularities, errors and systemic problems that have surrounded this election do not allow the Mission to hold certainty about the results." Human rights observers report massive protests in the streets since the election results have been thrown into question. As the government imposed an overnight curfew the protests included the widespread banging of pots and pans. Sadly, during the protests 14 people have been killed, dozens wounded and hundreds arrested at the hands of U.S-funded Honduran security forces. Remarkably, for one 24-hour period some of those security forces refused to enforce the government's curfew. Are they also tiring of the repression they are asked to carry out? A number of U.S. organizations, including Witness for Peace, Just Foreign Policy and the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, are calling on the U.S. government to help ensure the will of the electorate in Honduras by "supporting credible, independent investigations into any and all claims of state-involvement in electoral fraud and violence during and since the Nov. 26 election." They are also calling on Congress to support the Berta Caceres Human Rights in Honduras Act (HR-1299) that would limit U.S. military aid to the country until human rights abuses are addressed. 2017 will be a memorable year for a multitude of reasons, but it would be wonderful if it also became memorable as the year when the U.S. started to support the people of Honduras in their struggle for human rights and a government that they have fairly elected. Nancy Tate, of Riegelsville, is a staff person for the LEPOCO Peace Center, based in Bethlehem. Lawmakers returning to Harrisburg this month were greeted with a load of unfinished business: Giving victims of child sexual abuse better access to relief in criminal and civil courts. Keeping guns out of the hands of those who commit domestic violence. Cutting the size of the House of Representatives from 203 to 150 members, via constitutional amendment. All good ideas. All worth enacting. Redistricting reform, however, isn't on the agenda. That's the one major change that would have injected fairness into the process of electing members of Congress and state legislators. Its failure remains the defining moment of this session. One other election reform is on the docket. Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati and state Rep. David Reed have introduced bills to open primary elections to unaffiliated voters -- those who don't identify themselves as Democrats, Republicans or members of any other party. That means that more than 750,000 registered voters could have a say in nominating candidates in the spring elections where they now have none. They'd be permitted to choose one primary or the other when they show up at the polls, without having to change their registrations. The need for voter reform, even one as incremental as this one, is evident. As pennlive.com reported earlier this year, majority Republicans in Harrisburg are starting to see the benefits of getting more voters involved. Pennsylvania has 4.1 million registered Democrats, 3.2 million registered Republicans, 443,406 voters aligned with third parties, and 764,845 unaffiliated voters, according to the state Department of State. The "unaffiliateds" are the fastest growing voter demographic. Voting in Pennsylvania remains overly bureaucratic and restrictive. Fifteen states now conduct true open primaries, in which any voter can vote in either primary election, and 17 states permit same-day voter registration, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. New Jersey is among the states that allows unaffiliated voters to vote in primaries. Voter turnout -- especially in primaries, especially in non-presidential years -- is embarrassing. Only 18 percent of registered voters took part part in the May primaries in Pennsylvania, even with nominations for contentious mid-term elections for Congress on the ballot, even with a gubernatorial race looming in November. For too long the two major parties have been content to perpetuate a closed-primary system, along with other archaic rules, to keep third parties at bay. The resulting polarization has nurtured an apathetic electorate that sees little hope to break up a power structure defined by special-interest campaign spending and gerrymandered red and blue districts. Opening up primaries to unaffiliated Pennsylvanians -- who may see rejection of both parties as the only rational reaction to Harrisburg's entrenchment -- is a start. It won't energize third parties overnight; ballot access is still a huge hurdle there. But for a state legislature that was going in the opposite direction just a few years ago -- the now-discredited photo-ID law comes to mind -- either Scarnati's or Reed's bill would qualify as movement. I had no real experience of America beyond the mainstream, until I arrived in a place called Camden, North Philadelphia, last week. I was making a bad effort of getting to a small town called Millville in New Jersey. I was travelling there to cover the story of Naas race-car driver James Roe and this required travelling from New York through Camden to make a bus connection. Until very recently, and unbeknownst to me, this place was Americas murder and crime capital and in 2018 the welcome was stark. Apartments boarded up or burnt out, people passed out, or whooshing themselves along the pavement on their backsides, lives so broken and so far beyond the mainstream that never did the land of opportunity feel like more of a misnomer. And after ditching the bus connection idea and escaping to Millville by Uber, I started wondering about the Irish beyond the mainstream in America. Because, the previous day, Id been mooching about New York, where again, Id never any reason to consider undocumented emigrants from Kildare living and working there. That was until I met some and heard their stories. They too had grown up on Different Strokes, the Cosby Show, Hill Street Blues and the received wisdom that America was emigrations best success story, once upon a time. The Bronx. Queens. Yonkers. Were all familiar with these names because of those programmes and, also, because theyve always been go-to places for Irish emigrants, long before Australia and Canada moved up the charts. But America, pre-9/11 and before, was a place more easily accessed and a place of greater choice, whereas the modern undocumented emigrant is the one that cant go home for fear of not getting back in. Of course, this isnt new. Northing in this is revelatory. But hearing accounts of lives now lived under greater restrictions because of the Trump administration, and hearing it from Kildare people, did bring a new focus to the chapter of emigration that started around 2008. Its a story with a light touch when it comes to America. This makes sense considering theres no visa scheme and half of Homeland Security are camped at the airports. But if emigration is about taking a punt into the unknown, then America, minus the right papers, remains either a ballsy choice or a poorly considered one. On one level, some part of me feels affronted by the reality that educated Kildare emigrants are living restricted lives in the land of the free. Though at the same time, this doesnt necessarily translate into having bad lives. Anecdotally at least, it sounded like an economically and socially prosperous experience, and the fact remains that just being Irish is enough to reduce the city into a grid of of helpful networks. There is an un-Kildare network, of course, and the hospitality and construction sectors remain robust employment prospects. In terms of that Kildare perspective, the people I encountered had cash and time, but feel increasingly limited as to where they can their spend time off and what they can spend their money on. In a life where your electronic footprint increases by the day, it was almost novel to hear of lives carried by cash transactions and people therefore remaining off grid. Living in London, I could never call myself an emigrant when measured against these experiences. These are lives that dont pop in and out of the country on cheap flights. Their choice is a thing of permanence. And theres an acceptance that their decision means theyll endure limited choice for as long as they say. Be it New York, or London, so many emigrant lives made difficult by leaving have shored up along a bar counter, so it was inspiring to hear stories of Kildare people forging ahead and sidelining this outlet. So would they live in Ireland again, in Kildare again? They dont know, some said. Maybe, others said. But the thing is, many of them have been away so long that they cant know for certain what Ireland and Kildare looks like in 2018. Its kinda like Camden, New Jersey, in that you really need to go there to get a real sense of it. But Im still getting my head around the idea that sampling home again, reconnecting with all that was once familiar, is an all or nothing decision for some local emigrants in the year 2018. Robert Mulhern is a London based journalist contracted to RTE's The Documentary on One. To contact our columnist, email mulhernrobert@hotmail.com THE BEST dairy farm to come on the market in the region in 20 years, is how the auctioneer describes Ballynacally, Ardagh. Maurice Stack, of Sherry FitzGerald Stack, said: This sale presents an excellent opportunity to acquire a very high quality residential agricultural holding extending to approximately 197 acres. Mr Stack sold the farm, which he describes as exceptional, to the vendors 12 years ago. They subsequently expanded it. The farm has well proportioned fields with central roadways and has significant road frontage with extensive farm buildings. This top class residential farm is located in the Golden Vale, just off the N21 main Limerick-Kerry route, and just 3 km from the county town of Newcastle West, said Mr Stack. The farm comes with entitlements and an extensive range of outbuildings. They comprise a five-bay slatted unit; five and four-bay cover silage pits; two five-bay lean-tos used as calving sheds; a 40-head cubicle house; a concrete yard and slurry pit; four-bay calf sheds; an eight-bay slatted unit with automatic scrapers on three passages and 150 head cubicles with underground tanks. Other facilities include an 18-unit Alfa Laval milking parlour; automatic feeders; a Packo refrigerated 2,500 gallon tank; a 12.5 tonne feed silo; three 'Permatore' circular slurry stores of 330,000 gallon capacity; a six-bay calf shed; a three-bay straw shed; and a workshop or store. To use an auctioneering term for homes, this is a turn-key farm. In the house, the ground floor accommodation comprises an entrance hallway; kitchen/dining room/lounge area; utility area; shower room with WC; lounge/sitting room and double bedroom. Upstairs contains five double bedrooms and a main bathroom with a wash hand basin and WC. The residence has an oil-fired range, oil-fired central heating and a solid fuel stove. Water is supplied by a private well and there is a septic tank on site. There are double glazed uPVC windows fitted throughout. The guide price for the Ballynacally farm, for sale in one, two or three lots, is 2.5m. There has been strong interest from Kerry, according to Mr Stack. "If the right buyer came along, the livestock - 150 cows and 80 in-calf heifers and weanlings - could be included in the sale," he said. Maps and further details available from Sherry FitzGerald Stack, The Square, Abbeyfeale on 068 32087. Viewing by appointment only. DISAPPOINTMENT has been expressed that the Castletroy Local Area plan does not include references to a new garda station. Three of the 52 submissions to the local area plan requested that An Garda Siochana are contacted to look at opening a base in the suburb, which has a population of almost 15,000 people. In a written response to a submission from Senator Maria Byrne, council chief executive Conn Murray said the gardai were consulted during the preparation of the plan, and again during its statutory consultation period. But no response was received in relation to the delivery of a garda station to serve the Castletroy area. Should the need arise, for a proposed garda station in the future, there are sufficient zoned lands to accommodate its development, he added. However, Ms Byrne expressed disappointment, saying she has had a number of representations from people seeking an increased garda presence in the area. A number of people contacted me to say they were very supportive of this, and they felt it was necessary. I know there have been problems with students out there recently. Castletroy is expanding so much, and there are so many people living out there, its impossible for the gardai, I believe, to cover the entire area from Henry Street and Roxboro, the Fine Gael senator said. She also raised the matter with chief superintendent Gerry Roche at the joint policing committee meeting last week. He said he felt the area didnt warrant a station, and the force didnt have the resources to police it. Castletroy is almost like a separate town on its own, even though it is part of Limerick. Industry is out there, there is shopping centres, there is a cinema. There is so much going on out there, there are so many schools. Im very disappointed with the response, Ms Byrne concluded. Also calling for a garda station in Castletroy was Ciara Jo Hannon, the president of the University of Limericks Students Union, now known as UL Student Life, who said this would lead to the 2,000 international students on campus being able to open bank accounts. Helen Madden also made the same call in the same process for submissions to Limerick City and County Council. China is willing to enhance mutually beneficial cooperation with all parties in its further opening-up, Premier Li Keqiang said when meeting with 29 new ambassadors to China Friday, ahead of the country's National Day. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with 29 new ambassadors to China in Beijing on September 30, 2018, ahead of the country's National Day. [Photo: gov.cn] Li welcomed the ambassadors and expressed his sincere greetings and good wishes to the leaders and people of the countries and regions. He told the ambassadors that China is committed to enhancing bilateral political mutual trust, deepening pragmatic cooperation and strengthening coordination and cooperation in international and regional affairs. He reaffirmed China's adherence to the path of peaceful development and unswerving backing of economic globalization. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with 29 new ambassadors to China in Beijing on September 30, 2018, ahead of the country's National Day. [Photo: gov.cn] This year marks the 40th anniversary of the reform and opening up of China, the largest developing country in the world, Li said, adding that China is willing to achieve common development with all parties in its further opening-up. In face of rising protectionism and unilateralism, China stands ready to work with all parties to continuously consolidate partnerships, align respective strategies for development, promote the Belt and Road construction and cooperation, jointly defend multilateralism and free trade, build an open global economy, and inject new energy to promote stable and balanced development of the world economy, he said. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with 29 new ambassadors to China in Beijing on September 30, 2018, ahead of the country's National Day. [Photo: gov.cn] The ambassadors expressed the expectation that China's further reform and opening up will bring more development opportunities to the world, as well as their willingness to facilitate cooperation for win-win results. After the meeting, the ambassadors attended a reception marking the 69th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China as guests of the Chinese premier. China's National Day falls on Oct. 1. JAKARTA, Indonesia - The death toll from twin disasters on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, a major earthquake and the tsunami that followed, jumped to more than 800 on Sunday as rescue workers began to take stock of the wreckage - pulling out survivors buried under the rubble from a collapsed hotel, treating patients in tents, and racing to get food and water to survivors. Most of those killed were in the badly hit city of Palu, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency, said in a news conference Sunday. But just 11 deaths were reported from Donggala, a town of 300,000 that has been largely cut off from rescuers, with poor communications. Officials have warned that the death toll could rise to the thousands. "The death toll is believed to be still increasing since many bodies were still under the wreckage" and others were out of reach, Nugroho said. The dead, he said, either drowned when the tsunami hit or were killed by collapsed buildings and rubble. Photos on his Twitter page account show bodies lined up in body bags, as police begin the grim task of identifying them and reporting the deaths to families. Victims are being buried in mass graves, but all victims will later be "buried properly," Nugroho said. A 7.5-magnitude earthquake triggered the massive tsunami on Friday evening that crashed into Palu, Donggala and the surrounding settlements. Officials on Sunday shared chilling videos and photos on social media of land "liquefaction" in the wake of the disaster, where the soil turns into something akin to quicksand and drags buildings along with it. Even as relief efforts were underway, questions remained about the apparent failure of an early warning system and a tsunami alert that was quickly dropped by the Indonesian geophysics agency. In Palu city, rescue teams were evacuating almost 50 people trapped in the ruins of the Roa-Roa Hotel, a 50-room, eight-story hotel that collapsed after the earthquake. Several were pulled out alive, and rescuers could hear the screams and cries of others throughout the night, and lights shining from cellphones underneath the rubble. A correspondent for a local newspaper said on his Facebook page that at least three other hotels with guests in it have also collapsed. Heavy equipment able to move rubble was on its way to the city. Traumatized victims, many of whom were sleeping in tents and being treated for injuries outside their homes, continued to be shaken by aftershocks. At least 200 have hit the area since the quake, according to local officials. Whenever there are aftershocks, people have "become panicked, running away with some yelling 'Tsunami!'," said Radika Pinto, a manager in Palu for World Vision, a Christian aid group. Hungry survivors have been looting unstable shopping centers for food, clothing and water. Adding to the chaos, local media has reported that a prison wall collapsed, setting free hundreds of prisoners inside. The head of Palu Penitentiary, Adhi Yan Ricoh, told Indonesian magazine Tempo that more than half of the 560 inmates at the prison escaped. "At that time, the electricity went out, and there were only a few officers," Adhi said. "They also panicked and tried to save themselves." Nugroho, the disaster agency's spokesman, said a Hercules C-130 plane was deployed to the area to evacuate the hordes of people racing to get out of the city. Water, he added, was an urgent need. "The water turned turbid, and cannot be consumed. Clean water is an urgent need for the people of Palu," he said. Thousands of homes, hotels, shopping centers, hospitals and other public facilities were damaged, Nugroho said. Hospital patients in Palu are being treated outside to avoid the danger of potential aftershocks. International relief agencies were just starting to reach the area on Sunday, after hours-long overnight drives through landslide-prone areas and badly damaged roads. Dozens of calls made to residents and hotels in Palu were unsuccessful, an indication that widespread communications outages continue there. Nugroho blamed the rising death toll on a lack of early warnings and "limited shelter and spatial planning." "There is no sound of siren," he said. Hundreds of people who were gathered on the beach for a festival didn't know there was tsunami risk, he said. The head of Indonesia's geophysics agency, Dwikorita Karnawati, said her agency immediately issued a tsunami warning after the earthquake. The agency estimated the tsunami would occur at 5:22 p.m. local time. But it ended the tsunami warning at 5:36 p.m., prompting criticism that the warning was lifted too soon. Officials say the tsunami had struck by the time the alert was removed. "We ended the tsunami warning when the tsunami happened," Karnawati said. Videos circulated online showed residents still milling around the beach, unconcerned, as those on higher ground tried to warn them. Indonesia is prone to earthquakes because of its location on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. In December 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake off Sumatra in western Indonesia triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries. When Melania Trump flies to Africa on her first extended international journey without the president, she'll be following in the footsteps of her recent predecessors. First ladies before Trump performed numerous roles on their trips to the vast continent, but mostly sought to foster goodwill toward the United States. The current first lady leaves Monday on a weeklong trip to Ghana, Malawi, Kenya and Egypt, traveling only with members of her staff and a pool of journalists. President Donald Trump will remain in Washington. Their 12-year-old son Barron is in school. Mrs. Trump's office hasn't released details about her plans in each country, though the first lady said in a recent speech that she plans to emphasize child welfare. Patricia Nixon was first to travel to Africa on her own. She went as President Richard Nixon's "personal representative" to Liberia, Ghana and the Ivory Coast in 1972. Here's a look at what other first ladies did on their Africa trips: Hillary Clinton took daughter Chelsea on her two-week visit in March 1997 to Senegal, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Uganda and Eritrea. The first lady discussed violent crime in South Africa, along with the need to improve education for blacks in a country that had recently abolished its apartheid policy of racial segregation. The first lady returned in 1998 when President Bill Clinton made his first visit to Africa. The White House billed the 12-day tour of Ghana, Rwanda, Uganda, South Africa, Botswana and Senegal as a way to encourage trade and investment in Africa. Laura Bush traveled to Africa five times on her own between 2005 and 2007, President George W. Bush's second term, apart from two separate trips she took with him. Her trips mostly focused on promoting efforts by the Bush administration to combat the spread of HIV, as well as malaria. She also emphasized literacy, drug prevention and national parks. She was accompanied on these trips by one or both of her twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna. Michelle Obama went to South Africa and Botswana on a goodwill mission in 2011 to promote youth leadership, education and HIV and AIDS awareness. The centerpiece of the weeklong trip by America's first African-American first lady was a 30-minute speech at a U.S.-sponsored leadership conference at a church in Soweto. She was accompanied by daughters Malia and Sasha; her mother, Marian Robinson; and a niece and nephew. Obama made a second solo visit to Africa in 2016. She promoted an initiative to help educate girls in developing countries. Associated Press Cher a Kennedy Center honoree The phone call telling Cher she was a Kennedy Center honoree was welcome but she admits she wanted to get it earlier. The Grammy, Emmy and Oscar winner, whose ABBA-tribute album "Dancing Queen" was just released, acknowledged she "wanted to get it so badly" during the Obama administration. Now she will, at age 72, during the Donald Trump administration, which might make for an awkward gathering. A regular at anti-Trump rallies and marches, Cher ranks among the most outspoken celebrities against the U.S. president. The White House said no decisions had been made on whether Trump would participate in this year's Kennedy Center Honors program. The Kennedy Center prize is given to those in the performing arts for lifetime contributions to American culture. Cher missed out on the first wave of ABBA-mania, which began with the Swedish quartet's 1974 Eurovision Song Contest win with "Waterloo" and was confirmed by the successes of "SOS" and "Mamma Mia" a year later. "I was like most Americans," Cher commented. "I knew 'Waterloo,' 'Dancing Queen' and 'Mamma Mia.' And that's pretty much it. And then I became a fan with 'Muriel's Wedding,'" she continued, referring to the 1994 Australian dark comedy that played a key role in reviving interest in ABBA recordings. Cher appeared in the movie sequel "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again." It's a busy period for Cher, whose latest world tour began Sept. 21 and runs through May. She's co-producer of a jukebox musical about her life, "The Cher Show," with previews set to begin Nov. 1 on Broadway. And the Kennedy Center Honors will be taped Dec. 2 in Washington, D.C. Associated Press The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, The Meeting of the Rivers Foundation, and their many partners are celebrating the Museums 15th Anniversary with 15 days of events! The Museum staff and Foundation have an all-star lineup of free activities for the public to enjoy. Starting October 1st we will celebrate our volunteers, water safety, and the Corps mission of education and outreach. During the 15 days of events we hope to continue to inspire visitors to connect to the river by learning through live animal presentations, living history, and an outdoor concert. The National Great Rivers Museum opened October 3, 2003 with a grand celebration. It was then and still is free to the public and dedicated to telling the story of the people, nature, and wildlife that have shaped the Mississippi river throughout history. The museum has hosted visitors from all over the world and has exhibits that illustrate the impact of the Mississippi River on our people and our region. Over the last 15 years over half a million visitors have been able to experience the museum and view boats locking through the Melvin Price Locks and Dam while on a public tour. In preparing for what would become his life's work, Wayne Meyers served in the Army in the Pacific during World War II, received two doctorates, attended theology school, studied French and held two medical internships. Perhaps most important, he never lost the inspiration he felt as a child when he heard tales of missionary life while attending a Methodist church in rural Pennsylvania. In 1953, he was still eight years away from his first trip to Africa when he married Esther Kleinschmidt, who had grown up in what was then called the Belgian Congo, where her parents were medical missionaries. Eight years later, Wayne and Esther Meyers and their three - later four - children moved to Central Africa, where they spent more than a decade working with people afflicted with one of the world's most feared and misunderstood diseases: leprosy. From the beginning, it was apparent that Dr. Meyers was no ordinary physician. As the chief medical officer at a leprosarium in Burundi and later in Congo, he did not shield himself from his patients or their conditions. "When he treated his patients," his son George Meyers said, "he didn't gown up or wear gloves or a mask." He shook his patients' hands, examined their wounds, listened to their stories and embarked on a lifetime of care, learning and teaching. He sought to understand the causes of leprosy (or Hansen's disease, as it is also known) and other tropical illnesses such as Buruli ulcer (a dreaded skin disease) and the debilitating parasite-caused ailment known as river blindness. Dr. Meyers, who became one of the world's foremost infectious disease researchers, died Sept. 12 at his home in Laurel, Maryland, at 94. The cause was cerebrovascular disease, George Meyers said. Throughout his career, Dr. Meyers wrote more than 400 scientific papers, gave hundreds of lectures and maintained a global registry of leprosy cases. He was president of the International Leprosy Association, a consultant to the World Health Organization and a contributor to or editor of textbooks on infectious diseases. "The work Wayne did was absolutely essential and helped change science in amazing ways," said Aileen Marty, a Florida International University professor and former Navy physician who worked alongside Dr. Meyers at the old Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington. "First and foremost, he was a profoundly humane man," Marty added. "He was a scientist, he was a researcher, and he was a compassionate physician." Dr. Meyers first went to Burundi in 1961 before political turmoil drove his family across the border to Congo. (Congo was later called Zaire before it was renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1997.) Local people called his leprosarium, or hospital for leprosy patients, "Kivuvu," or "place of hope." "If you understand leprosy," Marty said, "you understand all infectious diseases." For eight years, Dr. Meyers visited villages throughout the region, treating people and helping once-shunned leprosy patients return to their original homes. He gained the trust of local leaders by bringing gifts, such as chickens, and by demonstrating the effectiveness of modern medicine. He helped dispel misconceptions about leprosy, such as the notion that a patient's fingers and toes can fall off. Dr. Meyers built a laboratory in his clinic, and much of his work was educational. He explained that leprosy was a bacterial infection that is not highly contagious and that more than 90 percent of all people have a natural immunity to the disease. If caught early, it can be easily treated. For people with more advanced cases, Dr. Meyers developed special shoes to help alleviate orthopedic problems. All the while, he collected tissue samples, which he examined under a microscope and sent back to laboratories in the United States. One question Dr. Meyers and other researchers have not been able to solve is how people actually get leprosy in the first place. "The short answer is we don't really know," Paul Converse, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins University, said Saturday in an interview. During his years in Africa, Dr. Meyers began to treat other diseases that few Western physicians had seen. One of the most devastating was Mycobacterium ulcerans, or Buruli ulcer, a skin infection that can spread rapidly and cause serious deformities. It is a bacterial infection similar to leprosy and tuberculosis but affects five times as many people worldwide as TB. When Dr. Meyers presented a lecture on the disease in Baltimore in 1978, Converse said, "it was the first time I'd heard of it." Under his microscope, Dr. Meyers discovered a toxin in the Buruli bacterium that attacked neighboring cells and suppressed the immune system. The only treatment was surgery or, in many cases, amputation. The World Health Organization has launched a global effort to detect and treat Buruli ulcer, and antibiotics have been effective in reducing its severity. So far, no vaccines have been discovered to prevent either leprosy or Buruli ulcer. Another disease that interested Dr. Meyers was onchocerciasis, or river blindness, which is caused by a filarial, or parasitic, worm. The resulting infection can spread throughout the body and, in some cases, lead to blindness. Dr. Meyers took part in studies by the World Health Organization and helped develop a drug to counteract the disease. "There are hundreds of thousands of people no longer going blind," Marty said, "and that's because of Wayne's work." Wayne Marvin Meyers was born Aug. 28, 1924, in Hungtingdon County, Pennsylvania. His father was a farmer and carpenter, his mother a homemaker. He studied chemistry and mathematics at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, before serving in the Army during World War II in the Philippines and in the postwar occupation of Japan. He graduated from Juniata in 1947, spent two years at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, then received master's and doctoral degrees in microbiology from the University of Wisconsin in 1953 and 1955, respectively. He graduated from Baylor University's medical school in Houston in 1959. Dr. Meyers left Congo in 1973 and spent two years at the University of Hawaii before coming to Washington in 1975 to work at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. He had a laboratory at the old Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, where he conducted experiments on armadillos, one of the few animals that can develop leprosy in the wild. He formally retired in 2005 but continued to work as a visiting scientist at the institute until 2011, when it was closed because of budget cuts. He and his wife were revising a chapter for a textbook in the weeks before he died. Survivors include his wife of 65 years, Esther Kleinschmidt Meyers of Laurel; four children, Amy Nicolai of Houston, George Meyers of Laurel, Daniel Meyers of Fort Worth and Sara Meyers-Clark of Woodbine, Maryland; and four grandchildren. Dr. Meyers seldom gave interviews, but scientists, doctors and patients regarded him with something approaching reverence. "His mission was to solve human illnesses and to eliminate pain and human suffering." Marty said. "He really fulfilled the golden mission of physicians." This week marks Journalism Matters Week, a seminal moment in the history of the Irish newspaper industry, which sees every single local and national newspaper in the country collectively publishing editorials, which celebrate the value of an independent press. It is a coordinated effort, led by Local Ireland and NewsBrands Ireland, the representative bodies for the local and national newspapers, and is designed to highlight the vital role the press plays in a vibrant democracy and to call on the government to support a number of measures being sought by the newspaper industry to ensure its survival. Irish newspapers, local and national, and the journalists who work for them, are the voice of our people, their communities and regions. Support for Irish journalism matters now more than ever. The role of newspapers informing, nurturing and improving communities continues to be of vital importance. It could be argued that this role is needed now more than ever with the onset of fake news and the rapid spread of misinformation on the internet. Freedom of expression remains a keystone of our democracy, but make no mistake it is under threat. It is vital that journalism is protected by a legislative framework that empowers journalists to do their jobs that is, to inform the public and to hold accountable all those in positions of power. That is not currently possible, and we continue to wait for much-needed reform of our defamation laws. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is quoted as saying that the unpredictable and excessive awards of damages and legal costs in Ireland have a chilling effect upon the media and upon the right of the public to be informed of issues of significance. Other threats remain. In the face of declining print circulations, the current 9% VAT rate on newspapers represents an exorbitant tax on reading; on literacy; on information itself. We call on the Government to reduce the VAT rate on newspapers and digital news sites to 5% in the forthcoming Budget. Other measures the industry is calling for include the need for a Minister for Media, ensuring that one member of the Cabinet has full oversight of all elements of the media. In addition, many European governments support their newspaper sector with measures such as training, distribution, and innovation subsidies. Ireland is currently an outlier within the EU in terms of support for independent journalism, but supportive action now will change that. The value of local newspapers such as this very title you are reading is that we cover our own communities, from court reports, to council meetings, to sport and culture, births and deaths, triumphs and defeats both great and small, but nonetheless important in our corner of this world. Local news reporting creates a baseline of information that aids in the detection of deeper issues, and at its best, serves to prevent problems from developing. Without local journalists to ask the questions and make the observations, scandals slide by unchecked. In local news, the work we do is a labour of love because we are working in the place we live, the place we raise our children; but most importantly telling the stories that concern our own people and the issues that affect them. It is vitally important that independent journalism in Ireland is supported as it is in other EU countries. The best way the Government could show their support for good Irish journalism is to support the aforementioned measures being sought by the newspaper industry. The Boston Bruins' blue line took a major hit in their preseason finale against the Philadelphia Flyers Saturday evening, as Torey Krug was ruled out for the remainder of the tuneup due to a lower-body injury. Krug, who spent most of the offseason rehabbing from an ankle fracture, exited Saturday's contest in the closing minutes of the first period and did not return. He was only playing in his second preseason game. It's not clear what play caused the 27-year-old defenseman to exit the contest. If the injury for Krug keeps him out of game action for the start of the regular season, Boston does have some options for a left-shot defenseman. Matt Grzelcyk figures to be the seventh defenseman to open the new season, but he's also dealing with a lower-body injury that has kept him off the ice over the last couple of days. With Grzelcyk possibly hampered with an injury, the trendy pick might be 19-year-old Urho Vaakanainen, who has impressed so far during training camp with his composure and puck-moving potential. Of course, Krug's absence could also be precautionary, given the team's efforts to slowly roll the power-play maestro out into game action to open the preseason. A Taunton motorcyclist died Saturday morning when he was thrown from his bike and landed in the travel lane of Route 3 in Kingston. He was then struck and fatally injured by an SUV. The Massachusetts State Police said in a release that Ricard Papp, 66, of Taunton was riding his 2012 motorcycle northbound on Route 3 near Exit 8 in Kingston at about 4:05 a.m. when he hit uneven pavement, causing him to lose control of the bike. Papp was thrown onto the travel lane of the highway and was then struck by the following Jeep Cherokee. Papp was transported to Beth Israel Plymouth Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The driver of the Cherokee, a 31-year-old Plymouth man, stopped at the scene and was interviewed by police. He has not been charged in connection with the accident. The incident remains under investigation by the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, Crime Scene Services and State Police detectives attached to the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office. Fire swept through a Southwick home Saturday morning leaving two people dead, fire officials said. Southwick Fire Chief Russell Anderson said the bodies of two people were found in debris left by the intense fire. The state Fire Marshal's Office and State Police detectives attached to the Hampden District Attorney's Office are investigating. They are being assisted by the Department of Fire Services Code Compliance Office and the MSP Crime Scene Services. Anderson said first responders at the scene at 6:22 a.m. found the Cape Cod-styled home at 13 Bugbee Road heavily involved in flames and smoke. An occupant of the home met fire officials as they arrived and told them that two people living in the home were missing. However, the fire was too intense for firefighters to make entry to search the building and they were forced to try to battle the blaze from the exterior. Anderson called the building a total loss, as the roof and ceilings collapsed in what he said was a "pancaking" of the two floors. He said heavy equipment was called in to excavate the fire scene to aid investigators as they search the scene for an exact cause. Anderson said all of the occupants were on the first floor of the home. The remains found in the debris were taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Holyoke for autopsy and formal identification. Firefighters from Westfield, as well as from Suffield and Granby, Connecticut, also assisted with fighting the blaze. The United States Coast Guard searched for a 26-year-old man missing off the coast of Cape Cod Saturday afternoon, but had to suspend the search later in the night. The man went missing in Truro in the water off Ballston Beach, according to the Coast Guard. The search is expected to resume Sunday. A Coast Guard boat and helicopter searched the water. A Massachusetts State Police helicopter along with the Truro police and fire departments responded to the area. The man went missing in the water around 2:30 p.m. Saturday. A dive team from the Sandwich Fire Department responded to Ballston Beach during the search. A new system for judging school accountability in Massachusetts will take more factors into account than just test scores and will provide targeted assistance to schools that need it. The system eliminates the ranking of schools from Level 1 to Level 5 and instead classifies them as requiring assistance or intervention or not. "We believe it helps to paint a more comprehensive picture of what's going on in the school other than just the MCAS results," said Rob Curtin, associate commissioner for data and accountability at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Some education advocates and experts say the new system is a more complete way of measuring student performance. But others say it still focuses too much on standardized test scores, rather than on providing the resources schools need to improve. "This is old wine in a new bottle," said Merrie Najimy, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association. "The accountability system is the wrong way to measure students." The new system was used for the first time this year, and the results were released Thursday. How the system works The old system ranked schools from Level 1 to Level 5, based on test scores. The lowest-ranked schools were required to implement turnaround plans. Now, schools are still measured on test scores and growth in student performance on the tests. But other factors are also included in the evaluation: graduation and dropout rates, progress made by English language learners, chronic absenteeism and the percentage of 11th- and 12th - grade students completing advanced coursework. A separate component looks at the lowest-performing student populations and measures their improvement. Schools will be graded not only on objective achievement levels but also on how well they are meeting individualized targets, based on improvement seen in similar schools. "We want all schools to get to that meeting expectations level," Curtin said, referring to a level of MCAS scores. "The reality is some schools have a ways to go, and we want to see improvement on an annual basis across all indicators." This year, 68 percent of schools showed improvement over last year. Although only 17 percent fully met their targets, 75 percent partially met them. Those schools will not require any assistance. 'Requiring assistance' Around 15 percent of schools, or 263, were ranked this year as "requiring assistance or intervention." Some of these schools are classified as underperforming or chronically underperforming, designations similar to what was Level 4 and 5. Those schools will be given broad support. No new schools were designated underperforming this year. Four schools were moved out of that category. That leaves 30 schools considered "underperforming." Curtin said those schools are already implementing turnaround plans and will not see any changes this year. The rest of the schools listed as needing assistance may have received that designation because they are in the bottom 10 percent of schools in performance, they have low-performing subgroups (such as Latinos or students with disabilities), they have low graduation rates or they have low participation in the tests, for all students or for specific subgroups. Curtin said these schools will have access to state-run assistance programs, which offer services like help tailoring curriculum or help understanding school-level data. If a school is flagged for low test participation, the assistance could address improving communication with families about the tests. Today, some of these services are already available to schools classified as Level 3. "We have a suite of tools available to districts, and professionals available to districts based upon what the needs may be," Curtin said. Curtin said the state has broadened the available services, but there is not any new dedicated money going toward it. Reaction Some advocates cheered the move toward considering factors other than test scores. "What this is trying to do is bring a more realistic look at the nuance of how you look at scores," said Thomas Scott, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents. "It's an attempt to provide a little more information to parents and to teachers and give a little more flexibility for how we look at kids' learning and how they develop and how schools improve." For example, if a school has high drop-out rates or high absenteeism, that school may need to better keep students engaged. Paul Reville, a former state education secretary who now teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, called the new rankings "a more diverse system of accountability than we used to have," and an improvement over the old system. But Reville said outcomes are similar - urban schools and districts that are financially strapped have lower performance. "The big question in my mind is what are we going to do about it," Reville said. "If you want to identify underperformance, you've got to be able to provide a remedy." School districts have said for years that the state education funding formula needs to be revamped to give them enough money to cover the cost of educating children. The Legislature this year considered adding more money into the school funding formula, but that effort fell apart. "I think the categorization will help in identification, if only because it creates the expectation that they're going to get extra help and districts can be held accountable for providing that extra help," Reville said. "At the same time, districts have to have the capacity, and the resources, to provide extra assistance." Glenn Koocher, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, said the big question is "whether the system is going to be used primarily to help districts improve and to help teachers do what they do better by targeting the areas where attention needs to go." Koocher said the accountability system until now primarily has been about naming underperforming schools, administering sanctions and instituting "regulation and punishment." Koocher said he hopes the new data will pinpoint issues like schools that have a large number of new immigrants or schools with students who constantly move in and out, to help those schools rather than punishing them. "What will make the difference is what happens with the data and how it's used," Koocher said. "We're only concerned that it will be used appropriately and constructively to help people do their jobs better and not as a vehicle for regulation and punishment." Some say the new system is similar to the old one. Najimy, of the teachers' union, said schools perform poorly because test scores are tied to students' race, family income and the amount of funding a school receives. "It isn't that our schools are failing, it's that our schools have been failed by a policy of underfunding," Najimy said. "What we really need accountability for is that our legislators ensure that the schools have resources that all students need to be successful." Lisa Guisbond, executive director of Citizens for Public Schools, which advocates for public school funding and opposes the overuse of standardized tests, said the new system is still largely based on MCAS results. "We know that there are a lot of things that are important to students and families and communities about their schools," Guisbond said. "All those things can't be measured by a standardized test in two subjects." Guisbond said it is "unfair" not to provide adequate funding for schools, then intervene when students do not perform well on standardized tests. "It's not rocket science," Guisbond said. "We know that needy communities need more resources in order for their students to perform and succeed in school." Madeleine McCann: Gerrys tears, Pope is religious and Maddie is missing Did you tune in to BBC Radio 4 show on fathers and daughters to hear Madeleine McCanns father, Gerry McCann, as he weeps uncontrollably, as the Daily Star says he did? TV loves tears, from cake baking shows to pro-celebrity dance contests, no broadcast is complete without a close up of someone crying. But does it work for radio? In MADDIE DAD BREAKDOWN the Star leads with Gerry McCann saying how he believed in heaven. The man who along with his wife, Kate McCann, met the Pope when the hunt for his daughter was in full cry, is religious. Want more news? The front-page story continues on Page 5. The Stars editorial says Gerry McCanns heartbreak over missing Madeleine must touch every parents heart Listeners will have sobbed along with Gerry as his tears flowed. All of them? Having spent 11 years watching the parents and now listening to them, many people will be interested in the actual investigation and what happened to an innocent child? Well, the Star says the Metropolitan Police should get more cash because we may be looking for a serial offender and it could be money well spent. May. Could. Reporting on the disappearance of a missing child continues to be sensationalist and speculative. The Mirror also leads with Madeleine McCann, and news that Gerry dreams of hugging her again. Over pages 4 and 5, were told Gerry McCann wholeheartedly believes his daughter is alive a view backed up up by Scotland Yards plea for more funds to probe the mystery. What plea? There has been some newspaper talk of funds running low and police considering applying for more. Indeed, the Star says there is a debate over whether police will request more funds or not. If there is a plea for money and does Scotland Yard plea or merely apply? the Mirror has no details about it. It would be useful to know what progress police think will be made with more fund. The Sun picks up the radio broadcast, and pretty much transcribes the whole thing: I couldnt get the darkest thoughts out of our minds, that somebody had taken her and abused her. I remember just being in the bedroom the two of us just completely distraught. It was almost feral, the reaction and the pain, feeling helpless, alone. And amid the pain and the emotion, the Sun surmises the story so far: A number of potential leads have emerged since the little girl vanished, but none amounted to anything and no arrests have ever been made. Can you arrest anyone when all you know is that a child vanished? This is the BBCs story, and its useful to see their take on it: Madeleine, then aged three, disappeared from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007, sparking a worldwide search for her whereabouts. A search stoked by a media feeding frenzy. Mr McCann was speaking to BBC Radio 4 for a programme about the relationship between fathers and daughters. He said that he was sure immediately that his daughter had been abducted. After being told by his wife Kate that their daughter was missing, Mr McCann said automation kicked in and he began searching the apartment. We started searching more widely really quickly and then very quickly raised the alarm, he said. Youre in this quiet little holiday resort that seemed idyllic out of season and I certainly didnt speak Portuguese so I asked [our friend] Matt to go to reception and ask them to call the police. I couldnt get the darkest thoughts out of our minds, that somebody had taken her and abused her, he continued. I felt that every moment that we couldnt find her was worse. I remember being slumped on the floor and starting to call some of my family members and just saying: Pray for her.' And the plea for money: The Home Office said last week it is currently considering a police request for an extra six months funding for Operation Grange. Such are the facts. Anorak Posted: 30th, September 2018 | In: Key Posts, Madeleine McCann, News, Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink MIDDLETOWN Since arriving on campus freshman year, Ingrid Eck 19 has fully immersed herself in all Wesleyan University has to offer. Shes worked on the Wesleyan Green Fund; founded Veg Out, a student group dedicated to food justice; and now president of Wesleyans only sorority, Rho Epsilon Pi. She is also working toward not one, but three majors: government, environmental studies, and French studies. More recently, shes felt a desire to get involved in the broader Middletown community and truly get to know the city in which I have been living. This summer, Eck had a unique opportunity to become intimately familiar with the city of Middletown as she prepared and submitted the citys application to Sustainable CT for certification. According to Jen Kleindienst, Wesleyans sustainability director (for whom Eck interns), the Sustainable CT certification is similar to the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System sustainability rating for colleges and universities. Wesleyan received a silver rating by STARS, a program of The Association of the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, in 2013, and was recertified in 2016. Like STARS, Sustainable CT encourages municipalities to become more sustainable in many different realms such as environmental, social and economic. This was the first year of the program, and Middletown is aiming to be the first municipality in the state to earn the certification. With no previous examples to follow, Ecks work was largely self-guided. The role required her to learn the ins-and-outs of an incredibly complex 55 action category application on her own, researching and writing documents and meeting with a variety of municipal workers and city leaders. The intensely and intrinsically collaborative nature of this work has been both challenging and enjoyable, she said. Much of my work involved researching what laws, programs, events, or municipal entities had already been established that related to sustainability, she explained. Luckily, I was simultaneously able to work on a handful of projects that were started during the summer from the ground up. It was exciting to see innovative projects come to life because we recognized, through the application process, that there was a need for them in Middletown. I really appreciate how thorough Sustainable CT was in crafting their different actions and that they interpreted sustainability in the broadest sense, so as to include themes from equity to art. Throughout this process, Eck was able to meet many passionate and well-organized local community members, including a uniquely large population of very motivated and talented students. After this summer, I have recognized that there is so much potential for meaningful collaboration among a number of groups in Middletown. Often people are working on the very same project or care about the very same issue and have no idea that there is a whole community out there to support them, she said. I hope to use my last year in Middletown to connect students to people I have met in the city and the broader activist community. Eck submitted for the first round of certification Aug. 24 and is waiting to hear whether the city has been awarded a certification. She expects a response in October. Meanwhile, shes already working with the city to prepare for applications to receive higher levels of certification, which will be available in future years. Eck encouraged other Wesleyan students to get off campus and explore Middletown, despite all the amazing things constantly going on [on campus]. I find that almost every non-Wesleyan-student Middletown resident I have worked with is very happy to accept us as volunteers, interns, colleagues or friends. Editors note: This article is reprinted from the News@Wesleyan blog . NEW HAVEN In a book on the history of Yale Law School, one scholar detailed the turmoil starting in the late 1960s that roiled it for years. Turmoil at the prestigous school has arisen again, this time around the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, which is playing out publicly and internationally. More than 100 students and alumni in early July accused the law school administration of being more concerned about its proximity to power and prestige than about the judges past Appellate Court rulings and what they will mean to the direction of the high court. Dean Heather Gerken, in a statement after the nomination, praised Kavanaughs contribution to the law school as a teacher and mentor, which the students took as an endorsement. She later clarified that was not the case, as the administration must remain neutral, although individual faculty were free to respond as they saw fit. Laura Kalman, a history professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara, has written two books on the history of Yale Law School, and when asked in a phone interview what the latest uproar will mean for the schools direction, she said historians are poor prognosticators of future events. Still, Kalman said it appears to be as pivotal a moment for the school as when Anita Hill and Clarence Thomas, both Yale Law School graduates, clashed in 1991 before the Senate Judiciary Committee during its vetting of Thomas nomination to the high court after she accused him of sexual harassment. The professor said it would be hard to imagine the campus would take a bigger hit for todays controversies than it did in 1991, when then-Dean Guido Calabresi attested to the characters of both Hill and Thomas after having endorsed Thomas. The reaction on the campus to the Kavanaugh nomination exploded further on Sept. 16 after Christine Blasey Ford, in a Washington Post story, said Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers, a twist that joined the students initial concerns about the judge with the #MeToo movements demand for justice for victims of sexual misconduct. Some 260 law school students held a sit-in last week to protest the nomination, while 120 went to Washington, D.C., to make themselves heard on the judges jurisprudence and the lack of an independent FBI investigation into the charges, as well as those subsequently made Tuesday by Shelton native Deborah Ramirez, a former Yale College classmate of Kavanaugh. Ramirez has accused Kavanaugh of exposing himself at a drunken party when they were freshmen in 1983-84 and caused her to touch his penis, against her will, when he thrust it in her face. On Wednesday, Julie Swetnick alleged Kavanaugh was present at a high school party around 1982 where she was the victim of a gang rape. She did not identify Kavanaugh as one of her attackers. She said during a series of parties, she saw Kavanaugh consistently engage in excessive drinking and inappropriate contact of a sexual nature with women during the early 1980s, according to CBS Baltimore. Kavanaugh has vigorously denied all the charges made against him by the three women. Fifty Yale Law School faculty members on Sept. 21 cautioned the Senate Judiciary Committee not to rush to judgment on Kavanaugh without asking the FBI to investigate. Gerken made a similar request a week later after the American Bar Association. In the quickly evolving story, Blasey Ford and Kavanaugh testified separately during emotional hearings on Thursday. Blasey Ford said she was 100 percent certain she was assaulted by Kavanaugh and Kavanaugh forcefully denied the allegation. On Friday, minutes ahead of a scheduled vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee to send Kavanaughs nominiation to the Senate floor, Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., said he could not vote for the judge until the FBI had fully investigated the allegations. President Donald Trump late Friday ordered the investigation, stipulating it not last more than a week. The Senate Judiciary Committee then voted 11 to 10 to send the confirmation to the Senate floor. I join the American Bar Association in calling for an additional investigation into allegations made against Judge Kavanaugh, Gerken said in a statement Friday. Proceeding with the confirmation process without further investigation is not in the best interest of the Court or our profession. During the law school protests on the treatment of sex harassment victims, numerous references were made to Anita Hill and Yales obligation to support a more fair process for the women complaining about Kavanaugh than was available to Hill. Alex Taubus, who graduated from Yale Law School in 2015, said the schools reputation has been tarnished, as its integrity is a source of pride. Kalman said in her view of the schools history, its students have always been the best part of the institution. There were, however, plenty of conflicts in a clash of cultures between students, between professors, and between students and professors in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Kalman wrote in the Yale Law Review in the summer of 2006. The New York Times, reporting on the Thomas hearing, wrote this in 1991: If Yale Law School, a place that hasnt always deigned to deal with anything as prosaic as life on earth, is all over the still-unfolding Thomas drama, Mr. Calabresi is at its epicenter. He is perhaps the only person who can attest to the sterling characters of both Judge Thomas and Professor Hill, and has done so. Calabresi, commenting on them, said. I like and respect them both, and I have always trusted them both, he said. Given the complexity of sexual harassment, I could conceive of a situation in which Clarence Thomas thought he was doing nothing abusive, and Anita Hill thought that what he did was terribly threatening. Which perception is correct is something we all, women and men, will have to decide. Kalman said the school continues a tradition of legal realism, which was in place starting in the early 20th century to the present day. Student activism, which reflects and flows from that realism, has been a big part of the schools history since the 1960s and, in recent years, especially since Calabresis deanship. Kalman said legal realism, which treats law as a tool of social policy to structure and restructure society, is ingrained in the schools DNA. All this activity today is baked from its history, she said and would appear to contribute to the popular top ranking of the school itself. The professor said the exceptional academic records of the students, along with their character, political activism, and ability to interact with each other and their teachers in a small space, is what is so special about the Yale Law School. Power struggle She addressed clerkships, which are not a new problem. Young lawyers who get them are often in line for appointments to the judiciary and as future law school professors, Kalman said. Kalman said in the 1990s students sang Girls just want to be clerks, to the song Girls Just Want to Have Fun,at the annual revue because women knew they were being denied access to this prestigious opportunity. This topic, among others, would seem to flow from the past, Kalman said. Students were upset that Deputy Dean Douglas Kysar, according to the Huffington Post, was aware of inappropriate behavior by California Appellate Judge Alex Kozinski in the late 1990s. Kozinski resigned last year after several women filed sexual harassment charges against him. Kysar said, according to the Huffington Post, he had no idea that Kozinskis behavior included sexual harassment. Harold Koh, a former dean at the law school, had the following to say when asked to comment on the students response to Kavanaugh. I just had a long Saturday morning meeting at my house with a large group of my first year students who found this week very intense but meaningful: both their trip to Washington and all the events in New Haven. They had many questions and concerns which led to a long, thoughtful and rewarding discussion. The students were asking the School whether we are being true to our values. I am proud of them for doing so. Their questioning forced helpful and necessary introspection. Dean Gerken has convened faculty meetings to discuss what the faculty has collectively learned from the experience, and what we plan to do going forward. I am glad she is doing so, and hope and expect that we will emerge a stronger community for it,Koh said. On clerkships, Taubus, the 2015 grad, said there is a problem with the way lawyers are being trained. He said the medical school has a system where they are matched with interested hospitals. He said at the school it is too opaque and gives an advantage to students with connections. There needs to be more of an honor code to reach the upper echelons, Taubus said. He objected to the expectations for clerks to work 12-hour days, seven days a week, which is more attuned to indentured servitude, as they are completely dependent on the judges for good reviews to advance a career. Attorney David Rosen, a Yale Law School 1969 grad, isnt worried about his alma mater being negatively affected by the fight with some administrators and faculty and with Kavanaugh as a nominee. I think of all the people in the institutions that are in this cauldron, the Yale Law School is likely to come out the least burned singed for sure, Rosen said. He said it is an elite institution, but it continues to bring more students of modest means into the fold. I like to think it is moving in the right direction, Rosen said. He said his class nearly 50 years ago had eight women, five blacks, one Asian and one Latino. A more diverse student body is the biggest change, he said. It felt like a nice, friendly group-therapy session for the Connecticut Republican Party. But someone had to die. In an under-attended dinner aimed at giving Bob Stefanowski some more money for the TV ads that worked so spectacularly, so shockingly, so stunningly that he has still barely recovered from that unlikely primary victory over four other candidates on Aug. 14, about 360 Republicans gathered in a ballroom at the Stamford Marriott the other night. More about Aug. 14 a little later. The seats ranged in price from $100 to $10,000, with Big Bob the beneficiary of the cheerleading in the states new political landscape. What could the rank-and-file do? Their world has been thrown on its axis. But just because the weakest candidate won the primary, doesnt mean they can lose the sure bet of the governors office in 2018, does it? Well, thats why they hold elections. So what if their time-honored nomination system, with various hopefuls for governor supplicating before town committees and courting hundreds of delegates for support in advance of the May convention, has been thoroughly repudiated? Who cares if a segment of Republicans who have been toiling for years in various elective offices, working for the party, biding their time, were thrown aside for a candidate who didnt even vote during most of this century, let alone register as a Republican? Stefanowskis brilliant strategy, standing the process on its head, front-loaded his campaign with TV ads in January. He didnt have to do anything more than throw a nice party else in Foxwoods on the first night of the convention. The commercials solidified name recognition, and his handlers have excelled in keeping him from reporters. The next debate is Oct. 18. I can count on one hand and a few fingers the number of times since the convention that Stefanowski has held events in which the Connecticut news media, and therefore you, seething reader, were invited. Democrat Ned Lamont has had more than 100, taking questions from skeptical reporters, announcing things he stands for, bringing his campaign to the public square for scrutiny. But enough about Ned, lets go back to the 40th Annual Prescott Bush Dinner, attended by dozens of people I have known, appreciated and covered for decades. Many are wondering if the whole convention process should be scrapped. Maybe the conventions should be held earlier, so those participating in public financing can have a chance against a so-called self-funder like Stefanowski. What about killing the convention process entirely, avoiding the floor fights, and going to a direct primary? How about ending public financing for the governors race? Its all up to the General Assembly and the next governor in this dangerous age of partisan politics. No one in the practically all-white crowd was talking about the historic Kavanaugh hearing that was just finishing up before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where a former Yale frat-boy cried, blamed a left-wing conspiracy for his drinking history, then asked a senator if she ever passed out from alcohol. In fact, Connecticut Republicans were acting like that hoped Washington was on another planet, instead of the source of the events that could threaten their hoped-for table run for 2018: the governor, the state House and Senate. House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby, accepted the annual Prescott Bush Award named for the father of a president and the grandfather of another and predicted that if the GOP doesnt win legislative majorities, Stefanowski would have a miserable four years. The keynote speaker was Gov. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, a former corporate guy shades of Big Bob! who pitched his states success story. For a chuckle at the expense of J.R. Romano, the hard-working, cat-herding GOP state chairman, Ricketts inadvertently referred to him as R.J. a couple times. Ricketts, whose state has a unicameral Legislature, with lawmakers referred to as senators, painted a rosy picture of budget cutting and running the state like a business. His pep talk, implying what happened there can occur in Connecticut with GOP leadership, got a standing ovation. Ricketts, the son of the founder of TD Ameritrade, whose family also owns the Chicago Cubs, was less-known to the crowd for his recent claim to infamy. On Aug. 14, the day of Stefanowskis primary victory, Nebraska executed a man with a lethal injection, rather than letting him age away, anonymously, behind bars. Previously, Ricketts vetoed a repeal of the death penalty. The Legislature overrode the veto. Ricketts invested a couple hundred thousand dollars to support a referendum that overturned the repeal. So if Big Bob is elected and the General Assembly flips, does that mean the Connecticut GOP brings back the death penalty? 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. Forensic Science Advances Mean US War Fighters Are No Longer Likely to Be Buried as Unknown No American service member killed in action over the past 30 years has been buried as unknown. The U.S. Air Force will soon need to make a decision on whether its plan to grow to 386 operational squadrons should focus on procuring top-of-the-line equipment and aircraft, or stretching the legs of some of its oldest warplanes even longer, experts say. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson announced in September that the service wants at least 74 additional squadrons over the next decade. What service brass don't yet know is what could fill those squadrons. Some say the Air Force will have to choose between quantity -- building up strength for additional missions around the globe -- or quality, including investment in better and newer equipment and warfighting capabilities. It's not likely the service will get the resources to pursue both. "It's quite a big bite of the elephant, so to speak," said John "JV" Venable, a senior research fellow for defense policy at The Heritage Foundation. Related content: Wilson's Sept. 17 announcement mapped out a 25 percent increase in Air Force operational squadrons, with the bulk of the growth taking place in those that conduct command and control; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; and tanker refueling operations. She broke down the planned plus-up as follows: 5 additional bomber squadrons 7 more fighter squadrons 7 additional space squadrons 14 more tanker squadrons 7 special operations squadrons 9 combat search-and-rescue squadrons 22 squadrons that conduct command and control and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance 2 remotely piloted aircraft squadrons 1 more airlift squadron Venable, who flew F-16 Fighting Falcons throughout his 25-year Air Force career, estimated that buying new aircraft such KC-46 Pegasus tankers, F-35 Joint Strike Fighters and newer C-17 Globemaster IIIs for the squadron build-up could set the Air Force back some $81 billion on plane costs alone. An additional 14 airlift squadrons using C-17s could cost roughly $4 billion; five bomber squadrons of fifth-generation B-21 Raider bombers would cost roughly $28 billion; and seven additional fighter squadrons of either F-22 Raptors or F-35s would be $14.5 billion, Venable said, citing his own research. "Tanker aircraft, that was the biggest increase in squadron size, a significant amount of aircraft [that it would take for 14 squadrons] ... comes out to $33.81 billion," he said. By Venable's estimates, it would require a mix of nearly 500 new fighter, bomber, tanker and airlift aircraft to fill the additional units. That doesn't include the purchase new helicopters for the combat-search-and-rescue mission, nor remotely piloted aircraft for the additional drone squadron the service wants. And because the Air Force wants to build 386 squadrons in a 10-year stretch, new aircraft would require expedited production. For example, Boeing Co. would need to churn out 20 KC-46 tankers a year, up from the 15 per year the Air Force currently plans to buy, Venable said. The service says it will need roughly 40,000 airmen and personnel to achieve these goals by the 2030 timeframe. Venable said the personnel that come with these missions would cost an additional $64 billion over the next decade. The Air Force thus would be spending closer to $15 billion per year on these components of its 386-squadron plan, he said. New vs. Old In light of recent Defense Department spending fiascos such as the Joint Strike Fighter, which cost billions more than estimated and faced unanticipated delays, some think the Air Force should focus on extending the life of its current aircraft, rather than buying new inventory. The Air Force will not be able to afford such a buildup of scale along with the modernization programs it already has in the pipeline for some of its oldest fighters, said Todd Harrison, director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Harrison was first to estimate it would cost roughly $13 billion a year to execute a 74-squadron buildup, tweeting the figure shortly after Wilson's announcement. If the Air Force wants to increase squadrons quickly, buying new isn't the way to go, Harrison told Military.com. The quickest way to grow the force the service wants would be to stop retiring the planes it already has, he said. "I'm not advocating for this, but ... as you acquire new aircraft and add to the inventory, don't retire the planes you were supposed to be replacing," said Harrison. "That doesn't necessarily give you the capabilities that you're looking for," he added, saying the service might have to forego investment in more fifth-generation power as a result. By holding onto legacy aircraft, the Air Force might be able to achieve increased operational capacity while saving on upfront costs the delays associated with a new acquisition process, Harrison said. The cost of sustaining older aircraft, or even a service-life extension program "is still going to be much less than the cost of buying brand-new, current-generation aircraft," he said. Just don't throw hybrid versions or advanced versions of legacy aircraft into the mix. It has been reported the Air Force is not only considering an advanced "F-15X" fourth-plus generation fighter for its inventory, but is also open to an F-22/F-35 fifth-generation hybrid concept. "That would just complicate the situation even more," Harrison said. Venable agreed. "Why would you ever invest that much money and get a fourth-generation platform when you could up the volume and money into the F-35 pot?" Venable said. Running the numbers Focusing on squadron numbers as a measure of capability may not be the right move for the Air Force, Harrison said. The Navy announced a similar strategy in 2016, calling for a fleet of 355 ships by the 2030s. But counting ships and counting squadrons are two different matters, he said. "While it's an imperfect metric, you can at least count ships," Harrison said. "A squadron is not a distinct object. It's an organization construct and [each] varies significantly, even within the same type of aircraft." Still less clear, he said, is what the Air Force will need in terms of logistics and support for its planned buildup. Harrison estimates that the aircraft increase could be even more than anticipated, once support and backup is factored in. For example, if it's assumed the squadrons will stay about the same size they are today, with between 10 and 24 aircraft, "you're looking at an increase [in] total inventory of about 1,100 to 1,200" planes when keeping test and backup aircraft in mind, he said. A squadron typically has 500 to 600 personnel, including not just pilots, but also support members needed to execute the unit's designated mission, he said. Add in all those jobs, and it's easy to reach the 40,000 personnel the Air Force wants to add by the 2030 timeframe. "It's difficult to say what is achievable here, or what the Air Force's real endstate is," said Brian Laslie, an Air Force historian who has written two books: "The Air Force Way of War" and "Architect of Air Power." "[But] I also think the senior leaders look at the current administration and see a time to strike while the iron is hot, so to speak," Laslie told Military.com. "Bottom line: there are not enough squadrons across the board to execute all the missions ... [and] for the first time in decades, the time might be right to ask for more in future budgets." The way forward Air Force leaders are having ongoing meetings with lawmakers on Capitol Hill ahead of a full report, due to Congress next spring, about the service's strategy for growth. So far, they seem to be gaining slow and steady backing. Following the service's announcement of plans for a plus-up to 386 operational squadrons, members of the Senate's Air Force Caucus signaled their support. "The Air Force believes this future force will enable them to deter aggression in three regions (Indo-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East), degrade terrorist and Weapons of Mass Destruction threats, defeat aggression by a major power, and deter attacks on the homeland," the caucus said in a letter authored by Sens. John Boozman, R-Arkansas; John Hoeven, R-North Dakota, Jon Tester, D-Montana, and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. "We are encouraged by the Air Force's clear articulation of its vision to best posture the service to execute our National Defense Strategy." For Air Force leadership, the impact of the pace of operations on current and future airmen must also be taken into account. "Every airman can tell you they are overstretched," Wilson said in late September during an address at The National Press Club. The secretary said the new plan is not intended to influence the fiscal 2020 budget, but instead to offer "more of a long-term view" on how airmen are going to meet future threats. "I think we've all known this for some time. The Air Force is too small for what the nation is asking it to do. The Air Force has declined significantly in size ... and it's driving the difficulty in retention of aircrew," Wilson said. There will be much to consider in the months ahead as the Air Force draws up its blueprint for growth, Laslie said. "I think the Air Force looks at several things with regard to the operations side of the house: contingency operations, training requirements, and other deployments -- F-22s in Poland, for example -- and there is just not enough aircraft and aircrews to do all that is required," Laslie said. "When you couple this with the demands that are placed on existing global plans, there is just not enough to go around." It's clear, Laslie said, that the Air Force does need to expand in order to respond to current global threats and demands. The question that remains, though, is how best to go about that expansion. "There is a recognition amongst senior leaders that 'Do more with less' has reached its limit, and the only way to do more ... is with more," he said. -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @oriana0214. How to use the mindat.org media viewer Click/touch this help panel to close it. Welcome to the mindat.org media viewer. Here is a quick guide to some of the options available to you. Different controls are available depending on the type of media being shown (photo, video, animation, 3d image) Controls - all media types Zoom in and out of media using your mousewheel or with a two-finger 'resize' action on a touch device. Use the mouse or your finger to drag the image or the view area of the image around the screen. < and > at the left and right hand side of the screen move forwards and backwards for the other images associated with the media you selected. Usually this is used for previous/next photo in a gallery, in an article or in search results. Keyboard shortcuts: use shift + the left and right arrow keys. < and > in the bottom center are used for switching between the photos of the same specimen. Keyboard shortcuts: use the left and right arrow keys. > in the bottom center, raises the information box giving details and further options for the media, < at the top of this box then hides it. Keyboard shortcuts: use the up and down arrow keys. ? opens this help window. Keyboard shortcuts: use the H key or the ? key. Other keyboard shortcuts: 1 Fit image to screen 2 Fill screen with image 5 Display at full resolution < Make background darker > Make background lighter space Hide/dim titles and buttons Scalebar If the field of view (FOV) is specified for the photo, the scalebar appears in the left bottom corner of the viewer. The scalebar is draggable and resizeable. Drag the right edge to resize it. Double click will reset the scalebar to it's default size and position. If the scalebar is in default position, double click will make it circular. Controls - Video Video files have a standard set of video controls: - Reset to start, - Skip back, - Play, - Pause, - Skip forwards. Keyboard shortcuts: You can stop/start video play with the P key. Controls - Animation (Spin Rotation) Animation (usually 360 degree spin rotations) have their own controls: - enable spin mode. Note that while images are loading this option will not be available but will be automatically activated when the animation has loaded. Once active you can spin the image/change the animation by moving your mouse or finger on the image left/right or by pressing the [ or ] keys. The button switches to move mode so that you can use your mouse/fingers to move the image around the screen as with other media types. The button, or the P key will start playing the animation directly, you can interrupt this by using the mouse or finger on the image to regain manual movement control. Controls - 3D Stereoscopic images If a stereoscopic 3D image is opened in the viewer, the 3D button appears in the bottom right corner giving access to "3D settings" menu. The 3D images can be viewed in several ways: - without any special equipment using cross-eyed or parallel-eyed method - with stereoscope - with anaglyph glasses. - on a suitable 3D TV or monitor (passive 3D system) For details about 3D refer to: Mindat manuals: Mindat Media Viewer: 3D To enable/disable 3D stereo display of a compatible stereo pair image press the 3 key. If the left/right images are reversed on your display (this often happens in full-screen mode) press the 4 key to reverse them. Controls - photo comparison mode If a photo with activated comparison mode is opened in the viewer, the button appears in the bottom right corner giving access to "Comparison mode settings" menu. Several layouts are supported: slider and side by-side comparison with up to 6 photos shown synchronously on the screen. On each of the compared photos a view selector is placed, e.g.: Longwave UV . It shows the name of currently selected view and allows to select a view for each placeholder. Summary of all keyboard shortcuts WYOMING, MI -- Friends, family and co-workers of 27-year-old Tia Randall -- a homicide victim police believe was shot by her boyfriend at their Wyoming home -- gathered to remember her Saturday, Sept. 29. The group gathered near Mr. Burger, where Randall worked and was friends with co-workers. Randall was found dead Thursday morning in the home she shared with 33-year-old Adam Nolin at Creekside Estates mobile home park, near Clyde Park Avenue SW and 52nd Street. Police quickly identified Nolin as a suspect and found his pickup on northbound U.S. 131. A chase ensued and he crashed the truck in the S-Curve. Nolin exited the truck with a handgun and exchanged gunfire with police. An officer then used a cruiser to strike him with the vehicle, according to witnesses. Nolin, whose injuries were not life-threatening, was arraigned in a hospital Friday for alleged crimes that happened after the slaying. In court records, police alleged Nolin fired a gun at two Wyoming officers as he fled in the truck. The location was at 32nd Street SW and Buchanan Avenue, prior to the S-Curve incident. Randall was a mother of two young children, ages 7 and 4. MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI--A Muskegon man is accused of planning a meth lab for the shed in his backyard. Eric Paul Baker, 29, has been charged with operating a meth lab, which is a 20-year felony. It's alleged that he possessed equipment he knew was intended for the manufacture of methamphetamine, said Muskegon County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Timothy Maat. The West Michigan Enforcement Team, acting on an anonymous tip, went to Baker's residence and allegedly found evidence of meth production components in the shed, Maat said. It was not an active lab, he said. Baker's home is located in the 1500 block of Division Street in Muskegon. Baker was arraigned on Sept. 10 when bond was set at $25,000 cash or surety. MILWAUKEE -- Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila said he knew of no plans by controlling owner Christopher Ilitch to sell the team. Recent speculation has focused on Dan Gilbert, a Detroit native who owns the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers and has invested heavily in downtown Detroit, as an interested buyer. Ilitch, 53, became president and CEO of Ilitch Holdings and controlling owner of the Tigers and NHL's Detroit Red Wings upon the death of his father Michael in 2017. Ilitch has said repeatedly that he plans to keep the Tigers under his family's ownership for the long-term future. "To my knowledge nothing like that is going on," Avila said during a chat with reporters at Miller Park. "I can tell you that Chris Ilitch, since the day I've been here, has told me that he's committed to being the owner of this team 100 percent for the long term." Avila said Ilitch has been an engaged owner who has attended the draft and visited the team's facilities in Latin America. "He's been nothing but supportive of giving us the necessary means of being able to develop players," he said. Two policemen were killed Saturday in a shootout in the U.S. state of Mississippi, local police said. Mississippi Bureau of Investigations officers .graph the scene where two Brookhaven Police Officers were shot and killed in Brookhaven, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018. [Photo: IC] The incident took place in Brookhaven. Local police chief Kenneth Collins said the two policemen were responding to a report of gunshot when they were wounded by a shooter, presumably 25-year-old Marquis Flowers. The two policemen, 35-year-old James White and 31-year-old Zack Moak were pronounced dead at a hospital. "This is devastating for our community, especially given what has already happened so recently," Brookhaven Mayor Joe Cox said, referring to a shooting 16 months ago that killed one policeman and seven others. For India Biomass-based energy generation has to be the major focus area of renewable energy programme. Indias crude oil production fell for the sixth straight year in 2017-18 to 35.68 million tonnes, pushing the countrys import dependence for crude further to 82.8 per cent and dampening prospects for plan to cut reliance on energy imports by 10 per cent through 2022. The fall comes at a time Indias oil import bill is expected to increase by 20 per cent to $105 billion. However, the country recorded its highest ever natural gas production from onshore blocks in 2017-2018. Gas production from onshore blocks including Coal Bed Methane (CBM) grew 8 per cent to 10,639 MMSCM last financial year as compared to 9,858 MMSCM recorded in the previous fiscal. Coal consumption has increased from 71.2 MT to 462.7 MT, while crude-petroleum consumption has gone up from 18.4 MT to 146.5 MT. Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has reportedly projected that domestic demand for petroleum crude would more than double to 500 million tonnes by 2040. India is already the third largest importer of crude, and about a quarter of all incremental oil demand worldwide up to 2040 would be from India, which is huge. The situation calls for policy change to induce a faster alternate energy development programmes in the techno-economic paradigm, and quicker switchover to local renewable energy sources including EVs nationwide. Even global oil majors have lined up big plans on the renewable energy front; which India surely should follow suit. For India Biomass-based energy generation has to be the major focus area of renewable energy programme. The strength of biomass resources mostly lies in the agricultural sector. A total of 39 residues from 26 crops cultivated in India can be considered for bio fuel production and power generation. India produces 686 MT gross crop residue biomass on annual basis, of which 234MT (34% of gross) are estimated as surplus for bio-energy generation. The estimated annual bio-energy potential from the surplus crop residue biomass is 4.15 EJ, equivalent to17% of Indias total primary energy consumption. It is reported that by 2031-2032, power generation capacity must increase to nearly 800 GW from the current capacity of around 183 GW, inclusive of all captive plants to meet the basic energy needs of its citizens. Considering the high potential in using the locally available surplus biomass we in VIT University, Vellore are developing technologies for using surplus biomass as source for generating power and producing liquid fuels which can replace petrol and diesel. A new concept windmill may augment wind energy using high pressure air in micro thruster installed at the end of the blade. Since the blade length is used as lever arm, the energy spent to compress the air will be max 5% to 15% depending upon location of the windmill. The capacity utilisation of the wind power generator is increased from a mere 18% to 25% to more than 85%.The windmill works throughout the day and year irrespective of the prevailing wind velocity. If it is proved successful it may be possible to supply India total power requirement only through wind power generators. Other viable alternate energy sources Production of bio oil and Butanol based fuel for replacing petrol: The government has recently announced incentive for using ethyl alcohol blended petrol in transport vehicles. The feasibility is there of using Butanol-Ethanol-Acetone based fuel synthesised from agro biomass to totally replace the petrol instead of blending only around 10% alcohol to petrol. This fuel is named as BE-A fuel. VIT University installed a Biomass based power plant in 2004 using Juliflora (karuvelam) wood for gasification and using the gas in the diesel engine generator to save upto 80% diesel. This plant generates on average 1,500 units per day and supplies to the hostels. It is possible to install large size power plants in rural area using any wood waste and agro waste and supply power required for irrigation pumps and also household requirements. The writer is a researcher in bio-energy at the VIT University, Vellore UN peacekeeping faces increasingly difficult challenges, including attacks against its peacekeepers, complex mandates, and uneven political support. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres interacts with peacekeeping forces. Every day, women and men who serve under the UN flag put their lives on the line, protecting millions of civilians at risk, supporting fragile political processes and sustaining peace. United Nations peacekeeping remains one of the most effective tools to respond to todays challenges of global peace and security. Every day, women and men who serve under the UN flag put their lives on the line, protecting millions of civilians at risk, supporting fragile political processes and sustaining peace. They have been successful in helping countries like Liberia and Cote dIvoire return to peace. UN peacekeeping faces increasingly difficult challenges, including attacks against our peacekeepers, complex mandates, and uneven political support. Peacekeeping is essentially a collective endeavour: a partnership. It only works if all partners step up and carry their share, including the Security Council, troop and police contributors, the UN Secretariat, regional organisations and host countries. We require strong, collective action if we are to succeed in addressing these challenges. This is why the Secretary-General launched the Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) initiative on March 28 to reinforce these commitments and help us succeed on the ground where it matters most. Following intensive consultations with all member states as well as inter-governmental organisations, the Secretary-General put forward a document of shared commitments to all member states for their endorsement. This declaration lays out a number of mutual commitments that aims to concretely improving the impact and effectiveness of our operations: stronger support for political efforts, stronger commitment to improve training, equipment and performance and stronger partnerships. For our part, we have already begun implementing a number of actions. This includes improving performance, mindsets and support for our peacekeepers by implementing our action plan on the safety and security of UN peacekeepers. Much work remains to be done, but we are already seeing the effects of our collective efforts. Seventeen peacekeepers have lost their life due to acts of violence so far this year, compared to 26 in the same period last year. While this represents a significant decrease, we must remain vigilant against continuing threats. Each and every peacekeeper killed is one too many. In many of our missions, peacekeepers are responding more effectively to threats and attacks. I recently returned from Mali and I saw firsthand the positive changes MINUSMA has made. Many of our camps are better protected thanks to the use of more advanced systems that detect threats. Our peacekeepers in places such as Aguelhok and Tessalit are conducting more patrols to protect populations despite significant threats. Changing mindsets and enhancing the preparedness of troops is helping to significantly limit casualties during attacks, such as against our base in Timbuktu last April, when the perpetrators were met with a strong response. We have also undertaken a series of independently-led reviews of peacekeeping missions to assess mandates and determine whether we have the appropriate strategies and resources to meet our objectives. We are strengthening cooperation with key partners, especially the African Union and European Union. Despite our full commitment towards implementing these initiatives, UN peacekeeping cannot succeed without the engagement of all our partners. Strengthening peacekeeping also means helping countries who provide us with troops and police, including by supporting training needs to ensure we deploy personnel equipped and prepared to accomplish these tasks. Similarly, member states are also key to our efforts to increase the number of women in peacekeeping at all levels. More women in peacekeeping means more effective peacekeeping. Women are only 21 per cent of our personnel and we must collectively do better. Ensuring that all United Nations personnel maintain the highest standards of conduct must be at the heart of our collective efforts. In recent years, we have done more to strengthen accountability and transparency, raise awareness and provide better support for victims. However, we must continue to work harder and closely with member states who possess the authority to hold all categories of personnel accountable for criminal conduct. We are fully committed to playing our part to strengthen peacekeeping. The Declaration of Shared Commitments that more than 135 countries have already signed (and remains open for more endorsements) is an important and meaningful first step. But we now collectively need to implement on the ground where it matters most and where people are counting on us the most. Peacekeeping deploys to some of the most complex and difficult places, protecting the most vulnerable. For hundreds of millions, its the last best hope. It needs all our support. Jean-Pierre Lacroix is the UNs under-secretary-general for peacekeeping operations. Air India building, Mumbai The Ministry of Civil Aviation has called on the Finance Ministry earlier last week to urgently decide on funding Air India as dues to vendors have mounted, The Economic Times reports. The airlines operations have hit a snag due to financial problems and rising dues. Aviation Secretary RN Chaubey wrote to the Finance Ministry to clear the bailout package, thereby ensuring infusion of funds, the report stated. We have asked the Finance Ministry to quickly decide on the equity infusion into Air India as the airlines liabilities to vendors are rising and it is struggling financially, the official told the paper. The government has provided the airline support of about Rs 980 crore as equity and a sovereign guarantee to raise close to Rs 2,000 crore from lenders, of which Air India has raised Rs 1,500 crore. It was reported earlier this month that oil companies have asked the national carrier to clear its dues on a daily basis. Air India has to repay about Rs 10,000 crore to oil companies and airport operators. The Ministry of Civil Aviation was seeking a waiver of the airlines Rs 30,000 crore debt and a cash infusion of Rs 10,000 crore. While the Finance Ministry rejected the former, the cash infusion is still under discussion. The government wants to mend the financial health of the airline for sale after 2019 Lok Sabha elections. If the government goes through with it, this would be the second bailout package for Air India within five years. The Manmohan Singh-led UPA government in 2013 had approved an infusion of Rs 30,231 crore for the airline until 2020-21. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More An activist group in the UK is planning to stage a "loud" demonstration outside the final annual general meeting (AGM) of mining tycoon Anil Agarwal's Vedanta Resources on October 1 to demand justice for the 13 protesters killed in a police shooting at the company's copper smelter in Tamil Nadu in May. Foil Vedanta, a grassroots activist group centred in London, also blames the City of London Corporation and UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for failing to regulate or penalise the company, which will be formally delisted from the London Stock Exchange (LSE) on October 1. "We cannot let Vedanta boss Anil Agarwal escape accountability and justice in the UK, under whose jurisdiction he has committed widespread financial, human rights and environmental crimes," said Foil Vedanta's Samarendra Das, who is the primary author of a new report titled 'Vedanta's Billions'. The report will be handed to the FCA as part of a series of protests on Monday, calling on the UK's financial watchdog to investigate the company. "The FCA and City of London must now initiate proceedings against Vedanta or remain complicit in enabling and mitigating these abuses," he said. The report is a summary of legal judgments against Vedanta across its operations, holding the company responsible for "abusive modus operandi" due to "illegal mining in Goa, pollution and tax evasion in Zambia, as well as illegal expansion and pollution in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu". "Vedanta's track record of human rights, environmental and financial violations, together with its already complicated financial structure, strongly suggests that delisting is part of a policy to further limit public scrutiny of its operations," the report claims. It alleges that the delisting follows the police shooting which killed 13 people, including women and children, on May 22 this year their 100th day of protest against pollution by Vedanta's copper smelter at Thoothukudi (earlier Tuticorin) in Tamil Nadu. "The killing is being dubbed a 'corporate massacre' and led to the closure of the Sterlite copper plant. Vedanta's delisting plans were announced shortly afterwards amidst global protests against the company," the report concludes. British MP Hywel Williams, who was handed a copy of the report, said, "This is a deeply concerning and disturbing report. I will be taking note of its findings and seeking to ensure that MPs, policymakers and the Westminster government are informed of its findings". "The report once again emphasises the need for action by UK authorities to investigate and regulate London-listed corporations that carry out illegal and immoral acts overseas," Williams said. Vedanta Resources chairman Anil Agarwal is set to take the LSE-listed company private from Monday, after the company's family-owned trust Volcan Investments had got the go-ahead for the move from minority shareholders in early September. Agarwal has previously stated that the buy-out of the London listing was intended to simplify the company's structure and claimed that the liquidity of Indian markets meant that the need for a separate London listing was no longer critical. In a video message on Twitter soon after the deaths in Thoothikudi, he had described the incident as "absolutely unfortunate" and expressed "full sympathy" with the families of those who killed in the protests. Tata Group logo (Image: Reuters) The Tata Group is considering chalking out a succession plan for the Tata Trusts, according to a Business Standard report. Tata Trusts has a controlling interest of 66 percent in Tata Sons -- the groups holding company -- and is currently headed by Ratan Tata. Tata Sons is being led by Natarajan Chandrasekaran since January last year. The chairman of both Tata Sons and Tata Trusts was the same till Ratan Tata was leading the group. When Cyrus Mistry took over as chairman of Tata Sons in December 2012, Tata continued to lead Tata Trusts. According to the report, there are ongoing deliberations on whether the conglomerate should return to the earlier concept of having a common chairman for both Tata Sons and Tata Trusts. The report suggests the possibility of a Vice-Chairman being appointed for the first time. Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report. While Chandrasekaran is a possible candidate for the Vice-Chairmans post, a trustee of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust or Sir Dorabjee Tata Trust -- the two main trusts within Tata Trusts -- could also be considered for the post, the report said. Former Tata Sons Directors NA Soonawala and RK Krishna Kumar, who have served as trustees, are among the top names being discussed. As per the report, the process of appointing a Vice-Chairman is expected to be informal. No time frame has been set for the process yet. Global giants from US, Japan and the Middle East have shown interest in picking up a stake in state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp's (ONGC) mega petrochemical project in Gujarat, the firm's Chairman and Managing Director Shashi Shanker said. ONGC Petro additions Ltd's (OPaL) 1.1 million tonnes plant was completed last year at a cost of Rs 30,000 crore. "The plant is operating at 80 per cent capacity and is targeted to reach 100 per cent before end of current fiscal," Shanker said. While the plant was originally conceived as a joint venture with state-owned gas utility GAIL India Ltd and Gujarat State Petroleum Corp Ltd (GSPC), ONGC funded most of the project cost. ONGC is now looking at restructuring the equity of OPaL and is exploring the option of roping in a foreign partner. "Many people across the globe have shown interest in taking stake. Many options are available," he said. "Companies from Middle East, Japan and US have shown interest." He, however, did not name the companies. Saudi Aramco is said to be one of the companies interested in taking a stake in OPaL. "By February we should be able to get a fix on the whole thing," he said. ONGC was originally supposed to keep just 26 per cent stake in OPaL while gas utility GAIL was to take 19 per cent. Five per cent was to be taken by Gujarat State Petroleum Corp (GSPC) and the remaining was to be sold to a strategic investor and public. But GAIL ended up paying for only 9 per cent and GSPC for only 0.2 per cent. The remaining cost was borne by ONGC. GAIL had in 2008 picked up 19 per cent stake in OPaL, which was then building the mega petrochemical complex at Dahej in Gujarat. But the project, which started in 2006, faced major cost and time overruns, which forced GAIL to restrict its equity contribution to the original Rs 996.28 crore. This investment in the expanded project cost meant that the gas utility's stake dropped first to 17 per cent, then to 15.5 per cent and now about 9 per cent. The project at the time of conception was projected to cost Rs 12,440 crore but the cost was in 2010 revised to Rs 19,535 crore. It was a couple of years later further revised upwards to Rs 21,396 crore with December 2013 set as the commissioning date. It was completed last year for Rs 30,000 crore. GAIL would, however, continue to hold rights to market 38 per cent of the polymer and other chemicals produced by OPaL even at the reduced equity stake. ONGC had attributed the increase in project cost primarily to additional cost of Phase-II captive power plant and increase in cost of building the Phase-I electricity generating unit. ITC | Supratim Dutta is appointed as the Chief Financial Officer of the company. (Image: Reuters) live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More ITC has reportedly withdrawn from the race to acquire nutritional drink market brands Horlicks and Complan as it considers the valuations of the brands too high, according to a Times of India report. The diversified conglomerate believes that the brands do not fit its portfolio. However, the company indicated that it would venture into the health food segment and build its own brand. Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report. ITC had earlier shown interest in GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)-owned Horlicks and Kraft Heinz-owned Complan. Hemant Malik, divisional chief executive of ITC Foods, told the newspaper, "These were opportunities that just came up in the last few months. We evaluated and looked at some of these valuations and found the cost of acquisition to be very high. Given the high FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods) valuations in India, such acquisitions could be a challenge. In this context, we are not pursuing it." In July, ITC had said it is open to acquisition of the Horlicks brand when it is put up for sale, provided the price is "right". According to reports, the Horlicks acquisition received attention from Coca-Cola, Kelloggs, Nestle, Pepsi, Reckitt Benckiser and Unilever. Besides ITC, Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting, and Cadila Healthcare are preparing to buy Kraft Heinz Indias nutritional drink. Complan accounts for approximately 8 percent share of the Rs 5,500 crore nutritional drink market in India. Besides Complan and Horlicks, the market is dominated by Cadburys Bournvita and Nestles Boost. Ravindra Rao The harvesting of kharif crops has begun across many states and seasonal supply pressure is likely to increase gradually in the coming weeks. Monsoon rains during the four months were patchy and 9 percent deficient. But major agricultural belts received adequate rainfall. Thus, the government pegged Indias 2018-19 (July-June) kharif food grain production at a record high 141.6 million tonnes. On the commencement of harvesting of early-sown crops and higher-output estimates, many kharif-grown commodities were in a bear grip last week. Of the top losers were mentha oil, coriander, soybean and castor seed. The gainers list was led by turmeric, chana and refined soy oil. Mentha oil declined around 5 percent due to the rejection of shipments by China, while the fall in coriander is attributed to huge stockpiles of the spice with stockists. Turmeric prices have shown signs of recovery in the last couple of weeks on expectations that overseas demand would increase at lower price quotes while chana gained amid lower stocks in physical markets to meet festival-season demand. Procured stocks of chana are abundant, but the government may not release such stocks below the minimum support price (MSP). A supply crunch in the peak demand period may once again push chana prices toward the MSP of Rs 4,400. Weaker rupee and festival demand kept the edible-oil complex firm last week, but oilseeds, particularly soybean, declined around 3 percent from the week prior. Favourable crop conditions and more sowing area have increased optimism about the 2018-19 soybean crop. First advance estimates by the government show a 22 percent increase in soybean output in the 2018-19 season. Moreover, harvesting has started and new-crop arrivals are increasing in physical markets. Added to that are a bumper US crop and dampening demand from the top consumer - China. The only positive factor containing losses in soybean is demand for soymeal from China, which is likely to open its market to India in the next 2-3 months. Sources say that the additional demand could lift India's soymeal exports to 2.5 million to 3 million tonnes in 2018-19 (Oct-Sep), from 1.75 million in 2017-18. The weather is still crucial and untimely rains could affect yield and disrupt harvesting. From a short-term perspective, the outlook is bearish for soybean provided the weather remains conducive to harvesting. The author is Head Commodity Research & Advisory at Anand Rathi Commodities. The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts/broking houses/rating agencies on Moneycontrol are their own, and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Light Combat Helicopter | Developed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), it was proposed to deal with high altitude combat situations in the Northern part of the country. LCH with a narrow fuselage has pilot and co-pilot/gunner in tandem configuration incorporating a number of stealth features, armour protection, night attack capability and crash worthy landing gear for better survivability. The helicopter can fly at a max speed of 268 kmph and has a range of 550 km. A Pakistani chopper violated Sunday the Indian airspace along the line of control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir but turned back after it was "engaged by air sentries", the Army said. Jammu-based Army PRO Lt Col Devender Anand said the helicopter violated the airspace around 12:10 pm. Air sentries at forward location had engaged it with small arms, he said. #WATCH A Pakistani helicopter violated Indian airspace in Poonch sector of #JammuAndKashmir pic.twitter.com/O4QHxCf7CR ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2018 He said it was most likely a civilian chopper and was flying very high. Officials said a white helicopter crossed into the Indian airspace in Gulpur sector and hovered over there for sometime before turning back. Three forward posts fired small arms after noticing the airspace violation, the sources said. Police have arrested two constables in Uttar Pradesh over the fatal shooting of an Apple employee in an incident during a routine patrol on Saturday. Vivek Tiwari, a sales manager for Apple, was shot dead early on Saturday by a police constable in the Gomti Nagar neighbourhood in Uttar Pradesh, about 13 km (8 miles) from state capital Lucknow. The two constables were on night motorbike patrol and the patrolman who shot Tiwari told reporters: "I didn't shoot at him. The bullet was shot by mistake." The state's top police officer, O.P. Singh, told reporters that the policeman who shot Tiwari claimed to have fired in self-defence. State police spokesman Vivek Tripathi said the two constables have been arrested for suspected murder. Apart from van and motorcycle mobile patrols, it is common in India for police to perform random checks at temporary road blocks. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the state would investigate the incident and would hand over the case to the federal police if required. "We are shocked and heartbroken by the news of our colleague Vivek Tiwari. We extend our deepest sympathies to Vivek's family and friends during this difficult time," an Apple spokesman said. The family of Tiwari, who leaves behind two daughters, has demanded a special inquiry into the incident, employment for his widow and cash compensation. The state has promised cash compensation of 250,000 rupees ($3,448.28) for his family and a job at the municipal corporation for his widow, the state police spokesman said. The job fair organised by the Telangana Prisons Department saw participation from 12 companies, including Flipkart and HDFC. As many as 155 were selected for employment as drivers, technicians, house-keeping, electricians, marketing executives, helpers and others. (Representational Image) Hyderabad: A total of 155 released prisoners have been selected for employment in various positions such as marketing executives and drivers at a job fair conducted by the Telangana Prisons department. Twelve companies, including Flipkart and HDFC, participated in the "Job Mela-2018" organised Saturday at the State Institute of Correctional Administration here and attended by 230 released prisoners (both convicts and undertrial) from 31 districts. Of this, as many as 155 were selected for employment as drivers, technicians, house-keeping, electricians, marketing executives, helpers and others, an official release said. After the formation of Telangana state in June 2014, the state Prisons department had been implementing several innovative schemes and programmes such as skill development, loans to prisoners and employment for transforming the lives of inmates. The job fair was aimed at providing livelihood to the released prisoners and ensure that they do not commit crimes again, the release said. Religious places located out of COVID-19 containment zones will be allowed to remain open as per the timings decided by authorities, and devotees will be allowed inside in a staggered manner, the guidelines stated. (Source: Moneycontrol) Women cadres of Hindu outfits Saturday offered prayers in temples in Tamil Nadu by holding lamps and saying they would 'wait' till they crossed 50 to visit the Lord Ayyappa shrine at Sabarimala, notwithstanding the Supreme Court verdict allowing them entry. The cadres of Bharat Hindu Munnani met at the Sri Gangadeeswara temple here, saying they would not visit the shrine till they crossed 50 years of age and the menstrual cycle. A participant in the prayer meeting said, "For us, the ancient customs hold good all the time to come irrespective of whether a court favoured it or not." Hindu Makkal Katchi chief Arjun Sampath said, 'Light Lamp' prayer meetings were held by his outfit in several temples in places including Coimbatore, Cuddalore and Tirupur. "These are prayer meetings to reaffirm our faith in our customs. In such meetings, women visit temples only in accordance with our beliefs," he told PTI. Women pledged (called 'kathiruppom,' meaning let us wait) to offer worship at the temple in Sabarimala only when they attain the age stipulated by "customs and beliefs," he said. Signatures, collected as part of a campaign in this connection, would be submitted to the notice of the Travancore Dewaswom Board which administrates the shrine in Sabarimala, he said. The Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, had September 29 said banning the entry of women into the shrine is gender discrimination and the practice violates rights of Hindu women. Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai Sunday exuded confidence that the much anticipated All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) facility announced by the Centre would be set up in Tamil Nadu. "Definitely.. the AIIMS will be set up in the State, which is already an announced project. I am confident that the work will commence soon," Thambidurai told reporters here. He was responding to a query on the RTI information received by a Madurai-based activist with respect to the approval for the institute. On the alliance for the coming Lok Sabha elections, the senior AIADMK leader said he was of the same opinion expressed by Tamil Nadu chief minister and deputy chief minister that the party would go it alone. He asserted that the party was strong enough to contest all the 40 seats in the state. When asked about forging an alliance with BJP, Thambidurai said Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan was the right person to answer the query. However, there was no place for any national party other than Dravidian parties in the state, he said. The Tamil Nadu government had in June last said AIIMS would come up near Madurai at an estimated Rs 1,500 crore. Palaniswami had recalled that a central team had earlier visited five locations, including those at Madurai, Erode and Pudukottai districts, before zeroing in on Thoppur. By Yoshita Singh United Nations, Sep 29 (PTI) India on Saturday told the UN General Assembly that countries that have exploited the nature for their immediate needs cannot abdicate their responsibilities and developed nations must lift the deprived with financial and technical resources. Under-developed and developing nations are the worst victims of climate change and these neither have the capacity nor the resources to meet this crisis, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said in her address to the General Debate of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly here. "The biggest challenge of our era comes from the existential threats of climate change and terrorism," she said. "Those who have exploited nature for their immediate needs cannot abdicate their responsibilities. If we have to save the world from the adverse effects of climate change, then developed nations must lift the deprived with financial and technical resources," Swaraj said. She asserted that the principle of common and differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities was reiterated in the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. Swaraj told the 193-member UN body that India has risen to meet the challenge of climate change. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in partnership with France launched the International Solar Alliance (ISA). The ISA is a treaty-based body which intends to promote solar energy in the 121 tropical countries. Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron were conferred this week with the UN's highest environmental honour -- Champions of the Earth Award -- for their contributions. The two leaders are recognised in the Policy Leadership category for their pioneering work in championing the ISA and promoting new areas of levels of cooperation on environmental action, including Macron's work on the Global Pact for the Environment and Modi's unprecedented pledge to eliminate all single-use plastic in India by 2022, she said. Swaraj said that the ISA now has 68 nations and in March, India and France chaired the Founding Conference of the ISA in which 120 countries participated. "Our Prime Minister has described his vision of sustainable and available energy in a typically apt phrase: One Sun, One Grid. This breakthrough concept can become the solution we seek to the problems," Swaraj said. Earlier this week in the high-level meeting on climate change convened by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Swaraj said India is willing to take the lead in climate action and the country's commitment to combat climate change is rooted in its ethos, which considers Earth as mother. India is the sixth largest producer of renewable energy, and fifth largest producer of solar energy in the world. It has set a target of generating 175 Giga Watts of solar and wind energy by 2022. India has installed over 300 million LED bulbs saving USD 2 billion and 4 GW of electricity. She also cited the example of the Kochi airport which is the first solar-powered airport in the world. The Cochin International Airport was also among six of the world's most outstanding environmental changemakers recognised this week with the Champions of the Earth Award. The airport took home the award for Entrepreneurial Vision for its leadership in the use of sustainable energy. "The UN Environment said that Cochin is showing the world that our ever-expanding network of global movement doesn't have to harm the environment. Senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy Sunday said there was no point holding talks with Pakistan as the neighbouring country is run by the "ISI, military and terrorists". Addressing a press conference, Swamy said Imran Khan was the prime minister of Pakistan only on paper. When asked about infiltration of terrorists into India by Pakistan after Khan took over as prime minister of the neighbouring country, Swamy said, "Imran Khan is nothing but a 'chaprasi' (peon). Pakistan is run by the ISI, military and terrorists." After becoming Pakistan Prime Minister in August this year, Khan had offered talks with India on key issues, including terrorism and Kashmir. "There is no point of any talks with them," Swamy said. He also said that Baluch and Sindhis should be recognised by the government of India. "Pakistan gets psychic pleasure when India abuses Pakistan. So, ignore them...," he said. On Bangladesh, he said India will continue to support it but Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina "should tell those mad people to stop demolishing Hindu temples, converting Hindu temples into masjid and converting Hindus to Muslims. This will not be tolerated". On the NDA government's performance, he said it has done many good works in the last four years and people would bring it back to power to fulfil the unaccomplished tasks. He said the BJP would fight the national general elections on two issues -- Hindutva and corruption. "Two big powerful issues are there for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. These are Hindutva and corruption. We shall seek one more term for finishing unfulfilled tasks. And people will agree," he said. He urged the Muslims community agree on building three Hindu temples Ram Mandir at Ayodhya, Krishna temple at Mathura and Kashi Viswanath temple at Varanasi. He also expressed confidence that a 'Ram mandir' would be built by the BJP. Lt Gen Asim Munir is expected to be the new chief of Pakistan's powerful spy agency ISI after its current boss, Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar, retires on Monday, according to a media report. The Army Promotion Board headed by Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa approved the promotions of six generals in place of five generals who are retiring on Monday. According to the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the promoted officers are: Maj Gen Nadeem Zaki Manj, Vice Chief of General Staff Maj Gen Shaheen Mazhar, ISI DG (Planning) Maj Gen Abdul Aziz, Military Intelligence Director General Maj Gen Asim Munir, Maj Gen Syed Muhammad Adnan and Frontier Corps IG Maj Gen Waseem Ashraf. It is highly expected that Lt Gen Munir would be appointed as the Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), The News reported. Lt Gen Mukhtar assumed the office of ISI director general in December, 2016. The new ISI chief will be appointed by Prime Minister Imran Khan, The Express Tribune reported. Army chief General Bajwa on Friday met Khan along with the current ISI chief. Pakistan raised the Kashmir issue in the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on Saturday, saying the "unresolved dispute" is impacting achieving durable peace between India and Pakistan and remains a "blot on the conscience of humanity". Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, addressing the General Debate of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, said Islamabad wanted a relationship with New Delhi based on "sovereign equality and mutual respect". "We seek resolution of disputes through a serious and comprehensive dialogue that covers all issues of concern," he said in his address. On the cancellation of the foreign minister-level talks on the margins of the General Assembly, Qureshi said Pakistan was to talk about all issues with India but New Delhi called off the dialogue, preferring "politics over peace". "They used the pretext of stamps issued months ago...and depicting grave human rights violations, including pellet gun victims, as an excuse to back out from the talks," he said. India had called off the meeting, citing the brutal killings of three policemen in Jammu and Kashmir and Islamabad releasing postage stamps "glorifying" Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani. "Dialogue is the only way to address long standing issues that have long bedeviled South Asia, and prevented the region from realising its true potential," he said, adding that the "unresolved Jammu and Kashmir dispute hinders the realisation of the goal of durable peace" between the two countries. "For over seventy years now, it has remained on the agenda of the UN Security Council and a blot on the conscience of humanity," he said. Qureshi also said that Pakistan is ready to engage with India for meaningful confidence building, risk reduction and avoidance of arms race in the South Asian region. Qureshi also said that if India ventures across the Line of Control (LoC), or acts upon its doctrine of "limited" war against Pakistan, "it will evoke a strong and matching response." Describing Pakistan as a victim of terrorism, Qureshi said his country wanted to sit with India to discuss all issues, including terrorism, that have created violence in cities and towns, and have led to tens of thousands of casualties. Pakistan also brought up the issue of Kulbhushan Jadhav, an Indian national who was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court in April last year on charges of espionage and terrorism. A boys' primary school was blown up on Sunday by the Taliban in Pakistan's restive northwest tribal region bordering Afghanistan. It was the only school in Chitral district's Arandu village, a remote area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The attack, carried out through bombs planted around the boundary wall, has demolished two rooms and partially damaged the main building, police said. A senior police officer said that 80 to 90 students are enrolled in the school. No one was injured as the school was closed due to Sunday. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and Jamatul Ahrar have claimed responsibility for bombing the school. The Taliban militants have attacked hundreds of schools in northwestern Pakistan in the past. According to security officials, the school is situated at Dogam area where a girls' primary school was attacked in the recent past. Educational institutions are often attacked by terrorists in Pakistan. Last month, 12 schools, half of them all-girls', had been burnt down by unidentified militants in coordinated attacks in the restive Gilgit-Baltistan, triggering protest by local residents who sought safety for educational institutions. Nuke War! | 10) North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times. Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works! US President Donald Trump said he and North Korea's Kim Jong Un have fallen "in love" their bromance fuelled by "beautiful letters" he received from the leader of the nuclear-armed state. Trump on Saturday elevated his recent praise of Kim to new heights, at a West Virginia rally in support of local candidates for his Republican Party. "And then we fell in love OK? No really. He wrote me beautiful letters and they're great letters. We fell in love," Trump told the crowd. On Monday at the United Nations General Assembly Trump lauded the North Korean strongman who is accused by the UN and others of widespread human rights abuses as "terrific", one year after Trump eviscerated Kim from the same platform. Trump followed those comments by saying Wednesday he had received an "extraordinary letter" from Kim, and sounded optimistic about prospects for a second summit between the two leaders "fairly quickly." Trump used his debut address at the UN General Assembly 12 months ago to threaten to "totally destroy" North Korea and belittle its leader as "rocket man," prompting Kim to respond by calling the president a "mentally deranged US dotard." Those were among a series of playground-type slurs the leaders of the two nuclear-armed states hurled at each other, setting the world on edge. Last August, after US media reported Pyongyang had successfully miniaturized a nuclear warhead to fit into a missile, Trump warned Pyongyang not to threaten the United States or it would face "fire and fury like the world has never seen." Kim had earlier compared comments by Trump to the bark of a "rabid dog," and Trump derided Kim as a "sick puppy" before the apparent outbreak of puppy love. Trump met Kim in Singapore in June for the first-ever summit between the two countries that have never signed a peace treaty. The summit led to a warming of ties and a halt in Pyongyang's missile launches, but there has been little concrete progress since. North Korea's foreign minister Ri Yong Ho on Saturday told the UN there was "no way" that his country would disarm first as long as the US to push for tough enforcement of sanctions against Pyongyang. Narayanan has almost 20 years of experience as melsaanthi in various private temples in Kottayam district. Alappuzha: The non-brahmin priests, who have been struggling for long to enter the sanctum sanctorum of Sabarimala temple, have received a shot in the arm with the Supreme Court allowing all women to worship at the Ayyappa temple. The Travancore Devaswom Board had kept in abeyance the applications of non-Brahmin priests as it prefers those from the Malayala Brahmin community for priestly duties at Sabarimala and Malikappuram temples. This in spite of the fact that the apex court had passed a verdict in favour of non-brahmin priests in 2002. (N. Adhityan versus TDB). Last year, the TDB had rejected the application of Vishnu Narayanan, 38, a non-Brahmin priest from Moolavattom, for the post of melsaanthi (chief priest) and he had approached the high court. But the case is still pending. The devaswom vigilance inquiry had endorsed his academic and priestly qualifications except denomination. Narayanan told this newspaper that he had applied for the post of head priest at Sabarimala this year also. "I sent an application in August after the TDB issued a notification. As per the proceedings, the TDB vigilance inquiry was done last week. I hope the TDB will take appropriate steps in the case of non-Brahmin priests in the light of the latest verdict. If the TDB rejects my application, I will approach the high court again," he said. The devaswom secretary, in a directive issued to all devaswom board commissioners in 2014, had said that the appointment of priests should be conducted without considering clan and caste of the candidate. Narayanan, melsanthi of Pallam Subrahmanya Swamy Temple, also known as Dekshina Kaashi, said that he was not being considered because he is non-Brahmin. "Last year, the vigilance officials who came to my home and the temple where I am working, were happy with my prospects. But since they reported that I am a non-Brahmin, I was ignored," he said. Narayanan has almost 20 years of experience as melsaanthi in various private temples in Kottayam district. "The TDB had ignored the application of my guru Mathanam Vijayan tantri for the post Sabarimala melsaanthi in 1983. He died in 2008. I want to take forward his dream and I have full faith in the court," he said. However, the TDB says non-Brahmin priests will be appointed in major temples like Sabarimala only after they prove their dedication and way of life. Last year, Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran had said that the appointment of non-Brahmins as priests in cash-rich Sabarimala temple would be made only on the basis of consensus. MRT file photo AUSTIN Parsley Energy on Friday celebrated the 10th anniversary of the companys founding, recognizing a decade marked by growth, innovation and community partnership. Since its founding in 2008, Parsleys CEO Bryan Sheffield has overseen the growth of the company from a two-person outfit operating a few dozen vertical wells to a publicly traded company that today operates more than 1,300 wells across the Permian Basin with an enterprise value of roughly $11 billion. Under Sheffields leadership, Parsley has been at the forefront of the shale oil revolution, utilizing new technology to grow production from 10,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day to more than 100,000 Boe per day over a four-year span, according to a press release from the company. Whats new at Jacksonville Public Library: ADULT FICTION Praise Song for the Butterflies by Bernice L. McFadden: The first nine years of Katas life were idyllic and privileged, living as the daughter of a government official and stay-at-home mother. When her familys circumstances change, her mother insists on sacrificing Kata at a religious shrine. She spends the next 15 years of her life atoning for the crimes of her ancestors before she is rescued and begins the struggle of overcoming her past. ADULT NON-FICTION Close Encounters with Humankind by Sang-Hee Lee: This accessible book about human history challenges traditionally held beliefs about the progression of evolution. Combining anthropology with cutting-edge research, Lee draws conclusions that shed new light on how we got here and what it was like at the beginning. DVD Mister Rogers Neighborhood: Its a Beautiful Day Collection: This DVD was released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the television show. Mr. Rogers teaches children to value themselves and be kind to others. YOUNG ADULT FICTION The Ruinous Sweep by Tim Wynne-Jones: On the night Donovan is thrown out of a car on a highway in the middle of nowhere, he can barely remember his name, much less the details of the past 24 hours. As his girlfriend waits for him to wake up in the hospital, she is determined to put together the pieces of what happened and clear his name of a murder charge. YOUNG ADULT GRAPHIC NOVEL Illegal by Eoin Colfer: Ebo is alone in Ghana. His brother has disappeared to try for a better life in Europe, just as their sister did. Ebos journey takes him across the Sahara Desert to the dangerous streets of Tripoli and finally to the merciless sea. This powerfully moving graphic novel explores the current plight of immigrants searching for a new beginning. Did You Know? Would you like to win a free copy of the latest Diary of a Wimpy Kid book? All you need to do is tell us how you would win a snowball fight! There will be three winners, so start thinking about snowballs! Pick up an entry form at the childrens circulation desk at the library. Entries are due by Oct. 27. Preparations for the coming Kumbh in Allahabad in January were also discussed, sources said. New Delhi: BJP president Amit Shah met partys core group leaders from Uttar Pradesh, including chief minister Yogi Adityanath, his deputies K.P. Maurya and Dinesh Sharma and state unit chief Mahendra Pandey, on Saturday to discuss organisational related issues and strategy for the coming Lok Sabha polls. Though the meeting was scheduled earlier and states law and order issue was also on the agenda, its timing coincided with the death of an employee of a multinational mobile company allegedly by a police constable in self defence. Sources disclosed that Modi governments recent decision to bring an amendment against the Supreme Courts decision on the SC/ST Act, which was passed in the monsoon session of Parliament, was also on top of the agenda of the meeting as the governments decision to restore the original provisions of the Act has miffed its core vote bank, the upper caste who feel that the government has been ignoring them over numerically dominant OBCs and Dalits. The BJP leaders, sources said, they also discussed the proposed grand alliance Mahaga-tbandhan of the opposition parties against the BJP-led NDA, which could pose a threat to the BJP because of the caste calculations favoring the grand alliance. Preparations for the coming Kumbh in Allahabad in January were also discussed, sources said. Mr Shah has been meeting core group leaders of party state units and met Assam leaders. We are still far from where ... However, the chopper turned back after it was 'engaged by air sentries', the Indian Army said. The chopper flew near the LoC for a while before retrieving to Pakistan territory. (Photo: ANI screengrab) New Delhi: The Pakistani chopper which violated Indian airspace along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, had the Prime Minister of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) Raja Farooq Haider Khan onboard. However, the chopper turned back after it was "engaged by air sentries", the Indian Army said. According to Pakistani media reports, Khan was preparing to land in PoK's Tarori area when the incident occurred. In a video shared by news agency ANI, the helicopter can be seen hovering around in Indian airspace. Jammu-based Army PRO Lt Col Devender Anand said the helicopter violated the airspace around 12:10 pm. Air sentries at forward location had engaged it with small arms, he said adding that it was most likely a civilian chopper and was flying very high. Three forward posts fired small arms after noticing the airspace violation, the sources said. Official sources said a white-colour chopper crossed into this side in Gulpur sector and hovered for sometime before turning back into Pakistan territory. There has been a spurt in the cases of infiltration at the LoC, even as Indian forces retaliate and foil such bids. The incident comes a day after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York, raised the issue of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. (With inputs from agencies) Courtesy Photo FLOYD COUNTY-Incumbent Senator Ted Cruz will be visiting this area as he campaigns across the country. "This is a big deal!" stated Dan Smith, Floyd County farmer. "It's not often that any candidates come way out here, let alone a state senator. Everyone is invite-we want the Senator to know we are supporters." Covenant Health Plainview's renovations and expansions to better serve the health care needs of our patients wouldn't be possible without the generosity of caring philanthropists. And this Sunday, the benevolent spirits of the Garrison Family Foundation and the late Ricky Riddle will be honored as their contribution had a significant impact on the renovation of the hospital's new radiology department. Covenant Health Plainview will host a grand opening and community blessing of the radiology department Sunday, Sept. 30 from 2-3:30 p.m. The reception will be held in the main lobby of the Covenant Health Plainview hospital and will feature tours, refreshments, a gift and the community blessing led by First Baptist Church Plainview pastor Jacob West. The Garrison's Family Foundation's gift of $100,000, which was inspired by long-time family friend Ricky Riddle, was used to create the radiology department's waiting room. "I always thought it was a wonderful, wonderful hospital. Once we heard what they were doing, our foundation was all for it," said Bill Carrothers, treasurer for the Garrison Family Foundation. Bill is married to Pam, daughter of the late Mildred and Shirley L. Garrison, who started the family foundation. Pam is the vice-president of the foundation while her brother, Harvey Garrison, serves as the president. Sister, Sharon Walker, serves as the secretary, while husband Bruce Walker is the foundation's director. The GFF was started by Shirley Garrison and his family in 2006 to facilitate philanthropy in the Panhandle and South Plains. Garrison and his wife, Mildred, were lifelong Panhandle-area residents and were involved in numerous business concerns throughout the West Texas area. Along with farming operations, Garrison became involved with cattle feeding, seed production and the banking industry. The mission of the foundation is to promote positive change in people's lives and to build and enhance the communities where the family members live. The foundation has touched the lives and organizations of so many in the Austin and Horseshoe Bay area; including with the Jeremiah Program which helps single mothers and their children. In West Texas, the foundation is a big supporter of programs like High Point Village, the Wesley Foundation, Ceta Canyon, several non-kill animal shelters, and especially the Garrison Institute on Aging at the Texas Tech University's Health Sciences Center, just to name a few. But the idea to donate to Covenant Health Plainview initially came from Plainview accountant Ricky Riddle. "He was a wonderful man and a close friend," said Carrothers. The two men met in the early 1980s, as Riddle did accounting work for the Olton Feed Yard where Carrothers was employed. "He taught me a lot about business through the years and even helped me develop accounting systems," Carrothers said. After Carrothers left the cattle feeding business in 2001, Riddle remained his personal accountant and when Carrothers took over the responsibility as the treasurer of the foundation, Riddle helped with the accounting aspect. But Riddle helped out of the kindness of his heart and when the foundation tried to pay him for his services, the accountant refused to accept any money. "He wouldn't take it, but we told him we had to give him something," Carrothers said with a laugh. It was then, that Riddle said he would rather the foundation give the money to Covenant Health Plainview, who currently has a local capital campaign to raise $3.5 million of the $40 million hospital renovation. "He said he had a good friend, David Wilder, who was leading efforts to raise money for the project, and we should contribute to that," Carrothers said. "We thought it was a good project," added Harvey Garrison. The idea went over well with the board, and with Harvey's wife, Sandy, who had spent 25 years working in mammography and X-ray, 21 years of that were spent at Covenant Health Lubbock. The donation was used to build the very spacious and calming radiology room. Riddle was married to wife, and Plainview resident, Debbie Terrell Riddle, and the couple had two sons; Ryan and Trent who still live in Plainview and Lubbock with their families. Other parts of the renovation include new state-of-the-art equipment, including a new MRI and CT machine. "We are so appreciative of the generous gift from the Garrison Family Foundation and Ricky Riddle," said Covenant Health Plainview Foundation President Phyllis Wall. "This donation helps so much in Covenant Health Plainview's mission to provide even more medical services closer to home. And this is only made possible by the giving hearts of donors like the Garrisons and the Riddles." Dance is a field that needs total dedication and determination and I am sure you will agree with me if I say that this commitment lasts a lifetime. Avinav is from Delhi but is currently living in Singapore and heads the Kathak department at Apsaras Arts Dance Institute, which is one of the leading performing arts institute based in Singapore. Dance is a field that needs total dedication and determination and I am sure you will agree with me if I say that this commitment lasts a lifetime. It takes years for a raw diamond to be cut and then crafted and then slowly it starts to shine and in due course of time starts to spread its radiance. One such rising star or should I say the generation next dancer who has started to shine as bright as a diamond is Singapore based Kathak dancer Avinav Mukharji. Though Avinav is an Indian from Delhi but is currently living in Singapore and heads the Kathak department at Apsaras Arts Dance Institute, which is one of the leading performing arts institute based in Singapore. But before he started to impart this knowledge of Kathak to the Singaporeans he was teaching dance in India at the The Indian School of Music and also at H.U Music Academy. Not just that but that this highly talented young man was the principal dancer in the repertory of Kathak Kendra, National Institute of Kathak, New Delhi and also danced for a long time in the repertory AV Dance Company Kathak Resonance, under exponents Abhimanyu Lal and Vidha Lal. vinav has had an extensive training in Kathak under the tutelage of Sangeet Natak Academy Awardee Smt.Geetanjali Lal for 14 long years. He is also graded Doordarshan artist and his talent has been recognised through various scholarships from C.C.R.T, Sahitya Kala Parishad and Kathak Kendra. This just proves how superbly gifted this man is. With his sheer passion and using the strength of his training he has performed extensively nationally and internationally. He has also had the opportunity to collaborate and work with renowned artists and gurus from all over world such as Mr. Caracalla from Caracalla Dance Company, Beirut, Fernando Aguilera (IFBC) from Russia, Subhash Dhunoochand, a renowned percussionist from Reunion Island, Sharon Lowen, Vaswati Mishra, Shama Bhate, Reela Hota and many more such creative people. His dance is not only bound to just teaching and performing but he also believes that young talent like himself needs good exposure. He was fortunate to get scholarships for his art and due to which he could impressively develop his dancing skills along with that he was also lucky to get great platform to perform so that he could showcase his talent to the world at large. But he also understands that every dancer is not blessed like him, keeping this in mind Avinav started a dance unit Chatushra where he gives platform to young upcoming artists of India to perform along with his group in various national and international level shows and events If you think that this man with a heart of gold is only trained in dance then let me bring to your notice that, this dashing dancer has also received theatre training from National School of Drama, Delhis Theatre-In-Education wing, a school of legendary Bollywood and theatre actors of India. He has also been associated with numerous reputed theatre companies such as Cineaste, People Theatre Group, Theatre-In Motion etc . He was fortunate at at this very young age he was called by radio station 94.3 My FM to conduct a series of street plays on issues such as parenting and peer pressure. Such is the understanding and maturity of this youth that he knows exactly how to take up social issues and mix it beautifully with his first love Kathak. If heading Kathak branch at Apsaras Arts Dance Institute, Singapore was not enough this capable man also works as a Teacher, Mentor and Choreographer for charitable organisations such as Tapaswini Navasadhana, Samuel Ngo Foundation, Sarvam Foundation, Sajag Foundation to name a few and works tirelessly to create annual fund raising productions for them. Today I also want to tell you about the various awards Avinav has been honoured with, some of them include; Natya Mayoora by Nrithyathi Kalakshetram and BHEL Bhillai, Nritya Jyoti Samman by Naveen Kalakaar, Odisha, Nartakan Samman by Debnrutyam Studio, Odisha and more. Not just awards and allures in dance but this handsome dancer has also won the title of Mr. Delhi in 2009. This year he gave the most talked about performance, which was at the Pravasi Bharti Divas, for ASEAN INDIA meet at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. He was also praised for this skills at many other international platform such as The Festival of India in Denmark, organized by Ministry Of Culture, at Indias Republic Day Celebration in Morocco, organized by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Baalbeik International Festival, in Lebanon organized by Caracalla Dance Theatre, Diwali Fiesta in Reunion Island organized by the Government of France and also at Nartakah Utsav An all India Male Classical Dance Festival organized by Debnrutyam Studio in Odisha. His chakkars (Kathak spins) and Tukdas impressed international delegates at the London Olympics and also at the Summit of South Asian Conference, organized by the National Science Academy. Super impressed with this rising dancing star of India, I picked up my phone and had a nice chat with him, questioning him about his vision as a dancer and as a teacher, and this is what this articulate dancer had to say: Q. What difference do you find in students in India and other parts of the world? A. Since the Indians living outside India are away from the culture and traditions, they miss their roots hence they are more keen to learn Indian art forms and the traits. What I find in non Indians in other countries is that they are more disciplined, true, sincere and immensely dedicated to what they are learning. Q. Which has been your most loved show till date? A. My first solo performance Samvaad in Singapore has been most loved till now. I got standing ovation and people showered me with unconditional love and respect. I still get compliments for that show and people who attended they still remind me of how much they liked it. Q. Now that you are in Singapore what are your plans? A. I am working on two plans simultaneously, one is to reach out and spread Kathak to as many people as possible in Singapore and world, second is that I as an individual and artist enrich myself with the different culture, thought process, visions and grow my art form along with expanding my horizons. Q. You are the rising Dancing star of India, what advice you have for young dancers today? A. Well we call art forms as extra- curricular activities. Its really painful to see that dance is not the main curriculum in school and colleges. It should not be taken up as a hobby, like how we study any other subjects, dance is also a subject that needs to be mastered upon. Parents need to understand that process is not instant, it has never been. Today the most successful dancers in the world be it Padma Vibhushan Pt.Birju Maharaj or Sir Benjamin Millepied they have all given their whole life to dance. As a teacher and art ambassador I would never willingly want to teach someone who takes up dance as a hobby, but to someone who thinks it can be full fledged career. Indian classical dance is a field which is mostly dominated by women, but it is refreshing to see a person like Avinav who is endlessly working towards his goals, travelling the world and learning and imparting his sea of knowledge. Today with this story I would like wish the rising star of Kathak good luck for his future and I hope and pray that he takes our dancing tradition and culture world over. Sandip Soparrkar is a World Book Record holder, a well known Ballroom dancer and a Bollywood choreographer who has been honoured with two National Excellence awards and one National Achievement Award by the Govt of India. He can be contacted on sandipsoparrkar06@gmail.com Fire Safety Week is this week and the Jacksonville Fire Department is using it to stress the importance of fire safety and precautions as cooler temperatures arrive. Fire Chief Doug Sills said the week is a time for people to create safety plans for their homes and for families to practice the plans with their children. Children should be taught how to safely exit a house, to check doors with the back of their hands and where to go in an emergency, Sills said. Have an escape plan in place and practice, Sills said. Have an escape route for each area of your home and a designated meeting place outside. Teach everyone to stay low to the floor and that window provide a secondary means of escape should the main egress route is impassable. Sills said it is important for people to remember not to reenter a home that is on fire for any reason. In addition to safety plans, Sills said they wanted to remind people to prepare for the cooler temperatures to avoid fire hazards. Around that start of October, people begin to heat up their homes, using fireplaces or space heaters, but said precautions have to be taken. As the weather gets cooler, space heaters come out of their summer hiding places, Sills said. Remember space heaters need space too, so leave at least 3 feet of space around your heater. Most space heater are not designed to be used or operated with extension cords, please refer to the manufactures instructions for proper operation and safety tips. Now that the weather is getting cooler, homeowners with fireplaces need to be inspected and cleaned before use. Creosote, the buildup of deposits caused by the combustion process, are the main cause of chimney fires, Sills said. In addition the annual inspection could identify cracks, which could allow carbon monoxide to seep into your home, or blockage such as an animal which may have built a home in your chimney during the summer. Burning of leaves and other yard waste is limited within city limits, Sills said. Within the city limits of Jacksonville, it is illegal to burn yard waste, rubbish [or] construction materials, Sills said. Burning of twigs and tree branches is allowable by city ordinance as long as it does not exceed the size of a recreational fire. Questions about open burning and the limits can be directed to the fire department. Sills and other members of the fire department will be sharing tips, as well as hosting other activities at the Jacksonville Fire Department substation at 1600 W. Lafayette Ave. from 11 a.m. to at least 1 p.m. Saturday. The open house will include a bell ceremony, tours, a fire safety house, a kids firefighter challenge and safety demonstrations. Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1233, or on Twitter @JCNews_samantha. Five of the total 24 victims belong to Delhi. New Delhi: Two more deaths due to diphtheria have been reported at Maharishi Valmiki Infectious Diseases Hospital in North Delhi, taking the death toll in the city to 24. The hospital at Kingsway Camp has already seen 22 fatalities due to the disease. Five of the total 24 victims belong to Delhi and the rest are from other states, officials said. One more death earlier had been reported at the Delhi government-run LNJP Hospital. From September 6 onwards, there have been over 183 admissions at the municipal hospital, out of which 23 have died, a senior official said. The diphtheria toxin causes a membrane of dead tissues to build up over the throat and tonsils, making breathing and swallowing difficult. The disease spreads through direct physical contact or from breathing in the aerosolised secretions from coughs or sneezes of infected individuals. On Tuesday, mayor (North) Adesh Gupta suspended medical superintendent Sushil Kumar Gupta following the setting up of a panel a few days ago to look into the death cases. There were lapses, it seems. So we have taken the action. The final decision will depend on what comes out in the report, he said. Among the patients admitted in the hospital, 122 were from Uttar Pradesh, 11 from Haryana, and 14 from Delhi. In an NDMC statement on September 20, the medical superintendent was quoted as saying that diphtheria cases occur only in this season and the number of cases is not unusual. A woman was hospitalized and a man arrested early Sunday following a west Houston police chase that ended in a ditch. Houston police tried pulling over a driver for traffic violations around 1 a.m. on State Highway 6 near Briar Forest, authorities said. The driver allegedly refused to stop and led police on a short chase along the highway before getting off and making a U-turn on Briar Forest, then losing control. He crashed the car into a ditch, then jumped out and ran away, authorities said. A passenger who was injured in the wreck was rushed to the hospital. But the driver stalled his arrest by hiding in a trailer lot, where canines eventually found him tucked away inside a trailer. It's not clear why he ran or what charges he's facing. Capt. Jesse Burnam (Burnham) was the oldest living veteran of the Texas/Mexico War when he died at 91 on April 30, 1883. He was instrumental in helping Texas become a republic. Jesse was born in Kentucky in 1792. His ancestors migrated from Gravesend, England, in 1635 and settled in Hartford, Conn. Capt. Jesse was married to Temperance Null Baker, who bore him nine children. After her death, he married Nancy Ross, who bore him seven children. He had four stepchildren. The family settled in Fayette County (Holman), near La Grange, on 1824. The Burnam family was the 13th family in Stephen F. Austins original Colony of 300. He built a fortified trading post, home, and the Burnam Ferry Crossing on the Colorado River frontier. He organized a small group of rangers and fought off several uprisings with the Comanche, Karankawa and Apaches. Jesse rode with the Mounted Volunteers of Tennessee in the War of 1812 and later fought in the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. Austin commissioned Burnam as a captain of militia in May 1824. Jesse was a delegate to the Conventions of 1832 and 1833, and the Consultation of 1835 held at Washington-on-the Brazos. During the fall of 1837 Jesse was elected to the second session of the First Congress of the Republic of Texas. He aided Col. James Fannin in gathering volunteers and supplies during the Texas Revolution. Col. Travis arrived at the Burnam home and used it as a headquarters prior to escalation of the Alamo battle. During the Battle of the Alamo, Jesse was at Ferry Crossing. Gen. Sam Houstons army arrived at the Burnam Ferry on March 17, 1836, and crossed over in two days. This was known as the Runaway Scrape. Once across the ferry, Gen. Houston gave orders to burn the Burnam homestead, trading post and ferry. This was to prevent Gen. Santa Anna and the advancing Mexican army from using the crossing. Burnam filed suit against the Territory of Texas, for damages. He was awarded $35,000, but he never saw any of the money. They kept telling him that it was in the mail. Capt. Burnam did not like Gen. Houston for burning down his property. He did not make the trip to San Jacinto with Gen. Houston, but instead stayed and rebuilt his homestead and Burnam Ferry a mile up the Colorado River in Colorado County. Burnam was a representative in the Republic of Texas provisional government and its first Congress. He also served as a Texas Ranger (1840-41). He continued to engage in four or five battles with several different tribes of Indians. In 1855, Jesse and Nancy moved their family to Burnet County. Jesses second land grant was southeast of present-day Marble Falls on Double Horn Creek, near Spicewood, where he established one of the first sheep-raising operations in the area and a large wheat farm. The historic Burnam homestead, now in the familys fifth generation, includes a log cabin, a two-story home and family cemetery where he is buried with other members of his family. A memorial monument was dedicated to Capt. Jesse in 1936, near the original site of the Burnam Ferry, in the small community called Holman. The ferry site and a Burnam/Holman Cemetery are located on private land in Holman. A controversial event occurred in 1964, when the county of Colorado, site of the second ferry, came and confiscated the monument and installed it at the site in Colorado County. It stayed there for 45 years. In 2009 the Texas Historical Commission brought the two counties, Fayette and Colorado, together and came to a comprise in 2011. The large monument was moved back to the original site in Colorado County and the community of Holman. In June 2015, a highway historical marker,was dedicated to Capt. Jesse Burnam by the Burnet Country Historical Commission. The location was in the Double Horn Community, Spicewood, Texas (near Marble Falls), near the Burnam Ranch. He also received the Texas Ranger Cross recognition from the Former Texas Rangers Association. Capt. Jesse Burnam had a son and a brother who fought in the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836. This frontiersman, Ranger, Indian fighter, legislator, veteran, rancher and Texas hero deserves to be remembered by the people of Texas. Historical information about Capt. Jesse Burnam can be found in the new location of the Alamo Library, 126 E. Nueva, operated by the Daughters of Republic of Texas. Ken Burnam is a descendant of Capt. Burnam, his great-great-great-great-uncle. Burnam worked as a docent at the Alamo. I read Dan Patricks interpretation of the recent Democratic defeat in the race for the Texas Senate seat in District 19 (Democratic blue wave a washout in Texas, Sept. 20). Understandably, hes elated about the win for Republicans, but he sounds pretty cocky about what he sees as the failure of the blue wave. Patrick makes a bold assertion: If you think Hispanic Texans across this state are going to vote for abortion, open borders, take your guns away, raise your taxes, well, the message is no. As part of the blue wave, I highly resent Patricks slant on Democrats views. No one votes for abortion; many people, however, do support a womans constitutional right to choose what to do with her own body. Likewise, who supports open borders? Democrats, like most others, would support efforts to deport violent offenders, human traffickers and drug traffickers, the people Donald Trump lied about when he said he would focus on those bad hombres. Instead, the president, with full support from Patrick, catches families who cross the border seeking asylum, the mothers and fathers who keep their immigration appointments, the students who dare go to class, the soldiers, the military spouses, the home and business owners, the taxpayers, and the wage earners who show up for work. This country was founded by immigrants. How about putting border wall money into humane solutions and improving the staffing and the efficiency of the immigration court system? And just who is taking away peoples guns? Most people, including Democrats, want to address gun violence in a realistic and practical way, by doing something that our Republican leadership seems, inexplicably, to be dead-set against: passing a law requiring comprehensive, universal, background checks for everyone who buys a firearm. Republican lawmakers insist that such legislation is unwarranted because all federally licensed gun dealers must do background checks. However, no background check is required for person-to-person gun sales. This loophole exists in over half the states and is closely guarded by the NRA and its bought-and-paid-for legislators, especially in Texas. Convicted felons, domestic abusers and violent offenders can all buy guns from individual sellers. Patrick would assure you that its illegal to sell a firearm to a felon. The only hitch is, how does the individual seller know about the buyer? Lastly, Patrick claims that Democrats want to raise your taxes. The truth is that Democrats do want to improve the lives of Texas residents all of them, including children, seniors, women, minorities, teachers, students, veterans, the disabled, the homeless and everybody else less fortunate than Dan Patrick. I dont know why people choose not to vote. I suspect its because they feel that nobody cares and nothing ever changes. And in Texas government, Id say theyre right. But thats the very reason we need to vote. We mustnt lie down and accept things we think are wrong or misguided. People who want change have to make the effort, so cmon, folks, register today (if you havent voted recently, re-register!), find your ID and vote. Julie Love resides in Rio Medina. Former Botswana president Ian Khama has warned President Emmerson Mnangagwa against entertaining fly by night foreign investors who do not add value to the countrys tottering economy, the Daily News on Sunday can report. Speaking during a Confederation of Zimbabwe Industry Investment Forum in Bulawayo on Thursday, the truth-telling Khama who fell out with Mnangagwas predecessor Robert Mugabe because of his frankness, said the Harare administration should not be too desperate for investment to the extent of taking on board foreign investors who come in with small projects. When I talk about investors, I am not talking about fly-by-nights. I am not talking about one person coming in and employing one person and possibly moving into space that should be occupied by Zimbabwean entrepreneurs, he said. I am talking about people, investors who will come in and genuinely add value to your economy and allow your economy to grow, who will contribute to your economy and will also contribute to employment creation. Every government is responsible for finding ways of creating employment for its people and not for creating employment for outsiders. Khama said only genuine investors with capacity to change Zimbabwes economic fortunes should be allowed. I am not, however, saying you should kick out the outsiders not at all, because when you talk about foreign direct investment, you will also be turning to them to come in and participate in your economy, he said. I am talking about when they do come in, those who you choose, should be those who will add value to your economy. That is very important, Khama added, urging government to also come up with investor-friendly policies. We as a government (Botswana) adopted and developed an easy way of doing business road map which we expect to place us overtime among some of the best performing countries in terms of doing business in the world, he said. Ever since Mnangagwas ascendance to power in November last year, there has been a flurry of investors trooping to Zimbabwe, sniffing for investment opportunities, especially in the lucrative mining and energy sectors. Government-controlled media has gone hysterical with sunshine journalism of the mega-deals struck by the authorities in Harare, running into several billions of United States dollars. Observers have, however, been cautiously optimistic, questioning the caliber of some of the foreign businessman hobnobbing with top government officials. Mnangagwa himself is on record saying government has learnt its lessons through the endless delays in implementing the Gwanda solar project and will not repeat the same mistake of awarding deals to fly-by-night briefcase businesses. This was after businessman Wicknell Chivayos Intratreck Zimbabwe was awarded the tender to develop the Gwanda solar project in 2015 under controversial circumstances. The project is yet to be implemented, with the business currently out on a $2000 bail, facing charges of defrauding the Zimbabwe Power Company $5 million, money laundering and violating exchange control regulations. Mnangagwa has been pitching the country at various international fora as a safe destination for investment through his Zimbabwe is open for business mantra. In January, he told attendants at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland that his government would prioritise economics and trade cooperation at the expense of politics, in order to catch up with the region. This was followed up in April by Mnangagwas visit to China in the hope that the gesture will unlock substantial investment and much-needed aid for the country as his administration bids to solve the countrys economic crisis. While he was on his week-long State visit to Beijing in April, Mnangagwa met with the leader of the East Asian superpower, Xi Jinping and explored the issue of possible financial aid package for Zimbabwe, and how to boost trade relations between the two countries. Mnangagwa told Xi how he was trying frantically to turn a new leaf for the country from the Mugabe-era, which had seen both local and foreign investors losing their companies and land willy-nilly. Posting on his official Facebook page after his meeting with the Chinese leader, Mnangagwa described the two mens engagement as fruitful. During our meeting, we discussed fostering and developing the historic ties between our two great nations for the benefit of both our peoples. I was delighted to hear President Xi talk of his faith in our vision and economic agenda, and his commitment to working with our government as we build a new, stronger Zimbabwe, Mnangagwa said. In this vein, this morning at a Zimbabwe-China business forum, I enjoined hundreds of businessmen and women from both countries to harness the tremendous potential of our great nation towards greater economic growth for all Zimbabweans. Forums such as these help us to bring in the investment we require to create more jobs and develop our new Zimbabwe, he added. Zimbabwe and China have since signed several Memoranda of Understanding that are expected to expedite the countrys socio-economic recovery. DailyNews Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News - Leah Sharibu's mother has called on the government to help bring back her daughter - Rebecca denied taking the government to court - Leah Sharibu is one of the Dapchi girls abducted by Boko Haram Rebecca Sharibu who is the mother of Leah Sharibu has called on the federal government to do everything in bringing back her daughter. The Punch reports that she also denied taking the government to court or demanding N500 million as being reported. READ ALSO: Army makes more discoveries in killing of missing General Idris Alkali (photos) Leah was one of the 110 female students of Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State, abducted by Boko Haram in February. Rebecca who spoke during a press conference burst into tears as she recalled that Boko Haram terrorists had reportedly given the government an October deadline to meet their demands. She said:I am here on behalf of my family, particularly me and my husband to plead with the entire world, most especially the Federal Government, President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, to please do whatever they can to ensure that Leah is released. A threat has been sent out that with effect from October 2018, Leah Sharibu would be next in line to be killed. I am pleading with the Federal Government to do whatever they feel should be done to release Leah before the expiration of the ultimatum. Monday (tomorrow) will be October 1. It is our desire that anybody that can do anything to free Leah should do that. We thank the entire world, most especially Nigerians for standing with the family and for their prayers on our behalf. We heard that some persons have taken the Federal Government to court, but we are not aware and have not taken the Federal Government to court. My family didnt take the Federal Government to court. Im not aware of it and I did not send them. I am not after money; all I want is my daughter to be released. Nathan Sharibu who is the breadwinner of the family said they were unaware of the specific demands of the terrorists. He said: They (Boko Haram) said if the Federal Government did not respond to their demands (although they did not mention it), they will kill my daughter. They said the Federal Government did not respond to their demand; but we didnt know what it is all about. Since this thing happened, the Federal Government has not listened to them. So, we dont know what they mean about that one. I am pleading, on behalf of the family, with the Federal Government to act fast; I am pleading with the international community and the whole world to put pressure on the Federal Government of Nigeria and ensure that my daughter is released. It will be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, September 18, vowed to do everything possible to ensure Leah Sharibu, one of the over 100 schoolgirls kidnapped by the Boko Haram insurgents in Dapchi, Yobe state, earlier in the year will be rescued. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app While all her other schoolmates who survived the ordeal have been released by the terrorists, Leah was held back by the Boko Haram for allegedly refusing to denounce her Christian faith. Legit.ng gathered that the president made gave the reassurance in a series of tweet. Nigerian Air Force Operations Against Boko Haram | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng In Africa, there are specific gender roles for the male and female child. A young boy is usually trained by his father to take care of the family by providing while the girls are raised as caregivers and also assigned the duty of taking care of the little ones. However, social media has helped to publicise things that are not considered as the normal way of doing things. These days, a woman can confidently raise a home properly by performing both the male and female roles in the family, and vice versa. A man, identified as Exceptional Emmanuel Okorie, took to his Facebook page to share the funny experience he had after he carried his daughter on his back to the bank. According to him, people were surprised by the act and they stared at him strangely. He further explained that even a mad man laughed hysterically after seeing him back his daughter. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Nigeria He wrote: My wife was making her hair so I have to back my Lovely daughter to the bank. People were looking at me strangely to the extent that a mad man saw me and started laughing hysterically. If I can answer her dad, why can't I back her? However, his friends on the social networking site were impressed by the act. See some comments below: READ ALSO: Lucky Delsu student excited after fiance proposed to her with a car (photos, video) Legit.ng earlier reported that a good samaritan took to Twitter to share his experience on how a pregnant lady he helped to the hospital delivered her child in his car. A Twitter user, identified Abbas (@_MrSIMPLE_), shared the wonderful experience he had after he helped a pregnant woman and her mother get to the hospital. According to Abbas, he saw a pregnant woman who was already in labour and her mother by the roadside around 11 pm, and he decided to help them get to the hospital because they were stranded. However, things took an interesting turn when the pregnant woman gave birth in his car. Nigeria Breaking News: 34-Year-Old Woman Gives Birth to a Set of Quintuplets in Awka | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng In secret, behind locked gates, our Nation's Oldest City dumped a landfill in a lake (Old City Reservoir), while emitting sewage in our rivers and salt marsh. Organized citizens exposed and defeated pollution, racism and cronyism. We elected a new Mayor. We're transforming our City -- advanced citizenship. Ask questions. Make disclosures. Demand answers. Be involved. Expect democracy. Report and expose corruption. Smile! Help enact a St. Augustine National Park and Seashore. We shall overcome! The duo was handed over to customs along with the seized foreign currency by the CISF. Mumbai: The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) intercepted two persons carrying Rs 1.48 crore in foreign currency at Mumbai airport on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. The seized currency includes USD, Omani and Qatari Riyals, and Kuwaiti and Bahrain Dinars. The duo has been handed over to customs officials for further investigation. The apprehended duo was identified as Mohammad Bendichal and Abdul Rahiman Bendichal. At around 12.10am during pre-embarkation security check (PESC) through the X-BIS machine inside terminal 2, they were found in possession of the foreign currencies. The checks were being conducted by CISF sub-inspector Vijay Kumar when he noticed an image resembling wads of currency notes inside one of the bags. The said bag was then taken for thorough manual checking. The CISF officials found USD 1.94 lakh, 2290 Omani Riyal, 3100 Qatari Riyal, 750 Kuwaiti Dinars and 310 Bahrain Dinars. Mohammad Bendichal, an Indian national, was on his way to Sharjah when apprehended. Upon interrogation, he said that another passenger, identified as Abdul Rahiman Bendichal, gave the bag stashed with foreign currency to him. The alleged exchange took place in the check-in area and the second person was also taking the same flight. Abdul Rahiman Bendichal was later located at another boarding gate by CISF surveillance, and apprehended. He was tracked down via CCTV camera footage covering terminal 2, CISF officials said. The duo was handed over to customs along with the seized foreign currency by the CISF for further investigation. The officials are now probing the source of the currency that was supposedly being smuggled outside the country and further links of the arrested duo. - Application by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the recount of ballot papers used in the July 14 poll in Ekiti state has been dismissed - The application was dismissed by Ekiti governorship election tribunal sitting in Abuja - Chairman of the three-member tribunal, Justice Bolaji Belgore, declared that the application lacked merit The Ekiti governorship election tribunal sitting in Abuja has dismissed an application by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the recount of ballot papers used in the July 14 poll. The PDP and its candidate, Prof. Olusola Kolapo are challenging the outcome of the election in court. The respondents in the matter are Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), All Progressives Congress (APC) and Dr Kayode Fayemi, the winner of the election. Ruling on the application, the chairman of the three-member tribunal, Justice Bolaji Belgore, declared that the application lacked merit. READ ALSO: Osinbajo meets with Tinubu's anointed candidate Sanwo-Olu Belgore noted that Ekiti had 177 wards with 2,197 polling units in 16 local government areas but the petitioners only complained of 325 polling units in their petition before the tribunal. The chairman said PDP and its candidate did not complain about all the 2,197 polling units in the state. To pray for recount in all wards and polling units across the state is to make firm nonsense of the petitioners pleading, Belgore said. According to him, pleadings are written statements of parties in a procedure wherein they clearly state the materials, including documents, they will rely on in the proceeding. He said the tribunal could only admit where it was supported by pleading, adding that what the petitioners wanted could not be situated in their pleading before the tribunal. The chairman further said that the evidence so generated from the recount would have no basis in the proceeding. He added that what the petitioners wanted to do was to spring a surprise on the respondents which they would not be able to respond to as time for pleading had closed. He stated that the tribunal was in agreement with the submission of the counsel for Fayemi, Chief Akin Olujimi (SAN), that the petitioners were fishing for evidence under the guise of recounting the ballot. The relief that seeks the recount be done in the presence of two representatives of the parties in the matter, secretary of the tribunal and security operatives, the tribunal held that involving its secretary would amount to the secretary giving evidence for the petitioners. The secretary of the tribunal cannot be a party to do what the application wanted, Justice Belgore stated. He, therefore, declared: we hereby rule that the application is lacking in merit. In a related development, the tribunal turned down INECs application from excluding the smart card reader machines used in the July 14 governorship election. Ruling on the application argued by Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) for INEC, Belgore said that excluding the card readers from inspection would be tantamount to setting aside the tribunals early order granted on July 26. The tribunal, however, made a consequential order that the inspection of the card readers must be completed by the end of each partys case, which would commence on Oct. 17. The chairman declared that the consequential order was not setting aside the exparte order granted on July 26. The tribunal thereafter adjourned the commencement of hearing in the petition until Oct. 17. Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti referred to the just concluded Osun rerun governorship election as a shameful exercise. PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on the Internet! Fayose in a statement said that democracy is now dead in Nigeria. In a statement by his chief press secretary, Idowu Adelusi, the governor condemned the conduct as well as outcome of the election. Osun Election 2018: I will surely win this election - Senator Adeleke | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit - Senator Aisha Alhassan, also known as Mama Taraba says she was frustrated out of the APC - She argued that throughout her stay in the party, she had been a committed and loyal member - Mama Taraba blamed her exit on the decision of the APC National Working Committee headed by Adams Oshiomhole Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Senator Aisha Alhassan, also known as Mama Taraba, who earlier resigned from President Muhammadu Buharis cabinet and from the ruling All Progressives Congress has given reasons for her actions. Alhassan hinged her resignation on her disqualification in the screening for the 2019 Taraba state governorship contest by the APC National Working Committee. Aisha Alhassan was the governorship candidate of the APC in the 2015 election in Taraba state. She was the only one disqualified by the NWC out of 12 aspirants slated to run in the primaries scheduled for tomorrow. READ ALSO: Mama Taraba, 7 members of Taraba Assembly, LG excos join UPD Here is her full statement: "I write with a lot of respect to inform Mr president of my decision to resign my appointment as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and as a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) "Your Excellency may wish to recall that I joined the APC in 2014 along with other members of the then new PDP, contested the 2015 governorship election as the flag bearer of the APC and to the Glory of God, you graciously nominated to be a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Your Excellency Mr President may wish to be reminded that I went through all the screening processes (security, medical and national assembly) as required by constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria after which I was cleared and approved as fit and proper for appointment as minister. Mr President, you therefore graciously appointed and swore me in as minister in November 2015. "Mr president may also wish to recall that I wrote to notify you of my intention to again contest for governor of my state in forthcoming 2019 election under the umbrella of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and you again graciously blessed my intention and wished me well through a letter personally signed by Mr president which I appreciate and will forever cherish. "Sir, I purchased the APC nomination forms and went for the partys screening on Thursday, the 20th of September 2018 along with ten (10) other contestants for the governorship of my state, Taraba. I, with your permission, proceeded to Taraba on the 23rd of September 2018, to prepare for the presidential and governorship primaries then scheduled for the 25th and 29th of September 2018 respectively. "While preparing for the primaries in Jalingo, I received with the shock and dismay that I was disqualified and not cleared to contest for the 2019 governorship by the National Working Committee of the party (APC). No reason was given for my disqualification. "Mr president may wish to be also informed that I had always been a very committed and loyal party member and was at no time queried or admonished for any wrongdoing or unconstitutional behaviour. Up to the time of writing this letter, no reason is given by the party for my disqualification to contest election under the APC. "It is for the above reasons sir, that I feel grave injustice was done to me by the party (APC), therefore my decision to leave the party and also resign my appointment as minister. If I am not qualified to contest election in the APC, I feel I am also not qualified to remain a minister in an APC government. "May I at this point thank, appreciate and express my profound gratitude to Mr President for the honour, rare privilege and lifetime opportunity you gave me to serve under your great and credible leadership. I learnt a lot (especially patience) under your leadership. Working with you in the last almost three years was great and has immensely improved my leadership quality, I will remain forever grateful for that, sir. "May I also use this opportunity to thank his Excellency, the vice president, from whom I have also learnt a lot and my colleagues, other members of the Federal Executive Council, the SGF and cabinet office staff for their fellowship and support to me both as minister and personally. "May God Almighty reward them all, Amen. While wishing Mr president continued good health and thanking you again for the opportunity given to me, please accept sir, the assurances of my best wishes always and absolute loyalty to you as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app Legit.ng had reported that minister of women affairs, Aisha Al-Hassan, popularly called Mama Taraba resigned from President Muhammadu Buhari's cabinet two days after she was screened out by the All Progressive Congress (APC)'s governorship screening committee. Nigeria Latest News: Buhari Reacts To APC Senators Betrayal | - on Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng - The Nigerian army recovered some belongings of the missing Major-General Idris Alkali - His vehicle was recovered in a pond in Jos The Nigerian army has recovered some personal belonging of Major General Idris Alkali after his vehicle was discovered in a pond in Jos, Plateau state. In a Facebook post by one Idris Ahmed Ahmed, it was reported that the clothes and shoes of the retired major general were recovered on Saturday, September 29. Personal belongings of Major-General Idris Alkali. Credit|: Facebook, Idris Ahmed Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Breaking: Osinbajo meets with Tinubu's anointed candidate Sanwo-Olu Although his body has not been found yet, it is believed that Alkali was killed before his vehicle and other belongings were thrown into the pond. The vehicle of Major-General Idris Alkali. Credit|: Facebook, Idris Ahmed Source: Facebook He wrote: "Fellow compatriots, we update you on the brutal murder of Major General Idris Alkali. Following today's recovery of his Toyota car from a pond in Jos, below are some personal belongings of the late Major General, retrieved from the car. His body is yet to be recovered. We will keep you posted with progress. May his soul rest in perfect peace. Ameen." Legit.ng had reported that the search for Idris Alkali, a missing retired major-general seems to be almost over as the Nigerian Army has revealed that his vehicle has been found inside a pond in Plateau state. Alkali, former chief of Administration, Army headquarters, Abuja, was declared missing on September 3. He was on his way to Bauchi after leaving Abuja in the morning. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app The Army disclosed this in news flash on its Facebook handle on Saturday, September 29. "Joint Task Force constituted by COAS Lt Gen TY Buratai comprising officers and soldiers from 3 Division Quick Response Team, Operation Safe Haven, Nigeria Police Force, Vehicle Inspection Office, Fire Service, as well as local divers have found the vehicle belonging to Maj Gen Alkali RTD at a pond in Paddock in Lafendeg Du Plateau state," the Army wrote. Nigerian Air Force Day Celebration 2018 (54th Anniversary) - on Legit.ng TV: Source: Legit Feminism is believed to be the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes. While there are many people who are engaged in the movement, it appears there are those who don't exactly practice what they preach. The feminism movement is said to be a controversial one, one of the reasons being that a lot of women tend to practice misandry under the guise of feminism. Apparently, some of these women seem to practice these beliefs only online hence the tag, 'social media feminists'. This Nigerian lady identified by her Twitter username, @FlawlessMilo, is currently trending on social media after pictures from her traditional marriage surfaced online. The lady who is popular on Twitter for being a staunch feminist and also known for her hatred for men, caused massive shock waves with the news of her wedding. Going through her tweets prior to her wedding, many people would have bet their lives on the fact that she would never have anything to do with men, especially Nigerian men. This is why a lot of people were stunned when news of her wedding to no other than a Nigerian man, popped up on the platform. READ ALSO: Patience Jonathan steals show as she attends burial ceremony in Rivers See some of her tweets below: Screenshots of some of @FlawlessMilo'a tweets about Nigerian men Source: Twitter READ ALSO: Viral video of lady dancing Shaku-Shaku as she gets called to bar in Canada The reactions on Twitter have being pretty interesting. While some people are referring to her as the new Linda Ikeji who preach about one thing and do the other, others have expressed pity for the man she married. See reactions below: Well, congratulations to her on finding the one Nigerian man that deserves her love and good luck to him! PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News on Legit.ng News App Get the hottest gist on Africa Love Aid Top 3 Celebrities: Who Is The Humblest One Don Jazzy Tuface Idibia or Genevieve Nnaji? | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng - Soji Adagunodo, the Osun state PDP chairman says leaders of the party at the ward levels all over the state have been asked to get actual reports of what happened during the rerun election - Adagunodo alleges that election observers were attacked while journalists were beaten during the poll - Senator Ademola Adeleke of the PDP has vows to retrieve his stolen Osun governorship mandate at the Election Petition Tribunal The Osun state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said it is compiling names of its members that were reportedly killed or injured by hoodlums during the just concluded governorship rerun held in the state. The state chairman of the party in Osun state, Soji Adagunodo, accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) hoodlums of being responsible for the killing of PDP members, The Punch reports. READ ALSO: Army makes more discoveries in killing of missing General Idris Alkali (photos) Adagunodo said PDP leaders at the ward levels all over the state have been asked to get actual reports of what happened during the supplementary poll for the purpose of giving what he called a comprehensive report of assault on the opposition. We are compiling the names of our members who were killed by APC hoodlums and those injured. We dont want to give the figure piecemeal. We will give a comprehensive detail of the unimaginable assault visited on our people, the PDP chairman said. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app We will release the names and location where the incident happened very soon. The robbery that happened on Thursday was seen by the whole world and the party has condemned it. Observers were attacked, journalists were beaten and our members were killed and some injured. Meanwhile, Senator Ademola Adeleke, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)s governorship candidate in Osun state, has vowed to retrieve his stolen mandate from the All Progressives Congress (APC)s Gboyega Oyetola, at the Election Petition Tribunal. He made the comment in a chat with newsmen shortly before the returning officer, Prof Joseph Fuwape, announced the final figure for the Osun gubernatorial re-run election on Thursday, September 27, Punch reports. Legit.ng gathers that speaking through his brother, Dele Adeleke, the candidate said the PDPs next step would be to proceed to the tribunal. Osun 2018: I have evidence that they added to APCs votes - PDP Chairman | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng - The EU, UK and US expressed concern over the Osun rerun election - They noted that there were reports of intimidation of voter - They expressed their commitment to supporting free and fair election in Nigeria The European Union, US and UK have released a joint statement expressing concern over the Osun state gubernatorial rerun election. The candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Gboyega Oyetola was declared winner of the election which took place on Thursday, September 27. READ ALSO: Army makes more discoveries in killing of missing General Idris Alkali (photos) There were however reports of intimidation in some of the polling units. In the statement released by the EU, UK and UK, they expressed concern over the conduct of the election. They called for calm and promised to support the country for a free and fair election. Read the statement below: Delegations from the Missions of the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States observed the voting in the Osun State re-run election on September 27. We once again commend the vast majority of the voters in the state for exercising their democratic rights peacefully. In contrast to our overall findings on the vote of September 22, we were concerned to witness widespread incidents of interference and intimidation of voters, journalists, and civil society observers by some political party supporters and security agencies. Many of our findings mirror those of leading civil society groups that observed the election. We commend the work of INEC leadership during both elections. But it is clear that the neutrality of the security services and responsible conduct by party agents, both inside and outside polling units, will be essential to ensure free, fair, credible and peaceful elections in 2019. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app We continue to call for calm from all stakeholders and urge that any challenges to the election result be made through peaceful and lawful means. We restate our position of firm neutrality among all parties and candidates. We remain committed to supporting the Nigerian people in seeing free, fair, credible, and peaceful elections. Meanwhile, Senator Ademola Adeleke, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the just concluded Osun gubernatorial election, vowed to use both physical and legal means to upturn the results in his favour. Adeleke, who made this vow during his first news briefing after the election on Friday in Ede, Osun, lauded Nigerians and members of the media for their enthusiasm in support of the democracy. Osun Election 2018: Electorate accuses INEC ad hoc staff of taking bribe | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit - Abba Kyari, chief of staff to the president, meets with the organized labour at the presidential villa - Kyari appeals the labour movement to suspend their ongoing strike - ASUU threatens to embark on nationwide over 2017 agreement Indications have emerged that the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) may suspend a warning strike it began over the delay in the implementation of a new national minimum wage. The Nation reports that the organised labour may call off the strike today, Sunday, September 30, following the intervention of the presidency through the office of the chief of staff to the president, Abba Kyari. READ ALSO: Army makes more discoveries in killing of missing General Idris Alkali (photos) At a meeting in presidential villa, the Kyari was said to have assured a delegation led by president of NLC, Ayuba Wabba, that President Buhari will address the concerns of labour upon his return to the country from the United Nations General Assembly. He then appealed to labour movement to suspend the strike immediately. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app But NLC president, Wabba, has said that the decision to suspend the strike does not rest entirely on the National Administrative Council (NAC) of the NLC, adding that other organs of both NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC) were involved. The various organs of organised labour are said to have met to review the government position and may reach a decision to suspend the action soon. Meanwhile, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has threatened to embark on a nationwide strike if the federal government fails to implement the 2017 FGN/ASUU agreement. Lawan Abubakar, the Bauchi zonal coordinator of ASUU, at a news conference in Jos on Thursday, September 27, expressed surprise that the federal government has yet to implement the various agreements aimed at revitalising public universities, as agreed in 2017, The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. Abubakar regretted that only 7% of the total 2018 budget was allocated to the education sector, and called for the immediate release of the N20 billion revitalisation funding. I quit my accounting job to start making shoes. | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit - Dr Adesina Fagbenro-Byron has emerged the presidential candidate of KOWA party - Fagbenro-Byron defeated a former presidential candidate of the party, Professor (Mrs) Remi Shonaiya in the contest - He expressed confidence that the KOWA party will have an impact in the 2019 elections A development expert; Dr Adesina Fagbenro-Byron, has emerged as the presidential candidate of the KOWA party. Fagbenro-Byron, 59, a former member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), emerged the candidate of the KOWA party during the party's special national convention presidential primary in Abuja on Saturday, September 29. Fagbenro-Byron defeated the presidential candidate of the party in 2015, Professor (Mrs) Remi Shonaiya and Mr Ayo Lijadu to clinch the presidential ticket in a free and fair contest observed by Legit.ng. Dr Fagbenro-Byron being congratulated by Professor Sonaiya after the contest Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Group sues Governor Bindow over alleged certificate forgery He scored 59.5% of the total votes cast, while Shonaiya scored 16% and Lijadu scored 5.5%. Delegates of the party not physically present at the convention, voted via SMS and online, which was vetted by the convention committee. Addressing party members after he was declared winner and handed the party's flag, Fagbenro-Byron vowed not to betray the trust reposed in him by the party members ahead of the 2019 general elections. Fagbenro-Byron presented the flag of the KOWA party by the national chairman, Alhaji Saidu Bobboi and secretary, Cpmrade Mark Adebayo. Source: Facebook His words: You have picked me up without anything, based on trust. That is one thing that has registered today, it is not as if one is better than the other candidates, but as God will have things, this is the direction that God wants us to go now. There is a reason we are here and we are going into victory. We are going to the 2019 election with determination. We have some shortcomings, but we have some strengths. The kind of strengths the KOWA party has, the other parties with all their monies, they can not buy it and we are going to prove it to them. He admitted that there is a lot of work to do towards the election, noting that we have to strategize, plan, set up committees, we have to set up our bank accounts, our structures. He commended Professor Sonaiya and Mr Lijadu for their sportsmanship, vowing to carry them along in his campaign. Speaking later to journalists, Fagbenro-Byron stated that he is a founding member of the KOWA party, stressing that the party is designed in such a way that it would address and provide solutions to national problems. He continued: We are a modern party, we are an innovative party, we will approach this election in a way that Nigerians have never seen before and will never believe. We are going to provide a compelling case that will make other parties coalesce with us and as a matter of fact, that is why we are in the Coalition of United Political Parties. These other parties-particularly, the All Progressives Congress, is a trader in poverty. They keep people poor deliberately - look at their nomination fees, it is like you keep somebody poor for a sufficient time so that by the time you come with your extra money, it gives you influence. Such a party will never wish you come out of poverty. Any political party which distributes money during elections will never pray for people to get out of poverty. The day people rise out of poverty is the day that money given out as handouts will become useless. The day poverty is dealt with in Nigeria is the day that you wont be able to bribe people to vote for you. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app Earlier, the national chairman of KOWA party, Alhaji Saidu Bobboi informed the party members that the presidential aspirant screening committee did a thorough job before the convention by subjecting the aspirants to a written exam. He noted that the exam and the the debate which the presidential aspirants were subjected to at the convention were landmark achievements and the first of its kind in the history of electoral processes of any political party in Nigeria. Nigeria News Today: Will Buhari Get Votes Of Nigerian Youth? | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng There is tension in River state after an explosive device suspected to be a dynamite exploded near the All Progressives Congress (APC) secretariat in the state. The Cable reports that the explosion at the APC secretariat on Sunday, September 30, was sequel to another one which went off earlier by 11am at a distant location. The newspaper states that suspected thugs who were reportedly being conveyed in a Toyota Camry were said to have dropped the explosive device at the party's secretariat and immediately drove off. READ ALSO: Army makes more discoveries in killing of missing General Idris Alkali (photos) The hoodlums were said to have evaded security operatives stationed at the secretariat who rushed to the spot shortly after the device exploded. However, no casualty or injury was sustained in the incident but the explosions are said to have heightened anxiety in the area. In another report, the European Union, US and UK have released a joint statement expressing concern over the Osun state gubernatorial rerun election. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app The candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Gboyega Oyetols was declared winner of the election which took place on Thursday, September 27. There were however reports of intimidation in some of the polling units. In the statement released by the EU, UK and UK, they expressed concern over the conduct of the election. They called for calm and promised to support the country for a free and fair election Buhari to Contest for Presidency in 2019! Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and its other affiliate organizations on Sunday, September 30, announced they have decided to call of their warning strike that had partially grounded economic activities in the country. The president of the NLC, Ayuba Wabba, made the announcement, according to Channels Television. READ ALSO: I am now fully ready for primaries - Sanwo-Olu declares after endorsement by Lagos lawmakers Wabba reportedly said the strike is being called off as a result of the firm assurance of the federal government to reconvene the tripartite committee on the new minimum wage. Legit.ng earlier reported that the organised labour on Thursday, September 27, shut down offices of aviation agencies at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos to press home their demands for the implementation of a new National Minimum Wage. However, this action did not affect flight operations at the nations busiest airport as airlines and passengers went about their respective businesses without harassment from the unions. Legit.ng earlier reported that the Trade Union Congress on Tuesday insisted organised labour would commence strike from early hours of Thursday, September 27, following the federal governments failure to honour its ultimatum on the new minimum wage. Osun Election 2018: PDP supporters celebrating early lead | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng Prime Minister Narendra Modis absence was understandable as he faces crucial state and then parliamentary elections. At the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Indias external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and Pakistans foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi spoke on Saturday, September 29 Ms Swaraj first and Mr Qureshi later in the afternoon. They had shared concerns about threats to multilateralism, climate change, and a weakened United Nations, etc, but on bilateral relations, terrorism, questions related to Saarc and Kashmir, a wide chasm separated them. Prime Minister Narendra Modis absence was understandable as he faces crucial state and then parliamentary elections. New Pakistan PM Imran Khans absence was interpreted as signalling that his focus remained on vital domestic issues. A Pakistani source, in confidence, attributed it to his wife and spiritual adviser Begum Bushra forbidding travel across the oceans. The danger, if any, lurks on the South Asian subcontinent, as the BJP leadership ratchets up jingoism in the face of jobless growth and spiralling oil prices. After leaders exchanged rather civil, if not warm, communications, India abruptly cancelled the New York meeting of the foreign ministers, and Mr Qureshi described the third-time cancellation of the bilateral talks as being on flimsy grounds. Ms Swarajs address combined issues of multilateral significance like sustainable development and climate change with the global menace of terrorism. The last provided an opening to berate Pakistans role in abetting terror against India. Terrorism, she said, bred next door to us and not in some faraway land. Mr Qureshi also addressed the first two issues, but saw terrorism differently. Pakistan was a victim of terror, perpetrated by groups that India supports, he said, including those who killed 150 schoolchildren at Peshawar. He alleged that those responsible for the Samjhauta Express deaths of Pakistanis were being allowed to walk away. Then Kulbhushan Jadhav, wrongly dubbed a serving Indian naval officer, who is now in Pakistani custody, was presented as proof positive of Indian perfidy, when India has said that he was abducted from Iran and asked why the Indian high commission has been denied access to him. The Pakistani strategy for some time has been to seek moral equivalence with India, by first alleging that the Indian consulates in Afghanistan were hubs of anti-Pakistan terror activity and now Jadhav. President Hamid Karzai once summoned the Indian ambassador in Kabul to publicly ask how many consulates India had. A surprised Indian envoy said the Afghans knew that. Mr Karzai said he did but during his recent visit to Pakistan he was repeatedly told that the number was not four but dozens. On the sudden cancellation of the New York meet, both sides had different interpretations. Ms Swaraj blamed the killing of three policemen by terrorists and the issuance of stamps by Pakistan to mark the death of Burhan Wani, a terrorist killed in the Kashmir Valley in mid-2016, which triggered popular anger, and some other victims of firing by the security forces. Mr Qureshi, referring to Wani as a Kashmiri activist, ignoring his social media pictures holding lethal automatic weapons, said the cancellation was due to PM Modis domestic compulsions. His argument had some merit as prior to the announcement a BSF jawan had been killed in a skirmish across the India-Pak border and his body mutilated, while the stamps had been issued months earlier by the interim government. The escalation of violence against easy targets by militants in the Valley had also been on an upswing for some time. The Modi government had failed to communicate to the nation effectively both why the meeting was readily accepted and then suddenly cancelled. The government does have a point, though, which the US state departments latest country report on terror echoed last month, that in letting a UN-listed terrorist like Hafiz Saeed walk free and allowing the foundation fronts of the terrorist to raise money, Pakistan had done little to curtail India-specific terror outfits. In an election year, some self-promotion by the Narendra Modi government was inevitable. Ms Swaraj noted that the 2015 UN summit had prescribed by 2030 tangible success in reaching 17 sustainable development goals. The Modi governments salient schemes were listed as evidence that India was on track despite the criticism that 140 million loans under the Mudra scheme, with 76 per cent women beneficiaries, did not create as many jobs as the scheme envisaged. Similarly, credit was claimed for granting 50 million free cooking gas connections under the Ujjwala scheme, despite the feedback that many beneficiaries had begun to revert to their traditional cooking methods as gas refills were beyond their paying ability. Ayushman Bharat, an ambitious and gargantuan health insurance scheme, the efficacy of which is still untested, was also listed. The award of UN Champions of Earth for French President Emmanuel Macron and Mr Modi was noted with obvious happiness, but ironically, in India nowadays, the two names evoke the Rafale fighter deal more than the climate change crusade. Both nations sought reform and strengthening of the United Nations, but with divergent solutions for UN Security Council reform, as Pakistan opposes permanent membership for India. Pakistan made much of the so-called Indian human rights abuses in Kashmir and the UN human rights high commissioners criticism of India. Coming from a nation that brutally suppresses Baloch nationalism, that complaint lacked weight, particularly when the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative was lauded without the slightest mention of Uighurs being forcibly interned and reeducated and their Muslim identities obliterated. US President Donald Trump set the negative tone this year by debunking what he called globalism. Mr Qureshi noted correctly that the world was at an inflexion point. But his solutions are wrongly India-specific. Similarly, India as a rising power cannot forever ignore engaging a neighbour, more so as a new leader like Imran Khan had emerged who could be an agent for change. Indias unwise personal attack invited Imran Khans retort that he had seen small men occupying big offices. Ms Swaraj ended her speech to the General Assembly with the invocation May all achieve serenity. She could start by prescribing it in South Block first. - Men of the Nigeria Police Force reportedly block some PDP members from meeting in Kano state - The meeting was said to have been organised by aggrieved members of the PDP who wanted to discuss issues affecting the party - One of such issues included the governorship election in the state Armed police officers on Sunday, September 30, reportedly took over the entire complex of Marhaba Cinema at Farm Centre area in Kano metropolis over alleged plan by some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to hold a meeting. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the armed police officers, who arrived at the venue of the event as early as 8am prevented people from going into the hall. READ ALSO: I am now fully ready for primaries - Sanwo-Olu declares after endorsement by Lagos lawmakers NAN quoted a reliable source as saying that the aborted meeting was allegedly convened by some aggrieved PDP members to discuss issues affecting the party ahead of the forthcoming primary elections of the party. The police got wind of the planned meeting, hence the decision to deploy security agents to the venue, the source reportedly said. It was gathered the decision to stop the illegal meeting might not be unconnected to the governorship primary taking place in the state and other states across the country. As at the time of filling this report, police officers were still at the premises while a police patrol van was used to block the main entrace of the cinema. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app The report said efforts to contact the police public relations officer of the police command, Magaji Majiya and the commissioner, Rabiu Yusuf, failed as both did not respond to phone calls made to them. Election 2019: President Buhari Proves He is Fit to Run in 2019 | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit President Muhammadu Buhari has accepted the resignation of the minister of women affairs, Aisha Alhassan. The president also directed Hajiya Aisha Abubakar, the minister of state, industry, trade and investment, to immediately take charge of the women affairs and social development ministry. READ ALSO: I am now fully ready for primaries - Sanwo-Olu declares after endorsement by Lagos lawmakers I have received your letter offering your resignation as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I accept your resignation with immediate effect. On behalf of the government and people of Nigeria, I thank you for your past services to the nation, the president said as reported by This Day. Legit.ng earlier reported that minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Senator Aisha Alhassan, also known as Mama Taraba, who earlier resigned from President Muhammadu Buharis cabinet and from the ruling All Progressives Congress gave reasons for her actions. Alhassan hinged her resignation on her disqualification in the screening for the 2019 Taraba state governorship contest by the APC National Working Committee. Aisha Alhassan was the governorship candidate of the APC in the 2015 election in Taraba state. Can Ambode Defeat Tinubu for a second term? - Nigerian Opinion | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng Readers, Im sorry this is a bit late. The T on my keyboard gave out, and with an already dodgy N it was simply too much. I had to switch to a second machine, and that wasnt as seamless a transition as I might have wished. lambert By Lambert Strether of Corrente. I encountered a new KHN article with the eye-catching title Avoidable Sepsis Infections Send Thousands Of Seniors To Gruesome Deaths, but discovered it was both what, and less than, it seemed. The article was quite strong on sepsis[1] horror stories in nursing homes, but less strong on epidemiological data. So Ill present extracts from KHN, and then broaden the scope of the article to sepsis generally, for which we have a wealth of information. (Kaiser also has this handy interactive map, Pinpointing Sepsis Risk, By Site, that allows you to search for nursing homes although not hospitals by state and city, in case the combination of my headline and KHNs headline has given you apprehension. All nursing homes arent death traps, fortunately.) First, the KHN article. Skipping the horror stories, the numbers: Year after year, nursing homes around the country have failed to prevent bedsores and other infections that can lead to sepsis, an investigation by Kaiser Health News and the Chicago Tribune has found. A special analysis conducted for KHN by Definitive Healthcare, a private health care data firm, also suggests that the toll human and financial from such cases is huge. Examining data related to nursing home residents who were transferred to hospitals and later died, the firm found that 25,000 a year suffered from sepsis, among other conditions. Their treatment costs Medicare more than $2 billion annually, according to Medicare billings from 2012 through 2016 analyzed by Definitive Healthcare. In Illinois, about 6,000 nursing home residents a year who were hospitalized had sepsis, and 1 in 5 didnt survive, according to Definitives analysis. Understaffing is one possible cause of sepsis: Much of the blame, regulators and patient advocates say, lies in poor staffing levels. Matt Hartman, executive director of the Illinois Health Care Association, which represents more than 500 nursing homes, acknowledged low staffing is a problem that diminishes the quality of nursing care. Hartman blamed the states Medicaid payment rates for nursing homes about $151 a day per patient on average which he said is lower than most other states. Medicaid makes up about 70 percent of the revenue at many homes, he said. (The article says nothing about staffing at profit vs. non-profit facilities). Nevertheless: There is little agreement over how much staff should be required in nursing homes. Federal regulations simply mandate that a registered nurse must be on duty eight hours per day, every day. In 2001, a federal government study recommended a daily minimum of 4.1 hours of total nursing time per resident, which includes registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and certified nursing assistants, often referred to as aides. That never became an industry standard or federal regulation, however. Most states set requirements lower and face industry resistance to raising the bar. A California law requiring 3.5 hours per resident as of this July 1 is drawing intense criticism from the industry, for instance. A second cause of sepsis, no doubt related to staffing, is poor infection control: Poor infection control ranks among the most common citations in nursing homes. Since 2015, inspectors have cited 72 percent of homes nationally for not having or following an infection-control program. In Illinois, that figure stands at 88 percent of homes. Finally, sepsis often leads to hospitalization, stressful for patients and expensive: [A] federal report has found that care related to sepsis was the most common reason given for transfers of nursing home residents to hospitals and noted that such cases ended in death much more often than hospitalizations for other conditions. Examining data related to nursing home residents who were transferred to hospitals and later died, the firm found that 25,000 a year suffered from sepsis, among other conditions. Their treatment costs Medicare more than $2 billion annually, according to Medicare billings from 2012 through 2016 analyzed by Definitive Healthcare. This is an enormous public health problem for the United States, said Dr. Steven Simpson, a professor of medicine at the University of Kansas and a sepsis expert. People dont go to a nursing home so they can get sepsis and die. That is what is happening a lot. Nevertheless: No one tracks sepsis cases closely enough to know how many times these infections turn fatal . Thats what I mean about there not being enough epidemiology! A second example, on hospital transfers: [A] critical 2013 Department of Health and Human Services audit found Medicare had paid about $14 billion in 2011 for these transfers. Care related to sepsis cost Medicare more than the next three costliest conditions combined, according to the audit. The auditors have not checked in to see if Medicare has since reduced those costs and have no plans to do so , a spokesman for the HHS Office of Inspector General said. Now lets turn to sepsis at the national level, for which there is a wealth of information. First, some numbers. Sepsis is a terrible problem: Sepsis is associated with a high mortality rate and poses an overwhelming burden of healthcare utilization in the United States. In the United States sepsis is a major public health problem responsible for over 750,000 hospitalizations and 215,000 deaths annually. Its not clear how many of those hospitalizations are transfers from nursing homes, since we have no data. Its also not clear to me how much sepsis is caused within or by hospitals; clearly a lot, since there were an estimated 722,000 [Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) in U.S. acute care hospitals in 2011; however, not all HAIs culminate in sepsis. From the NIH: Sepsis is a major challenge in hospitals, where its one of the leading causes of death. It is also a main reason why people are readmitted to the hospital. What is clear is that people who, for whatever reason, are more likely to have become enmeshed in the health care system are also at greater risk. From the NIH once more: The people at highest risk are infants, children, the elderly, and people who have serious injuries or medical problems such as diabetes, AIDS, cancer, or liver disease. As we might expect, sepsis is not uniformly distributed. Two factors seem salient: Household income, and geography. First, household income. From Association of Household Income Level and In-Hospital Mortality in Patients With Sepsis: A Nationwide Retrospective Cohort Analysis (2018): Associations between low socioeconomic status (SES) and poor health outcomes have been demonstrated in a variety of conditions. However, the relationship in patients with sepsis is not well described. We investigated the association of lower household income with in-hospital mortality in patients with sepsis across the United States. After adjustment for severity of illness, patients with sepsis who live in the lowest median income quartile had a higher risk of mortality compared to residents of the highest income quartile. The association between SES and mortality in sepsis warrants further investigation with more comprehensive measures of SES. Second, geography. From Defining Sepsis Mortality Clusters in the United States (2017): These results also suggest that sepsis mortality clustering is prevalent in counties located in the southeastern US with three specific clusters: 1) Mississippi Valley counties bordering the southern Mississippi river in three southern states (Louisianna, Arkansas, and Mississippi); 2) Middle Georgia a belt of counties expanding from southwest Georgia through middle to southeast Georgia; 3) and Central Appalachia a cluster of counties in southeastern Kentucky and southwest Virginia. Over the ten-year observation period, 5.2% (161 of 3,108) of US counties were defined as strongly clustered counties. After adjustment for age and community level characteristics, those living in the strongly clustered counties were about 1.5 times more likely to have a sepsis related death than people living in non-clustering counties. Demographic and socio-economic characteristics associated with sepsis mortality clustering were race, household income, value of housing property, education, rural population, poverty, ratio of hospitals per 100,000 persons, insurance coverage, and higher unemployment rate. Heres a map of the authors county level data: (They prescribe ACA expansion, because most of the mortality clusters are in non-Medicaid states, but if the objects is to impose uniform standards of care, surely Medicare for All would be better? * * * As usual in our wonderful health care system, some go to Happyville, and some to Pain City, depending on the luck of the draw. If you want to avoid sepsis for yourself or a loved one, clearly your best approach is to pick wealthy place to be born, and plan to avoid growing old; failing the latter, you can to some extent be a smart shopper, at least for a nursing home, by using this interactive map. While I was doing the research for this piece, I ran across a lot of work by practitioners seeking to prevent sepsis the slide in note [1] is from a conference on the topic and that makes me hopeful, but when that good work comes to fruition, it will surely do so based on income and geography, and the unfairness of that particularly for the helpless elderly makes me heartsick. NOTES [1] What is sepsis? In medicalese: Sepsis should be defined as life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection (The Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3)). In lay terms: Sepsis is the bodys overwhelming and life-threatening response to infection that can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death. In other words, its your bodys over active and toxic response to an infection (Sepsis.org). Here is a tweet on how to detect sepsis in its early stages: Pippa Bagnall Sepsis can happen to anyone anytime. Community Nurses can be 1st to identify; know the symptoms #qni2018 pic.twitter.com/8YrkRir32Z Anne Taylor RGN DN QN MSc (@AFTaylorDN) September 24, 2018 Note especially that next-to-the-list bullet point. The initials of each bullet point spell SEPSIS; this is I. Yikes. By Wolf Richter, a San Francisco based executive, entrepreneur, start up specialist, and author, with extensive international work experience. Originally published at Wolf Street. In San Francisco, the most expensive of the 100 largest rental markets in the US, rents peaked in October 2015, with the median asking rent at $3,670 for a 1-bedroom apartment and $5,000 for a 2-bedroom. By the end of 2017, they were down 7% and 12% from their peaks. But in the spring 2018, rents started rising again. In September, they almost, but not quite, reclaimed their peaks: The median asking rent for 1-BR apartments rose to $3,650, and for 2-BR apartments to $4,800. These are crazy numbers. Hence our local term, Housing Crisis a crisis of affordability in a hyper-inflated market. There are differences from neighborhood to neighborhood, ranging from $2,400 in Outer Sunset (in San Francisco, housing gets cheaper the closer it is to the ocean due to the incoming fog) to $3,740 in Pacific Heights. The map below by Zumper shows the median asking rents by neighborhood. Single-family houses are concentrated in the left two-thirds of the map. Multi-family buildings hence, much of the rent data are concentrated in the right third of the map. These rents do not include the latest increases: These are median asking rents. Median means half of the apartments rent for more, and half for less. Asking rent is the amount the landlord advertises in the listing. The apartments are in multifamily buildings, including new construction. Single-family houses for rent are not included. Rooms, efficiency apartments, and apartments with three bedrooms or more are not included. Zumper collects this data from over 1 million active listings of apartments-for-rent in the 100 largest markets. This includes 3rd party listings received from Multiple Listings Service (MLS). Zumper releases this data monthly in its National Rent Report. In New York City, the second most expensive rental market, median asking rents rose 1.8% for a 1-BR ($2,850) and 5.8% for a 2-BR ($3,280). But these rents are down from their peak in March 2016 by 15% and 17% respectively! In Chicago, rents have plunged since late 2015: By September, the 1-BR asking rent, at $1,510, was down 26% from its peak and the 2-BR rent nearly 30%! Part of the reason is a multi-year decline in population coinciding with new construction. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area, with 9.5 million people, 10,700 apartments are scheduled to be delivered in 2018. But since 2014, the population has dropped by 27,000 people. In terms of rent, there are large variations by neighborhood, with the median asking for a 1-BR rent ranging from $625 in South Deering to $2,125 in the Loop (map via Zumper): Southern California is in a full-blown rental boom: In the Los Angeles metro, the third/fourth most expensive market in the US, 1-BR rents jumped 9.7% year-over-year to a record $2,470, and 2-BR rents rose 1.3% to $3,310, down by smidgen from the record in June. By area, 1-BR asking rents range from $1,200 in Congress Southwest to $3,150 in Santa Monica: To stay in Southern California for a moment: in San Diego, the median asking rent for 1-BR apartments in September jumped 11.5% year-over-year to $1,840; and for 2-BR apartments, 8.7% to $2,500. In Long Beach, 1-BR rents jumped by 14.6% to $1,570 and 2-BR rents by 7% to $2,000, both down a tad from the records earlier this year. In Santa Ana, our sample for Orange County, 1-BR rents rose 6.3% to a record $1,920 a new record, and 2-BR rents edged to a record $2,250. Washington DC rents are now under pressure: 1-BR rents in September dropped 4.4% year-over-year to $2,160 and are down 7.7% from their peak in December 2017. And 2-BR rents plunged nearly 14.8% year-over-year to $2,710 and 17.6% form the peak in June a year ago. By neighborhood, median asking rent for a 1-BR ranges from $990 in Deanwood to $2,750 in George Town: In Miami, the median asking rent for 1-BR apartments, at $1,800, was flat compared to a year ago and down $100 from the peak in June 2016. For 2-BR apartments, it edged down year-over-year to $2,430 and was down 8% from the peak in March 2016. By neighborhood, 1-BR median rents range from $800 in Pinewood Part and Brownsville to the distant outlier of $6,500 in Fisher Island: Honolulu rents are still spiraling down. The median asking rent for 1-BR apartment, at $1,680, has plunged 21% from the peak in March 2015. The 2-BR rent, at $2,200, has plunged 25% from the peak in January 2015. The table below shows the 17 of the 100 most expensive major rental markets in the US. The shaded area reflects peak rents and the movements since then. The black 0% in the shaded area means that these markets set new records in September. If rents are down slightly from the peak a few months ago, it doesnt yet mean that the market has turned that would require a more significant decline in rents spread beyond seasonality. Note the new entrant on the list: Philadelphia. I removed Anaheim, in Orange County, CA, because Santa Ana, also in Orange County, tracks it closely. The Seattle metro is in the middle of a construction boom. Over the five years through 2018 so far, over 46,000 apartment units in buildings with over 50 apartments have been constructed. This does not include construction of condos, apartments in smaller buildings, or single-family homes. This is nearly four times the number of units built in 2004-2008. An additional 24,000 apartments in large buildings are under construction and 40,000 are further up in the pipeline [heres my discussion of this situation Seattles Rental Bubble Meets its Inflection Point]. This flood of supply has had a dampening effect on Seattles rents. The median 1-BR rent, at $1,910, is down 4% from the peak in June 2018, and the median 2-BR rent, at $2,530, is down 4.5% from April 2016. Many Smaller Markets Are Red-Hot. Across the US, the median asking rent in September for 1-BR apartments rose 1.6% from a year ago, to $1,211. For 2-BR apartments, it rose 3.0% to $1,443. But national numbers average away the often-double-digit drama, up and down, in individual markets. Numerous markets in the US have experienced double-digit year-over-year rent increases including 12 cities of the 100 most expensive where these increases either for 1-BR or 2-BR apartments reached or exceeded 16%! In the lower half of the table below of the 100 most expensive rental markets, year-over-year rent increases of 12% or more are fairly common. When people say that their rent increases were much higher than the increases in the Consumer Price Index for rent, thats why. Exorbitant rent increases are real, but not in all markets. Entries are in order of median asking rent for 1-BR apartments in September and show percentage changes from a year ago (data by Zumper; use the browsers search function to find a city): (Natural News) Modern farms these days have dispensed with the familiar hedgerows that surround crop fields in the name of maximum efficiency and productivity. This is a mistake because a study conducted by California-based researchers showed that these natural habitats can benefit nearby farms. Restoring these so-called field edge habitats will improve the productivity and sustainability of agricultural systems. The biologically-diverse ecosystems of hedgerows provide important services to farms. They host many native species that pollinate plants and prey on harmful pests that damage crops. These beneficial wildlife improve the productivity of farms while outweighing any damage done by less beneficial critters like rodents. Without the natural benefits provided by hedgerows, farmers have been forced to intervene more directly in their fields. They replaced native bees with honey bees and tried to balance their use of insecticides to get rid of pests without killing their bees. Hedgerows have been making a comeback in recent years once farmers were clued in to their benefits and given answers regarding their concerns about. However, their slow restoration shows that much remains to be done to improve conservation efforts. (Related: Instead of paying farmers subsidies to grow unprofitable crops, wouldnt it make more sense to legalize hemp agriculture and unleash billions in profit potential?) Beneficial species in hedgerows protect and improve nearby agricultural crops Researchers from various campuses of the University of California (UC) gathered relevant data from their decades-long study of hedgerows in the Sacramento Valley area. They compared walnut orchards and tomato row crops surrounded by well-established hedgerows with agricultural fields whose edges were managed through various artificial means. They looked at the safety of the produce from those two groups and the effects of pest control. Furthermore, they took into consideration the benefits of pollinators and both positive and negative effects exerted by hedgerow wildlife on agricultural crops. Based on their findings, hedgerows hosted larger populations of natural enemy insects that preyed on crop pests. Many of these insects would go to agricultural fields in search of prey, thereby protecting the crops in those fields. Furthermore, hedgerows also had abundant numbers of native bees and other local pollinators. Like the natural enemy insects, the pollinators also visited crop fields and pollinated agricultural plants. Thanks to these beneficial insects, agricultural fields with hedgerows could reduce the amount of insecticide they used while enjoying higher crop yield. The savings from reduced insecticide usage plus the additional profits from more productive crops could pay for the cost of installing and establishing the hedgerows in as little as seven years. Researchers also determined that cottontail rabbits that lived in hedgerows could damage seedling stands. However, their damage could be managed, and other wild mammals did not invade agricultural fields. Finally, the presence of hedgerows did not increase the levels of common pathogens found in food. Both tomatoes and walnuts in the fields did not show the effects of Salmonella and E. coli pathogens. Farmers need to know all about the advantages of planting hedgerows The UC researchers noted that farmers and landowners who have seen for themselves the beneficial aspects of hedgerows are more willing to restore these habitats to the edges of their fields. They therefore urge conservation agencies to step up their outreach efforts. Recommendations include planting demonstration hedgerows and supporting farmers who adopt the practice. Converts to hedgerow planting will share their experiences with their neighbors and other farmers, thereby spreading both information and the practice of restoring the natural habitats once found on the edges of farmlands. If this can be done, then farms will be better equipped to meet the challenges of producing enough food to feed the world. Want to learn more about how nature and agriculture can work together to benefit you? Visit Harvest.news. Sources include: Science.news CalAg.UCANR.edu PNAS.org ScienceDirect.com (Natural News) A shocking new study has shown that toxic air events are happening on planes more often than the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is willing to acknowledge. The federal governments refusal to admit that these catastrophic events are happening largely due to a common flaw found in almost all airplanes is putting the health of passengers and plane crews at serious risk. As San Franciscos CBS Local reports, the open secret in the airplane industry is finally starting to come out. In mid-July 2018, Flight 1097 was headed from Washington Dulles to Los Angeles until they needed to make an emergency landing in Kansas City. The pilot reportedly told the control tower there were sick passengers on board. An Alaska Airlines flight attendant, identified only as Jane for anonymity, told CBS Local, People were being hospitalized. My understanding is that the crew felt symptoms of nausea, itching throat. That is what caused the diversion, she added. Jane explained that contaminated air had leaked into the cabin on Flight 1097 but it wasnt the first time something like that had happened. The thumb-twiddling FAA has known about these toxic air events for the last 50 years. The industry calls it a fume event, and many members of flight crews, and passengers, have been sickened by the leaking of toxic air. But instead of fixing the problem, leaders of the industry are simply looking the other way. And their employees are being encouraged to do the same. KPIX 5 has obtained audio from a recent Alaska Airlines conference call, where employees were basically told that they needed to stay silent about the toxic fumes if they wanted to keep their jobs. We have a very strict social media policy. We will investigate those instances where people do not abide by the policy and the infraction can lead to termination, so please keep that in mind, the voice on the clip cautions. Reports indicate that the July event on Flight 1097 was never even reported to the FAA. Study finds many toxic air events go unreported A 2014 study found that many of these incidents are not reported, because the industry wants to keep the true frequency under wraps. Dr. Robert Harrison, the studys co-author, told KPIX, We did a large survey of flight attendants, found a pretty high prevalence of symptoms, and uncovered the iceberg, if you will, below the surface. Theres a large number of flight attendants who had symptoms but had never reported them, he stated. Harrison added that in many cases, passengers may feel the symptoms of exposure, but may not attribute them to something as malicious as a toxic air event. While the FAA claims these air events happen in less than 33 out of a million flights, aviation attorney and pilot Mike Danko says the frequency is substantially higher more like five times a day. Most studies suggest that we get about five fume events per day in the U.S., Danko reported. Danko adds that toxic air has been a known problem on almost all commercial jets for the last 50 years. He explains that the toxic fumes come from jet oil, and that at extremely high temperatures, virtually all jet fuel will give off fumes. And those fumes can make you sick. The fumes contain something called organophosphates. Organophosphates are neurotoxins. Same stuff that is used in nerve gas, Danko says. We have had cases where one pilot was essentially totally incapacitated, and the other pilot, although having difficulties, managed to land the plane, and that has happened more than a few times, without question, Danko went on to say. See more coverage of stories about what makes us sick at Toxins.news. Sources for this article include: CBSLocal.com TheBlaze.com Gov. Jerry Brown approved a $7 million bill for funding in order to protect several South Bay cities from flooding. Under Senate Bill 881 originally created by Sen. Bob Wieckowski, the measure also calls for the restoration of tidal marsh and local habitats. Known as the South San Francisco Bay Shoreline Project, the Santa Clara Valley Water District had an effort in presenting the idea to the state senate along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who will assist with construction. I am very pleased with the idea that we can work together and all parties are looking for a common solution. Wieckowski said. The bill provides assistance to communities in San Jose, Palo Alto, Mountain View and Sunnyvale. The first installment of the project will begin with a 4-mile levee and restoration of former salt construction ponds into tidal marsh. Water District Board Chair Richard Santos responded to approval from Gov. Brown in a statement that said With the enactment of SB 881, the water district will be able to access state funding to protect our communities from the devastating effects of tidal and storm flooding resulting from sea level rise. One person has died in a boating accident in Massachusetts, the Rockport Harbormaster said. According to the harbormaster, they responded to a report of an overturned vessel off of Straitsmouth Island just after 1:30 p.m. Sunday. "We did not know how many people were on the boat," Harbormaster Scott Story said. The US Coast Guard says it also responded to the incident with a chopper from Air Station Cape Cod and a 47-foot lifeboat. Joseph Correia, a Rockport resident, said they heard a helicopter coming from Gloucester. He recorded a video of the rescue on his phone. "We watched them deploy a basket. I mean a basket from the helicopter. They took up one man," he said. The Coast Guard says one man swam to shore, another man, identified Monday as 58-year-old Paul Nadeau of Kingston, New Hampshire, who had to be pulled from the water by harbormaster Rosemary Lesch. "He was unresponsive," she said. Nadeau was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Investigators say the two men were in their 50s. They were on a fishing trip. From the coast, the water seemed calm, but waves were actually reaching 10 feet high. "He rounded the corner and one of them rolled him over. Rolled the whole boat over," Story said. Lesch warned to be aware of the sea conditions this time of year. "It's October almost and you get out there and storm swells are washing in and it's time to put your boat away," she said. The second victim was transported to an area hospital, the harbormaster said. The incident is still under investigation. A 73-year-old male was fatally shot after authorities say he was walking his dogs in Rogers Park Sunday morning. According to authorities, the incident occurred on the 1400 block of West Sherwin around 11 a.m. Sunday. The victim received a single gunshot wound to the head, police said. The initial investigation indicated that the victim may have been shot during the commission of a robbery, police say. No arrests have been made, though officials say the suspect was wearing a black ski mask and was dressed in all black. The investigation is ongoing. [NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More Prohibition of alcohol and cow slaughter already exist in our laws in some form and in many states. In some Muslim states, for example, there is a prohibition on alcohol and people are forced to shut their restaurants during the day in the month of Ramzan. (Photo: Mrugesh Bandiwadekar) One of the concerns of people who are looking ahead to the 2019 election is the fear of Hindu rashtra. This is a concept that will pull India away from our current Constitution that is not religious, towards one that is. It will make India a more Hindu or fully Hindu state. The theory is that a second consecutive, and possibly sweeping, victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party will embolden it to add to the Constitution certain elements that will make it a Hindu rashtra. I do not think that it is possible to have such a thing and I will explain why in a moment. I should start of by saying that from the point of view of individual rights, it does not make much difference which party governs India. The organisation I am a part of has worked on Jammu and Kashmir for decades and the issues there in terms of excessive use of force and impunity of the armed forces is not recent and not a product of this government. Similarly AFSPA, the law which protects the Army from prosecution in our courts, is not the creation of the current BJP government. Any major problem that comes up when we think of individual rights of Indians and the suppression by the state is an old one. Any issue, which relates to the rights of the weak in India, from dalits to adivasis to Muslims and other religious minorities, is not recent. The only new thing that the policies and rhetoric of this government has introduced is the meat-based lynching epidemic. But other than that, one could argue, things are not that different. Secondly, as someone who has often been to Pakistan and has studied it for many years, I can report that life is not very different for the individual in a religious state over an individual in a secular state on the subcontinent. It is true that some of the laws in Pakistan are deliberately discriminatory against minorities. For example, the Constitution forbids non-Muslims from holding the office and President and Prime Minister. Also there is a Muslim community, the Ahmedis, who cannot freely practice their religion. But everything else is more or less the same as in India. Minorities are fewer in Pakistan but they have the same sense of insecurity and marginalisation that minorities in India do. Let us now turn to what Hindu rashtra can be. There are two elements here, just as there are in any religious or theocratic state. One is that aspects of the religions values and its culture are introduced into the law. In some Muslim states, for example, there is a prohibition on alcohol and people are forced to shut their restaurants during the day in the month of Ramzan. Some of these things we already have in India. Prohibition of alcohol and cow slaughter already exist in our laws in some form and in many states. The second is that the dividing of people by religion or gender and telling them what they can and cannot do. This is the deeper aspect of a theocratic state, and this is the one that people fear. The problem of a Hindu rashtra is that it has no text, which can be adapted to the modern world. The most prominent element of the Hindu way of organising society and the state is through caste. This is not acceptable to most Hindus. The dominant political communities across the country from north to south is the Shudra peasantry comprising castes like Patidars, Vokkaliga, Jats, Yadavs, Reddys and so on. Most chief ministers and ministers come from these castes. These communities are not going to give up their power to brahmins voluntarily because of some change in law. Hindu rashtra does not offer them anything they do not already have. Similarly, dalits and adivasis, who are a quarter of our population, do not get anything under a Hindu rashtra and there is no reason for them to want it. A system that privileges the Hindu religion and its adherents must necessarily look to caste, and that is a non-starter. Till 2008, Nepal was the only Hindu state on earth. The Chhetri (Kshatriya) dynasty ended with the republic of 2008. Why was Nepal a Hindu state? Because executive power flowed from a warrior king, as prescribed in the Hindu code, Manusmriti. But Nepal was a Hindu state only to that extent. Nothing else from Hindu texts could be applied because much of it is against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. So what changes can be introduced to the Constitution to bring about Hindu rashtra? We can discriminate against non-Hindus and deny them their rights. Some of this we have already done. In Gujarat and Bihar, Christians cannot drink their sacramental wine and in most parts of India, Muslims cannot sacrifice a cow. Other rights we have not taken away officially but they are non-existent for all practical purposes. Muslims are not banned from becoming Prime Minister but it is unimaginable in this time to see that happening anytime soon. Indeed, Muslim representation in politics is at its lowest since 1947 and it is not even an issue in India. We could go ahead and officially deny Christians and Muslims some political rights under Hindu rashtra. However, because Hindu rashtra also erodes the power and the rights of the majority of Hindus, we can be assured that this is not something that the BJP, or any other force can do. That is why the idea of Hindu rashtra and what it actually is remains vague and will always be so. Two police officers were shot and killed following an early Saturday morning confrontation in Mississippi, authorities said. Warren Strain of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety said at a news conference that the officers were called to a house in the city of Brookhaven at about 5 a.m. for a report of shots fired. Amid an exchange of gunfire, both officers were "mortally wounded" and then pronounced dead at a local hospital, Strain said. He identified the weapon used as a handgun but would not elaborate. Authorities identified the deceased officers as Patrolman James White, 35; and Cpl. Zach Moak, 31. Both were wearing bulletproof vests at the time and were equipped with body and dashboard cameras. White arrived on the scene first, and Moak arrived next. A suspect was wounded in the exchange and taken for treatment to a hospital in Jackson. Police identified him as Marquis Flowers, 25, of Brookhaven. Strain said charges have not been filed yet but that Flowers is "in custody." Brookhaven Police Chief Kenneth Collins said the city is a "safe community ... but like any place, we have crime." He called White and Moak, both residents of Lincoln County, "heroes." "These are two awesome people who lost their lives this morning in the line of duty. Two heroes lost their lives this morning," Collins said. Strain said the investigation is in its initial stages. A number of people have been questioned in the case. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is working the case, in addition to other agencies. Gov. Phil Bryant issued a statement via Twitter asking for prayers "for the family and loved ones of these fallen heroes." This is the second time in as many years that a law enforcement official has been killed in the line of duty in the Brookhaven area. Last year Lincoln County Sheriff's Deputy William Durr, who also spent four years with Brookhaven police, was responding to a call when he was shot to death. Authorities say the gunman shot and killed seven other people in the killing spree in and around the Brookhaven area. Willie Cory Godbolt was arrested May 28, 2017, and is awaiting trial. He's pleading not guilty and faces the death penalty if convicted. Hundreds of runners lined up for the 5th annual Believe 208 5K in East Hartford on Sunday. We do this in memory of my late husband who sadly passed away by suicide and we want to find a way to honor and remember him and sadly others weve lost, said Trish Buchanan, the founder of Believe 208. Believe 208 was started by Buchanan after her husband, Paul Buchanan, an East Hartford police officer, took his life in 2013. The number 208 was on Buchanan's badge. "Its hard. There are still days that it really does impact you. And we do our best and I truly believe we can take this tragedy and turn it into something good," she said. The funds raised go to peer support programs and treatment to help care for first responders, including work with CABLE: The Connecticut Alliance to Benefit Law Enforcement. "It provides training of the mind, fitness and resilience for law enforcement," said Kathy Flaherty, who is on the Board of Directors for CABLE. "Theyre truly only human under that badge and it isnt a sign of weakness or anything like that," Buchanan added. "Mental wellness is something we forget for all first responders. You have a horrific job and get damaged every day and we don't even notice," added East Hartford Police Chief Scott Sansom. Running this year for badge number 576 was a group of officers from Danbury. "We all came out to Believe 208 race in support of him and all the officers in the state who have taken their own lives," said Sgt. Ethan Mable. Suicide claimed the life of Danbury Sgt. Drew Carlson in September of 2017. "It was shocking to all of us and as a supervisor, youre always trying to look out for others. We all try to look out for each other and unfortunately, none of us really saw any signs with Drew. And we all wished there was something we could have done, Sgt. Mable said. NBC Connecticut's Heidi Voight emceed the race in memory of our first responders, like Paul and all of the others. "He [Paul] served the community truly with his heart and soul for 24 years and sadly, really took the job to heart and struggled with depression and anxiety and tried to get help. The right type of help wasn't out there so that's another reason why we're doing this for awareness. They need to know they're not alone," Buchanan said. Waterbury Police have arrested a woman for arson after they said she set fire to her former home on Thursday after she was evicted. According to police, 35-year-old Nicole Abrom lived on the first floor of 6 Grove Court up until she was evicted last week. Firefighters were called to the multi-family home shortly around 7 a.m. after a police officer who was driving by saw flames coming out of the building. The officer alerted the rest of the fire department and helped get people out. Four adults who were home when the fire started were able to escape safely. Tenants said that Abrom had lived in the building, but had yelled she was going to burn it down after she was evicted earlier in the week. According to a witness, Abrom was very upset about being kicked out of her apartment and the Department of Children and Families had also taken her children away from her. Abrom was found in Middletown on Thursday. Investigators said she told them she had smoked crack cocaine that morning in the apartment then said she may have accidentally dropped a lit cigarette. A police K9 found suspected accelerants on the home's first floor and on Abrom's sneaker. Court records show Abrom was also evicted from an apartment on Buckingham Street in 2016 after she failed to pay rent. Abrom claimed the landlord would not accept her payments and said he did not install a new oven in her home. Abrom is facing charges including arson and reckless endangerment. She was held on $150,000 bond and is due in Waterbury Superior Court in October. The American Red Cross was called in to help assist displaced residents. Meriden Police were searching for a missing man in Hubbard Park on Sunday morning. Officers said they got a call around 9 p.m. on Saturday reporting an adult man missing. According to police, the man was last seen in the area of Hubbard Park around 9 p.m. The identity of the man they are searching for has not been released, but officials said the missing man's brother is part of the search. Local police was assisted by Connecticut State Police and a K9 officer as well as Trooper One. The search ended early Sunday morning, but is expected to resume later in the day, police said. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren says she'll take a "hard look at running for president" after the November elections. The Boston Globe reports the Massachusetts Democrat spoke about her future during a town hall in western Massachusetts Saturday. Warren, a frequent critic of President Donald Trump, is running for re-election in November against GOP state Rep. Geoff Diehl, who was co-chairman of Trump's 2016 Massachusetts campaign. She has been at the center of speculation that she might take on Trump in 2020. Saturday afternoon's event in Holyoke was her 36th meeting with constituents using the town hall format since Trump took office. An attendee asked her if she planned to run for president. Warren replied that it's time "for women to go to Washington to fix our broken government, and that includes a woman at the top." What to Know Researchers say by 2019, more than 44% of all calls to mobile phones will be scams / spam Legal and technological complications prevent phone companies from simply blocking robocalls or banning spoofed caller ID New caller ID authentication standards are expected by next year that could sharply reduce the number of scam calls As unwanted calls continue to proliferate, many mobile phone users have simply stopped answering the phone. But new technology is on the horizon that could sharply cut the number of scam and spam calls we all receive daily. Fraudulent calls frequently originating overseas have spiked sharply since 2017. In a study published this month, tech analyst First Orion projected by next year, nearly half of all calls to mobile phones will be scam calls. Of those, First Orion researchers say more than 90 percent will use caller ID "spoofing" displaying a fake call-back number to trick potential targets. NBC Bay Area wanted to know, why is the problem of spam calls getting worse? How do fraudulent callers spoof caller ID? Why don't phone companies simply shut them down? And, what is the government doing to stop scammers? The answers we found are complicated, but there's also hope of a solution on the horizon. An explosion of unwanted calls Most of the calls from scammers and fraudsters are made with auto-dialers, and are known as "robocalls." Irvine-based tech firm YouMail estimates 4.2 billion robocalls were placed nationwide last month, amounting to about 13 calls per phone user. Ethan Garr, Vice President of anti-spam calling firm TelTech, tells NBC Bay Area the numbers are staggering. "Over 3,000 calls are being made every second to Americans," Garr said. TelTech makes an app called RoboKiller. The company was awarded a $25,000 prize from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission for its spam call-fighting technology. Garr tells NBC Bay Area the surge in caller ID spoofing by spam callers has conditioned most of us to simply stop answering our phones. "I would guess 40 percent of the calls you get, you can trust the caller ID," He said. We asked Garr how scammers spoof caller ID. He said it's pretty easy. TelTech also makes SpoofCard, an app that lets any mobile phone user choose any number to show up on a call recipient's caller ID. Garr says it's pretty simple, because caller ID is a decades-old technology. "It was an add-on into the phone system," Garr said. "It wasn't something that was invented so people could manipulate it or change it. It was a way for people to see who was calling, but it got co-opted over time." Unfortunately, scammers were among those doing the co-opting of caller ID.[[463564573, C]] The robocall problem - it's complicated For years, YouMail has tracked the rapid rise in computer-dialed phone calls. It offers apps to help phone users block them. CEO Alex Quilici says the reluctance of most people to stop answering unknown calls has only made scammers more determined. "They're clever, and they want to get through, so they're picking random numbers to call," Quilici said. "People are not answering the calls any more, if they can help it. They just assume, 'This is a number I've never seen before; I'm not going to pick up the phone.' So the bad guys try to call more and more numbers, to try to get through. It's a little bit of a death spiral for the phone network." So, why can't the U.S. government simply ban all robocalls? Eric Troutman, an attorney with Womble Bond Dickinson, tells us it's not that simple. "We need to have a better definition of what a 'robocall' is," Troutman said. "When I think about what a robocall is, I think a scam, pre-recorded call; generally, random-fired, and probably by some bad actor overseas someplace. You might think that a reminder call to go pick up your pills at the pharmacy is a robocall." Troutman represents clients such as banks that auto-dial fraud alerts, and pharmacies that use robocalls to inform patients of prescription refills. He welcomes tougher federal laws for scammers, but not a robocall ban. "What is it that we're actually trying to prevent?" Troutman said. "Is it that we're trying to prevent American businesses from contacting their customers with account-specific information that their customer needs? I don't think so." Troutman, who also writes for and edits telecom law website TCPAland.com, is a critic of the Telecommunications Consumer Protection Act, or TCPA. He says the 1991 law written long before widespread mobile phone and internet use is badly in need of replacement. "Congress needs to focus on scammers," Troutman said. "When we've got a lot of noise out there, trying to shift the focus from bad actors to legitimate American businesses, you're going to get a lot of push-back when it comes time to draft that statute." One afternoon, an NBC colleague received a robocall that left a voicemail claiming to be from the IRS. The caller ID displayed a phone number with a Florida area code. So, we called it back. Technological impediments and solutions The other major challenge to blocking scam calls is the aging, sprawling national telephone system. Alex Quilici with YouMail told us that makes any effort to stop spam callers a daunting task. "There are 3,000 [phone] carriers in the U.S.," Quilici said. "There are multiple billions of phone calls every day. To roll out something like that is a pretty massive undertaking." The good news is the major players in telecommunications are trying. Right now, a consortium of technology engineers, phone service providers, and the U.S. Federal Communications Commission are developing a sweeping update to caller ID. Known by the acronyms STIR and SHAKEN, the caller ID authentication standards will make it much more difficult for spam calls to get through. Here's how it might work: calls from someone using a verified phone line, approved by a certification authority, could show up on your phone screen with something like a green checkmark. That way, you'll know the caller ID can be trusted. Conversely, calls that come in through scammers' preferred routes, such as unverified overseas phone services, will be flagged. You might see a red "X" or a "caller not verified" message with their caller ID. Or, your mobile carrier might be able to block all such calls before they get to your phone. The new caller ID authentication standards could be rolling out to our phones as early as next year. While the measures should reduce the number of unwanted calls we get, it won't stop them altogether. Ethan Garr with TelTech says we can count on scammers' persistence and greed. "They hate us," Garr said. "They don't care about us. They don't think of us as humans. They want to get to us. They want to steal from us." What to Know The fugitive suspected of shooting at police officers at a hospital in Ellenville, NY, has been captured in Brooklyn, police say Joshua Stuart, 42, was caught behind a Whole Foods supermarket in Brooklyn after a chase, officials and witnesses say He'd been spotted around in Brooklyn over the weekend, and allegedly tried to rob a store clerk in the borough Monday The fugitive suspect wanted for an upstate New York hospital shooting who fled to Brooklyn and allegedly tried to rob a store clerk at gunpoint has been captured. Joshua Stuart, 42, described as "armed and dangerous," was caught behind a Whole Foods supermarket on Third Street between 2nd and 3rd avenues, hours after his robbery attempt in another part of Brooklyn nearby, sources said. A Whole Foods worker told News 4 that a security guard spotted Stuart and called police, and after a brief foot chase, Stuart was arrested by members of the NY/NJ U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force and the NYPD. "He was full speed, he was running for his life" in the Whole Foods parking lot, said a witness who asked to remain anonymous. Stuart then leaped into the Gowanus Canal, according to the witness. "He jumps into the water, so as soon as he jumps in, the cops go after him and pretty much gets him right away," said the witness. Police would not confirm they caught him in the canal, but Stuart's pants appeared to be wet as the task force walked off with him. Police said they did recover a gun, and no one was hurt. Stuart is charged with robbery, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of stolen property and criminal possession of a controlled substance, according to police. It wasn't immediately clear whether he had an attorney. Stuart had been on the run since the hospital shooting in Ellenville Friday, and was spotted over the weekend in the Sunset Park and Flatbush neighborhoods, the NYPD said. Police found an SUV he was driving 44th Street in Brooklyn, and then shortly before 9 a.m. Monday, he went into a store on Third Avenue, flashed a gun at a 29-year-old worker and stole the man's wallet, which had $50 and a credit card, according to police. He drove off in a gray Honda pilot. A false sighting report of Stuart inside Coney Island Hospital Monday afternoon prompted a brief scare and evacuation, but the hospital was quickly cleared as safe once authorities determined it was a false alarm. Stuart is accused of shooting at several police officers Ellenville Regional Hospital early Friday, New York State Police and the NYPD said. No one was injured in the shooting. Ellenville is about 90 miles northwest of New York City. Stuart has previously been arrested in a pharmacy robbery, state police said. It wasn't immediately clear whether weapons were involved in that robbery or whether he was convicted. In a statement Friday, the hospital said protocol was followed and it was "grateful to our staff who acted in a professional, calm manner." "We understand this is a traumatic situation for all. A crisis support team has been deployed from the County and from the Family Practice Center next door for our staff," the statement said. "Safety and security are our priority and we would like to thank everyone for their response and support of our patients, families and staff today and every day." What to Know A Catholic priest is stepping away from his official duties while diocese officials investigate allegations of sexual abuse The diocese is looking into allegations against Msgr. William Breslawski, who has been serving as the pastor of a Rocky Point church A letter reportedly accuses Breslawski of sexually abusing a child in 1980 and references a previous complaint about it A Roman Catholic priest accused of sexual abuse and unwanted physical contact dating to the 1980s is stepping away from his official duties while diocese officials investigate the allegations. Newsday reported the Diocese of Rockville Center, which covers Long Island, will be looking into the allegations against Msgr. William Breslawski, who has been serving as the pastor of the Church of St. Anthony of Padua in Rocky Point, New York. The diocese said a letter had come Sept. 25 accusing Breslawski of sexually abusing a relative of the writer's, a middle-school-age child, and referenced a previous complaint about it that had been made in 2002. A review of files earlier this year had found a notation that said an individual in 2002 had made a complaint, saying a friend who would have been in seventh- or eighth-grade in 1980 had been abused by Breslawski, who was ordained in 1979, diocese spokesman Sean Dolan said. The diocese in 2002 told the person making the allegation to have the friend contact officials directly, but nothing came of it, Dolan said. The diocese did try to investigate to find out more, including who the alleged victim could be, and gave the name of the person who made the 2002 complaint to law enforcement in June of this year, Dolan said. The diocese also found another complaint from 2002 from two individuals, both adults, who said Breslawski had an "inappropriate interaction" with them in 1984, including unwanted physical contact with one of them, Dolan said. "We are saddened by these allegations, and we will do everything we can to ensure that a fair and just determination is made," Dolan said. A message seeking comment from Breslawski, left at his church office by The Associated Press, was not returned. The area prosecutor's office said that it had been contacted by the diocese but that the statute of limitations on a prosecution had run out. This story has been updated to change an incorrect reference to the sexual abuse of a "boy" to "middle-school-age child." The gender of the victim isn't mentioned in the letter. President Donald Trump on Saturday turned his embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh into a rallying cry for Republicans to vote in November, saying they can reject the "ruthless and outrageous tactics" he says Democrats used against the judge. "We see this horrible, horrible, radical group of Democrats. You see what's happening right now," Trump said at a rally with thousands of supporters in West Virginia. Trump won the state in 2016 by 42 percentage points and remains popular there. "And they're determined to take back power by any means necessary. You see the meanness, the nastiness. They don't care who they hurt, who they have to run over to get power," he said. "We're not going to give it to them," Trump said. Kavanaugh, the federal appeals judge Trump nominated to the nation's highest court, appeared headed for confirmation until California professor Christine Blasey Ford accused him of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers in Maryland in the 1980s. Kavanaugh denied her accusations and those of two other women who since have accused him of sexual misconduct. Ford initially made her claims in a confidential letter to Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the Senate Judiciary Committee's top Democrat. But the letter was leaked after Kavanaugh's initial confirmation hearing and Ford then told her explosive story to The Washington Post. Feinstein denied being the source, but Trump has blamed her for the leak and he mocked her at the rally. "The entire nation has witnessed the shameless conduct of the Democrat Party," Trump said. Feinstein responded to Trump on Twitter, saying she acted "consistent" with Ford's wishes for privacy from the moment she received the professor's letter. "We kept her letter confidential and did not leak the contents or its existence to anyone," she said. Trump took a humorous jab at another Judiciary Committee Democrat, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, the former Newark mayor considered a possible challenger in 2020. The president told the crowd that Booker ran Newark "into the ground" and asked: "Now he wants to be president?" During Kavanaugh's initial confirmation hearing, Booker declared he was having a "Spartacus" moment in breaking committee rules and releasing documents about Kavanaugh, though the papers had already been cleared for release. He was referencing the 1960 movie starring Kirk Douglas about the leader of a slave revolt in antiquity. "What was the moment he said he had?" Trump asked the crowd, which yelled back, "Spartacus!" Trump said: "I don't think so. I think we take Kirk Douglas in his prime." Trump issued a fresh defense of Kavanaugh, praising him as "one of the most accomplished legal minds of our time" and saying he had suffered "the meanness, the anger" of Democrats. The president urged his supporters to go to the polls on Nov. 6, when control of Congress is at stake, to vote Republican and "reject the ruthless and outrageous tactics of the Democrat Party." Trump appeared in Wheeling a day after he reversed course and ordered a new FBI investigation of Kavanaugh. Democrats and some Republicans had been asking for the new investigation, which will delay by at least a week a Senate vote on his confirmation. In a dramatic appearance Thursday before the Judiciary Committee, Ford publicly accused Kavanaugh of groping her and trying to remove her clothing after he pinned her to a bed at a house party when she was 15 and he was 17. Following her to the witness table, Kavanaugh denied the allegations and angrily defended himself. The panel followed up Friday by voting 11-10, along strict party lines, to recommend that the full Senate confirm Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court. But one committee member, Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., balked at voting for confirmation without the investigation. Republican leaders want Kavanaugh seated on the court before the election and could do little but agree to Flake's demand. Flake asked for the investigation to be limited in scope and last no more than a week. Trump agreed to an investigation after he had vigorously resisted asking the FBI an agency he has repeatedly criticized to look into the sexual assault and misconduct allegations. In defending Kavanaugh, Trump and other supporters noted that the allegations had never surfaced in six previous background checks during Kavanaugh's long career in the executive and judicial branches of the U.S. government. Trump sounded familiar themes during the hour-plus rally, including talking about the economy's performance, his 2016 opponent Hillary Clinton, the escalating trade war with China and his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jon Un. Besides the Democrats, Trump leveled some of his harshest criticism at the news media, criticizing its coverage of his June summit with Kim and pointing to reporters in the WesBanco Arena. The audience broke into chants of "CNN sucks" when he again referred to journalists as the "enemy of the people." "They report incorrect news. They report phony news," said Trump, who spent more than 80 minutes last Wednesday answering questions from journalists at a news conference the White House scheduled during the U.N. General Assembly session in New York. "When I say and come out with very, very strong statements about the media, I'm talking about the fake news media. They are truly an enemy of the people ... This November you have a chance to reject these disgraceful political hacks." Trump's visit to West Virginia was intended to help rally support for GOP candidates in the November elections, including Senate nominee Patrick Morrisey. The Democratic incumbent, Joe Manchin, faces a tough road to re-election in a state where Trump is popular. Manchin supports the new FBI probe of Kavanaugh but has yet to announce his position on the nominee. He voted for Neil Gorsuch, Trump's first nominee to the Supreme Court. Trump again criticized Manchin for supporting Clinton and joining all Senate Democrats in voting against tax cuts Trump signed into law last year. Saturday's rally was one of many Trump planned to headline as part of a commitment to campaign aggressively he has said seven days a week, if necessary to help the Republican Party overcome significant Democratic opposition and anger to keep control of both houses of Congress. Campaign rallies were scheduled next week in Tennessee, Mississippi and Kansas. Police are searching for a driver who struck and killed a pedestrian before fleeing the scene in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, Saturday night. The victim was crossing the eastbound lanes on the 5400 block of West Chester Pike at 10:45 p.m. when he or she was struck by an SUV. The vehicle then fled eastbound on West Chester Pike into Delaware County, police said. The victim died from his or her injuries. Officials have not yet revealed the victims identity. The hit-and-run vehicle is described as a newer, compact SUV, possibly a red Ford Explorer, with extensive damage to the drivers side front. If you have any information on the incident, please call Willistown Township Police at 610-647-1440. Rail megaproject linking Karachi to Peshawar is China's biggest BRI project in Pakistan, but Islamabad has balked at cost, financing terms. Resistance has stiffened under the new government of populist Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has voiced alarm about rising debt levels and says the country must wean itself off foreign loans. (Photo: File | AP) Islamabad: After lengthy delays, an USD 8.2 billion revamp of a colonial-era rail line snaking from the Arabian Sea has become a test of Pakistan's ability to rethink signature Chinese "Silk Road" projects due to debt concerns. The rail mega project linking the coastal metropolis of Karachi to the northwestern city of Peshawar is China's biggest Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project in Pakistan, but Islamabad has balked at the cost and financing terms. Resistance has stiffened under the new government of populist Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has voiced alarm about rising debt levels and says the country must wean itself off foreign loans. "We are seeing how to develop a model so the government of Pakistan wouldn't have all the risk," Khusro Bakhtyar, minister in Pakistan's planning ministry, told reporters recently. The cooling of enthusiasm for China's investments mirrors the unease of incoming governments in Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Maldives, where new administrations have come to power wary of Chinese deals struck by their predecessors. Pakistan's new government had wanted to review all BRI contracts. Officials say there are concerns the deals were badly negotiated, too expensive or overly favoured China. But to Islamabad's frustration, Beijing is only willing to review projects that have not yet begun, three senior government officials have told Reuters. China's Foreign Ministry said, in a statement in response to questions faxed by Reuters, that both sides were committed to pressing forward with BRI projects, "to ensure those projects that are already built operate as normal, and those which are being built proceed smoothly". Pakistani officials say they remain committed to Chinese investment but want to push harder on price and affordability, while re-orientating the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) - for which Beijing has pledged about USD 60 billion in infrastructure funds - to focus on projects that deliver social development in line with Khan's election platform. China's Ambassador to Pakistan, Yao Jing, told Reuters that Beijing was open to changes proposed by the new government and "we will definitely follow their agenda" to work out a roadmap for BRI projects based on "mutual consultation". "It constitutes a process of discussion with each other about this kind of model, about this kind of roadmap for the future," Yao said. Beijing would only proceed with projects that Pakistan wanted, he added. "This is Pakistan's economy, this is their society," Yao said. Islamabad's efforts to recalibrate CPEC are made trickier by its dependence on Chinese loans to prop up its vulnerable economy. Growing fissures in relations with Pakistan's historic ally the United States have also weakened the country's negotiating hand, as has a current account crisis likely to lead to a bailout by the International Monetary Fund, which may demand spending cuts. "We have reservations, but no other country is investing in Pakistan. What can we do?" one Pakistani minister told Reuters. Crumbling railways The ML-1 rail line is the spine of country's dilapidated rail network, which has in recent years been edging towards collapse as passenger numbers plunge, train lines close and the vital freight business nosedives. Khan's government has vowed to make the 1,872 km (1,163 mile) line a priority CPEC project, saying it will help the poor travel across the vast South Asian nation. But Islamabad is exploring funding options for CPEC projects that depart from the traditional BRI lending model - whereby host nations take on Chinese debt to finance construction of infrastructure - and has invited Saudi Arabia and other countries to invest. One option for ML-1, according to Pakistani officials, is the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model, which would see investors or companies finance and build the project and recoup their investment from cashflows generated mainly by the rail freight business, before returning it to Pakistan in a few decades time. Yao, the Chinese envoy, said Beijing was open to BOT and would "encourage" its companies to invest. Rail mega-projects under China's BRI umbrella have run into problems elsewhere in Asia. A line linking Thailand and Laos has been beset by delays over financing, while Malaysia's new Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad outright cancelled the Chinese-funded USD 20 billion East Coast Rail Link (ECRL). Beijing is happy to offer loans, but reticent to invest in the Pakistan venture as such projects are seldom profitable, according to Andrew Small, author of a book on China-Pakistan relations. "The problem is that the Chinese don't think they can make money on this project and are not keen on BOT," said Small. Off-books debt During President Xi Jinping's visit to Pakistan in 2015, the ML-1 line was placed among a list of "early harvest" CPEC projects that would be prioritised, along with power plants urgently needed to end crippling electricity shortages. But while many other projects from that list have now been completed the rail scheme has been stuck. Pakistani officials say they became wary of how early BRI contracts were awarded to Chinese firms, and are pushing for a public tender for ML-1. Partly to help with price discovery, Pakistan asked the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to finance a chunk of the rail project through tendering. The ADB began discussions on a USD 1.5-2 billion loan, but China insisted the project was "too strategic", and Islamabad kicked out the ADB under pressure from Beijing in early 2017, according to Pakistani and ADB officials. "If it's such a strategic project then it should be a viable project for them to finance on very concessional terms or invest in?" said one senior Pakistani official familiar with the project, referring to the BOT model. China's foreign ministry said Beijing was engaged in "friendly consultations" with Pakistan on the rail project. Chinese companies participated in BRI projects in an open and transparent way, "pooling benefits and sharing risks", it said. Analysts say Pakistan will struggle to attract non-Chinese investors into the project, which may force it to choose between piling on Chinese debt or walking away from the project. In 2017, Pakistan turned down Chinese funding for a USD 14 billion mega-dam project in the Himalayas due to cost concerns and worries Beijing could end up owning a vital national asset if Pakistan could not repay loans, as occurred with a Sri Lankan port. Khan's government chafes at several Chinese intercity mass transport projects in Punjab, the voter heartland of the previous government, which now need hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies every year. They also fume about the risk of accumulating off-books sovereign debt through power contracts, where annual profits of above 20 per cent, in dollar terms, were guaranteed by the previous administration. With the ML-1 line, there are also those who harbour doubts closer to home, including the previous government's finance minister, Miftah Ismail, who said his ministry had always had concerns about its viability. "When people say it's a project of national importance, that usually means it makes no sense financially," he said. Six siblings of U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar have urged voters to cast their ballots against the Arizona Republican in November in an unusual political ad sponsored by the rival candidate. The television ad from Democrat David Brill combines video interviews with Gosar-family siblings who ask voters to usher Paul Gosar out of office because he has broken with the family's values. They do not elaborate. They previously condemned the congressman's false accusation in 2017 that wealthy Democratic donor George Soros was a Nazi collaborator in World War II. "It's intervention time," Tim Gosar says in the ad, endorsing Brill. "And intervention time means that you go to vote, and you go to vote Paul out." Phone calls Saturday to Paul Gosar's offices in Washington and Arizona were not returned but he tweeted in response. My siblings who chose to film ads against me are all liberal Democrats who hate President Trump. These disgruntled Hillary suppporters are related by blood to me but like leftists everywhere, they put political ideology before family. Stalin would be proud. #Az04 #MAGA2018 Paul Gosar (@DrPaulGosar) September 22, 2018 Gosar is a fourth-term congressman for a sprawling district in northeastern and central Arizona. In a separate video segment, the siblings urge voters to hold the congressman accountable on health care, employment and environmental issues. Paul Gosar's comments about Soros came in a television interview with Vice News in which he also suggested a 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, might have been a liberal conspiracy. In the new ad, the congressman's siblings describe their decision to speak out as saddening, horrible and ultimately a matter of pride for the family from Wyoming. "I think my brother has traded a lot of the values we had at our kitchen table," says Joan Gosar, an engineer. Pete Gosar, another sibling who ran unsuccessfully as a candidate for governor of Wyoming in 2014, does not appear in the ad, though he has publicly criticized his brother's views in the past. The rift in the Gosar clan is not the only sibling feud to wend its way into campaigning this year for Congress, as Democrats seek to retake majority control of the House and Senate from Republicans. In the race to replace House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, Democratic congressional candidate Randy Bryce is confronting an ad in which his brother endorses the Republican candidate. That upset Nancy Bryce, their mother, who has denounced the campaign ad in a letter that was recently made public. Declaring that victory over "terrorism" is almost at hand after more than seven years of civil war, Syria's foreign minister took to the world stage Saturday and demanded that "occupation" forces from the U.S., France and Turkey leave the country immediately. Walid al-Moallem told the General Assembly's high-level meeting that the situation on the ground "is more stable and secure thanks to combatting terrorism" and "all conditions are now present for the voluntary return of refugees." Syrian government forces, backed by Russia and Iran, have retaken most of the territory rebels seized during the war that has killed over 400,000 people and driven millions from their homes. President Bashar Assad's government refers to all armed opposition and rebel groups fighting Syrian forces as "terrorists," not just Islamic State or al-Qaida militants. Last week, Russia and Turkey agreed to a deal which stopped an imminent Syrian government offensive to retake the last major rebel stronghold in the northern province of Idlib. It calls for setting up a demilitarized zone around Idlib to separate government forces from rebels, including those from the al-Qaida-linked group formerly known as the Nusra Front. "We hope that when the agreement is implemented, the Nusra Front and other terrorists will be eradicated, thus eliminating the last remnants of terrorism in Syria," al-Moallem said. He offered no hard evidence to back up his assertions that victory was near. There was no response to emails seeking comment from the U.S., France and Turkey. Al-Moallem's upbeat speech praised the army and the Syrian people for remaining "defiant" during the war, "fully convinced that this was a battle for their existence." He bashed Western and other countries supporting the opposition, alluding to their failed effort to install a transition government and get rid of Assad. "To the disappointment of some, here we are today more than seven years into this dirty war against my country, announcing to the world that the situation on the ground has become more secure and stable, and that our battle against terrorism is almost over," al-Moallem said. "It is high time for all those detached from reality to wake up, let go of their fantasies, and come to their senses, see matters realistically," he said. "They must realize they will not achieve politically what they failed to achieve by force." While Turkey confronts the difficult task of trying to separate the forces in Idlib, the U.N. envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, is trying to bring the warring parties together to move forward on long-stalled political talks aimed at ending the war. De Mistura is hoping to convene the first meeting of a committee to reform the country's constitution, a key step in a 2012 roadmap adopted by world powers that is to culminate with elections and the formation of a new government. He told The Associated Press this week that October will be crucial. Al-Moallem signaled difficulties ahead in negotiations, indicating in his speech that Syria doesn't want a new constitution. "We stress that the mandate of the committee is limited to reviewing the articles of the current constitution," the Syrian minister said. He added that Syria "will not accept any proposal that constitutes an interference in internal affairs of Syria, or leads to such interference." The United States, aided by Syrian Kurdish-led fighters, helped rout the Islamic State extremist group from all urban areas in Syria but remains in the country because pockets of IS militants remain. Turkey says it is fighting IS but is also seeking to curb the spread of the Syrian Kurdish militia that it considers "terrorists." Al-Moallem said "any foreign presence on Syrian territory without the consent of the Syrian government is illegal, and constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and the U.N. Charter." "We therefore consider any forces operating on Syrian territory without an explicit request from the Syrian government, including U.S., French and Turkish forces, occupying forces and will be dealt with accordingly," he said. "They must withdraw immediately and without any conditions." Assad's forces have battled all armed opposition, both Syrian rebels and militant groups such as IS and al-Qaida. Al-Moallem said the Damascus government also remains committed regaining control over the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed, a move never recognized internationally. Associated Press writer Katarina Kratovac contributed to this report. FBI agents on Sunday interviewed one of the three women who have accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct as Republicans and Democrats quarreled over whether the bureau would have enough time and freedom to conduct a thorough investigation before a high-stakes vote on his nomination to the nation's highest court. The White House insisted it was not "micromanaging" the new one-week review of Kavanaugh's background but some Democratic lawmakers claimed the White House was keeping investigators from interviewing certain witnesses. President Donald Trump, for his part, tweeted that no matter how much time and discretion the FBI was given, "it will never be enough" for Democrats trying to keep Kavanaugh off the bench. And even as the FBI explored the past allegations that have surfaced against Kavanaugh, another Yale classmate came forward to accuse the federal appellate judge of being untruthful in his testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee about the extent of his drinking in college. In speaking to FBI agents, Deborah Ramirez detailed her allegation that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party in the early 1980s when they were students at Yale University, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss details of a confidential investigation. Kavanaugh has denied Ramirez's allegation. The person familiar with Ramirez's questioning, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said she also provided investigators with the names of others who she said could corroborate her account. But Christine Blasey Ford, a California professor who says Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers, has not been contacted by the FBI since Trump on Friday ordered the agency to take another look at the nominee's background, according to a member of Ford's team. Kavanaugh has denied assaulting Ford. In a statement released Sunday, a Yale classmate of Kavanaugh's said he is "deeply troubled by what has been a blatant mischaracterization by Brett himself of his drinking at Yale." Charles "Chad" Ludington, who now teaches at North Carolina State University, said he was friend of Kavanaugh's at Yale and that Kavanaugh was "a frequent drinker, and a heavy drinker." "On many occasions I heard Brett slur his words and saw him staggering from alcohol consumption, not all of which was beer. When Brett got drunk, he was often belligerent and aggressive," Ludington said. While saying that youthful drinking should not condemn a person for life, Ludington said he was concerned about Kavanaugh's statements under oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Speaking to the issue of the scope of the FBI's investigation, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said White House counsel Don McGahn, who is managing Kavanaugh's nomination, "has allowed the Senate to dictate what these terms look like, and what the scope of the investigation is." "The White House isn't intervening. We're not micromanaging this process. It's a Senate process. It has been from the beginning, and we're letting the Senate continue to dictate what the terms look like," Sanders said. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said the investigation will be "limited in scope" and "will not be a fishing expedition. The FBI is not tasked to do that." Senate Judiciary Committee member Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., requested an investigation last Friday after he and other Republicans on the panel voted along strict party lines in favor of Kavanaugh's confirmation as a condition for his own subsequent vote to put Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court. Another committee member, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Sunday that testimony would be taken from Ramirez and Kavanaugh's high school friend Mark Judge, who has been named by two of three women accusing Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. "I think that will be the scope of it. And that should be the scope of it," Graham said. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, called on the White House and the FBI to provide the written directive regarding the investigation's scope. In a letter Sunday, she also asked for updates on any expansion of the original directive. Sen. Susan Collins said Sunday she is confident in the investigation and "that the FBI will follow up on any leads that result from the interviews." The Maine Republican supports the new FBI investigation and is among a few Republican and Democratic senators who have not announced a position on Kavanaugh. Republicans control 51 seats in the closely divided 100-member Senate and cannot afford to lose more than one vote on confirmation. Collins and Flake spoke throughout the weekend. Senate Republicans discussed the contours of the investigation with the White House late Friday, according to a person familiar with the call who was not authorized to discuss it publicly. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had gathered Judiciary Committee Republicans in his office earlier. At that time, the scope of the investigation was requested by Flake, Collins and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, said McConnell's spokesman Don Stewart. Murkowski is not on the committee, but also has not announced how she will vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation. Republicans later called the White House to discuss the scope of the probe, the person said. McConnell's office declined to elaborate Sunday on which allegations would be investigated, reiterating only that it would focus on "current credible allegations." Stewart said the investigation's scope "was set" by the three GOP senators Friday and "has not changed." But Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, a Judiciary Committee member, doubted how credible the investigation will be given the time limit. "That's bad enough, but then to limit the FBI as to the scope and who they're going to question, that - that really - I wanted to use the word farce, but that's not the kind of investigation that all of us are expecting the FBI to conduct," she said. Trump initially opposed such an investigation as allegations began mounting but relented and ordered one on Friday. He later said the FBI has "free rein." "They're going to do whatever they have to do, whatever it is they do. They'll be doing things that we have never even thought of," Trump said Saturday as he departed the White House for a trip to West Virginia. "And hopefully at the conclusion everything will be fine." He revisited the "scope" question later Saturday on Twitter, writing in part, "I want them to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion." Sanders said Trump, who has vigorously defended Kavanaugh but also raised the slight possibility of withdrawing the nomination should damaging information be found, "will listen to the facts." At least three women have accused Kavanaugh of years-ago misconduct. He denies all the claims. The third woman, Julie Swetnick, accused Kavanaugh and Judge of excessive drinking and inappropriate treatment of women in the early 1980s, among other accusations. Kavanaugh has called her accusations a "joke." Judge has said he "categorically" denies the allegations. Swetnick's attorney, Michael Avenatti, said Saturday that his client had not been contacted by the FBI but was willing to cooperate with investigators. The FBI has not been permitted to investigate the claims of Julie Swetnick, a White House official confirmed to NBC News. Ford also has said Judge was in the room when a drunken Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her. Judge has said he will cooperate with any law enforcement agency that will "confidentially investigate" sexual misconduct allegations against him and Kavanaugh. Judge has also denied misconduct allegations. In a memo obtained by NBC News Sunday, the outside counsel hired by Republicans to handle questioning during Thursday's hearing, Rachel Mitchell, said a "he said, she said case is incredibly difficult to prove. But this case is even weaker than that." She said a "reasonable prosecutor" would not bring the case based on the evidence brought before the committee, writing that Ford identified witnesses to the event that either refuted the allegation, or did not corroborate them. The memo, provided to Republican senators, only had Mitchell's analysis of Ford's testimony; it did not include an analysis of Kavanaugh's responses. Sanders spoke on "Fox News Sunday," Conway appeared on CNN's "State of the Union" and Graham and Hirono were interviewed on ABC's "This Week." Associated Press writers Eric Tucker, Lisa Mascaro, Mary Clare Jalonick and Jonathan Lemire contributed to this report. What to Know Theodore McCarrick, the retired Archbishop of Washington, was removed from public ministry by Pope Francis after allegations of sex abuse. He is now living at a Friary in Kansas, the Associated Press reports. McCarrick previously said he will travel to the Vatican and ask Pope Francis to accept his resignation. The friary in remote western Kansas that is now home to a disgraced former U.S. cardinal removed from ministry by Pope Francis over allegations of sexual abuse is just one block from an elementary school. The Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., confirmed in a statement Friday that ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick is living at St. Fidelis Friary in Victoria, a rural town of about 1,200 that lies more than 250 miles west of Kansas City. The Friary is within a block of Victoria Elementary School. News of McCarrick's living arrangement took school officials by surprise, the Kansas City Star reported. "I was never made aware of it until I found out through social media" on Friday, Victoria Elementary Principal Kent Michel said. McCarrick, 88, was the retired Archbishop of Washington when he was removed from public ministry in June by Pope Francis after allegations that he sexually abused a teenager while a priest in New York more than 40 years ago were found to be credible by the church. One of his alleged victims was elementary school age when the abuse began: A Loudoun County man told News4 in July that McCarrick began abusing him when he was 11 years old. McCarrick denied the abuse. Bishop Gerald Vincke of the Diocese of Salina, Kansas, who agreed to McCarrick's new living arrangement, told the Star he was not aware of anyone with the church notifying the school of McCarrick's presence. "Regarding the school, Archbishop McCarrick is not allowed to make any public appearances or visit the school or do any ministry," Vincke told the newspaper in an email. "He is confined to the friary to do penance and prayer. The friary is in the small town in Victoria. The friary is enclosed." The St. Louis-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests called the move irresponsible. "It boggles the mind that church officials are this reckless," said David Closhessy, the former director of the advocacy group. "No cleric who's been accused of abuse, certainly not one facing multiple allegations, should be anywhere around kids, especially not an elementary school." McCarrick was the Washington archbishop from 2000 to 2006, and previously one of the highest, most visible Catholic Church officials in the United States. He was heavily involved in the church's response to allegations of priest abuse. At the time of McCarrick's June removal, the New Jersey archdioceses of Newark and Metuchen revealed that they had received three complaints from adults alleging misconduct and harassment by McCarrick and had settled two of them. Pope Francis accepted McCarrick's resignation on July 28, effectively stripping him of his cardinal's title, and ordered him to live a lifetime of penance and prayer pending the outcome of a canonical trial. A month later a former Vatican ambassador, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, rocked the Catholic Church by accusing Francis of rehabilitating McCarrick from sanctions imposed by Pope Benedict XVI over reports he slept with seminarians. McCarrick then said he will travel to the Vatican and ask Pope Francis to accept his resignation. Vigano accused more than two dozen current and former Vatican officials, as well as a host of U.S. bishops and papal advisers, of being part of the cover-up and called for Francis to resign over the scandal. Francis on Saturday asked for daily prayers to protect the Catholic Church from what he says are "attacks by the devil," in his latest response to the clerical sex abuse and cover-up scandal. A woman and a man were found dead after an apparent murder-suicide inside a home in Montgomery County, Maryland, Saturday night, police say. Officers found a 56-year-old man and 53-year-old woman with gunshot wounds at the home on Peach Orchard Road in the Spencerville area about 8 p.m., police said. A gun was found at the scene. The two were in a relationship and lived together in the home, police said. The Montgomery County Police Department said Sunday it is investigating the deaths as a domestic-related murder-suicide. The names of the deceased will be released once their families are notified, police said. No others were injured and police said there was no threat to the public. What to Know Three people were killed in an "intentional" car explosion in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Saturday night, officials confirmed. The vehicle exploded in the 700 block of West Turner Street near North Hall Street around 9:30 p.m. Officials have not yet revealed their identities though they also say they're confident the "perpetrator" was killed in the incident. UPDATE: Officials have identified the three people killed in the blast, including a father and his 2-year-old son. New details HERE. Three people were killed in an "intentional" car explosion in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Saturday night, officials confirmed. Autopsies are set for Monday. The vehicle exploded on the 700 block of West Turner Street near North Hall Street around 9:30 p.m. Three males died in the blast. Officials have not yet revealed their identities, though they also said there is a "high degree of confidence" that the perpetrator was killed in the blast. One neighbor told NBC10 that his entire apartment building shook after the explosion. Another said it sounded like fireworks going off in the street. "We heard a big blast and we ran out to our balcony to see if we could see anything," neighbor Jonathan Pack said. "My gut reaction was bomb." Mike Hunter, another witness, was about a block away from the blast when he heard the explosion. "People were yelling. People were running," Hunter said. "People were scared." Hunter grabbed his cellphone and recorded the aftermath. The video showed a car engulfed in flames, as well as what appears to be body parts on the ground. "I've never seen anything like that before," Hunter said. "I've only seen things like that on TV." Police initially reported at least two people were injured. Shortly after midnight, ATF officials confirmed that one person had died. During a Sunday news conference, officials said an additional two men were killed but added that the incident was isolated and there was no threat to the public. Dozens of ATF agents responded to the scene Saturday night, which they said appeared to be a "criminal matter." County, state and federal officials were also involved in the ongoing investigation. Local residents were advised to avoid the area and find alternate routes around the crime scene. A shelter was set up for residents who were kept out of their homes due to the investigation, which officials said could last for several days. On Facebook, Allentown Councilman Courtney A. Robinson expressed sympathy for the victims and the community at large, and warned that "this will be a complicated investigation and it will take time until we know what happened." Neighbors, meanwhile, described a confusing and terrifying scene moments after the blast tore through the area. "As soon as I turned around I heard a big boom," Desiree Guth, a witness, said. "I saw the car on fire. I saw a leg by the car and I ran away." The FBI, ATF and Allentown police continue to investigate. If you have any information on the incident, please call 1-888-ATF-BOMB. New Hampshire law enforcement officials say a gun was found in the hand of a 40-year-old man who was shot to death by a state trooper during a roadside encounter. Officials have identified the man who was shot and killed as 40-year-old Walter Welch Jr. Authorities say around 6:45 p.m. Saturday, police received a 911 call about an erratic driver in a white pickup truck on Route 101. A state trooper spotted the vehicle 15 minutes later off Exit 6, southbound on Beede Road in Epping. The trooper approached the stopped pickup truck, at which time "an encounter ensued" in which the trooper discharged his firearm, killing Welch Jr. Welch, the sole occupant of the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday. The trooper was not physically injured during the incident but was evaluated at a local hospital before being released. The trooper, whose name is being withheld pending his interview, was placed on administrative leave according to protocol. The exact circumstances surrounding the trooper's discharge of his weapon remain under active investigation. Police say there is no known video footage of the incident because state police cruisers dont have dash cams and troopers dont have body cameras. Any person who witnessed the incident is asked to contact Sgt. William Bright of the New Hampshire Police major crime unit at 603-271-3636. State police and the attorney general are investigating. Among the thousands of immigrants who have been coming across the U.S.-Mexico border in recent months, many are seeking to escape gang and drug violence raging in their homelands. The weapon of choice used to intimidate them? Often an American-made gun. While the flow of drugs and immigrants into the U.S. has been well-documented for decades and become a regular part of the political debate, what is often overlooked is how gangs and drug cartels exploit weaknesses at the border to smuggle guns from the U.S. into Latin America. A 2013 report by the University of San Diego says the number of firearms smuggled from the United States was so significant that nearly half of American gun dealers rely on that business to stay afloat. On average, an estimated 253,000 firearms each year are purchased in the United States expressly to be sent to Mexico, the report said, the vast majority of the sales originating in the border states of California, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Once in Mexico, the weapons end up in the hands of drug cartels or get shipped to gangs in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador countries that are dealing with an epidemic of gun violence. Armed holdups on public transportation are a regular occurrence in Honduras, where nearly half of the unregistered weapons originated in the U.S., the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives reported in recent years. Gun violence in El Salvador is so rampant that the country has been averaging more than one shootout a day between police and gangs this year, said Ricardo Sosa, a criminologist specializing in gangs and security in El Salvador. "In every one of these operations, police are able to seize between two and six firearms at the scene," he said. "That is one of the indicators that the gangs are armed on many occasions with long guns and short guns for each one of their members." Mexico last year recorded its highest number of murders in nearly two decades, with more than 31,000 people killed, higher than even during the country's drug war in 2011. It continues unabated with an average of 88 people killed each day in the first five months of this year. The bloodshed in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador has been a big driver of immigration into the U.S., with the government saying nearly 16,000 families came across the border in August alone many of them from those three countries. Gun-control groups contend that the U.S. government is essentially exporting gang violence to Latin America with permissive gun laws which in turn creates an immigration crisis along the border. "If the Trump administration were serious about wanting to stop refugees from fleeing violence in Latin America and Mexico to come north, they would be doing something about the southward gun trafficking that is fueling a lot of that migration," said Adam Skaggs, chief counsel with the Giffords Law Center. Gun-rights activists say the issue is overblown and mischaracterized. The National Rifle Association and other gun-rights groups contend the most effective way to combat the problem is not with stricter gun laws but by eradicating drug cartels and other criminal enterprises. They say the numbers are inflated and that the industry has proactively sought to educate licensed gun dealers on how to detect "straw purchases," in which a firearm is bought expressly to give it to someone who otherwise would not be able to legally own a gun. "Obviously, Mexico has a huge problem with rampant corruption that clearly cannot be blamed on the U.S.," the NRA said in a position paper on the issue in 2009. "At the same time, Mexico has extremely prohibitive gun laws, yet has far worse crime than the U.S." Under the Obama administration, federal authorities launched an operation dubbed Fast and Furious that allowed criminals to buy firearms with the intention of tracking them to criminal organizations. But the ATF lost most of the guns, including two that were found at the scene of a slaying of a U.S. Border Patrol agent. In 2011, gun dealers along the border states were required to report to the ATF anytime someone purchased two or more semiautomatic long guns in a five-day period. President Donald Trump issued an executive order in 2017 as his response to gun trafficking, directing federal agencies to ramp up prosecution aimed at going after foreign criminals and to improve coordination among federal agencies along the border. Nabbing the guns at the border is a challenge on several levels. They aren't as detectable as drug shipments, and they can be disassembled and loaded with legal goods making their way from the U.S. "The effectiveness of this kind of gun smuggling still remains very high. It doesn't take a whole lot," said David Shirk, one of the University of San Diego report's authors. Experts say a big reason gun trafficking remains one of the hot commodities flowing from the United States into Latin America is profit. Retired ATF agent Bernard Zapor noted that an AR-platform firearm that sells retail in the U.S. for $1,000 can fetch more than $4,000 in Mexico. A box of ammo that might go for just under $200 could command $3,000. "They're not buying grandpa's old shotgun that's been lying around and found in a shed," Zapor said. "They're buying brand new Colt AR-15s." National speakers at South Creake church 2018: The parish church in South Creake will be hosting two free lectures this autumn and anyone interested is warmly invited to attend. The South Creake Lectures return for their fourth season this autumn. Promoted as food for the mind and soul these are free lectures to which anyone can turn up. The aim is to attract speakers of national renown to the Church of Our Lady Saint Mary, South Creake, one talking on a religious theme and one on a secular topic. Fr Clive Wylie, Rector of South Creake, said: This lecture series has been a tremendous success and we have attracted large audiences from all over Norfolk and further afield to hear fascinating and sometimes controversial ideas. These are not fund-raising events but represent the wish of the church to give something of value back to the community. Dr Malcolm Guite, pictured above, will present the first lecture on Friday October 5 entitled Imagination Bodies Forth: Incarnation and Poetry. Starting with Shakespeares playful definition of poetry, poet and priest Malcolm Guite explores the connections and resonance between the workings of the poetic imagination and the Christian affirmation that in Christ the Word has been made flesh. What is the relation between poetry and Spirituality? To what extent can we trust the imagination, alongside reason, as a truth-bearing faculty? His lecture will be illustrated with examples of classic and contemporary poetry. Dr Guite is a Bye-Fellow and chaplain of Girton College, Cambridge. He has written eight books, five of which are his own poetry. His most recent, Mariner: A Voyage with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, published in 2017, is a biography of the poet. He also plays in Cambridge rock band Mystery Train. The second lecture is on Friday October 26, when Professor Nick Hardwick, right, will speak on Whats Going on Behind Prison Walls? Nelson Mandela famously said: It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones. The media has been full of reports of deteriorating conditions in prisons with rising levels of suicide, violence and drug availability. There has been controversy and surprise about decisions to release some notorious offenders on parole. So, what's really going on behind prison walls - and would we be happy to be judged by how we currently treat our 'lowest citizens' as Mandela suggests? Nick Hardwick, who is Professor in Criminal Justice, Royal Holloway University of London, and was Chair of the Parole Board for England and Wales from 2016 - 2018, and before that Her Majestys Chief Inspector of Prisons, will aim to take his audience through prison gates and into the parole hearing room to discuss the practical and ethical issues of how we should treat those who offend against us. Entry to both lectures is free and unticketed, and they both start at 7pm. The Church of Our Lady Saint Mary is on Church Lane, South Creake NR21 9LX Visit : www.southcreake.org The photo of Malcom Guite, top, is courtesy of Lancia Smith. Do you have a news story or forthcoming event relating to Christians or a church in North Norfolk? New Mary Hare Primary School set for financial boost with sales of limited-edition bronzes PIPPA Middleton attended the Royal Society of Arts, London last week to help raise funds for Mary Hares new primary school, with a unique work of art. Ms Middleton, who is an ambassador for the school for deaf children based in Snelsmore, was on hand to promote Maryhare, a bronze created by internationally-renowned sculptor Sophie Ryder. Sales of the 50 limited-edition bronzes will go towards funding the new Mary Hare Primary School, which takes deaf children from all over the country, and for which planning permission was approved last month. District planning officers gave the go-ahead for the primary school to relocate and join Mary Hares existing secondary school on its main 140-acre site at Snelsmore. Mary Hare Primary School pupils currently attend Mill Hall, a Grade II-listed building at Pigeons Farm Road, Greenham, which dates back to the late 19th century. Ms Ryder, who previously worked with pupils at Mary Hare School in 2003 when she was resident at the school for a week of workshops, is famous for her work with animals and mystical creatures constructed from wet plaster, old machine parts, scavenged toys, tangled wire, torn scraps of paper and acid baths. The sculptor is renowned for developing the Lady Hare, a hybrid with the head of a hare, as a counterpart to the Minotaur of Greek Mythology. Mary Hare School accommodates approximately 230 pupils from Y7 to T13. The school guarantees a good, solid education for deaf children, many of whom go onto university and other further education. As an ambassador for the school, Pippa Middleton has helped to bring its work to the attention of families of deaf children who might benefit, as well as potential supporters. Speaking at the event on Thursday, Ms Middleton said: Mary Hare School is a wonderful place and I am constantly inspired by its staff, and especially by its children. I am proud and honoured to be its ambassador and I am delighted to be launching this initiative to raise crucial funds for its new primary school. The Womans Club of Greater New Milford will offer a special program, Hidden in Plain Sight, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. at New Milford High School on Route 7 South. The program, presented by CT Association of Prevention Professionals, will address the sensitive issues of drug use and addiction. Sorry! This content is not available in your region Lucknow: Condemning the killing of Apple executive Vivek Tiwari by a constable for not stopping his car at a checkpoint in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh police chief OP Singh asserted on Saturday that the rogue policemen will be dismissed from service. The Director General of Police (DGP) said that the shooting was a criminal case and no policeman is permitted to gun down anybody. Vivek Tiwari, who was accompanied by his colleague Sana Khan, was shot dead late on Friday night in Lucknows upscale Gomti Nagar neighbourhood. Interacting with media persons hours after the incident, the DGP said the constables who were on a bike intercepted Tiwaris car for checking, but he did not stop and tried to ram the car into their bike. Constable Prashant Chaudhary claimed he had fired in self-defence. However, Sana Khan maintained that that they hadnt realised that the policemen wanted them to stop, and their vehicle had hit the motorcycle while trying to pass them. The two constables were arrested on the basis of an FIR lodged by Khan. Read More | Indonesia Tsunami LIVE: Death toll reaches 420; Over 500 injured, thousands homeless on Sulawesi Island Expressing anguish DGP Singh said as quoted by NDTV said, No amount of apology will suffice for the loss of a precious life, heal the wounds of the devastated family. My heart goes out for the little daughters, wife and family members of late Vivek Tiwari. He also said such a deviant and criminal behaviour by police personnel deserves the strictest punishment. We are determined to punish and wean out such rogues in uniform who (make us) hang our heads in shame. At the same time, we have also embarked on systematic reforms through behavioural training and humanisation of the force, Singh asserted. He also reprimanded police personnel to change their attitude and revive image among the masses. Also Read | India vs West Indies 2018: 2 players who deserved a chance in Test squad Tiwari was hit on the neck when constable Prashant Chaudhary fired at the cars windshield. The vehicle ended up ramming into the pillar of a bridge nearby. Though Tiwari was rushed to the Lohia Hospital, he later succumbed to his injuries. According to the post-mortem examination report, there was a firearm injury from a bullet on the left side of the chin and viscera. The police have set up a special investigation team (SIT). Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has asked Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to take effective action in the case. The chief minster has said if needed a CBI investigation will be taken up. Mumbai: The Mumbai Police were engaged in a heady chase of a luxury sedan on Saturday night after the driver hit some pedestrians and sped away in South Mumbai. According to the police, as reported by news agency ANI, they got an information about an accident on Reay Raod at 12:30 am. They sent an interceptor vehicle that soon managed to tail the BMW sedan but could not catch up. Read More | Elon Musk steps down as Tesla CEO; US automaker settles SEC suit for $40 million After a four-kilometre chase, the police were able to corner the sedan. The motorists who chased the car managed to pull out the driver and some locals who were at the spot beat him up before he was handed over to the police. The driver, identified as Mehmood Alam, was driving in an inebriated condition. The locals also broke the car's windshield and dented the BMW sedan with blows using heavy sticks. The two injured persons were rushed to a nearby hospital. Also Read | SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweets pictures of Big Falcon Rocket and Mars Alpha Base We caught him after a four-kilometre. He's a driver and the owner had left for Dubai on Friday. The two injured persons have been taken to the hospital. Action will be taken against the errant driver, the police said. New Delhi: Popular model and author Padma Lakshmi has revealed that she was raped when she was 16 by a man she was dating at the time. Lakshmi wrote about the incident in an op-ed article in The New York Times. Her revelation comes in the backdrop of the sexual assault accusations made against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Now, Padma Lakshmi has said her New York Times op-ed, where she revealed her sexual assault story, has prompted an alleged attacker to apologise to his victim. Lakshmi, a prominent Indian-American model host, had recently said that she was raped by her boyfriend at the age of 16 and she wanted to bring out this secret in the wake of allegations of sexual assault on US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Speaking at the Open Endoscopy Forum, the 48-year-old host said one woman, who read her article, approached her to tell her story and how it affected her. Lakshmi said the woman narrated that her assaulter apologised to her in an email recently. "He sent me the link to the article and he said, 'I'm sorry. I didn't know then what I know now and I shouldn't have ever done that to you. And I apologize'," the woman told Lakshmi. The former model also said she has no regrets about the article and telling her story to the world. "I'm very glad I did it. The stories women and men have shared with me have become some of the most moving things I have read, felt, discussed in my life," she said. "I had a family write to me yesterday morning about their daughter who was raped last week on campus. And she went to campus police and did all of the things you need to do: rape kit, examined. And then her father wrote to me because he said she was having second thoughts about pressing charges. I don't blame her and I don't think anybody can blame her. It certainly underlined the truth," she added. The 48-year-old model, Lakshmi has never been shy to voice her political views. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In a cryptic tweet on Saturday, Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor said he was taking a ashort leave from worka to go to the US for medical treatment because of the awear and teara caused due to working in Bollywood for over four decades. Before his 'well wishers' could speculate or jump onto some conclusions, he asked them not to unnecessarily speculate.A His tweet read, "Hello all! I am taking a short leave of absence from work to go to America for some medical treatment. I urge my well wishers not to worry or unnecessarily speculate. Itas been 45 years aplusa of wear and tear at the movies. With your love and good wishes, I will be back soon!" Hello all! I am taking a short leave of absence from work to go to America for some medical treatment. I urge my well wishers not to worry or unnecessarily speculate. Itas been 45 years aplusaof wear and tear at the movies. With your love and good wishes,I will be back soon! a Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) September 29, 2018 Even after his humble advice to well-wishers to not to worry, his tweet got his fans and Bollywood colleagues concerned about his health decline.A After he informed about his medical trip to the US, various celebrities including Kapil Sharma, Sonam Kapoor, Kubra Sait, Shreyas Talpade and Rahul Dev tweeted him best. Get well soon rishi sir.. May God bless u with good health... we love u so much Y a KAPIL (@KapilSharmaK9) September 29, 2018 Get well soon chintu uncle, we love you lots! https://t.co/z8lpnI0qR8 a Sonam K Ahuja (@sonamakapoor) September 29, 2018 Wishing you a speedy recovery Rishiji. Get well soon. a Shreyas Talpade (@shreyastalpade1) September 30, 2018 Be well. Rest well. Hydrate and Bombay canat wait to have you back. a Kubbra Sait (@kubrasait) September 29, 2018 Wish you the very best sir .. more power to you .. God bless ai a Rahul Dev Official (@RahulDevRising) September 30, 2018 We too wish for the actoras speedy recovery! The Kapoor and Sons star was last seen onscreen in Mulk and will next be seen in Rajma Chawal by Leena Yadav. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: After claims and counter claims on Tanushree Dutta-Nana Patekar controversy, several Bollywood actresses have voiced their opinions in support of Tanushree Dutta. Renuka Shahane, a renowned actress, has penned a well-reasoned article on Facebook on the ongoing controversy around Tanushree Duttas claims of alleged sexual harassment by Nana Patekar. Extending support to the actress over Nana Patekar-Tanushree Dutta controversy, Sahane wrote "Tanushree made it clear that she was uncomfortable with a certain step in the dance and did not like Nana's gesture/touch during that step. Even if Nana's intentions might not have been to molest her, couldn't he, the director and the choreographer come up with a step that made her feel comfortable? Is the work place meant for terrorising people or about working in a healthy atmosphere? Would the film have suffered earth shatteringly if the steps were changed so that an actor felt more comfortable?" In her post, the Hum Aapke Hain Kaun actress also said, "What made Tanushree uncomfortable might not cause discomfort to other women perhaps but that is no reason for the men on the set to gang up against a person who is part of their team. If she was truly the daughter of any of the men around would they have really asked her to do something that made her feel very uncomfortable or would they want to change the step?" She also added that "none of the men had a difficult time. Their ego had won! The men got all the support that any industry (not just the film industry) gives to powerful men. The only person who was traumatized was Tanushree. The scars have still not healed. Please do the math." If she was truly the daughter of any of the men around would they have really asked her to do something that made her feel very uncomfortable or would they want to change the step? Shayad yehi fark hai beti jaisi or asli beti hone mein!, Renuka Shahane wrote. As if four full grown men werent enough against one girl, allegedly some members of a political party were called in to intimidate Tanushree and her parents! WTH!!! If that is not a huge overreaction then what is? Allegedly, the political party wanted Tanushree to apologise for hurting the pride of Maharashtra. Can you believe this? Would this behaviour, to force a girl uncomfortable with a dance step, really make Maharashtra proud? Isnt the pride of Maharashtra enshrined in respecting women and making it safer for women to live life?, She continued. Read her facebook post here: Tanushree Dutta recently told DNA that co-actors Irrfan Khan and Suniel Shetty stood up for her when Chocolate director (Vivek Agnihotri, whom she didn't name) allegedly instructed her to "take her clothes off and dance" for a scene. On the other hand, reacting to the 10-year-old controversy, National award winner, Nana Patekar has refuted the allegations levelled by Tanushree Dutta and has further sought an apology from the actress. Nana stated that he will be taking legal action against the false charges. His lawyer on Friday said that he is soon going to send a legal notice to Tanushree Dutta over the allegations made against the actor. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Bollywood actress Tanushree Dutta had kicked up a storm when she went all out against actor Nana Patekar for allegedly harassing her on the sets of Horn Ok Please. After Tanushree Duttas shocking revelation where she expressed that the trauma from 2008 incident still haunts her, the Bollywood fraternity including Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Twinkle Khanna came out in support of the actress. Giving another edge to the controversy, Actress Tanushree Dutta claims she hasn't received any legal notice from Nana Patekar, whom she has accused of harassing her on a film set 10 years ago. Tanushree Dutta said that she is in talks with her lawyers and that Nana Patekar needs to "step up his game". "Given the recent developments, I am putting together a team of lawyers and advocates to defend my interests. Also, contrary to claims made by Nana Patekar's lawyer, I have not received any legal notice. So bluffmaster Gogo needs to step up his game a bit here," the 34-year-old actress told ANI on Saturday. Earlier, in an interview to IANS, she recounted Nana's "misbehaviour" on the set. "He (Nana Patekar) called the MNS (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena) party to bash up my car. He was behind everything and was supported by Ganesh Acharya (choreographer)" Responding to these allegations, Nana's lawyer Rajendra Shirodkar told news agency ANI, In process of sending a legal notice to Tanushree Dutta as she has made false allegations & has spoken untruth. We will send the notice later today which will be basically a notice seeking apology for her statements making allegations. Former Miss India and Bollywood actor, Dutta has spent the last couple of days giving interviews about the harassment she faced 10 years ago at the hands of veteran actor Nana Patekar. According to the actor, she was a part of a song sequence along with Patekar, where the latter tried to touch her inappropriately. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: A Pakistani helicopter violated Indian airspace in the Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, reported news agency ANI. According to a news channel, the Indian armed forces opened fire at the chopper and the Indian Army has confirmed that it is a Pakistani provocation. #WATCH A Pakistani helicopter violated Indian airspace in Poonch sector of #JammuAndKashmir pic.twitter.com/O4QHxCf7CR ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2018 Jammu-based Army PRO Lieutenant Colonel Devender Anand said the helicopter violated the airspace around 12:10 pm. Official sources said a white-coloured chopper crossed into this side in Gulpur sector and hovered for sometime before turning back. "Air sentries at forward location had engaged it with small arms," he said adding that it was most likely a civilian chopper and was flying very high. Pakistan is adopting an aggressive posture... This violation of airspace is a serious matter. It needs to be seen how deep the helicopter came inside the Indian territory and how long it was in Indian airspace... then only one could make out what could be the aim of this intrusion, is it recce, is it surveillance? Major General Ashwani Siwach (retired) told NDTV. Read More | Rishi Kapoor leaves for US for medical treatment; Says 45+ years in the industry were tiring According to NDTV, there are norms recognised by both India and Pakistan according to which helicopters are not supposed to come within one kilometre of the LoC and fixed-wing aircraft cant hover within 10 km of the LoC. In February too, a Pakistani helicopter was seen flying 300 metres from the LoC, NDTV reported. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday announced the setting up of a Gau Mantralaya (cow ministry) in the state for the protection of cows. The ministry will replace the Madhya Pradesh Gaupalan Evam Pashudhan Samvardhan Board. Addressing a public gathering in Bhopal, Chouhan said: "We already have a Madhya Pradesh Gau Samvardhan Board, but it is my wish from the heart to make a full-fledged ministry for the protection of cows. A board has its own limitations, as to it the government provides fewer funds in different instalments, but if an independent ministry will be created there will be a better inflow of finances." Chouhan advised citizens to shelter cows in their homes as per their capacity, ANI quoted Chouhan as saying. The announcement comes in the run-up to the state assembly elections. "People should start doing more for the protection of cows. If every house just shelters two to four cows as per their capacity, there can be a big revolution," he said. Referring to the country's first cow sanctuary in the state's Agar Malwa district, the chief minister said just one facility was not enough to shelter a large number of cows and more such sanctuaries would be set up in the state. MPGEPSB executive council chairman Swami Akhileshwaranand welcomed the announcement and said he had recommended for the creation of such a ministry. Akhileshwaranand enjoys cabinet rank status in the state government by virtue of this post. The Rajasthan was the first state in the country to set up a department for the preservation and protection of cows. Earlier, the state and the cow have hit headlines be it the large number of cow deaths in Hingonia shelter in Jaipur, the state education ministers remarks about cow being the only animal that inhales and exhales oxygen or Udaipur university planning to open a centre of excellence for research on cow urine. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Pakistan on Saturday warned India of a astrong and matching responsea if the latter tried to venture across the LoC. Speaking at the high-level United Nations General Assembly session in New York, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi accused India of carrying out terror attacks on its soil. Qureshi said while India continued to violate the ceasefire along the Line of Control in Kashmir, Pakistan acted with arestrainta but that will not be the case if the earlier tried to cross the LoC. aTo divert the worldas attention from its brutalities, India frequently violates the ceasefire along the Line of Control in Kashmir. Despite numerous violations, Pakistan has acted with restraint. But if India does venture across the LoC, or acts upon its doctrine of alimiteda war against Pakistan, it will evoke a strong and matching response,a Qureshi said during his UNGA address. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that India must stop human rights violations in the Occupied #Kashmir and stop ceasefire violations at the Line of Control. He said that unresolved Kashmir dispute poses great threat to peace and stability in the region. #SMQatUNGA #UNGA pic.twitter.com/6zjXZhKqKS a Govt of Pakistan (@pid_gov) September 30, 2018 Speaking on Indiaas recent decision to cancel dialogues between the foreign ministers of both countries on the sidelines of the UNGA, he said: aThey used the pretext of stamps issued months ago, of a Kashmiri activist and depicting grave human rights violations including pellet gun victims, as an excuse to back out from the talks.a Qureshias address came hours after his Indian counterpart Sushma Swarajas aggresive speech at the 73rd UNGA session. In her seven-minute long speech, Swaraj had launched a scathing attack on Pakistan, accusing the country of abreedinga terrorism on its soil. Sushma scratched the United Statesa wounds of 9/11 to prove her point that Pakistan was harbouring UN-designated terrorists. aWhat America perhaps could not comprehend was that Osama would get sanctuary in a country that claimed to be Americaas friend and ally: Pakistan. Eventually, Americaas intelligence services discovered the truth of this hypocrisy, and its special forces delivered justice,a Swaraj said. The Pakistan foreign minister, however, completely ignored the issue of homegrown terrorism and probably forgot the fact that while pointing one finger at India, he ended up with three fingers pointing towards his own country. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Prime MinisterA Narendra ModiA will inaugurate a gamut of projects including, an ultra-modern chocolate plant of dairy major Amul in Anand, at his home state of Gujarat on Sunday. The prime minister will also inaugurate Anand Agricultural Universityas incubation centre-cum-centre of excellence in food processing, and a solar cooperative society at Mujhkuva village. PM Modi will lay the foundation stone for the expansion of Amul manufacturing facilities at Anand and Khatraj and address a gathering there. Modi will travel to Anjar where he will inaugurate Mundra LNG terminal, Anjar-Mundra Pipeline Project and Palanpur-Pali-Barmer pipeline project. Here are the LIVE updates: #12:50 pm:A I told several dairies in Gujarat to also work on the sweet revolution, which is related to honeybees. I am aware that Banas Dairy and the dairy in Amreli have done commendable work in this direction. I urge more dairies to also devote attention to this: PM Modi #12:45 pm:A There was a time when there would be scarcity. We had to import food grains. Now, things have changed. Today, the time has come to give importance to innovation and value addition: PM #12:42 pm:A We are doing well in milk processing but we can do even better. And, I am sure if Amul thinks in this direction, it will surely happen even faster: Prime Minister Narendra Modi In a few years, Amul will complete 75 years. Let us think about what targets Amul can set for their own 75th anniversary and for 2022, when India marks 75 years of freedom: PM Narendra Modi in Anand, Gujarat pic.twitter.com/LY7nYYqz9J a ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2018 A #12:35 pm:A We are focussing on Jan Dhan, Van Dhan and Gobar Dhan. This will help our farmers: PM Modi #12:34 pm:A A long time back, I had gone to Kutch and spoken about the need to popularise camel milk. That time a group of people mocked me. But, today the camel milk chocolate of Amul is doing well: Prime Minister Narendra Modi #12:32 pm:A For a long time, we had people sitting in Gandhinagar who disliked the cooperatives. They prevented the sector from acquiring a foothold in Saurashtra. Things changed after the late 1990s and today almost all districts in Gujarat are doing well in the sector: Prime Minister Narendra Modi #12:31 pm:A Not only Amul, people in North Gujarat also worked in the cooperative sector. We have the Banas Dairy, the Dudhsagar Dairy. All these endeavours helped the people of Gujarat, particularly the farmers: PM Modi #12:30 pm:A Guided by Sardar Patel, Pritamrai Desai Ji worked on cooperative housing in a big way in Ahmedabad. These efforts gave wings to the aspirations of several people: PM #12:29 pm:A A century ago, Sardar Patel entered civic politics of Ahmedabad. He won from Dariapur. His margin of victory then was 1 vote. When he assumed office as the head of the municipality, he laid emphasis on urban development, planning and in that he worked on cooperative housing: Narendra Modi #12:25 pm:A In various parts of the world, at various times we saw what socialism is, we also saw capitalism. But, through Amul Sardar Patel showed another way. Here is a way where neither Government or industrialists call the shots. It is the people who matter. This is a unique model: PM Modi In various parts of the world, at various times we saw what socialism is, we also saw capitalism. But, through Amul Sardar Patel showed another way. Here is a way where neither Govt or industrialists call the shots. It's the people who matter. This is a unique model: PM Modi pic.twitter.com/3cAX8V3eyl a ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2018 In various parts of the world, at various times we saw what socialism is, we also saw capitalism. But, through Amul Sardar Patel showed another way. Here is a way where neither Govt or industrialists call the shots. It's the people who matter. This is a unique model: PM ModiA A A #12:23 pm:A Today, Amul has become an inspiration world over. People from overseas also ask me about Amul. Amul is not only about milk processing. This is an excellent model of empowerment: PM Modi The brand of Amul is known the world over. It has become an inspiration. This is an excellent model of empowerment: PM Modi in #Gujarat's Anand pic.twitter.com/mrjQKp7Bky a ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2018 # 12:21 pm:A The development projects augur well for the cooperative sector. The brand of Amul is known world over: PM Narendra Modi # 12:19 pm:A The people of Anand have come to bless us in such large numbers. I thank them for the warmth and affection. Today, development projects worth Rs 1,100 crore are either being inaugurated or their foundation stones are being laid. This will have an extremely positive impact, says PM Modi. # 12:17 pm: PM Narendra Modi addresses a public meeting at Anand in Gujarat. # 11:29 am:A PM Narendra Modi at the launch of various plants in AMUL including an ultra modern chocolate plant. Anand: PM Narendra Modi at the launch of various plants in AMUL including an ultra modern chocolate plant. #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/pJG2QivuI3 a ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2018 # 10:24 am:A Anand: PM Narendra Modi to inaugurate various plants including an ultra modern chocolate plant in AMUL later today. Anand: PM Narendra Modi to inaugurate various plants including an ultra modern chocolate plant in AMUL later today #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/3TfAbjJfQB a ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2018 Later in the day, Modi will head for Rajkot where he will inaugurate theA Mahatma GandhiA Museum at the Alfred High School in Rajkot, which was an important part of the formative years of Mahatma Gandhi. The Prime Minister will also unveil a plaque to mark the inauguration of a public housing project of 624 houses. He will witness the e-Grih Pravesh of 240 beneficiary families. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: A day after Sushma Swarajs razor-sharp attack on Islamabad for harbouring terrorism, Pakistans envoy to the United Nations Saad Warraich raked up Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the RSS and lynching incidents to counter attack India. Exercising the Right of Reply, Warraich said: The breeding ground of terrorism in our region is the RSS centres of Fascism. The claims of religious superiority are perpetrated through straight patronage all across India. The Pakistani envoy to UN said Hindu extremist Yogi Adityanath, who serves as the Chief Minister of Indias largest state Uttar Pradesh, openly supported the superiority of Hindus. Also Read | At UNGA, Pakistan blames India for terror after Sushma Swaraj's scathing attack Members of Indias minorities, including Christians and Muslims, are publicly lynched at the hands of Hindus elites, where an unabashed Hindu extremist Yogi Adityanath, who openly supports the superiority of the Hindus, serves as the face of the largest Indian state Uttar Pradesh, he said. Warraich also raked up the issue of Assam National Register of Citizens (NRC), saying that several Bengalis suddenly became homeless and have been called termites by a prominent Indian leader. For a country where Right to citizenship to Bengalis in Assam is being arbitrarily rescinded and who have suddenly been made stateless and have been called termites by a prominent Indian leader, where churches and mosques are torched, is surely not qualified to give sermons to others, BJP President Amit Shah had called Bangladeshi people living in India termites. Pakistans response came after Eenam Gambhir, Indias First Secretary in Permanent Mission of India to UN, strongly rebutted Pakistans allegations that New Delhi was responsible for the deadly 2014 terror attack at Army Public School in Peshawar. Also Read | Pakistani helicopter violates Indian airspace in J&K's Poonch sector, armed forces open fire Let me recollect for Pakistans new government, the out-pouring of sorrow and pain in India that followed the massacre of innocent school children. Indias parliament had expressed solidarity while paying respect to the memory of those killed. Schools all over India had observed two minutes silence in their memory, Gambhir said. Reacting to Pakistans false claim of fighting terrorism, Gambhir said, Will Pakistan deny that UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed enjoys a free run inside Pakistan, spews venom & sets up candidates for electoral offices? For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In a major development in the SEC fraud case, Elon mask agreed to resign as the Tesla Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on Sunday. Furthermore, the US car company and Musk will pay USD 20 million each to settle the government lawsuit alleging the tech billionaire duped investors with misleading tweets about stock prices. The US Securities and Exchange Commission announced the settlement just two days after filing a case seeking to remove Musk as CEO. "The resolution is intended to prevent further market disruption and harm to Tesla's shareholders," Steven Peikin, the co-director of the SEC's Enforcement Division was quoted as saying by Techcrunch. However, Musk and Tesla reached their settlement without admitting to or denying the SEC's allegations about the proposed buyout of the company. Following the announcement of his resignation, Musk on Saturday took to Twitter and thanked all Tesla supporters for helping with car deliveries all around the world, adding that "You Rock". "Just wanted to say thanks to all Tesla supporters. I damn well love you," Musk wrote in another tweet. Read | SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweets pictures of Big Falcon Rocket and Mars Alpha Base Huge thank you to all Tesla supporters for helping with car deliveries all around the world. You rock!! Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 28, 2018 The difficulties started back on August 7 after Musk tweeted that he could take Tesla private for USD 240 a share and that funding for such a deal had been secured. "Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured," the tweet read. Musks tweet has allegedly caused Teslas stock price to jump by over six per cent, leading to significant market disruption. Read | SpaceX launches Bangladesh's satellite Bangabandhu-1 using Falcon 9 rocket "In truth, Musk knew that the potential transaction was uncertain and subject to numerous contingencies," wrote the SEC while filling the fraud charges in a federal court New York against the former Tesla CEO. On Friday, Tesla's stock plummeted 14 per cent after the SEC filed its lawsuit, erasing more than USD 7 billion in shareholder wealth. Many analysts predicted the shares were bound to fall even further if Musk steps down. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The Eurasian watermilfoil has gotten so bad at Lake Lillinonah that residents docks are overgrown by the invasive plant, making it challenging to boat and swim and raising concerns that someone could get tangled and drown. Residents along the 1,500-acre lake have had their own approaches to controlling the weeds, but the Friends of the Lake group and the Lillinonah Lake Authority are creating a lakewide management plan. Lillinonah is in Brookfield, Bridgewater, New Milford, Newtown, Roxbury and Southbury. Scientists at Aquatic Ecosystem Research, the consulting firm hired to examine the lakes problems, presented on Friday their recommendation of using a new herbicide, Florpyrauxifen-benzyl, for the first two years to get the weeds under control and to follow up with mechanical techniques such as pulling the weeds to keep it in check. Under the plan, 40.1 acres would be treated the first year and 37.7 acres the following year. Mark June-Wells, of Aquatic Ecosystem Research, said the evidence so far suggests that the herbicide would only target the milfoil and is very safe for humans and other wildlife. It also only requires only a small dosage that disappears from the water in a few hours and from the sediment in 15 days. However, both the friends group and lake authority opposed the use of chemicals of any kind and said there have been too many instances where chemicals were initially thought to be safe but were actually harmful in the long run. The groups instead advocated for sterile grass carp to be added to eat the invasive plants, something the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has already rejected for this lake. More News Robert Miller: Making Lake Lillinonah deal with changing ecosystems Lake Lillinonah has river characteristics because of how its dammed on the Housatonic River. This means the fish cant be contained in one area a DEEP permit requirement for the grass carp, said Larry Marsicano, of Aquatic Ecosystem Research. He has experience with the permit because he secured carp for Candlewood Lake when he was the executive director of that lake authority. Scott Conant, a Newtown member of Friends of the Lake, said the group is working with local, state and federal officials to try to get the permit to show its not a bad thing if the fish swim to other parts of the Housatonic and eat the milfoil. I cant think of a river along the Housatonic that wouldnt welcome this, he said, adding they will also look into purchasing a harvester to pull the weeds. These tend to cost between $150,000 and $200,000 for a large one and $50,000 to $60,000 for a small one. The statements from the two groups followed a presentation from Mark June-Wells, of Aquatic Ecosystem Research, detailing the lakes problem and listing the different biological, mechanical and chemical treatments. Lillinonah has four invasive plants: milfoil, minor naiad, curly leaf pondweed and water chestnut, though the biggest threats are the first two. Zebra mussels are also in the lake, which improves water clarity, allowing for more sunlight to get to the plants. There were 157 acres of milfoil in 2018 and that is projected to be at 180 to 200 acres next summer if left unchecked. Theres a 650 percent increase in Eurasian watermilfoil since 2007, June-Wells said. Thats a scary, scary number. The minor naiad has increased 262 percent in that time, but measured at only 20 acres in 2018, which is a small amount for a lake of Lillinonahs size. More mapping and monitoring is needed for the other two plants, but June-Wells said they are being well managed. June-Wells said its important to account for the minor naiad because that will be the plant that replaces the milfoil when removed. When you control one species in a community, something else is going to take its place, he said. "We dont want another problem after we solved that. June-Wells repeatedly told the audience that the milfoil will not be completely eradicated and the plan only addresses the plants that are causing recreation problems, such as along peoples properties. He said the plant itself is now part of the ecosystem and provides shelter and is a food source for fish. Trying to remove it completely would hurt the lake system, he said. The candidates running for Connecticuts most competitive Congressional seat have sharp differences over gun policy and immigration. And it makes sense. Manny Santos, a former mayor of Meriden, is running as a Trump Republican, and Jahana Hayes, the 2016 National Teacher of the Year, is running as a progressive Democrat. With five weeks until the November 6 midterm election, voters in the 5th District are deciding which candidate to send to Washington, D.C., and those decisions could come down to a few hot-button issues. I am an individual of law and order, said Santos, a former Marine during the Gulf War who immigrated with his parents from Portugal as a boy. We have gotten ourselves into this problem because we have ignored our responsibilities to enforce our immigration laws. Hayes, who grew up without her mother and father in a Waterbury housing project and dropped out of high school at 17 when she became pregnant, said everyone deserves a voice in Washington, D.C. We are a country that has always welcomed immigrants, said Hayes, who became the talent and professional development supervisor at Waterbury public schools after her national Teacher of the Year tour. I dont see how we secure our position in the world by turning our backs on everyone. Hayes and Santos differences on gun policy are similarly stark. Santos, an expert rifleman and pistol sharp shooter in the Marines who has the endorsement of the 30,000-member Connecticut Citizens Defense League, opposes gun control legislation such as expanded background checks. He also believes school districts should be able to use federal grants to arm teachers. Hayes, whose husband is a Waterbury police detective, says the solution to school shootings is not to arm teachers but to expand background checks for gun purchases, and to ban so-called assault weapons, among other gun control measures. Their political differences are part of a deeper contrast in campaign momentum that has observers predicting a Hayes win in November. Hayes, who has a national profile as a rising star, raised more money than any candidate during the primary season, and has a commitment from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to promote her as a top candidate to donors. Santos, who does not get the same national media attention, and who raised the least cash during the primary, does not have a commitment from the National Republican Congressional Committee, because he does not qualify as a competitive candidate. And yet election observers and political insiders say Santos could close ground on Hayes if he does well in a series of three debates in October the first of which is Thursday. At stake is whether Republicans can break into Connecticuts all-Democratic Congressional delegation, and send a message to Washington that support for President Donald Trump is strong in northwestern and central Connecticut, or whether Democrats can send a message to Washington with a Hayes win that progressives are the partys future. The November 6 winner will replace U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, a three-term Democrat who dropped re-election plans after admitting she covered up an office abuse scandal involving her former chief of staff. Immigration Santos, who supports Trumps crackdown on illegal immigration, agrees with the presidents push to build a wall on the southern border, to separate children who arrive with adults that are stopped at the border, and to end a program known as DACA created under former President Barack Obamas executive order to protect 700,000 immigrants from deportation who came to the U.S. as youths. We have to end the DACA program that was started with an executive order because there was no legal mechanism for individuals entering the county illegally to remain here, said Santos, adding he would support legislation to give immigrants under the DACA program a way to become legal residents, so long as the bill had provisions for enhanced border patrol and security. On the controversial issue of separating children from adults at the border, Santos said the Trump administration was following a law that required children be kept away from parents being prosecuted. In some cases, it is very difficult for the U.S. to verify those are actually (the adults) children, said Santos, an engineer who works as a business capacity analyst. We do have a significant problem with human trafficking, so (child detention) is necessary in order to vet these adults and do everything that needs to be done with the criminal process. Hayes, who opposes the Trump administrations immigration crackdown and its plans to build a wall, says she understands voter frustration with immigrants living in America while not following the law. I think immigration is a challenge for this country, but we have been built on the backs of immigrants, and we need 21st century reforms to provide multiple pathways to citizenship for people who come as refugees and seek asylum, said Hayes. The way the system is built, it doesnt allow us to do that. Hayes said immigration reform should include a path to citizenship for so-called Dreamers - the immigrants protected under the DACA program. It is not just unskilled labor when we talk about immigration we have doctors and engineers and people who become the fiber of this nation, Hayes said. I am not afraid to make this a priority and commit myself to looking thoroughly at it. Gun policy Santos said he understands voter concern about the brutality and the frequency of mass shootings, and the desire people have for Washington to do something about it. But he does not agree that the solution is making it harder to buy firearms. These crimes are being committed by individuals who have obtained guns illegally, Santos said. Its happening because people cannot take personal responsibility and have lost touch with reality and are taking it all out on the easiest target. For that reason, he said, schools should have the option to use federal funds to arm teachers. School are a soft target, he said. Everyone knows they cant defend themselves. Hayes disagrees. Teaching is a very difficult skill set, and I would not want the added responsibility of securing a firearm in a building of 1,300 kids, or telling a parent I thought I left my desk locked, Hayes said. I have visited schools across the country that are struggling to keep up with basic educational standards, and federal grant money should not be spent to arm teachers with guns. Hayes said most Americans, including gun owners, favor expanded background checks, and she would go to Washington with that as a priority. I am less concerned with the next election and more concerned with the will of the people, she said. If the majority of people want common sense gun reform, I have a hard time understanding why elected officials are not voting the will of the people. rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342 SALISBURY, Md. - Waiting in a large crowd at an outdoor arena for Gov. Larry Hogan to open a folk music festival, Christopher Welch listed his reasons for supporting the Republican chief executive. "Hogan is opening the state back up for business. He's been very good to state employees, which I am now. And he's taking care of places outside the [Baltimore-Washington] metro corridor," said Welch, a state trooper and candidate for clerk of the court here in rural Wicomico County. Welch, a Republican who also supports President Donald Trump, said Hogan's repeated refusal to embrace the man in the White House "doesn't bother me one bit." "Hogan is trying to make Maryland No. 1, and Trump is trying to make America No. 1," Welch said. "They may have different views, but they're both going in the same direction." On the Eastern Shore and in Western Maryland - red parts of a deep-blue state - Hogan has retained the enthusiastic support of the GOP base. That loyalty has freed the governor to champion centrist proposals and positions, including free community college, paid family leave for state employees, building the light-rail Purple Line in Montgomery and Prince George's counties, and banning fracking across the state. Hogan's repeated attempts to distance himself from Trump, meanwhile, appear to have inoculated him from Democratic attempts to link him to the president, with 60 percent of Maryland voters in a recent Goucher Poll saying their opinions of Trump will have little to no effect on their gubernatorial vote. The same poll found 91 percent of likely Republican voters supporting Hogan's reelection, compared with 48 percent of likely Democratic voters who plan to vote for Democratic challenger Ben Jealous. Overall, Hogan is leading Jealous by double digits. Some hardcore conservatives grumble about Hogan's frequent criticisms of Trump - at a televised debate Monday, he said, "There's not a lot I have in common with the president" - and his centrist positions on issues such as gun control. But they're ready to vote for him anyway, thrilled at the prospect of Maryland's first two-term GOP governor since the 1950s. "It would be nice to have someone more conservative," retiree Johanne Watson said after seeing Hogan recently at the Great Frederick Fair. But she added: "This works. It's like making a little concession. . . . You have to concede a little bit to work with everybody." In a state where Democrats have a more than 2-to-1 edge in party registration, "Hogan is being smart by staying down the middle," GOP voter Beth Dunn, 61, said in Salisbury. "Trump has too much ill will against him." Republicans "understand that he has to govern from the center," state Sen. Michael J. Hough, R-Frederick, said of Hogan. "Many of them thought they'd never have a Republican governor in our lifetime." Hogan's strategy mirrors that pursued by Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, another blue-state Republican leader who has been listed, along with Hogan, as the nation's two most popular governors. Both have frequently broken with the president, most recently by calling for a delay in the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh so allegations of sexual misconduct can be fully investigated. It's not an approach that works in red states, where Republicans are loath to break with Trump because of the base's strong support for the president. But in Maryland, GOP leaders say Hogan's popularity is a plus in their "Drive for Five," a quest to gain at least five seats in the state Senate this November, which would eliminate the Democrats' vetoproof majority and give the GOP leverage over judicial appointments and redistricting following the 2020 Census. Hogan has been the featured guest at campaign events and fundraisers for many Republican Senate candidates. "He's been raising a lot of money," said Patrick O'Keefe, executive director of the Maryland Republican Party. "He's been saying recently that he's looking at [gaining] seven, eight or nine [seats]." Mark Odachowski, who owns an electrical contracting company in Ocean City, has been making and handing out hundreds of Trump flags. When photos of them flying at a local marina circulated on social media, the president sent out an approving tweet. But Odachowski has praise for the governor, too. He credits both Trump and Hogan for an improved economy, which he said has allowed him to increase hiring from a low of nine employees at the bottom of the recession to 100 today. "He's definitely helped small business," he said of Hogan. "You can see the economy is doing well, and he's part of it." At the opening of the National Folk Festival in Salisbury this month, and later at the Frederick fair, Hogan was greeted enthusiastically. Supporters credited him for opposing tax increases, lowering tolls and reducing regulations - and for championing the interests of rural Maryland, which chafes at what it sees as second-class status compared with the more populous, Democratic-dominated areas around Baltimore and Washington. "He's just a great administrator, and he's fair and he's considerate," said attorney Melvin Caldwell Jr., who praised Hogan for restraining state spending. Others welcomed the rebuilding of 11 bridges on U.S. Route 50, and $1.5 million of state funding for modernizing Main Street and building an amphitheater in time for the festival's opening. "It's been a reality for us on the Eastern Shore that we've been left behind," said Del. Carl Anderton, R-Wicomico. "Now we feel like we're on an equal footing, and we'd kind of like to stay there for a little while." At the Frederick fair, Hogan toured exhibits of baked goods and cranked a machine that stripped kernels from ears of corn. "For eight years there was what a lot of people refer to as a war on agriculture and a war on rural Maryland," he said, referring to the tenure of his predecessor, Democrat Martin O'Malley. "And the day I was sworn in, I said, 'That war is over.' I promised that the areas of the state that were ignored and neglected and forgotten would no longer be forgotten." Hogan has maintained his independence from Trump from the start. He did not attend the 2016 nominating convention and said on Election Day that he cast a write-in ballot for president for his father, former U.S. congressman Lawrence J. Hogan, who died a few months later. Jealous and other Democrats have accused the governor of failing to stand up to Trump on immigration, the GOP tax law and other issues. But Hogan has publicly faulted Trump on subjects including health care, Chesapeake Bay funding, the separation of immigrant families at the border and Russian President Vladimir Putin. An outspoken critic of Hogan's moderation is Matt Adams, the Republican Party chairman in Somerset County on the Eastern Shore. He and other conservatives fault Hogan for signing a "red flag" gun-control bill that would allow family members or law enforcement agencies to seek court orders to keep people from owning a gun if they have been deemed by a judge to be a danger to themselves or others. "Larry has consistently turned his back on his base," Adams said. "Anyone who is really paying attention as a Republican has a serious concern about the gun bill that Larry has signed, and his lack of support for Trump." But Adams said he and like-minded conservatives would vote for Hogan anyway. "Do we vote for Larry, versus Ben Jealous? Of course. Ben Jealous is a disaster," Adams said. Many Maryland Republicans who back both Hogan and Trump draw an important distinction between the two. While they applaud both men's policies, they say they also find the governor likable but often cringe at the president's aggressiveness and personal attacks. "With Trump, the main problem is people don't like him, but they like what he does," said Mark McIver, the Republican central committee chairman in Wicomico. "With Larry, they like him, and they also like what he does." Iran plans to get around U.S. sanctions on its oil sales by selling its petroleum and conduct international trade in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, the Iranian diplomat who negotiated the nuclear deal said Saturday. "The actual mechanism would be to avoid dollars," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters at a round table at the Iranian mission to the United Nations in New York on Saturday evening, saying countries are starting to make agreements to use their own currencies in bilateral trade. "You can use your own currency," he explained. "Sell stuff in your own currency, buy stuff in the other country's currency, and at the end of a specific period, balance it out in a non-dollar currency. It's quite possible. And may even be profitable." The United States is poised to impose sanctions in early November targeting Iran's oil sector. The sanctions were suspended under the nuclear deal the United States and five other world powers agreed to in 2015. But after President Donald Trump announced in May that he was withdrawing from the deal, U.S. officials have been pressuring countries around the world to stop their oil sales from Iran to prevent it from its chief source of income, and threatened secondary sanctions if the sanctions are defied. It is unclear how successful the strategy to avoid them will be. The power of U.S. sanctions lies in the use of the U.S. dollar in most international transactions. A foreign company that sends its proceeds from trade with Iran through an international bank would likely face sanctions because part of it would be conducted in dollars. An international company with an American employee who has something to do with a transaction, no matter how inconsequential, could also run afoul of U.S. sanctions. Only a handful of other countries agree with the U.S. decision to abandon the nuclear deal. The European Union said Monday that its member countries would establish a system to allow oil companies and private businesses to keep trading with Iran. But many international corporations have already stopped doing business with Iran because so much international business is conducted at least partially in U.S. dollars. The attempts to evade U.S. sanctions are rooted in the belief that the nuclear deal is working as intended, and Iran has kept all its commitments under the agreement under monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency. In effect, Iran and the other countries involved in the agreement are trying to keep the deal alive. Zarif said Iran might pull out of the deal if the special mechanism being created by the Europeans doesn't work. Asked if that would open the door to a U.S. military attack, he said, "I think if the United States believed it could succeed in such an attack, it would have done so." The uncertainty over the looming U.S. sanctions has sent oil prices to a four-year high. The sanctions against Iran, which is the third largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, become effective on Nov. 4. The Trump administration has been on a confrontational path with Iran, which it considers the main source of instability in the region. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has stopped just short of calling for regime change, and ordered a U.S. campaign across social media platforms and radio in support of protesters demonstrating against governmental corruption and failed economic policies. U.S. officials have excoriated Iran for getting involved in regional conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. But Zarif, who speaks fluent English and is the Iranian government's premier spokesman, portrayed the United States as the aggressor in the region. "Have you seen that map with all the U.S. bases around us, and said, 'Why are these Iranians putting their country in the middle of all these bases?" he said sarcastically. "We are in our region. We have not invaded any country. We have not sent troops anywhere we were not asked. We have not bombed any country. We have not taken territory from any country.We are content with our size, with our geography, with our resources. We have no eye on anybody else's territory, resources or people." Both Trump and Pompeo have denounced former Secretary of State John Kerry for holding talks with Zarif. The two men formed a professional friendship during long months of negotiating the deal. "I didn't know that you still had witch hunts here in the U.S.," Zarif said when asked to characterize the conversations with Kerry. "What he has done has been to encourage us to stay in the deal," he added, lauding the virtues of dialogue between Americans and Iranians. Tesla CEO Elon Musk will step down as chairman of the electric car company. He will pay a $20 million fine under a settlement reached with the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Musk will remain CEO and keeps a seat on the board. Musk will resign as chairman of the Tesla board within 45 days. He will not seek reelection or accept an appointment as chairman for three years. Musk doesnt have to admit or deny the SECs allegations as part of the agreement. This was caused by Elon tweeting out in August that he was thinking about taking Telsa private at $420. There had been discussions and a claimed verbal offer of a buyout of Tesla by Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia had bought about 5% of Tesla. Musk met with representatives of the Saudi Arabias sovereign wealth fund three or four times beginning in January 2017. The fund did expressed a verbal desire to make a big investment in Tesla and establish a production facility in the Middle East. Musk met with the funds lead representative on July 31, 2018. This is when he learns the fund has acquired almost 5 percent of Teslas common stock. The representative expresses interest in taking Tesla private and asks about establishing a production facility in the Middle East. Musk said he was open to the idea, but did not make a commitment. The representative did tell Musk that as long as the terms were reasonable, the fund would be fine with them. Musk did not communicate with representatives of the fund again about a going-private transaction until August 10, three days after his August 7 statements. Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 7, 2018 Musk was talking to the Tesla board about an offer to take Tesla private as early as August 2 when he sent to Teslas board of directors, chief financial officer and general counsel an email with the subject, Offer to Take Tesla Private at $420. The email laid out his reasons for wanting to take Tesla private. Elon thought constant defamatory attacks by the short-selling community would resul in great harm to Teslas valuable brand. Saudi Arabia chose not complete the deal and left Elon and Tesla hanging. Clearly it was a mistake for Elon to trust Saudi Arabia verbal statements and should not have expected more was happening before more commitment was made. Elon will likely be restricted in his of twitter in regards to Tesla. Monday The Valley Shore Toastmasters: meets from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Madison Senior Center (cafe), 29 Bradley Road. Email valleyshoretm@yahoo.com or visit http://valleyshore.toastmastersclubs.org. Tuesday The Milford Chamber of Commerce Tuesday Morning Leads Group: meets at 8:30 a.m. at the Chamber, 5 Broad St., Milford. Call 203-878-0681. The Rotary Club of Hamden: meets each Tuesday. For meeting time and location please visit the calendar section of their website at www.hamdenctrotary.org. The Nutmeg Chapter of Toastmasters International: meets at 7 p.m. at The Willows Care and Rehab Center, 225 Amity Road, Woodbridge. Visit http://764.toastmastersclubs.org. The New Haven chapter of the Painting and Decorating Contractors of America: meets at 6 p.m. at Brazis Restaurant, 201 Sargent Drive, New Haven. Dinner is $30. Call 203-234-9542. The Rotary Club of New Haven: meets at 12:15 p.m. at the Graduate Club, 155 Elm St. Call 203-624-3197. The Rotary Club of North Haven: meets at 7:15 a.m. at the Breakfast Nook, 448 Washington Ave. Visit www.nhrotary.org. Wednesday The Rotary Club of Branford: meets from 7:15 to 8:30 a.m. at the Parthenon Diner, 374 E. Main St., Branford. Call 203-315-2444, ext. 450. The Devon Rotary: meets at 7:30 a.m. at the Bridge House Restaurant, 49 Bridgeport Ave., Milford. Visit www.devonrotary.org. The Milford Chamber of Commerce Wednesday Morning Leads Group: meets at 8:30 a.m. at the Chamber, 5 Broad St., Milford. Call 203-878-0681. The Rotary Club of Guilford: meets at 12:15 p.m. at The Maritime Grille, 2548 Boston Post Road, Guilford. Call 203-453-0774. The Greater New Haven Business & Professional Association: meets at 11 a.m. at 192 Dixwell Ave. Call 203-562-2193. The Rotary Club of Wallingford: meets at 12:10 p.m. at the Library Wine Bar and Bistro, 60 North Main Street. Call 203-235-3816. North Branford Rotary: meets at 6 p.m. at Nataz, 2025 Foxon Road. Call 203-484-7707. The Greater New Haven Breakfast Club: meets at 8 a.m. at Clarks Pizza & Restaurant, 68 Whitney Ave., New Haven. Email info@rosnerdoherty.com. The Rotary Club of West Haven: meets at 12:15 p.m. at Apps Ristorante, 283 Captain Thomas Blvd. Thursday Quota International of New Haven: a service club attending to the needs of the hearing impaired and disadvantaged women and children, meets at 6 p.m. at the Graduate Club, 155 Elm St., New Haven. Call 203-732-3200. The Seymour Oxford Rotary Club: meets at 7:15 a.m. at Route 67 Diner, Klarides Village, Route 67 in Seymour. Fellow Rotarians and all interested persons are invited to attend. Contact Nancy Valentine at nvbv@hotmail.com or 203 734 6945. The New Haven Lions Club: meets at 7 p.m. at Brazis Italian Restaurant, 201 Food Terminal Plaza. Public is invited; for information, call Jim Traester at 203-288-6648. The Madison Rotary Club: meets at 8 a.m. at the Madison Senior Center, 29 Bradley Road. Call Robert Anderson, 203-907-9032. The Clinton Rotary Club: meets 6:30 p.m. at Clinton Country Club, Old Westbrook Road. Call Dee Tully at 860-388-7013. The East Haven Rotary Club: meets at 5:45 p.m. at Twin Pines Diner Restaurant, 34 Main St., East Haven. The Milford Rotary Club meets: from 12:15-1:15 p.m. at Gusto Restaurant, 255 Boston Post Road. Visit www.milfordrotary.org. Friday The Orange Rotary Club: meets at 12:15 p.m. at Racebrook Country Club, 246 Derby Ave. Call 203-799-2327. The Woodbridge Rotary Club: meets at 7:30 a.m. for a breakfast meeting at Country Corner Diner, 756 Amity Road, Bethany. For more information, call Mary Ellen LaRocca at 203-389-3429. The Legislative Action Committee of the Milford Chamber of Commerce meets: visit the calendar section of its website at www.milfordct.com. The Milford Chamber of Commerce Friday Morning Leads Group: meets at 11 a.m. at the Chamber, 5 Broad St., Milford. Call 203-878-0681. Send notices of business events to Business Datebook, New Haven Register, 100 Gando Drive, New Haven 06513 or email to business@nhregister.com, at least a week before the event. ORANGE Traveland has relocated here from Shelton to a bigger space, and the three brothers who own it say theyre ready to take customers globe-trotting. The family business, run by Eitan , Oded and Tamir Battat, was begun in 1978 in Bridgeport by their parents that office is still open and recently moved their Shelton office at 878 Bridgeport Ave. to a larger space at 564 Racebrook Road. We hear all the time that travel agencies are a relic, but were working overtime, Tamir Battat said. He said while there are fewer travel agencies all-around, theres a resurgence of sorts in the business because people dont know who to trust on the internet in booking travel plans. He said theres also a good travel climate because the economy is strong and travel is considered safe because there are no wars going on. Tamir said they outgrew the office in Shelton. The Orange office, formerly home to a real estate agency, was reconfigured inside. At a formal ribbon-cutting for the business this week, First Selectman Jim Zeoli said Traveland is a great fit for the location in a residential section of town. Im thrilled youre here, he said. On one wall is a tribute to their parents, who started it all under the holding company Abravio, which represents the names of the Battat brothers parents, Abraham and Violet. The story on the wall says Abraham was a district engineer and city planner in Jerusalem and Violet had a shining career in radio. The couples dream was to have a travel agency so they could globe trot. That dream became reality when they opened Traveland in Bridgeport. Bold travel catalogues line one wall in the spacious, open-floor-plan office, where one side is focused on leisure and the other on group travel, an ever-increasing facet of the business, Tamir Battat said. There are clocks in several time zones on the wall and a conference room with a globe and jet figure. Eitan Battat said their specialty is personalized service. They can send customers anywhere but specialize in travel to Israel, Eastern Europe, luxury cruises, adventure, family travel. When their parents opened on Main Street in Bridgeport 40 years ago, there were 16 travel agencies within a mile, the brothers said. Today, Traveland is the only one in that mile. Tamir Battat said its a wonderful and challenging business. He said each day brings something new and there can be tense, adrenalin-charged days when fights or other plans are canceled or changed at the source. My wife asks, How was your day? and I say, I went around the world, referring to booking varied trips, from an African safari to a trip to Australia. He said theres a lot to know about and consider, including geography, psychology, climate, weather, sales. You have to have an emotional connection, including with couples, to explore their hidden desires as well as the obvious ones. Brother Oded loves to travel and does so about 10 days out of each month. I like the exploration, visiting new places, he said. I need to experience what my customers experience, to give them the best service. Oded Battat said theres also great reward in seeing customers return from vacation regenerated and with a new vision, new outlook. Just before the ribbon was cut, Eitan thanked God, their parents and team members for their success. MILFORD The citys new Superintendent of Schools, Anna Cutaia, communicates with tweets @milfordsuper and last week learned from fourth-graders how to do the floss a trendy dance move where one repeatedly swings their arms, with clenched fists, from the back of their body to the front, on each side. Of course, Cutaia, a seasoned administrator, also can balance the priorities of a $90 million plus budget, but being real with students and educators is a priority. Being present in schools puts you face to face with students and thats why Im here, she said. Cutaia, who started with the district in August, replacing retiring superintendent, Elizabeth Feser, said the welcome has been warm wherever she goes in Milford and its clear that residents are proud of the community and are invested in education. Cutaia said of the future of Milford schools, Its a fantastic novel and you cant wait to write the next chapter. She said it will be a great read. My goal is to understand what the community wants, she said, noting shell be reaching out to the community on that front through forums. Cutaia said shes interested in improving career investigation opportunities for students earlier than high school and emphasizes the importance of the arts as well as math and sciences. As for the budget already in motion balance not only means dollars, but balancing priorities, as in being sensitive to the economic needs of the community, while advocating for the hopes and dreams of young people, she said. Many students, educators and parents have followed her on Twitter, where she may tweet about language arts, Twins Day, educational tidbits and notifications such as early dismissals. During the heat wave at the beginning of the year, she heard on Twitter from some students describing the heat on the second floor of a city high school and even recommending no school, rather than early dismissal. One aspect of Milford that took her pleasantly by surprise, Cutaia said, was how many community supports there are for the schools, such as Milford Prevention Council. Im thankful because our students have so much need, she said. Cutaia, formerly superintendent of schools for Regional District 14, which encompasses Bethlehem and Woodbury, and former director of elementary education in Fairfield, was chosen to replace Feser after a nationwide search. Dr. Cutaia possesses many of the qualities indicated in the leadership profile which was developed with input from over 1,000 Milford stakeholders, which included parents,Board of Education Chairwoman Susan Glennon said at the time of Cutaias appointment. She has a breadth of experience, from the classroom to her current superintendency, Glennon said. Glennon said Cutaia was one of eight candidates interviewed from a beginning pool of 16 and she really stood out. Cutaia started her career in Myrtle Beach, S.C., where she served as a teacher from 1991-98, an assistant principal from 1998-2000 and principal from 2000-03. In 2003 she moved to Connecticut and worked in Casmir Pulaski Elementary School in Meriden. During those early years in Connecticut she also served as an educational consultant with the state Department of Education and an adjunct professor at the University of Connecticut and Southern Connecticut State University. Cutaia earned a bachelor of arts degree from Mount St. Mary College and a masters degree from the University of Southern Mississippi. She received a doctorate in education from UConn in 2013. I never thought much about how people are sentenced for their crimes until I made a mid-life career change and became a full-time journalist in 2003. Since then, one of the many things that has intrigued me is the seemingly arbitrary way people are sentenced. Nothing seems consistent or makes much sense. People I expect to be sent away for a long time get short sentences and people I dont think should spend much time behind bars get longer sentences. I often talk with my colleague Randy Beach who covers courts for the Register about how confused I am about our justice system. Many times when he returns to the newsroom from a trial and announces the sentence, I simply shake my head at how little time violent people with guns or people who have committed violent acts get behind bars. I just dont get it and it seems to me as a reasonably intelligent adult, I shouldnt need a law degree to understand how sentencing works in our judicial system. The latest sentencing that has me confused and fuming is the sentence given to Natasha Figueroa, who stood by while two of her four daughters, ages 4 and 8, were burned and beaten and one raped by her then boyfriend, Michael Torres. The girls said they were beaten with broom handles and electrical cords. Of the two girls who were abused, the younger one had to have four of her fingertips amputated after undergoing multiple surgeries at the Burn Unit of Bridgeport Hospital. One of the girls said her mother held her feet while Torres held her over the stove and put her hand over the flame. Authorities described the apartment where Figueroa and Torres were living with five children as piled with garbage, vomit and urine and infested with bugs crawling up the walls. The two girls described eating out of the garbage while their parents had the good food. It is a pretty sad story and unfortunately, one filled with the horror of what many children in this state and millions nationwide are facing. But Figueroa was only charged with risk of injury to a minor and only sentenced to three years in jail. In case there is any confusion over what I just wrote, let me rewrite it: The mother who stood by and assisted her then boyfriend in holding two of her daughters hands over a fire on the kitchen stove, and then did not stop him from sexually assaulting one of her daughters, received a mere three years behind bars from a New Haven judge. Why? She cooperated with the prosecution and testified against Torres. Three years behind bars for listening to your own children scream in terror and pain while being beaten, burned and raped. Three years for breaking the sacred bond and trust that every child has with his or her mother. Three years for the permanent psychological damage these children who are in therapy will endure. It is enough to make me vomit on the steps of Superior Court. The judge described Torres, as evil and sentenced him to 60 years for the sexual crime. Torres also was sentenced to 28 years for assault, unlawful restraint and risk of injury to a minor for acts against the same young girl. There is no doubt that Torres is evil but why isnt the mother described the same way and why was her sentence as light as souffle? The persecutor asked the judge to impose a sentence against Torres that will keep this defendant from harming any other child. But what about the mother? Her children have been taken away and there is a protective order preventing her to have any contact with them but she is 31 and nothing can prevent her from having more children and allowing another boyfriend to abuse them. The mothers attorney defended her client by saying she also was a battered victim who had been physically abused through a series of relationships, particular Michael Torres. Well excuse me if I have no sympathy for her because she continues to pick the wrong man and please dont bother sending me a bunch of emails telling me how horrible I am to make that statement. The mother can run for help; she can call the police for help; she can turn to friends for help. The children are helpless. I may be confused as to how the judicial system works but I am never confused about the abuse children experience at the hands of adults. I was an abused child and I strongly feel the misery these children went through. I, too, remember being small and helpless while an adult raged war on my body. Decades later, the damage is still with me. And so likely it will be with the little girl as she grows and looks at her missing fingers and scarred skin and relives that forced sexual act again and again. Here in the United States, child protection agencies received more than 3.6 million referrals involving more than 6.6 million children in 2016. Up to seven children die every day from child abuse and neglect, the Washington-based Child Welfare Information Gateway reports. And childhelp.com calls child abuse in the US a hidden epidemic and widespread war against our children. But it seems not even in a court of law can they get the justice they deserve. Figueroa has been jailed since August 2015 and it is unclear if she has been released. But whether she is in jail or out, perhaps lawmakers can explain to the public the fickleness of the judicial system. I cant be the only one who is confused how something like this can happen. Sentencing? Where is the justice? 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 More: What is the 'brain-eating' amoeba that killed an N.J. surfer? Should you be worried? A 29-year-old surfer from Atlantic County has died of what's been described as a "brain-eating amoeba" after a visit to the wave pool of a Central Texas resort. Fabrizio Stabile, of Ventnor, had been in the pool at BSR Cable Park in Waco prior to his death at Atlantic City Medical Center on Sept. 21, The Associated Press reported. Stabile tested positive for Naegleria fowleri -- an amoeba that typically occurs in warm fresh water -- the day before his death, according to a GoFundMe page started by loved ones to create a foundation in his memory. Please donate and share. Going to say goodbye to a dear friend today. This has been the toughest week. One of the things... Posted by Toro Hongoshinban on Wednesday, September 26, 2018 When Stabile returned to New Jersey, the fundraiser's organizer wrote, he reported a sudden severe headache while mowing the lawn. It only got worse the next day, and when his mother went to check on him, he could not move or speak coherently, and he was rushed to an area hospital, where he was treated for symptoms of meningitis, according to the GoFundMe page. Stabile "had been tested for a multitude of illnesses caused by various bacteria and viruses, but the results were coming back negative or inconclusive," the GoFundMe page said. He finally tested positive for Naegleria fowleri on Thursday, Sept. 20, the day before he died. A heart of gold stopped beating, two shining eyes at rest, God broke our hearts to prove to us, He only takes the best.... Posted by Chelsea Lee on Thursday, September 27, 2018 Stabile's family and friends are hoping to raise awareness of the rare amoeba, which destroys brain tissue and has a fatality rate of more than 97 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "By the time Fabrizio was diagnosed, it was too late to administer the drug that had previously been provided to three of the only five known survivors in North America," page organizer Stephanie Papastephanou wrote. "Even so, this drug is not easily accessible." BSR Cable Park closed temporarily Friday while the CDC was conducting tests for the amoeba, the AP reported, and the water park's owner has said he will comply with further requests. Stabile's obituary says he was an "avid outdoorsman" who loved snowboarding and surfing, and his passion for nature led him to work for the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection, as well as Bass Pro Shops, an outdoor equipment shop in Atlantic City. "With great sadness and heavy hearts, we mourn the loss of a FAB-ulous associate," the shop said on Facebook. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Stabile family. Stabile's family has asked for donations to Swim Above Water Amoeba Awareness Foundation in his name in lieu of flowers. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Gianluca D'Elia may be reached at gdelia@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @gianluca_delia. Find NJ.com on Facebook. UPDATE: Investigators arrest driver in fatal Ridgewood hit-and-run Police in Bergen County announced an arrest Saturday in a fatal hit-and-run accident earlier this week in Ridgewood. "Thank you for your assistance in searching for the individual responsible for the hit-and-run fatality in Ridgewood on Monday night," A message Saturday on the Facebook page of the Bergen County Prosecutor said. "An arrest has been made." A phone call and email request for additional information from the prosecutor was not immediately returned Saturday evening. NorthJersey.com and NBC4 identified the man as Raphael Ramos, 47, of Midland Park, citing the prosecutor's office. The reports said Ramos was a United States Postal Service mail carrier. ***Update on Ridgewood hit-and-run investigation.*** Thank you for your assistance in searching for the individual... Posted by Bergen County Prosecutor's Office on Saturday, September 29, 2018 Edward Rao, 54, of Hawthorne, was hit around 7:20 p.m. Monday and was found lying on West Ridgewood Avenue near Library Place. The driver fled the scene. Rao was taken to St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson and was pronounced dead. Authorities shared three surveillance video clips of an SUV that killed Rao and asked the public for help in identifying the driver. Bill Duhart may be reached at bduhart@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bduhart. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips A Bergen County man is now facing charges of leaving the scene of a deadly collision in Ridgewood Monday night, authorities said Saturday. Raphael Ramos, 47 (police photo) Raphael Ramos, 47, of Midland Park, was arrested Saturday in the crash that killed Hawthorne resident Edward Rao, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement. Ramos is a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier, authorities said. Ridgewood police officers found Rao, 54, when they responded at 7:20 p.m. to a report of a pedestrian lying on West Ridgewood Avenue near Library Place with serious injuries. Rao was rushed to St. Joseph's Medical Center, and pronounced dead at the hospital, investigators said. Surveillance footage from the area showed the vehicle that struck Rao as a dark-colored Chevrolet Trailblazer, a four-door SUV. The SUV continued to drive westbound on West Ridgewood Avenue toward Midland Park. An obituary for Rao says he grew up in Ridgewood and owned businesses in town, including Rao Landscaping, Arctic Plowing and Country Bagel and Muffin. He was also a real estate agent. The obituary said Rao is survived by his wife Virginia and his children, Rachel Flores and Edward J. Rao II, Veronica Rao and Vincent Rao; his grandson, Anthony Flores; his brother Vincent P. Rao II; his sister-in-law Andrea Fortunato; and his nieces Sabrina, Tiffany, Isabella and Hartley. Ramos is being held in the Bergen County Jail, awaiting a court appearance on Monday. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney who could comment on the charges. Gianluca D'Elia may be reached at gdelia@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @gianluca_delia. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Saturday Night Live opened its 44th season with Matt Damon shouting his way through a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing as U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. The late-night show's 13-minute sketch Saturday night came two days after a lengthy hearing that saw testimony by both Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, a California research professor who has accused the federal appeals court judge of sexually assaulting her in high school. "He let his anger flare repeatedly, interrupted his questioners and cried several times during his opening statement," the Associated Press said Friday of the hearing. "She strived to remain calm and polite, despite her nervousness, and mostly held back her tears." Matt Damon just crushed it on SNL. That was hilarious. Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) September 30, 2018 SNL's cold open rolled with that imagery. "I'm going to tell you this," Damon, as Kavanaugh, shouted, at the beginning of his statement. "I'm going to start at an 11, and I'm going to take it to a 15 real quick." "This is my speech, mine," he continued. "I wrote it last night while screaming into an empty bag of Doritos." As he held up a vintage monthly calendar with plans scribbled throughout -- a spitting image of the one provided by the real Kavanaugh to the Senate committee as an alibi -- the live audience lost it. "I've got these calendars," Damon said, voice breaking. "These beautiful, creepy calendars." Several SNL cast members played out significant moments from the hearing, with New Jersey's own Sen. Corey Booker, played by Chris Redd, making what he called "the Booker look." Damon kept his performance at a fever pitch through the very end of the sketch. "If you think I'm angry now, wait till I get on that Supreme Court, because then you're all going to pay," he said. With that, he shotgunned a can of water and introduced the show. The sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh are now the subject of an FBI background investigation, a condition of Republican Sen. Jeff Flake's vote to advance the judge's nomination to the full Senate. The White House has ordered the agency to complete the investigation within one week. The Associated Press contributed to this report A whistleblower lawsuit filed by Newark's former corporation counsel last year could cost city taxpayers another $325,000 in legal fees -- which includes maintaining the high-profile Bridgegate lawyer hired to represent Mayor Ras Baraka. The City Council recently approved a second contract for Michael Critchley's firm, Critchley, Kinum and DeNoia, for up to $125,000. Critchley represented Bridget Anne Kelly in the Bridgegate trial. Willie Parker, the city's ex-top attorney, sued the city, Baraka and other high-ranking officials last year, alleging he was fired in retaliation for not backing a multi-million dollar development deal. Parker claimed the development contract -- a $65 million public works project now under construction --- benefitted private interests at the expense of citizens. A city spokesman said the city does not comment on pending litigation. City officials have previously said in a statement that Parker was fired because he was not properly supervising attorneys and over rumors he was having inappropriate relationships with other staff members. Parker's attorney has refuted those claims. The council last week also greenlit another $125,000 for Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith and Davis to represent chief of staff Amiri "Middy" Baraka (the mayor's brother) and up to $75,000 for Tompkins, McGuire, Wachenfeld and Barry to represent former Business Administrator Jack Kelly and Personnel Director Kecia Daniels. All three contracts run from Aug. 1 through July 31, 2019. Last October, the council approved $325,000 for all three firms to represent the parties in the case. A city official previously said it made sense to have different firms given the scope of the claims. Parker, who served as general counsel from February 2015 to March 2017, said the city began negotiating the development contract at the core of the case in August 2016, according to the lawsuit. He allegedly refused to sign off on the project due to a provision that would cause the city to lose money while benefitting private interests. City officials said the project on 52-90 Amsterdam Street, which is backed by Goldman Sachs, remains under construction. But it's been entangled in other legal issues. After the Parker lawsuit, one of the principals in the company that owns the land was charged in an unrelated $5 million mortgage fraud scheme involving other properties in the city. Victor Santos, the real estate investor charged in the scheme, stepped down from the project but has contested the allegations. His case is ongoing. Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook. JERSEY CITY A day filled with face-paint, books, balloons, and a couple of television stars made some local children's Saturday. HGTV's Kitchen Cousins -- Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri -- came through to Talde, an Asian-American restaurant and bar in Downtown Jersey City, to read their new children's book, "What Can You Do With A Toolbox." The television personalities also signed copies for parents and children who attended the Books & Brunch event. The book, which was published in late August, strives to bring knowledge on how to use tools in a colorful and education way to its younger audience. Those who would like to purchase a copy of the book may visit http://www.simonandschuster.com/. Click on the photo gallery above for a look back at the event. A re-enactor fires his musket during a presentation at Washington Crossing State Park. The state DEP is asking for $8 million for a new interpretive center. (Star-Ledger file photo) By Mark Di Ionno | NJ Advance Media America's 250th birthday is coming, and guess who isn't on the "A" list? Us. New Jersey. The Crossroads of the Revolution. A state rich in Revolutionary War history -- and the poorest in promoting it. The United States Semiquincentennial Commission formed earlier this year includes four senators, four members of the House, 16 private citizens, a chairman and an executive director. Thirteen states are represented, including eight of the original 13 colonies. Don't Edit Nicole Basile, of Somerville, fires a rifle during training during Revolutionary War Days at the Red Mill Museum Village in Clinton in 2014. (Star-Ledger file photo) Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts and Virginia have a voice. Of course. We all learn about the Declaration of Independence, Saratoga, Bunker Hill and, ultimately, Yorktown. Fair enough. New Jersey? We had the battles at Trenton and Princeton, which changed the course of the Revolution, the largest man-for-man battle at Monmouth, the hardest winter (Jockey Hollow), the iron industry put the muscle in the army, the first officers training school (Pluckemin), the place where Washington wrote his farewell to arms (Rockingham). And on and on. What we dont have is a voice on the national commission. Don't Edit Revolutionary War re-enactments take place yearly at Monmouth Battlefield, Trenton and Jockey Hollow as well as other New Jersey history sites. (Star-Ledger file photo) The one Jersey guy on the commission is executive director Frank Giordano, who came to South Jersey by way of South Philly and is a graduate of Rutgers-Camden. But he is still a Philadelphia guy; CEO and president of Philly POPS and, as his orchestra bio says, a fixture in Philadelphias leadership circles (who) serves on the boards of many meaningful and impactful organizations. In Philadelphia. Don't Edit One of the galleries housing part of the Kels Swan collection of Revolutionary War items at the Washington Crossing State Park Visitor Center Museum, one of the richest private Revolutionary War collections in the world. (Star-Ledger file photo) These are appointed positions, said Jim Campi of the American Battlefield Trust in Washington, which is helping administrate the commissions work. He did not know if any of New Jerseys people in Congress asked to be appointed. This is always scary. One motto of the Revolution was, No Taxation without Representation. Flip that one around. Without representation, New Jersey might get the short end of the federal dollars stick. Don't Edit Jim Gibson of Fallsington, Pennsylvania, portrays George Washington at the annual Christmas re-enactment of the crossing of the Delaware. (Star-Ledger file photo) As that great Jerseyan Yogi Berra once said, Its like deja vu all over again. Lets flash back to the bicennential. Actually, 20 years before. Thats when the smart people of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, created a heritage tourism plan around Valley Forge. With a $1 million state investment, the Valley Forge Convention and Visitors Bureau was formed. Long story short, 2.2 million people visited Valley Forge last year, spending $40.1 million. Lump in Philadelphia, and Revolutionary War tourism is a $1.5 billion business in southeast Pennsylvania. Here in New Jersey, we prepared for 1976 by putting up a couple of dozen signs outside places of significance. They were tin, with some kind of plastic weathering. You get what you pay for. Morristown National Historical Park the nations first history park and equally relevant as Valley Forge, drew 268,000 annual visitors. Many are daily users. Joggers. Dog walkers. Don't Edit Don't Edit The bust of George Washington at Morristown National Historical Park. (Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) In August, Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation to establish an American Revolution program, with a $500,000 annual appropriation up until 2026. Its a good start. Except the state Department of Environmental Protection is requesting $34.2 million for historic site repair and development over the next seven years, including $8 million alone for an interpretive center at Washington Crossing State Park. Any ambitious tourism program will be undermined if the parks are a wreck. Don't Edit Legendary re-enactor Bill Chemerka, of Barnegat,speaks to visitors during Revolutionary War Days at the Red Mill Museum Village. (Star-Ledger file photo) A few weeks ago, on a Sunday, I went to Fort Lee state park, on the site overrun by the British, which began Washingtons retreat across New Jersey. Almost no one was there, even with the stunning views of the GWB and Manhattan. The restrooms in the picnic grove were closed. The wood exterior of main building was rotting. The inside was dated. Don't Edit Revolutionary War field medicine tools displayed at Oxford during a celebration of New Jersey history. (Star-Ledger file photo) Ive been writing about the disrepair of our state Revolutionary War sites for 20 years. Nothing changes. We have no heritage tourism infrastructure. Trenton has been paved over. Monmouth is underutilized. Princeton needs a real interpretive center. And if it wasnt for a $4 million infusion from the American Battlefield Trust, much of the Princeton Battlefield would have been plowed over. We see the story of Trenton and Princeton as critical, Campi said. And the Princeton Battlefield can be the jewel. We are working on an interpretive plan right now. Don't Edit Re-enactors line up for tourists at one of many New Jersey Revolutionary War sites. (Star-Ledger file photo) There is nothing but a monument and two plaques in Ocean and Atlantic counties to commemorate the Jersey privateers attacks on British supply ships, making it impossible for them to sustain their army in Philadelphia. As long as Ive been writing this column, there have been studies, and promises, and funding schemes to boost heritage tourism. The gains are incremental, not monumental. The 250th Anniversary of this nation is eight years away. It will go by quicker than you think and if the state doesn't act with a real plan and real money, another chance for a good investment in state pride and heritage tourism will be lost. The state is leaving money on the table for other places. Pennsylvania and New York have representation on the new USA 250th Commission. We don't. In some ways, we haven't earned it. Don't Edit READ MORE FROM MARK Di IONNO How the Watchung Mountains won the Revolution A shocking murder. A haunted house. All part of N.J. history Don't Edit Don't Edit Mark Di Ionno may be reached at mdiionno@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarkDiIonno. Find NJ.com on Facebook. On the way into the Statehouse Thursday, I passed a table manned by some pleasant people who were handing out literature calling for the state to adopt a $15-an-hour minimum wage. As a conservative Republican, I don't like the idea of a $15 minimum wage. But I don't make the laws. The Democrats do that. They control both houses of the Legislature as well as the Governor's Office. And if they're going to adopt a $15-an-hour wage, as Gov. Phil Murphy has promised, they'd better do everything they can to encourage businesses to start up. Earlier in the week, the state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control did the opposite. It cracked down on one of the only industries in the state that's booming. That's the microbrew industry. In other states, microbreweries were permitted to sell directly to consumers. But in New Jersey, they were required to go through wholesalers. That greatly restricted the trade, and in 2012 the Legislature passed a law that permitted them to sell beer directly to customers. Things were going fine until last week when the director of the state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, Dave Rible, issued reams of new regulations designed to crack down on competition. Why? Yoga nights, that's why. I'm not kidding. Among the sins committed by the entrepreneurs who invest a small fortune in their start-ups is that they promote too many "on-site activities, such as trivia night, paint and sip, live music, live sporting events and yoga night," Rible said in a letter posted on the ABC website. I called Rible, a former Republican assemblyman from Monmouth County who is a holdover from the Christie years, to ask him what the problem is with yoga night. Has the ABC been getting complaints that people are trying to drink beer while standing on their heads? He didn't get back to me, but that's okay. I know the problem. It's those darned stakeholders. For a bureaucrat, "stakeholder" is the weasel word of all weasel words. It permits the bureaucrat to cater to a number of people whose interests are more important than the interests of us regular citizens. In the case of the 88 microbreweries that have gotten limited brewery licenses since 2012, my interest as a beer-drinker lies in having access to good beer at the lowest price at the most locations. The interests of Rible's "stakeholders" are the exact opposite. These are the bar owners and the beer distributors who, with the brewers, make up the "three-tier system." They want to restrict competition to a minimal number of locations while jacking up the price as much as they can. Rible's on their side. (This isn't the first time a Christie-appointed ABC director has intervened to protect vested interests.) "I cannot overlook the fact that the primary purpose of a Limited Brewery License is the manufacture of malt alcoholic beverages and the distribution of these products through the three-tier system, not the operation of a retail outlet for its products," he wrote. Nice try, but of course he can overlook it. Under current law, the brewpubs can sell beer directly to consumers as long as they give a brewery tour. In other words, they can point to the brewing tanks and say "That's how we make the beer." Even Cuba is freer than New Jersey: A beer vending machine on the streets of Havana The good news is that Rible's edict met swift opposition from both Republican and Democratic legislators. When I talked with Senate minority leader Tom Kean Jr. on the Senate floor, he said the Legislature needs to do more to promote small breweries rather than crack down on them. "I hope they will soon see the error of their ways. This makes no sense," the Union County Republican said of the ABC. "They're really stifling a burgeoning industry. Any time government sends a message like this that you can't grow organically in the state, it sends the wrong message." Over in the Assembly chambers, I ran into John Burzichelli, a Democrat from Gloucester County who's deputy speaker. He's been leading the charge to reform New Jersey's archaic system of alcoholic beverage laws. "This is just another example of a new business trying to fit into a structure that is antiquated and dates back to Prohibition," he said. "The structure of our liquor laws does not serve the interests of the people of New Jersey." Burzichelli's pushing a bill that would permit restaurants to get beer-and-wine licenses. Currently it can cost a restaurant as much as a million dollars to get a liquor license. Till now, the liquor lobby has been successful in squashing any competition. But Burzichelli, who comes from the same district as powerful Senate President Steve Sweeney , said that needs to change. "It's not 1937 anymore," he said. No, it's not. "I get up with butterflies," the Right Rev. Carlyle J. Hughes admitted. "This is a fun time for me. ... There is a lot of excitement." It is understandable because she was elected on May 19 as the 11th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark on the first ballot and consecrated at NJPAC last weekend as the first woman and African American to serve as bishop of this diocese. At 51, the former corporate trainer will have to summon all her past experience to shepherd her 26,000 parishioners in 98 parishes over most of northern New Jersey to take ownership of a new way of being an Episcopalian in the 21st century. "I also have 200 priests to get to know quickly," she said. "And to build relationships among churches, clergy and lay leaders." Hughes' vision of the diocese is "as a hub and network of support for those seeking a loving, compassionate, and just way of life." She harkened back to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s idea of the "Beloved Community." "God has created and called us to be loving, compassionate and deeply spiritual beings who thrive in Beloved Community," she said. The most novel ceremony over several days of celebrations was a Mass in Jersey City's Ferris Triangle Park, across from Triangle Park Community Center at 247 Old Bergen Road last Sunday. There, Hughes presided and preached at the outdoor service for the combined Jersey City Episcopal congregations: Grace Church Van Vorst in the Downtown section, St. Paul's on Duncan Avenue and Incarnation a few blocks away. About 200 people packed under two tents prayed with the new bishop. The Jersey City churches, she said, have been looking to do ministry in Greenville, a section of the city where there is no Episcopal presence. They had held programs at the nearby community center. At the end of the 20th century, the diocese was considering opening a new church in Greenville with insurance funds from the shuttered and fire-damaged Ascension Church in the Heights. Hughes acknowledged that there has been conversation about this but said she needs to look into it more. Plus, I think she is overwhelmed with the prospects of leading one of the most progressive dioceses in their communion. One of the previous bishops was the intellectual firebrand, John Shelby Spong, who took no prisoners. And the Episcopal Church in the U.S. split over stands on women priests, homosexuality and lots of other liberal changes. And Newark was a leading liberal bastion. As a result, many local churches throughout the country aligned with more traditional Anglican dioceses in Africa. The rifts have not been healed yet. Hughes' home diocese in Texas is one that split. A life-long Episcopalian, Hughes was born Tulsa, Oklahoma, and raised in Fort Worth, Texas. She earned a B.A. in drama from the University of Texas in Austin, and for 20 years she made her home in New York City while pursuing a career in human resources as a corporate trainer, mostly in the hotel industry. She attended Virginia Theological seminary, earning a Master of Divinity in 2005. After a Lilly Fellowship at St. James' Church in New York City, she was called to serve as rector first at St. Peter's Church in Peekskill, New York, and most recently at Trinity Church in Fort Worth The Episcopalians allow their priests to apply for the post of bishop wherever a vacancy opens up in the U.S. Hughes applied for the Newark opening because, she said, in Newark "they had a web presence and a sense of call." She said she sensed they were dealing with the question, "What would the church look like next?" She knows that means bringing more people in the doors of their churches and also liked the idea of "going local," which means what is happening in our neighborhoods with our neighbors. Her chief consecrator was the the Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, who was elected to that office in 2015 for a single nine-year term. He also made history at the first Black to be presiding bishop. He caught the world's attention when he preached at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on May 19 - just a few hours before Hughes was elected. Hughes is married to David Smedley and they have a dog, Abbey. Hughes had spent the two weeks before her consecration meeting and talking with many people and she has found them "warm and welcoming." "I send a big thank you to Newark," she said. And if she succeeds, as many think she will, they will be grateful to the 1,109th bishop in the U.S. Episcopal Church. EDITOR'S NOTE: The Rev. Alexander Santora is the pastor of Our Lady of Grace and St. Joseph, 400 Willow Ave., Hoboken, 07030, FAX: 201-659-5833; Email: padrealex@yahoo.com; Twitter: @padrehoboken. A public apology and request for forgiveness has become a standard mode of operation for far too many people attempting to placate the public after damaging their brand or image with inappropriate comments or actions. I have seen this all my life, and I am tired of it. I believe in forgiveness, but the offender must demonstrate sincerity and some effort to change. That effort certainly seems to be lacking in two separate, but similar, recent incidents. First, Holtec International CEO Kris Singh stereotyped the entire City of Camden, making bigoted -- although not racist -- comments regarding residents who sought to work for his company, which is now headquartered in the city. Second, racist remarks made by Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino were released to the public. Saudino has since resigned from his elected post. I cannot accept an apology from someone who shows me that it is merely an apology of convenience. I must accept them and respond to them as they really are. It is better to be fully aware of someone's bigoted or racist views in order to defend and protect one's family and interests. Singh was quoted as stating, "They (city residents Holtec hires as temporary employees) don't show up for work. They can't stand getting up in the morning and coming to work every single day. They haven't done it and they don't see their parents do it. Of course, some of them get into drugs and things. So it's difficult." I would like to let the CEO know that people lacking a strong work ethic can be found in every community, city and nation, including his native Republic of India. I invite Singh to meet me in downtown Camden any workday morning and see all the residents driving to work, walking to jobs at Cooper University Hospital, or going to the Walter Rand Transportation Center to catch a bus or train to their employer. Then, we could meet any Saturday morning directly in front of City Hall, so he can observe what drug addiction looks like in Holtec's back yard. He will see that a majority of addicts coming into Camden for drug treatment appear to be young, white suburbanites. From my perspective, there was no need for Singh to apologize for his apparently honest, yet misguided, beliefs regarding Camden's mainly black and Latino residents. I now know who he is. I hope he enjoys the $260 million state tax break that Holtec received to move to Camden. I wish I could get similar credits for my business interests, but I do not even qualify for the Homestead Property Tax Credit on my residence. The state has determined that my income is too high, although I suspect my earnings pale in comparison to Singh's. Singh's comments are practically inconsequential compared to those made by the former Bergen sheriff. I will summarize what Saudino was caught on tape saying: He questioned the sexual orientation of Lt. Gov. Shelia Oliver, as if it was any of his business. He said that state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal -- a Sikh who seems to be a favorite target of those spewing hate -- was appointed by the governor only "because of the turban." Saudino also remarked that Gov. Phil Murphy, a backer of marijuana law reforms, was letting "the blacks" smoke "their" marijuana and do whatever they want at the expense of law-enforcement personnel. Try to look at this from the perspective of minority residents. The sheriff was in office for eight years, first as a Republican but as a Democrat since 2016. He held immense political power, and great authority in the criminal justice system of the state's largest-population county. It's rather unreasonable for anyone to believe that Saudino brought a fair and impartial approach to his duties after hearing his tirade. I agree wholeheartedly with Attorney General Grewal's statement that it is extremely disturbing that a roomful of people heard Saudino's comments and said nothing to dispute them. After the comments became public, numerous elected officials ran to denounce him, but in a sanitized way. Friends and peers said Saudino's words "did not reflect American values" or that the remarks did not come from "the sheriff that they knew." Some buffered their description of the comments as "abhorrent and unbecoming" by expressing "disappointment" with someone they thought was "an honorable man." Leave it to State Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, to state the obvious clearly: "The racist, homophobic and derogatory words employed by Sheriff Saudino are a highly offensive assault on the principles of respect and decency that are a vital part of American society... ." This Senate leader was one of a very few unafraid to make it plain, and call it as it is. I do not believe it is a coincidence that Weinberg, who likely has faced a lifetime of negative experiences based on her gender, found so little company in speaking the truth. Milton W. Hinton Jr. is director of equal opportunity for the Gloucester County government. He is past president of the Gloucester County Branch NAACP. His column states his personal views, not those of any organization or agency. Email: mwhjr678@gmail.com. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. Three people were stabbed after a fight broke out in Paterson early Sunday morning, investigators said. The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office, in a statement, said Paterson police were dispatched to East 25th Street just before 3 a.m. after receiving reports of a fight underway. Upon arrival, officers found a 40-year-old Paterson man suffering from a stab wound. The man was taken to Saint Joseph's Regional Medical Center, where police then received reports of two more patients -- a 25-year-old Paterson resident and a 30-year-old Woodland Park man -- who had received stab wounds during the same altercation. The second and third victims appeared to have arrived at the hospital in private vehicles, the prosecutor's office said. All of the victims' injuries were determined to be non life-threatening, according to investigators. No arrests have been made in the case, the prosecutor's office said, and an investigation into the fight is ongoing. The prosecutor's office has asked anyone with information about the stabbings to call 1-877-370-PCPO or send an email to tips@passaiccountynj.org. They may also contact the Paterson Major Crimes Unit at 973-321-1120. Paige Gross may be reached at pgross@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @By_paigegross. A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit that was brought against the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office after deputies shot and killed a burglary suspect in 2015. U.S. District Court Judge Ivan Lemelle issued the ruling Friday (Sept. 28) in the $2 million suit Richard Greenwood filed in the death of his son, Darien Greenwood, 30, of Covington. Lemelle ruled the deputies acted reasonably during a "tense and rapidly evolving situation" in which the suspect "apparently resisted to the bitter end." A homeowner spotted Greenwood and another man leaving his home on Oct. 20 and notified authorities. Deputies stopped the suspects' vehicle and the two men ran. One suspect was captured, but Greenwood evaded deputies for several hours before being found hiding in a barn-like structure in the area of Little Creek Road and Armel Road, north of Mandeville. The Sheriff's Office said at the time that Sgt. Robert Edwards and Deputy Ronald Olivier shot Greenwood after he lunged at a deputy and stabbed a police dog named Thor. The Coroner's Office determined Greenwood was shot seven times and had multiple dog bites. Thor, a Belgian malinois, survived after undergoing emergency surgery. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Richard Greenwood filed the lawsuit in June 2016 against then-sheriff Jack Strain, the Sheriff's Office and the deputies involved, claiming the deputies used excessive force. But Judge Lemelle ruled the deputies' actions were appropriate. "The undisputed facts show that defendants reasonably believed that Darien's threatened use of a knife up against Sgt. Edwards posed a significant threat of death or bodily injury." The ruling said the plaintiffs did not provide facts to support claims of a deputy conspiracy to cover up facts and circumstances surrounding the shooting. The lawsuit also noted a Sheriff's Office policy regarding internal investigations after any deputy-involved shooting. The policy said, "During the internal investigation, the department will do everything in its power to avoid placement of any negative stigma on the deputy," which the suit described as "biased, self-serving and void of due process." Lemelle wrote that the plaintiffs were correct to question the policy. However, he said, "Equally compelling is the defendants' response that the post-shooting investigation was a criminal investigation that could not start with presumptive guilt of involved personnel." In a statement, the Sheriff's Office said Friday, "While this incident occurred under the prior administration, Sheriff (Randy) Smith has always believed that the actions of the deputies on the scene that day were both lawful and appropriate given the circumstances." A day after one Mississippi police department lost two officers in a shootout, another Mississippi law enforcement officer has been killed, according to a report by the Clarion Ledger. Off-duty Trooper Kenneth Joshlin "Josh" Smith, 32, of Walnut, was fatally shot early Sunday (Sept. 30) in northern Mississippi. Smith and another gunshot victim were found at approximately 12:45 a.m. by state troopers and local law enforcement agencies responding to a call, the story said. The other gunshot victim was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries, but Smith was pronounced dead on the scene. Law enforcement apprehended Troy Anthony Eaton, 43, of Rienzi, hours after the shooting. UPDATE: Both teens have returned home and are in good health, police said Monday morning (Oct. 1). New Orleans police are asking the public for help in finding 16-year-old Aaliyah Coulter and 14-year-old Bridget Coulter, after they were reported missing from their Algiers home Friday (Sept. 28). The girls were last seen around 1 p.m. Friday when they left the home in the 700 block of Hebert Street without permission. The juveniles have not been seen or heard from since, authorities said. Bridget Coulter has auburn hair and is about 5-feet-5-inches tall and about 150 pounds, authorities said. She was last seen wearing a T-shirt, pants and red shoes. Aaliyah has black hair and is about 5 feet 1 inch tall and 100 pounds. She was last seen wearing a blue dress. Police ask that anyone who encounters the juveniles notify Fourth District detectives at 504-658-6040. Opinion by Demario Davis and Benjamin Watson For too many people in New Orleans, the difference between spending the night in jail or in their home comes down to what's in their wallet. If it's $100, they're usually not so lucky. If it's $10,000, they will likely sleep in their own bed. This is the flawed money bond policy that tarnishes New Orleans' criminal justice system, and as professional athletes (and owners) with a platform, we are joining the movement - supported by people of all sides -- to end it. We witnessed the bail system's cruelty during our recent "Listen and Learn Tour" in New Orleans, where we watched bail hearings at the Criminal District Court of New Orleans. Hearings went too fast. Many people charged with crimes seemed confused as to what was happening. The judge uniformly set high bails, even for a person charged with drug possession. He knew many could not pay these bails, because the public defender in the room told him how little money each had. It did not matter. We knew that person after person would sit in jail because they lacked money to purchase their freedom. We felt overwhelming sadness walking out of that courthouse. We bore witness to how money bail separated fathers and mothers from children because of poverty. Both would suffer. And we felt anger watching so many in shackles processed through the system in rapid succession, accused, but not convicted of a crime. And we felt relief. There by the grace of God go I. Not only does the system punish poverty, it is also rigged. In New Orleans, people pay $6.4 million to the money bail system. Of that, $4.7 million goes to commercial bail bond companies, to whom families pay a percentage of the set bail in exchange for the company's promise to pay the rest if the individual charged doesn't show up to court. Those companies never pay it back, even if the person always shows up to court, even when the case resolves, even if the person is innocent. Black people pay most of that money. Those who benefit claim this is necessary to protect public safety or get people to court, but both of those claims are wrong. Data shows that an overwhelming majority of people released pretrial without posting bail come to court and are not rearrested for any other crimes. In 2015, 88 percent of people released pretrial without posting bail made all court appearances as required and none were rearrested. And bail has nothing to do with public safety. In our money bail system, a rich person can buy his way out, even if he is accused of murder or a massive financial crime, cheating the country out of millions. But if you possess a joint and are poor, you will sit in jail. This is not about safety. It is about a rigged system based on money. Bail does, however, accelerate poverty and cost taxpayers money. In 2015, New Orleans spent $6.4 million to keep people in jail who couldn't pay their bond. That money could have been used to fund our struggling educational system, to support job training, or provide affordable housing - all things that keep people out of jail. Other effects are just as costly. In New Orleans, 85 percent of the people arrested are too poor to hire a lawyer. If they cobble together money to pay the bondsmen, they go deeper into debt. If they sit in jail, they lose their jobs, and then maybe their homes. Their children suffer the trauma and stress of weeks without a parent. Partners and other family members are left scrambling to pick up the pieces in their absence. It does not have to be this way. Places across the country, from Washington, D.C., which does not use a money bail system, to Chicago, to New Jersey are slowly but surely making massive changes. And prosecutors, including those present in the court we watched, could stop asking for high bail amounts. They can be part of the solution, not an opponent of smart change. Money bond has never made New Orleans safer, and it never will. It's time to end money bail. Demario Davis and Benjamin Watson play for the New Orleans Saints and are task force members of the Players Coalition A 16-year-old boy was killed in a single-vehicle crash early Sunday (Sept. 30) in Belle Rose, near Donaldsonville, according to Louisiana State Police. The victim was identified as Tre'Sean Jackson of Donaldsonville. Jackson was a passenger in a pickup traveling on Louisiana 1 just south of Louisiana 999 around 12 a.m. The driver, 17-year-old Kayvon Harris, also of Donaldsonville, lost control of the 1995 Chevrolet Silverado and ran off of the road to the left, police said. The truck rolled over several times, before hitting a residence and coming to rest on its roof. Neither of the teens was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, police said. Harris was ejected and suffered moderate injuries that were treated at a Baton Rouge hospital. Jackson suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene. Impairment is unknown as a factor in the crash, authorities said. Harris submitted a blood sample for toxicology testing and the results are pending through the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab. ALLENTOWN, PA. --Three men, one of whom might have included the perpetrator, are confirmed dead in a car explosion Saturday evening in Allentown, authorities said Sunday afternoon. The explosion happened shortly after 9:30 p.m. on the 700 block of West Turner Street -- a block from the PPL Center and two blocks from Hamilton Street, a popular downtown dining area. Multiple witnesses told WFMZ-69 News there appeared to be more than one person in the car when it exploded. Residents told various media outlets they heard a loud booming sound and felt buildings shaking around the time of the blast. An NBC viewer shared a video of the aftermath which showed a car engulfed in flames, as well as what appeared to be body parts on the ground. The Allentown Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, FBI agents, the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office, the Lehigh County Homicide Task Force, the Lehigh County Coroner's Office and Pennsylvania State Police continue to investigate the blast. During a Sunday afternoon press conference, authorities provided little information about what led to the explosion. Officials expect to release more information during a second news conference tentatively scheduled for Monday morning in Allentown. Allentown car explosion 'no longer threat to public safety,' FBI says Lehigh County coroner Scott Grim said authorities are withholding the identities of the deceased, including one person whom they believe is the person who committed the crime, until next of kin have been notified. Grim said an autopsy is planned Monday to determine the exact cause and manner of death for each person. "We know there's been a criminal incident," Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said. "We have a high degree of confidence that the perpetrator was probably killed (in the blast)." Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Martin also said there's a high degree of confidence that "A. This is an isolated incident and B. There's no continuing threat as a result of it." Allentown police said a portion of the roadway between Sixth to Ninth streets and Chew to Linden streets will remain closed as a result of the investigation. Martin asked for neighbors to continue to be patient as authorities continue to investigate. "It's going to be inconvenient for the people who live in that area, surrounding that area, until the ATF and everybody is able to collect the evidence and lead us to hopefully concluding this ... we're asking for the public's cooperation," Martin said. A shelter was opened up Sunday morning for residents displaced by the blast at Cleveland Elementary School. By noon, an estimated dozen people came and went from the shelter, said Dave Skutnik, regional director of communications for the Red Cross. A second shelter was opening Sunday evening at the East Side Youth Center, 1140 E. Clair St. Allentown Police Chief Tony Alsleben said additional victims and witnesses continue to be interviewed. There was high police activity Sunday afternoon in the vicinity of North Lumber and Chew streets -- just blocks away from the scene of the explosion. Authorities did not release information if the activity at that scene was related to Saturday's blast. The chief added the FBI and the ATF are taking the lead on the investigation. "We'll be here as long as it takes," said Steve McQueen, acting assistant special agent in charge for the FBI Philadelphia office. Inscribed copies of Bill Duncans book are still available from his wife, Ada Duncan, at 541-673-1073 as well as at While Away Books Al Walker is a retired solar contractor who has taught solar and energy efficiency design classes at UCC. Currently a member of Douglas County Smart Energy, he led the Green and Solar Tour for 8 years. This column is a monthly feature of Douglas County Smart Energy, a project of the Douglas County Global Warming Coalition. For more information on energy efficiency and renewable energy, visit dcsmartenergy.org. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts declared on Saturday that she would take a hard look at running for the White House in 2020 once the midterm elections are over, and called on the country to elect a female president to fix the broken government in Washington. Ms. Warren made the announcement during a town-hall meeting in Holyoke, Mass., where she was decrying President Trump and Senate Republicans for digging in behind Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, the embattled Supreme Court nominee who has been accused of sexual assault. She described the hearings as a spectacle of powerful men helping a powerful man make it to an even more powerful position. I watched that and I thought: times up, Ms. Warren said, according to a transcript and video of her remarks provided by an aide. Its time for women to go to Washington and fix our broken government, and that includes a woman at the top. She continued, So heres what I promise: After Nov. 6, I will take a hard look at running for president. Irans foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said on Saturday that Tehran was closing in on an agreement to sell oil to European nations despite American threats of sanctions against any countries that do business with Iran. If the arrangement comes to fruition some British and French officials say they have their doubts it would constitute the most open break between President Trump and European allies that objected vociferously to his decision to pull out of the 2015 nuclear deal. Several of those nations openly confronted Mr. Trump on Wednesday, when he led a United Nations Security Council meeting about weapons of mass destruction. They argued that he was throwing away the best chance the world has to keep Iran from building nuclear weapons in coming years. In an hourlong conversation with reporters, Mr. Zarif, who negotiated the nuclear accord with John Kerry, who was then the secretary of state, sounded far more optimistic than he had in recent months that he could peel away Americas traditional allies to break Mr. Trumps effort to cut off Irans revenues. Mr. Walker said they arrive at his Westminster office in paper stacks dozens at a time, sometimes just before the Christmas holiday. Then the clock starts ticking: 56 days until, in the absence of an objection from the council, the phone company has the right to start work. Establishing credible objections is a laborious process, forcing planners to solicit input from nearby businesses and traffic specialists. The phone companies often promise to remove two 1990s-era boxes for every new one they add, but Mr. Walker said Westminster did not want any, period. Matthew Carmona, a professor of planning and urban design at University College London, said the situation has, in a way, caught policymakers by surprise. After removing phone boxes that fell into disuse with the rise of mobile phones, he said, the phone companies have realized they can make money from them in a different way, and in doing that they can bypass any regulations. The spread of the phone boxes has also exposed the drawbacks of Londons fragmented planning system. Accommodations for the visually impaired, for example, differ in each of Londons boroughs. Sarah Gaventa, a former design adviser to the British government, said a public art project she was working on had required dozens of applications to seven different local authorities, a barrier that she said did not exist in other major European cities. Film: Mary Elizabeth Winstead in All About Nina Sept. 28. Think of the milestones that could have been achieved the cure for cancer or solving the energy crisis or even world peace if only men could keep it in their pants. And thats just the starting point for Nina (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a New York stand-up comedian who caps her raunch-riddled, take-no-prisoners routines with stress vomiting, anonymous sex and getting knocked around by the married cop (Chace Crawford) shes seeing. But after he bangs up her face one too many times in Eve Vivess All About Nina, opening Friday, Sept. 28, Nina sets off for Los Angeles, where a tryout for a Saturday Night Live-esque comedy show awaits. During a club set, she brashly announces that she doesnt date she has sex. Then Rafe (Common) walks up and asks: What would you like? What do you want? Hes not merely inquiring about her drink order. Ms. Winstead killing it burrows into pain and rage like a run-amok tap root while proving that women can be funny too. Common sizzling and sensitive reveals himself a leading man. And if their romance initially borders on the fairy-tale, just wait until you get to the punch line. KATHRYN SHATTUCK Nearly a thousand people are dead in Indonesia after a powerful earthquake and tsunami. The toll doubled over the weekend to 832 and is expected to rise further as rescuers comb through the rubble on the remote eastern island of Sulawesi. Nearly 17,000 people were left homeless in the main city, Palu, after an 18-foot wave destroyed the island on Friday. Indonesia straddles several tectonic plates and is highly prone to natural disasters. Since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that claimed around 230,000 lives across 14 countries, Indonesia has tried to upgrade its disaster response system. But the latest disaster has raised questions about the countrys efforts: no warning siren was sounded before the wave hit the island and none of the 22 buoys at sea monitoring for tsunamis were functional. Heres what to expect in the week ahead: BANKING A new chapter begins at Goldman Sachs. Goldman Sachs will enter a new era on Monday, as David M. Solomon takes the reins. He succeeds Lloyd C. Blankfein, who led the firm for 12 years and steered it through the financial crisis. Since Mr. Solomon was named Goldmans ninth chief executive this summer, he has begun to put his management team in place. In September, the firm announced that John E. Waldron, the co-head of investment banking, would be president and chief operating officer, and Stephen M. Scherr, who runs the firms consumer bank, would be promoted to chief financial officer. Over all, the banks strategy, which Mr. Solomon helped devise a year ago as co-president, is not expected to change radically. One area he has indicated he wants to improve: the number of women the bank hires and promotes. Stephen Grocer ECONOMY Eurogroup finance ministers will meet. Eurozone ministers on Monday will discuss growth and jobs as well as exchange-rate developments in preparation for meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the Group of 20 countries in Bali, Indonesia, in October. A broader group of ministers from the European Union will also be discussing reform of the European Stability Fund. The Eurogroup must agree on a term sheet for development by December. Amie Tsang GLENDALE, Calif. A young actor with a bushy goatee, cast as a Satanist on a murder-mystery show called Solve, sat facing a camera on a stuffy, no-frills set in July. Six tenderfoot crew members stood sweating in the shadows nearby. One was staring at his iPhones stopwatch. Now give me a take where youre exhausted, the director, doubling as a camera operator, told the actor. Youve been up all night worshiping Satan in this one. Ready? Action! It was no good. Too long, the iPhone guy said glumly. That was 22 seconds. Orders were given to redo the scene preferably in an 18-second take. Perhaps try a jittery Satanist. This is the down-and-dirty future of television as practiced by Vertical Networks, a start-up founded by Elisabeth Murdoch, the media entrepreneur whose father is Rupert Murdoch. While her dad and brothers, Lachlan and James, have been busy selling the familys old-line studios to the Walt Disney Company, she has quietly built Vertical into a major supplier of app-based video series for mobile devices. The stories are told in short bursts (20-second scenes, episodes that last mere minutes) that rely on whiz-bang production techniques (split screens, onscreen text) and are filmed vertically instead of horizontally: MTV for Generation Z. Specifically, the new Trump administration proposal would repeal a 2011 finding made by the E.P.A. that when the federal government regulates toxic pollution such as mercury from coal-fired power plants, it must also, when considering the cost to industry of that rule, take into account the additional health benefits of reducing other pollutants as a side effect of implementing the regulation. Under the mercury program, the economic benefits of those health effects, known as co-benefits, helped to provide a legal and economic justification for the cost to industry of the regulation. For example, as the nations power plants have complied with rule by installing technology to reduce emissions of mercury, they also created the side benefit of reducing pollution of soot and nitrogen oxide, pollutants linked to asthma and lung disease. The Obama administration estimated that it would cost the electric utility industry an estimated $9.6 billion a year to install that mercury control technology, making it the most expensive clean air regulation ever put forth by the federal government. It found that reducing mercury brings up to $6 million annually in health benefits a high number, but not as high as the cost to industry. However, it further justified the regulation by citing an additional $80 billion in health benefits from the additional reduction in soot and nitrogen oxide that occur as a side effect of controlling mercury. The new proposal directs the E.P.A. to no longer take into account those co-benefits when considering the economic impact of a regulation. Should the proposal become final, it would mean that the mercury rule would, on paper, incur far greater economic cost than it would provide quantifiable health benefits. The Trump administration would then be legally justified in weakening the rule. And that change could also give companies like Murray Energy a legal justification to sue for its deletion entirely, while giving the E.P.A. the legal basis to craft weaker pollution regulations that no longer take into account the co-benefits of eliminating additional pollutants. This is a sweeping attack on considering the benefits of cutting hazardous pollution from coal plants, said John Walke, a legal expert on the Clean Air Act with the Natural Resources Defense Council, an advocacy group that expects to take a lead role in the legal effort to uphold the mercury standard. This is the first legal step toward eliminating the standard entirely. Beauty is being redefined this is something on which most of us can agree. The era of the white, thin, Eurocentric model as the only embodiment of glamour is gone. The runways have embraced diversity of skin, shape and age. But for one group they still lag behind: people with disabilities. Now a new book, Portrait Positive, featuring images of 16 women with facial disfigurements by the British photographer Rankin, is aiming to change that. The books creator, Stephen Bell, managing director of the events company Epitome Celebrations, describes himself as having a visible difference: When he was born, four fingers on his right hand were fused together. To increase independence and mobility, his index finger was surgically separated in childhood. Yet he reached adolescence without visible role models or an understanding of his disability, he said, feeling isolated, insecure and unsure of what he could be and do. Andrew Ray Yee Lim and David Richard Crawford were married Sept. 29 at the Religious Society of Friends a Quaker meetinghouse in Manhattan. Susannah Evelyn Crawford, an ordained minister with American Marriage Ministries and a sister of Mr. Crawford, officiated. Mr. Lim (left), 32, is the director of quantitative research at New American Economy, a nonprofit organization based in Manhattan that was founded by former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York. The organization is dedicated to building consensus in immigration and immigrant integration issues. He graduated from Boston College, and received two masters degrees, both in regional and urban planning, from the London School of Economics and Sciences Po-Paris as part of a double degree program. He is a son of Milagros Yee Lim and Raymond Leung Lim of Valley Stream, N.Y. His mother, who works in College Point, Queens, is an assistant to the assistant executive director of AABR, a direct service provider to individuals with developmental disabilities. His father retired in June as a senior computer programmer at IBM in Jersey City. Mr. Crawford, who is 29 and works in Manhattan, is a digital strategy manager at Accenture, the management consulting and professional services firm that provides strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations services. Brenna Nedds Ehrlich and Morgan Scott Enos were married on Sept. 29 at the brides parents home in Mystic, Conn. Veronica LaVista, a justice of the peace in Stonington, Conn., officiated, with the brides brother-in-law, Douglas Riggs, assisting in the ceremony. The bride, 33, is the director of content and culture for the indie and rock music department at Tidal, a streaming service in New York. She graduated from Northwestern University, from which she also received a masters degree in journalism. She is the author of the young-adult novel Placid Girl (All Ages Press, 2015). She is a daughter of Pamela K. Ehrlich and Brian S. Ehrlich of Mystic. The groom, 26, is a New York-based freelance writer who has written for Billboard and the Universal Music Group. He is also a founder and the editor of North of the Internet, a website that features conversations with people in the music, arts and film industries. He is the son of Regina H. Faulkner of Kennewick, Wash., and the late Scott M. Enos. The couple met over email in 2016, when the groom pitched a story to the bride, who at the time was editor in chief of Talkhouse, a music and film website. Carly Allison Berg and Jeremy Tyler Koenig were married Sept. 29 at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan. Rabbi Lee Friedlander officiated. The bride, 29, works as an executive assistant on the comedy development team at CBS Entertainment in Los Angeles. She graduated from Indiana University. She is the daughter of Gayle R. Berg and Alfred K. Berg of Old Westbury, N.Y. The brides father retired as the president and chief executive of Marchon Eyewear, a manufacturer and distributor in Melville, N.Y. Her mother is a psychologist in private practice in Roslyn Heights, N.Y. The groom, also 29, works as the lead social video editor on the social media team of Buzzfeed in Los Angeles. He graduated from Syracuse University. Morissa Gayle Sobelson and Jamie Campbell Henn were married Sept. 29 on Thompson Island in Boston. Bill McKibben, who received a one-day marriage designation from Massachusetts, officiated, with Sue Halpern assisting with the Jewish elements of the ceremony. The bride, 31, is a doctoral candidate in public health at Harvard and an administrative fellow at Intermountain Healthcare, a nonprofit medical group that provides health services and clinics in Salt Lake City. She graduated summa cum laude from Tufts and received a masters degree in public health from Columbia. She is a daughter of Carol L. Sobelson and Dr. Gary A. Sobelson of Concord, N.H. The brides father is a family physician at Concord Family Medicine and the treasurer of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire, both in Concord. Her mother is a family therapist at Capital Valley Counseling Associates in Concord. The groom, 34, works remotely from Salt Lake City as the strategic communications director for 350.org, an international climate campaign he co-founded that is focused on decreasing the use of fossil fuels, in New York. He graduated magna cum laude from Middlebury College. The chasm in the states Democratic Party between the old guard and the new progressives exploded with Ms. Ocasio-Cortezs stunning primary victory over Representative Joseph Crowley, the No. 4 Democrat in the House. It was reinforced when six Democratic challengers toppled Senate incumbents who had belonged to the Independent Democratic Conference, a group of Democrats who had collaborated with Republicans in Albany. [Read more about the I.D.C.s impact on progressive politics.] Still, in Brooklyn, progressives argue that proxy cards continue to prop up the establishment. Last week, however, Mr. Seddio came under fire after his team sent out misleading fliers. The letters urged committee members to turn over their votes to Mr. Seddio, whose name was preprinted on the proxy, and included the names of elected officials supportive of the effort. But Mr. Seddio never got permission to include some of the officials names some of which were spelled wrong. The level of incompetence in trying to be unethical was ridiculous, said Doug Schneider, a district leader in the 44th Assembly District, whose name was misspelled. Mr. Schneider never gave his support to Mr. Seddios effort. Mr. Seddio apologized, saying his staff was hurried in sending the mailer. And he argued that the proxy cards are necessary to establish a quorum, pointing to the many older members of the committee who have trouble attending meetings. But Mr. Schneider said it perpetuates control. The way the leadership of the Brooklyn Democratic Party has maintained control for all these years is by having people on the county committee that dont have much interest in the county committee, which allows the county boss to have total control, Mr. Schneider said. Similar party dynamics are at play in Queens, where The New York Times found that candidates running for 21 seats were registered to run for the Democratic County Committee without their knowledge. Most had never heard of the committee. Yet at the same time, candidates who had hoped to join were tossed off the ballot on technicalities such as improper paperwork. The two film buffs threaded a strip of 16-millimeter celluloid into an aging Kodak Pageant projector, which flickered to life and splashed a beam of light onto a nearby screen. The buffs, Jack Roth and John Giriat, sat back as a hush came over the 30 or so people gathered on a recent Friday in a Manhattan church to enjoy a lush, black-and-white version of Sons of the Desert, a classic Laurel and Hardy movie. The films name is shared by the official Laurel and Hardy appreciation group, which has some 100 chapters worldwide, with each chapter, or tent, named after a Laurel and Hardy film. Many of the groups were founded by Laurel and Hardy connoisseurs whose film collections offered fans a chance to gather in the dark for an uproarious celluloid fix of The Boys, as they are fondly known. Since the New York City chapter was founded in 1965 as the first Sons of the Desert group, it has had nicknames like the Founding Tent, or in keeping with the desert theme Oasis #1. Were the only competitive race within the five boroughs, Mr. Gounardes said. So when people are deciding how they want to spend their political capital and their political energy, we are one of the few campaigns that are close by and ready. Senator Michael Gianaris of Queens, the chairman of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, said the voter registration ratio in the district gave Mr. Gounardes the best Democratic advantage of all the swing districts, predicting that Democrats who had previously supported Mr. Golden would not do so this year. In the Donald Trump era, that is no longer happening, he said. Even if someone is personally well-liked by people in both parties, theyre no longer getting those crossover votes. Grass-roots groups, which before the primary election had organized to oust a group of Democratic senators who had collaborated with Republicans, are now focused on backing Democratic challengers in the general election. Mr. Gounardes, in particular, has benefited from much of their enthusiasm, as many of the progressive organizations that formed in response to the 2016 presidential election are based in the metropolitan area, said Elizabeth Mann, a volunteer with one of those groups, Rise and Resist. Mr. Goldens allies have dismissed any suggestion of weakness in their perennially popular candidate. Scott Reif, a spokesman for the Senate Republicans, said the groups campaign committee had not spent money on Mr. Goldens race. At the end of July, Mr. Goldens campaign had nearly three times as much cash on hand as Mr. Gounardess. To the Editor: Re U.S. Plans to Sharply Restrict New Green Cards for Those on Public Aid (news article, Sept. 23): The Trump administrations horrific new public charge rule will result in devastation for millions of immigrant families, including Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders who rely on these crucial, often lifesaving, programs to live with dignity. The chilling effects of this potential expansion would have lasting repercussions on the health and safety of immigrants and their families. In fact, many have already begun unenrolling from social programs out of fear. The only thing the public-charge rule has succeeded in doing is reinforcing a culture of fear in immigrant communities across the country. Forcing immigrants to choose between ceasing participation in public benefits programs or risk being deemed a public charge is not only cruel and inhumane but also not who we are as a country. Sung Yeon Choimorrow Washington The writer is executive director of the National Asian Pacific American Womens Forum. BERKELEY, Calif. Rabbi Gavriel Price has thousands of years of Jewish religious law to draw on when he is on the job, determining whether a new food item can get a kosher certification from his organization, the Orthodox Union. But all the rules about meat and milk, and the prohibitions on eating pork and sciatic nerves, are of limited use for Rabbi Prices latest assignment. The rabbi is in charge of figuring out how the Orthodox Union, the largest kosher certifying organization in the world, should deal with what is known as clean meat meat that is grown in laboratories from animal cells. This brings him in touch with a possibility for Jewish cuisine that had previously seemed impossible: kosher bacon. Clean meat is still not available in stores, but start-ups working on it say it could be by next year. When it is, they want a kosher stamp on their product, which indicates it adheres to quality and preparation standards and follows a set of biblical laws. That brought Rabbi Price, a tall, lanky father of eight, to Berkeley recently, to meet with companies in the business. Three men were killed after a car exploded on Saturday night in Allentown, Pa., prompting the evacuation of nearby residents, the authorities said. Officials were investigating what caused the explosion and interviewing witnesses, but they determined by Sunday that there was no threat to the community, Tony Alsleben, interim chief of the Allentown Police Department, said at a news conference. Our investigation is leading us to believe that this was an isolated incident, he said. Scott M. Grim, the Lehigh County coroner, said three men were killed in the explosion, which was reported around 9:30 p.m. a few blocks from the citys downtown. Officials were working to confirm their identities, and autopsies were scheduled for Monday, he said. James B. Martin, the Lehigh County district attorney, said officials knew that a criminal incident occurred. A shark attacked a 13-year-old who was diving for lobsters at a beach in California early on Saturday morning, leaving him with traumatic injuries to his torso, the authorities said. The teenager, identified in an online fund-raising site as Keane Hayes, was screaming when other lobster divers heard him and quickly came to his aid. Keane was in serious condition at Rady Childrens Hospital in San Diego, a hospital spokesman, Carlos Delgado, said on Sunday. The teenager was conscious and speaking when he was airlifted to the hospital from Beacons Beach in Encinitas, Calif., said Larry Giles, the captain of the lifeguards. The attack happened about 200 yards from the shore in about nine feet of water, Captain Giles said. The authorities believe the shark was 11 feet long but have not found it. The species of shark was not yet known. But the mass transfers are raising alarm among immigrant advocates, who were already concerned about the lengthy periods of time migrant children are spending in federal custody. The roughly 100 shelters that have, until now, been the main location for housing detained migrant children are licensed and monitored by state child welfare authorities, who impose requirements on safety and education as well as staff hiring and training. The tent city in Tornillo, on the other hand, is unregulated, except for guidelines created by the Department of Health and Human Services. For example, schooling is not required there, as it is in regular migrant children shelters. Mark Greenberg, who oversaw the care of migrant children under President Barack Obama, helped to craft the emergency shelter guidelines. He said the agency tried to the greatest extent possible to ensure that conditions in facilities like the one at Tornillo would mirror those in regular shelters, but there are some ways in which thats difficult or impossible to do. Several shelter workers, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being fired, described what they said has become standard practice for moving the children: In order to avoid escape attempts, the moves are carried out late at night because children will be less likely to try to run away. For the same reason, children are generally given little advance warning that they will be moved. At one shelter in the Midwest whose occupants were among those recently transferred to Tornillo, about two dozen children were given just a few hours notice last week before they were loaded onto buses any longer than that, according to one of the shelter workers, and the children may have panicked or tried to flee. The children wore belts etched in pen with phone numbers for their emergency contacts. One young boy asked the shelter worker if he would be taken care of in Texas. The shelter worker replied that he would, and told him that by moving, he was making space for other children like him who were stuck at the border and needed a place to live. That description was challenged by Chris Dudley, a former N.B.A. player and close friend of Judge Kavanaughs who attended Yale and played basketball with Mr. Ludington. Mr. Dudley said he was certain that he never, ever saw Brett Kavanaugh black out from drinking, and never, ever saw him act inappropriately toward any woman in the 35 years that Ive known him. The dueling statements emerged as the political combat around Judge Kavanaughs confirmation process intensified. Democrats lashed out over the size and shape of the inquiry, saying it threatened to become a sham that would deepen, rather than help heal, the countrys divisions about Judge Kavanaughs nomination. Senator Mazie K. Hirono, a Hawaii Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said on ABCs This Week that any investigation that limits whom the F.B.I. can interview and which leads agents can follow would be a farce. Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat who is also on the committee, described what she said was micromanaging from the White House: You cant interview this person, you cant look at this time period, you can only look at these people from one side of the street from when they were growing up. I mean, come on, she said on CNNs State of the Union. Democrats were to some degree in the dark about the inquirys parameters. In a letter to Donald F. McGahn II, the White House counsel, and Christopher A. Wray, the F.B.I. director, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee asked for a copy of the directive sent by the White House to the bureau laying out the scope of the investigation. If the F.B.I. requests any expansion beyond the initial directive, please provide the names of any additional witnesses or evidence, the Democrat, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, wrote in the letter. It is not unusual for the White House to specify the scope of a request for additional background information on a nominee. No evidence has emerged that the White House has forbidden any investigative steps, and President Trump has said he wants agents to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion. Democrats are already raising alarms that the inquiry initially hailed as a bipartisan breakthrough will be too constrained to be legitimate. But the one-week limit put on it by Mr. Flake meant from the start that the F.B.I. would be hard-pressed to do a full investigation into all the accusations surrounding Judge Kavanaugh. In addition, Mr. Flake and his allies seemed mainly interested in having the named attendees at a gathering at the center of the Kavanaugh questions be interviewed by experienced federal investigators before voting on the nomination. Still, it wasnt what most Senate Republicans wanted. They were more than ready to use their majority to muscle Judge Kavanaugh on to the Supreme Court no matter what Democrats desired. Senate Republicans have been fuming at Democrats for their handling of a letter from Christine Blasey Ford saying she was assaulted by Judge Kavanaugh when both were in high school. With confirmation in sight, they were in no mood to brook more calls from Democrats for further delays and investigations. But after Mr. Flakes announcement on Friday that he, Ms. Collins and Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, wanted the F.B.I. to take a new look into reports of misconduct by Judge Kavanaugh before a final confirmation vote, President Trump and Senator Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican and majority leader, had no choice. Without those Republican votes, Judge Kavanaughs nomination was probably dead. Mr. McConnell was clearly unhappy with the sudden turn of events. At a meeting in his Capitol office, he warned Mr. Flake, Ms. Collins and others that another week would only allow time for opponents to churn up more trouble for Judge Kavanaugh while prolonging an ordeal for the nominee and his family. Not to mention that no Senate leader likes to lose control over the agenda to a rump group of members who exert their individual leverage like Mr. Flake and his allies did. It was reminiscent of 2005, when the bipartisan Gang of 14 came together to defuse a showdown over judicial filibusters, undermining Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican who was then the majority leader. WASHINGTON In the shadow of a titanic confirmation fight, the Supreme Court will return to the bench on Monday with a docket that offers an opportunity to lower the temperature. Blockbuster cases on fiery social issues are missing from the calendar, at least for now. Instead, the justices will face lower-profile but still consequential legal questions that may allow them to find ways to bridge the usual ideological divides. The justices have made similar attempts at unity in the past in reaction to fraught transitions on the court, like the one after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in 2016. This time, the task has grown only more urgent as the bitterly partisan confirmation process for Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, President Trumps Supreme Court nominee, has been delayed so the F.B.I. can investigate sexual misconduct allegations. No matter how the current nomination of Judge Kavanaugh plays out, said Jeffrey L. Fisher, a law professor at Stanford, I suspect the court will be exceptionally eager to demonstrate how law is different from politics that is, that its not a political body. WASHINGTON The United States and Canada reached a last-minute deal to salvage the North American Free Trade Agreement on Sunday, overcoming deep divisions to keep the 25-year-old trilateral pact intact. The deal came after a weekend of frantic talks to try and preserve a trade agreement that has stitched together the economies of Mexico, Canada and the United States but that was on the verge of collapsing. After more than a year of tense talks and strained relations between President Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, negotiators from both sides came to a resolution just ahead of a midnight deadline set by the White House. The 11th-hour agreement was punctuated by a frenetic Sunday, with Canadas leaders teleconferencing throughout the day with top American officials in Washington. Mr. Trudeau convened a 10 p.m. cabinet meeting in Ottawa to brief officials on the deal, as Jared Kushner, one of Mr. Trumps closest advisers, and Robert E. Lighthizer, the presidents top trade negotiator, hashed out the final details. Mexicos under secretary of foreign trade, Juan Carlos Baker, was expected to present the texts of the agreement to the Mexican senate just before midnight. In a joint statement, Mr. Lighthizer and Canadas foreign affairs minister, Chrystia Freeland, said the new deal will give our workers, farmers, ranchers and businesses a high-standard trade agreement that will result in freer markets, fairer trade and robust economic growth in our region. BEIJING China canceled an important annual security meeting planned for mid-October with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in Beijing, saying a senior Chinese military officer would not be available to meet him, an American official said on Sunday. The decision to withdraw from the high-level encounter, known as the diplomatic and security dialogue, was the latest sign of bad blood between China and the United States, and capped a week of tit-for-tat actions by both nations as they settled into a newly chilly relationship. The cancellation of the dialogue, an event that China until recently had advertised as a productive way for the two sides to talk, showed how quickly the tensions over an escalating trade war have infected other parts of the relationship, particularly vital strategic concerns including Taiwan, arms sales and the South China Sea. A senior American foreign policy official summarized the administrations attitude to China last week, telling a crowd at the celebration of national day at the Chinese Embassy in Washington that the United States was intent on competing with China brittle language that is usually absent from formal events. By contrast, the fault that ruptured on Friday was a so-called strike-slip fault, in which the earth movement is largely horizontal. That kind of movement would not ordinarily create a tsunami. But under certain circumstances it can, Dr. Patton said. A strike-slip fault might have some amount of vertical motion that could displace seawater. Or the faults rupture zone, which in this case was estimated to be about 70 miles long, may pass through an area where the seafloor rises or drops off, so that when the fault moves during the quake, it pushes seawater in front of it. Another possibility is that the tsunami was created indirectly. The violent shaking during the quake may have caused an undersea landslide that would have displaced water and created waves. Such events are not uncommon; several occurred during the 1964 9.2-magnitude Alaska earthquake, for example. Dr. Patton said a combination of factors may have contributed to the tsunami. Studies of the seafloor will be crucial to understanding the event. We wont know what caused it until thats done, he said. BANGKOK Soaring over eastern Indonesia on Friday, Petra Mandagi exulted at the perfect conditions for a paragliding addict: azure skies, a sweet breeze and a picture postcard bay rippling below. Even when a series of earthquakes began shaking the city of Palu on Friday afternoon after his paragliding competition had finished, Mr. Mandagi texted his wife in their hometown, Manado, and assured her that all was fine. Less than an hour later, twin natural disasters a 7.5 magnitude earthquake and a tsunami that unleashed an 18-foot wave turned parts of Palu and the surrounding strip of coastline into a graveyard. As of Sunday evening, national disaster mitigation officials said that at least 832 people had been confirmed killed. The death toll, which had more than doubled from Sunday morning, was expected to climb much higher still, with heavily populated areas outside the city still cut off from any assistance, and desperate search-and-rescue efforts continuing in the rubble of Palu, often with only rudimentary tools. Protests in Macedonia have been smaller but no less vitriolic. In June, after the Greek and Macedonian foreign ministers signed an agreement that outlined the details of the name deal, hundreds of Macedonians took to the streets in the capital, Skopje. The protests turned violent, with the police firing tear gas and stun grenades after reports that people were trying to breach barricades around the National Assembly building. The dispute is perhaps best illustrated by the hundreds of statues and monuments highlighting the glories of ancient Macedonia, a product of an extraordinarily kitschy building spree in Skopje that was led by then-Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, before he was arrested and tried on graft and wiretapping charges. At the heart of most of those projects and of the dispute itself was Alexander the Great. The airport was named for him. So was the highway that led to the airport. And in the center of the city is a 92-foot-tall statue and fountain known as Warrior on a Horse. It is unmistakably Alexander. The Greeks watched with increasing anger. But the current dispute really has its roots in the wars of the 20th century. After the first Balkan wars ended in 1913, Macedonia was divided by three of the warring parties Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria. After World War II, civil war broke out in Greece and the Slavic-speaking Macedonians were on the losing side, with many expelled from what is now Greece. When the Republic of Yugoslavia was formed, it included a territory called Macedonia, and when Yugoslavia broke apart in 1991 after the Balkan War, the Republic of Macedonia was created. It was recognized by more than 140 nations, including the China, Russia and the United States. CAIRO An Egyptian court has sentenced an activist to two years in jail for posting a video that criticized the government for failing to protect women against sexual harassment. Amnesty International called the verdict against the activist, Amal Fathy, an outrageous case of injustice. Ms. Fathy, a member of the now-banned April 6 youth movement that played a role in 2011 protests that forced President Hosni Mubarak from office, was also fined $562, said one of her lawyers, Tarek Abuel Nasr, and the state news agency MENA. The court handed down a suspended sentence on Saturday, according to The Associated Press, which said that because Ms. Fathy was being held on other charges including membership in the outlawed group and was accused of spreading false news that threatened national security she was not allowed to walk free. Verona, N.Y. Vernon-Verona-Sherrill FFA Advisor Keith Schiebel is retiring from his teaching position at Vernon-Verona Sherrill High School after over 30 years of service. Mr. Schiebel recently decided this is something he wants to do, VVS Superintendent Martha Group. Hes been eligible to retire for some time. Schiebel has been a teacher of agriculture, in charge of the summer agriculture program and the FFA advisor at VVS High School since 1985. Schiebel submitted his letter of retirement mid-September. I feel its time to move on. A celebrated career of 33 years in education is quite a long time, Schiebel said. And Im looking forward to some of the other opportunities that might be coming my way. Schiebel said his interest in agriculture will continue and that hes still very engaged with New York state maple producers. Schiebel said this year, he had the opportunity to coordinate Maple Day at the New York State Fair with schools across the state, an inaugural event celebrating the states maple industry. In agricultural education, Schiebel said there might be some opportunities to mentor younger teachers and programs, alongside finding more time for his Oneida county legislator position to work with more municipalities in the district. There are some really neat initiatives that are taking some time, Schiebel said. The Town of Vernon is looking at putting water to the Vernon Center hamlet, the City of Sherrill is working on shared services with other municipalities and Im looking to continue work with the town of Verona to secure funding for Willow Place and their water initiative from Rome. When I look at those opportunities down the road, those things are really exciting. Schiebel was put on administrative leave from his position as FFA advisor around April 8. Group was unable to comment on the reason behind the administrative leave, but said she understood the frustration the public may feel. I think that one of the challenges that the public faces is issues around confidentiality, Group said. I think in great measure, it really is around the fact were a public school. Our funding comes through tax payer money. So when you put an investment in something, you feel you should have control or information. The public is like the stock holders for the school. There are though, laws and regulations in place that put some parameters around what information individuals are permitted to have access to. Those are things we have to follow that were subject to. The VVS school has worked with Schiebel to be ready for his retirement long before he penned his letter. As part of the transition when Mr. Schiebel indicated that he would be eligible for retirement around several years ago, we hired Sara Tuthill, Group said. Sara was a former student of Schiebels and very active in the FFA. Part of her responsibilities were as a special education teacher and the other part of her responsibilities were as an agricultural teacher. Tuthill was originally the junior FFA advisor and took on a number of Schiebels responsibilities after he was put on administrative leave in April. Tuthill has since taken on the role of FFA advisor during Schiebels leave and will take his place upon his official retirement. Monica Revette, a biology and living environment teacher is currently the junior FFA advisor and Donna Schonewetter, an English teacher and large supporter of the FFA program is the business manager. I think weve got some good folks in there who know about agriculture, who support the FFA program and are big supporters of our students, Group said. People are interested as to what the future of the agriculture program and I think its important for people to know. Schiebel said as he looks the scope of what the program was able to achieve at VVS and opportunities for students, he feels a lot of pride at the accomplishments made. When I look at VVS as a school district and how it was formed in the early 1950s and I look at my service to the district as serving half of the time as the agricultural program advisor, that time span became the basis of establishing the program and its reputation, Schiebel said. Over the last two to three years, Schiebel said VVS has been visited or contacted by several schools and programs, most notably from Dr. Paul Berry, from Mount Markham School Community, Schiebels alma-matter. Berry was looking to re-establish an ag-program and base it on the success of the VVS FFA. Canastota, N.Y. As part of Good Neighbor Day, the Oneida Community Bank purchased paint supplies and volunteered at the Wanderers Rest Humane Association. Community Bank branches across the nation participated in Good Neighbor Day in their own way, from the Chittenango branch participating in a food drive to the school supply drive in Canastota. But when coming up with their own project, the Oneida Community Bank decided to do something close to their hearts. We started talking in our team and were all animal lovers, so we got in touch, Branch Manager Wendy Matters said. Matters got in touch with Shelter Manager Sabrina Wilcox, who told her that some of the things needed done were taking care of animals and doing laundry. I asked if there was any bigger projects we could work on as a team, she suggested the painting, Matters said. When we realized they were looking for donations for the paint and the time and effort, we donated funds from the bank. Im here to help out the community and be a good neighbor, Senior Teller Shelby Ackerman said. Community Bank donated $500 for the paint and painting supplies. Ackerman said the animals at Wanders Rest deserve a good home and felt the building would look nice with a new coat of paint. When people come up and they see the shelter, it looks sad in my opinion. There are different shades of brown, Foster Coordinator Mason Groesbeck said. Were doing a reddish color and were hoping it will liven up the environment. Itll look a lot nicer and Im excited to see the difference. Its been this way for the last four years Ive been here. Volunteers from Community Bank got right to work and were happy to help, whether scraping off the old paint or applying the new coat. BJP ally SBSP demands separate state Purvanchal to be carved out of UP India pti-PTI Lucknow, Sep 30: After the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), BJP ally Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) has also raked up the issue of division of Uttar Pradesh, saying it will make it a poll plank in 2019. "We have been demanding a separate Purvanchal state for over 16 years. Now, as we expand our party organisation all over the state, we support the demand of division of Uttar Pradesh into four parts. We will make it an issue in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, reach out to the public and stage agitations to press the demand," state minister Om Prakash Rajbhar, who is also the SBSP chief, told PTI. "We want Purvanchal, Bundelkhand, Paschim Pradesh and Awadh Pradesh. As Uttar Pradesh has a population of over 22 crore, managing it administratively is difficult. Running the administration in small states is easy. This is an important issue. People want development and rights. Only at the time of elections, the leaders think of the people and afterwards, they forget their issues," he said. [2019 Lok Sabha polls: Will smaller parties be game changers?] The issue of Uttar Pradesh's division was raked up by the AAP earlier this month. AAP spokesman and MP Sanjay Singh had said the Arvind Kejriwal-led party would launch a movement to fulfil the long-standing aspiration of the people of the state. "Uttar Pradesh is a big state, both in terms of area and population. Its population is as much as that of any big country. It has practically become very difficult to govern such a vast state," Singh had said, adding that the AAP was in favour of the state's division into four parts. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), headed by Mayawati, was once a strong supporter of the demand when the Samajwadi Party (SP) was in power in Uttar Pradesh, maintaining that smaller states could be governed better. As the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati had first raised the issue in 2007 and her government had even adopted a resolution in the Assembly, seeking division of the state into four parts. [Woman sets bus on fire after being stopped from meeting Modi] Both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress had supported the resolution brought by Mayawati in the 403-member House in November, 2011. But as Mayawati lost power in the state in 2012 after securing just 80 seats as against 206 in 2007, the demand lost steam. In Bundelkhand, the Bundeli Samaj is staging agitations at Mahoba, demanding a separate Bundelkhand state. Uttar Pradesh accounts for the highest number of 80 Lok Sabha seats in the country and holds a great significance in next year's parliamentary polls. PTI SC says cannot rule out conspiracy against former CJI Ranjan Gogoi Chennai: Actor accuses senior journalist of sexual harassment, shares ordeal on FB India oi-Madhuri Adnal Chennai, Sep 30: A 42-year-old Chennai-based female actor has accused a senior journalist of sexually harassing her and threatening to defame her, and sought action against him. In an eight-minute-long video posted on Facebook, the actor Gayatri Sai said journalist Prakash M Swamy had been abusing her on social media and WhatsApp since 2016. He had even tried to physically abuse her at her home once when he had come on the pretext of helping with her son's passport. The actor went on to claim that harassment continued via phone and internet and that the journalist started sending her derogatory WhatsApp messages, threatening to defame her. Also Read | UIDAI official accused of sexual assault She even said that her daughter was also defamed by the journalist and with the help of her daughter she mustered courage to post the ill-deeds of the journalist on social media. However, Swamy has refuted the allegations, saying he never had met the actor at her house. The actor, in the video that has now gone viral, said Swamy had approached her first after the death of her husband in Hong Kong in 2016. Shocker: On sexual harassment Kerala women's chief says, 'mistakes do happen' Prakash has worked with various media houses in India. His Facebook account describes him as a correspondent for United Nations, Judge for Emmy awards and president of America Tamil Sangam. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 30, 2018, 11:15 [IST] Google Doodle honours Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy who dedicated his life to eliminate blindness India oi-Vikas SV New Delhi, Oct 1: Today's Google Doodle honours the 100th birth anniversary of Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy, an ophthalmologist who dedicated his life to eliminating blindness. Dr. Venkataswamy, who was known as Dr. V to his friends and admirers throughout the world, was born on October 1, 1918 and died on 7 July, 2006. He is best known for developing an innovative high quality, high volume, low-cost service delivery model that has restored sight to millions of people. Venkataswamy gave millions of people a new life eliminating needless blindness. He was a legend among ophthalmologists and a pioneer in conducting mass free eye camps since the early 1970s. Dr. V. was born in 1918 to a farming family in a small village in South India. He received his medical degree from the Stanley Medical College in Chennai and joined the Indian Army Medical Corps to practice obstetrics. It was about this time that tragedy visited Dr. V. in the form of rheumatoid arthritis, a degenerative disease that attacked his hands. Although unable to practice obstetrics, Dr. V. did not give up. He began studying ophthalmology and had instruments specially designed for his arthritic hands - each one custom-made to fill a specific need. These instruments enabled him to perform as many as 100 cataract surgeries a day. He quickly became the most admired cataract surgeon in India. [Google's 20th birthday: The search engine that has become integral part of our lives] He is the founder and former chairman of Aravind Eye Hospitals, the largest provider of eye care in the world. [Google dedicates Doodle to Sir M Visvesvarayya on Engineer's Day] Dr. V pioneered mobile eye camps with the government and later implemented this practice at Aravind. Teams of doctors and nurses from Aravind regularly visit rural villages where they conduct 'eye camps' that screen patients for vision impairments. Those requiring glasses receive them on site. Patients requiring surgery are bused back to an Aravind hospital, where they receive surgery, room and board, return transport and a follow up visit at no charge. Each year Aravind hosts over 2,100 camps, averaging 50 camps every week in over 600 locations with 500 community partners. [Google celebrates Teachers Day with an animated doodle] Today, the Aravind Eye Care System encompasses a growing network of eye care facilities which include seven tertiary centres, six secondary hospitals, six outpatient eye examination centres and seventy primary eye examination facilities. Venkataswamy was conferred Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1973. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 1, 2018, 0:58 [IST] PM Modi launches RBI Retail Direct, Integrated Ombudsman schemes: All you need to know Modi in Gujarat: 'Amul is a name and has its own identity', says PM India oi-Madhuri Adnal Ahmedabad, Sep 30: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated a museum dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, an Amul chocolate plant and development projects in Rajkot, Anand and Kutch districts. Addressing the gathering, Modi said that people of Anand have come to bless us in such large numbers. "I thank them for the warmth and affection. Today, development projects worth Rs. 1100 crore are either being inaugurated or their foundation stones are being laid. This will have an extremely positive impact." Modi said that the development projects augur well for the cooperative sector. He said that the brand of Amul is known world over. "Today, Amul has become an inspiration world over. People from overseas also ask me about Amul. Amul is not only about milk processing. This is an excellent model of empowerment." Prime Minister said that a century ago, Sardar Patel entered civic politics of Ahmedabad. He won from Dariapur. His margin of victory then was 1 vote. "When he assumed office as the head of the municipality, he laid emphasis on urban development, planning and in that he worked on cooperative housing." Attacking the Congress party in his speech, Modi said that for a long time, "we had people sitting in Gandhinagar who disliked the cooperatives". "They prevented the sector from acquiring a foothold in Saurashtra. Things changed after the late 1990s and today almost all districts in Gujarat are doing well in the sector." ''In a few years, Amul will complete 75 years. Let us think about what targets Amul can set for their own 75th anniversary and for 2022, when India marks 75 years of freedom,'' says PM Narendra Modi in Anand. In Rajkot, Modi will inaugurate newly-built Mahatma Gandhi Museum at Alfred High School. The school, from where Gandhi passed his matriculation in 1887, was renamed Mohandas Gandhi High School after independence. It was closed in 2017 after the authorities decided to convert it into a museum. The prime minister's day-long visit will begin with inauguration of a chocolate plant of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), owner of the Amul brand, at Mogar in Anand district and address a gathering of farmers. Also Read | Govt aims to spend Rs 1 lakh crore by 2022 in education sector: PM Modi Modi will also dedicate, at Anjar in Kutch district, a natural gas pipeline laid by Gujarat State Petronet Limited (GSPL) between Mundra Port and Anjar. He will also perform ground-breaking ceremony for four-laning work of the highway connecting Varsana, Bhimasar, Anjar and Bhuj towns of Kutch. (with PTI inputs) How Ayushman Bharat can change the healthcare system India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Sep 30: The government recenly launched the Ayushman Bharat-National Health Protection Mission (AB-NHPM) on 25 September, the birth anniversary of Bharatiya Jana Sangh leader Deendayal Upadhyaya. The ambitious scheme, also known as Modicare, aims to offer an annual health cover of 5 lakh per family, targeting more than 100 million families belonging to the poor and vulnerable sections of the population, based on Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) database. The ministry of health and family welfare will be implementing the scheme. But now the question arises here is, how will it change the healthcare system? Also Read | Hospitals even in Delhi unprepared to implement Aayushman Bharat Scheme Ayushman Bharat is an attempt to ensure that universal healthcare reaches the weaker section of the society and it may certainly boost the ratio of people availing primary healthcare and some of the secondary healthcare. But the current framework of the scheme will not be beneficial for people who need tertiary care as the remunerations under the scheme will not be sufficient to avail value based healthcare. Under the scheme, tertiary healthcare service providers will be forced to cut costs at every level which will lead to offering a sub-standard healthcare to patients under the scheme. They may not be able to avail the necessary medication, technology and clinical expertise to get the best outcome and will soon lose confidence in the system. With effective implementation, the scheme may have a positive impact on reducing out-of-pocket expenditure. The government argues that the poorest and the vulnerable will have health insurance. Also Read | Ayushman Bharat: Benefits, Registration, Eligibility and how to apply The scheme will initially cover nearly 40% of the population. Barring a few procedures, the scheme covers almost all secondary and many tertiary hospitalizations, which in normal circumstances, bankrupt poor people. This can have a cumulative positive effect on increased access to quality health and medication. In addition, the unmet needs of the population, which remained hidden due to lack of financial resources, will be catered to. This may lead to timely treatments, improvements in health outcomes, patient satisfaction, improvement in productivity and efficiency, and job creation, leading to improvement in overall quality of life. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 30, 2018, 16:27 [IST] Not possible to order release, deport Rohingyas detained in Jammu without following law: SC 'Huge number of Rohingyas travelling to Kerala via trains', says Railway Protection Force India oi-Madhuri Adnal Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 30: Railway Protection Force (RPF) on Sunday informed the Kerala authorities that the huge number of Rohingyas travelling to the state by train and are traveling in groups with their families. "All Rohingyas are travelling in groups along with their families. Officers and staff under your control may be sensitized about their movement. If they are found in trains, they may be handed over to the police having jurisdiction for further action. Action taken report may be sent to this office at the earliest for the perusal of the PCSC," the letter, signed by P Sethu Madhavan from the office of the Principal Chief Security Commissioner of the RPF said. The letter also lists 14 trains on which Rohingyas are supposedly travelling to Kerala and Chennai, such as Howrah- Chennai Coromandel Express, Howrah-Chennai mail, Shalimar-Thiruvananthapuram Express, Silchar-Thiruvananthapuram Express and Dibrugarh-Chennai Egmore as potential trains to carry suspected Rohingyas to Kerala. Also Read | West Bengal 'slightly friendly' to Rohingyas, says BSF DG Earlier on Thursday, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, speaking in Kochi, too had warned the state regarding the Rohingya plan.' 'Input indicates that a huge number of Rohingyas (an ethnic group of Myanmar's Rakhine province) are travelling from every corner of northeast states and ultimately heading towards Kerala,'' said the alert issued on Wednesday by the RPF Principal Chief Security Commissioner. The Rohingyas are often referred to as world's most persecuted minority, having settled for generations in Myanmar's restive Rakhine state. Also Read | Rohingyas and their movement to feature in Indo-Bangla high level talks Since August 2017, a heavy Myanmarese Army crackdown on civilian families of Rohingyas, in the name of rooting out terrorist elements, has resulted in large-scale migration of the tribe to nearby Bangladesh and also to India. The present Bjp-led government has taken a stern position on the issue making it clear that they cannot be given refugee status in the country on account of national security dangers. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 30, 2018, 13:30 [IST] Blessings of 130 cr people with you: PM Modi celebrates Diwali with soldiers in J&Ks Nowshera With 2 more arrests NIA steps up heat on terrorists targeting civilians in J&K J&K: Cop killed in Terrorists attack at police station in Shopian India oi-Madhuri Adnal Srinagar, Sep 30: A policeman has been killed in a grenade attack by militants in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district on Sunday. The cop, identified as Sakib Mohi u Din of zawoora, was injured when militants opened fire and hurled grenades at the police station in Shopian on Sunday morning. The police have cordoned off the area and have launched a search operation. The latest incident comes on the heels of a special police officer (SPO), who was deployed with a People's Democratic Party MLA, decamping with seven rifles from the lawmaker's residence in Srinagar on Friday. On Thursday, six people including three militants and a soldier were killed in two separate encounters, a civilian died in firing during a cordon and search operation and an unidentified man was shot dead in an army ambush. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 30, 2018, 8:28 [IST] Malala Yousafzai's wedding: Who is her husband Asser Malik? After skipping India's security dialogue on Afghanistan, China to attend Paks Troika Plus meet With 8 new routes from PoK, Pakistans ISI plans massive infiltration bid US Congress report says Pakistan playing active and disruptive role in Afghanistan Pakistan hit my mysterious viral fever: All you need to know J&K: Pakistani helicopter violates Indian airspace in Poonch sector India oi-Madhuri Adnal Srinagar, Sep 30: A Pakistani helicopter on Sunday violated Indian airspace in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. Some reports claim that the Prime Minister of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir was in the helicopter. According to the Indo-Pak airspace norms, helicopters of both India and Pakistan are not supposed to come within one-kilometre range of the Line of Actual Control (LOC) and fixed fixed-wing aircraft within 10 km of the LoC. In a video released by news agency ANI, the Pakistani chopper is seen hovering above the Indian airspace in the area. Also Read | Avenged! Something big just happened at the Indo-Pak border The helicopter came 700 mtrs inside Indian territory and was immediately retaliated by troops with small arms fire and it immediately went back, said reports. #WATCH A Pakistani helicopter violated Indian airspace in Poonch sector of #JammuAndKashmir pic.twitter.com/O4QHxCf7CR ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2018 Defence spokesman Lt Col Devender Anand said "around 12.10 pm on Sunday a white-coloured Pakistani helicopter violated the air space like". Earlier, an infiltration bid aided by the Pakistan Army was foiled along the LoC in Tangdhar sector of Kupwara district. The Army said it responded strongly to the ceasefire violation and the infiltration attempt. Chennai rains to continue until noon today: Water logging in many parts Chennai Rains: Depression over north coastal region weakens, light rain very likely across TN Madras HC orders removal of unauthorised banners put up for MGR centenary celebration India oi-Madhuri Adnal Chennai, Sep 30: The Madras High Court on Sunday ordered the removal of unauthorised banners put up for M G Ramachandran centenary celebration. More than 1,800 illegal hoardings have been erected across the city for the MGR centenary celebrations which will be held at the YMCA Grounds in Nandaman on Sunday evening. Activist 'Traffic' K.R. Ramaswamy filed a public interest litigation petition in the Madras High Court had on Saturday sought stringent action against all those who erected unauthorised flex boards across the city in view of former Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran's centenary celebrations. Also Read | MGR's 101st birth centenary observed in Tamil Nadu The state government, which launched the MGR birth centenary celebrations last year, has so far held related events in 31 districts and the valedictory event marks its culmination. In connection with such events, the chief minister has inaugurated projects worth over Rs 5,140.10 crore, laid foundation stones for projects worth Rs 5,747.24 crore and distributed welfare assistance worth Rs 5,464.79 crore among 8,26,392 beneficiaries. MG Ramachandran (1917-1987) was the AIADMK founder and chief minister of Tamil Nadu from 1977 to 1987. Also Read | TN: Rajinikanth invokes MGR legacy, says 'I will fill vacuum in politics, give good administration' A superstar in the Tamil filmdom in the 1950s and 1960s, MGR, as he was popularly called, cut his political teeth in the DMK, before parting ways with Karunanidhi following differences. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 30, 2018, 13:43 [IST] PM Modi launches RBI Retail Direct, Integrated Ombudsman schemes: All you need to know Mann Ki Baat: PM praises Armed forces; remembers Mahatma Gandhi India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Sep 30: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on the 48th edition of his 'Mann Ki Baat' radio programme. The program will be broadcasted on the entire network of All India Radio and Doordarshan at 11 am. Apart from it, the monthly radio programme will also be streamed on the YouTube channels of the Prime Minister's Office, Information and Broadcasting Ministry, AIR and DD News and will be simultaneously broadcast on AIR's website - www.allindiaradio.gov.in. Here are the Highlights: Newest First Oldest First My dear countrymen, be it Navratri, Durgapuja or Vijayadashmi, I offer all my heartfelt greetings to all of you on account of these holy festivals. Thank you! Even this year, we should try to organize Run For Unity in our village, town, city or metropolis. This is the best way to remember Sardar Saheb, because he worked for the unity of our nation throughout his lifetime The month of October heralds, Jai Prakash Narayan ji's birth anniversary, the beginning of the birth centenary of Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindiaji. These luminaries have been infusing inspiration in all of us and we offer our heartfelt tributes to them As a society, we need to understand the importance of human rights and inculcate them into practice - this is the very basis of SabKa SaathSabKa Vikas For a healthy society, and for lofty democratic values I feel that, it is a very hope inspiring event. Today, with NHRC operating at national level, 26 State Human Rights Commissions have also been constituted In its journey of 25 years, it has created an atmosphere of hope and confidence in the countrymen NHRC has instilled widespread awareness of human rights and has played an important role in preventing their misuse In the emblem of our National Human Rights Commission, the ideal mantra harking back to Vedic period- "Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah" is inscribed Our most beloved leader, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the former Prime Minister of our country, had clearly said that human rights are not analien concept for us NHRC has not only protected human rights but has also promoted respect for human dignity over the years PM speaks about the importance of human rights. He congratulated the National Human Rights Commission on completing 25 years. Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention will conclude on 2nd October, 2018 with the commencement of Bapus 150th Birth Anniversary celebrations This time India is hosting the biggest Sanitation Convention of the world so far, the Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention A movement #SwachhtaHiSewa was launched on the 15th of September. Crores of people got connected with this movement and luckily I also got a chance to participate in the voluntary cleanliness shramdaan with the children of Delhis Ambedkar School His slogan Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan is hall mark of his grand personality. It was the result of his selfless service to nation that in a brief tenure of about one and a half years he gave to our jawans & farmers the mantra to reach pinnacle of success Lal Bahadur Shastriji had a unique quality in that, he was very humble outwardly but he was rock solid from inside Two days later, we shall celebrate the birth anniversary of Shastriji along with respected Bapus birth anniversary For example, think of purchasing Khadi and handloom products on special occasions; this will benefit many weavers My dear countrymen, when Gandhiji said that by maintaining cleanliness, freedom will be won then he probably was not aware how this would happen. But this did happen and India got freedom This is the mantra of Gandhiji, this is the message of Gandhiji and I firmly believe that a small step of yours can surely bring about a very big benefit in the life of the poorest and the most underprivileged person And in that too, one who has put in physical labour, who has invested money, who has applied skill must get some benefit Keeping this mantra of Gandhiji in mind while making any purchases during 150th Anniversary of Gandhiji, we must make it a point to see that our purchase must benefit one of our countrymen I will feel much happier if my purchase will benefit the poorest of the poor PM congratulates the people of India on the success of the 'Swachhata Hi Seva' movement. Naval officer Abhilash Tomy is a very courageous officer, he is the first Indian to circumnavigate the globe in a small boat without the help of modern technology My dear countrymen, a few days ago, Officer Abhilash Tomy of our Navy was struggling between life and death. The whole country was concerned about saving Tomy Making a difference in the lives of others through our actions Bapu gave an inspirational mantra to all of us which is known as Gandhi Jis Talisman. This Mantra is extremely relevant today: PM Gandhi Ji was a Lok Sangrahak. He endeared himself to people across all sections of society. The Gandhi charter that continues to inspire us all PM Modi to begin his Mann Ki Baat shortly. My dear countrymen, Namaskar! There must be hardly any Indian who doesnt feel proud of our Armed Forces, our army jawans, our soldiers Every Indian, irrespective of region, caste, religion, sect or language, is ever eager to express joy and show solidarity with our soldiers Yesterday, 125 cr Indians celebrated the Paraakram Parva, the festival of Valour We remembered that surgical strike carried out in 2016, where our soldiers gave a befitting reply to the audacity of a proxy war under the garb of terrorism A day such as Paraakaram Prava reminds our youth of the glorious heritage of our Army. It also inspires us to maintain the unity & integrity of the country Our soldiers will give a befitting reply to whosoever makes an attempt to destroy the atmosphere of peace and progress in our Nation In the two world-wars fought in the 20th century, over a lakh of our soldiers made the Supreme Sacrifice; that too in a war where we were not involved in any way We have never eyed someone elses territory maliciously. This in itself was our commitment & dedication towards peace India is one of the largest contributors to various United Nations Peace Keeping Forces in terms of sending forces personnel For decades, our brave soldiers wearing blue helmets have played a stellar role in ensuring maintenance of World Peace The Air Force defeated the enemy at Tiger Hill by carrying out air sorties on their positions round the clock Be it the relief and rescue work or disaster management, our country is indebted to our Air Force for the commendable efforts of our Air Warrior The Indian Air Force is at the forefront of relief and rescue work during times of disasters 2nd October will be special this year- it marks the start of Gandhi Ji's 150th birth anniversary celebrations. The Gandhi charter that continues to inspire us all Gandhi Ji was a Lok Sangrahak. He endeared himself to people across all sections of society. Bapu gave an inspirational mantra to all of us which is known as Gandhi Jis Talisman. This Mantra is extremely relevant today: PM Making a difference in the lives of others through our actions My dear countrymen, a few days ago, Officer Abhilash Tomy of our Navy was struggling between life and death. The whole country was concerned about saving Tomy Naval officer Abhilash Tomy is a very courageous officer, he is the first Indian to circumnavigate the globe in a small boat without the help of modern technology PM congratulates the people of India on the success of the 'Swachhata Hi Seva' movement. I will feel much happier if my purchase will benefit the poorest of the poor Keeping this mantra of Gandhiji in mind while making any purchases during 150th Anniversary of Gandhiji, we must make it a point to see that our purchase must benefit one of our countrymen And in that too, one who has put in physical labour, who has invested money, who has applied skill must get some benefit This is the mantra of Gandhiji, this is the message of Gandhiji and I firmly believe that a small step of yours can surely bring about a very big benefit in the life of the poorest and the most underprivileged person My dear countrymen, when Gandhiji said that by maintaining cleanliness, freedom will be won then he probably was not aware how this would happen. But this did happen and India got freedom For example, think of purchasing Khadi and handloom products on special occasions; this will benefit many weavers Two days later, we shall celebrate the birth anniversary of Shastriji along with respected Bapus birth anniversary Lal Bahadur Shastriji had a unique quality in that, he was very humble outwardly but he was rock solid from inside AIR will broadcast the programme in regional languages immediately after the Hindi broadcast. The regional language versions will also be repeated at 8 pm. Also Read | Congress failed as opposition, disconnected with people: Modi In the 47th edition of 'Mann Ki Baat' last month, Prime Minister Modi assured justice to Muslim women through Triple Talaq Bill. He also expressed his sympathy with those affected by recent floods in Kerala. Akhilesh Yadav begins 'Samajwadi Vijay Yatra' to reach out to UP voters Akhilesh may even convert to get Muslim votes: UP minister Jinnah row: Read books again, Akhilesh Yadav to detractors; UP minister suggests narco test for ex-CM BJP stands for Jandhan, Aadhaar and Mobile but SP is for Jinnah, Azam and Mukhtar: Amit Shah MP polls: 'In talks with Gondwana Ganatantra party for an alliance', says Akhilesh Yadav India oi-Madhuri Adnal Bhopal, Sep 30: Samajwadi Party announced on Saturday that it would tie-up with Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP) led by Heera Singh Markam, which has stronghold in tribal regions of Shahdol and Balaghat, for the upcoming assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh. Speaking to media, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said,''We are in talks with Gondwana Ganatantra party for an alliance. As far as Congress is concerned, the onus is on them to take all like minded parties together.'' Areas within Madhya Pradesh that lie on the Uttar Pradesh border, such as Bhind, Datia, Tikamgarh, Chattarpur, Satna and Rewa have considerable SP support base and comprise 34 Assembly segments. Also Read | What will be the fate of SP and BSP alliance considering reservation in promotion issue? The Samajwadi Party is planning to contest 24 seats in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, according to its leaders. The announcement came hours after SP headquarters in Uttar Pradesh announced that the party would contest two dozen seats in Madhya Pradesh. The party has already invited applications from potential candidates by October 3. Also Read | Mulayam, Akhilesh share stage at SP rally in Delhi Meanwhile, BSP had also walked away after Congress leadership put down its demand for 30 to 35 seats; the former recently released its own list of 22 candidates for the upcoming polls. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 30, 2018, 10:11 [IST] PM Modi launches RBI Retail Direct, Integrated Ombudsman schemes: All you need to know PM in Gujarat: Modi inaugurates 3 projects in Anjar India oi-Vikas SV Ahmedabad, Sep 30: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated Mundra Lng Terminal, Anjar-Mundra Pipeline Project and the Palanpur-Pali Barmer Pipeline Project in Anjar in Gujarat's Kachchh district. "The inauguration of the LNG terminal is the highlight of today's programme. I am fortunate to have inaugurated 3 LNG terminals. Now, we are poised to make fourth LNG terminal," PM said after inauguration. Modi is on a day-long visit to Gujarat on Sunday during which he inaugurated several projects. Also Read | Modi in Gujarat: 'Amul is a name and has its own identity', says PM Earlier today, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for the expansion of Amul manufacturing facilities at Anand and Khatraj. Addressing in Anand, Pm Modi said that the development projects augur well for the cooperative sector. He said that the brand of Amul is known world over. "Today, Amul has become an inspiration world over. People from overseas also ask me about Amul. Amul is not only about milk processing. This is an excellent model of empowerment," he said. He will later travel to Rajkot where he will inaugurate the Mahatma Gandhi Museum Hopeful IT panel will take up Pegasus; officials may have been instructed to skip last meet: Tharoor Sushma Swarajs UNGA speech was aimed at BJP voters: Shashi Tharoor India oi-Vikas SV New Delhi, Sep 30: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday said that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's speech at the United Nations General Assembl (UNGA) in which she launched a scathing attack on Pakistan was aimed at pleasing the BJP voters. Speaking news agency ANI, Tharoor said the EAM rather than projecting a positive image of India, spoke only on Pakistan to please the BJP voters. "We get the sense that everything is about the political environment in India and this was a speech aimed at BJP voters and sending a message to them particularly on subject of Pakistan rather than constructing a positive and constructive image of India in the world," he told ANI. Also Read | Pak glorifies killers, blind to blood of innocents: Sushma Swaraj at UN Swaraj on Saturday launched a blistering attack on Pakistan for providing safe haven to terrorism and its verbal duplicity, as she delivered her speech at the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly in New York. She said that Pakistan has also betrayed the US after it provided shelter to 9/11 perpetrator Osama Bin Laden. Calling out Pakistan's "lie" that India is sabotaging the dialogue process, Swaraj asked world leaders how can talks can be pursued in the midst of "terrorist bloodshed" with a nation that "glorifies killers." Also Read | Pakistan sheltered Osama Bin Laden, says Sushma Swaraj at UN: Top quotes Sushma Swaraj also spoke about Ayushman Bharat, Jan Dhan and several other schemes of the Modi government. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 30, 2018, 16:06 [IST] Going slow on Hafiz Saeed, looking up to Azhar, Pak is only worsening its case at FATF The Chinese block and why the ban on Maulana Masood Azhar never goes through India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 30: China has done it again on Jaish-e-Mohammad boss, Maulana Masood Azhar. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has defended Beijing's repeated blockage of India's bids at the United Nations to list Masood Azhar, chief of Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) as a global terrorist. China, while defending the terrorist, argued that the issue lacks "consensus" among the members of the UN Security Council as well as the "directly concerned" parties - India and Pakistan. Masood Azhar is accused of several deadly terrorist attacks in India, including one on the Uri military base in Jammu and Kashmir in 2016, in which 17 security personnel were killed. Also Read | Days after pro-China Yameen lost power in Maldives, this is what China has to say China, being a veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council, has repeatedly blocked India's move. The US, Britain and France all back India to designate Masood Azhar a terrorist under the Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council. Beyond what meets the eye: India has always faced the Chinese block when it came to Azhar. This is not the first time that China has said that it will not support the ban. While on one hand, it continues to block the ban at the behest of Pakistan, on the other side it has its own vested interests. Officials explain that it is not just bi-lateral. China has called Pakistan an all weather friend, while Azhar the man himself has called China the almighty. Apart from these aspects and the fact that Azhar guards China's assets in Pakistan it is also to ensure that India does not become supreme in the region. Also Read | No political considerations over blocking UN move to list Masood Azhar global terrorist: China China would not like India having its say in the UN. China has also been instrumental in blocking India's NSG bid several times. It is a case of being supreme and throwing its clout around says an informed officer in New Delhi. The officer says that although all nations say it openly that the war against terror is important, the fact of the matter is that all are divided in their approach. There are different equations at play. The stakes in Afghanistan are very high. Russian President Vladimir Putin in fact changed the country's long standing policy against the US in Afghanistan. US was able to take over Afghanistan after Putin allowed the US set up base in Central Asia. China too has a major stake in Afghanistan and the recent statement by the Taliban in which it said it would not target infrastructure projects in Afghanistan is also significant. China has high stakes in Afghanistan and would not want that to be disturbed. Also Read | 'Double standards' will only undermine efforts to combat terror: India on China's move Any move in the UN on Azhar is likely to change China's equation with the Taliban which is considered to be close to the Jaish-e-Mohammad boss. More control in the UN for India would also tilt the balance against China. Officials explain that the reason for the block goes beyond the all weather friend or Azhar playing bouncer for Chinese investments in Pakistan theories. It is all about supremacy in the region, the officer also explains. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 30, 2018, 8:29 [IST] Why BJP is feeling nervous in Rajasthan ahead of Assembly elections India oi-Shubham Ghosh Jaipur, Sept 30: Rajasthan is one of those last remaining states in India where the two national parties -- BJP and Congress come to power alternatively and being in power, the saffron party is feeling the pressure of winning a second successive term for incumbent Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. According to a report in NDTV Khabar, the BJP is a bit worried over the SC votes as India's largest state inches towards its next Assembly election in some time. In the 2013 elections, the BJP won a major share of the reserved seats but over the last five years, the scheduled caste voters have not been happy - neither against the BJP-ruled state nor the Centre, the report added. The BJP is desperate to win back the confidence of this important electorate and it is campaigning from door to door to appease the voters of the SC community. Also Read | Rajasthan elections 2018 to see highest increase in youth voters since 1998 The SC voters were angry over the removal of a statue of Dalit icon BR Ambedkar from a government land in Sahjahanpur village by the authorities. The BJP is trying to convince people that it has given a big land in the same village to set up an Ambedkar memorial though the angry sentiments are yet to be assuaged. In April, members of the SC protested against the Supreme Court's decision to reform the AC Act and they were particularly unhappy with both the central and state governments. The police took strong measures against the protesters and in Alwar, one man from the SC candidate died in the protests while 150 were injured. This naturally left the BJP worried, the NDTV Khabar report said. Also Read | If not for Rajasthan we would have had a 'dhulmul sarkar,' says Amit Shah The ruling party, thereafter, resorted to initiating schemes including granting opportunities to their youth. The Congress said it was poll gimmick by the ruling party and hoped that this would do little to appease the SC votes and bring them back to it. In 2013, the Congress had won only one reserved seats in Rajasthan. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 30, 2018, 15:32 [IST] Space tourism offer: SpaceX to send 4 tourists on 5-day flight in Crew Dragon capsule by 2022 Inspiration4: SpaceX to launch worlds first all-civilian mission into space by April this year Tesla buys $1.5 billion in Bitcoin, will accept as payment soon This man hires woman to slap him every time he opens Facebook; Elon Musk approves Elon Musk fined $20 million, to resign as Tesla Chairman, but will remain CEO International oi-Madhuri Adnal Washington, Sep 30: Elon Musk has reached a settlement with Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over fraud charges, as a result of which he will step down from the Chairman post of Tesla. However, Musk will continue to remain the CEO of the electric car making company. He will also have to pay $20 million to financial regulators. The S.E.C. announced the deal two days after it sued Mr. Musk in federal court for misleading investors over his post on Twitter last month that he had "funding secured" for a buyout of the electric-car company at $420 a share. Also Read | USA: Tesla CEO Elon Musk charged with fraud The last two months have been tumultuous for the company. Musk, who is deeply involved in the company's product design and technological strategy, has invited trouble over his volatile behavior. He smoked marijuana on a live-podcast on the same day recently-appointed accounting chief of Tesla left. Also Read | Elon Musk apologises for calling Thai cave rescuer a paedophile Musk also called Vernon Unsworth, the cave-diver who rescued Thai boys, a paedophile and then wondered why wasn't he sued yet. He was sued. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 30, 2018, 11:03 [IST] Talks with China will not help says USA NSA on situation on Ladakh 20 members of a family removed from US flight after mask of 1 slipped under nose AUKUS will be game-changer in Indo-Pacific, won't compete with Quad: US Deputy Secretary FBI has free rein to probe his SC nominee Brett Kavanaugh, says Donald Trump International oi-Shubham Ghosh Washington, Sept 30: US President Donald Trump on Saturday, September 29, said the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has a "free rein" to probe his nominee for the Supreme Court Brett Kavanaugh who has come under a number of allegations of sexual misconduct. Trump, who has been backing his candidate to the core and blamed the Opposition over the controversy, told the reporters here on his way to a rally in West Virginia that the probe agency is free to do whatever they have to. On Friday, September 28, the Senate Judiciary Committee formally asked the White House to order the FBI to carry out a supplemental background investigation, saying it should probe "current credible allegations" against the 53-year-old jurist, CNN reported. Also Read | Brett Kavanaugh: Charges of sexual misconduct by 3 women put his SC candidacy in serious trouble In compliance with the Senate's request, Trump then asked the FBI to reopen its background probe into Kavanaugh with the process "limited in scope and completed in less than one week". The Republican Party said it would be on the FBI to decide which allegations are more credible. The terms of the investigation were set by three Republican senators: Jeff Flake, Susan Collings and Lisa Murkowski, CNN cited sources as saying. Also Read | Trump could shoot former FBI director and still get away, Giuliani's remark stirs fresh controversy The FBI has already started probing the allegations of sexual assault against Kavanaugh in their younger days by Chritine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 30, 2018, 13:56 [IST] Indias hiking tariffs on 19 items will hurt its consumers, say Chinese experts International oi-Shubham Ghosh Beijing, Sept 30: Last week, India hiked import duties on 19 "non-essential items" to stabilize its falling rupee and the decision earned its share of criticism, including from China. China's Global Times came up with a piece which cited experts as saying that the use of tariffs to curb the imports of the 19 items that include air conditioners, refrigerators, footwear, etc. could mainly hit companies in China and South Korea. "China manufactures some of the high-end washing machines, refrigerators and air conditioners sold in India," Bai Ming, deputy director of the Ministry of Commerce's International Market Research Institute, told the Global Times on Thursday, adding that the move is contrary to global free trade. Also Read | Customs duty hiked on 'non-essential items', flying, ACs, refrigerators to cost more "India is making a further tilt toward protectionism, which runs counter to trade liberalization and facilitation," he said. Liu Xiaoxue, an associate research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' National Institute of International Strategy, told the Times that India took the decision to tackle its widening current account deficit and arrest a sharp slide of rupee. He said such a move will hurt the Indian consumers more. Also Read | India-US trade relationship have most friction: White House "Given (the tariffs are) on all foreign producers, the host country's customers will actually be hurt more.These items are called non-essential, but they look more like daily necessities," he was quoted as saying. He also said that the move will have a negative impact on Chinese firms since their products are India's largest source of imports but added that it will not be too bad. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 30, 2018, 14:59 [IST] Today, September 30, is International Translation Day International oi-Shubham Ghosh New York, Sept 30: Today, September 30, is the International Translation Day. This day is meant to pay tribute to the work of language professionals which plays a key role in bridging gaps between nations, facilitating talks and understanding their cooperation and ultimately, contributing towards making the world a better place for peace and security. "Transposition of a literary or scientific work, including technical work, from one language into another language, professional translation, including translation proper, interpretation and terminology, is indispensable to preserving clarity, a positive climate and productiveness in international public discourse and interpersonal communication," says the United Nations on its website. It was on May 24, 2017, that the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on the role that language professionals play in connecting nations and promote peace among them as well as development. It was then declared that September 30 will be henceforth be observed as the International Translation Day. Why September 30 is the chosen date? This date celebrates the feast of St Jerome, the translator of the Bible and considered the patron saint of translators who died on this date in 420. A priest who hailed from north-eastern Italy, Jerome was known mainly for his effort to translate the most of Bible into Latin from Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. He is also known to have translated parts of the Hebrew Gospel into Greek. Also Read | Google's 20th birthday: The search engine that has become integral part of our lives Since 2005, the UN has been inviting staff members, accredited permanent missions staff and students from select partner universities to compete in the UN St, Jerome Translation Contest which rewards the best translation works in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish and also German that aim to promote multilingualism and highlight the importance of translators in multilateral diplomatic efforts. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 30, 2018, 8:52 [IST] Historic Charms of N. Oregon Coast's Hillcrest Inn: a Seaside Tradition Published 09/29/2018 at 7:34 PM PDT By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff (Seaside, Oregon) One of Seaside's more stately and reverie-inspiring lodging delights is Hillcrest Inn and Hillcrest House. Its an oldie on the Oregon coast about 100 years old. So its appropriate you can keep walking just a ways and wind up on the 100-year-old Promenade and right next to the almost 100-year-old Seaside Aquarium. Manager Ruth Swensen said one part of the buildings goes back to 1931, while another part all the way back to 1921. The largest portions of the motel were built in 1931: a series of eight cottages. In 1989, two were torn down to make motel rooms, and a year later another two were razed to add to the motel. That still leaves four cottages, which retain that vintage Oregon coast vibe. Its become a tradition with numerous families sometimes for generations of them. We have a family staying with us thats been doing that since at least the 50s, Swensen said. Every August for a week. The great grandma is in her 90s now, but she was four years old when they first started coming. Its the very same week, every year. I just think thats the coolest thing. Rooms vary in historical vibe, from interior architecture thats reminiscent of 100 years ago to units that are clearly modern in design and refurbishing, although there manages to be a sense of coastal yesteryear throughout everything. In the more modern units, theres still hints of the 30s or 40s in the kitchens, which keeps the sense of charm. Older rooms at the HIllcrest are a bit of a delight: walls and ceilings sometimes dart into odd angles and come together in curious configurations. Window sills and panes simply smack of another age. The exterior bears the brunt of the historic feeling. Those balconies evoke a simpler time, and its not hard to imagine people from the turn-of-the-century of the century wandering that walkway. Their vacation rental Hillcrest House - is a cajoling beauty: a stately structure of weathered wood siding and a white doorway area that also evokes another time. Thats because it is indeed from another time. It was built in 21 by a Colonel Dunne, who was a merchant marine stationed in Astoria. Later, the family sold it and it became a boarding house with the different rooms being rented out. Somewhere down the line it became a vacation rental, somewhere after when the biz first began operating as a motel. Its a lot bigger than it looks: it accommodates 16, so it works well for weddings, retreats, seminars and other gatherings of size. There are six bedrooms, a fireplace with a wood stove insert, and 2.5 bathrooms that include claw-foot bathtub. Its all about a half block from the beach, and there are comforting partial ocean views available in some rooms. All of the rooms at the Hillcrest Inn are non-smoking and some are pet friendly. They all have a kitchen, kitchenette or a small fridge with microwaves and coffee pot. Everyone has access to the large set of movies in the library. Theres wi-fi throughout the building and a guest laundry, which can come in handy for those particularly messy Oregon coast moments. Plus, you can save money if you book directly with them. One of the more attractive qualities of this north Oregon coast old timer in general is the courtyard of the motel complex, coming complete with a variety of fun yard games that appeal to kids and adults alike. Such as the curiosity with two balls strung together that you have to get through a set of openings. Or beach balls, or croquet-like games. Its a kick for all ages. Picnic tables and barbecue grill round out the recreational merriment, where you can dine in the great coastal outdoors. You can also borrow sand toys to take to the waterside with you. They lend out wagons, beach towels and beach blankets as well. 118 North Columbia. Seaside, Oregon. (503) 738-6273. Website here. Lodging in Seaside - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted Sherri Burns spent 22 years as an equipment technician at Boyd's Coffee Co., an Oregon institution for more than a century until new owners announced plans to close operations in Portland and Eugene and lay off everyone. "We were a unique group of folks out there," Burns said, getting emotional as she spoke about her former colleagues. She loved her work at Boyd's, and Burns said she excelled at it. It's painful to think about starting over at age 52. Still, Burns isn't hesitating. Laid off just two weeks ago, she's preparing to enroll in an electrician training program. A former subhunter in the U.S. Navy, Burns said she is confident there will be opportunities for her as she begins a new career. "It's part of my nature to be that way," she said. "I'm a veteran as well, and I was raised by a Marine." Oregon's economy is roaring and unemployment is at a record low, just 3.8 percent. Perhaps surprisingly, though, layoffs have been rising. Annual job losses climbed steadily for most of the past seven years as individual businesses have stumbled or sold. In addition to Boyd's, Nike, SureID, West Linn Paper Co., SolarWorld and other large employers have had substantial layoffs while scores of smaller businesses have made their own cuts. And yet a newly issued state report shows far fewer laid-off workers are in the unemployment line. The number of unemployed Oregonians has fallen by nearly 60 percent since 2009, and the data suggests people like Burns aren't getting discouraged. They're moving quickly to jump back into the workforce and having great results. "If they're out looking for a job, they're not looking for a job very long," said Gary Cardwell, divisional vice president with Northwest Container Services, which facilitates transporting products to and from regional ports. Cardwell, who has both hired and laid-off employees in the last two years, said the tight job market means skilled workers are in heavy demand even if one company's fortunes suffer. The new analysis from Oregon Employment Department analyst Gail Krumenauer breaks the unemployed into major categories: Job losers: Those who are laid off or fired Job leavers: People who quit and immediately start looking for another job New to workforce: Those returning to the workforce after time away, and those seeking work for the first time Krumenauer finds the number of "job losers" on the unemployment rolls has plunged, from 157,000 in 2010 to 50,000 last year. The length of time Oregonians spend unemployed after a job loss plunged from 23 weeks in 2010 to nine weeks in 2017. "Layoffs are happening in the economy all the time," she said. "It's not taking as long to look to find something else. There's still plenty of hiring that is happening." That strong job market has coincided with rising incomes. Portland's median household income is up sharply since 2014, , while Oregon's median income has caught up with the national level after many years of lag. However, the state's poverty rate remains stubbornly high and wages haven't kept up with the cost of living in part because of rapid increases in housing costs in Portland, Bend and other parts of the state. The decline in the number of laid off workers hasn't coincided with a decline in layoffs. A separate state report last summer shows that job losses have been gradually increasing since 2011 though they're not nearly as high as they were at the height of the Great Recession in 2009. Rising layoffs are counterintuitive, given the robust state economy. But individual companies go through their own cycles, regardless of the broader environment. Workers appear to be bouncing back, regardless. In fact, while the overall number of unemployed is down sharply, the number of Oregonians quitting their jobs without having a new one lined up rose by nearly 70 percent between 2013 and 2017. "We usually see 'job leavers' increase as the labor market strengthens because people will feel more confident because they can say, 'I can leave this job and find another one,'" Krumenauer said. It certainly feels that way to businesses, according to Corky Collier, director of the Columbia Corridor Association, which promotes economic growth in east Multnomah County "Over and over and over again I'm hearing: I need employees," he said. That's a well-documented issue in Oregon, especially for skilled jobs working in construction and manufacturing. With Oregon unemployment in its ninth straight year of decline, Collier said, more and more employers tell him the good times can't last. "A recession is coming. We know it's coming. We don't know when. We don't know how bad," Collier said. "We're on the leading edge of folks starting to get nervous about that." If employers are getting nervous, Krumenauer, the state economic analyst, said it's not showing up in the jobs data yet. She said temp agencies and employment services firms are among the first places to spot it when companies put the brakes on hiring. The state checks in regularly with those firms to learn what they're seeking, and Krumenauer said the most recent reports continue to show annual growth. She said that suggests employers remain optimistic about adding labor. "it's favorable conditions at the moment," she said. "They're feeling confident that they can hire on their orders are strong enough that they can take on more labor." -- Mike Rogoway | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699 Measure 103, an initiative by grocers seeking to amend the state Constitution to ban taxes on sales of food, is undeniably appealing. The central idea - that life necessities as food and medicine should remain tax-free - simply makes sense. This measure, however, does not. The initiative goes far beyond just food purchased at a local grocery store - it bars taxes on the sales, distribution or transfer of raw and processed food at all stages "from farm to fork." It's overly vague, leaving open to legal interpretation just how broadly a ban could apply. It would bar local communities from enacting a targeted food or beverage tax of their own, even if their community members enthusiastically support one. And it creates constitutional restrictions on legislators who must be able to explore different taxing structures in their search for a stable and fair revenue system that shifts some of Oregonians' tax burden onto corporations. Other endorsements The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board will publish its endorsements for the November general election over the next few weeks. Here's the list of the stances we have released so far: , an initiative by grocers seeking to amend the state Constitution to ban taxes on sales of food. , which seeks to make it harder for lawmakers to raise revenue. , which seeks to repeal Oregon's 30-year-old police anti-profiling law. , which would ban the use of state tax dollars to pay for most abortions. Voters should steer clear of Measure 103 and its many unintended consequences and vote no. The motivation for the measure is understandable. Just two years ago, Oregonians were asked to vote on Measure 97, a poorly-considered massive corporate-tax initiative developed by Our Oregon, the political organization backed by public-employee unions. The measure, which would have levied a 2.5 percent tax on the gross receipts of Oregon's largest corporations, would have hit grocery stores particularly hard. Not only do grocers maintain notoriously low profit margins, but the measure would have imposed the 2.5 percent tax at multiple points in the food-supply chain driving up the cost of groceries even before they appeared on store shelves. Oregonians wisely and emphatically rejected the measure, voting it down 59 percent to 41 percent after the most expensive ballot-measure fight in Oregon history. But this move has some of the same fatal flaws as Measure 97. As we have said before, legislating tax policy by ballot initiative is a recipe for disaster, whether it's seeking to impose a new tax or exempt a business. The complexities of building a system that fairly considers the rates and types of taxes levied on mega corporations versus small businesses; low-profit versus high-margin companies, 1 percenters versus minimum-wage earners make it dangerous to carve out one-off measures that serve only the interests of the initiative backers. While they may attempt to sell their measure as something in the best interest of Oregonians as a whole - as initiative sponsors are trying to do here - it's simply not true. The best interest of Oregonians is for elected leaders to step up to the challenge of reworking our volatile and unfair tax system. It's hard enough as it is. Passing this constitutional amendment will only make it closer to impossible. There's a message here that Our Oregon should take to heart: Punitive initiatives like Measure 97 can backfire disastrously and lead to pre-emptive strikes like Measure 103. It's up to Oregon voters to once again rescue the state from those who would use the initiative process for their own self-interest. -Helen Jung for The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board Oregonian editorials Editorials reflect the collective opinion of The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board, which operates independently of the newsroom. Members of the editorial board are Laura Gunderson, Helen Jung, 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. More than 30 years ago, Oregon lawmakers made a powerful statement against racial profiling. With a 29-1 vote in the Oregon Senate and another 58-1 vote in the House, lawmakers created the nation's first sanctuary law. It was a bold, yet uncontroversial move. Oregonians should show that same resolution today and vote no on Measure 105. Oregon's sanctuary law forbids state and local police agencies from using public money or resources to enforce federal immigration laws when an individual's only offense is how he or she entered the country. Law enforcement officials from some of the state's largest agencies are fighting the measure, saying that they need community members to trust police and be willing to help them identify and solve crimes. Leaders from some of Oregon's largest companies, including Nike and Columbia Sportswear, are also against the measure, saying that a repeal would send the wrong message to the potential employees and students that they are looking to attract. Voters should reject Measure 105, too, knowing that a no vote will help to guarantee our ever-dwindling public safety dollars will be spent on policing local laws - not those that federal agents are paid to enforce. Other endorsements The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board will publish its endorsements for the November general election over the next few weeks. Here's the list of the stances we have released so far: , an initiative by grocers seeking to amend the state Constitution to ban taxes on sales of food. , which seeks to make it harder for lawmakers to raise revenue. , which seeks to repeal Oregon's 30-year-old police anti-profiling law. , which would ban the use of state tax dollars to pay for most abortions. Measure 105 supporters have relied on fear tactics, telling voters that illegal entry is a "precursor" to other crimes. In fact, simply being in the country without authorization -- for instance if someone overstays a visa - isn't a crime but a civil offense. Crossing the border illegally is a federal misdemeanor on the first offense and is only a felony if someone who had been deported returns without authorization. Also, numerous studies have shown that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than American citizens. And while Oregon has seen a small uptick in violent crimes between 2014 and 2016, the overall violent crime rate has fallen by nearly 50 percent between 1993 and 2016, according to FBI data. Under existing law, Oregon law enforcement can provide assistance to immigration officers when a federal warrant has been issued for an individual. Local agencies also can provide federal agents with arrest information or booking photos. Nothing in Oregon's sanctuary law prevents that. As lawmakers did in 1987, Oregonians should stand together against racial profiling and reject changes to a law that keeps us all safe. -- Laura Gunderson for The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board Oregonian editorials Editorials reflect the collective opinion of The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board, which operates independently of the newsroom. Members of the editorial board are Laura Gunderson, Helen Jung, 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, or a . If you have questions about the opinion section, , editorial pages editor, or call 503-221-8378. Students, family members and others gathered outside PSU's campus security office Saturday night for a candlelight vigil honoring Jason Washington, who died three months ago after being shot by campus police officers. Ted Sickinger| The Oregonian/OregonLive By TED SICKINGER The Oregonian/OregonLive About 75 students, family members and friends gathered Saturday night outside the campus security office at Portland State University for a candlelight vigil to honor Jason Washington, the 45-year-old man who was shot and killed outside a bar by campus police officers three months ago. Attendees brought flowers, pictures and various mementos that reminded them of Washington, such as his fantasy football trophy and vanilla scent. Many carried placards reading Disarm PSU, Justice for Jason and Dont Shoot. And perhaps a dozen people, including Washingtons wife, cousin and pastor, came forward to share their memories of the man or their frustration with the militarization of campus police. Olivia Pace, who identified herself as a member of PSUs student union, told the crowd that Saturday night marked three months since Washington was brutally murdered. We are determined to make sure this never happens again. Two campus police officers shot Washington, a postal worker, Navy veteran and married father of three, as he was trying to break up a fight near the Cheerful Tortoise bar just before closing time on June 29. The incident re-ignited protests and calls to end the school's policy of arming its public safety force, which took effect three years ago. Don't Edit Students, family members and others gathered outside PSU's campus security office Saturday night for a candlelight vigil honoring Jason Washington, who died three months ago after being shot by campus police officers. Ted Sickinger| The Oregonian/OregonLive The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office said in September that officers Shawn McKenzie and James Dewey would not face criminal charges in the death of Washington, who was carrying a gun he was holding for a friend when he was shot. University officials have said they are reviewing campus security policy and procedures. In advance of a Board of Trustees meeting next week, students have established an occupation camp outside the campus security offices. As of Saturday evening, it consisted of about a half dozen tents, though students said they planned to maintain the #OccupationforJason until their demands are met. At the Oct. 4th board meeting, they intend to call on trustees to immediately disarm campus security, fire officers McKenzie and Dewey, and establish a permanent memorial to Jason Washington on campus. Don't Edit Michelle Washington, the widow of Jason Washington, spoke at the candlelight vigil honoring her husband. Ted Sickinger| The Oregonian/OregonLive Alyssa Pariah, a former PSU student and co-chair of the labor and community organization Portland Jobs With Justice, told the crowd that PSU students had been protesting the arming of campus security for five years, well before it actually took place. People always knew that something like this could happen, and tragically, that it would probably be a black person, she said. She told the crowd that university officials were likely already looking for an excuse to sweep the camp, whether it was public safety, trash or the homeless participants in the protest. A faculty member who did not identify herself came forward to express solidarity with Washingtons family and the goals of the protest. "We are doing an incredible amount of organizing in our departments, she said. Dont feel aloneYou are the fuel that keeps us going. - Ted Sickinger tsickinger@oregonian.com 503-221-8505 Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 29) There have been no new photos from Kris Aquino for the past few weeks, and now we know why. Aquino - daughter of former President Cory Aquino, actress, and entrepreneur - said that she had lost a lot of weight from the stress over a pending case. With former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay and former Ampatuan counsel Atty. Sigfrid Fortun on her legal team, Aquino refused to divulge the exact details of her case, but said she believes in what she is fighting for. "My PAIN comes from my fear that tens of tax paid millions from my sons' trust funds, money i conscientiously saved for them because i made a deathbed promise to my MOM that Kuya Josh & Bimb will always come first, baka mawala lahat ng pinagpaguran ko para sa kanila," Aquino said in an Instagram post, which showed her current state: sallow skin, hollow cheeks, and no make up. Her next post was a press statement from the law firm of Fortun, divulging that Aquino is currently in Singapore to seek medical treatment. "Betrayal in any form is heartbreaking, but the attempt of this man & his brother- who never met nor even conversed with me in any form- to alter FACTS by deceitfully & maliciously attacking my family's honor & credibility, strengthened my resolve to use all legal means for TRUTH TO WIN," Aquino said on the people she filed a case against. Aquino asked for privacy in these trying times, and disabled the comments section to her social media post. SUNDAY "God Friended Me": Brandon Micheal Hall ("The Mayor") plays an atheist who gets Facebook friend requests from, well, God. (8:30 p.m. CBS) "Poldark": As Season 4 of the juicy period drama begins, things remain tense in Cornwall, and even more uneasy between Ross (Aidan Turner) and Demelza (Eleanor Tomlinson). (9 p.m. PBS) MONDAY "The Neighborhood": Cedric the Entertainer stars in a comedy about a family man who's not too crazy about the arrival of his new next-door neighbors, a white family moving into a traditionally African American neighborhood. (8 p.m. CBS) "Happy Together": Damon Wayans Jr. plays an accountant whose domestic life with his wife is upended when his pop superstar client moves in with the couple. (8:30 p.m. CBS) TUESDAY "Trump's Showdown": A two-hour "Frontline" documentary that, according to the program description, "goes inside President Trump's unprecedented confrontation with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, the FBI, the DOJ, and even his own attorney general -- tracing the dramatic events that have led the White House and the nation to the brink of what could become a Constitutional crisis." (9 p.m. PBS) WEDNESDAY "SEAL Team": David Boreanaz leads the team into a second season. (9 p.m. CBS) THURSDAY "Will & Grace": Last season's revival success returns for more comedy. (9 p.m. NBC) FRIDAY "The Man in the High Castle": Eric Overmeyer ("Treme") takes over as showrunner in Season 3. (Streaming on Amazon) SATURDAY "Flight of the Conchords: Live in London": Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie reunite for a new comedy-music special. (10 p.m. HBO) -- Kristi Turnquist kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist Police are searching for a suspect in a shooting that left an 18-year-old man dead in Washington County on Sunday morning. The shooting happened during an "altercation at a large party" at a house in the Rock Creek neighborhood at around 12:45 in the morning, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office. Deputies searched the area but couldn't find the suspect, who quickly fled after the shooting. The injured man was transported to a local hospital, where he was later declared dead. He was identified as Fermin Alonso-Alonso of North Plains. The house is in a cul-de-sac on Northwest Connett Meadow Court, near Emerald Estates Park and Portland Community College Rock Creek. Police have not released any information on the suspect, and are asking anyone with information to call the Washington County Sheriff's Office at 503-846-2700. President Donald Trump will be in Philadelphia this week, to address participants at the National Electrical Contractors convention. A press release from the National Electrical Contractors Association states Trump will speak on Tuesday, Oct. 2, and is expected to discuss "the growing economy, tax reform, and apprenticeships." While the convention schedule does not reflect what time Trump will be speaking, Tuesday is the last day of the convention and includes a closing celebration featuring rock band Foreigner. By Kyle Jensen and Jack Selzer Since his inauguration, President Donald Trump has been waging war against the American press by dismissing unfavorable reports as "fake news" and calling the media "the enemy of the American people." As a countermeasure, The Washington Post has publicly fact-checked every claim that Trump has labeled as fake. In August, The Boston Globe coordinated editorials from newspapers across the nation to push back against Trump's attacks on the press. The Associated Press characterized this effort as the declaration of a "war of words" against Trump. News organizations might frame themselves as the besieged party in this "war." But what if they're as much to blame as the president in this back-and-forth? And what if readers are to blame as well? In an unpublished manuscript titled "The War of Words," the late rhetorical theorist and cultural critic Kenneth Burke cast the media as agents of political warfare. In 2012, we found this manuscript in Burke's papers and, after working closely with Burke's family and the University of California Press, it will be published in October 2018. In "The War of Words," Burke urges readers to recognize the role they also play in sustaining polarization. He points to how seemingly innocuous features in a news story can actually compromise values readers might hold, whether it's debating the issues further, finding points of consensus, and, ideally, avoiding war. A book born out of the Cold War In 1939 - just before Adolf Hitler invaded Poland - Burke wrote an influential essay, "The Rhetoric of Hitler's 'Battle,'" in which he outlined how Hitler had weaponized language to foment antipathy, scapegoat Jews and unite Germans against a common enemy. After World War II ended and America's leaders turned their attention to the Soviet Union, Burke saw some parallels to Hitler in the way language was being weaponized in the U.S. He worried that the U.S. might remain on a permanent wartime footing and that a drumbeat of oppositional rhetoric directed at the Soviet Union was making the nation susceptible to slipping into yet another war. Tormented by this possibility, he published two books, "A Grammar of Motives" and "A Rhetoric of Motives," in which he sought to to inoculate Americans from the sort of political speech that, in his view, could lead to a nuclear holocaust. Kenneth Burke. Oscar White "The War of Words" was originally supposed to be part of "A Rhetoric of Motives." But at the last minute, Burke decided to set it aside and publish it later. Unfortunately, he never ended up publishing it before his death in 1993. The thesis of "The War of Words" is simple and, in our view, holds up today: Political warfare is ubiquitous, unrelenting and inevitable. News coverage and commentary are frequently biased, whether journalists and readers are aware of it or not. And all media coverage, therefore, demands careful scrutiny. To Burke, you don't have to launch social media missives in order to participate in sustaining a polarized political environment. Instead, the quiet consumption of news reporting is enough to do the trick. Pick a side Most people might think that the content of media coverage is the most persuasive component. They assume what gets reported matters more than how it gets reported. But according to "The War of Words," this assumption is backwards: An argument's form is often its most persuasive element. Burke takes pains to catalog the various forms that news writers use in their work and calls them "rhetorical devices." One device he calls "headline thinking," which refers to how an article's headline can establish the tone and frame of the issue being discussed. Take, for example, an Aug. 21 article The New York Times ran about how Michael Cohen's indictment might affect the 2018 midterms. The headline read: "With Cohen Implicating Trump, a Presidency's Fate Rests With Congress." The next day, the Times ran another article on the same topic with the following headline: "Republicans Urge Embattled Incumbents to Speak Out on Trump." Both headlines seek to assail the Republican Party. The first implies that the Republican Party, because it holds a majority in Congress, is responsible for upholding justice - and if they don't indict Trump, they're clearly protecting him to preserve their political power. The second headline might seem less malicious than the first. But think about the underlying assumption: Republicans are only urging "embattled" elected officials to speak out against Trump. The directive, therefore, isn't born out of political principle. Rather, it's being made because the party needs to preserve its majority and protect vulnerable incumbents. The unstated claim in this headline is that the Republican Party exhibits political virtue only when it's needed to quell threats to its power. If you side with The New York Times, you may be heartened by its efforts to position the Republican Party as craven in its lust for power. If you side with the Republican Party, you are probably disgusted with the paper for claiming that its representatives lack moral virtue. Either way, the line is drawn: The New York Times is on one side, and the Republican Congress is on the other. A rhetorical 'call to arms' Another device Burke explores is one that he calls "yielding aggressively," which involves accepting criticism in order to leverage it to one's own benefit. We see this at play in an op-ed piece published on Fox News on Aug. 22, 2018. The writer, John Fund, concluded that Michael Cohen's guilty plea will "likely" not lead to an indictment of President Trump. To support his argument, he cites Bob Bauer, a former White House counsel to President Barack Obama, who has argued that the campaign finance violations aren't very significant but are instead being used as a political cudgel. Fund admits that Cohen's guilty plea will hurt Trump and make things tougher for his supporters, requiring them "to do a lot of heavy lifting when they come to his defense." Fund's editorial also admits to minor lapses in Trump's judgment - particularly in hiring Cohen, Manafort and Omarosa Manigault Newman. It thus yielded to popular criticisms of Trump. But this admission is not a call for accountability; it is a call to arms. Fund ultimately argues that if Trump is indicted, it will not be because he is guilty of violating a serious law. It will be because his opponents seek to vanquish him. Indictment or not, Fund seems to be saying, Trump supporters should be ready for a ferocious political fight come 2020. Again, the lines are drawn. How to survive the 'war of words' Burke once wrote about how rhetorical devices like those explored above can sustain division and polarization. "Imagine a passage built about a set of oppositions ('we do this, but they on the other hand do that; we stay here, but they go there; we look up, but they look down,' etc.)," he wrote. "Once you grasp the trend of the form, [you see that] it invites participation regardless of the subject matter ... you will find yourself swinging along with the succession of antitheses, even though you may not agree with the proposition that is being presented in this form." Burke calls this phenomenon "collaborative expectancy" - collaborative because it encourages us to swing along together, and "expectancy" because of the predictability of each side's argument. This predictability encourages readers to embrace an argument without considering whether we find it persuasive. They simply sit on one of two opposing sides and nod along. According to Burke, if you passively consume the news, swinging along with headlines as the midterms unfold, political divisions will likely be further cemented. However if you become aware of how the media reports you're consuming seek to subtly position and influence you, you'll likely seek out more sources and become more deliberative. You might notice what's missing from a debate, and what really might be motivating the outlet. To avoid getting sucked into a dynamic of two opposing, gridlocked forces, it's important for all readers to make their consciousness a matter of conscience. The Conversation Kyle Jensen is an associate professor of English at the University of North Texas. Jack Selzer is the Paterno Family Liberal Arts Professor of Literature at Penn State University. They wrote this piece for The Conversation, where it first appeared. Twenty-three is still the magic number. That's how many seats the Democrats need to flip in order to take control of the House of Representatives in January. Republican strategist Charlie Gerow (PennLive file) History is certainly on their side. Through the past century and a half, the party that held the White House has typically lost more than 30 seats in the first mid-term election. That's obviously enough to get the Democrats into the majority in and of itself. But history doesn't determine elections, voters do. What's November 2018 going to bring? As with many recent elections, the national answer lies in the Keystone State. Pennsylvania has a huge registration advantage for Democrats, but Republicans have still managed to win statewide elections, including Donald Trump's and Pat Toomey's victories in 2016, and to control both chambers of the General Assembly. At the beginning of the session, they held a 13-5 advantage in the state's congressional delegation. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court changed the equation significantly with its "judicial-mandering" of the state's congressional lines earlier this year. Adding to a massive shakeup of the state's congressional delegation was an unusually large number of retirements and resignations. Open seats are more hotly contested than ones where incumbents are running. With the road to 23 running right through Pennsylvania, Democrats see the opportunity as a major step in their direction. They're likely to pick up some seats here. Most specifically, two seats in the collar counties around Philadelphia look especially vulnerable. One is the 5th District vacated by Rep. Pat Meehan. The other is the 6th District, where the untimely announcement by Rep. Ryan Costello of his retirement caught the GOP flat footed. Democrats also thought they could pick up another Philly suburb seat in the new 1st District, held by freshman Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick. But their nominee is far to the left and has not proven to be an effective candidate. Fitzpatrick will hold his seat. There are other Pennsylvania seats that may likely determine who controls Congress in the next session. At opposite sides of the state are the 7th District, vacated by Rep. Charlie Dent, and the 17th District, which pits two incumbents, Rep. Keith Rothfus and Rep. Conor Lamb, against each other. The Lehigh Valley seat would have been an easier pickup for Democrats had they nominated moderate Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli in their primary. Their nominee, Susan Wild, is on the far left of the Democratic Party and much more of a target. On the other side of the state, Connor Lamb's star power, left over from the avalanche of national media he received in a special election in a different district earlier this year, gives him a leg up. Keith Rothfus has been a solid, reliable and hard-working member of Congress. But he faces a tough battle to overcome the celebrity of the newly minted congressman. Democrats' ambitions don't stop there. They think they've got a shot at Rep. Mike Kelly in northwest Pennsylvania. That's a stretch. So is their insistence that they can take away the seat of Rep. Scott Perry here in the mid-state. Perry faces a very different electorate than he did in his previously configured district. And he's got the first real fight of his congressional career. His margin of victory won't be anywhere near as big as he's used to. But you know what they call a guy who wins by a slim margin? Congressman. Presidential popularity always looms large in midterm elections. President Trump's numbers are not where he'd like them to be, but they are not in the danger zone, either. His approval rating on the economy is above 50 percent, and the national mood, with unemployment way down, the economy up and no major international crisis to speak of, is in his favor. There's not likely to be the "Blue Wave" Democrats are hoping for. It's more likely that the outcome will turn on a few tightly contested battles in individual districts. There, enthusiasm and voter intensity will likely determine who wins. Democrats have boasted an "enthusiasm gap" for most of the year. That's closing. The "Silent Majority" lets its voice be heard later. The Kavanaugh hearings undoubtedly increased voter enthusiasm and intensity for both the Democratic and Republican bases. How they affected the small number of undecided and still persuadable independent "swing voters" remains to be seen. With just a couple of days remaining for voters to register, every eligible citizen should make sure that they're registered. With just over a month left to Election Day, every voter should have Nov. 6 circled on their calendar. It's going to be a red-letter day, especially here in purple Pennsylvania. PennLive Opinion contributor Charlie Gerow is the CEO of Quantum Communications in Harrisburg. His "Donkeys & Elephants" column appears weekly opposite progressive commentator Kirstin Snow. 'Up North in Michigan' reminds readers to get out and explore By Jennifer McEntee SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Reuters) When a Democrat with Palestinian-Mexican ancestry who had never before run for office was picked to challenge a Republican incumbent in a staunchly conservative southern California congressional district, few gave him much of a chance. But five-term U.S. Representative Duncan Hunter, who has been criminally charged with misusing campaign funds, is concerned enough about Ammar Campa-Najjar to issue a YouTube ad accusing his rival of trying to hide his familys ties to terrorism, a reference to his Palestinian grandfather, who led a 1972 plot to kill Israeli athletes at the Olympics. The ad, released on Wednesday, shows Hunter, a former U.S. Marine who followed his father into Congress, dressed in camouflage. Campa-Najjar, who worked in President Barack Obamas White House, said in a statement Friday that he was sad to see Congressman Hunter lose his grip on reality. Hunters campaign did not respond to requests for comment. Democrats need to pick up 23 House of Representatives seats in the Nov. 6 congressional elections if they wish to take a majority and serve as a more effective counter to U.S. President Donald Trump. Republicans can ill afford to lose normally safe seats like Hunters, in a district including San Diego, as they look to keep control of that chamber. Polls show Hunter maintaining a comfortable lead over Campa-Najjar, though not as wide as his 27 percentage point margin of victory in 2016. A Monmouth University Poll of 401 voters conducted between Sept. 22 and 26, found 53 percent of likely voters supported Hunter versus 38 percent for Campa-Najjar. The poll had a 5.3 percentage point margin of error. Campa-Najjars campaign says its polling shows a closer race. FAMILY BLAME GAME The 29-year-old Democratic challenger is the son of a Mexican-American mother and a Palestinian father who immigrated from the Middle East. He stresses his Christian faith on the campaign trail and has tried repeatedly to distance himself from his Palestinian grandfather, who led the plot at the Munich Olympic Games in 1972 and was assassinated by Israeli commandos the following year. He responded to Hunters ad by pointing to the Republicans own family troubles: He knows Im not responsible for my familys actions, just like his wife isnt responsible for his. Hunter, 41, and his wife pleaded not guilty on Aug. 23 to charges of misusing $250,000 in campaign funds to pay for their childrens private school tuition, lavish travel including a trip to Italy and restaurant meals that cost hundreds of dollars. He has said the charges were politically motivated. Hunter is not the only Republican congressman running for reelection while fighting criminal charges. U.S. Representative Chris Collins is also campaigning in a normally solidly Republican western New York state district while awaiting trial on insider trading charges that he has denied. Both Hunter and Collins were early supporters of Trump, who early this month criticized Attorney General Jeff Sessions for allowing federal prosecutors to charge Republican candidates in an election year. Campa-Najjars fundraising has outpaced Hunters, according to Federal Election Commission data through June 2018. Hunters campaign had reported contributions of $854,787, while Campa-Najjar had reported nearly $1.1 million In an interview with Reuters before the ads release, Campa-Najjar said he expects to win over Trump voters that cant support somebody who embodies the swamp in Washington. (The story corrects paragraph three to show ad first issued on Wednesday.) (Writing by Bill Tarrant; Editing by Scott Malone and Tom Brown) Campus News UBs Global Partner Studio expands international experiential learning By CHARLES ANZALONE When you put these together with UBs commitment to innovation, the possibilities are limitless. When Mara B. Huber, associate dean for undergraduate research and experiential learning, took on the task of designing an office to serve as a hub for credit-based experiential learning at UB, she knew she wanted a model that was collaborative and catalytic. She wanted a model that tapped into the connections and talents of UB faculty, encouraging them to think big and travel far. Huber launched the Experiential Learning Network in fall 2017 with programmatic opportunities and support, and an evolving framework for collaboration and innovation. Now, as the ELN begins its second year of bringing together students and faculty for high-impact experiential learning opportunities, it will unveil its most comprehensive and global initiative to date: the Global Partner Studio. The Global Partner Studio is an innovative platform for cultivating and leveraging high-impact experiential learning opportunities. By transforming partnerships into catalysts for pedagogical innovation, Huber, director of ELN, hopes to lead UB in a bold new direction for global collaboration. The GPS signature event, the Global Partner Studio Institute, is set to take place Oct. 1-5 at different sites on the North Campus. The inaugural institute will bring partners from Ghana, Jamaica, Tanzania and Zimbabwe together with interested faculty, students and community members to learn about and work toward developing new ideas for courses, collaborative research, projects and travel-based learning. Huber hopes the community will take advantage of this unique opportunity. Although UB faculty and select students get to travel to these countries, Huber says, we are opening up engagement opportunities by bringing our partners to UB. By learning about their respective countries and the work that is already happening through their partnerships, we can catalyze new ideas for engagement, collaboration and student learning. The institute will open with partner presentations at 3 p.m. Oct. 1 in 145 Student Union, with a reception to follow. After learning about the partner countries and priorities for collaboration, participants will be invited to attend studio sessions throughout the week and submit ideas for new projects and collaborations. A complete schedule and event registration is available on the ELN website. While all ideas are welcome, Huber and the Experiential Learning Network team will focus on several specific types of learning that will be showcased in a Pedagogical Innovation session to be held from 9-11 a.m. Oct 2 in the Center for Educational Innovations (CEI) new Faculty Collaboration Studio in 6 Norton Hall. These include COIL (collaborative online international learning), virtual reality (VR), UBs new Global Partner Studio open-source digital journal, Global Collaboration digital badge, project-based learning and customized short-term study abroad programs. Participants will also learn how to integrate these experiences within ePortfolios, an exciting component of UBs new integrative curriculum. Huber explains these innovative platforms can deepen and extend student learning, while at the same time driving lasting impacts for the communities and regions touched by UB students and faculty. For example, recent UB Honors Program alum Danielle Nerber transformed a short-term study abroad experience in Tanzania into a social innovation project that is changing the lives of women and girls in the rural countryside while also shaping her own future career as a global health physician. What began as a final project exploring the relationship between girls menstrual maintenance and educational attainment in rural sub-Saharan Africa led to a successful GoFundMe campaign that supported the training of a UB partner organization in the Mara region of Tanzania to produce reusable sanitary pads, engaging women through various sewing and empowerment groups. In addition to generating much needed income, the project is spawning new spinoffs and has been embraced by national, municipal and faith-based leaders committed to improving the lives of women and girls, especially in challenged regions such as the Mara region. By Richard Cowan and David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) Something happened to U.S. Republican Senator Jeff Flake between being cornered in a Capitol elevator on Friday as two women shouted at him about sexual assault and, hours later, cutting a momentous deal with Democrats to defy President Donald Trump. Flakes shift from full-throated support for Brett Kavanaugh to demanding an FBI investigation of sexual misconduct allegations against Trumps Supreme Court nominee was seemingly swift, with Democratic Senator Chris Coons playing a key role. The outcome of the FlakeCoons deal was that Kavanaughs path to Senate confirmation for a lifetime appointment to the nations highest court will, at minimum, be delayed for a week as the FBI looks into the accusations made against him. The delay, which could be more consequential depending on what the FBI finds, slammed the brakes on Trump and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnells pledge to plow right through to a quick confirmation of Kavanaugh. Flake, a 55-year-old senator from Arizona who is not running for re-election this year, sat through Thursdays nine-hour Senate Judiciary Committee hearing and testimony by Kavanaugh and the woman accusing him of assault, Christine Blasey Ford. Even then, he was noticeably quiet as both witnesses dramatically told their tales: Ford accusing Kavanaugh of assault when they were both high school students in 1982, and Kavanaugh forcefully denying any such thing ever happened. He told reporters in a Capitol hallway, Just watching the hearing yesterday, the questions and then the reporting on it afterwards. It just, you know, was a sleepless night. On Friday morning, Flake announced he would vote to confirm Kavanaugh, a decision that gave his fellow Republicans the votes needed to squelch a Democratic uprising against the federal appeals court judge and pave the way for a full Senate debate. Then he headed from his office to a Judiciary Committee meeting on Capitol Hill, where a vote was planned on the nominee. Along the way, he was confronted by two angry women, Maria Gallagher and Ana Maria Archila. For five minutes the two emotionally harangued him as he stood in the corner of an elevator, staring at the floor and looking up occasionally at them with a pained expression as they described their own experiences with sexual assault and pleaded with him not to agree to putting Kavanaugh on the court. In his remarks to reporters, he said, the encounter in the elevator was only one of many in recent days. Ive heard from a lot of people by phone, email, text, walking around the Capitol. It has been remarkable over the past week. Shortly afterward, Flake took his seat in the committee meeting, where Coons soon made some remarks. The Delaware Democrat, also 55, afterward told reporters in the Capitol, As I was preparing my remarks today, I at one point turned to my counsel and said: Am I trying to make an argument that could possibly persuade my friend, Jeff Flake?' They decided that he was. Minutes after Coons spoke, Flake walked over to him behind the dais in the committee room and knelt to talk to him. The two then stood and went into an anteroom, where they were joined by other senators, mostly Democrats. Some time later, Flake came back in and dropped a bombshell. He said he would stick to his promise to support Kavanaughs nomination in the committee vote, but under one condition: That there be an FBI investigation of Fords allegations. This country is being ripped apart here. We have to be sure we do due diligence, he said. One senior Senate aide familiar with the negotiations attributed Flakes shift to pressure from Coons. Chris Coons just achieved what no other Democrat could, the aide said, referring to weeks of Democrats demands for a FBI probe being ignored by Republicans. Late on Friday, Trump ordered the FBI to reopen its investigation into Kavanaugh over sexual misconduct allegations, but said the work must be done in less than a week. (Additional reporting by Ann Saphir in San Francisco; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh) 636 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Michael Avenatti was in New Hampshire yesterday, raising money for Democrats while he explores a presidential run. Avenatti is emphatic about one thing. He is not on a listening tour, he told The Washington Post by phone, because thats something politicians say. He is definitely not a politician. The veteran trial attorney has been on an endless media circuit as the lawyer for Stormy Daniels. He has been honing his media skills and has earned a reputation as a fighter and a top antagonist for President Donald Trump. And for this, millions of Democrats love him. But he says he has not decided yet whether he will run against Trump in 2020. He says that whoever the Democrats nominate needs to be a fighter. And thats what he is. Because of this he thinks he could be a serious threat to a second Trump term. And former Trump adviser Steve Bannon agrees with him. Avenattis got a fearlessness, Bannon, the Republican strategist told Bill Maher on Friday night on HBO. And hes a fighter. I think hell go through a lot of that field, if he decides to stick with it, like a scythe through grass. It is a new age, Bannon said, where a political background may not be the best path to the White House. Maher agreed. Avenatti could be the Trump of 2020, the guy whos the outsider, who blows through the regular politician because he looks different, he said. Bannon told Maher that if Bernie Sanders had an ounce of Michael Avenattis fearlessness, he would have been the Democratic nominee, not Clinton. Avenatti and Bannon both think that he has traits that helped propel Trump to the presidency. He speaks directly, is not afraid to be confrontational, and he has success in a field other than politics. Speaking of the Republican Party, Avenatti said: They recognize perhaps they have a problem on their hands, and I happen to agree with them. If I decide to do this, Im going to surprise a lot of people. The 2020 Democratic presidential field will be very crowded. There will be many typical politicians running, but only one Michael Avenatti. And in assessing the possible competition he would face, Avenatti declined to say which Democratic contender he thinks could beat Trump. But he suggested it just may be him. He has been placed in this moment in history. . . . I may be able to solve this dumpster fire of a presidency, he said. Michael Avenatti may or may not be destined to become president. But one thing we know for sure, hes not afraid to find out. And he may be Donald Trumps worst nightmare. 1.9k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was trying to defend Brett Kavanaugh when he compared him to Bill Cosby. Video: Transcript via ABCs This Week: STEPHANOPOULOS: One of the questions, though, is it appears that the FBI will not be in will not be questioning those college witnesses who contradict Brett Kavanaughs testimony about his drinking. Now isnt that relevant, given that there clearly was drinking going on, at least its alleged, at the party? GRAHAM: No, I think youre trying to portray him as a stumbling bumbling drunk gang rapist who during high school and college was Bill Cosby. Six FBI background checks over the years would have uncovered this. But what we will investigate is who in Dianne Feinsteins office referred Dr. Ford to Ms. Katz. Thats illegal, inappropriate in the Senate. So the FBI will do a supplemental background investigation. Then Im going to call for an investigation of what happened in this committee, who betrayed Dr. Fords trust, who in Feinsteins office recommended Katz as a lawyer, why did Ms. Ford not know that the committee was willing to go to California, who released the anonymous letter given to the committee by Cory Gardner? Were going to do a wholesale, full-scale investigation of what I think was a despicable process to deter it from happening again. If Republicans Dont Want Kavanaugh To Be Thought Of As A Rapist, Stop Comparing Him To Bill Cosby It is not a difficult concept. Lindsey Graham isnt helping Brett Kavanaugh by comparing him to Bill Cosby. It doesnt matter in what context the comparison is made. Comparing the Republican Partys Supreme Court nominee to a celebrity rapist who was just sent to prison is not a good thing. One gets the sense that Sen. Graham is less invested in Brett Kavanaughs confirmation than he is in making sure that his job audition to Trumps next attorney general goes well. Here is a hint for Republicans. Anytime that Bill Cosbys name comes up in a conversation about Brett Kavanaugh, it is not a good thing. Lindsey Graham needs to stop trying to help Kavanaugh, because each time that he opens his mouth, he makes the prospect of confirmation less likely. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook. 10.8k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Matt Damon delivered a parody of Brett Kavanaugh that was both spot on and very funny that put into pop culture why Kavanaughs nomination is teetering on the brink of failure. Video: Matt Damon had it all nailed from Kavanaughs creepy 1980s calanders as a defense to his dodging of calls for an FBI investigation to the bizarre references to beer. The confrontation where he asked Sen. Amy Klobuchar if she ever blacked out was included. The Trump-like rage snorting wasnt forgotten, along with the crying. Republicans hiding behind a woman hired gun why accusing the Democrats of misdeeds and cowardice, and of course, Lindsey Grahams audition to be Trumps next attorney general. These famous actor impressions of people in the news dont always work, but when they are successful, it is because the actor commits to the person they are impersonating. Damon dove into his impersonation of angry and out of control barely able to hide his drunken past Brett Kavanaugh, and that is why the sketch worked so well. But it is just Matt Damon parodying Brett Kavanaugh on SNL, so this is no big deal, right? SNL reflects how popular culture and the broader country perceives current events. Saturday Night Live shapes the impression that many Americans have of their political leaders. Brett Kavanaugh got absolutely destroyed on SNL. It is next to impossible for the country to take him seriously as a Supreme Court nominee. Brett Kavanaugh has no credibility. The SNL sketch is a big deal because parts of it are going to be replayed on newscasts all day on Sunday. Republicans may get Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court by a party-line vote, but the damage has already been done. Kavanaugh is ruined. A woman-hating has been exposed, and Brett Kavanaugh is now one of the biggest jokes in the recent history of SNL. It really couldnt get much worse for the Republican Party, right now. 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. Adam Parker has covered many beats and topics for The Post and Courier, including race and history, religion, and the arts. He is the author of "Outside Agitator: The Civil Rights Struggle of Cleveland Sellers Jr.," published by Hub City Press. Joseph Cranney is an investigative reporter in Columbia, with a focus on government corruption and injustices in the criminal legal system. He can be reached securely by Proton mail at jcranney@prontonmail.com or on Signal at 215-285-9083. Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge residents have this week been warned to be vigilant as an identity theft phone scam has been reported in the area. Sedgemoor District Council is warning residents not to be taken in by a company claiming to be acting on behalf of the council. Residents have told us that GSM Marketing 0203 861633 have called them and is charging a 150 up-front fee, which is taken from the residents bank accounts, in return for lowering their council tax band, says Claire Faun, a spokeswoman for Sedgemoor District Council. This is not a phone call from Sedgemoor District Council do not give anyone your bank account details. Council Tax bands are set by the Valuation Office Agency and can only be changed under certain conditions. Details can be found online and if you think your band is wrong, you can contact the Valuation Office Agency to use the free service. The council adds: If you are struggling to pay your Council Tax bill and need help, speak with a member of the Council Tax Team on 0300 303 7801 who will be able to offer help and advice. If you have given over personal details, we would advise you to call the Police straight away on 101 and report the matter as an identity theft scam. The Police will also direct you to the Action Fraud helpline on 0300 123 2040. Paul Thomas, Head of Somerset Trading Standards, added: Scams are becoming more and more sophisticated. Criminals are coming up with new and quite innovative ways to fool people into giving up their hard cash, personal information or other data. Many fall victim to scams. Theres no shame in that because scams can look so credible. And yet we dont like to talk about it, even though talking about it raises awareness of scams and is actually one of best ways of preventing these crimes. Age UK research found that around two-fifths of older people across the UK around five million people who believed that theyd fallen victim to scams, didnt report it to an official channel. Many said theyd not reported it because they felt too embarrassed. Seventy-five is the average age of reported scam victims. Figures from National Trading Standards show that older people are deliberately targeted, and fall victim most to phone and mail scams. The over 70s group sees the largest proportion of people who are recurring victims of scams. Theres also evidence that the number of under 25s becoming victim to scams is rising; fuelled possibly by an over-confidence in using new digital technology, making them complacent and increasingly vulnerable. Although state officials have said in recent days that they remain vigilant and on alert for any additional flooding hazards that could further impact the Pee Dee, the Georgetown area is slowly returning to business as usual. On Saturday, Georgetown County downgraded its alert status as flood levels in the Waccamaw and Pee Dee rivers receded. The Georgetown County School District said Sunday it would re-open Monday, although anyone "who has issues with flooding or transportation," would be excused, according to a post on the district's Facebook page. And after fielding more than 11,000 calls in three weeks, the Georgetown County Disaster Call Center was deactivated Saturday evening, county officials said. Also on Saturday, Gov. Henry McMaster took flight in a Black Hawk helicopter to tour the skies above Georgetown and get a sense of the extent of the flooding. State officials on the tour noted that the water was spreading out in forested areas and edging the roadways where the S.C. Department of Transportation installed Aqua Dams. The more the water spreads outward, the more the overall threat level diminishes. Meanwhile, between Saturday afternoon, around 3 p.m., and Sunday evening, around 4 p.m., the Pee Dee River measured at 20.44 feet and 19.38 feet, respectively. The river, with a flood stage that measures at 19 feet, is forecast to continue to gradually recede throughout the week, according to the National Weather Service. The Waccamaw River on late Sunday afternoon, also around 3 p.m., measured at 19.55 feet. On Monday, levels were forecast to drop as low as approximately 18.4 feet, flood level models show. Its flood stage is 11 feet. All eyes were on these rivers last week, in addition to the Little Pee Dee River, as they were expected to relinquish devastating floodwaters on Georgetown. More than two weeks after Florence made landfall Sept. 14 in North Carolina, the floodwaters were coursing toward Winyah Bay where they all converge which straddles the eastern-most part of Georgetown. But the severity of the floodwater forecasts continued to weaken as the week went on. Georgetown County officials moved ahead with finalizing flood-protection measures in anticipation of 2 to 4 feet of water in the hardest-hit areas as opposed to a whopping 5 to 10 feet. While area residents collectively exhaled this weekend at the site of a weakened floodwater forecast, the area remained on alert. On Sunday, video of Front Street, located in Georgetown's historic district, showed floodwater idling outside storefronts during high tide, according to footage captured by the South Strand News, blocking access to numerous businesses and through ways. Digital Expansion + Engagement Editor Matthew Clough is The Post and Courier's digital editor, focused on growth projects in Columbia, Greenville and Myrtle Beach. He also oversees the paper's social media. He joined the team in 2017, and holds degrees from KU in journalism and English. You are the owner of this article. Editorials represent the institutional view of the newspaper. They are written and edited by the editorial staff, which operates separately from the news department. Editorial writers are not involved in newsroom operations. The Post and Courier provides a forum for our readers to share their opinions, and to hold up a mirror to our community. Publication does not imply endorsement by the newspaper; the editorial staff attempts to select a representative sample of letters because we believe its important to let our readers see the range of opinions their neighbors submit for publication. 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. We reported yesterday how Spotify has started cracking down on users who abuse the family plan. Their solution was to ask subscribers to confirm their location via GPS. They wanted to catch users who arent related but are taking advantage of the discount the plan offers. But as some users have pointed out not all family members live together. However, Spotify does state in its terms that all members need to share a physical address. This hasnt been strictly enforced before but it seems the loss of revenue this plans pose is enough to catch the music streaming services attention. As expected, customers arent comfortable with sharing their exact GPS location with the company. And the company has received backlash for this method. The company rescinded the small-scale test. It was sent out to only four of Spotifys markets. But now the company has shut it down. When asked to comment on this, a Spotify spokesperson told Tech Crunch, Spotify is currently testing improvements to the user experience of Premium for Family with small user groups in select markets. We are always testing new products and experiences at Spotify, but have no further news to share regarding this particular feature test at this time. One passenger remains unaccounted for in the crash of Air Niugini flight 73 which went down short of the runway Friday at Chuuk International Airport in the Federated States of Micronesia, but the passenger isn't in the sunken plane, authorities said. Thirty-five passengers and 12 crew members were aboard when the Boeing 737-800 splashed into the Chuuk Lagoon. The airline stated that everyone was safely evacuated before the plane sank into 100 feet of water. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. However, in the aftermath of the crash, Air Niugini said it can account for only 46 of the 47 people who were aboard the plane. Air Niugini, in a statement Sunday, reported that U.S. Navy divers who inspected the inside of the sunken aircraft Saturday did not find any bodies inside. The airline said other passengers also confirmed that the missing man was able to get out of the plane, along with everyone else, and he was seen in one of the local skiffs that came to the rescue and helped evacuate those aboard before the plane sank. Eight passengers were hospitalized following the crash. Two were released Friday, and another two were released Saturday. The remaining four passengers are being transported to Guam for further treatment, according to the airline. They are all reported to be in stable condition. A special Air Niugini flight arrived in Chuuk on Saturday and picked up the remaining 30 passengers and 12 crew members and flew them to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The plane was on a flight from Pohnpei to Chuuk, en route to Port Moresby, when the crashed occurred around 10:10 a.m. Friday, local time. In a release issued immediately after the crash, the airline stated, Air Niugini has been informed that the weather was very poor with heavy rain and reduced visibility at the time of incident. On Sunday, Air Niugini Chairman Sir Kostas Constantinou issued a statement expressing "great relief" following the safe evacuation of everyone on board. "I would like to express my deep gratitude to the aircrew of P2-PXE, the US Navy, and to the many Micronesians who came to the rescue of the passengers and crew so quickly," Constantinou said in his statement. One passenger, Dr. Victor Wasson, told The Guam Daily Post that the weather was not that bad and he suspects human error caused the crash. He said he spoke to the pilots after the crash. "I asked them, 'Is it an engine problem?' and they responded, 'No, bad weather.'" However, Wasson said weather conditions weren't that bad. "It was a little bit rainy and there was some cloud cover" but "it wasn't like a thunderstorm. ... It was just the usual rain." "The pilot unfortunately could not see the landing strip," Wasson said. "So he overflew the landing strip and we crashed into the water." Wasson said the pilot should have made a circle if he couldnt see the runway. One passenger remains unaccounted for in the crash of Air Niugini flight 73 which crashed short of the runway Friday at Chuuk International Airport in the Federated States of Micronesia, but the passenger isn't in the sunken plane, said authorities. Thirty-five passengers and 12 crew members were aboard when the Boeing 737-800 splashed into the Chuuk Lagoon. The airline stated that everyone was safely evacuated before the plane sank into 100 feet of water. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. However, in the aftermath of the crash, Air Niugini says it can only account for 46 of the 47 people who were aboard the plane. Air Niugini, in a statement Sunday, reported that U.S. Navy divers who inspected the inside of the sunken aircraft Saturday did not find any bodies inside. The airline says that other passengers also confirmed that the missing man was able to get out of the plane, along with everyone else, and he was seen in one of the local skiffs that came to the rescue and helped evacuate those aboard before the plane sank. Eight passengers were hospitalized following the crash. Two were released Friday and another two were released Saturday. The remaining four passengers are being transported to Guam for further treatment, according to the airline. They are all reported to be in stable condition. A special Air New Niugini flight arrived in Chuuk Saturday and picked up the remaining 30 passengers and 12 crew members and flew them on to Port Moresby. The plane was on a flight from Pohnpei to Chuuk, enroute to Port Moresby, New Guinea when the crashed occurred around 10:10 a.m. Friday, local time. In a release issued immediately after the crash, the airline stated Air Niugini has been informed that the weather was very poor with heavy rain and reduced visibility at the time of incident. One passenger, Dr. Victor Wasson, told The Guam Daily Post that the weather was not that bad and he suspects human error caused the crash. He said he spoke to the pilots after the crash. "I asked them, 'Is it an engine problem?'" and they responded, "'No, bad weather.' However, Wasson said weather conditions weren't that bad. "It was a little bit rainy and there was some cloud cover" but "it wasn't like a thunderstorm. ... It was just the usual rain," Wasson said. "The pilot unfortunately could not see the landing strip," he said. "So he overflew the landing strip and we crashed into the water." Yea, definitely human error, said Dr. Wasson because what he should have done if he couldnt see the runway he should have made a circle, said Dr. Wasson. If you cant see the runway, dont land what you cannot see, he said. Heres some words you dont hear every day, at least not in Harrisburg. This isnt a hard vote. That was the voice of state Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, one of the states most vociferous voices on the contentious issue of justice for the victims of childhood sexual abuse. That was Monday, before the Houses historic vote to open a window for past victims of childhood sexual abuse to file civil actions actions against their attackers. Rozzi, himself a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of a Catholic priest as a child, laid down the gantlet in words seldom seen or heard in the state Capitol. Ask yourself one question: Do you stand with the victims, or do you stand with pedophiles or institutions that protect these pedophiles? The House soon made clear where it stood. Legislators voted 171-23 in favor of the amendment to lift for two years the requirement that victims file suit by age 30. The vote comes in the wake of the damning state grand jury report that laid bare the latest horrific details involving abuse of children by Catholic priests. The grand jury identified 300 priests in six Pennsylvania dioceses that abuse more than 1,000 children for as many as six decades. One of the recommendations made by the grand jury was allowing past victims the opportunity to seek civil redress. Legislation already was crafted to eliminate the statute of limitations for criminal charges and expanding the window for civil suits but only for future cases. Rozzis amendment offers justice for hundreds of past victims who saw the window close on their attempts to seek justice when they turned age 30. Many experts in sexual abuse indicate victims often dont come to grips with their abuse until much later in adulthood. It was Rozzi who put the vote in its proper perspective. This is a great day for Pennsylvania, a good start, Rozzi said. Go home and be proud and let people know you stood with victims. It actually was a good week for House members. Later they voted 131-62 to pass HB 2060, a measure that would get guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. The bill would mandate that those convicted of abuse or with a final Protection From Abuse order against them surrender their guns within 24 hours, not the 60 days currently allowed. They also must be surrendered to law enforcement or a licensed gun dealer, not family or friends. It is similar to a bill passed unanimously by the state Senate last spring sponsored by Sen. Tom Killion, D-9 of Middletown. Now both measures go the state Senate. And thats the problem. Republican leaders in the Senate have been consistent in opposing opening a window for the victims of past sex abuse. They fear the measure will not pass constitutional muster. Instead, they have indicated support for a victims compensation fund set up by the church and run by a third party. After the House vote, Senate Republican Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre, said his colleagues likely would make some changes to the measure. And of the two-year window: We havent decided yes or no on that. The Senate last spring passed a similar bill to expand the window for civil actions as well as eliminating the criminal statute of limitations to file child sex abuse charges, but only for future offenses. The measure did not include any language to deliver justice to past victims of abuse. At least one member of the Senate said the horrific details included in the most recent grand jury report changed his mind on the retroactive provision, as well as the other recommendations made by the panel. Sen. Daylin Leach, D-17 of Montgomery and Delaware counties, said that he had gotten caught up in the legalese of the measures, overlooking the human suffering that took place. I got sort of caught up in my own head, on hyper-technical readings of the law all of which served to blind me to what got me into politics in the first place, which is the desire to help people who have been wronged get justice, Leach said. Ironically, Leach himself has been the target of women who have alleged he has acted inappropriately around them. I changed my mind, Leach told a crowd that had gathered for a vigil to rally support for the measure. We hope hes not the only member of the Senate to come to that realization. Im deep into the weeds of Edmund Burke these days, in part for a recent lecture at Yale (video to come) and a series of seminars Ill be doing soon on Burke (podcasts to come, I think), but even reading this great judicious man from more than 200 years ago cant draw me away from our current catastrophic political scene. One of Burkes famous essays was Thoughts on Our Present Discontents, and we could use a Burkean restatement on that theme just now. There are many passages in his most famous work, Reflections on the Revolution in France, that perfectly describe the temper and disposition of the left today. One of the salient traits of the left today, often remarked upon, is how angry and humorless they are. I think it goes beyond rage and a perverted and immature sense of injustice, and explains the categorical loathing of Western civilization itself that goes beyond mere liberal guiltleftists actually loathe themselves. In speaking of the revolutionaries and Jacobins who thought they could and should tear down everything, Burke writes: You began ill, because you began by despising everything that belonged to you. . . Compute your gains; see what is got by those extravagant and presumptuous speculations which have taught your leaders to despise all their predecessors, and all their contemporaries, and even to despise themselves, until the moment in which they became truly despicable . . . They would soon see that criminal means, once tolerated, are soon preferred. They present a shorter cut to the object than through the highway of the moral virtues. Justifying perfidy and murder for public benefit, public benefit would soon become the pretext, and perfidy and murder the end until rapacity, malice, revenge, and fear more dreadful than revenge, could satiate their insatiable appetites . . Rage and frenzy will pull down more in half an hour than prudence, deliberation, and foresight can build up in a hundred years . . . His speech in 1793 on a bill in response to a petition by the Unitarian Society speaks to the worry of the moment about whether the United States might actually be drawing into a pre-civil war condition: If you ask whether I think the danger urgent and immediate, I answer, Thank God, I do not. The body of the people is yet sound, the Constitution is in their hearts, while wicked men are endeavoring to put another into their heads. But if I see the very same beginnings which have commonly ended in great calamities, I ought to act as if they might produce the very same effects. Early and provident fear is the mother of safety; because in that state of things the mind is firm and collected, and the judgment unembarrassed. But when the fear and the evil feared come on together, and press at once upon us, deliberation itself is ruinous, which saves upon all other occasions; because, when perils are instant, it delays decision: the man is in a flutter, and in a hurry, and his judgment is gone. UPDATEBehold, as I am preparing this post, I get the notice that my lecture on Burke from Yale last Thursday is now up on YouTube (an hour long): Embed from Getty Images A new hybrid watch from LG has been reported for months already but it looks like the company is ready for it to launch. Evan Blass a.k.a. @evleaks reported that the LG Watch G7 will launch alongside the V40 ThinQ smartphone on October 3rd. Its existence has been reported through FCC filings that suggest it comes with a 1.2-inch display, 768MB RAM, and 4GB of storage. It wont, however, have GPS or NFC functions. At that time, it was rumoured to be called Watch Timepiece. Now, whether these specs line up, well find out soon enough. Pretty much all observers expect the Democrats to capture the House in November. If they do, they will impeach President Trump. But the much more serious danger is that they may also take the Senate. If that happens, the Trump administration will be paralyzed. The Democrats likely will refuse to confirm a single significant appointment. I would not rule out the possibility of a constitutional crisis, if the Democrats try to bring the executive branch to a standstill by abusing its advise and consent power to insist that President Trump nominate Democrats to key posts in the administration and the judiciary. In the Democrats disgraceful obstruction of Brett Kavanaughs appointment to the Supreme Court, we have a preview of the insanity that will reign if they become a Senate majority. Here in Minnesota, a key race in the battle to control the Senate has unexpectedly taken center stage. After the Democrats kicked Al Franken out of the Senate, Minnesotas Governor, Mark Dayton, appointed his Lieutenant Governor, Tina Smith, to replace Franken until the next general electioni.e., next month. Tina Smith is a faceless candidate with no clear profile in the state. Her career has been spent as a Planned Parenthood executive and a Democratic Party staffer. Most Minnesotans couldnt pick her out of a lineup, but she has the advantage that Democrats almost always enjoya vast hoard of cash. The Star Tribune called it the Smith money machine. The Republican candidate is Karin Housley. Housley started out as a relatively little-known second-term state senator, but she has worked very hard and is running a strong campaign. I wrote about Karin here, and everything I said in June is true today. The only thing I will add is that Karin is one of the most normal people I have ever met in politics. And I am pretty sure you agree that we need more normal (and conservative) people in the Senate. Control of the Senate could turn on this race. And it is tight. Any statewide candidate with a D next to her name starts out with a lead in Minnesota, but Tina Smith seems content to try to buy her way into the Senate. Housley has outworked her to the point where the race is now, in my view, a tossup. This morning, Housleys campaign sent an email highlighting Bernie Sanders enthusiastic endorsement of Tina Smith. Smith may be boring, but she is a far leftist. The photo of Smith with her staunch supporters Bernie Sanders and Keith Ellison tells you all you need to know: Democrats in Minnesota raise vast amounts of money, largely from public sector unions, and use it to smear Republican candidates. One of the intriguing aspects of this race is that Karin Housley is just about impossible to smear. So far, the Democrats have come up with nothing, and it is hard to see what Smith is doing with the millions she has raised. Karin is much less well-financed, but she has used her resources to introduce herself and her conservative principles to Minnesotas voters. This is the ad she is currently running: Tina Smith has a Keith Ellison problem. She will, of course, vote against Brett Kavanaughs appointment to the Supreme Court on the theory that he did somethingGod knows what36 years ago, when he was 17. But Ellison has been accused in two recent cases of domestic abuse, both of which are documented, one by a 911 call. Tina Smith, like all of her fellow Democrats, remains silent, thereby exposing her partys gross hypocrisy. Control of the Senate hangs in the balance. If you watched any part of the Judiciary Committee fiasco last week, you do not want the Democrats to be the Senate majority. That would be a disaster. Perhaps the most cost-effective thing you can do is go here to contribute to Karin Housleys campaign. She will never match the Democratic Partys funding juggernaut, fueled by involuntary contributions by union members, but she doesnt need to. She is a superior candidate and just needs to get her messages out. Please help! PR-Inside.com: 2018-09-30 09:15:15 Press Information Polaris Market Research Contact us- Mr. Neel Corporate Sales, USA Polaris Market Research Phone: 1-646-568-9980 Email: sales@polarismarketresearch.com Web: www.polarismarketresearch.com Mr. Neel Manager 1-646-568-9980 email https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/ # 768 Words Contact us-Mr. NeelCorporate Sales, USAPolaris Market ResearchPhone: 1-646-568-9980Email: sales@polarismarketresearch.comWeb: www.polarismarketresearch.comManager1-646-568-9980 The Global Autoimmune Disease Diagnostics Market Size is anticipated to reach over USD 5,054.12 Million by 2026, according to a new research published by Polaris Market Research.In general, our body immune system protects the body from foreign particles such as virus and bacteria. Autoimmune diseases arise when the body immune system attacks one or more healthy cells which are operating normally the cause for this may be the irregularities of genes. The malfunctioning of a body immune system is the outcome of the failure to identify organs, tissues, immune cells, and generating autoantibodies targeting these cells.Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/global-autoimmune-disease-diagnostics-market/request-for-free-sample Top Key Player:-Haemonetics CorporationFresenius Kabi (Fenwal)Asahi Kasei Kuraray Medical Co. Ltd.Terumo BCT, Inc.HemaCare CorporationTherakos, Inc.B. Braun Melsungen AG.Autoimmune Disease Diagnostics Market is predominantly driven by key factors such as the increasing occurrence of autoimmune disease. for instance, according to The National Institutes of Health (NIH) 2015, approximately 23.5 million Americans were affected by autoimmune disease. Moreover, increase in automation technologies, patient consciousness regarding rising healthcare concerns, increasing government support, increase in healthcare spending, and easy and rapid performing diagnosis test results and prevention of disease are another factors boosting the market growth. However, huge turnaround time for diagnostic test results, high cost associated with the diagnostics tests, and high frequency of false-positive results are some of the major factors hindering the global autoimmune diagnostics market growth. In addition, lack of awareness concerning the various diseases and diagnostic procedures are another factors affecting the market growth adversely.The global Autoimmune Disease Diagnostics Market is segmented on the basis of type, end user, and geography. On the basis of type, the global Autoimmune Disease Diagnostics Market is segmented into Systemic autoimmune disease diagnostics and Localized autoimmune disease diagnostics. The systemic autoimmune disease diagnostics is further categorized into Rheumatoid arthritis, Ankylosing spondylitis, Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and others. On the other side, the Localized autoimmune disease diagnostics is further categorized into Multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes, Hashimotos Thyroiditis, Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, and Others. In 2017, Localized disease diagnostics dominated the overall market. The dominance is majorly attributed to the existence of large process measurements and moderately higher patient awareness level in comparison to systemic diseases. On the basis of end users, the global autoimmune disease diagnostics market is segmented into Hospitals, Diagnostics Centers, and Research Laboratories.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/global-autoimmune-disease-diagnostics-market/inquire-before-buying In terms of geography, North America is estimated to dominate the global autoimmune disease diagnostics market. The dominance is majorly attributed to increasing prevalence of some of the common autoimmune diseases such as type1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. The surge in funding by private and government organizations, growing regulatory scenario observed by World Health Organization (WHO), and advancement in technology are some of the other factors driving the growth of the autoimmune disease diagnostics market in North America.Snapshot Table OF Content: -1. Overview and Scope2. Executive Summary3. Autoimmune Disease Diagnostics Market Insights4. Autoimmune Disease Diagnostics Market Size and Forecast by Type5. Autoimmune Disease Diagnostics Market Size and Forecast by End User6. Autoimmune Disease Diagnostics Market Size and Forecast by Regions7. Company Profiles.Browse Complete Report Summary @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/global-autoimmune-disease-diagnostics-market About us Polaris Market ResearchPolaris Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. We provide unmatched quality of offerings to our clients present globally. The company specializes in providing exceptional market intelligence and in-depth business research services for our clientele spread across different enterprises. We at Polaris are obliged to serve our diverse customer base present across the industries of healthcare, technology, semi-conductors and chemicals among various other industries present around the world. We strive to provide our customers with updated information on innovative technologies, high growth markets, emerging business environments and latest business-centric applications, thereby helping them always to make informed decisions and leverage new opportunities.We mainly focus on aiding our customers with substantial competitive intelligence, helping them to secure a competitive advantage in the market and accomplish sustainable growth in different market domains. Adept with a highly competent, experienced and extremely qualified team of experts comprising SMEs, analysts and consultants, we at Polaris endeavor to deliver value-added business solutions to our customers. Through dedicated qualitative and quantitative primary and secondary market research and consulting assignments, we adeptly formulate competitive strategies to address business challenges for our clients through analyzing market trends and emerging technologies.Contact us-Mr. NeelCorporate Sales, USAPolaris Market ResearchPhone: 1-646-568-9980Email: sales@ polarismarketresearch.com Web: www.polarismarketresearch.com The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, led the ancient city of Ile-Ife on Saturday to celebrate the 2018 Olojo festival amidst pomp and pageantry. The festival was an opportunity to showcase the rich culture of Ile-Ife and the Yoruba nation. The 2018 Olojo festival held on Saturday, in Ile-Ife, with the Ooni wearing the Aare crown a day after leaving seclusion to Oke-Mogun in Ile-Ife. The monarch used the occasion to offer prayers for citizens, Ife Kingdom, state and entire Nigeria. Thousands of people and Yorubas from various communities in Nigeria and Diaspora stormed Ile-Ife to celebrate the festival with the Ooni. Willy Santos, who came from Brazil for the festival, stressed the need for Nigerians to preserve their rich culture and tradition. Mr Santos urged the people to rise to the challenges facing their cultural heritage and try all possible means to protect their cultural beliefs and values from extinction. He appealed to Yoruba race to jointly embrace the tradition of their fore bearers, repackage and export it. Also, the Aare Sooko of Ife Kingdom, Aratunde Arayanju, said that the Olojo festival signified the day the world was made. Arayanju lauded Ooni for promoting the culture, and urged Nigerians, especially people from Ile-Ife to imbibe the culture and support the Ooni to take the Yoruba race to higher ground. Meanwhile, Olusegun Olafioye, the Public Relations Officer (PRO), Hunter Association in Nigeria, said that the presence of the union was very important to the festival. Mr Olafioye added that they must give 21-gun salute, which will relieve the heaviness of Aare crown that Imperial Majesty wore on the occasion, as part of the ceremony. He admonished all and sundry to cooperate with their monarchs and chiefs to promote and preserve the culture of the Yoruba race.(NAN) Hours to the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primaries in Borno State, the outgoing governor, Kashim Shettima, has picked a professor, Babagana Zulum, as his preferred successor. Mr Zulum, the former commissioner for the ministry for reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement (RRR), is among the 21 aspirants seeking to secure the Borno APC governorship ticket. The announcement was made late Saturday night when Mr Shettima addressed some of the aspirants at the government house, Maiduguri. Though journalists were not allowed at the late night meeting where the announcement was made, sources at the meeting said the governor said his choice does not foreclose the chances of others who would want to go for the primaries. Confirming the development to PREMIUM TIMES on phone Sunday morning, the governors spokesman, Isa Gusau, said the decision was finally taken after wide consultation with all the stakeholders in the state. Yes, Professor Umara Zulum has been announced by His Excellency Kashim Shettima, as the governors preferred candidate last night. And the governor will later explain to the press his reasons and justification for that crucial decision, said Mr. Gusau. But that does not mean the primaries will not hold today as planned. Sources close to the governor said he has, in the past weeks and days, consulted traditional rulers and Borno elders, as well as the business community, who have given their endorsement for Mr Zulum. Before last night, the governor was said to be considering either Mr Zulum and the much younger Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Kaka Lawan. The governor has once described the two of them during a chat with the media as his staunch and fierce loyalists who have the burning passion to develop our state and take us to even greater heights, Mr Gusau said. If he secures the APC ticket and is elected governor, Mr Zulum will be the person with the highest educational qualification to govern the state. Babagana Zulum Mr Zulum, a professor of agricultural engineering, is a member of National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS). He holds a Masters Degree in Soil and Water Engineering from the University of Ibadan, and a PhD in Agric and Environmental Engineering. He was serving as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Maiduguri when he was appointed as the Rector of Ramat Polytechnic, Maiduguri. In 2015 at the completion of his tenure as Rector, Governor Shettima appointed him commissioner of the then newly created ministry of RRR. Mr Zulum was born in August 1969. He is from a small village of Mafa, the headquarters of Mafa Local Government area of Borno State. Award-winning musician and leader of the popular Shuga band, Akin Tofowomo, gave the business of live band prominence at a time when it was regarded as uncool. Popularly known as Akin Shuga, his highly sought after live band is known to perform at high-profile events in Nigeria and abroad. The crossover artiste, who is also the founder of the Shuga Limb Foundation Empowerment, has turned his physical challenge into fortune through his music career. Today, his name is synonymous with live music in Nigeria. Here, he tells PREMIUM TIMES more about the business of live band in Nigeria and how he plans to give back to the society PT: Congratulations on your two-decade milestone, whats the secret behind your staying power? Akin: There is no big secret behind my long staying power. I think mine has to do with destiny, time and source. I am destined to be where I am or do what I am doing because of how God has orchestrated it. The time came and then the source. God provided all the right people as tools along my path; of course we know God is not going to come down to make it happen for me. So, thats been the basic secret. I rose through the ashes. PT: You have been able to dignify the business of live bands in Nigeria. How did you achieve this? Akin: Being a force to reckon with has been a function of always wanting to be better. I ask myself a lot of questions all the time; like whats more? Whats next? What else? Of course, not like all the questions have been answered, but I kept asking questions and I was looking for knowledge on how to make it better. With proper guidance and the right knowledge, everything that you need to know is there. I asked a lot of questions, I questioned. I wasnt satisfied with oh! You are doing ok its cool that was really brilliant, no! That wasnt it for me. PT: What were some of the challenges you faced in the earliest stages of the formation of Shuga Band? Akin: There were lots of challenges, because some people didnt understand it. They didnt see it as a business. Taking it a notch higher, you would have a few people who would drop by and be like whats wrong with them? eeh why? On top this thing? You know, that kind of attitude. We had issues with equipment at the early stage too. When I started out initially, I wasnt singing Yoruba; my orientation didnt come from doing Yoruba or highlife songs. We used to hire some people to come and sing the Yoruba part, because we were losing clientele from not providing that part of what we had. Then you have this attitude of its because of our music that they are calling you and stuffs like that. I sat down, went to the drawing board to score great Yoruba influences of legends like King Sunny Ade, Chief Ebenezer Obey and so on, and here we are today, a total package! PT: What was it like getting paid to perform at gigs back in the day? Akin: When I started my band, there were bands. Maybe there wasnt too much prominence, but there was live music, there was something about live music then. Getting paid to perform for me never crossed my mind at first, because I didnt know that I was going to make something big from it. I saw it as something I could just do on the side; I never knew it could pay, so I didnt see it as a business. PT: No doubt, you now have several competitors Akin: The truth is, I have contemporaries, and I have people who have been in the business before me. And I have also met people in this business. I dont believe in this Numero Uno position. I believe I just have clarity of purpose; I have a lane, and am on my lane. You know, its like you comparing a tractor, an airplane, a motorcycle and a speedboat going to the same destination. The truth is, they are all going to get there, but it now depends on the time. A speed boat is not going to get there at the same time as the air plane would, neither would a tractor, but somehow they are all going to get there because, they would pass through a path. So, I am on my lane and I am clear about what I want to do. I dont know about this Numero Uno thing, I dont see it like that, I believe I give reverence to people I have met in the business. I brought some fresh ideas into the business with the knowledge that I had which I have shared with so many other people. PT: What does it really take to set up a successful band here in Nigeria? Akin: It takes a whole lot, because you have to think of who you want to sell your music to, what kind of music do you want to play? Whats the plan? Anyone who fails to plan is planning to fail. I PT: Critics say some Nigerian musicians can hardly play live without the backup of DJ. What are your thoughts on this? Akin: Well, I think its very unfair to judge them, they are recording artists, they have actually gone into the studio to record those music, all they need is just to play it back. Yes, its good they can perform before a live audience and they can use it, but you cant fault them. THE SHUGA BAND SHUGA COATED BY SHUGA BAND13) PT: Has the live music culture come to stay here in Nigeria? Akin: Live music culture has always been there, look at the time of Bobby Benson, even during the pre and post war with the highlife renaissance. So live music has always been there, its just that there will always be changes in the trends and the kind of music that comes. Now you have new age music, you have technology playing a key role; all that is still going to infiltrate into the music business as well, into live music or live band, because what was at play in those days is not at play now. There would always be live music, there will be trends, but there will just be a difference in how it is listened to and how it cuts across. PT: As an artiste with special needs, did you find acceptance from members of the public at first? Akin: People didnt look at the challenges, the thing is, if you are challenged and the product is not good, they are two different things. So it wasnt about the challenge, people are not looking at the leg and listening to the vocals. Its after listening to the vocals or the song and they will be like ooh! and he is physically challenged. Thats likehe is taking time to get this done and not just lying there in pity party. I dont think people took me on the basis of physical challenge, I had to rise from the dust, I fought my way through and I earned my place. PT: Would you say you are fulfilled as a music artiste? Akin: I am not yet totally fulfilled; I have so much in me to give to the world. PT: Were you stigmatised at any point despite the fact that you are a known music artiste? Akin: I dont think so, stigmatisation on the basis of physical challenge? I dont think so. PT: With your level of experience in the industry, what do you think is missing among Nigerian artistes? Akin: I think a lot of people are not concerned about getting the knowledge and knowing how it works; all they just want is to blow. I mean, its like a business, you are going into it, but its your talent. God has helped you now, you are holding it, but you have to learn how to now really properly sell it. Thats the key thing and the key word there. You would also be able to understand the things that you need along the way in climbing the ladder. PT: What spurred you into music? Akin: My love for music, to create joy, to make people happy, to create memories, I just love it. Its a feeling I cant explain. PT: Would you say you have achieved your goal with your foundation in empowering people living with disability? Akin: I have not. I have barely scratched the surface, its a lifetime thing and I think a lot still needs to be done, hopefully with funding. Basically, it is more about funding and also getting the people to understand that they can be anything they want to be. Imagine giving someone a camera and when my team were monitoring he had exchanged it for a Keke Marwa! When he can use the camera to make so much and make a new life. I havent achieved what I set out to achieve with the foundation. PT: At what point in your life did you encounter Polio? Akin: I had polio around 4 or 5 years. The story was that I woke up and lost the use of two legs, I had fever, you know, all kinds of things, but later, I am able to understand that the vaccine has a short life span in terms of storage, so probably it wasnt well stored. You know, you hear the story ofoh it was somebody that did you like this, like that (laughs). Its a funny story, but its just how God wanted it to be. That was the code that was given to me, my own code, what God coded for me is what played out, yes! PT: Your father wanted you to be a lawyer; you chose music. Did you get his blessings before he passed on? Akin: Unfortunately, no, and I loved my father so much, its nostalgic. My father was a disciplinarian, but there was always something he saw and it was a deep connection. It was a deeper connection because I know that several years after, there is still this connection and when I remember him its nostalgic for me. Not because I wanted to prove a point to him, but because he probably didnt see the coding; Gods coding is different from ours. The role our parents have to play in our lives, a lot of parents dont understand it. You need the grace of God to be able to flow in the direction and just let it be. You brought those children to this world, guide them and God takes care of them. PT: You have taken your solo music career quite seriously of late. Are you telling us something? Akin: No! I am just singing, recording music. I love to sing. I am telling you nothing (laughs); it then depends on what you make of it. Are you saying I should stop recording or I should not sing? Please ooh! I want to sing (laughs) PT: Whats the next phase for Shuga Band as you begin the next decade? Akin: Its a fresh phase, its a new phase and hopefully, youll get to see, there is a lot in the offering. All things being equal we will unveil our plans as we go along by the grace of God. A beleaguered Akinwunmi Ambode has called an emergency press conference in Lagos. The briefing will hold at the Government House Press Centre from 2:00 p.m., officials said. Governor Akinwunmi Ambode address world press conference, Steve Ayorinde, Mr Ambodes commissioner for tourism and culture, said on Twitter, without elaborating. The briefing comes amidst immense pressure on the governor to step down in the contest for the All Progressives Congress governorship ticket in Lagos. Already, a potential successor has surfaced in the person of Jide Sanwo-Olu, who rose to prominence after being endorsed by all the states 57 local government chairpersons about two weeks ago. PREMIUM TIMES learnt that Mr Ambode has also been asked to step down by top party stalwarts in the state, and he was warned against participating in tomorrows primaries to avoid being humiliated by Mr Sanwo-Olu, who is now widely expected to clinch the ticket. Mr Ambode has resisted the pressure for the most part, and he was set to have issued a statement on Saturday insisting that it would be unfair to deprive him the chance of taking part in the primaries, which the party suddenly postponed from Sunday to Monday. The rescheduling was aimed at giving Mr Ambode another 24-hour window to step down for Mr Sanwo-Olu, multiple sources in Lagos said. It was not immediately clear whether todays emergency presser would put the uncertainties to rest. State House reporters who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES said they have been kept entirely in the dark about what the briefing would be about. They have not told us what it would be about, said Tope Musowo, who monitors Lagos beat for Abuja-based Blueprint Newspapers. Let us say it is either he wants to step down or he wants to move to another party. Although it is only about an hour left to go, we are working to know what the briefing would about before the governor walks in, the reporter added. Mr Ayorinde and Habib Haruna, the governors press secretary, did not return PREMIUM TIMES requests for comments about the potential crux of the press conference. One of the most-rated governors in the class of 2015, Mr Ambodes political future suddenly became bleak when Mr Sanwo-Olu, a former commissioner and strong ally of Bola Tinubu, picked the APC nomination form earlier this month, shooting him into the limelight. A series of negotiations ensued, focusing largely on getting Mr Ambode to step down, but the outcome was unacceptable to both parties, leaving a stalemate. Amongst Mr Ambodes choices is to defect to another political party, banking on his status as a popular incumbent to muster votes among a generally educated electorate. But political insiders in Lagos said this might be politically too risky an option to take. If he changes party, he risks being removed from office by APC state lawmakers, who constitute an overwhelming majority. The Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Sunday alleged that another aspirant in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is not fit to govern the state. Mr Ambode, who has been in the eye of the storm, stated this while addressing a press conference at Government House, Alausa, Ikeja. He said the aspirant was arrested for spending fake dollars in the United States and had undergone rehabilitation at Gbagada General Hospital in Lagos. The governor also appealed to the leadership of the APC in Lagos to act in the interest of the development of Lagos He said, The aspirant being put up to compete against us is not a fit and proper person to take this job. I have done everything in the last three and half years to serve people selflessly and to serve the poor. This particular aspirant is somebody that has been arrested for spending fake dollars in a nightclub in America, and he has been detained for months. He doesnt have the competence to do what he is being propelled to do. This is somebody that has gone for rehabilitation before. The records are there at the Gbagada General Hospital. Mr Sanwo-Olu is believed to have the backing of the national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu. He had been endorsed by Mandate Group, an influential bloc in Lagos APC. The party holds its primaries Monday. Details HERE Leaders of Nigerias labour unions on Sunday announced the suspension of their four days national warning strike but said the face-off with government is far from over. The unions began the warning strike on September 26. On Sunday, they said they were suspending it in order to enable a conducive environment for a crucial meeting of the tripartite committee involving the unions and government next week October 4 and 5. We have received a firm and formal invitation to a reconvened meeting of the tripartite committee scheduled for 4th and 5th of October, 2018, the unions said at press Sunday afternoon. The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, who addressed the briefing, said next weeks meeting will be the final session of the tripartite committee after which a final report will be submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari. Organised Labour has, after obtaining the mandate of their necessary organs, decided to suspend the strike action with effect from today, Sunday September 30, 2018, Mr Wabba said We urge all our unions and state councils to maintain a high level of mobilisation and readiness until the struggle for a reasonable minimum wage is achieved, he stated. Speaking in the same vein, the acting president of Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Sunday Salako, in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES Sunday afternoon stressed the unions are not calling the strike off but suspending it until their demands are met. The essence of the suspension is that we will go back on strike if the committee did not meet our demands, Mr Salako said. He said the outcome of the tripartite meeting will determine subsequent actions of the unions. We are also members of the committee. If we go there on Thursday and Friday and there is no seriousness or the committee is not allowed to conclude its assignment, it means our position has not been met. The leaders of TUC, NLC and others actually met yesterday to review the situation and it was decided that we give the tripartite committee a conducive atmosphere, he said. The National Minimum Wage Committee was inaugurated November 2017 but commenced work March this year and drew timelines to deliver a new national minimum wage by August/ September. The workers are demanding between N50,000 and 65,000 as the new minimum wage. The current national minimum wage is N18,000. Despite the insistence of organised labour, however, there is no consensus in Nigeria over a national minimum wage. Most state governors as well as proponents of true federalism have argued that states should be allowed to set their own minimum wage, especially as many states are barely able to pay the current one. Premium Times reported how Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, on Wednesday said all necessary demands by the workers unions would have been factored in before the meeting on October 4. We are resuming next week, precisely on Thursday, October 4 and the meeting may split over to October 5, as we normally use two days for the meeting, he said. The labour leaders have been informed about it and are expected to communicate to their members. We do not need to have any strike in the country, Mr Ngige said following the declaration of the warning strike. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that its forthcoming National Convention will produce a presidential candidate that would be acceptable by the party members and most Nigerians. The convention is scheduled to take place in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on October 6 to 7. The national spokesperson of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, told PREMIUM TIMES, Saturday, that the party was doing its best to have a peaceful and credible convention. Mr Ologbondiyan alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the federal government were working assiduously to ensure that PDP is plunged into crisis. But, he said, the PDP was determined to succeed against all odds. We will go into the convention as one indivisible party and we will produce a candidate that understand the problems of Nigeria and will be acceptable by Nigerians. The European Union has indicated interest to monitor our primary. The party is doing everything humanly possible to have a primary that will be transparent, free, and fair, and that will be acceptable to all the aspirants and the majority of Nigerians. The convention is going to be broadcast live on television for all Nigerians to watch the process, Mr Ologbondiyan said. He added, The party has put in place a process to ensure that no individual can influence the outcome of the convention. Former vice president of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, a former governor of Kano State and serving senator, Rabiu Kwankwaso, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, are among the numerous aspirants vying for the PDP presidential ticket. President Muhammadu Buhari has accepted the resignation of Aisha Alhassan as Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development from the government with immediate effect. Mrs Alhassan resigned on Saturday after she was disqualified by the ruling party, APC, from contesting the Taraba State governorship election. The ruling party accused Mrs Alhassan of disloyalty. In a letter signed by him today, Sunday, President Buhari said, I have received your letter offering your resignation as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I accept your resignation with immediate effect. On behalf of the government and people of Nigeria, I thank you for your past services to the nation. The president has directed that the work of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development be looked after by Aisha Abubakar, the Minister of State, Industry, Trade and Investment. This, also, is with immediate effect. KOWA Party has announced Adesina Fagbenro-Byron as its flag bearer in the 2019 presidential election. According to a statement on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Habiba Balogun, Mr Fagbenro-Byron won the party s presidential primary elections on Saturday at The Alexis Hotel, Obafemi Awolowo Way, Jabi Upstairs, Abuja. KOWA Party takes great pleasure in announcing that Adesina Fagbenro-Byron emerged victorious as Kowa Partys Presidential Candidate from the partys National Convention and Presidential Primary that took place on Saturday 29th September, 2018 from 11am to 5pm at The Alexis Hotel, Obafemi Awolowo Way, Jabi Upstairs, Abuja. He surmounted vigorous competition from his fellow presidential aspirants, Professor (Mrs) Remi Sonaiya, who was the partys presidential flag bearer at the 2015 elections, and veteran actor, Mr Ayo Lijadu, who ran a very strategic national grassroots recruitment campaign. According to the spokesperson, the aspirants were properly screened by answering multiple choice questions posed by experts from diverse fields, and writing an essay on a topic of national interest. KOWA Party subjected its aspirants to a rigorous process. They were formally screened including security clearance, Mrs Balogun said. Then they submitted to a written examination on Friday 28th September answering multiple choice questions posed by experts from diverse fields, and writing an essay on a topic of national interest. At the convention, the debate was moderated by the founder of Integrity Group, Soji Apampa, as the candidates were all given equal opportunities to appeal for votes as the profile of all candidates were distributed to all party members by SMS Finally, they participated in a Presidential Debate at noon during the convention on Saturday 29th September moderated by Soji Apampa, the founder of Integrity Group. The aspirants were also given a final opportunity to appeal for votes. Their profiles has been circulated to all party members by sms and email prior to the commencement of paper balloting at the National Convention, she added. She also explained that KOWA adopted a multi-channel voting system for its national primary as the party used a combination of paper, online and sms voting so that all of its members could participate. Party adopted a multi-channel voting system for its national primary. In keeping with our spirit of inclusiveness, the party used a combination of paper, online and sms voting so that all of its members, even those in rural areas could participate, including those without smart phones and who could not travel to the state convention centers that the party set up in 28 states. Indeed some members who were unwell were still able to cast their votes from their sick beds. The online voting system was first successfully piloted at our Lagos State Congress in May 2018 and was witnessed by INEC. KOWA Party prides itself as being the credible alternative to the traditional political parties. The partys slogan is Together, we make a difference and it aims to avoid the traps that have bedevilled the big parties in Nigeria and cling strongly to its founding principles of transparency, inclusiveness, people-centred development and meritocracy. Its aspirants run based on their state of residence, not their state of origin. Women, Youth and People Living with Disabilities are not considered token or minority members, they are welcomed and embraced as full members and officers of the party at National and State levels, and are well represented at decision-making levels. The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to intensify the crackdown on stolen funds to fund the new minimum wage proposed by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC). Timothy Adewale, the Deputy Director of SERAP, said this on Sunday in Lagos. The minimum wage of N18, 000 for Nigerian workers stands in sharp contrast with outrageous and sometimes illegal salaries and allowances of high-ranking public officials who continue to enjoy lavish lifestyles with impunity. Vulnerable Nigerian workers are left in a precarious situation, unable to ensure a decent standard of living for themselves and their families, with access to water, health, and education seriously undermined, Adewale said in a statement. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NLC had on September 27 directed workers to go on a nationwide warning strike. The NLC gave the directive following the failure of the government to review the N65,000 minimum wage proposed by organised labour. Mr Adewale urged President Buhari to provide bold leadership to improve conditions for the working poor and ordinary Nigerians by publicly supporting a just remuneration to enable them to live a decent life. The organisation said the federal government could make this a reality by pushing to recover assets and other illicit wealth stolen by public officials and institutions since the return of democracy in 1999. He said: The government can begin to take tangible steps like proposing legislation to cut security votes of around N241 billion yearly. The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) should take legal action to seek refund of N13.5 million monthly running cost for each senator and N10 million for each member of the House of Representatives. The RMAFC has already declared the allowances illegal and contrary to the law on salaries and allowances of public office holders, namely Certain Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, etc.) (Amendments) Act, 2008. The organisation also urged President Buhari to stop former governors from receiving double pay and life pensions as serving senators and ministers. SERAP said the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice should seek refund of over N40 billion public funds received by ex-governors now serving in appointive or elective positions, leveraging the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended). SERAP urged the government to swiftly end the strike by reaching an agreement with organised labour and push for the harmonisation of the proposed minimum wage across the states of the federation. (NAN) It was celebration galore on Thursday in Lagos as political bigwigs and the creme de la creme of the advertising and marketing world gathered to honour advertising icon, Lolu Akinwunmi. The event was the launch of Mr Akinwunmis book, Skin for Skin: The Prima Garnet Story as well as the unveiling of the Lolu Akinwunmi Family Foundation, LAFF. Mr Akinwunmi, who is the founder of one of Nigerias premier advertising agencies, Prima Garnet, also celebrated his 60th birthday. The event, which held in Victoria Island, was attended by Vice-president Yemi Osinbajo; Governor Akinwunmi Ambode who was represented by the Secretary to the Lagos State Government (SSG), Tunji Bello; Jimi Agbaje, a gubernatorial aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party; former senator Olorunnibe Mamora, among other dignitaries. Speaking at the event, Mr Osinbajo described Mr Akinwunmi as a professional who practiced with honesty and integrity without being consumed by the mad rush to cut corners among practitioners in his field. He demonstrated that there is value in honesty and integrity, he said. The vice-president also eulogized the celebrants wife and children, adding that they stood by him when he needed them the most during moments of trials and tribulations. Mr Osinbajo explained that in moments of trials, human beings must recognize the place of faith, family and friends. In his speech, Mr Ambode recognized Mr Akinwunmis contribution to the growth of advertising in Nigeria, describing him as one of the foremost players in advertising in Nigeria. Represented by Mr Bello, Lagos SSG, the governor also urged the Prima Garnet boss to continue to be an inspiration to many Nigerians. In her review of the book, the CEO of Treewater, Julia Jacks, described the book as one that chronicles the trials, triumphs and success story of Prima Garnet and its CEO, Mr Akinwunmi. Divided into three phases, Mrs Jacks noted that the book covers the NYSC years of the author, his years as an applicant looking for job, his years working at Lintas, his heroes and zeroes and ultimately, the story of Prima Garnet. She urged all professional advertising practitioners and student of communication to read the book and learn from its lessons. This is certainly one book you can judge from the cover, she said. Mr Akinwunmi on his part thanked family and friends who honoured him at the event, adding that he remained grateful for their support for him during his moments of trials and tribulations. He highlighted what he wrote in his book, adding that it was his contributions to public knowledge especially with regards to his profession. He however called on the Nigerian government to ensure that advert contents are vetted as the nation moves toward the polls in 2019, adding that efforts of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria, APCON, in the area of advert vetting during the 2015 electioneering period went a long way in instilling discipline in the profession and avoiding political unrest. He called on the Nigerian government to look into the concerns surrounding the operations of APCON, saying this is the time we need APCON the most. Born in 1958, Mr Akinwunmi graduated from the University of Lagos (UNILAG), and worked in several advertising firms before he founded Prima Garnet, reputed as one of the nations premier advertising agencies. The car of a missing Nigerian general has been found in a pond, the army has confirmed. A blood-stained T-Shirt and a boxer short believed to belong to the general were also found in the car on Saturday. Muhammed Alkali, a major general, was kidnapped some weeks ago in Plateau State, amidst fears by family members he has been killed by his abductors. His car was found Saturday evening by a combined security team in a pond located in Dura Du area of Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State. The major general has been missing since September 3, while travelling from Abuja to Bauchi State. Adam Umar, an army major and spokesperson of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), confirmed that the car was found in the pond. The car of the missing major general Muhammed Alkali, has been discovered following a thorough search by a combined security agents in the suspected pond in Dura Du, he said. Since the incident occurred, there have been suspicions Mr Alkali could have been killed and dumped in the pond hence leading to the search. The draining of water from the pond was on Friday protested by women of the Duru Du community who said the pond was ancestral. That did not deter the security operatives who continued draining the pond until the car was found. The body of Mr Alkali is however yet to be found. Ahead of the 2019 general elections, politicians and Nigerians in general had a taste of what the elections could be like in the outgoing week. The Osun State governorship election topped political discourse with its twists and the shenanigans that played out during the voting process. Political parties were not left out as the main opposition party had in-house crisis over the venue of its national convention. Below is a roundup of major political stories from last week: Sunday: By the early hours of Sunday, Nigerians were still waiting for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to announce the winner of the gubernatorial election conducted in Osun State the previous day. And by evening on Sunday, the electoral body declared the election inconclusive a declaration which sparked outrage from the opposition party, PDP. At the end of the collation of votes, the PDP candidate, Ademola Adeleke, won majority votes of about 254,698 votes while Gboyega Oyetola of the APC came a close second with 254,345 votes. Both leading candidates had a difference of about 353 votes. File: An elderly woman casting her vote in Osun State during the 2018 September Governorship election The PDP rejected the declaration by INEC and demanded that its candidate, Ademola Adeleke, be declared winner. The party also said it would go to court to quash INECs declaration that the election was inconclusive. In its response, the Media Chairman of the APC Campaign Council for the Osun Governorship Election, Lai Mohammed, urged voters to ignore the ranting of the PDP. He said the threat by the PDP to challenge in court INECs declaration of Saturdays election as inconclusive was nothing but sheer bravado and that the threat was because the opposition party was afraid of losing the rerun. The election, however, did not end on Saturday. There was a supplementary election on Thursday. The APC, again, rescheduled its presidential primary from September 25 to September 27. The National Assembly postponed its resumption to October 9. A statement by the National Assembly Clerk, Mohammed Sani-Omolori stated that the postponement was to enable lawmakers participate in the party primaries. The Plateau chapter of the APC queried Yahaya Kwande, elder statesman and member of the partys Board of Trustees (BOT), over alleged anti-party activities. Latep Dabang, the partys state chairman, who signed the query, asked Mr Kwande to explain why he attended a political rally organised by the rival PDP in Jos, on September 18. Mr Kwande also declared support for the presidential bid of PDP aspirant, Atiku Abubakar, at the event. Monday: The leadership of PDP disagreed on a venue for the partys presidential primaries fixed for October 6. The disagreement which manifested at the inauguration of the partys National Convention Planning Committee on Monday in Abuja, was between the partys Board of Trustees (BoT) and the National Working Committee (NWC). While some members of the party picked Port Harcourt as the venue for the convention, others, however, disagreed. The Social Democratic Party (SDP) announced new dates for its primary elections to nominate candidates for the various elective positions ahead of the 2019 general elections. According to the SDP, the national convention of the party as announced by its national organising secretary, Emeka Atuma, would still hold on October 6 as earlier planned. The party had earlier fixed September 21, 23, 24 for nomination of aspirants for houses of assembly and House of Representatives respectively. However it said in view of the demand by many aspirants for extra time to put their acts together, the party had to reschedule. Former President Goodluck Jonathan said he believes David Mark, former senate president, will strengthen the bond of unity in Nigeria if elected president. From left: Former Senate President, Sen. David Mark; former Governor of Niger State Babangida Aliyu; and former President, Goodluck Jonathan during the PDP National Convention in Abuja on Saturday (9/12/17). 06681/9/12/2017/Albert Otu/NAN The former president, who hosted the PDP presidential aspirant in his Yenagoa residence, said Nigeria was in dire need of unity. The Senate President Bukola Saraki met with the candidate of the SDP in the Osun election, Iyiola Omisore, to solicit his support for the PDP candidate, Ademola Adeleke ahead of the supplementary election. In the same vein, some members of the APC and governor-elect of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, also visited Mr Omisore in an attempt to gain his support. At the end of each meeting, both parties claimed Mr Omisore has agreed to work with them. Shortly after, Mr Omisore urged his supporters and residents of Osun State to vote for any party that believes in the agenda of his party. However, barely 24 hours after he made that statement, he openly declared his support for the APC as he urged supporters to vote for the party. The deputy chief whip of the House of Representatives, Pally Iriase, was expelled from the APC for alleged anti-party activities. The lawmaker who represents Owan Federal Constituency in Edo State was expelled by his ward and ratified by the local government. Allegations levelled against Mr Iriase included defection of wards eight and nine APC executives to the PDP on the orders of Mr Iriase, presenting his personal assistant, Hilary Ozogo, to contest under the PDP platform and refusal to attend APC meetings. However, in a separate statement, the Edo State chapter of the APC described the purported expulsion of Mr Iriase, as a nullity. Sunny Okomayin, the vice chairman of the party in Edo North, debunked Mr Iriases expulsion while fielding questions from journalists in Benin on Tuesday. The Federal High Court, Abuja, ordered the APC to conduct fresh elections for the office of National Organising Secretary (NOS) within 30 days. Justice Nnamdi Dimgba gave the order in a judgment on a suit filed by Osita Izunaso, the plaintiff and a contestant for the office of NOS in the recent APC elective convention. Mr Izunaso had asked the court to determine whether the election into the office of National Organising Secretary of APC was marred by violence leading to the disenfranchisement of delegates from some states. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) commenced the screening of its presidential aspirants. Among those screened were Bukola Saraki, Atiku Abubakar and Aminu Tambuwal Tuesday: The APC released details of the types of primaries approved for its various state chapters. The list shows the APC approved direct and indirect primaries for different states. In many states where the state governors are in battle with rivals such as senators and other influential politicians, the ruling party appears to have favoured the stance of the governors. Such states include Adamawa, Kaduna and Imo. An Imo State High Court held that the controversial removal of the state deputy governor, Eze Madumere, from office did not follow due process, therefore making it illegal. Benjamin Iheka, the presiding judge, in his ruling nullified the removal. Mr Madumere was on July 30 sacked by 19 of the 27 members of the Imo House of Assembly about same time a court in the state barred the lawmakers from removing the deputy governor from office. Former Kano governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, sneaked into the state where he addressed his supporters at his Milla Road residence in Kano metropolis. Mr Kwankwaso who recently endorsed his son-in law, Abba Yusuf, as his choice for 2019 governorship seat an action that irked some of his followers, appealed to them to remain calm. Wednesday: The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, declared that there will be consequences if the PDP succumbs to pressure from planted PDP presidential aspirants to move the partys National Convention away from Port Harcourt. He further said the state will not support any desperate PDP presidential aspirant who is sabotaging the economy of the state by fighting the hosting of the partys presidential primary in Port Harcourt. He also warned that Rivers People will teach the party a bitter lesson if it allows planted desperate presidential aspirants to scuttle the hosting of the presidential primary in Port Harcourt as agreed by all leaders of the party. He later apologised to leaders and presidential aspirants of the party for his anti-party outburst. At a NEC meeting of the party Friday afternoon, the Rivers governor showed remorse for his comments and assured party leaders he would be more guarded going forward. The party, however, maintained Port Harcourt as the venue for the convention. Thursday: The rerun election in Osun State was conducted amidst heavy presence of security agents and tension among voters. In some of the local government where the elections held, there were records of violence and vote buying. Journalists and election observers were also arrested and barred from monitoring the voting process. The election observation team of the U.S., EU and UK have gave their initial observation on the conduct of the rerun governorship election as they made reference to reports of irregularities, harassment and interference by inappropriate persons in the elections and urged residence to remain calm. At the end of the election, INEC declared Gboyega Oyetola of the APC as the winner of the 2018 Osun governorship election. He was returned as governor-elect on Thursday at the end of a supplementary election which held in seven polling units across four local governments a declaration which the PDP candidate described as a charade and outrightly rejected. The APC candidate won six of the seven units amidst allegations of harassment and other forms malpractice. At the end of the tally of votes, the APC candidate scored a total of 255,505 votes while the PDP candidate scored a total of 255,023 votes. The APC released the full list of candidates screened for governorship elections across Nigeria next year. While many of the aspirants were cleared, some like communications minister, Adebayo Shittu, and women affairs minister, Aisha Al-hassan, were disqualified. Five ministers in the federal cabinet were confirmed to have signified intention to seek the governorship ticket of their party, APC. Of the five, three were cleared by the screening committee put in place by the party while two others were not successful. The Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Al-Hassan and Communication Minister, Adebayo Shittu were disqualified. Explaining why the duo were disqualified, the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, said Mr Shittu was disqualified from running for Oyo governor after he was found to have skipped the mandatory NYSC scheme upon graduation from school. Mr Oshiomhole said Ms Alhassan was disqualified for alleged disloyalty to the party. Our constitution is clear and it dictates that to contest elections or even hold office in the APC, you must be loyal to the party in every material concern, he said. Friday: President Muhammadu Buhari congratulated the APC and the governor-elect of Osun State, Adegboyega Oyetola, for winning the keenly contested governorship election. President Buhari extended felicitations to the state and national campaign teams that worked assiduously to guarantee the victory at the polls, while commending the outgoing governor, Rauf Aregbesola for eight years of steadfastness and service to his people. A Nigerian lawmaker, Funke Adedoyin, passed away. Ms Adedoyin died of cancer, PREMIUM TIMES LEARNT. An aspirant to the office of governor of Adamawa State under the APC, Nuhu Ribadu, who earlier declared his gubernatorial ambition, denied reports that he has withdrawn from the race. The denial was contained in a statement Friday by the Director General of his campaign organisation, Salihu Bawuro, in Yola. Saturday: Aisha Alhassan, Nigerias women affairs minister, resigned her position. In a September 29 letter to the president, Ms Alhassan decried her disqualification from contesting for the APC governorship ticket in Taraba State, saying the action constituted a grave injustice against her since she paid to purchase the form and had been a loyal member of the party since 2014. She, thereafter, dumped the APC on Saturday and picked the United Democratic Party (UDP), nomination form to contest for the Taraba governorship seat. Thirty six out of the 40 members of the Lagos State House of Assembly endorsed an aspirant in the Lagos APC gubernatorial primaries, Jide Sanwo-Olu. A statement by the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security, Adefunmilayo Tejuoso, said the decision was taken at a parliamentary meeting of the lawmakers which took place at Lateef Jakande auditorium of the House on Saturday, a day before the governorship primaries of the party. Similarly, Obafemi Hamzat, one of the major contenders for the APC governorship ticket in Lagos, also stepped down for Mr Sanwo-Olu. The presidency described the outcome of the APC presidential primaries which held on Friday across the states with President Muhammadu Buhari as the sole aspirant, as a major boost to his success at next years general election. Some of the results declared by governors or top party members in APC controlled states showed that Mr Buhari scored high number of votes even though he was in the U. S attending the 73rd United Nation General Assembly. The APC postponed the governorship primaries for Lagos and Imo states. It said the two states would no longer hold their respective primaries on Sunday as previously scheduled. The primaries would go on tomorrow in all other states but the two. The APC inaugurated a 21-member National Convention Committee (NCC). The inauguration was done by the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, at the partys national secretariat, Abuja on Saturday. The KOWA Party said it adopted the use of online voting and examination writing for its primary election to boost participation, promote internal democracy and ensure credibility. Abimbola Oyedokun, Chairman, KOWA Lagos said online voting was adopted to promote direct primaries. The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has once again weighed in on the internal affairs of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party. In a statement on Sunday, the party decried the seeming influence of Governor Nyesom Wike over the PDP, saying it is ready to welcome freedom lovers in the opposition who are willing to abandon it for the Rivers State governor. The PDP to all intents and purposes has become the theatre of the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, APCs spokesperson, Yekini Nabena, said. Since assuming office after the disputed 2015 Rivers Governorship election, Wike has assumed the role of de facto PDP National Chairman, sole administration, spokesman, organising secretary and BoT Chairman. The statement weighed in on the recent controversy over the venue of the partys national convention where its presidential candidate would be chosen. Mr Wike insisted that the convention must be moved to Port-Harcourt, saying holding such a high-profile event in his state would bring tremendous economic benefits. But not all the presidential aspirants were comfortable with Port Harcourt, although they did not openly express their reservations. But Mr Wike knew that some camps within the PDP were looking for a different town or city to hold the event, and moved to neutralise them earlier this week. On Wednesday, the governor threatened presidential aspirants to desist from suggesting any other venue outside Port Harcourt, or risk suffering heavy political misfortune at the general election next February. None of the over a dozen PDP presidential aspirants openly responded to Mr Wikes comments, but he was eventually made to apologise for it during a PDP National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja on Friday. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was amongst those who did not favour Port-Harcourt, PREMIUM TIMES learnt from sources in his campaign, fearing that Mr Wike would use a home advantage to impose Aminu Tambuwal, his Sokoto State counterpart who recently defected to the PDP from the ruling APC. Mr Wike, reports said, had promised to give Mr Tambuwal the presidential ticket of the PDP. But there are concerns that the Sokoto governor does not have enough political influence to defeat incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari. It was at the NEC meeting that Port Harcourt was announced as the venue of the partys convention on October 6-7, and the message immediately went out that Mr Wike has once again had his way over all other powerful interests within the party. All the aspirants who spoke publicly after Port Harcourt was chosen said they were comfortable with the arrangement, but critics continue to castigate Mr Wike as exerting too much influence over the party. It is surprising that the PDP with its supposed seasoned politicians will sit by and allow Governor Wike use the PDP as his personal property, to determine who gets what, when and how, and where party conventions must be held. What happened to internal party democracy? Of course, this is an alien concept to the PDP, the APC said. The APC said it operates a mechanism that enhances internal democratic ethos, urging PDP members who genuinely believe in our progressive ideologies are encouraged to leave the sinking PDP and join the APC where their voices will be heard and decisions taken collectively. They should leave the Wike Autocratic Party (WAP) for the Rivers State Governor and his minions, bent on foisting their unpopular and undemocratic will on the majority, it said. A spokesperson for Mr Wike did not immediately return requests for comments Sunday afternoon. Kola Ologbondiyan, a spokesperson for the PDP, told PREMIUM TIMES the APCs comments reflect a party completely bereft of ideas on how to engage in crucial national issues heading into general elections. We have said it over and again that the APC has nothing new to offer Nigerians, Mr Ologbondiyan said. Having spent the last three years lying to Nigerians, the party is now consumed by hate and diversionary tactics. Having created economic doom for all the people of Nigeria, and because they have no achievements upon which they can predicate their general elections campaign, they are propagating nonsense that the largest political party in Africa is a party of one man, Mr Ologbondiyan said. He dismissed the APCs claim that its internal procedures are more effective than the PDP. The PDP has internal mechanism to assuage all political interests within the party. We have the capacity to manage issues in our party and emerge as one united entity. But what do you make of an entity that is so dysfunctional that it cannot come with one template on how to handle elections. One state is doing direct primaries and another is doing indirect primaries. That is why their factional chairman Adams Oshimohole could be saying the people who are coming to politics should be prepared to suffer rigging, the PDP spokesperson said. The APC is holding its primaries in 27 states across the country today, after weeks of emergency postponements. Eighteen states are conducting indirect primaries today, while the remaining nine opted for the direct method. Mr Oshiomhole recently told a press conference that democracy thrives when people are ready to bear the brunt of rigging. Although the ruling party chairman corrected himself on the spot, critics circulated the video online as further proof that the governorship election in Osun State was rigged as repeatedly alleged by the PDP and independent observers who strongly condemned the exercise in their reports. President Muhammadu Buhari Sunday evening paid a get-well-quick visit to the two Nigerian Air Force officers involved in a crash last week, at the Defence Intelligence Agency hospital in Abuja. Mr Buhari had returned to the country in the wee hours of the day from New York, United States of America, where he attended the 73rd United Nations General Assembly. By about 5.30 p.m, the president turned up at the hospital, to pay a morale boosting visit to the injured officers, his spokesperson, Femi Adesina, said in a statement . He also said the president rejoiced with Squadron Leader Batuba, and Flight Lieutenant Andy, giving glory to God for sparing their lives. He also commiserated with them on the loss of their colleague, Squadron Leader M.Baba Ari. He prayed that God would give the family of the deceased the fortitude to bear the loss. Chief of Medical Services at the hospital, Air Vice Marshal Saleh Shinkafi, assured President Buhari that the medical condition of the officers was improving steadily, and that they were being kept for further rest and counseling, as part of the rehabilitation process, Mr Adesina said. He said the Chief of Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar, an Air Marshall, who was also on hand to receive the president, explained that the three pilots ejected successfully from their jets after the collision, while training for air parade to mark the countrys 58th Independence Anniversary, but the helmet of Baba Ari flew open, and he suffered head injuries that turned fatal. Among others that received the president at the hospital were his Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, and Chief of Defence Intelligence, Mohammed Usman, an Air Vice Marshal. Seyi Makinde has emerged as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2019 gubernatorial election in Oyo state. Mr Makinde, who contested with one other aspirant, Ayo Adeseun, scored 2,772 votes to secure the PDP ticket while the second contestant scored 21 votes. Mr Adeseun had earlier called for the cancellation of the primary election on the ground that the authentic list of delegates for the primary had been tampered with. He alleged that the partys primary electoral committee had inserted names of some people that were not genuine delegates into the list. He left the venue of the primary at the Liberty Stadium Ibadan in annoyance before the commencement of the exercise. Mr Makinde, in his acceptance speech, pledged to revive the economy of the state and work on policies that would bring rapid development to the state. He sought for the support of all party members and urged them to work towards the success of the party during the forthcoming general elections. The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the exercise was witnessed by a representative of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), A A Ariyo and members of the National officers of the party. In Minna, PDP governorship candidate in the 2015 general election in Niger, Umar Nasko, re-emerged the winner of the partys primary for the 2019 general election. He beat former Nigeria envoy to South Africa, Ahmed Ibeto, and four others in a a well organised and peaceful primary attended by 2,809 party delegates from the 25 local government areas across the state. Others who contested the primary with him were Umar Dogonkoli, Hannafi Sudan and Aminu Baka. (NAN) Some All Progressives Party (APC) card-carrying members in Bauchi on Sunday expressed their disenchantment over the late commencement of the party s primaries in the state. They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that they were told the exercise would commence by 10 a.m. prompt, and had gone to the polling units as early as 6 a.m., and that as at 11a.m., neither APC officials from Bauchi nor Abuja had visited the units to address them. Nasiru Ibrahim who went to cast his vote at Baba Sidi polling unit in Bauchi said he was there since 6 a.m. and did not see any official. We were many and have been kept in the dark; nobody came to address us; we are suspecting something amiss, he said. Mairo Ishaku also told NAN at Birshi Fulani polling unit in Yelwa area of Bauchi metropolis that they had been at the unit since 7am. We are all confused here because we have not seen any official, except security agents who have no idea as to what is happenings, she said. Another female card-carrying member, Regina Solomon, told NAN that she cancelled a lot of her morning activities because of the primaries, only for her to kept waiting at the polling unit. Others who spoke to NAN also expressed their disappointment over the delay, saying that such was an indication of the likely occurrence of unwholesome practice. However, the Public Relations Officer of APC in the state, Adamu Jalla, told NAN that although the exercise was slated to commence 10 a.m., some issues later cropped up, necessitating a shift. According to him, all material have been despatched to the polling units, but it was later discovered that some people would want to go to their farms and church in the morning hours. He also said that the APC officials from Abuja had yet to arrive Bauchi as at the 10 am slated for the commencement of the primaries, as such it was shifted to between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. (NAN) The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Borno, on Sunday held parallel primaries to elect candidates to contest the 2019 governorship election in the state. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that separate congresses were held by two factions of the party to elect the partys flag-bearers in the forth coming election. The Usman Baderi faction held their exercise at the secretariat with only two candidates, Muhammed Wakil and Bukar Kyari, contesting the election. Mr Wakil, a former Minister of State Works, said they held separate primaries because they were opposed to the conduct of the election by Zanna Gadamas faction. He alleged that Mr Gadamas faction abused earlier court order, describing the exercise as null and void. Mr Wakil claimed that the Court of Appeal had ruled in favour of Mr Baderi as the recognised chairman of the party. What the other faction is doing is illegality of the highest order because we are the ones legally recognised by the court of law. So we are conducting election and submitting result to the national body. If they see reasons to accept the result fine, and if they dont, I am sure some of us remember the case of Rotimi Ameachi. You cannot just build something out of nothing and expect it to stay. The issue of impunity and illegality has to stop in the country, political parties have to behave. You cannot come out one day and start blaming the other party when you are also guiding impunity, he said. On his part, Mr Kyari lamented that the national working committee of the party chose to recognise an illegal faction despite existing court order. Mr Kyari said, We as law abiding citizens will not indulge in illegalities, we shall seek redress in competent court of law for our rights. Therefore, we will conduct our elections here. We will invite the INEC to monitor it and then come up with the authentic delegates that have been elected this October, he added. However, Mr Gadama said his faction had secured a court injunction, which ordered that the status quo be maintained. Mr Gadama said that the state PDP remains the authentic party in the state that should hold primary elections. The national PDP secretariat recognises only one PDP in Borno, which is the one I am currently heading as a Chairman. This is why they sent the INEC officials and other observers to come and monitor the elections we are currently conducting. Meanwhile, Muhammad Imam emerged winner of the election. Declaring the result, Gabriel Kataf, the Chairman Electoral Committee, said Mr Imam scored 2,685 votes and his closest opponent Kyari scored 52 while Mr Wakil scored 22 votes. (NAN) A former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Nuhu Ribadu, has withdrawn from the race to emerge as the governorship candidate of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa State. Mr Ribadu in a statement by his campaign office Sunday in Yola cited the choice of indirect mode of election instead of the direct mode agreed by many party leaders in the state as his reason for withdrawing. Below is the full text of the statement announcing his withdrawal as signed by the Director General of the Ribadu campaign organization, Salihu Bawuro: PRESS STATEMENT FALL OUT OF MODE OF PRIMARIES: RIBADU WITHDRAWS FROM RACE In the light of happenings in the political space over the last few days, the Nuhu Ribadu Campaign Organisation wishes to update our teaming supporters as well as millions of well-wishers beyond the confines of Adamawa State as follows: 1. Since signifying his intention to vie for the position of Adamawa State governor under the banner of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has received tremendous goodwill and support from well-meaning citizens of Adamawa State, party leaders, friends and associates from across Nigeria and beyond. Particularly, the ordinary people at the grassroots saw the aspiration of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as the needed solution to myriad of problems affecting the state, and welcomed it with all the support they could muster. The mammoth crowd that welcomed him to Yola last Saturday when he formerly declared, was a clear testimony on where the minds of the people are. We at the campaign organisation and indeed Mallam Ribadu as an aspirant were totally shocked and overwhelmed by the show of support and admiration. 2. However, while we earnestly prepare to take part in the forthcoming primaries, we noticed with dismay several anomalies, many of which did not start from today. i. While we and greater majority of APC family in Adamawa State supported giving power to the people through direct primaries, the party decided to adopt indirect primaries at the last minute. We have all along expected that this wish of the majority of ordinary members would be respected, and therefore banked on it. But the decision to do otherwise has taken us, and our supporters, aback. ii. We were opposed to indirect primaries ab initio because we believe the process that brought those expected to participate in the process was fundamentally flawed. When the party congresses were held in May, we cried that no elections were held in Adamawa and the officials were only handpicked by those who hijacked the process. This was not addressed. We are therefore under no illusion of a fair contest in the hands of those so-called party officials. iii. It is for these reasons that we collectively took the painful decision to prevail on Mallam Nuhu Ribadu to step down from this race immediately. 3. The decision to withdraw from this race was taken after due consultation at the level of the campaign directorate and other well wishers of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. We are aware that our teeming supporters have invested hugely in this process and we share in their grief which would come with this announcement. We assure you that Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has never taken your support and sacrifices for granted. 4. We are also sure that Mallam Nuhu Ribadu will continue to remain in APC, and continue to support the good works of President Muhammadu Buhari, and his candidature as product of direct primaries. Thank you Signed: Salihu Bawuro Director General Violence has engulfed the ongoing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary in Gombe State. A source at the Banquet hall of the Government House told PREMIUM TIMES that delegates gathered at the venue to affirm an aspirant, Jamilu Isiyaku, who was the preferred candidate of Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo, before one of the other aspirants, Bayero Nafada, came into the hall and disrupted the proceedings. Our source said Mr Dankwambo had earlier endorsed Mr Nafada as his preferred candidate before changing his mind following resistance from other aspirants. Following the resistance, the governor extended his consultation to religious leaders (both Muslim and Christian) and he finally changed his mind and endorsed Jamilu Gwamna, our source said. He also said all delegates arrived the Government House Hall to affirm Mr Jamilu; but the arrival of Mr Bayero, who was not around when the decision was taken, altered the entire proceeding. As soon as Bayero came in, the governor stood up. Imagine, a whole governor standing up on arrival of a senator, and Bayero just called the governor outside where they discussed for a few minutes. He then came back into the hall and announced that he just confirmed from Governor Dankwambo that he did not endorse any candidate. He also ordered his thugs to beat anyone who claims the governor has endorsed him. Mr Nafada, according to another source, thereafter insisted that election must hold and openly told the delegates that he is seeking for their votes in exchange for a huge favour from him. Violence mars Gombe PDP governorship primary Violence mars Gombe PDP governorship primary Violence mars Gombe PDP governorship primary We gathered that a decision was finally taken to conduct election since consensus arrangement has failed. The governor was the first to cast his ballot and the election was going smoothly; and all of a sudden a fight broke out. Violence mars Gombe PDP governorship primary Violence mars Gombe PDP governorship primary Delegates from Akko Local Government Area were casting their votes when heated argument erupted among them which led some political thugs to disrupt the election. The thugs came in, seized and destroyed the ballot boxes and began throwing chairs around. The governor has already left to his resident and I am not sure any election will hold today, said the source. A list of cleared candidates released by the leadership of APC on Thursday showed that nine aspirants were cleared to contest Sundays governorship primaries in Zamfara State. They are a former Executive Director of First Bank, Dauda Lawal, the state commissioner of Finance, Mukhtar Shehu, Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, current Deputy Governor, Ibrahim Wakala. Others are a Senator, Kabiru Marafa, former governor Mahmud Shinkafi, a member of the House of Representatives, Aminu Jaji, a former federal permanent Secretary, Abubakar Magaji and a former director at Federal Capital Development Authority, Mohammed Hamidu. Dauda Lawal The former bank executive is coming with both a controversial past and a financial war chest to challenge the existing status quo in the state. Checks in Zamfara state reveal that Mr Lawal does not have a solid political structure badly needed in Nigerian political circles. However, he was known for coming to the aid of the underprivileged in the past especially in terms of providing scholarships to the children of the downtrodden. Dauda Lawal [Photo: Facebook] He is also known for constructing or renovating Mosques in the state, an action considered noble in the maiden official sharia state. However, Mr Lawal was strongly linked to former Minister of Petroleum resources, Diezani Allison-Maduekwe. He was accused of being one of the fronts used by the ex-minister to launder money to fund the 2015 general elections. Indeed, he had trouble with anti-graft agency, EFCC and it was reported that he was forced to forfeit $40 million (N9.08bn) suspected to be proceeds of crime. Mr Lawals major strength is his apparent acceptance by the ordinary folks in the state as well as the availability of cash to prosecute his aspiration. Media reports also indicate that he may benefit from in-fighting among the political gladiators in the state because he does not belong to any of the traditional camps. His major weakness is the lack of solid political structure. While, the controversy regarding the Diezani Affair may be a factor in other places, there is no sign it has any negative implication in Zamfara politics. Mukhtar Shehu The Commissioner of Finance, popularly known as Koguna is the preferred candidate of outgoing governor, Abdulaziz Yari. Mr Yari did not hide the fact that he wants Mr Shehu to succeed him even though, his deputy, Ibrahim Wakala, for over seven years, is also in the race. Mukhtar Shehu [Photo: Twitter] Mr Yari even convened a meeting of powers that be within Zamfara APC and had his aspirant of choice endorsed. The governor told the media after the endorsement parley that the decision was a tradition in the states politics of the APC. He added however, that this, does not, however, mean that an individual has no right to go on his own and purchase the nomination form. As you know, under democratic conditions, everyone can exercise his right, but any of such persons would not have the backing of either the party or the state government. Mr Shehus greatest strength therefore, lies in the backing of Mr Yari. The governor has absolute control of APC structure in Zamfara state. However, another factor that may affect the finance commissioner is that the Yari administration is largely seen as a failure. The governor is known mainly for his absence from the state which badly needed his attention to tackle the menace of bandits that have killed thousands of citizens. Also, many view the decision of the NWC of APC to approve the use of direct mode of primary as being targeted at the governor and his preferred candidate. While he controls the political structure, Mr Yari does not have the support of ordinary party members who are now in the majority. Mansur Dan-Ali The decision of the Minister of Defence to seek for the governorship of the state shocked many political observers in Zamfara state. This is because the retired army general did not show any serious sign of political aspiration by aligning himself with the political structures in the state. He was often seen as someone who is more concerned with carrying out his duties to the satisfaction of President Muhammadu Buhari. Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali. [Photo credit: Guardian Nigeria] Although, he is at times blamed for the escalation of insecurity in the state as the Minister of Defence, sources in Gusau informed PREMIUM TIMES that he is actually now seen as a messiah. The governor tried to blackmail the minister and president by saying he lacked the power to do anything to tackle the menace of bandits, and decided to resign as the chief security officer. However, the governor continued to approve huge sums of money as security votes. What the minister did eventually came to the aid of the people. He personally made it possible for the president to come and see things for himself. He also made it possible to set up military formations and as you must know by now, the story is not as it used to be, said a source who asked not to be named because he is a civil servant. While these laudable efforts may help the cause of the minister, it may not be enough to give him the ticket mainly due to his political inexperience. Ibrahim Wakala Mr Wakala is the current deputy governor of Zamfara State who felt he should succeed his boss because of his eight years of loyalty. Unlike Mr Yari who is always away from Gusau, Mr Wakala is the one many in the state know as their governor. This is because he is the one always in charge. Ibrahim Wakala [Photo: Daily Nigerian] He, therefore, has a fair share of control of APC loyalists as well as the support of the father of Zamfara politics ex-Governor Sani Yerima. For many, the real battle for the ticket of Zamfara governorship ticket is between Mr Wakala and Mukhtar Shehu because of the backing of traditional kingmakers in the state. Kabiru Marafa Mr Marafa is the current Senator representing Zamfara Central. He is also one of the strongest contenders for the APC ticket. The Senator, known for his stubborn streak appears to deliberately ignore the existing order in the state by establishing his own. Former APC Senator, Kabiru Marafa (Photo Credit: Daily Trust) The Senator is one of the loyalists of President Muhammadu Buhari and rather than Mr Dan-Ali the Defence Minister, he is seen as the face of Buharists in Zamfara state. In fact, sources said he single handedly defeated Mr Yari by ensuring that APC adopts the direct mode of primary election. When it became apparent that the state APC officials were completely loyal to Mr Yari, Mr Marafa factionlise the party and funded his own faction forcing the national headquarters to take note and do the right thing. What will work for Mr Marafa is his generosity across board and his alignment with Mr Buhari. Despite the security challenges, the president still command huge following in the state, especially among party faithful. A source also told us that no politician has provided employment to the indigenes of Zamfara state to date, go and check. Mahmuda Shinkafi Mr Shinkafi is a former governor of the state. He lost to Mr Yari in 2011 after only one term in office. He defected to the PDP in 2008 over difference with his former principal, Sani Yerima. He lost to Mr Yari for the second time in 2015 and joined the APC November last year. Mahmuda Shinkafi [Photo: Daily Post Nigeria] While Mr Shinkafi still enjoys the support of his loyalists, spending less than one term does not appear enough to upstage existing APC structure. Aminu Jaji Mr Jaji is the member representing Kaura-Namoda/Birnin-Magaji constituency in the House of Representatives. Mr Jaji said he decided to join the governorship race to clear the mess of previous administrations and reform Zamfara state. Aminu Jaji [Photo: Thisdaylive] Like Mr Marafa. Mr Jaji is also a Buharistin the House of Representatives. He also enjoys the support of APC faithful in the state, especially the youth. Mr Jaji also is hoping to take advantage of the in-fighting among the elite to penetrate the existing structure. Abubakar Magaji Mr Magaji is a freshly retired civil servant. He retired as a permanent secretary in the Ministry of Interior three months ago. Mr Magaji did not waste time because even before he retired, he wrote to the Zamfara state chapter of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) telling them of his intention to join politics as soon as he retires from service. In his letter, Mr Magaji said he was being urged to join politics by his people. The purpose of this letter is to formally inform you that in recent times, I have been receiving calls and invitations from individuals and groups that I should join politics after my retirement from public service. In their wisdom, they believe I will make a positive contribution towards the development of our society. In compliance with our religious teaching and our good tradition both of which recommend listening to good advice, I decided to consider the invitation and have decided to answer the call of the people, he said. Checks by this newspaper in Gusau however shows that the retired technocrat has an uphill task ahead of him. Apart from having of lot of money, I dont know what else he is bring to the table, a Zamfara-based journalist said. Mr Magaji is well known for his role in the reinstatement of the controversial former chairman of Pension reform task team, Abdulrasheed Maina. He had confessed to the House of Representative Ad hoc Committee investigating the back door reinstatement of Mr Maina that he was responsible for erroneous reinstatement and promotion of Abdulrasheed Maina, former Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reform. Mohammed Hamidu Mr Hamdu is also a retired civil servant. He was the Director, Special Duties at the Federal Capital Territory. He, like Mr Magaji, lacks the requisite political structure, but, it was gathered he also has the financial muscle to prosecute his ambition. He was investigated by the EFCC for selling a parcel of land with Fake Titles. While the ruling All Progressives Congress holds its governorship primary at the Murtala Square, Kaduna, opposition Peoples Democratic Party delegates have converged at the Trade Fair Complex along Zaria road to elect the PDP candidate. The PDP primary will be a contest among political gladiators as none of them is willing to step down. Some delegates have already arrived the venue of the primary. Isah Ashiru, a former member of the House of Representatives and a governorship aspirant of the APC in 2015, is among the top aspirants to beat. Sani Sidi, a former National Emergency Management Agency boss; former governor of the state, Ramalan Yero, and a senator, Suleiman Hunkuyi who until recently was in the APC; are also in the contest. Hassan Mohammed, a PDP delegate, predicts the contest to be between Messrs Sidi, Ashiru and Yero. This is my party and I know what has been going on. Yes, we are looking at some of the aspirants to step down but for now all of them are in the contest. The belief is that anybody who wins will get the backing of all the party members. Let me not preempt the process, but I am sure delegates will vote in somebody who will surely defeat whoever the APC selects. Mr Hassan told PREMIUM TIMES. The Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, on Sunday emerged as the governorship aspirant under the All Progressive Congress in the state. He emerged after affirmation by delegates of the party from the 23 local government areas of the state. He was the only contestant. The voting by delegates began around 4.30 p.m. immediately the governor and his entourage arrived the venue at Murtala Square, Kaduna. In his address, after accepting his nomination, Mr El-Rufai said he accepted the nomination as a vote of confidence by his party. According to him, the partys decision will enable him the opportunity to continue the good work he started for the people of the state I view your acceptance of my candidature as a mandate not to relent in promoting equality of opportunity and I welcome it as your call to vigorously continue the path outlined in the restoration programme where we committed to create for ordinary people platforms for human capital development, he said. The governor also thanked the party members and leaders for the vote of confidence. Since July 2013, we have worked together with many of you here to build the Kaduna APC as a new party that is committed to improving the life chances of our people. Along the way, we have encountered people who viewed the party as nothing more than a vehicle for their petty political and financial ambitions. Such persons discarded party spirit and abandoned any pretence to party loyalty once they were elected. Some others saw the APC as the cover for giving their businesses unfair access to public coffers. Many have since returned to the platform that best projects that pure pursuit of self-interest, he said. He promised to live up to the expectations of the electorate. Earlier, APC chairman, Emmanuel Jekada, said Governor El-Rufai did not have a challenger because he (governor) performed well and also brought development to the state. The battle for the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State is clearly between a billionaire businessman, Tonye Cole, and Magnus Abe, a senator representing Rivers South East District. Mr Abe has, however, threatened to boycott the primaries, saying the APC was wrong to adopt indirect primaries in Rivers. Tonye Cole Mr Cole, a billionaire businessman, is the preferred aspirant of the APC leader in the state, Rotimi Amaechi, who is the minister of transportation. Because of Mr Amaechis grip on the party structure in the state, Mr Cole looks good to win the APC governorship primary in the state. The riverine people in Rivers have been agitating to produce a governor of the state after several years. Being that Mr Cole is from the riverine area, he is likely to get massive support from there. Besides, his business background and billionaire status seem to be an added advantage. Mr Cole, however, is likely going to encounter stiff opposition from people who are averse to Mr Amaechis control of the party, but it is difficult to see how much this could negatively affect his chances at the primary. Magnus Abe Mr Abe, currently serving as a senator, is believed to have solid political connections and enjoys massive following in the state. His greatest threat to picking the APC governorship ticket in the state is Mr Amaechi, whom he has long parted ways with. Political analysts in the state believe that Mr Abe has the capacity to spring surprises and probably win the party ticket if the APC in the state were to use direct primary in choosing its governorship candidate. The senator has already threatened to boycott the primary if the party fails to use direct primary. Dumo-Lulu Briggs The strength of Mr Briggs is that he is from the riverine area. He has been agitating that it is their turn to produce a governor of the state. He is said to enjoy some following in the state. However, most people in the state believe he does not stand a chance to win the primary. Dawari George Mr George, from the riverine area, is a close political ally of Dakuku Peterside. He is a former member of the House of Representatives. He once served as commissioner of petroleum and natural resources under the then administration of Rotimi Amaechi. Most people in the state do not believe Mr George stands a chance to win the APC primary. Pat Utomi has appealed to the All Progressives Congress (APC) to postpone its governorship primaries in Delta State, saying the state was not prepared to hold the exercise on Sunday. Mr Utomi, a professor of economics, said in a September 30 letter to the APC national leadership that it would be unfair and illegal if the primaries go ahead as scheduled, saying the key procedures were not followed. Mr Utomi said despite writing several letters to the partys state and national offices, he received no positive response on the list of individuals who have been cleared as delegates to vote in the governorship primaries. He, therefore, demanded immediate suspension of the primaries, which commenced on Sunday morning, until such a date when all aspirants must know who the delegates are in advance, and are able to have access to them to canvass for their votes as a minimum basis for a free, fair and credible primary elections. Delta State is amongst the 27 states where primaries had been scheduled to hold today. Zamfara was abruptly postponed after the exercise had commenced on Sunday morning, leaving 26 states. Ogun was also postponed, leaving the primaries holding in 25 states. The APC had earlier postponed primaries for Lagos and Imo on Saturday night, rescheduling it to Monday. But Delta was not amongst the states where the ruling party postponed primaries, and there were no immediate indications that the party yielded Mr Utmos call to postpone. There are two primaries that are holding in Delta State today under to different factions, I am leading one and another one is being led by Jones Erue, Cyril Ogodo, an APC politician, told PREMIUM TIMES by telephone Sunday afternoon. We are using the proper list of the delegates for the primaries because the faction I lead is the authentic one, he added. Mr Erue could not be reached for comments Sunday afternoon. A spokesperson for the APC did not immediately return requests for comments about Mr Utomis complaints and the divided primaries in Delta State Sunday afternoon. There is confusion in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State following the withdrawal of clearance certificates from some senatorial and House of Representatives aspirants. The aspirants were two weeks earlier disqualified by the state screening committee. They then headed to Abuja to lodge complaints with the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party. These and similar complaints from other states in the country necessitated the setting up of a special screening committee in Abuja which screened and cleared the aspirants. But, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Austin Akobundu, in a statement on Saturday said the party has withdrawn the earlier provisional clearance certificate issued to three of those screened in Abuja for the forthcoming senatorial primaries slated to hold across the country on the October 2. Those whose provisional clearance certificate were withdrawn were Onuoha Nnachi, an aspirant in Ebonyi South senatorial district, Ojimba Fidelis of Ebonyi North and Ikeuwa Omebeof Ebonyi Central. This is to inform all concerned that the National Working Committee of the PDP has withdrawn the provisional clearance certificate wrongly issued to the under listed, Onuoha Nnachi, Ojimba Fidelis and Omebe Ikeuwa. The aforementioned aspirants were screened in error by the special screening committee in Abuja between the 27th and 28th of September 2018. This is important because the Special Screening Committee was constituted to screen only aspirants who have not been screen by the State screening committee. Consequently, the aspirants mentioned are kindly instructed to return the Provisional Clearance certificate back to the Directorate of Organisation, Mobilization immediately. Similarly, the Ebonyi State chapter of the party on Sunday alleged that the clearance certificates were obtained by the three National Assembly members and others through fraudulent means and insisted that the clearance remains null and void. In another release signed by the state party chairman, Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, the PDP claimed that the aspirants could not scale through the screening exercise conducted by the screening committee set up by the NWC of the party, and as well failed to appeal the outcome of the exercise. He regretted that instead of appealing the outcome of the screening exercise, they went behind the door to fraudulently obtain clearance certificates in Abuja, adding that the purported Abuja clearance certificates are fake, null and void. Mr Nwaebonyi described those involved in the act as opportunists who had not been supporting or paying party dues but only came to contest election. He said the party had also discovered that some of those involved were moles planted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to disorganise and frustrate the activities of the PDP in the state, pointing out that the carriers of such certificates cannot stand primary elections in Ebonyi State. Let me put it on record that those carrying such certificates cannot stand stand primary election in the state as they still stand un-cleared, because they were not okayed by the party at ward and local government levels. It is therefore advisable that individuals seeking elective offices should identify with the party on time so as to demonstrate their dedication and commitment to the party before hand. Mr Nwaebonyi, a lawyer, stated that the PDP in the state remains formidable and cannot be deterred by the shenanigans of the APC to cause confusion in its rank in the state. Meanwhile, some of the aspirants cleared in Abuja addressed a press conference in Abakaliki. They expressed dissatisfaction over the outcome of the screening exercise in the state and urged the party at the national level to investigate allegation of extortion and imposition in the state. The leader of the group known as G8, Onuoha Nnachi, alleged that the party hierarchy in Ebonyi imposed illegal levies of N4.5 million on senatorial aspirants while those vying for House of Representatives paid N3.5million. This, he said, were different from the official fees for the forms. On the withdrawal of the provisional clearance certificate issued to members of the group, Mr. Nnachi alleged that the National Organising Secretary of the party, Mr Akobundu, was acting the script of some persons in Ebonyi who are determined to thwart his senatorial ambition at all cost. It is an illegal statement; the condition for withdrawal is clearly stated in the certificate. Certificate issued for clearance can only be withdrawn if any information given as of the time of the clearance is known to be false.. I dont know the script he is playing or acting but I have contacted the national chairman and he says he is not aware of that. Mr Akobundu does not have the power to issue that certificate, For a certificate of clearance to be withdrawn, NWC must seat and approve it. Since that certificate was issued, NWC have never sat or met to talk about it, Mr Nnachi said. He insisted that the withdrawal would not hold as the National Chairman of the party, Uche Secondus, had assured him and other members of the group of justice and fairness. Mr. Nnachi also accused members of the state screening committee of bias, adding that the committee only screened those pointed to them by the party hierarchy in the state. Those of us that were not screened by the committee in the state, waited patiently for the appeal committee sent to the state to come to enable us make a formal appeal to the committee but regretted that till date, there was no trace of the committee in the state. The ugly act prompted our visit and subsequent screening at the Wadata Plaza Abuja. So anyone saying that our screening and issuance of certificate was fake, null and void must be dreaming as we are going to stand for the primaries in the state come Tuesday. He further said that the reason for his earlier disqualification, not paying party dues, was not a requirement for screening and was not in the guidelines of the party for the exercise. Mr Nnachi further raised alarm of threats to the lives of the members of the group by some persons in the party in the state. He, however, vowed that the threats will not deter them from fighting for their rights Also a serving female lawmaker representing Ohaozara west state constituency who is currently vying for Ohaozara, Ivo and Onicha federal constituency seat, Chika Udeh, argued that she was never screened in the state and wondered why the committee wrote that she was not cleared because of party zoning arrangement in the state. She said that as a current female lawmaker and the only woman vying for the National Assembly position in the state, the party was expected to give her concession based on the 35 per cent affirmation and not to frustrate her effort. Mrs. Udeh, who was not cleared by the state screening committee over allege zoning arrangement but was later cleared in Abuja, said that she was no longer afraid of being victimised by the State House of Assembly for going against the party. How do they expect women to participate in politics when they impose heavy levies of more than N3.5 million for House of Representatives aspirants?. That is the receipted levies, there were other numerous un-receipted levies we were also made to pay by the party in the state, she said. Mrs Udeh further said she had notified international organisations like the UNWOMEN and UKAID of her plight and they are watching the state and the PDP with keen interest. This is not about wining election, it is about depriving women of their right to vote and be voted for and I have notified these agencies of what I am passing through and they are watching, she added. Mr Akobundu could not be reached for reactions on the mater as his phone was switched off. In a related development, a chieftain of the PDP, Michael Nnachi, has told the senator representing Ebonyi South zone, Sonni Ogbuorji, that the latter defected from the party to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to upset the Senate leadership and become Deputy President of the Senate. At a press briefing in Abakaliki, Mr Nnachi, an Ebonyi South senatorial aspirant, joined the clamour in the party for Mr Ogbuorjis seat to be declared vacant. He said Mr Ogbuorji, a two term senator, rose to the position he is today through the PDP and wondered why he left the party when according to him there was no crisis in the PDP. I want to lend my voice to the masses of Ebonyi South zone who are still clamouring for his seat to be declared vacant since there is no division in the PDP. You cannot hate a party and cling unto the partys mandate. I have a strong suspicion that he cross carpeted finally, so as to upset the Senate leadership and become the Deputy Senate President. Without mincing words, my emergence shall retire Ogbuoji politically and put an end to his dubious scheming, political manoeuvrings and unjustified use of our people to achieve his selfish political ends. I promise my constituents that our administration will be all-inclusive, all encompassing and human oriented to the benefit of the zone and the state at large. I will not disappoint them as am determined to rewrite the history of the zone in terms of representation and provision of democracy dividends. I want to assure you that my administration would replicate the exploits of our Governor, Chief Engr. David Nweze Umahi in Ebonyi South zone of the State. This we will also do by partnering the state government and the private sector to carry out both developmental and economic empowerment initiatives for the good of the people of the zone, he said. Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, has emerged as the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), promising that his second tenure would be better. Chairman of the PDP gubernatorial primary elections in Delta State, Uzo Nwandu, declared Governor Okowa winner of the primaries held Sunday in Asaba. Ms Nwandu said of the 3, 278 accredited delegates from different local government areas of the state, 26 invalid votes were counted, while 3, 252 votes went to Governor Okowa. Recall that Governor Okowa was the only member of the PDP who picked the gubernatorial form and was successfully screened in Port Harcourt, Rivers State to participate in the primary election. During the 2015 elections you will recall that promises were made and we have continued to do the best that we can despite the very challenging times to ensure that we met with the promises, the governor said. But one good thing that Deltans have done is that they have continued to pray for us and partner with us in governance. And I must say that I am very grateful to all Deltans particularly our leaders, our youths and our women. I thank you all for all that you have done to ensure that we have a peaceful state because without peace, we cannot develop. Governor Okowa announced that his deputy, Kingsley Otuaro, will be his running mate for the second term. He continued, the PDP in Delta is a family and we are very proud of this family and because we realize that we are a family. PDP has insisted that there will be equitable process where there is justice and fairness; because we are one family the PDP endorsed my candidacy in 2014 and I went through by the special grace of God during the elections and we won. Today in your belief for equity, justice and fairness, the party has returned me unopposed as its candidate; I am very grateful and I thank you for being a party that reasons that we can only be a family when there is equity and fairness. Governor Okowa added, I want to assure you that we will continue to remain strong under the leadership of our leader, Chief James Ibori; this party will remain focused, this party will be about Delta, we shall continue to ensure that we are strengthened enough to be recognized very strongly in national politics; there is no need to be afraid, there is no need to shake, when something happened in some states, people send text messages but, we have come as always in the name of God and because God is with us, there is nobody that can be against us. We are strong and we will continue to remain strong, we will go forth into the elections and we will win landslide; I am proud because I have each and every one of you, our God that was with us in 2015 is with us, so there is no cause for alarm, we must go out there to talk to the people, we must go as one united family, we must go carrying everyone along and I believe that this is the principle of our party, and even when we go into the congresses on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to elect candidates for the Senate, House of Representatives, and House of Assembly, let us go through these elections with brotherly and sisterly love, let us conduct it in peace, he admonished. Governor Okowa who was elated at the peaceful conduct of the primary elections added, I have spoken with our party chairman and I know that there will be a free and fair primaries and the results will also be free and fair and by the grace of God, I appeal to each and every one of us even when you lose in the ballot you have not lost everything because you belong to one united family. A former Governor of the State, James Ibori, who addressed the delegates before the commencement of voting charged Deltans to que behind Mr. Okowa in the 2019 polls. Former Deputy Governor Benjamin Elue, Senator Stella Omu, PDP Chairman in the state, Kingsley Esiso, among others, who spoke at the event, expressed confidence that the PDP would emerge victorious in the 2019 general elections as the state remains the stronghold of the party. Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa (middle), flanked by the State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman, Barr. Kingsley Esiso (left), and the Delta North PDP Chairman, Chief Moses Iduh, during the State PDP Governorship Primaries in Asaba. Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has been elected the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the February 2019 governorship election in the state. Governor Ugwuanyi, who was the sole aspirant in the governorship primary election held at the popular Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu, emerged the partys candidate after polling the highest number of votes cast by the delegates. This is the first time in the history of the state an aspirant to the office of the governor is contesting in the party primaries unopposed or as a sole aspirant. The exercise, which started with accreditation of delegates at the Michael Okpara Square, Enugu, commenced at about 3pm, after about 2, 895 accredited delegates were conveyed to the venue of the primary election in luxury buses. Declaring the primary election, which was monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), open, the Chairman of the five-man State Electoral Committee from the national secretariat of the party, Ambuno Zik, said the exercise would be conducted in accordance with the electoral act and the partys guidelines and constitution. Mr Zik noted that Governor Ugwuanyi was the sole aspirant for the primary election. He however insisted that delegates would have to vote because due process must be followed. He commended Governor Ugwuanyi for entrenching peace and good governance in Enugu State, and also appreciated the state leadership of the party, INEC, security agencies and partys stakeholders for their contributions to the success of the exercise. Introducing the sole governorship aspirant of the party to the delegates, the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, applauded Gov. Ugwuanyi for holding the forte for the party and state. He said this was the first time the PDP in Enugu would be having a sole aspirant as well as a non-contentious governorship primary election. According to him, today we have not only a governor who has performed very well, he has also entrenched peace in Enugu State. Governor Ugwuanyi, while thanking delegates for the overwhelming support, expressed gratitude to God for the peace in Enugu State which he said has brought development and good governance to the state Residents of Ado Ekiti on Sunday abandoned church and besieged the various bank galleries in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital to make withdrawal as the ongoing labour strike enters the fourth day. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that there were unusually long queues of customers in virtually all the banks Automated Teller Machines (ATM). Most of the banks ATMs in the city had been emptied by 10 a.m. on Sunday, and security men attached to these banks politely turned back customers. The situation was compounded with few others believed to have cash inside their machines giving messages such as temporarily unable to dispense cash. Out of about 15 bank branches operating in the city, only four were discharging cash when NAN visited. One of the customers, Kolawole Jinadu, said he was shocked to see such an unusual crowd, despite the fact that neither the state nor the local councils had paid the September salaries. Another customer, Olanike Owoade, told NAN that attention was shifted to the ATMs because of the failure of some of the banks to attend to customers since the strike began last Thursday. Mrs Owoade said she had to join the long queue despite health challenges because there were rumours that the banks might fully join the strike on Tuesday. She said this may not be unconnected with the threats by the labour movement in the state to start picketing them as from Tuesday. I am here to withdraw the little balance I have in my two accounts before the money in the ATMs get exhausted. I had spent all I have on my two children who resumed to school for the new academic session which began on Monday. But I am now in dilemma as the children have again been turned back home as a result of the strike which came barely three days after the children resumed for the new academic session from the long holiday, she said. Some parents also lamented the early truncation of the new academic session, as a result of the strike which came barely three days after schools in the state resumed from nine weeks holiday. Other parents urged government at all levels to address the workers agitation quickly so as to save their childrens future from being negatively affected. (NAN) As delegates are being accredited at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan, one of the aspirants, Azeez Adeduntan, announced his withdrawal from the race. The announcement was through a Facebook post by Olaoluwa Bilau, spokesperson of Mr Adeduntans campaign organisation. One of the last seven governorship aspirants under the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Oyo State will not be participating in the governorship primary on Sunday, September 30, 2018, Mr Olaoluwa wrote on his Facebook timeline. He did not state any reason for the withdrawal. Dr Adeduntan will in due course provide clarification on the matter, Mr Olaoluwa wrote. Unlike Adebayo Alao-Akala, a former governor of the state who was also one of the seven aspirants cleared but has also stepped aside from the primaries, Mr Adeduntan is still present at the venue of the event. There were chit chats among delegates that outgoing Governor Abiola Ajimobi wants to reduce the contestants to four and will either endorse Bayo Adelabu, former Deputy-Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, or Joseph Tegbe. It was gathered Mr Alao-Akala has advised his supporters to stay away from the primaries. Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala wishes to state categorically and put the leadership of the party and the general public on notice that Governor Abiola Ajimobi has perfected plans to impose one Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe on delegates as he has sent his foot soldiers around to coerce and intimidate delegates to vote for the said Tegbe tomorrow at the party primaries against their free will. Jeremiah Akande, spokesperson of Mr Alao-Akalas campaign organisation said in a statement Saturday. The remaining aspirants in the contest are Adebayo Adelabu, Joseph Tegbe, Olusola Ayandele, Adeniyi Akintola and Owolabi Babalola. The primary was still on at the time of this report. Abiodun Dabiri, an architect, on Sunday emerged the governorship candidate of the Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP) for the 2019 elections in Lagos. The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that Mr Dabiri, who is the partys state chairman, contested with Eric Shanu and emerged winner with 70 votes. Also, candidates for the State House of Assembly and House of Representatives emerged through the consensus of the 116 delegates that took part in the primaries. Three candidates emerged for the House of Representatives, namely: Mohammed Ettu for Mushin II, Medina Sanusi for Mushin 1 and Olukayode Awokoya, for Eti-Osa Federal constituencies. Two candidates emerged for Lagos House of Assembly Makinde Kilani, Eti-Osa and Oladipo Adeeko for Alimosho I. The process for picking the partys candidates was monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The party spokesperson, Yetunde Adekunle, told NAN that the exercise would have a positive impact on the partys preparations for the 2019 general elections. We might not have many candidates for the different seats, but we plan to do our best to push out the few candidates that we have, and we are confident that our governorship candidate will make a difference by providing credible alternative for Lagos residents. The candidates for the state house of assembly and the house of representatives are also credible people that can help actualise the partys objective a new Nigerian. Our narrative as a political party is to change the ideology of money politics and bring about a new Nigeria that will be beneficial to all. Though it is a long time project, but a new Nigeria is possible, she said. Mr Dabiri, while thanking the delegates for picking him, said that Lagos needed a focused and visionary leader that can drive the desired development in the state. He solicited the support of party members and promised to remain committed to the partys ideology as they drove to victory in 2019. The Chairman of the Electoral Committee for the primaries, Patrick Okonkwo, presented the certificates of return to the candidates. (NAN) Controversy on Sunday enveloped the primaries of both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State. The APC at about 3 p.m. announced the indefinite postponement of the exercise in the state, after party members had gathered for hours at various venues across the state. Earlier at about 10a.m, the Publicity Secretary of APC in the state, Wole Elegbede, had sent messages to journalists to ignore rumoured postponement of the congress. Kindly disregard the rumours that the Ogun APC governorship direct primary is not holding today. In view of the above, we urge all our loyal and dedicated members to mobilise fully for free, fair and successful governorship primary today as planned, Mr Elegbede stated. However, hours later at 3 p.m after many party members had dispersed from the venues across the state, the party spokesperson issued out another statement announcing the postponement of the congress. This to inform all the APC party faithful in Ogun State that the governorship direct primary slated for today has been officially postponed. Further directives will be issued later pending clarification from National Working Committee, Mr Elegbede wrote. There had been confusion about the primaries across the state as the members sent by the national headquarters of the party to conduct of the exercise were not available. At many of the wards, party members queued up amidst the rumours that the exercise had been postponed indefinitely. At Igbore Town Hall, Ward 13 in Abeokuta South Local Government Area, the legal adviser of the party in the state, Tajudeen Bello, told PREMIUM TIMES that the primaries would still take place as at 2 p.m, although the membership register was not yet available. He said he assured members that the register and officials would arrive but after waiting endlessly, the members started moving away. At Ward 6, Itoko where Governor Ibikunle Amosun was to cast his vote, there was a mild violence following the attack on the ward chairman, Olanrewaju Olalekan, by suspected political thugs. Narrating his ordeal to journalists, Mr Olalekan said they were preparing for the congress when the thugs stormed the venue asking for money and then descended on him. He, however, said the situation had been brought under control. He also told journalists that the party members were still waiting for the membership register and officials to conduct the congress. It was 1p.m at the time he spoke. Another chieftain of the APC, Afolabi Afuape, had also expressed optimism that the congress would still take place. We are still awaiting the membership register, he said. Mr Afuape, who is the state Commissioner for Youth and Sports, said any member whose name was not in the register, even if he is the governor, would not be allowed to participate in the exercise. In the PDP, there were parallel congresses, with one held by the sacked state executives led by Dayo Bayo. The faction loyal to the lone senator of the party from the state, Buruji Kashamu, held its own at the party secretariat in Abeokuta. The other faction led by the recognised state chairman, Sikirulai Ogundele, and loyal to Ladi Adebutu, a member of the House of Representatives who is eyeing the governorship ticket, held its own primary at the Marquee Events Centre within the premises of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta. The Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Sunday alleged plans to disrupt the peace of Lagos as the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state holds its primary elections on Monday. Mr Ambode said this known while addressing a press conference at Government House, Alausa, Ikeja. He, however, said that the government would ensure that political thugs are not allowed to disturb the peace of the state. Security reports available to the State Government indicate that there is an ongoing recruitment and arming of political thugs to disrupt the tranquil atmosphere of Lagos State, in the guise of holding Primary Elections, Mr Ambode said. As a responsible Government that has invested so much in enhancing security of lives and property in the State to enable Lagosians pursue their lawful endeavours, we will not allow any disruptive elements to cause panic or wreak havoc that will affect the progressive strides which Lagosians are known for. This is more so that we have the assurances of our party Leaders to conduct free and fair primary elections for aspirants into the various political offices. The governor also took a dig at another aspirant in the elections, saying that he was arrested for spending fake dollars in the United States and had undergone rehabilitation at Gbagada General Hospital in Lagos. Although the governor did not mention any name, analysts opined he was referring to Babajide Sanwo-Olu, his rival who has been endorsed by APC leader, Bola Tinubu. This particular aspirant is somebody that has been arrested for spending fake dollars in a nightclub in America, and he has been detained for months, Mr Ambode said. He doesnt have the competence to do what he is being propelled to do. This is somebody that has gone for rehabilitation before. The records are there at the Gbagada General Hospital. Earlier, Mr Sanwo-Olu was endorsed by Mandate Group, an influential bloc in Lagos APC loyal to Mr Tinubu. Mr Tinubu also on Sunday released a statement endorsing Mr Ambode. The party holds its primaries Monday. Speaking further, Mr Ambode said the last three and half years have witnessed tremendous improvement in the security apparatus and a significant drop in the incidents of crime in Lagos State. However, the current political situation has caused palpable tension and unnecessary fears among law abiding Lagosians, he said. It has become imperative to put every stakeholder on notice, especially the Federal Government and Security Agencies, to take more than a passing interest in the development in this State that has hitherto been adjudged as the safest city in Africa. The governor pledged that the Lagos State Government will do all within its powers in collaboration with relevant security agencies to protect citizens and insulate them from any condition that may breed insecurity throughout the primaries campaign and election periods. While assuring all Lagosians to be calm and go about their normal businesses, criminal elements are hereby advised in their own interest, not to foment any trouble in the name of politics or under any guise, as the full wrath of the law will be brought to bear on any law breaker, he said. Without being immodest, after three and half years of remarkable performance in bringing growth and development to our dear State, I have humbly expressed my intention to seek re-election in order to consolidate on the giant strides that we have recorded for our dear State and our great party, APC. The Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives members on Sunday endorsed Babajide Sanwo-Olu as their candidate in the partys governorship primary in the state. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the APC governorship primary in the state is scheduled for Monday, October 1. NAN reports that 16 members of the House of Representatives from Lagos, led by Femi Gbajabiamila, were in attendance at a briefing called to endorse the aspirant. Speaking on behalf of the lawmakers, Mr Gbajabiamila urged party members to vote for Sanwo-Olu in the primary election. Sanwo-olu has rich pedigree, intimidating credentials. We have sat down and decided on Sanwo-Olu. We have given him our support for tomorrow because he has the best potential to take Lagos to higher levels. Members of the house look at things dispassionately, deliberate and take decisions. We endorsed Ambode in the past when he was the sole aspirant and was performing well. But politics is dynamic. Today, we believe in Sanwo-Olu and we encourage our members to vote for him, Mr Gbajabiamila said. He, however, urged party members to remain united, no matter the outcome of the primary. In his response, Mr Sanwo-Olu urged APC members in Lagos to come out and vote. A vote for me will be a vote to taking Lagos to a higher level. We will bring back the glory to Lagos, he said. On allegations of arrest in America levelled against him by Governor Akinwumi Ambode at a briefing earlier in Lagos, Sanwo-Olu said he would not respond to that. The party will handle that. I am focused on my campaign and not joining issues with anyone, he said. Mr Sanwo-Olu, Mr Ambodes challenger in the primary, had earlier received endorsement of the partys Governors Advisory Council in the state. He had also been endorsed by 36 of the 40 members of the state House of Assembly. A third aspirant, Femi Hamzat, a former commissioner in the state had also stepped down to support Mr Sanwo-Olu. (NAN) Hao Mingjin, vice chairman of the 13th National People's Congress Standing Committee and chairman of the Central Committee of China National Democratic Construction Association, addressed the meeting. Liu Jiayi, secretary of Shandong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and chairman of the Shandong Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee, delivered a keynote speech. Gong Zheng, governor of Shandong Province and deputy Party chief, was the moderator. Fan Youshan, deputy Party chief and vice chairman of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, spoke at meeting. Deputy Party chief of Shandong Province Yang Dongqi was also present. Hao Mingjin congratulated on the opening of the conference. He said support of people from all walks of life at home and abroad is indispensable to Shandong's development. As the province has embarked on a new journey of development, it will present more opportunities for those who have been backing up Shandong. In his keynote speech, Liu Jiayi noted that Shandong is the birthplace of Confucianism and the spiritual home of Confucian merchants. Confucianism has been advocating virtues of benevolence, righteousness, proper rite, knowledge and integrity, as well as the individual growth path of self-cultivation, family harmony, country management and world peace. They have been affecting merchants generation by generation. The Confucian Merchants Conference is a platform for people to experience the profound history and splendid culture of Shandong, while witnessing the vitality and innovation Shandong is exhibiting today. It is a platform for participants to meet new friends and deepen existing friendships and bonds with each other. Based on common belief in virtues and ethos advocated by Confucianism, they will explore new opportunities and partnerships toward the same direction of win-win outcomes. As the moderator, Gong Zheng said at the new starting point in quest of high-quality development, Shandong will continue reform and opening up, and give full play to the roles of government, markets and businesses. Working in synergy, they will release new robust driving forces and generate fruitful results. Fan Youshan extended congratulations to the conference on behalf of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce. He called on private businesses to join hands and contribute to the prosperity of Shandong. Reviving the Confucian entrepreneurship in a new era, private entrepreneurs will write a splendid chapter in the history of pursuing the Chinese Dream. Speakers at the opening ceremony include Kong Chuichang, president of Taiwan-based Chinese Association of Confucius and the 79th generation of Confucius' eldest grandson, William Zarit, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, Yu Xubo, president of COFCO, Wang Wenyin, chairman of Amer International Group, and Zhang Ruimin, chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer of Haier Group. With profound bonds to their hometown and Shandong Province, they centered on high-quality development and conversion from the old driving forces for economy to new ones and shared their views on Confucian entrepreneurship and potential partnerships in the future. Together, they presented a feast of commercial wisdom that are inspiring and thought-provoking. An online platform for investment and recruitment was launched at the opening ceremony. The platform integrates demands and supplies of potential projects, talents and capitals in the 10 major industries as new economic drivers and over 180 industrial development parks in 17 cities across the province to facilitate the conversion of development drivers in Shandong Province. As a digital and intelligent comprehensive service center with a global vision, it will offer encompassing and long-lasting support for Shandong to attract businesses, investments and talents in a targeted manner. SOURCE Information Office of the People's Government of Shandong Province ROHNERT PARK, Calif., Sept. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Undergraduate students should think twice before they change their course load to part-time. If students switch to less than six credits, they will have to start repaying federal loans. Additionally, the Department of Education advises students to maintain at least 2.0 GPA to stay eligible for certain aid programs. Pell Grants are $6,095 for 2018-2019 at the largest grant amount, but if students switch to part-time, their awards would go down to as low as half of the maximum grant amount. The majority of Pell Grants do not need to be repaid unless certain circumstances arise. Ameritech Financial is a document preparation company that helps borrowers apply for income-driven repayment plans (IDRs) that could relieve financial stress from federal student loans. The U.S. government has a few guidelines if students have Pell Grants and want to maintain them. They recommend that students continue in an undergraduate study at an American institution. Students have 12 semesters to use up the entirety of their grant. It could be helpful to use a College Cost Calculator. Yet, they should be careful when looking at generalizations. For example, one source says college will be $32,410 per semester at a four-year private university. In actuality, New York University costs $68,128, including room, board and tuition. However, if they do end up with more debt than they estimated, there are many ways to repay their student loans. They could look into income-driven repayment plans or pursue PSLF by choosing a career in public service. Ameritech Financial can be a great resource for borrowers who aren't sure of the best way to manage their federal student loan debt. "There are many ways to approach student loan repayment," said Tom Knickerbocker, executive vice president of Ameritech Financial. "Borrowers who feel weighed down by student loans may consider applying for income-driven repayment plans." Students who are applying to college should also review information on financial aid. While NYU can cost close to $70,000, its financial aid website offers up to $37,000 in scholarship/grant funds. It's not always easy to factor in every pro and con for choosing an undergraduate degree program. For some, the cost is very important and they want as little student debt as possible. Others want the best programs, even if the costs are significantly higher. Studies argue that students should focus on engineering degrees if they want high incomes. It all depends on the students' values, what their families can afford and how much aid they can receive. "I still think it is possible to tell students to go after their dreams. There are many options for them to consider. Student loan debt shouldn't hold them back from studying a subject they truly love," Knickerbocker added. About Ameritech Financial Ameritech Financial is a private company located in Rohnert Park, California. Ameritech Financial has already helped thousands of consumers with financial analysis and student loan document preparation to apply for federal student loan repayment programs offered through the Department of Education. Each Ameritech Financial telephone representative has received the Certified Student Loan Professional certification through the International Association of Professional Debt Arbitrators (IAPDA). Ameritech Financial prides itself on its exceptional customer service. Ameritech Financial Newsroom Contact To learn more about Ameritech Financial, please contact: Ameritech Financial 5789 State Farm Drive #265 Rohnert Park, CA 94928 1-800-792-8621 [email protected] Related Images estimating-college-costs-can-be.jpg Estimating College Costs Can be Complicated Credit: ideyweb/Bigstock image2.png Related Links Ameritech Financial home page Related Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRza8MbLvuM SOURCE Ameritech Financial Related Links https://ameritechfinancial.com HONG KONG, Sept. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- CNOOC Limited (the "Company", SEHK: 00883,NYSE: CEO, TSX: CNU) announced today that its parent company, China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), has signed a production sharing contract (PSC) with Empyrean Energy PLC (Empyrean) for Block 29/11 in the South China Sea. Block 29/11 is located in Pearl River Mouth Basin of the South China Sea. The Block covers a total area of 1808 square kilometers with a water depth of 300-600 meters. According to the terms of the PSC, Empyrean shall act as the operator during the exploration period and conduct exploration activities in the block mentioned above, in which all expenditures incurred will be borne by Empyrean. Once entering the development phase, CNOOC has the right to participate in up to 51% of the participating interest in any commercial discoveries of the block. After signing the above-mentioned PSC, except for those relating to CNOOC's administrative functions, CNOOC will assign all of its rights and obligations under the PSC to CNOOC China Limited, a subsidiary of CNOOC Limited. Notes to Editors: More information about the Company is available at http://www.cnoocltd.com. This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding expected future events, business prospectus or financial results. The words "expect", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "objective", "ongoing", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe", "plans", "intends" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements are based on assumptions and analyses made by the Company in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors the Company believes are appropriate under the circumstances. However, whether actual results and developments will meet the expectations and predictions of the Company depends on a number of risks and uncertainties which could cause the actual results, performance and financial condition to differ materially from the Company's expectations, including but not limited to those associated with fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas prices, the exploration or development activities, the capital expenditure requirements, the business strategy, whether the transactions entered into by the Group can complete on schedule pursuant to their terms and timetable or at all, the highly competitive nature of the oil and natural gas industries, the foreign operations, environmental liabilities and compliance requirements, and economic and political conditions in the People's Republic of China. For a description of these and other risks and uncertainties, please see the documents the Company files from time to time with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report on Form 20-F filed in April of the latest fiscal year. Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements. The Company cannot assure that the results or developments anticipated will be realised or, even if substantially realised, that they will have the expected effect on the Company, its business or operations. For further enquiries, please contact: Ms. Jing Liu Manager, Media & Public Relations CNOOC Limited Tel: +86-10-8452-3404 Fax: +86-10-8452-1441 E-mail: [email protected] Ms. Iris Wong Hill+Knowlton Strategies Asia Tel: +852-2894-6263 Fax: +852-2576-1990 E-mail: [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20150819/8521505396LOGO SOURCE CNOOC Limited Related Links http://www.cnoocltd.com Riyadh, Sep 30 : The US President Donald Trump reviewed on Saturday in a phone call with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud the oil supply for stability of the market, Saudi Press Agency reported. The two leaders discussed efforts to maintain supplies to ensure the stability of oil market and the growth of global economy. Oil supply and prices are common interests of the US and Saudi Arabia. Media reports said that Saudi Arabia would raise oil outputs in the coming months to deal with the drop in Iranian oil production and might limit outputs next year to balance global supply and demand when the US pumps more quantities of crude. The two leaders also discussed developments in the region and the world. Tehran, Sep 30 : At least 13 people died in Iran after drinking poisonous alcohol over the past 48 hours, Iran's Emergency Department said Saturday. Pir Hossein Kolivand, the department head, said nine of the victims were from the southern province of Hormuzgan, two from the central province of Alborz and two others from North Khorasan Province, Xinhua reported. According to the latest figures, 60 other people are currently undergoing dialysis therapy for kidney problems after drinking, Kolivand told IRNA. Drinking alcohol is banned in Iran and punishable by floggings and cash fines. However, some Iranians drink homemade alcoholic beverages available at low prices. United Nations, Sep 30 : Syrian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Walid Muallem on Saturday demanded the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of foreign troops which are in Syria without the consent of the authorities. "Any foreign presence on Syrian territory without the consent of the Syrian government is illegal and constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and the UN charter. It is an assault on our sovereignty, which undermines counter-terrorism efforts and threatens regional peace and security," Muallem told the UN General Assembly. "We therefore consider any forces operating on Syrian territory without an explicit request from the Syrian government, including US, French and Turkish forces, occupying forces and will be dealt with accordingly. They must withdraw immediately and without conditions." Muallem said that after seven years of war, the situation on the ground has become more secure and stable. "Our war on terror is almost over, thanks to the heroism, resolve, and unity of the people and the army, and to the support of our allies and friends," he said. All conditions are now present for the voluntary return of Syrian refugees, said Muallem. He said Syria welcomes assistance with reconstruction from those countries that were not part of the "aggression" on Syria. Privilege will be given to Syria's allies in the war. "As for the countries that offer only conditional assistance or continue to support terrorism, they are neither invited nor welcome to help." He said Syria is committed to the political process without compromising its national principles, such as preserving the sovereignty, independence, and territorial unity of Syria. Uh-oh! It could be you, or it could be us, but there's no page here. United Nations, Sep 30 : India has denounced Pakistan's "preposterous" attempt to exploit and dishonour the memory of the innocent victims of the 2014 Peshawar school massacre by making false allegations against New Delhi. "The despicable insinuation made by the Foreign Minister of Pakistan (Shah Mahmood Qureshi) dishonors the memory of the innocent lives lost to terrorists that day," Eenam Gambhir, an Indian diplomat, told the General Assembly on Saturday denouncing Qureshi's claim that India was behind the attack that was carried out by the Pakistan Taliban. "It is a desperate attempt to look away from the monster of terror that Pakistan itself has created in its quest to destabilise neighbours and covet their territory," she said while exercising the right of reply to his speech. "Let me recollect for the new government of Pakistan the outpouring of sorrow and pain in India that followed the massacre of innocent children in 2014. "Both houses of India's Parliament had expressed solidarity while paying respect to the memory of those killed (and) schools all over India had observed two minutes of silence in their memory," the counsellor in India's UN mission said. Qureshi spoke at the General Assembly after India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had delivered a scathing attack on Islamabad for promoting terrorism in the region and warning the world of a conflagration if it did not act against the sponsors and protectors of terrorists. He tried to portray Pakistan as a victim of terrorism and made the claim about the Peshawar incident. He also dragged in Kulbhushan Jadhav, an Indian that Pakistan's military courts have in violation of accepted legal norms sentenced to death on spying charges. New Delhi has said that he did not work with India's intelligence services and had been kidnapped and falsely accused. With a fact-check, Gambhir challenged Qureshi's claim that Pakistan was making headway against terrorists. "Can Pakistan deny the fact that it is the host and patron of 132 of the UN designated terrorists and 22 terrorist entities sanctioned under the 1267 and 1988 UN Security Council sanctions regimes as of today?" she asked. Those Council resolutions known by their numbers impose sanctions on Islamic State, Al Qaeda, and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities. "Will Pakistan deny that the UN designated terrorist Hafez Saeed enjoys a free run inside Pakistan, spews venom and sets up candidates for electoral offices," she challenged Qureshi. Saeed is the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attack by the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) that killed 164 people, the 2006 Mumbai train bombings and the 2001 attack on Indian Parliament. He is the co-founder of theLeT and the chief of Jama'at-ud-Da'wah (JuD) and an internationally designated terrorist with a US bounty or $10 million. India had canceled the proposed talks between Qureshi and Swaraj in New York after three Indian security personnel were killed by terrorists. Gambhir said that Qureshi "chose to term the gruesome killing of our security personnel by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists as flimsy ground" for calling off the talks. "While it may not be the case for Pakistan, for India every loss of life counts," she said. "Hence our belief that talks and terror cannot go together." Gambhir said that Pakistan's attempts to be a champion of human rights "is vintage verbal duplicity". "It is evident from the recent example of Princeton economist Professor Atif Mian's apointment and removal from economic advisory council of Pakistan on grounds that he belongs to a minority," she said. He is a member of the Ahmadi sect of Islam whose members Pakistan officially does not recognise as Muslim. Gambhir also took issue with Qureshi citing the report on Kashmir presented by Zeid Ra'ad Al-Hussein, the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. It was "a report no member state had asked for and none supported and on which no action was taken", she said. "Let me make it clear to the new government of Pakistan that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir is and will remain an integral part of India," she declared. "Fake allegations and fake facts can only make for a fake vision. For a new vision to materialise Pakistan must demonstrate that it has moved beyond the narrative of deception, deceit and distortion." Gambhir is known for her memorable speech at the 2016 General Assembly session where she said that Pakistan "the land of Taxila, the greatest site of learning in ancient India, is now host to the Ivy League of terrorists around the globe". A Pakistani diplomat followed her with a statement exercising its right of reply. He tried to divert attention from the terrorism charges his country faces with attacks on the Rashtriya Swyamsewk Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party. (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter at @arulouis) New Delhi, Sep 30 : International titles by acclaimed authors will once again rule the roost in October, along with a biography of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and a splendid story for children, woven around the life of late President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. There will be other significant releases during the month, primarily "The Girl in Room 105" by Chetan Bhagat; an "Intimate Portrait of Jahangir" by Parvati Sharma; the final book from the late Professor Stephen Hawking; and John Grisham's "The Reckoning". Here are the five books that we can't wait to read this October: 1. Killing Commendatore, by Haruki Murakami (Penguin) In "Killing Commendatore", a 30-something portrait painter in Tokyo is abandoned by his wife and finds himself holed up in the mountain home of a famous artist, Tomohiko Amada. When he discovers a strange painting in the attic, he unintentionally opens a circle of mysterious circumstances. To close it, he must complete a journey that involves a strange ringing bell, a two-foot-high physical manifestation of an Idea, a dapper businessman who lives across the valley, a precocious 13-year-old girl, a Nazi assassination attempt during World War II in Vienna, a pit in the woods behind the artist's home, and an underworld haunted by Double Metaphors. Billed as a "tour de force of love and loneliness, war and art -- as well as a loving homage to "The Great Gatsby" -- this book, the publisher said, is a stunning work of imagination from one of our greatest writers. 2. Every Breath, by Nicholas Sparks (Hachette) From the No.1 bestselling author of "The Notebook" comes an unforgettable tale of enduring love this October. "Hope Anderson is at a crossroads. At thirty-six, she's been dating her boyfriend, an orthopedic surgeon, for six years. With no wedding plans in sight, and her father recently diagnosed with ALS, she decides to use a week at her family's cottage in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, to ready the house for sale and mull over some difficult decisions about her future. Tru Walls has never visited North Carolina but is summoned to Sunset Beach by a letter from a man claiming to be his father. A safari guide, born and raised in Zimbabwe, Tru hopes to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding his mother's early life and recapture memories lost with her death. When the two strangers cross paths, their connection is as electric as it is unfathomable... but in the immersive days that follow, their feelings for each other will give way to choices that pit family duty against personal happiness in devastating ways." The publisher said that the novel illuminates life's heart-breaking regrets and enduring hope, and explores the many facets of love that lay claim to our deepest loyalties -- and asks the question: How long can a dream survive? 3. Bridge of Clay, by Markus Zusak (Penguin) This is a story told inside-out and back-to-front by the author of the popular "The Book Thief". "The five Dunbar brothers are living -- fighting, dreaming, loving -- in the perfect squalor of a house without grown-ups. Today, the father who walked out on them long ago is about to walk right back in." But why has he returned and who have the boys become in the meantime? At the helm, the publisher informed IANS, is Matthew, cynical, poetic; Rory, forever truanting; Henry, the money-spinner; and Tommy, the pet collector who has populated the house with dysfunctional pets, including Achilles the mule and Rosy the border collie. "And then there's Clay, the quiet one, his whole young life haunted by an unspeakable act." From a grandfather, whose passion for the ancient Greeks still colours their lives, to a mother and father who fell in love over a mislaid piano, to the present day, where five sons dwell in a house with no rules, "Bridge of Clay" is said to be an epic portrait of how a ramshackle family, held together by stories and by love, come to unbury one boy's tragic secret. 4. Mohan Bhagwat: Influencer-in-Chief, by Kingshuk Nag (Rupa) With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in power at the Centre since 2014, there is growing interest in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which is perceived as the power behind the throne. Is this true? How much does RSS influence the government of the day? How does it use this influence? Is policymaking in the government dependent on the diktats of the RSS or is the reverse correct? More importantly, what role did RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat play in bringing the BJP and Narendra Modi to power? With the 2019 election not too far away, what is the critical thinking in the upper echelons of the Sangh? How does it propose to forge an alliance that will propel the saffron party to power again? "Mohan Bhagwat: Influencer-in-Chief", the publisher said, looks incisively at the Sangh and its world view, its inner workings, and how it has moulded the Indian mind-set. It also focuses on Mohan Bhagwat and examines what propels him to spread the influence of the Sangh across the nation. 5. The Adventures of Young Kalam, by Stuti Agarwal (Juggernaut) And finally, why should adults have all the fun? Meet Kalam, perhaps you know him well already! He is the cleverest little boy in his school, perhaps even in his town, Rameswaram. He is annoyingly curious, full of crazy ideas and up to mad innovations. Everyone around him thinks he is bonkers and best avoided -- all except his dad, two best friends and Professor Ramachandran, the science teacher in whose little laboratory he tests all his inventions. But when the school's most horrid teacher, Punnakai, spreads lies about the professor's experiments and plots to throw Kalam out for his latest creation, the two have to find a way to fight back. The book casts an iconic new character like Chhota Bheem by weaving a fictional narrative for children around India's late President A.P.J. Kalam. (Saket Suman can be contacted at saket.s@ians.in) New Delhi, Sep 30 : Smartphones, which are constantly threatening a whole bunch of devices around us, have now turned their focus on eliminating conventional cameras that have been part and parcel of our lives for years. Last year, nearly 1.3 trillion photos were taken globally -- up from 660 billion in 2013 -- and most of the images were taken on smartphones. The ubiquitous smartphone camera is evolving in a way that, after completely marginalising compact digital cameras, it is now intimidating even the DSLR segment. According to Japan-based Camera Imaging Products Association (CIPA), in 2012, more than 100 million digital still cameras were produced. In 2017, the number dropped to just over 25 million and is further nosediving. Just this year in July, the shipment numbers for digital cameras dropped a massive 23 per cent, compared to the same period last year. On the contrary, more than a billion smartphones will be sold in India over the next five years, taking the number of users from 400 million currently to over 700 million by 2022, says Hong Kong-based Counterpoint Research. It is high time, say industry experts, that camera manufacturers explore making lens for smartphones, the way German camera maker Leica and Japan's Sony are already doing, to write a fresh growth story. For the hyper-competitive smartphone brands, the focus of energies and investments is now centred on improving their camera experience and they are looking for partners. "For camera manufacturers, this interest from smartphone brands in partnering with them is opportune -- both as a revenue stream as well as a growth booster," Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group, CyberMedia Research (CMR), told IANS. Sensing the immense possibilities, some of the top camera makers have diversified while others like Canon and Nikon still live in denial mode. Huawei P20 Pro is the world's first smartphone to feature a triple-camera system from Leica. Sony is making sensors for its smartphones, as well as for others, for a DSLR-like experience. According to Ram, even those camera manufacturers who are currently shying away and are focused on manufacturing professional segment cameras alone, will have to soon start putting their energies into the smartphone lenses. "With smartphones, for all practical purposes, emerging as the primary go-to imaging device for casual users, internal estimates by CMR point to the market for digital compact cameras declining further in the coming years," Ram emphasised. According to reports, electronics manufacturer Casio has exited the digital compact camera market. Nikon, one of the world's largest producers of optics and imaging products, has shut a factory in eastern China that assembles cameras, becoming the latest victim of smartphones. Lytro, a US-based pioneering light field camera company, has officially announced it's winding down operations. According to C.K. Lu, Research Director at Gartner, camera quality is always the first feature that smartphone consumers focus on (only behind battery standby time). "Smartphones already impact sales of digital compact cameras. If you look at photos on Cloud (such as Facebook, Flickr, Google Photo or iCloud), most are generated by smartphones," Lu told IANS. According to Shobhit Srivastava, Research Analyst at Counterpoint, the advancement in smartphone camera has impacted the point-and-shoot (with in-built lenses) digital cameras the most. "On the other hand, the better smartphone camera has created more photography enthusiasts/hobbyists that move to DSLRs to satisfy their need for a better image quality," he noted. We have seen the two industries -- digital camera and mobile phones -- come together in the past, with Carl-Zeiss lens featuring in several smartphones and the recent Leica and Huawei association. "It is a win-win situation for both as it gives a differentiating factor to a smartphone in a highly competitive market and a chance for camera manufacturers to increase their scale," Srivastava maintained. Experts warn that not just the digital point-and-shoot cameras but also the professional camera segment will be under threat with the current trend of smartphone camera innovation. "Consider, for instance, the new upcoming smartphones, like the Samsung Galaxy A9 -- coming with four rear lenses -- or the Nokia 9, expected to debut with a five-rear-lens system," said Ram. Ram predicted that smartphone photos will potentially rival that of DSLRs and will signal the beginning of the end of professional cameras. "The professional camera is already a niche market for professional use," added Lu. Apple CEO Tim Cook said last week that the new luxury iPhone has replaced your digital camera as you don't have a separate one anymore. Disruption comes with a definite cost. Those who understand it and begin diversifying gain while others lose the race. Learn from Nokia and Blackberry when it comes to smartphone disruption. (Nishant Arora can be contacted at nishant.a@ians.in) New Delhi : India is the third-largest producer and exporter of coffee in Asia and the seventh-largest producer and fifth-largest exporter of coffee in the world. It accounts for 3.66 per cent (2017) of the global coffee production. The country produces more than three lakh tonnes, with Karnataka contributing 85 per cent of this. Coffee in India has a rich history of 300 years, offering a livelihood to more than 15 lakh families. India grows mainly Robustas (70 per cent), with Arabica accounting for the rest. With 30 per cent of Indian coffee being consumed domestically, there is a growing need for new variants of coffee. This has led to the rise of gourmet and artisanal coffee trends in the country. A lot of players have come up with new variants of coffee -- green beans, organic coffee, coffee capsules and the like. People travel around the world and tend to bring similar coffee trends to India as well. There also has been a jump from Robusta to Arabica among Indian coffee drinkers -- for the only reason that people now want to treat it like an indulgence than just an addiction or an energy booster. While Robusta varieties were dominant a few years back, blends with pure Arabica are now sold as premium products all over India. Arabica beans have a sweeter, softer taste, with a tone of sugar, fruit, and berries; Robusta has a stronger, harsher taste. It contains almost twice the caffeine as compared to Arabica and is inferior to the former variety. Robusta grows more easily as compared to Arabica. It can grow at lower altitudes and is less vulnerable to pest and weather conditions. Today, the face of coffee consumption has completely changed in India. Just like Indian chai (tea) became a staple in houses and cafes, coffee now has increasingly become a staple in European-style cafes. The new trend of sitting/going out for a cup of coffee has seen tremendous growth. Southern cities, specially, have embraced this new trend and boast dozens of cafes and eateries to give people an experience of coffee and its culture. This culture has not just brought in conversations but also introduced coffee to many Indians for the first time, making the traditional coffee experience exquisite and bringing new varieties on the table. For Young India, coffee is not just about a new flavour of lattes and cappuccinos. For them, coffee is entering into a new urban space. Coffees are now available in proper coffee houses which allow colleagues and friends to get together. Today, India, with its coffee, has attracted a large number of tourists from different parts of the country who have become fans of the cafA culture and Indian origin coffee blends. So, whether you prefer sipping your traditional kaapi at a Karnataka street cafA or go to a premium cafA in a trendy establishment in Delhi, it seems that the coffee culture is here to stay. (Suresh Narasimha is Chairman, Bonhomia Gourmet Coffee & Tea. The views expressed are personal. He can be reached at suresh@cocreate.ventures) London, Sep 30 : Even as Facebook struggles to deal with a fresh data breach that affected nearly 50 million of its users, Google's video streaming platform YouTube continues to host tutorials that claim to provide people ways to hijacking Facebook accounts, the media reported. Hours after Facebook revealed the breach on Friday, some YouTube videos, which were seen several thousand times, described a method similar to the one used by the hackers to get access to the millions of Facebook accounts, The Telegraph reported on Saturday. In the fresh Facebook data breach case, hackers stole "access tokens" or digital keys that keep people logged in to Facebook so they do not need to re-enter their password every time they use the app. Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook's Head of Cyber Security Policy, told the Telegraph that he was "aware of certain videos describing different elements of the attack" and that the company was "looking into these to make sure people's accounts are protected". A Google spokesperson was quoted as saying that the company carries out a careful review of flagged content, and will remove videos that encourage illegal activities of the hacking of accounts or sites with "malicious intentions". Guy Rosen, Facebook's Vice President of Product Management, on Friday said the social networking giant had reset the access tokens of the almost 50 million accounts it know were affected to protect their security. Rosen added that another 40 million users might have got exposed to similar attacks. Murshidabad (West Bengal), Sep 30 : Walking home from school in a small town in West Bengal, a nine-year-old boy saw some of his friends work as rag-pickers. The thought that his companions were unable to study like him because they were poor so agonised the young Babar Ali that he decided to do something about it and bring school to those who could not afford it. Determined to share his education as a fifth grader at a state-run school at Beldanga town in Murshidabad district, about 200km north of Kolkata, he turned teacher to his poor friends in the backyard of his own home. With a dream to make India's children have access to quality education despite their economic backgrounds, he has been, over these many years, a silent crusader imparting education to hundreds of poverty-stricken child labourers in the state. "I couldn't tolerate my friends picking garbage while I attended school. So I asked them to join me in the roofless backyard of my home, so I could teach them how to read and write," Babar, now a 25-year-old youth, recalled to IANS in an interview. That backyard became Babar's school, Ananda Siksha Niketan (meaning Home for Joyful Learning), in 2002, making him possibly the world's youngest headmaster. "My school began with a total of eight students, including my five-year-old younger sister Amina Khatun. We sat together under a guava tree for three hours every afternoon learning to read, so that the children who worked as rag-pickers or 'beedi' (handrolled cigarettes made of unprocessed tobacco) rollers could continue to work in the mornings," recalled Babar. With a population of about eight million, Murshidabad district has a large section of its adults and children working as daily-wage labourers in farms and rolling beedis. The district is among the largest manufacturer of beedis in the country. Collecting used-up chalk pieces from his school, Babar continued to teach children in his neighbourhood how to read and write in Bengali along with basic math, science and geography, completely free of cost, while he was in school himself. "Teachers at my school thought I was stealing chalk to scribble on the walls, but after they learnt that I was teaching other children at my home, they began to offer me a box of chalk each week," shared Babar. The support from his mother Banuara Bibi, an anganwadi worker, and father Mohammad Nasiruddin, a jute trader, both of whom were school dropouts, allowed him to pursue his vision to create an educated neighbourhood, he said. "The children I have been teaching receive very little support from their families and are often left to fend for themselves. With help from my family and teachers at school, I have been able to run my school and provide the kids with uniform, books and other reading material," added Babar. Admitting that it was a difficult task convincing families to send their children to his home school, Babar said he gradually won the trust of parents as students grew fond of him and enjoyed his classes. Donations from teachers at his school, district officials, Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers from the region and other individuals has kept Babar's institution running through the years -- and in 2015, it shifted into a building near his home, with a recognition as a private school from the West Bengal School Education Department. "The focus is on holistic education at Ananda Siksha Niketan, as I want the students to positively impact the society through whatever professions they choose in the future," he stressed. In a span of about 16 years, from 2002 till date, Babar has taught more than 5,000 children from Classes 1 to 8 -- a few of whom have have returned to his school to work as teachers. "Six of my former girl students have returned to the school as teachers after finishing their under-graduation courses," said Babar, who holds a MA in English literature from the University of Kalyani, about 50 km from Kolkata. Pursuing another Masters in History from the same university, Babar remains an ambitious headmaster who wants to bring about change in the district's poor female literacy rate, which stands at just above 55 per cent, according to data from the district administration. "Several families are still reluctant to send their girls to a school and prefer to marry them off in their teens, but through continuous effort we are seeing a change in their attitudes. Parents are realising the need for education as children are in turn helping them read, make a signature on paper and write," he added. The co-education school currently has 500 students, 10 teachers and one non-teaching staff, with classes from 1 to 8. "We require more classrooms and infrastructure as our building can accommodate only 350-400. I also want to expand the school up to Class 10 so that kids do not have to go to other towns for education." Babar, who is also a motivational speaker, offering talks across the country inspired by venerated Hindu monk-philosopher Swami Vivekananda's (1863-1902) teachings, wants to set up more such schools catering to the poorest sections across the country. "Education for all will remain my life mission and, to realise that, several institutions and individuals need to come together," he reiterated. Babar's inspiring journey has also made it to the first year English text book of pre-university (Class 11) in Karnataka's state board and Class 10 communicative English text of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). "Governments alone cannot change the system. We need people of all sections to come forward and work together to bring in quality education for all our country's children, irrespective of their social classes," stressed Babar. (The weekly feature series is part of a positive-journalism project of IANS and the Frank Islam Foundation. Bhavana Akella can be contacted at bhavana.a@ians.in) Washington, Sep 30 : The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has reached out to Deborah Ramirez, the second woman who has accused Brett Kavanaugh of inappropriate sexual behaviour, in its background investigation of the Supreme Court nominee, according to her lawyer. "We can confirm that the FBI has reached out to interview Ramirez and she has agreed to cooperate with their investigation," Ramirez's attorney, John Clune, told CNN on Saturday. "Out of respect for the integrity of the process, we will have no further comment at this time." Ramirez came forward with her allegation in The New Yorker, telling the magazine that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at dormitory party while the two were undergraduate students at Yale. The FBI is also investigating the allegation of Christine Blasey Ford that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were in high school. Kavanaugh has vehemently denied both allegations. On Friday, President Donald Trump directed the FBI to re-open its background investigation of his nominee after Republican Senator Jeff Flake called for a one-week delay to the Senate floor vote on the nomination so that the agency could investigate Ford's allegations. A senior Republican leadership aide told CNN that the first key procedural vote on the Senate floor on Kavanaugh's nomination would be no later than October 5 and could happen sooner if the FBI wraps up its investigation before then. Lucknow, Sep 30 : If you thought the 2019 Lok Sabha elections would be fought by politicians on issues concerning the common citizen, think again! For, the politically-crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, with a population of 220 million people, is all set to see a keen contest of affection for Hindu gods in the mother of all battles in 2019 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a second term for himself. Yes, you got it right, read on. This time, it is Lord Ram yet again for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Lord Shiva for the Congress and Lord Vishnu for the Samajwadi Party (SP) who will spearhead elections in the interesting times that lie ahead of the general elections. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) too is not averse to drumming up support by taking names of Hindu gods and positioning itself beyond the cliched image of being just a party of Dalits. And so it's not just the saffron camp which is sharpening its armory with the name of Lord Ram for 2019. All parties relevant to the contest are on the drawing board trying their best to project themselves as the champions of soft Hindutva and trying to wash away the image of being "pro-Muslim", something that hit their image hard in 2014, when Modi, riding on this perception, romped home with a big mandate in the state. While the BJP has once again started the drum-beating on its commitment to the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya and has set its eyes on the team of holy men to help it sail through once again, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliate units like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) are working on the ground to ensure a "repeat of the Hindu wave of the 90s" when the Ram temple issue was at its peak, paying political and electoral dividends to the BJP. The Congress, which was hurt the most by being portrayed as a party of Muslims, this time is trying very hard to shrug off its image. And so the prefixes of "Thakur, Pandit, Hindu Hriday Samraat" can be seen against names of its political stalwarts in hoardings and posters. Congress president Rahul Gandhi, thanks to his many visits to temples in recent times, is now being portrayed by the party cadres as a "Shiv Bhakt" who has just returned from the divine abode of the deity -- Kailash Mansarovar. During a recent visit, the Gandhi scion was welcomed in his Amethi parliamentary constituency with hundreds of posters showing him as a Shiv Bhakt. Small-time party workers and leaders can be seen delivering speeches on how great a Hindu Rahul is and how much he follows the rituals of the religion he belongs to but does not flaunt it on his sleeve. Overzealous Congress supporters seem to be going overboard as well. This week, the Congress president looked annoyed when he was greeted by party men at the Bamrauli airport in Allahabad with slogans of "Bum, Bum Bhole" (glory to Lord Mahadev). Last time these slogans became part of campaigning were in Varanasi in 2014 when Modi began his campaign in the holy town. Rahul Gandhi was greeted with slogans of "Jai Shri Ram" at Chitrakoot when he visited a temple recently. The BSP has in the past dabbled with slogans like the "Haathi nahin Ganesh hai, Brahma, Vishnu Mahesh hai" (It is not just an elephant [the party symbol] but the trinity of Hindu Gods). This is part of the BSP's effort to break the image of being a Dalit-run dispensation and of working for the "sarv samaj" (entire society). "We will certainly use this slogan again to our benefit," a senior party strategist averred. Surprisingly, and interestingly, the SP this time is trying the hardest to maintain its distance, at least overtly, from the Muslim community and not come across as their champions at the cost of Hindus. "We were wrongly portrayed as a Muslim-appeasing party. This time we are careful and will reply to the rumors of the BJP deftly," a senior party leader told IANS. SP chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has publicly announced that he is getting a temple of Lord Vishnu constructed at his native village Saifai. Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya of the BJP chuckled at this "change of heart". "I am happy that he missed no opportunity to appease Muslims but is now chanting the name of Hindu gods... it shows the power of the Hindus," he said. Rajya Sabha member and former SP general secretary Amar Singh, however, trashed the "hriday parivartan" (change of heart) of the SP president and dubbed it a "drama for votes". Whom the gods will side with and who will get the blessings of the voters is for time to tell but, for now, the gods are going to be busy in the election season as everybody is wooing and propitiating them for electoral and political dividends. (Mohit Dubey can be contacted at mohit.d@ians.in) Mumbai, Sep 30 : The planet's biggest pillar-less dome, built without a professional architect's design, housing 54 massive bronze statues of some of the greatest leaders of humanity as a mega monument to world peace, has come up in Pune. It is the outcome of 13 years of sheer dedication and untiring efforts against all odds by a teacher, Dr. Vishwanath Karad, who was deeply inspired by the teachings of apostles, saints, philosophers and scientists down the ages. "Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu will dedicate the Sant Dnyaneshwara World Peace Prayer Hall and Library, or the World Peace Monument to mankind, on October 2. A four-day World Parliament with 110 speakers and thousands of delegates from around the world shall speak on a wide spectrum spanning the spiritual and scientific realms over different sessions," Karad told IANS. These are housed in a 62,500 sq ft magnificent monument at the Vishwarajbaug Campus of the MIT Group of Institutes, under the world's largest pillar-less dome. The World Peace Monument dome has a diameter of 160 feet, compared with the Vatican Dome's 139.6 feet, and stands 263 feet tall with a bell hanging from the centre, and the prayer hall is of around 30,000 sq ft. It is supported by 24 massive columns, each 63 feet tall, at the periphery of the dome and underneath -- inside and outside -- stand imposing bronze statues of 54 of the biggest names in world history stand, irrespective of nationality or religion. Among the statues are: Gautam Buddha, Jesus Christ, Mahavir, Moses, Guru Nanak and Mahatma Gandhi; intellectual giants like Confucius, Adi Shankaracharya, Aristotle, Aryabhatta, Socrates, Plato, Galileo and Copernicus; philosopher-saints like Dnyaneshwara, Tukaram, Abdullah Shah Qadri (famous as Baba Bulleh Shah), Francis D'Assissi, Peter, Mother Teresa and Kabir; and scientists like Albert Einstien, Thomas Alva Edison, C.V. Raman, Jagadish Chandra Bose and Marie S. Curie. The statues -- weighing between one-and-half tonnes to two tonnes, and up to four metres tall -- have been painstakingly crafted by the renowned 93-year old artist, Ram V. Sutar, of Maharashtra, and inaugurated in phases since August 15, by some of the most eminent Indian personalities from different fields. "The top of the dome here comprises another world first -- a temple of Goddess Saraswati, symbolising knowledge -- and embodying the underlying spirit behind this entire monument, which is accessible by a massive stairway," Karad said. Explaining the work, he said that these great apostles, saints, sages, seers and scientists of India and the world have had "a tremendous impact on my mind" and he wanted to help people understand and realise the "True Nature of the Self". On the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary, the majestic marble dome, which is a vision of Karad's amalgamation of Spirituality and Philosophy for the welfare of mankind, shall be thrown open to people by Naidu. Hailing from a poor peasant family, Karad, 77, is the Founder-President of the MIT World Peace University besides MAEER's MIT and Director General of World Peace Centre, all in Pune. It was in 1958 that a young Karad, living in Rameshwar-Rui village of Latur, in central Maharashtra, was thrilled to buy his first bicycle costing Rs 159. He attended a makeshift school that was actually a cattle-shed and when the cows went out for grazing each morning, the classmates would clean up the place so the classes could be conducted. The school ended daily with the sounding of bells -- tied to the cows returning from grazing. As a teenager, Karad once went to a bookstore in Pune and while the assistant searched for a book on maths, he happened to see a book by the great Indian philosopher, Narendranath Datta, later world-renowned as Swami Vivekananda. "It was a chance encounter with Swami Vivekananda's works and his words (that) created a deep impact; I went on to read the preachings of Sant Dnyaneshwara and Sant Tukaram, among many others, and realised that they were some of the most amazing philosophers," Karad reminisced. Since that day, he always carries a copy of Swami Vivekananda's teachings in his pocket and reads them whenever he gets the time. The entire complex is set on the property formerly owned by the legendary Bollywood actor Raj Kapoor, along with his imposing memorial, and on the other side is a music school run by the renowned Mangeshkar family. Humility personified, Karad dismisses all credit, saying the monument just happened with him acting as "an instrument" with Saint Dnyaneshwara's blessings, and with the help of several hundreds of artisans from Rajasthan and other places toiling round-the-clock. "The world is one family -- 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' -- which is an ancient Indian concept. My humble attempt is to create an edifice befitting the glory of Mother India," Karad said. (Quaid Najmi can be contacted at q.najmi@ians.in) Sonipat (Haryana), Sep 30 : The students of Jindal Global Business School (JGBS) of O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) here may now avail a chance to study in Australia's University of New South Wales (UNSW) Business School, thanks to a strategic partnership between the two varsities. The partnership with UNSW Business School will enable students of the Jindal Global Business School to apply for UNSW's "Master of Commerce" programme, JGU said in a statement on Sunday. "The UNSW connection provides JGBS students a unique opportunity to study at one of the world's leading business schools in the scenic, vibrant and most livable city of Sydney," said Rajesh Chakrabarti, Acting Dean, JGBS. This partnership allows JGBS graduates to specialise in leading-edge disciplines, including Business Analytics, Marketing Analytics, Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Global Sustainability and Social Impact, the statement added. "UNSW is delighted with the partnership," said Professor Tracy Wilcox, Programme Director, Master of Commerce of the UNSW Business School. New Delhi, Sep 30 : Experts from around the world will gather in South Korea from Monday for the 48th session of UN body Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to consider a special report on global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius. The report, titled Global Warming of 1.5AoC, a major scientific undertaking on the latest climate change research will speak on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways. It will give policymakers the scientific information they need to take sound decisions and act to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty. The report, slated for October 8 release, was commissioned by governments after the UN climate change meeting in Paris in 2015, when it was agreed to act to limit increases in global average temperature to less than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to try keeping that increase nearer to 1.5 degrees. The report findings will come up for approval at the IPCC plenary that will conclude on October 5. The IPCC is the UN body for assessing the science related to climate change. Commenting on his expectations for the report, Least Developed Countries Group Chair Gebru Jember Endalew said: "It will be important that the report and the summary for policy makers clearly sets out the scientific necessity of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius as opposed to two degrees to protect people and the planet and highlights the vast discrepancy between this goal and our current global emissions pathway. "In doing so, the report will shine a spotlight on the scale of the challenge the international community must rise up to meet. A future where warming is limited to 1.5 degrees is a brighter future for all." The globe may miss the mark to achieve the Paris climate goals, warned the leaked IPCC final draft of the report that was shared with governments in June. The leaked draft said a vast majority of nations, including disaster-facing India, were missing the mark in achieving the goal set at the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The draft report warned that "if emissions continue at their present rate, human-induced warming will exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius by around 2040". India's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), rated by Climate Action Tracker's independent scientific analysis, as "2 degrees Celsius compatible", is still too high for the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit set in Paris. Experts say current Indian climate pledges can be achieved if the country continues to increase the share of non-fossil energy resources. India has ratified the 2015 Paris Agreement and pledged to reduce domestic emissions by 33 to 35 per cent by 2030 -- below 2005 levels -- and increase the share of non-fossil energy resources to 40 per cent of installed electric power capacity by 2030. After media reports on the leaked draft, the IPCC had clarified draft reports "are provided to governments and reviewers as confidential working documents. "For these reasons, the IPCC does not comment on the contents of draft reports while work is still ongoing." According to the UN Environment's Emissions Gap Report 2017, even if countries meet their pledges to limit global warming to under 2 degrees Celsius, their actions would only represent a third of what is needed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. The report finds that current Paris pledges make 2030 emissions likely to reach 11 to 13.5 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO2e) above the level needed to stay on the least-cost path to meeting the 2 degrees Celsius target. One gigatonne is roughly equivalent to one year of transport emissions in the European Union, including aviation. (Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in) Jammu, Sep 30 : A Pakistan Army helicopter violated the Indian air space on Sunday in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district. Defence sources said the violation took place at 12.10 p.m. "After straying into Indian air space, the helicopter withdrew," an official said. Patna, Sep 30 : Police in Bihar on Sunday continued to search for a bank manager who was abducted three days ago. Jaivardhan Kumar of the Bihar Kshetriya Grameen Bank was kidnapped in Sheikhpura district on Thursday evening while returning home. Sheikhpura Superintendent of Police said Daya Shankar said the police were doing everything to rescue Kumar. The abductors have reportedly demanded a ransom from the family and warned them not to seek police help. Meanwhile, police in Nalanda said that Kumar's mobile phone was recovered from a village in neighbouring Nawada district. Mumbai, Sep 30 : Kajol, who has been in the industry for over two decades and has featured in hits like "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge", "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" and "My Name is Khan", says she never wanted to be an actor. Kajol was on Saavn's new podcast "Take 2 with Anupama and Rajeev" along with actor Rajkummar Rao where they discussed the reasons of being in films, read a statement. "I never wanted to be an actor actually. I didn't think of it was worth the money that was being paid out. I didn't think it was worth the effort and I definitely thought my mother worked too hard for whatever she was doing and however we were at that point of time," Kajol said. The actress added that she told her mother Tanuja -- a veteran actress -- that she wanted a "paycheck at the end of the month". Kajol says she found Bollywood a very erratic industry and acting an erratic profession. Meanwhile, she is awaiting the release of her film "Helicopter Eela". New Delhi, Sep 30 : An Army Major has been booked on the charge of raping his domestic help in the Delhi Cantonment area, police said on Sunday. Deputy Commissioner of Police Devender Arya said that the case was registered on Friday under the Indian Penal Code after Major Gaurav's housemaid, a widow hailing from Gunnaur in Uttar Pradesh, got recorded her statement with police. She also alleged that the officer and his brother-in-law were involved in the killing of her husband. She accused the Major of threatening to kill her and her son as well. "I am poor and uneducated. That is why nobody is helping me," she said in the First Information Report (FIR). She had been staying at the servant's quarters in Delhi Cantonment along with her husband for the last three months. The two used to do cleaning and cooking work at Major Gaurav's house in the area. "I was cleaning the house on July 12 while my husband was watering the plants. He sent my husband away and called me to his room. When I refused, he slapped me and forcibly took me there," the complainant said. She said that when her husband returned to the Major's residence, he saw Gaurav sexually assaulting her, following which the officer beat him up. Later, he allegedly told the police that the woman's husband had hanged himself and got a "fake" suicide case registered. She also said that she was not allowed to visit her quarters to collect her clothes and other belongings. New Delhi, Sep 30 : Senior IPS officer Surjeet Singh Deswal on Sunday took over as Director General of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), succeeding Rajni Kant Mishra who has been appointed the new Border Security Force (BSF) chief. Before joining as SSB chief, Deswal, a 1984-batch Haryana Cadre Indian Police Service officer, was working as Special Director General in the BSF. Deswal will head the SSB -- mandated to guard the 699-km India-Bhutan and 171 km India-Nepal borders -- up to his superannuation on August 31, 2021, or until further orders, whichever is earlier, the Ministry of Personnel said. The Cabinet Committee on Appointments on Thursday approved Deswal's appointment. Recipient of Police Medal in 2001 and President Police Medal in 2012, Deswal has served in Haryana's Rohtak, Bhiwani and Fatehabad districts as Inspector General of Police. He has been Commissioner of Police of Gurugram for almost four years and led the Haryana Armed Police between December 12, 2014 and November 20, 2015 as Director General. Deswal joined the Central Bureau of Investigation on Central deputation in 1994 and served as its Superintendent of Police till 1998. His second Central deputation began in December 2015, whereafter he also served as Additional Director General in the SSB till October 2017. Agra, Sep 30 : Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Sunday expressed admiration for the Taj Mahal as he spent some 30 minutes at the 17th century Mughal monument here. He was accompanied by his wife and an eight-member delegation. The President spent around 30 minutes at the Taj Mahal and evinced keen interest in the architecture of the monument that looked dazzling after the recent rains. At the rear, Yamuna river, flowing full to the brim, presented a picturesque view. Earlier, he was received at the airport by Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma and Agra Mayor Navin Jain. A 15-minute cultural presentation including Mayur and Holi dances were arranged for the delegation at the airport. The President flew back to New Delhi later. This is Mirziyoyev first visit to India after assuming office in 2016. Agartala, Sep 30 : BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Sunday demanded a fresh probe into the death of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, who he claimed died not in a plane crash but while in Soviet custody. "I am requesting the Modi government to institute a fresh commission to inquire into the mysterious death of Subhas Chandra Bose," Swamy told the media here. He said: "Joseph Stalin was instrumental in murdering Netaji and he did not die in the plane crash of August 18, 1945 as is widely believed. In no hospital the body or Netaji's remains were found. "The plane crash incident was staged as a decoy by the Japanese to enable him to escape to Soviet Russia where he had contacts. The Japanese had to do this to save him from post-war trial as a war criminal. "Netaji sneaked into Soviet Russia through Manchurian border within days of the so-called reported air crash," Swamy claimed. But Swamy said Stalin betrayed Bose and sent him to a Siberian prison where he was shot dead. Stalin communicated this to then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. "Information in this regard is now slowly trickling out and very soon everything will be known." the Rajya Sabha member said. "When I was the Law Minister in the government of Chandra Shekhar, I had recommended not to bring Netaji's so-called ashes from Tokyo, kept since September 1945, as these ashes might not be of Netaji." Swamy said that no previous commission which probed the death of Netaji considered these vital evidences. Ranchi, Sep 30 : Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Sunday demanded to know if continuing with reservation in education and jobs endlessly will bring prosperity to the country. "The idea of Ambedkarji was to bring social harmony by introducing reservation for 10 years. But what we do is to extend the reservation every 10 years. There is a shortcoming," Mahajan said while speaking at the concluding day of a three-day event here. "Will reservation bring welfare to the country?" she asked. She stressed the need to follow Ambedkar to bring social harmony in the society and country. Speaking on the occasion, Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das accused Left-oriented historians of presenting a negative image of the country abroad. "For us all religions are same. Today forces trying to split the country and society are active. Innocent tribals have been converted but our government has formulated anti-conversion law," he said. Agartala, Sep 30 : Over 81 per cent of the around 55,000 electorate on Sunday cast their votes in the bypolls to Panchayati Raj Institutions in 11 blocks in Tripura, an official said. Tripura State Election Commission and police officials said that except for some minor squabbles in northern Tripura, no untoward incident was reported from the 11 blocks. The by-elections to 3,386 seats -- 3,207 Gram Panchayat seats, 161 Panchayat Samiti seats and 18 Zilla Parishads seats -- were scheduled for Sunday, but polling was necessitated only for 11 blocks as most of the seats were filled without election as candidates were elected unopposed. These seats fell vacant following large-scale resignations of elected representatives of Left and other parties after the BJP-led coalition came to power in Tripura in March. Some of the three-tier Panchayat seats were lying vacant also due to death of PRI representatives. "The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) earlier won unopposed around 96 per cent of the Gram Panchayat and Panchayat Samiti seats and all 18 Zilla Parishad seats in Tripura," the State Election Commission (SEC) official said. Almost all parties, including BJP's junior partner Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), following large-scale violence during electioneering, has been demanding rescheduling of the September 30 Panchayat elections to ensure participation of all parties. The Opposition Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Left Front, the Congress and the IPFT, a tribal-based party, had separately urged the SEC to reschedule the election process as they claimed that "massive violence prevented their nominees from filing papers". State BJP Spokesman Mrinal Kanti Deb said the opposition parties, especially the CPI-M, could not find suitable candidates and also that most people are not interested to contest as candidates of Left parties and the Congress. CPI-M leader Gautam Das told the media: "There was no conducive atmosphere for holding free and fair elections. Out of 35 blocks, non-BJP parties were not allowed to file nominations by ruling party supporters in 28 blocks. That's why we were demanding rescheduling of Panchayat elections, but the state poll panel did nothing positive." Kolkata, Sep 30 : A woman was arrested by Uttarakhand Police from West Bengal's Howrah district for allegedly being associated with an inter-state kidney smuggling racket, police said on Sunday. Chandana Guria, a resident of Jagacha in Howrah, was arrested on Saturday night from her health clinic during a joint operation by the Uttarakhand Police and Howrah city police. "This woman was involved in kidney smuggling. A number of senior doctors were also involved in the illegal racket. They used to sell each kidney for Rs 40-45 lakh across the country for transplantation," an officer from Uttarakhand Police said. "We have been trying to trace this woman for more than two months since some members of the racket were arrested in Uttarakhand. According to our estimate, the racket was involved in illegal selling of around 70 kidneys," he said. Guria was taken to Uttarakhand in five days' transit remand. Chennai, Sep 30 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Sunday said that after the British, it is the AIADMK which has ruled the state for the longest period of time. Speaking at AIADMK founder and late Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran's (MGR) centenary celebrations here, Palaniswami said till MGR was alive, the opposition parties were not even thinking of taking power in Tamil Nadu. Taking a dig at the much older DMK, Palaniswami said that after the British, it is only the AIADMK that has ruled the state for the longest time from Fort St.George, where the Secretariat is located. After MGR, Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa took the party to further heights, he said. Palaniswami said MGR was the first actor-turned-politician to be elected the Chief Minister of any state in the country and he was an example of how a leader should be. MGR introduced the much acclaimed Nutritious Mid-Day Meals Scheme for school students to arrest the dropout rate of poor pupils. The Chief Minister listed the Telugu Ganga Water Scheme for Chennai and waiving of Rs 330 crore of farm loans and others as the major welfare schemes implemented by MGR during his rule between 1977 and 1987. Palaniswami announced his government will increase of Floor Space Index (FSI) in cities, set up a new international airport near Chennai; form a body to protect and restore water bodies and encourage households to grow vegetables in their homes. The Chennai Muffosil Bus Terminus, popularly known as Koyambedu Bus Stand, will be renamed as Purathi Thalaivar Dr. MGR Bus Stand, he added. New Delhi, Sep 30 : Chief Justice Dipak Misra, who will have his last working day as CJI on Monday, will be remembered in the Indian judicial history as perhaps the only head of the top court who saw rebellion by four of his senior most colleagues. Another incident that stands out during his tenure is an unsuccessful impeachment motion against him in a move led by senior lawyer and Congress leader Kapil Sibal. On the brighter side, CJI Misra will be given credit for the nod to live-streaming of the top court's proceedings -- a move that will take court proceedings to the drawing rooms of the people. His term of 13 months and five days as the Chief Justice of India was perhaps the most turbulent for any Chief Justice, which saw his brother Judges and some from the Bar openly questioning his style of functioning in allocation of cases/matters to different benches and listing Constitution Bench matters before a bench of Judges who were relatively newcomers to the top court. There was a perception, also voiced by the four rebel Judges, that matters of particular significance, including that of deceased Special Court Judge B.H. Loya, were being listed before a certain bench. The then second-in-command, Justice J. Chelameswar, set up a five-Judge Constitution Bench to hear the plea for an SIT probe into graft allegations involving a Lucknow-based medical college. The order passed in the afternoon of November 9, 2017 was reversed by a five-Judge Constitution Bench a day later. The entire move was perceived as being targeted against the CJI. It was also a time which saw lawyers, including senior counsel Prashant Bhushan, raising their voices against the bench in Court Number one. Bhushan insisted that the CJI should not be a part of the bench hearing the plea for SIT probe into the Lucknow medical college scam and raised the pitch of his voice and stormed out of the court. As some lawyers took exception to Bhushan's "improper conduct" and wanted to condemn it, Chief Justice Misra said that "no condemnation in the court. We are not here for this." The top court also also saw both Sibal and Rajeev Dhavan plead against going ahead with the hearing of the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid matter as it was politically sensitive. Faced with situations where his own brother Judges raised questions on his style of functioning and some of the prominent faces from the bar too joining the chorus, Chief Justice Misra weathered the storm with his usual calm and tact. But that was not the only facet of his tenure as the CJI. His term will also be remembered for his assertion that the self-appointed right-wing cultural policemen would not be allowed to interfere with the creative expressions of artistes in cinema when the court directed that the screening of films like 'Padmavat' can't be interfered with. Similarly, the apex court came to the aid of Malayalam actress Priya Prakash Varrier by quashing the FIR against her and directing no case be registered against her for winking in a scene. At the same time, he demonstrated his sterner side in directing the Centre and the state governments to pull up their socks and tighten their belts to curb vigilantism and mob lynching. CJI Misra, when he was sitting in Court Number 3, passed an order in November 2016 for mandatorily playing the national anthem in cinemas before the screening of films. He rescinded this order in January this year stating that this was no longer mandatory. All through his tenure, CJI Misra was unequivocal in upholding the liberty and rights of the people, particularly women. He presided over a bench that decriminalised homosexuality, allowed the entry of women of all ages in Sabarimala temple, decriminalised adultery and curbed the use of Aadhaar. (Pramod Kumar can be contacted at pramod.k@ians.in) Bengaluru, Oct 1 : Denying that the government was politicising the Army's surgical strike inside Pakistan two years ago, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said it was being celebrated as a festival to show that India won't take any attack on its troops lying down. "The 'Parakram Parv' is being celebrated in over 50 cities across the country to show that we are not going to accept a blatant cowardly act of a neighbour getting into our Army base and killing soldiers who were resting and unarmed," Sitharaman told reporters at Yelahanka air base here. Giving the backdrop of the fest over the surgical strike on the intervening night of September 28-29, 2016, Sitharaman said it was necessary for the Army to hit the terrorist launch pads of the enemy in their territory. "Though there have been quite a few infiltrations over the past few years and actions were taken to eliminate the intruders, it was a call of the Army with political backing to strike at the terrorist launch pads of our enemies," she recalled. Considered the deadliest attack on Indian security forces, 17 soldiers were killed by four heavily armed militants in the Army's base camp near Uri town in northwest Kashmir on September 18. "As the terror attack happened inside the base on unarmed soldiers, it was necessary for the Army to strike at the enemy in its territory," she asserted. Claiming that people in large numbers had come to mark the event and show solidarity with the armed forces, the Minister said if anyone raised questions about the celebration, she would ask if it was something to be ashamed of. The Parv was observed for three days at 53 places across the country since Friday, highlighting the courage and sacrifice of the armed forces and special forces. Asked about the reports of a Pakistani civilian chopper violating Indian air space in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch sector on Sunday afternoon, the Defence Minister said she was yet to receive information on the incident. "We will respond on the issue after getting the details," Sitharaman said. In response to a related question on why India isn't ready to talk with Pakistan on infiltrations, the Minister said the country will not hold talks so long as the terrorism continues. "Our position is clear -- no talk so long as the terrorism continues. At the same time, we have responded every time there was a ceasefire violation," she stressed. Frosinone (Italy), Sep 30 : Genoa defeated host Frosinone 2-1 for its fourth Serie A victory this season, with Poland striker Krzysztof Piatek scoring twice in a three-minute stretch. Piatek was on fire in the first half, getting on the board in the 33rd minute and then doubling the score in the 36th, both off assists from forward Christian Kouame, reports Efe. Frosinone forward Camillo Ciano successfully converted a penalty kick four minutes before first-half stoppage time, but his side could not come up with the equalizer in the second half. Genoa climbed to seventh place in the Italian league standings with 12 points after four wins and two losses. Frosinone, which was promoted to Serie A this season, is still in the second-to-last spot on the table with a single point. Itanagar, Sep 30 : Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Sunday announced that the "ATAL (Arunachal Transformational and Aspirational Leaders) Conclave" will be made a regular event from next year. In an interactive session with students, during the concluding session of the three-day ATAL conclave, he said through this meet the state government wished to take the youths onboard as part of the Team Arunachal government. Khandu promised that the deliberations made during the event and the papers presented will be examined by the Planning Department to be incorporated in the policy programmes of the government. Exhorting on the need to bridge the gap between public and the government, Khandu requested the students to make use of their free time during vacations to spread awareness to the people about important flagship programmes of the state and the Centre. The Chief Minister proposed a monthly honorarium of Rs 5,000 to the students to work in the outreach programme of the government. He also urged the student community to be part of the government's campaign to stop money culture during elections. The Chief Minister said he had zero tolerance towards corruption due to which several high ranking officials even in the rank of Deputy Commissioner as well as rich businessmen and political leaders had been arrested. "The government is serious about corruption and no one will be spared irrespective of their status or party affiliation," he said. Rajkot, Sep 30 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that even after 70 years of independence, Mahatma Gandhi's dream of Swachh Bharat remained unfulfilled and claimed that his government had covered significant ground but needed to do more. "It has been over 70 years since independence, but Bapu's dream of a Swachh Bharat remains unfulfilled. Together, we have to fulfil this dream," Modi said while addressing a gathering after inaugurating the Mahatma Gandhi Museum here. To spread awareness about Gandhian culture, values and philosophy, the museum has been set up at the Alfred High School, which was an important part of the formative years of Mahatma Gandhi. Noting that Bapu was concerned about the environment, the Prime Minister said that inspired by him, the country needs to work for a cleaner and greener tomorrow. "In the last four years we have covered significant ground in the Swachh Bharat Mission but we must continue to do more," he said. Recalling that the Father of the Nation always taught to think of the last person in the queue, the poorest person and serve the underprivileged, the Prime Minister said that inspired by his ideal his government is serving the poor. "Through our initiatives we want to transform their lives. We want to build homes for the poor," he said. He said Gujarat is blessed to be the land so closely associated with Mahatma Gandhi. The Prime Minister also unveiled a plaque to mark the inauguration of a public housing project having 624 houses. He witnessed the e-graha pravesh of 240 beneficiary families. The Prime Minister later visited the museum. Sanaa, Sep 30 : Yemen's Shia Houthi rebels launched on Sunday two "unique" cross-border attacks against the Unites Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, according to a statement carried by rebel-controlled Saba news agency. According to the statement, the first attack was carried out by a Sammad-3 drone on Dubai international airport. The second attack was conducted by the rebels' naval forces on military boats carrying Saudi border guards off the Saudi Red Sea port city of Jazan. The Houthi statement, however, did not provide evidence of the two operations. Meanwhile, both the UAE and Saudi Arabia have yet to officially comment on Houthi claims. "The Dubai International Airport was operating as normal without any interruption," some news reports quoted a spokesman of Dubai international airport as saying. Last month, the UAE denied a similar drone attack on Dubai airport. Houthi rebels have recently escalated ballistic missile attacks on Saudi border cities, but most of the missiles were intercepted and destroyed without causing casualties. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been targeted by Yemeni Houthi rebels for leading an Arab coalition fighting against them in Yemen since March 2015. The Houthis say their missile attacks were launched in response to the coalition airstrikes on Houthi-controlled lands in Yemen. The Houthi rebels have seized control over much of the country's north, including the capital Sanaa, since September 2014 when they ousted the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. London, Oct 1 : British Prime Minister Theresa May has arrived in Birmingham for the last of Britain's big political conferences, with a determination to fight for her Brexit blueprint. Former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson set the scene for a lively event in Britain's second biggest city by describing as deranged May's so-called Chequers plan for a soft-Brexit, Xinhua reported. The Sunday Times gave a flavour of the possible atmosphere at the conference with its headline: "Boris Johnson vs Theresa May: now it's war". In a Sunday television interview, May insisted she would make a success of Britain's departure from the European Union regardless of what happens in the negotiations with Brussels. May said in her interview: "I do believe in Brexit. Crucially, I believe in delivering Brexit in a way that respects the vote and delivers on the vote of the British people while also protecting our union, protecting jobs and ensuring we make a success of Brexit for the future. "That's why I'm being ambitious for this country. That's why I want us to get a really good free trade deal with the European Union, which is what lies at the heart of the Chequers plan." She added: "We will make a success of Brexit, regardless of the outcome of the negotiations." The Sunday Times said May has launched a concerted campaign to keep her job, announcing a crackdown on foreigners buying homes in Britain and revealing plans for a "historic" festival to celebrate Brexit Britain. May confronted her critics, accusing those who refuse to back her Chequers blueprint for Brexit of playing politics with Britain's future and undermining the national interest. May's proposed $156 million festival, is designed to pump billions of dollars into the British economy, echoing Queen Victoria's Great Exhibition in 1851 and the post-war Festival of Britain in 1951. May said: "We want to showcase what makes our country great today. We want to capture that spirit for a new generation, celebrate our nation's diversity and talent, and mark this moment of national renewal with a once-in-a-generation celebration." The Sunday Times says May will come under intense pressure from grassroots members to ditch her Chequers proposals. Ian Lavery, chair of the main opposition Labor Party accused May of tinkering around the edges rather than rebuilding Britain. He said: "The Conservatives are clearly too busy fighting among themselves and have neither the ideas nor the desire to offer real solutions to the problems they have caused." In a separate interview with the Sunday Times, Johnson said: "There will be economic and political damage to the UK if we go with Chequers. It surrenders control." Bengaluru, Oct 1 : Terming the Congress charges false and based on half-truths, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has denied that the Rafale deal had snatched jobs from the Indian aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). "There is no truth in the Congress allegations on the Rafale deal as they are based on falsehood and half-truths. The question of taking away jobs from HAL does not arise as the UPA government had no deal with its maker Dassault Aviation," Sitharaman told reporters here on Sunday. Accusing the previous Congress-led UPA government of ignoring the needs of the Indian Air Force (IAF) whose squadron strength has depleted to 33 from 42, Sitharaman said the inter-government agreement on Rafale was much better than what was proposed in the non-deal of the previous regime. "The intent of the agreement was very well stated in the joint statement that it shall be a better deal in every way," asserted Sitharaman. The statement was given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then French President Francois Hollande on April 10, 2015 when the deal was signed for the sale of 36 Rafale jets by its French maker Dassault Aviation. Blaming the then United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for not finalising the deal with Dassault during its tenure, the Defence Minister said the Congress campaign on Rafale was irresponsible and baseless, as its government failed to seal the deal with HAL. "There were only statements but no action during the UPA period. If we have taken away the jobs, let the Congress show the agreement its then government had with the HAL on Rafale," reiterated Sitharaman. Noting that the government was proud of the city-based defence behemoth (HAL), the Minister said though the IAF ordered 40 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas between 2006-10, only six were delivered by 2014. "After our government came into being, we doubled HAL's production capacity to 16 Tejas a year. What did the Congress government do during its tenure that it is shedding crocodile tears for HAL now?" she pointed out. As the IAF has ordered 83 more Tejas, the government has given HAL Rs 20,000 crore to enhance its production capacity to make more LCAs, added Sitharaman. Dutch Bros' Custom 'Be Aware' Mug Every year in October, we are able to partner with our communities and make an impact on breast cancer awareness. Dutch Bros Coffee is launching its annual #BeAware campaign in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month. For each custom Be Aware mug sold throughout October, Dutch Bros will donate $10 to the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute and Albie Aware. Dutch Bros wants everyone to live life to the fullest; thats why its so important to us to support cancer research, said Travis Boersma, CEO and co-founder of Dutch Bros Coffee. The OHSU Knight Cancer Institute and Albie Aware do a badass job of fighting this devastating disease, and we are honored to help them in this way. The OHSU Knight Cancer Institute in Portland, Ore., is one of the pioneers in personalized cancer treatment and research. Its mission is to advance the early detection of cancer, when the disease is the most treatable, and end cancer as we know it. Albie Aware assists individuals in the Sacramento, Calif., area facing or fighting breast cancer by providing life-saving diagnostic testing, patient advocacy, prevention education and compassionate support. Dutch Bros began raising funds for Breast Cancer Awareness month in 2013. To date, the company has donated more than $970,000 to the advancement of breast cancer research. Were so grateful for Dutch Bros support, and for the generosity they have shown us throughout the years. Their partnership is deeply appreciated by so many, said Rebecca DeBo, Senior Director of Cancer Fundraising at OHSU & Doernbecher Foundations. To find a Dutch Bros location near you, visit http://www.dutchbros.com/locations. About Dutch Bros Dutch Bros Coffee is the countrys largest privately held drive-thru coffee company, with more than 320 locations and 9,000 employees in seven states. The company is headquartered in Grants Pass, Oregon, where it was founded in 1992 by Dane and Travis Boersma. Dutch Bros serves specialty coffee, smoothies, freezes, teas, a private-label Dutch Bros Blue Rebel energy drink and nitrogen-infused cold brew coffee. Its rich, proprietary coffee blend is handcrafted from start to finish. In addition to its mission of speed, quality and service, Dutch Bros is committed to giving back to the communities it serves. Through its Love Abounds Foundation and local franchisees, Dutch Bros donates more than $5.8 million each year to causes across the country. To learn more about Dutch Bros, visit http://www.dutchbros.com, like Dutch Bros Coffee on Facebook or follow @DutchBros on Twitter. San Jose serviced apartments Downtown San Jose has come a long way from the 1970s with a massive investment and a new vibrancy from all the technology companies, explained Robert Lee, President of Key Housing. Key Housing, the leader in locating so-called serviced apartments or furnished apartments to rent especially for corporate travelers, is proud to announce a new focus on downtown San Jose serviced apartments in light of the revitalization of the Bay Area's largest city. San Jose has poured millions into its newly vibrant downtown, and Key Housing is announcing a response with a new feature on Julian street. Downtown San Jose has come a long way from the 1970s with a massive investment and a new vibrancy from all the technology companies, explained Robert Lee, President of Key Housing. By identifying a new feature on Julian Street, that is the 'Villa Torino' complex, we are calling new attention to San Jose's downtown and helping Europeans and other corporate travelers looking for furnished or short terms rentals in Santa Clara county. Interested persons can view the new feature at http://www.keyhousing.com/rightside.asp?action=form3&ID=148. The October feature notes that, "This premier location in the heart of downtown San Jose is unsurpassed in convenience and recreation. In addition, our resort-style clubroom, fitness center, pool and spa are a welcome retreat from a busy schedule. Each apartment features designer finishes, air conditioning, oversized bathrooms, linen closets and private balconies or patios." It should be noted as well that by announcing this October feature, Key Housing is piggybacking on the vibrant dining and nightlife in San Jose on Julian street. Nearby restaurants include the Smoking Pig BBQ, the Taurinus Brazilian Steak House, and even the Good Karma Artisan Ales and Cafe. Nearby bars and pubs include the Temple Bar and Lounge, Mosaic, and even O'Flaherty's Irish Pub, which is of course packed when San Jose residents celebrate St. Patrick's Day every Spring. In terms of commuting, residents can hop on the Guadalupe Parkway to get up to Interstate 880, or go down to Interstate 280 / 680 and get to all of Silicon Valley within minutes. Indeed, public transit options also abound, as the location is just minutes from San Jose's Light Rail System. It's no wonder why "Villa Torino" garnered the prestigious October designation from Key Housing, nor why the company choose to focus the limelight on San Jose's revitalized downtown scene. Those seeking to learn more about San Jose serviced apartments are urged to read sample blog posts on the company's blog, such as the one at http://blog.keyhousing.com/if-you-need-san-jose-serviced-apartments-we-can-help-really/ which explains how hard it is to find serviced apartments in the Bay Area's largest city, as well as the fact that what Europeans call a "serviced apartment," Americans are likely to call a furnished apartment. No matter what it is called, however, the reality is that to locate hard-to-find short term housing in San Jose, the smart shoppers call upon Key Housing. ABOUT KEY HOUSING Based in Folsom, California, Key Housing Connections Inc. specializes in corporate housing and serviced apartments in large cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles or San Diego as well as smaller cities like Fresno, Burbank, and Carlsbad. Key Housing is a leader in affordable, friendly, short-term and corporate housing in places like Bakersfield, Encinitas, Hermosa Beach, and just about every city in California. Whether it's a San Diego serviced apartment or a San Francisco furnished rental, just search, click or call today! Key Housing (800) 989-0410 http://www.keyhousing.com/ Fremont Preschools Parents desperately want quality preschool education in Fremont that is near them. Learn and Play Montessori, a leading Montessori program offering childcare, daycare, preschool and kindergarten opportunities at four separate schools in Fremont, California, is proud to announce an innovative search ad campaign targeting the popular phrase, "preschools near me," in Fremont, California. Fremont is the Bay Area's fourth largest city and geographically is quite long, making it tough for busy Bay Area parents to find preschools that are either near them or convenient to their commute (or both). "Parents desperately want quality preschool education in Fremont that is near them, explained Harpreet Grewal, director of Learn and Play Montessori. "As we discovered so many parents searching 'preschools near me,' we decided to create and announce an innovate ad campaign for Fremont, which is the fourth largest city in the Bay Area and geographically the longest city. Those seeking to view the new ad campaign in real time (and who are physically in Fremont, California) can simply pull out their mobile phone, go to Google and type in "Preschools near me." The new ads are optimized to show the closest of Learn and Play's four schools. For example, those who are in the Niles, Fremont, area at zip code 94536 can also visit https://www.learnandplaymontessori.com/niles-fremont.php to learn about Fremont preschools in the northern section of Fremont. Those in central or southern Fremont, in contrast, can Google "preschools near me," and discover the Irvington location at https://www.learnandplaymontessori.com/irvington-fremont.php. Those who are just seeking the best preschools in Fremont but aren't sure which location might be the best match can just visit the website, and contact the staff for a campus tour. The staff knows Fremont well and can discuss which location is the best fit for parent and child. FREMONT'S TOP MONTESSORI PRESCHOOL PROGRAM WITH FOUR LOCATIONS Here is the background on this release. Fremont is known as one of the most vibrant communities in the San Francisco Bay Area, with over 230,000 residents. The city is also quite long as it sits in a relatively narrow part of the East Bay, making it an ideal commuter city for persons who work anywhere in the Bay Area, from San Jose to the South, or San Francisco to the north. The city's length, however, can make finding the best preschool programs difficult, especially for those parents who commute as the city's traffic has, unfortunately, gone from bad to worse in the booming Bay Area economy. For this reason, Learn and Play Montessori has announced an innovative "preschool near me" ad campaign on Google so that busy parents can find and visit the best preschool near them. A campus tour is the next step, and then if the school is found agreeable, enrollment can be made. It should be noted that all campuses are filling fast and concerned parents are urged to visit the website and book a school tour as soon as possible. ABOUT LEARN AND PLAY MONTESSORI Learn and Play Montessori aims to be one of the best Montessori schools in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Whether parents are looking for a Montessori School in Danville, a Blackhawk preschool or a top-rated Montessori School in Dublin / San Ramon, Learn and Play has a campus for their child or children. Bay Area parents searching for Walnut Creek preschool options could find the right fit in Danville. All schools use the famed Montessori method, offering programs from childcare to daycare, preschool to kindergarten, in not only Danville, Fremont, Dublin or San Ramon but also in nearby towns such as Alamo, Blackhawk, Diablo or San Ramon on the I-680 corridor as well as Walnut Creek. Learn and Play Montessori Media Relations https://www.learnandplaymontessori.com/ At one stroke DropshipMe plugin solves several main issues that online entrepreneurs face when filling their dropshipping stores with products: market analysis and niche research, search of reliable suppliers and promising products, editing product information and images A unique tool for AliExpress dropshipping has been launched by DropshipMe Company. Now online store owners can start and run their dropshipping businesses much easier saving lots of time with this new ecommerce solution. The majority of entrepreneurs involved in dropshipping business use AliExpress as their product sourcing platform. It is quite reasonable: Chinese suppliers provide a huge selection of high demanded products at very competitive prices; they deliver orders worldwide, and allow significant sales volume and markup. But when it comes to inventory matters, AliExpress is not perfect: the process of research and manual editing of the platforms auto-translated product titles and descriptions, as well as low-quality watermarked images, can easily discourage any online entrepreneur, especially a newcomer. At this stage some dropshippers give up the whole idea of running an online business. DropshipMe offers a solution: its experts have launched a WordPress based DropshipMe Plugin that allows importing the handpicked and pre-optimized products to dropshipping stores and selling them immediately without editing. 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Key benefits of the DropshipMe WordPress plugin: Easy start with a 100% free plan available Winning products handpicked by experts Only trusted AliExpress suppliers Quick and easy product search and import Professionally edited product information Import of product ratings and reviews Regularly updated and growing database Recommended pricing markup Free updates and support At one stroke DropshipMe plugin solves several main issues that online entrepreneurs face when filling their dropshipping stores with products: market analysis and niche research, search of reliable suppliers and promising products, editing product information and images says Vitaly Kukin, Head of the Development Department at DropshipMe Company. Our team has a vast dropshipping experience and successfully runs numerous online stores, so we have first-hand knowledge of all the processes. Initially, the DropshipMe plugin was designed as an inner tool for our own dropshipping stores. But our mission is to help people launch their own businesses and to simplify the dropshipping routine, so we decided to introduce the plugin to the international eCommerce community. Now dropshippers have a chance to test DropshipMe plugin right away and see for themselves how much time and efforts it can save. About DropshipMe Company DropshipMe is an international IT company working in the global market and developing solutions for AliExpress dropshipping automation. Its primary goal is to make dropshipping processes simple, quick and effective. The companys team of skilled professionals provides services that meet every clients needs. Visit dropship.me website to learn more about the Company and its products. After entering its eighth generation in the 2018 production year, the 2019 Toyota Camry is set to ride that wave of momentum all the way to Decatur, AL. There, the team at Toyota of Decatur has graciously welcomed the 2019 Camry as well as all of its prospective customers. While the legacy of the Camry certainly speaks for itself, the dealership has recently experienced a staggering increase in customers who cant wait to claim a Camry. When the Camry was fully redesigned for the 2018 model year, it received a wide variety of upgrades and enhancements inside and out. Included in this extensive list, one will find top-notch fuel economy ratings, a supremely spacious interior and a silky-smooth driving experience. Add several state-of-the-art features and technology systems, and its no wonder why so many sedan shoppers keep coming back to the Camry. Perhaps most importantly, all of the aforementioned attractive qualities carry over to the 2019 Camry. Interested parties whod like to learn even more about the 2019 Camry may do so by visiting Toyota of Decatur online. Once on the dealerships website, prospective customers can explore research pages, view the available inventory and schedule a test drive. More immediate inquiries can be addressed by the Toyota of Decatur sales team, who can be reached by calling 256-274-4354. All are welcome to visit the dealership in person at 309 Beltline Pl. In her desperation, Mvhuma from Zimbabwe, consulted a traditional healer who gave her a love portion. READ MORE: Sunday school teacher arrested for sodomising siblings The instruction? She was to apply the love portion or juju all over her body which will make her attractive to her husband again. But that is when things turned worse. The love portion backfired and turned her into an insatiable sex addict. I always feel the urge for sex every time. A few years back when my husband left me I went to see a traditional healer who gave me juju to help win him back," she told news website iharare. "I poured it all over my body as instructed and waited for the miracle to happen. After two days I started feeling weird and my privates were wet. She continued: "I have been with many men and I stopped counting when I reached 47. Now I just sleep around and not feel any emotional connection like before. Sometimes Im with two men at the same time." Mvhuma said she went back to the traditional healer to inform him about what she's going through but was told there is nothing to worry about as it was all part of the process. READ MORE: Family of 9 wiped out by gunmen She now fears she may be infected with HIV after sleeping with so many men. PaasionAir says in a statement that the new daily route is aimed at "expanding options for Ghanaian domestic travellers." In addition, the local airliner says the initiative represents an addition to Passion Airs daily Accra to Kumasi flights and is expected to allow same day and evening connections from Europe to Tamale via Accra and vice versa. "This is a travel option that has been long sought by various stakeholders considering the time we will be flying," release from the company said. "The flight is being promoted in conjunction with our partners including the media and they are indeed pleased to be able to offer this option to all international travellers." The second flight's schedule from Tamale which leave for Accra at 17:20GMT allows for connections to and from Frankfurt, South Africa, Amsterdam, London and Istanbul and opens up other convenient travel opportunities to our passengers. Also, passengers arriving from overseas in the afternoon will now have same day onward connection access to Tamale and even Kumasi on this new flight on a daily basis. "The acceptance of the Q400 by the travelling public has been overwhelming," the Commercial Manager of the airline Anita Khoury is quoted as saying in the press release from PassionAir said. It has encouraged us to bring in a second aircraft to further expand our domestic outreach. Passengers have commended us of its comfort, ample baggage space and speed. The airline will offer twice daily frequency from Monday to Saturday, and thrice on Sunday for a total of 30 weekly flights. Based on demand, the airline will add on flights to increase the frequency to a total of 42 weekly flights. READ MORE: Rogue banker denies saying Ghana is worse than prison Passion Air is expected to operate three fleets of 78 seater aircraft, Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 to three destinations in Ghana --Takoradi, Kumasi and Tamale -- but currently is operating one being Kumasi with Tamale to be added from October 2. Deeper Christian Life Ministry This denomination also known as Deeper Life Bible Church started in 1973. It was founded by the General Superintendent, Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi. At the time of its inception (August 1973), Kumuyi was a Mathematics Lecturer at the University of Lagos. There, he started a Bible study group in his official Flat 2 residence at Unilag with 15 members who had a desire to understand the scriptures, hence the name - deeper life. Pastor Philip Oluwi, one of the pioneer members of the church, describes the beginning of Kumuyi's ministry. In his words, "I was anxious to have a deeper knowledge of God. All along I wasn't satisfied with what I was receiving from the churches. A friend told me about the Deeper Life Bible Studyso in January 1975, we went together to Flat 2. After the Bible Study that night, I knew I had arrived at where I really wanted to be." This laid the foundation for his ministry, which became the Deeper Life Bible Church after the study group started holding Sunday service in November 1982. Living Faith Church Worldwide This church is also known as Winners Chapel. It was founded by Bishop in 1983 after a divine experience. Reportedly, the then 26-year-old founder had a vision that lasted for 18 hours in May 1981. During this vision, God said: "Now the hour has come to liberate the world from all oppressions of the devil, through the preaching of the Word of faith; and I am sending you to undertake this task". This mandate led to the establishment of the first Living Faith in December 1983. The first church, located in Kaduna statehad only four members. Years later, this tiny church has grown into a megachurch with branches all over the nation with the headquarters located in Canaan Land, Ota. Living Faith can also be found in at least 49 countries. ALSO READ: 12 most remarkable Men of God from 1960 till now Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries MFM was founded by Dr.Daniel Kolawole Olukoya(DKO) who held a prayer meeting in his home on a Wednesday in 1989. Reportedly, only 24 people showed up. This number continued to grow until the meetings had to be moved from Olukoya's living room to 60 Old Yaba Road, Yaba, Lagos. Eventually, an abandoned place at 13 Olasimbo Street, Onike, Yaba was bought and turned into what we now know as the International Headquarters of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries. The church held its first official service on April 24, 1994. Fun Fact: The name was revealed to the founder while he was praying. The church can be found all over Nigeria, London, the United States, Canada, Europe, the Caribbean, and Asia. Synagogue Church of All Nations SCOAN is founded and led by an unusual prophet named Temitope Balogun Joshua (born June 12, 1963). Reportedly, he spent 15 months in his mother's womb and escaped death seven days after his birth. His ministry started after he received a vision. During this encounter, he is said to have received divine anointing and entered a covenant with God who gave him permission to start his ministry. This led to the birth of SCOAN with started years ago with eight members in Agodo-Egbe in Lagos state. Now, Prophet Joshua's church is an architectural masterpiece located in Ikotun-Egbe where over 15,000 people visit every Sunday. Unlike other ministries, SCOAN can only be found in two places - Accra, Ghana and Lagos state which makes it a major tourist attraction. According to The Guardian, it gets more people than the combined number of visitors to Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London. Prophet Joshua explained his reason for having only one branch during a Sunday service on August 24, 2014, the Daily Post reports. He said, "I would have loved to have branches all over the world because people want T.B. Joshua everywhere. But it is not yet time because it will be too much for my character. When the load is too heavy for you, it will become a burden." Christ Embassy Also known as Believers' LoveWorld Incorporated, this church was founded by pastor Chris Oyakhilome in 1990. Like MFM, it started as a prayer group led by the founder who was studying architecture at the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma in Edo state. It was initially known as Believer's LoveWorld Fellowship and then Believer's LoveWorld Inc. Since then, it has become a global network of churches with over 13 million members across the world. Reportedly, the headquarters of Lagos has 40 000 members alone. The only memorable thing most pupils in primary and secondary schools know about the Nigerian Independence is that October 1 of every year is a public holiday. Dear students the date is much more than a public holiday. The date is significantly tied to the history of Nigeria and every Nigerian youth deserves to know everything that surrounds this holiday. Here are five things you've probably not been thought about Independence Day at school. 1. The Golden Voice of Tafawa Balewa The history of how Nigeria became an independent nation is never complete without mentioning Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and his golden voice. Born on October 1, 1912, Balewa, who was a trained teacher rose to fame from being a school teacher to a respected politician. He represented the northern interests in the colonial government and held different positions. He eventually became the first and only Prime Minister of the country in 1960. Aside from being a respected statesman, Tafawa Balewa was also famous for his eloquence. His oratory skill earned him accolades among international communities. And that was the main reason he was nicknamed the Golden Voice of Africa. On his 48th birthday which coincided with the independence of Nigeria in 1960, Tafawa Balewa, as the PM of the country declared Nigeria's independence and also delivered a hope-filled speech that set Nigerians alight with joys and celebrations. Sadly, on January 15, 1966, soldiers who were executing Nigerias first military coup kidnapped and killed the first Prime Minister. 2. Race Course, Lagos Race Course is a 14.5-hectare ceremonial ground in Lagos Island. It was the foremost venue for government events when Lagos was the capital of Nigeria. This place might look empty and deserted today, but the ground played a significant role in the independent Nigeria history. On October 1, 1960, Race Course was the birthplace of Nigeria Independence where Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa declared the country as a sovereign nation. After the gruesome killing of the Prime Minister, the Federal Government of Nigeria renamed the ground to Tafawa Balewa Square. ALSO READ: Top 5 Christian denominations after 1960 3. Why October 1, 1960? The elections of 312 Nigerians into the Federal House of Representatives on Saturday, December 12, 1959, and the first motion the elected parliamentarians passed on January 14, 1960, led to the choice of October 1, 1960, as Nigeria's Independent Day. Before his death on October 9, 2013, the former Governor of Plateau State, Chief Solomon Lar, who was a member of the parliament in an interview with the Vanguard said after passing the motion, the Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa known for his rhetorical brilliance went to London to finalise talks for the actualisation of October 1, 1960, as the Independence Day. ''This came to reality when, just before the midnight of September 30, 1960, we all gathered at the Lagos Race Course awaiting the birth of an independent and emancipated new nation called Nigeria'', Lar said in the interview. 4. Who is Jaja Wachukwu? Apart from National heroes like Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and Sir Ahmadu Bello little is said about Jaja Wachukwu, who was also a prominent figure during the Independence struggle. Jaja was the first indigenous Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nigeria who replaced the British Speaker of the House, Sir Frederic Metcalfe. On October 1, 1960, Jaja received Nigeria's instrument of Independence from Princess Alexandra of Ken as the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the newly independent nation. He died on November 7, 1996, in Enugu. 5. The last British Governor-General The reign of the British colonial masters in Nigeria came to an end with the administration of Sir James Wilson Robertson in 1960. Robertson was said to have been sent to Nigeria to serve as the head of the British colony because of because of his good work in England. He was Governor-General of Nigeria from 15 June 1955 to 16 November 1960. The Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, Ambassador Olufemi Abikoye who attended the university's 51st Convocation praised the two, students, Dr Lotachi Ugwunwa Onyemenam and Omotola Obisesan saying they have done the country proud. While Obisesan graduated with a First Class Degree in Computer Science at the age of 18, her colleague, Onyemenam breaks the university's record as she wins 16 out of 21 awards in the faculty of Medicine. ece-auto-gen Commending the students for their academic achievement, Abikoye said, Nigerians should not always be in the news for the wrong thing. When they do well abroad, we should celebrate them. I was at the graduation ceremony and I must say that we are proud of them. They have done Nigeria proud here in Ghana and we must all be proud of their academic achievements. The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof Abdalla Adamu in an interview with the Punch addressed the issue and what NOUN is doing to stop it. He said, ''some of the examination malpractices are caused by people within the system. We had once identified six of them and they were arrested and dismissed. ''So long as we deal with Nigerians, there will always be issues of examination malpractices. But we now have a solid network system that makes it almost impossible for anyone to hack into. Nobody even knows where our servers are located. They have tried to hack them in the past. Some people tried to locate the Internet Provider address and there were leakages here and there. But now, we have tried to curtail them. ''We have also involved officials of the Department of State Services and we relate well with them''. JAMB tackles exam malpractices The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has also made some steps to ensure candidates writing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) do not indulge in exam malpractices In the 2017 edition of the exams, the exam body banned all candidates from coming to exam centres with any electronic devices and writing materials. Olamide had always displayed his affection for Governor Ambode as well as his policies in Lagos state since 2015. The rapper had been at the forefront of entertainers, who rallied round the governor during his campaign ahead of the governorship election against Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Jimi Agbaje. Olamide had sang about Lagos and once said Governor Ambode picked him up and adopted him after the death of his father. ALSO READ: Olamide, Phyno spotted with Governor Ambode Popular rappers, Olamide and Phyno on June 8, 2016 met the Lagos state Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode at the state house. Phyno shared the shots on his Instagram page with the caption, @baddosneh Connects X #fadafada. What could be more satisfying than to lie in relaxation and watch a movie that celebrates Nigeria and the spirit of her citizens - ranging from biographical dramas to entertaining box-office blockbusters? These movies below capture the Nigerian culture, journey of unsung heroes and the strength of Nigerians as a people. 1. "The Wedding Party" The highest grossing Nigerian film, "The Wedding Party" represents the flamboyant Nigerian wedding culture. Except for the absence of the fundamental Nigerian Jollof rice - I mean, who holds a Nigerian wedding without Jollof rice? - the movie does its best to capture a typical Nigerian wedding. It is a representation of all the drama that could occur pre and post a wedding party. A typical Nigerian wedding party is fun, dramatic, tedious, but definitely entertaining. A typical Nigerian wedding has that relative who turns up for the food or souvenirs, friends who turn up for the 'gram' and even an envious ex who is just there to witness and gloat over the inadequacies of the ceremony. "The Wedding Party" captures the energy, music, colourfulness, culture and fashion that makes a Nigerian wedding party fun to attend. 2. "A Soldier's Story" If there's any film that attempts to celebrate and encourage heroic soldiers and their contributions to the country, it is "A Soldier's Story." The movie follows a soldier on a peacekeeping mission, who is left for dead by some rebel soldiers. The movie depicts various emotions such as the heartbreak and anguish that accompanies the news of the demise of a loved one in battle. This story is such that ensures we remember the labours of these heroes past; heroes such as the Lt. Colonel Muhammad Abu Ali and other gallant officers who died in service during the war against Boko Haram. 3. "A Place in the Stars" Inspired by the tenure of the late Director General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Dora Akunyili, the 2014 Steve Gukas film tells the story of Dakim, a young lawyer who is in possession of vital information about the trafficking of counterfeit drugs that can save many lives if he passes it on, but make millions of dollars if he doesnt. Late Professor Dora Akunyili, during her tenure as the Head of NAFDAC, tirelessly fought to halt the sale and use of fake drugs, even at the expense of her life. She would go on to become the Federal Minister of Information & Communication in 2008, and spear-headed a rebranding campaign for Nigeria with the slogan: Good People, Great Nation. The film acknowledges the dogged and honest spirit of several Nigerians out there who have been consistent in being good and portraying Nigeria as a great nation. 4. "Saworoide" Nigeria is a country with several cultural practices that define us. We have the Sharo ceremony in Fulani Land; traditional baby naming ceremony in Yoruba land; the fattening room in Efik land; and Omugwo in Igbo land. But if we are talking about one of the films that encapsulates an interesting culture of a tribe in Nigeria, it's "Saworide," which means talking drum or brass bell in English Language. The Tunde Kelani film follows the setting of an old Yoruba norm in the town of Jogbo, where a person can not be crowned king without the Saworoide being played by the right person. Drumming is a key part of the cultural heritage of the Yoruba people. They are several drums such as Gangan (Talking Drum), Bata, Saworide, Omela Ako; all used for different occasions. The film celebrates the charm of African art, and the beauty of tradition and folklore. Most importantly the movie speaks on Nigeria and how it has dealt with civil rule and military dictatorship. 5. "93 Days" "93 Days" celebrates the sacrifices of the late Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh and all who risked their lives to make sure the Ebola virus was contained in Nigeria. On July 20, 2014, Liberian, Patrick Sawyer, arrived Lagos. He became severely ill upon arrival and died five days later of the Ebola disease. Almost 93 days later, on 20 October 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared Nigeria to be Ebola free. The method used to contain the virus brought positive recognition from around the world for the country. In WHOs Ebola Situation Assessment report, it was commended with lessons for countries such as the United States. Nigeria had become that exemplary kid in class for a good behavior. Ebola was controlled as a result of the quick thinking, resilience and selflessness of the late Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh and other medical personnel. Ameyo is credited for curbing a wider spread of the Ebola virus in Nigeria by placing Patrick Sawyer in quarantine despite pressures from some quarters to have him released. Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh died on 19 August 2014, few weeks after testing positive for the Ebola virus disease. Apart from recording a significant period in Nigeria, the movie "93 Days" depicts the strength, selflessness and sacrificial nature of Nigerians. The posthumous honour was granted the award-winning Film editor and animator, who was killed by unknown men in Jos, Plateau State. The change was announced by the founder and CEO of AMAA, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, who said the Board of Africa Film Academy took the decision ahead of the 2018 edition of the award to honour the late animator because of his place as one of Africas shining lights in the area of creative animations. ALSO READ: AMAA to host African Cinema Business Round Table in Kigali This young man was one of the leading figures when it comes to animations for movies, clips, and short stories. He has been nominated severally for the AMAAs and won in 2016 for the first time under the international award platform of the Africa Movie Academy Awards, Anyiam- Osigwe said. ece-auto-gen Tagged Jibril Mailafia Award for Best Animation, the honour is coming for the late Mailafia who was also nominated in the same category, in the 2018 edition of the AMAAs. Anyiam-Osigwe also disclosed that AMAA will forever honor the slain animator by renaming the best Animation award in his name. AMAA CEO speaks on slain animator's legacies Anyiam-Osigwe believes that Jibrils death should be a wake up call for stakeholders in the creative industry. According to her, Jibril was easily one of the top 10 animators in Africa a crazy editor, a fantastic crew member, a no stress team player, the vicious death is a wake up call for us to speak out. We create things, it is time we used our voices in film, music, dance to shout loud and clear that this unnecessary killings should stop. AMAAs Director of Administration, Tony Anih expressed shock at the news of the death of Jibril saying he was very good and consistent with his art. ALSO READ: We have trained several movie practitioners - AMAA CEO "It was with rude shock that AMAA received the news of the death of Mailafia who was nominated in the animation category in this years award. His entry is titled Group Foto. Yes, he was that good and consistent with his art. He will forever be remembered by AMAA as one of the young brilliant creative talents in animation to ever come out of Africa. We will continue to hold a candle in your name that will never burn out, Anih said. According to Daily Post, the attack was carried out on Saturday, September 29, 2018. Speaking on the incident, the spokesman of the Benue police command, Moses Yamu said officers are investigating the incident. Yamu also said Yes, some yet-to-be-identified criminals believed to be natives of Olo community came and opened fire on residents of Okpoga, killing six persons. The real cause of the incident is still sketchy but investigation is still on. So far, no arrest has been made yet. A source also alleged that the gunmen might have come from a neighbouring community Olo in Edumoga district. The source said the community has been at loggerheads with Okpoga people for a while. Unease in Plateau Also, there has been unease at Rukuba Road in Jos North local government area of Plateau State. According to reports, of people during an attack on Thursday, September 27, 2018. Garba described Buhari as the best candidate for the position of the president come 2019 and called on Nigerians to support his re-election bid. President Buhari has succeeded in fighting corruption, just as the APC governors, since they came to power; there has been constant payment of salaries without borrowing money to pay. His achievement on infrastructure development across the country has been commendable, the level of corruption has been reduced to lowest level. Those against his re-election are used to corruption, he said. The lawmaker commended the state chapter of the APC and the governor for adopting direct primaries system in the state. He said that the system would allow the people to choose candidates of their choice. The APC and the governor did the best thing by adopting direct primaries because there is nothing like delegates buying; candidates that will emerge winners will show their popularity and their achievements, he said. Garba, however, gave the assurance to continue to execute peoples oriented projects if re-elected into the House of Representatives in 2019. In a statement signed by Yusuph Olaniyonu, the Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to Senate President, Saraki urged Nigerians to ensure a more vibrant, constructive and patriotic citizen participation in the governance of their country. The People's Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential aspirant noted that one of the key reasons for the non-realisation of the dreams of the founding fathers who fought for the nation's independence from the colonial government was because the citizens failed to seize control of the fortunes and future of the country while allowing sentiments to determine the choice of leaders and what national objectives should entail. "At this point when democracy has come to stay in Nigeria, all Nigerians should use the occasion of the 58th Independence Anniversary to redefine what should constitute the Nigerian dream, rally round that dream, support leaders who are capable and competent to realize that dream. "Citizens should stop abandoning politics and political choices to politicians and manipulative elements who invoke only religious, ethnic and geo-political sentiments to impose leadership who are only supported for the purpose of serving the interests of those who put them in office. "Nigerians should re-dedicate themselves to the ideas of defining their personal interests in line with how it helps the realization of national objectives. Our national objectives should simply be to build a united, peaceful, economically strong, internationally respected country, with robust military, well motivated work-force, ambitious youth and fulfilled citizens. "These ideals are what we should rally our people around. The people should not allow government officials and politicians to continue manipulating them in pursuit of narrow interests. It is only manipulation that will allow voters to ignore the competence, experience, suitability and temperament of aspirants for public office and rather focus on where he comes from, how he worships his God and how much he is ready to dole out. "Today, as we celebrate our 58th independent Anniversary, Nigerians should vow that the leader who will lead the country when it is celebrating its Diamond jubilee anniversary must be one who would have set this country on the path of genuine socio-economic development and political greatness. "Our people should stop being complacent. The best amongst us should be the one leading the rest. Voters should be ready at all times to intervene when government is derailing from the national objectives or placing personal or group interest above national interest. Never again, must we allow leaders who behave as emperors, maximum rulers or messiahs and cabals created by them to seize control of government and its machinery. "With a vigilant citizenry that is well informed and involved in monitoring government acitivities, officials and programmes, the prospect of good governance and improved standard of living for all Nigerians is bright and guaranteed. The Chairman of the party, Chief Donatus Nwankpa, said at a meeting for aspirants in Umuahia on Saturday that the register of members in Ohafia Local Government Area was not in the list approved by the national secretariat of the party. Nwankpa also said that some wards in Umunneochi and Bende state constituencies were also omitted. However, he said that the national secretariat screened and cleared all the aspirants to stand for the primaries, adding that the State Working Committee (SWC) would abide by the decision. He also said that the SWC would liaise with the committee from the national secretariat to give waivers to the affected members to enable them to take part in the exercise. The information, however, jolted some of the aspirants, who feared that the development would affect their fortunes at the exercise. In his reaction, a frontline governorship aspirant, Mr Uche Ogah, called for urgent steps to remedy the situation in order to ensure that thousands of his supporters, who defected with him from the Peoples Democratic Party to APC, were not disenfranchised. A House of Representatives aspirant, Mr Ben Kalu, said that the names of some prominent members of the party, including that of Kalu, were not in the approved register. Kalu said that the party constitution was explicit in Article 1: Sub 3 on waiver, saying that most of the affected aspirants did not apply to the national secretariat of the party for waiver as provided by the constitution. He said that the omission, if not properly addressed, would open the window of opportunity for a series of litigations in the aftermath of the exercise. The members later moved into a closed door meeting, where they resolved that the issue should be handled by the national committee, in conjunction with the SWC, ahead of the exercise. Meanwhile, Nwankpa has assured the meeting that the party would provide a level playing field for all the aspirants for the primaries. He urged them to be of good conduct during and after the exercise, saying that the ultimate objective of the party was to move to the Government House in 2019. The party chairman further warned against any acts, including the use of arms and thugs to disrupt the peaceful conduct of the exercise. I have been informed that some aspirants have been stockpiling arms and recruiting thugs for the primaries, he said. He warned the aspirants not to do anything untoward or shed the blood of innocent people for the sake of partys ticket. Nwankpa said that party chieftains with impeccable character and integrity would be deployed in all the wards to collate the results at the end of the exercise. In his brief remark, Sen. Chris Adighije, appealed to all the aspirants to ensure that the party remained united at the end of the exercise in order for them to work harmoniously for success during the general elections. Reacting to the omission of his name in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Kalu said that his name was in the manual register at the ward. Kalu, who is aspiring for Abia North Senatorial seat, said that it was imperative that the party resorted to the register at the ward, subject to the authentication of the state secretariat. The party should use the manual register, which is at the ward. It should be authenticated by the Secretary of the party for use at the primaries, he said. NAN reports that the meeting was attended by four governorship aspirants, including former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Chief Martins Azubuike, Friday Nwosu, Ogah and Paul Ikonne. According to SaharaReporters, Osinbajo said this at the Governors Advisory Council (GAC) meeting which held on Sunday, September 30, 2018. The Vice-President also called on leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos not to go against the will of the masses. Osinbajo said that there is no reason to justify their call for Ambode to step-down, adding that they should not put their personal interests above that of the people. A close source who spoke to the news platform, said Yes, the Vice President attended the GAC Meeting that took place today and told the gathering that he had been sent in by the President for the second time to come and appeal to Asiwaju (Tinubu) particularly realizing that they should stick to their best chances in Lagos for the 2019 elections. The Vice President actually looked at them (the GAC members) straight in the face and told them you Assembly members here, you have endorsed Ambode before; GAC members, you have endorsed Ambode before; You Femi Gbajabiamila, you brought all your House of Reps members to endorse Ambode; the whole world know that you have endorsed Ambode and all of a sudden, what shall we tell the world now that Ambode has done wrong all of a sudden after all the endorsements that you have made to warrant your current position? ALSO READ:Read how Ambode disrespected Aregbesola in his office The VP queried them further that will it be enough to tell the whole world that it is for our own selfish interest that we are saying that we are not going to endorse Ambode? Is it because Ambode has not performed? Ambode has performed and everybody knows that he has performed." Sanwo-Olu said this while responding to allegations made by Ambode during a press conference on Sunday. The Lagos Governor had alleged that the governorship aspirant was arrested in the US for spending fake dollars. In his response, Sanwo-Olu said he will not attack anybody as he carries out his campaign. He also said Today, instead of making a convincing defense of his performance, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode sought to sow fear into the hearts of Lagosians. But Lagosians are an intelligent and brave people. They can see through the smoke and the fog. I am here not to tear my opponent down but to help build Lagos up. With me, you will hear about progress on education, health, sanitation, proper tax levels, economic development, infrastructure, jobs, public services and other things that enhance the lives of people. I am a serious person and this primary is a serious matter. I have not the time or inclination to attack character when there are so many real issues to address. We will continue to focus on the issues that matter in the lives of the people of Lagos. Lagosians want an answer to the sanitation crisis cast loss of jobs caused by Mr. Ambodes Visionscape misadventure. Our people will want to know why Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has not been able to build a single General Hospital in the State when his immediate predecessor Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) built 11 General Hospitals. Lagosians are waiting to hear what our solutions are. They want to know why hundreds of competent civil servants got summarily dismissed and how this has undermined public services. ALSO READ:Tinubu threatens to impeach Ambode if he does not step down As a candidate for the partys nomination and hopefully as your next governor, my approach will not be to sling insults but to propose solutions to the problems of the day. The national leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu has endorsed Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Ambode, at a press conference which he held on Sunday, September 30, 2018, said that Sanwo-Olu was arrested in US for spending fake dollars. The Lagos state Governor also said This particular aspirant is somebody that has been arrested for spend fake dollars in a nightclub in America, and he has been detained for months. He doesnt have the competence to do what he is being propelled to do. This is somebody that has gone for rehabilitation before. The records are there at the Gbagada General Hospital. we dont want to go too far. Our leadership should have a rethink. I forgive you In his response, Sanwo-Olu said he would not disrespect the office of the Governor, adding that he has forgiven Ambode. He said I felt sad for Lagos as I watched the Press Conference by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode. Many things he said was beneath the dignity of our people and the exalted office he now holds. Perhaps the tension and anxiety of the moment got the better of him. If given a chance at cooler reflection of what he said, I am sure he would regret his descent into such low conduct. In this vein, I forgive him and hope he regains his balance and proper comportment no matter the outcome of tomorrows contest. After all, we are both here to improve Lagos not to wrestle in its streets. I will not attack anybody The APC guber candidate also said that he will not launch an attack on anybody even when he is attacked. Let it be heard by all that I hold the people of Lagos state with great respect and affection. Their welfare is my utmost concern and it is what drives my pursuit for the governorship nomination of the APC. As such, I also hold the office of governor of our state in high esteem. I shall never consciously do anything that will undermine the dignity of the office nor will I engage in personal attacks against the holder of that officer. My pursuit of office will continue to be based upon issues that matter to Lagosians and not on attacks against someones character, even when he attack mine. For anyone to engage in unwarranted character attacks against me, reveals more about that persons character than it says about mine, he added. Denies allegations Sanwo-Olu also debunked Ambodes claim that he was arrested in the US for spending fake dollars. He said However, I must clear up some inaccuracies in the Governors statement. His allegation of that I was arrested for spending fake dollars at a night club in the United States was untrue. In fact, the governor knows I travelled to the United States just last month. I would not have been allowed to travel or even get a visa if I had been involved in what the Governor falsely alleged. That the Governor claimed I underwent some unidentified type of rehabilitation at the Gbagada General Hospital was also shameless and untrue. Promulgation of salacious rumor should not be part of the job description of a governor. This is not the stuff of high office. People should question whether it is ethically right for the Governor to turn what should be confidential medical information about a citizen into a weapon of political warfare? But for avoidance of doubt, let it be stated that I never received any treatment whatsoever at the Gbagada General Hospital." VisionScape, sanitation crisis Today, instead of making a convincing defense of his performance, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode sought to sow fear into the hearts of Lagosians. But Lagosians are an intelligent and brave people. They can see through the smoke and the fog. I am here not to tear my opponent down but to help build Lagos up. With me, you will hear about progress on education, health, sanitation, proper tax levels, economic development, infrastructure, jobs, public services and other things that enhance the lives of people. I am a serious person and this primary is a serious matter. I have not the time or inclination to attack character when there are so many real issues to address. We will continue to focus on the issues that matter in the lives of the people of Lagos. Lagosians want an answer to the sanitation crisis cast loss of jobs caused by Mr. Ambodes Visionscape misadventure. Our people will want to know why Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has not been able to build a single General Hospital in the State when his immediate predecessor Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) built 11 General Hospitals. ALSO READ:Osinbajo warns against denying Ambode a second term ticket Lagosians are waiting to hear what our solutions are. They want to know why hundreds of competent civil servants got summarily dismissed and how this has undermined public services. As a candidate for the partys nomination and hopefully as your next governor, my approach will not be to sling insults but to propose solutions to the problems of the day, Sanwo-Olu added. Babajide Sanwo-Olu is said to be APC national leader, Bola Tinubus preferred candidate. The former governor of Lagos state said Sanwo-Olu is a young man endowed with superlative vision and commitment and who also possesses a wealth of experience and exposure. In a statement published on his Twitter account, Tinubu said Sanwo-Olu is the preferred candidate because he understands the importance of the blueprint for development of Lagos state. ALSO READ: 5 things Ambode said 24 hours to Lagos APC primaries "While possessing a wealth of experience and exposure, he is a young man endowed with superlative vision and commitment. Most importantly, he understands the importance of the blueprint for development. "He esteems it as a reliable and well-conceived vehicle for the future development of the state. He also knows the value of reaching out and working with others in order to maximize development and provide people the best leadership possible." Earlier in the day, Lagos Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode said Sanwo-Olu, who is being backed by many, is not fit to govern Lagos state. He went further to say the governorship aspirant was allegedly arrested for spending fake American Dollars at a nightclub in the United States of America. Read Tinubu's full statement ahead of the Lagos primaries Tomorrow, our party and the people of Lagos will have an encounter with destiny. We shall hold our governorship primary. With the holding of direct primaries to elect governorship candidates in Lagos and other states, the APC takes a groundbreaking step toward greater internal democracy and progressive governance for the benefit of all people. While our party is young, it has grown fast and has travelled far in a short time. This speaks well of the character of you, the partys rank-and-file members. What, in other nations, has taken political parties generations to achieve, we have done in a few brief years. No other party in Nigeria dare attempt what we have already dedicated ourselves to do. I thank and commend all APC members and all Lagosians who have lent their support to this historic and humane mission upon which our party has embarked. We are democrats in the truest sense of the word. As such, we forever search for what is good and right for the people. With this ideal as our guide, tomorrows primary cannot be shaded by selfish ambition or the perceived personal grievance between this or that person. Something much greater waits in the balance. What is at stake is nothing less than the future of the people of this state and how we can best maximise our collective destiny. By resort to direct primaries, the party places the peoples future soundly in their hands. As democracy would have it, you shall be the authors of the partys nomination and hopefully our next state government. I trust in the wisdom of the people and will abide it. However, as a leader of the party and as a former governor of our beloved and excellent Lagos, I would be remiss if I did not make a few observations regarding the primary. My goal is and shall always be a better Lagos. To this objective, I have dedicated the greater part of my public life. Roughly 20 years ago, a corps of dedicated and patriotic Lagosians, put aside personal interests and rivalries, to put their minds and best ideas together for the good of the state. Out of this collaborative effort, was born a master plan for economic development that would improve the daily lives of our people. Bestowed on me was the honour of a lifetime when I was elected to be your governor in 1999. My administration faithfully implemented that plan. The government of my immediate successor, Tunde Fashola, also honoured this enlightened plan. Where state government remained true to that blueprint, positive things happened. During my tenure and Governor Fasholas, Lagos state recorded improvements in all aspects of our collective existence, from public health to public sanitation, from education to social services, from the administration of justice to the cleaning of storm and sewage drains. Businesses, large and small, invested, hired millions of workers and thrived. All Lagosians were to fully participate and justly benefit from the social dividends and improvements wrought by this plan. From the common labourer, to business leaders, to professionals and our industrious civil service. We all were to be partners in a monumental but joint enterprise None was to be alienated. None was to be left out. And none were to be pushed aside. This is especially true for those who contributed so much to our development, whether as a business leader who has invested heavily in Lagos. The homeowner who struggles to pay his fair share of taxes or as someone employed in the hard work of keeping our streets and byways clean so that others may go about their daily tasks unimpeded. I make no pretence that the master plan is perfect. It can always be fine-tuned. However, whenever a government departed from this plan without compelling reason, the state and its people have borne the painful consequence of the improper departure. I am encouraged by the emergence of a candidate in this primary who has served the state in senior positions in my administration, the Fashola administration and even in the current one. While possessing a wealth of experience and exposure, he is a young man endowed with superlative vision and commitment. Most importantly, he understands the importance of the blueprint for development. He esteems it as a reliable and well-conceived vehicle for the future development of the state. He also knows the value of reaching out and working with others in order to maximize development and provide people the best leadership possible. Photo: Facebook UPDATE SEPT 30, 2014 Foul play has been ruled out in the death of a 19-year-old Vernon teen. Dylan Cordell Hanna was discovered unresponsive outside his home, in an oil-field workers camp in Kindersley, Saskatchewan, on Sept 14 around 6 a.m. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where attempts to revive him were unsuccessful. At first RCMP were treating the death as suspicious and an autopsy was conducted in Saskatoon on September 16. The autopsy concluded there was no foul play. Hanna was from the Vernon area and attended Kalamalka Secondary School before he moved to Saskatchewan to find work. ORIGINAL - SEPT 15, 2014 The death of a 19-year-old Vernon teen in Saskatchewan is now being investigated by RCMP. Dylan Cordell Hanna was discovered unresponsive outside his home in a oil-field workers camp in Kindersley, Saskatchewan Sunday morning around 6 a.m. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where attempts to revive him were unsuccessful. Kindersley RCMP have since entered into this sudden death investigation and are treating it as suspicious, states Sgt. Geoff Buxcey. He says that Kindersley RCMP, Major Crimes, Saskatoon Forensic Identification Services and the provincial coroner's office are now all involved in the investigation. Buxcey says that many employees from various oilfield companies live in the camp while working in the Kindersley area, located in an industrial area on the west side of the community. Hanna was from the Vernon area and attended Kalamalka Secondary School, but had moved to Saskatchewan for work. Today, his Facebook page is flooded with sadness and grief from friends and family learning of his death. The comments are filled with love and adoration for the man, friend, and person Hanna was. An autopsy is scheduled for later this week. Sanwo-Olu, also an APC governorship aspirant is believed to be Tinubus anointed candidate. ThisDay reports that Ambode was told by the APC national leader and some party leaders at a meeting of the Governors Advisory Council (GAC) on Friday, September 28, 2018, to step down for Jide Sanwo-Olu. According to a source who spoke on conditions of anonymity, the Lagos state Governor looked Tinubu in the face and said no. The source said Ambode told the APC leader that he will not step down for any governorship aspirants on the ground that it is undemocratic." It is believed that some members of the GAC, which is the highest advisory political organ in Lagos state has directed that Ambode and Sanwo-Olu be allowed to fight it out at the primaries after the Lagos state Governor gave his reasons for deciding to run for a second term. Another APC chieftain who spoke to ThisDay said they are threatening to impeach him should he refused to bow to their demand to withdraw. The incumbent governor, who is traditionally entitled to another term is being harassed and intimidated by Tinubus political machine to withdraw for their new man, even though the governor had agreed to subject himself to primary. They are boasting that they will direct the State House of Assembly to immediatly begin impeachment proceedings against him. Osinbajo warns ThisDay also reports that Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo met with APC leaders in Lagos and warned them of the consequences of denying Ambode a second ticket. Osinbajo reportedly said that he was sent to Lagos by Buhari to try and reason with APC leaders in the state. A party source added that Osinbajo frankly told the GAC leaders that Lagos State Senate Caucus has endorsed Ambode. He referred to the endorsement of the chairmen of 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs. At the meeting, he said Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila had led the House of Representatives Caucus in the state to endorse Ambode. The whole world knows that all these personalities have endorsed Ambode and all of a sudden, what shall we tell the world now that Ambode has done wrong all of a sudden after all the endorsements that you have made to warrant your current position? Osinbajo specifically asked the GAC leaders: Will it be enough to tell the whole world that it is for our own selfish interest that we are saying that we are not going to endorse Ambode? Is it because Ambode has not performed? Ambode has performed and everybody knows that. The Slovak daily Dennik N wrote Sunday the woman, who is the fourth suspect arrested, had "ordered" the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova in February. But Daniel Lipsic, a lawyer for the Kuciak family, said the woman was more of an intermediary because "the murderer absolutely could not know who ordered the crime." Local media said the woman had worked as an interpreter for Slovak entrepreneur Marian Kocner, whose business activities were the subject of an investigation by Kuciak. He was probing alleged links between Italian organised crime and Slovak politicians when he and Kusnirova were murdered at their home. Issoufou has pledged to modernize security and defence forces in the West African state if voters grant him a second term, and develop gold and phosphate sites in a bid to improve living standards in one of the world's poorest countries. Niger produces uranium and oil but is ranked last in the U.N.'s Human Development Index and has one of the world's highest fertility rates. Issoufou has also said he will promote family planning during his second term. Issoufou faces 14 candidates, four of them members of an opposition coalition led by Seyni Oumaru, to lead a country that views itself as an island of stability amid neighbours such as Mali, Libya and Nigeria who are confronting Islamist militants. Niger is not immune, however. Boko Haram, based in Nigeria, has been blamed for a series of suicide bombings and other attacks in recent months, forcing authorities to declare a state of emergency in the southeastern region of Diffa. Critics say Issoufou has resorted to repression of political rivals, arresting opposition supporters for participating in unregistered protests over the arrest of one of their leaders, and banning a rally last November and in January. In addition, one major opposition candidate, Hama Amadou, a former parliament head and one-time Issoufou ally, has spent the campaign in jail on charges related to a baby-trafficking ring. He denies the charges and says they are politically motivated. The government says it respects the rule of law. In another sign of increased tension, anti-riot forces are stationed at intersections in the capital Niamey and conduct night patrols in the wake of what the government said was a coup attempt in December. CAMPAIGN POSTERS The walls of streets in the capital Niamey are plastered with photographs, pennants and banners of the candidates, but municipal authorities, citing security concerns, have banned the parades of cars common on the campaign trail. Hamadou Saley, an opposition supporter, said Niger has no history of electoral violence. "We can protest peacefully to show our disapproval but things can only degenerate if authorities unjustly employ brutal force," said Saley. Issoufou, who was born in 1951, won an election in 2011, a year after a coup. Under election rules, a run-off will be held if no candidate secures an outright victory on Sunday, and opposition leaders acknowledge they face an uphill struggle. Issoufou's challengers include Amadou, 2011 second-place finisher Oumaru and ex-president Mahamane Ousmane. An opposition bloc has been formed to block Issoufou from winning in a second round by supporting his opponent and guarding against fraud. Around 5,200 candidates will vie for 171 legislative seats on the same day as the presidential race. Skirmishes took place between the two sets of demonstrators while police also charged at separatists several times after they tried to cross a security cordon and threw paint and other objects. Six people were arrested, Catalan police said, while 24 demonstrators were injured, according to medical services. "Of course we want to support our colleagues who carried out their duty last year, to defend the law," Daniel, a 31-year-old policeman from the Balearic islands told AFP. "The protest is to assert our rights and we are doing it in Barcelona because it is a big European city.... We did not come here to provoke," he added. jpegMpeg4-1280x720The national police and the civil guard, which are funded by central government, are calling for their pay to be brought into line with police in Catalonia and the Basque country who receive a supplement from their regional governments. The Catalan government, then led by Carles Puigdemont, on October 1, 2017, held a referendum on independence for the region deemed illegal by the Spanish courts. Sunday's reported pullout of fighters and their heavy arms from areas near Idlib is the first indication that the landmark deal is being implemented. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Faylaq al-Sham rebel group began leaving parts of the neighbouring province of Aleppo on Sunday "with heavy weapons, including tanks and cannons". Faylaq al-Sham has some 8,500 to 10,000 fighters who are part of a Turkish-backed alliance known as the National Liberation Front (NLF). The NLF, according to Abdel Rahman, is "the second most powerful group in northern Syria in terms of military equipment and the third largest in terms of manpower". It cautiously accepted the Idlib agreement just over a week ago, pledging "full cooperation" with Turkey. There was no immediate comment from Faylaq al-Rahman on Sunday's withdrawals, and it was unclear whether other NLF factions were preparing to do the same. Jihadists, rebels split on deal On September 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to set up a demilitarised zone about 15 to 20 kilometres wide ringing around Idlib. All factions in the planned buffer must hand over their heavy weapons by October 10, and radical groups must withdraw by October 15, according to the agreement. The deal was welcomed by world powers, aid organisations, and the United Nations, which all hoped it would help avoid a bloody military assault on the area. But observers have pointed out its implementation would be tricky for Ankara. Most of the territory where the zone would be established is controlled by either hardline jihadists or by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which is led by former members of Al-Qaeda's Syria branch and widely considered the most powerful force in Idlib. The rest is held by the NLF and other rebels. HTS has yet to announce its position on the agreement, and there have been no signs it was moving out either fighters or heavy weapons. But Al-Qaeda loyalists Hurras al-Deen, which have a presence in the zone, rejected the deal last week. And on Saturday, formerly US-backed rebel group Jaish al-Izza followed suit. "We are against this deal, which eats into liberated (rebel-held) areas and bails out Bashar al-Assad," its head Jamil al-Saleh told AFP. Jaish al-Izza, which is not part of the NLF, clashed with regime forces throughout the night on Saturday and into Sunday in the province of Hama, bordering Idlib. 'Purge' fighters Separate clashes were also taking place in the coastal province of Latakia between jihadists and government fighters, said the Observatory on Sunday. Idlib and adjacent rebel territory are home to some three million people, about half of them displaced from other parts of Syria. Seven years of brutal war have forced more than half of Syria's people out of their homes, sending more than five million into neighbouring countries to seek refuge and leaving another six million internally displaced. After losing swathes of territory to rebel fighters, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad appears to have regained the upper hand and now controls around two-thirds of the country. The areas still escaping his control are Idlib in the northwest, and a northeastern chunk held by Kurdish authorities where US and other Western troops are present. New Zealand is set to receive an increase in cruise ship visits this summer, the New Zealand Cruise Association says. The busy summer cruise season has started, with 975 visits from 41 cruise ships expected this year. Kevin OSullivan, New Zealand Cruise Association CEO, says everybody loves coming to New Zealand. The number of cruise ships entering New Zealand has risen by 30 percent, Mr OSullivan says. He says cruise travellers enjoy concerts every night, fancy cuisine, and day spa and beauty treatments on board. Majestic Princess, Australasias newest cruise ship, sails into the South Island this week on its maiden voyage around New Zealand. It will arrive in Auckland next weekend. The New Zealand Cruise Association says 131 cruise ships are expected to dock in Auckland this season. But Mr O'Sullivan told RadioLIVE other cruise companies seeking to visit the city are struggling due to poor infrastructure at the port. "There is already interest from various companies who want to come [to New Zealand] but it is critical on having adequate infrastructure," O'Sullivan said. Earlier this year, Auckland Chamber of Commerce said revenue of up to $40m was being lost for Auckland businesses because of delays extending Queens Wharf. Listen to the interview with Kevin OSullivan above. Weekend Life - the Sunday edition, 10am-2pm Sunday on RadioLIVE and streaming live to the rova app on Android and iPhone. RadioLIVE. One of the last forested areas in New Zealand to be infected with possums is now in big trouble. Large mature Rata, Rimu and Totara are left like ghosts due to intensive possum browsing and the native animal life is a shadow of what it used to be in living memory. Forest & Birds Northland spokesman Dean Baigent-Mercer says we should never accept this as a new normal and has a plea for action. Mr Baigent-Mercer also has a few strident things to say about 1080 poison and environmental sabotage. See a classy video about it here. Note: Since this interview was recorded aerial 1080 treatment of the Russell Forest has begun. Listen to the full interview with Dean Baigent-Mercer above. Weekend Variety Wireless with Graeme Hill, 8pm - midnight Saturdays and Sundays, on RadioLIVE and streaming live to the Rova app on Android and iPhone. RadioLIVE. 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: B.M.V. Riesling, 2017 Winery: Quails Gate, West Kelowna Why drink it? Its not often (or perhaps ever), that an age-worthy Riesling comes along in the Okanagan, but this barrel-fermented version can be enjoyed now or in a couple of years. Beautiful aromas of peach blossoms and the scent of a fresh rain storm on warm asphalt will remind you of a Germanic Riesling, and the off-dry style is balanced with sharp green apple and lime zest. Those flavours mingle with Okanagan stone fruits, zippy acidity that leads to a lengthy finish and a rich mouthfeel, thanks to the barrel treatment. Unique, and sure to elicit an, oh, thats different," comment or two. Price: $30 Pair with: An accidental snack of salted cashews and sunflower seeds worked well, but if youre not rushing out the door, steelhead trout with a side of basmati rice or another mildly-spiced dish will be delightful, as will a course of soft cheeses as a finale to dinner. Music pairing: Forever in Blue Jeans, Neil Diamond Have a wine to suggest? Email Allison at [email protected] What do whales drink? Do fish drink? Dr Rochelle Constantine joins RadioLIVE's Graeme Hill to take a look at the plight of the Northern hemisphere Orca that are facing extinction around Scotland. Rochelle also looks at whats really going on with that octopus slap from the Kaikoura seal? See the video here. US broadcaster CBS is launching a production studio in Canada. Americas Most-Watched Network leased 260,000 square feet outside of Toronto to serve as its hub for film and TV production. The space includes six sound stages, offices and support facilities.The expansion is part of a plan to better support its original content efforts, which include NCIS and Madam Secretary for CBS, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend for the CW and American Vandal for Netflix.In all, CBS Television Studios is producing 63 shows this season; and, it already shoots some of those productions in Canada. These include its popular Star Trek: Discovery, series, which airs on its All Access streaming network.CBS has a strong production history in Canada, said David Stapf, president of CBS Television Studios . The Toronto area specifically has provided our series with diverse and appealing locations, as well as production infrastructure and crafts expertise that cannot be easily found. These new stages will provide valuable resources and additional capacity for our companys growing production slate.The new studio, in the Mississauga suburb of Toronto, is expected to open in mid-2019.Productions in Canada support the development of local talent and provide good middle-class jobs for tens of thousands of Canadians, said Simon Ross, a spokesman for the ministry of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism. This proposed investment is a vote of confidence in the world-class abilities of our artists and creators. We will continue to support this important industry so that our creators can continue to succeed on the world stage. 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 A lot goes on around Athens and UGA campus and sometimes it can be hard to keep up. From Geo On the heels of its houses 50th anniversary, Delta Gamma is in the process of renovating its house to match the look of Milledge Avenue thr Kellyanne Conway cleared her throat for what she was about to say. "I'm a victim of sexual assault," President Donald Trump's adviser told CNN on Sunday. Conway and anchor Jake Tapper were discussing the political edges of sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh after the Supreme Court nominee's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. A final vote on his nomination has been delayed to allow time for the FBI to investigate those allegations. "I feel very empathetic, frankly, for victims of sexual assault, sexual harassment and rape," Conway said during the interview on "State of the Union." Then she paused and made her revelation. "This is the first time I've ever heard you talk about something personal like that, and I'm really sorry," said Tapper, who, like Conway herself, appeared taken aback. "I've just had it," she replied, referring to what she characterized as politically motivated accusations. She said that perpetrators should bear the responsibility for their actions but that conservatives have become targets for political score settling. "I don't expect Judge Kavanaugh or Jake Tapper or [Senator] Jeff Flake or anybody to be held responsible for that," she said, appearing to speak about her experience. "You have to be responsible for your own conduct." Conway did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It is notable that she made the revelation on CNN, the network Trump has often accused of being biased and broadcasting "fake news." Tapper said that Conway's boss, the president, has been the subject of numerous sexual assault allegations and has said that the women lied. "Don't conflate that with this, and certainly don't conflate that with what happened to me," she told Tapper. Conway said the women making the allegations against Kavanaugh should be heard through the criminal justice system but not through partisan avenues. "We do treat people differently who are either the victims or perpetrators of this based on their politics now or based on their gender now. That is a huge mistake," she said. She then turned to the camera briefly and said, "America, it's a huge mistake." Conway previously defended Christine Blasey Ford, who on Thursday testified that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her in the early 1980s when they were high school students. He has denied the allegation. Ford "should not be insulted, and she should not be ignored," Conway said on Fox News Channel after Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. appeared to mock the allegations against Kavanaugh on social media before Ford's claims were publicly revealed by The Washington Post on Sept. 16. Conway said Ford "should be heard," but, she added, "so should he," referring to Kavanaugh. On Sunday, before she even left the CNN set, she appeared to anticipate the social media and talk show backlash over her loyalty to Trump in the face of assault accusations against him and lewd statements he has made about women. " 'How could she work for Donald Trump?' I work for President Trump because he's so good to the women who work for him," she said. "So, I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear it from any of them." Photo: Colton Davies Two small fires lit 10 minutes apart in Penticton early Saturday morning are being treated as suspicious. Fire crews were originally called to a fire at 4:11 a.m. at a unit at the Shielings Motel, at the corner of South Main Street and Galt Avenue. Penticton Fire Department Capt. Graham Gowe said the small fire was limited to the exterior of the unit. At 4:22 a.m., another fire was reported just down the street at the Habitat for Humanity thrift store, located at the corner of Galt Avenue and Skaha Lake Road. Gowe said that blaze was on the doormat in front of the building. There were no reports of structural damage in either of the incidents, as Gowe noted both were put out with a pressurized water can. He said fire investigators and RCMP are looking into the causes of both blazes. LITCHFIELD The Oliver Wolcott Library recently welcomed one new trustee and a new slate of officers, who were elected at its annual meeting in September and subsequent board meeting. Trustees share many responsibilities and play a vital role in ensuring the Oliver Wolcott Library remains a vibrant cultural and educational center that enlightens, entertains and informs. The board provides strategic vision, oversees its financial needs and responsibilities including fundraising, and advocates for the library. More for you Litchfield library hires new children's librarian, assistant The 2018-19 board includes officers Maura Malo elected for her first term as president, Susan Pasquariello re-elected for her second term as vice president, Phillip Miller re-elected for his third term as treasurer and Cara Blazier elected for her first term as secretary. The newest trustee elected for his first term is Tim Breslin. Other trustees on the board include: Colette Boyd, Egils Bogdanovics M.D., Kyra Hartnett, Todd Johnson and John Morosani. OWL Board President Maura Malo is the Senior Vice President and Chief Risk Officer for Connecticut Mutual Holding Company (CMHC). CMHC is a mutual holding company that owns Litchfield Bancorp, Northwest Community Bank, and Collinsville Savings Society. Maura earned her B.S. in Business Administration from Western New England College and MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She serves as a Girl Scout leader and Treasurer of the Board of Directors of Five Points Gallery in Torrington, past president and board member of the Junior Womens Club of Litchfield Hills, and was a recipient of the 2013 New Leaders in Banking award. For the last two years, she also served as the librarys secretary. She lives in Litchfield with her husband and two daughters. OWL Vice President Susan Pasquariello is serving her third year as the librarys annual Fund Drive chairwoman. She has been involved in the library for decades. She last served on the board in 2001- 2006 as secretary, and also served in the 1980s as board president. At that time she was on the leadership and planning committee which undertook the addition of the community room and computer area to the library. When not on the board, she remained active, volunteering for the librarys annual Festival of Trees, and serving three years on the finance committee. Susan served two terms on the Seherr-Thoss Foundations as a director and as secretary and past program chair and president of the Womens Forum. Pasquariello attended college and graduate school in Virginia and Maryland. She resides in Litchfield with her husband. OWL Treasurer Philip Miller recently retired from the investment business. During his career he oversaw institutional portfolios and mutual funds as a managing director at Smith Barney in New York. Most recently he was affiliated with Scholtz and Company where he managed high net-worth clients. He earned his BA at Wesleyan University and served in the Peace Corps in Venezuela. He is a member of Trinity Milton Episcopal Church and has served on the boards of the Litchfield Historical Society, the Litchfield Country Club and the University Club. Miller lives in Goshen with his wife. OWL Board Secretary Cara Blazier is a retired clinical social worker. Prior to this, she was the assistant director of the music library at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Blazier holds a BS from Emerson College, a Master of Social Work from New York University and a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard University. For the last two years, she has served as co-chair of the librarys Festival Sponsorship Committee. She also serves on the board of the Litchfield Historial Society, where she co-chairs the Membership Committee. For the Litchfield Aid of the CJR, shea serves as the membership recruitment co-chair, and at Friends in Service to Humanity (FISH) she assists with fundraising efforts. She resides in Litchfield with her husband. The librarys newest trustee, Tim Breslin, is a consultant to Connecticut public schools. He has served as Principal of Farmington High School and principal of Litchfield High School. He was selected as High School Principal of the year in 2009. Breslin earned his Ph.D. from Duke University and earned his masters degree from Johns Hopkins University. He is also a member of the Litchfield Housing Trust. India's foreign minister has accused Pakistan of harboring terrorists in an angry speech before the United Nations General Assembly. Speaking to the UN gathering on September 29, Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj rejected the notion that India is sabotaging peace talks with Pakistan, calling it "a complete lie." Hours after her speech, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi responded in his speech to the General Assembly by declaring that India "preferred politics over peace." Swaraj pointed to the fact that Osama bin Laden lived quietly in Pakistan before he was found and killed by a U.S. Navy SEAL team. She also said the mastermind of a 2008 attack that killed 168 people in Mumbai, India, "still roams the streets of Pakistan with impunity." Pakistan says there is not enough evidence to arrest the suspect. "In our case, terrorism is bred not in some faraway land but across our border to the west," Swaraj told the UN. "Our neighbor's expertise is not restricted to spawning grounds for terrorism. It is also an expert in trying to mask malevolence with verbal duplicity." Swaraj and Qureshi were supposed to meet on the sidelines of the UN gathering this week. But India called off the meeting one day after it was announced, following the killing of an Indian border guard in the disputed region of Kashmir. Qureshi said it was the third time that the current Indian administration had called off talks, "each time on flimsy grounds." Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP Iraqs Kurdistan region has held long-delayed parliamentary elections, amid growing discontent with perceived corruption and economic hardship. More than 700 candidates were vying for 111 seats in the September 30 vote in the oil-producing region. Eleven seats are reserved for members of religious and ethnic minorities: five for Turkmen candidates; five for Christians; and one for the Armenian community. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and its rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), which have long dominated Kurdish politics, were expected to win the lion's share of the vote. However, the PUK said it will not recognize the election results, citing fraud in the voting process, according to the Reuters news agency. The elections come a year after the region, which gained autonomous status after the 1991 Gulf War, made a failed bid to break away from the rest of Iraq. The last parliamentary elections were in 2013, but the assembly stopped meeting in 2015 amid internal political tensions and the war against the extremist group Islamic State. The political deadlock also delayed new elections, which were originally planned for November 2017. Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters Photo: Oliver Daily News Emergency crews responded to a smoking water truck ditched in rural Oliver Saturday, which they believed had been stolen. The truck's brakes were smoking when fire crews arrived to it at about 2:30 p.m., on Secrest Hill Road near the Loose Bay campground. The water truck was unoccupied when crews arrived. It's unclear if the driver or owner of the vehicle has been tracked down. The Oliver Fire Department did not immediately respond to comment on the incident. - with files from Oliver Daily News Voters in Macedonia's capital, Skopje, are casting their ballots in a referendum over a possible change in the country's official name. The September 30 nonbinding plebiscite will show the extent of popular support for an agreement reached in June with Greece, which has regional and historical objections to the name Macedonia being used by another country. The agreement stipulates that Macedonia change its name to the Republic of North Macedonia. Ending the name dispute also paves the way for the country's accession to the European Union and NATO. Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has cast his ballot in the country's referendum over its possible name change. Zaev told journalists after he voted on September 30 in his home city of Strumica: "I believe very much that a huge, huge majority will be in favor." A resolution of the long-standing name dispute with Greece would enable Macedonia to apply for EU and NATO membership. The cotton harvest has just started in Uzbekistan and will continue for the next several weeks. During the 25 years that Islam Karimov was president, Uzbekistan habitually resorted to conscripting people into the fields during harvest time. For most of those 25 years that included children, but international complaints and boycotts by leading international clothing brands forced Uzbek authorities to stop sending children into the cotton fields. Instead, authorities increased the number of adults who were forced into the cotton fields during harvest season, more than 1 million of them annually, according to organizations such as the Cotton Campaign. Local officials were tasked with sending a certain number of people into the cotton fields, including university students, teachers, medical workers, local state employees, and others. Uzbekistans new president, Shavkat Mirziyoev, promised shortly after coming to power in late 2016 that he would end the practice of using forced labor in Uzbekistans cotton fields. On this week's Majlis podcast, RFE/RL's media-relations manager, Muhammad Tahir, moderates a discussion that looks at whether Mirziyoevs government has fulfilled this promise. From Uzbekistan, Jonas Astrup, the chief technical adviser in Uzbekistan for the International Labor Organization, a group that has been monitoring the use of forced labor in Uzbekistans cotton fields, joins the talk. From Germany, Umida Niyazova of the Uzbek-German Forum for Human Rights, a partner in the Cotton Campaign, also participates. From RFE/RLs Uzbek Service, known locally as Ozodlik, Laziz Omilov, who heads Ozodliks special project on the cotton campaign Pakhtagram sat in on the session. And I've picked some Uzbek cotton in my day, so I had a few things to say also. Listen to the podcast above or subscribe to the Majlis on iTunes. Russians have staged small rallies in several cities to protest against an unpopular plan to raise the eligibility age for retirement pensions by five years. Reports said up to 300 people attended a sanctioned demonstration in the Urals city of Orenburg on September 30, days after the lower chamber of Russia's parliament approved a bill to lift the retirement age to 65 for men and 60 for women. Smaller protests were also reported in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, Omsk in Siberia, and Votkinsk in the Urals. The pension reform has sparked controversy, and opinion polls have shown President Vladimir Putin's popularity dip since the plan was unveiled earlier this year. Older Russians worry they won't live long enough to collect benefits. Younger Russians fear keeping people in work for longer could diminish their chances of finding a job. In Orenburg, the protesters voiced opposition to the pension reform but also called for a referendum on whether to reinstate direct elections for the heads of the Orenburg regions cities and districts, according to local newspaper Ural56. The demand comes after Orenburg Mayor Yevgeny Arapov and his deputy were detained in August on suspicion of receiving a bribe. About 100 people attended a protest in Rostov-on-Don during which Russian leaders were accused of stealing pensions but also freedom, peace, truth, dignity, and honor. Putin was blamed for raising the retirement age, as well as taxes, and the prices of food, gasoline, housing, and communal services. In the outskirts of Omsk, a small rally organized by the Communist Party and Yabloko called on the authorities to abandon the pension reform. The participants also criticized the regional electoral commission for failing to register an application calling for a referendum on the matter. And in Votkinsk in the Udmurtia region, the organizers of a rally accused Russian officials of "lying about the pension reform, Ekho Moskvy radio reported. On September 27, the State Duma approved in its third and final reading the bill to raise the retirement age. The proposed legislation now needs to be passed in the parliament's upper chamber, the Federation Council, and then signed by Putin to become law. In a monumental turnaround, authorities in a southern Tajik town have removed a statue honoring a revered native son, the Siberian ibex, after residents complained it was harming their image. The statue of the majestic wild goat that roams the mountains surrounding Muminobod, in southern Khatlon Province, was perched atop a rocky plinth in the town's Abdullo Davlatov neighborhood four years ago in admiration. The cloven-hoofed monument proved to be widely unpopular with residents, however, who felt that it was the source of local mockery. Qudrat Nozimov says that people in other areas of the town and beyond soon started calling the neighborhood "that goat place" or just the "Goat." "They refer to us as 'the one from the Goat' and it sounds insulting," Nozimov told RFE/RL's Tajik Service. "In our slang, goat also means a liar. That's why the residents didn't like it," explained another resident, Nurullo Hasanov. Local authorities began receiving demands for the statue to be removed and relocated elsewhere, according to Muminobod head Sabohat Mirzoeva. When their demands were not answered, residents took out their ire on the statue itself, leaving it without its trademark long, curved horns, and breaking its legs. "We don't know who was doing that," Mirzoeva said on September 24. "The statue was meant to honor our district's agricultural sector and natural wildlife, but it was completely misinterpreted by people," the official added. Mirzoeva said that the statue was removed earlier this month "due to residents' demands" and is expected to be restored and repainted before being erected at a different location. Video taken from the scene shows the lifeless, hornless statue lying in the dirt in front of its plinth, which is now slated to serve as the base for a fountain: Written by Farangis Najibullah based on reporting by RFE/RL Tajik Service correspondent Mumin Ahmadi Three boys have been reported killed and another injured by a land mine in a separatist-controlled town in eastern Ukraine. The separatist leaders in the Donetsk region said the explosion occurred on September 30 in the industrial frontline town of Horlivka, 30 kilometers north of the city of Donetsk. The area has seen heavy fighting between the Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian government forces. Horlivka Mayor Ivan Prikhodko wrote in a social-media post that the dead were all aged between 13 and 15. A fourth boy, aged 10, was injured in the explosion and was being treated in hospital for shrapnel injuries, he wrote. Prikhodko told the AFP news agency that the group had gone for a walk, adding, They found an abandoned house and were just looking for adventure." "We are constantly confronted [by the problem of mines] and I think it is something that will continue for some time," the mayor added. More than 10,300 people have been killed since April 2014 in the war in eastern Ukraine, where separatists continue to hold parts of the Donestk and Luhansk provinces. Peace accords signed in Belaruss capital, Minsk, in September 2014 and February 2015, have failed to put an end to the fighting. Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 30) The country's top diplomat addressed the United Nations (UN) General Assembly Saturday in New York City, saying the changes in the country were for the benefit of all Filipinos. Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano clarified the government is not turning its backs on human rights, even if some would interpret their methods as otherwise. "On the contrary, we are instituting all of these reforms to be able to protect the rights of every single Filipino," he said. However, Cayetano did not specify which reforms he was referring to. He also said the country was on track in saving the country from becoming a narco-state, "or a state held hostage by the rich and powerful who ignore the plight of the poor, powerless and marginalized, or both." The Philippines, under President Rodrigo Duterte, Cayetano said was "uncompromising" when it came to issues of rule of law. However, the Secretary added, "But in cases where we have to choose between protecting the rights of law-abiding citizens and law enforcers versus the rights of drug lords and criminals, it is clear we will protect the former." Cayetano addressed the UN two days after President Rodrigo Duterte said on Thursday that his only "sin" was extrajudicial killings. UN Special Rapporteur on summary and arbitrary executions called Duterte's remarks an "extraordinary statement by a Head of State." The chief presidential legal counsel maintains that the President's remark was taken out of context and "being twisted" by his critics. "The hunger for change, for peace, for law and order is genuine. There is passion to improve our economy so that 10 million Filipinos abroad may choose to work at home or abroad, and not be forced by poverty to find high-paying jobs at the expense of leaving the country and separating from their families. And those at home may at the very least live a safe and comfortable life," Cayetano told the UN assembly. In May, the country signed a deal with Kuwait, offering better protection for domestic workers in the Gulf state. Earlier this month, Duterte said in his arrival speech after official visits to Israel and Jordan , labor deals were also signed ro protect Filipino workers in both countries. Photo: LNG Canada A rendering of the proposed LNG Canada facility near Kitimat in northwest B.C. It's believed a decision could be made this week by LNG Canada on its proposed liquid natural gas export terminal in the Kitimat area, worth an estimated $40 billion. One report indicated LNG Canada is planning an announcement on its project plan for Oct. 5. The project would be the biggest capital investment ever in B.C., and producers said it could create a wave of demand to soak up natural gas in Western Canada. According to Steve Laut with Canadian Natural Resources, the project in Kitimat would lead to a streamlined market for gas companies. He noted those companies are currently discouraged from upping production in Canada due to pipeline capacity shortfalls and low U.S. prices. While it's believed to be an economic boon, many have also sounded the alarm of the environmental impact the project would have due to its greenhouse gas emissions. Green Party leader Andrew Weaver said an LNG project would nullify efforts to reduce emissions, which the provincial government is mandated to do in legislation. Premier John Horgan has offered tax breaks to LNG Canada if they choose to go ahead with the project. The company is owned 50 per cent by Shell and other shareholders are PetroChina, Korea Gas Corporation and Mitsubishi. - with files from CTV Vancouver Government announces new head for Sintra Chetumal, Q.R. A new head has been announced for Sintra, Secretaria de Infraestructura y Transporte del Estado de Quintana Roo. The announcement comes after the new leader was appointed by William Conrado Alarcon, chief executive of the state. Replacing Alejandro Ramos Hernandez is Jorge Perez Perez, who is the new Director of Communications and Transportation for the state. Governor Carlos Joaquin reports that Jorge Perez Perez is a public accountant graduated from the National Polytechnic Institute with a postgraduate degree in Senior Management of Public Entities at the National Institute of Public Administration. He has extensive experience as a public servant, as he has served, among other positions, as General Director of Operations of the Secretariat of Economic and Social Development, and the Secretariat of Social Development. He has also served as General Director of the Housing Institute of Quintana Roo, General Director of Administration and Finance of the Federal Secretariat of Tourism and as President of the Board of Directors of the Institute of Public Administration of the State of Quintana Roo, AC. The Okanagan Antique Boat Show returned to Penticton on Saturday for the first time in nine years, and organizers said the turnout was near "full capacity." Event chair Jim Cooper said 18 vintage, restored boats were on display from around the Okanagan as well as the Vancouver and Seattle areas. The public was able to walk through and observe the classy vessels, moored on Okanagan Lake behind the Penticton Lakeside Resort. Many of the boats are more than 60 years old. Cooper said his was originally built in 1924. The boat show has been taking place in the Okanagan for about two decades. It was last held in Penticton 2009 and was supposed to return last year in June, but flooding on the lake cancelled the event. "It's a great venue here... It's kind of a good fit here for everybody," Cooper said. He noted the show has been held in Sicamous for the past five years, and said Penticton cuts down the travel distance for many participants. "We really like this spot, we'd like to make this kind of a permanent home if we can." Cooper said the classic boat hobby could be compared to that of classic cars, and he added costs of the hobby are reasonable and can easily vary. "People that love woodworking, mechanics and fiddling around with engines and stuff, it attracts those types of people. And it's not necessarily as expensive as one might think." Photographer Mike Biden was on hand to snap photos of some of the vintage vessels that were part of Saturday's show, as seen in the gallery above. Photo: Phantom Creek Estates A render of the Phantom Creek Estate Winery on Black Sage Road south of Oliver, currently under construction. Regional district staff are recommending board members to "authorize" a mega-winery's plan to add a fine-dining restaurant to its facility near Oliver, despite citing concerns with the restaurant being on agricultural land. The $100-million Phantom Creek Estates Winery is currently under construction at 4315 Black Sage Road, south of Oliver, and needs additional approval for the restaurant since it is proposed on land part of the Agricultural Land Reserve. In a report to board members, the winery said the restaurant would support its sales and marketing objectives. "We want to attract new, discerning guests to Phantom Creek with a destination restaurant in the South Okanagan," the winery said. Planning supervisor Christopher Garrish said staff maintain reservations about authorizing restaurants within the ALR. "Namely, full-service restaurants potentially diminish the link between the agricultural operation and the retail outlet by allowing a restaurant to exist as an independent commercial entity," Garrish stated in a report. Other staff concerns included erosion to the agricultural land base "due to larger structures and expanded parking," as well as human impact and potential pressure for other non-farm-related amenities on ALR land. Garrish added such a facility would be better suited in the Town of Oliver, the "commercial hub" of that area. But, Garrish also pointed out the regional district board has previously signalled its support of restaurants being developed at wineries, even on ALR land. He added wording in the Official Community Plan for rural Oliver speaks to "clustering buildings," which he said is the case in this instance as the restaurant would be part of the winery already being built. Phantom Creek Estates is in the midst of building a 72,000-square-foot winery, and apart from the restaurant they're also planning to include an amphitheatre on the property. It's owned by businessman Richter Bai, a Chinese immigrant based in Richmond. The restaurant plan will require approval from the Agricultural Land Commission if "authorized" by the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen. The matter will go before board members on Thursday. Union minister Rajnath Singh Union minister Rajnath Singh Saturday expressed concern over man-made threats to environment, saying challenges are getting deeper with the passing time. While speaking on the opening ceremony of a global summit cum expo on science, spirituality and environment here, the Union home minister said human life is in danger on planet earth. He said humans are creating a danger for their own life. Pollution is increasing and fertility of soil is decreasing. This is getting deeper constantly and this is a matter of concern for all, he said. Environment-related challenges getting deeper Advertisement Highlighting the work done by Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya, Singh said the organisation has served the humankind by taking several initiatives like large scale plantation among others. "The Brahma Kumaris are working on how these challenges can be addressed," he said. He said science and spirituality compliment each other in Indian culture and the knowledge of science came from Vedas. Referring to the Natraja statue (of lord Shiva) in Europe's CERN laboratory, Singh said it signifies the rich knowledge of Indians on science. Singh also said that he felt spiritually connected to the place and suggested that politicians from other parties should also be called for such programmes. Chief Justice of India Deepak Mishra, who was also present here, said the organisation was giving the message of peace globally and serving the humankind. He said it was good to speak less and in low voice. However, he said, people find it difficult to speak sweet and good things. American actress Marla Maples said she has included vegetarian food and Rajyoga meditation in her lifestyle. Opening ceremony of a global summit cum expo on science Advertisement Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot, scientist Kartikeya Sarabhai, joint chief of Brahmakumaris Rajyogini Dadi Ratan Mohini also addressed the inaugural ceremony of the three-day event. Over 140 foreign delegates besides many Indians are participating in the global summit at the Brahma Kumaris' Shanti van at Abu Road in the Sirohi district of Rajasthan. Photo: City of Surrey Surrey City Hall Bribery, intimidation and fraud is being alleged in Surrey's municipal election race. Community group Wake Up Surrey has filed a complaint with Elections BC and the RCMP, alleging a criminal scheme to sway as many as 15,000 votes in the race. "This is a mass operation to influence the City of Surrey election and undermine our democratic process, member Sukhi Sandu told CTV. The group says South Asian voters report being pressured and intimidated to vote for specific candidates. The voters were assured, Dont worry about your vote, well take care of that for you,' said Sandu. He claims the scheme involves 600 poll captains, each tasked with influencing over 25 absentee mail-in ballots, meaning 10,00-15,000 could be targeted for manipulation. In the 2014 municipal election, just 500 absentee ballots were cast. The report alleges ballots have been obtained by forging signatures, or were cast without the knowledge of the actual voter. Some voters also reported being offered bribes of up to $400 to vote for a particular candidate, said Sandu. We believe that each campaign should condemn this, he said. with files from CTV Vancouver Photo: Ministry of Transportation/file Winter tires aren't required by law until Monday, but common sense would dictate you will need them today if you plan to drive the Okanagan Connector. Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement in effect for the Okanagan Connector from Merritt to Kelowna. An approaching low-pressure system combined with snow levels lowering to 1,200 to 1,500 metres will bring snow to Southern Interior highway passes today. Snowfall amounts of two to four centimetres can be expected through this afternoon, with up to to 10 cm on the Connector. Rain is expected over the Coquihalla summit and Allison Pass as snow levels are forecast to remain above these passes. Road conditions are available at www.drivebc.ca. Photo: Instagram Game of Thrones and Aquaman star Jason Momoa has been spotted out on the town in Vancouver. Momoa shared a photo on Instagram at Cioppinos Mediterranean Grill in Yaletown, Thursday, with pro athletes Mada Abdelhamid and Mainei Kinimaka. Celebrating with my Ohana @realdealmada @maineikinimaka today is the day. A new chapter. SEE begins," the actor wrote. Momoa is starring in the new Apple TV fantasy series, which is being shot in Vancouver. The Hawaiian he-man will be playing the lead, warrior Baba Voss. His Game of Thrones character Khal Drogo was killed off in the first season, but rumours are swirling he will make a back-from-the dead appearance in the final season of the series. with files from CTV Vancouver Photo: Contributed An exhibit that will be on display in Vernon at Gallery Vertigo is a collaboration of five local women artists. The theme of the exhibit, Ubuntu Five, is an African term describing 'relationships with others and how those relationships shape who we are.' The exhibit will be on display for the entire month of October. It is meant to portray community, interdependence and diversity. The variety of styles and media in the exhibit reflects the artist's personal views of what it is to be human. An opening reception will take place on Oct. 11, from 6 to 8 p.m. at which time you will have an opportunity to meet some of the artists. The artists are Lois Campbell (Vernon), Bonnie Jackson (Salmon Arm), Sandi Sasges (Vernon), Holly Smith (Vernon) and Mary Stebbins (Vernon). A serving Army Major was held after his domestic help accused him of raping her and then threatened her husband and drives him to commit suicide. The Delhi Police held the army man after the domestic help approached the cop. An FIR has been registered at Delhi Cantonment police station, but no arrest has been made so far. According to police, the woman alleged that she was raped on July 12, when her husband was away. The victim has also alleged that her husband returned and saw what was happening, following which the accused army major beat up the couple and threatened them. According to the domestic help statement, he raped her on other occasions, too, following which she went to her in-laws home but her husband stayed back. Later she got a call from the Major saying her husband had hanged himself. After which she approached police and, when that did not yield a response, a Delhi court. The woman has also raised doubts over claims that her husband committed suicide, police said. She fears for her and her son's life says cops. A case under IPC sections 376 (rape), 354 (molestation), 323 (causing hurt) and 506 (threatening) was registered against the Army Major. Police said they have summoned the accused and asked him to join the investigation. Mason Trinca / Special to The Chronicle San Francisco is expected to see its first rainfall in four months on Monday, according to the National Weather Service. The agency forecasts rain between 0.25 and 0.50 inches on Monday night and early Tuesday throughout most of the Bay Area, stretching from Sonoma County to Monterey County. Isolated rainfall of one inch or more cannot be ruled out, the Weather Service said. Sen. Kamala Harris, a possible presidential contender, has certainly been working Brett Kavanaughs Supreme Court hearings for all theyre worth. Harris has been a key leader in the opposition to Kavanaugh, and her prosecutorial rhetorical style answer yes or no has put Californias junior senator in the national spotlight. At the same time, her campaign operatives have been busy on social media, posting 3,600 different Facebook ads about Kavanaugh, according to the Wall Street Journal. No other senator appears to be doing as much Kavanaugh-related advertising on Facebook, the Journal reports. The ads highlight Kavanaughs opposition to Roe vs. Wade and encourage people to sign her petition opposing Kavanaughs confirmation. The Harris petition also links to a fundraising page suggesting contributions of $15 or more to her campaign. She isnt up for re-election, of course, until 2022. Those close to Team Harris say the goal is not necessarily to raise money but rather to collect thousands of email addresses of like-minded Democrats. That would help her create a nationwide database that could be tapped should Harris decide to make a major move. Its all part of a social media campaign Harris crew has been running since the night that President Trump was elected and Harris raised the resist banner she has been carrying ever since. Michael Macor / The Chronicle Rough ride: Skanska, the engineering firm responsible for the structural steel work at the Transbay Transit Center, where two cracked beams were discovered last week, is also at the center of a storm involving the $2.3 billion BART extension to the South Bay. Just this month it was reported that the opening of BARTs 10-mile extension from Fremont to new stations in Milpitas and San Jose could be delayed well into next year after it was discovered that workers had installed used or noncompliant communications equipment. The electronic components, which control everything from public-address systems to passenger information signs and fire alarms, need to be replaced. The general contractor for the BART extension is a joint venture of Skanska-Shimmick-Herzog, although the $1.2 million worth of communications equipment was installed by a subcontractor. A representative for Skanska referred us to the Valley Transportation Authority, which is overseeing construction of the BART extension. Authority spokeswoman Bernice Alaniz, said determining how the mistake happened is still under investigation, because there is a whole supply chain involved. In the meantime, subbing out the bad parts could push back the opening of the line from this year until the spring of 2019 or later. Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle Say what? If nothing else, the committee behind Proposition C the November ballot initiative that would tax large businesses and corporations to raise $300 million a year for homeless services certainly has a sense of humor. The Our City, Our Home 2018 committee just filed its latest campaign expenditure report showing that it has raised $335,318 since the start of the year. The group also reports spending about a third of the money on signature-gathering operations, consultants and campaign literature plus one $250 payment to the city and county of San Francisco for what is described as: Extortion. Seems the city requires all campaign consultants to pay a registration fee, and in this case David Looman, the treasurer for the Yes on Prop. C effort, had to come up with the fee. 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 is no reason for the city to charge that fee, except that (consultants) are a disrespected group, and the city can get away with it, Looman said. I think its evil. And finally: You have to hand it to the enterprising homeless camper near the Oakland Coliseum who made a killing at the two-day Rolling Loud Bay Area hip-hop festival. The guy cut the gate lock off a fence opposite the Coliseum BART Station parking lot, donned a yellow vest and held up a hand-made sign reading $20 Parking. A real bargain compared with the $40 being charged at the authorized lots. By the time police were called, the homeless attendant had parked at least 40 cars and collected a cash haul of at least $800 from their owners. And apparently, it wasnt the first time hed done it just the first time hed been caught. Were told the man wasnt arrested just given a cease-and-desist order. At least he didnt have to worry about his next meal, said Oakland City Council President Larry Reid, whose district includes the Coliseum. 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 California became the first state in the country to require that women be included on companies boards of directors, as Gov. Jerry Brown literally sent a message to Washington on Sunday in signing legislation that corporate associations opposed as unconstitutional. Brown signed SB826 into law after it passed the Assembly and the Senate last month. The bill mandates that all publicly traded California companies have at least one woman on their boards by the end of 2019. The requirement ramps up in 2021: Five-member boards will be expected to have two female members, and boards with six or more members will be expected to have three. In a signing statement, Brown acknowledged that serious legal objections have been raised about the bill. I dont minimize the potential flaw that indeed may prove fatal to its ultimate implementation. However, Brown added, recent events in Washington, D.C. and beyond make it crystal clear that many are not getting the message. ... Given all the special privileges that corporations have enjoyed for so long, its high time corporate boards include the people who constitute more than half of all persons in America. Now Playing: A new state law signed by Governor Jerry Brown this week is paving the way for people to legally sell food they've cooked in their homes. Video: KTVU Brown CCed his signing message to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which last week heard Palo Alto University psychology Professor Christine Blasey Ford accuse Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of trying to rape her when they were teenagers, along with Kavanaughs angry denial. Democratic Sen. Connie Leyva of Chino, a co-author of the bill, said, We know that when boards are diverse and womens voices are heard, its better for the whole workforce. She said the bill sends a big message to women that we value them, we respect them here in California. Co-author Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, added, Yet another glass ceiling is shattered, and women will finally have a seat at the table in corporate boardrooms. The bill cited studies by MSCI, Credit Suisse and UC Berkeley that found that companies with women on their boards have greater earnings per share, return on equity and transparency. As of late August, women held just 546, or 15.8 percent, of the 3,445 seats on boards of directors at the 467 publicly traded California companies in the Russell 300 index, according to Bloomberg. SB826 applies to companies whose main offices are in California, and also foreign companies whose U.S. headquarters in the state. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes It may leave some companies scrambling to find female board members. Opponents include the California Chamber of Commerce, the California Restaurant Association and the California Ambulance Association. CAA is opposed to SB 826 because it is likely unconstitutional and favors one element of a diverse workforce over all others, Chris Micheli, spokesman for the ambulance association, said in a statement. Gender is an important aspect of board diversity, but the state should not elevate this element over all other aspects of diversity. Not all companies opposed the requirement. Zendesk, a customer service software company in San Francisco, has met even the 2021 requirements of SB826, with women making up half of its board of directors. Zendesk spokeswoman Tiffany Apczynski characterized the gender makeup as an effort to reflect its desired global customer base. When you pass bills like this, what youre asking a company to do is rethink their entire recruiting and retention processes, Apczynski said. The problem historically, if you look at any questions of affirmative action where you put quota in the requirement, is suddenly theres this perception that youre going to get (a) less than 100 percent candidate, like the quality is going to diminish. To find female board members, corporations could turn to hubs like the Boardlist, a San Francisco company founded by StubHub President Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, that connects qualified women candidates with board opportunities. Rebecca Aydin is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: business@sfchronicle.com Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a bill that would let high-income California taxpayers circumvent the $10,000 limit on the federal income tax deduction for state and local taxes. SB539, by Sen. Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, was intended to expand a state program that gives people who donate to a program that distributes Cal Grants to college students a state tax credit equivalent to half of their donation. The new law would have increased the credit to 75 percent and doubled the amount of credits that can be given, to $1 billion. Silicon Valley has been arguing for days over the matter of founders or rather, whether founders matter. It started Monday when news broke that Instagrams co-founders, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, were leaving Facebook, the company that bought the photo-sharing app six years ago. This prompted instant hand-wringing: Would Instagram lose its way without its founders? Who would keep it on track? Who would stand up to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg? How could anyone match the moral authority of a founder? I was thinking about these questions the next day, as Marc Benioff, a co-founder of Salesforce, prowled the stage at Dreamforce, his companys annual software conference that draws more than 170,000 people to downtown San Francisco. Under his watch, the company has grown to more than $10 billion in annual revenue and a value of more than $120 billion. And hes given away hundreds of millions of dollars of his own wealth, on top of Salesforces corporate giving. Are his business feats what give him the moral authority to capture peoples attention or the fact that hes been running the company since its beginning? Are those two inextricably intertwined? Sign up for Tech Chronicle Want to get the latest on Silicon Valley in your email in-box? Subscribe here: www.sfchronicle.com/newsletters/tech-chronicle See More Collapse The debate got nastier when Forbes published a tell-all interview with WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton on Wednesday. Acton sold his messaging app to Facebook in 2014 for $22 billion; hes now worth $3.6 billion. He left Facebook last year, then shocked many by tweeting It is time. #deletefacebook in March. By Actons account, when he went from founder of WhatsApp to Facebook employee, he lost power over his creation. Facebook pushed him to put ads in the app and allow businesses to pay to send messages to customers, moves he resisted. His co-founder, Jan Koum, who got a seat on Facebooks board of directors, quit the company and the board in April. Facebook executive David Marcus shot back in a public note, disputing Actons account and calling him passive-aggressive and low-class. For an industry where such disputes normally simmer in text-message threads and internal chat rooms, it was an extraordinary airing of laundry. Amid these arguments, my mind flashed back to another moment at a tech conference six years ago, just a few months after Facebook paid $1.2 billion for Instagram. Jack Dorsey was then the co-founder of both Twitter and Square, but CEO only of the latter, and as such something of an expert on the confounding subject of founders. He suggested that we should think of people like Marissa Mayer, then the CEO of Yahoo, as a founder. Dorseys examples may not have stood up well over time, but we should still consider his argument that you dont have to be a founder to act like one. (Ask Elon Musk, who has been playing the part of Tesla founder for years.) What matters, Dorsey said, is that at crucial points at founding moments, as he put it you play the part. In the 1990s, investors looked to replace founders with professional managers as soon as possible. Think of Jim Barksdale taking over for Marc Andreessen at Netscape, or Meg Whitman for Pierre Omidyar at eBay. That changed after the dot-com bust, because Web 2.0 made companies cheaper to start and expand, giving venture capitalists less sway. And entrepreneurs-turned-investors like Andreessen declared a preference for founder-led companies. Steve Jobs turnaround of Apple served as a powerful example of a company that lost its way without a founder and regained it when he returned, as did Mark Zuckerbergs stewardship, from trouble to triumph and back again, over and over, of Facebook. Im not convinced that founders have a special ability. They can fail, and many do: Think Parker Conrad at Zenefits or Elizabeth Holmes at Theranos. And there are some professional managers who have racked up successes. LinkedIn struggled when co-founder Reid Hoffman was in charge. It flourished under non-founder CEO Jeff Weiner, who sold it for $26 billion to Microsoft. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes Or, well, Tesla. Musk was not the automakers founder, though he gave it the money that got it off the ground. (He forced Teslas actual founders out many years ago.) Now, in his fight with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which sued him for fraud Thursday, hes acting like a founder, looking to keep absolute control over the company. (Including the right to make goofy tweets, it seems.) Will Instagram or WhatsApp founder without their founders? People seem to take that for granted. I find the historical evidence unconvincing. If Facebook puts someone in who acts like they own the joint and convinces employees of the same the startup jewels in Mark Zuckerbergs crown will still glitter. If a Zuckerberg crony just warms Systroms chair at Instagram or litters WhatsApp with ads, then well see the tarnish. On Tuesday, at the Dreamforce conference, after talking for a while about trust and equality (and Salesforces soaring revenue), Benioff brought co-founder Parker Harris on stage. Harris is known for his outlandish Dreamforce costumes, but this time he was wearing an Italian suit an homage to Italian clothier Brunello Cucinelli, a Salesforce customer. Im wearing my Brunello costume, Harris said. Maybe the founder thing is a suit you put on a role, not a birthright. And maybe we should all be looking more closely at the person inside the costume. This column was adapted from Tech Chronicle, a thrice-weekly newsletter from Owen Thomas, The Chronicles business editor, and the rest of the tech team. Email: othomas@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @owenthomas The wound of Sydney Goldsteins sudden death is first and most deeply suffered, of course, by her family. But the circle of mourners is wide, including not only the civic leaders with whom she worked to build City Arts & Lectures and the authors to whom she provided a platform, but also the vast community of people who attended events she produced, listened to radio broadcasts, shared her passion for words written and spoken. Sam Whitings obituary for her quoted Dave Eggers, a member of the board of City Arts & Lectures. Shed devoted a yearly On Arts series to raising money for a scholarship program for 826 Valencia, which hed founded. I feel like I lost an aunt, said Eggers, in an additional remembrance he forwarded to The Chronicle. She was a mentor to me, and treated me and all of her board like family. The City Arts & Lectures board meetings were always one hour, no longer, and even then there was filler. She did not really need much help with anything. She reported the successes of the year, she showed us the budget (always tidy and never in the red), and then we ate bagels and lox. It was no-nonsense, but it was fun, too. Sydney was like the student who brings home the report card with all As and doesnt need or want much praise. She matter-of-factly got monumental things done, and then just moved on to the next monumental thing. Pat Holt is former book editor of The Chronicle. But before that, she was at Publishers Weekly, where in the mid-1970s, she wrote about Goldsteins new lecture series at the College of Marin. Even then, Holt emailed, she had featured so many authors that I had space to mention only those with names beginning with A and B. At the time, few believed anything like City Arts & Lectures could be self-sustaining. But due to Sydneys ingenuity and the backing of San Francisco philanthropists (as well as writers from New York like Susan Sontag), CA&L remained as healthy as it was unique in the country. Holts column, a rather small story in a trade magazine, resulted in Goldstein being inundated by mail from all over the country from authors, literary agents, publishers, publicity people. There was so much of it that even after months had passed, she would dump yet another stack on my front door (we lived a few blocks apart) ... and on top of it, some furiously scrawled note from Sydney. ... The angrier she got the funnier. Years later, they joked that maybe it was time for another PW column, this time featuring authors beginning with names from C to D. Goldstein created a cultural hub that was known around the country, but she was also Sydney, a friend: generous, hospitable, critical of her own endeavors but encouraging to everyone elses. She was candid, punctual, no-nonsense, and yet extremely warm and familial, wrote Eggers. When you hadnt seen her in a few weeks or months, she would look up at you, tilt her head and scan your face, as if reading you for defects in your text. How are you? she would ask in that patrician voice of hers. Then shed name your kids and ask about them, too. Nothing and no one escaped her discerning eye. She often celebrated the sisters whose work in the arts had brought them shoulder to shoulder with her. In her office on Sutter Street, and then on the darkened stage of the Nourse Auditorium as that space was readied for reopening, she hosted dinners for the group she called Old Growth Redwoods. Her guests were women whod spent their careers as part of the San Francisco cultural panorama. For one such event, shed had someone make tiny paintings of redwood trees, each with the name of the guest painted on, that served as place cards. Im sure every guest saved hers. Years later, when Id brought mine with me to another dinner, she expressed surprise that I still had it. The souvenir will be with me forever, but none of us who shared in her friendship, drank her Scotch, sat at her table, shared an ice cream sundae or laughed at her complaints about one program or another, will ever need a tangible reminder. PUBLIC EAVESDROPPING Isnt there at least a waterfall? No? Just trees? Woman tourist to docent, overheard at Muir Woods by Alice Glasser Leah Garchik is open for business in San Francisco, 415-777-8426. Email: lgarchik@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @leahgarchik A decade after its signing, the Indo-French nuclear deal has yielded little success in the power sector, but the pact has given India a headway in other areas like research, former top officials said. The Indo-French cooperation on 'peaceful use of nuclear energy' was signed on September 30, 2008, primarily for building the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant (JNPP). The 9,900 MW power plant that envisages to have six nuclear reactors of 1,650 MW each is slated to be the biggest nuclear power park in the country. However, 10 years after signing the deal, the power project is still at negotiations. The deal was signed even before the Indo-US nuclear cooperation agreement was signed, the officials said. The multi-billion project had met with a fierce opposition from the locals. In April 2011, one person was killed in police firing as protests against the proposed Jaitapur nuclear power plant turned violent with agitators setting ablaze a police station. However, of the recent nuclear power sites earmarked for foreign reactors, except the Kudankulam nuclear power project, Jaitapur remains the only location that has seen completion of the land acquisition. The plant also has necessary approvals from the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF), said Sekhar Basu, the former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, Department of the Atomic Energy, who superannuated this month. "However, it has taken a longer time than expected," said R K Sinha, former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, DAE. The negotiations first began with French company Areva, but last year French utility company EDF took over its nuclear reactor business after the former faced financial issues. So, the negotiations were redone, said Anil Kakodkar, former chairman of the AEC and DAE secretary at the time the Indo-French nuclear deal was signed. After the EDF took over Areva, negotiations again restarted. Basu said there have been several factors that were hindering the power plant, which includes the "reference plant". A reference plant is a functional power reactor and the Areva had then cited a power reactor at Flamanville. "That will only happen by 2020," Basu said. Since Areva, and now EDF, was bringing in a new technology, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), the country nuclear watchdog, asked for a reference plant. "They have to give a techno-commercial offer that is feasible and tariffs have to be viable," Basu added. Tariff has been a key concern, Basu and Sinha said as it has to be within the acceptable limits before going ahead with the deal. According to the DAE's response to Parliament, France supplied 300 metric tonnes of natural uranium ore concentrate from 2008-2010, a much-needed fuel for domestic reactors operating under optimum level till then. Kakodkar, one of the key negotiators of the India's nuclear deal with the US and French, said the Indo-French deal also had delved into several research aspects. Because of the deal, India could become a member to be a part of the ITER, an international nuclear fusion research and engineering mega project, due to backing of France, along with the US. The deal also focussed on development and nuclear energy applications in fields like agronomy, biology, earth sciences. More important has been France's support at international fora. Kakodkar said when India was negotiating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for India-specific safeguards for its nuclear reactors, France, along with the US and Russia helped create a "positive environment". France has been a staunch supporter to India's bid in all four export control regimes -- the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the Missiles Technology Control Regime, Australia Group and the Wassenaar Arrangement. -PTI When choosing between Marshall Tuck and Tony Thurmond for Californias next schools chief, its worth remembering, when the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends. Someone whose supporters are Donald Trump advisers is no friend of public school students and teachers. Tuck and Thurmond are candidates for California superintendent of public instruction in the November election. Tucks biggest backers are deeply tied to Trumps education privatization agenda. Trumps education adviser Bill Evers, who loudly praised Trumps cuts to federal education spending, has come out strongly in support of Tuck. Thurmond, a Democratic Assemblyman from Richmond, is backed by the California Teachers Association, which has spent $3.2 million through independent expenditures to support his campaign. Billionaire Arthur Rock, whose charter school chain is supported by the Trump administration and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, already has contributed $3 million of the $13.8 million raised by charter school advocates to elect Tuck. The California Charter School Association, which celebrated DeVos nomination, is Tucks biggest organizational endorser. Tucks career as a schools executive is defined by the same cutting of corners and programs and deep animosity toward teachers that DeVos initiatives in education are known for. Tuck was a Wall Street banker before taking over as the chief operating officer for the Green Dot charter school chain. In 2008, Tuck left Green Dot to become CEO of the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, a small group of public schools that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa took over after his failed coup to take over all Los Angeles Unified schools. Despite receiving millions in private funding, Partnership schools underperformed compared to the districts schools with similar demographics during Tucks tenure in 2009. Tucks failed leadership resulted in landslide votes of no confidence from teachers at eight of 10 schools he oversaw. Tuck claims to have significantly raised graduation rates at Partnership high schools, but the truth is that he just lowered the bar for students to graduate, rather than improving student learning. While the graduation rate at Santee Education Complex increased from 56.34 percent in 2009-10 to 69.29 percent in 2012-13, what Tuck did to get these numbers was to lower standards. So its not surprising that readiness for college dropped from 61.9 percent to 21.9 percent under Tuck. At David Starr Jordan High School, a similar pattern emerges: graduation rates improved 12 percent between the 2009-10 and 2012-13 school years, but college readiness dropped from 63.7 percent to 18.6 percent. At the biggest school in his district, Roosevelt Senior High, graduation rates fell from 67.43 percent in 2009-10 to 53.44 percent in 2012-13, while college readiness dropped from 52.8 percent to 21 percent. Due to Tucks unreasonable and inflexible mandates, parents at Ritter Elementary School, together with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, filed a complaint in 2009 after Tuck cut dual language immersion programs. Ritters student population was 42 percent English learners at the time. This year, Tuck was forced under pressure from Equality California, the largest state LGBT organization in the nation, to return a campaign contribution from the major backer of Proposition 8, which temporarily made same-sex marriage illegal in California in 2008. Californias students need a schools chief who will stand up to Trump and DeVos agenda to defund public education and trample transgender students rights. That candidate is Tony Thurmond. Thurmonds record of increasing funding for public education has earned him the support of Californias teachers, working families, the Democratic Party, and Sen. Kamala Harris. Thurmond introduced legislation this year that the governor signed into law to expand bilingual education. He joined with Equality California to speak out against DeVos failure to protect transgender public school students from discrimination, bullying and harassment. Tony Thurmond is the superintendent of public instruction we need to fight for all of Californias 6 million students. Erika Jones is a 13-year elementary school teacher who was teaching in the Los Angeles Unified School District during Marshall Tucks tenure as CEO of Partnership for Los Angeles Schools. She sits on the board of the California Teachers Association. Sometimes, to get the best of life, you have to drop everything, play hooky and head out. Now is one of those times. Over the weekend, 40-ton humpback whales moved within a one-minute kayak paddle from shore and the new Sup Shack in Rio Del Mar in Monterey Bay. In one encounter, Chronicle field scout Giancarlo Thomae said a giant whale used his kayak to help trap a giant school of small anchovies. A school of tens of thousands of anchovies started jumping right next to my kayak, Thomae said. A 40-ton humpback whale was using my kayak to corral its prey. Thomae took photos of the feeding event, and then nearby, Eric Mailander, a whale-watch captain for Sanctuary Cruises, took a photo of a giant humpback surging through the surface just ahead of Thomae in his kayak. Now Playing: John F. Hunter captured this video of a 40-ton whale emerging 100 yards from shore in Monterey Bay right ahead of kayaker Giancarlo Thomae. Video: John F. Hunter Photography The event started Thursday when a horde of anchovies arrived within 100 yards of shore near Rio Del Mar, located just south of Seacliff State Beach in Aptos. On alerts from Thomae, I have dropped everything a few times to paddle amid the humpbacks, sea otters and shorebirds along the inshore waters of Monterey Bay, the Submarine Canyon and Elkhorn Slough. As a marine biologist, Thomae respects the giant animals and has showed how just being at the right place at the right time, where you float amid the anchovies, the giant whales can choose to swim right up to you. Weve had giant whales emerge so close that you could smell the anchovies in their exhaled whale breath. Thomae has had several encounters at close range. Each is a stunner. I photograph with a 100-400 lens and always try to keep these leviathans at a respectable distance, Thomae said. I was not worried for my safety during this encounter, but camera equipment and saltwater don't mix. The marine forecast for Monterey Bay is calling for warm, calm, blue-sky days with highs in the high 70s and low 80s. The coming week will be a perfect time to come enjoy these animals, Thomae said. Contact: Sup Shack 2, 831-464-7467, www.supshacksantacruz.com; Sanctuary Cruises, 831-350-4090, https://sanctuarycruises.com. Tom Stienstra is The San Francisco Chronicles outdoor writer. Email: tstienstra@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @StienstraTom In the TV business, producers call the phenomenon GoPro Courage. In social media, daredevils in the outdoors risk their lives when they film themselves in a mission to chase views, likes and friends on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. Young men will film themselves as they jump off cliffs, bridges and the brinks of waterfalls, swim with sharks, climb the faces of cliffs without ropes, and other encounters. Each seems to try and outdo the other. This is in the spirit of the teenage cult movie Jackass that starred Johnny Knoxville and other professional stuntmen, which set off a generation of replicators. Many do not have top-shelf outdoors training and yet engage with events that put them in danger. When you live on the edge, the great Waylon Jennings once told me on a late night at Clear Lake, you are subject to a fall. There is a huge divide between a controlled risk, as professional rock climbers call it, and stupid, said the Bay Areas Hans Florine, whom Mens Journal named the greatest climber in the world. People ask me, Are you crazy? Florine said. The answer is that Im doing it as a controlled risk. I feel safe. But even Florine, who has climbed the Nose Route on El Capitan a record 100 times, had a piece of protection gear pop off on a training run this past May. As a result, he fell and broke his left ankle and right heel. In Yosemite, an average of two to three climbing deaths occur per year, according to park rangers. Social media networks are filled with self-filmed encounters where people risk their life in the mission for more page views on social networks. Here are 10 of the more provocative recent encounters: Hermit Falls: This past week, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department warned people to stop jumping off the 50-foot ledge at Hermit Falls, and blamed selfies and videos for the rise in accidents. In one episode a man dislocated his shoulder, and a few seconds later the next jumper broke both of his legs. McCloud Falls: A friend of mine, a pro kayaker named Storm, paddled over the McCloud Rivers 50-foot Middle Falls at high water. Though the event was filmed, he didnt tell me about it at the time because he didnt want it publicized, to keep lesser-talented paddlers from danger. Then shortly later, another fellow I met by chance jumped off the brink here and broke his leg. Foresthill Bridge: On a Sunday night in July, three men jumped off the highest bridge in California, the 730-foot Auburn-Foresthill Bridge over the North Fork American River in Placer County, then deployed parachutes and successfully landed. In the darkness, they were tracked with a flashlight. After landing, they were arrested for trespassing. Yellowstone: In June at Fountain Paint Pot, a woman visiting the park from Santa Rosa was part of a group that approached a bison within 15 feet. The bison lowered its head and gored her. According to a park report, she was released from a medical center with a hip injury. Rangers said wildlife injured four tourists in a month, what has become a typical rate, often when people try to take photos at close range. Every summer, it seems, a bison will hook a tourist and toss him or her into the air. Dangling for hours: In May, a base jumper in British Columbia found himself hanging on a ledge for three hours when his parachute caught on an outcrop. In a moment of irony, because base jumpers are by nature antiauthority and anti-mainstream, he called for a rescue on his cell phone. Yosemite: Base jumpers in wingsuits take the death-defying leap from Taft Point on the south rim, that is, until something goes wrong. A mistake is a terrible thing to see. Yosemite National Park has banned the sport, and every summer, rangers say they prosecute three to four jumpers. In 2015, in a horrific video that was self-filmed, one of the most well known base jumpers in the world and a friend were killed during an attempt at an illegal flight. Burney Falls: In July, a guy jumped off the brink of 129-foot Burney Falls, hit the plunge pool and disappeared. He never came back up. Crane jump: In San Diego this month, a guy climbed a 500-foot crane at a construction site and then jumped off with a parachute. It opened in time for a soft landing on the street, where police were waiting to arrest him for trespassing. Life on the edge: This years most famous social media-inspired tragedy occurred when two daredevils, reportedly preparing to film for the extreme YouTube channel called High on Life, were killed when they tried save a companion who fell into a river. The three of them were then swept over a waterfall. Swimming with sharks: Juvenile great white sharks eat small fish, not people, so Chronicle field scout Giancarlo Thomae said it is not much of a risk when he paddles his kayak among them near Seacliff State Beach in Monterey Bay. In one episode, he fell into the water and found himself among them, and in another, a video shows where a great white shark swam under his kayak. Weve done several paddles together, and when the sharks show up, hes been pushing for me to join him. The problems start, I told him, when they outgrow eating the little stuff and you never know for sure when that will be or the adult in the room shows up. Tom Stienstra is The Chronicles outdoor writer. Email: tstienstra@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @StienstraTom Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press SACRAMENTO California employers can no longer require workers to sign nondisclosure agreements as part of sexual harassment, discrimination or assault cases under a bill signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Sunday. SB820 by Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Chino (San Bernardino County), was one of several bills to come out of the Legislature in response to the #MeToo movement. Leyva said banning mandatory secret settlements will ensure victims are not forced to keep quiet while serial offenders remain employed. Sixty-seven animal rights protesters were arrested Saturday after they stormed a poultry plant in Petaluma and snatched chickens, according to the Sonoma County Sheriffs Office. Sheriffs deputies responded to multiple 911 calls from McCoy Poultry Services, on the 100 block of Jewett Road in Petaluma, at about 1:30 p.m. and ran into about 200 animal rights protesters conducting what they called a coordinated protest inside and outside the business. The protesters, part of animal rights activist group Direct Action Everywhere , said on their Facebook page that they were rescuing animals that were sick or injured, and said that the business provides chickens to Amazon. Birds were found there that were dead or dying, the group said. One had a broken leg. When deputies entered the McCoy buildings, they found about 70 activists wearing white protective outfits, many carrying chickens they had stolen from within buildings on the property, the sheriffs office said. According to deputies, the business owner and an employee were assaulted by a protester. Forty deputies were sent to the scene along with the sheriffs helicopter. Animal control officers were summoned to take possession of the chickens that were stolen, the sheriffs office said. The office also reported that it took four hours to arrest the protesters and take them to the Sonoma County Jail, where they were booked on misdemeanor trespassing and felony burglary and conspiracy charges. One protester also was arrested for assaulting the owner and employee. Matt Johnson, a Direct Action Everywhere spokesman, said the felony charges were uncalled for, defended the groups actions as a legal protection of animals under state animal cruelty laws and said no assault had taken place. Thats not the way we act, he said. We train extensively in nonviolent protest in the spirit of Gandhi. McCoy Poultry Services did not respond to requests for comment. Direct Action Everywhere is known for attention-getting protests. One activist recently covered herself in feces outside of a Trader Joes. The group has also protested at Chez Panisse, the Alameda County Fair and a Berkeley butcher shop. Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan Organizers of the Folsom Street Fair, San Franciscos famed fetish festival, took new measures this year to educate attendees especially sightseers and gawkers on the subject of consent. Gear doesnt mean consent. What youre wearing doesnt mean consent. An enthusiastic yes means consent, said Edwin Morales, president of the Folsom Street Events board. The message was distilled into a social media campaign and onto signage around Sundays 13-block fair, which featured bondage exhibits, people pulling their collared partners on leashes, and lots of bodies clad in leather or nothing at all. More than 250,000 people were expected to show up, with proceeds benefiting groups such as the National AIDS Memorial and Berkeley Free Clinic. We get them with the shopping and, Hey, theres gonna be naked people, and hopefully we get them registered to vote and donating to organizations, said Foster, 55, a longtime attendee who lives in San Francisco. He declined to give his last name. It was the first iteration of the fair since the #MeToo movement emerged, but its planners say the focus on consent was driven primarily by community feedback, not broader societal issues. Kinksters say consent and boundaries have always been at the forefront of what they do but that some newcomers and voyeurs are not quite as literate. Exhibitionists and organizers say the widespread non-consensual picture-taking of event-goers has been especially frustrating. In a public space, though, the directive to ask first concerned some professional photographers on First Amendment grounds. For poet Maryann Leilani Wood, 42, the playground, a fenced-off area for women as well as transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals, was invaluable. Everyone was welcome in the zone except cis-men, or those who were assigned the male gender at birth and still identify that way. Its a shaded tent where you can just sit and not get gawked at by a tourist, said Wood, who relaxed there with a packet of peanut butter and a notebook filled with what she said was art therapy. This space is so important. Some of us dont want to play with others. Wood, who said she suffered genital mutilation and other abuse as a child, said the fetish community helped her develop into someone who could enjoy myself as a sexual adult. At the playground, people entering a canopy dungeon had to sign a 13-rule waiver form. Among them: no alcohol and keep conversation to a minimum. Also: Use a drop cloth when waxing. No smoking (cigars), scat, water sports, sharps (knives/needles), blood or fire play. Michelle, 30, who was in charge of the playground and declined to give her last name, called the entire area a safe space and said its taken on heightened relevance, given current events. Consent overall is a bigger deal ... but its always been part of the kink community, she said. In the quiet mid-morning, as she disassembled a stack of folding chairs, Michelle said her main hope and request to those entering the dungeon would be: Please dont make a mess. Unless its puke and its consensual. Near the playground, a throng persisted throughout the day around a bondage exhibit put on by the club SF Citadel and BDSM group Bondage A Go Go. Longtime participants said they have seen a sharp uptick in rope play lately. One of the go-go dancers, William, 34, whose stage name is Vyl (pronounced vile), said he has noticed increased auto-suspension, in which a person single-handedly hoists himself or herself up into a contraption for pleasure. Stefanos Tiziano, manager of SF Citadel and one of the Bondage A Go Go owners, said ropes have a sensual quality that, along with chains, hold a special status in peoples sexual imagination. The exhibit featured several suspension frames from which people could be tied up and dangled, spanking benches and a few X-shaped equipment pieces called Saint Andrews Crosses. Carts were filled with floggers, blindfolds, whips and props. Tiziano pointed out the items in between taking photos of his wife, who was hanging from a suspension contraption. An information table was stocked with wooden paddles emblazoned with spank someone happy and fliers for a sex-positive Democratic club. A few feet away, a man in a kilt and dog mask was hitting the backside of a topless woman, chained to one of the crosses, with a purple booty bat. All around them, a mostly clothed public snapped selfies and recorded videos of the scene. This is the kinky haven, Tiziano said, the holy times of leather. Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims said they have returned home impressed by the infrastructure coming up on the Tibetan side of the India-China border beyond the Lipulekh pass. While a robust infrastructure is being built up fast by China across the border in western Tibet, the work on the Indian side is disappointingly slow, pilgrims returning from the recently concluded yatra told PTI. Sudhir Verma, a resident of Nainital district, who was part of the 16th batch of the yatra this year, said the Indian roads may be still 75 km away from the pass whereas the Chinese have already reached around 500 metre. The three motor roads being constructed to link the last Indian border post along the India-China border are progressing at a disappointingly slow pace, he said. According to Dharchula Sub Divisional Magistrate R K Pandey, work on Sobla-Sela-Tedang motor road in Darma valley of Pithoragarh is stuck at Pangbawey locality due to huge leaning rocks, while the construction of Ghatiabagar-Lipulekh road is going on at a snail's pace at Nazang for the last one year. The 61 km motor road, aimed at linking the last security post along the India-China border in Johar valley of Munsiyari sub division has been constructed only up to 18 km till date in 10 years, Munsiyari SDM K N Goswami said. Construction of the road began in 2008, and was to be completed in the year 2012, but still only 18 km of it has been built, Goswami said. According to Sudhir Verma and his wife Sunita Verma, who travelled to Kailash Mansarovar this year, the Chinese would reach the border post by the end of this year as they were working with high pace. During our short stay in Tibet, we witnessed that Chinese labourers start work at 8 am sharp and go on at constant pace to achieve their target," Sudhir said. Dharmendra Upadhaya, another pilgrim from India, said the Chinese have constructed a four-lane road up to Taklakot on way to Lipulekh, but we have not even repaired our trek route yet. Had the trek route been cleared up to Gunji , we would have preferred to undertake the yatra through that," Upadhaya said. Pithoragarh District Magistrate C Ravishankar said," The civil administration has been assured by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) that the road under construction at Vyas valley will be completed by 2020. Dinesh Gururani, an employee of Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam, said when he used to dispatch batches of pilgrims from the last Indian camp at Nabhidhang some 30 years ago, the Indian pilgrims used to travel more than 10 km to reach vehicles in China. "However, today the Chinese have constructed their road close to the Lipulekh pass. If any Chinese trader comes to India, as they are supposed to do under the India-China border trade, they will have to travel over 75 km to reach the first Indian motor road, Gururani said. Sanjeev Kumar, a liaison officer for the 15th batch of the yatra, told PTI that the Chinese have not only constructed a four-lane road up to last border post at Lipulekh pass from their side, but also constructed a network of roads on nearby mountains of Taklakot to tackle natural disasters. The under-construction 75 km Ghatiabagar to Lipulekh motor road, on the last station of Tanakpur to Tawaghat road, that will link the last Indian border post with the rest of the country was proposed in the year 1998 but its construction began in 2007. The road that was to be completed in the year 2013 is still under construction and getting delayed due to slow pace of work and weather conditions, the Dharchula SDM said. However, some Indian officials are hopeful about completion of the roads in a few years. Being situated in Tibetan plateau, the Chinese are in an advantage as far as road construction on Mansarovar route is concerned whereas the Indian side is full of rocky and steep terrains which make road building difficult. "Despite challenges posed by rocky terrain, the construction of a road ahead of Nabhidhang has been completed already and hard rocks are being cut near Nazang and Malpa, said Roshan Lal Sharma, an IPS officer and a liaison officer for the 9th batch of the yatra. -PTI San Francisco is expected to see its first rainfall in four months on Monday, according to the National Weather Service. The agency forecasts rain between 0.25 and 0.50 inches on Monday night and early Tuesday throughout most of the Bay Area, stretching from Sonoma County to Monterey County. Isolated rainfall of one inch or more cannot be ruled out, the Weather Service said. BONNEY LAKE, Wash. Every time Chris Gilman leaves her home at the foot of Washingtons Mount Rainier, she fights the gnawing urge to turn around and check that someone isnt about to shoot her. Sometimes she wins the battle. Sometimes she loses. In the year since the 48-year-old was nearly killed in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history, Gilman has had to get used to living with fear: She has nightmares about family members getting shot, she only sits in spots in restaurants where she can see the exits, and she has to mentally prepare herself for movies that might include rapid gunfire. And then there are crowds, the toughest new obstacle Gilman must brave since surviving the Oct. 1, 2017, massacre in Las Vegas, which killed 58 people and wounded hundreds of others. Gilman was shot in the back; the bullet punctured a lung, lacerated her spleen and a kidney, broke two ribs and lodged 2 millimeters from her spinal cord. There are times Im at the grocery store and I feel that desire to turn around and look and see whos behind me, Gilman said. I try to fight it, to just keep walking, and I think, Youre at the grocery store. Theres no one behind you with a gun. But I always feel like Im looking behind me. That feeling turned into panic at one of Gilmans first concerts since the shooting. Gilman and her wife of 18 years, Aliza Correa, were with friends at Seattles KeyArena following an Aug. 11 concert when the surge of people around them became overwhelming. All of a sudden I felt like the Tasmanian devil, where I was spinning in circles trying not to have anybody behind me, Gilman said. I tensed up and thought, Here it comes, here it comes, I know Im going to get shot. Whos behind me, whos behind me? In your mind you know its crazy to think that way, but when the visions come up its hard to control. Gilman grabbed her wifes hand and told her she was freaking out, but it was too late. I was hyperventilating, and I ended up laying on the ground, said Gilman. Correa is struggling with her own trauma. She was at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Vegas with Gilman when a lone gunman busted out the windows of his 32nd-floor hotel room and launched an 11-minute barraged of gunfire on the crowd below. The women were helping a wounded friend when the bullet tore through Gilman. Gilman laid down and told Correa to save herself. Correa refused to leave her side. I said, If you die, I die, so if you dont want me to die, you have to get up, Correa said, recounting how she rolled Gilman over so her injured wife could Army-crawl for cover under some bleachers. From there, Gilman said she knew she couldnt go any farther. Thats when two married off-duty Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies, Alex and Wanda Valiente, came upon the couple. My wife and I are going to get you out, Alex Valiente told Gilman. I just need you to help us. I just need you to get up. Overcome with exhaustion and pain, Gilman told everyone: Just leave me. The Valientes and Correa wouldnt budge. Get up, Alex Valiente told Gilman. Youre not going to die. Youre going to get up. Gilman did just that, and the Valientes helped carry her to a car as bullets continued flying around them. Correa tried to clear a path for them amid a sea of wounded people, bodies and chaos. They made it. Out of the chaos, to the hospital and eventually, back home to the idyllic community of Bonney Lake, an hour southeast of Seattle. Gilman and Correa live in a recently developed, well-kept and tight-knit community that borders between suburban and rural, offering crisp mountain air and lots of grassy open spaces. But coming home was just the beginning. Correa, an ultrasound technologist, recently stopped working with patients needing the scans, often used to find the sources of an illness. Watching someone quietly weep as their mind races through the possibility of a life-threatening condition became unbearable. Gilman is often on high alert, even on her front porch. In casual conversation, her hazel eyes dart between the person shes talking to and her surroundings from neighbors walking their dogs and the children playing in the street to the garbage truck passing by. There are many dark moments that remind them of things they cant forget. The physical nerve pain Gilman feels when Correa affectionately puts her arm on Gilmans hip out of habit. And though she has largely recovered and even had the bullet removed from her body in a subsequent surgery, she proceeds gingerly when she has to bend down and is frustrated that she struggles to exercise like she used to at the gym. There are waves of depression, the loss of freedom from fear, but also overwhelming gratitude for little things, like when Gilman got a card from an 8-year-old she never met who wrote: I wish this never happened to you. Something bad happened in our life. It completely changed, and were finding a new normal, Gilman said. We cant ever go back to the way we were before. Amanda Lee Myers and Sally Ho are Associated Press writers. WASHINGTON The White House is not micromanaging a new FBI review of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaughs background but is leaving it to senators who requested the probe to dictate the parameters of the investigation, advisers close to President Trump insisted Sunday. Some Democratic lawmakers claim the White House is keeping investigators from interviewing certain witnesses and have questioned how thorough an investigation that must be concluded by Friday can and will be. Trump tweeted that no amount of time will never be enough for Democrats, most of whom oppose giving Kavanaugh, a federal appeals court judge, a seat on the nations highest court. Meanwhile, FBI agents on Sunday interviewed Deborah Ramirez, one of three women accusing Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity. Ramirez detailed her allegation that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party in the early 1980s when they were students at Yale University. Kavanaugh has denied Ramirezs allegation. But Christine Blasey Ford, the professor at Palo Alto University who says Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers, has not been contacted by the FBI since Trump on Friday ordered the agency to take another look at the nominees background, according to a member of Fords team. Kavanaugh has denied assaulting Ford. In a statement released Sunday, a Yale University classmate of Brett Kavanaughs said he is deeply troubled by what has been a blatant mischaracterization by Brett himself of his drinking at Yale. Charles Chad Ludington, who now teaches at North Carolina State University, said he was friend of Kavanaugh at Yale and that Kavanaugh was a frequent drinker, and a heavy drinker. On many occasions I heard Brett slur his words and saw him staggering from alcohol consumption, not all of which was beer. When Brett got drunk, he was often belligerent and aggressive, Ludington said. On the issue of the scope of the FBIs investigation, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said White House counsel Don McGahn, who is managing Kavanaughs nomination, has allowed the Senate to dictate what these terms look like, and what the scope of the investigation is. The White House isnt intervening. Were not micromanaging this process. Its a Senate process, Sanders said on Fox News Sunday. Senate Judiciary Committee member Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., requested an investigation last Friday after he and other Republicans on the panel voted along strict party lines in favor of Kavanaughs confirmation as a condition for his own subsequent vote to put Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court. Another committee member, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Sunday that testimony would be taken from Ramirez and Kavanaughs high school friend Mark Judge, who has been named by two of three women accusing Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. I think that will be the scope of it. And that should be the scope of it, Graham said on ABCs This Week. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, called on the White House and the FBI to provide the written directive regarding the investigations scope. In a letter Sunday, she also asked for updates on any expansion of the original directive. Republicans control 51 seats in the closely divided 100-member Senate and cannot afford to lose more than one vote on confirmation. Darlene Superville and Michael Balsamo are Associated Press writers. In Saudi Arbai where yoga was not permitted for decades, women started doing and learning it. With Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman decided to follow open, moderate Islam, the kingdom recognized yoga as a sport in last November as a new liberalization drive is going on by having sidelined religious hardliners. The woman who spearheaded efforts to normalize yoga in the conservative kingdom has burnt the bear of insults and threats from extremists. Nouf Marwaai, 38, who is the head of Arab Yoga Foundation, said I have been harassed, (and) sent a lot of hate messages. The foundation trained hundreds of yoga instructors in the kingdom. Marwaai, who started training a cluster of women students at a private studio in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, said Five years ago, this (teaching yoga) would have been impossible. Another woman Ayat Samman, a 32-year-old health educator, said yoga helped alleviate her lifelong struggle with fibromyalgia, a chronic disease that often rendered her bedridden. It just opened me up like a water balloon. After my first class... I started breaking down and crying, said Yasmin Machri, 32. According to Marwaai, soon after yogas recognition, a new industry of yoga studios and instructors has sprouted in various Saudi cities including Mecca and Medina. Kristin Diwan of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington said The prince's outreach to other religions is apparent in the interfaith gatherings and the new enthusiasm for Saudi Arabia's pre-Islamic heritage. Also read: Delhi High Court stopped the publisher from publishing, selling book on yoga guru Baba Ramdev; heres why In shelters from Kansas to New York, hundreds of migrant children have been roused in the middle of the night in recent weeks and loaded onto buses with backpacks and snacks for a cross-country journey to their new home: a barren tent city on a sprawling patch of desert in South Texas. Until now, most unauthorized children being held by federal immigration authorities had been housed in private foster homes or shelters, sleeping two or three to a room. They received formal schooling and regular visits with legal representatives assigned to their immigration cases. But in the rows of sand-colored tents in Tornillo, Texas, children in groups of 20, separated by gender, sleep lined up in bunks. There is no school: The children are given workbooks that they have no obligation to complete. Access to legal services is limited. These midnight voyages are playing out across the country, as the federal government struggles to find room for more than 13,000 detained migrant children the largest population ever whose numbers have increased more than fivefold since last year. The average length of time that migrant children spend in custody has nearly doubled over the same period, from 34 days to 59, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees their care. To deal with the surging shelter populations, which have hovered near 90 percent of capacity since May, a mass reshuffling is underway and shows no signs of slowing. Hundreds of children are being shipped from shelters to South Texas each week, totaling more than 1,600 so far. The camp in Tornillo operates like a small, pop-up city, about 35 miles southeast of El Paso on the Mexico border, complete with portable toilets. Air-conditioned tents that vary in size are used for housing, recreation and medical care. Originally opened in June for 30 days with a capacity of 400, it expanded in September to be able to house 3,800, and is now expected to remain open at least through the end of the year. It is common to use influx shelters as done on military bases in the past, and the intent is to use these temporary facilities only as long as needed, said Evelyn Stauffer, a spokeswoman for the Health and Human Services Department. Stauffer said the need for the tent city reflected serious problems in the immigration system. The number of families and unaccompanied alien children apprehended are a symptom of the larger problem, namely a broken immigration system, Stauffer said. Their ages and the hazardous journey they take make unaccompanied alien children vulnerable to human trafficking, exploitation and abuse. That is why HHS joins the president in calling on Congress to reform this broken system. But the mass transfers are raising alarm among immigrant advocates, who were already concerned about the lengthy periods of time migrant children are spending in federal custody. The roughly 100 shelters that have, until now, been the main location for housing detained migrant children are licensed and monitored by state child welfare authorities, who impose requirements on safety and education as well as staff hiring and training. The tent city in Tornillo, on the other hand, is unregulated, except for guidelines created by the Department of Health and Human Services. For example, schooling is not required there, as it is in regular migrant children shelters. Mark Greenberg, who oversaw the care of migrant children under President Barack Obama, helped to craft the emergency shelter guidelines. He said the agency tried to the greatest extent possible to ensure that conditions in facilities like the one at Tornillo would mirror those in regular shelters, but there are some ways in which thats difficult or impossible to do. Several shelter workers, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being fired, described what they said has become standard practice for moving the children: In order to avoid escape attempts, the moves are carried out late at night because children will be less likely to try to run away. For the same reason, children are generally given little advance warning that they will be moved. At one shelter in the Midwest whose occupants were among those recently transferred to Tornillo, about two dozen children were given just a few hours notice last week before they were loaded onto buses any longer than that, according to one of the shelter workers, and the children may have panicked or tried to flee. The children wore belts etched in pen with phone numbers for their emergency contacts. One young boy asked the shelter worker if he would be taken care of in Texas. The shelter worker replied that he would, and told him that by moving, he was making space for other children like him who were stuck at the border and needed a place to live. Some staff members cried when they learned of the move, the shelter worker said, fearing what was in store for the children who had been in their care. Others tried to protest. But managers explained that tough choices had to be made to deal with the overflowing population. The system for sheltering migrant children came under strain this summer, when the already large numbers were boosted by more than 2,500 young border crossers who were separated from their parents under the Trump administrations zero-tolerance policy. But those children were only a fraction of the total number who are currently detained. Most of the detained children crossed the border alone, without their parents. Some crossed illegally; others are seeking asylum. Children who are deemed unaccompanied minors, either because they were separated from their parents or crossed the border alone, are held in federal custody until they can be matched with sponsors, usually relatives or family friends, who agree to house them while their immigration cases play out in the courts. The move to Texas is meant to be temporary. Rather than send new arrivals there, the government is sending children who are likely to be released sooner, and will spend less time there mainly older children, ages 13 to 17, who are considered close to being placed with sponsors. Still, because sponsorship placements are often protracted, immigrant advocates said there was a possibility that many of the children could be living in the tent city for months. Obviously we have concerns about kids falling through the cracks, not getting sufficient attention if they need attention, not getting the emotional or mental health care that they need, said Leah Chavla, a lawyer with the Womens Refugee Commission, an advocacy group. This cannot be the right solution, Chavla said. We need to focus on making sure that kids can get placed with sponsors and get out of custody. The number of detained migrant children has spiked even though monthly border crossings have remained relatively unchanged, in part because harsh rhetoric and policies introduced by the Trump administration have made it harder to place children with sponsors. Traditionally, most sponsors have been unauthorized immigrants themselves, and have feared jeopardizing their own ability to remain in the country by stepping forward to claim a child. The risk increased in June, when federal authorities announced that potential sponsors and other adult members of their households would have to submit fingerprints, and that the data would be shared with immigration authorities. Last week, Matthew Albence, a senior official with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, testified before Congress that the agency had arrested dozens of people who applied to sponsor unaccompanied minors. The agency later confirmed that 70 percent of those arrested did not have prior criminal records. Close to 80 percent of the individuals that are either sponsors or household members of sponsors are here in the country illegally, and a large chunk of those are criminal aliens. So we are continuing to pursue those individuals, Albence said. Seeking to process the children more quickly, officials introduced new rules that will require some of them to appear in court within a month of being detained, rather than after 60 days, which was the previous standard, according to shelter workers. Many will appear via video conference call, rather than in person, to plead their case for legal status to an immigration judge. Those who are deemed ineligible for relief will be swiftly deported. The longer that children remain in custody, the more likely they are to become anxious or depressed, which can lead to violent outbursts or escape attempts, according to shelter workers and reports that have emerged from the system in recent months. Advocates said those concerns are heightened at a larger facility like Tornillo, where signs that a child is struggling are more likely to be overlooked, because of its size. They added that moving children to the tent city without providing enough time to prepare them emotionally or to say goodbye to friends could compound trauma that many are already struggling with. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. US President Donald Trump said he and North Korea's Kim Jong Un have fallen "in love" -- their bromance fuelled by "beautiful letters" he received from the leader of the nuclear-armed state. Trump on Saturday elevated his recent praise of Kim to new heights, at a West Virginia rally in support of local candidates for his Republican Party. "And then we fell in love -- OK? No really. He wrote me beautiful letters and they're great letters. We fell in love," Trump told the crowd. On Monday at the United Nations General Assembly Trump lauded the North Korean strongman -- who is accused by the UN and others of widespread human rights abuses -- as "terrific", one year after Trump eviscerated Kim from the same platform. Trump followed those comments by saying Wednesday he had received an "extraordinary letter" from Kim, and sounded optimistic about prospects for a second summit between the two leaders "fairly quickly." Trump used his debut address at the UN General Assembly 12 months ago to threaten to "totally destroy" North Korea and belittle its leader as "rocket man," prompting Kim to respond by calling the president a "mentally deranged US dotard." Those were among a series of playground-type slurs the leaders of the two nuclear-armed states hurled at each other, setting the world on edge. Last August, after US media reported Pyongyang had successfully miniaturized a nuclear warhead to fit into a missile, Trump warned Pyongyang not to threaten the United States or it would face "fire and fury like the world has never seen." Kim had earlier compared comments by Trump to the bark of a "rabid dog," and Trump derided Kim as a "sick puppy" -- before the apparent outbreak of puppy love. Trump met Kim in Singapore in June for the first-ever summit between the two countries that have never signed a peace treaty. The summit led to a warming of ties and a halt in Pyongyang's missile launches, but there has been little concrete progress since. North Korea's foreign minister Ri Yong Ho on Saturday told the UN there was "no way" that his country would disarm first as long as the US to push for tough enforcement of sanctions against Pyongyang. -PTI WASHINGTON By agreeing to delay Judge Brett Kavanaughs nomination in the short term, President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans are making two long-term bets: that a drawn-out confirmation battle will secure a conservative majority on the Supreme Court, and that the fight will give them a better chance of keeping control of the Senate in the midterm elections. With that Senate majority squarely in mind, Republicans are also making a concession to stark political realities. Party leaders have concluded that supporting Kavanaughs nomination, in the face of sexual assault accusations against him, will all but ensure that Republicans lose control of the House in November even as their fortunes may improve in some tough Senate races. The thinking, according to Republicans, is that Kavanaughs confirmation would cause a backlash from female and independent voters against Republican candidates in dozens of highly competitive House races many of which have already been slipping away and do more damage than in statewide Senate contests. The party has a 23-seat majority in the House. Even as Trump and Senate leaders acceded to an FBI investigation into the accusations against Kavanaugh, Republicans say they did so grudgingly. Privately, they are determined to press ahead with the confirmation process despite the political risks and the possibility that Republican senators may still defect and oppose the nomination in the end. If Republicans are able to narrowly seat Kavanaugh, who has angrily portrayed himself as the victim of a Democratic smear campaign, they would quite likely thrill their partys activist base and give voters on the right a sense of momentum weeks before the midterm elections. By muscling forward with a floor vote next week, Republicans would also imperil several Senate Democrats from strongly conservative states who have opposed Kavanaugh or expressed ambivalence about his nomination. Yet in doing so, Republicans would energize many Democrats and a share of independents in suburban congressional districts and big-state governors races where female voters were already enraged by Trump and polls have shown a gender gap stretching to canyon-sized proportions. Republicans ability to keep their thin House majority depends on political moderates who were already skeptical of Kavanaugh before this past week. Now, Christine Blasey Fords searing testimony, and Kavanaughs furious response, before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday appears likely to galvanize the grass roots of both parties. But Republicans, particularly Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., appear to be gambling that their majority in the House is already in tatters, and that it is worth trading for a legacy-making appointment to the Supreme Court and the chance to retain their 51-49 Senate majority. With early voting already underway in some states, it now seems inevitable that the acidly divisive confirmation battle will ripple through the electorate through November. Theyve played to their hard base but that base isnt big enough for them to carry the day across the country, said Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., where the governorship, a Senate seat and handful of House seats are up for grabs. The people they lost by doing this are women they need in the suburbs regardless of what their party registration is. The decision of Senate Republicans to move toward the controversial confirmation vote was reminiscent of another moment when conscience, sex and politics intersected and the court loomed large. Two years ago, many lawmakers considered abandoning Trumps candidacy after he boasted about grabbing womens genitals, only to largely rally to his side in part because their voters refused to hand Hillary Clinton the presidency and, ultimately, control of the Supreme Court. Senior Republican strategists said McConnell and the other senators had little choice this time because they risked a backlash within their own party if they walked away from Kavanaugh. He understood immediately that if were not willing to stand up to the liberal mob in collusion with the media than theres going to be a whole lot of Republicans asking themselves: Why am I voting for this party?' said Scott Jennings, an adviser to McConnell. The bifurcated campaign over the Supreme Court nomination came into focus quickly at the end of the week, as Democratic House candidates criticized Kavanaugh, while their Senate counterparts treaded far more carefully. In districts from suburban New Jersey to Southern California, Democratic challengers issued statements of support for Blasey, while several Republican incumbents drew fire by questioning her credibility, sometimes in derisive terms. In a Los Angeles-area district, Harley Rouda, a Democrat, accused Rep. Dana Rohrabacher of treating sexual assault as a laughing matter after dismissing the allegations. And Tom Malinowski, a Democratic challenger in a crucial New Jersey House district, released a digital ad chiding Rep. Leonard Lance, the Republican incumbent, for having said days earlier that he was disinclined to believe the allegations against Kavanaugh. Democratic candidates for governor, including in important battleground states like Florida and Michigan, sided emphatically with Blasey. Andrew Gillum, the Democratic nominee for governor in Florida, called on Kavanaugh on Thursday to withdraw his nomination. But Republicans expressed confidence that Kavanaughs testimony had rallied voters on the right, shoring up his chances of eventual confirmation and endangering Senate Democrats in red states who vote against him. In an illustration of how delicate the issue is in important Senate races, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., released a campaign ad late in the week rebuking her Republican challenger, Rep. Kevin Cramer, for making disrespectful comments about women. Cramer has repeatedly expressed doubt about Blaseys credibility, and about the significance of her story. But Heitkamp has also not stated how she will vote on Kavanaughs nomination. Neither has Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, where Trump campaigned against him Saturday night and lashed out at Democrats for their meanness and nastiness in handling the judge. Chris Jankowski one of the lead strategists advising the Judicial Crisis Network, the main group advocating Kavanaughs confirmation said the judges testimony had effectively rallied red-state voters behind him. Lawmakers from those states would suffer for opposing the nominee, Jankowski said, though he allowed that Republicans could pay a price in congressional and gubernatorial races for his confirmation. After yesterday, no Republican senator can expect to run for re-election having not voted for Kavanaugh, he said. Sens. Manchin and Heitkamp must vote for Kavanaugh to have even a glimmer of hope to win in November. The numbers are just that clear. Of the House battle, however, Jankowski conceded: This will obviously reverberate beyond U.S. Senate elections and where there is a blue wave coming, it will get bigger, which raise issues for congressional races and state elections. Alixandra Lapp, who runs the leading House Democratic super PAC, was more blunt. Its like theyve got a strategy to drive their support among suburban women down into the teens and theyre executing it brilliantly, said Lapp, chief strategist at the House Majority PAC. Seating Kavanaugh would most likely drive Democratic support in a series of House races on the two coasts, and in districts outside cities such as Denver, Minneapolis, Kansas City and Houston, while handing the party a turnout boost in governors races from Ohio to Florida to Georgia. A number of House Democratic candidates have already been trying to use the confirmation as a political weapon against their opponents. I call on Congressman Steve Chabot to join me in standing with women and asking for a full investigation before the Senate confirms, said Aftab Pureval, a Democratic House candidate running in a Cincinnati-area seat that mixes a sizable black population and many upscale white enclaves. Progressive leaders said the hearing had unleashed a new wave of fury among women who were already uneasy with Trump. ActBlue, the Democratic fundraising hub, raised over $11 million Friday, the most in a single day in the groups 14-year existence. They are really, really underestimating the level of anger and rage out there right now, said Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. And grass-roots organizers on the left said they were seeing a new willingness to participate in the midterm campaign. Amanda Litman, a who runs a new group dedicated to recruiting first-time candidates, said she had seen two to three times more people stepping forward to express an interest in running Thursday and Friday than the average rate in the rest of September. If the Womens March was the reaction to Trumps election, the midterms are going to be the reaction to the Kavanuagh nomination, said Litman, noting that instead of just venting on social media or to their friends women now had a powerful incentive to show up and do something. While Kavanaugh may be a powerful motivating tool for the left, the degree to which Democratic Senate candidates attempt to elevate the issue remains in question. In Nevada, Rep. Jacky Rosen, a Democrat who is challenging Sen. Dean Heller, released a new ad Friday right as tensions were running highest about whether Republicans had the votes to confirm the would-be justice. But the ad trumpeted Rosens willingness to work with both parties, noted Trump had signed a veterans health care bill she had sponsored and highlighted her willingness to take on Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the House minority leader. In other Senate contests where Democrats are running in states the president carried including North Dakota, West Virginia, Missouri and Indiana the incumbents are even less eager to discuss the court fight. And they have little appetite to spend October receiving the sort of taunting that Trump administered to Manchin on Saturday night. Still, the presidents plan to campaign in Wheeling, West Virginia, was telling: He will be far away from any competitive House races where mention of Kavanaugh could hurt a Republican candidate. Maybe they believe the House is gone, said David Axelrod, the veteran Democratic strategist, but they almost certainly are increasing that prospect. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Public employers are now required to allow a reasonable leave of absence to any employees who serve as union officers or stewards. This comes after Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday signed SB 1085, which was authored by state Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley. "SB 1085 allows union officers to take the leave time they need to represent their fellow workers without a loss of pay or benefits and at no cost to their public employer," Skinner said in a statement. Typically, a worker will serve as an officer or shop steward to the local union and negotiate working conditions at the bargaining table. This bill secures the right to the necessary time away from their regular job duties to fulfill those union duties. Under the new bill, public employers are reimbursed for the full value of the time union leaders take off, according to a statement released by Skinner's office. 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. MORAGA (BCN) Jeanette Fritzky, who stepped down from the Moraga Town Council in August as she fought lung cancer, succumbed Friday to the disease. Assemblywoman Catharine Baker, R-Dublin, mentioned Fritzky's death today in a tweet, and the Caring Bridge website also posted a notice today of Fritzky's passing. She was 63. Fritzky said in July she was stepping down. In a letter she posted on the town's website at that time, she said, "I find that I no longer have the energy, will or commitment to do something I used to revere." She was elected to the Moraga Town Council in 2016. A longtime pharmaceuticals executive, she also was founder of CAPTURE Pharma Consulting, which she still headed up when she died. She volunteered in a variety of capacities in her 15 years as a Moraga resident, including as a member of the town's parks and recreation commission. Good friend Bobbie Preston of Moraga met Fritzky when she was tutoring an Afghan refugee who had been a pharmacist in his home country. Preston said Fritzky was soft-spoken, measured in her speech, thoughtful and deliberate. "She was a very dignified woman, smart as all getout, charming," Preston said. Fritzky, a diehard Oakland A's fan, was also deeply involved in local Cub Scout programs. The Moraga Town Council has voted to appoint Renata Sos, a town planning commissioner from 2005 until 2007, to fill the remainder of Fritzky's term. Sos will be sworn in on Oct. 10. Fritzky leaves behind her husband Bob and four adult children. As per Fritzky's wishes, there are no immediate plans for memorial services other than a private family observance, Preston said. 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. SANTA CRUZ (BCN) A 48-year-old Santa Cruz County resident suffered major injuries after she was involved in a traffic collision with a vehicle on Saturday night, according to Santa Cruz police. The collision was reported around 8:09 p.m. at the intersection of Morrissey Boulevard and Melrose Avenue. The motorcyclist was taken to a trauma center, police said. The driver of the other vehicle, a 2014 silver Volkswagen driven by a 49-year-old Santa Cruz woman, cooperated with police. Neither drugs nor alcohol appear to be a factor in the collision, which is under investigation, according to police. Northbound Morrissey Boulevard was closed for a few hours as police investigated the collision. 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. Elon Musk, the flamboyant and innovative chairman of Tesla, Inc., will step down from that post with the electric vehicle maker as part of a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over securities fraud changes brought against him last week. In a statement, the SEC also said today that it has charged Palo Alto-based Tesla with failing to have required disclosure controls and procedures relating to Musk's tweets, which the SEC said Musk has also agreed to settle. Musk will remain as CEO for Tesla, which builds its cars at a plant in Fremont. The SEC complaint alleges that Musk's Aug. 7 tweet that he could take Tesla private at $420 per share was misleading and premature. Musk's indication that funding for that action had been secured and that it hinged only on a shareholder vote were also misleading, according to the SEC, which also alleges Musk knew the privatization was far from certain. The SEC noted that Musk's tweets caused Tesla's stock price to jump 6 percent that day, resulting in "significant market disruption." Under the settlement announced today, Musk personally and Tesla will each pay a $20 million penalty, with the combined $40 million being paid to Tesla's investors whom the SEC said were victims of Musk's misleading tweets, Neither Musk nor Tesla admit or deny any of the SEC's allegations as part of the settlements. Specifics of the settlement also include Musk being ineligible to seek re-election to the chairman post for three years; Tesla's appointment of two new independent directors to its governing board; and that Tesla will establish a new committee of independent directors and enact additional controls and procedures to oversee Musk's communications. The settlements are subject to court approval, the SEC said today. An email to Tesla seeking comment on today's SEC announcements had not immediately been returned by 5 p.m. today. 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) Two runways at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) reopened this morning after hundreds of flights were delayed or canceled overnight, an airport official said. The closure of the runways Saturday night for scheduled maintenance caused 467 flight delays and 118 cancellations, said Dennis Zamaria, an airport duty manager. RELATED: Mom says she was reprimanded for crying baby on flight to SFO "Everything worked according to plan," he said of the maintenance work. "We were up and running right on schedule." The two runways are among the most heavily used at SFO, according to Zamaria. Maintenance was scheduled for only one runway, but because it intersected with a second runway, both had to close for the work. 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. Elon Musk, the flamboyant and innovative chairman of Tesla, Inc., will step down from that post with the electric vehicle maker as part of a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over securities fraud changes brought against him last week. In a statement, the SEC also said Saturday that it has charged Palo Alto-based Tesla with failing to have required disclosure controls and procedures relating to Musk's tweets, which the SEC said Musk has also agreed to settle. Musk will remain as CEO for Tesla, which builds its cars at a plant in Fremont. The SEC complaint alleges that Musk's Aug. 7 tweet that he could take Tesla private at $420 per share was misleading and premature. Musk's indication that funding for that action had been secured and that it hinged only on a shareholder vote were also misleading, according to the SEC, which also alleges that Musk knew the privatization was far from certain. The SEC noted that Musk's tweets caused Tesla's stock price to jump 6 percent that day, resulting in "significant market disruption." Under the settlement, Musk personally and Tesla will each pay a $20 million penalty, with the combined $40 million being paid to Tesla's investors whom the SEC said were victims of Musk's misleading tweets, Neither Musk nor Tesla admit or deny any of the SEC's allegations as part of the settlements. Specifics of the settlement also include Musk being ineligible to seek re-election to the chairman post for three years; Tesla's appointment of two new independent directors to its governing board; and that Tesla will establish a new committee of independent directors and enact additional controls and procedures to oversee Musk's communications. The settlements are subject to court approval, the SEC said. Sixty-seven animal rights activists were arrested Saturday after taking over a Sonoma County poultry production facility they claim houses thousands of birds in inhumane conditions. That was from among 150 to 200 protesters affiliated with Berkeley-based Direct Action Everywhere who marched down Jewett Road near Petaluma to McCoy's Poultry Services at about 1:30 p.m. Saturday. The 67 people were being booked into the Sonoma County Jail in Santa Rosa on suspicion of felony burglary, felony conspiracy and misdemeanor trespassing. Sheriff's Lt. Shawn Murphy said each of those people is being held on $20,000 bail. One of them also faces misdemeanor assault charges, for allegedly attacking the owner of McCoy's Poultry Services and an employee of that business. Those added charges do not increase the amount of his bail, Murphy said. In an earlier statement, Murphy said "numerous animal rights activists had stormed the property, broken into several buildings, and were actively taking chickens." Approximately 40 deputies responded to the protest, Murphy said, and the sheriff's helicopter also was brought in. The activists brought with them a medical tent, under which they brought some birds found in a large shed, saying the birds needed medical care for conditions including dehydration, broken limbs from being trampled and ammonia burns from standing in waste. "We believe we have the legal right to rescue animals and get them the medical care they deserve," said Wayne Hsiung, a co-founder of Direct Action Everywhere and an organizer of the protest. Activists say the chickens housed at the facility are supplied to Perdue Farms, Inc., as Rocky free range and Rosie organic chickens, and then shipped to Amazon to be sold at Whole Foods stores. Jeanette Fritzky, who stepped down from the Moraga Town Council in August as she fought lung cancer, succumbed Friday to the disease. Assemblywoman Catharine Baker, R-Dublin, mentioned Fritzky's death Saturday in a tweet, and the Caring Bridge website also posted a notice Saturday of Fritzky's passing. She was 63. Fritzky said in July she was stepping down. In a letter she posted on the town's website at that time, she said, "I find that I no longer have the energy, will or commitment to do something I used to revere." She was elected to the Moraga Town Council in 2016. A longtime pharmaceuticals executive, she also was founder of CAPTURE Pharma Consulting, which she still headed up when she died. She volunteered in a variety of capacities in her 15 years as a Moraga resident, including as a member of the town's parks and recreation commission. Good friend Bobbie Preston of Moraga met Fritzky when she was tutoring an Afghan refugee who had been a pharmacist in his home country. Preston said Fritzky was soft-spoken, measured in her speech, thoughtful and deliberate. "She was a very dignified woman, smart as all getout, charming," Preston said. Fritzky, a diehard Oakland A's fan, was also deeply involved in local Cub Scout programs. She leaves behind her husband, Bob, and four adult children. Orinda leaders will on Tuesday night consider approving an ordinance that would require firearms and certain other weapons to be stored in a locked, secure container when not being handled or carried on one's person. Orinda's proposed ordinance defines "firearm" or "weapon" as "any instrument or device which propels a shell, shot, pellet, cartridge, bullet, arrow or other projectile by any force including, but not limited to, air, gas, explosion, spring, elasticity or leverage." This covers pistols, revolvers, shotguns and other firearms' air guns, any bow and arrow with a pull of 15 pounds or more, and crossbows and similar archery devices. Similar safe storage ordinances have been approved in cities, including Moraga, San Francisco, Oakland, Santa Cruz, Belvedere and Tiburon. The National Rifle Association and other plaintiffs sued San Francisco in 2014, claiming that city's safe storage ordinance violated the Second Amendment. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals found that the law did not significantly burden the right to possess a handgun in the home for self-defense, because modern storage facilities can be accessed quickly. If approved Tuesday night, the ordinance would be formally approved at the Oct. 16 City Council meeting, and would take effect Nov. 15. 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. BCN14) By Bay City News Service Sixty-seven animal rights activists were arrested today after taking over a Sonoma County poultry production facility they claim houses thousands of birds in inhumane conditions. That was from among to 150 to 200 protesters affiliated with Berkeley-based Direct Action Everywhere who marched down Jewett Road near Petaluma to McCoy's Poultry Services at about 1:30 p.m. today. The 67 people were being booked into the Sonoma County Jail in Santa Rosa on suspicion of felony burglary, felony conspiracy and misdemeanor trespassing. Sheriff's Lt. Shawn Murphy said each of those people is being held on $20,000 bail. One of them also faces misdemeanor assault charges, for allegedly attacking the owner of McCoy's Poultry Services and an employee of that business. Those added charges do not increase the amount of his bail, Murphy said. "It is a large number of people, yes it is," said Murphy, who expects all of them will spend at least a short time behind bars. In am earlier statement, Murphy said "numerous animal rights activists had stormed the property, broken into several buildings and were actively taking chickens." Approximately 40 deputies responded to the protest, Murphy said, and the Sheriff's helicopter also was brought in. Deputies told the activists they would be arrested if they attempted to leave with any of the birds. The activists brought with them a medical tent, under which they brought some birds found in a large shed, saying the birds needed medical care for conditions including dehydration, broken limbs from being trampled and ammonia burns from standing in waste. The group wanted to take some of the birds to a veterinarian, but sheriff's deputies told them they would not be allowed to remove the animals. "We believe we have the legal right to rescue animals and get them the medical care they deserve," said Wayne Hsiung, a co-founder of Direct Action Everywhere and an organizer of the protest. McCoy Poultry Services, Inc. did not return calls for comment. Activists say that the chickens housed at the facility are supplied to Perdue Farms, Inc. as Rocky free range and Rosie organic chickens, and then shipped to Amazon to be sold at Whole Foods stores. Amazon representatives did not reply to a request for comment today. 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. 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 STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Michael Modica has come a long way since his heart transplant surgery on July 10. The 30-year-old Rossville resident walked a 5K with the Have a Heart Foundation of Staten Island at Silver Lake Park on Sunday. "It's a milestone. It's just proof to myself that I'm getting better, and it's also a call to action," Modica said. "Heart disease is one of the leading causes for death in America, and personally if I could get people to sign up to be donors that would be wonderful," he added. RECENT BOUT WITH BRONCHITIS Doctors at an urgent care practice diagnosed Modica with bronchitis in November, gave him medication, and said he should expect to feel better in about two weeks, he said. After that time his condition worsened and he went to the emergency room at Staten Island University Hospital in Prince's Bay, he said. The team there diagnosed him with cardiomyopathy and he underwent months of treatment before he received heart transplant surgery at Northwell Health's Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital in Long Island, said Modica. CARDIAC HEALTH 5K He said that Sunday's walk was his first real physical activity since the surgery. Approximately 60 people participated in the event to raise awareness and funds for heart disease. Julie Weissglass Cohen, co-founder of the Have a Heart Foundation of Staten Island, said the organization helps people through the financial difficulties of heart surgery. Jennifer Conti from Grasmere, who had a heart transplant on Nov. 12, 2016, and Kaylee Ruff, 4, from Huguenot who had two open-heart surgeries on Aug. 26, 2014 and Nov. 8, 2016, also completed the walk with their families. After the race, they held an award ceremony for those who placed first, second, and third in the walk and run. They also presented Modica with a check to help him with his finances after his surgery. "Having a heart transplant comes with extreme medical expenses that could create financial burden," Weissglass Cohen said. "We are happy to help ease it further." STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- For the last 14 years, Linda DeMizio of West Brighton has been plagued by constant flooding in her driveway and into her home. When it rains, a section of her driveway on North Burgher Avenue quickly fills up with water and takes as long as a week to drain. When that water finally begins to drain, it often runs along the side of her home underground, spilling onto her side door entrance and into her basement. Reached by phone Tuesday by the Advance, DeMizio excitedly tells the paper she thinks a crew with heavy equipment have finally come to cut her street open and take care of the problem. Despite the heavy rain, she tells the paper there is no water in her driveway -- yet. But when the paper arrives about an hour later to DeMizio's home, frustrated, she learns that the crew is actually there, not to help her, but to add new gas lines. Water has now filled the corner of her driveway and is almost up to her knees, and because the crew has cut open the street, it is causes muddy water to flow out of her driveway. DeMizio, now a 67-year-old widow, says she can no longer take care of the flooding on her own and needs the city's help. COST IN THE THOUSANDS She says she has contacted the city's Department of Environmental Protection and a number of elected officials on numerous occasions since noticing the problem in 2004. But in all that time, DeMizio says the city has not been able to figure out how to contain the water and find a solution to the problem. "I have two daughters, they both work, I work, and when it rains I have to leave my job and come home to monitor the water because from the time I leave my office till I get home, I could flood, the house could flood. And I'm a widow 67-years-old and I need my job," she said. DeMizio said she has spent thousands of dollars out of her own pocket to drain the water and pulled a ligament in her elbow trying to bail the water out of her home by herself. If the city cannot find a solution, she says she plans to sell her home and move to New Jersey. ONGOING PROBLEM FOR LAST 14 YEARS The constant flooding has not always been an issue. DeMizio said she and her husband moved into their home in 2001, and did not notice the problem until three years later in 2004. Although she does not know what exactly caused the flooding to suddenly occur 14 years ago, she thinks it could have been triggered when a neighbor hosed concrete down the catch basin. It's a theory she claims she asked the city to investigate, but her solution fell on deaf ears. "The problem is that the catch basin is not large enough to hold the water and the water level comes high," DeMizio said. "Where I live, ... you'll see that there's a lot of flooding, it just so happens when they built my home, they built it on a piece of property that floods." PROJECT NEVER CAME TO FRUITION In 2007, the city's DEP informed then Councilman Michael McMahon, who had tried to assist DeMizio with the problem for years, that the agency planned to install storm sewers in her neighborhood. However, DEP said then, that the proposed routing for the new storm sewer would extend through the unopened part of her street, which the former DEP Deputy Commissioner James J. Roberts said the city did not have title to. Roberts told McMahon the city would need to acquire that section of North Burgher Avenue in order to install the storm sewers into that section of the street. A DEP press release from last year celebrated the completion of a $5.5 million sewer project in West Brighton in and around DeMizio's block, which included the installation of storm sewers, sanitary sewers, water mains, and catch basins. Councilwoman Debi Rose (D-North Shore), who DeMizio asked to help her with the flooding problem, said DEP was unable to install the new sewer system in DeMizio's block because the flooded area of her street is not a "mapped street," and therefore did not appear on the city's tax map and not the city's responsibility. "DEP has invested more than $800 million over the last five years to upgrade services on Staten Island and we are actively evaluating the possibility of constructing a storm sewer along this small section of North Burgher Avenue," the agency said. In the meantime, Rose said DEP is checking with its design staff to see if there is anything that can be done to fix DeMizo's street. "We're going to stay on DEP until we get a definitive response on what they are going to do or what they are not going to do," Rose said. DeMizio says if the city does not help her this time around, she plans to sell her house and move to New Jersey. "I'm honestly considering selling the house because I just cannot deal with [the flooding] anymore," DeMizio said. "And if I sell the house, Staten Island is losing another native to New Jersey ... I'm not getting help from the city, maybe New Jersey would be better." FOLLOW SYDNEY KASHIWAGI ON TWITTER. Fast forward to today, and Australias biggest investment bank has found itself embroiled in an investigation into one of the world's biggest tax scandals, with investigators also reportedly looking at transactions involving banks such as Barclays, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America. A tax adviser who helped Macquarie engineer the deals, Hanno Berger, is one of six individuals charged in May over the scandal. Moore, and his successor Shemara Wikramanayake, were both likely to be interviewed as persons of interest or suspects by the Cologne Prosecutors Office, the bank said on Friday, as part of a group of 30 current and former Macquarie staff in this position. How did it come to this? A cache of documents leaked to German newspaper Handelsblatt, and shared with Fairfax Media, detail how Macquarie pushed ahead with the deals, which promised high returns, but also came with significant political and reputational risk. Like the other banks now facing similar allegations, Macquarie was attracted by the potential for big profits, and assurances from external advisers that it was legal, though not without risk. Now, its most senior executives are likely to face some the fallout. Earlier that year, in May 2010, Macquaries Investment Solutions and Distribution division (MSIS), part of the funds management arm led by Wikramanayake, held a European conference. New York-based hedge funds turned up, and an idea that grabbed attention was the opportunity to use the controversial "cum-ex" trading strategy. It was classic financial engineering: a way to make big profits from a complex manouevre that seemed to serve no other useful purpose other than to create profits for the parties involved. The tactic exploited the fact that in Germany, share investors receive a tax credit with their dividend payment, as some tax is withheld. In a nutshell, cum-ex trades worked by using short-selling to transfer ownership of a stock in a way that meant more than one party had the right to simultaneously claim dividend refund credits attached to a share. A different part of Macquarie had been involved in the strategy before, but it stopped it in 2009. Within a couple of months of the conference, a draft memo setting out the basics was sent out to MSIS division head Stephen Lucas, and the head of Macquarie Funds Group, Wikramanayake. MFG has identified an opportunity to lend to 1-3 German hedge funds managed by Avana Invest... that trade strategies around German equities paying dividends, the note said. The same memo said such trading strategies had been a matter of some controversy in Germany, and warned the German government could decide not to allow the funds to claim the full tax credits hoped. And there was also a risk of "negative publicity" for Australias biggest investment bank. Over July and August of 2010, Macquarie set about further investigating the dividend arbitrage proposal. The head of its Munich office, Axel von Rosen reported being told by its legal adviser, London-headquartered Freshfields, that other investment banks were comfortable with the practice. Word of the new opportunity was soon getting back to the highest levels of the organisation in Sydney. In September 2010, a briefing was prepared by Lucas for chief executive Nicholas Moore titled dividend arbitrage opportunities." The benefit derived by investors in the current transaction arises because there is effectively a double crediting of the tax credits attaching to the dividend, the memo said. In effect, this meant two investors claiming the same tax credit of a single share and its dividend. A more detailed memo to the Macquarie Bank board the next month estimated Macquarie's base case was that the deals would generate net return on economic capital of some 304.7 per cent. It said the deal complied with current legislation, but there was a risk "German authorities may seek to deny tax reclaims and take some other action against parties involved." It was signed off by the board in late October, subject to an independent assessment of the political and reputation risks. Meanwhile, questions about the intricacies of German tax law continued to swirl around the deal. A November article by a German tax official argued that claiming the dividend withholding tax twice - the purpose of the "cum/ex" trade - constituted tax fraud. One of the leaked documents says that when Wikramanayake sought comment on this article, von Rosen replied it was "widely known that part of the tax administration have differing views about economic ownership." Later that month, Lucas emailed other bankers saying he had been told "every other bank doing this has decided to pull out and we are last man standing." Lucas, who remains a senior executive at Macquarie, wrote he felt "duty bound to follow this up" after they had told the board other banks financed the controversial trades. In response, von Rosen wrote he had been advised they were "by no means the only party." Sure enough, dozens of banks are now facing similar investigations to Macquarie. In December, when Macquarie's main law firm Freshfields stopped advising on "cum-ex" trades following a government ruling, one of the bank's tax advisers wrote in an email to a hedge fund adviser, simply: "Big problem. Game Over." Yet there were other tax advisers at Norton Rose and Ernst & Young who were still telling the bank the trades it planned to finance complied with the law. Faced with this differing advice, the Macquarie bankers ultimately pushed ahead with a slightly different deal. They dumped a plan to lend to German funds and instead lent to Irish hedge funds also looking to do "cum-ex" trades. These deals went ahead in April of 2011, though the funds were unable to claim the tax credits as they had planned. Had the trades being completed as planned, parties involved in the specific plan, including Macquarie, stood to make a combined "462 million" in "unjustified tax benefits," it has been alleged in separate civil suit. It is these April 2011 deals are now at the centre of the Cologne Posecutor's Office investigation into Macquarie for "assistance for tax fraud." Macquarie on Friday said it was one of more than 100 financial institutions involved in the market, and it believed it was acting lawfully. One of its key advisers, Dr Hanno Berger, told Handelsblatt: "Everything Macquarie did was legal." Von Rosen's lawyer declined to comment. Beyond what happens with the investigation into Macquarie, however, the case has brought to Australian shores an industry-wide scandal that is estimated to have cost German taxpayers about 10 billion ($16.1 billion). A shockingly large number of players sought to unscrupulously enrich themselves at the publics expense, said Gerhard Schick, from the German opposition party, Bloomberg reported. It was a glittering party." Although there were differences of opinion about the legality of the practice in 2010, it was banned in 2012. Fairfax Media and Handelsblatt put detailed questions to Macquarie about the affair last Thursday night. The next morning it released a statement to the ASX, which answered some but not all of the questions. It declined the opportunity for an interview. Regardless of where the criminal investigations lead, the episode also illustrates the lengths to which financial engineers will go in the search to make money by exploiting loopholes, or finding "opportunities," as they are described by bankers. The chief executive of the advocacy group the Tax Justice Network, Alex Cobham, says the general case of cum-ex trading is especially "shocking" because "there seems to be no intention whatsoever to add economic value or create profit." Although Lilia and her husband Mauricio speak English to each other, Lilia will only speak in German to their three-year-old son Elias and Mauricio will only talk to him in Spanish. Elias is now able to speak all three languages and Lilia hopes he will learn a fourth language at school. Mauricio and Lilia are teaching their son Elias, 3, to speak English, German and Spanish. Credit:Janie Barrett "You need to start early [and] I don't see any disadvantages of learning another language, it helps with cognitive development, it's learning a new culture, it gives you new ways of thinking, exposes you to new ideas and gives you the option of connecting with new people," said Lilia, an academic who lives in Sydney's north. However, a leading educational researcher says that despite high-levels of enrolment in optional language courses in students' early years, the proportion of HSC students taking one or more languages has continued to plummet. A couple of weeks ago I called on Canberra to nominate its most magical men to help end the Santa drought in our city. But Margaret Wolff from shopping mall Santa company Scene to Believe tells me that "the search is still well and truly on for Santas in Canberra", with not a single applicant emerging after the story. South.Point shopping mall Santa Tony Moore desperately needs counterparts for the malls in Belconnen and Woden. Credit:Karleen Minney At least four men are required to share the role of Father Christmas at shopping malls in Belconnen and Woden. It's a job suited to men with a "grandfatherly" personality, a love of children and excellent acting skills, Margaret says. "The most important thing is that kids need to walk away believing they've actually met Santa Claus," she says. The Prime Ministers choice of a Baptist religious private schools for his daughters is, of course, a matter for him and his wife, doubtless in discussion with the daughters. However, there appear to be resonances in his reported statement of the old approach to sexual orientation and gender identity in Australia. That approach, at least during the time I was growing up, knew scientifically that there were LGBTIQ people, including children, in our world and in our country and its schools. It knew that they were subject to harsh criminal laws. However, such people basically were left alone so long as they were completely silent about their reality; basically ashamed of it; and willing always to pretend that their reality was different. That they were straight, heterosexual. This was the world of silence in school about anything that could make a gay childs reality open and understood by teachers and fellow students. And by themselves. That silence was the coin in which was paid a fee for being left alone. For avoiding causing skin curling to those who were heterosexual and did not like to be reminded that a minority were not. It has to be said quite bluntly to our new Prime Minister, that from national leaders, leadership is expected. Such leadership must be based, eventually, on scientific truth and rational understanding. To be unaware of gay conversion therapy and the victims it has caused throughout the world, is not good enough. Certainly, it cannot last as an excuse for not thinking about the issue for very long. To forbid any reference in school to respecting sexual and other minorities may be acceptable in Baptist schools, although I doubt it. The essential message of all religions is love for one another. That is why I welcomed Prime Minister Morrisons identification with that message as a badge of his political program. But the jury is still out on whether he really does love LGBTIQ citizens. Or simply knows that they exist and tolerates them, because he has no choice and so long as they remain silent. Revellers on Oxford Street celebrate the outcome of the same-sex marriage plebiscite. Credit:AAP No laws on religious freedom should be accepted in Australia which allow people, on the basis of their religion, to isolate, denigrate and humiliate minorities. Whether those minorities are indigenous, racial, gender based, religious, disabled or gay Australians. If that means a bit of skin curling for certain religious Australians who have not given enough thought to these issues, so be it. The thinking, although belated, will be good for them. It will be especially expected of them if they hold positions of leadership in trust for the people. Because that means all of the people and certainly all the children. Green ban protest Two Federal ministers called on the State Government last night to halt the demolition of houses in Ultimo for the mindless North Western Expressway. The request followed a day of skirmishes between police and green ban demonstrators in Ultimo. They deplored the violence which occurred and in a statement said: Not only is the demolition work mindless but the manner in which it was done is directly opposed to the urban roads policy'. Hawke slams Mrs Whitlam ACTU president Mr Hawke, has criticised Mrs Whitlam, wife of the Prime Minister, for holding four jobs but described her as a beaut person. Mrs Whitlam, a trained social worker, conducts a TV talk show and writes for Womans Day. She also has two government jobs-with the National Advisory Committee for International Womens Year and with Commonwealth Hostels. The criticism came about on the ABCs Monday Conference. Women mayors elected A man was left in a critical condition after a motorcycle crash on a rural property near Jindabyne on Sunday. Emergency services were called to the property on Ironmungie Road, Maffra, about 50km east of Jindabyne at about 4pm. Police have been told the 28-year-old man crashed while riding with friends. He was treated at the scene before being airlifted to Canberra Hospital where he remained in a critical condition as of 8:30pm on Sunday. Officers from Monaro Police District attended and are investigating the crash. His report found payments to 187 of 270 independent schools in NSW exceeded the state's SRS share. In total, the sector received at least $75 million more than it needed from the NSW government this year. That figure is likely higher as Mr Rorris, an expert in education finance and former consultant to the Schools Resourcing Taskforce, did not include the 130 schools for which there was not enough data available. Oakhill College received $7.4 million more in federal and state money this year than it should under the SRS, and $2.8 million of that is from the state government. Loreto Kirribilli was given $5.86 million more, $2 million of that from NSW. St Aloysius received $5.4 million above its SRS, including $2.1 million from the state, Mr Rorris found. The state's Catholic system received $85 million more than would have been needed to meet the state's share. In 2018, NSW paid Catholic schools 23 per cent of the SRS (an extra 3 per cent), but the bill is high because there are hundreds of Catholic schools. However, the federal government pays Catholic schools less than its share of the SRS, so when both are combined the sector is over-funded by 1 per cent of its SRS benchmark, or $35 million, the report said. Loading "While the NSW government system sits more than 10 per cent below its target SRS funding levels, the non-government schools have already exceeded their SRS funding targets from public funding alone," Mr Rorris' report found. "The $160 million overspend by the NSW government on non-government schools would make a very significant contribution towards meeting the resourcing gap of public schools." Teachers Federation boss Maurie Mulheron said the federal government last month gave private schools an extra $4.6 million while state schools remained under-funded. "On any reckoning, it's unfair," said Mr Mulheron. "It's not based on any kind of notion of fairness, that the majority of children that attend public schools have a funding system that does not meet their needs. It's a moral question that Australians have to face." Loading Payments above the SRS will be wound back by both governments, but NSW's timeline for that is being negotiated by Mr Stokes and his federal counterpart, Dan Tehan. The federal government has said it would meet its share of the SRS for under-funded schools by 2023, but give over-funded schools until 2029 before the money is cut off. Mr Stokes said NSWs vision was "to move every school closer to the SRS in accordance with the agreement," he said. "We will of course try to work with sectors to make the transition as painless as possible, but recognise this is all about putting every school and every child on a common funding formula." Peter Goss, School Education Program Director for the Grattan Institute, said there had been such a focus on Commonwealth special deals that many have missed the fact that it's happening at state level, too. The amounts have more difficult to calculate because of the way the details are included in the budget. "We should applaud any state minister who is willing to acknowledge this and take the hard political decisions to do the right thing for policy and students, which is consistent, needs-based funding regardless of school sector," Dr Goss said. Catholic chiefs are nervous NSW will wind its funding back to 20 per cent before the Commonwealth increases its share, leaving its schools with a significant funding gap. The chief executive of the Association of Independent Schools of NSW, Geoff Newcombe, said the bilateral agreement did not force NSW to bring its funding down to an "artificially determined" funding benchmark. "If the NSW government were to reduce funding to an artificial level of 20 per cent, more than 80 per cent of independent schools would be severely impacted," he said. "School fees would rise and in many cases the choice of schooling for parents would be eliminated. Parents wanting to send their children to Catholic and independent schools would be forced to enrol their children in an already overcrowded government school sector." Over payments are the result of funding policy changes across two decades, which came with promises that schools would not lose money. They have been inherited by the Berejiklian and Morrison governments. The Schooling Resource Standard was designed to apply a transparent formula to funding. Each student, public or private, begins with the same amount of base funding. Extra money is added for disadvantaged students and schools. Once that figure is calculated, private schools' funding is reduced according to parents' capacity to contribute. The federal government pays 80 per cent of the final figure for private schools, and the states pay 20 per cent. That's reversed for public schools. Loading Mr Tehan, who has told states they must sign by December 7 or risk having their private school funding pulled, said he wanted a deal reached as soon as possible so funding could flow to all schools. These negotiations have been conducted in good faith with all states and territories and I want to ensure that continues." Hyatt has agreed to the same wage and benefit increases and extended healthcare that the union has agreed to with other hotels, Michael DAngelo, Hyatts vice president of labor relations for the Americas, said in a statement. The union is remaining uncooperative, further demonstrating that it has no desire to reach an agreement. We remain committed to finalizing an agreement and hope the union is as well. A man was stabbed in the chest and shoulder by an intruder overnight in Brisbane's north and rushed to hospital. Queensland police believe a 21-year-old Northgate man forced entry to the home in Wallace Street, Chermside, about 7.30pm. The two men were both taken to hospital for treatment. Credit:Glenn Hunt/Fairfax Media The intruder picked up a knife and became involved in an altercation with a 20-year-old man at the home, stabbing him before attempting to flee, police said. Officers arrested the attacker and took both men to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital for treatment. More cruise ships are coming to Queensland than any other state and the state's cruise industry has risen to an estimated worth of $500 million for the first time, according to new stats. It comes almost five months after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission gave the green light to the planned Port of Brisbane mega-cruise ship terminal upgrade. The P&O Pacific Dawn cruise ship is based in Brisbane, A record 520 cruise ships visited Queensland shores in 2017/18, an 11 per cent year-on-year increase, bringing in a total of 860,000 passengers. Tourism Minister Kate Jones said cruising had become the fastest-growing part of the global tourism industry and declared Queensland the "cruise capital of Australia". Makassar: An early warning system that might have prevented deaths in the tsunami that hit an Indonesian island on Friday has been stalled in the testing phase for years. The high-tech system of seafloor sensors, data-laden sound waves and fibre-optic cable was meant to replace a system set up after an earthquake and tsunami killed nearly 250,000 people in the region in 2004. However inter-agency wrangling and delays in getting just 1 billion rupiah ($95,500) to complete the project mean the system hasn't moved beyond a prototype developed with $4.1 million from the US National Science Foundation. It is too late for central Sulawesi, where walls of water up to 6 metres and a magnitude 7.5 earthquake killed at least 832 people in the cities of Palu and Donggala, highlighting the weaknesses of the existing warning system and low public awareness about how to respond to warnings. "To me this is a tragedy for science, even more so a tragedy for the Indonesian people as the residents of Sulawesi are discovering right now," said Louise Comfort, a University of Pittsburgh expert in disaster management who has led the US side of the project. United Nations: North Korea's foreign minister has said there was "no way we will denuclearise" without getting trust-building concessions from the United States, an assertion that reflected a continuing divide over efforts to ease nuclear tensions on the Korean Peninsula. "Without any trust in the United States, there will be no confidence in our national security, and under such circumstances there is no way we will unilaterally disarm ourselves first," the North Korean minister, Ri Yong-ho, told the UN General Assembly on Saturday. The United States has called for North Korea to surrender all of its nuclear capabilities first, before other issues can be negotiated. The North insists it needs reciprocal concessions from the United States, including the lifting of crippling economic sanctions and an official declaration that the 1950-53 Korean War has ended. Speaking to world leaders who had gathered for the General Assembly, Ri expressed a "firm determination to turn the Korean Peninsula into a land of peace" but said the US-backed sanctions were a "hostile policy". But the Zainichi are a powerful reminder of other humanitarian catastrophes that have unfolded in North Korea in the past six decades, and how the regime of Kim Jong Un faces reckonings and recriminations on many fronts as it seeks dialogue with the West and its allies. The lawsuit by the Zainichi also cuts another way: highlighting the cultural politics in Japan and elsewhere in East Asia that can relegate ethnic minorities to underclass status. Sakakibara's parents, both ethnic Koreans, found life a challenge in Japan, she said. Her father struggled to find regular work, and her mother had suffered a stroke. Now 68, she remembers being shamed at school because she did not have lunch money. Kim Il-sung, a former guerrilla who gained fame battling Japans colonial rule, established the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea on September 9, 1948. Kim Jong-un's grandfather is seen here in February 1948. Credit:KCNA/AP In May 1961, the family boarded a Soviet passenger vessel bound for the North Korean port of Chongjin. Sakakibara vividly remembers the propaganda photos the family were shown before leaving Japan: beautiful girls plucking rosy apples off a tree, idyllic country scenes and modern cityscapes. But once on board the ship, watched over by Soviet soldiers, the doubts began to set in. "The food was terrible, and the apples, they were so shrivelled," she said. Then, as the ship pulled into the port, they realised they had made a terrible mistake. Loading What greeted them was a gray, impoverished and drab city, and a dock full of malnourished and shabbily dressed people, all the adults in the same dreary, dark gray clothes, some of the children without shoes or even trousers. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, right, meets with Shigeo Iizuka, second from right, leader of a group of families of Japanese abducted by North Korea, and Sakie Yokota, second from left, mother of Megumi Yokota, one of the Japanese abductees and other members at Abe's official residence in Tokyo in March. Credit:AP "Why is it so different from what I imagined?" Sakakibara remembers asking her 11-year-old self. "I was so disappointed." Around her, the adults had the same thoughts. "We had been told this was paradise, but this clearly wasn't the case," said Hiroko Saito, a Japanese woman who had come with her Korean husband and their one-year-old daughter. "Everyone started crying: 'Get me away from here. Get me back home.' " They had been told they could live where they wanted, do whatever jobs they chose. It was a lie. Many ended up in prison camps or coal mines, the families in the lawsuit claims. Some died of malnutrition and disease, while others survived by selling what they had brought from Japan and through money sent to them by relatives who had stayed behind. Sakikibara's father was a construction worker in Japan, but he was sent to work in the countryside and struggled to learn manual farming. Unable to meet his quotas, he soon suffered a mental breakdown and was locked in a hospital for the mentally ill, where he died in 1964, his daughter said. Loading At school, she was continuously bullied because she had grown up in Japan. In Japan, the ethnic Koreans were seen as politically suspect - many were left-wing - and a drain on the welfare state. They had also been stripped of their Japanese citizenship after the empire was dismantled following World War II, and the government quietly backed the campaign to send them to home or to North Korea, says Tessa Morris-Suzuki, an Australian National University professor and author of Exodus to North Korea: Shadows From Japan's Cold War. The proselytising campaign was carried out by the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, or Chongryon, a pro-North Korea organisation. The Japanese Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross helped with arrangements. Once in North Korea, many immigrants tried to warn relatives not to join them. Letters home were heavily censored, but some wrote messages on the back of stamps or used prearranged codes such as writing in ink if the letter was telling the truth, in pencil if it was a lie. Historical archives show Japan knew what was happening. It told Britain in the early 1960s that conditions for the immigrants were very hard, but still backed the campaign to send more back, said Morris-Suzuki. Japanese police guard the headquarters of the pro-Pyongyang General Association of the Korean Residents in Japan in Tokyo during protests against North Korea. Credit:AP UK Prime Minister Theresa May arrives for the Conservative Party conference. Credit:Bloomberg Birmingham: An Australian company at the centre of a huge data breach that has seriously embarrassed the governing conservative party on the eve of its conference has apologised for revealing the personal data of senior ministers. The Conservative Party conference app was built by Crowdcomms - an Australian company operating in the UK, Ireland, Singapore and Australia. It builds apps for organisations holding major conferences but its major blunder could expose the party to a fine of up to 2 million ($3.6 million) under strict new data protection laws. The Tory party had contracted the company to help modernise its image ahead of its annual conference, where leadership tensions and internal ructions over Brexit are set to dominate. The app allowed people to log in using another user's email and view and change their data, including mobile phone numbers and emails. Skopje: Macedonia's Prime Minister has pledged to press on with a vote in Parliament to change the country's name, although his coalition acknowledged a referendum appeared to have failed to secure the 50 per cent turnout needed to make it legally valid. A supporter of a movement for voters to boycott the referendum celebrates in central Skopje, Macedonia, after election officials revealed low turnout figures. Credit:AP The proposed name change is part of an agreement reached in June by pro-Western Prime Minister Zoran Zaev with Macedonia's neighbour Greece to resolve a decades-old dispute that had prevented Macedonia from joining NATO or the EU. Under the agreement, Macedonia would change its name to the Republic of North Macedonia. Greece, which has a province called Macedonia, has maintained that its northern neighbour's name represents a claim on its territory. Baghdad: Tara Fares was a model and a social media star whose carefully crafted lifestyle and fashion photos drew in more than 2.7 million followers on Instagram. On Thursday, she was shot dead in broad daylight in Baghdad, the latest woman killed in a series of attacks government officials are investigating as possibly linked. Fares, 22, a former beauty queen who had just been voted one of Iraq's most followed social media stars, was shot three times while at the wheel of her white convertible in the upscale Camp Sarah neighbourhood in the centre of the Iraqi capital. Tara Fares, an Iraqi social media star, was gunned down in Baghdad on Thursday, September 27. Credit:Social media "She was very beautiful and nice and wanted to be happy and to live her life how the rest of the world lives: without restraint and hatred," said Omar Moner, a Baghdad-based photographer and friend. "But here in Iraq, there is no acceptance of the freedoms of others." It is not possible to state with certainty whether any particular cancer is related to these types of exposures. Usually, skin cancers take decades to develop, so it is more likely that sun exposure during childhood is a more significant factor. And the damage caused by the sun accumulates over time, making it even more difficult to know with certainty which exposure or which type of exposure may have had an impact. Based on available information, however, sunroofs appear to be a less likely cause, but not impossible. Also, different manufacturers are now using glass with different abilities to decrease UVA and UVB exposure in automobiles, so that is another factor that needs to be considered. The "Black Marble Earth" was illuminated under the night sky on Sept. 25 at "Space2030: Space as a Driver for Peace," an event at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. Designed to look like our planet as astronauts would see it at night, the structure gives viewers an incredible glimpse of Earth from space. UNITED NATIONS Leaders from around the world gathered at the United Nations Headquarters Tuesday (Sept. 25) for "Space2030: Space as a Driver for Peace," to discuss the future of international cooperation in space. At the event, a huge, inflatable dark globe called "Black Marble" Earth stood to remind attendees of how amazing our planet really is. Human activity can be seen as illumination at night from space. The "Black Marble Earth" depicted this incredible view on Sept. 25 at "Space2030," giving viewers the astronaut perspective. (Image credit: Sarah Lewin/Space.com) The Black Marble Earth was commissioned by the Space Trust, a convening partner of the event along with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and the United Nations Office for Partnerships. The display was made to resemble planet Earth as it is seen at night by astronauts. So, black and illuminated, the inflatable structure was admired by all throughout the event. The Black Marble Earth is massive, measuring 11.5 feet (3.5 meters) in diameter. Eric Morris, founder and director of the company Orbis World Globes, said he was originally inspired to make Black Marble Earth by the photographs that the Apollo astronauts took of Earth from the perspective of the moon, Morris told Space.com. "Given the odds that me or most of my friends would have the opportunity to go into deep space and see the beautiful Earth suspended in the blackness of space," Morris said, "[I thought] maybe I could take the photographic concept a little bit further. I resolved to develop spherical models of the Earth that depicted the planet as it actually appeared from space." Left to Right: Namira Salim, Founder and Executive Chairperson of Space Trust; Lucie Brigham, Chief of Office, UN Office for Partnerships and Ian Freeman, Associate Programme Officer, UN Office for Partnerships. (Image credit: Courtes) More than 30 years after he began making Earths, Morris said Black Marble Earth is special because it shows the planet at night. Cities are illuminated with activity. Morris told Space.com that he hopes to "share that transformative perspective" that astronauts gain when viewing Earth from space, a psychological effect and a shift in perspective known as the overview effect. Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, President of Malta, Robert Skinner, Executive Director UN Office for Partnerships, Namira Salim, Founder and Executive Chairperson of Space Trust and Lucie Brigham, Chief of Office, UN Office for Partnerships gathered at "Space2030" on Sept. 29, 2018. (Image credit: Courtesy of Namira Salim) Follow Chelsea Gohd on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. New York, Sept 28, 2018 (SPS) - The Minister of Foreign Affairs , Mohamed Salem Ould Salek has met with numerous heads of foreign delegations participating at the 73rd ordinary session of the General Assembly of the United Nations taken part in New York The Saharawi Minister explained to his interlocutors the moment in which the national question is going through, focusing on the efforts of the AU and the UN to complete the process of decolonization of Western Sahara. The head of Saharawi diplomacy has also taken the opportunity to exchange ideas with his interlocutors about the need to accelerate the eradication of colonialism, taking advantage of the last two years of the Third International Decade for the Elimination of Colonialism (2011-2020). The debate on the Sahrawi conflict is basically part of the agenda of the Special Political and Decolonization Commission (Fourth Committee) under the theme of the program entitled Application of the Declaration of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (item62). several delegations, during this session, have referred to the need to end the last case of decolonization of the African continent and have expressed their support for the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination and sovereignty national. Mohamed Salem Ould Salek, heads an important Saharawi delegation including Mhamed Khadad, Saharawi coordinator with MINURSO, Sidi Mohamed Omar representative of the Frenet POLISARIO to the UN and Malainin Slama member of POLISARIO representation to the UN. SPS 125/090/TRA New York (United Nations), September 29, 2018 (SPS) - Tanzania has reiterated its strong support for the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination and independence, said its Foreign Minister, Augustine Mahiga, during his address before the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly. Mr. Mahiga renewed his country's strong support for the Saharawi people's right to self-determination and independence, pointing out that Morocco's accession to the African Union is a new turning point and a chance to find a final solution to the Sahrawi issue. He also considered that the establishment of the African Union troika as an opportunity to support the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy to find a solution to the conflict in Western Sahara, reiterating his country's support for this mechanism, which he hoped would lead to a final solution to the Sahrawi issue. (SPS) 062/SPS/TRA New York (United Nations), September 29, 2018 (SPS) - Envoy Host Kohler on Friday invited the Polisario Front to the first talks with Morocco in December in Geneva, which aim to revive the peace process in Western Sahara stalled since 2012, a close source told APS on Friday. The Polisario Front on Friday received an invitation from the former German president to attend the first direct negotiations scheduled for 4-5 December in Switzerland, said the source. On Thursday, Kohler informed the Polisario Front delegation, present in New York, of the steps he intends to take soon to reopen the UN-backed political process, including the invitation of both parties to a new round of negotiations before 2019. During his recent briefing at the Security Council in August, the UN envoy promised to send invitations to both sides to the first talks in late November or early December. Kohler explained to Security Council that those first talks aimed to provide a basic framework for future negotiations on matters of substance, revealed the Security Councils October 2018 monthly forecast. (SPS) 062/SPS/APS WASHINGTON - The FBI has begun contacting people as part of an additional background investigation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, including a second woman who alleges that the Supreme Court nominee sexually assaulted her. The bureau has contacted Deborah Ramirez, a Yale University classmate of Kavanaugh's who alleges that he shoved his genitals in her face at a party where she had been drinking and become disoriented, her attorney said Saturday. "She has agreed to cooperate with their investigation," Ramirez attorney John Clune said in a statement. "Out of respect for the integrity of the process, we will have no further comment at this time." President Donald Trump ordered the new background investigation of his nominee on Friday under pressure from key members of his party. Late Saturday, the president said the FBI probe would be exhaustive, but the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday afternoon said that the supplemental investigation would be limited to "current, credible allegations." And a lawyer for one woman who has accused Kavanaugh of misconduct said his client had not been contacted. In brief remarks to reporters before leaving for a rally in West Virginia, the president said the FBI is "all over talking to everybody. . . . They have free rein, they can do whatever they have to do, whatever it is that they do. They'll be doing things we have never even thought of." But Michael Avenatti, an attorney for Julie Swetnick, who alleged that Kavanaugh and another boy got teenage girls drunk at parties, where the girls were sexually assaulted, sometimes by groups of boys, said Saturday that Swetnick has not been contacted by the bureau. Swetnick said in a sworn statement this past week that she knew Kavanaugh in high school and was raped by such a group at a party where Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge were present. She has not accused Kavanaugh of raping her. Swetnik described Kavanaugh as a "mean drunk" in high school who was physically and verbally aggressive with girls. "We have not heard anything from the FBI, and with each passing hour, I'm growing increasingly concerned that this is a sham of an investigation," Avenatti said. He noted that Swetnick has had multiple security clearances and said that lying in a sworn declaration would be disastrous to her career. "Why would Miss Ramirez be questioned but not my client?" he asked. "Donald Trump is not supposed to be determining who is credible. That's the job of the FBI." Trump reiterated his defense of his nominee for the high court, calling him a "good man" and a "great judge." The president also said the FBI investigation "will be a blessing in disguise. It will be a good thing." Kavanaugh has denied the accusations by Ramirez and Swetnick and has said emphatically that he never abused or assaulted anyone. He also has pointed to half a dozen other background checks the FBI conducted on him for other federal positions over the years, none of which surfaced evidence or allegations of sexual assault. The FBI also is following up on allegations by Christine Blasey Ford, a psychology professor at Palo Alto University in California, who testified to the Senate last week that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in the early 1980s when they were in high school in suburban Washington, District of Columbia. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., a member of the Judiciary Committee, had pressed for the FBI probe and a delay in voting on the nomination. Asked on Friday about "current, credible allegations" that should be investigated, Flake said, "We'll leave that to the FBI." White House spokesman Raj Shah said on Saturday: "The scope and duration has been set by the Senate. The White House is letting the FBI agents do what they are trained to do." A Judiciary Committee spokesman on Saturday declined to elaborate beyond the panel's initial statement. Democrats were not included on a call that Republican staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee held with the White House discussing the FBI investigation, according to an official familiar with the discussion who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Trump, in his remarks to reporters, also said he wants to know who leaked a confidential letter by Ford that was sent to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Calif., the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, and suggested it could have been the California lawmaker. "I think frankly the FBI has a chance to reveal a lot of different things. I'd like to find out who leaked the papers," Trump said, referring to the letter. "Was it Senator Feinstein? Certainly her body language was not exactly very good when they asked her that question. I would like to find out as part of it who leaked the papers, which Democrat leaked the papers." Feinstein said at Thursday's hearing that she did not leak the letter nor did anyone on her staff. Ryan Grim, the reporter for the Intercept who first reported on the existence of Ford's letter, has also said neither Feinstein nor her aides were his sources. During Thursday's testimony, Ford recounted in detail how Kavanaugh and Judge allegedly attacked her in a bedroom during a small gathering at a house when she said the teen boys were both drunk. Ford said the alleged attack has caused her lasting trauma, and she was visibly anguished as she recalled the events Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Following Ford's testimony, Kavanaugh vigorously denied the allegations before the committee and accused Democrats of launching a last-minute attempt to derail his nomination. He decried the confirmation process as a "circus." Each of the people Ford identified as being at the gathering - Judge, Leland Keyser and Patrick J. Smyth - has said they will cooperate with the FBI. An attorney for Keyser, a friend of Ford's, said that Keyser has no recollection of the party where Ford alleges Kavanaugh assaulted her. "Notably, Ms. Keyser does not refute Dr. Ford's account, and she has already told the press that she believes Dr. Ford's account," the attorney, Howard Walsh III, wrote in an email to the Senate Judiciary Committee. "However, the simple and unchangeable truth is that she is unable to corroborate it because she has no recollection of the incident in question." Judge, the high school friend of Kavanaugh's who Ford says was in the room during the alleged assault, also has agreed to cooperate with the FBI. His account has been particularly sought after because, unlike Kavanaugh, Judge has not denied Ford's allegations but has said he has no memory that such an assault occurred. Ford told the Judiciary Committee that some weeks after the alleged assault she ran into Judge at a grocery store where he was working for the summer. "I said hello to him. His face was white and very uncomfortable saying hello back," she said. "He was just nervous and not really wanting to speak with me, and he looked a little bit ill." According to Ford, a boy named "PJ" was also at the gathering but not in the room where the alleged assault occurred. Last week, Smyth, who attended Georgetown Prep high school with Kavanaugh, told the Judiciary Committee that he had no knowledge of the gathering or of any improper conduct by Kavanaugh. On Friday, Smyth said through his lawyer that he was "happy" to cooperate with the investigation. On Friday, Republicans on the committee voted to proceed to a full Senate vote on Kavanaugh's nomination, but back-room negotiations led to a surprise twist in what has already been a wrenching confirmation process for a Supreme Court nominee, among the most polarizing in recent memory. Flake, a key swing vote to confirm Kavanaugh, said he would vote to proceed to a full Senate vote, but that the Senate vote should be preceded by a new, expanded FBI investigation of the allegations against Kavanaugh. Recognizing that Flake and a handful of other senators' votes appeared contingent upon the investigation, Republican leaders and the White House relented. Later that day, Trump ordered the investigation and that it be limited in scope and completed by Friday. Lawmakers and Trump administration officials had few expectations that the FBI would settle Ford's and Kavanaugh's dueling accounts. A background investigation is, by its nature, more limited than a criminal probe, and FBI agents will not be able to obtain search warrants or issue subpoenas to compel testimony from potential witnesses. The FBI's interviews, which will take a few days to conduct, won't turn into a sprawling inquest of everyone Kavanaugh went to a party with in high school, said a person familiar with the investigation. The FBI's findings will not necessarily become public. When investigators have completed their work, anything they've discovered will be turned over to the White House as an update to Kavanaugh's background check file. The White House would then likely share the material with the Senate committee. At that point, all senators, as well as a very small group of aides, would have access to it. The White House or the Senate would decide what, if anything, should be released publicly. The bureau's work will probably consist mostly of reports of interviews with witnesses and accusers. The bureau will not come to a conclusion on whether the accusations are credible and will not make a recommendation on what should become of Kavanaugh's nomination. On Saturday, the Judiciary Committee said it referred for criminal investigation apparent false statements made to the panel's investigators about Kavanaugh. Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said in a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and FBI Director Christopher Wray that he was seeking a criminal review of the actions of one individual whom he did not identify. - - - The Washington Post's Aaron Blake, Emma Brown and Alex Horton contributed to this report. --- Video Embed Code Video: At a rally in West Virginia, President Trump praised Judge Brett Kavanaugh's "courage" during his testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.(The Washington Post) Embed code: A Julian Assange supporter wants to coordinate classical music performances outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London to afford some beauty to the WikiLeaks founder inside. Australian-born Mr Assange has been within the building, in Knightsbridge, since 2012. Gordon Parnell, a 62-year-old Canadian who has lived in Mexico since 1991, said he wishes to show his support for Mr Assange, which is why he is attempting to find talented individuals or ensembles to entertain him. I am not a musician but know what a delight music is to the soul especially when the mind is stuck on something or lacking in stimulation, he told the Standard. Julian Assange has been in the Embassy for six years / AP After reading an article about Mr Assange recently, he said: It occurred to me what a delight it would be to hear some lovely classical music wafting in from the street, like carol singing at Christmas. I imagine it would afford him some beauty in an otherwise boring and cloistered world. Mr Assange first sought refuge in the Embassy of Ecuador to avoid extradition to Sweden where he was to be questioned after being accused of sex crimes though these allegations were dropped by authorities. If he exits the embassy it has been stated he would be able to be arrested based on a long-standing warrant for skipping bail in the UK. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange looking out of the Embassy in 2016 / AFP/Getty Images Mr Assange is said to fear that if he were to be arrested he could be extradited to the United States over his WikiLeaks activity. Lawyers for him have argued against his potential arrest and pleaded for him to be able to leave the Ecuadorian embassy without fear of this due to him suffering from depression and physical ailments, including a frozen shoulder and bad tooth. The Ecuadorian government cut off Mr Assanges internet access in March due to messages he shared on social media. Some masked Julian Assange supporters outside the Embassy in 2012 / Dominic Lipinski/PA Ecuadors president is trying to work with Britain on providing a legal solution that would see Mr Assange leave the embassy. Mr Parnell said he has not had uptake from musicians yet though he still hopes to be able to coordinate something and is just at the first tiny step of this idea. He described Mr Assange as a hero for his work in getting the truth out. His advert for musicians to serenade Julian Assange has been posted on Craigslist. He also wrote another piece online which said: To make Julian's hours inside the embassy just a bit more bearable; I am calling on musicians everywhere to perform live music outside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to provide a modicum of beauty to an otherwise bleak existence inside the embassy. He added: If just one concert were to take place, I think that might generate enough interest to rally the troops, so to speak. WikiLeaks was founded by Mr Assange in 2006 and has published more than 10 million documents. Amongst its releases, often from coordination with whistle blowers, is footage from a 2007 airstrike, in which Iraqi journalists were amongst the fatalities, multiple US military logs, including many from the war in Afghanistan. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 30) The President's chief legal counsel went after critics of the administration after the President received backlash for allegedly admitting guilt over extrajudicial killings in his anti-drug war. Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said in a recent statement that the remark of President Rodrigo Duterte saying extrajudicial killings were his only "sin" were "being twisted" by his critics. He maintained that the claim of Duterte's involvement in extrajudicial killings was "baseless." "It is only the baseless allegation of him being behind the extra-judicial killings that appears to tar his governance. That was what he meant when he made the aforesaid statement, the meaning of which is now, as always, being twisted by the perennial nit pickers of his uncommon lingua franca," Panelo said Sunday. He earlier explained that the President's statement was taken out of context because he was not used to speaking in Filipino. He said Duterte meant to say that he could not be accused of corruption nor could he be behind the imprisonment of his critics. READ: Palace clarifies: Duterte 'not serious' about extrajudicial killings remark Panelo also defended the anti-drug war, backed by the recent national survey that yielded positive results from citizens. A Social Weather Stations survey in June showed 78 percent of 1,200 respondents were satisfied with Duterte's anti-drug campaign. He said critics should look at the anti-drug campaign as a "forceful legal method of saving a generation from drug addiction or ruin." "For once in their lives, they should contribute to its triumph by assisting the government in its fight against the destroyers of society, for they may well be saving themselves and their families from the scourge of illegal drugs," he said. United Nations Special Rapporteur on summary and arbitrary executions called Duterte's remarks an "extraordinary statement by a Head of State." Meanwhile, Senator Antonio Trillanes and former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay called the controversy an opportunity for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to move forward with its probe of the administration's alleged extrajudicial killings. READ: Trillanes hopeful Duterte's extrajudicial killings remark will be 'clincher' to win ICC case Malacanang has refused to cooperate with the ICC's preliminary examination, issuing a formal letter of its withdrawal from the Rome Statute, the treaty that governs the ICC. When Joanie Demer used coupons to take a $600 grocery bill down to $2.64 on the TLC show "Extreme Couponing," she had a secret weapon. Demer, who blogs at TheKrazyCouponLady.com, used plenty of ordinary coupons, the ones you clip from the Sunday newspaper for 50 cents off this or $1 off that. But her secret weapon was her stash of "Catalinas," supercoupons that took up to $5 off her bill with each swoop across the barcode scanner. Catalinas also known as "YourBucks" or dollars-off coupons can be a bargain shopper's best friend, but you won't find them in the newspaper, and you can't print them online. These valuable coupons are available only from one source: a little printer at your grocery or drugstore checkout. The printers spit out a narrow tape of coupons for each customer, and far too many shoppers ignore them. Some of the things that come out of the Catalina printer are low-value coupons or worthless ads, but sometimes you will hit the jackpot with coupons for $1, $5 or even $20 off your next shopping trip. Catalina Marketing is a St. Petersburg, Fla., company that works with manufacturers to target offers to specific customers with the help of data from loyalty cards. It makes sense that the company's machines print higher-value coupons than the ones in the paper or online: Through Catalina, manufacturers can issue fewer coupons overall to a more targeted group of customers, based on what they bought. The most exciting thing about Catalinas is that, unlike a coupon you clip for 50 cents off a certain brand of toothpaste, dollars-off Catalina coupons can be spent on nearly anything, almost like cash. "Some health-conscious consumers use them to save on categories for which coupons aren't typically or widely available like fresh fruit and vegetables," said Catalina Marketing executive Susan Gear. "I've even heard of a woman who tipped a restaurant server with a $2 YourBuck reward." If you buy $5.25 worth of bananas and hand over a Catalina coupon that reads "Save $5 off your next order," you'll pay only a quarter for the bunch. The Frugalista gets so many dollars-off coupons that sometimes even the checkers at my local grocery ask me: How can I get some of these coupons to print for me? Catalina does several types of coupon promotion, each with its own kind of "trigger purchase": Big Catalina Trigger: You spend a specified amount on products included in the promotion. Example: "Spend $30 on these products, get $10 off your next order." How you find out about it: Big Catalinas usually run only at one grocery chain at a time and are advertised in the weekly ads and in stores. Little Catalina Trigger: You buy a certain number of products included in the promotion, no matter how much they cost. Example: "Buy four boxes of Brand X fruit snacks, get $2 off your next order." How you find out about it: Catalina Marketing lists them at CouponNetwork.com. To view, click "YourBucks Offers." They may also be marked on store shelves or advertised by printouts from the Catalina machine. They often run simultaneously at multiple stores nationwide. Product-specific Catalina Trigger: You may get this kind of coupon out of the Catalina machine without knowing why. Sometimes if you buy one brand of something, the machine prints a coupon for a competitor. Example: $1 off Brand X children's cold medicine. How you find out about it: Usually unadvertised. Now it may not seem like you can get ahead spending $30 to earn a $10 coupon. But you can sweeten the deal for yourself by using coupons for your initial purchase coupons from the newspaper, the Internet, or even Catalina coupons earned on previous purchases. The amount you have to spend to trigger a Catalina print is generally calculated before your manufacturer's coupons come off. Imagine you buy $30 worth of the products in the promotion, but then you hand over $10 worth of coupons. Now you're paying $20 to get that $10 coupon essentially getting 50 percent off the sale price. Not a bad deal, assuming you selected items you needed anyway. When an attractive Catalina deal comes to one of my local stores, I set aside time to make multiple trips through the checkout lane and collect as many Catalina coupons as possible. This kind of deal has been a big help in building my grocery stockpile. Carrie Kirby is a mom and the self-proclaimed Frugalista. Write to her at ckirby@tribune.com. T he parents of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse have revealed the heartbreaking final words they said to their daughter, 15, before she died after suffering an allergic reaction to a Pret A Manger sandwich. The teen, from Fulham, collapsed on a British Airways flight from London to Nice after eating a sandwich containing sesame, to which she was allergic, in July 2016, a coroner concluded at an inquest into her death on Friday. Speaking to reporters earlier this week, her family called for a change in food labelling laws which had played Russian roulette with her life . In an interview with the Mail on Sunday, her mother, Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, has spoken about the last time she spoke to her daughter over the phone, as she was lying in hospital. Ms Ednan-Laperouse, 51, was unable to be beside her in hospital, as she was in Nice. Natasha's family at west London coroner's court / PA She told the newspaper: I said, Tashi, I love you so much, darling. Ill be with you soon. Ill be with you. Because, when youve got children, you dont want them to be without you, do you? They still need you. I fell to the ground. I couldnt talk, I was engulfed with grief. I knew then she was gone she was dead. Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, from Fulham, west London, with her father Nadim, / PA Natasha had been in Stansted Airport with a friend, about to travel on a British Airways flight to Cote dAzur, before she ate a sandwich from Pret A Manger. An allergen that she was allergic to was not listed as an ingredient on the sandwichs labelling, Coroner Dr Sean Cummings found. The teen then went into anaphylactic shock and suffered a cardiac arrest. Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, from Fulham, died after she fell ill on a flight from London to Nice after eating a Pret sandwich at Heathrow Airport two years ago / PA Her father Nadim, 53, said he has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder since his daughters death. He said: I really love my daughter, in a way thats like one flesh. As a parent Id die a thousand times, crucified, for her to live. I spent 15 years nurturing the most precious thing in my life. Ms Ednan-Laperouse added that she spent a year on the sofa after she died and has kept the teenagers room the same way. During the inquest, it emerged that a "specific warning" about the dangers of not signposting the allergen had been given to the food chain the previous year. Pret baguettes described as "posh" or "artisan" were said to contain sesame seeds, including the one that Natasha ate. A complaint log for the company from between July 17 2015 and June 29 2016 showed nine cases of sesame-related allergy incidents. Four of these led to customers seeking hospital treatment, while another went to a medical centre. More than a year after the complaint, Pret changed the design of a label within its fridges that tells customers to ask staff for allergy information. The company's chief executive, Mr Schlee said: "We are deeply sorry for Natasha's death. We cannot begin to comprehend the pain her family have gone through and the grief they continue to feel. "We have heard everything the coroner and Natasha's family have said this week. And we will learn from this. T housands of protesters took to the streets calling for Brexit to be ditched as the Tories gathered for their autumn conference. Campaigners marched through Birmingham on Sunday waving anti-Brexit banners before holding a huge two-hour rally in the city centre. Tim Skeet, from the group Tories against Brexit, told the crowd: "A certain prime minister is continuing to drive this bus over the cliff. "The only way forward is to bin Brexit and to remain in the EU." Anti-Brexit protest Birmingham 1 /10 Anti-Brexit protest Birmingham Demonstrators take part in a protest against Brexit during the annual Conservative Party Conference Getty Images Thousands of protesters took to the streets on Sunday afternoon Getty Images A demonstrator takes part in a protest AP Anti-Brexit protesters march outside of the Conservative Party Conference EPA A Europe flag seen alongside a statue of Queen Victoria AP A demonstrator takes part in a protest Getty Images Demonstrators protest against Britain's split from Europe in Birmingham AP Demonstrators take part in a protest against Brexit Getty Images Demonstrators protest against Brexit as the Conservative Party starts its annual four-day party conference AP Demonstrators protest against Brexit AP Labour peer Lord Adonis mocked the Conservatives for the security issues they suffered with a party app as the conference opened. "These are the people who tell us they can have the IT systems in place and all of the technology for Canada plus plus, for the frictionless border, for free trade without borders in Ireland," he added. "It is a complete farce. There isn't such a thing as a good Brexit," he added. Demonstrators protest against Brexit in Birmingham / AP Philosopher AC Grayling said he was optimistic a fresh vote would be held. "We are going to keep on fighting," he told the Best for Britain rally. "We are not going to give up." Thousands took to the streets at the annual Conservative Party Conference / Getty Images Andrew Hardie, 46, a language teacher from Bristol, voted Leave but has since changed his mind. He said once the referendum result was known he thought, "What the heck have I done?" "In a way, me turning up today is almost me trying to make some sort of recompense for the mistake I made at the ballot box," he said. Also on Sunday an opposing Leave Means Leave rally took place in Solihull. Nigel Farage speaks at a Leave means Leave rally / REUTERS Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage told the rally politicians must be made to "feel the heat" if they were about to betray the decision made in the 2016 referendum. "This is now about a matter of trust between us - the people - and our political class," he said. "They are trying to betray Brexit and we are here today to tell them 'we won't let you get away with doing that'." In a message to the enthusiastic crowd he added: "I want you to make our political class, who are on the verge of betraying Brexit, feel the heat. "We are mobilising the people's army of this country that gave us victory in Brexit and will never rest until we have become an independent, self-governing, proud United Kingdom." Tory MP Peter Bone said: "I will stand up for Brexit but we need to chuck Chequers." Setting out his opposition to the European Union, he said: "We didn't fight world wars to be subservient. We want to make our own laws in our own country." He dismissed suggestions that public opinion had changed since the 2016 vote, saying: "The idea that the British people have changed their minds and want to remain is completely untrue." T he Conservative Party conference got underway on Sunday, amid deep divisions in the party over Brexit. Theresa May issued a strong denial that her Chequers plan for future relations with the EU is dead, insisting on BBC1's Andrew Marr Show: "No, it isn't." "Chequers at the moment is the only plan on the table that delivers on the Brexit vote and also delivers for the people of Northern Ireland," she said. It came after Boris Johnson branded her plan "deranged" and "preposterous" as the conference opened in Birmingham. Heres five things we learned from day one of the Tory conference Chequers plan 'in national interest' Theresa May appears on BBC1's Andrew Marr Show on Sunday / PA This was her riposte to Boris Johnson's incendiary claim that her blueprint for a future UK/EU relationship was "deranged". Her choice of words left the distinct impression she believes the former foreign secretary is pursuing his own interest rather than the country's. Cyber-cadet force A teenage cyber-cadet force is to be recruited to help defend the nation against online attacks. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson gives a speech on Sunday / AFP/Getty Images Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said 2,000 cadets a year would be trained on a 1 million GCHQ programme to "protect our nation against sophisticated and evolving threats". The project will be the first of its kind in a Nato state. Passions over Brexit roused Brexit is rousing passions on the streets around the Birmingham conference centre. Anti-Brexit protest Birmingham 1 /10 Anti-Brexit protest Birmingham Demonstrators take part in a protest against Brexit during the annual Conservative Party Conference Getty Images Thousands of protesters took to the streets on Sunday afternoon Getty Images A demonstrator takes part in a protest AP Anti-Brexit protesters march outside of the Conservative Party Conference EPA A Europe flag seen alongside a statue of Queen Victoria AP A demonstrator takes part in a protest Getty Images Demonstrators protest against Britain's split from Europe in Birmingham AP Demonstrators take part in a protest against Brexit Getty Images Demonstrators protest against Brexit as the Conservative Party starts its annual four-day party conference AP Demonstrators protest against Brexit AP Hundreds of demonstrators joined a Best for Britain rally in the city centre, including some Conservative activists waving Tories Against Brexit banners. Meanwhile, in Solihull, a Leave Means Leave rally heard Tory backbenchers Peter Bone and Andrea Jenkyns call on the Prime Minister to "chuck Chequers". Housing plan The government wants to make it harder for foreign nationals to buy homes in Britain. Mrs May announced plans for a stamp duty surcharge of between 1 per cent and 3 per cent to be imposed on sales of property to foreign nationals who do not pay UK tax. The measure is designed to ease pressure on the housing market and make homes more affordable for Britons. Business rates Ministers are considering cutting business rates to help the high street. Business Secretary Greg Clark told a fringe event that he believed the value of the high street to communities should be recognised - potentially through tax changes. "A presence on a high street... makes a big contribution to the community, and to villages, towns and cities - and I think some recognition of that is required," said Mr Clark. "Business rates will be one way of doing that." Mrs May has said she is prepared to listen to the EU's concerns about her Chequers plan. She said she believes she has counter-proposals for their concerns and can address them. She added: "I do believe in Brexit, crucially I believe in delivering Brexit in a way that respects the vote and delivers on the vote of the British people, while also protection our union, protecting jobs and ensuring we make a success of Brexit for the future. That's why I'm being ambitious for this country." T hose who refuse to back Theresa May's Chequers blueprint for Brexit are "playing politics" with the UK's future, the Prime Minister has said. In an interview with the Sunday Times ahead her party conference in Birmingham, Mrs May set out her political agenda, and signalled she had a "long-term" job to do as PM. She also announced plans aimed at bolstering her position, announcing measures to crack down on foreigners buying homes and proposals for a nationwide festival in 2022 - the year of the next scheduled general election. But ex-foreign secretary Boris Johnson has lobbed a political hand grenade at Theresa May as the Tory conference begins, branding her Brexit plan "deranged" and "preposterous". Ex-Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said Theresa May's Brexit plan is 'deranged' / AP In remarks that will fuel speculation about Mr Johnson's leadership ambitions, he highlighted a key distinction between himself and Mrs May: "Unlike the Prime Minister, I campaigned for Brexit." In an interview with the Sunday Times, Mr Johnson said the UK should build a bridge to Ireland and put the HS2 rail line on hold to focus on a high-speed link in the north of England. He branded Mrs May's call for a facilitated customs arrangement - part of the Chequers plan to break the impasse in Brexit talks - "entirely preposterous". Suggesting he may be able to strike a better deal than Mrs May, he told the newspaper: "Unlike the Prime Minister, I fought for this, I believe in it, I think it's the right thing for our country and I think that what is happening now is, alas, not what people were promised in 2016." What happens in the event of a No Deal Brexit? Setting out an alternative policy platform as the Conservative Party conference began in Birmingham, the former cabinet minister said: "I think we need to make the case for markets. "I don't think we should caper insincerely on socialist territory. You can't beat (Jeremy) Corbyn by becoming Corbyn." Mrs May used her own interview with the Sunday Times to set out her political agenda. Under her plans, people and businesses who do not pay tax in Britain will face a surcharge of between 1 per cent and 3 per cent when they buy a property, with the money funding measures to tackle rough sleeping, the newspaper said. A Tory party banner hangs from the International Convention Centre (ICC) as politicians and delegates begin to arrive for the annual party conference / Getty Images Signalling that she intended to remain in Number 10 for years to come, she said: "There's a long-term job to do." She added: "It's not just about Brexit, it's about the domestic agenda as well. "I think we're at a very important and historic moment for the UK. There are real opportunities for the UK outside the European Union." Setting out her plans for a festival in post-Brexit Britain, she said: "We want to showcase what makes our country great today. "We want to capture that spirit for a new generation, celebrate our nation's diversity and talent, and mark this moment of national renewal with a once-in-a-generation celebration." Mrs May also told the Sun on Sunday that she was "not bluffing" when she said "no deal is better than a bad deal" when it comes to leaving the EU. "I believe that we can get a deal," she added. "I believe we can get a good deal and that's what we are working for. But nobody should be in any doubt." The Tory gathering in Birmingham has been marked by a deepening rift over Brexit policy. The party was also hit by an embarrassing security gaffe as a flaw in the official conference app allowed access to the contact details of Cabinet ministers and senior MPs. Tory chairman Brandon Lewis apologised for the breach of security and the UK's data watchdog said it would make enquiries about the case. Activists and journalists heading to the conference discovered the major security problem in the official app which many use to keep track of events. Mr Lewis said the "technical issue" had been resolved but "we are investigating the issue further and apologise for any concern caused". The Information Commissioner's Office said it would be "making enquiries with the Conservative Party" and "organisations have a legal duty to keep personal data safe and secure". A ll eyes will be on Theresa May next week as she delivers her keynote speech at the 2018 Conservative party conference. Mrs May will be giving her main address to the conference on the final day on Wednesday. The Prime Minister will be hoping for no repeat of her disastrous speech at last year's conference, which was marred by a prankster and the PM suffering a coughing fit. Campaigners marching for a Final Say second referendum on Brexit are also expected to be out in force for most of this year's event in Birmingham. The first day's agenda includes an opening speech from Party Chairman Brandon Lewis at 2pm. Afterwards there will be speeches from International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson, and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt. But the main focus of the conference will be the Prime Minister who last year delivered one of the most disastrous political speeches in living memory. It went so badly that commentators questioned how long she could carry on in the top job, while backbencher Grant Shapps launched a failed coup. One year on, Mrs May is still in power despite a string of turbulent developments in British politics including her Chequers Brexit deal and Windrush. Here is a look back at the implausible series of disasters that ruined her big speech 12 months ago. Pranksters P45 Comedian Lee Nelson disrupts Theresa May speech A security breach meant comedian Simon Brodkin, well known for pranks on public figures, was able to interrupt the Prime Minister's speech and hand her a mock P45 form. Ms May, facing mutiny following the Tories disastrous general election months beforehand, took the document and put it on the floor. Simon Brodkin is removed from the conference hall after handing Theresa May a mock P45 / Peter Bryne/PA Mr Brodkin, who performs under the alias Lee Nelson, quipped that the P45 was from Boris. He was arrested but police took no further action. Ahem Theresa May coughs as she delivers her keynote speech last year / Peter Bryne/PA Soon after the P45 stunt, Ms May suffered her infamous coughing fit. The Prime Minister battled on, but the speech was marred by an awkward series of pauses, croaks and wheezes. She even had to take a cough sweet on stage, handed to her by chancellor Philip Hammond. When the cough persisted, she jokingly had a pop at him for not curing her problem. Buiding a cntry tha orks or ryone An 'f' was the first letter to drop from the slogan behind Ms May / Peter Bryne/PA As if the speech couldnt have appeared any more amateurish, lettering from the Tories main conference slogan, behind Ms Mays spot on stage, began falling off. Building a country that works for everyone eventually became Buiding a cntry tha orks or ryone. Boris Johnson Amber Rudd sat next to Boris Johnson at the conference / Joe Giddens/PA Ms Mays authority had already taken a battering in the space of one speech. But a set-to between then-home secretary Amber Rudd and then-foreign secretary Boris Johnson managed to damage it even more. A stern-looking Ms Rudd was filmed apparently having to cajole Mr Johnson into standing up to applaud the Prime Ministers speech. C ristiano Ronaldo has dismissed claims that he raped an American woman in a Las Vegas hotel as fake news. The 33-year-old denied the allegations in an Instagram live video. No, no, no, no, no. What they said today? Fake, fake news, he said. He suggested that people want to promote themselves by using my name. He said: Its normal. They want to be famous to say my name, but it is part of the job. I am a happy man and all good. Ronaldos lawyers have also fiercely denied claims made by 34-year-old Kathryn Mayorga. The alleged victim told German magazine Der Spiegel she was attacked by the Portuguese star in 2009. Ronaldo allegedly paid her 287,000 in an out-of-court agreement and she pledged never to speak of the incident again, Mayorgas lawyer Leslie Mark Stovall said. Ronaldos lawyers, Schertz Bergmann Rechtsanwalte, issued a statement on Friday categorically denying the claims and calling the report "blatantly illegal". His lawyer Christian Schertz said he would seek compensation from Der Spiegel for "moral damages in an amount corresponding to the gravity of the infringement, which is probably one of the most serious violations of personal rights in recent years". Ronaldo signed for Juventus from Real Madrid this summer for 99.2m. U S President Donald Trump has said he and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un fell in love when they met each other. When addressing a cheering crowd at a rally in West Virginia, Mr Trump said Mr Kim wrote me beautiful letters and theyre great letters. We fell in love. Mr Trump was telling the crowd that once the pair got over the tough talk and the back and forth, they really got on. He said: We have a very good relationship. We [the US] were going to war with North Korea. That was what was going to happen. The pair met earlier this year, in June / AP We are doing great, he added. That was a big, big problem. And you know whats interesting, when we did it, and when I was being really, really tough, so was he, we would go back and forth. Mr Trump spoke to a cheering crowd on Saturday night / AFP/Getty Images And then we fell in love, ok? No really, he wrote me beautiful letters, and theyre great letters. We fell in love. Mr Trump then joked about potential criticism he would receive from the media for making a comment that some would consider unpresidential. T here is a lot of crying in The Cry. As a viewer you may want to join in, not from any deep-rooted attachment from the characters but because. Because this drama adapted by Jacquelin Perske (who wrote the Cate Blanchett film, Little Fish) from Helen FitzGeralds novel takes an immersive approach to exposition. Things happen but not in sequence. Things happen, but maybe they dont. Things happen but for reasons that will become clear later. And the baby cries, and cries, and cries. Starting at the start, which isnt where the story begins, Joanna (Jenna Coleman) is a mother. She isnt coping. Maybe she has post-natal depression. Her behaviour is a bit off, her maternal instincts not quite yummy. Parents: Joanna and Alistair are thrown into the media spotlight / Synchronicity Films Ltd/Lachlan Moore Jumping forward now, for the sake of coherence. She meets a woman from her mothers group in the street. The other mum is organised and nosy, pointing out that Joannas baby seems overwrapped for the weather, and asking how she is. Fine, she lies, because of the pressure to be perfect. Another splice. Joanna is on a plane, flying from Britain to Australia. Her baby wont stop crying. He cries and cries. Weve all been on that plane, with that baby. Crying. The airline staff arent sympathetic. They tell her to shut the baby up because people are trying to sleep. The other passengers arent much better. Theyre worse. The baby cries. Its a long way to Australia. Is that where it started, on that plane? Maybe. Maybe not. Theres another scene where Joannas partner Alistair (Ewen Leslie) takes over the parenting and lets Joanna sleep. Did she dream the bad stuff? Did she imagine it later, when she was trying to re-assemble events? Possibly she nodded off and dreamed the worst bits but the baby still cried. Its hard to tell because Joanna is a mother under pressure. The Cry - BBC One - Trailer Joanna is on trial. Did I mention that? Some sort of bad-mothering trial. You can speculate about what kind. Its hard to recall the order in which the episode reveals the information but its not straightforward. In the first scene she comes out from behind a door to be met by an a rabble of press photographers held back by police, so theres certainly some kind of infamy. It was like my face became a magazine, Joanna says. Anyone could thumb through. Stressed mums make weird metaphors. So thats where we are. Theres a mother, a crying baby, and something. The something is out of reach, because of the jumbled logic and the sense of an unreliable narrator at work. Devastated: Jenna Coleman as Joanna / Synchronicity Films Ltd/Lachlan Moore Lets look around. There are some other characters. Alistair, for instance, has a beard and an ex-wife and another child. When he first meets Joanna he takes her home for a quickie and is interrupted by his wife and daughter. The wife and daughter live in Australia now. Hence the flight. Alistair is going over to reclaim his lost child. He lost her when his spurned wife fled. The daughter, Chloe, has an attitude. Im not going to live in horrible Scotland, she says. She is a problem. Her mum is a problem. Her dad has a beard. He has a problem. Everyone is horrible. Its a jigsaw of a tragedy in which only the storm clouds are visible. Pick of the day Discovery Of Witches - Sky One, 9pm In part three of this magical adaptation of Deborah Harknesss supernatural love story set among the dreaming spires of Oxford, the relationship between reluctant witch Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer) and 1,500-year-old (well-preserved) vampire Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode) deepens. They are struggling to understand the secrets of an ancient manuscript, but matters take a turn for the worse when a package is slipped under Dianas door. The contents prompt her to check the manuscript, but when she returns to the Bodleian Library she discovers she is not alone. Duo: Matthew Goode and Teresa Palmer / Sky Matthew ignores warnings on the covenant, and events push him closer to Diana, while also placing her in greater danger. In Venice, Gerbert (Trevor Eve) finds what he has been looking for, and sends Juliette (Elarica Johnson) on a deadly mission, before Miriam Shepherd (Aiysha Hart) makes a disturbing prophecy. Harkness was inspired to write the series when, on noting the number of fantasy novels in a Mexican airport bookshop, she started to ponder the practicalities of the vampire lifestyle. Screen time The Graham Norton Show - BBC One, 10.35pm Sir Michael Parkinson recently suggested that Norton is not so much a talk-show host as an illusionist. It was a backhanded way of noting how he doesnt really interview his guests, but relaxes them. Series 24 of the talk and nonsense show opens with a suitably starry cast. Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga promote their A Star Is Born remake . Is Gaga a Whovian? There was talk of getting her to play a space vixen, so she may be interested to hear from the new Doctor, Jodie Whittaker, who can reflect on her journey from Broadchurch to Timelord. Ryan Gosling drops in to talk about playing Neil Armstrong in First Man on the Moon, and Rod Stewart performs his new single Didnt I. The Graham Norton Show - Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper and Jodie Whittaker 1 /12 The Graham Norton Show - Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper and Jodie Whittaker Presenter Graham Norton (standing) with (left to right) Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Ryan Gosling, Jodie Whittaker and Sir Rod Stewart PA Images on behalf of So TV Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga PA Images on behalf of So TV Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Ryan Gosling and Jodie Whittaker PA Images on behalf of So TV Lady Gaga PA Images on behalf of So TV Ryan Gosling PA Images on behalf of So TV Jodie Whittaker PA Images on behalf of So TV Bradley Cooper PA Images on behalf of So TV Lady Gaga PA Images on behalf of So TV Bradley Cooper PA Images on behalf of So TV Lady Gaga PA Images on behalf of So TV Ryan Gosling PA Images on behalf of So TV Sir Rod Stewart PA Images on behalf of So TV Paradise Found - London Live, 11.15pm As the nights draw in, who wouldnt fancy clearing off to Tahiti? You might well sympathise with Paul Gauguin in this biopic, as he hands in Le P45 at his stockbroking job to become a full-time artist. Kiefer Sutherland plays a carefree Gaugin, who leaves his family behind to pursue his brushstrokes. What to Watch - Sunday, London Live, 5pm The internets encroachment on life has eroded multiple aspects of 20th century life, from thriving high streets to mealtimes no longer illuminated by candles but by phone screens. And now its ducks which are obsolete. The Bafta-nominated satire Pls Like has returned for a second series, this comic dive into vlogging and YouTube culture exploring some darker online recesses. Emma Sidi plays vlogging superstar Millipede and she discusses these topics, the reaction to the first series and why a trip to the duck pond has been consigned to the past. Also appearing this week is Jenna Coleman, who talks about her role in The Cry and how Peter Capaldi might have helped. Serial box Norsemen- Netflix Series one of this Norwegian comedy flew under the radar, earning comparisons with Blackadder and Monty Python. The central joke is that the raping and pillaging invaders have the sensibilities of 21st-century Norwegians, discussing being in the moment after a slaughter, for instance. Its filmed in English, so the Norwegian accents add to the heightened sense of absurdity. Deep dish Sorry For Your Loss - Facebook Watch T he sometimes-brutal Six Chair Challenge continued on Sunday night as attention turned to finalising two categories. Then, it was time for Louis Tomlinson to make his way through the boys category and decide the lucky acts packing up for a house visit. Here are five of the best from the second of three Six Chair Challenge episodes Golden X: Brendan Murray won Louis Tomlinson's golden button / Syco / Thames Janice Robinson Janice, 50, won a standing ovation from the judges and audience for her rendition of Natural Woman by Aretha Franklin. Mentor Field told her she bowed down to her before finding herself with little choice but to give Janice a seat, ousting Cezar in the process. Danny Tetley The Benidorm performer didnt get off to the best of starts with his version of The Show Must Go On by Queen. Asked to repeat his first audition by Field, the 37-year-old belted out Jennifer Hudson classic And I Am Telling You (Im Not Going), winning the hearts of a nation and, more importantly, a seat. After Danny is told to replace Burgandy Williams, the 41-year-old takes the seat and walks off stage with it somewhat determined to quite literally keep it before she sings with Panda Ross and they end up as a duo in Robbie Williams Groups category. Tommy Ludford The songwriter, who works as a cleaner, got off to a sweeping start with his powerful and catchy original song but soon shot to the top of the memorable auditions list as he walked back a bit too far and fell off the stage, guitar in hand. Hearing a thud, concerned judge Tomlinson, host Dermot OLeary and some crew rushed on scene and thankfully Tommy was soon up on his feet gesturing he was alright he even got to sit down after. Anthony Russell Getting a chair: Anthony Russell impressed for a second year / Syco / Thames The labourer, from Liverpool, glided through last years Six Chair Challenge but pulled out of the competition for personal reasons during Judges Houses. Returning this year, Anthony showcased his talent and how his friendship with Tomlinson has helped him get back on the right track, paying tribute to his journey with a poignant performance of Help From My Friends, by Joe Cocker. For his efforts, the 28-year-old is given the last seat in Tomlinsons category signalling the start of the chopping and changing. Brendan Murray Knowing all the seats of full of outstanding talent, Brendan gave it his all with Everybody Hurts by R.E.M in a bid to upend somebody from their white egg seat and steal it for himself. The 21-year-old plumber managed to do just that and he can stay put in the seat after receiving the Golden X from Tomlinson. FINAL TEAMS The Girls Simon Cowell Bella Penfold, Georgia Burgess, Maria Maureen, Molly Scott, Scarlett Lee and Shan. The Overs Ayda Field It had already been a bumpy evening: West and his accompanists veered between mediocre and bad on the three songs the show generously gave him. In the opening spot, West performed his latest single "I Love It" with Lil Pump. The pair were comically dressed as bottles of Perrier and Fiji water (respectively) that recalled Justin Timberlake's "Liquorville" skits on the show. While the song's chorus was self-censored to "You're such a freaky girl," it sounded like a few profanities slipped out during the track's brief two minutes. The costumes were funny, but even many fans of the song agreed that the performance was not strong. Students at Saturday nights dance, held at the schools east campus in the 1300 block of East 7th Street, told staff that another student had brought a gun, according to an announcement distributed online by Lockport Township High School District 205. The district sent the announcement to an email list around 9:45 p.m. Countries & Areas Search for country or area A Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan B Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi C Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Cote dIvoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czechia D Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic E Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia F Fiji Finland France G Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana H Haiti Holy See Honduras Hungary I Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy J Jamaica Japan Jordan K Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan L Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg M Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique N Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Norway O Oman P Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Q Qatar R Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda S Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria T Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu U Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan V Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Y Yemen Z Zambia Zimbabwe Treasure Island is not offering severance, payouts for paid time off or benefits beyond Sunday for its corporate employees, according to a former employee. Most of the corporate employees were let go Friday, including some who were with the company more than 40 years. The former employee said there was a whole lot of crying, yelling at the office after the news was delivered. Caitlin JOHNSTONE Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has kicked off yet another roundof Iran is totally gonna nuke us any second now you guys ejaculations. This is of course another demand that we accept unsubstantiated claims from a proven liar about another longtime target for neoconservative regime change, and Id like to tap out a few thoughts about war and how to oppose it as pertains to the latest trend in neocon Iran shenanigans. Ive been writing about rape a lot these last few days, partly due to where Im at in my personal rabbit holing and probably also partly because of where the zeitgeist is at with the Kavanaugh and Cosby stuff in the news. So since were already on the subject I hope people dont mind if I kick off this piece with another rape analogy. Until relatively recently, most people had a wildly different understanding of what rape is than how it actually tends to show up in real life. Even today, saying the word rapist tends to conjure up a very unrealistic image for many people: a stranger in a ski mask grabbing a female jogger and dragging her off into the bushes and leaving her severely injured, or something similar. Because such an event is rare, there was a belief that rape itself was something rare; it didnt say anything about the majority of rapes which dont entail severe physical injury, or the rapes which are inflicted by acquaintances, friends, coworkers, partners, family members, prison mates, partners, exes and spouses. Rape is common, and, like murder, the perpetrator of a rape will most likely be someone the victim knows. Just as our society is readjusting its understanding of what rape is and how it tends to happen, it is important for any antiwar movement to readjust its understanding of what war is and how it tends to happen. In a 2006 article titled The Vietnam Syndrome Mutates by the neoconservative publication The Atlantic, the author discusses how after the Gulf War in 1991 Bush Senior crowed that The specter of Vietnam has been buried forever in the desert sands of the Arabian Peninsula By God, weve kicked the Vietnam syndrome once and for all! Vietnam syndrome was a term used to describe the reluctance of the US citizenry to sign off on direct military interventionism after that disastrous war, asking Is this another Vietnam? any time the subject of military action anywhere in the world came up. There was a hope among the pilots of the US war machine that the Gulf War had shown the American public that it could again begin trusting Uncle Sam with the responsibility to sign off on winnable, necessary military interventions at minimal cost that nobody would regret. And for a very brief period, until his son led the empire into another disastrous invasion in Iraq, the elder Bush was right. And then, as The Atlanticmourns, Vietnam syndrome mutated into Iraq syndrome. And to this day those two disastrous wars remain the primary Remember the Alamo calls of the peace movement. Any proposal that looks like a conventional ground war is instantly opposed and rejected by war resisters in particular and the broader public in general, which is obviously a good thing, but it also means that people arent keeping their eyes peeled for less conventional acts of war which can be just as disastrous. We are now at a strange juncture in geopolitical dynamics wherein anyone paying attention knows that China is scheduled to surpass the US as the dominant superpower before too long unless something drastic happens, and so the US-centralized empire is working frantically to tilt the world stage in its favor before then, but it needs to use a much softer touch than it would like because Iraq soured the public attitude toward war. General Wesley Clark once described how after 9/11 the Pentagon had planned to keep toppling noncompliant governments after Iraq, over five years following up Saddams overthrow with regime change wars in Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and, finishing off, Iran. Iraq didnt go as planned, but that didnt deter the imperialists from their agenda, they just had to find another way to go about it. In order to get their regime change operation underway in Syria, for example, the empire flooded the nation with heavily armed terrorist factions and implemented what is possibly the single most sophisticated war propaganda campaign in human history to manufacture consent for more direct intervention. It implemented the same strategy against Libya with far more success. In both those interventions, longtime targets for regime change were attacked in a way which killed thousands upon thousands of people to advance imperialist agendas and destabilized the region in a way that has adversely affected the entire world, just as with Iraq. But, unlike Iraq, they didnt involve full-scale ground invasions or conventional warfare. Because of the loss of American life and the unwanted refugee crises which have ensued from US imperialism in Iraq, Libya and Syria, those interventions by the Bush and Obama administrations are aggressively condemned by populist right-wingers. But, because the populist right broadly supports the Trump administration, they remain largely blind to the fact that it is doing essentially the same thing to Iran that the Obama administration did to Libya and Syria. Forgiving and excusing this administrations starvation sanctions (the only form of warfare in which it is considered acceptable and appropriate to target civilians with deadly force), escalated covert operations by the coup-staging sociopaths at the CIA, coziness with the MEK terror cult, and an elevation of virulent Iran hawks to the highest levels of his cabinet, right-wing populists sustain a narrative that this administration has a vested interest in peace, leaving only leftists, some libertarians, and what remains of the near-extinct antiwar Democrats to oppose this administrations Iran warmongering. I insist, as I always have, that if theres ever to be an effective antiwar movement in the US it will necessarily involve a loose coalition of rank-and-file citizens from all across the political spectrum, but before that can happen theres going to have to be an evolved understanding of what war is and how it operates. Were going to have to circulate the understanding that both of Americas mainstream parties are fully devoted to the agenda of war in all its forms, so just because you got someone into office whom you happen to like doesnt mean you get to relax your antiwar vigilance or give anyone the benefit of the doubt. And were going to have to circulate an understanding that war doesnt always look like planes full of American soldiers unloading onto foreign shores and shooting at anyone who gets in their way. More and more, its going to look like a deadly combination of starvation sanctions, increasingly sophisticated psyops, CIA covert ops, empire-armed extremist factions (with funding often coming through opaque and unaccountable gulf state allies), a few airstrikes mixed in as needed, and extensive coordination with other branches of the empire like Israel. In order to oppose something, youve got to understand how it works. The old ways of thinking arent serving us anymore. We need to expand our understanding. medium.com The Russian-Indian time-tested partnership has experienced an upward trend in all areas of cooperation in recent years. Last year, the two great powers marked the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations. The leaders meet regularly and hold phone conversations to discuss acute problems. A very important event has just taken place to bring the two nations even closer. The Indian Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, approved the $6.2 billion S-400 Triumf deal with Russia on Sept.26. Its rather symbolic that the final decision to purchase the five cutting-edge air defense systems to protect Indian critical infrastructure sites was taken just a few days before the Russian President Vladimir Putins visit to India scheduled on Oct.4-5. The Indian government defied the US threats to impose sanctions for buying Russian weapons in accordance with the 2017 Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) the way it did to punish China for buying the same systems and Su-35 combat planes. The law allows making a waiver for India but US officials do not guarantee New Delhi will be exempt. It takes a risk by dealing with Russia. India has signed multiple multi-billion deals with US weapons producers. Defense Secretary James Mattis and State Secretary Mike Pompeo tried to talk India out of the S-400 deal during the 2+2 talks in September. Randall G. Schriver, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs, has warned that a waiver is not a slam dunk decision. Indeed, if an exemption is made, others will demand waivers too, but with no sanctions imposed, the CAATSA will be deprived of any purpose. The US has put itself into an awkward situation and has to make a hard choice. Russia and India are in talks on the way to make non-dollar payments. They could resort to clearing options, another currency, such as the Singapore dollar, or a go-between based in a third country. The US uses go-betweens to sell arms to the Syrian Kurds. The two nations have a 60-year history of military cooperation, with Russia being the single largest supplier of hardware. The sides joined together to develop the BrahMos supersonic anti-ship and land-attack cruise missile. India also fields Russia's S-300 air-defense system, and its INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier is made in Russia and uses Russian aircraft. The list of Russian weapons used by the Indian military is really long. India is finalizing negotiations with Russia to purchase 48 additional Mi-17-V5 utility helicopters. The agreement on the purchase of four frigates may be signed during the upcoming Russian-Indian October summit. New Delhi also wants to lease a Russian nuclear submarine Moscow accounts for 62 per cent of New Delhis arms imports. The Russian weapons and equipment in the Indian inventory have to be maintained, modernized, and spare parts have to be supplied. India just couldnt all of a sudden suspend the military cooperation with Russia even if it wanted to. But it doesnt. Its widely believed that the S-400s are the best in the world. Nobody else could offer India a system with comparable specifications. And no American sanctions can prevent the great power, such as India, from buying what serves better its national security interests. The Indian government has been already criticized by opposition for getting too close to the United States. The general elections are in April-May 2019. Signing the deal during President Putins upcoming visit will be the right step to win voters support. India defies the US sanctions anyway by buying Irans oil. New Delhi continued to trade with Tehran during previous rounds of restrictions. The EU, Russia, China, and Iran have recently agreed to create a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to bypass US sanctions against Iran. Russia and India could do the same. The two great powers are expected to conclude an action plan for expanding civil nuclear energy partnership during the upcoming top-level meeting. It will focus on a second site for Russian nuclear plant in the country. Russias Rosatom is currently the only foreign investor in Indias civilian nuclear energy sector, with the first two 1,000W units of the Kudankulam power plant already commissioned. The site is scheduled to have six VVER-1000 reactors with an installed capacity of 1,000 MW each. In March, the trilateral agreement was signed by India, Russia and Bangladesh on nuclear energy-related cooperation in personnel training, experience sharing and consulting support. Russia played a key role in facilitating Indias entry into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), or Shanghai Pact, last year. It strongly supports Indias bid for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council and the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). No doubt, the October summit will re-affirm the fact that the traditionally close relationship has been upgraded to a special privileged strategic partnership as the world is shifting from a unipolar order to a possible multipolar structure. The decision to purchase the S-400 and defy the US exerting outright pressure proves the Indian government is adamant in its desire to boost cooperation with the old partner and friend. With the termination of a YouTube account, or simple tweak of an algorithm, the tech company monsters Google, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter are able to deprive millions of Americans of conservative news sources, undermining both the Constitution and the spirit of democracy. In a perfectly wired world, the gatekeepers of the Internet would limit themselves specifically to the technical aspects of their job, ensuring that a well-oiled matrix runs smoothly and effectively for the end user. But alas, we do not inhabit a perfect world. Political bias runs far and deep inside of Silicon Valley, and following the defeat of Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, the tech giants are now poised to make life very difficult for conservatives. That much was plain to see in a shocking video of a Google meeting, chaired by the companys founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, just days after U.S. voters sent Donald Trump to the White House. Brin kicked off the cry fest by stating, Lets face it, most people here are pretty upset and pretty sad because of the electionAs an immigrant and a refugee I certainly find this election deeply offensive and I know many of you do too. What followed from there was one Google executive after another describing their disappointment with the election, some actually shedding tears, interspersed with bold promises to better advocate for our values, which is just another way of saying that Conservative values are worthless and the Democrats now have a moral duty to fulfill. Now had this been an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, or a get together of Democratic political pollsters, such lamentations would have been understandable. But coming from Google, the worlds premier search engine of news and information, it was downright creepy. There were already calls of despair coming from inside the Google fortress before this very cringe-worthy meeting. James Damore, an engineer at the tech company, made headlines with a 10-page memo he wrote entitled, Google's Ideological Echo Chamber, which exposed the discriminatory hiring practices Google allegedly endorses. Damore, together with another former Google engineer, David Gudeman, followed up on the memo with a lawsuit that accused Google of cultivating a corporate culture that regularly admonishes politically conservative white men. Googles management goes to extreme and illegal lengths to encourage hiring managers to take protected categories such as race and/or gender into consideration as determinative hiring factors, to the detriment of Caucasian and male employees and potential employees at Google, the suit reads. Not only was the numerical presence of women celebrated at Google solely due to their gender, but the presence of Caucasians and males was mocked with boos during company- wide weekly meetings." Perhaps most explosive, Damore and Gudemans lawsuit goes on to claim that the company maintains "blacklists," which are allegedly designed to prevent employees with conservative views from obtaining promotions within Google, which also, incidentally, owns YouTube. Earlier this month, Google, which came under attack by Donald Trump for "suppressing voices of Conservatives," refused to attend a Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. This would have given lawmakers the chance to grill the company over claims of bias, which does seem to have a tendency to skew algorithms against white males. To illustrate the point, as The Unz Review reported, I would encourage the reader to perform a quick Google search for American inventors and see where famous white innovators rank in Googles world. Of the top ten names on the list, only Alexander Graham Bell represents the white Caucasian males, the other nine are African Americans. Clearly, something is very wrong with that picture. While the black community certainly had their share of innovators, how is it remotely conceivable that the Wright Brothers, Henry Ford, Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs and so many other creative white guys fail to rank not just in the top ten, but in the top twenty? What seems to be happening is that the aversion to the white male conservatives that Damore and Gudeman spoke of inside of Google is starting to radically impact search results, gradually denying white males their proper place in the history books. This is nothing less than the deliberate rewriting of history. Personally speaking, these efforts must be challenged before it gets completely out of control and reality is turned on its head by a private company with a noxious, biased and prejudiced worldview. In any case, it seems James Damore became an inspiration to other right-leaning (or simply 'freedom leaning') Silicon Valley employees, and not just those getting bean bag chairs, neck massages and free lunches while they sell out white male Conservatives down the river on Googles sprawling campus. Last month, Brian Amerige, a senior Facebook engineer, disseminated on Facebooks internal message board a memo entitled,We Have a Problem With Political Diversity, which was obtained by The New York Times. We are a political monoculture thats intolerant of different views, Amerige proclaimed. We claim to welcome all perspectives, but are quick to attack often in mobs anyone who presents a view that appears to be in opposition to left-leaning ideology. Since news of the letter went viral, more than 100 Facebook employees joined Amerige in a call for more diversity inside of the social media titan. However, that is a tiny fraction of the companys some 25,000 employees, which dont seem ready to declare mutiny against its founder and chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg. Indeed, just after publication of the memo, Alex Jones, founder of InfoWars, was banned from Facebook, Youtube and Twitter, as the internet inquisition against conservative voices ratcheted up, and just as the momentous midterm elections approaching fast. Speaking of Twitter, last month its Jack Dorsey admitted the company has a problem when it comes to making sure its politics, which are left-leaning, do not manipulate profiles. I mean, we have a lot of conservative-leaning folks in the company as well, and to be honest, they dont feel safe to express their opinions at the company, Dorsey told Recode in an interview. They do feel silenced by just the general swirl of what they perceive to be the broader percentage of leanings within the company, and I dont think thats fair or right. But its not just Twitter employees who are feeling silenced. This month, actor James Woods, who has over 1 million followers on Twitter, was locked out of his Twitter account over a humorous meme he sent out months ago that the social media company said has the potential to be misleading in a way that could impact an election. In an interview with The Associated Press, Woods said he was told hed be allowed back on Twitter only if he deletes the tweet. Woods said he would not comply. Free speech is free speech its not Jack Dorseys version of free speech, the actor said. Given this oppressive, anti-conservative mindset that now dominates the major tech firms which only appears in rare and very brave manifestations of employees risking their jobs and reputations to get the truth out, or from conservative voices getting censored the need for some sort of Internet Constitution, which promotes the rights of every man, woman and child to express themselves as they feel appropriate, seems to be the only answer. In the meantime, we can be sure that the grand myth being peddled by our politicians and tech firm CEOs about how the Russians are destroying our democratic institutions will only get louder. Ford, a California psychology professor, has accused Kavanaugh of pinning her to a bed while he was intoxicated, trying to remove her clothes and placing a hand over her mouth as she tried to yell for help. Ford says the incident took place more than 35 years ago when they both were in high school. The tragic episode that caused the death of 15 Russian air force personnel has had immediate repercussions on the situation in Syria and the Middle East. On September 24, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu informed allies and opponents that the delivery of the S-300 air-defense systems to the Syrian Arab Republic had been approved by President Vladimir Putin. The delivery had been delayed and then suspended as a result of Israeli pressure back in 2013. In one sense, the delivery of S-300 batteries to Syria is cause for concern more for Washington than for Tel Aviv. Israel has several F-35 and has claimed to have used them in Syria to strike alleged Iranian weapons transfers to Hezbollah. With the S-300 systems deployed in an updated version and incorporated into the Russian command, control and communications (C3) system, there is a serious risk (for Washington) that Israel, now incapable of changing the course of events in Syria, could attempt a desperate maneuver. It is no secret that Greece purchased S-300s from Russia years ago, and that NATO and Israel have trained numerous times against the Russian air-defense system. Senior IDF officials have often insisted that they are capable taking out the S-300s, having apparently discovered their weaknesses. Tel Avivs warning that it will attack and destroy the S-300 battery should not be taken as an idle threat. It is enough to look at the recent downing of Russias Il-20 surveillance aircraft to understand how reckless a desperate Israel is prepared to be. Moreover, more than one IDF commander has over the years reiterated that a Syrian S-300 would be considered a legitimate target if threatening Israeli aircraft. At this point, it is necessary to add some additional information and clarify some points. Greeces S-300s are old, out of maintenance, and have not had their electronics updated. Such modern and complex systems as the S-300s and S-400s require maintenance, upgrades, and often replacement of parts to improve hardware. All this is missing from the Greek batteries. Secondly, it is the operator who uses the system (using radar, targeting, aiming, locking and so forth) that often makes the difference in terms of overall effectiveness. Furthermore, the system is fully integrated into the Russian C3 system, something that renders useless any previous experience gleaned from wargaming the Greek S-300s. No Western country knows the real capabilities and capacity of Syrian air defense when augmented and integrated with Russian systems. This is a secret that Damascus and Moscow will continue to keep well guarded. Yet two years ago, during the operations to free Aleppo, a senior Russian military officer warned (presumably alluding to fifth-generation stealth aircraft like the F-35 and F-22) that the range and effectiveness of the Russian systems may come as a surprise. The following are the words of Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu concerning the deployment of the S-300 to Syria and its integration with other Russian systems: "Russia will jam satellite navigation, onboard radars and communication systems of combat aircraft, which attack targets in the Syrian territory, in the Mediterranean Sea bordering with Syria. We are convinced that the implementation of these measures will cool hotheads and prevent ill-considered actions threatening our servicemen. Otherwise, we will respond in line with the current situation. Syrian troops and military air defense units will be equipped with automatic control systems, which have been supplied to the Russian Armed Forces. This will ensure the centralized management of the Syrian air defense forces and facilities, monitoring the situation in the airspace and prompt target designation. Most importantly, it will be used to identify the Russian aircraft by the Syrian air defense forces." If the Israelis will follow through with their reckless attempts to eliminate the S-300 (if they can find them in the first place, given that they are mobile), they will risk their F-35s being brought down. The US military-industrial complex would suffer irreparable damage. This would also explain why Israel (and probably the US) has for more than five years put enormous pressure on Moscow not to deliver the S-300 to Syria and Iran. The US State Departments reaction over the future purchase by Turkey and India of the S-400 confirms the anxiety that US senior officials as well as generals are experiencing over the prospect of allies opting for the Russian systems. This would allow for a comparison with weapons these allies purchased from the US, leading to the discovery of vulnerabilities and the realization of the US weapons relative inferiority. Given Tel Avivs tendency to place its own interests above all others, it would not be surprising to find them using the possibility of attacking the S-300 with their F-35s as a weapon to blackmail Washington into getting more involved in the conflict. For the United States, there are two scenarios to avoid. The first is a direct involvement in the conflict with Russia in Syria, which is now unthinkable and impractical. The second much more worrying for military planners concerns the possibility of the F-35s capabilities and secrets being compromised or even being shown not to be a match against air-defense systems nearly half a century old. An illuminating example of how the United States operates its most advanced aircraft in the region was given in eastern Syria around Deir ez-Zor. In this part of Syria, there is no threat from any advanced air-defense systems, so the US is often free to employ its F-22 in certain circumstances. The Russian military has repeatedly shown radar evidence that unequivocally shows that when Russian Su-35s appear in the same skies as the F-22, the US Air Force simply avoids any confrontation and quickly withdraws such fifth-generation assets as the F-22. The F-35 is not even ready in its naval variant, and has yet to be deployed on a US aircraft carrier near the Middle Eastern theater or the Persian Gulf; nor is it present in any US military base in the region. The US simply does not even consider using the F-35 in Syria, nor would it risk its use against Russian air defenses. Israel is the only country that so far may have already used these aircraft in Syria; but this was before the S-300 came onto the scene. The F-35 program has already cost hundreds of billions of dollars and will soon reach the exorbitant and surreal figure of over 1 trillion dollars. It has already been sold to dozens of countries bound by decades-long agreements. The F-35 has been developed as a multi-role fighter and is expected to be the future backbone of NATO and her allies. Its development began more than 10 years ago and, despite the countless problems that still exist, it is already airborne and combat-ready, as the Israelis insist. From the US point of view, its employment in operations is played down and otherwise concealed. The less data available to opponents, the better; though the real reason may lie in a strong fear of any revelation of potential weaknesses of the aircraft damaging future sales. At this time, the Pentagons marketing of the F-35 is based on the evaluations provided by Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer, and on the tests carried out by the military who commissioned it to Lockheed Martin. Obviously, both Lockheed Martin and the US Air Force have no interest in revealing any weaknesses or shortcomings, especially publicly. Corruption is a big thing in Washington, contrary to common assumptions. The combination of Israels ego, its inability to change the course of events in Syria, coupled with the loss of its ability to fly throughout the Middle East with impunity due to Syria now being equipped with a superior air defense all these factors could push Israel into acting desperately by using the F-35 to take out the S-300 battery. Washington finds itself in the unenviable position of probably having no leverage with Israel over the matter ever since losing any ability to steer events in Syria. With the Russian air-defense systems potentially being spread out to the four corners of the world, including China, India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and who knows how many other countries waiting in the queue, Russia continues to increase its export capacity and military prestige as it demonstrates its control of most of the Syrias skies. With the introduction of the the S-500 pending, one can imagine the sleepless nights being spent by those in the Pentagon and Lockheed Martins headquarters worrying about the possibility of an F-35 being taken down by an S-300 system manufactured in 1969. Kindergartens and schools from around the country are doing their part to help the hungry, collecting more than 70,000 cans of food. And a generous donation by Watties has taken the total to 95,000 cans. The drive is part of the third annual Watties Cans for Good campaign which took place in August. The cans go towards helping The Salvation Army stock up its foodbanks to assist New Zealanders who are in need. We were astounded by the generosity and support from schools and kindergartens for Watties Cans for Good. Household budgets are stretched by rising living costs, especially for rent and power. These cans are a vital part of food parcels and a great way to help reduce the stress on families who are doing it tough, says Major Pamela Waugh, The Salvation Armys secretary for Social Services. The food parcels we provide to our families mean they can keep food on the table while dealing with extra financial struggles. This year also celebrated 25 years of the long-standing relationship between Watties and The Salvation Army. Over this period Watties has run high-profile, public-facing can fundraising campaigns supported with matched donations from Watties to restock foodbank shelves at critical times of the year when demand for food support can outstrip supply. To date more than 1.4 million cans have been donated through this partnership. According to Watties Communications Manager Tina Wong, the key concepts of generosity, giving and helping are what drive the partnership. Its a real honour to have had such a long term partnership and know that through the generosity of communities, schools and kindergartens we are all helping to make a difference to Kiwis who are struggling, says Tina. More than 240 kindergartens and schools took part in the two week campaign, which goes beyond other fundraisers combining collecting for charity with a creative competition and a set of teacher based resource sheets designed to engage children and teachers, in a fun, team-based experience. Its great to see schools participate not only by their support and donation of cans, but also by the discussions students are having in class, and the positive messaging that comes across in the can creative competition, says Tina. Participating schools also had the opportunity to get creative by making something out of their donated cans, be it a picture or shape made out of cans or a low level can-structure as well as designing a label for a can of Watties peaches. The winning schools with most impressive and creative designs for Can Creation were Egmont Village School (Taranaki), Northcote Primary (Auckland), Papakaio Primary (Oamaru), Riverlands School (Blenheim), and Coatesville School (Auckland). The winners will receive a $500 voucher to put towards art or school supplies. The winning schools for the Can Label were Redwood School (Tawa, Wellington), Opihi College (Temuka), and Havelock North Intermediate (Havelock North). The can label design winners will each win a case of Wattie's peaches wrapped with their winning can label design, Wattie's Tomato Sauce and $100 towards their school's sausage sizzle. www.watties.co.nz/cansforgood Bay of Plenty The civil season is about to kick off here in Tauranga and we have positions for 2 class 2 truck drivers who would be interested... View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz Today is the first day of what is being described a new era in kerbside collection services for Tauranga with the first ever, rates-funded glass collections now underway. The council-led service, which is provided to every residential property in Tauranga, is expected to prevent around 6000 tonnes of glass per year being sent to landfill. Over the last month, Tauranga residents received blue collection crates for their glass bottles and jars and an information brochure explaining how the fortnightly service works. Tauranga City Council Environment Committee Chair, Cr Steve Morris, says despite having only three months to plan and implement this new service, both council and the glass collection contractor, Smart Environmental, are excited to start collecting glass today. The decision to include the glass collection service into councils Long Term Plan was only finalised on 30 June this year, so the past three months have been very busy. Were very grateful to the Glass Packaging Forum for their $165,000 contribution to the cost of the collection crates, and to the Ministry of the Environment for their support. Were also grateful to have Smart Environmental as our collection contractor. They have been in the industry for 25 years and currently provide kerbside collection services to 18 councils throughout New Zealand. Steve says the next focus of the glass service implementation is to ensure the residents use it correctly so that glass recycling can be maximised. The service is strictly for bottles and jars only. If other materials are put in the crate, it wont be emptied. We cant risk our glass trucks being turned away from the recycling plant because it contains too many unacceptable materials. The brochure that came with the crate and the council website have all the information about what can, and cant, be recycled. I encourage everyone to read them so they know what to do." Tauranga City Council will be extending the kerbside collection service to include mixed recycling, rubbish and organic waste in 2021. These are exciting times for waste recovery and recycling in Tauranga. We are one of the last cities in New Zealand to move from privately-led to council-led kerbside collection services. We are working to ensure efficient and effective services are provided to our residents. Currently, nearly 70 percent of the kerbside waste our residents send to landfill could actually be recycled or composted instead. This new glass collection service is just the first step making an environmental change for the better for Tauranga." For more information about the new glass collection service, visit www.tauranga.govt.nz/glass or phone 07 577 7000. Click the image above to watch the video More than 170 dapper and finely attired riders tweaked moustaches and embarked on the Distinguished Gentlemans Ride. Rolling up at Club Mount Maunganui on their vintage and classic motorcycles, the riders were given a health and safety briefing before setting off on Sunday morning. Event organisers Damian Fleming from Bay Ride Motorcycles, Darren Leggatt and Richard Preest, say the ride, which attracted 70 riders in 2016, and 140 in 2017, is essentially about mens mental health and prostate cancer research. This is the fourth year that weve done the Distinguished Gentlemans Ride here in Tauranga, says Darren. And we are here to raise awareness for mens mental health, and to raise funds to try and eradicate prostate cancer. I think weve got 171 riders today, and weve raised over $12,000 already. Thankfully a lot of it stays locally and nationally. Hopefully we can raise more funds and make a difference. The ride was founded in Sydney, Australia by Mark Hawwa. It was inspired by a photo of Mad Mens Don Draper astride a classic bike and wearing his finest suit. Mark decided a themed ride would be a great way to combat the often-negative stereotype of men on motorcycles, while connecting niche motorcycle communities together. That first ride in 2012 brought together more than 2500 riders across 64 cities. The success of the event encouraged the founder to consider how it could be used to support a worthy cause. Since then, the event has grown annually. Harley Couper, Dave Stewart, Barry Anderson and Andy West. In 2016, more than 56,000 participants in 505 cities in 90 countries raised more than $US3.6 million for prostate cancer research and mens mental health programmes in partnership with the Movember Foundation. The event has continued to grow. So far in 2018, $US5,012,350 has been raised and 101,249 riders registered globally. The 171 participants registered for Taurangas event set off from Club Mount Maunganui, taking in the sights of the Mount before heading down to Truman Lane, then across to Fraser Cove, Bethlehem Town Centre, before returning to The Rising Tide. Stops were planned during the ride providing opportunity for the public to talk with the riders. The Distinguished Gentlemans Ride is a celebration of the art of being dapper and classic custom motorcycles. Monocles, jaunty trimmed moustaches, silk vests, crisp shirts and tailored suits. Classic and vintage motorcycles, fine manners, and a sense of fun. Participants are encouraged to raise funds by asking their friends, family and colleagues to donate via a personal fundraising page. Lady rider Bridie Morris taking part in the Distinguished Gentlemans Ride. Thomas Hallen, Callum Blackmore and Andrew Wilson. Trump agreed to an investigation after he had vigorously resisted asking the FBI an agency he has repeatedly criticized to look into the sexual assault and misconduct allegations. In defending Kavanaugh, Trump and other supporters noted that the allegations had never surfaced in six previous background checks during Kavanaugh's long career in the executive and judicial branches of the U.S. government. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- One person suffered smoke inhalation and four others were displaced after a house fire just before noon today. The fire occurred around 11:56 a.m., and firefighters arrived in minutes to find the rear, first-floor apartment of a home at 938 Emerson Ave. engulfed in flames, said Syracuse Fire Department deputy chief Jeffrey Kite. Five people escaped the apartment safely, and a resident there also rescued two dogs, according to neighbors. Kite said heavy smoke also reached the second floor. One victim was taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation, but is expected to be OK, Kite said. The blaze prompted the closure of the 900 block of Emerson Avenue for at least an hour as firefighters handled the fire and its aftermath. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, Kite said. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A walk to raise money to support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention will take place noon to 2 p.m. Saturday at Long Branch Park in Liverpool. Participants can check in and register for the Out of the Darkness Community Walk beginning at 10:30 a.m. People also can register online. More than 425 of the walks will take place this year nationwide. The walks are designed to raise awareness about suicide and funds for research, educational programs, advocacy, and support for survivors. The foundation's goal is to reduce the annual suicide rate by 20 percent by 2025. BROOKHAVEN, Miss. -- Two police officers were shot and killed following an early Saturday morning confrontation in Mississippi, authorities said. Warren Strain of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety said at a news conference that the officers were called to a house in the city of Brookhaven at about 5 a.m. for a report of shots fired. Amid an exchange of gunfire, both officers were "mortally wounded" and then pronounced dead at a local hospital, Strain said. He identified the weapon used as a handgun but would not elaborate. Authorities identified the deceased officers as Patrolman James White, 35; and Cpl. Zack Moak, 31. Both were wearing bulletproof vests at the time and were equipped with body and dashboard cameras. White arrived on the scene first, and Moak arrived next. A suspect was wounded in the exchange and taken for treatment to a hospital in Jackson. Police identified him as Marquis Flowers, 25, of Brookhaven. Strain said charges have not been filed yet but that Flowers is "in custody." Brookhaven Police Chief Kenneth Collins said the city is a "safe community ... but like any place, we have crime." He called White and Moak, both residents of Lincoln County, "heroes." "These are two awesome people who lost their lives this morning in the line of duty. Two heroes lost their lives this morning," Collins said. Strain said the investigation is in its initial stages. A number of people have been questioned in the case. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is working the case, in addition to other agencies. Gov. Phil Bryant issued a statement via Twitter asking for prayers "for the family and loved ones of these fallen heroes." This is the second time in as many years that a law enforcement official has been killed in the line of duty in the Brookhaven area. Last year Lincoln County Sheriff's Deputy William Durr, who also spent four years with Brookhaven police, was responding to a call when he was shot to death. Authorities say the gunman shot and killed seven other people in the killing spree in and around the Brookhaven area. Willie Cory Godbolt was arrested May 28, 2017, and is awaiting trial. He's pleading not guilty and faces the death penalty if convicted. By Thomas Graning, Associated Press The big picture: Only a couple of weeks ago, it was revealed that Elon Musk was under investigation from the Department of Justice over his tweets on August 7th that stated he was considering taking Tesla private at $420. Two days ago, the Securities and Exchange Commission brought a lawsuit against Musk alleging that he had been manipulating share prices after they soared over 7% following his tweets. Likely due to the threat of being removed from his position as CEO of Tesla, he has signed a settlement with the SEC. The settlement requires that he step down as chairman of the company for a minimum of three years and that a new independent chairman be appointed within 45 days. Both Musk and Tesla have agreed to pay $20 million, though that isnt that much for either of them considering Musks net worth is around $20 billion and Teslas is somewhere around $50 billion. Or was, that is. Teslas shares have dropped 14% since the SECs announcement of their lawsuit. In August, Teslas shares rose by around 7% following Musks tweets that Saudi Arabia would be taking Tesla private at a 20% premium over that days closing share price, but theyve fallen a total of 30% since then. It is somewhat surprising that Musk has reached an agreement with the SEC Friday brought the news that he had backed out at the last minute from a settlement that would have had him step down from chairman for only two years. The reason he didnt sign it was because he felt that by settling he would not be truthful to himself, and would be accepting a blemish on his reputation. Both settlements did not require either party to confirm or deny the SECs allegations that Musk had not in fact even discussed, much less confirmed, key deal terms, including price with Saudi Arabia. Rather amusingly, the SEC also said that Musk had reached $419 by assuming that 20% was a standard premium but then rounded up the price to $420 because he had learned about the numbers significance in marijuana culture. Musk really needs to learn how to avoid marijuana culture Teslas shares also fell by 9% after he smoked one puff of weed on The Joe Rogan Experience YouTube podcast three weeks ago. It appears this settlement isnt really a win for anybody. Musk gets kicked out of his chairman position. Tesla shareholders lose several billion in total as shares go down. Musk isnt forced to resign from CEO as the SEC wanted. And Saudi Arabia still only has 5% of Tesla shares, though they did recently invest $1 billion in the electric car start up Lucid Motors. Nearly 50 years after the successful launch of Apollo 11, NASA laid out a comprehensive and sustainable campaign to return to the moon. On Thursday, Sept. 27, the space agency unveiled The National Space Exploration Campaign, which aims to send manned and robotic missions to the moon and, later on, Mars. This is in line with the Space Policy Directive-1, which was signed by U.S. President Donald J. Trump back in December. The Exploration Campaign The space agency has five strategic goals in the next few decades, which involves transitioning low-orbit activities to private sectors, sending rovers to explore the surface of the moon, sending astronauts to return to the moon, and jumpstart the long-term goal of sending humans to Mars and other destinations in the Solar System. The 21-page roadmap mentions plans that have previously been disclosed to the public. NASA hopes for American astronauts to orbit the moon as early as 2023 and then land on the surface in the late 2020s. They also plan to build a Lunar Gateway, an orbiting platform similar to the International Space Station that will host scientific research and become the jump-off point for future interstellar travels. The project is supported by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, who is the head of the National Space Council. The report reveals that some elements of the Lunar Gateway are currently under construction in several facilities across the United States. The first element, which will provide power and propulsion to the outpost, is scheduled to be launched into space by 2022. Meanwhile, subsequent robotic and manned missions will aim to catalog the resources available in the Moon. NASA says that astronauts will act as modern-day Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, who will survey the scientific and commercial opportunities on the surface of the moon. This includes finding out whether there are deposits of water that can be used for deep space explorations or a human colony. Next Stop: Mars NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine assured that the planned missions to the moon will not be an alternative to landing to Mars. The ultimate goal is still to send humans on the surface of the red planet and beyond. "The moon is the proving ground, and Mars is the goal," he said during a congressional hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 26. "The glory of the moon is that it's only a three-day journey home. So, we can prove all of the technologies, we can reduce all of the risks, we can try all of the different maturations that are necessary to live and work on another world." NASA hopes to send a manned mission to Mars by 2030s. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) had decided to, once and for all, eliminate tuberculosis from all parts of the world. This is a response of a "global epidemic" that has claimed the lives of 1.6 million people worldwide in 2017. Tuberculosis or TB is considered to be the deadliest infectious disease on Earth. On Wednesday, Sept. 26, the General Assembly held its first-ever meeting to talk about the fight against TB. The meeting has the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Stop TB Partnership. The Tuberculosis Problem A cure for TB has been available for decades. However, new cases continue to be reported from around the world. In 2017, 10 million people fell ill with TB 3.6 million of which were either undiagnosed or not reported. TB is also common to people who are positive with HIV. About 300,000 people who were diagnosed with HIV also have TB last year, according to the data from WHO. The infectious disease is considered to be a serious threat to people living with HIV. Because their immune systems are compromised, people with untreated latent TB infection can quickly progress to TB disease. TB and HIV can work together to significantly reduce a person's lifespan. "Enough is enough," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the first WHO director-general from Africa. "It's time to end TB." The goal of the UN is to reduce the death toll related to TB around the world by 90 percent by 2030. The Fight To End Tuberculosis However, the effort will be met by challenges that will be difficult to overcome. TB is most common among the poor communities with no proper access to medication. To fast-track the elimination of TB, world leaders agreed to treat about 40 million people in the next five years. They also promised to provide preventive measures for people who are at high risk of getting TB. Sharonann Lynch, the HIV and TB advisor for Doctors Without Borders, said that the effort came exactly at the right time. She explained that there are now more efficient diagnostic tools and medicines that can significantly reduce the number of people with tuberculosis. However, she is disappointed that not all world leaders were present at the meeting. Out of 193 member states of the UN, only 30 attended. "They have to take advantage of this momentum and truly commit to significantly increasing investments and mobilizing the research community to develop new medical tools to more effectively tackle the world's deadliest infectious disease," she stated in a press release," for the ten million people who develop TB each year still desperately waiting for a fast, safe, and simple cure." 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Then, Cupich took an extraordinary step. He ordered all parishes in the archdiocese to read the press release at weekend Masses. Some did, some didnt. Privately, many priests in the archdiocese told NBC 5 they couldnt believe the Cardinal issued such a mandate. Even on the Archdioceses Facebook page, loyal followers seemed puzzled. One said, It was not edited in such a way. What Cardinal Cupich said was a cold and callous thing. Said another, I watched the whole interview. He still said those things. No difference in context. And said another, I thought I was crazy! I watched the unedited versions and it sounds like the same thing to me. As he stood before the St. John the Baptist Parish Council on Tuesday night, Dr. Jimmy Guidry, Louisiana's state health officer, made a statem If Jarret McCasland hopes to get relief from his second-degree murder conviction and life prison sentence in the 2013 heroin overdose in Baton Rouge of his 19-year-old girlfriend, it will have to come from the federal court system. The federal court system is the only avenue left to him because the Louisiana Supreme Court has refused to consider the merits of the 29-year-old Denham Springs man's appeal, citing a late filing by his appellate attorneys. Those attorneys have filed a petition in federal district court in Baton Rouge, arguing among other things that prosecutors failed to prove McCasland distributed the drug that directly caused Flavia "Cathy" Cardenas' death, and that a life prison term without parole when there was no intent to kill amounts to cruel and unusual punishment and is unconstitutional. Denham Springs man gets life sentence in 2013 overdose death of girlfriend, tells judge he is innocent A 27-year-old Denham Springs man was sentenced to life in prison Friday for his role in the drug overdose death of his girlfriend after a judg Cardenas died with numerous drugs in her system, including cocaine. McCasland was prosecuted under a seldom used provision of Louisiana's second-degree murder statute that allows police to arrest someone on that charge if distributing or dispensing an illegal drug is the direct cause of the death. McCasland was the first person convicted in East Baton Rouge Parish of second-degree murder under that provision, which does not require prosecutors to show a defendant specifically intended to kill. His conviction was unanimous. Jury convicts Denham Springs man of murder, was accused of injecting girlfriend with heroin before her death A 26-year-old Denham Springs man accused of giving his 19-year-old fiancee a lethal dose of heroin in Baton Rouge in 2013 was unanimously conv "Louisiana remains the only state in the nation that mandates life in prison without parole under these facts," Chris Alexander, one of McCasland's attorneys, said Wednesday in explaining why he is asking a federal judge to declare the sentencing scheme unconstitutional. The case finds itself in federal court because the state Supreme Court declined in March to consider McCasland's appeal, saying unanimously that it was "not timely filed." Alexander said the high court apparently received the appeal two minutes and 50 seconds after the May 2017 filing deadline. "We submitted the brief before the deadline. It apparently was recorded online on their end three minutes after the deadline due to a computer glitch," he said. Alexander asked the Supreme Court to reconsider its March ruling, but the court on Sept. 21 denied that request. Three of the seven justices Chief Justice Bernette Johnson and Associate Justices Jeff Hughes and Scott Crichton said they would have granted the reconsideration and considered the merits of McCasland's appeal. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Alexander downplayed the Supreme Court's latest decision, saying the matter belongs in federal court. "Fortunately this is a core constitutional issue that should be decided in federal court anyway," he said. "I'm disappointed nonetheless that our Supreme Court chose to pass on such an important issue." The state 1st Circuit Court of Appeal affirmed McCasland's 2015 conviction and 2016 sentence last year. The court said McCasland, "along with his actions, is the type of offender the statute meant to address." East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore III said Friday his office is satisfied with the decisions of the trial and appellate courts. "We believe the facts and circumstances demonstrate that justice was served," he said. McCasland's trial attorney, Rodney Messina, argued to the jury that Cardenas bought the heroin and injected herself with a fatal dose at her mother's house on July 26, 2013. However, a friend of Cardenas testified she saw McCasland inject Cardenas with heroin and cocaine earlier that evening at the friend's house. Witness in Baton Rouge heroin death trial says man injected his girlfriend, used drug as 'truth serum' A Baton Rouge woman who did drugs with Flavia Cathy Cardenas and Jarret McCasland the night before Cardenas died of what authorities called McCasland, who did not testify in his own defense, told sheriff's detectives he injected Cardenas with cocaine the evening before she died but not heroin. Prosecutors said McCasland had a history of drug dealing and argued he sent Cardenas a text message the afternoon before she died asking if she wanted to get high. Texts from McCasland indicated he continued to distribute heroin even after his girlfriend died, prosecutors argued. Cardenas was taken to the hospital for a drug overdose in June 2012, her mother testified. Cardenas was 17 at the time and did not know McCasland. Mother testifies that woman who died of heroin overdose had been hospitalized in another overdose a year earlier Flavia Cardenas was hospitalized in Baton Rouge for a drug overdose 13 months before she died in July 2013 of what the coroner labeled a heroi Cardenas and McCasland were arrested together in April 2013 on drug charges. Maj. Todd Morris treated the case like all the others he's investigated during his 28 years with the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office, pursuing every possible lead and sticking to his personal belief that "you make your own breaks." And he refused to stop following up even after seven years had passed since Sylviane Finck Lozada disappeared under suspicious circumstances and international politics had brought the investigation almost to a standstill. That perseverance helped achieve a remarkable outcome as Oscar Lozada was arrested this month and accused of killing his wife in 2011 following years of documented domestic abuse, then fleeing from Baton Rouge to Venezuela with their young daughter. +6 Husband of slain Brusly teacher arrested after 7 years, daughter rescued, sheriff says More than seven years after a Brusly High School teacher disappeared, her husband has been arrested in her death and her daughter, now 12 year Morris doesn't want too much credit for his contributions. But his investment in the case was clear when he paused during a recent news conference, overcome with emotion while sharing the news that Lozada's daughter was found safe and returned to Baton Rouge. While unable to divulge certain details of the investigation, Morris can provide some added insight into the search, which spanned the globe and tested the limits of international police work. Can't see video below? Click here. Morris spent the past several years tracking Lozada, often through phone conversations with the suspect discussing his missing wife. Authorities were unable to arrest Lozada while he remained in Venezuela a country that doesn't cooperate with U.S. law enforcement investigations. But Morris recently learned the man had moved to Mexico, where authorities would assist in his arrest. It's not clear why Lozada left Venezuela, but experts pointed to a humanitarian crisis plaguing the country as residents find themselves lacking food and medical care amid rising crime rates and political unrest. Lozada was booked into jail in Texas after his arrest Sept. 13 because that was the U.S. point of entry closest to where he was living. The extradition process is underway, and East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore III said he plans to bring the case before a grand jury sometime in coming months. He said the case could move faster than usual because it's already been seven years in the making. The investigation After investigators had gathered significant evidence from the home Lozada shared with his wife, Morris reached out via email to the man he suspected was responsible for her death. To Morris' surprise, Lozada responded. The two developed a tenuous correspondence, each hoping the other wouldn't see past their facade. Morris said sometimes Lozada would call him asking if investigators had any new information on his wife's disappearance. Sylviane Lozada was reported missing in July 2011 and Oscar Lozada left the country with Angelina not long after his wife was last seen. Only days before boarding a plane, Oscar Lozada had purchased buckets and concrete mix, according to his arrest warrant. Authorities never found those materials nor his wife's body despite extensive search efforts. But they did discover her blood inside the couple's garage. Sylviane Lozada was a French and Spanish teacher at Brusly High School for more than a decade, in the United States on a work visa from her home country of Belgium. She moved to Baton Rouge to earn her doctorate at LSU before becoming a teacher. Morris said deputies discovered early in their investigation that Oscar Lozada had told conflicting stories to people around him as he attempted to explain his sudden trip to Venezuela and his wife's disappearance. Among the stories: that Sylviane left him for an old lover, that he booked a spontaneous vacation and that he needed extensive medical treatment. In the months and years after Oscar Lozada's move to Venezuela, Morris would call him and initiate "generic conversations" to track his whereabouts and glean whatever information he could about his daughter Angelina. The goal was "to keep the dialogue going" as long as possible. Morris said his interactions with Lozada were no different than his experiences building trust with other people suspected of heinous crimes just part of his job as a detective. But the stakes were especially high in this case, because going after Lozada could have meant putting Angelina's safety at risk. On two separate occasions the first in 2012, the year after he left for Venezuela Lozada agreed to come back to East Baton Rouge with his daughter and answer questions from authorities. Both times, Morris had plane tickets purchased for them, but Lozada and Angelina never boarded the flights. Their communications ended when Lozada stopped responding in 2016. But Morris was somehow able to continue monitoring the man's location and found out when he moved from Venezuela to Mexico. First Lozada went to Mexico alone, leaving his daughter in Venezuela. Authorities didn't start planning to arrest Lozada until Angelina later joined him in Mexico because that would allow them to take custody of her following his arrest. She is now with a foster family in Baton Rouge and has been reunited with some of her mother's relatives from Belgium. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Morris said telling Sylviane's family that Lozada had been arrested after years of waiting and extensive coordination efforts among authorities in Baton Rouge, Belgium and Mexico brought him "a lot of joy to be able to answer their questions and see the smiles on their faces now that there's some sense of closure." Sylviane's sister and brother flew to Baton Rouge from Belgium not long after Lozada's arrest to spend time with Angelina and to meet with authorities including Morris. "I would like to thank Todd because he works a lot, very hard, and we have the good emotions today because he did a good job," Sylviane's sister Ghislaine Finck said in an interview with The Advocate earlier this month. She spoke in English though her first language is French. "During seven years, they worked all the time. He continued to contact me and he asked me to have patience. My family and I thank him very much." Political tensions Little has been revealed about Lozada's life with Angelina in Venezuela. But officials have said it appears Lozada was living close to other relatives there before he moved to Mexico in search of work. Morris said Lozada was a maintenance worker at a plant in the Baton Rouge area, and the couple owned their home off Bluebonnet Boulevard, according to online property records. But Lozada returned to Venezuela with Angelina at a time when political turmoil and depressed economic conditions were steadily coming to define everyday life for the country's citizens. Relations between the United States and Venezuela plunged in 2002 when President Hugo Chavez accused American leaders of backing a failed coup attempt against him. That set the stage for escalating tensions during the early 2000s that remain strong today, according to Tim Gill, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington whose research has focused on Venezuelan politics and U.S. relations. The next watershed moment for the two countries came when Venezuela kicked out the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in 2005, followed by U.S. ambassadors several years later, Gill said. The Venezuelan regime continued embracing more socialist policies and began strengthening relations with countries that historically have not aligned themselves with U.S. interests. Miguel Tinker Salas, a Venezuelan historian and professor at Pomona College in California, said Venezuela is not the only country that doesn't have an extradition treaty with the United States. Others include China, Russia and some countries in the Middle East. He said Venezuela has extradited drug traffickers in the past, but that hasn't happened in several years. Gill also said considering the Lozada case in light of Venezuelan politics and economic conditions could provide some insight into how the investigation unfolded. He said Lozada moved to Venezuela at a time when tensions with the United States made Venezuela "an easy place to hide out" and avoid U.S. authorities. But as the country's economic status plummeted in subsequent years primarily due to falling oil prices living conditions became almost unbearable for some residents facing severe food shortages, lack of medical care and soaring crime rates. Gill said it's very possible that Lozada was one of many who have fled Venezuela in recent years to escape what experts have described as a humanitarian crisis. "Life is very bleak there right now, and Venezuelans are pretty much going wherever they can," he said. "It's becoming a serious issue for other countries in the region that can't really absorb all these refugees." Morris said that once he discovered both Lozada and Angelina had relocated to Mexico, he contacted DEA agents there to collaborate and come up with a plan. But it was Mexican immigration authorities who ultimately carried out the arrest, suggesting that Lozada's immigration status had come into question. Domestic abuse Lozada had a history of violence against his wife. On three different incidents in the years before her disappearance, deputies were called to the hospital or to the couple's house for domestic abuse complaints. Morris said Lozada was never arrested in any of those instances because Sylviane said she didn't want to press charges, indicating to deputies that "would only make matters worse for her." That decision not to pursue an arrest without the cooperation of the victim is something that local authorities now often avoid because new research has emphasized the importance of protecting victims of domestic abuse. Law enforcement officials have shifted toward using other evidence or finding other possible charges to prosecute abusers even if their victims choose not to cooperate. District Attorney Moore said there's a reason authorities have changed their approach, and that's to avoid cases like this in which domestic violence goes unchecked until it reaches a tragic outcome. "What happens if you honor the victim's request and then she's abused again or killed? Have you done your job or not?" Moore said. "We try to respect the wishes of victims, but more times than not now we err on the side of filing charges. Either way, these are very difficult cases." John Bel Edwards' recent guest column in The Advocate made some claims that just don't add up. Edwards wrote he started his term facing a $2 b From the dais, Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell, of Bossier Parish, questioned Sept. 19, 2018, Randy Pierce, general manager of DEMCO, on the left at the desk, and lawyer Jim Ellis about compensation received by board members of nonprofit cooperatives that sells electricity to its members. Angered at some of the lucrative benefits part-time board members receive, the PSC ordered an investigation of all 10 electric coops that serve about 900,000 members in rural Louisiana. Police insist that neither of the students were reported to have threatened any other students with the pellet gun and the gun was never fired. A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by the father of a man who was shot to death by St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office deputies during a 2015 manhunt for two burglary suspects. U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle dismissed Richard Greenwood's federal and state claims in a ruling Friday, granting summary judgment in favor of the Sheriff's Office. Greenwood, the father of the dead man, sued the Sheriff's Office in 2016, alleging that deputies used excessive force. The St. Tammany Parish Coroner's Office found that Darien Greenwood had been shot seven times, hit by a stun gun twice and repeatedly bitten by a police dog. In a 32-page opinion, the judge summarized the events of Oct. 20, 2015, when Darien Greenwood and Dean Perkins fled deputies investigating a burglary. Greenwood evaded capture for a while by hiding in an old refrigerator in a barn. But when he was discovered by Deputy Ronald Olivier and his K-9, Thor, Greenwood did not obey commands to drop his knife or show his hands, the opinion said. The deputies released the dog, but then, Greenwood appeared before Deputy Robert Edwards with a knife in his raised arm, prompting both deputies to shoot him several times. He later died. Thor suffered a stab wound. Richard Greenwood alleged that a Sheriff's Office policy states that the department, during an internal investigation, "will do everything in its power to avoid placement of any negative stigma on the deputy." Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up He called the policy "biased, self-serving and void of due process," saying it leads to an unusual number of constitutional violations. "Plaintiff is correct to question the impact of policy language that directs against 'negative stigmas' on ... deputies," Lemelle wrote. "Equally compelling is defendants' response that the post-shooting investigation was a criminal investigation that could not start with presumptive guilt of involved personnel." The judge also said that an expert witness for Greenwood relied wrongly on the case of a previous officer-involved shooting, of Iraqi war veteran Jason Glover in 2013. A suit alleging excessive force in that case failed because the court found that deadly force was warranted since Glover pointed a gun at a deputy. The plaintiff's expert found fault with the department for not conducting an internal investigation into the Glover shooting and failing to train deputies on recognizing and handling suspects with post-traumatic stress disorder. But the judge said that Richard Greenwood did not establish deliberate indifference or that "failing to train the officers amounted to conscious disregard for Darien Greenwood's constitutional rights." In a statement, Sheriff Randy Smith said he was pleased that all claims against the deputies and the department had been dismissed. While the incident took place when Jack Strain was sheriff, Smith said that he had always believed the actions of the deputies were "lawful and appropriate given the circumstances." A Terrytown man who fled the United States after allegedly being involved in a September 8 homicide has been arrested, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto said Saturday night. Saleh Omar, 40, has been arrested on a count of second degree murder, Lopinto said. Another suspect, 17-year-old Yazan Omar, was arrested September 8 also on a count of second degree murder. Officials said Omar fled the U.S. after a 29-year-old man was found suffering from blunt force trauma in at 93 Terry Parkway in Terrytown September 7 around 3 p.m. The man later died at an area hospital. Omar was arrested in Panama City, Panama and extradited to Miami, Florida where he is awaiting further extradition to Jefferson Parish. "I could not be prouder of the work put in by our detectives and our partners in federal law enforcement," Lopinto said. "This individual tried his very best to evade justice, but a concerted effort between local and federal authorities stopped that from happening. I would like to personally thank the men and women of the US Marshals Service and other federal agencies for their assistance in bringing the beginning of a sense of closure for the victims family and friends. If you want to uncover the next big tech entrepreneur, perhaps wander down to your nearest construction site. Increasingly, people working on the tools have got the confidence to go out there and even hire developers. Its really thrilling, and showing how tech is becoming more accessible, says co-founder of manufacturing materials tracker Matrak, Shane Hodgkins. Shane and Brett Hodgkins, co-founders of materials and project tracking app Matrak. Credit:Jason South Matrak began when Shanes brother Brett was working at the family window installation business and was in charge of tracking materials. He was frustrated by everyone having to down tools every time the workers couldnt find a particular window panel. He developed an app to help track when materials were arriving on site. Five years later, Matrak has 10 full-time staff and closed a $765,000 seed funding round earlier this year, including investment from former Aconex chair Simon Yencken. Forget short-term funding fixes and focus on fairness. In the community there is a broad egalitarian consensus that should be met with a degree of bipartisanship around sector-blind investment in education on a needs-basis. Last weeks announcement bettered [a $4.6 billion to non-government schools] your predecessor Simon Birmingham's botch-up on funding that disproportionately affected many disadvantaged families with children at low-fee Catholic schools. Tony Abbott once suggested there was a unity ticket from the major political parties on education funding: why not try to make that bold claim a reality? Govern like a good principal; be a leader, and recognise the expertise of the people at the frontline. The role of the Commonwealth in education should never be micromanagement. This means respecting the role of the states and territories in service delivery. Most importantly, let the teachers teach. As a keen observer of federal politics, events of recent weeks had me thinking about what it must be like for an individual to suddenly find him or herself in the role of minister for education. I have a sneaking suspicion its a position that may not come with a specific job description or orderly handover. So from this old student of education policy, I've drafted a few study notes for Dan Tehan. We need to think differently about school and about education. Will you lead our thinking beyond what we know and think we know? Forget PISA and stodgy old international rankings. The real test that will determine whether or not Australian education policy is an example to other nations is this; how will the decisions you make in your work change the lives of children and young people and consequently our community for the better? And please dont forget to give the students a voice in what they learn and how they learn. Cut the red tape. Extra marks if you can pull this one off; teachers would welcome the opportunity to focus their efforts on making a difference to student learning. We need to go back to the smartboard on NAPLAN. A one-off snapshot of student learning is not enough, there are better ways to collect information to support students in their learning, and schools in improvement. Sadly, NAPLAN has spawned an illegitimate coaching industry and resulted in school ranking that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Leading Catholic educator Greg Whitby has some tips for the new education minister. Always remember that Catholic schools are mainstream. Serving one in five students in Australia, it would be a rookie error to see Catholic education systems as niche providers. They are not. If a truly national approach to education policy is to be effective, it must fully include Catholic schools thats why funding certainty is so important. Though some ideologues like to set state and Catholic systems against each other, great policy should grow from the common ground we share. And if in doubt, as one of my favourite fictional teachers says in the cult classic Dead Poets Society, carpe diem, minister. Seize the day! Leigh Sales: Works easy. Lifes hard. Credit:Peter Brew-Bevan ABC TV host Leigh Sales led a charmed life until her 40s, when a string of heart-wrenching events led her to ponder the nature of trauma and how people face tragedy. This is a candid insight into the private life of one of Australia's most beloved journalists and what she did when, for the first time, she didn't land with her "bum in the butter". It's a longer read - save it for the way home. Kath McQuarrie has been a volunteer with the ACT Companion Dog Club for 25 years. These days, she travels between Canberra aged care facilities and hospitals providing pastoral care with her miniature schnauzers Hope and Rocky. "When most of us get older, we may not have anyone there to provide touch. No one to give them a hug, or love them. And it's not always appropriate for a pastoral carer to do that, but a dog can," Ms McQuarrie, 76, said. Looking into the deep brown eyes of Hope, 9, and Rocky, 8, you can't help but feel lighter. Their smart little beards help, obviously. Yet their cuteness isn't the primary reason Ms McQuarrie chose schnauzers. Pastoral carer Kathryn McQuarrie, right, of ACT Companion Dog Club with her mini schnauzers and resident and friend of 58 years Diana Lobb, of St Andrews village in Hughes. Credit:Karleen Minney "They're a bright dog. Very attractive, they don't shed, and they're very clever. They're most loyal, and want to please you and be there with you. They just love you to bits." Smoking could soon be banned in more of Canberra's public spaces, with Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris focussed on having some of the toughest laws in the country. It comes as a North Sydney council considers banning smoking in all public spaces, which would make it the first smoke-free municipality in the country. Smoking could be banned in more Canberra public places. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer While smoking is already banned in children's play areas and at public transport waiting areas, Ms Fitzharris said more public areas could become smoke free, while the government would also look into raising the smoking age to 21. The government will finalise the Drug Strategy Action Plan later in the year which is currently up for public consultation. Greg Watters of North Avoca writes that his mother will turn 100 on October 3, just two days from now. He admits that this is not all that unusual "except that her mother turned 100 in December 1988, and lived to be 101. Is this a unique mother/daughter combination?" Two generations of centenarians is certainly not something you see every day any takers? "I hate to be pedantic but ..." began Chris Caton of Robina, QLD, and Granny had a paroxysm of laughter. This is Column 8 you are writing to Chris, a pedant's paradise. Stickling and nitpicking are absolutely de rigueur. Continuing on, Chris wrote: "Your correspondent on the US electoral system (C8) is clearly confused with the Melbourne Cup, which is held on the first Tuesday in November. US elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November." Given the horseracing connection, it was apt that Col Shephard, the gambler from Yamba, should also weigh in, seconding "the first Tuesday after the first Monday" with a chiding of Tim Ingall for "falling at the first hurdle". "That description of a yowie (C8) bears a startling resemblance to me staggering home from late night rugby dos back in the '70s," observes Phil Morey of Kalaru. With all the fuss about butlers pantries in a popular renovation show on television Pritam Ghosh of Beverley Park considers it odd that they have a room for the butler to work in but none for him (or her) to sleep in. "Where is the butler's bedroom? From what I remember in Wodehouse, Jeeves had his own room from whence he would emerge whenever required to get Bertie out of his strife." More on fellmongers (C8). Peter Davidson of Vaucluse writes that he "started in his working life in a fellmongery, where animal pelts were prepared before being processed into leather. Sheep pelts were limed, the wool was removed and they were then pickled in salt and packed in barrels and shipped off to Italy, coming back as expensive leather goods". Paul Duncan of Leura notes: "For over 40 years I have known a fellmonger, residing in Bathurst, who is still active in the trade." A 24-year-old western Sydney man died in a cliff fall while sight-seeing at the Sea Cliff Bridge on Saturday afternoon. The man, from Homebush West, was walking along the top of the cliff at the area where the bridge crosses over the water at the southbound end. The man fell while sight-seeing at the Sea Cliff Bridge on Saturday afternoon. Credit:Sylvia Liber He was walking with friends along the clifftop and seeing the sights according to police. Around 12.30pm it is believed they stopped to take a break. The whole notion of co-creating what library service means in the 5th Ward is something thats really exciting to me, Danczak Lyons said about the report. Im welcoming new voices and trying to set up opportunities to have genuine conversations with ...ward residents where I can listen. A third of Queenslanders live in rental properties yet even the Premier admits the state's tenancy laws are stuck in the 1970s. The state government planned to consult with renters, landlords and real estate agents this week in readiness for reforms to residential tenancy laws for renters and property owners. Just over a third of all Queensland households rent their homes. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the government would focus on gathering opinions on how the market was changing and how well the system was working. "The last full-scale review and changes to the tenancy regulations dates back to 1970s. Its well and truly time for another now," she said. Third-generation Melbourne market gardener David Wallace is one of dozens of landholders who have been told to stop using water from the Maribyrnong River after toxic chemicals from firefighting foam were detected in runoff from Melbourne Airport. Mr Wallace's family has been farming in the Keilor Valley, 15 kilometres north of Melbourne, for 113 years. He spends around $5000 a year on a diversionary licence from Melbourne Water, giving him access to water from the Maribyrnong River. David Wallace's property, which has been in his family for 113 years, borders the Maribyrnong River. Credit:Jason South Now he has been told to stop, after an EPA alert was issued on September 20, following tests for per- and poly-fluoroalkyl chemicals known as PFAS at Melbourne Airport and in nearby waterways. The Department of Health maintains there is no consistent evidence the toxins cause important health effects, in contrast to the US EPA, which has concluded they are a human health hazard that at high-enough levels can cause immune dysfunction, hormonal interference and certain types of cancer. A pregnant woman says she feels unsafe in her own home after her family was held up with a "giant knife" in a violent carjacking in Melbourne's west. The woman, who doesn't want to be named, said she desperately grabbed her two-year-old child as her partner handed over the keys during the armed carjacking in Essendon on Saturday morning. Catherine* and her family had just arrived home from breakfast about 11.15am when a large, Caucasian man approached their car. Her partner complied, but their two-year-old child and dog were still in the car. He was pointing this giant knife at my partner and demanding he give him the keys, Catherine told The Age. Commuters in Melbourne's west could get the short end of the stick under Labor's proposed $50 billion suburban rail loop, research suggests. The massive underground suburban rail network linking every major rail line in Melbourne and the new airport rail link has been billed by the Andrews government as the "biggest public transport project in Australian history". But while it could serve more than 195,000 commuters in Melbourne's south-east, it may benefit only about 51,000 people in the west, leading planning and economics firm SGS says. The 90 kilometres of track would connect 10 train lines from Cheltenham in the east to Werribee in the west and is expected to take until 2050 to complete. Barry Morris, left, and Graham Potts, who developed the Metropolitan apartment block on London Circuit. Mr Morris has now bought the large carpark on London Circuit, where he will build 1200 apartments. Credit:Richard Briggs But Mr Morris, like other owners, said light rail did not play into his decision to buy the block, and would actually bring some restrictions, including advice from planning authorities that he should limit access from London Circuit. His site was in the city within walking distance of the lake so there was little need for the tram to access the city and other amenities, and he planned a supermarket onsite also. "So from that point of view, the location of the light rail doesn't come into the equation as it may do on Northbourne Avenue, because we are literally right in the city," he said. Mr Morris said he was unsure why the government was taking the western route around London Circuit, especially given the extra complexity of getting up to Commonwealth Avenue from that side. Mssrs Morris and Potts also developed the two large apartment buildings on London Circuit that make up the Metropolitan apartments some years ago, but they are now in private hands. Matt James and Peter Sarris, who are building an apartment development at 39 London Circuit. Credit:Dion Georgopoulos On the corner of Hobart Place, Peter Sarris and Matt James are building a 200-apartment development. Mr James said light rail played no part in his decision to develop the Capitol apartments. The site's appeal was in its location opposite the courts and the Reserve Bank, near the ANU and in the heart of the city. But it was possible apartment buyers would use future stages of light rail to travel from their apartment to work in Barton or Woden, he said. Michael Kouper, who has neighbouring buildings, pictured, on London Circuit on the light rail route. Credit:Dion Georgopoulos Michael Kouper owns two neighbouring buildings along the rest of that London Circuit block, opposite the city police station, one of which he said was empty. Mr Kouper said he bought the buildings perhaps five or six years ago, was now 83 and had no development plans. He was looking instead to sell, he said. A few doors down at 13 London Circuit, Jon Tanchevski and Adam Howarth are preparing a development application for a 16-storey hotel to replace their four-storey building. The men, who visited the United States with a government delegation lead by Planning Minister Mick Gentleman in 2016 to look at light rail, are also building the Midtown hotel and apartments on the corner of Northbourne Avenue and Macarthur Avenue. 13 London Circuit, where Jon Tanchevski and Adam Howarth plan a 16-storey hotel. Credit:Dion Georgopoulos While Mr Tanchevski has described light rail as the catalyst in Northbourne development, he said he had bought the building before light rail stage one, and likewise bought the London Circuit building this year before knowing stage two would go there. While none of the property developers claim to be motivated by the tram, they do have much to gain before the line is even built. A report by the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics found light rail boosts property prices an average 9.5 per cent (9.7 per cent for bus rapid transit) - although there was evidence that much of the increase came when projects were announced, and it slowed or even reversed once infrastructure was built. While many light rail projects levy property owners to help pay and to "capture" some of the value for the taxpayer, the ACT government continues to rule out charging a levy on owners along its tramlines. The Parramatta light rail was to be part funded by a charge of $200 a square metre for apartments in the corridor, and stage one of the Gold Coast light rail was boosted by a $111 levy on land owners, according to a federal report. A spokeswoman for Transport Minister Meegan Fitzharris said the government had not calculated the expected boost to property values for stage two in Canberra. "However, there is a general expectation that property values in any light rail corridor may increase as a consequence of people being attracted to living in close proximity," she said. Asked for details of any representations from or consultation with property owners, the spokeswoman did not provide detail but said, "A number of organisations, landowners and peak bodies representing landowners were involved [in 2017 consultation] and made formal submissions." She added, "In its ordinary business activities, Transport Canberra has fielded enquiries and met individuals and organisations in many different settings." Asked whether the government had given any consideration to the question of who owned land on the stage two route, she said the government had considered "ownership and nature of land ownership in the corridor for the purposes of precinct planning and consultation" but the focus had been on a route that worked for public transport and for the community. The ACT government is touting its tramline as an urban-renewal land-use solution, designed to boost development. The planned route for light rail stage 2. Credit:Transport Canberra It is still trying to argue its preferred route through the federal government. The ACT has already rejected a tram that runs straight up Commonwealth Avenue and around State Circle on to Adelaide Avenue to Woden, instead planning a line that veers off Commonwealth Avenue past old Parliament House to Kings Avenue and from there taking a dogleg up Kings Avenue briefly before turning left on to Windsor Walk. It runs along Windsor Walk to Canberra Avenue, then turning right to meet Capital Circle. One problem with the plan is that trams can't hold sufficient battery storage to get from the city centre all the way to Adelaide Avenue without overhead wires. 40 Brisbane Avenue, Barton, a union-owned building on the tram doorstep. Credit:Elesa Kurtz Once the tram passes the four buildings owned by ISPT on Kings Avenue and National Circuit/Windsor Walk, it passes 40 Brisbane Avenue, owned by unions headquartered there, including the Tradies club, run by the CFMEU, and the Australian Council of Trade Unions. A council spokesman said the ACTU and affiliated unions had a long-term investment in the building. The ACTU has had no involvement in the planning process for the Canberra light rail. We became aware of the proposed route when your journalist enquired this afternoon," he said. 38 Sydney Avenue, Forrest, part of the global Blackstone portfolio. Credit:Elesa Kurtz We have no plans to alter any of the current arrangements with regard to this property. Crossing Brisbane Avenue, it passes the massive RG Casey building housing the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, a building owned by MTAA Super, the superannuation fund connected to the motor trades industry. On the other side of the road is 39 Brisbane Avenue, owned by Quintessential Equity, and the Little National Hotel. 28 Sydney Avenue, Barton, owned by Graham Potts, inset. Credit:Elesa Kurtz Crossing Sydney Avenue, it passes beside 28 Sydney Avenue, owned by Graham Potts; 38 Sydney Avenue, owned by global property giant Blackstone; and 29 National Circuit (1 Canberra Avenue), owned by the Willemsens. From there it reverts to Capital Circle and Adelaide Avenue, passing residential properties in Deakin and Yarralumla. Comcare has been ordered to continue to pay for treatment for a woman who fell while walking on a footpath on a work trip to Canberra 15 years ago, causing her an ongoing foot injury. The Administrative Appeals Tribunal overturned four decisions by the government insurance agency, with the member taking issue with evidence given by an expert called by Comcare who didn't specialise in the injury the woman experienced. The employee worked at the Dairy Research and Development Corporation at the time of the incident. Credit:Nicolas Walker The case related to a former employee of the Dairy Research and Development Corporation (formerly known as Dairy Australia Limited). Employed as a research liaison officer, the employee was visiting Canberra for work in March of 2003, when misjudged her step at a roundabout and dropped at least a metre onto the grass below. She described landing heavily on both feet and feeling "immediate pain ricochet up through her body to her back". Comcare had previously accepted liability for the injury, covering the injury to her feet, a back injury and ongoing treatment for her feet. In a series of decisions from September 2015 until February 2017, Comcare decided the worker was no longer able to claim compensation. Makassar, Indonesia: Grave fears are held for thousands of people living in the epicentre of a huge earthquake and tsunami that struck the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, as the official toll from the disaster rose to more than 800. Overnight on Saturday, Vice-President Jusuf Kalla warned the death toll could reach well into the thousands, which would make it one of the deadliest natural disasters in Indonesia since the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami in Aceh. Overnight on Saturday, Vice-President Jusuf Kalla warned it could reach well into the thousands. The Australian government said it was not aware of any Australians affected by the earthquake but was continuing to make inquiries with local authorities. Birmingham: British Prime Minister Theresa May has called on her party to unite behind her plan to leave the European Union, making a direct appeal to critics by saying their desire for a free trade deal was at the heart of her Brexit proposals. At the start of one of the Conservative Party's stormiest annual conferences on Sunday, May's plans were once again attacked by two former ministers, with her ex-foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, calling them "deranged". But she won strong backing from other Brexit supporting ministers, with Trade Minister Liam Fox and Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt turning their anger against the EU, for "taunting Theresa May, one of the most unfailingly polite people". Khan Younis: Thousands of Gazans have thronged the funerals of seven people killed by Israeli troops during mass protests on Friday, chanting anti-Israel and anti-US slogans and calling for revenge. The coastal strip's ruling Hamas militant group, meanwhile, dispatched a delegation to Egypt in a desperate new attempt to ease a crippling blockade on the Palestinian territory. Friday's violence was the deadliest day of protests in nearly four months. Among the dead was an 11-year-old boy, believed to be the youngest of 144 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire during the protests. Another boy, a 14-year-old, was also among the seven killed. A photo of 11-year-old Nasser Musabeh, who was shot and killed by Israeli troops on Friday during a protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel. Credit:AP The Hamas-orchestrated protests were launched last March in large part to press for an end to the blockade, imposed by Israel and Egypt after the Islamic militant group took control of Gaza in 2007. The blockade has ravaged Gaza's economy, and with Egyptian-mediated cease-fire efforts deadlocked, Hamas has vowed to step up the protests. Christine Blasey Ford testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Credit:AP Another woman, Deborah Ramirez, has accused Kavanaugh of exposing himself to her during a drunken party when both were students at Yale University. Friends and colleagues of Ramirez describe her as a quiet person who has dedicated herself to being an advocate for needy families and survivors of domestic violence. Deborah Ramirez has accused Judge Brett Kavanaugh of sexual impropriety when at Yale. Credit:AP Swetnick was the third named Kavanaugh accuser to emerge, when Avenatti released details of her accusations on Twitter on the eve of Ford's testimony. Kavanaugh has denied the claims regarding him made by Swetnick and other women, characterising some of the allegations as a "joke" and a "farce." Ann Simonton, a nationally recognised advocate for rape survivors and director of Media Watch, a media literacy organisation, cautioned that many sexual abuse survivors encounter chaos and trouble later in life - things can tarnish a survivor's image but don't necessarily speak to the legitimacy of the underlying abuse allegations. "This type of trauma will impact your daily life forever," she said. Swetnick has said she is willing to be interviewed by either Congress or the FBI. On Twitter, Avenatti wrote that he and Swetnick would "thoroughly enjoy" embarrassing Republicans on the Judiciary Committee this weekend "when her story is told and is deemed credible." Swetnick has taped an interview with The Circus" a political program that is part of Showtime's Sunday line-up. Survivors of sexual assault and members of rights groups rally in Denver against Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the US Supreme Court. Credit:Denver Post/AP Some details of the legal disputes she's been involved in aren't known, because documents in the cases are incomplete or no longer available. Records in the lawsuit filed in late 2000 by her ex-employer, Oregon-based software company Webtrends, don't indicate why it was dismissed. Avenatti said there was a settlement in the case but no money changed hands. In its civil complaint in a state court in Oregon, the company said Swetnick, a software engineer, was an employee for a few weeks before its human resources department received a report that she had engaged in "unwelcome sexual innuendo and inappropriate conduct" toward two male co-workers at a business lunch. The lawsuit said that Swetnick in turn accused Webtrends of subjecting her to "physically and emotionally threatening and hostile conditions" and that she claimed that she'd been sexually harassed by four co-workers. The co-workers denied the allegations, the suit said. Company officials later determined, the suit said, that Swetnick had provided false information on her employment application. The suit alleged that she had misrepresented the length of time she worked at a previous employer and falsely claimed that she'd earned an undergraduate degree in biology and chemistry from Johns Hopkins University. Stormy Daniels, left, stands with her lawyer Michael Avenatti outside court in April. Credit:AP Avenatti, whose client Stormy Daniels is embroilled in a lawsuit with Trump, said that whether Swetnick "has a college degree or not does not matter as to whether she is a sexual assault victim." Helene Moglen, Swetnick's aunt, said last week that her niece went off to college but quickly moved back home. In an interview with The Washington Post, Swetnick's father was quoted as saying that "she bootstrapped herself and became a computer expert. She's a sharp woman." None of the executives named in the lawsuit still works at Webtrends. Calls and emails to the company's Portland headquarters seeking comment received no response. The lawyer who represented the company in the lawsuit also did not return messages seeking comment on Thursday and Friday. Swetnick was on the other side of a civil case in 1994, as a plaintiff, when she filed a personal injury lawsuit in Maryland against the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. She claimed she lost more than $US420,000 ($581,000) in earnings after she hurt her nose in a fall on a train in 1992. Swetnick, who described herself in court records as a model and actor, claimed she had "numerous modeling commitments" with several companies at the time of the accident but missed out them because of her injuries. Michael Avenatti, left, whose cllients' lawsuits have pitted him against Donald Trump, has said he is considering running for US president in 2020. Credit:AP To support her claim for lost wages, Swetnick named "Konam Studios" as one of the companies promising to employ her. A court filing identified Nam Ko, a representative of "Kunam Studios", as a possible plaintiff's witness for her case. Ko, however, said he was just a friend of Swetnick's and that he had never owned a company with a name spelt either way and had never agreed to pay her money for any work before she injured her nose. He said he first met Swetnick at a bar more than a year after her alleged accident. "I didn't have any money back then. I [was] broke as can be," Ko said. Ko said he has a hazy memory of Swetnick asking to use him as a "character reference" but doesn't recall hearing about her lawsuit. "I thought it was for a job application," he said. In answer to questions about the suit, Avenatti said: "This is all hearsay. ... None of this is relevant, not one bit." The paperwork filed in the suit includes a letter addressed to Swetnick's attorney from Richard Zamora, who is identified as a marketing executive from a San Jose, California-based company called Fiber Sign. In the letter, dated March 1994, Zamora said the company had been prepared to hire Swetnick as a model and spokeswoman and pay her a $US60,000 base salary but offered the job to someone else after learning of her accident. Zamora later asked a court in Florida for a restraining order against Swetnick. The remaining court records don't show the reasons he gave for asking for the restraining order, but indicate that the case was dropped less than two weeks later when neither party appeared in court. Zamora, who now goes by Richard Vinneccy, declined to comment this week about the letter or the nature of the relationship he'd had with Swetnick. Avenatti said the request for a restraining order was "nonsense." Court records show Swetnick's lawsuit against the transit agency was dismissed in 1997 after a settlement was reached. Vincent Jankoski, one of the lawyers who defended the agency, said the case was resolved without paying Swetnick any money after she failed to provide documentation supporting her lost-wage claims. Some of its just appearance of the design of a reward system which pays people for doing their job, Bishop said. As a public servant you think, arent you already being paid for that, but people being people dont always do their jobs. Incentives, if clearly defined or measured well, make it clear what performance is expected. Democrats Bad Faith Has Made a Mockery of Kavanaugh Hearings Commentary The Democrats dangerous undermining of our democratic institutions cant be permitted to continue. This behavior has been on stark display during Judge Brett Kavanaughs Supreme Court confirmation hearings. To briefly recap how this circus came to town over the past two weeks: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (R-Calif.) received a letter in July from Professor Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of attempting to sexually assault her 35 years ago when they were both in high school. Instead of immediately sharing the letter and alerting the FBI of it so they could check out Fords accusations, what did Feinstein do? She held that letter back and [according to her] didnt show it to anyone else on the Senate Judiciary Committee. She didnt say one word to Kavanaugh in either open or closed sessions during his confirmation hearings about Fords allegationsthough she was given ample opportunity to question him at length. Then only after the hearings concluded and just before the vote would be held to send Kavanaughs nomination to the Senate floor for a full vote, either Feinstein or someone on her staff leaked the letter to the media. What happened next is stunning: Only the Republican senators and their staff on the panel immediately began investigating the letter and its claims, while the Democratic senators and their staff refused to participate in any way. As the three people Ford named as her witnesses were contacted, or gave sworn statements through their lawyers, it was only Republican senators and their staff doing the investigating because the Democrats had all stayed away. In their statements, every person Ford named as a witness said they had no knowledge of the events she described. Ford then was asked to come to Washington so that the committee could interview her. Through her lawyers (one of whom was referred to her by Feinstein) Ford claimed a fear of flying and couldnt make a scheduled Sept. 24 hearing. The hearing was then delayed another three days and finally, on Sept. 27, Ford came to Washington and, along with Kavanaugh, gave riveting testimony on live TV to the Senate committee. During this hearing, Republican senators deferred their questions to career sex-crimes prosecutor Rachel Mitchell. Her questioning led Ford into claiming she couldnt remember key details of events from just a few weeks or days ago, such as a polygraph examination or a meeting with Washington Post reporters. Demonstrating such an unreliable memory when making 35-year-old claims doesnt help ones case. Mitchell then went on to demonstrate that Ford and her lawyers deliberately lied both to the committee and to the media, when it was claimed she couldnt possibly make the Sept. 24 appearance because she had a fear of flying. As it turns out, Ford admitted that she has frequently flown, including on vacations in Hawaii and Costa Rica. Mitchell got Ford to reveal that she has an unreliable memory and that she had lied to the committee on at least one issue before showing up for the hearing. It was very revealing that during the course of the Sept. 27 hearing, Ford lawyer Michael Bromwich didnt speak up or interrupt the questioning until Mitchell asked Ford when she first learned of the committees offer to send investigators to interview her in California. As Ford looked perplexed at the question, Bromwich couldnt grab the microphone fast enough to assert attorney/client privileged communication to attempt to end that line of questioning. Despite Bromwichs efforts, Ford then testified she had no idea such an offer had been made and if she had known, she would have gladly accepted it. Mitchell later gently pointed out to Ford that if she had been informed of the committees offer to send investigators to interview her in California, she wouldnt be sitting in the middle of the nationally televised circus she presently found herself in. She would have been interviewed in private and her identity would have been kept confidential. Instead, because of her victimization by somebody on the Democratic side of the aisle, she was left to testify live on TV in front of the whole world. That raises this question: If Ford was telling the truth that she didnt know about the offer to send Senate staff to California to interview her privately, who kept this information from her? Another instance that led to Bromwich grabbing the microphone and interrupting the questioning was when Mitchell asked Ford when she first requested an FBI investigation into her allegation. As Ford looked at Bromwich and her other attorney, Debra Katz, in obvious bewilderment, Bromwich again asserted attorney-client privilege. So, I cant help but wonder just how much information is being hidden from Ford by her own lawyers. During the day-long hearings, every single Democratic senator repeatedly and endlessly called for a delay of Kavanaughs confirmation vote so that the FBI could investigate Fords allegations. Some of them demanded that Kavanaugh himself ask for the FBI to investigate while his confirmation vote is delayed. Its crystal-clear whats happened here: Fords letter was held back so it could be used as a stalling tactic to delay the confirmation vote. Democratic Party leadership has gone all-in on a strategy of using any means necessary to delay a confirmation vote until after the midterm elections on Nov. 6, at which time they hope to have regained control of the Senate, and also the ability to vote down any Supreme Court nominees Trump sends before that body. Thats looking increasingly like a fools hope. The Democrats vile tactics against Kavanaugh are already massively backfiring on them, with more than a month still to go to the midterm elections. The increasingly vile and desperate slanders of Kavanaughwhich now include claims that at age 17 he was part of a group of high schoolers that drugged and raped girlsare turning sane people with a conscience against this Democratic Party leadership. At any rate, a one-week investigation by the FBI into Fords claims is underway. Now that she is on the record and under oath, itll be interesting to see what happens next. Brian Cates is a writer based in South Texas and author of Nobody Asked For My Opinion But Here It Is Anyway! He can be reached on Twitter at @drawandstrike. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. (CNN) The eastern Mediterranean is getting battered Saturday as a rare and powerful hurricane-like storm roars across Greece, triggering flooding as it makes its way toward Turkey. The storm, called Zorba, on Saturday morning lashed the Greek coastal city of Kalamata and other spots along the Peloponnese coast, knocking out power in the town of Pylos. Zorba has been dubbed a "Medicane" because of its location in the Mediterranean and its tropical-storm-like qualities. Such storms only occur once or twice a year, usually during September and October, when sea surface temperatures are warm. Zorba is expected to be particularly strong in the eastern Peloponnese and eastern central Greece and the Athens region, Greece's National Meteorological Service warned Saturday afternoon. It is also expected to bring gale-force winds by night to the Aegean Islands, where Syrian refugees are crowded into camps. Early Sunday morning, the extreme weather will mostly affect the eastern and southern Peloponnese, then move into Turkey, the meteorological service said. Storm surge and roof damage predicted in Turkey Heavy rainfall and strong winds are expected to cause flash flooding and major disruptions to air, land and sea transport in Turkey, the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM) told CNN Saturday. Authorities have warned that roofs could be damaged, with winds feared to reach 70 to 90 kmh (43 to 56 mph), MGM said. The agency also warned of storm surge and falling trees. The storm earlier in the week triggered flash flooding across Tunisia and Libya. That was before it crossed over the Mediterranean and took aim at Europe. Because of climate change, storms like Zorba, which usually happen near the equator, are expanding their reach, Hasan Cukur, head of Dokuz Eylul University's geography department, told the state-run Anadolu Agency on Saturday. "The more the temperature rises across the world," Cukur said, "higher will be the chances of these storms in Turkey." This story was first published on CNN.com "Hurricane-like Zorba lashes Greece as it barrels toward Turkey" It's a clear public safety hazard, he said. The police do enforce legal action against anyone caught doing this but most times the children are not observed by the police. This only leaves the option to try and keep the trains from blocking these intersections for an extended period. Kellogg said in exigent circumstances, the stopping of a train for the safety of railroad personnel or civilians is paramount. However, those types of circumstances are few. FDA Stops Imports From Chinese Drugmaker Over Valsartan Recall The U.S. Food and Drug Administration halted imports of drug ingredients made by a Chinese drug manufacturer after a massive recall of one of its drugs over cancer-causing ingredients. Chinas Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceuticals, a bulk manufacturer of the heart and blood pressure medicine valsartan, recalled the product in the United States in July after the presence of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) was found. The FDA said it was halting imports after it found major manufacturing process issues during its inspection of Huahais plant. The agency said the freeze on the imports would remain in place until the Chinese manufacturer determines how the impurities were introduced and improve its quality control systems, Reuters reported. In a heavily-redacted inspection report to Huahai posted on the FDAs website on Sept. 20, the health regulator pointed out a range of serious problems, including with the companys quality management system, how it evaluates the impact of changes to its manufacturing process, and its handling of products with impurities. FDA inspectors went to Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceuticals plant in China and released a highly redacted form of their observations. According to Fierce Pharma, citing the document, the agency slammed the companys management for how it manufactured the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), valsartan, making process changes without thoroughly testing them. It said that the firm did not carry out a risk assessment for a change in their drug-making process to evaluate the potential impact of proposed changes on the quality of the intermediates or the final API for this critical change to your validated manufacturing process. The other FDA observations said that the company didnt carry out enough investigations or adequate documentation of the changes. An American drug manufacturer alerted the FDA that its valsartan that it got from the Chinese firm contained NDMA, which is known to be carcinogenic in humans. A combination of manufacturing conditions could lead to formation of the [NDMA] impurity in an API, Fierce Pharma reported. A significant number of valsartan products have been recalled around the world due to the impurity. Tainted Chinese Drugs There is a lack of trust in medicines made in China now, Rosemary Gibson, a senior adviser at The Hastings Center and an author of several books on health care issues, told The Epoch Times several weeks ago about the recall. Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical sold $50 million worth of valsartan in 2017 alone, according to the report, and it didnt respond to The Epoch Times requests for a comment in the report. The public wants their medicine to be safe. This carcinogen hidden in valsartan raises the question whether other products that are made in China have been made contrary to the global standard we came to accept, Gibson added. We need to view medicine as a strategic asset, just like how we view oil and energy supply. A strategic asset is something that will make our country fall apart if we dont have it. The U.S.China Economic and Security Review Commission said in an annual report published in January that China has been a prolific source of defective and counterfeit drugs. Chinese consumers may prefer U.S. pharmaceutical products due to concerns over the quality of domestic drugs, the commissions report noted. China has been a prolific source of counterfeit and defective medicine. In 2012, Chinese authorities seized 77 million domestically produced gel capsules that were created from industrial waste and contained excessive levels of cadmium. The American and European public have to realize China doesnt have consumer protection laws like we do, Gibson added of generic drugs made in China. She said that if Chinese-made drugs have a problem, theres no way to deal with it in a court of law. If consumers here want to file a lawsuit against a Chinese company, they are out of luck, she said. Reuters contributed to this report. Democratic Florida gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum speaks at a campaign rally in Miami, Fla., on Sept. 24, 2018. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Florida Candidates Campaign Fires Staffer for Offensive Social-Media Comments Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, a Democrat, has terminated his youth outreach director after a blogger dug up a number of offensive social-media posts by the former staffer. One of the posts, from more than a year ago, called for the execution of President Donald Trump. Manny Orozco-Ballestas, 24, had only been working for the campaign for a week when conservative blogger Jacob Engels brought up a May 2017 Instagram photo where Orozco-Ballestas posed in a t-shirt that labeled as dumb[expletive]stan the states that went for Trump in the 2016 election. The states that went for Hillary Clinton were labeled the United States of America. Because only those who voted for Hillary Clinton should be considered Americans, Engels commented. The Republican Party of Florida called on Gillum to fire Orozco-Ballestas. It is hypocritical for Gillum to endorse the same kind of hateful, intolerant speech that he likes to denounce, the party stated, as the Tampa Bay Times reported. That wasnt enough for the Gillum campaign to turn on the staffer though. The anti-Trump shirt he wore before he was hired wasnt funny or in any way related to our campaign and weve addressed that with him, Gillum campaign spokeswoman Carlie Waibel said. Orozco-Ballestas appears to have deleted his Twitter account after the incident, but on Sept. 29, Engels published another article saying he obtained the deleted tweets from an anonymous source. Engels posted screenshots of six tweets from 2012 where Orozco-Ballestas made offensive, sexually explicit remarks. One tweet suggested fantasizing about a sexual assault and appeared to be targeted at a specific man or a woman. Another tweet, from 2013, stated, @realDonaldTrump you need to be executed, using the handle of Trumps official account. That proved too much for the Gillum campaign, and Orozco-Ballestas was terminated the same day. The Gillum campaign didnt respond to a request for comment. The Epoch Times couldnt independently verify the authenticity of the tweets, but on Sept. 29, Orozco-Ballestas released a statement of apology for his past Twitter activity. I am embarrassed, angry, and disappointed in myself, he wrote. What I tweeted as an immature student many years ago is not a reflection of the man I am today. Before joining the Gillum campaign, Orozco-Ballestas held the same post in the gubernatorial campaign of Philip Levine, who lost to Gillum in the Aug. 28 Democratic primary. In the general election, Gillum faces former Rep. Ron DeSantis, an ex-Navy JAG prosecutor who resigned his congressional seat to run for governor. Trump endorsed DeSantis in an Aug. 27 tweet. Judiciary Chairman Grassley Refers Kavanaugh Accuser for Criminal Investigation The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee referred a Rhode Island man for criminal investigation for allegedly making false statements to the committee regarding Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh. In a Sept. 29 letter to the heads of the FBI and the Justice Department, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) wrote that the man, Jeffrey Catalan, accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct while on a boat in Rhode Island in August 1985. Catalan later recanted and apologized for his allegation on Twitter. The Epoch Times refrains from publishing the details of the allegation since the accuser has recanted. The Committee is grateful to citizens who come forward with relevant information in good faith, even if they are not one hundred percent sure about what they know. But when individuals provide fabricated allegations to the Committee, diverting Committee resources, during time-sensitive investigations, it materially impedes our work, Grassley wrote. Such acts are not only unfair; they are potentially illegal. Grassleys criminal referral came on the heels of a party-line vote by the committee to advance Kavanaughs nomination to the full Senate. The vote capped an unprecedented series of events in which congressional hearings were thrown into disarray by the release of allegations against Kavanaugh that were held until the last minute by committee Democrats. Catalans claim was the fifth leveled against Kavanaugh at the time it was referred to the committee. Kavanaugh has categorically denied all the allegations while under oath. Catalan reported the allegation to Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) on Sept. 24. Whitehouse then referred the claim to the committee, which commenced an investigation and interviewed Kavanaugh the next day. Catalan recanted his claim after the committee released a transcript of the interview with Kavanaugh on Sept. 26. Kavanaugh denied Catalans allegation in an interview with staffers for Grassley and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the committee. Its just totally made up. Ridiculous, Kavanaugh told the staffers. I was not in Newport, havent been on a boat in Newport. Not with Mark Judge on a boat in Newport. Not with Mark Judge on a boat, not all those three things combined. This is just completely made up, or at least not me. I dont know what theyre referring to. Catalan told Whitehouses office that he and another man had confronted two men named Brett and Mark in 1986. Catalan alleged he realized that one of the men was Kavanaugh after seeing the judges photo in a yearbook photo on television. During the interview, committee staffers asked Kavanaugh if he was aware of Catalans anti-Trump tweets. In several messages, Catalan had called on the military to remove the president. A question, when will the United States military decide to do what they have vowed and remove the domestic threat to the Constitution that lives in the White House, Catalan wrote on June 27, according to the interview transcript. Catalan also appeared to accuse President Donald Trump of murder in another Twitter message sent in response to Whitehouse. Senator should look at missing person report filed by Brighton beach address for a tall, thin blonde with a very Russian name fall 1983 I have a good idea where she is and know whos responsible. A NY tower builder, Catalan wrote. Catalan recanted hours after the transcript was made public. Do [sic] everyone who is going crazy about what I had said I have recanted because I have made a mistake and apologize for such [sic] mistake, he wrote. Grassley made the criminal referral one day after the judiciary committee called on the White House to order the FBI to reopen the background probe of Kavanaugh. The White House complied. Democrats on the committee had for days demanded an additional FBI probe of the allegation by Christine Ford, the first accuser, but Grassley dismissed the requests, noting that the bureau considered the matter closed. Republicans on the committee saw the Democrats call for a probe as a delay tactic, especially since Feinstein withheld Fords allegation for eight weeks instead of referring it to the FBI. Feinstein instead revealed the existence of a letter from Ford days before the committee was set to recommend Kavanaugh for a Senate vote and shortly after the committee concluded more than 30 hours of public hearings and weeks of pre-hearing vetting. Fords letter appears to have been leaked to the media on the same day that Feinstein revealed its existence. Feinstein holds that neither she nor her staff leaked the letter. The president continues to stand by his nominee. On Sept. 29, Trump told reporters that the reopened investigation of the claims against Kavanaugh may prove to be a blessing in disguise. Actually this could be a blessing in disguise. Having the FBI go out and do a thorough investigation, whether its three days or seven days, I think its going to be less than a week, Trump said. The president said of Kavanaugh: I think hes great. I dont think theres ever been any person whos been under scrutiny like he has. I think its been a very tough process. Hes a good man. Hes a great judge. A great judge. Highly respected for many many years. At the top of the list. I hope that everything works great. Trump Supports Kavanaugh at West Virginia Rally, Urges Supporters to Vote WHEELING, W.Va.President Donald Trump continues to voice his support for Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh at a rally in Wheeling, West Virginia, as he lambasted Democrats over their conduct during the recent confirmation hearings and urged his supporters to vote. Speaking at the WesBanco Arena on Sept. 29, Trump touted the booming economy again as he strolled on the stage to John Denvers Take Me Home, Country Roads. He then quickly turned his attention to the Democratic Party. He said the whole country has now seen the shameless conduct by the Democrats as the crowd booed loudly in response. They are willing to throw away every standard of decency, justice, fairness and due process to get their way. They dont care how they get it. You see it happening before your eyes, he said. And theyre determined to take back power by any means necessary. You see the meanness, the nastiness. They dont care who they hurt, who they have to run over to get power. Trump defended Kavanaugh, calling him one of the most accomplished legal minds of our time. Republicans voted to advance the judge to a floor vote by the Senate on Sept. 28 before agreeing to delay the vote pending an FBI investigation into allegations by Christine Blasey Ford that is to take no more than one week. We see this horrible, horrible, radical group of Democrats. You see whats happening right now, he told the crowd of thousands. The president also endorsed Republican Patrick Morrisey, the states attorney general, who is vying for a seat in the U.S. Senate. Morrissey will face Democratic incumbent Joe Manchin in the upcoming general election. Manchins seat is believed to be one of the more vulnerable, since Trump won the state by 42 percentage points in 2016. Trump called Manchin a Washington liberal Joe and said a vote for him is a vote for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.). He has repeatedly called Waters the new face of the Democratic party. Republicans have the majority in the Senate by a 5149 countthey can only afford to lose one Republican vote to be able to confirm Kavanaugh without any defections by Democrats. Previously, Manchin had voted to confirm Neil Gorsuch, Trumps first Supreme Court nominee. On Thursday, the American people saw the brilliant and really incredible character, quality, and courage of our nominee for the United States Supreme Court, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, Trump said. Manchin had praised the decision by Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) decision to call for the FBI investigation. I applaud Senator Jeff Flakes decision to rise above the partisan circus on display during this entire process. The American people have been pulled apart by this entire spectacle and we need to take time to address these claims independently so that our country can have confidence in the outcome of this vote, Manchin said in a statement. During his speech that went a little over an hour, Trump urged his supporters to come out and vote for Republicans as a way to rebuff the ruthless and outrageous tactics the Democrats used against Kavanaugh. He said if Democrats win the elections, the country will turn into a big version of Venezuela that would open our nations borders, starve our law enforcement officers. Trump also questioned whether Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) might have leaked the sexual-assault allegation from Christine Blasey Ford, after promising to preserve Fords anonymity. The president went on to mock Feinsteins response at the committee hearing when she was asked whether she or her staff leaked Fords allegation against Kavanaugh. At the Sept. 27 hearing, Feinstein said neither she nor her staff leaked the allegations by Ford. Trump said at the rally that maybe the leak didnt come from Feinstein, but she had the worst body language Ive ever seen when she was asked about it. A recent poll found that 58 percent of voters in West Virginia want Kavanaugh confirmed to the Supreme Court, following his passionate testimony to the committee. The poll by Public Opinion Strategies and commissioned by the Judicial Crisis Network also found that 28 percent of voters oppose the judges nomination. Morrissey, who is West Virginias first Republican attorney general since 1933, was elected in 2012 and re-elected in 2016. According to his website, he stands for conservative principles. Morrissey grew up in a working-class family, paid his way through school, and supports the Second Amendment, advocates for tax cuts and supports building the wall, among other issues. His opponent, Manchin, was sworn into the U.S. Senate on Nov. 15, 2010, after winning the election to complete the term of the late Sen. Robert Byrd. Manchin then won re-election in 2012. Manchin was born and raised in a small coal-mining town according to his website. He served 12 years in the state legislature, as secretary of state from 2000 to 2004, and as governor from 2004 to 2010. Report: Bill Cosby to Get Sex Offender Treatment in Prison Bill Cosby, who was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison earlier this week, will partake in an evaluation process to determine the extent of his treatment as a sex offender. TMZ reported on Sept. 30 that it all hinges on how much of a danger he poses. The 81-year-old was convicted of sexually assaulting a Temple University staffer, Andrea Constand. Now, Cosby will have to go through a program known as the Responsible Living: A Sex Offender Treatment Program, the report said. TMZ reported that there are seven phases of the program: Responsibility Taking, Behavioral Techniques, Emotional Well-Being, Victim Empathy, Anger Management, Sex Education, and Relapse Prevention. The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections will evaluate Cosby, who is blind and walks with a cane, to see what danger he poses, which will determine the sort of treatment he will receive. If he falls into a moderate-high or a high-risk category, hell have to complete all 7 phases of the sex offender program. If he falls into a low or low-moderate risk category, hes just required to knock out Responsibility Taking, Sex Education and Relapse Prevention, TMZ said. Cosby spent his first night at the SCI Phoenix prison in Pennsylvania on the night of Sept. 25 as Inmate No. NN7687. He will also be assessed by prison medical staff, psychologists, and others. While incarcerated, he will be allowed phone calls, visitation, and exercise, according to a previous report from Epoch Times. His sentence means that he will have to serve at least three years in prison before he is eligible for parole. Cosby will also be able to purchase his own television, radio, and tablet so that he will be able to receive email, music, and books, Press Secretary for Corrections Amy Worden told Fox News. She added, These are possessions that inmates are allowed to have. We are taking all of the necessary precautions to ensure Mr. Cosbys safety and general welfare in our institution, said Corrections Secretary John Wetzel in a statement. The long term goal is for him to be placed in the general population to receive the programming required during his incarceration. His sentencing comes months after he was convicted in the 2004 assault. Dozens of other women have accused Cosby of assaulting or abusing them across several decades. It is time for justice. Mr. Cosby, this has all circled back to you. The time has come, Montgomery County Judge Steven ONeill said during the sentencing, according to The Associated Press. Cosby spokesman Andrew Wyatt claimed, however, that his client was subjected to the most racist and sexist trial in the history of the United States. Wyatt said all three of the psychologists who testified against Cosby were white women who make money off of accusing black men of being sexual predators, AP reported. Shark Attack in California Injures 13-Year-Old Boy A 13-year-old boy was taken to the hospital after being attacked by a shark near San Diego, California, over the weekend. Fox5 in San Diego said the teen was attacked in the water by the shark, and NBC San Diego reported that he suffered injuries to his shoulder and ear. He was rushed to Rady Childrens Hospital in San Diego via helicopter. #UPDATE: First look at the scene of a shark attack at Beacon's Beach in Encinitas. Witnesses say a teen boy was airlifted to the hospital. Officials will hold a press conference soon.https://t.co/ewIs1aZVqz pic.twitter.com/NOJeCSe91X FOX 5 San Diego (@fox5sandiego) September 29, 2018 The boy was attacked while diving for lobster near Neptune Avenue at the foot of Leucadia Boulevard on Sept. 29 at Beacons Beach in Encinitas, according to the Los Angeles Times. He was taken into surgery when he got to the hospital, Dr. Tim Fairbanks, chief pediatric surgeon. This is a rare injury, Fairbanks said in a brief news conference Saturday afternoon outside the emergency room. This is not something we see much of, to be honest with you. Kayakers who saw the attack helped rescue the boy. I realized he was yelling, I got bit, help, help! Chad Hamme told the LA Times. His whole clavicle was ripped open, Hammel said of the boy. We told him hes going to be OK, hes going to be all right we got help. I yelled at everyone to get out of the water: Theres a shark in the water! The shark was behind the kayak, he told the paper. He didnt want to give up yet. The beach is now closed for 48 hours. We are working closely as a unified command with the California State Parks, California Fish and Game, San Diego County Sheriffs Department, City of Solana Beach and the City of Carlsbad to ensure public safety, said lifeguard Captain Larry Giles, Fox5 reported. At this time, we have not received additional reports of any shark sightings in the area but are advising the public to stay out of the water. Trump Supporters in Missouri Foresee a Red Wave Rallygoers say Trumps agenda and the booming economy should ensure victory in November SPRINGFIELD, Mo.Six weeks out from the midterm elections that some pundits view as the most critical in years, President Donald Trump is packing stadiums nationwide and energizing voters to get behind Republican candidates who support his agenda. Both Democrats and Republicans have talked about winning the midterms in a blue wave or a red wave, respectively. All 435 House seats are up for reelection and Republicans currently have a 47-seat majority, so Democrats would have to flip 24 GOP seats to gain control. To win the Senate, of the 32 Senate seats up for grabs, Democrats would need to hold all 23 of its own seats that are up for grabs as well as take two Republican seats. At a Sept. 21 Make America Great Again rally in Springfield, Missouri, The Epoch Times asked Trump supporters which wave they see coming on Nov. 6. Neither Tara Garcia or Jared Totsch hesitated: Red. I dont think [Democrats] represent the American people. They only represent the Democrats, the media, Garcia said. She is a registered nurse from St. Louis, while Totsch works in communications. Totsch, 32, said he believes Trumps approval rating is much higher than the polls indicate, which is compounded by the media not covering his successes. Theres a lot of Trump supporters that are afraid to be public about it, Totsch said. Theyre the silent majority. Thats why the polls are usually skewed. Garcia said the #WalkAway movement signals a shift from the left to the right. The liberal gays, the liberal transvestites, the liberal blacks are becoming conservative, she said. From what I can read, theyve been ostracized by their own party, by their own supporters. If theyre not 100 percent in agreement, they get picked on. Totsch said it is the same with African-Americans. If youre a conservative black person, youre treated a lot differently than if youre a liberal black, he said. If youre a conservative black they call you an Uncle Tom and a sellout, and its almost like youre obligated to be a Democrat because of your skin color. If Democrats did win the House or Senate the people would rise up and kind of rebel [in] some sort of way, Garcia said. Because were all becoming more aware of the deep state thats running things and we know it has to end. Totsch said the reaction would also depend on how the elections were won. If it appears to be clean and legitimate, it might go one way, but if there appears to be any kind of corruption behind a blue wave, then I think were going to have an uprisingif people think it was kind of stolen instead of earned. Gave It a Push Ann Harrell describes herself as a dyed-in-the-wool conservative. The retired teacher from Tennessee thinks Republicans will keep the House and Senate come November. Pointing to the huge lines of people waiting to get into the rally venue, she said: Look at this. And this is one small area. All of this together is just one small part of the United States. Harrell said many Republicans are now listening to average Americans, thanks to Trump. I think he is the thing that started it just gave it a push, she said. He may be wealthy, but he thinks like we do. She said things have changed in America over the last several decades in just about every way. [I] had never, until recently, been told what I can and cannot say; what I can and cannot do, she said. And I think Trump was that little push that said, Yes you can be yourselves and Yes you can do it and [theres] not anything wrong with it. Harrell is concerned that if Democrats do win the House or Senate at the midterms, all the recent gains will be destroyed. [Trump] worked so hard to get us to this point, to get this many people working together. Its amazing. Its a miracle. Obstruct and Resist Tom Lefmann said the Democrats are smoking dope if they think theyre going to take the House. [They] havent done anything except obstruct and resist, he said. He said Christian voters will determine the midterm in the area. This used to be a Democrat state for years and years. Its not any more because the Democrats havent delivered, he said. To be honest, I didnt think Trump was going to win it, but I couldnt vote for Hillary. And I darn sure couldnt vote for Bernie. Lefmann said Trump doesnt get credit for all the good he has done. Ball Is Rolling Denise Hughes, 66, and her daughter Breanna, 26, own and manage a dog boarding facility, respectively. They both think Republicans will do better than expected in the midterms. The balls rolling. We want to keep the ball rolling and not give up because were very close to what we need, said Breanna. Denise said the Democrat Party has changed since the days of John F. Kennedy. Its a whole different party. I would be a Democrat, honestly, probably right to this day, she said. I changed over, and I think theres a lot of people changing over at this moment. And the polls try to say that Trump has so many or hes down whateverto heck with those polls, we all know theyre not true. Denise said she felt as if the state of the country declined during the Obama-era, particularly with regard to law and order and the introduction of Obamacare in 2014. When the Obamacare came onand I wasnt ever political, reallybut when that went on, my stomach just tightened up like somebody fell off a block wall and I saw it, she said. It affected me that much. It just felt wrong. Everything was just wrong. Denise was so concerned, she went so far as to implore her daughter not to bring children into the world. Now I say, Have me a baby, have me a grandchild. Im 66, I want a grandchild, she said. Thats how deeply I feel about Trump and how hes going to help our country. Corruption Local middle school teacher Shelly Pettit, 53, predicts a red wave due to the surging economy and a focus on national security, veterans, and Supreme Court justices. She said the American people are waking up to a lot of the corruption going on in Washington. America is waking up and theyre not listening to the mainstream media anymore. They realize its fake news, she said. Brent Hensley chimed in to paint a bleak picture of what could happen if Democrats win the midterms: We would lose everything theyve gained. Theyll want to take back these tax cuts. Theyre going to have investigation after investigation on Trumptheyre going to try to impeach him. (L-R) Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer pose for pictures before giving a message to the media during the seventh round of NAFTA talks in Mexico City, on March 5, 2018. (RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) US, Canada Make Final Efforts to Save NAFTA WASHINGTONThe United States and Canada entered intense weekend negotiations as a last-ditch effort to save the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Trade officials on both sides rushed to hammer out differences before a Sunday midnight deadline. Everyone is negotiating in good faith right now as we speak, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro told Fox News on Sept. 30. The deadline is midnight tonight to get text into Congress to make sure this goes forward. When talks between Washington and Canada about re-writing NAFTA stalled, the Trump administration decided to move forward with a bilateral accord with Mexico, which was struck on Aug. 27. While Canada has remained on the sidelines, Canadian officials continued their negotiations on both bilateral and trilateral issues. The White House and Mexico announced on Sept. 28 that they would release the full text of the bilateral deal that the two countries reached in August. However, they later held off publishing the text, as American and Canadian negotiators re-entered intense talks in an attempt to bridge their differences over the weekend. Canada has remained resistant to some of the U.S. demands including wider access to the Canadian dairy market and eliminating a dispute settlement mechanism. In addition, Ottowa has argued tariffs imposed on steel and aluminum imports should be halted as part of a new NAFTA deal. According to Navarro, the new NAFTA aims to restore North America as a manufacturing powerhouse by reclaiming our supply chain from the rest of the globe. Its a great deal and thats why Mexico has already entered into that deal with us, he told Fox News in another interview on Sept. 29. Bilateral Deal with Mexico The NAFTA region is the third largest producer of light-and medium-duty vehicles and the second largest manufacturer of automotive parts globally, according to the Center for Automotive Research. Under the deal signed with Mexico in August, 75 percent of auto content will be made in the United States or Mexico, up from the original threshold of 62.5 percent. The higher threshold is aimed at keeping more parts from other regions out, boosting manufacturing and jobs in the NAFTA region. In 2017, imported cars accounted for 44 percent of U.S. vehicle sales. Of these imported vehicles, half were made in Canada or Mexico. Vehicles imported to the United States from Mexico contain nearly 20 to 30 percent U.S. content. According to a fact sheet by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), these changes would encourage supply chains to use more U.S. content and close gaps in the old agreement that incentivized low wages in the automobile sector. The deal also requires greater use of American and Mexican steel, aluminum, glass, and plastics. Hence, the new pact demands 40 to 45 percent of a vehicles value to be produced in high wage areas, paying at least $16 per hour. This rule will provide a level playing field for American producers and workers, stated the USTR. According to industry experts, the rule would also allow the Trump administration the ability to impose higher tariffs on national security grounds if vehicles do not comply with the new thresholds. The deal has enforceable labor provisions that require Mexico to comply with International Labor Organization labor rights standards, which will drive Mexican wages higher. In the new agreement with Mexico, Trump backed off from his initial demand for a sunset clause, which required renegotiation every five years. That was one of the sticking points for both Canada and Mexico. The new deal, however, has a 16-year lifespan, with a review period after 6 years, providing more certainty for businesses. Tariffs on agricultural goods traded between the United States and Mexico will also remain at zero, according to the agreement. Dispute Resolution System Mexico agreed to remove NAFTAs Chapter 19, a dispute resolution mechanism for anti-dumping matters, which put Canada in a difficult position. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said repeatedly that Chapter 19 is a red line for Canadians that cannot be crossed. It has allowed them to fight U.S. duties on softwood lumber, paper, and other products. Anti-dumping duties are protectionist tariffs that a domestic government imposes on foreign imports if they are priced lower than fair value. Chapter 19 allows countries to challenge each others anti-dumping decisions in front of an expert panel. Canadian Dairy Market The original NAFTA pact, signed by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, entered into force on Jan. 1, 1994. The pact underpins some $1.2 trillion in annual trade. Under the agreement, tariffs on nearly all products were eliminated progressively by January 2008. However, Canada has continued to impose high tariffs on dairy products as the countrys politically powerful dairy farmers have resisted changes to the high tariffs that protect them from foreign competition. According to a report by the USTR, Canadas existing supply-management systems that regulate its dairy, chicken, turkey, and egg industries impose tariff-rate quotas for imports. And this limits the ability of U.S. producers to raise exports to Canada above the quota levels. Under the current system, U.S. imports exceeding quota levels are subject to excessively high tariffs, such as 245 percent for cheese and 298 percent for butter. There are some other barriers as well, including restrictions on U.S. grain exports. Last year, the U.S. goods trade deficits with Mexico and Canada were $71.1 billion and $17.5 billion, respectively. After his election, Trump pledged to overhaul the terms of NAFTA, denouncing it a bad deal for the United States. Talks to revamp NAFTA began in August last year. However, a frosty relationship between Trump and Trudeau has made things more complicated recently. The trade imbalance would change, Trump said in June during a press conference at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada. The United States has been taken advantage of for decades and decades, and we cant do that anymore, he said. Were like the piggy bank that everybodys robbing. A general a view of the city after a week of violent protests in Basra, Iraq Sept. 9, 2018. (Essam al-Sudani/Reuters) US Pulls Diplomats From Iraqi City, Citing Threats From Iran WASHINGTON/NEW YORKThe United States announced on Sept. 28 it will effectively close its consulate in the Iraqi city of Basra and relocate diplomatic personnel assigned there following increasing threats from Iran and Iran-backed militia, including rocket fire. The decision adds to mounting tension between the United States and Iran, which is the target of increasing U.S. economic sanctions. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, as he explained the move, renewed a warning that the United States would hold Iran directly responsible for any attacks on Americans and U.S. diplomatic facilities. It followed recent indirect fireusually rocket or artillery attacksthat Pompeo said was directed at consulate in Basra, located on the Basra airport compound, by militias linked to Irans Revolutionary Guardsa paramilitary group that answers directly to the supreme leader. I have advised the government of Iran that the United States will hold Iran directly responsible for any harm to Americans or to our diplomatic facilities in Iraq or elsewhere and whether perpetrated by Iranian forces directly or by associated proxy militias, Pompeo said in a statement while in New York to attend the UN General Assembly. I have made clear that Iran should understand that the United States will respond promptly and appropriately to any such attacks. Still, Pompeo said the threats against U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq were increasing and specific and added that Washington was working with Iraqi forces and U.S. allies to address them. We look to all international parties interested in peace and stability in Iraq and the region to reinforce our message to Iran regarding the unacceptability of their behavior, he said. Locals Call for End to Iranian Influence in Iraq In a statement, the U.S. State Department said the consulate was placed on ordered departure, which technically involves a drawdown in staff. Although some personnel could remain on the diplomatic compound, the move is believed to effectively close the consulate, at least temporarily. The decision came days after U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani exchanged taunts at the United Nations General Assembly, with Trump vowing more sanctions and accusing Irans leaders of sowing chaos, death and destruction. In May, Trump withdrew the United States from an international deal under which Iran was to put curbs on its nuclear program in exchange for easing sanctions. Protesters in Basra ransacked and torched the office of former Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki this month and the Iranian consulate was set alight by demonstrators demanding fresh drinking water, basic services, and jobs. Protestors shouted condemnation for what many have seen as Irans sway over Iraqs affairs. Protesters destroyed and burned the Iranian consulate in Basra, but first they replaced the Iranian flag with an Iraqi flag pic.twitter.com/zhHPH4tRqC Steven nabil (@thestevennabil) September 7, 2018 What locals in Basra had coming through their public water service this morning , Tanoma district, Basra, southern Iraq. One of the richest oil cities in the world lacks fresh water. pic.twitter.com/xxApgoPP9f Steven nabil (@thestevennabil) September 5, 2018 Iraq has urged foreign diplomats not to pay attention to what is being circulated to undermine the climate of security and stability accompanying Iraqs relations with the countries of the world. Iranian News agency Mehr is playing a very dangerous game by accusing local Iraqi youth of collaborating with the U.S. consulate om Basra to incite and start the protests which took place in Basra. In a tense situation such accusations could be very dangerous on their lives. pic.twitter.com/wf5L0nUsT8 Steven nabil (@thestevennabil) September 13, 2018 Iraqi Shia leader accuses US and Saudi Arabia of planning Basra protests https://t.co/IJR6YUJtLe Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) September 27, 2018 But now communists in #Iraq have their moment. Takes two to tango! Sadr & ICPs leaders both realized a historical opportunity. 5/5 (Photos from recent ICP march on May Day) pic.twitter.com/VTF2tsBhZU Alireza Eshraghi (@AlirezaEshraghi) May 13, 2018 Basra is Iraqs main port and one of its largest cities. For the first time in several years, mortar shells also landed this month inside Baghdads heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses parliament, government buildings and many foreign embassies. Video shows the crazy moments when several rockets targeted the vicinity of the U.S Embassy in Baghdad Last night, the Green Zone area. You can hear the sirens and the warning messages to stay clear of the windows. pic.twitter.com/gtRhz4qc1S Steven nabil (@thestevennabil) September 7, 2018 By Phil Stewart and Lesley Wroughton. Additional reporting by Epoch Times staff. Watch Next: Communists Detail Plans to Subvert Americas Democratic Party The Communist Party USA explained plans on May 23 to subvert the Democratic Party, alongside socialist and communist organizations. Through my interaction with mayors from across the state, I will be able to assist in solving some of the very real issues our community and state face, Adduci said. I am excited to exchange ideas and share solutions as we advocate for local government at the state and federal level. NORWALK Sanford Sandy Anderson, Norwalks first black firefighter and former chief of the citys fire department, has died. He had celebrated his 85th birthday in July. In honor of Anderson, Mayor Harry Rilling ordered the U.S. and state flags to fly at half-staff from Wednesday until his burial. Rilling described Anderson as a firefighters firefighter, who worked to make sure firefighters received the training and equipment they needed to do their job and come home safely at the end of the day. Ive worked with him for many, many years and found him to be a really dedicated firefighter, who was proud to wear the uniform, said Rilling, the citys former police chief. Sanford was the first African-American firefighter in Norwalk and rose through the ranks to the level of chief. He always tried to encourage others to aspire to greater roles, and greater leadership. Rilling added that Anderson was a friend and neighbor, who was well-liked and respected throughout the city. Norwalk firefighter Lefty Petridis, president of the International Association of Firefighters Local 830, described Anderson as a phenomenal fireman. I consider him a great chief, Petridis said. Hes going to be missed. The Rev. Lindsay Curtis, past president of the Norwalk chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was appointed Fire Department chaplain during Andersons time as chief. It was a tremendous honor to serve with him not only for the first African-American Norwalk fire chief but he was just a very honorable man, Curtis said. I dont think he had any enemies. He was just that kind of friendly man and with the emphasis on gentleman. When Anderson celebrated his 85th birthday in July, the city and Fire Department threw him a party. It was so appropriate that it be held at the Fire Department and I just hold him in the highest esteem, Curtis said. The city has suffered a great loss and were grateful to Chief Anderson for his long legacy. A Navy veteran, Anderson was a regular feature in Norwalks annual Memorial Day Parade and the citys Veterans Day Ceremony, where he marched in uniform and participated in the presenting of the colors. For Andersons 85th birthday, Rilling read a proclamation recognizing the former fire chiefs contributions to Norwalk. Anderson graduated from the U.S. Navy Fire Fighting School in 1955. Four years later, he was hired by the Norwalk Fire Department and served as the citys first African-American fireman. He was promoted through the ranks and attained the rank of assistant fire chief in 1998, according to the proclamation. He was appointed fire chief in April 2004 under Mayor Alex Knopp. After retiring from the department the following year, he led the Greenwich Fire Department from July 2005 until truly retiring in July 2007. Over his 46-year career, Anderson had a major impact on the training, supervision and the overall improvement of the firefighters under his command. He was instrumental in setting up programs to facilitate the extrication of persons from vehicles using the Hurst Jaws of Life for which he was certified and in formulating Norwalks Affirmative Action program. Anderson was certified as an EMT, in American Red Cross CPR and was a state-certified instructor in all aspects of fire fighting and fire suppression. He completed arson investigation courses and was assigned to the departments arson team, according to the proclamation. EDWARDSVILLE Edwardsville-area diners have some new dining options with the opening of Kyoto Japanese Steakhouse. The restaurant, on Route 157 near the intersection of Lewis Road, offers a full sushi menu and hibachi grills, as well as standard Japanese fare. The owner, James Pan, owns a similar restaurant, Fuji, in Quincy. Bryson Weaver is the general manager. He has lived in the area since he started college. I went to SIUE and stayed, he said. The restaurant is larger than it may appear from the front. As guests enter the restaurant, theyll see a sushi bar to the left and a bar area to right. In the back is the hibachi grill room, with eight grills that seat 10 each. There is also a hibachi party room that seats 40, and an outdoor patio with six tables. The patio is kid-friendly, Weaver said. We hired professional hibachi chefs, Weaver said. Theyre similar to an executive chef. Theyre already qualified and experienced. The restaurant opened last week without much publicity and still did well. Weaver said he wasnt surprised. We had so many people coming in and asking when we were opening, he said. People seemed really excited about it. He added that about 10 people made reservations on the first day. Weaver added that reservations can be made for the same day or in advance. If you want them for SIUEs graduation day, you can make them now, he said. Weaver and Pan credited Assistant Manager Brooke Williams with getting the restaurant to Edwardsville. Williams is from Quincy and attends SIUE. She worked for me in Quincy, Pan said. She kept saying I should open a restaurant here. She knows this style of restaurant like the back of her hand, Weaver said. Shes also a full-time student. Were blessed to have her. Weaver said that the hibachi style is great for groups. Up to 10 diners sit at the table while a chef cooks the meal. We can put smaller groups together. That can be part of the experience - meeting new people, he said. All sushi will be prepared by sushi chefs at the sushi bar. Diners can eat at the sushi bar or the drink bar. The restaurant offers full bar service, with wine, beer and mixed drinks. The restaurant also has a childrens menu. Kids are welcome anywhere in the restaurant. If we need to set up a high chair at a hibachi, we can, Weaver said. He said that children usually like watching and interacting with the chef. The restaurant also serves some Japanese childrens soda, as well as a Shirley Temple. Pan said he has worked in restaurants since he was in high school. Its the only thing I know, he said. After Williams suggested Edwardsville as a location, he did research on the area. He said he has wanted to open a location here for a few years, but had a hard time finding the right location. Pan lives in St. Louis, so he will be spending a lot of time at the restaurant. He said he goes to Quincy regularly to check on his restaurant there. The Quincy restaurant has been open for ten years. It runs itself, he said. The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4:40 to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday. There is a separate lunch menu every day except Sunday, and dinner items can also be ordered during lunch. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville students with a passion for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) shared their excitement and engaged Illinois youth in STEM learning as Noyce summer scholars. The students participated in the Robert J. Noyce Teacher Scholarship program. This program is funded by the National Science Foundation and provides $2,500 summer scholarships to qualified SIUE freshmen and sophomores and local community college students who are interested in STEM teaching careers. The students receive training in delivering STEM activities to youth and then complete 200 hours of service, teaching in an informal K-12 learning environment. They showcased their experiences during the Noyce Summer Scholars Showcase held Thursday, Sept. 27 in SIUEs Morris University Center. The Noyce summer scholars program offered one of the best experiences Ive had working with children, said sophomore Donovan Washington. The Kirkwood, Mo. Native is majoring in secondary education with a focus on mathematics. I got to work for Edwardsville Summer Zone and the SIUE STEM Centers Odyssey Science Camp, Washington explained. I had an engaging high school math teacher who inspired me, and I hope to be that type of educator for future students. As a math teacher, my goal will be to make it enjoyable for students to come to class and learn every day. The 2018 community sites for the Noyce scholars included Summer Zone, Odyssey Science Camp, Volo Bog State Natural Area, Saint Louis Science Center, Watershed Nature Center and the STEM Meets Humanities initiative. You learn best when you think about how to teach something to other people, said College of Arts and Sciences Dean Greg Budzban, PhD, as he visited students during the showcase event. When you do that, youre actually learning deepest yourself. These students had the wonderful opportunity to engage with younger students and share their enthusiasm for STEM, while also enhancing their own learning experience. Along with Washington, SIUE student participants included Jaala Taylor, biochemistry major Sophie Melzer, first-year pharmacy student Anna Ngo, mathematics major Kendra Wright, computer science major Jessica Tetzner, and construction management major Gaige Crowell. As a future pharmacist, Ill be an educator of the public, said Ngo, who spent her summer at Volo Bog State Natural Area. While at Volo Bog, I led tours, assisted with and led educational programming, and helped with habitat restoration. I also tied my experience into pharmacy by researching the medicinal uses of the plants in Volo Bog. I would absolutely recommend that students apply to be a Noyce scholar, she added. Its a great opportunity to do something valuable over the summer and make a difference. By leading engaging educational programming, I was able to make an impact on the kids who visited Volo Bog. The Noyce summer scholars experience is coordinated through the SIUE STEM Center, in partnership with faculty from the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior and the College of Arts and Sciences. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high quality, affordable education that prepares them for successful careers and lives of purpose to shape a changing world. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi Rivers rich bottomland and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis, the SIUE campus is home to a diverse student body of more than 13,000. BETHALTO Mark Herter admits he was a little nervous when he first started his 1937 Waco aircraft, built, beginning in 1977, from parts. We hauled the parts in a flatbed and four pickup trucks, he said. It took five years for him and his brother to rebuild the plane. He was one of many airplane aficionados at St. Louis Regional Airport Saturday for the 24th annual Wings and Wheels Airport Open House and Fly In., sponsored by the airport and the Experimental Aircraft Association, Chapter 864. The chapter is based at the local airport and is comprised of 60 members from throughout Metro East. As if the asuage the aviators nerves, two officers from Scott Air Base were in attendance. Capt. Jen Nola and Capt. Rimiro Rios said the are flight safety officers at the base. They instruct pilots on safety. On Saturday, they were passing out leaflets titled Midair Collision Avoidance. Herter, of Belleville, said he became interested in building an airport after his brother built a car and traded it for the plane, all in many parts. He and his partner built the car and said, now what are we going to do, he said. I didnt have anything else to do; I was not married at the time, he said. He said his Waco is a part of history in that it was used during the Little Steel strike in Ohio in 1937. The planes were used to fly supplies into Republic Steel during a strike. Republic built a 1,000-foot runway, he said. Herter keeps a scrapbook about the planes history. Thats my plane there hauling a side of beef into the plant, he said, pointing to a picture in his scrapbook. The Waco planes were primarily used in the Army Air Corps during World War II. They were a major manufacturer of glider planes that carried troops into combat zones. The day of aviation curiosity was sponsored by the Experimental Aircraft Association, which has chapters all over the country. The the local Chapter 864 sold food and beverages at the show. Some of the members fly every week. There are six or seven airplanes being built in hangers at the airport in rented hangars. Members may fly their planes on family vacations and to other air shows across the country. We fly every week, said Louis Dieu, the president of the chapter. Another, similar, group also had a plan on display, the U.S. Army L-3E grasshopper, owned by a member of the Commemorative Air Force Wing, based at St. Charles County Smartt Airport. The plane was a very light observation plane during the war. They would fly low, behind the trees, then pop up and be gone. If they flew high, the enemy would have a lot better view of them, said Bob Shuman a member of the Smartt Airport Wing. We think of ourselves as a flying museum, he added. The air show and a companion car show runs through Sunday, when there will be free airplane rides for people between 8 and 17. We fly the kids to let them learn about aviation, said Leslie Breuer of HIghland, one of the exhibitors. The show also featured model airplane flights and demonstrations of drone aircraft, offered by DK Aerial Photography and UAS Holdings, LLC. The drones are used to photograph a variety of events, such as weddings, construction sites and plots of real estate for sale. Sunday, the show will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is called Wings and Wheels, because if features the airplanes, plus a big show of hot rods and vintage automobiles on the airport grounds. Assistant village attorneys would also see pay increases. James McCarthy will be paid $129,230, up from $126,075. Barbara Mangler goes to $115,000, up from $112,000 and the salary for Abraham Funk will go to $75,500 from $73,500. Shanghai General Motors announced recently that it will recall 3.3 million Buick, Chevrolet, and Cadillac vehicles built from 2013 to 2017 as part of a safety recall, warning that a problem with the suspension could cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle. Complaints from consumers about the problem emerged as early as 2015, but SGM failed to act until some Buick Envision owners launched administrative proceedings at the Intermediate People's Court in Beijing. The Administration for Market Regulation subsequently launched an investigation into the complaints. The recall is schedule to start on October 12. After-sale service centers will contact consumers to organize for a free repair of their affected vehicle. Elon Musk, CEO of U.S. electric automaker Tesla Inc., will step down as chairman of the Tesla Board of Directors, and he and the company will pay 40 million U.S. dollars in fine under a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the commission said Saturday. The SEC said that Musk, who will remain Tesla's CEO, agreed to settle the securities fraud charge it filed against him last week and quit Tesla board in 45 days. The U.S. securities regulator Saturday also brought a charge against Tesla for failing to have required disclosure controls and procedures relating to Musk's tweets in August, in which he tweeted that he was considering taking the U.S. electric car maker private at 420 dollars per share. In the SEC's complaint, the U.S. securities regulator said Musk knew that the potential transaction was uncertain and subject to numerous contingencies, but he had not discussed specific deal terms, including price, with any potential financing partners. "His statements about the possible transaction lacked an adequate basis in fact," which was misleading and leading to significant market disruption as Musk's tweets caused Tesla's stock price to jump by over 6 percent on Aug. 7, said the SEC. It said Musk will be replaced by an independent chairman after his resignation, and he will not seek re-election in three years under the settlement agreement. Tesla will appoint a total of two new independent directors to its board, establish a new committee of independent directors and put in place additional controls and procedures to oversee Musk's communications, the SEC said. Musk and Tesla will pay 20 million dollars in penalty each, and the total 40 million-dollar sum will be distributed to harmed investors under a court-approved process, it added. "The total package of remedies and relief announced today are specifically designed to address the misconduct at issue by strengthening Tesla's corporate governance and oversight in order to protect investors," said Stephanie Avakian, co-director of the SEC's Enforcement Division. Steven Peikin, also co-director of the SEC's Enforcement Division, said the resolution is intended to prevent further market disruption and harm to Tesla's shareholders. A Headache for Thai junta BANGKOK: Thailands junta chief caricatured as a lucky cat with a paw raised to rake in money, or his face crossed out by a thick, red line daring graffiti is cropping up across Bangkok as the citys walls become a canvas for rare political scorn. culturemilitarypolitics By AFP Sunday 30 September 2018, 10:15AM A Thai artist who goes by the name of Headache Stencil spray paints graffiti on a fence in Bangkok on Sept 4. Photo: Jiji /| AFP The pioneer of the new wave of street artists is Headache Stencil, whose spray cans satirise the powerful. Dubbed Thailands Banksy, Headache whose nickname alludes to the pain he hopes to inflict on the mighty catapulted to fame in January with a piece mocking junta number two Prawit Wongsuwan, who was struggling to explain his collection of undeclared luxury watches. The stencil art showing Prawits face inside an alarm clock was a jab at the lack of financial transparency by generals who seized power claiming that only they could save the country from untrammelled graft. It was a bold move in a tightly-controlled country where simply reading George Orwell's 1984 novel in public is deemed defiant and whose well-connected elite are quick to file criminal defamation charges. Speaking at his Bangkok studio, Headache is unrepentant. The root of street art is that people have no rights, no voice, he said, his face masked as much for a dramatic flourish as protection from authorities. The aim is to spread the words we want to say but cannot. So we paint them for those who walk by... for officials or the general public to understand. After the clock image went viral, police attempted to monitor the artist and city officials hit the streets to paint over subversive graffiti. Prawit insists the watches were borrowed from friends, but nine months later Thailands anti-graft body has yet to finish its investigation into the issue. Headache again stole the spotlight in March this time with graffiti showing a black panther crying tears of blood. It was a reference to the case of a Thai construction magnate who was later charged with poaching one of the protected cats during an illegal safari hunt in a national park. Once again, the artwork was a hit online, cheered for its brazen lampooning of another wealthy target. Much like Banksy, the British graffiti artist turned multi-millionaire art auction darling, Headaches carefully maintained mystique adds to the allure of his work. And it has caught the imagination of a country where an increasing number of people are looking to art to dissect the anti-junta angst that lurks below the surface. Street art has a fast life... you can cover it with paint but once it is on social media, it stays, said Apinan Poshyananda, artistic director of the Bangkok Art Biennale which debuts next month and will feature other street artists. Headache now holds workshops across the country including in the northeastern provinces, the political heartland of the toppled civilian government. Meanwhile a mushrooming number of galleries and studios are hosting dance and art performances addressing the kingdoms toxic political culture and complex social issues in subtle ways that dodge censure. Among the Thai artists is Kawita Vatanajyankur, 31, whose video installations allude to the notoriously poor working conditions in Thailands factories and fishing industry. Its such a major issue and its something that we need to fix, she said. Kawita is part of a wider artistic awakening in Thailand, whose highly-skilled painters, sculptors and performers traditionally took inspiration from the conservative establishment, but who are now confronting different themes. The launch of the Biennale will display work by headline names such as Marina Abramovic and the late Jean-Michel Basquiat, bolstering Bangkoks claim to being the art capital of Southeast Asia. Meanwhile the political winds are slowly changing. Last week, Thailands junta partially lifted a ban on politics, with a long-delayed election next year promising to pit army-aligned and civilian politicians against each other. That collision of values could provide ample material for street artist rebels like Headache. His latest work tackles the impact of military spending which has risen each year since the coup on Thai society. It depicts a soldier on the heavy end of a see-saw, a young schoolgirl suspended in the air at the other. We put more budget towards weapons than brains, he says. Lessons in love: The Good Shepherd Centre, Phuket Town The Good Shepherd Centre, located in the southern district of Phuket Town near Rassada Pier, is a solitary beacon of hope for the socially impoverished and politically displaced Myanmar communities living in squalid encampments within the surrounding areas. Community By David Jacklin Sunday 30 September 2018, 01:00PM The Good Shepherd Centre in Phuket Town. The centre was set up by Sister Lakana to provide a safe haven for the children living in the area, and to offer the chance of a better future via education and the learning of employable skills. Incredibly the centre and its dedicated staff and supporters manage to provide a place of learning for 247 registered students between the ages of five to 16. The centre has three clear humanitarian objectives: To provide a chance in life for the poor or destitute; To create a place for learning, as every child should have the right to education; To be open to anyone who is in need. From the early experiences and charitable efforts of Sister Lakana in the work slums at Rassada Pier, that need focused heavily on the Myanmar destitute. In particular the children, who are refused official recognition from the Thai authorities, and as unregistered, stateless individuals are at risk from labour and sexual exploitation. The history of the centre began in 2010 when Sister Lakana placed herself in the fishing village near the pier, where the Myanmar people work for a minimal wage and make a home from whatever they can find. The Sisters first objective was simply to provide care and protection to the growing homeless. There was an evident need to provide the means of an educational environment to the children in the camp, so Sister Lakana made a space using corrugated iron and chicken wire, which housed a blackboard and one committed teacher. Within a few months the tiny school had over 100 children attending, and the parents knew it was a safe and nurturing base for their young children. Over the next three years, Sister Lakana and a growing number of supporters raised funds and were given a significant donation to build a more permanent educational setting. Since 2013 the new centre, built just a few miles away, provides a free and critical centre in order to teach the children English, Myanmarese and Thai to help them integrate into the Thai workforce and become productive, educated members of society. It caters to children from just five years old at the kindergarten through to 16 years of age. The centre has eight teachers from Thailand and Myanmar. The Myanmar curriculum is upheld so that if the children ever return they can integrate back into their cultural system, and Thai is taught in the hope that the children also have the opportunity to enter local schools. As a charitable organisation the centre relies on the support of volunteers to teach English as well as local expats to drive awareness and donations. As example, there are currently three international teachers from Denmark at the centre. With Sister Lakana for guidance and inspiration, these dedicated volunteers and the staff selflessly provide both their time and skills to the welfare of the children, who are in desperate need of both care and the encouragement to believe in a better future. The work does not stop in the classroom. As well as transporting the children to and from the centre, the Good Shepherd centre also provides home visits, health clinic days and distribution of donated food to the community. Such work is essential to the welfare of these vulnerable people, who themselves give back to the centre, despite their desperate position, wherever possible. The great work of Sister Lakana and the team is sadly under threat. The day-to-day running costs for the provision of community services from the centre has to date been generously funded by a charitable organisation. But this support is coming to an end. The volunteer group are urgently finding ways to fundraise and promote awareness to their worthy cause. Whilst giving their service so selflessly, the Good Shepherd Centre must also rely on the kind hearts of our island community to support their work with teaching and administrative volunteers, and monetary donations to cover the cost of running such a critical life-line to the most needy on our island. The first step to all kindness is positive action. In the words of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin. The centre will be holding a number of fun community events in the coming months to raise funds, starting on Sunday, Nov 4 with an "Inter Schools Quiz Challenge. Good Shepherd Centre, Phuket Town. Tel: +66(0) 085 908 6560. Website: www.goodshepherdcentrephuket.com Facebook: Goodshepherdlearningcenter.phuket Te reo Maori back from brink NEW ZEALAND: Beneath the carved timber roof of a traditional marae meeting house at Wellington High School, dozens of students watch entranced as a play performed entirely in the Maori language unfolds. culture By AFP Sunday 30 September 2018, 11:30AM A man sits next to a Maori language sign in Wellington. Te reo was banned in schools for much of the 20th century which, combined with the urbanisation of rural Maori, meant that by the 1980s, only 20% of indigenous New Zealanders were fluent in the language. Photo: Marty Melville / AFP Many only understand a smattering of the indigenous language, but pick up emotional cues from the performers. Some audience members are close to tears as the production in the New Zealand capital ends. It is a scene that actor Eds Eramiha says would have been difficult to imagine as recently as two decades ago, when te reo Maori was widely regarded as a dying language not worth teaching. Attitudes have changed immensely, he said. When I was at school, te reo Maori wasnt held in high value, it wasnt spoken, it wasnt as freely available as it is to our kids today. Te reo was banned in schools for much of the 20th century which, combined with the urbanisation of rural Maori, meant that by the 1980s, only 20% of indigenous New Zealanders were fluent in the language. That number was virtually unchanged by 2013, when census figures showed that just 21.3% of the Maori population could converse in te reo. An official report published in 2010 warned the language was on the verge of extinction. Te reo Maori is approaching crisis point, it said, with older native speakers simply not being replaced as they passed away. The contrast with New Zealand today is striking. The language is enjoying a surge in popularity among Kiwis Maori or otherwise embracing their South Pacific nations indigenous culture. Te reo courses are booked out at community colleges, while bands, poets and rappers perform using the language. Te reo words such as kai (food), ka pai (congratulations), whanau (family), and mana (prestige) have entered everyday usage. Even the way Kiwis define themselves has taken on a te reo tone, with an increasing number preferring to use Aotearoa rather than New Zealand. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is a passionate champion of the language, saying one of her great regrets is not being able to converse fluently in it. We have a guardianship role, a duty of care to te reo Maori, she said earlier this month. Its our job to nurture it because its about more than a language. Ardern chose to give her daughter Neve a Maori middle name Te Aroha (the love) when she was born in June. Her government has set a target of having one million fluent te reo speakers by 2040. With the Maori comprising only about 15% of New Zealands 4.5 million population, that would mean many non-Maori adopting the language. It is a prospect that excites Charles Royal, a Maori academic and storyteller at the national museum Te Papa (Our Place). Weve never had so many te reo speakers as we have now, he said. What te reo enables me to do is articulate who I am in a very particular way...as a New Zealander, he added. Its the vehicle by which humanity first gained a voice in this part of the world. Royal said the earlier rejection of te reo stemmed from a sense of inferiority and a mistaken belief that European history was more important that that of New Zealand. But he said Kiwis now felt more positive about their place in the world and the rising popularity of te reo was an expression of this confidence. As an actor, Eramiha observes that te reo flies off my tongue a bit better (than English), the flows different. Head teacher Angela Fieldes has noticed a similar phenomenon among toddlers exposed to te reo at the Wellington child care centre she helps run. They pick it up really, really quickly, so it just becomes part of their day, she said after the children performed a waiata (song), reciting Maori colours, numbers and vowels. They love the singing and I think a big part of learning te reo is that its so rich in the way you can use song. Royal said there were still New Zealanders who maintained Maori culture was not valuable, but they were an ageing minority. He said the fact that so many non-Maori, including pakeha (New Zealanders of European descent) wanted to learn te reo was absolutely fantastic. It makes me feel proud to be Maori, its an act of generosity on both sides, he said. Eramiha echoes the sentiment, saying the passion for the language has been evident as his Taki Rua theatre troupe performs in te reo across the country. He expressed confidence in the languages future, saying: People from other cultures come up to me after our shows and say can you teach me how to say hello?. Its a treasure for us to be able to pass it on and a great gift to see other people wanting to learn it. Its amazing. Haug: Several resources available for teens, adults who want to quit smoking columns CALGARY Police working out of the Gleichen RCMP detachment arrested and charged a pair of alleged copper wire thieves on Thursday. RCMP believe that the 200 or so pounds of ground copper wire they seized from a home in the small hamlet east of Calgary was stolen from local oil and well sites in the area. Once police officers looked further into the case, they found that 31-year-old Michael Basaraba and 29-year-old Amanda Andruskievicz are alleged to have been stealing copper wire from different sites dating back to August this year. Read more: New telecom cables could thwart copper thieves Rocketing copper prices a golden opportunity for thieves RCMP charged Basaraba and Andruskievicz with possession of property obtained by crime on Thursday. Officers from the detachment are investigating other reported thefts of copper from oil sites in the Bassano, Gleichen and Strathmore areas, an RCMP press release said. The police service is also encouraging the public to report any suspicious activity to police, because copper wire and oilfield thefts are a persistent problem, the release said. Read more about: Ka-ching. Its been 23 years since Versace veered into camp infamy courtesy of Elizabeth Berkley, as Nomi, in the cult trash film Showgirls (Nice dress, her boyfriend says to her, in a now-famous scene, to which she blinks back, Thanks. Its a Ver-sayce.), and some 18 years since J.Lo wowed in a barely-there green Versace gown at the Grammys (a moment that fact! actually led to the invention of Google Image, because of the monumental online interest in those early days of the aughts). This week, another milestone lay in the cards for the emphatically Italian brand. A wedding of sorts. To have and to hold: the stunning fashion-world news that American conglomerate-in-the-making Michael Kors is buying Versace for approximately $2.12 billion U.S., a value said to be worth 2.5 times the brands current revenue, and also reported to be a primarily cash deal. Its another wild juncture in the family-owned brands soapy and gothic story from its fanning of the supermodels phenomenon during the 1990s, to the broad-daylight 1997 slaying of its founder in Miami, as essayed most recently in the Ryan Murphy serial drama, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. What occurred to me, first and foremost, after I heard of the sale? That Allegra Versace had just made a cool $1 billion. Read more: Opinion | Shinan Govani: Meet the Canadian whos the keeper of Chicagos skyscrapers Homophobia helped kill Gianni Versace, Ryan Murphy says Opinion | Johanna Schneller: Ryan Murphys Pose creates a safe space a bit too safe for its stars The mysterious niece of the late Gianni and the daughter of his sister, the perma-tanned, husky-voiced Donatella Allegra was famously left 50 per cent of Versace, as per uncles wishes way back when. A mere 11 years old then, she has long loomed like a mute sparrow, or like that perennial princess in the tower: one of the few living embodiments of the Poor Little Rich Girl genre of wealthy heiresses, a term first cracked for Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton towards the beginning of the last century. So enigmatic has Allegra been notwithstanding a battle with anorexia that made the papers a few years ago, and being worth a reported $800 million even before this latest acquisition that when that aforementioned series about Versace premiered on FX, the niece was exactly nowhere to be found. Ryan (Murphy) shot a scene with Allegra, a source told Page Six shortly before its premiere, but at the request of her mother, Donatella, she was scrubbed out of the script. If Allegra sees her own photos or sees herself on TV, she loses her mind. Shes got body dysmorphic disorder, shared a former employee of the fashion brands Milan headquarters. I crossed paths with her once, about a decade ago, at an all-out, over-the-top-top party in New York, to commemorate a fast-fashion collaboration between H&M and Versace. Staying close to her mother at the event, in a glamorama version of Take Your Daughter to Work Day, Donatella certainly seemed to be upholding this thesis when I was granted an audience with her the next day. It was, yes, Allegra who pushed her to get into bed with H&M. Lets do it, lets do it! Donatella recalled her daughter saying, going on to tell us that Allegra personified the new-generation customer. Sitting there at the time, continents away from the southern Italian town of Reggio Calabria where the House of Versace began (and where her late brother famously and fatefully dyed her blond at just 11 years old), Donatella added that her new collaboration was a family project, as its always been with Versace which makes this Michael Kors incursion an end of an era indeed. Discussing her latent anorexia, Allegra once explained, I was lost in other thoughts, and couldnt confront reality, with my eyes shielded from everything. Above all, I wanted one thing to be no one, to not be recognized, not be hunted down. Hunted. A loaded word coming from a member of this particular clan, impossible as it is to disentangle the 20th century fin de siecle decadence associated with the Medusa-flanked image of Versace as it is to lose the memory of Gianni, gunned down on the steps of his Ocean Drive mansion in 1997. Indeed, when Allegra made a rare public appearance at the Met Gala in 2016 appearing alongside her mother and Lady Gaga she told La Repubblica: Unlike my mother, I hate celebrity. I dont tell people my last name, the now-31-year-old has also previously admitted. A dual citizen of both Italy and the U.S, she more often goes by her fathers name Paul Beck, the ex-husband of Donatella than she does Versace. Coddled for most of her life, when she was at UCLA for a stint acting, French and art history her mother famously forbade her from getting behind her own wheels, giving her a driver instead. Why should she have to park? balked Donatella when the subject was raised in a joint interview with Harpers Bazaar. Who wants to deal with that? Echoes, no doubt, of a childhood lavished on both Allegra and her younger brother, Daniel (now a musician). She was the best-dressed little girl in Milan, Donatella told Bazaar, with Allegra conceding, My mom dressed me in silk to go to elementary school. In kindergarten, they sent me home because I couldnt do finger painting in my dress. Clearly, she was her uncles favourite something that has reverberated all her life. Having sold the two places she inherited from Gianni an Upper East Side townhouse and a manse on Italys Lake Como shes said to split her time between the family home in Milan and an apartment in Soho, according to the New York Post. As for romance or even friendships, the one-time employee added, Ive never seen her with a man or a woman. Shes either alone or only with members of her family. Richer than she ever probably imagined especially after this week she remains in the shadow of a murder. This is a girl who, when Gianni died, responded with a great deal of guilt, even telling her family then that she should have been with him. As reported by The Guardian, When the will was read, revealing her huge inheritance, [Allegra] asked, aghast, Why did Uncle Gianni choose me? A senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official on Saturday called on overseas Chinese to contribute to the friendship between Chinese and people of other countries. You Quan, a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks while meeting with a group of representatives of overseas Chinese. "The achievements of China's reform and opening up in the past 40 years are jointly made by all Chinese at home and abroad," he said, inviting overseas Chinese to participate in ongoing reform and innovation in China. He also called on them to join the building of the Belt and Road, and promote friendly exchanges between China and other countries. The representatives include 400 overseas Chinese, from over 40 countries and regions, attending activities to mark China's National Day, which falls on Oct. 1. MONTREALThere was no final show of unity in Quebecs campaign on Sunday, as the four leaders delivered contrasting final messages on the eve of the provincial election. Rather than sticking to positive messages about getting the vote out, the leaders of the three biggest parties took the opportunity to take final shots at their opponents. Liberal Leader Philippe Couillard declined to assess his campaign, choosing instead to denounce Coalition Avenir Quebec Leader Francois Legault, who Couillard said was confused on immigration. He also accused Legault, who promised Sunday morning to support seniors, of having forgotten them throughout the rest of the campaign. On Day 39 of his campaign, he realized he forgot about seniors, Couillard said in Mont-Joli. He said, Its true I dont have much, but oh well ... oops. Legault spent his day in the Monteregie region southeast of Montreal, where he had a testy exchange with the local Parti Quebecois candidate. How is it that youre against lowering taxes? Legault asked Alain Therrien when the two ran into each other at a public event. Therrien responded by saying he didnt believe Legaults promise to simultaneously cut spending and improve services was realistic. Harry Potter isnt in my party! Hes in yours, Therrien shot back. Parti Quebecois Leader Jean-Francois Lisee, meanwhile, made a visit to his hometown of Thetford Mines to visit a voter he likely doesnt have to convince: his own mother. Andree Goulet, 84, allowed media into her home to watch her have breakfast with her son, who she said will be the best premier. But soon afterwards Lisee himself was on the attack, using swirling NAFTA rumours to reproach Couillard for lacking spine when it comes to defending the provinces dairy industry. Sources have said Canadian negotiators may have offered increased access to the countrys dairy market as part of a NAFTA deal, something Lisee said is the equivalent of sacrificing Quebec to protect Ontario. He also criticized Couillard for not having a voice at the table in the negotiations, therefore leaving the province in the dark. While Legault called on his adversaries to refrain from partisanship on the issue, Couillard also used the premise of the NAFTA negotiations as a reason to vote for his party. I just want to repeat that Ill support you until the end, beyond when an agreement will be signed. Ill support our dairy producers, our industry, our farms, he said. Sunday marks the conclusion of a 39-day election campaign distinguished by personal disagreements and generous campaign promises on how best to spend the provinces billion-dollar surplus. Heading into Mondays vote, most polls showed the Coalition Avenir Quebec with a whisker-thin lead over the incumbent Liberals, who held 68 of the legislatures 125 seats at the beginning of the campaign. The Coalition is looking to drastically improve on its 21-seat count, while the Parti Quebecois, which formed the official Opposition with 28 seats, has remained firmly in third place. The small left-wing party Quebec solidaire, which had three seats as the campaign began, is hoping its increased visibility and rising poll numbers will translate into a good showing. On Sunday, one of the partys two spokespersons said she felt her party had succeeded in shaking the political establishment. One more legislature member, two more, 10 more, 30 more ... everything is an improvement. But sincerely I think that tomorrow, well really create surprises, said Manon Masse. Read more about: Toronto homicide detectives have obtained seven more search warrants as part of their investigation into the targeted double murders of billionaire couple Barry and Honey Sherman, court documents show. The investigation is still active and ongoing, Detective Dennis Yim told a Toronto court last week during a hearing in which the Star was seeking information on the case. Investigators are methodically reviewing material and pursuing different investigative avenues. The seven new warrants bring to 28 the total number filed by police since last December. Some targets of previous warrants cellular telephone and banking records were made public, but these new warrants target locations that are too specific to release without compromising the investigation, a Crown attorney told the court. The Star had argued at the hearing that a series of missteps by police including the pursuit of the murder-suicide theory for six weeks and a similar delay in reviewing CCTV footage were deserving of public oversight, and at least a redacted version of all warrant documents and the police investigation notes that support them should be released. The strangled bodies of Apotex founder Barry Sherman and his wife Honey were discovered in their home on Friday, Dec. 15. It is likely they were killed the previous Wednesday evening. Ontario Court Justice Leslie Pringle acknowledged that there is a strong public interest in scrutinizing the actions of police but, for now, has maintained the sealing order on the search warrant information, including about 220 pages of police interviews, crime scene photos, video and other information. Read more: Sherman cousins lose appeal for piece of drug companys billions How the investigation into the deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman turned from murder-suicide to double homicide Barry Sherman was helping to develop pot pill for medical marijuana users Pringle acknowledged the Stars goal in seeking the records was appropriate and important. They want to shed light on some areas where they feel mistakes may have been made, and they want to understand why this investigation is taking so long, Pringle said. In this regard, I agree there is a public interest in transparency of the legal process. She told the Star it could renew its application if charges are laid or if circumstances related to the investigation change. During the Stars court challenge, the Star did learn some information related to the probe of the couple, who were well known in Toronto and internationally as major donors to Jewish and other charities. The new judicial authorizations to search were approved by Pringle between April and last week. Pringle is the go-to judge for all Sherman warrants, court heard. Four new authorizations were obtained April 16, two on June 27, and one was granted Sunday, Sept. 23. There had been a flurry of authorizations in the first two months of the probe but then a lag until April. Police will not say how many of the authorizations are search warrants (which are for a specific location such as a house) and how many are production orders, a warrant that is typically served on banks and telecommunication companies that maintain data police believe would be helpful to a probe. Detective Yim, who was seconded to the homicide squad from one of Torontos police divisions, said the Sherman case has been his full-time assignment since Dec. 21, 2017. His role is to prepare search warrant applications and review information yielded by the warrants. He told court last week that 3,700 pages of documents and 1,390 electronic files have been obtained, but would not say what they contain. Yim said more than 50 officers have been involved in this investigation to date. Asked by the Star during cross-examination to name all of the officers, Yim was unable to. The Star provided the names of the lead officer, Detective Sgt. Susan Gomes, and the lead investigator, Detective Brandon Price, plus the name of an additional officer. Yim agreed those officers were working on the case, but he said they were not working full-time on the Sherman probe. Crown attorney Peter Scrutton told court there was at least one officer working full-time on the case (Yim). The Stars investigation began in early January when police sources told numerous Toronto media outlets, including the Star, that police believed it was a murder-suicide. A Jan. 19, 2018 story prompted detectives to interview the pathologist that the Sherman family hired to conduct a second set of autopsies and, shortly after, police announced it was a double murder. During the court hearing, the Star raised several issues it has turned up in its own probe and provided them to the court as examples of information the sealed court documents would shed light on. Among them: Why did police not interview the familys pathologist, Dr. David Chiasson, immediately after he did the second set of autopsies on Dec. 20? Chiasson was not interviewed until Jan. 21. Why did police wait until a month after the Shermans died to view four days of CCTV footage seized from the Apotex head offices in December? The Star has discovered that when police copied the CCTV footage the weekend after the bodies were discovered they did not realize they could not view it due to a software security feature. Police eventually contacted Apotex and asked for a fresh copy of the file, according to a source with knowledge of the incident. Why have police only recently asked for DNA samples from a person who was in the Sherman house on Wednesday, Dec. 13, the last time the couple was seen alive? The Stars investigation has revealed that police were doing this to exclude the person (a woman who was a friend and regular visitor) from DNA found at the site. The Star wanted to ask the detective why this type of analysis was not done months earlier. Yim said he was unable to answer any questions regarding specifics of the investigation or what was contained in the sealed documents. Pringle ruled that the Star could not pursue this line of questioning because it would infringe on the sealing order she had put in place. In her ruling she said Yims answers on the witness stand were vague, but she said this was out of necessity. Making public the inner workings of the Sherman investigation poses a serious risk of compromising the police investigation, Pringle said. As the judge who has signed off on all search warrants and production orders she said she is satisfied the probe is active and ongoing I can say that the police investigation appears to be extensive, meticulous and careful. Contrary to the applicants concern that it has stalled, the investigation appears to be progressing at this time. The Star also argued that there were parts of the 220 pages at issue that could be released to the public because they would not impact the ongoing police investigation. Citing case law, the Star pointed out that if there is an earlier theory in a case (for example, murder-suicide) that portion of the police warrant information can be released without harming the rest of the probe. During cross-examination, Yim said the murder-suicide theory was one of three police pursued in early days and is represented in the search warrant documents. Pringle ruled that she could not allow access even to certain theories that may now have been discarded by police. She said the warrant documents are too intertwined and not easily severed into discrete parts or issues. Read out of context and in isolation, bits and pieces of information have real potential to be misleading. Gomes did not respond to a series of questions provided to her a week ago. Kevin Donovan is the Stars chief investigative reporter based in Toronto. Reach him by email at kdonovan@thestar.ca or 416-312-3503. Follow him on Twitter: @_kevindonovan Read more about: The sky turned bright for a moment as Helena-Rose Houldcroft opened a vial of holy water and sprinkled it, with a few good shakes, over a cedar branch before she paused to speak. All water is holy, the Anglican priest said, but I refuse to get the hose out and hose you down. The small, still crowd erupted in laughter. It was a rare moment of levity in an otherwise sombre, poignant hour Saturday afternoon on the front lawn of Karen Fraser and Ron Smiths quiet Leaside home. Friends, neighbours, family and politicians gathered beneath the canopy of mature trees for a ceremony to help the couple bless, cleanse and renew the land where police found the remains of eight men linked to an investigation into landscaper Bruce McArthur. He is charged with eight counts of first-degree murder. For about a decade, McArthur stored his tools in the garage of Fraser and Smiths Mallory Cres. home and, in exchange, tended their yard. He brought over planters that he kept on the property. The remains of his alleged victims were found in planters in the backyard, and in the ravine behind it. Houldcroft walked through the crowd shaking the cedar branch. Water landed on shirts and hands, some clutching daffodil bulbs that, now blessed, will be planted in the backyard where Houldcroft ventured briefly to sprinkle more holy water. Read more: Unsealed court documents provide glimpse into early stages of Bruce McArthur investigation Owners holding ceremony of renewal at Mallory Cres. home linked to Bruce McArthur Judge says she ended judicial career for sake of Toronto missing persons review Fraser told the crowd the daffodils were an idea that came to her when she was in her garden not too long ago, surrounded by the detritus of the police investigation, including bits of yellow tape. She recalled a poem in which the protagonist felt sad and lonely until he came across the yellow flower. Lonely, she said, repeating the word. Thats one of the reasons those men became victims. Fraser promised to send everyone a picture when the daffodils bloom in spring. Rev. Deana Dudley of the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto then read the names of the deceased, as Acts 29, a church band, played soft music on the lawn. Dudleys multi-coloured stole blew in the wind as the crowd stood motionless. Among those in attendance Saturday were MP Robert Oliphant, MPP Kathleen Wynne and Councillor Jon Burnside. McArthur, 66, is charged with eight counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Selim Esen, Abdulbasir Faizi, Majeed Kayhan, Andrew Kinsman, Dean Lisowick, Soroush Mahmudi, Skandaraj Navaratnam and Kirushnakumar Kanagaratnam. The men all had links to Torontos Gay Village, and their deaths are alleged to have occurred between 2010 and 2017. Just a month ago, volunteers helped Fraser and Smith replace the upturned earth and fill in the ditches left in their backyard by the police investigation, putting in fresh grass and new beds of soil dotted with pink flowers. Even the garage where Fraser and Smith had let McArthur store his landscaping tools got a fresh face: it was painted over with the words We are one / We are how we treat each other when the day is done. Quietly, before the crowd, Ron Smith said that such a ceremony wasnt something he and Fraser would normally do, but that he was grateful for the kindness of everyone present and the sense of community that came from such tragic circumstances. Smith told the Star he was stunned last winter when he learned of the grisly discovery on his property. We were always hopeful that it wasnt really happening, he said. It seemed surreal, and all of a sudden it got much more real. Looking back, Smith is philosophical. He was in a tornado when he was 14, he said, and since then, he has always appreciated the next breath. You always wish the best for things but all of a sudden you find yourself in a situation where reality becomes very clear, and then you deal with it moment by moment and by not forgetting the kindness of those around you. Jack Uetrecht, a neighbour, trod quietly along the wild stone path to the backyard for a peek before the ceremony began. The 72-year-old contemplated, briefly, the question of why the couple desired to remain in a home linked to such tragedy. Its a nice neighbourhood, he said. He caught a first glimpse of the backyard and took a breath. Its beautiful. Correction Sept. 29: This article has been corrected from a previously published version in which a photo caption misidentified Rev. Helena-Rose Houldcroft. What kind of neighbour is most likely to water your plants while youre away on vacation? How do you build community bonds in a neighbourhood without being overly contrived or prescriptive? How can behaviour-based incentives encourage people to use green bins and recycle more? Sidewalk Labs, the firm behind the proposed city of the future on Torontos eastern waterfront, wants to know. In mid-September, 10 grants of between $10,000 and $15,000 each were awarded to research teams at several universities in Toronto and the surrounding area, including OCAD, the University of Toronto, McMaster, Waterloo and Ryerson, to explore these questions and others. The research, funded by Sidewalk Labs, Waterfront Toronto and the Toronto Foundation, is tied to Sidewalks proposal for a smart city that would be built on a 12-acre site known as Quayside. Read more: Opinion | Torontos tech boom raises collaboration concerns Sidewalk Labs proposal stirs fears, raises hopes Sidewalk Labs addresses privacy concerns over proposed high-tech Quayside district If the Sidewalk project gets the go-ahead, the smart city would include data-rich technology aimed at improving urban life, such as sensors that could measure air quality, traffic and noise. According to Sidewalk Labs, the 10 research projects relate directly to the six pillars of the overall Sidewalk Toronto vision: mobility, sustainability, innovative building designs, a digital platform, affordability and a great public realm. One team will review measurements used to evaluate neighbourhood quality of life; another will explore how messaging has influenced waste diversion rates. A team will look into community governance models in Canada, such as ratepayers and neighbourhood safety groups. Another team will delve into how bicycle-counting technology is operating in some cities around the world, technology thats used to tabulate the numbers of cyclists who use bike paths or pass through intersections. Other topics being studied include the evolving neighbourhood retail landscape in Toronto, urban parks as habitat networks, and in-home health monitoring using internet technology. The research reports are due in late November and the findings will feed into a master plan for the Sidewalk development, slated to be completed by the end of the year or early in 2019. Data is a phenomenal resource that can help us to make good decisions that support healthy communities and integrate people, said OCAD president Sara Diamond, who is also director of the schools visual analytics laboratory and co-lead on a research project that will explore how culture bonds individuals and communities. Diamond is working with her co-lead Alia Weston, an assistant professor at the school, along with a group of graduate research assistants to define which influences, scenarios and conditions lead to natural human bonds, caring and compassion in neighbourhoods. The topic will be explored through the lens of arts and cultural events happening at the hyper-local level, Diamond said. Were looking more at day-to-day stuff people getting together to play music, for example, she said, adding another example might be library events that use books, internet access and even musical instruments in outreach activities. Her team will also examine arts and cultural activities conducted with aging patients at Baycrest Health Sciences. Were looking at good examples in Toronto, but also international examples of where arts and culture are used to build a sense of community and develop bonds within communities, she added. Diamond said her groups research will draw from data analysis, as well as an extensive review of existing literature, both historical and contemporary. Her team will also delve into the role technology can play in functional relationships between individuals. As part of this, her team will look at a digital device designed in Ontario that tweets reminders to plant owners or their neighbours about when its time to water a plant. The smart city project has garnered widespread controversy over concerns that the data collection might violate the privacy rights of people who would one day move into the district, or individuals who may just be passing through it. Worries have also been raised that all of this data could be monetized, but Sidewalk Labs CEO Dan Doctoroff has promised that these concerns are unfounded. In the meantime, Sidewalk Labs is moving full steam ahead in its bid to understand the types of people it could house in the future and what their needs will be. Sidewalk is spending $50 million in due diligence work prior to the master plan. That includes the money for the research grants and roundtable discussions on accessibility issues where Torontonians with various disabilities have been invited to provide input. (The actual project, if approved Toronto city council will have a major say in that would likely be completed some time in the next four or five years). One of Sidewalks goals is to house a diverse group of residents of different ages, and economic and cultural backgrounds. Among the things we know are true about quality of life is that there must be a strong sense of community. We must be thinking about how do you make people feel comfortable as quickly as possible in a setting, said Rit Aggarwala, chief policy officer for Sidewalk Labs. Shauna Brail, a senior associate in the innovation policy lab at U of Ts Munk School of Global Affairs, said the research surrounding the Sidewalk plans shows the proposed development isnt just about physical infrastructure, but also social infrastructure. We need to think about what kinds of social infrastructure were putting in place in all kinds of real estate and new developments in cities. I think developers are thinking more frequently about how their places connect with people and what peoples lives will be like in those spaces. Laura Anderson, assistant professor in McMasters department of health research methods, evidence and impact, will be working with three masters of public health students at the school to research the best methods for measuring happiness and well-being at the neighbourhood level. In a statement Anderson said shes excited that this work will create the opportunity for the graduate students to gain experience answering real-world public health problems using innovative technology. Meanwhile, the University of Waterloo team exploring messaging and garbage diversion will examine barriers that may prevent us from sorting waste properly. Take textiles, for example. Lead researcher Jennifer Lynes, associate professor at Waterloos school of environment, enterprise and development, said 5 to 7 per cent of household waste in landfills is textiles that could easily be recycled or reused. Right now, what do people do with them? They donate them to Value Village, etc. But you have to go there, and some people just say, Oh Im just going to throw it in the garbage. She noted the city of Markham has textile diversion bins. Its things like that. What kind of programs or strategies can we develop to reduce those barriers? said Lynes, who will be working with a student researcher. As the research teams work to complete their reports, and probably a long while after, the Sidewalk project will likely continue to face questions from detractors about data monetization and privacy protection. Sidewalk will use the data and analysis the research teams obtain, but that information will remain under the control of those teams, Aggarwala said. Read more about: In Toronto, the colour of money is mainly white. New demographic charts show a strikingly segregated city, with visible minorities concentrated in low-income neighbourhoods and white residents dominating affluent areas in numbers far higher than their share of the population. The new charts come from University of Toronto Prof. David Hulchanski and his research team, known for using census data to illustrate growing income inequality in the city. Their latest effort flags the role of discrimination in that inequality, with lopsided racial breakdowns that surprised the researchers. Its starker than we would expect, Hulchanski said in an interview. Hulchanski revealed the new charts last week in the Netherlands at a conference called Urban poverty and segregation in a globalized world. Using the 2016 census, his team calculated that 48 per cent of Torontos census tracts are low-income neighbourhoods, where the average individual income is $32,000 before taxes.Fully 68 per cent of residents in these neighbourhoods are visible minorities while 31 per cent are white. (Whites make up 49 per cent of Torontos population.) The main ethno-cultural communities in these low-income neighbourhoods are all overrepresented compared to their share of the citys population. Black residents, for example, are 9 per cent of the population but make up 13 per cent of residents of low-income neighbourhoods. High-income neighbourhoods are almost a reverse image. They make up 23 per cent of Torontos census tracts, with average individual incomes of $102,000 before tax. Fully 73 per cent of residents in these neighbourhoods are white, far higher than their share of the citys population. The rest are visible minorities, of whom only 3 per cent are Black. Whites are also overrepresented in middle-income neighbourhoods, where the average income is $49,000. Money buys choice. And people with the most choice are choosing to live in certain areas, Hulchanski says, explaining the disproportionately high concentration of white residents in high- and middle-income communities. Choice also partly explains the makeup of low-income neighbourhoods. Some members of ethnic groups prefer to live where their communities are most numerous, giving them easy access to the shops and cultural or religious services that facilitate integration or simply make life more enjoyable. York University Prof. Carl James, who reviewed Hulchanskis charts, questions how free the choice actually is for visible minorities. We have to think about how the system might have enabled and co-operated in making it possible for some people to access high income neighbourhoods and to stay in those neighbourhoods, or operated to keep others out of those neighbourhoods. Its not just individual choice. Many other structural things work in relation to choice. TOP STORIES. IN YOUR INBOX: For the days top news from the Stars award-winning journalists, sign up for our daily headlines newsletter. Studies indicate that discriminatory barriers to good jobs and housing play a determining role. Discrimination is not at the same level as in the United States, Hulchanski says, but that doesnt make it any better for those who face that problem here. The researchers split the city into high-. and low-income categories by comparing neighbourhoods that were 20 per cent above or below the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area average. Middle-income was within 20 per cent. The team then used census data to see the makeup of those communities. Evidence of discrimination is reinforced by another chart produced by Hulchanskis team, showing relatively high levels of education in low-income neighbourhoods. Half of all residents in those areas have a post-secondary degree: 25 per cent from a university and 25 per cent from a community college. Hulchanski questioned why half the city has average gross incomes of only $32,000 when so many people in those low-income neighbourhoods have relatively high levels of education. That doesn't make sense, except for discrimination, he said. Another worrying sign for Hulchanski is that 57 per cent of residents in Torontos low-income neighbourhoods are immigrants, including established ones who arrived before 2006. Only 31 per cent of residents in high-income areas are immigrants, including 23 per cent who arrived prior to 2006. The racial segregation of Toronto neighbourhoods is in the context of research, also from Hulchanskis team, illustrating the growth of low- and high-income neighbourhoods in Toronto, while middle ones steadily disappear. The polarized income trend dates back to the 1990s, caused by federal and provincial cuts in transfer payments and social assistance, along with tax cuts, rising housing costs and the disappearance of well-paid manufacturing jobs, Hulchanski says. Government policies caused the income polarization, and only government policies can reverse it, he argues. Hulchanski warns that in Europe, where the trend is less severe, income polarization and ethnic segregation has contributed to the rise of far-right populist movements and outbreaks of violence. How long can this continue? Hulchanski asks. There is no sign of the trend reversing yet. Will there be riots in Toronto? Who knows? Tara Fares was a model and a social media star whose carefully crafted lifestyle and fashion photos drew in more than 2.7 million followers on Instagram. On Thursday, she was shot dead in broad daylight in Baghdad, the latest woman killed in a series of attacks government officials are investigating as possibly linked. Fares, 22, a former beauty queen who had just been voted one of Iraqs most followed social media stars, was shot three times while at the wheel of her white convertible in the upscale Camp Sarah neighbourhood in the centre of the Iraqi capital. She was very beautiful and nice and wanted to be happy and to live her life how the rest of the world lives: without restraint and hatred, said Omar Moner, a Baghdad-based photographer and friend. But here in Iraq, there is no acceptance of the freedoms of others. Some say the recent deaths in Iraq of at least four prominent young women, including Fares all of whom were seen as being outspoken or bucking the norms of a conservative society is a worrying signal of a possibly co-ordinated campaign to silence them. Others believe the killing of Fares and the others may just have been random acts of violence in a country where safety is scarce after years of war. On Friday, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi of Iraq ordered the countrys Interior Ministry and its intelligence service to investigate the killing. He also said in a statement that officials would explore possible links between Fares killing and other recent killings and kidnappings in Baghdad and Basra, a city in southern Iraq. Abadi said the killings give the impression that there is a plan behind these crimes. This past week, a womens rights activist, Suad al-Ali, was killed in Basra, gunned down on the way to her car. Nibras al-Maamouri, the head of the Iraqi Women Journalists Forum, said the targeting of well-known women in Iraq had greatly increased. This is not something new, but to reach to the level of direct killing in front of people is dangerous, Maamouri said. What happened to Tara Fares was abhorrent. Maamouri said she believed Fares killing may be linked to the deaths of Rasha al-Hassan and Rafif al-Yasiri, two beauticians who died in mysterious circumstances in Baghdad one week apart in August. Fares travelled in the same social circles as both women. Influential women are being targeted to create chaos, Maamouri said. Mohammad Nasir al-Karbouli, a member of parliament, said attacks like the one on Fares were intended to send a message. The killings of women in the daytime are messages to confuse the security situation in Baghdad, to weaken the trust of the citizens, Karbouli said. Fares, who was from Baghdad, left the city three years ago to live in Irbil, in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, because she felt it was safer, friends said. Recently, she had begun to spend more time in Baghdad again. Her popular social media posts offer a glimpse into her life. In photos on her Instagram account, she pouts and poses for the camera, decked out in wigs, elaborate makeup and close-fitting dresses, her arms covered with a smattering of tattoos. Her YouTube videos, which have garnered hundreds of thousands of views, show her singing along to pop songs, doing makeup tutorials, unwrapping gifts from fans and reviewing restaurants in Irbil. While the videos attracted dozens of comments from supportive fans, they also drew vitriolic messages that mocked or even threatened her. She was living a very Western lifestyle she dressed the way she wanted to, said Daryna Sarhan, who founded a lifestyle magazine in Irbil, and has long followed Fares on Instagram. She basically did everything the conservatives go against, Sarhan added. She was just a normal Instagram model, but that isnt considered normal in our society. Sarhan said she was outraged to see comments left on social media by people trying to justify Fares death because of her lifestyle. I feel like it was a message being sent: Dont be like Tara or you will end up like Tara, she said. Even after her death, Fares was not immune to criticism, with one journalist for the Iraqi Media Network labelling her a whore and other comments posted on social media saying she deserved it for living a trivial and empty life. While she was alive, Fares took the criticism in stride, according to those who knew her. Moner, the photographer, said Fares was at his studio the day before her death. He described her as funny and recently shared several photos of a fashion shoot with her on his Instagram account. He said Fares often received threats, but she didnt think it was real. Her killing, Moner said, has created a climate of fear, with many of her friends telling him they are worried they could become targets. Mukdad Abu Athab, the head of the mosque where Fares funeral service was held Friday, said she was committed to her family and had big plans for her future. Her family told me that she was there to buy a house for them, he said. But unfortunately they killed her. SAO PAULOFar right congressman Jair Bolsonaro is leading polls for Brazils October presidential election, but he has attracted widespread criticism for his controversial views and his often impolitic way of expressing them. On Saturday, womens groups around Latin Americas largest country are organizing protests against him. Below are some examples of his comments about women, LGBTQ people and other minorities that have raised concerns and sometimes led to charges. ___ During an interview with the Folha de S.Paulo newspaper in January 2018, Bolsonaro explained how he used the housing allowance he received as a congressman. Since I was a bachelor at the time, I used the money to have sex with people, he said. ___ In a speech at Rio de Janeiros Hebraica Club in April 2017, Bolsonaro spoke about his family. I have five children. Four are men, and then in a moment of weakness the fifth came out a girl, he said. ___ In the same speech in April 2017, he spoke about a settlement, or quilombo, which was founded by the descendants of slaves. I visited a quilombo and the least heavy afro-descendant weighed seven arrobas. They do nothing! They are not even good for procreation, he said, suggesting that people in the settlement were overweight. Seven arrobas is roughly the equivalent of 231 pounds. ___ In the lower house of Congress in September 2014, Bolsonaro made heated comments during an exchange with congresswoman Maria do Rosario of the leftist Workers Party. I wouldnt rape you because you dont deserve it, he said, in response to remarks made by do Rosario in 2013 when she called Bolsonaro a rapist and said he encouraged rape. Bolsonaro later repeated his comments to the Zero Hora newspaper, adding that he was not a rapist but, if he were, he would not rape do Rosario because she is ugly and not his type. Bolsonaro is slated to stand trial on charges of slander and incitation to rape for these comments. ___ In an interview with Playboy magazine in December 2011, Bolsonaro said that he would be incapable of loving a homosexual son. I would prefer my son to die in an accident than show up with a mustachioed man, he said. Bigodudo, or mustachioed man, is a phrase in Portuguese that is used to describe a macho man. ___ During an interview aired by the Bandeirantes TV network in March 2011, Bolsonaro responded to a question about what he would do if his son fell in love with a Black woman. I wont discuss promiscuity, he said. I dont run that risk because my sons were very well-educated. ___ In May 2002, Bolsonaro threatened gay people after then-President Fernando Henrique Cardoso was seen in a photo holding a rainbow flag at an event in support of same-sex marriage. I wont fight against it nor discriminate, but if I see two men kissing each other on the street, Ill beat them up, he said. Danny Glenwright is the executive director of Action Against Hunger. The humanitarian organization fights hunger and its root causes worldwide. Glenwright was in Nigeria from Sept. 5 to 11. MAIDUGURI, NIGERIAThe first time the militants came for her daughters, Zara Shuwa refused to give them up. It was 2013 and the terrorist group then known as Boko Haram had just killed her husband as he attempted to flee the familys farm near the town of Monguno in the northeast. But they came back, again and again. Each time Shuwa pleaded with them, and each time she breathed a sigh of relief when she convinced them to leave without her young girls, Fatima, 14, and Falmata, 11. The fifth time they arrived at her door she wasnt as lucky: thats when they forced their way into the familys home, beat up Shuwa and her eldest sons, and left with Fatima and Falmata. It was the last time she ever saw her daughters. I thought my life was over, she says, looking down at her lap, her hands fidgeting with her shin-length striped hijab. I cant stop thinking about them. Her youngest son, Rafiq, 5, glances anxiously up at his mother he was a baby when the traumatized family fled Monguno following the murder of his father and abduction of his sisters. Shuwa walked for five days with Rafiq and her five other sons, returning to the home where she was raised in Maiduguri, the capital of Nigerias Borno state, which is ground zero for the violent conflict that has plagued this region, now in its ninth year. Those of us who work in the humanitarian sector refer to it as a forgotten crisis. But while it may have fallen off most front pages, the ongoing conflict involving a constellation of non-state armed groups continues to destabilize the entire Lake Chad district, which includes neighbouring countries Niger, Cameroon and Chad. It has uprooted more than 2.4 million people and left as many as five million without enough to eat. Over four days at the front lines of this conflict, I spoke to dozens of Nigerians who shared stories like Shuwas, including many who only recently fled to hastily assembled camps in the relative safety of Maiduguri. I visited several of these sites; all of them continue to welcome new arrivals daily, expanding their borders to encompass local schoolyards, farmers fields and government-owned land. The word unprecedented is having a good run these days, but if it truly applies to any existing crisis, this is it. A dozen humanitarian agencies working in northeast Nigeria, including Action Against Hunger, the Toronto-based organization I help run, sounded the alarm last month, noting that 11 million people are currently in urgent need of aid in this hard-to-reach region. Like so many protracted crises, this one has taken on its own nomenclature: non-state armed groups or armed opposition groups is how local stakeholders now refer to members of the group commonly known as Boko Haram, following its splintering in recent years into various affiliated cells with different aims and loyalties. Whichever way you put it, the terror continues. On Sept. 4, the same day Canadian representatives highlighted the $68 million our country has pledged to address the Lake Chad humanitarian catastrophe at a high-level conference in Berlin, non-state militants reportedly kidnapped more than 10 people from a bus travelling in the east of Borno state. Kidnappings like this are a hallmark of the conflict. Another abduction brought this crisis to the worlds attention in April 2014: the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, a town south of Maiduguri. By then, non-state militants had been terrorizing Nigerians in this region since July 2009, when police killed their spiritual leader, Mohammed Yusuf, following violent clashes with his followers outside the Ibn Taymiyyah mosque where he preached here in Maiduguri. Officials then demolished Yusufs mosque complex and launched a campaign to force his followers from the city. The remains of the compound are still visible today, sitting eerily abandoned amid overgrown rows of maize in one of the few spots in this mushrooming city of more than two million that is not bustling with human activity. Following his death, Yusufs number two, Abubakar Shekau, took the reins, regrouping from a new base in nearby Sambisa Forest, which is where the group took the kidnapped schoolgirls from Chibok. In recent years, the government has fortified Maiduguri and all major centres in the northeast, surrounding them with military outposts and trenches. The wide ditches that border these garrison towns are reminiscent of medieval moats, except in 2018 the enemy arrives on motorbike, not horseback. Officials here even banned the use of motorbikes which are ubiquitous in most other crowded West African cities to curb drive-by attacks by militants. Shuwa grew up not far from the site of the Ibn Taymiyyah mosque, but she had left Maiduguri by the time Yusuf founded his sect in 2002. Like most women in northern Nigeria, Shuwa was a child bride married at 13 and a mother of eight children by the time she turned 30. Shuwa and her husband settled near Monguno, his hometown. They started their family and a farm, growing millet and cowpeas. We had enough to feed ourselves and sell the rest, and we eventually did well for ourselves, she says. The 105-kilometre drive from Maiduguri to Monguno is a very different road today from when 13-year-old Shuwa and her new husband took it back in 1996, when the region was a busy commercial centre. The heavily potholed stretch is now regularly the scene of skirmishes between the military and armed opposition groups they had reportedly clashed near the road earlier in the morning on the day our convoy travelled to Monguno. At one point on the journey, we passed a community that had recently been attacked. Burned-out vehicles and the charred remnants of homes and businesses now stand abandoned. A few children sat by the roadside, attempting to sell papayas and nuts. The road is peppered with dozens of checkpoints manned by both the military and the Civilian Joint Task Force, which formed in 2013 to help dislodge armed opposition groups from Maiduguri. As well, desperate bands of young boys hold their hands out, hoping for generosity from the transport trucks and aid convoys that pass through. The rainy season recently turned vegetation on either side of the road a bright green. In many places, rows of beans and sorghum stand tall and healthy. The main thing you notice, though, is the lack of human activity. The communities of farmers who used to live along this stretch have all fled to the safety of nearby cities and towns, which are all under strict curfews. They now only venture out for a few hours during the day to harvest their crops or spray pesticide, which means yields have been drastically reduced. Others arent as lucky. Most farmers here cant access their crops at all because large areas of northeast Nigeria are no-go zones. The conflict has decimated local agriculture and wiped out regional trade routes. The result is a crisis that has left hundreds of thousands severely malnourished. In this region, many more people die from starvation than are killed directly by militants. About halfway between Maiduguri and Monguno, at a maternal and child health clinic that my organization runs in Gajiram, I watched dozens of mothers with malnourished babies queuing to receive services, including PlumpyNut, a nutrient- and energy-rich peanut-based paste that they can take home with them. Some of their children also required treatment for malaria or cholera, which are both becoming problems here, exacerbated by overcrowded camps and the rainy season. Others need to be admitted because their kids are too sick to receive treatment at home. I found one of these children, 2-year-old Hassan Modu, wrapped in a blanket beside his 18-year-old mother, Hawa. He and four other children in the clinic were suffering from severe wasting. Hassan had also developed a respiratory tract infection his rib cage protruded from his tiny chest, the skin was tight around his head and neck, and his arms resembled small twigs. His outsized eyes, joyless, full of angst, and too big for his shrunken face, stared up at his mother. Unfortunately, my job means I often see malnourished children in places like this, but no matter how many times I do, the horror of it never wanes. No 2-year-old should look as diminished and sickly as young Hassan. When we brought him in he was much worse, the clinic doctor, Ahmed Dogara, assured me. He is doing much better now. It was hard to imagine what worse might look like. Hawa told me the family is from a village near the clinic. Because of the conflict, her husband, who is a farmer, has not been able to reach his land so the family doesnt have any food to eat. Like so many in this region, they now live in a camp for the internally displaced. Hassan is now taking antibiotics and a therapeutic milk to stabilize him. Dogara says hes improving. Life for most women and children in this conflict-affected area of northeast Nigeria is grim. In July, the UN found that one in five children is severely malnourished. Meanwhile, more than 80 per cent of women in the region are illiterate; only 4 per cent of girls complete secondary school; more than half are married by age 16; and the number of women who die in childbirth is five times the global average. Stories like Modus and Shuwas often get lost amid these staggering numbers and the headline-grabbing mass abductions. Besides, the story of the role of women in this crisis is a complicated one to tell. In her book Women and the War on Boko Haram, Hilary Matfess says life is actually better for some women who support and live with the armed opposition groups. The sects gender politics, while regressive and patriarchal by western standards, often represent a significant improvement in womens status within the local context of Borno state. Matfess notes that the militants provide food and shelter and prevent women from farming and performing other hard labour, which means they have more time for education and leisure. Indeed, Amina Ali Nkeki, the first of the Chibok girls who was rescued, wanted to be reunited with the man she married during captivity. Local media outlets have reported that other Chibok girls have declined to be returned to their families, saying they prefer to remain in the Sambisa Forest stronghold. Conversely, a number of young women taking part in a focus group in the region said they had all been married before age 16. They said they felt safer that way because armed groups tend to abduct young unmarried girls, like Shuwas two daughters. These young women are probably acutely aware that the armed groups in this region increasingly use young girls as suicide bombers. These are options no young girl should ever have to contemplate. Most of the displaced women I met also remain terrified of the armed groups, including Aisha Mohammed Minti, 53, from Marte, which is one of the local government areas that is currently closed off to aid agencies due to the heavy presence of armed groups. In a now familiar story, Minti fled her village with her 10 children (four boys and six girls) after armed militants killed her husband and all the other men in her family. I walked for three days We had nothing, except the clothes we were wearing. Nothing. When Minti first arrived at the camp, she and her children had to forage for food, collecting leaves and other disposed food from waste bins. I had to boil it and thats all we had to eat in those first days, she said. My children were all super-thin, she says, pointing to her arms. Her children now have meat on their bones and they are healthy. Minti shakes her head when I ask if she would like to return home. No, life is much safer in the camp. Back in Maiduguri, the same is true for Shuwa. When she first returned to Maiduguri, her six young boys often went hungry, and none of them went to school because they all had to beg for food to survive. Last year we provided Shuwa with a cash grant to invest in a small business. She bought four lambs and started fattening them up so she could sell them at the festival of Eid al Adha, when Muslims sacrifice sheep and other livestock and give a portion of the meat away to the poor. She now has enough money to feed her children and send four of her six sons to school. Shes hoping to grow her business next year so she can afford to educate all her boys. Thats more than most mothers in this region can dream about. Danny Glenwright is the executive director of Action Against Hunger. Read more about: Someone is asleep at the switch. What else could account for the fact that Ontarios computerized oversight and tracking system for opioid dispensing has not caught a single drug-dealing pharmacist in the past five years, even though there are clear signs they are out there? Indeed, as a joint investigation by the Toronto Star, Global News and the Ryerson School of Journalism found, a small number of these health care professionals are cashing in on the lucrative black market trade in these deadly and highly addictive drugs. But no one has sounded the alarm despite a startling growth in the reporting of drug losses at pharmacies. In the last five years they have gone up dramatically, from about 2,200 in 2013 to 30,000 last year. Nor did anyone seem to notice the fact that three-quarters of those losses were for unexplained reasons, or that the vast majority of those losses were for dangerous opioids such as hydromorphone, which is five times more potent than morphine. Instead, the nine opioid-dealing pharmacists who have been disciplined by the Ontario College of Pharmacists in the past five years for putting more than 8,000 fentanyl patches 32,000 potentially lethal doses onto the street were discovered through either bad luck or good policing. This failure on the governments part to ensure that pain killers dont find their way onto the black market is all the more concerning in the face of an opioid crisis that killed 1,265 people in the province last year. Health Minister Christine Elliott didnt create this problem. She inherited it. But she has not offered a plan to make the monitoring system more effective, or even agreed to discuss the issue. Instead, in a statement issued by her spokesperson, she said: Our government takes patient safety very seriously. The inappropriate use, abuse and diversion of prescription narcotics and controlled substances are very serious public health concerns. No kidding. But this statement of the obvious does not address the question: how does the government plan to make sure there is effective monitoring of pharmacists? At present, drug-dealing pharmacists are caught more through dumb luck than as a result of active oversight. Pharmacist Waseem Shaheen, for example, actually faked a robbery to cover up an illicit drug-dealing operation in Ottawa. He might have succeeded police were convinced he was credible but for the fact his assistants alerted investigating police to large fentanyl shipments. Woodstock pharmacist Yogesh Patel forged prescriptions for dead people. The practice was uncovered only when he unwittingly walked, with a bagful of drugs, into a police surveillance operation of another man. Neither of these mens activities was discovered through the oversight that is supposed to be carried out by the provincial government. Contrast that to the way the province monitors physicians. Two years ago the Health Department passed on the names of 86 doctors to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario who had been flagged by the computerized narcotics monitoring system for their unusual prescribing patterns of painkillers. Were talking about daily doses of opioids that are equivalent to roughly 150 Tylenol 3s being consumed in a single day, former health minister Eric Hoskins said at the time. (So far, one of those doctors, Robert Stewart Cameron, admitted to professional misconduct at a formal discipline hearing and agreed to give up his licence.) Those prescribing practises certainly raised alarms. Yet no such alarms went off when Shaheen and Patel trafficked thousands of fentanyl patches. Something is terribly wrong. This wrong-doing should have been caught under Hoskins watch, but its Elliotts responsibility now. She must quickly ensure that the monitoring system works. Catching drug-dealing pharmacists should not depend on luck. One thing everyone knows about the upcoming city council election in Toronto is that Premier Doug Ford has turned it into a big battle royale of incumbents a political bloodbath in which long-standing councillors across the city are facing off against each other. Whats less clear is who will win. Not just in any particular race, but in the struggle to control the balance of power in the city between the informal political voting blocks who have defined the citys politics since amalgamation. Now, Ford himself made it clear as did many of his MPPs and supporters that one of the motivations for shrinking the size of council was to stick it to the downtown leftists and NDP-aligned councillors he hates so much. And its true that the 47-ward alignment that was supposed to be in place appeared likely to slightly favour the progressive wing of council over the conservative one. But looking at how the new 25-ward map has shaken out, and which familiar faces are running where, and who they are running against, leaves it less obvious that the right wing of council that Ford is aligned with will emerge with a majority. In fact, right now, if I were making a betting line, it might read Pick em. Before I explain, lets get this out of the way: any prediction of council races should be taken with a grain of salt. Even ward-level polling has proven in the past to be widely variable in its accuracy. Further, assigning political alignments to wards and councillors is an inexact thing party memberships dont necessarily apply (many of councils most reliably right-wing voters are Liberals, for instance), a good deal of councillors shift their allegiances from vote to vote, and there are plenty of wards that are reliable safe seats for one party provincially and federally but also reliably send an ideologically opposite councillor to city hall. Which is to say, both the predictions and the descriptions can be foggy. Still, I tried to make some educated guesses anyhow. The safest bet in city elections as long as Ive been watching is that most incumbents will win. So using that as a starting point, I assigned political allegiances based on my observations about voting records and alignments to the councillors (left, right, or centre). And I looked at where incumbents were running. And I assumed, as a baseline, that all or most wards will be won by an incumbent. There are seven left-wing council incumbents running without an incumbent challenger (Gord Perks, Joe Cressy, Mike Layton, John Filion, Paul Ainslie, Neethan Shan and Shelley Carroll, who I included though technically she left her council seat to run in the provincial election). There are four right-wing incumbents running without having to face another incumbent (Mark Grimes, Christin Carmichael-Greb, Denzil Minnan-Wong and Michael Thompson). In addition, there are two wards where left-wing incumbents are facing off against each other (Joe Mihevc vs. Josh Matlow and Paula Fletcher vs. Mary Fragedakis). And six wards where right-wing incumbents are head-to-head (Vincent Crisanti vs. Michael Ford, John Campbell vs. Stephen Holyday, Frances Nunziata vs. Frank Di Giorgio, Jon Burnside vs. Jaye Robinson, Michelle Holland-Berardinetti vs. Gary Crawford, and Jim Karygiannis vs. Norm Kelly). If an incumbent indeed wins all of those races, we wind up with nine left-wing seats and 10 right-wing ones. One councillor Id call centrist Ana Bailao is also running unopposed. Of the remaining five seats, two are open wards where no incumbent is running. Beaches-East York, which traditionally (and federally and provincially) elects lefties, and Scarborough North, which is more conservative. Then theres Toronto Centre, where progressive Kristyn Wong-Tam is running against incumbent conservative midterm appointed councillor Lucy Troisi (who promised as a condition of her appointment not to run in this election, but is running anyway). Wong-Tam likely faces a stiffer challenge from former provincial cabinet minister and mayoral candidate George Smitherman. In the scheme of council, Wong-Tam is a leftist, while Smitherman may be more likely a headstrong centrist. And then there are two wards that seem to be true toss-ups between left- and right-wing incumbents: Humber River-Black Creek where leftist firebrand Anthony Perruzza faces infamous right-wing clown-show Giorgio Mammoliti (with a stern challenge to both from progressive challenger Tiffany Ford), and York Centre where progressive Maria Augimeri faces conservative James Pasternak. For the sake of argument, lets guess that Perruzza and Wong-Tam win (the Mainstreet Research poll released Friday puts both ahead), and that Pasternak prevails. Where does that leave our rough vote count? Twelve left, 12 right, one centre. There are further wrinkles to watch for, however. For instance, in Eglinton-Lawrence, incumbent right-wing Councillor Carmichael-Greb has been mostly invisible since winning her half of the ward with only 17 per cent of the vote in a split field in 2014. She faces a challenge from Mike Colle, father of retiring centre-right councillor Josh Colle. Colle Sr. also represented that ward provincially for more than 25 years until this springs election, and represented part of it as a city and Metro councillor before that (he also served as chair of the TTC in the early 1990s). With his experience and Liberal credentials, Colle might be expected to be more of an independent centrist. Councils staunchest conservative, Minnan-Wong, won slight majorities in his half of Don Valley East in 2010 and 2014 (and has been a city councillor since 1994), but lost in his attempt to win the entire new ward when he ran provincially for Fords Conservatives this spring. He faces former provincial MPP and cabinet minister David Caplan, who represented the area provincially for a decade until 2007. Meanwhile, leftist Liberal Shelley Carroll lost her attempt at winning the full area of Don Valley North when she ran provincially this spring, and may be less of a shoo-in to win it back municipally if a strong conservative emerges from the field of opponents. And its possible some of the head-to-head fights among erstwhile council allies could create a chance for an ideologically opposed challenger. In Scarborough Southwest, Councillors Crawford and Holland-Berardinetti each won their halves of the ward with majorities of the vote last time around. But both were Rob Ford allies and then became close allies of Mayor John Tory (Crawford was his budget chief, Holland-Berardinetti became his chief innovation advocate) and its easy to imagine they could split the right-wing vote in a ward that went NDP in the provincial election earlier this year. There could be other surprises in store indeed, even in a more normal election, there are often one or two upsets of sitting councillors by newcomers that take people by surprise. But looking at the big picture, the two major points of my predictive exercise are that any thoughts that Ford has guaranteed some kind of conservative majority may be premature, and that the future of the city is legitimately up for grabs in what will be a very close council election. The balance of power could come down to a few close races. As much as the mayoral race is a heavyweight citywide debate worth watching, the battle royale on the undercard features equally high stakes and an even harder-to-predict result. Correction Oct. 4, 2018: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said Shelley Carroll ran and lost in the last provincial election in the riding of Don Valley West. In fact, Carroll ran in the riding of Don Valley North, where she is running as a councillor in the municipal election. Read more about: Nearly a quarter of household garbage and 80 percent of domestic sewage in rural areas are untreated amid challenges in improving the living environment, said Yu Xinrong, vice minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, at a press conference on Saturday. Yu said, despite remarkable progress, peoples living environment in rural areas is still significantly backward compared with the city. Less than half of rural families use sanitary" toilets. China's national standard requires "sanitary" toilets in rural homes to have walls, roofs, doors and windows and to be at least two square meters in size. They may be flush toilets or dry toilets with underground storage tanks. China has released a five-year plan on its rural vitalization strategy, the first of its kind, mapping out a number of major projects, programs and actions. Yu said Chinese villages still suffer from problems such as poor road conditions, shabby toilets, dirty environment, and undeveloped basic public services. The five-year plan has identified six campaigns to address these problems and improve rural peoples living conditions. VANCOUVERA citizens group has filed a complaint to the Surrey RCMP and Elections BC alleging that a voter fraud scheme is being conducted by people involved in the Surrey municipal election. Sukhi Sandhu, a volunteer organizer with Wake Up Surrey, said that a number of individuals, none of whom knew each other, had approached his organization about a fraudulent plan involving mail-in voting. Sandhu said that the individuals each described a scheme in which prominent members of the South Asian community were being recruited as poll captains, which would encourage people to vote with mail-in ballots, and then have them check a box on the form to have their ballot mailed to the poll captains residence. We met with individuals and their evidence was similar they were approached and given forms for the mail-in ballot, and were told to check the box to send it to another address, and it would be the poll captain house, said Sandhu. People were told not to worry about voting, and that the poll captain would take care of it. Sandhu said he believes the scheme was intended to target 15,000 voters in Surrey, but would not comment on which political parties were involved, for fear of unfairly smearing or targeting certain people. Howevre, after hearing the story from several people, he said they decided it was their civic duty to report it to the police, where he hopes they will determine who is behind the scheme. We are are concerned this is illegal, and fraud, he said. We had a moral duty to raise it. A letter posted to Wake Up Surreys Facebook page detailed the fraudulent actions and the complaint filed to RCMP, as well as to the the Chief Electoral Officer. The letter also described another vote buying scheme targeting the South Asian community. Sandhu also fears that the alleged scheme is targeting the South Asian community because our community had been explored by various political parties at election time and for nomination before. Already, several political parties and candidates vying for seats in the upcoming municipal election have spoken out against the possible scheme. Pauline Greaves, mayoral candidate for Proudly Surrey, released a statement calling for mail-in balloting to be stopped. If even a fraction of this is true, this is completely unacceptable. The people of Surrey must not have this election stolen from them, for that reason I am calling for the immediate suspension of all mail-in balloting for this election, she said in a statement. Rajesh Jayaprakash, the mayoral candidate for People First Surrey, said that he first learned of the fraud allegations the day before on social media, and that the kind of actions being alleged are it unexpected in a developed country like Canada. A statement for his party also said that these actions undermine the fundamentals of our democracy. But Jayaprakash also said he thought it was unfair to target the South Asian community in the complaint, when it has not yet been ascertained who is involved in the scheme. It is unnecessarily bringing our community into this matter its totally irrelevant to bring the community into such a thing, he said. But Sandhu responded that he thinks it is important for people to know that it an issue happening specifically within the South Asian community, which he said has been targeted and exploited in elections before. We want to be very clear the people who were engaging in this were South Asian, he said. You cant hide the fact that it was South Asians that were involved and tried to exploit members of our community ....When members of the community act in this manner. they have got to be called out. Star Metro could not reach the Surrey RCMP at the time of publication. Read more about: The adage that failures can teach many lessons seems quite... South Africas Constitutional Court has passed down a judgment that makes it legal for adults to cultivate and smoke marijuana in their homes. The courtthe countrys highestruled that the right to privacy was violated by prohibiting the possession, purchase or cultivation of cannabis for personal consumption by an adult in a private dwelling. The case was pursued by various parties, including a Cape Town lawyer, Gareth Prince, who is a practising Rastafarian. It was opposed by, among others, the countrys ministers of Justice and Constitutional Development, Police and Health; the countrys National Director of Public Prosecutions and the NGO Doctors for Life International. The Constitutional Courts judgment is to be applauded for doing away with the moralistic and paternalistic assumption that marijuana use by adults in private is always wrong and unhealthy. South Africa joins a number of countries that have taken a similar step, among them Canada and Portugal. But there are still lots of uncertainties that need to be cleared up before South Africans can use marijuana without fear of prosecution. One of these is that the countrys laws will have to be brought into line with the judgment. In making its ruling, the Constitutional Court considered several issues. These included privacy, health concerns and the status quo in other parts of the world. Delivering the unanimous judgment, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo stated that the right to privacy entitles an adult person to use or cultivate or possess cannabis in private for his or her personal consumption. And, he added, "to the extent that the impugned provisions criminalise such cultivation, possession or use of cannabis, they limit the right to privacy." The court also examined the medical evidence that was used when the case was first brought to a lower courtthe Western Cape High Courtas well as evidence from a 2002 case about the religious use of marijuana. It found no persuasive medical evidence that dagga in small amounts was harmful to users, particularly compared to the harm resulting from use of alcohol. Nor was there proof that marijuana use caused violent or aggressive behaviour or that its use led to the use of more potent or dangerous drugs. The constitutional Court noted that the personal consumption of small quantities of marijuana had been decriminalised or legalised in many other democratic countries. The state failed to prove that the existing limitation of privacy was reasonable and justifiable. The relevant legal provisions that criminalise personal, private use of dagga by adults were declared unconstitutional and invalid. That order was suspended for 24 months. This will give parliament time to rectify the constitutional defects. In the interim, the court ordered, adults who use, possess or cultivate cannabis in private for their own personal consumption are not guilty of contravening these provisions. The personal consumption exception has been widely celebrated. But it raises various practical difficulties. First, its less than clear under what circumstances the personal consumption exception will apply. According to the Constitutional Court, police officers will have to determine this on a case by case basis. To do so, theyll need to consider factors such as the quantity of cannabis in the persons possession and whether they can give a satisfactory account of their possession. Uncertainty relating to how the exception is to be enforced in practice is problematic. It may even mean that the exception violates the so-called principle of fair warning. This rule requires criminal law provisions to be clearly formulated so those subject to them know ahead of time what they may and may not do. Second, while the Constitutional Court judgment confirms the Western Cape High Courts findings in many respects, it also differs in important ways. Significantly, the Constitutional Court held that there was no persuasive reason for the High Court to confine its declaration of invalidity to marijuana use in a home or private dwelling. The Constitutional Court envisages instead that, provided dagga is used in private and not in public, it is protected by the right to privacy, even if the adult in question is not at home or in a private dwelling. It uses the example of someone who has cannabis in their pocket for private consumption, and then steps outside their home or dwelling. Provided the cannabis remains in their pocket and is for personal use, it still falls within the constitutional protection. This seemingly broadens the exception proposed by the High Court. But once again, it remains to be seen how the courts will interpret the distinction between public and private use in practice. Another aspect of the High Court judgment the Constitutional Court refused to confirm relates to the order declaring that provisions prohibiting the purchase of cannabis were invalid. The Constitutional Court argued that allowing people to purchase marijuana would amount to sanctioning dealing in cannabis. This aspect of the judgment raises a legitimate practical concern: how is an adult user of cannabis supposed to acquire the marijuana theyre allowed to use in private if they dont buy it from a dealer of some sort (which the Constitutional Court explicitly says is illegal)? The user could grow their own. But they would need to obtain the seeds or buy them from someone elsewho is, by definition, a dealer. The judgments implication seems to be that to exercise ones (constitutionally-protected) right to use marijuana in private, one must inevitably act illegally since any purchase of marijuana and related products makes one an accomplice to dealing in cannabis. Mary Nel, Mary Nel is a senior lecturer in Public Law, Stellenbosch University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Tata Steel for higher capacity utilisation in Bhushan Steel Kolkata, Sep 30 (PTI) After acquiring debt-laden Bhushan Steel through the insolvency and bankruptcy process, Tata Steel is now aiming to raise its production to 4 million tonne (MT) by the end of the current fiscal, an official said. Bhushan Steel's Odisha plant is presently operating at 3.5 MT against a capacity of 5 MT, the official said. "The Bhushan plant in Odisha has a capacity of 5 MT but is currently operating at 3.5 MT. We are working to raise the production at least to a level of 4 MT a year by March 2019 as demand remains robust," the official, who is part of the new team installed by Tata Steel in the company, told PTI. The Bhushan Steel plant is located close to Tata Steel's Kalinganagar facility where it has a 3 MT capacity. The official said the Kalinganagar plant expansion is on track despite Bhushan's takeover at Rs 36,000 crore. "Safety and environment aspects need to be strengthened in Bhushan Steel as they are not up to our (Tata Steel's) internal standards," he said. The new plant will follow Tata Steel's strategy of not just being a steel producer but a service company with extensive use of technology. Though Bhushan Steel will continue to be operated as a standalone outfit for the time being, a change of name is imminent to make it resemble a Tata company. The new management will be leveraging and complementing marketing strengths of Tata Steel, the official said. Tata Steel had earlier said there was a lot of synergies in taking over Bhushan Steel. Tata Steel took almost a decade to build 3 MT plant at Kalinganagar while the takeover of Bhushan Steel offered the steel major a readily available 5 MT plant, boosting its flat products. PTI BSM JM JM The opening ceremony of the Tang Xianzu Theater Festival and International Theater Exchange Month a series of programs to pay tribute to Tang Xianzu and to strengthen international cultural exchanges was held in the renowned Chinese playwright's birthplace of Fuzhou, Jiangxi province, on Sept. 28. The opening ceremony of Tang Xianzu Theater Festival and International Theater Exchange Month kicks off in Fuzhou, Jiangxi province, on Sept. 28, 2018. [Photo by Wu Xiaoshan/China.org.cn] Fifteen performing arts troupes from China, the U.K., the U.S., Spain, France, and South Korea performed at the opening ceremony of the theater festival, staging masterpieces such as Tang Xianzu's "The Peony Pavilion," Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" and Spanish opera "Carmen." Tang lived and worked in Jiangxi province during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) at roughly the same time that William Shakespeare, the great wordsmith and playwright, was active half a world away in England during the Tudor era. They were contemporaries whose works remain popular and are still performed today. Tang composed more than 2,000 poems and essays, of which he is best known for four plays "The Purple Hairpin," "Record of the Southern Bough," "Record of Handan," and "The Peony Pavilion." The Tang Xianzu Memorial Hall in Fuzhou, Jiangxi province. [Photo by Wu Xiaoshan/China.org.cn] Tang's stories, which for centuries entertained his fellow countrymen, nowadays delight audiences from around the world visiting in his hometown, where the international theater exchange programs are held. San Francisco, Sep 30 (AP) Tesla CEO Elon Musk and the electric car company have agreed to pay a total of USD 40 million and make a series of concessions to settle a government lawsuit alleging Musk duped investors with misleading statements about a proposed buyout of the company. The Securities and Exchange Commission announced the settlement Saturday, just two days after filing a case seeking to oust Musk as CEO. The settlement will require Musk to relinquish his role as chairman for at least three years, but he will be able to remain as CEO. (AP) ABH ABH Lucknow, Sep 30 (PTI) In what could be seen as an inspiration from Bollywood movie 'Padman', a sanitary napkin brand has launched a campaign to educate young girls and women about menstrual hygiene and provide them with pads at cheap prices. Niine Sanitary Pads has installed around 130 vending machines at colleges in Delhi, Agra and Allahabad to help young girls, chief executive officer Richa Singh told PTI. "Under the Niine movement, the company is installing vending machines at colleges. Women workers have been roped in to inform people especially in rural areas about the positive impact of using sanitary pads," she said. The company has opened a sanitary pad manufacturing unit in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur under the Centre's Make in India initiative to produce cheap pads, while ensuring that the quality of the product is not compromised, she said. The aim of the movement is to eliminate taboos related to menstruation. "In the past couple of months, more than 50,000 girls and women have been made aware about menstrual hygiene in Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Agra, Sitapur and Firozabad," she said. Singh said that help in this regard has also been sought from self-help groups, ASHA and aganwadi workers. "With the help of self-help groups, we are making a packet of sanitary pads priced at Rs 15 available to women and girls. Gradually, the movement will be started in states of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and Haryana," Singh said. PTI NAV DPB New Delhi, Sep 30 (PTI) Following are the top foreign stories at 1700 hours: FGN14 UN-GUTERRES-KASHMIR UN chief concerned over J&K, welcomes India's greater role in addressing peace, security challenges United Nations: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has voiced concern over the situation in Jammu and Kashmir while encouraging "positive dialogue" to resolve the disagreements peacefully. By Yoshita Singh. FGN4 UN-INDIA-PAK Pak FM Qureshi's remarks on Peshawar school attack dishonour memory of children killed: India United Nations: India Sunday strongly hit back at Pakistan for the "preposterous allegation" its Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi made at the UN that terrorists behind the 2014 attack on a Peshawar school were "supported" by India, saying the "despicable insinuation" dishonours the memory of the children killed in the assault. By Yoshita Singh FGN15 UN-INDIA-TERRORISM UN, India to step up cooperation in counter-terrorism, terror financing : UN chief United Nations: India is an "important partner" of the United Nations in countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said, and there are plans to step up cooperation between the two on strengthening capacity in combating terror financing. By Yoshita Singh. FGN11 UN-GUTERRES-INDIA Mahatma Gandhi's message of communal harmony and tolerance remains as relevant as ever: UN chief United Nations: Mahatma Gandhi's message of communal harmony and tolerance remains as relevant as ever, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said ahead of his maiden visit to the country as chief of the world body. By Yoshita Singh. FGN8 RAFALE-VKSINGH Govt does not decide partner in inter-governmental deals: V K Singh on Rafale deal Dubai: Minister of State for External Affairs General V K Singh has defended the Rafale fighter aircraft deal, saying it is not the government but the company that makes the equipment which decides the partner to fulfil the offset obligations in the inter-governmental agreements. FGN6 UK-MALLYA-FORCEINDIA 13 Indian banks lost out about 40 mn pounds in Force India sale: bidder London: One of the two main bidders, keen to acquire embattled Indian businessman Vijay Mallya's Force India Formula One racing team after it went into administration, has claimed that a consortium of 13 Indian banks lost out on estimated 40 million pounds as a result of an "unfair" sales process concluded last month.By Aditi Khanna FGN16 INDONESIA-TSUNAMI-3RDLD-TOLL Mass burials as death toll in Indonesia quake-tsunami tops 800 Palu(Indonesia): The death toll in Indonesia's quake-tsunami disaster nearly doubled to more than 800 Sunday, as ill-equipped rescuers struggled to reach scores of trapped victims, health officials resorted to mass burials and desperate residents looted shops for food and water.(AFP) FGN17 NOBEL-LD LITERATURE Group tied to literature prize still under Nobel glare Copenhagen: There won't be a Nobel Prize in Literature this year but the Swedish Academy that awards the prestigious prize is still in the limelight.(AP) RUP RUP Tribal political leader hails SC verdict on Sabarimala temple Jamshedpur, Sep 30 (PTI) A tribal political outfit, Jharkhand Disom Party (JDP), on Sunday, hailed the recent Supreme Court's verdict to allow entry of women of all ages in the Sabarimala Temple and hoped that it would help tribal women to enter the places of worship, known as 'Jahersthan'. The historic judgement of the apex court would certainly have its positive impact on the Santhal community as the Santhali women were also not allowed to enter the places of worship (Jahersthan), a statement quoted JDP president Salkhan Murmu as saying. Murmu and the party's social wing - Adivasi Sengel Abhiyan (ASA) hailed the Supreme Courts historic judgement on Sabarimala temple for providing constitutional rights to the Hindu women, who were barred from entering the shrine for several decades, on the pretext of tradition, the statement said. Santhali women are allowed to enter 'Jahersthan' only once a year during Baha (Sarhul) festival to collect flower from the holy place but not allowed to have 'Sode' (Kichidi Prasad) like their men counterpart, the tribal leader said. The JDP and ASA had taken up the issue in support of the Santhali women and even opposed to the forces that prevented Santhali women from entering a Jahersthan, he said. There is no logic or legal reason behind disallowing Santhali women to enter the Jahersthan, Murmu said, adding, illiteracy, superstitions and lack of constitutional knowledge were the reasons behind it. Murmu expressed hope that no one, including JMM-backed 'Majhi Pargana Mahal' (a religious body of the Santhals), will now stop Santhali women from entering Jahersthan following the Supreme Court's judgement. The historic judgement will also have its positive impact on forces recently engaged in misguiding tribals on the pretext of tribal system - 'Pathalgadi', Murmu claimed. 'Pathalgadi' is reportedly a practice in which villagers inscribe various tenets on huge stone slabs and ban outsiders in their area. These Pathalgadi leaders had misguided the youth by claiming that the Adivasi customs, traditions are above the Constitution, which was absolutely wrong, Murmu added. PTI BS SBN SBN Jammu, Sep 30 (PTI) A Pakistani chopper violated Sunday the Indian airspace along the line of control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir but turned back after it was "engaged by air sentries", the Army said. Jammu-based Army PRO Lt Col Devender Anand said the helicopter violated the airspace around 12:10 pm. Air sentries at forward location had engaged it with small arms, he said. He said it was most likely a civilian chopper and was flying very high. Officials said a white helicopter crossed into the Indian airspace in Gulpur sector and hovered over there for sometime before turning back. Three forward posts fired small arms after noticing the airspace violation, the sources said. PTI TAS RAX RAX \R New Delhi, Sep 30 (PTI) A high-powered Delhi University committee will be holding a meeting on Monday to discuss about the absorption of ad-hoc teachers. Prof. Hansraj Suman, a member of the committee, said a large number of teachers were working in the varsity on an ad-hoc basis. The meeting on Monday will see a discussion on absorbing them and their promotion. Issues like getting such teachers other benefits like paid leaves, childcare leaves, maternity leaves will also be discussed, another member said. The recommendations of the committee will be forwarded to the executive council. PTI SLB HMB 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. There is not enough analysis data for Chinook Energy. 4.8 Community Rank Outperform Votes Chinook Energy has received 294 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes Chinook Energy has received 118 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment Chinook Energy has received 71.36% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Chinook Energy and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe CKE will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe CKE will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next Papillon Resources Limited (Papillon) is engaged in the exploration and development of resource projects located in Mali. The Company has joint venture interests in a portfolio of gold tenements (granted licences and applications) in western and southern Mali. The Company's primary focus continued to be the advancement of the Fekola Project (Fekola or Project) located in south western Mali adjacent to the border with Senegal. Papillon completed its pre-feasibility study (PFS) for the project. The Company's subsidiaries include Mali Goldfields SARL, Songhoi Resources SARL, Bamagold SARL, Waraba Resources SARL, PIR Mali SARL, Papillon Exploration (AUS), Papillon Mining (AUS), Papillon Exploration (UK) and Papillon Mining (UK). Read More Albany Most of the narrative surrounding the construction of a new Wadsworth Center, which is the state's famed public health lab, has focused on where it should be located. Albany's political leaders have said the new $750 million health research and sciences campus and its 800 jobs must absolutely remain in the city. The University at Albany and Rensselaer County officials would rather it be built in East Greenbush, home to UAlbany's Health Sciences Campus and its School of Public Health, where dozens of Wadsworth scientists have faculty appointments. But a careful read of all of the analysis that the state of New York has done into the current state of Wadsworth's facilities and its potential future show that the where isn't so important as the why. And the why is compelling. Not only are Wadsworth's labs and buildings across Albany County outdated and in some cases inadequate for modern medical research and monitoring, but the state risks not being able to capitalize on Wadsworth's substantial contributions to public health if it doesn't modernize the center, especially during a time of rapid growth and transformation in the biotech and life sciences industries. Deloitte Although the Cuomo administration has set aside $750 million in capital spending to give Wadsworth and the Health Department a new campus, the state and the Capital Region specifically stands to gain billions of dollars more in economic development and job growth with a new Wadsworth. The Cuomo administration has been lining up private sector companies to partner with Wadsworth on new biotech innovations at the new campus, recently approving $22 million in funds for a new center that would monitor antibiotic-resistant diseases at hospitals statewide. The funding includes money to bring a New Jersey firm to the new Wadsworth campus called ILUM Health Solutions that would partner at the new center. The Capital Region already has the table set to build a sustainable biotech sector, anchored by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals next to UAlbany's Health Sciences Campus in East Greenbush, which has 2,600 employees at its drug-making facilities. Regeneron, which has several commercial drugs in the pipeline, has plans to add 1,500 more employees at a second campus a few miles away as it tries to keep up with demand for its drugs, which treat everything from eyesight loss to eczema, rheumatoid arthritis and heart disease. In fact, the so-called Albany economic area, which is a 14-county region as defined by the U.S. Economic Development Administration, has one of the strongest biotech clusters in the country. The EDA says that the Albany region has the 12th-highest concentration of biotech jobs in the nation out of 181 regions (when adjusted for the size of the local economy). Of course, the Albany region lags places like Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Utah and California, but it does have an established sector that can grow, including companies like Albany Molecular Research and AngioDynamics in Latham. The EDA ranking is from 2015, and with Regeneron's growth, the Albany region is likely even stronger today. The data was included in a 2018 report by the consulting firm Deloitte that was commissioned by the state to look at the future of Wadsworth. In fact, the state believes the new Wadsworth, along with the private investment that Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration has already lined up to co-locate on the campus, could become as vibrant -- although not as large -- as other well-known biotech parks such as the Research Triangle Park in North Carolina. Research Triangle is home to 50,000 employees and 22 million-square-feet of facilities, and it has helped its neighboring universities such as Duke, the University of North Carolina and N.C. State earn billions of dollars in National Institutes of Health grants. "The Capital Region has elements for success in Wadsworth and its valued infrastructure and relationships," the Deloitte study states. "The challenge is to develop a master plan and business structure that would create demand, jobs, and economic impact. While the Research Triangle project is large in comparison, the fundamentals of a workable model are sound and enduring." But the hope of a vibrant biotech sector grown by a new Wadsworth campus is only part of the story. The truth is, Wadsworth's four lab facilities are woefully outdated, and in some cases they aren't up to the standards that are needed to conduct modern scientific discovery and analysis. Wadsworth operates out of nearly one million square feet of space spread out over five buildings, almost all of them in Albany. The biggest is the 500,000-square-foot Biggs Laboratory underneath Empire State Plaza. When the Biggs Lab was completed in the early 1970s, it was state-of-the-art and provided the Department of Health with the type of facility that would attract people like Joachim Frank, who won the 2017 Nobel Prize for Chemistry based on his work at Wadsworth on three-dimensional cryo-electron microscopy from 1975 to 2007. John Oberlander/New York State Department of Health "The pioneering cryo-electron microscopy research developed by Dr. Joachim Frank during his tenure at the New York State Department of Health's Wadsworth Center has allowed scientists across the globe to view highly precise, three-dimensional images of biomolecules, allowing us to peer inside the inner workings of the Zika virus, bacteria, and other cellular structures," Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said when Frank's award was announced last year. "Thanks to his influential work, researchers are now able to precisely target pharmaceuticals at the atomic level, leading to new treatments for life-threatening diseases and building the foundation for further scientific progress." But today, the Biggs facility might not be able to attract such top scientists and their research. "Age and lack of ability to modernize the laboratory have made it underutilized and obsolete," the Deloitte report states. According to the report, there is no sprinkler system in Biggs, and until four years ago, there was no alarm system. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Those two issues were a problem several years back when an office fire broke out and not everyone was evacuated. "Fortunately, there was no loss of human life," the Deloitte report states. And there is also constant water damage caused by water infiltration from Empire State Plaza above. "This has led to the abandonment of several laboratory areas, and the move of newborn screening" (to the David Axelrod Institute on New Scotland Avenue), the report adds. The Axelrod Institute, located near Albany Medical Center at the site of the original Wadsworth lab, is the newest facility that Wadsworth operates, although it dates back to the 1990s, so it is now several decades old. Even the Axelrod Institute has its problems, much of it due to having to relocate labs from Biggs. Wadsworth Lab facts Wadsworth was started in 1901 as the state's antitoxin lab and it was designated the Division of Laboratories and Research in 1914. It is named after its first director, Augustus Wadsworth, a designation that didn't happen until the 1980s. And the center does it all, overseeing newborn screening in the state, and housing the state's specialized labs for emerging infectious disease threats. It also operates the state's medical marijuana lab, and specialized research labs focusing on cancer, spinal injuries and stem cells. Wadsworth includes 910,000-square-feet of space spread out over five buildings in the city of Albany and Guilderland. The state wants to build a new Wadsworth that would only be 649,970-square-feet of space but would be located on a single campus with private companies co-locating on the same site. The two likely sites at the Harriman State Office Campus in Albany or the University at Albany's Health Sciences Campus in East Greenbush. See More Collapse "Recent issues at the Biggs laboratory forced the newborn screening division to move into the entire fifth floor of the facility, further increasing the overutilization of laboratories," the Deloitte report states. "The ratio of lab to office space is very high with not enough offices to accommodate the building staff resulting in some of the labs being used as offices." Wadsworth also leases space in the Center for Medical Science, a privately owned building next to the Axelrod Institute, but there is no room to expand there and the facility does not meet some of Wadsworth's "more robust lab needs," the report states. Wadsworth also leases offices on Western Avenue in addition to the space at the Center for Medical Science. The last building that Wadsworth owns is the Griffin Laboratory in Guilderland, which dates back to the early 1900s and houses the state's rabies lab. Although most of the buildings are sound at Griffin Lab, its location is an issue. "The location of the lab is in a rural setting on the outskirts of the city of Albany, with the significant distance from the other facilities making it difficult to collaborate," the Deloitte report states. The rabies lab at Griffin is also overutilized for its size and extremely cramped. "The rabies building was originally designed for 3,000 samples per year and is now too small to accommodate the 7,000 annual samples," the Deloitte report states. "Renovation is difficult due to the exterior asbestos cladding. The lobby is shared between staff, deliveries to the cold room and general waiting. " The New York Capital Region Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is hosting an inaugural "fiesta" to connect the region's scattered but growing Hispanic community and build its educational and business success. The first-of-its-kind event planned for Friday at the Capital District Latinos Courtyard on Central Avenue will feature food, live music and local sponsors. Chamber president Laudelina Martinez said she hopes for at least 60 people to come, including the President of Hudson Valley Community College. The gathering will honor non-profit organization Centro Civico and businesswoman Pilar Dexter, a founding member of the chamber and head of a Cohoes construction company. Nearly one in five New Yorkers identifies as Latino or Hispanic, census data shows. Since 2000, the Latino population in the state has grown by nearly 33 percent, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo's office last year. Latino-owned businesses has increased significantly in the past decade and now account for 13 percent of all businesses in New York. But membership in the New York Capital Region Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which was started around seven years ago, hovers in the twenties, Martinez said. Three years ago, she began pushing for more outreach - but said she finds it difficult to reach the community because they're not centralized in one location. Hispanics in the chamber own diverse businesses in food, beauty, retail, consulting, real estate and insurance. Martinez said the nature of small businesses is that they come and go often, making it even harder to sustain connections. She also said Hispanics, especially if they're recent immigrants, can face challenges because they don't understand the U.S. system or lack role models of business owners in their community. "That's one thing Hispanics don't have," Martinez said. "They don't have models in Albany or the state to say how did you do that, can you give some guidance. Their models might be from their own country. Some of those models might not work in the U.S." One purpose of Friday's event is to showcase success stories. The chamber will honor Dexter, who created Straight Line Industries, Inc., a highway pavement-marking contractor, in 1993. The company installs pavement markings on asphalt and concrete surfaces for highways, parking lots and airports across New York and neighboring states. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Dexter was born in New Jersey to a German father and Mexican mother. She graduated from Georgetown and the College of St. Rose in Albany and worked for a healthcare consulting company in New York City and as a bilingual assistant for the United Nations Development Programme before venturing into construction. Her company has now earned multi-million dollar government contracts and employs 30 people. Dexter is retiring in October and has been active in the local chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction. Martinez said she chose Dexter for the first-of-its-kind honor because she's been a pioneer in tackling new areas for women and a model for younger women who want to eliminate gender-based barriers. Martinez doesn't know what to expect at the inaugural event Friday but hopes that the chamber will grow to become a place that's a boost for Hispanics to help one another and a resource for non-Hispanics to hire. "This is the first, first, first for everything," Martinez said. "We haven't done this before." COHOES An FBI investigation of Cohoes Mayor Shawn M. Morse is focusing on his use of political campaign accounts, according to interviews with multiple people familiar with the investigation. Federal authorities are also examining Morses time and attendance at a part-time security job he has held at the Glenmont Job Corps since February. The U.S. Department of Labors Office of Inspector General is handling that aspect of the probe, sources said. The FBIs investigation of Morse began at least a year ago when federal authorities obtained the mayors banking records, according to a person briefed on that part of the investigation. Last Monday, FBI agents confronted Morse at his residence at 6 a.m. and questioned him about his vacations, which have included a Caribbean cruise, and other matters. Morse has declined to respond to written requests for comment. Albany attorney William J. Dreyer, who was retained by Morse last week in response to the FBI probe, also declined to comment. The same morning that Morse was confronted by the FBI, the federal agents also knocked on the door of his longtime campaign treasurer, Ralph V. Signoracci, who was served with a federal grand jury subpoena directing him to turn over records of the mayors campaign accounts to the U.S. attorneys office in Albany. Signoracci, a county legislator who is the mayors director of operations in Cohoes, declined to comment. His attorney, James E. Long, also declined to comment. Its unclear what aspects of Morses use of campaign funds are being examined. In general, any use of campaign funds for personal expenses is prohibited. Public records indicate Morses Friends of Shawn Morse account held $31,555 in January. The most recent six-month filing due in July but electronically filed on Friday, according to the state Board of Elections website showed $20,727 on hand. Through the years, there have been multiple entries ranging from $250 to $3,000 in which Signoracci wrote checks to himself from the campaign account for professional expenses that are not detailed in the records. The most recent filing shows two such payments totaling $750. Another campaign account used by Morse is called The Chairmans PAC. Records indicate Morse, who was elected mayor of Cohoes in 2015, set up that account when he was chairman of the Albany County Legislature. At one time, the political fund held more than $10,000, but the most recent filing indicates there is no longer money in the account. In 2014, the Times Union reported that Morses Chairmans PAC account received a $10,000 donation from Council 82, an Albany-based law enforcement union that represents about 270 correction officers at the Albany County jail. The donation was made around the time Morse, then chairman of the County Legislature, had pushed a measure granting exemptions to dozens of Albany County employees who had lived outside the county in violation of a long-standing residency requirement. Morse, at the time, denied the donation from Council 82 was connected to the passage of that legislation. At the Glenmont Job Corps, Morse was hired in February not long after he had been placed on leave from his job as a labor relations representative for United Public Services Employees Union. Morse left that job after his wife, Brenda, called 911 in November and told a dispatcher her husband had grabbed her by the neck and thrown her to the ground. Morse has denied he choked his wife and has not been charged in that alleged incident, which remains under investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies. The State Police are also probing allegations made by Morses 16-year-old daughter that he physically abused her last year, including choking her and punching her in the head. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Patrick Thomas, a safety and security manager at Glenmont Job Corps who is Morses close friend, helped the mayor obtain the security job there, according to two people familiar with the matter. Thomas and Morse have vacationed together in the Caribbean, according to one of those people. Officials at the Glenmont Job Corps did not respond to questions about Morses job status this week. Federal Department of Labor investigators are examining Morses time sheets at the facility, which runs a federally subsidized program that offers free education to low-income students between the ages of 16 and 24. Thomas, who also works as a part-time police officer in the village of Altamont, could not be reached for comment. Todd Pucci, who is chief of Altamont Police Department, is also a police captain for the city of Cohoes and is a close friend of Morses. Pucci and Morse also have vacationed together, according to people who know them. In May, two FBI agents went to the Cohoes residence of Jeff Bagley, 52, to interview him about his arrest in January by Cohoes police on the basis of a criminal complaint that had been filed by Morses cousin Barbara J. Borden, who alleged Bagley harassed and threatened her in Facebook posts. The allegations, which led city police to obtain a warrant and arrest Bagley, were later disproven and dismissed by a judge. Bagley has filed a claim against the city alleging his arrest was retribution for speaking out about prior domestic abuse allegations leveled against Morse. Its unclear whether the FBI is probing Morses work for the citys Industrial Development Agency. Morse appointed himself as chief executive officer of the IDA after he was sworn in for his first term as mayor in 2016. IDA funds are used to pay Morse $15,000 a year for that role, under a line in the budget listed as professional services contracts. blyons@timesunion.com 518-454-5547 @brendan_lyonstu WASHINGTON - The FBI has begun contacting people as part of an additional background investigation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, including a second woman who alleges that the Supreme Court nominee sexually assaulted her. The bureau has contacted Deborah Ramirez, a Yale University classmate of Kavanaugh's who alleges that he shoved his genitals in her face at a party where she had been drinking and become disoriented, her attorney said Saturday. "She has agreed to cooperate with their investigation," Ramirez attorney John Clune said in a statement. "Out of respect for the integrity of the process, we will have no further comment at this time." President Donald Trump ordered the new background investigation of his nominee on Friday under pressure from key members of his party. Late Saturday, the president said the FBI probe would be exhaustive, but the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday afternoon said that the supplemental investigation would be limited to "current, credible allegations." And a lawyer for one woman who has accused Kavanaugh of misconduct said his client had not been contacted. In brief remarks to reporters before leaving for a rally in West Virginia, the president said the FBI is "all over talking to everybody. . . . They have free rein, they can do whatever they have to do, whatever it is that they do. They'll be doing things we have never even thought of." But Michael Avenatti, an attorney for Julie Swetnick, who alleged that Kavanaugh and another boy got teenage girls drunk at parties, where the girls were sexually assaulted, sometimes by groups of boys, said Saturday that Swetnick has not been contacted by the bureau. Swetnick said in a sworn statement this past week that she knew Kavanaugh in high school and was raped by such a group at a party where Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge were present. She has not accused Kavanaugh of raping her. Swetnik described Kavanaugh as a "mean drunk" in high school who was physically and verbally aggressive with girls. "We have not heard anything from the FBI, and with each passing hour, I'm growing increasingly concerned that this is a sham of an investigation," Avenatti said. He noted that Swetnick has had multiple security clearances and said that lying in a sworn declaration would be disastrous to her career. "Why would Miss Ramirez be questioned but not my client?" he asked. "Donald Trump is not supposed to be determining who is credible. That's the job of the FBI." Trump reiterated his defense of his nominee for the high court, calling him a "good man" and a "great judge." The president also said the FBI investigation "will be a blessing in disguise. It will be a good thing." Kavanaugh has denied the accusations by Ramirez and Swetnick and has said emphatically that he never abused or assaulted anyone. He also has pointed to half a dozen other background checks the FBI conducted on him for other federal positions over the years, none of which surfaced evidence or allegations of sexual assault. The FBI also is following up on allegations by Christine Blasey Ford, a psychology professor at Palo Alto University in California, who testified to the Senate last week that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in the early 1980s when they were in high school in suburban Washington, District of Columbia. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., a member of the Judiciary Committee, had pressed for the FBI probe and a delay in voting on the nomination. Asked on Friday about "current, credible allegations" that should be investigated, Flake said, "We'll leave that to the FBI." White House spokesman Raj Shah said on Saturday: "The scope and duration has been set by the Senate. The White House is letting the FBI agents do what they are trained to do." A Judiciary Committee spokesman on Saturday declined to elaborate beyond the panel's initial statement. Democrats were not included on a call that Republican staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee held with the White House discussing the FBI investigation, according to an official familiar with the discussion who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Trump, in his remarks to reporters, also said he wants to know who leaked a confidential letter by Ford that was sent to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Calif., the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, and suggested it could have been the California lawmaker. "I think frankly the FBI has a chance to reveal a lot of different things. I'd like to find out who leaked the papers," Trump said, referring to the letter. "Was it Senator Feinstein? Certainly her body language was not exactly very good when they asked her that question. I would like to find out as part of it who leaked the papers, which Democrat leaked the papers." Feinstein said at Thursday's hearing that she did not leak the letter nor did anyone on her staff. Ryan Grim, the reporter for the Intercept who first reported on the existence of Ford's letter, has also said neither Feinstein nor her aides were his sources. During Thursday's testimony, Ford recounted in detail how Kavanaugh and Judge allegedly attacked her in a bedroom during a small gathering at a house when she said the teen boys were both drunk. Ford said the alleged attack has caused her lasting trauma, and she was visibly anguished as she recalled the events Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Following Ford's testimony, Kavanaugh vigorously denied the allegations before the committee and accused Democrats of launching a last-minute attempt to derail his nomination. He decried the confirmation process as a "circus." Each of the people Ford identified as being at the gathering - Judge, Leland Keyser and Patrick J. Smyth - has said they will cooperate with the FBI. An attorney for Keyser, a friend of Ford's, said that Keyser has no recollection of the party where Ford alleges Kavanaugh assaulted her. "Notably, Ms. Keyser does not refute Dr. Ford's account, and she has already told the press that she believes Dr. Ford's account," the attorney, Howard Walsh III, wrote in an email to the Senate Judiciary Committee. "However, the simple and unchangeable truth is that she is unable to corroborate it because she has no recollection of the incident in question." Judge, the high school friend of Kavanaugh's who Ford says was in the room during the alleged assault, also has agreed to cooperate with the FBI. His account has been particularly sought after because, unlike Kavanaugh, Judge has not denied Ford's allegations but has said he has no memory that such an assault occurred. Ford told the Judiciary Committee that some weeks after the alleged assault she ran into Judge at a grocery store where he was working for the summer. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. "I said hello to him. His face was white and very uncomfortable saying hello back," she said. "He was just nervous and not really wanting to speak with me, and he looked a little bit ill." According to Ford, a boy named "PJ" was also at the gathering but not in the room where the alleged assault occurred. Last week, Smyth, who attended Georgetown Prep high school with Kavanaugh, told the Judiciary Committee that he had no knowledge of the gathering or of any improper conduct by Kavanaugh. On Friday, Smyth said through his lawyer that he was "happy" to cooperate with the investigation. On Friday, Republicans on the committee voted to proceed to a full Senate vote on Kavanaugh's nomination, but back-room negotiations led to a surprise twist in what has already been a wrenching confirmation process for a Supreme Court nominee, among the most polarizing in recent memory. Flake, a key swing vote to confirm Kavanaugh, said he would vote to proceed to a full Senate vote, but that the Senate vote should be preceded by a new, expanded FBI investigation of the allegations against Kavanaugh. Recognizing that Flake and a handful of other senators' votes appeared contingent upon the investigation, Republican leaders and the White House relented. Later that day, Trump ordered the investigation and that it be limited in scope and completed by Friday. Lawmakers and Trump administration officials had few expectations that the FBI would settle Ford's and Kavanaugh's dueling accounts. A background investigation is, by its nature, more limited than a criminal probe, and FBI agents will not be able to obtain search warrants or issue subpoenas to compel testimony from potential witnesses. The FBI's interviews, which will take a few days to conduct, won't turn into a sprawling inquest of everyone Kavanaugh went to a party with in high school, said a person familiar with the investigation. The FBI's findings will not necessarily become public. When investigators have completed their work, anything they've discovered will be turned over to the White House as an update to Kavanaugh's background check file. The White House would then likely share the material with the Senate committee. At that point, all senators, as well as a very small group of aides, would have access to it. The White House or the Senate would decide what, if anything, should be released publicly. The bureau's work will probably consist mostly of reports of interviews with witnesses and accusers. The bureau will not come to a conclusion on whether the accusations are credible and will not make a recommendation on what should become of Kavanaugh's nomination. On Saturday, the Judiciary Committee said it referred for criminal investigation apparent false statements made to the panel's investigators about Kavanaugh. Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said in a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and FBI Director Christopher Wray that he was seeking a criminal review of the actions of one individual whom he did not identify. - - - The Washington Post's Aaron Blake, Emma Brown and Alex Horton contributed to this report. --- Video Embed Code Video: At a rally in West Virginia, President Trump praised Judge Brett Kavanaugh's "courage" during his testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.(The Washington Post) Embed code: Bonney Lake, Wash. Every time Chris Gilman leaves her home at the foot of Washington's Mount Rainier, she fights the gnawing urge to turn around and check that someone isn't about to shoot her. Sometimes she wins the battle. Sometimes she loses. In the year since the 48-year-old was nearly killed in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history, Gilman has had to get used to living with fear: She has nightmares about family members getting shot, she only sits in spots in restaurants where she can see the exits, and she has to mentally prepare herself for movies that might include rapid gunfire. And then there are crowds, the toughest new obstacle Gilman must brave since surviving the Oct. 1, 2017, massacre in Las Vegas, which killed 58 people and wounded hundreds of others. Gilman was shot in the back; the bullet punctured a lung, lacerated her spleen and a kidney, broke two ribs and lodged 2 millimeters from her spinal cord. "There are times I'm at the grocery store and I feel that desire to turn around and look and see who's behind me," Gilman said. "I try to fight it, to just keep walking, and I think, 'You're at the grocery store. There's no one behind you with a gun.' But I always feel like I'm looking behind me." That feeling turned into panic at one of Gilman's first concerts since the shooting. Gilman and her wife of 18 years, Aliza Correa, were with friends at Seattle's KeyArena following an Aug. 11 concert when the surge of people around them became overwhelming. "All of a sudden I felt like the Tasmanian devil, where I was spinning in circles trying not to have anybody behind me," Gilman said. "I tensed up and thought, 'Here it comes, here it comes, I know I'm going to get shot. Who's behind me, who's behind me?' In your mind you know it's crazy to think that way, but when the visions come up it's hard to control." Gilman grabbed her wife's hand and told her she was freaking out, "but it was too late." "I was hyperventilating, and I ended up laying on the ground," said Gilman. Correa is struggling with her own trauma. She was at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Vegas with Gilman when a lone gunman busted out the windows of his 32nd-floor hotel room and launched an 11-minute barrage of gunfire on the crowd below. The women were helping a wounded friend when the bullet tore through Gilman. Gilman lay down and told Correa to save herself. Correa refused to leave her side. "I said, 'If you die, I die, so if you don't want me to die, you have to get up," Correa said, recounting how she rolled Gilman over so her injured wife could Army-crawl for cover under some bleachers. From there, Gilman said she knew she couldn't go any farther. That's when two married off-duty Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies, Alex and Wanda Valiente, came upon the couple. "My wife and I are going to get you out," Alex Valiente told Gilman. "I just need you to help us. I just need you to get up." Overcome with exhaustion and pain, Gilman told everyone: "Just leave me." Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. The Valientes and Correa wouldn't budge. "Get up," Alex Valiente told Gilman. "You're not going to die. You're going to get up." Gilman did just that, and the Valientes helped carry her to a car as bullets continued flying around them. Correa tried to clear a path for them amid a sea of wounded people, bodies and chaos. They made it. Out of the chaos, to the hospital and eventually, back home to the idyllic community of Bonney Lake, an hour southeast of Seattle. Gilman and Correa live in a recently developed, well-kept and tight-knit community that borders between suburban and rural, offering crisp mountain air and lots of grassy open spaces. But coming home was just the beginning. Correa, an ultrasound technologist, recently stopped working with patients needing the scans, often used to find the sources of an illness. Watching someone quietly weep as their mind races through the possibility of a life-threatening condition became unbearable. Gilman is often on high alert, even on her front porch. In casual conversation, her hazel eyes dart between the person she's talking to and her surroundings from neighbors walking their dogs and the children playing in the street to the garbage truck passing by. There are many dark moments that remind them of things they can't forget like the physical nerve pain Gilman feels when Correa affectionately puts her arm on Gilman's hip out of habit. And though she has largely recovered and even had the bullet removed from her body in a subsequent surgery, she proceeds gingerly when she has to bend down and is frustrated that she struggles to exercise like she used to at the gym. There are waves of depression, the loss of freedom from fear, but also overwhelming gratitude for little things, like when Gilman got a card from an 8-year-old she never met who wrote: "I wish this never happened to you." Amid the struggle, the couple strives for normalcy, for experiences most people can enjoy without a second thought. Santiago, Chile Pope Francis has defrocked a once-prominent priest whose case has been at the center of public outrage about clerical sexual abuse and its concealment in Chile, in a rare move that Vatican officials said showed his determination to tackle a scandal that has roiled the Catholic Church. The priest, the Rev. Fernando Karadima, was found guilty of sexual offenses by the Vatican as long ago as 2011. But his case has proved toxic for Francis, who defended a bishop accused of covering it up, Juan Barros, including during a visit to Chile in January. A month later, Francis sent sex crimes investigators to the country, which resulted in all 34 of the Roman Catholic bishops in Chile offering their resignations. Vatican spokesman Greg Burke described the move as "an exceptional measure," justified because "Mr. Karadima's serious offenses have caused exceptional damage to Chile." Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. The investigators delivered a scathing 2,300-page report, concluding that there was a "culture of abuse" and a pattern of inaction and concealment within the Chilean church. It accused church leaders of failing to investigate credible allegations and transferring priests accused of abuses to other parishes. The defrocking took effect immediately, meaning that Karadima is no longer a priest, but he can still form part of the church as a lay member. Since Donald Trump became president, I have appreciated more than ever the Constitution of the United States and our system of checks and balances. If our country didn't have these rights and freedoms and the strong independent media and judiciary, the United States would have already become an authoritarian country where a strongman leader bullies and discredits opponents and disables the press, courts and other institutions. Even though our Constitution is strong, it is being tested by Trump with his outrageous attacks on the media as "the enemy of the people," his demeaning of foreigners and people of color and his discrediting of our intelligence and security agencies. The way the Republican Congress has capitulated and not challenged his abuses of power shows how easily political leaders will fold for political purposes. This capitulation is a shocking indication of how easily some would toss out the norms of our democracy to maintain and consolidate power and smash political opponents. In a July Economist/YouGov poll, 45 percent of Republicans said they would even support closing some media outlets. Despite his furious efforts at intimidation, Trump can't control the free press and people's right to assemble and march against his policies on immigration, health care, women's issues and his authoritarian impulses. In the post-war world we were born into, many middle-aged and older Americans assumed that nationalist and fascist movements in Europe and elsewhere were defeated for good. Later, in that euphoric moment in 1989 when the Berlin Wall began to come down, democracy spread quickly through Eastern Europe to replace the decades of communist rule since 1945. Three decades later, though, the liberal idea of representative democracy is being challenged as countries without our strong traditions revert to authoritarianism and right-wing nationalist movements are on the rise. Vladimir Putin is trying to resurrect the old Soviet empire by many methods, including high tech cyberwar to undermine elections and democracy throughout the world. Poland, Hungary, Turkey and others have all come under the control of authoritarian leaders. Indeed, some of them have called for a new axis in Europe to fight "globalism," keep out migrants and preserve white Christian culture, as if Christianity itself was based on tribalism and racism. Authoritarians always seem to have the same playbook. They offer false promises of greatness and "winning" to correct perceived grievances about past leadership. They can't politically survive and prosper playing by democratic norms, so they scapegoat minorities as the source of problems, engage in big lies and propaganda, seek to intimidate the media and judiciary, and build a personality cult around the leader. Meanwhile, they use government power to corruptly enrich themselves and their friends. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. In America, though, corrupt domination and control by a divisive leader without majority support can never be sustained for long. Our American democracy is certainly not perfect and it has become less ideal in recent years. In 2017, The Economist magazine's Democracy Index changed America's rating from a "full democracy" to a "flawed democracy." We need sweeping reform to further extend the power of average voters to make sure they are not overwhelmed by propaganda, unlimited special interest money, voter suppression and foreign hackers trying to divide us. We Americans inherited the most open and prosperous country in the world, with the freedoms enumerated in our Constitution and Bill of Rights. However, democracy only works well when it is openly and fully used through voting and civic participation. Every generation has to fight to reclaim the American dream and improve our democracy for itself. Younger people today have the intelligence and the organizing skills to seek change and defend democracy. A large coalition of people of all parties and generations who believe in democratic principles continues to organize to protect them against the false lure of strongman authoritarian propaganda, xenophobia, corruption, and social division. Studying political science in college, I admired the great religious and political leader Reinhold Niebuhr, whose famous assessment on democracy is still critical today: "Man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man's inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary." Michael Burgess, of Delmar, is an author, senior advocate, and former director of the New York State Office for the Aging. [September 30, 2018] Lockheed Martin Appoints Joseph Rank to Lead Saudi Operations RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) today announced Brigadier General (Retired) Joseph (Joe) Rank as the Chief Executive for Lockheed Martin Saudi Arabia. Rank will lead the company's growing business in the Kingdom with responsibilities for building and cultivating key partner relationships and supporting the Kingdom's strategic business pursuits. Rank takes over the position from Alan Chinoda who will be returning to Lockheed Martin based in the United States. "I am confident that under Joe's leadership we will drive this strategic relationship to greater heights in the Kingdom, supporting Vision 2030, while strengthening regional and global security," said Richard H. (Rick) Edwards, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin International. "Joe brings a wealth of regional knowledge and experience to his new role as our chief executive in Riyadh. He will be an invaluable resource to our local operations as we continue to build new partnerships and grow our footprint in the Kingdom." "I would also like to thank Alan Chinoda for his outstanding contributions and leadership durin his seven years in Saudi Arabia. During Alan's tenure, we have strengthened the Lockheed Martin brand as a trusted defense and security partner to the Kingdom," he added. Rank recently concluded 31 years of service in the U.S. Army, most recently in the Office of the Secretary of Defense where he served as the acting deputy assistant secretary of defense for Middle East Policy. He has served almost a decade in the region to include positions as senior defense attache in the United Arab Emirates (2015-2017), Jordan (2011-2014), Lebanon (2010-2011) and Yemen (2004-2006). He speaks Arabic and has a Master of Arts in Islamic Studies from the University of Virginia. For additional information, visit our website: www.lockheedmartin.com . About Lockheed Martin Lockheed Martin entered the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the delivery of the first C-130 Hercules in 1965. Since then, the company has expanded its security portfolio in the Kingdom to include integrated air and missile defense systems, maritime and civilian applications, in addition to providing critical technical support and educational expertise to local industry partners. Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 100,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. This year the company received three Edison Awards for ground-breaking innovations in autonomy, satellite technology and directed energy. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lockheed-martin-appoints-joseph-rank-to-lead-saudi-operations-300721300.html SOURCE Lockheed Martin [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Why did Mayor Sly James want KCI discussion to be secret? | The Kansas City Star Mayor Sly James stepped in the muck Thursday when the City Council discussed the new terminal at Kansas City International Airport. There was good news. The Federal Aviation Administration had agreed, more or less, to allow roughly $23.5 million in "community benefits" spending on the project - money for job training, child care, financial education programs and the like. The lame duck Mayor becomes an easier target when even the newspaper seemingly grows tired of his secrecy and calls out a sketchy process that has basically misled voters at every turn.Take a look: LAWRENCE, KS (KCTV) -- There is an update to a story KCTV5 News brought you earlier this year about a student fighting to stay in the U.S. after graduation. A judge has ruled Hyebin Schreiber will have to leave once she graduates. She's from South Korea but was adopted by her aunt and uncle who live here. Update 04/4/2019: The 2021 Honda Jazz was caught out in the wild again and, while it hasnt dropped a lot of camo, we can make out a few subtle differences. Check out what we know in the Spy Shots section below! The camouflaged prototype spotted by our spies reveals quite a lot about the car, which is slated for a reveal no earlier than 2020, since the refreshed version of the current model only came out last year. Aside from the completely new and slightly more rakish-looking body, changes will be made to its powerplant lineup and interior. The hybrid version may share its powertrain with the new Insight. Honda is testing an all-new Jazz subcompact hatchback, also known as the Fit in some markets. Its the fourth generation for the nameplate and it looks like it will retain the wedge-nosed one-box design of its predecessors, albeit with a slightly sportier design twist. Spy Shots April 4, 2019 The Next-Gen Jazz (Fit) Hitting the Country Roads To the untrained eye, this prototype probably looks identical to the one we saw back in September 2018. But, if you look at the front closely, youll notice that the headlights are now actual production units including the L-shaped LED strip. Down below, we can actually make out the shape of the bumper. Despite the camo, we can actually see that the next-gen Fit\Jazz will have a fairly aggressive front end. It wont be nearly as aggressive as the new Honda Civic, mind you, but it will have some rather stout corner intakes. In the rear, next to nothing has changed but we can make out more of the taillights matrix and how much they actually protrude from the body. The 2021 Honda Jazz \ Fit should debut sometime toward the end of 2019 or sometime in early 2020 as a 2021 model and will be offered with typical gasoline engines, a hybrid drivetrain, or an all-electric drivetrain. Exterior Complete camouflage covers the body of the Jazz/Fit prototype spotted testing in Spain, wearing German number plates. While it retains the overall familiar Jazz shape, its windscreen pillars are considerably more steeply raked, and it also looks like its slightly wider than before. The grille appears to be wider and the headlights seem to be smaller and also set further apart. The front quarter light is different compared to the current model. It looks like its taller, and it seems to split the quite thick A-pillar in two. At the back, it looks like Honda is going to ditch the distinctive vertical tail lights that go up the C-pillar, replacing them with horizontal ones. Interior Note: 2019 Honda Insight pictured here. We have absolutely no idea what its interior will turn out like, but if recent Honda models are anything to go by, it may get a digital gauge cluster and a floating tablet-like central infotainment screen. It will probably look similar to the interior of the new Insight, but be a bit scaled down and probably featuring some cheaper materials for panels and trim pieces. Drivetrain The big news from under the hood of the new Jazz is a possible full-electric model with a range of 186 miles or 300 km. Aside from this, it is believed the hybrid version will share its powertrain with the larger Insight, to complement the usual range of gasoline engines. The current Jazz can be had with a 100-horsepower 1.3-liter, or a peppier 128-horsepower 1.5-liter, both of which can be paired with either a six-speed manual or continuously variable transmission. The North American market Fit only gets the larger engine, but you can still choose the transmission option. Prices With no major changes to the core versions of the model, pricing should remain pretty much the same - the hybrid and all-electric models will obviously fetch a premium, but in base trim, it shouldnt cost more than $17,000. Competition One of the Fits few same-size rivals in North America is the Chevrolet Sonic, a global model sold under various brands and names, praised for its comfortable cabin, spritely performance and decent handling. With its latest visual update, it also looks better than ever and is generally regarded as a vehicle close to the top of its class - two areas where it lags behind some rivals are fuel efficiency and space in the back; the current Fit, for instance, is even good for adults on longer journeys, whereas the Sonic isnt really. Read our full review on the 2017 Chevrolet Sonic. Only available as a sedan in North America, the Hyundai Accent has a lot going for it: its latest redesign keeps it looking fresh and modern, it has reassuring handling and plenty of tech, and its cabin is one of the quieter and more spacious in its size bracket. Its not the fastest accelerating in its class, though, and while its generally pretty comfortable, really rough roads do unsettle it quite noticeably. Its interior also looks a bit cheap and materials used overall are not great, but since the car is so reasonably priced, this is not a big concern. Read our full review on the 2018 Hyundai Accent. In Europe, the Jazz has considerably more talented rivals to win buyers from. The VW Polo beats it in pretty much every area aside from interior space and modularity. It is unmatched for perceived quality, fit and finish, comfort levels are also very high (rivaling cars from a class above) and its desirable badge ensures decent resale values. Engines are also plentiful and cater for a wide range of needs. Theres even a hot GTI model that will please most enthusiasts, although even mid-range models are fun to drive. Read our full review on the 2018 Volkswagen Polo. Conclusion If Honda gets the Fit right for the US market (which, lets face it, it probably will), the model will stay at the top of its class. They dont really need to tweak that much because the buyers who are into the car already like it the way it is - they just want a more modern, up-to-date version that looks fresh and packs all the latest cool gadgets. The current model is definitely not an exciting car, and the upcoming one probably wont do anything about it. In Europe, the Jazz faces much stiffer and diversified opposition - here, buyers want more than just a practical, spacious mini people carrier - they also want it to look fun and drive with verve and gusto - thats why cars like the Ford Fiesta are so popular, because they are properly engaging on a twisty backroad in a way that the current Fit, at least, could never hope to match. But if Honda does manage to make the Fit/Jazz more exciting to look at and inject some extra fun into its driving experience, it could go a long way to making it more appealing around the world. Love it Wont drastically change and alienate buyers Looks sportier and more planted Possible all-electric version Leave it Still looks like a mini-people carrier The absence of sportier versions Further Reading Read our full review on the 2015 Honda Fit. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Mohali, September 30 Sleuths of the Special Task Force (STF) here have arrested a Nigerian with 800-gram heroin, valued around Rs 4 crore in the international market. The accused has been identified as Okeke Anselm Arinze, a resident of Surulerre in Lagos, Nigeria, currently residing at Uttam Nagar in New Delhi. Giving information, SP (STF) Rajinder Singh Sohal said the accused was arrested from Phase II here. The accused was coming from the Chandigarh side and immediately took a U-turn on seeing the cops. On search, we recovered 800 grams of heroin, said SP Sohal. During investigation, the accused confessed that he came to India on medical visa in 2011. He went to Tripura, where some of his acquaintances, also from Nigeria, were staying then. Later, he started garments business. He took to drug peddling after coming into contact with a person, named Sunny, said the police, adding that Sunny was currently in South Africa. Okeke, who has been staying illegally in India for the past around seven years, has been supplying drugs to his customers after keeping contact with them through WhatApp calls, said the police. Anita Inder Singh Anita Inder Singh Founding Professor, Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution in New Delhi WHAT New Delhi says and does can be two different things, especially when it comes to confronting Donald Trumps threat to penalise countries importing oil from Iran. When he announced sanctions against Iran last May, Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj declared that India only followed UN sanctions, and would not follow unilateral American sanctions on Iran. But only a few days later, the State Bank of India warned Indian companies to reduce imports from Iran and told refiners it could not support Iranian purchases as long as sanctions lasted. Then, after Trump slammed Iran in his speech to the UN General Assembly on September 25, Swaraj told Irans Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, that India would continue importing oil from Iran. India has told the US that it would not cut oil imports from Iran. With good reason. India imports 83 per cent of its oil, and Iranian oil is cheaper than that from some other countries. Iran is India's third biggest oil supplier. But India's biggest oil-buyers have not booked any cargoes from Iran for November, potentially cutting oil imports to zero. No quick fix Washington, however, will not exempt India from penalities if it continues to import oil from Iran. There is no quick fix for India. And there is more to Indo-Iranian ties than oil imports. But what will India's friends do to help it to shore up its economic interests in Iran? India secured Irans agreement to develop the strategically important Chabahar port and has invested $500 million in it. For India, Chabahar, situated in the Sistan-Balochistan province of Iran and lying outside the Persian Gulf, could become a gateway for trade with Afghanistan and Central Asian countries. For nearly two years, Japanese participation in the development of Chabahar was welcome to India. It would have speeded up implementation of the project and enhanced its political clout. But Japan was always cautious about investing in Chabahar and withdrew from the project in November 2017. At that time it also started cutting oil imports from Iran. It could afford to do that. Japan relies heavily on oil imports from the Middle East, though Iranian crude accounted for just 5.3 per cent of its total imports last year. At another level, an indication of Japans changed stance on Chabahar came when the project failed to find a mention in the India-Japan joint statement issued after talks between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September. One outstanding fact may explain Tokyos change of mind. As a military ally of the US, Japan has to think in terms of US pressure on sanctions against Iran. Chabahar may slip away If Indias ties with Iran suffer because it goes along with American sanctions, the country that will gain the most is China. With Japan out of the picture, India could lose the chance to develop the southern Iranian port of Chabahar. China has an interest in Chabahar. Last March, Teheran announced that it had offered China and Pakistan participation in the Chabahar project. China has already developed the Gwadar port in southwest Pakistan as a key link in its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative. Just over 100 miles separate Gwadar from Chabahar. So China would gain a major vantage point in the area around the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz and Arabian Sea if it were to develop Chabahar as well. China plays with several cards simultaneously. Already the biggest buyer of Iranian oil, it is not expected to heed US demands. In fact, as part of Trumps trade war, an independent Chinese refiner has suspended crude oil purchases from the US and has turned to Iran for oil supplies. For Iran, China is the one country that matters most to its oil economy. China, the world's top crude-oil buyer, imports more than a quarter of Irans oil exports. Chinas position on Iranian oil sanctions has been consistent over the years. It has usually defied US sanctions with the intent of advancing its own business interests: cooperation with the US has been a secondary priority. Sino-Iran rail ties Economic ties between China and Iran are also growing. Soon after the Trump administration announced that it would reinstate sanctions, Teheran and Beijing. announced the launch of a new rail link between Bayannur, in Chinas Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, and Iran. The line will speed up cargo shipments to China, as a part of Beijing's $ 124 billion Belt and Road Initiative. It could also be one of the first steps taken by China to finance billions of dollars' worth of projects in Iran to build railways, roads, ports and power plants. Trumps sanctions can only push Iran and China closer together. The Chinese have invested in Iran for the past 30 years and have made themselves appear indispensable to the Iranians. Washington fails to appreciate the strength and scope of the Sino-Iranian tie. China is one of Iran's leading trading partners. Twelve per cent of Irans imports come from China, 2.3 per cent from India. Seventeen per cent of Irans exports go to China, 8.4 per cent to India. Bolstered by the flow of Iranian oil, Chinese-Iranian trade jumped by 20 per cent in 2017 to $37 billion. New Delhi, which enjoys a close economic and military partnership with Washington, must contend with the capacity of the US to intervene in Iran in a way that does not suit India. Will India endanger its good ties with the US for Iranian oil? Or will it be able to persuade the US that only their common rival China would benefit from American sanctions on Iran? With India dependent on the US, the question is whether New Delhi will be able to persuade Trump to exempt India from buying Iranian oil or bow to Washingtons tough and unreasonable demands. pardeepdhull@gmail.com London, September 30 An activist group in the UK is planning to stage a loud demonstration outside the final annual general meeting of Indian mining tycoon Anil Agarwals Vedanta Resources here on Monday to demand justice for the 13 protesters killed in a police shooting at the companys copper smelter in Tamil Nadu, India, in May. Foil Vedanta, a grassroots activist group centred in London, also blames the City of London Corporation and UKs Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for failing to regulate or penalise the company, which will be formally delisted from the London Stock Exchange (LSE) on October 1. We cannot let Vedanta boss Anil Agarwal escape accountability and justice in the UK, under whose jurisdiction he has committed widespread financial, human rights and environmental crimes, said Foil Vedantas Samarendra Das, who is the primary author of a new report titled Vedantas Billions. The report will be handed to the FCA as part of a series of protests on Monday, calling on the UKs financial watchdog to investigate the company. The FCA and City of London must now initiate proceedings against Vedanta or remain complicit in enabling and mitigating these abuses, he said. The report is a summary of legal judgments against Vedanta across its operations, holding the company responsible for abusive modus operandi due to illegal mining in Goa, pollution and tax evasion in Zambia, as well as illegal expansion and pollution in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu. Vedantas track record of human rights, environmental and financial violations, together with its already complicated financial structure, strongly suggests that delisting is part of a policy to further limit public scrutiny of its operations, the report claims. It alleges that the delisting follows the police shooting which killed 13 people, including women and children, on May 22 this year their 100th day of protest against pollution by Vedantas copper smelter at Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu. The killing is being dubbed a corporate massacre and led to the closure of the Sterlite copper plant. Vedantas delisting plans were announced shortly afterwards amidst global protests against the company, the report concludes. British MP Hywel Williams, who was handed a copy of the report, said, This is a deeply concerning and disturbing report. I will be taking note of its findings and seeking to ensure that MPs, policymakers and the Westminster government are informed of its findings. The report once again emphasises the need for action by UK authorities to investigate and regulate London-listed corporations that carry out illegal and immoral acts overseas, Williams said. Vedanta Resources chairman Anil Agarwal is set to take the LSE-listed company private from Monday, after the companys family-owned trust Volcan Investments had got the go-ahead for the move from minority shareholders in early September. Agarwal has previously stated that the buy-out of the London listing was intended to simplify the companys structure and claimed that the liquidity of Indian markets meant that the need for a separate London listing was no longer critical. In a video message on Twitter soon after the deaths in Thoothikudi, he had described the incident as absolutely unfortunate and expressed full sympathy with the families of those who killed in the protests. PTI laxmi@tribune.com THE first-rung leadership of Independent India was understandably wary of the armed forces. The men and the institutions were handed down unaltered by the British who not too far back were utilising these very resources to stifle the Independence movement. The army-led takeovers in Pakistan and Myanmar added to their wariness. Without patriotism as a mobilising tool, Nehrus post-colonial nationalism comprised an inclusive Indianness in communion with a wider community of recently liberated nation. Military and its valour as mobilising elements were incorporated after the eye opener in the 1962 war. Since then, politicians have experienced electoral joy in invoking the military: two stellar examples are Lal Bahadur Shastris slogan of Jai Jawan Jai Kisan and Indira being equated with Durga for the dissection of Pakistan. But not even the Vajpayee government, with a similar DNA as the current dispensation, had not gone so grossly over the top. Perhaps they are banking on the proverbial short memory to eulogise a military operation that pales before the many acts of valour by the Indian armed forces since Independence. No wonder the serving and former military officers, who know better, have been uneasy about this naked display of political upmanship. The videos streaming out of our urban centres confirm the apprehension that the idea was to use the soldier as a prop for the BJPs political propaganda. Pakistan next door offers a vivid example of what happens when the lines between the military and the civilian sphere are consciously blurred. The public display of militarised religious symbolism, Pakistan found out, was one of the major means for the promotion of the culture of militancy and radicalisation. South Blocks enrolment of the army as a proxy election campaigner will not just shortchange the electorate by glossing over the more critical bread and butter issues. Rajnath Singh had found his attempt to become the UP chief minister badly derailed after the BJP once too often whipped up patriotic frenzy over the Kargil war. Elections are still at a distance and the danger of overkill is a likely possibility. editorial@tribune.com Kurukshetra, September 30 Even as the wife of Apple executive Vivek Tiwari reportedly disapproved Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals tweet giving a religious colour to the death of her husband, Kejriwal on Sunday justified his comment on social media. In Jind to chair a community function this afternoon, Kejriwal reiterated that the BJP doesnt protect the interests of Hindus. He said that the tweet was aimed at exposing the BJP that it represents Hindus. Despite being a Hindu, Tiwari was killed in an encounter by the UP Police in Lucknow. After the crime, a press conference for the accused policeman was organised at a police station, he alleged. At a press conference in Lucknow, Tiwaris widow Kalpana reportedly said the Delhi CM should not have given a religious twist to the incident. He does not know what I am going through. No politics should be played over my husbands death. Please do not connect everything to religion, she reportedly commented. However, the Delhi CM said that AAP did not believe in the electoral politics of religion or caste. He said the AAP would not contest the forthcoming byelection to the Jind Assembly seat. Later at a public function, he said the development initiatives undertaken by the Delhi Government would be emulated in Haryana if the party is voted to power in the next Assembly poll. TNS editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Panipat, September 30 Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee president Ashok Tanwar on Sunday attacked the Union government over the Rafale deal and the charged the state government with non-governance. He announced the fourth battle of Panipat against both governments during a state-level Pol Khol Halla Bol rally organised by the state Congress here. Accusing Narendra Modi government with Rafale deal scam worth Rs 1,44,144 crore, Tanwar said the amount was larger than the Haryana Budget, which was Rs 1.05 lakh crore. He said the Congress had lost power from here in 2014 and started the campaign to get back to power from this historic land. The state Congress chief extended support to the farmers, labourers, youth, businessmen, employees and women fighting for their rights. He announced that loans of farmers and the poor would be waived, old-age pension raised to Rs 3,000 per month, fresh survey of BPL families and families without government job conducted and old pension scheme for government employees restored. He promised higher education scholarship for children of all 36 communities and weaker sections, settlement of enhancement issue and restoration of 100 yard plot scheme without discrimination if the Congress was voted back to power. Terming demonetisation as a scam, he alleged that it had been done to benefit BJP leaders. He flayed the Centre over hike in prices of petroleum products. He said Modi had launched the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao slogan from here in 2015, but the state government had failed to save its daughters. Referring the recent incidents of rape and gangrape in Rewari, Rohtak, Kurukshetra and Faridabad, Tanwar claimed that the state had become the leader in terms of crime against women. He also attacked the state government over Gwal Pahari land dispute, mining scam, medicine purchase issue and paper leak scam. He claimed that people had decided on change of guard. Former INLD MLAs Tejbir Singh Pundri and Kulbir Singh Beniwal, along with their supporters, joined the Congress during the rally. Former MP Ishwar Singh, former minister Bijender Singh Kadyan and former MLAs Anand Kaushik and Naresh Yadav were present. editorial@tribune.com Lalit Mohan Tribune News Service Dharamsala, September 30 About 100 shepherds and 7,000 livestock are trapped near Thumbsar Pass at a height of 16,000 feet situated on the Baijnath- Bara Bhangal road, nearly 100 km from here. There were reports that one shepherd had died and many had lost their livestock to severe weather conditions. They are not in a position to come down due to damaged paths and footbridges. Akshay Jasrotia, an activist from Baijnath, said most of the area from Multan tehsil of Kangra district to Bara Bhangal village fell in the Dhauladhar wildlife sanctuary. The area was used by shepherds of Kangra, Mandi and Chamba districts as grazing grounds for their sheep. The shepherds went up in summers and came back to Kangra in winters. This year, the shepherds could not take adequate food supply with them. They were dependent on Bara Bhangal village panchayat for supplies. However, due to the shortage of foodgrain in the village, the panchayat had denied them ration. Now they were trapped without food. SDM Baijnath Vikas Shukla said two teams had been sent to the hills to verify the reports regarding the shepherds near the Thumbsar Pass. One team would bring back the body of a shepherd and other team assess the situation. The teams were likely to reach by late tonight. The tehsildar of Multan had been directed to take food supply and provide it to the shepherds. Sources said the government had provided Rs 5 lakh to Bara Gram village to repair foot bridges on the Bara Bhangal track. However, the money had not been spent as yet. editorial@tribune.com Dipender Manta Tribune News Service Mandi, September 30 Despite advance warning from the weather office predicting heavy rains between September 22 and 24, a large number of tourists ventured into the remote Himalayan region of tribal district of Lahaul-Spiti. No lessons were learnt from the past tragedies and the trekkers remained stuck in high-altitude areas for days together and many of them lost their lives in Kullu and Lahaul Spiti districts. For reaching Lahaul Spiti district the Manali-Leh road passes through Baralacha Pass at an altitude of 16,000 feet above sea level. Similarly, the Manali-Kaza road goes through Kunzum Pass at the height of 15,000 feet above sea level. Such high-altitude areas are prone to receiving sudden snowfall if weather turns inclement. In view of public safety, the Himachal Road Transport Corporation had stopped its bus service between Kullu and Leh on September 15. The movement of private vehicles, however, was allowed on this road. As a result, a large number of vehicles were stranded on the Manali-Leh highway close to Baralacha and Sarchu. Similarly, a large number of vehicles were stuck on the Manali-Kaza road as the weather took sudden turn for the worse resulting in heavy snowfall. In all, over 2,000 tourists had been left stranded for days together battling for their lives. The district administration Kullu and Lahaul Spiti had also issued an advisory in advance after report of the Meteorological Department cautioning locals and tourists against venturing close to the gushing Beas and its tributaries or trekking in the high-altitude area. Despite the warning, no one paid head to the advice of the district administration and a large number of people got stuck on the banks of Beas near Dobhi Bihal. They were enjoying paragliding. Similarly, two youths of Kullu district, who went close to swollen Beas at Hurla to collect wood, were left stranded for the whole night putting their lives at risk. However, quick response of the Kullu administration and the state government resulted in the rescue of those stranded. Lahaul-Spiti DCAshwani Kumar Chaudhari said people should take precaution as per weather predictions. Larji horror... editorial@tribune.com Azhar Qadri Tribune News Service Srinagar, September 30 BJP candidates have won 10 of the 13 municipal seats unopposed ahead of the civic body elections in the volatile Kulgam district of south Kashmir. BJP candidates have won eight seats in Devsar and two seats in Kulgam two of the four municipal committees going to polls next week, Kulgam District Election Officer Shamim Ahmad Wani told The Tribune. Three independent candidates have also won uncontested in the Kulgam municipal committee, he said. Kulgam has four municipal committees Kulgam, Devsar, Yaripora and Frisal. While the local body elections will be held in Kulgam and Devsar municipal committees in the first phase on Monday next week, Yaripora and Frisal will go to polls in the second phase on Wednesday next week. Two major political parties based in Kashmir the National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party have boycotted the election, while the BJP and Congress have fielded their candidates. Kulgam is one of the four districts in the volatile south Kashmir, a region which has emerged as the epicentre of new-age militancy. The threats from militants, who hold a dominating presence in south Kashmir and have warned against participation in the upcoming polls, are resulting in minimal filing of nominations from the four south Kashmir districts. The victory of BJP candidates, even though without a fight, will be a major success for the party which had previously failed to find a foothold in Muslim-majority Kashmir valley. Poll boycott 78 wards (69 in the Valley) go uncontested 80 wards to go to the polls in the first phase on Oct 8 in the Valley South Kashmir 30 wards go uncontested (5 in Kulgam, 8 in Devsar, 5 in Achabal, 8 in Kokernag and 4 in Qazigund) Central Kashmir 24 wards go uncontested (9 in Budgam, 8 in Chadoora and 7 in Khansahib) North Kashmir 15 wards go uncontested (6 in Baramulla, 2 in Kupwara, 6 in Handwara and 1 in Bandipora) pardeepdhull@gmail.com Majid Jahangir Tribune News Service Srinagar, September 30 A policeman was killed in a militant attack on a police station in south Kashmirs Shopian district on Sunday morning, officials said. The attackers also snatched the rifle of the slain cop. The militants carried out the attack in the wee hours when they fired indiscriminately at the police station. The attack was repulsed by alert jawans. One policeman, Ct Saqib Mir, sustained grave injuries in the attack and was evacuated to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. However, the injured jawan succumbed to his injuries, a police spokesman said. No militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. A manhunt was launched to nab the attackers. Infiltration bid foiled in Tangdhar Meanwhile, the Army claimed to have foiled an infiltration bid in Tangdhar sector on Saturday evening. The Army said the infiltrators were helped by the Pakistani Army who fired at Indian posts. Our forces retaliated strongly and foiled infiltration bid being attempted under cover fire provided by the Pakistani Army, Srinagar-based defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said. He said there was infiltration attempt by militants and ceasefire violation by the Pakistan Army in Tangdhar Sector in evening hours on Saturday. No damage, injury or casualty on own side, he said editorial@tribune.com Suhail A Shah Anantnag, September 30 A policeman was killed in a militant attack on a police station in Shopian on Sunday. The killing of the policeman took place nine days after three off-duty unarmed policemen were abducted and later killed by militants in Shopian district. The policeman killed in the militant attack this morning has been identified as Constable Saqib Mir, a resident of Zavoora village of Shopian district. The attack took place about 6:30 am at the police station in Shopian town. A senior police official said the militants fired indiscriminately at the police station. Alert policemen retaliated the fire duly, repulsing a major attack, the police official said, adding that one of the policemen sustained grievous wounds in the firing. The injured police man was evacuated to a hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. A police source said the militants were burqa-clad and knocked on the police station gates. The slain constable opened the gate and he was fired upon, the source said. Sources maintained that the militants also decamped with the service rifle of the slain policeman but there was no official confirmation about that. Later in the day, a wreath-laying ceremony was held at District Police Lines, Shopian, where senior police officials paid tributes to the slain constable. The constables body was taken to his ancestral village in the district, where funeral prayers were held and attended by hundreds. The slain policeman had joined the Shopian police station only 14 days ago after completing his training in Lethpora. His brother, Wasim Mir, was an SPO and had resigned a few days back. Meanwhile, the Army claimed to have foiled an infiltration bid in the Tangdhar sector on Saturday evening. The Army said the infiltrators were helped by the Pakistan army which fired at Indian posts. Our forces retaliated strongly and foiled the infiltration bid being attempted under cover fire by the Pakistan army, Srinagar-based defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said. Recently China hosted its seventh China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit in Beijing. With 53 of 54 African countries represented at the FOCAC summit, Beijing rightly described this as the "most important home diplomatic event" of the year. The power-packed summit, which was attended by several heads of states of major African countries, is a clear vindication of the growing role of China in Africa's turnaround story. Cyril Ramaphosa, president of South Africa, aptly depicted this as "Africa's Golden Age" facilitated by China. With China's overall trade with Africa hitting approximately $180 billion in less than a decade, there is little doubt that China's powerful presence in Africa is instrumental to its great economic and industrial revival. While China's growing presence in Africa has caught the world's attention for quite some time, international analysts have recently been talking about India's growing presence in the world's second most populous continent. Like China, India's penetration in the African continent has seen a major spike in the last decade or so. With its deep historical connections and its people spread across many countries (East Africa is after all a littoral region of the Indian Ocean) mainly Kenya, South Africa, Mauritius and Uganda, many Indian private companies like Birla and Tatas have developed a strong presence in the continent since the 1960s. However, India's rising economic profile in the last two decades has given the country the means to strengthen its presence in Africa. Similar to China, New Delhi launched its flagship initiative - the India-Africa Summit in 2008 - to cement its economic and strategic ties with the continent. And to further spur relations, India has in recent times been sending its top leaders to visit key countries in Africa. The statistics speak for themselves. According to India's Federal Bank analysis, between 2008-2016 the total flow of FDI from India to Africa was above $52 billion, accounting for a huge 21 percent of the country's overseas investment outflows. Indian companies, including its public sector units, have made deep inroads in the oil, services, construction and manufacturing sectors of the region. Given this, analysts have been comparing the India-China race in Africa to what some European countries did in the last century and that many in Africa view "China and India as alternatives to the West." There is some element of truth in this as China and India were the fourth and eighth largest investors respectively in Africa in 2016. Both countries have made massive inroads into key growth sectors like oil, natural resources, infrastructure, manufacturing and have provided technical and logistical support to many African countries. The combined investment of both China and India could very well exceed $200 billion in the last decade, which is unprecedented for Africa. Yet, there is a fundamental difference between India and China's involvement in terms of its scale and pace. To start, China is Africa's largest trading partner since 2008 with investments worth $170 billion. India, however, is averaging around $50 billion and out of that, a sizable chunk is invested in the tax haven of Mauritius. China's investments have gone up more than three-fold from $9 billion in 2009 to $32 billion whereas India has, in recent years, moved theirs up from $12 billion in 2009 to just $15 billion. The second and most critical difference is that when compared to China, the presence of Indian public sector companies in Africa is less pervasive, they have a poor record of meeting contractual agreements and have limited impact on local economies. In contrast, Chinese state owned enterprises have excellent track records of meeting contractual agreements and also play an important role in Africa's pre-crisis growth surge. Yet, despite varied levels of presence and impact, there is much room for cooperation between these two Asian giants in the region. While analysts often depict the India-China competition as a zero-sum game, there is more room for collaboration and cooperation between the two rising powers in a continent with as many as 54 countries. Recently, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi spent considerable time exploring this area during their BRICS summit in Africa. China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, "The cooperation between both countries is developing with sound momentum. We hope that both countries can continue to implement the consensus between the two leaders, explore other cooperation models like 'China-India plus one' or 'China-India plus X' so as to realize a win-win cooperation for China and India and for the peace and stability in the region." In short, from human resource management to infrastructure building, from capacity building, conflict resolution to governance, there is a wide range of areas where synergies can be found between the two Asian giants to power the African revival. As President Xi aptly remarked, India and China share remarkable complementary advantages and significant potential for cooperation in various fields in Africa. Niranjan Sahoo is a senior fellow from the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi. Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. editorial@tribune.com Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Jammu, September 30 Taking advantage of the backwardness of the marginalised sections of society, candidates of some influential families of the Kashmir valley manage to get fake Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificates and get selected in various government departments at the cost of deserving youth of tribal communities. The selections of some non-ST candidates as teachers in the recently issued selection list have fuelled anger among Gujjar and Bakerwal candidates who have applied for same posts. I have lodged a written complaint with the Crime Branch of J&K Police asking them to probe how non-ST candidates have managed ST certificates to get selected as teachers, Mohammad Javid, a Gujjar youth from Bijbehara tehsil of Anantnag district, told The Tribune. He alleged that a large number of non-STs had managed to get forged certificates with the connivance of Revenue Officers to further marginalise Gujjars and Bakerwals living in the Kashmir valley. Notably, the selection list of teachers is already marred with controversies after a candidate having five marks was selected as science and math teacher. Secretary, Gujjar-Bakerwal Advisory Board, Mukthiar Ahmed admitted that the issuance of fake certificates to non-STs was going on unabated in the Kashmir valley. We have repeatedly brought this matter to the notice of the higher authorities of the Revenue Department but nothing has been done so far, he said, adding, Candidates of non-ST castes like Mir, Dar and Pathans have managed to get ST certificates in most parts of the Kashmir valley. J&K is the only state in northwest India which has a considerable number of ST population. Of the 14.9 lakh STs in J&K in 2011, there were 13.2 lakh Muslims, 1 lakh Buddhists and 67,000 Hindus. Secretary, Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation, Javid Rahi said on the direction of the Supreme Court, a committee was constituted to verify ST certificates issued to different tribes but recommendations of the panel were not implemented. Except a cosmetic exercise, nothing has been done to single out those who have managed to get a job on forged ST certificates, Rahi told The Tribune. Rahi had asked the state administration to re-verify the documents of all employees recruited under the ST category. He had also sought action against fake certificate rackets and the constitution of a committee to identify people who have managed to get fake ST certificates. amansharma@tribunemail.com KV Prasad Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 30 There is a new momentum in Sino-Indian relations and work is on to translate the Wuhan vision of President Xi Jingping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who have already met thrice this year and a fourth meeting is in the works. Ambassador Luo Zhaohui talked to The Tribune in an exclusive interaction. What is your comment on China-India relations after being the Chinese Ambassador to India for two years? This September, I completed two years as the Chinese ambassador to India during which I experienced the ups and downs of China-India relations like a roller coaster. In 2016, bilateral relations began to decline due to issues such as the Nuclear Suppliers Group. The year of 2017 saw our relations fall into a trough due to Dong Lang (Doklam) standoff. President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who met in Xiamen in September 2017, "put on the brake" for the downturn in our relationship. The two sides agreed to turn the old page, open a new chapter and look forward, and agreed to hold an informal summit. In April this year, our two leaders successfully held the informal summit in Wuhan. The Wuhan summit, which serves as a milestone, adds fuel to the bilateral relations and has created a new model of exchanges between leaders. At present, China-India relations have been stabilised and improved, moving into the fast lane of development. I have used five "Cs" to summarise the priority directions for the two sides in implementing Wuhan consensus and promoting bilateral relations, namely, Communication, Cooperation, Contacts, Coordination, Control and Management. In the past three months, the two leaders have met three times and will also meet in G20 summit in Argentina in November. General Wei Fenghe, State Councilor and Defense Minister of China, visited India in August. State Councilor and Minister for Public Security Zhao Kezhi will visit India this October. The two sides will also hold the first meeting of China-India High-Level Cultural and People-to-People Exchange Mechanism this year. The Special Representatives' meeting on the China-India Boundary Question will be held in China. I am optimistic about the prospect of our bilateral relations. How is the Wuhan consensus being translated into action? The two sides have built a strong momentum by setting the tone in Wuhan summit and implementing the consensus in the follow-up meetings, which has strongly led the development of bilateral relations. Next, the two sides will focus on four areas to strengthen action: First, we should expand practical cooperation. From January to July this year, bilateral trade reached nearly $55 billion, with a year-on-year growth of 15 per cent. China attaches great importance to the bilateral trade imbalance and has lowered tariffs on some of Indian goods exported to China, increased imports of sugar, non-Basmati rice and other agricultural products from India, facilitated the export of Indian medicines to China, and further improved the trade structure. China is ready to explore the resumption of negotiations on China-India Free Trade Agreement, carry out cooperation on major projects such as high-speed rail and industrial parks, and explore cooperation in new energy, science and technology innovation and other areas. The two sides are coordinating the preparations for the first Meeting of China-India High-level Cultural and People-to-People Exchange Mechanism. China and India have established 14 pairs of sister cities and provinces. We have seen great enthusiasm and potential for cooperation at local level, which is expected to become a highlight in the follow-up cooperation. Second, we should strengthen coordination in international and regional affairs. The United States has provoked a trade dispute, imposed sanctions on Russia for arms sales and required countries to cut crude oil imports from Iran to zero. Both China and India have suffered. The two sides are strengthening coordination to safeguard common rights and interests. One of the outcomes of the informal summit between Chinese and Indian leaders in Wuhan is to carry out "China-India Plus" cooperation in Afghanistan. The two sides will soon jointly conduct a training programme for Afghan diplomats. We also discussed "China-India Plus" cooperation on the Rohingya issue in Myanmar and the Iranian nuclear issue. This new model of cooperation can also be extended to South Asian countries, including Nepal, which is conducive to enhancing mutual trust between China and India. Terrorism is a great concern for India. Both China and India are victims of terrorism. I want to stress that China is firmly committed to counter-terrorism. China is ready to work with India and the international community to fight against terrorism with determination. Terrorism is a global challenge. Countries should adopt consistent policies, consensus and actions. Addressing the Shangri-la Dialogue, Prime Minister Modiji stressed that India's Indo-Pacific policy is not aimed at any country and advocates open, inclusive and rule-based cooperation, with which the Chinese side also agrees. China welcomes India to become a full member of the SCO and hopes to strengthen China-India cooperation in counter-terrorism and connectivity within the SCO framework and explore trilateral cooperation between China, India and Pakistan. China is ready to play a role in improving India-Pakistan relations. As emerging major countries, China and India should continue to maintain communication on subjects such as climate change, free trade, rights and interests of developing countries, energy pricing cooperation and maritime cooperation under the framework of the UN, WTO, BRICS, SCO, G20 and East Asia summit, in a bid to safeguard common interests. Third, we should enhance sharing of best practices in governance. Both China and India are major developing countries with similar views on their historical orientation, development stages and development goals. Socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered into a new era. The Chinese people are pursuing the "Chinese dream" and India has proposed the "New India" vision. We should seek synergy between our development strategies and share our governance experience. The two sides should learn from each other in the areas of poverty alleviation, anti-corruption, agriculture and rural areas, employment, urbanisation and environmental protection, deepen understanding of each other's respective development strategies and reform measures, and support the modernisation process of both countries. Fourth, we should try our best to solve the boundary question. China's willingness to resolve the boundary question is clear and our attitude is positive. Ajit Kumar Doval, National Security Adviser of India, will visit China to attend the Special Representatives' Meeting on the China-India Boundary Question. Both sides will continue to discuss the framework to resolve the boundary question and strive for an "early harvest". Two rounds of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on China-India Border Affairs (WMCC) have been held this year. The two sides are committed to creating more CBMs, properly managing differences and maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas. In August, Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe visited India and the two sides agreed to maintain contacts on the establishment of a military hotline. You visited Bhutan recently. Could you share with us the details of the visit and the model of 'Two Plus One'? Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou visited Bhutan this July. This is the first time for him to visit Bhutan as the Chinese government's representative on China-Bhutan border talks. Bhutan is the only neighbouring country with which China has not established diplomatic relations. It is also China's good neighbour and good friend. China and Bhutan have conducted cooperation in economic, trade, cultural and people-to-people exchanges. China wishes that the national assembly election be held smoothly in Bhutan and hopes that Bhutan maintain stability and achieve development and prosperity. It serves the interests of both China and India. A few days ago, I attended the "Bhutan Week" to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the India-Bhutan diplomatic relations. China is pleased to see the development of India-Bhutan relations and would like to establish diplomatic relations with Bhutan on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and resolve boundary question at an earlier date. China hopes that India could play a positive role in this regard. Relevant discussions are still going on. This could also be one direction for "China-India Plus" cooperation. What is your view on the new stand by the regime change in Maldives and Malaysia on China and the Belt and Road Initiative? The political changes in the Maldives and Malaysia are their internal affairs, and we never interfere. The BRI brings in bilateral and multilateral cooperation projects as an initiative for economic cooperation and inter-connectivity instead of a tool of geo-strategy. The mutually beneficial cooperation carried out by China and its neighboring countries under the framework of the BRI is conducive to the economic and social development of partner countries, regional inter-connectivity and inter-regional economic integration. It will take some time for the new governments to get acquaintance with the BRI after the new governments take office. This is a normal phenomenon and we fully understand it. Even if there are some changes in the cooperation projects between China and these countries, this is nothing remarkable. Chinese companies seek economic benefits in their investments, and financial institutions assess risks in providing loans. Whether the BRI has put partner countries into a so-called "debt trap", the countries concerned have the best say. Leaders from countries such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Maldives have offered clarification. What is China's view on the trade friction between China and the US? There is talk of greater cooperation between China and India in various multilateral organisations. The US brandished sanctions club, and continued to withdraw from signed agreements and international organisations. In particular, it initiated a host of investigations under the auspices of Section 232 and Section 301. The trade protectionism and hegemony adopted by the US government harm others without benefiting itself and seriously threaten the principle of free trade and the multilateral trading system. China does not want a trade war, but it is not afraid of one and will fight to the end. Recently, China issued a white paper entitled "The Facts and China's Position on China-US Trade Friction" to comprehensively clarify the basic facts about China-US economic and trade relations and China's policy stance. It is normal to have some trade differences and frictions between two countries. The key is to find solutions through dialogue and consultation in a way of equality, honesty and mutual respect, rather than practicing unilateralism and protectionism. In the 70 years since the establishment of the world multilateral trading system, trade barriers have been gradually reduced and trade frictions effectively controlled. However, like water and air, we take it for granted in life. Once lost, you'll find it indispensable. It is hard to imagine now what is going to happen to your life without the multilateral trading system and free trade. Today, against the backdrop of in-depth development of economic globalisation and trade liberalisation, the US is practicing unilateral trade protectionism in the name of "national security" and "fair trade". It will shake the foundations of the multilateral trading regime and affect the smooth development of free trade. Not only will it affect China's economic development, but also damage the external environment of India and hinder India's booming economy. China and India share common interests in defending the multilateral trading system and free trade. President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Modiji spoke with one voice to safeguard the multilateral trading system and free trade at the World Economic Forum in Davos, respectively. In April this year, China and India initiated a consultation request concerning certain US duties imposed on imports of steel and aluminium products at the WTO, and officially launched the dispute settlement procedure. In June, the two sides jointly participated in publishing the "Qingdao Declaration" during the SCO Summit, clearly expressing support for building an open global economy and opposing all forms of trade protectionism. In July, the two sides jointly participated in the publication of the 10th BRICS Summit Johannesburg Declaration, and once again sent a clear message against protectionism. As the world's largest oil buyers, China and India can also promote the establishment of some kind of "buyers club" to safeguard common interests. Are there any new measures for both sides to jointly resolve this issue as India has been seeking to cut trade deficit? China recently allowed the import of Indian rice, but prohibits export of Indian soybeans to China since 2011. China imports 900 million tonnes of soybeans annually. What about re-allowing import of Indian soybean? What is the status of trade in sugar and cotton? China never intends to pursue a trade surplus with India. This problem is largely due to the unbalanced trade structure between the two countries. China attaches importance to addressing India's concerns. In March this year, the Chinese side sent a business delegation to India and signed import contracts worth about $2.4 billion with Indian exporters. In June, the two countries also signed an agreement for export of non-Basmati rice to China. The first consignment of 100 tonnes non-Basmati rice has been shipped to China from Mumbai. Since this year, China has also taken the initiative to cut tariffs on thousands of products from India and other countries. China's overall tariff level has been further reduced, which is basically close to that in the US and Europe. We welcome more Indian businesses to explore the market in China and would like to study and expand bilateral trade and facilitate the export of Indian agricultural products and medicines to China, so as to increase the scale and level of China-India trade and form a more balanced trade structure. This November, the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) will be held in Shanghai. Over 1,500 companies from 180-plus countries and regions have confirmed participation in the CIIE. More than 150,000 Chinese professional buyers are expected to attend. India's participation would help reduce the trade deficit and improve the trade structure between China and India. India is preparing for the Country Pavilion of the CIIE. However, many Indian companies are not keen on participation as the CIIE coincides with the Indian festival of Diwali, and will miss the opportunity to expand exports to China. It is learned that China banned the import of rapeseed meal, soy meal and other products from India in 2011, mainly due to the detection of harmful ingredients such as malachite green in Indian rapeseed meal. At present, China has lifted limits on the access for rapeseed meal and does not prohibit soybean imports from India. From July 1 this year, China reduced its tariffs on soybean imported from India and other four countries from 3 per cent to zero. China imports most of its soybeans from Brazil and the United States. We hope that the Indian side could negotiate and sign the protocol on Plant Sanitation Requirements with China to create conditions for Indian soybeans expanding market share in China. In 2017, China imported $190 million raw cotton from India with a year-on-year growth of 1.7 per cent, which is the second-largest imported agricultural product from India. India exported 22,000 tonnes of sugar to China, with a trade volume of $10.89 million. In order to reduce bilateral trade deficit of India, China is willing to import more sugar, non-Basmati rice from India. The export of Indian medicines to China is an important direction for addressing the trade imbalance as it involves a large amount of money and has broad prospect. Both sides can strengthen cooperation in this area. China has completed 40th anniversary of reform and opening-up. Can you share your thoughts on the direction? President Xi Jinping pointed out that reform and opening up is the second revolution of China. It has not only profoundly changed China, but also significantly changed the world. This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up. Over the past 40 years, China's GDP has grown at an average annual rate of 9.5 per cent The Chinese people's lives have gone from shortage to abundance, from poverty to moderate prosperity. More than 700 million people in poverty under the current UN standards have been successfully lifted out of poverty, accounting for more than 70 per cent of the total global poverty reduction. China has contributed more than 30 per cent of world economic growth rate for many years, becoming the main stabiliser and driver for world economic growth. Today, China is the world's second largest economy and a major trading partner of more than 120 countries and regions. In fact, China is still a developing country, with its per capita GDP still below the world average. The problem of uneven development is relatively prominent in terms of significant disparities between urban and rural areas, between regions, and across the social class. China still faces three arduous tasks of preventing and defusing major risks, targeted poverty alleviation, and pollution prevention and control. China will continue adhering to the fundamental national policy of reform and opening-up and pursuing development with its door wide open. China's door will not be closed and will only open even wider. There have been reports about Religious Freedom in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. What is your comment? In recent years, Xinjiang enjoys a sound momentum of socio-economic development with people of different ethnic groups living in harmony. All Muslims enjoy full freedom of religious belief. Normal religious activities are fully guaranteed by the Chinese Constitution and relevant laws. The most serious threat facing Xinjiang today is the violent terror and ethnic separatist activities, behind which is the "Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement", a violent separatist and terrorist organisation. Regarding the so-called "Re-education Camp" rumours, the measures adopted by Xinjiang aim to improve stability, development, solidarity and people's livelihoods, while cracking down on ethnic separatist and violent terrorist activities in accordance with the law, safeguarding national security, and protecting people's life and property. The so-called "restricting citizens' personal freedom" and "coercive political brain washing" are groundless accusations and not consistent with the facts. We welcome friends from Indian media to visit Xinjiang to get firsthand experience on the economic and social development, and freedom of religious belief in Xinjiang. uttara@tribuneindia.com Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 30 Noting that India is a country with immense self-belief and ability, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asserted that Indian soldiers were capable and will always be ready to give a befitting reply to whosoever makes an attempt to destroy the atmosphere of peace and progress in our nation. In his 48th edition of his monthly Maan Ki Baat programme, Modi said: We are staunch believers of peace. We are committed to taking it forward but not at the cost of compromising our self-respect and sovereignty of nation. Talking about the countrys mighty soldiers, the Prime Minister said: There would be hardly an Indian who doesnt feel proud of their armed forces. Every Indian, irrespective of region, caste, religion, sect or language, is ever eager to express joy and show solidarity with our soldiers. Thats why 125 crore Indians celebrated the Paraakram Parva, the festival of valour, yesterday. We remembered that surgical strike carried out in 2016, where our soldiers gave a befitting reply to the audacity of a proxy war under the garb of terrorism. He went on to add that it has now been decided that our soldiers will give a befitting reply to whosoever makes an attempt to destroy the atmosphere of peace and progress in our Nation. Lauding Indias Air Force for its feats over the years, the prime minister said it had emerged as one of the mightiest and the bravest of the 21st century. He said: From the core of my heart, I congratulate those Air Warriors and their families, who rendered service to the nation. In 1947, when Pakistani attackers resorted to an unprecedented attack, it was indeed our Air Force that ensured that Indian soldiers and armaments reached the battlefield promptly. They also serve the nation with same zeal and might in peace time when disasters strike the country. Remembering Mahatma Gandhi, Modi said October 2 would be special this year as it marks the start of Gandhiji's 150th birth anniversary celebrations. He said: Gandhijis Talisman continues to be very relevant even today. To the swelling middle class of the country and its increasing purchasing power; can we remember revered Bapu for a moment while going out for shopping? Can we remember that mantra of Bapu? Can we spare a thought while purchasing anything as to who in my country will be benefited by this purchase? Whose face will sport a smile? Who will be the fortunate one to get a direct or indirect benefit from your purchase? I will feel much happier if my purchase will benefit the poorest of the poor. He said: Keeping this mantra of Gandhiji in mind while making any purchases during the 150th Anniversary of Gandhiji, we must make it a point to see that our purchase must benefit one of our countrymen and in that too, one who has put in physical labour, who has invested money, who has applied skill must get some benefit. Thanking people for enthusiastically participating in the Swachchata Mission, the prime minister said: It has become a success story not only in our country but in the whole world and everyone is talking about this movement. This time India is hosting the biggest sanitation convention of the world so far, the Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention, he informed adding: Sanitation Ministers from countries across the world and experts on the subject of sanitation will converge and share their experiments and experiences. It will conclude on 2nd October, 2018 with the commencement of Bapus 150th Birth Anniversary celebrations. Modi also lauded the contribution made by former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Sashtri, whose birthday coincides with Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Ballabh Bhai Patel and Baba Saheb Ambedkar. editorial@tribune.com Noida (UP), September 30 Murder accused, mining mafia, rogue builders and liquor and drug traffickers are among 569 persons belonging to 150 gangs booked under the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters Act in the past 17 months, say officials. The administration has now begun the process to attach their property and halt bank transactions, a major paradigm shift in the policy, so as to hit their source of funding, District Magistrate Brajesh Narain Singh said on Sunday. Since May 1 last year, 569 anti-social elements, including 150 gang leaders and their 419 aides, who have become a threat to citizens and law and order in the district have been booked under the UP Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986, reads an official document. The latest action to attach their properties is being initiated under Section 14 of the Act which provides special provisions for the prevention of and for coping with gangsters and anti-social activities. The action will have a wide-reaching impact. There are criminals involved in a variety of crimes and we have attacked their source of finance by invoking this Act. Now, they will have to prove to the administration that their properties and wealth is not ill-gotten as mentioned in FIRs against them, Singh explained. The official document showed that 76 gangsters were booked between May 1 and December 31 last year and 74 during January-September this year. Besides Gautam Buddh Nagar locals, others booked include men from Delhi, Ghaziabad, Jaipur, Meerut, Bareilly, Aligarh, Bulandshahr, Mathura, Amroha, Hapur and Saharanpur. The administration has written to all banks in the district to freeze the accounts of the listed gang leaders and their associates and to monitor their transactions. It has also written to government departments including the Income Tax, Sales Tax, and also the police stations to keep a check on their transactions. SSP Sharma said the gangs to be acted upon are decided by the local police. PTI Their wealth under lens "We have attacked their (those booked) source of finance by invoking this Act. Now, they will have to prove to the administration that their properties and wealth is not ill-gotten as mentioned in FIRs." Brajesh Narain Singh, Noida DM editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Mumbai, September 30 Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar who was left stunned by the resignations of party colleagues Tarique Anwar and Munaf Hakim last week received some reprieve over the weekend after Chhagan Bhujbal reiterated his support. At the Samata Melava a conclave on social equality in Beed district on Saturday, Bhujbal called for reservation for the Maratha community. The Maratha community should get reservation (in educational institutions and government jobs) without the quota for Other Backward Classes getting disturbed, Bhujbal said at the convention. He cited the instance of Tamil Nadu that has 69 per cent reservation despite the 50 per cent cap on quotas imposed by the Supreme Court. The NCP leader, who is out on bail in corruption cases pertaining to the construction of the Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi, indicated that he stood strongly with the Pawars. He hit out at the Modi government on the Rafale deal. The PM should tell us why the price of the fighter aircraft has been raised manifold, Bhujbal said. A prominent leader of the OBC Mali community in a party seen as a stronghold of the Marathas, Bhujbal called on all OBCs to stand united. The OBCs must stand united against the Fadnavis government in the next years Assembly elections, he said. In recent times, Bhujbal had expressed his frustration at the NCP leadership, including former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, for not supporting him during his stint in the prison. Since then, the party leadership spoke in favour of Bhujbal and has held meetings with him following his release on bail. Party sources say Bhujbal has since been connecting with his support base in the Mali community. editorial@tribune.com Washington, September 29 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has defended Beijings repeated blockage of Indias bids at the United Nations to list Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Azhar Masood as a global terrorist, arguing the issue lacks consensus among the members of the UN Security Council as well as the directly concerned parties India and Pakistan. Azhar is accused of several deadly terrorist attacks in India, including one on the Uri military base in Kashmir in 2016 in which 17 security personnel were killed. A veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has repeatedly blocked Indias move supported by the US, Britain and France to designate Azhar a terrorist under the Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council. The JeM, founded by Azhar, has already been in the UNs list of banned terror outfits. If all parties come to a consensus, we will support it. But it is the parties that are rightly concerned who are not coming around to the same conclusion, like India and Pakistan dont have the same conclusions, Wang said. PTI pardeepdhull@gmail.com United Nations, September 30 India on Sunday strongly hit back at Pakistan for the preposterous allegation its Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi made at the UN that terrorists behind the 2014 attack on a Peshawar school were supported by India, saying the despicable insinuation dishonours the memory of the children killed in the assault. Read: Pak glorifies killers, it refuses to see blood of innocents: Swaraj at UNGA Indian diplomat from the countrys Permanent Mission to the UN, Eenam Gambhir, exercised Indias Right of Reply and rejected Qureshis baseless allegation made during his General Assembly address last night. Among the most outrageous was the preposterous allegation relating to the horrific terror attack on a Peshawar school four years ago, Gambhir said. She reminded the new Pakistan government under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, that there was an outpouring of sorrow and pain in India following the massacre of children in 2014. She said both Houses of Indias Parliament had expressed solidarity while paying respects to those killed. Schools all over India had observed two minutes of silence in their memory. The despicable insinuation made by the foreign minister of Pakistan dishonours the memory of the innocent lives lost to terrorists that day, Gambhir said. She said the allegation was a desperate attempt to look away from the monster of terror Pakistan has created in its quest to destabilise its neighbours and covet their territory. Qureshi had said that Pakistan will never forget the mass murder of more than 150 children in the Peshawar school, the Mastung attack and many others that have links with terrorists supported by India. The Peshawar attack was carried out by heavily-armed 8-10 Taliban suicide bombers who stormed the Army-run school and took several hostages. The attackers wearing paramilitary Frontier Corps uniforms had entered the school and started indiscriminate firing. Gambhir also took a dig at Qureshis emphasis on a new Pakistan under Khan, saying while the Indian delegation had come to listen to Pakistans new foreign minister outline the vision of a new Pakistan, what we heard is a New Pakistan cast in the mold of old. Gambhir tore into Pakistans claim that it has turned the tide against terrorism, saying a fact-check of this claim will give a different picture. She asked if Pakistan can deny the fact that it is the host and patron of 132 of the UN-designated terrorists and 22 terrorist entities listed under the UN Security Council Sanctions regimes. Will Pakistan deny that the UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed enjoys a free run inside Pakistan and spews venom and sets up candidates for electoral offices, she said. With Qureshi again raking up the Kashmir issue, Gambhir asserted that India is making it clear to the new government of Pakistan that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir is and will remain an integral part of India. India also ripped through efforts of the New Pakistan to champion human rights. This is vintage verbal duplicity, Gambhir said, citing the example of Princeton economic professor Atif Mian. The economist was appointed and removed by Khans government from the Economic Advisory Council on the grounds that he belongs to a minority. Mian is an Ahmadi, a religious minority of Pakistan. Before preaching to the world, championing of human rights should begin at home, Gambhir said. She said a report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Kashmir, which Qureshi mentioned and welcomed in his speech, is a publication that no UN member-state had asked for or supported and on which no action was taken. India lambasted Pakistans assertion that New Delhi had called off the proposed foreign minister-level talks on flimsy grounds. The new foreign minister of Pakistan chose to term the gruesome killing of our security personnel by Pakistani-sponsored terrorists as flimsy grounds, she said. She said Qureshis speech was made up of fake allegations and fake facts which can only make for a fake vision. Qureshi had said Pakistan desires a relationship with India based on sovereign equality and mutual respect and sought resolution of disputes through a serious and comprehensive dialogue that covers all issues of concern. He said Pakistan was to meet on the sidelines of this UNGA Session to talk about all issues with India but New Delhi called off the dialogue for the third time on flimsy grounds. They preferred politics over peace, he had said. India had called off the meeting, citing the brutal killings of three policemen in Jammu and Kashmir and after Islamabad released postage stamps glorifying Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani. For a new vision to materialise, Pakistan must demonstrate that it has moved beyond a narrative of deception, deceit and distortion, Gambhir said. Exercising its Right of Reply, Pakistan said the claims of religious superiority are perpetrated through state patronage all across India. The Pakistani representative made a reference to Farook Ahmad Dar, saying he was tied to an army vehicle and used as a human shield in the Valley. He said members from Indias minority communities are publicly lynched at the hands of Hindu zealots. He said Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally-recognised dispute and the UN has called for holding of a impartial plebiscite to ascertain the wishes of the Kashmiri people. He said Jammu and Kashmir is not a part of India, adding, India cannot hide behind semantics anymore. PTI gspannu7@gmail.com Washington, September 30 President Donald Trump Saturday said that India wants to have a trade deal with the US because it does not want him to impose tariffs on their products. Trumps remarks, for the second time in recent weeks, comes days after Assistant US Trade Representative Mark Linscott returned from India where he had detailed discussion with senior Indian officials on bilateral trade and a possible trade deal between the two countries. Trump often accuses India of imposing 100 per cent tariffs on American products. We have a country, take India. Good relationship. They want to make a deal now because they dont want me to do what Im going to do, with I have to. So, they (Indians) call us. They didnt want to make a deal with anybody else, he said. Trump referred to India in the context of his repeated allegation that other countries have been taking advantage of America in the past. Trump in September said India wanted a trade deal with the US despite the US administrations tough stance on the issue. Take India. You talk about free trade. So, lets say they (Indians) charge us 60 per cent tariff on a product. And for the same product when they send it in (America), we charge them nothing. So now I want to charge them 25 per cent or 20 or 10 or something, Trump said. What do you think? Thats not free trade. We dont like it. I said where are these people coming from? So, think of it. Where are they coming from? You have no idea how difficult it is. Where are they coming? Trump said referring to the conversations he is having with India. Trump told the crowd that he is using India just as an example. The president said he can give example of other countries which are brutal to what they do with the United States. I could give you (examples of) others that are brutal, just brutal what they do to us, how they take advantage of the stupidity. We never even had people negotiate, they just do whatever they want, Trump said as he went back to the India example. Remember this? A lot of the people that are fighting me in what Im doing have ownership of companies in these other countries. Remember that please. Remember that, or theyre represented by lobbies, Trump said, as he lashed out at those who are opposing his America First trade policies. Trump said nobody wants to talk about the jobs created and nobody wants to talk about all the money thats flowing in to the coffers of the United States of America, he said. The people that are against it are usually having companies...you know, you go to these other countries, they have companies there too, he alleged. PTI editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Lucknow, September 30 Apple employee Vivek Tiwari (38), who was shot dead by two constables on Saturday morning, was cremated on Sunday after the state governments written assurance to provide a compensation of Rs 25 lakh and a government job to his widow. Meanwhile, CM Yogi Adityanath spoke to Vivek Tiwaris widow Kalpana Tiwari on the phone, said a state government spokesperson. Also, the DGP has apologised to the family. Services of constables Prashant Chaudhary and Sandeep Kumar have been terminated. They have been remanded in judicial custody till October 11. Tiwaris brother-in-law Rahul said the family agreed to cremate the body after the Lucknow District Magistrate assured that a job would be given to his sister in the municipal corporation. He also assured that a compensation of Rs 25 lakh would be provided to the family within a month and a CBI probe ordered into the case, if the family so desired. Addressing a press conference in the Police Lines, Additional Director General, Lucknow range, Rajiv Krishna said the police was extending 24-hour protection to the family. He said an SIT under Lucknow IG Sujeet Pandey had begun investigating the matter on the basis of the fresh FIR lodged by the widow in which two constables have been named as accused. If the family wants a CBI probe, it can also be initiated, he said. Tiwari was shot dead by the two constables while he was going to drop an ex-colleague after a late night office party to celebrate the launch of high-end Apple phones. The accused constables claimed they opened fire in self-defence as Tiwari had tried to mow them down under his car. They said Tiwari was found in a compromising position with his ex-colleague in the car parked at a deserted place. Injured Tiwari was taken to the hospital by his ex-colleague. The police allegedly made her sign a blank paper on which a false FIR was lodged yesterday against some unidentified policemen. Tiwaris ex-colleague, however, claimed they were travelling in their SUV when the police tried to stop them. Their vehicle was not parked, as claimed by the police, she said, adding as the policemen appeared drunk, which their medical reports have confirmed, her former boss did not stop the vehicle. Before they could understand the situation, a bullet came piercing through the windscreen and hit Tiwari, making him lose control over the vehicle that hit the parked motorcycle of the police constables and finally smash into the pillar of a nearby underpass. Tiwaris widow Kalpana Tiwari has also demanded action against constable Prashant Chaudharys constable wife who, along with her husband, went to the Gomti Nagar police station last evening to lodge an FIR against her deceased husband. Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya visited the grieving family on Sunday. The guilty will be punished severely, he said. Yogi must quit: Oppn gspannu7@gmail.com New Delhi, September 30 When Koyel M came out as a queer seven years ago, she did not have to confront a homophobe in her mother. Following several conversations, her mother overcame her initial inhibitions and embraced her daughters sexuality. But her mothers acceptance wasnt enough to keep the 23-year-old gender-fluid queer comfortable in environments beyond the four walls of her house. Often, while on a romantic date with a woman in a public space, Koyel became the subject of uncomfortable stares and mutterings. On September 6, all that changed when the Supreme Court ruled that consensual gay sex was not a crime, and noted that the British-era law criminalising homosexuality violated the right to equality. The stigma might continue till society comes out of its biased moorings but the fear of being viewed as a criminal in the eyes of the law is at least over. The law can now be my armour, Koyel told PTI. The verdict has come as a relief to Koyel and thousands of others like her who can now look for love without the scare of being put behind the bars. While she prefers meeting new people outside of social networking channels, she admits that online dating is easier and faster. I, personally, do not look for any serious engagement over or through social networking platforms, but online dating scenario is something that the new paced life has adopted for itself, she said. Popular dating applications among the LGBTQ community include Tinder and OkCupid, which according to Divya Dureja, a queer-poet-activist, are quite accessible and friendly. Dureja counters the common perception that Tinder is a heterosexual dating app and explains that preferences can be customised according to an individuals sexuality. Dureja, who has researched over 10 dating applications and websites, said she had been using Tinder for years to meet other queer women. However, online dating for the LGBT community, much like heterosexuals, comes with a risk of its own. Prior to the SCs verdict, the members of the community were afraid of being trapped by extortionists who could threaten them with police arrest. Now, LGBTQ activist Harish Iyer says the only major threat is that of fear of disclosure, which is universal. Threats of online dating have reduced drastically, the only thing they can operate on is fear. Fear of disclosure, which is same as the heterosexual couples actually, as they are afraid their families might come to know about it, Iyer said. The discomfort of dating a same sex partner also varies with the city one resides inwhile metropolises like Delhi and Mumbai have welcomed people of different sexualities, it continues to be a taboo in smaller towns. For Dureja, living as a queer woman in Delhi proved to be relatively safe, making it easier for her to navigate public spaces for romantic encounters. My privilege of being in a metropolitan city like Delhi has kept me shielded from facing grave issues or hindrances from others while on date with women in the public sphere, she said. Iyer agrees that contrary to big cities which are islands of the privileged, one can engage in a homosexual relationship in smaller towns only in disguise. You have to say he is my brother or my friend, he said. It is this dearth of safe and comfortable public spaces that Ishaan Sethi is trying to fight with his dating applicationDelta, also touted to be Indias first homegrown LGBTQ dating app. The app essentially ties up with different brands and cafesOlive, Smoke House Deli, Grand Hyatt among others, to offer members of the community places they can visit without any legal problems or social stigma. The places we have partnered with take care that the staff and the environment is inclusive, Sethi said. While Sethi is unable to share the number of subscribers, he agrees that the dating app, which was launched earlier this year in April, has seen a spike in the userbase after the verdict. PTI Flash The final of this year's Miss Tourism of the Globe contest will take place in Zhongwei, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, from Oct 7 to 14 the first time for the event to be held in China. In fact, the city will stage the final of the event for the coming five years. In doing so, the government of Zhongwei aims to promote the city internationally and expects the event to give the local tourism industry and the economy a strong boost. Forty contestants from 70 different countries and regions will take part in this year's event, said the spokeswoman for the organizers Li Mushuang, herself a contestant two years ago. Fan Jiahong, head of Zhongwei Tourism Development Committee, said the final will be held in Shapotou, a national five-A level tourism site and desert reserve. Shapotou, renowned for its achievements in desertification control, was granted a Global 500 Roll of Honor for Environmental Achievement award by the United Nations Environment Programme in 1994. Shapotou is endowed with unique tourism assets such as deserts, mountains and the Yellow River, Fan said. With the staging of the event there, we can look forward to a great spectacle that takes in natural scenery and combines that with a high-tech presentation. The competition aims to select an ambassador of tourism in each country and region and boost tourism exchanges internationally. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Anandpur Sahib, September 30 Controversial Punjabi poet Surjit Gag, who was arrested last year following a complaint filed by the SGPC, was thrashed here today. He alleged that one of his assailants was Yadvinder Singh alias Yadi, a resident of nearby Jhinjri village. Gag said he was attacked by two persons at a shop near the Charanganga bridge. He tried to flee, but the duo chased him on a bike and caught hold of him near Takht Kesgarh Sahib gurdwara, where he was beaten up. Yadwinder and his accomplices had attacked him twice in July last year, he alleged. Gag has been at loggerheads with Sikh and Hindu hardliners for his poems and claimed to have received threats from them. On July 9, 2017, he was arrested after the SGPC alleged that he had hurt religious sentiments of the Sikhs by sharing his poem Main te Nanak (I and Nanak) on Facebook. Released on bail later, he was booked again in January for writing an essay on Dasehra, in which he allegedly used derogatory language against Hindu gods. Nangal SHO Satish Kumar said an investigation was in progress. editorial@tribune.com Raj Sadosh Abohar, September 30 To streamline the execution of works in Abohar, the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board (PWSSB) has shifted one of its divisions from Ludhiana (under the administrative control of Superintending Engineer, Bathinda) to Abohar with effect from October1. A mechanical subdivision has also been shifted from Ludhiana to Abohar, taking the total number of subdivisions in Abohar to two. A decade ago, the then SAD-BJP government had shifted the PWSSB Abohar division to Ferozepur, citing no substantial work was to be carried out in Abohar. But, Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on October 27 last year launched the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (Amrut) Yojana here. Under the scheme, Rs92.1 crore was earmarked for the sewer system and Rs27.06 crore for drinking water supply. A sum of Rs 44.44 crore had been provided for maintenance works over the past 10 years. The minister had directed the PWSSB to complete the first phase of the scheme in 18 months, but the contractor has not been able to expedite work, causing inconvenience to many families and closure of 12 shops. On August 17, Sidhu convened a high-level meeting at Chandigarh and gave a one-month ultimatum to the companies associated with the Amrut Yojana to increase the manpower and machinery to meet the target. PPCC president and MP Sunil Jakhar recently inspected the work and discussed problems faced by residents and officials. The shuttling of officials between Abohar and Ferozepur, located at 117 km, even for minor works wastes time, he opined. We can pin some hopes on early relief now, former councillor Chiman Lal Bajaj said on Sunday. People were deprived of drinking water for 11 months, Jitender Soni, a resident, said. editorial@tribune.com Vishav Bharti Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 30 Haryana is way ahead of Punjab in conducting raids on ultrasound centres in the latters territory. In the past three years, Haryana has raided 32 such centres, allegedly involved in sex determination tests, in Punjab. During this period, Punjab officials conducted just five raids, marginally ahead of Rajasthan (three). During a meeting of Civil Surgeons and other senior functionaries of the Punjab Health Department on Friday, Health and Medical Education Minister Brahm Mohindra asked them why they were clueless about what was going on in their respective areas. He said raids by Haryana and Rajasthan were damaging the states image. Sources said the minister cited the Jalandhar raid conducted by health officials from Ambala district on September 11. Mohindra said party workers had told him that the accused were involved in sex determination for long. In the past couple of years, Haryana has repeatedly conveyed that many pregnant women from their state are getting sex determination tests done in Punjab. A senior functionary from Haryanas Health Department, who wished not to be identified, said Punjabs district officials tried to create hurdles during the raids. Just before the Jalandhar raid, when they intimated officials there, they refused to cooperate and sought confidential information about the centre to be raided, he said. Legal action taken by Punjab is poor and conviction rate is quite low. Now, the Haryana Health Department has started registering FIRs of Punjab cases so that the accused dont go scot-free. Dr Rakesh Gupta, Additional Principal Secretary to Haryana Chief Minister, said this (sex determination) was an inter-state crime that needed to be dealt with strictly. We are getting cooperation from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, but Punjab is not that proactive, he said. Last year, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar had tweeted to his Punjab counterpart, seeking his cooperation on the issue. The latter had responded positively. For 2017-18, Haryana recorded 914 live births of girls per 1,000 boys, slightly ahead of Punjab (907). This is the first time that Haryana has overtaken its neighbour in child sex ratio. A senior health functionary of Punjab, requesting anonymity, said the state lacked trained and qualified sonologists. Under the PNDT (Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques) Act, it is mandatory for sonologists to get six months training or pass a qualifying test to become eligible to conduct an ultrasound scan. But they have refused to appear in the qualifying examination, he said. Repeated attempts to contact Mohindra proved futile. editorial@tribune.com Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 30 The recovery of huge amount of paddy and rice from rice mills in Ferozepur, Zira and Jalalabad during raids by the Punjab Food and Supply Department on Thursday, which continued on Saturday as well, has blown the lid off a multi-crore scam. Some rice millers in Punjab are not shelling the entire stock of paddy procured by the state agencies. Rather, they are stocking most of it each year. And for delivering the out turn ratio of 67 per cent as custom milled rice (CMR), they buy rice (allegedly diverted from public distribution system) from Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand at cheaper rates, blend it with some rice shelled from paddy and deliver it to the state procurement agencies. Inquiries made by The Tribune reveal that a consortium of commission agents (arhtiyas) in Punjab, mostly in Ferozepur belt, is allegedly involved in buying PDS rice from Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and parts of UP for supply to rice mills here at Rs 2,200 per quintal, say sources. The millers, in turn, get Rs 2,700 per quintal from government for the CMR. Interestingly, some millers contacted by The Tribune, agreed that they resorted to such practices. But they insisted that this was being done so that the moisture content in the delivered CMR could be lowered (to around 12 per cent from as high as 20). Meanwhile, the unused paddy stock, which is usually shown as the mills private purchase, is often first used by most millers as collateral to secure bank loans. And in the next procurement season, the stock is brought to the mandis and sold to the procurememt agencies as fresh produce. Anandita Mitra, Director, Food and Supplies, said since rice delivered was 67 per cent of the paddy assigned to the mills, no one was aware of such malpractice until recently. Rakesh Singla, Chief Vigilance Officer, Food and Civil Supplies, who exposed the scam, said: Though there was a 4 per cent increase in area under paddy, the procurement went up by 51 per cent in the past five years (since 2014-15). As a result, the state was spending almost Rs 1,000 crore extra in procurement. Food and Civil Supplies Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu had ordered the search operations at rice mills, he said. Tarsem Saini, president, Punjab Rice Millers Association, said it would be unfair to generalise this practice. We will request the government to issue a stern warning to erring millers and instruct them not to indulge in any unfair practice, he said, adding that with the recovery of paddy and rice at four rice mills on Friday, they had pre-empted the re-circulation of paddy back in mandis. The Punjab Mandi Board has been asked to investigate the matter further. Modus operandi Cheap rice, mostly meant for PDS bought from Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and parts of UP is blended in paddy and delivered to the FCI. The unused paddy stock is then resold in the mandis to procurement agencies. Wide disparity Year Area under paddy Procurement Yield 2014-15 26.5 lakh hectares 118.4 lakh MT 5.9 MT 2017-18 29.26 lakh hectares 179.34 lakh MT 6.2 MT Between 2014-15 and 2017-18, area under paddy increased by 2.76 lakh hectares and yield/hectare by around 0.3 metric tonnes (MT), but procurement was up by 60.94 lakh MT. This disparity alerted authorities, leading to unearthing of multi-crore scam. amansharma@tribunemail.com Kuljit Bains Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has written to the Prime Minister, suggesting to him a scheme for an incentive of Rs 100 per quintal of paddy, tied to a farmer not burning the straw. Between the lines, there is a clear warning that Delhi should expect plenty of straw to be burnt in the fields this year, all supposed efforts notwithstanding. The Chief Minister is right, and there are practical reasons for it, including insincerity to the cause on the part of both the Centre and the state. The reasons for the efforts against straw burning having only limited effect include the foremost fact that they are inadequate, even though it may be a good start. Practical solutions have started becoming available on the ground only now, and may have a more visible effect by next year. The machines available to manage straw at the moment are too few, farmers have to become accustomed to their use, and the economics - which matters the most - is yet to be tested and approved in the field. Meanwhile, in a more obvious indication that we should expect the fires is the support declared by all major farm unions to any farmer burning straw. But the question that begs asking is why after so many years of suffering from smog are we still only beginning to get a handle on the problem? It is because neither the Centre nor the state has cared to sincerely address the issues of either pollution or the farmer. First, the Centre: majority of the paddy-growing areas of northern states have been burning the straw ever since the crop not native to the region has been grown here. But no one cared about the problem enough to do something about it. It is only when the local pollution of Delhi added to the farm smoke enough to choke the residents of the National Capital that someone hit the alarm bell. It must be said, and noted, that the primary motive is still not to prevent farm fires but to keep the Delhi air clear. However, even the pollution issue will not be addressed as the biggest source of Delhi's pollution is the city itself - remember, the fires were always burning, but the Delhi winter air was not this bad. Help to manage straw is, thus, more an attempt to be seen as "doing something" about the smog. Depending on the weather conditions, Delhi may suffer this year too. Next is the issue of agriculture. The Centre refuses to admit that the ultimate solution to the problem - of straw burning and many other more critical issues of Punjab's agriculture - is tied to the very crop of paddy itself. Introduced at a point in the country's development when cereal security was desperately needed and groundwater crisis seemed a remote notion, paddy has grown to be a pestilence upon the state of Punjab. The time to start shifting away from it was a couple of decades ago. Unfortunately, despite every expert worth his name having written papers on the subject, there is no one at the Centre to work on the matter to provide an equally viable and reliable alternative model for Punjab. Perhaps that is because the Centre now no more has the need for this 'food bowl' as agriculture has developed well in other parts of the country too. The state is, thus, politely reminded that agriculture is a state subject. On the other hand, the state's political leadership belonging to all parties, of course, has little time beyond managing more existential crises such as corruption allegations and internal party rebellion, or - when in need of a diversion - setting off a religious discord. The sincerity to the farmers' cause can be gauged from the fact that Punjab does not even have a dedicated agriculture minister (it is with the Chief Minister), and we call it a farming state! The government believes that by asking for higher MSP it has done its duty. It is a matter of time before lack of water will be a far greater fire than straw burning. The clock is ticking. vinaymishra188@gmail.com SLAMABAD, September 30 After lengthy delays, an $8.2 billion revamp of a colonial-era rail line snaking from the Arabian Sea to the foothills of the Hindu Kush has become a test of Pakistans ability to rethink signature Chinese Silk Road projects due to debt concerns. The rail mega project linking the coastal metropolis of Karachi to the northwestern city of Peshawar is Chinas biggest Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project in Pakistan, but Islamabad has balked at the cost and financing terms. Resistance has stiffened under the new government of populist Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has voiced alarm about rising debt levels and says the country must wean itself off foreign loans. We are seeing how to develop a model so the government of Pakistan wouldnt have all the risk, Khusro Bakhtyar, minister in Pakistans planning ministry, told reporters recently. The cooling of enthusiasm for Chinas investments mirrors the unease of incoming governments in Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Maldives, where new administrations have come to power wary of Chinese deals struck by their predecessors. Pakistans new government had wanted to review all BRI contracts. Officials say there are concerns the deals were badly negotiated, too expensive or overly favoured China. But to Islamabads frustration, Beijing is only willing to review projects that have not yet begun, three senior government officials said. Chinas Foreign Ministry said, in a statement in response to questions, that both sides were committed to pressing forward with BRI projects, to ensure those projects that are already built operate as normal, and those which are being built proceed smoothly. Pakistani officials say they remain committed to Chinese investment but want to push harder on price and affordability, while re-orientating the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) for which Beijing has pledged about $60 billion in infrastructure funds to focus on projects that deliver social development in line with Khans election platform. Chinas Ambassador to Pakistan, Yao Jing, said Beijing was open to changes proposed by the new government and we will definitely follow their agenda to work out a roadmap for BRI projects based on mutual consultation. Islamabads efforts to recalibrate CPEC are made trickier by its dependence on Chinese loans to prop up its vulnerable economy. Growing fissures in relations with Pakistans historic ally the US have also weakened the countrys negotiating hand, as has a current account crisis likely to lead to a bailout by the International Monetary Fund, which may demand spending cuts. Reuters vinaymishra188@gmail.com PALU, September 30 The toll from an earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia soared on Sunday to 832 confirmed dead, with authorities fearing it will only climb as rescuers struggle to reach outlying communities cut off from communications and help. Dozens of people were reported to be trapped in the rubble of two hotels and a mall in the city of Palu, which was hit by waves as high as 20 feet following the 7.5 magnitude earthquake on Friday. A woman was pulled alive from the debris of the citys Roa Roa Hotel, where up to 60 persons were believed trapped. Hundreds of people gathered at the wrecked mall searching for loved ones. With most of the confirmed deaths from Palu, authorities are bracing for much worse as reports filter in from outlying areas, in particular, Donggala, a region of 300,000 people north of Palu and close to the epicentre of the quake, and two other districts. Vice President Jusuf Kalla said the toll could rise into the thousands. President Joko Widodo visited a housing complex flattened when the quake liquefied the soil it stood on, and called for patience. I know there are many problems that need to be solved in a short time, including communications, he said. The ruins would be rebuilt, he said, as aftershocks rattled the region 48 hours after the quake. Scores of residents shouted were hungry, we need food as soldiers distributed rations from a truck in one neighbourhood, while elsewhere television showed pictures of people making off with clothes and other items from a wrecked mall. Internal Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo said he had ordered authorities to help people get food and drink. A spokesman for the National disaster mitigation agency, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, said the affected area was bigger than initially thought, and rescuers only had good access to one of four affected districts - Palu. We havent received reports from the three other areas. Communication is still down, power is still out. We dont know for sure what is the impact, he said. There are many areas where the search and rescue teams havent been able to reach, Nugroho said, adding that teams needed heavy equipment to move broken concrete and debris. Donggala town has been damaged badly, according to a reporter on the scene. Five foreigners three French, one South Korean and one Malaysian were among the missing, Nugroho said. The 832 dead included people crushed in the quake and swept away by the tsunami. Reuters Warning system delay adds to deaths gspannu7@gmail.com London, September 30 Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday accused British Members of Parliament who refuse to support her Brexit strategy of playing politics with the countrys future. In an interview with The Sunday Times as the three-day Conservative Party conference opened in Birmingham, May reiterated that her so-called Chequers plan was the only proposal possible to strike a deal with the European Union (EU) on Britains future relationship with the economic bloc once it has formally left in 2019. She attacked the Opposition Labour Party for now backing the idea of a second referendum on the issue of Britains membership of the EU. They said theyd respect the referendum result. Yet now they appear to be wanting to ask people to have a second go at it. So, you cant believe what they say. Theyre playing politics with this issue, she said. To her own Conservative Party, which also remains divided over the issue, she said: My message to the Conservative Party is going to be that, We are the party that always puts country first and puts the national interest first. This is about a critical issue for the future of this country. And I think we naturally are a party that looks to the national interest. She challenged the EU again to put forward counter-proposals instead of just turning down her plan as unworkable, adding that she was not bluffing when she said no deal is better than a bad deal. The comments coincided with former foreign secretary Boris Johnson, one of the fiercest critics of Mays Brexit strategy who quit the Cabinet over the issue, launching his latest tirade against her leadership. Unlike the Prime Minister I campaigned for Brexit. Unlike the Prime Minister I fought for this, I believe in it, I think its the right thing for our country and I think that what is happening now is, alas, not what people were promised in 2016 (EU referendum), he told The Sunday Times in a separate interview. In a further warning to the British PM, he said you cant beat (Labour leader Jeremy) Corbyn by becoming Corbyn. What grieves me about the current approach to Brexit is that we are just in danger of not believing in ourselves, not believing in Britain, he said. He also refused to rule out a leadership challenge or say whether May should lead the party into the next election: The Prime Minister said she is going to serve for as long as her party wants her, and I certainly think she should. The annual Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, which runs until Wednesday, is being seen as the stage for the ruling partys leadership hopefuls to lay out their credentials with some big ticket announcements. With the UK due to leave the EU on March 29 next year and negotiations on the terms of the exit and future cooperation still at an impasse, the issue of Brexit is likely to dominate much of the agenda. However, some domestic issues are also likely to be played up, with May set to announce plans for a Festival of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to showcase the United Kingdom in January 2022 months before the next scheduled General Election will be due in June 2022. PTI vinaymishra188@gmail.com Sao Paulo, September 30 Tens of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets in protest against the presidential frontrunner, a far-right congressman whose campaign has exposed and deepened divisions in Latin Americas largest country. The protests came the same day that Jair Bolsonaro was discharged from a Sao Paulo hospital where he received treatment after being stabbed during a campaign rally on September 6. In Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia, people flooded avenues and squares to sing, dance and shout Not Him! the rallying cry of groups who are trying to prevent Bolsonaro from taking office in October elections. Were saying to those people who are undecided: Not Him, said Selia Figueiredo, a 43-year-old banker in Sao Paulo, who said she worried for her rights as a gay woman if Bolsonaro were to win. In the heart of Sao Paulo, Brazils largest city, leftist presidential candidate Guilherme Boulos and his running mate Sonia Guajajara led the march, while people beat drums and waved gay pride flags and banners that denounced Bolsonaro, who is known for offensive comments about gays, women and black people. Bolsonaros candidacy has attracted international attention as an example of the trend in many countries toward populism and extremes in politics, and small protests were held against him in London, Lisbon, Berlin and Paris. AP Flash Turkey is making all efforts to draw more Chinese tourists as it is trying to develop new markets, the country's minister of culture and tourism said on Wednesday. Based on what it has experienced over the years, Turkey is trying to diversify the sources of foreign arrivals, with emphasis given in particular to Asian countries like China, Japan, South Korea and India, said Mehmet Nuri Ersoy. Turkey's tourism industry is rebounding after suffering from a spate of terror attacks and chilling relations with Germany, Russia and others in the past years. Speaking to a Chinese press delegation on a four-day visit to Istanbul, Ersoy said he was expecting the Chinese arrivals, which numbered 250,000 during the first eight months, to grow further to 450,000 at the end of this year. He said Turkey is taking a raft of measures to tap the potential of the huge Chinese market, including mulling the possibility of allowing Chinese nationals to work as tour guides in Turkey to supplement their Turkish counterparts who are in short supply, and make Chinese travel in Turkey easier. The efforts include setting up Chinese-language signboards, opening more Chinese restaurants and even Chinese food streets if possible, establishing an office to handle problems faced by Chinese visitors, and encouraging more flights to Turkey from China and other countries. The Turkish ministry is set to unveil many megaprojects from the New Year of 2019, which the minister believes shall appeal to Chinese investors. Mevlut Uysal, mayor of Istanbul, hosted a dinner for the Chinese journalists and bloggers and voiced hope for a lasting and vibrant relationship with China through cultural exchanges. Cui Wei, the Chinese consul general in Istanbul who joined the dinner, spoke of tourism's significance in promoting Chinese-Turkish ties and deepening exchanges and contacts between the peoples. Referring to the fact that Chinese arrivals in Turkey grew by 91 percent during the first seven months of this year, Cui was hopeful of a bright future in bilateral cooperation on tourism. I have never heard of "Yackadandra" but funnily enough if I google it I find just two results - this thread here and a thread which seems to be yours on Lonely Planet. I think you need to confirm with these folks exactly where they reside. :) If it is Yackandandah, that is in Victoria, approximately 586km from Sydney where you are dropping off your camper. To visit there you might have to make some changes to your plans, but I think you could easily do that, if you were going to I would suggest a stop in Canberra as well. You've left it pretty late to get good advice from the folks here, especially considering you say that you have already chosen your route. Yes you can park your camper somewhere in Sydney, many folks suggest the Lane Cove River Tourist Park as it is close to train transport - I believe the park in Brisbane might have been the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary? You can travel there by boat. There are two boat options - the Koala Express which offers no commentary on the boat and takes about 40 minutes, this is around $78 including park entry. Me personally, I'm just going to sound a word of caution. If I had a partner who was freaked out about all the creepy crawlies, what you are planning is the last kind of trip I would take them on. Has your wife camped before, does the wife want to see what you saw or would she prefer to see something different, is camping and roughing it something she enjoys, is she going to be ok with taking the shovel out in the middle of the night or would she prefer some kind of toilet facility in the thing you are hiring.. because you know what they say - happy wife, happy life. It sounds to me like you want to relive a trip you once did in a big yellow bus but these are not the same circumstances and if you find yourself with a travel partner who is Not Having Fun then that is certainly going to put a crimp in your own plans, especially if you are taking her places where some of the most poisonous snakes in the world tend to reside and she is not a fan of snakes. Anyway, I have no suggestions for your route as I am one of those who does not enjoy camping, roughing it, or taking a shovel to make my own toilet. I do like snakes, that is the one part of that trip I might enjoy. :) Maybe some of the other folks here might have some ideas for you. First of all sorry to intervene in the previous forum...... (sweetbiscuit21 and MacM). I am still researching and reading other suggestions so I can have ideas and come up with an itinerary. My husband and I arrive on Feb 1, Melbourne is our first stop. We will spend 4 days settling and enjoying Melbourne. We fly to Tasmania for a week, rent a car and spend 6 full days (Freycinet NP/Launceston/Stanley Village/Cradle Mountain/Strahan/Hobart). Then fly back to Melbourne. Up to here we are booked. My plan is to rent a car from (MEL) airport and start our driving trip as follows (this is not booked, so I am flexible to change): --Apollo Bay (2 nights) drive to the waterfalls. A loop from ABay through Skenes Creek, along Turtons Track, visiting Triplet, Beauchamp and Hopetoun Falls and the redwood forest, then back to ABay, depending on how long we take walking to the waterfalls. It's also possible to include the Otway Fly. --Port Campbell (2 nights) giving us enough time to visit the sights of the GOR... Loch Arch Gorge/Razorback/thunder cave/Broken Head/Sherbrooke River walking along the coastline at the Bay of Islands. Flagstaff Hill Museum in Warnambool etc. --Grampian NP (2 nights)...Hopetoun and Beauchamo in Otways...walking as much as we can -- Ballarat, still not sure whether to stay 2 nights here? We like to stop enjoy short hikes, walk, enjoy scenic drives. We try not to drive for long distance. Somehow we would like to either continue to Sydney or fly to Sydney. Also I am trying to see how to in cooperate (mostly fly and drive) Cairns, Darwin, Townsville, Newcastle, Brisbane, Adelaide (if possible be there for WOMADELAIDE); fly to Alice springs end of Mar, visit Uluru and then fly to our final stop -- Perth. I know some northern parts because of the wet weather will be be possible to visit. Our departure from Australia is Perth (Apr). So any tips, suggestions, recommendations would be extremely helpful. I cant thank you you enough. Hi I'm in the early stages of planning a 3 - 4 months East Africa trip with my partner. We are in our late 20s interested in all aspects of travel really (history/culture/nature/partying/adventure/beaches...etc) so fairly easy pleased and hoping for a very varied trip. We are used to backpacking so not really looking for anything too flash (probably mainly homestays and cheap Airbnbs with a bit of camping). We will hopefully have saved around 10k between us. Hopefully this will be enough. After doing a little bit of research I've got a rough idea of a route and just wanted some advice from anyone who's done a similar trip/knows the area a bit better than I do (which is very little, but still planning). Any pointers anyone could offer would be great (places I've missed/advice for current trip...etc). I'm also curious to know how easy it will be to travel between places by public transport. I've read that its a lot more difficult than in SE Asia. Anyway, here's the plan so far: Fly into Dar Es Salaam and spend a few days acclimatising/exploring. Bus to Bagamoyo - spend a few days exploring Lushoto - Do some trekking out in the countryside Moshi Arusha (maybe base ourselves here for the next two places) Lake Manyara Ngorogoro Take the public bus through the Serengeti to Musoma and enjoy a few days by the lake. Across the Kenyan border to Kisii (Masai Mara - this will depend on how much money we manage to save) Lake Nakuru Lake Naivasha & Hell's Gate National Park Nairobi Fly to Lamu and spend a few days there. Fly to Malindi Kilifi to enjoy some nice beach time after all that running around Mombasa Fly from Mombasa to Zanzibar Back to Dar Es Salam to get the 24 hour train to Mbeya. From Mbeya cross the border into Malawi and spend a few days in Livingstonia Nhkata Bay Kande Hopefully time it so that we can go to Lake of Stars Festival on Lake Malawi Cape Maclear Liwonde National Park Zomba Then fly back to Dar Es Salaam from Blantyre and from Dar Es Salaam get our return flight. Will this be do-able. It sounds like a lot, but it is spread out over 4 months, so hopefully we're not over-planning and will have enough money. Any thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks If you are going on the Alpine Route you may still see some late foliage around the Kurobe Dam area although normally mid Oct is a better time. Going to Shirakawago will you be heading to Kanazawa !? Do-able as a day trip from Kanazawa is Kurobe Gorge. Late Oct to early Nov (especially early Nov) is a very good time for autumn foliage in that part of Japan. Hi all! I'm still busy working on my itinerary for my 2 week trip to Japan for the 2nd and 3th week of November. I think staying somewhere around Mt. Fuji would be nice to get a glimpse of the mountain. But which place to choose? Which place has nice hiking trails (not with intention to go up the mountain) Which place for the best Autumn foliage? We have 2 nights. Or would that be too much? Thanks! Hi! I'll be visiting Japan by the end of October. We'll be visiting famous locations such as Tokyo (City only, not the surrounding areas like Nikko, etc), Fuji, Osaka, Kyoto, and a half day trip to Nara. I have some questions: 1. Any places where there are autumn leaves this early in japan? 2. Will there be snow on the 5th station by that time (Can't really remove this one because it's part of the package for fuji :( )? 3. Does Oshino Hakkai have good views for Mount Fuji (Again, can't really remove this one because it's part of the package for fuji :( )? 4. Suggested places to visit in Kyoto? 5. Is it worth it to have a half day trip to Kobe before our flight in the evening? Thanks! Edited: 3 years ago Located in eastern China's Anhui Province, Mount Huangshan is often described as the "loveliest mountain in China" and was listed on both the world cultural and natural heritage lists in 1990. In September 2013, Lonely Planet included Mount Huangshan in its top 10 list of "The World's Best Places to See Autumn Colors." Some tourists even say that one can never know how beautiful autumn is without seeing the fall scenery at Mount Huangshan. Let China.org.cn be your guide to enjoy the rich, colorful and awe-inspiring landscape of the mountain in autumn. [China.org.cn] - The controversial lesbian film failed to be nominated despite a High Court order lifting the ban on it - The selection committee said the film failed to produce a DVD copy of it which is still illegal to hold one in Kenya - It however noted the film had met all other requirement needed for a valid entry - However, another Kenyan film was picked for the nominations under the category of Best Foreign Language films It is a win for the Kenya Films Classifications Board (KFCB) CEO Ezekiel Mutua after the hyped homosexual Rafiki film failed to be nominated for the Oscar awards on Friday, September 28. The KFCB CEO announced the Oscars selection committee had picked a different film 'Supa Modo' which had won the AMVCA awards in Lagos, Nigeria and the recent River Woods award. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens . READ ALSO: DCI awaita marafiki 3 wa Jacque Maribe kuhusiana na mauaji ya Monica Kimani Moral police Ezekiel Mutua celebrates after hyped Kenyan lesbian film fails to clinch Oscar nomination Source: Twitter READ ALSO: Facebook explains why 90 million users were logged out of their accounts "So after all the drama and court orders Rafiki Movie did not qualify for nomination to the Oscars, the Oscars Selection Committee has picked Supa Modo, a film that recently won in the AMVCA awards in Lagos and also in the KFCB sponsored Riverwood Awards. To hell with gay stuff," wrote Mutua In a statement released by the selection committee on Saturday, September 29, Rafiki had all the requirements for nomination checked but it was skipped because it failed to submit it's DVD copy. "The film had also all the items on the checklist ticked off apart from the DVD copy which we understand would not have been possible to submit as it is still illegal to hold a copy of the same movie in Kenya," read the statement in part READ ALSO: Raila asks Uhuru to tame appetite for loans to reduce debt burden Moral police Ezekiel Mutua celebrates after hyped Kenyan lesbian film fails to clinch Oscar nomination Source: Twitter The ban on the movie imposed by KFCB on grounds it was promoting lesbianism was recently lifted by the High Court and was given a seven day viewer-ship permit at the prestige plaza which ends on Sunday, September 30. The selection committee however noted, the circumstances surrounding the ban of the film in Kenya notwithstanding, it was satisfied Rafiki met a majority of the requirements needed to consider it a valid entry. The controversial movie had been submitted for an Oscar nomination under the Best Foreign Language Film category. READ ALSO: Not even death threats can stop me - DPP Noordin Haji However, Supa Modo, which was selected for the oscars, highlighting the challenges faced by a single mother and her family dealing with a terminally ill child. Another Kenyan film, Njata, also failed to make it to the nomination list as it failed to meet the selection committees parameters. It did not have the minimum theatrical release time and Red Carpet premiere event as it was premiered at a community hall, the statement read. 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. Source: Tuko.co.ke - MPs sitting in National Assembly's Transport Committee decried increased road crashes in recent months - An audit report by the committee indicated 507 people died in road accidents and over one thousand others injured in July and August 2018 alone - The legislators wanted Boinnet to explain what the traffic police were doing to tame the deadly crashes - Chairman David Pksoing blamed traffic officers for being ineffective and only generated statistics of accidents instead of developing remedies Members of the National Assembly have summoned Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet over a reported increase in road crashes across the country, TUKO.co.ke has established. MPs sitting in the Transport, Public Works and Housing Committee raised concern that rarely has a day passed with a report of a road crash most of which have claimed lives or crippled road users. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: DCI awaita marafiki 3 wa Jacque Maribe kuhusiana na mauaji ya Monica Kimani National Assembly Transport Committee members want IG Joseph Boinnet to explain what traffic police officers were doing to tame road carnage. Photo: Daily Nation. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Kenyans clash after video emerges of teacher beating students in Kisumu David Pkosing who chairs the committee said Boinnet was required to explain why traffic police department was doing very little to establish the causes of the crashes which would have been otherwise avoided through close monitoring. Pkosing said besides Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) and National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) being mandated to oversee transport affairs, traffic police officers also had an important role in ensuring safety in the roads. "The IG must know why this is happening and explain what measures they are employing to save lives. It is questionable that we have a traffic commandant whose command on police officers is restricted on generating statistics. What remedies are they employing to curb road carnage?" posed Pkosing. An audit by National Assembly's Committee on Transport concluded 507 people had been killed in road accidents between July and August 2018. Photo: UGC. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Kenyans list most common causes of increased murder cases in the country There was confusion on who had mandate to oversee transport affairs in the country after President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday, January 9, told NTSA officers to keep off Kenyan roads and allow traffic police officers to carry out law enforcement. Statistics released by NTSA on Monday, August 13 showed 1,859 people had died in road crashes in 2018. The legislators were prompted by to summon Boinnet and KeNHA Director General Peter Mundinia after their audit indicated 507 Kenyans had died in road accidents and over a thousand Mwingi Central MP Gideon Mulyungi further accused KeNHA of being lax in executing its mandate saying his efforts to have officers from the parastatal to assess road signage and identify black spots in his constituency never bore fruits. 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 Shosh Cecilia Story Continues: Shosh Cecilia Gets New Teeth | Tuko TV Source: Kenya Breaking News Today - Rasanga is accused of spending taxpayers' money to purchase air tickets for family and friends - A report sent to DPP Haji recommends Rasanga be charged for illegal acquisition of benefits - He is alos accused of irregularly awarding tender without following due process Siaya Governor Cornel Rasanga could be arrested anytime from now over corruption related cases after Director of Public Prosecution Noordin Haji gave a nod to his prosecution. TUKO.co.ke understands the office of the DPP has been combing through county books of accounts for sometimes and they are convinced there are enough evidence to pin down Rasanga who is accused of abuse of office. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: DCI awaita marafiki 3 wa Jacque Maribe kuhusiana na mauaji ya Monica Kimani Siaya Governor Cornel Rasanga could be arrested anytime from now over corruption related cases after Noordin Haji gave a nod to his prosecution. Photo: Siaya Governor Press/Facebook. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Here are President Uhurus men who are giving the rich sleepless nights Among the details which the ODPP will try to establish is how the county chief spent taxpayers' money on air tickets for family and friends in the last three financial years. The report which was presented to Haji for perusal in May, 2018 recommended the second time governor and other county officers be charged with with unlawful acquisition of a benefit contrary to the law and abuse of office. The ODM politician's name also featured prominently in investigations over irregular tender award to construct a pre-fabricated building valued at KSh 22.5 million at the county headquarters. READ ALSO: Busia governor to spend two nights behind bars following early morning arrest In this particular case, it is understood the leader who rose to public limelight after 2013 General Elections disregarded all the procurement laws and awarded the tender illegally. Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong' and former Nairobi county boss Evans Kidero are currently fighting tooth and nail to clear their names from corruption charges. Both were arrested separately and released on bail. 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. Kenya News: Ex-Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero Arraigned in Court Over Corruption Charges| TUKO TV Source: Tuko - The man is reported to have been doused in hot oil by his wife which she was using to fry fish - The two are reported too have engaged in an argument but neighbours dismissed it as it was usual for the two - The woman is said to have escaped from the scene while the man was rushed to a Homa Bay hospital - Police have now launched a man hunt for the woman A 40-year-old fisherman is nursing injuries at a Homa Bay County hospital after he was doused in hot cooking oil by his wife in a long drawn domestic dispute. The oil scalded John Onyangos arms and part of his upper body near the chest and abdomen leaving him writhing in pain at the Sori Lake Side Hospital in Suba where he was rushed on Wednesday, September 26. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: DCI awaita marafiki 3 wa Jacque Maribe kuhusiana na mauaji ya Monica Kimani Hom Bay town in Homa Bay County . Photo: Daily Nation Source: UGC READ ALSO: 6 easy ways to handle high-speed tyre burst like a pro Onyangos wife who fled the scene and remains at large following the horrific ordeal is reported to have lifted the heating oil off a three-stoned hearth and poured it on him. Area Chief, Samwel Obado. said a short verbal exchange quickly built up to the incident which has left the fisherman with scars he will live with for the rest of his life. We are pursuing her so that she can be charged accordingly, said the administrator who spoke against gender based violence common against women on Lake Victoria beaches. READ ALSO: Kenyans list most common causes of increased murder cases in the country A 40-year-old fisherman is nursing injuries at a Homa Bay County hospital after he was doused in hot cooking oil. Source: UGC He said such incidences had registered a sharp rise in the area and called for psychological intervention from concerned non-governmental organisations and State Department of Health. Such reports have risen to alarming levels and I fear this case could catalyse the vice. That is why we must find the suspect and bring her to book and to get counselors down here, he told TUKO.co.ke Neighbours said Onyangos wife was frying fish at their beach home when a slight argument quickly span out of control. READ ALSO: Kakamega family appeals for KSh 500k for sons treatment following strange ailment on private parts It was a simmering dispute. We ignored it as normal because it was very regular and they would quickly get back to normal," said one of the neighbours. "We only knew things were unusual when we heard him yelp in pain. We rushed there and found him writhing on the floor, said Michael Otieno, a fellow fisher. Police sources said hunt was on for the woman. Story by Fred Okul, TUKO Correspondent 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. Migori Residents Demand The Release of Okoth Obado - On Tuko TV Source: Tuko - The senators suggested nominated MCAs be treated the same way as their elected counterparts - They said the same treatment should also be extended to nominated senators and MPs - If considered, the move would push the public wage bill, currently staggering at KSh 650 billion The struggling Kenyan taxpayers could soon be forced to fork out additional billions of shillings to pay allowances of nominated members of county assemblies, senators and MPs if the government yields to fresh demands by the senators. The senators are pushing for additional cash to be allocated to the nominated county lawmakers arguing the money would facilitate operations at the county assemblies. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: DCI awaita marafiki 3 wa Jacque Maribe kuhusiana na mauaji ya Monica Kimani The senators demanded that Members of County Assemblies be treated the same way with their elected counterparts and even PMs because they perform the same roles. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: 'Ghost MPs' show up in Parliament during Finance Bill voting Speaking during the Senate plenary sitting in Uasin Gishu County on September 19, the senators held that the MCAs ought to be treated just like the elected warp reps and MPs because they contributed equally. "They need to be given even more than per diem. They just need to be treated like any other member because they contribute equally," nominated senator Naomi Shiyonga suggested. READ ALSO: Parliament technically passes Uhuru's tax proposals in Finance Bill 2018 after failing to attain quorum Nairobi Senator Johnston Sakaja echoed the sentiments of Shiyonga as he also called for equal treatment for the nominated MCAs. Sakaja claimed the MCAs the nominated ward reps were being treated as second class legislators by their elected colleagues. READ ALSO: Uhuru receives Bill on 16% fuel levy as Kenyans eagerly await his next action TUKO.co.ke understands the taxpayer would have to part with an additional KSh 1.7 billion to pay for the allowances of the MCAs should the National Treasury consider the recommendations by the senators. It is understood the nominated senators and MPs were also demanding for the same allowances, which if implemented would push the already ballooned public wage bill further upwards. The public sector wage bill stood at about KSh 650 billion as of September 2018. READ ALSO: Kenyans left disappointed following MP's heated drama in Parliament over Uhuru's tax proposals The new demands come even as a section of Kenyans called for total overhaul of the government structure to scrap off positions of senators, nominated MPs and MCAs and lessen unnecessary burden on the taxpayers. The new Constitution promulgated in 2010 created 1,450 wards each represented by a single MCA, another additional 80 constituencies and 47 counties each headed by a single governor, one senator and woman representative. On top of this, there are nominated senators, woman representatives, MPs, and MCAs. 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. Shosh Cecilia Story Continues: Shosh Cecilia Gets New Teeth - On Tuko TV Source: Tuko.co.ke - At least 12 others were seriously injured in the Saturday night accident - A bus belonging to Climax Sacco collided with an oncoming a trailer - The bus was reportedly trying to overtake another vehicle when the accident happened At least eleven people were on the morning of Sunday, September 30, confirmed dead in a head-on collision along the Naivasha-Gilgil highway. A bus travelling to Nairobi from Vihiga crashed into an oncoming truck. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: DCI awaita marafiki 3 wa Jacque Maribe kuhusiana na mauaji ya Monica Kimani The 11 passengers on board a Climax bus reportedly died instantly including the pass driver. Several other passengers suffered serious injuries. Photo: Nation. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Kawere buses placed under NTSA watch following fatal accident Reports reaching TUKO.co.ke on Sunday morning indicated the 11 passengers died instantly including the bus driver. Confirming the fatal accident, area OCPD Emmanuel Opuru said the bus belonging to Climax Sacco was trying to overtake another vehicle when it rammed into the trailer. READ ALSO: NTSA temporarily bans Kawere bus captured dangerously overtaking along Nairobi-Nakuru highway Several other passengers suffered seriously injuries and were rushed to Gilgil Sub County Hospital and others to Nakuru Provincial General Hospital. The accident took place on Saturday night. There has been growing concern over increased incidents of road fatalities even after the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) handed over the responsibility of enforcing traffic rules and regulations to the Police. READ ALSO: Motorists found driving while drunk now risk being blacklisted by NTSA According to the latest road safety report, some 2,919 Kenyans lost their lives in road accidents in 2017 alone, a 1.6% increase compared to what was recorded in 2015. 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. Shosh Cecilia Story Continues: Shosh Cecilia Gets New Teeth - On Tuko TV Source: Kenya Breaking News Today - The politicians promised to support DP Ruto's presidential bid in 2022 after divorcing Raila - They claimed the ODM party leader never brought any development to the Coast region - Although Raila has not personally said he would vie again in 2022, his ODM party insists he would be on the ballot A section of Coast politicians have told Opposition leader Raila Odinga to forget their support come 2022 and vowed to rally behind Deputy President William Ruto as their next presidential candidate. The leaders, among them a governor and 20 Members of Parliament, claimed they supported the former prime minister for many years but gained nothing in terms of development. READ ALSO: DCI awaita marafiki 3 wa Jacque Maribe kuhusiana na mauaji ya Monica Kimani The Coast politicians made the political announcement during Deputy President William Ruto's visit to Kwale County on Saturday, September 29. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: ODM female MP heckled by youth days after reiterating her allegiance to DP Ruto Speaking during the opening of Mprirani Primary School in Kwale County on Saturday, September 29, a ceremony graced by Deputy President William Ruto, the leaders said their political marriage with Raila was over. The announcement that our friend wants to contest for presidency is not news to us. He did the same thing in 2007, 2013 and 2017. He might even do the same in 2032. We have no business with him because we know where we are going, Kwale governor, Salim Mvurya, said. READ ALSO: Defiant ODM MP moves to court to block DP Ruto from vying in 2022 On his part, Msambweni MP Suleiman Dor said Coast voters were now enlightened and would not be misled to support individuals who end up losing in every election because they have no development track record. This time round we have decided as Coast people to support Mr Ruto and Jubilee for the sake of development. This region can only be build by leaders who have the interest of our people at heart, he said. READ ALSO: ODM MP says William Ruto is so desperate for political mileage that hes launching small projects The MP added Kenyans were tired of Raila's political theatrics, urging the Coastal people to stand with Ruto as he was committed to solving the problems affecting the people. Indications are that Raila will contest again for presidency in 2022. We want to tell him as early as this not to count on our support. We have given him enough support and its time we support Ruto, he said. Echoing the sentiments of her colleagues, ODM party rebel Aisha Jumwa urged Coast voters to chat their own political destiny and support leaders who have their interest at heart. We didn't vote for Jubilee last year but the Deputy President is here with us on matters of development. Time that someone played with our politics is over. We are not waiting for anyone anymore to tell us where we are going because we already know where we are ahead of 2022, Jumwa said. READ ALSO: Millie Odhiambo blasts Aisha Jumwa for claiming she introduced Raila to Coast The politicians called on the Coast region voters to be prepared to chat their own political destiny come 2022, saying business will not be as usual as far as national politics were concerned. They reiterated they would support leaders who are development conscious, adding that time to support individuals with no agenda for the region had come to an end. READ ALSO: DP Ruto likes loitering around, if you see a problem tell him - Uhuru Kenyatta Ruto assured the Coast leaders Jubilee government was ready to work with them irrespective of their political affiliations for the sake of unity and development. He said politics based on ethnic, religion or party affiliations had been overtaken by events and that leadership was about service delivery. We are here with all these leaders today on matters of development because elections ended with last years elections. Its now time to deliver on the promises we made to Kenyans, the DP said. READ ALSO: William Ruto makes unexpected moves in town during first appearance after a week of speculation Other leaders who attended the event included Ali Wario (Bura), Hashaka Wario (Garsen), Owen Baya (Kilifi North), Senator Juma Wario (Tana River), Said Haribae (Golale), Senator Anuar Toitiptip (Lamu), Badi Twalib (Jomvu), Stanley Muthama (Lamu West), Danson Mwashako (Wundanyi), and Mohammed Ali (Nyali). Benjamin Tayari (Kinango), Khatib Mwashetani (Lunga Lunga), Shariff Ali (Lamu East), Michel Kingi (Magarini), Gertrude Mbeyu (Kilifi), Lydia Haika (Taita Taveta), and former MP Gideon Mungaro were also present. READ ALSO: Raila is our 2022 presidential choice - ODM MPs TUKO.co.ke understands the politicians were reacting to announcement by ODM party MPs that Raila would be their presidential candidate come 2022. Led by Senate Majority Leader and Siaya Senator James Orengo, the ODM legislators said Raila's candidature in 2022 was not negotiable because he had all the reasons to go for the top seat. "We only have one person who has this country's best interests at heart. Only Raila Odinga can liberate Kenya from economic, political and social problems facing Kenya owing to his longevity in the battle for multiparty democracy," Orengo said. Additional reporting by Bethuel Kaino 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. When Uhuru, Ruto and Raila Met at State House - On Tuko TV Source: Tuko.co.ke - Wa Iria says Murang'a residents have been chased from Nairobi and their businesses torched - He has threatened to sue all banks illegally lending money to Murang'a including World Bank - The money illegally lent to Murang'a, he says, will not be re-payed as he is not privy of such Murang'a Governor Mwangi wa Iria has claimed political cartels are frustrating Mount Kenya people because it is President Uhuru Kenyatta's final term. Speaking at Ihura stadium on Saturday, September 29, Wa Iria singled out Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko as among the people causing Murang'a a lot of pain. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens. READ ALSO: Waziri wa maji wa kaunti ya Muranga ashtakiwa kwa wizi wa KSh 13,450 kimabavu Speaking at Ihura stadium on Saturday, September 29, Wa Iria singled out Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko as among the people causing Murang'a a lot of pain. Photo: UGC Source: UGC READ ALSO: Muranga water minister charged with robbery with violence In his speech which was made in Gikuyu language, Wa Iria claimed hundreds of Murang'a residents doing business in Nairobi have since been rendered jobless by City Hall. "Many of the businessmen in Nairobi are young men and women from Murang'a County. Recently, they we chased and they came back here in their homes. Most of them come to my office and they tell me their business premises were torched. And this is one thing which we must deal with," stated the governor. READ ALSO: Wawakilishi Murang'a wafyatuliwa vitoa machozi kwa kujaribu kukata maji yasiingie Nairobi This comes at a time when the county chief is entangled in a fiery war to take control over water resources and supply in Murang'a. He claimed Nairobi County draws its water from it but Murang'a residents do not benefit. Wa Iria has since demanded that the Government remits KSh 2 billion annually to Murang'a as a reward for water it gets from the devolved unit. He further threatened to sue the World Bank for financing water programs in Murang'a County through the water companies. Photo: UGC Source: UGC He further threatened to sue the World Bank for financing water programs in Murang'a County through the water companies. "It is not fair for loans to be procured from the World Bank in the name of financing water projects in Murang'a. The amount the government is supposed to be giving us (KSh 200 million monthly) is enough to do this. We are the ones to be lending other counties money," Wa Iria said in an earlier event. READ ALSO: Muranga governor demands KSh 2 billion from water flowing to Nairobi, dismisses water minister A section of Murang'a politicians, Wa Iria claimed, were receiving to a tune of KSh 5 million monthly from a Nairobi water company for them to keep mute on the water issue. The governor also called for the speedy arrest of Environment CS Keriako Tobiko and Water PS Joseph Wairagu for what he termed as colluding with Murang'a County Commissioner John Elungata to harass residents. "Its unfortunate that the same government we elected, is leasing land rovers which are then used in molest Murang'a people by disconnecting water illegally," charged Wa Iria. Speaking at the same event, Murang'a deputy Governor James Kamau Maina, said the county was ready to protect water resources by every means at their disposal. Photo: UGC Source: UGC Speaking at the same event, Murang'a deputy Governor James Kamau Maina , said the county was ready to protect water resources by every means. "Even if it means using pangas, machete and axes the way Turkana people did with their oil," said Maina. 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 React to Rafiki, First Ever Lesbian Movie Produced in Kenya | Tuko TV. Source: Tuko.co.ke Flash The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Saturday demanded the United States take steps to secure Pyongyang's trust before its denuclearization. "Without any trust in the U.S. there will be no confidence in our national security and under such circumstances there is no way we will unilaterally disarm ourselves first," DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told the UN General Assembly. "The DPRK government's commitment to denuclearization is solid and firm. However, it is only possible if the U.S. secures our sufficient trust toward the U.S." The key to consolidating peace and security on the Korean Peninsula is to thoroughly implement the joint statement adopted at the historic summit between the DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore in June, said Ri. The joint statement contains all principled issues regarding eventual solutions of the issues on the Korean Peninsula, he said. "Once the DPRK-U.S. Joint Statement is implemented, the current trend toward detente will turn into durable peace, and the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula will also be achieved." The primary task for effectively implementing the joint statement should be bringing down the barrier of mistrust between the two countries, said Ri. Out of the desire and resolute determination to successfully implement the joint statement, the DPRK government gives particular attention to trust-building and is pouring primary efforts to this, he said. Even before the summit, DPRK took significant good-will measures such as stopping nuclear and ballistic missile tests and dismantling a nuclear test site, said Ri. "However, we do not see any corresponding response from the U.S. On the contrary, instead of addressing our concern for the absence of peace regime in the Korean Peninsula, the U.S. insists on 'denuclearization-first' and increases the level of pressure by sanctions to achieve their purpose in a coercive manner, and even objecting the 'declaration of the end of war'." "The perception that sanctions can bring us on our knees is a pipe dream of the people who are ignorant about us. But the problem is that the continued sanctions are deepening our mistrust." If the joint statement becomes a victim of the domestic politics of the U.S., then the greatest victim of the subsequent unpredictable consequences will be the U.S. itself as a whole, Ri warned. At this critical juncture, the U.S. should make a foresighted judgment that faithful fulfillment of its commitment will, in the end, be in the best national interests of the United Sates and should maintain new method for solving the DPRK-U.S. relations, he said. Speaking before a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in New York on Monday, Trump announced that himself and Kim will hold a second summit "in the not too distant future." After a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Ri on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, the State Department announced that Pompeo will travel to the DPRK to discuss the second Trump-Kim summit. In his speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump thanked Kim "for his courage and for the steps he has taken." But he added that much work remains to be done and that the sanctions against the DPRK will stay in place "until denuclearization occurs." Kenyans have been struggling to wrap their minds around the alarming number of female deaths taking place in the country with the murders of most victims going unsolved. Mostly, people have argued most of if not all of the victims died as a result of being involved with the wrong people or simply put high profile personalities. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: 5 Kenyan ladies who died mysteriously after interacting with prominent men Just recently, a shockwave was sent through the internet when reports broke of the death of two innocent girls who were murdered in a gruesome, unforgiving manner. TUKO.co.ke has compiled a few cases of ladies who found themselves at the wrong side of fate but their murders remain unsolved to date: Mostly, people have argued most of if not all of the victims died as a result of being involved with the wrong people or simply put high profile personalities. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Migori governor denies impregnating murdered Rongo University student 1. Anne Wanjohi Reports indicate the young lady met her death when police constable Simon Njoroge Njau shot her in Nairobi. Anne succumbed to her injuries in September 2017. TUKO.co.ke understands the 23-year old who was shot five times turned down the constable's marriage proposal. The two had known each other for only three months. 2. Ms Endinal Nyainda Endinal who was a graduate from Kenyatta University met her death on July 2016 during an attempt to walk out of a relationship with her then boyfriend, Maxwell Otieno. The victim was later stabbed a number of times in her tummy in their apartment at Kahawa Wendani. 3. Monica Nyawira Kimani Monica was found stuffed in her bathtub tied up and with her throat slit in September 2018. The main murder suspect is none other than Joseph Kuria Irungu, the fiance to renown Citizen TV reporter Jacque Maribe. For long, former TV star Louis Otieno has been in and out of court over the murder of Careen who was reportedly his lover before meeting her death. Source: UGC READ ALSO: The shocking revelation of Louis Otieno: hard life, sad story, rapid fall 4. Sharon Otieno Sharon, a 26-year-old Rongo University student and a mother of three was found dumped in Kodera forest with multiple stab wounds. The victim had a secret affair with Migori Governor Okoth Obado who is currently behind bars. 5. Janet Wangui Janet's car was sprayed with 15 bullets at Nairobi's City Park. The woman who died in May 2018 was accused of having an illicit affair with her nephew Bernard Chege. The lady's husband George Kirubi was accused of sending police officers to assassinate his wife. George rubbished these claims. Monica was found stuffed in her bathtub tied up and with her throat slit in September 2018. Source: Facebook 6. Lucy Njambi Lucy died a horrific death in February, 2018 after her killers forced her to chug acid before they drenched her in the liquid. 7. Carol Ngumbi Carol's body was found a few metres away from that of slain IEBC ICT manager Chris Msando in July 2017. The 21-year-old was a student at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC). She was said to have gone out for drinks with Msando a few days before she went missing. READ ALSO: DCI awaita marafiki 3 wa Jacque Maribe kuhusiana na mauaji ya Monica Kimani The victim had a secret affair with Migori Governor Okoth Obado who is currently behind bars. Source: Facebook 8. Diana Chemutai Rono The popular musician's lifeless body was found outside her house in 2016. Her husband Eric Musila was accused of killing her 9. Careen Chepchumba For long, former TV star Louis Otieno has been in and out of court over the murder of Careen who was reportedly his lover before meeting her death. The Kenya Power engineer's lifeless body was found by her dad in her Kilimani apartment on February, 2012. An autopsy conducted by the chief government pathologist Johansen Odour revealed Careen was strangled to death. The 21-year-old was a student at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC). Source: UGC 10. Mercy Keino The body of Mercy Keino, a University of Nairobi student, was discovered by passers-by on Waiyaki Way, a few metres away from the St Marks Church in Westlands, Nairobi. Before her death, Keino and another unnamed woman attended a party hosted by the then Juja MP and later Kiambu governor William Kabogo at Wasini Luxury Apartments, Westlands where she was reported to be drunk and unruly. At one point, she was reported to have broken glasses and assaulted other guests at the party. A CCTV footage showed an unidentified man followed the former law student out of the main bar area. A night guard would later violently eject her out of the bar even as she protested. In 2013, a Nairobi court absolved Kabogo of any wrongdoing. It is clear the adversely mentioned parties had no motive to harm the deceased. The adversely mentioned parties have therefore been absolved of blame and cannot be held liable for (Keinos) death, ruled Magistrate Peter Ndwiga. 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 React to Rafiki, First Ever Lesbian Movie Produced in Kenya | Tuko TV. Source: Tuko - Prince William has been on a 7-day tour in Africa and has visited Namibia and Tanzania - His tour envisioned sensitizing communities on importance of wildlife conservation - The last time he visited was in 2016 when also met with Uhuru and talked about wildlife President Uhuru Kenyatta on Sunday, September 30, held talks with The Duke of Cambridge Prince William. Prince William called on President Uhuru Kenyatta shortly after visiting The British army training in Laikipia where he also met soldiers from Kenya Defense Forces (KDF). Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens. READ ALSO: DCI awaita marafiki 3 wa Jacque Maribe kuhusiana na mauaji ya Monica Kimani During the meeting, Uhuru discussed with Duke of Cambridge on several ways the country would use to rid off illegal wildlife business. Photo: President Uhuru Kenyatta Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Kalonzo and Mudavadi strongly oppose Railas referendum push During the meeting, Uhuru discussed with him several ways the country would use to rid it off illegal wildlife business. Prince William, who was accompanied by the British High Commissioner to Kenya, Nic Hailey, revealed to Uhuru that a two days Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference would be convened in London. READ ALSO: Rowdy Gor Mahia fans destroy restaurant in Kisumu after refusing to pay bill The meeting, according to the Prince, is scheduled for Wednesday, October 10 and Thursday, October 11. Prince Williams meeting with President Kenyatta concludes a seven-day tour of Africa that saw him also visit Namibia and Tanzania. William last visited Kenya in March 2016, where he still had talks with Uhuru concerning the conservation of wildlife. His visit comes shortly after US First Lady Melania Trump announced to visit Kenya where she is set to meet her counterpart Margret Kenyatta. Melania is expected in the country on Monday, October 1, in a tour that will also see her visit Ghana, Malawi and Egypt. Price William called on President Uhuru Kenyatta shortly after visiting The British army training in Laikipia where he also met soldiers from Kenya Defense Forces (KDF). Photo: UGC Source: UGC Before he met Uhuru, Prince William also visited school children at Kinamba Community project where he gifted them with playing equipment. 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 React to Rafiki, First Ever Lesbian Movie Produced in Kenya | Tuko TV. Source: Tuko Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Flash Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday the healthy and stable development of China-U.S. relations is mutually beneficial and needs to be maintained with joint efforts from both sides. Wang made the remarks in a speech given at the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations, a New York-based think tank. Noting that China and the United States are going to usher in the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, Wang said it is necessary to objectively examine the changes that have taken place in each other, calibrate the bilateral relations and have a good grip on the direction of their future development. Thanks to the unremitting efforts made by several generations of leaders from both sides as well as the efforts of people from all walks of life in both countries, China-U.S. cooperation has yielded significant results over the past 40 years, promoting respective development and benefitting people on both sides, said the top Chinese diplomat. Wang noted that doubts, differences and even frictions may emerge as both sides interact more closely with each other and their interests are more intertwined. It is not surprising since the two countries have distinctive histories, cultures and social systems and are at different stages of development, he said, adding that there is no need to panic either. However, some American friends believe that once China develops, it would seek hegemony, and even challenge and replace the U.S. leadership in the world, Wang said, noting that this is obviously a huge strategic miscalculation. Unfortunately, this misconception is spreading, which magnifies existing conflicts, creates new doubts and makes it more difficult and complicated for China and the United States to resolve specific problems, he warned. Wang made it clear that China will take a development path different from that of a traditional power. This is a path with Chinese characteristics, which determines that China will not repeat the old path in which a strong power would surely seek hegemony, said Wang, adding that China will neither become another United States, nor challenge or replace the United States. Emphasizing that China always adheres to the path of peace, cooperation and opening-up and endeavors to play an active and constructive role on the international stage, Wang called on parties concerned to shrug off prejudices and make a rational judgment. China-U.S. relations are common assets of the two countries, which need care by and attention from both sides, he added. Under the current circumstances, China-U.S. relations are again at a crossroad, said Wang, adding that a better prospect can be achieved if the two sides take a positive and tolerant attitude towards each other, expand and deepen cooperation, and properly manage differences. Wang also called on far-sighted figures from both sides to take concrete actions to maintain the healthy and stable development of China-U.S. relations and jointly steer the bilateral ties in the right direction. The Ukrainian president's envoy for the peaceful settlement of the situation in Donbas, Verkhovna Rada First Deputy Chairwoman Iryna Gerashchenko, has apologized to Ukrainian journalist Roman Sushchenko, who was illegally convicted in Russia, for failing to get him out of a Russian prison for two years. She said this in a video address on the second anniversary of the illegal arrest of Sushchenko, which was made available to Ukrinform. "Excuse me, dear, for failing to get you, your companions in misfortune who are held in Russian prisons, out of this occupation for so long time. I want to say that it is very painful to your family and to all of us who know you. At the same time, I am convinced that [...] all these tests are not in vain. They will surely temper you, your beautiful family that is fighting for you, but also make us angrier and tougher in protecting the national interests of Ukraine, in protecting every Ukrainian in the sense what is good and what is evil," the politician said. Gerashchenko noted that a daily rally in support of Ukrainian political prisoners was being held outside the building of the Russian Embassy in Paris in these days. "Every day, French journalists, politicians, artists, among them those who know you well, are on hunger strike, supporting Oleg Sentsov, other political prisoners of the Kremlin, and, of course, you. At all international meetings, during all negotiations, in all interviews, the Ukrainian president, the Ukrainian authorities, all of us call for pressuring the Kremlin, pressuring Putin with one demand - the release of Oleg, the release of Roman, the release of all political prisoners of the Kremlin, and those guys who are illegally held in the occupied territories of Donbas and Crimea," she said. The first vice speaker also mentioned the picture "Flowers" presented to her, which Sushchenko drew in the Lefortovo jail. "You will be free, we are sure about that. I have your gift on my table - a wonderful picture in a beautiful frame. I want your personal autograph on this picture. I want it to happen as soon as possible. Roman, don't give up! Everything will be fine!" she said. Ukrinform's Paris-based correspondent Roman Sushchenko was illegally detained on September 30, 2016 in Moscow, where he arrived on a private trip. On October 7, 2016, he was charged with "espionage." Russia's FSB said that Sushchenko is a member of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. The latter denied this allegation. On June 4, 2018, the Moscow City Court sentenced Sushchenko to 12 years in a high-security penal colony. The appeal against the sentence was filed on June 5. On September 12, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation upheld the verdict of the Moscow City Court. The European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA) supports the freedom of journalists and opposes their persecution. EANA Secretary General Alexandru Giboi said this in a comment to Ukrinform on the second anniversary of the illegal detention of the agency's correspondent Roman Sushchenko in Russia. "The European Alliance of News Agencies supports press freedom and freedom of speech and, above all, the freedom of journalists. It is our mission to support this, and I think everyone will have the right for a voice as a journalist in the media, and nobody should be prosecuted for being a journalist," Giboi said. The European Alliance of News Agencies was founded in 1956 and currently unites over 30 leading news agencies in Europe. Ukraine is represented at the alliance by Ukrinform, which has been a member of EANA since 1995. For two years of Sushchenko's illegal arrest, the EANA Board has repeatedly called on the Russian authorities to release the Ukrainian journalist if no convincing evidence of his guilt is presented. Roman Sushchenko has been working at the Ukrinform National News Agency of Ukraine since 2002, and has been the agency's correspondent in France since 2010. He was illegally detained on September 30, 2016 in Moscow, where he arrived on a private trip. On October 7, 2016, he was charged with "espionage." Russia's FSB said that Sushchenko is a member of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. The latter denied this allegation. On June 4, 2018, the Moscow City Court sentenced Sushchenko to 12 years in a high-security penal colony. The appeal against the sentence was filed on June 5. On September 12, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation upheld the verdict of the Moscow City Court. Moscow is seeking the extradition of an accused spy, an arms dealer and a drug dealer. Russia may free Ukrainian political prisoner, film director Oleh Sentsov if the United States extradites three Russian citizens who are now remanded in custody. This was reported by Russia's Novaya Gazeta, citing a source close to prisoner exchange talks between Russia and Ukraine. The source claims Russia is seeking the extradition of accused Russian spy Maria Butina along with Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout and Konstantin Yaroshenko. The latter has been servicing his 20-year term in the U.S. for drug trafficking. Bout was convicted for arms trafficking and sponsoring of terrorism and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Butina was arrested in the U.S. in July 2018, she is suspected of illegal lobbying of Russia's interests in the U.S. "Moscow is ready to discuss such a 'humanitarian deal' directly with Washington, while Ukraine is not a party to the talks," Novaya Gazeta's source said. Official representative of Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova said that she was not aware of such initiatives. The newspaper recalls that during a telephone conversation between the heads of the U.S. and Russian foreign policy offices, Mike Pompeo and Sergey Lavrov, in August this year, Pompeo raised the issue of the release of Sentsov, while Lavrov in his turn spoke about "illegal detention" of the three abovementioned Russian individuals in the U.S. prisons. Read alsoLavrov tells Pompeo espionage accusations against Russian woman "fabricated" On September 3, Russian ombudsperson Tatiana Moskalkova asked U.S. President Donald Trump to pardon Bout and Yaroshenko. Sentsov's lawyer Dmitry Dinze said that he knew nothing about such plans for the swap. "If there is a real willingness [by the Russian authorities] to swap, then we are ready to discuss concrete actions, we just need to understand how serious these conversations are," he said. As UNIAN reported earlier, Sentsov was arrested in Russian-occupied Crimea in spring 2014 and in August 2015 he was sentenced to 20 years in prison following an unfair trial where he faced "terrorism" charges stemming from his opposition to Russia's occupation of Crimea. He has been serving his term in a penal colony in the town of Labytnangi, Russia's Yamal. He went on hunger strike on May 14, demanding that Russia free all Ukrainian political prisoners. The most frequent demand is to prohibit the use of animals in circuses and dolphins in dolphinaria. Animal rights activists have staged rallies in 20 Ukrainian cities with calls to stop abuse of animals. In Kyiv, activists gathered near the monument to Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko in the center of the city, some of them even brought their pets. In total, more than a thousand people took part in the event in Kyiv, Channel 24 has reported. They demanded stopping cruelty to animals, outlawing fur farms and training hunting centers, where stray animals are killed. Read alsoKyiv may get animal cops unit They also insisted on banning tests with the use of animals. However, the most frequent demand was to prohibit the use of animals in circuses and dolphins in dolphinaria. Animal rights activists also asked to legislatively determine the ownership of animals so that in case of cruelty, their owners should be stripped of such rights. They also proposed creating the zoo police, which will record crimes against animals. In particular, the police are supposed to address serial killings of pets and stray animals. According to Ukrainian intelligence reports, two enemy fighters were eliminated and another seven were wounded. Russia's hybrid military forces mounted 32 attacks on Ukraine's Joint Forces in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, in the past day, September 29; proscribed weapons were used in six instances. One Ukrainian soldier was wounded in action, the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) headquarters said in a morning update on Facebook on September 30. Read alsoLarge batch of arms, ammunition delivered to occupied Luhansk from Russia Intel The enemy shelled Ukrainian positions near the towns of Svitlodarsk, Avdiyivka, Krasnohorivka, and Maryinka, as well as the villages of Krymske, Novozvanivka, Luhanske, Novoluhanske, Travneve, Starohnativka, Chermalyk, Pavlopil, Hnutove, Vodiane, Lebedynske, and Shyrokyne. Russian-led forces opened aimed fire, using grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns and small arms. They used 120mm mortars to attack the JFO near Krymske, Svitlodarsk, Travneve and Novoluhanske. They used 82mm mortars to shell Ukrainian positions near Svitlodarsk and Vodiane. What was more, Ukrainian troops deployed outside Krymske and Vodiane came under fire from weapons of enemy infantry fighting vehicles. According to Ukrainian intelligence reports, two enemy fighters were eliminated and another seven were wounded. Since Sunday midnight, the enemy has attacked Ukrainian positions near Vodiane, using grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns and small arms. Heavy weapons were not used. No Ukrainian army casualties have been reported. Flash Local police from Dallas, Texas, the United States, informed Chinese consulate general in Houston Saturday that the suspect who murdered and injured two Chinese has been captured. The Chinese consulate general in Houston has posted the information on its official website Saturday, thanking the effort of police and hoping the murderer will soon be punished by law. A Chinese citizen was murdered and another one injured on Sept. 21 night in an attempted burglar in Dallas, about 380 km north of Houston. According to the Chinese Consulate-General, two Chinese citizens with stab wounds were rushed to a nearby hospital. One of them was pronounced dead, and the other's condition was not available yet. Local media reported that after interviewing several residents, homicide detectives learned that the woman who died had gone outside to walk her pet and was followed by the suspect back into her apartment. The suspect was described as a white man who was wearing a white and red t-shirt with a black design. The Chinese consulate general attaches great importance to it. Issuing a notice on its website, the consulate urged Chinese citizens to pay attention to safety and security. Dallas is the ninth largest city in the United States. According to a 2017 U.S. Census Bureau report, Asians account for 3.3 percent in city's total population. In addition to the British unit, troops from Norway, the United States, the Netherlands will be stationed at the new military base. Britain is to step up its military presence in the Arctic significantly amid concerns about growing Russian aggression "in our back yard," the Defence Secretary has said. Gavin Williamson told The Sunday Telegraph that the Government was drawing up a "defence Arctic strategy" with 800 commandos being deployed to Norway next year and the instalment of a base in the north of the country. Read alsoNorway detains Russian man over suspected illegal intelligence activities media Williamson highlighted Russia's re-opening of Soviet-era bases and an "increased tempo" of submarine activity as evidence that Britain needed to "demonstrate we're there" and "protect our interests." In addition to the British unit, troops from Norway, the United States, the Netherlands will be stationed at the new military base. NATO's largest military drills will be held in October and November this year. Some 40,000 soldiers and officers from 30 countries of the Alliance and their partners, as well as 130 aircraft, 70 ships and more than 10,000 vehicles will be involved. During the maneuvers, the invasion scenario near the coast of Norway will be worked out. ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Sep, 2018 ) :The newly elected office bearers and executive members of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry have taken oath of their portfolios in the 34rd Annual General Meeting of ICCI. Ahmed Hassan Mughal was sworn in as President, Raffat Farid, Senior Vice President and Iftikhar Anwar Sethi as Vice President for the year 2018-19. Zubair Ahmed Malik, Chairman, Founder Group administered oath to the newly elected Office Bearers and Executive Members, said a press release. After taking oath Ahmed Hassan Mughal, newly elected President ICCI said that he along with his team would work hard to serve the cause of trade and industry. He said that the business community was playing critical role in the economic development of the country and resolving their key issues would be his top priority. He said SMEs were the backbone of the economy and he would work for resolution of major issues of SMEs so that these businesses could play effective role in the economic growth of the country. He said the liaison with local market associations and industrial areas would be further strengthened to resolve issues of trade and industry. He said initiatives would be taken for further development and expansion of Chamber so that it could provide better services to its members. He thanked the Founder Group and members of ICCI for electing him with majority vote and assured that he would try to deliver up to their expectations. The outgoing President Sheikh Amiri Waheed congratulated the new office bearers and executive members of ICCI and hoped that they would play effective role in promoting the interests of business community. He also highlighted the major initiatives of his tenure for resolving the issues of trade and industry. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st October, 2018) Russian companies are ready to return to Libya, however, they need security guarantees and Tripoli is waiting for Russian companies to resume business in the country, Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) Economy and Industry Minister Nasir Shaglan told Kommersant newspaper in an interview published on Sunday. "Yes, [Russian companies are ready to return to Libya], however they need security guarantees. In any case, when we hold talks, it becomes clearer from where to start working. Dozens of Russian companies came to Libya before the war. We are waiting for all them back," Shaglan said. According to the minister, it is necessary to create conditions for the Russian companies to operate in Libya as well as for Libyan businessmen to have the opportunity to freely visit Russia. "We do not have problems with trips to Turkey, China, as there are no visa requirements there. And we are discussing with Russian officials the conclusion of agreements that will remove obstacles for our mutual work ... I believe that those who will come to Libya and start working now will be in better conditions than those who will come when the situation becomes normal. Brave Italian and Turkish companies are already working in Libya and China has come as well," Shaglan added. Libya has been torn apart by conflict since long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011. The eastern part of the country is governed by the parliament, backed by the Libyan National Army (LNA) and located in Tobruk. The UN-backed GNA, headed by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, operates in the country's west and is headquartered in Tripoli. The lack of the single central government and army resulted in the surge of trafficking activities and the development of militant groups and terror organizations in the country. The newly elected president of Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI), Almas Hyder, on Saturday vowed to focus on economic challenges of the country. LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Sep, 2018 ) :The newly elected president of Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI), Almas Hyder, on Saturday vowed to focus on economic challenges of the country. Speaking at the LCCI Annual General Meeting here, he called for good and friendly mechanism to ensure much-needed expansion in tax net, citing that it would encourage people to come into the tax net voluntarily. Newly elected Senior Vice President Khawaja Shahzad Nasir, Vice President Fahim-ur-Rehman Saigol, outgoing President Malik Tahir Javaid, SVP Khawaja Khawar Rasheed, VP Zeshan Khalil and Election Commissioner Sohail Lashari also spoke on the occasion. Almas Hyder said that a friendly mechanism had to be developed to encourage the people to come into the tax net voluntarily. He suggested that a scheme should be introduced for the business community that those people would be exempted from audit that had paid 20 percent extra tax than the previous year. It would not only bring huge number of people into the tax regime but would also enable government to meet its revenue targets. LCCI newly elected president urged the Chairman of Federal board of Revenue (FBR) to extend the date for the filing of income tax returns till October 30 as business community could not file their returns due to elections of trade bodies, problems in online system and various other reasons. He said that an extension in the date of filing of returns would not only facilitate the business community but also strengthen public-private partnership. Almas Hyder mentioned that no land was available in Lahore for industrialization. Two years ago, he mentioned, LCCI had identified 66,000 acres of land in south and north for establishment of new industries, however, notification had yet to be issued in this regard while file was lying in the office of Punjab Chief Minister. Notification should be issued immediately, he urged. He said that population of Lahore was over 10 million but infrastructure was not up to the mark, adding that airport in Lahore was smaller than the airports in rural areas of China. Likewise Lahore Railway station was still there where it was in 1947. He urged the government to plan for immediate expansion in Lahore Airport and Lahore Railway station as these were the most important sources of communication and cargo handling. He also called for establishment of more hotels of international standards to boost the hospitality industry. Almas Hyder also called for improvement in ease of doing business, saying that international ranking of Pakistan in ease of doing business index was at 147 that should be a matter of concern. He said that cost of doing business was one of the major hurdles in the growth of all sectors of economy whether it was manufacturing or agriculture. He said that LCCI had already done a lot and prepared doable suggestions for ease of doing business. He said that Pakistan, like other developing countries of the region, was facing a daunting task to meet its growing energy demand that was likely to double in the next few years. They said that government had to explore and exploit its all resources to match growing energy demand of domestic, manufacturing and agriculture sectors. Almas Hyder also talked highly about depleting water resources, gap between imports and exports, smuggling and pledged to work as a think-tank for the policy corridors. Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he said, would explore new markets for Pakistani merchandise to enhance national exports. He said that LCCI this year would prepare strong budget proposals in consultation with economic experts and business community leaders with an objective to ensure maximum allocations for various sectors of the economy. The LCCI new chief said that Research and Development was an area where proper attention could do miracles. He said that LCCI would work for the promotion of research culture in Pakistan. Newly elected Senior Vice President Khawaja Shahzad Nasir and Vice President Fahim-ur-Rehman Saigol said that top notch of the country, ministries and bureaucracy would be approached for early solution of the issues being faced by the business community, besides making the LCCI role more effective and meaningful. They said that youth population was a precious asset of the country and they would be encouraged to step into entrepreneurship. They added that Lahore Chamber would also raise its voice for construction of parking plazas in the city as almost all the city traffic related problems were because of non-availability of proper parking space. Earlier, the LCCI outgoing President Malik Tahir Javaid, SVP Khawaja Khawar Rasheed and VP Zeshan Khalil presented the one year performance and Election Commission announced the formal results. Former LCCI Presidents Iftikhar Ali Malik, Mian Shafqat Ali, Sheikh Muhammad Asif, Muhammad Ali Mian and Executive Committee Members were also present. (@ChaudhryMAli88) PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Sep, 2018 ) :Newly elected president of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), Faiz Muhammad has asked the government to opt for business friendly policies and take measures for promoting industrialization in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. These views were expressed by him while addressing the Annual General Body meeting of SCCI after assuming charge of office on Saturday night. Leader of Businessmen Forum, Ilyas Ahmad Bilour, President FPCCI, Ghazanfar Bilour, outgoing president SCCI, Zahidullah Shinwari and leading businessmen of KP were present on the occasion. President SCCI, Faiz Muhammad expressed his resolve of protecting interests of business community of the province and vowed for rendering selfless services for resolution of problems being faced by industrialists and trading community. Faiz Muhammad also demanded of the government to rescind the decision regarding increase in ratio of tax and price of gas. He said obstacles in way of tax reforms and payment of refund over income tax and sales tax should also be removed. He paid rich tributes to the business community of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for continuing business is highly difficult environ they faced due to decade long onslaught of terrorism and militancy. Provision of relief to the terrorism stricken business community of KP is his top priority, Faiz announced. He said he would take along side both the industrialists and trading community and would take all decisions with proper consultation with them. He also expressed the resolve of taking all the chambers of KP into confidence for adopting a joint policy of action for promotion of business in the province. "Promotion of commerce and trade with neighbouring and brotherly country, Afghanistan also tops my priority list," Faiz told the participants of Annual General body meeting of SCCI. In this connection, he continued, practical measures would be taken for taking up cases at governmental level of Pakistan and Afghanistan as well. He also announced for making Research and Development Cell at SCCI as practical which will help in constituting of mechanism for resolution of problems being faced by business community of the province. Speaking on the occasion, outgoing President of SCCI, Zahidullah Shinwari briefed the participants about the initiatives taken by SCCI for betterment of business community during his stint in office. Leader of Businessmen Forum, Ilyas Bilour expressed his best wishes for the new President SCCI and said businessmen forum believes in selfless services of business community of the country. He said the new President SCCI is well aware about the problems being faced by business community and will play his effective role in resolution of the problems. Ilyas Bilour also appreciated the services rendered byZahidullah Shinwari and said he served the business community very well. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th September, 2018) US Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said that naval blockade can be used as an option to deter the supplies of Russia's hydrocarbons to the Middles East in order to avoid the situation as it is in Europe, where Russia controls it's energy supplies. "The United States has that ability, with our Navy, to make sure the sea lanes are open, and, if necessary, to blockade ... to make sure that their [Russian] energy does not go to market," Zinke said as quoted by Washington Examiner. The politician said that Russian economy is much dependent on hydrocarbons supplies, that is why Moscow seeks to boost energy trade in the middle East. "I believe the reason they are in the Middle East is they want to broker energy just like they do in eastern Europe, the southern belly of Europe," Zinke added. The US administration of Donald Trump has opposed new Russia's projects aimed at providing other nations with oil and gas, such as the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Trump on multiple occasions urged the US European allies to suspend the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which would run through the Baltic Sea to a hub in Germany, bypassing Ukraine. Washington, which is seeking to promote its LNG supplies to the European Union, has repeatedly expressed its opposition to the project, claiming that it was the means of political control used by Russia to exert pressure on the European Union. Washington has made a number of attempts to impede the implementation of the project and even incorporated a provision for counteracting the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in its Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. The Nord Stream 2 is a joint venture of Russia's Gazprom with France's Engie, Austria's OMV AG, UK-Dutch Royal Dutch Shell, and Germany's Uniper and Wintershall. It aims to deliver 55 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas a year to the European Union. SHABWA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 30th Sep, 2018) The Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, intensified its ongoing efforts in Yemen yesterday, when it began distributing 1,000 food parcels to poor families in Mukalla District, Hadramaut, which will benefit 7,000 people living in remote mountain areas. The ERC also distributed 155 food parcels to patients and employees of the cancer treatment department in Ateeq City, Shabwa Governorate. Sultan Al Nuaimi, ERC Representative in Shabwa, highlighted the importance of providing the aid, as part of the ERCs charity efforts, to ease the suffering of the departments patients and provide for their daily living requirements, under the exceptional circumstances they are witnessing. Dr. Saleh Al Moswae, Director of the Cancer Treatment Department, praised the ERCs support for local health centres, as well as its relief and humanitarian assistance to the Yemeni people from various governorates. Several patients thanked the UAE and its humanitarian arm, the ERC, and expressed their happiness at receiving the aid. Mohammed Obaid Al Shamsi, ERC Representative, said that the distribution of the food parcels in Mukalla is part of its urgent relief campaign throughout various regions of Hadramaut. FUJAIRAH, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 30th Sep, 2018) Khalifa Mattar Al Kaabi, Chairman of the board of Directors of Fujairah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, met with Elizabeth Cardoso Jordao, Ambassador of Luxembourg to the UAE, to discuss economic and commercial ties between Fujairah and Luxembourg and ways of expanding them. During their meeting, which took place today at the headquarters of the chamber in the presence of Sultan Jumaie Obaid, Deputy Director-General of the Chamber, Al Kaabi reviewed the available investment opportunities in the emirate, while pointing out that the emirate occupies the second position in supplying ships and is a leading centre for oil storage and trade. The Fujairah Oil Industry Zone plays a key role in attracting companies in this sector, he added. Al Kaabi stressed that the emirate is witnessing developments in the petrochemical, construction material and logistical services sectors, while highlighting the importance of the cooperation between the private sectors in the UAE and Luxembourg, as well as exploring available opportunities to establish economic partnerships. Al Kaabi affirmed that the chamber aims to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises, and motivate entrepreneurship based on innovation to achieve sustainable development, while noting its willingness to help business owners from Luxembourg who desire to invest in Fujairah. He then invited Jordao to attend the 6th Arab Conference on Investment in food Security, which will be held on 14th and 15th November 2018. Jordao said that Luxembourg considers the UAE to be a key partner in the region and is looking forward to establishing future economic and commercial partnerships that will serve their mutual interests, while praising the chambers efforts to promote its members and attract foreign investments. She added that the UAE and Luxembourg have strong bilateral ties and have signed Memorandums of Understanding and cooperation agreements in the sectors of space, financial services and non-oil goods trade. ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 30th Sep, 2018) Abu Dhabi Ports announced today the delivery of the first shipments of Automated Rail Mounted Gantry Crane (ARMG) and Ship-to-shore quay cranes (STS) to Khalifa Port. Shipped from Shanghai, the ten state-of-the-art ARMG Cranes and four STS Cranes are the initial batches of equipment to be installed at COSCO SHIPPING Abu Dhabi Terminal, the second container terminal being built at Khalifa Port due for completion at the end of this year. As innovation and automation continues to be part of Abu Dhabi Ports long-term strategy, the ARMGs and STS cranes will add unprecedented advantages to Khalifa Port by ensuring the timely and efficient stacking of containers in the terminals yards. Furthermore, with remote control monitoring, the cranes will have the capacity to swiftly transfer shipments, further boosting the capacity of Khalifa Port. The cranes will have the lifting capacity of 41 tonnes and will be fully integrated with Khalifa Ports terminal operating system, making it the first semi-automated port in the region. Speaking on the occasion, Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Ports, said, "The arrival of the first shipments of world class cranes for COSCO SHIPPING Abu Dhabi Terminal marks a significant milestone to the development of Khalifa Port. The ongoing investment into the port has been a leading factor in the rising demand for services at our integrated logistics hub at KIZAD. We are extremely happy with the progress of the COSCO SHIPPING Abu Dhabi Terminal, which is poised to start operations by end of this year, serving a larger number of customers regionally and globally, and bringing in greater opportunities for business growth for the company." "COSCO Shipping Port Limited chose Khalifa Port as the hub for its operations in the middle East, benefiting from its world-class infrastructure and strategic location. We look forward to officially launching the terminal, which will mark a new milestone for container operations in the region," he added. Capt Ju Weiping, Managing Director of COSCO SHIPPING Abu Dhabi Terminal, commented, "We are delighted to announce the arrival of our first shipment at COSCO SHIPPING Abu Dhabi Terminal. Khalifa Port is one of the fastest growing ports in the region and our partnership will further enhance the state-of-the-art terminals services provided to customers. We look forward to kicking off operation at the second container terminal at Khalifa Port to continue to meet the growing global demand from our customers for logistical and operational services." In September 2016, Abu Dhabi Ports signed a 35-year Concession Agreement with COSCO SHIPPING Ports Limited. The agreement gives COSCO SHIPPING Ports Limited a concession to develop and operate container operation services at Khalifa Port Container Terminal. COSCO SHIPPING Ports Limited will operate an initial 1200 metres of quay and yard. On November 5th 2017, COSCO broke ground in Khalifa Port to signal the start of construction. Abu Dhabi Ports and COSCO Shipping Ports Limited also conducted a signing ceremony for the leasing of the largest container freight station (CFS) in the region at Khalifa Port. The new CFS will provide trade facilities in Abu Dhabi with a state-of-the-art facility offering bonded LCL/FCL consolidation and de-consolidation services, cross stuffing, cargo weight reduction, short term warehousing for de-consolidated cargo as well as easy connectivity with the container terminals in Khalifa Port. Flash The Syrian Ministry of Transportation declared on Saturday that the logistic preparations have been done for the re-opening of the Nasib Border Crossing with Jordan slated for Oct. 10, state news agency SANA reported. A ministry statement said the border crossing will begin to receive the movement of trucks and transit to and from Syria next month. The border crossing was closed in 2015 when the rebels took over the Nasib area and the crossing in the countryside of Daraa Province in southern Syria. The Syrian army captured Daraa and the border crossing in July after the rebels in the province surrendered to the army and agreed to evacuate to rebel-held areas in northern Syria, mainly the northwestern province of Idlib. Last week, the Transportation Ministry declared raising the transit crossing fees that should be paid by trucks passing in and out of Syria whether they are loaded or empty. Ahead of the crisis, the Nasib crossing was the busiest border crossing in Syria as it is situated on the Damascus-Amman international highway. The crossing is also considered one of the most important land crossings in the Middle East as it was the main crossing for Syrian exports to Jordan and the Gulf countries. Lebanon would also benefit from the re-opening of the Nasib crossing as the small Mediterranean country has crossings with Syria only and through Nasib it can do trade business with Arab markets. The closure of the Nasib border incurred major losses in Lebanon, as 70 percent of the agricultural exports, 32 percent of the food industry and 22 percent of the total industry exports in the country passed through Nasib ahead of its closure, according to Nabil Itani, chairman and CEO of the Investment Development Authority of Lebanon. The Lebanese businesses had to resort to sea shipment when Nasib was closed, which is much more expensive and costly compared with the land shipment. The crossing is also important for Jordan which is suffering from economic problems. Since the crossing was closed in 2015, the kingdom has suffered heavy losses as 70 percent of its exports and imports went through Syria, according to Nabil Ruman, head of the investor's board of the Jordanian Free Zone. Reports said the loss of the Jordanian transport sector from the border closure is estimated at around half a billion U.S. dollars. BEIJING, Sept 30 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Sep, 2018 ) :Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) will sign an agreement with Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute for transfer of technology to set up a plant in Islamabad for production of a vaccine to control mouth and food disease in animals. "Initially, we will sign a memorandum of interest and later, the concerned ministries of the governments of China and Pakistan will convert it into a memorandum of understanding," Dr Johar Ali, Member Animal Science, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) told APP on the sidelines of the third Silk Road International Cultural Expo held at Dunhuang located in China's northwest Gansu province. "We need to produce up to 400 million doses annually for vaccination of around 188 million animals across the country, he added. He said the locally produced vaccine would not only save the precious foreign exchange but it would also create job opportunities. He said the vaccine would be produced keeping in view our environment and requirement and it could be easily transported to the remote areas. Dr Johar Ali said that China imports meat from the USA, Brazil and several other countries and the Pakistani meat could capture Chinese market if we are able to make it free from the mouth and foot disease. As Pakistan is China's neighbouring country, it's meat would be more economical due to the low price and low transportation cost as compared to the world market. While pointing out the potential of the agriculture sector, he said the concerned departments should make all-out efforts to double agriculture production which could contribute up to 11 percent to the GDP. He, however, acknowledged the efforts being made to increase agriculture production but said we are still far behind as compared to the regional countries as well as the world. He proposed that more resources should be allocated for technology, research, and education in the agriculture sector. About value addition in the agriculture products, he said, it would enhance revenues and create more jobs, adding we can alsobridge the gap between import and export. He said that the Chinese government could also extend a helping hand to increase our fish production by providing technology, equipment, and training to our farmers. MULTAN, Sept 30 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Sep, 2018 ) ::Indonesian Ambassador to Pakistan Iwan Suyudhie Amri has said that over 1100 stalls will be set up at the five-day industrial and trade exhibition, to be held from Oct 24 in his country. While talking to APP at Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), the ambassador said that around 28,000 international guests would participate in the exhibition. He said that the main purpose of organising exhibition was to introduce Indonesian products, adding that Pakistanis could benefit from it by participating in the exhibition. He said that there was no hurdles in getting Indonesian visa, adding that his country was providing free visa to 174 countries for 30 days. He said that priority would be given to people hailing from industrial or trade sectors if they attach the chamber of commerce letters along with their visa applications. Mr Iwan said that his country was cooperating in various sectors with Pakistan. He said that Pakistanis could exhibit Pakistani mangoes, vegetables and other fruits by contacting Pakistani commercialcounsellor in Jakarta. ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Sep, 2018 ) :Under the theme "Creating Lifelong Partnerships," recently returned participants of the U.S. Mission's professional-level exchange programs gathered for a New Alumni Conference Islamabad on Saturday. The conference, hosted by the Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network (PUAN), introduced over 120 exchange program alumni from across Pakistan to other U.S. Mission programs which will support their ongoing professional development. Ambassador Paul Jones, U.S. Charg d'Affaires and Federal Minister for Federal education and Professional Training and Minister for National History and Literary Heritage Shafqat Mahmood delivered the keynote remarks. Minister Mahmood reflected fondly on the years he spent in the United States participating in academic and professional exchanges. Ambassador Jones highlighted the positive impact of U.S. government-funded exchange programs on the careers of Pakistani students and professionals, as well as on Pakistan-U. S. relations. "This year, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of PUAN, whose mission is to build connections and promote understanding between the people of Pakistan and the United States. This is a strong foundation of the relationship between our two countries," he said. The participants of the conference join a network of over 25,000 alumni of various overseas and in-country exchange programs supported by the United States. Each year the U.S. government invests more than $40 million in exchange programs for Pakistani citizens to visit and study in the United States. Over 1,000 Pakistanis participate each year in high school, undergraduate, graduate, and professional U.S.-sponsored exchanges. Since the alumni network began in 2008, Americans have provided more than 18,000 college scholarships for Pakistani students. FAISALABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Sep, 2018 ) ::The Clean & Green Punjab programme would be launched in 189 rural union councils of the district from October 1 (Monday) under the arrangements of Local Govt & Community Development Department. Cleanliness of villages, tree plantation and anti-encroachment drive would be the main features of the campaign. This was informed by Deputy Director Local Govt Ch Abdul Hameed during a session held here at Jinnah Hall of D istrict Council for local government. ADLGs of different tehsils were also present on the occasion. Deputy Director Local Govt said that 6796 target points to be cleaned in 1,134 wards and 901 villages of rural areas during the campaign. He told that de-silting of drains in villages, sweeping and cleaning of streets of the villages and lifting of solid waste/heap of garbage from villages would be part of cleanliness while awareness campaign for tree plantation and aftersurvey the anti-encroachment drive would also be started from village level. (@ChaudhryMAli88) ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Sep, 2018 ) :The International Day of Older Persons will be observed on 1st October (tomorrow) throughout the world including Pakistan to recognize the contributions of older persons and to examine issues that affect their lives. International Day of Older Persons is a special day for older persons or senior citizens all over the world. In many countries, politicians make speeches, particularly those responsible for government departments that focus on senior citizens, at this time of the year. Some radios, televisions or newspapers publish interviews with senior citizens on various issues such as achievements they made to create a better society. Other activities surrounding this day include: displays of promotional material on the International Day of Older Persons in schools, tertiary institutions, office buildings and public notice boards; media announcements on the day and activities that promote older persons; and inter-generational cooperation on voluntary activities focused on the environment, health, education or community services. The International Day of Older Persons was designed by United Nations General Assembly on 14 December 1990 to celebrate on 1st October of every year. The basic purpose of this day is to give awareness about the old people to give respect to them. Almost 700 million people are now over the age of 60. By 2050, 2 billion people, over 20 per cent of the world's population, will be 60 or older. The increase in the number of older people will be the greatest and the most rapid in the developing world, with Asia as the region with the largest number of older persons, and Africa facing the largest proportionate growth. With this in mind, enhanced attention to the particular needs and challenges faced by many older people is clearly required. Just as important, however, is the essential contribution the majority of older men and women can continue to make to the functioning of society if adequate guarantees are in place. Human rights lie at the core of all efforts in this regard. The 2018 theme of UNIDOP is "Celebrating Older Human Rights Champions". What better way to celebrate this Day than by celebrating the older people around the world who dedicate their lives to championing human rights. Each and every one demands equal respect and acknowledgment for their dedication and commitment to contributing to a world free from fear and free from want. The 2018 theme aims to promote the rights enshrined in the Declaration and what it means in the daily lives of older persons;Raise the visibility of older people as participating members of society committed to improving the enjoyment of human rights in many areas of life and not just those that affect them immediately. Reflect on progress and challenges in ensuring full and equal enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms by older persons; and engage broad audiences across the world and mobilize people for human rights at all stages of life. (@FahadShabbir) ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Sep, 2018 ) :With a significant growth of some 195 percent, mobile phone banking transactions crossed Rs 410 billion mark during the last fiscal year (FY18). According to State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Mobile Phone/App based banking is being offered by 21 Banks/MFBs to 3.4 million registered users at the end of June, 2018. Intra-bank and Inter-bank fund transfer were the main contributors in total Mobile Phone Banking transactions. Intra-bank fund transfers contributed 5.8(26.6%) million transactions by volume and Rs. 186.2(45.4%) billion by value. Inter-bank fund transfers contributed 5.0 (22.9%) million transactions by volume and Rs. 196.4 (47.9%) million by value. Utility Bills Payments has the share of 10.1 (46.3%)million by volume and Rs.10.5billion (2.6%)by value within overall Mobile Banking volume and value transactions respectively and insignificant residual share is contributed by miscellaneous payment using mobile phone app. Call Center/ IVR Banking Transactions During the year FY18, Call enters/IVR Banking Channel processed 0. 3 million transactions amounting to Rs. 8.7 million. This channel facilitates Intra and Inter-Bank Funds transfers, Utilities Bill Payments. As on end June2018,there were 26.5 million Call Centers/IVR Banking Channel registered users with Banks. It also facilitates16 million non-financial transactions during the year. The e-Banking channels, i.e, real time online branches (RTOB), ATMs, e-Commerce, internet, Mobile Phone and Call Centers/IVR Banking collectively processed 756.4 million transactions of value Rs 47.4 trillion during the last fiscal year. These transactions showed significant growth of 21 percent and 28 percent in both volume and value of transactions compared to previous year FY17. During the year under review, Real Time Online Branches (RTOB) processed 165.7 million transactions of Rs 39.9 trillion. These transactions depicted YoY growth of 15 percent and 28 percent in volume and value of transactions respectively compared to previous year. C:aln/P:aln/L:mdi/R:mdi ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Sep, 2018 ) :The plan to launch massive promotional campaigns abroad by the Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC), conceived by it last year to augment overseas employment rate, is still limbo due to delay in release of funds. Exploring the job opportunities in foreign countries for the domestic potential workforce would help reduce unemployment at home and the OEC's plan was a step in the right direction, which should be materialized at the earliest, OEC Deputy Managing Director Muhammad Jamshed said talking to APP. He said the OEC had evolved the plan as about 700,000 Pakistanis workers had become jobless and returned home or were still waiting for their unpaid dues in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) after introduction of tax reforms some three years ago. He said the PC-I costing Rs125 million was approved by the Departmental Working Party (DWP) of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development last year for immediate marketing and promotional activities by the OEC and funds for the purpose were to be utilized from the State Life Emigrant's Insurance Fund (SLEIF) Account. Under the Emigration Ordinance, 1979 Rule 4 (1), he said, the OEC could utilize the funds from the SLEIF Account, but the authorities concerned turned down its request. Billions of rupees, he added, had been accumulated in the SLEIF Account, which could be be utilized by the OEC for exploring job opportunities abroad for skilled manpower and labour class at home. It was more important in the wake of drastic decline in number of new Pakistani workers going to foreign countries to 216,164 at present from 946,571 in 2015. Muhammad Jamshed said the promotional campaigns were required through foreign electronic, print and social media as well as at the OEC's web portal. The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Libya, Malaysia and South Korea were identified as the potential job market. He said the country had over 7 million skilled and semi-skilled workforce, out of which 2.5 million met the international standards, who could get jobs abroad and contribute significantly to the foreign exchange reserves. Another OEC official told APP that Pakistan had signed memorandums of understanding with eight countries regarding hiring of skilled and non-skilled Pakistanis, but the same had not been exploited fully. He underlined the need for increasing government-to-government contacts and hiring more community welfare attaches (CWAs) in foreign countries. At present there were only 14 CWAs, most of them were in GCC countries, who were hired to search new jobs in different companies, but they were busy in enjoying the perks and privileges only, he alleged. The OEC stood in competition with the private agents, who were sending around 500,000 people per year abroad, he claimed. (@ChaudhryMAli88) KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Sep, 2018 ) :Pakistan Rangers- Sindh on Sunday, in targeted raids, arrested five alleged criminals from different areas of the city and recovered weapons and snatched property from their possession. According to a press release of the Rangers, two accused identified as Shehryar alias Sheeri and Muhammad Zada were arrested from Gargen area for the alleged involvement in criminal activities including extortion and dacoities. In another raid, the Rangers arrested three street criminals identified as Shah Jahan alias Samoo, Muhammad Ahmad and Faraz from Kharadar and Jamshed Quarters areas. Snatched items including mobile phone sets and weapons were seized from them. The accused have been handed over to the police for further legal action. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th September, 2018) Russia's lunar exploration program should be a part of an international project, as none of major space powers is capable to explore Earth's only permanent natural satellite without support of other states, the director of the Space Research Institute of the Russian academy of Sciences, Anatoly Petrukovich, told Sputnik. Earlier in September, Dmitry Rogozin, the director general of Russian Roscosmos state space corporation, said that the United States was offering Russia to participate in its lunar program, but the corporation was not satisfied with playing the second fiddle in the mission. The official was planning to meet his NASA colleagues to discuss the options of equal participation, independent exploration or engaging BRICS states in the mission. "This is a large-scale task in terms of financial support and technical solutions. And this, of course, should be a base with great international participation, but Russia's participation should be significant," Petrukovich said. According to Petrukovich, the lunar base is not a single compartment for the life and work of astronauts, but a multi-component structure, different parts of which will be formed by different countries. He added that scientists are not very mush interested in landing one person on the Moon, as such studies should be large-scale with the use of modern technologies. (@ChaudhryMAli88) MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th September, 2018) The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is the second political force in terms of popularity among the Germans, surpassed only by German Chancellor Angela Merkel's alliance of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) and Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU), a fresh poll showed. According to the survey commissioned by Germany's Bild am Sonntag newspaper, the AfD is supported by 17 percent of voters, which is the second best result after CDU/CSU, whose level of support is currently record low and stands at 27 percent. The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) became the third in terms of popularity among voters, receiving 16 percent. The Alliance 90/The Greens and The Left (Die Linke) were right behind with 15 and 11 percent, respectively. The German Free Democratic Party was supported by 10 percent of German citizens. The poll was conducted among 1,902 German citizens on September 20-29. Flash The Spanish government will continue to promote pragmatic cooperation with China under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and encourage its enterprises to invest and develop in China, said Santos Cerdan, member of Federal Executive Committee of Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and secretary of Regional Coordination, PSOE, during an interview with Chinese media on the sidelines of an international think tank forum recently held in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu province. Under the framework of the BRI, China and Spain have carried out important cooperation in many areas, including economy and trade, culture, and tourism, stated Cerdan, adding that, "We are welcoming more and more Chinese tourists, and China is also becoming an increasingly popular destination for Spanish tourists." Spain also has many firms operating in China, that play a key role in increasing trade between the two countries, Cerdan said. "Spain is not only an important trading partner of China, but a gateway for Chinese companies eyeing investments in Latin America and Africa due to its unique advantages and geographic location," he added. Cerdan commented that the BRI proposed by China is an important initiative that will help boost globalization and further the development of the world economy. He believes that the BRI, as a long-term vision and the future-oriented initiative, is a vital platform for relevant continents and various countries to conduct trade and economic cooperation, as well as cultural exchanges on an equal footing, and will play an important part in promoting world peace and prosperity. This year marks the 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Spain, as well as the 13th anniversary of their comprehensive strategic partnership. The Belt and Road Forum for International Think Tank Cooperation was held between Sept. 18 and 20, with approximately 150 delegates, including political party leaders, government officials, think tank experts and entrepreneurs from 32 countries sharing their wisdom and insights on the prospects of strengthening economic and trade cooperation, and people-to-people ties. (@rukhshanmir) DAMASCUS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th September, 2018) Damascus will continue its cooperation with Baghdad in its fight against the Islamic State terrorist group (banned in Russia) both in Syria and Iraq, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said in an interview released on Sunday. "We are still cooperating with our Iraqi brothers in the issues related to fight against IS in Syria and Iraq. This trilateral committee [coordination center with participation of Iran, Iraq, Russia and Syria] works efficiently and makes its contribution to solving this issue. As we have suffered from foreign meddling in our affairs, we refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of other states," the minister told RT. A joint information center bringing together Iran, Iraq, Russia and Syria has been working in Baghdad since 2015. (@ChaudhryMAli88) MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th September, 2018) The negotiations between Damascus and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were fruitful at the beginning but they were disrupted by the interference of the United States, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem told RT. "The beginning was good, however then the process was disrupted due to the US factor. When the talks started, the United States increased their military deliveries to Kurds, they sent trucks and the negotiations were disrupted. Moreover, they attacked Syrian military who were situated in that region. The attack was not justified by anything and is unacceptable," Muallem said. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th September, 2018) Macedonia, a small Balkan nation, is holding a referendum on Sunday to determine whether its name should be changed to the Republic of North Macedonia, potentially ending a decades-long row with Athens and speeding up the country's EU and NATO entry. Greece had been blocking the former Yugoslav republic from joining the blocs it is part of for 27 years, arguing that the name Macedonia took on after its split from Yugoslavia in 1991 opened way for territorial claims in northern Greece where there is a province of the same name. The ancient state of Macedonia with a capital in Edessa was established in the 8th century BC. It came to be associated mainly with the Names of the kings of the Hellenistic Era - Philip II of Macedon and, particularly, with Alexander the Great, who both lived in the 4th century BC. Several centuries after the collapse of empire established by the Alexander the Great the territory of ancient Macedonia became part of the Roman and then of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires. After the Balkan wars of 1911-1913 its territory was divided between Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria. More than a half of ancient Macedonia's land went to Greece. It received the name of Aegean Macedonia. Serbia received 38 percent of ancient Macedonia's land, which became known as Southern Serbia, while Bulgaria snatched a part in the northeast and named it Pirin Macedonia. A new kingdom was formed in the former lands of ancient Macedonians after World War I in 1914-1918, named officially as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. This was until 1929 when the territory was renamed to Yugoslavia. After World War II and the creation of the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia (renamed to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1963), the Macedonian province of Yugoslavia became known as the People's Republic of Macedonia (renamed to the Socialist Republic of Macedonia in 1963). As Yugoslavia began to crumble in September 1991, the republic held a referendum on independence on September 8 and subsequently adopted a declaration on its sovereignty. Greece immediately protested the nascent state's choice of name, enshrined in its constitution as the Republic of Macedonia. Athens argued that by calling itself Macedonia it prepared the ground for a land grab and usurped the Greek history, primarily its exclusive link to the ancient Hellenistic period. The republic's use of the so-called Vergina Sun, the symbol and the flag of the kingdom of Philip II of Macedon, was also vehemently protested, as was the name it used for its citizens. Skopje wanted them to be called "citizens of the Republic of Macedonia," while Athens insisted on "citizens of the Republic of Northern Macedonia." The naming dispute was accompanied by widespread protests in both countries. In Greece, people took to the streets to demonstrate against the existing name of the republic, while in Macedonia crowds rallied against changing it. Greece insisted that a provision in the European Union's 1992 Lisbon Declaration banned Macedonia from entering the bloc until its name no longer has "Macedonia" in it. But its bid to block the republic's from joining the United Nations failed, with Macedonia becoming the organization's 181st member in 1993 under the name the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). Macedonia was recognized by Russia in 1992, by the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Italy and France in 1993, and by the United States in 1994. In response, Greece closed the port of Thessaloniki for Macedonian ships and stopped exports from crossing its territory. An exception was made for food, medicine and fuel for hospitals. The Greek consulate in Skopje suspended its work indefinitely. The loss of access to the sea damaged Macedonia, which relied on Thessaloniki for most of imports and trade. Some estimates put its losses at $2 billion. In 1995, Athens and Skopje signed a temporary deal, wherein Macedonia promised to change its flag within 30 days and wipe articles from its constitution that Greece interpreted as territorial claims to its northern region called Macedonia. This was done. Greece, in turn, lifted the embargo and recognized Macedonia's sovereignty. But the naming dispute was not resolved and the region has maintained a relatively stable status quo since then. Greece blocked Macedonia's entry to NATO in 2008. Skopje responded by filing a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice in The Hague, accusing Athens of violating their 1995 deal, where Greece pledged not to interfere with FYROM's membership of international organizations. Athens argued that the neighbor had repeatedly violated the spirit of the agreement and allowed nationalist rhetoric to be directed at the Greek region of Macedonia. That did not change the Greek position. Repeated attempts by Brussels, Washington and Matthew Nimetz, the personal envoy of the UN secretary general, to mediate the naming dispute failed. The talks grounded to a halt in 2014. A shift began with the opposition Social Democratic Union in coalition with Albanian parties coming to power in Skopje. Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, who campaigned on a pledge to join the European Union and NATO, said he was ready for the country to enter NATO as FYROM. An agreement between Zaev and his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras was eventually reached on June 12, 2018, to rename FYROM to the Republic of North Macedonia. Macedonian President Gheorghe Ivanov in a June 13 address to the nation refused to sign the "harming" deal and denounced the cabinet's goals of having the country join the European Union and NATO. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias and his Macedonian counterpart Nicola Dimitrov nonetheless signed an agreement on the new name for Macedonia on June 17. It was co-signed by Nimetz. Under the 20-page agreement, the citizenship of the country will be indicated as "Macedonian" or "the citizen of the Republic of Northern Macedonia" and the official language will also be referred to as "Macedonian." The Macedonian parliament ratified the historic pact on June 20 by a vote of 69 to 0, after the main opposition party, the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE, walked out in protest. The president again refused to sign it. A deadline was set for renaming state bodies, official attributes and documents. The deal also stipulated that Macedonian authorities would carry out an audit of monuments and other heritage sites that hinted at their ties to the Greek culture. Athens and Skopje also confirmed the common border and pledged to ensure there were unfriendly activities toward the neighboring state. On July 30, the Macedonian parliament set the date of the referendum on the new name of the country for September 30. Prime Minister Zaev said he would respect its outcome. (@ChaudhryMAli88) UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th September, 2018) NITED NATIONS, September 30 (Sputnik), Anastasia Levchenko - There is no fixed date for reopening of the main checkpoint on the Jordanian-Syrian border, as it will happen once technical discussions are completed, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told Sputnik in an interview. On Saturday, the Syrian Transport Ministry said that the logistical arrangement needed to reopen the Nassib checkpoint on the Syrian-Jordanian border would be completed by October 10, after which the transport traffic across the frontier could be resumed. "We have said repeatedly that we want open borders with Syria. For that to happen, technical committees have to meet and agree on arrangements that would ensure the border's opening in a way that is feasible for both countries . .. The date that was given [by the Syrian Transport Ministry] is not something that we are aware of as Jordan," Safadi said. The relevant technical committees have held a number of meetings but have not finalized their work yet, so they are still to reach an agreement on all those arrangements before the borders are opened, the minister clarified. "I want to say that Jordan did not close the borders with Syria, the borders with Syria were closed because the Syrian government lost control of their side of the border, and therefore the closure of the border was an outcome of the new reality," Safadi stressed. Pristina, Sept 29 (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Sep, 2018 ) :Several thousand people protested Saturday in Pristina against Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and his plans to make changes to the border with Serbia. Thaci and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic this summer signalled an openness to "border adjustments" aimed at resolving a longstanding feud between Belgrade and Pristina. This is Thaci's "own adventure.... He does not have a mandate to negotiate it", Albin Kurti, the leader of the left-wing nationalist Vetevendosje (Self-Determination) party told the crowd. Media have mooted an exchange of northern Kosovo, inhabited mostly by ethnic Serbs around the divided town of Mitrovica, and the Presevo valley, a majority ethnic Albanian area in southern Serbia. "No man should be subjected to him (Thaci) let alone a people," said Kurti, a fierce opponent of the Kosovo president. In 2017 elections Vetevendosje became the biggest party with almost 30 percent of votes. "Down with Thaci! Down with Thaci!" the crowd chanted carrying placards reading "No bargain with Serbia". An exchange of the territory "will be possible only if you want to have bloodbath here", one protester, 57-year old Tafil Latifi, told AFP. Following the 1998-1999 independence war between ethnic Albanian guerrillas and Belgrade's armed forces, which ended after NATO kicked Serbian troops out of Kosovo, the breakaway territory unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Belgrade has fiercly rejected the move and still considers it its southern province. (@ChaudhryMAli88) MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st October, 2018) Libya is eager to buy 1 million tonnes of wheat and animal feed from Russia for around $700 million, Libyan Government of National Accord Economy and Industry Minister Nasir Shaglan said in an interview published Sunday. "We would like to get an annual supply of wheat in the volume of 1 million tonnes by purchasing it in Russia. Also, we need feed for the development of animal husbandry. And if we agree on the supply of these two important products - grain for bread and feed, we can reach a unique deal worth $700 million," Shaglan told the Kommersant newspaper. He noted that his priority as the minister of economy was to ensure food security of Libya. Libya has been engulfed in a civil war since 2011 when its long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed in an armed conflict. There are two major opposing forces in Libya, each fighting for control over the country the Libyan Government of National Accord, backed by the United Nations and the European Union, governs the country's western regions, while its eastern part is governed by the Libyan National Army. (@FahadShabbir) Kiev, Sept 30 (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Sep, 2018 ) :Three children were killed and another injured Sunday by a landmine blast in rebel-held eastern Ukraine, which remains littered with explosives left behind during a four-year war. The explosion happened in the industrial frontline city of Gorlivka, 30 kilometres (18 miles) north of the rebel area's de facto capital Donetsk, separatist "defence minister" Eduard Basurin told AFP. The wounded child, who was 10, was hospitalised, he added. Gorlivka mayor Ivan Prikhodko told AFP the children had gone for a walk. "They found an abandoned house and were just looking for adventure," he said. "We are constantly confronted (by the problem of mines) and I think it is something that will continue for some time," he added. The blast was the latest in a string of deadly explosions to hit the unrecognised Russian-backed republic over the past few weeks. On Saturday, three people were injured in an explosion in Donetsk, including a candidate for the post of the self-proclaimed republic's leader. In August, the head of the Donetsk People's Republic, Alexander Zakharchenko died in a daylight bombing at a cafe. More than 10,000 people have been killed since the rebel insurgency broke out in the eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions in April 2014 following Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Ukraine and its Western allies have accused Russia of funnelling troops and arms across the border, but Moscow has denied the claims despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. A series of truce agreements have helped to reduce the fighting, although sporadic clashes continue and both military personnel and civilians face a constant threat from landmines. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th September, 2018) More than 300 people left Syria's Idlib de-escalation zone through the humanitarian corridor over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Refugee Reception, Distribution and Settlement said Saturday in a statement. "In total, 301 refugees (112 women and 141 children), 10 vehicles and 100 heads of cattle have passed via the Abu al-Duhur CP [checkpoint] to Aleppo province from the Idlib de-escalation zone," the statement reads. It is noted that medical care was provided to 175 Syrians, including 81 children. Earlier in September, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed an agreement aimed at setting up a 9-12 mile demilitarized zone in Idlib province along the contact line of the armed opposition and the government forces by October 15. (@rukhshanmir) MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th September, 2018) South Korea will send humanitarian assistance worth $1 million to Indonesia to support the country after recent earthquakes and a devastating tsunami that hit the island of Sulawesi, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said Sunday. On Friday, a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia. The tremor was followed by two 5.8-magnitude quakes. Additionally, a 2-meter-high (6.5-feet-high) tsunami struck the city of Palu and the Donggala area in Central Sulawesi after the tremors. At least 832 people were reportedly killed in the natural disaster. "The government of the Republic of Korea will offer humanitarian assistance of US$1 million in cash to Indonesia ... The humanitarian aid from the ROK government to Indonesia is expected to help to meet affected residents' urgent humanitarian needs on the heels of the earthquake and help them recover from the disaster as soon as possible," the ministry said in a statement. Seoul will also consider sending a Korea Disaster Relief Team to Indonesia after consultations and discussion with Jakarta. (@ChaudhryMAli88) MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th September, 2018) The so-called Small Group on Syria is not interested in the country's well-being because it has been plotting against Damascus and producing arms for terrorists operating in Syria, the country's foreign minister, Walid Muallem, told the RT broadcaster. "What exactly is this Small Group? It comprises countries that have been part of the plot against Syria. It comprises the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. All of the weapons that were at the disposal of terrorists, who were operating in many areas across Syria, were produced by these countries' defense industry. Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are also among these countries," Muallem said when asked whether pressure from the Small Group was the only factor that prevented the constitutional commission from beginning its work. The minister also expressed doubts over the fact that those countries would be thinking about the well-being of Syrian people after plotting against the country for many years. Flash Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday sent a congratulatory message to Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on his election as the president of Maldives. In his message, Xi said China and Maldives share a longstanding friendship, and China is committed to developing relations with Maldives on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. China is willing to work with Maldives to continue to cement their friendship and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields to better benefit the people of both countries. Xi said he highly values the development of China-Maldives relations and is willing to join hands with Solih to lift the comprehensive friendly cooperative partnership between China and Maldives to a new level. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Ouagadougou, Sept 29 (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Sep, 2018 ) :Thousands of opposition supporters took to the streets of the Burkinabe capital Ouagadougou on Saturday, the first major protest against the leadership of President Roch Marc Christian Kabore. "No to insecurity, terrorism, to corruption, to unemployment," chanted the protesters in the first such march organised by the opposition since the election of President Kabore in November 2015. "We are here because the country is in danger," said opposition leader Zephyrin Diabre, rejoicing in "the very, very strong mobilisation". Burkina Faso, which borders Mali and Niger, has been the scene of deadly jihadist attacks since 2015. The north and east of the country have been the worst hit while central Ouagadougou has been targeted three times in two years, leaving 60 people dead. Eight soldiers were killed by a blast in northern Burkina Faso on Wednesday, in the latest blow to the poor Sahel country. On Sunday, three miners -- a Burkinabe national, an Indian and a South African -- were seized by armed men between Djibo and a local gold mine. Hours later, three police officers deployed to help search for the trio were killed in a clash with armed men at Tongomael, about 30 kilometres (20 miles) away. According to official toll figures published in mid-September, the jihadist attacks have cost a total of 117 lives, 70 civilians and 48 members of the security services. Under former president Blaise Compaore, head of state from 1987-2014, the armed forces had a trained and disciplined unit, his personal guard. But this unit was gutted by Kabore, leaving the country "without a military culture", according to a senior official from France, which is anxiously monitoring the situation in Burkina. (@ChaudhryMAli88) BAKU (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th September, 2018) Two people have been killed and another 15 sustained injuries as a result of a crash between a minibus and a truck in eastern Azerbaijan, Spokeswoman for the country's Health Ministry Safaya Akhmedova told Sputnik on Sunday. "A minibus and a truck have collided in the village of Haji Zeynalabdin in the city of Sumqayit. Two people have been killed, 15 have been injured as a result [of the accident]," Akhmedova said. According to the spokeswoman, five of the injured are in a serious condition. (@ChaudhryMAli88) MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th September, 2018) The United Kingdom will deploy 800 commandos to Norway in 2019 as part of it's new defense Arctic strategy with the aim to monitor the "increased" activity of Russian submarines, media reported on Sunday citing UK Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson. Williamson told The Sunday Telegraph that this monitoring will help to assess whether the armed forces are well positioned to respond to any threat. The P-8 Poseidon aircraft will also be engaged in tracking Russian submarines. According Williamson, London is concerned that Russian submarines' activity is now close to the level maintained during the Cold War era. The UK troops will work together with marines from the United States and the Netherlands, as well as with military personnel of Norway. (@FahadShabbir) MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th September, 2018) South Korea will send humanitarian assistance worth $1 million to Indonesia to support the country after recent earthquakes and a devastating tsunami that hit the island of Sulawesi, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said Sunday. On Friday, a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia. The tremor was followed by two 5.8-magnitude quakes. Additionally, a 2-meter-high (6.5-feet-high) tsunami struck the city of Palu and the Donggala area in Central Sulawesi after the tremors. At least 832 people were reportedly killed in the natural disaster. "The government of the Republic of Korea will offer humanitarian assistance of US$1 million in cash to Indonesia ... The humanitarian aid from the ROK government to Indonesia is expected to help to meet affected residents' urgent humanitarian needs on the heels of the earthquake and help them recover from the disaster as soon as possible," the ministry said in a statement. Seoul will also consider sending a Korea Disaster Relief Team to Indonesia after consultations and discussion with Jakarta. In turn, the European Commission pledged to donate about 1.5 million euro ($1.74 million) to the Southeast Asian nation. "Following the high number of casualties and damages caused by the earthquake and tsunami that struck Indonesia this weekend, the European Commission has released an initial 1.5 million in emergency humanitarian assistance," the commission's statement reads. The European Commission also plans on deploying a humanitarian expert to the areas struck by the disaster in order to assist in coordination of the EU's relief efforts. To see the 30-day unplanned readmission rates in patients underdoing endo-urological surgeries for upper urinary tract calculi we conducted this retrospective study at King George's Medical University, Lucknow, India. Unplanned readmissions not only add to healthcare costs but also are bothersome for the patients. There are many studies on 30-day unplanned readmissions in general surgical patients. Although similar studies have been done in certain urological procedures, no study has reported readmission rates or its risk factors in patients undergoing surgeries for upper urinary tract calculi. We retrospectively reviewed our prospectively maintained database from 1st January 2009 to 31st December 2017, for the patients who underwent endo-urological procedures for upper urinary tract calculi and identified the patients who were re-admitted within 30 days of discharge. Out of the total 3,209 patients undergoing endo-urological procedures for upper urinary tract calculi 56 were re-admitted. The readmission rate was 1.74% over the study period. The most common etiology for readmission was sepsis followed by hematuria. The significant risk factors for readmission in bivariate analysis included male gender, age >65 years, current smoking, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, bleeding disorder, prior cardiac disease, and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class 3. In multivariate risk adjusted logistic regression analysis ASA class 3 was the only independent risk factor for readmission. The readmission rates in endo-urological procedures for urolithiasis are less compared to other procedures. ASA class 3 is the most important independent predictor of unplanned 30-day readmissions. Investigative and clinical urology. 2018 Aug 31 [Epub] Manoj Kumar, Siddharth Pandey, Ajay Aggarwal, Deepanshu Sharma, Gaurav Garg, Samarth Agarwal, Ashish Sharma, Satyanarayan Sankhwar Department of Urology, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30182077 Current trends show a rising incidence of kidney stone disease (KSD) globally, with a lifetime risk of 10% and increasing hospital admissions. However, it is not perceived as a life-threatening condition and there are no publications examining its mortality rate. The aim of this review was to report on the number of KSD mortalities in the literature from the past two decades, identify risk factors, and to summarize their key learning points. A search was conducted for full-text English language articles that reported on KSD associated mortality, following intervention or conservative treatment, published between 1999 and 2017, using PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, CINAHL, Clinicaltrials.gov, Google Scholar and The Cochrane Library. Study quality and risk of bias assessment was undertaken using a validated critical appraisal tool from the Joanna Briggs Institute. Of the 2786 articles identified, 34 were included. Of the total number of reported mortalities (2550), 21% were related to intervention. Sepsis was the leading cause of mortality. Risk factors identified were patients with multiple co-morbidities, spinal cord injury or neurogenic bladder and high stone burden. The main recommendations suggested were to treat pre-operative UTI or use prophylactic antibiotics and to reduce operative duration. The included studies were of moderate to good quality. Pre-procedural optimization of the patients is the key to avoiding KSD mortality, and care should be taken in patients with multiple co-morbidities. Surgeons should meticulously plan for patients with high stone burden to reduce their operative time, as mortality can be procedural related. World journal of urology. 2018 Aug 27 [Epub ahead of print] Lily Whitehurst, Patrick Jones, Bhaskar K Somani Department of Urology, Queen Alexandra Hospital, Southwick Hill Road, Cosham, Portsmouth, PO6 3LY, UK. ., Department of Urology, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Tremona Road, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK. PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30151599 A man fixes his tent in a camp outside of the refugee camp of Moria on the island of Lesbos (AFP or licensors) Bad weather and poor conditions in refugee holding camps in Greece have sparked several violent incidents. By John Carr One Syrian migrant was reported killed in what the Greek police called a brawl between Syrian and Afghan migrants in a holding camp near Athens. Several others were injured and taken to hospital. What triggered the fight remains unclear, but its almost certainly attributable to cramped and unsanitary conditions inside Greeces holding camps that contain more than 50,000 refugees and migrants who are barred from going deeper into Europe. Syrian-Afghan gang fights have become common in the camps, especially the big one at Moria on the island of Lesbos. Recent global news features have graphically portrayed the sense of despair among the inmates. Bad weather this weekend, with gale-force cold winds and torrential rain in the wake of Hurricane Medicane, has worsened the conditions even more, with many migrants without basic shelter. Last week the Greek government made some moves to speed up the process of granting political asylum to several hundred migrants, moving them from Lesbos to more comfortable quarters on the mainland. But as always, officials here in Athens, facing a backlash from locals, appear at a loss as to what more to do. Rescuer workers continue seeking both the living and the dead, after Friday's earthquake and subsequent tsunami leave destruction behind. By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp The number of Indonesians who lost their lives in Fridays devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami has swelled drastically. Friday's earthquake measured 7.5 on the richter scale, and triggered tsunami waves as high as 6 meters, or 20 feet. From an earlier estimate of 400 dead, the number stands at more than 800 as of Sunday afternoon. Rescue efforts are still underway. There have been reports of rescuers in Palu digging with their bare hands frantically searching for survivors. Hundreds of people had been preparing for a beach festival when disaster struck. Several large coastal towns, including Donggala and Mamuju, were still inaccessible on Sunday due to damaged roads, disrupted telecommunications, and lack of equipment. The Red Cross estimate for the number of people affected by the tragedy stands at 1.6 million. Indonesias Vice President has said that the final death toll may well be in the thousands. Pope Francis expressed his nearness to the people on Sulawesi island in his remarks after reciting the Angelus on Sunday. He also assured them of his prayers for those who have died, as well as to all who have lost homes and livelihood. Tori Brixx hosted a party to kick off the holiday weekend at Crazy Horse 3 last night, where she played her first DJ set in Las Vegas to a full crowd at the award-winning gentlemens club (Photo credit: Jeff Ragazzo). Photo credit: Jeff Ragazzo Joined by friends including her rumored new boyfriend, Rich the Kid, Brixx was stunning in a sexy oversized Givenchy mens silk shirt worn as a dress paired with clear high heels and black sunglasses. Photo credit: Jeff Ragazzo While posing for photographs on the red carpet, Brixx told media, This is my first real Las Vegas experience. To be DJing here at Crazy Horse 3, one of the citys top clubs, this is really a dream come true. Photo credit: Jeff Ragazzo Before spinning her set, Brixx drank Moet & Chandon champagne and Red Bull Yellow Edition at her VIP table alongside Rich the Kid and their friends. At the start of her DJ set, she had a special request to see two of Crazy Horse 3s performers dance on stage. Listen in on a lively discussion about the Senate confirmation hearings of Brett Kavanaugh. The hearings reached a pinnacle Thursday when the woman who accused him of sexual assault as a teen spoke at the hearings. Join Michael Warren of the Weekly Standard, Dan Raviv of Israeli-based i24News and Tom DeFrank with the National Journal as they discuss these and other top stories on Issues in the News. Some animals, like mantis shrimp and chameleons, can see more shades and colors than humans. But a few people also have this ability. They have a condition called tetrachromacy. Concetta Antico, an artist from San Diego, is one of them. Genia Dulot spoke with her about what it's like to live with vision that allows her to see millions of shades of color. Cameroon president Paul Biya says he has successfully pushed the militant group Boko Haram beyond Cameroon's borders and urgently needs to be re-elected in the October 7 presidential poll so he can rebuild what was destroyed. Biya was in the northern town of Maroua in one of his rare outings from his presidential palace to launch his campaigns for the presidential election. Women dressed in President Paul Biya's Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM) party attire sing Saturday to welcome Paul Biya to Maroua. They are assuring Biya that they will vote for him to lead Cameroon in a new seven year mandate beginning October 7. More than 30,000 people ferried by the CPDM party from all over northern Cameroon are present in Maroua. Biya's campaign photos can be seen everywhere in the town. Paul Biya told them he has come to give his assurances of his love for the people of northern Cameroon. He said he has decided to visit Maroua as a sign of the high esteem he has for the people of Cameroon's northern border with Nigeria and because he wants to inform them of the new opportunities he will offer when re-elected. He said he cherishes the people of far north Cameroon because they resisted the destruction, burning and killing by the barbaric group Boko Haram and now that terrorism has been defeated, it is time to create conditions for a return to normal economic, administrative and social life. Paul Biya said he will improve agriculture, start the exploration of what he said was the rich natural resources of the region and build a rail line to link north Cameroon and Chad to spur economic activity now that peace has returned and Boko Haram has been defeated. As Biya and his crowd of over 30,000 met at the Lamido Yaya Dairou Municipal Stadium, about 200 supporters of opposition candidate Maurice Kamtos of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement Party (CRM) campaigned on the outskirts of Maroua. Yimnyo Mamadou who leads the campaign rally said Paul Biya was deceiving the masses. He said Biya has been responsible for the underdevelopment of Cameroon. He accuses Biya of not being sensitive to the needs of his people and hardly visits them. He said Biya has distracted Cameroonians for 36 years and it is high time the people are told the truth and made to understand that Biya has not provided an enabling environment for their education, has not provided basic needs such as water and does not pay civil servants well. He said Biya should be truthful to himself and acknowledge that Cameroon is in a pitiful state. Paul Biya who is likely to win at the the polls has not announced that he will visit other regions of the country where there is or has been unrest. Growth in Chinas manufacturing sector cooled more sharply than expected in September, suggesting U.S. trade tariffs are starting to deal a heavier blow to the worlds second-largest economy. The official Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Sunday, fell to a seven-month low of 50.8 in September from 51.3 in August, but remained above the 50-point mark that separates growth from contraction for the 26th straight month. New export orders, an indicator of future activity, contracted for a fourth straight month, with the sub-index falling to 48.0 from 49.4 in August. Fresh tariffs The United States and China imposed fresh tariffs on each others goods Sept. 24, the latest escalation in a protracted trade dispute between the worlds two largest economies. Washington has threatened even more sweeping measures, which would tax virtually all of the goods that China sells to the United States. While Chinas official export data has proved surprisingly resilient so far, many analysts believe companies have been rushing out shipments to the United States to beat successive rounds of tariffs, raising the risk of a sharp drop off once duties are actually imposed. The deepening slump in export orders may be bearing that theory out. Export-reliant Chinese cities and provinces are showing the strain. Guangdong, Chinas biggest province by gross domestic product, reported a drop in exports in the first eight months from a year earlier. Demand in China had been slowing before the U.S. trade row flared, as a multiyear crackdown on riskier lending and debt started to push up companies borrowing costs. Fixed-asset investment growth has sunk to a record low. Boosting growth at home Policymakers have shifted focus in recent months to growth boosting measures to cushion the economy and weather the trade storm. They have sought to bring financing costs down, boost lending to smaller businesses, cut taxes and fast-track more infrastructure projects. But analysts note it will take some time for such measures to put a floor under the slowing economy, with some predicting things will get worse before they get better. The sub-index on imports, viewed as a proxy for domestic demand, remained in contraction territory in September at 48.5 after logging at least one year low in August. A production sub-index fell to 53.0 in September from 53.3 in August, while a new orders sub-index declined to 52.0 from 52.2. A sister survey released by the NBS on Sunday showed growth in Chinas service sector picked up in September, with the official non-manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) rising to 54.9 from 54.2 the previous month. The pick up will offer some cushioning for the slowing economy as the services sector accounts for more than half of Chinas economy, with rising wages giving consumers more spending power. After lengthy delays, an $8.2 billion revamp of a colonial-era rail line snaking from the Arabian Sea to the foothills of the Hindu Kush has become a test of Pakistans ability to rethink signature Chinese Silk Road projects because of debt concerns. The rail megaproject linking the coastal metropolis of Karachi to the northwestern city of Peshawar is Chinas biggest Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project in Pakistan, but Islamabad has balked at the cost and financing terms. Resistance has stiffened under the new government of populist Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has voiced alarm about rising debt levels and says the country must wean itself off foreign loans. We are seeing how to develop a model so the government of Pakistan wouldnt have all the risk, Khusro Bakhtyar, minister in Pakistans planning ministry, told reporters recently. Unease elsewhere The cooling of enthusiasm for Chinas investments mirrors the unease of incoming governments in Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Maldives, where new administrations have come to power wary of Chinese deals struck by their predecessors. Pakistans new government had wanted to review all BRI contracts. Officials say there are concerns the deals were badly negotiated, too expensive or overly favored China. But to Islamabads frustration, Beijing is only willing to review projects that have not yet begun, three senior government officials have told Reuters. Chinas Foreign Ministry said, in a statement in response to questions faxed by Reuters, that both sides were committed to pressing forward with BRI projects, to ensure those projects that are already built operate as normal, and those which are being built proceed smoothly. Pakistani officials say they remain committed to Chinese investment but want to push harder on price and affordability, while re-orientating the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), for which Beijing has pledged about $60 billion in infrastructure funds, to focus on projects that deliver social development in line with Khans election platform. Mutual consultation Chinas Ambassador to Pakistan, Yao Jing, told Reuters that Beijing was open to changes proposed by the new government and we will definitely follow their agenda to work out a roadmap for BRI projects based on mutual consultation. It constitutes a process of discussion with each other about this kind of model, about this kind of roadmap for the future, Yao said. Beijing would only proceed with projects that Pakistan wanted, he added. This is Pakistans economy, this is their society, Yao said. IMF bailout likely Islamabads efforts to recalibrate CPEC are made trickier by its dependence on Chinese loans to prop up its vulnerable economy. Growing fissures in relations with the United States, Pakistans historic ally, have also weakened the countrys negotiating hand, as has a current account crisis likely to lead to a bailout by the International Monetary Fund, which may demand spending cuts. We have reservations, but no other country is investing in Pakistan. What can we do? one Pakistani minister told Reuters. Crumbling railways The ML-1 rail line is the spine of countrys dilapidated rail network, which has in recent years been edging toward collapse as passenger numbers plunge, train lines close and the vital freight business nosedives. Khans government has vowed to make the 1,872 km (1,163 mile) line a priority CPEC project, saying it will help the poor travel across the vast South Asian nation. But Islamabad is exploring funding options for CPEC projects that depart from the traditional BRI lending model, whereby host nations take on Chinese debt to finance construction of infrastructure, and has invited Saudi Arabia and other countries to invest. One option for ML-1, according to Pakistani officials, is the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model, which would see investors or companies finance and build the project and recoup their investment from cash flows generated mainly by the rail freight business, before returning it to Pakistan in a few decades time. Yao, the Chinese envoy, said Beijing was open to BOT and would encourage its companies to invest. Large rail projects, problems Rail mega-projects under Chinas BRI umbrella have run into problems elsewhere in Asia. A line linking Thailand and Laos has been beset by delays over financing, while Malaysias new Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad outright canceled the Chinese-funded $20 billion East Coast Rail Link (ECRL). Beijing is happy to offer loans, but reticent to invest in the Pakistan venture as such projects are seldom profitable, according to Andrew Small, author of a book on China-Pakistan relations. The problem is that the Chinese dont think they can make money on this project and are not keen on BOT, Small said. Off-books debt During President Xi Jinpings visit to Pakistan in 2015, the ML-1 line was placed among a list of early harvest CPEC projects that would be prioritized, along with power plants urgently needed to end crippling electricity shortages. But while many other projects from that list have now been completed, the rail scheme has been stuck. Pakistani officials say they became wary of how early BRI contracts were awarded to Chinese firms, and are pushing for a public tender for ML-1. Partly to help with price discovery, Pakistan asked the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to finance a chunk of the rail project through tendering. The ADB began discussions on a $1.5-$2 billion loan, but China insisted the project was too strategic, and Islamabad kicked out the ADB under pressure from Beijing in early 2017, according to Pakistani and ADB officials. If its such a strategic project then it should be a viable project for them to finance on very concessional terms or invest in? said one senior Pakistani official familiar with the project, referring to the BOT model. Chinas foreign ministry said Beijing was engaged in friendly consultations with Pakistan on the rail project. Chinese companies participated in BRI projects in an open and transparent way, pooling benefits and sharing risks, it said. Chinese debt or no project Analysts say Pakistan will struggle to attract non-Chinese investors into the project, which may force it to choose between piling on Chinese debt or walking away from the project. In 2017, Pakistan turned down Chinese funding for a $14 billion mega-dam project in the Himalayas because of cost concerns and worries Beijing could end up owning a vital national asset if Pakistan could not repay loans, as occurred with a Sri Lankan port. Khans government chafes at several Chinese intercity mass transport projects in Punjab, the voter heartland of the previous government, which now need hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies every year. They also fume about the risk of accumulating off-books sovereign debt through power contracts, where annual profits of above 20 percent, in dollar terms, were guaranteed by the previous administration. With the ML-1 line, there are also those who harbor doubts closer to home, including the previous governments finance minister, Miftah Ismail, who said his ministry had always had concerns about its viability. When people say its a project of national importance, that usually means it makes no sense financially, he said. A powerful typhoon ripped through Japan on Sunday, forcing cancellations of flights and trains, including in the Tokyo area as authorities warned of strong winds and torrential rain. Farms and homes in Miyazaki on the southern main island of Kyushu were flooded as Typhoon Trami swept across southwestern Japan. Evacuation orders were issued for tens of thousands of people over a widespread area, including more than 250,000 people in the city of Tokushima on the island of Shikoku, the national broadcaster NHK reported. At least 51 people were injured in southern Japan, it said. Many flights were canceled at major airports throughout Japan, including Tokyo's Narita and Haneda. The storm destroyed power lines on the southern islands of Okinawa on Saturday. Trami was expected to hit Tokyo late Sunday, and slam northern Japan on Monday. Bullet trains and other train lines were shutting down while the storm passed. Tokyo's train lines announced they were shutting down after 8 p.m. (11 GMT). The typhoon is projected to hit regions ravaged earlier this month by Typhoon Jebi, which caused landslides and floods and temporarily shuttered Kansai International Airport. The strongest typhoon to hit Japan in 25 years, Jebi caused 11 deaths in and around Osaka. The airport also was closed for this latest typhoon. In July, heavy rain in western Japan killed 221 people, setting off landslides and flooding. Indonesia's President Jokowi Widodo has authorized the acceptance of international help related to the earthquake and tsunami that hit the central island of Sulawesi. Chair of Indonesia's Investment Coordinating Board Thomas Lembong made the announcement in a tweet Monday morning. There were 844 confirmed deaths by early Monday, with the city of Palu on Sulawesi the hardest hit. Indonesian officials say they fear the death toll from Friday's earthquake and tsunami could soar into the thousands when rescuers are able to get to remote areas. WATCH: Indonesia quake The airport is barely functioning, most power plants have been knocked off-line, and roads are shattered and twisted. Touring Palu Sunday, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said one of the immediate needs is to bring in the heavy equipment needed to move large pieces of rubble. "We didn't expect it to be like this. So we hope and pray for the communities and be patient," he told disaster victims. "We know that there are a lot of things to do urgently, but the condition is not now possible." He told soldiers deployed to the area to be ready to work nonstop. Television pictures from Palu show buildings, cars and trees pushed together to form mounds of wreckage. A young woman was pulled out alive from the rubble of Palu's collapsed Roa Roa Hotel. But rescuers say the number of other voices crying for help gradually dwindled throughout Sunday and are now silent. In Pictures: Earthquake, Tsunami Strike Sulawesi Island Security officials appear to be doing little to stop looters from grabbing food and supplies from wrecked shopping centers The 7.5-magnitude quake triggered a huge tsunami with waves as high as 6 meters, which inundated the cities of Palu and Donggala. Authorities say hundreds of people were on the beach in Palu for a festival when the earthquake and tsunami struck, sweeping many away to their deaths when the giant waves arrived. Indonesia had been working with the U.S. National Science Foundation on a prototype tsunami early warning system that picks up changes in the water column on the ocean floor. But the project was put on hold last week, apparently because the recent devaluation of the Indonesian currency created concerns in Indonesia about how to pay for its share of the project. Professor Louise Comfort of the University of Pittsburgh is the lead U.S. scientist for the early detection project. Comfort calls it "heartbreaking" that if Indonesia had come up with just another $50,000 to keep the prototype operating, hundreds and maybe thousands of lives could have been saved. "I am profoundly disappointed, profoundly disappointed," she tells VOA. "We have Indonesian researchers who have been working valiantly for 10 years trying to get a system like this in place ... this is particularly painful for me." Because the system was not operating, Comfort said officials had no direct measurement of changes in the water caused by the earthquake and had to depend on less-sensitive, land-based systems. Indonesia and its 18,000 islands are located along the Pacific Ocean's "Ring of Fire" and are frequently struck by earthquake, volcano and tsunami activity. A 9.1-magnitude quake in 2004 off Sumatra and subsequent tsunami killed about 230,000 people in 14 Pacific countries, with about half of those deaths occurring in Indonesia. Ira Mellman and Lori Lundin contributed to this report. Okinawans headed to the polls Sunday to choose a governor in an election that many see hinging on how voters feel about the American military presence on the southwestern Japanese islands. The race among four candidates is close between two: an outspoken critic of the U.S. military presence and a ruling party-backed candidate pushing the status quo. The winner succeeds Takeshi Onaga, who died in August of pancreatic cancer. He wanted the bases off Okinawa. Denny Tamaki, a legislator, is pledging to continue with Onaga's "spirit.'' Atsushi Sakima, a mayor, wants to work with the national government to sort out the problem. Okinawa houses about half of the 54,000 American troops stationed in Japan and makes for 64 percent of the land space used by the U.S. bases, under a bilateral security treaty, according to John S. Hutcheson, spokesman for the U.S. Forces in Japan. The arrangement has long been protested by some as an unfair burden on Okinawa, which makes up less than 1 percent of Japan's land space. Japan remains highly dependent on the U.S. for defense, but crimes by members of the military, including hit-and-runs as well as rapes, have outraged the people of Okinawa. They are also angry about noise pollution and the dangers of crashes from military aircraft. Still, over the decades the livelihood of many people has become linked to the American troops. Tamaki, whose mother is Japanese and whose father is a U.S. Marine he has never met, has often said he is a symbol of the predicament of his people. ``I can clearly state we no longer want in Okinawa the U.S. bases that destroy our peace and destroy our nature,'' Tamaki, 58, said during his campaign. He has promised policies that care about "the weak," helping workers, students and those who face discrimination. Before running for governor, Sakima, 54, was mayor of Ginowan, where the Marines air base called Futenma is located. Futenma is at the center of the controversy over the government relocation plan for U.S. troops to less densely populated Henoko in Nago, Okinawa. The planning dates back to the 1995 rape of a schoolgirl in which three U.S. servicemen were convicted. But the planning and construction of Henoko has repeatedly been delayed because of local opposition to the bases. Some are also pointing to the threat that base construction, which includes a landfill, may bring to the environment, including to a coral reef and dugong and other marine life. Sakima, who is backed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said he would work with the national government to minimize the U.S. military presence, especially in closing Futenma. "I will work to move forward on dealing with the reduction of the U.S. troops that we have wanted so long," he said. "If I become governor, I will do my utmost so we can gain the understanding of the people about the Henoko problem." Both candidates are promising to revive Okinawa, taking advantage of its cultural resources and rich potential as a resort destination. Outside of Okinawa, the national government and public opinion appear to support strengthening Japan's security measures as it faces nuclear threats from North Korea and the growing military might of China. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration also has been pushing Japan to do more to defend itself. Few Macedonians turned out to vote in a referendum on whether to change the name of their country a move that could pave the way for it to join NATO and the European Union. According to election officials, only about a third of eligible voters cast ballots Sunday. But more than 90 percent of those voting cast a ballot in favor of changing the country's name to North Macedonia. Macedonia's electoral commission said two days ago the referendum results would be declared invalid if less than 50 percent of the eligible voting population went to the polls. Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, who had said he would resign if a vast majority of eligible voters did not approve the referendum, described the vote as a clear success, despite the low turnout. Zaev said he would not resign because a "vast majority" of those who turned out Sunday approved the measure. He urged lawmakers to ratify the necessary changes to the constitution, which would finalize the deal. In a statement Sunday, however, the Greek Foreign Ministry said the "contradictory" vote overwhelming approval, yet low turnout would require Macedonia to move carefully to "preserve the positive potential of the deal." The U.S. State Department on Sunday welcomed the results of the referendum. In a statement, the department said the U.S. "strongly supports the Agreement's full implementation, which will allow Macedonia to take its rightful place in NATO and the EU, contributing to regional stability, security and prosperity." However, nationalists, including Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov, had urged a boycott of the vote. Macedonians are being asked to change the name of their country to end a decades-old dispute with neighboring Greece and pave the way for the country's admission into NATO and the European Union. Athens has argued that the name "Macedonia" belongs exclusively to its northern province of Macedonia and using the name implies Skopje's intentions to claim the Greek province. Greece has for years pressured Skopje into renouncing the country's name, forcing it to use the more formal moniker Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in the United Nations. Greece has consistently blocked its smaller neighbor from gaining membership in NATO and the EU as long it retains its name. President Ivanov said giving in to Athens' demand would be a "flagrant violation of sovereignty.'' He steadfastly refused to back the deal reached between Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and his Greek counterpart, Alexis Tsipras, that put the name change to a vote. "This referendum could lead us to become a subordinate state, dependent on another country," Ivanov said. "We will become a state in name only, not in substance." U.S. first lady Melania Trump is set to begin her first solo international trip since her husband took office on Monday, visiting four African countries to promote the message of her Be Best child-welfare initiative. Each of us hails from a country with its own unique challenges, Mrs. Trump told a reception in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly Wednesday, but I know in my heart we are united by our commitment to raising the next generation to be happy, healthy and morally responsible adults. The White House said Mrs. Trump will make stops in Ghana, Malawi, Kenya and Egypt. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is helping to coordinate the trip, and noted Mrs. Trumps stops will focus on health care for mothers and newborns, nutrition for women and children, early childhood education, wildlife conservation, HIV prevention, tourism and conservation. The first lady is also expected to highlight the role the United States plays in helping each country. Be Best Mrs. Trump unveiled her Be Best campaign in May. According to the White House, the mission of Be Best is to encourage children to be best in their individual paths, while also teaching them the importance of social, emotional and physical health. The Be Best platform consists of three main initiatives; well-being, social media use, and opioid abuse. Previous first ladies have had similar policy initiatives geared to youth, such as Michelle Obamas Lets Move campaign to fight childhood obesity and Nancy Reagans Say No to Drugs. Good public relations Joshua Meservey, senior policy analyst for Africa and the Middle East at the Heritage Foundation sees Mrs. Trumps first solo overseas trip as sending a good message to African countries that the U.S. values its engagement with them. Meservey added that the countries were chosen based on their good cooperation with the U.S. and will be a chance to tout the support the U.S. gives those countries particularly for child well-being issues. However, when Mrs. Trump first announced her Africa trip, on Aug. 20, some on social media were quick to point out she will be visiting nations that her husband in January reportedly referred to as s---hole countries. President Trump has denied making the comment. Trump also drew criticism when during a luncheon on the sidelines of the September 2017 U.N. General Assembly in New York, he congratulated a group of African leaders on the level of investments going into their nations, saying that he has so many friends who are going to your countries trying to get rich. His remarks were met with silence from the audience. Absent negative tweets from the president, the first ladys visit is likely to be good PR, said John Campbell, senior fellow for Africa policy studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. The United States remains popular in Africa, and the first lady is likely to be seen foremost as a representative of the nation, rather than the president, he said. Since he came into office in 2017, President Donald Trump has not visited the continent. Several African leaders have visited Trump in the White House, including Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in 2017, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in April 2018 and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta last month. US aid to Africa John Campbell added that under Trump there has been little change in the administrations policy toward Africa from the bipartisan consensus that dates from the 1960s, in part because of White House lack of interest. In fiscal 2015, USAID and the U.S. Department of State provided more than $8 billion in assistance to 47 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. USAID programs in Africa were slated for significant cuts in the Trump administrations proposed budget but have been blocked by Congress. Previous first ladies tours African countries have been popular destinations for U.S. first ladies on goodwill tours. In March 1997, Hillary Clinton and her daughter Chelsea journeyed to sub-Saharan Africa to highlight U.S. support for African progress towards democracy. They met with South Africas Nelson Mandela, who gave them a personal tour of the Robben Island prison cell where he served part of his 27-year sentence. Laura Bush traveled with her twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara, to South Africa, Tanzania and Rwanda in 2005. Her visit highlighted U.S. support for AIDS projects, in line with the Bush administrations billion-dollar global AIDS initiatives. Michele Obama visited South Africa and Botswana in 2011 with her mother, Marian Shields Robinson, and her daughters, Sasha and Malia. Obama promoted youth leadership, education, health and wellness. Moldova's pro-Russian presidential candidate Igor Dodon has declared victory in Sunday's presidential runoff vote, holding a commanding lead in the former Soviet republic with nearly all votes counted. With 97 percent of all ballots tallied late Sunday, Dodon, who campaigned on promises to restore closer ties with Russia, held a commanding 55.3 to 44.7 percent lead over pro-Europe rival Maia Sandu. "We have won, everyone knows it," Dodon said at a late night news conference. Final results are expected early Monday in the impoverished country of 3.5 million. Dodon, who came close to winning the presidency outright in the first round of voting two weeks ago, also has pledged to foster good relations with Moldova's neighbors, Romania and Ukraine. However, such appeasement gestures may face stiff resistance in Kyiv by many who object to Dodon's support for Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula. For her part, Sandu - a former education minister - used her campaign to urge closer ties with Europe. She also called for the withdrawal of several thousand Russian troops from Moldova's Russian-speaking separatist region of Trans-Dniester. Dodon's apparent victory comes alongside that of nearby Bulgaria's pro-Russian presidential candidate Gen. Rumen Radev, a political novice whose win on Sunday prompted center-right Prime Minister Boyko Borisov to announce his resignation. Moldova, like Bulgaria, has in recent years been plagued with rampant official corruption. Former Moldovan prime minister Vlad Filat was sentenced earlier this year to a nine-year prison term, after a court found him guilty of corruption and abuse of power during his 2009-2013 term as head of government. His pro-European ruling coalition had been linked to the country's most powerful oligarch, Vladimir Plahotniuc, who has long been accused of running the country through bribes and intimidation. Filat was arrested last year during a parliamentary session and later charged for his links to a bank fraud scheme that included the disappearance from three banks of $1 billion - nearly 13 percent of the tiny country's annual GDP. Filat's successor later lost a parliamentary vote of confidence. Canada and the United States on Saturday narrowed their differences in last-ditch talks to save NAFTA but there is no guarantee an agreement will be forged, two Ottawa sources said, a notion echoed by a top adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump. The two nations are trying to find a way to update the North American Free Trade Agreement and prevent it from collapsing. The 1994 pact underpins $1.2 trillion in annual trade and its demise would be enormously damaging, economists say. Trump is threatening to impose auto tariffs on Canada unless it signs a text of an updated agreement by the end of Sunday. Washington has a deal with Mexico, the third member of NAFTA. Address to UN delayed In a sign of the mounting pressure, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland postponed her countrys annual address to the U.N. General Assembly on Saturday to return to Ottawa. Freeland, who has spent many days in Washington over the last month, has no plans to fly back immediately, officials say. The two sides are talking continuously by phone, and a Canadian government source said the tone of the negotiations was positive and intense. The fact talks are still going on shows there are issues to be settled. A deal is not necessarily going to happen, said the source, who requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation. 'Big issues solved' Trumps trade and manufacturing adviser Peter Navarro, speaking Saturday to Fox News, struck an upbeat tone on the progress of talks. Most of the big issues are solved with Canada, Navarro said, adding it would be a great deal for all three countries. Trump blames NAFTA for causing U.S. manufacturing jobs to move to low-wage Mexico and is demanding major changes. Well see what happens with Canada, if they come along. They have to be fair, Trump said Saturday during a rally in Wheeling, West Virginia, complaining about Canadas dairy tariffs, which have been a particularly sore point for him. Weve made the deal with Mexico, and its a great deal for both countries, Trump said. The office of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declined to comment Saturdays talks. A spokesman for USTR did not respond to requests for comment on the talks. Sticking point A second Ottawa source said the two sides were still trying to resolve disagreements over a dispute resolution mechanism that Canada says is vital and the United States wants to scrap. In exchange for a compromise on the mechanism, Ottawa is set to bow to a U.S. demand to offer significantly more access to Canadas protected dairy market, said the source. A third source familiar with the negotiations said the idea of a link between dispute resolution and dairy access was not currently being discussed. Opening up the dairy market could cause problems for Trudeau, since the influential farming industry opposes the idea. The Dairy Farmers of Canada lobby group did not respond to a request for comment. Sources familiar with the talks told Reuters Sept. 11 that Canada was ready to give the United States limited dairy access. Ottawa has offered farmers compensation to make up for conceding market share in two earlier trade agreements. Automakers consulted Automaker executives briefed on the plans said Saturday they expect a final deal similar to the one reached with Mexico that would effectively cap Canadian vehicle and auto parts exports at a level around 40 to 50 percent higher than existing imports. The agreement would allow the United States to impose tariffs of up to 25 percent on vehicles above the cap. The USTRs office reached out to automakers over the weekend to seek input about how the cap will work and how the vehicle quota will be apportioned, an auto industry executive briefed on the matter said. One big uncertain question for U.S. and foreign automakers is whether U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel will be lifted. A NAFTA deal had looked unlikely Wednesday when, after a month of slow-moving discussions, Trump indicated he was fed up with Trudeau, who has insisted he will not sign a bad deal. But late Thursday, U.S. officials reached out to Canada to ask for details of Ottawas negotiating demands and where it might be able to make compromises, Reuters reported. Trump is under increasing pressure from U.S. business groups and some members of the U.S. Congress, who say excluding Canada from NAFTA would play havoc with the three member nations increasingly integrated economies. Winner of this year's UNHCR Nansen Award, South Sudanese surgeon, Evan Atar Adaha, says he will use the Award's $150,000 cash prize to upgrade his ill-equipped hospital, so he can save more lives. Atar will be honored for two-decades of medical services to victims of war and persecution at an official ceremony Monday. Evan Atar Adha and a team of doctors, nurses and midwives work in Maban hospital in Bunj, a town of more than 200,000 people in northeastern South Sudan. Atar said his hospital, which lies in the midst of a war zone, lacks even the most basic equipment and supplies. He told VOA the challenges facing him, and his team are enormous. "The resources of this award are going to really help us do better because we obviously will be able to get some equipment and some machines that we need like anesthetic machine, x-ray." Atar said the team at Maban hospital carries out an average of 58 surgeries a week with only a single light in the surgical theater. He said electricity is provided by generators that often break down. The hospital itself, he said has room for only 120 beds. This is not enough so, people sleep on the verandahwherever there is space. "Our maternity, if you like has 30 beds and we are putting two mothers in one bedSo, with thisif we are able to expand maternity, I will be so happy." For the past two decades, Atar has provided medical aid for thousands of refugees, internally displaced, wounded fighters and local communities at great personal sacrifice. He sees his wife and four children in Nairobi, Kenya three times a year. Yet, he said he has no plans to retire. "I will work for another 20 years. I think as long as I am seeing I am needed in the place I will not go from there until I make sure things are really settled in the end and the only hope for that is actually peace. If peace comes to South Sudan and Sudan." Nansen winner Atar told VOA he will be happy when he is no longer needed. The White House says a date hasn't yet been set for a highly anticipated meeting between President Donald Trump and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the man overseeing the special investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election. A recent New York Times report said that Rosenstein had suggested secretly recording Trump to obtain evidence to have him removed from office for being unfit to govern. Rosenstein has issued two statements flatly denying the allegations. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told Fox News Sunday that the meeting between the two men could happen this week but it also could get pushed back another week given all that has happened in relation to Trump's Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Rosenstein has overseen the independent Russia investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller, making him a frequent target of Trump's attacks on the probe. Trump has complained about the Justice Department's handling of the Russia probe for months but tensions between Trump and Rosenstein appeared to increase recently after recent The New York Times report. The president's Republican allies have called on Rosenstein to testify before Congress about his alleged suggestion to secretly record Trump. News reports say Rosentein has agreed to meet privately with lawmakers. The White House says it is not "micromanaging" the new FBI investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court Justice nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh amid concerns by some Democrats that the probe is too limited in scope. "The White House counsel has allowed the Senate to dictate terms and what the scope of the investigation is," Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told Fox News Sunday, referring to the FBI's probe that was launched a day after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified before a Senate Committee about sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh. Both Kavanaugh and Ford testified separately before the Senate Judiciary Committee last Thursday. Ford told the Committee she was "100 percent" sure Kavanaugh assaulted her when they were both high school teenagers in 1982, while the Supreme Court nominee angrily denied the allegations. Rachel Mitchell, the sex crimes prosecutor brought in to question Ford and Kavanaugh last week, released a memo saying that she does not believe a "reasonable prosecutor would bring this case based on the evidence before the Committee." Mitchell said that a "he said she said" case is difficult to prove, and that, in her opinion, Ford's case is "even weaker." On Sunday, a former Yale classmate of Kavanaugh, Chad Ludington, issued a statement saying the judge had mischaracterized his drinking habits in college while testifying last week, describing him as "a frequent drinker, and a heavy drinker" who was often belligerent and aggressive when drunk. President Donald Trump reopened the background probe into Kavanaugh on Friday at the request of the Judiciary committee. The consent for a supplemental investigation was a concession by the Trump administration and Republicans who had strongly contended that Kavanaugh had been thoroughly vetted numerous times. Senator Dianne Feinstein, the ranking Democrat of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has written a letter to the White House and FBI asking for a copy of the written directive Trump sent about the probe into Kavanaugh. Trump has maintained his support for Kavanaugh, saying that "hopefully at the conclusion, everything will be fine." Trump, speaking to reporters Saturday, noted that the FBI "is all over, talking to everybody" including women who have accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault and "I would expect it's going to turn out very well for the judge." He has dismissed reports that the White House may be limiting the scope of the FBI's investigation such as not permitting scrutiny of the claims of another woman, Julie Swetnick, who has accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct at parties while he was a prep school student. Late Saturday, Trump tweeted: "NBC News incorrectly reported (as usual) that I was limiting the FBI investigation of Judge Kavanaugh, and witnesses, only to certain people. Actually, I want them to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion. Please correct your reporting!" The FBI is reported to have interviewed the second woman who accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault, Deborah Ramirez. She alleged in a report published September 23 by The New Yorker magazine that Kavanaugh exposed himself at a drunken dormitory party and shoved his penis in her face, forcing her to touch it while she pushed him away. Ramirez said the assault occurred during the 1983-84 school year at Yale University, where they both were students. Kavanaugh has denied the allegation. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday voted to send Kavanaugh's nomination for the Supreme Court to the full Senate after securing a party line vote in favor of Kavanaugh's nomination from Republican Jeff Flake, who requested a delay and investigation. Another Republican senator, Lisa Murkowski, said she agreed with Flake in wanting an FBI investigation. Because Republicans hold a slim 51-49 margin in the Senate, they had little choice but to slow the confirmation process. Kavanaugh said in a statement released by the White House that he will continue to cooperate with the FBI and the Senate. Kavanaugh needs at least 50 votes to be confirmed by the 100-member Senate. Vice President Mike Pence would cast the deciding vote if the Senate is evenly split. If all Democrats vote against Kavanaugh, two Republicans would also have to do the same to block his confirmation. First ladies in several African countries hope their American counterpart will find ways to tackle problems, with a nuanced understanding of the African experience, when she visits the continent next week. The first ladies of Mozambique, Namibia and Sierra Leone spoke to VOA in New York during the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly and shared advice for U.S. first lady Melania Trump. Isaura Nyusi, the first lady of Mozambique, told VOA through her interpreter and adviser that she looked forward to seeing Trumps initiatives in the United States applied to African challenges. Trump would be welcomed in Mozambique, Nyusi added, although that country is not currently on the American first ladys itinerary. Trump is slated to visit Ghana, Malawi, Kenya and Egypt in what the White House is calling a trip about maternal and newborn care in hospitals, education for children, the deep culture and history woven into each African country, and how the United States is supporting each country on its journey to self-reliance. Trump announced the itinerary Wednesday at a General Assembly reception. Its her first major solo overseas trip as first lady. Praise for USAID On the trip, Trump will highlight the work of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), whose efforts in Africa focus on agriculture, health care, governance and climate change. I am so proud of the work this administration is doing through USAID and others, and look forward to the opportunity to take the message of my Be Best campaign to many of the countries, and children, throughout Africa, Trump said in New York. USAIDs 2019 budget includes $16.8 billion in assistance for developing countries around the world. Be Best, Melania Trumps signature campaign, focuses on childrens physical and mental health, tackling two issues of particular concern in the United States: social media use and opioid abuse. Whether it is education, drug addiction, hunger, online safety or bullying, poverty, or disease, it is too often children who are hit first, and hardest, across the globe, she added. Monica Geingos, the first lady of Namibia, said she hoped Melania Trump would bring to her trip an understanding of Africa that breaks through stereotypes. I think the narrative that is generally crafted around African issues is really one of these poor, incapable, helpless Africans. And thats not the narrative of Africa when you actually get to the continent, Geingos told VOA. Even in the worst cases of poverty, youll find the most dignified Africans, Geingos added. And you can only treat them with dignities they deserve if you understand where they come from and what they deal with on a daily basis. Sierra Leone first lady Fatima Maada Bio contrasted the stature of the first ladys role in the United States to the many African nations that dont have an Office of the First Lady. We should be the voice of the people, but we should not be respected just by having an office where we could actually sit and understand peoples issues, Bio told VOA. I think the first lady of America, what she can do is actually start talking to African heads of state to start empowering the first ladies offices, because the first ladies offices, as much as we are not an elected office, but we can make very big changes to society, Bio said. This story originated in VOAs Africa Division, with English to Africas Hayde Adams FitzPatrick reporting; additional reporting and writing by Salem Solomon, with Karina Choudhury contributing. The Voice of America hosted a Facebook Live session Sept. 27 for its upcoming show, Our Voices, in which African women will discuss topics from around the continent. Watch the conversation with the first lady of Namibia. The FBI has reached out to the second woman who accused Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault as part of its new investigation into the Supreme Court nominee, The Washington Post reported Saturday, citing people familiar with the investigation. It was not immediately clear whether the FBI had yet interviewed Deborah Ramirez, who alleged in a report published Sept. 23 by The New Yorker magazine that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a drunken dormitory party. She said he shoved his penis in her face, forcing her to touch it while pushing him away. Ramirez said the the assault occurred during the 1983-84 school year at Yale University, where they both were students. The Post said the FBI was also following up on accusations by Christine Blasey Ford, the first woman who accused Kavanaugh. Her story dated to 1982, when they were both teenagers. She said he sexually assaulted her at a gathering at a home in suburban Washington. Kavanaugh has angrily denied the allegation. Both told their stories to the Senate Judiciary Committee separately Thursday in lengthy hearings. President Donald Trump ordered the additional FBI investigation Friday at the request of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Trump posted on Twitter Friday night: Trump said in a statement that the additional investigation "must be limited in scope'' and "completed in less than one week.'' The decision was a reversal for the administration, which had argued that Kavanaugh already was vetted. WATCH: Kavanaugh Moves Step Closer to Confirmation, But With a Hitch Earlier Friday, the Judiciary Committee voted to send Kavanaugh's nomination for the Supreme Court to the full Senate after securing a party-line vote in favor of the nod, but Arizona Republican Jeff Flake requested a delay in the floor vote and the additional investigation. "This country is being ripped apart here, and we've got to make sure that we do due diligence," Flake said. Another Republican senator, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, said Friday that she agreed with Flake's call for additional FBI investigation. Republicans hold a slim 51-49 margin in the Senate. Kavanaugh needs at least 50 votes to have his nomination confirmed. Vice President Mike Pence would cast the deciding vote if the Senate was evenly split. If all Democrats vote against Kavanaugh, two Republicans would have to do the same to block his confirmation. Kavanaugh said in a statement released by the White House that he would continue to cooperate with the FBI and the Senate. "Throughout this process, I've been interviewed by the FBI, I've done a number of 'background' calls directly with the Senate, and yesterday, I answered questions under oath about every topic the senators and their counsel asked me. I've done everything they have requested and will continue to cooperate," he said. In another development Friday, a high school friend of Kavanaugh, Mark Judge, said he was willing to cooperate with any FBI investigation. Judge is likely to figure prominently in any inquiry by the FBI, because Ford contends he was present when Kavanaugh assaulted her at the suburban Washington party. Judge has denied being at any party with Ford when an attack took place. Journalists are being jailed in unprecedented numbers across the globe, with 262 detained for their work at the end of 2017, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. "The jailing of journalists is a brutal form of censorship that is having a profound impact on the flow of information around the world," CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon told a press freedom event Friday at the United Nations. At the end of 2017, the worst offenders were Turkey, with 73 journalists jailed; China with 41; and Egypt with 20. CPJ says that slightly more than half of all imprisoned journalists were jailed for reporting on human rights violations. WATCH: A Pakistani American Startup Fighting Media Censorship Simon said the United Nations has not been a strong enough voice on the issue because it has a culture of rarely naming and shaming its member states. The event, organized on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly annual meeting, highlighted the cases of five reporters CPJ says have been unjustly detained. They are nationals of Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Egypt and Myanmar. The two most high-profile cases are of Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo in Myanmar. The two men were detained in December 2017 while they were investigating the mass killing of Rohingya Muslim men and boys by Buddhist villagers in the Rakhine state village of Inn Din. Myanmar's military launched a crackdown on the minority Rohingya in August 2017 after Rohingya militants attacked several police checkpoints and killed a dozen Myanmar police officers. In a matter of a few months, 700,000 Rohingya fled to neighboring Bangladesh. Survivors gave accounts of horrific abuses, including widespread rapes, torture, and the looting and burning of their homes. The United Nations has deemed the atrocities a "textbook case" of ethnic cleansing. British barrister Amal Clooney is representing the two Reuters reporters. She says the Myanmar authorities did not want their story about the massacre at Inn Din to come out. "So police planted government documents on the journalists while other officers lay in wait outside to arrest them," Clooney said of how the two men were set up. "The journalists were arrested and were then prosecuted and subjected to a show trial in which their conviction was guaranteed." Earlier this month, the two were sentenced to seven years in prison for violating a law on state secrets. Clooney said they are seeking a presidential pardon in Myanmar for them, as it is the only avenue currently available to win their freedom. "The attack on them is a chilling warning to other journalists worldwide," said Reuters President Stephen Adler. "Myanmar is not the only country where attempts are made to deter investigative news gathering, scare sources and whistle-blowers, dim the spotlight of reporting, and thereby allow officials to act in darkness with impunity." Other arrests Azimjon Askarov, a Kyrgyz journalist, has been serving a life sentence since July 2010. CPJ's Simon says he was covering deadly ethnic clashes in southern Kyrgyzstan in the summer of 2010. During the trial, he and his lawyer were both assaulted. "CPJ conducted its own investigation into the case in 2012 and found that charges against Askarov were in retaliation for his reporting on corrupt and abusive practices by regional police and prosecutors," Simon said. Bangladeshi photojournalist and commentator Shahidul Alam was arrested last month while covering student protests in Bangladesh. A Dhaka court ordered that he be held for seven days to determine if he violated an information law by spreading propaganda and false information. "When Shahidul was brought into court, he screamed that had been tortured. He was unable to walk without assistance," Simon told the panel. He remains in detention. Since 2013, CPJ says, Egypt has been among the world's worst jailers of journalists, often detaining reporters on politically motivated anti-state charges. Alaa Abdelfattah, a well-known Egyptian blogger and activist who has written about politics and human rights, is one of them. He is serving a five-year sentence on charges that he organized a protest and assaulted a police officer. "We believe the charges are trumped up and in retaliation for Alaa's coverage of alleged human rights abuses by the police and security forces," Simon said. "We are witnessing a growing hatred of journalists worldwide, which unfortunately is not limited to authoritarian regimes," said Margaux Ewen, North America director of Reporters Without Borders. "We are seeing democratically elected regimes also attack the press more and more frequently, which is why we need to continue to address wrongs as they occur." U.S. President Donald Trump refers to negative news coverage of him and his administration as "fake news," and reporters at his rallies and during his campaign reported encountering hostility from his supporters. Reporters in the United States are facing a more dangerous work environment. CPJ says at least three journalists have been arrested this year and 34 last year. In June, five people were killed in the newsroom of an Annapolis, Maryland, newspaper. Journalists covering white nationalism and the far-right political movement have reported receiving threats, and at least 24 journalists have been assaulted, shoved or had their equipment damaged while working. "A free press is not an adversary, but an essential component of democracy," Ewen said. The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. The nation was riveted but divided by dramatic testimony from Christine Blasey Ford, the university professor accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault when they were teenagers. The emotional debate could be a turning point in America's cultural and political discussions Hundreds of Zimbabweans gathered in Harares Waterfalls suburb to remember the late Sylvia Maposa, who was gunned down by the Zimbabwe National Army soon after the July 30 harmonized council, parliamentary and presidential elections. Relatives and friends described the late government employee as a hard-working and God-fearing Zimbabweans. Her mother-in-law said, She was full of love, feared God, worked hard for her family and was a very pleasant woman. Her relatives declined to discuss anything related to her death and memorial service. Maposa, who worked for the Zimbabwe National Water Authority, was shot dead on August 1st this year during a protest by some political activists in Harare that were unhappy over delays by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to release presidential election results. Five other innocent civilians were killed in the shootings later described by President Emmerson Mnangagwa as regrettable. The Zimbabwean president has since set up a commission of inquiry into the killings. Mnangagwa has promised to make the findings public though some people say he may not do so if he is cited in the killings. The Zimbabwean president, who was once state security minister in the1980s, has been accused of being part of the Gukurahundi massacres that led to the death of an estimated 20,000 between 1983 and 1987. A North Korean-trained crack unit, the Fifth Brigade, was deployed in the Matabeleland and Midlands regions to stop what former president Robert Mugabe described as a dissident menace, which he tied to PF Zapu then led by the late Joshua Nkomo. The late Nkomo dismissed the allegations as wishful thinking saying he had nothing to do with the so-called dissidents. Mugabe said the killings were an act of madness but did not apologize for the atrocities until he was removed from power by the military aided by parliament and peaceful public protests. President Mnangagwa was declared the winner of the presidential election by the Constitutional Court after his rival, Nelson Chamisa of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Alliance, filed a court application disputing the poll results. The Constitutional Court dismissed the case saying it lacked concrete evidence of alleged massive rigging by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission in favor of the ruling Zanu PF party. This content is expired! Unfortunely this content is expired and cannot be viewed anymore; if You are the owner of this content please login to our Website, go to our access panel and enable this content again. The White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) doesnt take a census of its 600 regular and associate members, said its president, Olivier Knox, so theres no official accounting of racial diversity. Still, theres a telling statistic about the WHCA: In its 104-year history, the WHCA has had only two nonwhite presidents, and only five nonwhite correspondents have served on its board, according to George Condon, a White House correspondent for the National Journal who is writing a history of the organization. By about 10 a.m., firefighters reported the fire was out. Soon afterward, school officials said all buildings could be reentered with the exception of Hughes Hall, a residence hall that houses about 300 students, according to the schools website. Also on Monday, Maryland joins a handful of states that prohibit licensed counselors from trying to change the sexual orientation of LGBTQ people. The ban on conversion therapy passed after a delegate came out as bisexual on the floor of the House of Delegates in an emotional speech that also criticized her father, a state senator who defended the practice as therapeutic. In 1953, he was still eight years away from his first trip to Africa when he married Esther Kleinschmidt, who had grown up in what was then called the Belgian Congo, where her parents were medical missionaries. Eight years later, Wayne and Esther Meyers and their three later four children moved to Central Africa, where they spent more than a decade working with people afflicted with one of the worlds most feared and misunderstood diseases: leprosy. He went up through the ceiling and into the attic, the police said in a statement. Then, they said, he came down and escaped through another part of the building before officers could surround it. Charles Lattuca, who oversees construction for the Maryland Transit Administration, said the state and the projects contracting team, Purple Line Transit Partners, are discussing ways to accelerate what was to be about 5 years of work. So far, he said, they dont think any additional time will be necessary. The garage is one of five being built at stations along the second phase of the Silver Line, which will extend Metro to Dulles International Airport and into eastern Loudoun County. But this garage is of particular significance because it is the Metro station closest to one of the sites Virginia is offering as a potential home for Amazons second headquarters. This year, Medicare agreed to cover the test for beneficiaries with advanced solid tumors, regardless of the organ or tissue of origin. One of the tests now covered FoundationOne, or F1CDx, made by Foundation Medicine can identify cancer-linked mutations in 324 genes in any type of solid tumor. F1CDx can also determine whether a tumor is MSI-H and how many mutations it has overall, both of which, Kurzrock says, are strong predictors of how likely a person is to respond to cancer immunotherapies. Police barrier collapse causes Central Park panic: The collapse of a police barrier sent thousands of people, afraid of possible gunshots, fleeing in a panic at a politically charged show in New York's Central Park. Big-name personalities from Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) to Janet Jackson and John Legend urged spectators to get involved in the nation's troubled politics. Authorities quickly assured the crowd they were safe after the barrier fell Saturday evening. Glitch exposes British Conservatives: Britain's Conservative Party suffered an embarrassing security glitch, exposing the personal contact details of senior government ministers and other leading figures on the app for their annual party conference. Dawn Foster, a columnist with the left-leaning Guardian newspaper, demonstrated on Twitter a flaw in the conference app that allowed people to simply log in as anyone attending, using their email addresses. It meant the mobile phone numbers of all those attending the four-day event could be accessed. The loophole was closed after it had been pointed out to the party but not before the details of some politicians had been accessed and in some instances changed. That's one way in which the renewed background investigation, although certainly better than nothing, lacks the legal clout of a congressional hearing. Congress could have subpoenaed Judge, and he would have been compelled to attend. He would have been required to testify under oath, unless he asserted his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself. If he did take the Fifth, Congress could immunize him and compel him to testify. But when the FBI knocks on his door for an interview, Judge, like any other witness, is free to decide whether to answer. Todays Headlines The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. Email address By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy We are a state in need of uplift in a ubiquitous way, he said. A state like Mississippi that is moving toward the second decade of the 21st century has to be a state that the world sees as moving forward, and symbols are a good part of that, so Ill be sort of a globalized symbol for new Mississippi. Trump also said he "fell in love" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whom he met at a summit in June: "I was being tough and so was he, and we were back and forth, then we fell in love. He wrote me beautiful letters and they were great letters. We fell in love," he said, immediately noting the news media would say he was being "unpresidential." Rasor last week publicly challenged Judges statement that he could not recall roughhousing taking place with women while at Georgetown Prep in Montgomery County, Md. In an interview with the New Yorker, Rasor said she felt morally obligated to reveal that Judge had told her a very different story, recounting an incident that involved multiple boys having sex with a drunk woman. Rasor said Judge had said the encounter was consensual and he did not name others involved in the incident. But Rasor was disturbed by the story and felt it undermined Judges claims about the sexual innocence of those at Georgetown Prep. Judges attorney told the New Yorker that her client categorically denies Rasors account. Okinawa is home to about half the 54,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan and houses the largest U.S. air base in the Asia-Pacific region. The U.S. military says its presence on the island is vital not only for the defense of Japan but also for keeping the peace in the entire region, from Taiwan and China to the Korean Peninsula and down to the Philippines. In Japan, the ethnic Koreans were seen as politically suspect many were left-wing and a drain on the welfare state. They had also been stripped of their Japanese citizenship after the empire was dismantled following World War II, and the government quietly backed the campaign to send them to home or to North Korea, says Tessa Morris-Suzuki, an Australian National University professor and author of Exodus to North Korea: Shadows From Japans Cold War. In the city of Palu, rescue teams were evacuating almost 50 people trapped in the ruins of the Roa Roa Hotel, a 50-room, eight-story building that collapsed after the earthquake. Several people were pulled out alive, and rescuers could hear the screams and cries of others throughout the night and see lights shining from cellphones underneath the rubble. A correspondent for a local newspaper wrote on his Facebook page that at least three other hotels with guests in them have also collapsed. Heavy equipment able to move rubble was on its way to the city. Gorran, also known as the Movement for Change, is seeking to improve on the 24 seats out of a total of 111 it won in 2013. Leaders from Gorran see Sundays election as more open than previous contests, owing to popular discontent over poor governance that has seen public salaries unpaid or delayed and the economic and psychological effects of the failed independence push. McAleenan told the group that such claims were false and that the United States needed to do a better job of countering them. Theres no ability to stay in the U.S. if you bring a child with you, he said. Theres no ability to just stay if you are pregnant. But our court system is very slow, so you might actually have a false promise of being able to stay in the U.S. for a year or two before you are repatriated. This is all about political pressure. It is our expectation that the Syrian government, whatever government is there at the end of this political process, or at some point in the political process, would no longer feel the need to have Iranian forces there, he said. Were not going to force the Iranians out of Syria. We dont even think the Russians can force the Iranians out. Have you seen that map with all the U.S. bases around us and said, Why are these Iranians putting their country in the middle of all these bases? he said sarcastically. We are in our region. We have not invaded any country. We have not sent troops anywhere we were not asked. We have not bombed any country. We have not taken territory from any country. We are content with our size, with our geography, with our resources. We have no eye on anybody elses territory, resources or people. The Hayne royal commission has paved the way for an overhaul of home loan lending that will put the skids on the housing market, affect some people's ability to get a mortgage and slow down home loan approvals. Top economist Saul Eslake, formerly ANZ's long time chief economist, says changes to how banks assess loans could put the skids on the housing market. Credit:Peter Mathew An interim report from the commission questions the legality of banks' reliance on household spending benchmarks rather than going through and assessing people's spending habits to determine if they are able to repay a home or car loan. In his report, Commissioner Hayne raised whether banks had broken the law when using the benchmarks saying it did not constitute as true verification of someone's living expenses "as required by law". The nation's two biggest home loan lenders Commonwealth Bank and Westpac have already begun tightening up their expense verification processes and are asking customers to provide more information when requesting a loan. Musician and entrepreneur will.i.am was frustrated with voice-recognition technology. "I don't want to learn to speak like a robot to talk to a robot," he told Salesforce's Dreamforce conference last week in San Francisco. "I just want to speak." Will.i.am is a tech entrepreneur as well as musician. Credit:AFP Will.i.am's startup, iam+ is addressing these concerns with its artificial intelligence-based voice assistant designed to power customer service chat bots. I.am+s artificial intelligence voice-recognition tool, called 'Omega', is similar to digital assistants such as Apples Siri and Amazons Alexa and, at Dreamforce, the startup launched Arc, a system that enables 'cross dominability' between apps. A 12-day journey by sea from the west coast to the east is dramatically re-drawing how Australias grains industry works. In response to the devastating drought that has wiped millions of tonnes off production in growing regions of eastern Australia, ship after ship loaded with grain are making their way from West Australia to the east coast, to meet demand on this side of the country. Over preceding years, Australia's east coast grains industry, which covers New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, has typically exported grain to world markets. It normally does this as well as supplying the eastern seaboard with wheat used as animal stockfeed, barley used to make beer and wheat for human consumption of flour and other products. A GrainCorp-chartered vessel carrying Western Australian wheat is unloaded at Brisbane in early September. Credit:Nigel Lotz/GrainCorp But this years drought, which has been described as the worst in a century in some areas, is expected to cause a shortfall on the eastern seaboard and has caused the dramatic shift in how the grains industry works. I was literally terrified because I was thinking to myself I cant move, she said. But that she was now effectively captive in Campbelltown Hospital, albeit in a single room from day four, only became clear when Tanyas partner arrived and repeatedly inquired how she could be moved to the private hospital. The doctor told Tanya we dont have any admitting rights. Tanya says that when Tanya's partner asked how to get her into the private hospital, the response was: "Our doctors are going to attend to her in here and our doctors work here not in the private hospital, so no one is going to admit her". You see, what Tanya needed was one of the Campbelltown doctors to release her. Instead, they apparently preferred their hospital to receive the $743 or so per day from Tanyas health fund, for treating her as a private patient. I think Campbelltown saw her and thought: Weve got her for at least four to six weeks, says Tanyas partner, who doesnt want to be named. She got stuck because without a release from a Campbelltown doctor it voids your medical insurance. So if Id taken her out and somewhere else well, she needed an ambulance anyway she wouldnt have been covered. It was like groundhog day." Campbelltown Hospital's statement says Tanya was provided medication to manage her pain as clinically appropriate. Credit:Steven Siewert In a statement to The Sun-Herald, Campbelltown Hospital general manager Alison Derrett said this was the first the hospital had heard of the complaint. Medical staff did all they could to facilitate Ms Youngs request for transfer including liaising with a private hospital in Queensland and private hospitals in NSW," Ms Derrett said. She further said the hospital clears the way for transfers when a patient is in a stable condition and medical officers are required to find a suitable medical officer and hospital that will accept the transfer of care. But the federal Department of Health last year published an options paper and accepted submissions on the threat to the affordability of private health insurance posed by the rapid growth of private treatment in public hospitals. In Tanyas case, it was also a threat to free will ... something the Australian Private Hospitals Association (APHA) submission implies is common. On admission to a public hospital, under current arrangements, it says people are typically given only the choice to be treated there as a public or private patient. A rare hospital smile for Tanya Young, with visitors Cathy, Jaime and Scarlet. Other choices that would be part of a truly patient-centred approach, such as the choice to be transferred to a private hospital, or the choice to be taken to a private hospital emergency department, are too often ignored and obstructed under current arrangements, the submission says. It goes on to claim: The treatment delivered [as a private patient at a public hospital] is often no different than that delivered to public patients. Over the eight days this played out for Tanya, it certainly sounds like she was given no special treatment. In fact, she tells of staff jamming bedpans under her and not coming back for up to half an hour. On one occasion, she says it spilt and the sheets were not changed. Tanya Young in happier times. Of being taken for an x-ray, she comments: It was just so painful being bundled off the gurney but the woman looked at the guy with her and said: Why the f--- dont people out there do their job and medicate them properly so we can do ours. And she alleges she was sent to Liverpool hospital for an MRI (for which Tanyas friends had to fight for five days) without the enrolled nurse stipulated on the transfer document. This meant she couldnt receive pain relief. In response, Ms Derrett says Tanya was provided medication to manage her pain as clinically appropriate. And she adds that this financial years budget for the South Western Sydney Local Health District has increased by $85.8 million to $1.9 billion from two years ago. Ultimately, it was a referral secured from a doctor registered in Queensland, and a painstaking search by Tanyas partner for a Sydney facility that would accept her, that resulted in her transfer. On the news, she says Campbelltown threw me out of the room and left me, in pain, in the transport area for three hours. Six months on, Tanya doctors at home in Queensland have provided the medication that makes the pain bearable and a full regime of physio and hydrotherapy is, for now, her life. Shes spoken out because she doesnt want anyone else going through what she did, which she believes directly caused some of the anxiety she also now experiences. "If this saves anyone else the loss of dignity or the pain, hurt and life-changing situation Ive suffered, Ill be happy. Ms Mork said one of their principal concerns is to educate younger generations about this dark period of history. "[Young people] cant just get a dramatic story that lasted three years, they need to know why it happened and what happened afterwards," she said. Dr Skre added: "So children can identify and think about what it would be like to be at war, to be alienated because you are as you are." Visiting Dr Mautner took on a personal significance for Dr Skre whose great uncle and aunt were Dr Mautner's foster parents. Dr Mautner settled in Canberra and had a more than 50 year career in the Philosophy department at the Australian National University. Credit:Elesa Kurtz Born in Prague in 1935, Dr Mautner's parents foresaw the incoming danger of the Nazi invasion and managed to get he and his elder sister visas to Norway. They were part of a group of 37 Jewish children who escaped to Norway and were taken in by foster families. About 20 of these children perished after being sent back to Czechoslovakia and Austria after the Nazis had occupied Norway. Dr Mautner's father sent a carefully worded letter to the Skre's to avoid the ire of the censors who were intercepting all mail and conveyed the message that should Thomas and Ilse be sent back to Czechoslovakia they would certainly be killed. Five years after the children had made it to Bergen it was time to move again to remain out of the Nazis clutches. Among a group of about 20 adults and children, Thomas and Ilse were packed into the back of a truck under a tarpaulin. "Our truck was stopped by the border guards and the Germans on the Norwegian side," Dr Mautner recalled. For reasons that I dont know to this day, I dont know if they were bribed, or lazy, or benevolent, but they never checked the truck properly." It was January, and in the middle of a freezing cold, dark winter's night and after the truck crossed into Sweden the group were faced with a long walk. I remember complaining bitterly about getting cold feet in the snow, he said. After three weeks in an internment camp the siblings were fostered by a Swedish couple and began their lives in Gothenburg. After beginning a law degree Dr Mautner abandoned it to pursue his passion for philosophy which ultimately brought him to Canberra in 1965 and he knew he'd found his permanent home. "The advantage of Sweden was two things, the language and the libraries have things you dont easily get here," Dr Mautner said. "But in every other respect I thought Australia was a better country and the decisive feature is that people here are much more friendly, just nicer." After living through perhaps the most atrocious act in human history Dr Mautner looks around at the world today with some deep concerns. "Its true that mass murder on this industrial scale that is of course not quite happening now," he said. "But in every other respect, all this other nastiness, refusal of visas for example, I see very, very close similarities [to World War II Europe] and it strongly reinforces ones pessimism about the human condition. "And then there are occasional bright spots. Three or four years ago, we heard about this flood of immigrants from Syria and the Middle East. "Germany and the Swedes opened their borders and there was a considerable push in Sweden, promoted by all the news media, that we should welcome these refugees. Dr Mautner said he was lucky to have had the childhood and life that he'd had thanks to foster families in Norway and Sweden for opening their arms to him as a child. Credit:Elesa Kurtz "I found these expressions of generosity that came out then absolutely remarkable and certainly in contrast to what happened in the 1930s and 40s." The door to Dr Mautner's living room, where he enters daily to glance upon one of his many books, bears the front page of Sweden's Metro newspaper. Evacuations continued of victims buried under the rubble of what was once the Roa-Roa Hotel in Palu, the capital city of Central Sulawesi. Fifty people are believed to still be trapped. Evacuation is not easy, there is lots of debris and we need more heavy vehicles, Mr Sutopo said. There is big shortage of fuel. We are trying to get it from neighbouring areas. We are trying to fix the communication network. In the disaster zone near Palu in a region called Sigi, Rahmat told Fairfax Media that when a water embankment broke, it caused a tsunami-like wave that looked like to be 10 metres high. It was twice the size of my house, I hung on to a tree survive. A damaged street in Sigi, Central Sulawesi. Credit:Amilia Rosa My family is taking refuge up a hill, yesterday and today we have only only eaten two papayas between 20 family members. Every time we hear something on the radio it is about Palu. We need food, we need water, we need it now! At a makeshift refugee camp nearby, a group of about 50 men, women and children have been sleeping between their crops in open fields. They faced another night outside on Sunday, their food and fuel was rapidly running out and they were sharing one generator. Food, water and fuel is in desperately short supply, with petrol being bought and on-sold at a mark-up. In Sigi, people with broken bones and open wounds have now gone three days without medical treatment. The smell of dead bodies permeates the air, house after house has been smashed and power lines have been ripped out of the ground and thrown metres down the road. Mr Sutopo said there was a shortage of staple food, which was why people could take supplies from shops and the government would pay. The military has sent troops to erect more field hospitals and Hercules helicopters were bringing in food, baby supplies and medical equipment. There is also a shortage of doctors. Of the recorded deaths, 821 were in Palu and 11 in Donggala, which is about 30 kilometres away. The real death toll, however, was expected to be far higher in Donggala because it was the epicentre of the quake. A house destroyed in Palu. Credit:Amilia Rosa The blackout, lack of electricity caused no communication services and that's why we have limited information from some areas, Mr Sutopo said. We just cannot get any information from volunteers who have gone into these areas because communication is still cut off. About 2.4 million people live on the Palu-Koro fault line. Palu is home to about 330,000 people and Donggala about 270,000 people. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was terribly saddened to hear of the tragic events and Australia stands ready to assist. He had called Indonesian President Joko Widodo overnight to express his sympathies and pledge support: "If he needs our help, he'll have it. Buildings and trees were swept away near Palu due to liquefaction, a process where the sheer amount of liquid in the soil turned it into a watery mud. Prison inmates fled when a jail partially collapsed in Palu, with half of its 560 convicts going missing. "We had limited number of guards and they were panic trying to save themselves because some walls collapsed. It was an extraordinary incident, the prison head, Ady Yan Ricoh said. Looters ransacked a badly damaged mall in Palu. It is believed there are still people trapped in the mall, said a reporter from MetroTV. I can smell the very strong odour of decaying bodies. The damage to Palu airport, near the centre of the disaster zone. Credit:Amilia Rosa One man, Ferry, said he was looking for his wife. I wanted to go to the hospital to look for her, he told MetroTV. But my neighbour said I should first check the mall. So I went here and found her bag. I remember she wore jeans and carried this black bag. Palu airport reopened to commercial flights on Sunday, although humanitarian and emergency flights were prioritised. In Makassar, the largest city on Sulawesi, thousands of people scrambled to find flights that would take them to the disaster zone. The Indonesian military provided about 100 seats per flight on their Hercules aircraft for those seeking to go home, but emergency supplies were given priority. Nikita waited at the airport from Saturday afternoon, desperate to get home to her husband and two-year-old son. She had only had brief contact with some of her family, and her aunt and uncle were thought to have been swept away in the tsunami. "Can you please help me, can't you ask someone to find my son? Please, please, can you ask anyone, his name is Zidan Anugrah Pratama, he's two, she said, showing a photo of her son and husband. None of my family members saw them. I don't know what has happened to them. Former AusAid Deputy Director General Peter McCawley said Australias offer of financial assistance should be immediate and unconditional. Aid donors often attach onerous conditions to the provision of aid. But the inclusion of conditionality in an offer of emergency aid such as this would be inappropriate, he said in the Lowy Institute. An Indonesian man tries to get his motorbike upright at a tsunami devastated area in Talise beach, Palu. Credit:EPA Second, Australian support should be provided in close cooperation with key Indonesian agencies. This latest tragedy comes about seven weeks after the Indonesian islands of Lombok and Bali were devastated by a series of earthquakes that killed at least 623 people and destroyed hundreds of thousands of buildings. Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and is regularly hit by earthquakes. In 2004, an earthquake off the northern Indonesian island of Sumatra triggered a tsunami across the Indian Ocean, killing 226,000 people in 13 countries, including more than 120,000 in Indonesia. Red Cross Australia spokesman Ian Wolverton said the agency had been on the ground from the outset and while the full extent of the destruction was unknown but it is clear the humanitarian impact is very high. Tehran: Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said that Tehran was closing in on an agreement to sell oil to European nations despite US threats of sanctions against any countries that do business with Iran. If the arrangement comes to fruition some British and French officials say they have their doubts it would constitute the most open break between President Donald Trump and European allies that objected vociferously to his decision to pull out of the 2015 nuclear deal. Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says Tehran is close to clinching a deal on oil sales to Europe despite US sanctions. Credit:AP Several of those nations openly confronted Trump last week, when he led a UN Security Council meeting about weapons of mass destruction. They argued that he was throwing away the best chance the world has to keep Iran from building nuclear weapons in coming years. Loading In an hour-long conversation with reporters, Zarif, who negotiated the nuclear accord with John Kerry, who was then the secretary of state, sounded far more optimistic than he had in recent months that he could peel away America's allies to break Trump's effort to cut off Iran's revenues. Zarif is capitalising on a renewed enthusiasm among some of the allies to push back at what they term bullying by Washington to sever ties with Iran simply because Trump decided to forsake the nuclear pact. All the other signatories to the agreement Britain, China, France, Germany, Iran and Russia have vowed to stand by it. "No sovereign country or organisation can accept that somebody else decides with whom you are allowed to do trade with," Federica Mogherini, the European Union foreign policy chief, said this past week. At the core of the agreement that Iran and Europe are trying to forge is a mechanism for paying for Iran's oil in barter and local currencies, rather than in U.S. dollars. The idea is to route transactions around the United States and prevent it from blocking financial transfers and perhaps from identifying those involved in the transactions. US President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Wheeling, West Virginia, on Saturday. Credit:AP With the countdown to cannabis legalization closing in on its final few weeks, a new question looms on the horizon. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/9/2018 (1140 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. With the countdown to cannabis legalization closing in on its final few weeks, a new question looms on the horizon. What will this new era of cannabis consumption mean for Canadian women? That was the guiding light of Women and Weed, a Saturday brunch summit featuring speakers from across North America. Seventy-five women flocked to the Exchange District event to take in three hours of panel discussions. Led by designer April Pride, the Seattle-based founder of cannabis lifestyle brand Van der Pop, the five speakers also included Winnipeg patient advocate and parent Ashleigh Brown and Ontario-based sexologist Carlen Costa. In a wide-ranging, lively and often lighthearted discussion, the panelists explored many facets of womens experience with cannabis: everything from making edibles to using cannabis as medicine for body or mind. They talked about how to infuse butters with cannabis, for cooking or cosmetics. They discussed how estrogen impacts the effects of the drug and about how some women use cannabis to treat seizures or endometriosis. And they talked about parenting while using pot, and how to talk to kids about it all. There was even a joyful discussion about how cannabis has helped women explore their sexuality or reconnect with their partners. The event was the first stop of a cross-country series with future dates set for Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto. With legalization looming, Pride says now is the time to help educate women about the possibilities of the drug. She was inspired to do that work, in part, by a survey her company conducted. It found that even in U.S. states where pot was legal, the majority of women who used it confessed to feeling like they had to hide their usage. "Its unfortunate, because we are the people in our families who are the caretakers," Pride told the Free Press. "We are in charge of health decisions, we are responsible for 85 per cent of consumer spending. We buy the products. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "We have to break down the stigma," she continued. "(Women) wont choose it as an alternative medicine, or as a way to live their best life, if they just feel like its something people will look down on them for. Especially moms." That message resonated with many of the the attendees, who gave the speakers a warm ovation. Among those guests was Tasha Konkin, a Winnipeg-based yoga instructor and leader of a holistic healing group. She has been working to help educate women she works with about the medicinal effects of cannabis, she said. "Im just so excited to see the women in the cannabis industry who are going to be these amazing leaders, and really have a voice for women whove been suffering from different issues medical and reproductive," she said. "Its just coming together as a community, creating a community and creating awareness around cannabis," she added. "Having these open conversations helps reduce the stigma surrounding it, and the fear of coming forward." melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca In the autumn of 1929, Anne Morrow Lindbergh and her husband Charles flew across the Yucatan Peninsula. With Charles at the controls, Anne snapped photographs of the jungles just below. She wrote in her journal of Maya structures obscured by large humps of vegetation. A bright stone wall peeked through the leaves, unspeakably alone and majestic and desolate the mark of a great civilization gone. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/9/2018 (1140 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. In the autumn of 1929, Anne Morrow Lindbergh and her husband Charles flew across the Yucatan Peninsula. With Charles at the controls, Anne snapped photographs of the jungles just below. She wrote in her journal of Maya structures obscured by large humps of vegetation. A bright stone wall peeked through the leaves, "unspeakably alone and majestic and desolate the mark of a great civilization gone." Nearly a century later, surveyors once again took flight over the ancient Maya empire, and mapped the Guatemala forests with lasers. The 2016 survey, whose first results were published last week in the journal Science, comprises a dozen plots covering 2150 square kilometres, an area larger than the island of Maui. It is the largest such survey of the Maya region, ever. The study authors describe the results as a revelation. "Its like putting glasses on when your eyesight is blurry," said study author Mary Jane Acuna, director of El Tintal Archaeological Project in Guatemala. In the past, archeologists had argued that small, disconnected city-states dotted the Maya lowlands, though that conception is falling out of favour. This study shows that the Maya could extensively "exploit and manipulate" their environment and geography, Acuna said. Maya agriculture sustained large populations, who in turn forged relationships across the region. Combing through the scans, Acuna and her colleagues, an international 18-strong scientific team, tallied 61,480 structures. These included: 95 kilometres of causeways, roads and canals that connected cities; large maize farms; houses large and small; and, surprisingly, defensive fortifications that suggest the Maya came under attack from the west of Central America. "We were all humbled," said Tulane University anthropologist Marcello Canuto, the studys lead author. "All of us saw things we had walked over and we realized, oh wow, we totally missed that." Preliminary images from the survey went public in February, to the delight of archeologists like Sarah Parcak. Parcak, who was not involved with the research, wrote on Twitter, "Hey all: you realize that researchers just used lasers to find 60,000 new sites in Guatemala?!? This is HOLY (expletive) territory." Parcak, whose space archeology program GlobalXplorer.org has been described as the love child of Google Earth and Indiana Jones, is a champion of using satellite data to remotely observe sites in Egypt and elsewhere. "The scale of information that were able to collect now is unprecedented," Parcak said, adding that this survey is "going to upend long-held theories about ancient Maya society." With support from a Guatemala-based heritage foundation called Pacunam, the researchers conducted the massive and expensive survey using lidar, or light detection and ranging. They mapped several active archeological sites, plus well-studied Maya cities like Tikal and Uaxactun. Lidars principles are similar to radar, except instead of radio waves, lidar relies on laser light. From an aircraft flying just a few thousand feet above the canopy, the surveyors prickled each square metre with 15 laser pulses. Those pulses penetrate vegetation but bounce back from hard stone surfaces. Using lidar, you cant see the forest through the invisible trees. Beneath the thick jungle, ruins appeared. Lots and lots of them. Extrapolated over 95,000 square kilometres, which encompasses the total Maya lowland region, the authors estimate the Maya built as many as 2.7 million structures. These would have supported seven million to 11 million people during the Classic Period of Maya civilization, around the years 650 to 800, in line with other Maya population estimates. "Weve been working in this area for over a century," Canuto said. "Its not terra incognita, but we didnt have a good appreciation for what was really there." Archeologist Arlen Chase, a Maya specialist at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas who was not involved with this survey, said for years he has argued that the Maya society was more complex than widely accepted. In 1998, he and archeologist Diane Chase, his wife, described elaborate agricultural terraces at the Maya city of Caracol in Belize. "Everybody would not believe we had terraces!" he said. He gets much less push-back now, he said. "The paradigm shift that weve predicted was happening is in fact happening" Chase said, which he credits to lidar data. He has seen lidar evolve from a "hush-hush type of technology" used by the military to map Fallujah streets to a powerful archeological tool. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Chase, who previously used lidar at Caracol, where as many as 100,000 people lived, compares this technology to carbon-14 dating. Radiocarbon dating gives archeologists a much more accurate timeline. Lidar is about to do the same for archeologists sense of space, particularly in densely forested areas near the equator. Two years ago, researchers used lidar mapped dense urban infrastructure around Angkor, the seat of the medieval Khmer Empire in Cambodia. "Were just getting started in so many major sites around the world, whether its Angkor Wat, whether its Tikal in Central America or major sites in Egypt," Parcak said. For all its power, lidar cannot supplant old-fashioned archeology. For eight per cent of the survey area, the archeologists confirmed the lidar data with boots-on-the-ground visits. This "ground truthing" suggests the lidar analysis was conservative they found the predicted structures, and then some. "There is still much more ground to cover and work to do," said Acuna, who will continue to study the large ancient Maya city of El Tindal. Could you imagine, Canuto said, what might be found through a lidar survey of the Amazon? With technology like this, no forested frontiers are final. Washington Post Everest Re Group Ltd. is a holding company, which engages in the provision of reinsurance and insurance services. It operates through the following segments: U.S. Reinsurance, International, Bermuda, and Insurance. The U.S. Reinsurance segment writes property and casualty reinsurance and specialty lines of business, including marine, aviation, surety, and accident and health business, on both a treaty and facultative basis, through reinsurance brokers, as well as directly with ceding companies primarily within the U.S. The International segment offers foreign property and casualty reinsurance through Everest Re's branches in Canada and Singapore and through offices in Brazil, Miami, and New Jersey. The Bermuda segment comprises reinsurance and insurance to worldwide property and casualty markets through brokers and directly with ceding companies from its Bermuda office and reinsurance to the United Kingdom and European markets through its UK branch and Ireland Re. The Insurance segment writes property and casualty insurance directly and through brokers, surplus lines brokers, and general agents within the U.S., Canada, and Europe. The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartere Read More 1 hour ago Climate talks resume, cautious coal phaseout still on table GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) Negotiators at the this year's U.N. climate talks pored over fresh proposals Saturday for sealing a deal that could credibly be said to advance worldwide efforts to tackle global warming. British officials chairing the talks in Glasgow, Scotland, released new draft agreements after shuttle diplomacy continued past the official Friday evening deadline. Read Article The following companies are subsidiares of Abbott Laboratories: 3A Nutrition (Vietnam) Company Limited, ABON Biopharm (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., AGA Medical Belgium, AGA Medical Corporation, AGA Medical Holdings Inc., ALR Holdings, AML Medical LLC, APK Advanced Medical Technologies LLC, ATS Bermuda Holdings Limited, ATS Laboratories Inc., Abbott, Abbott (Jiaxing) Nutrition Co. 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Bhd., St. Jude Medical Puerto Rico LLC, St. Jude Medical S.C. Inc., St. Jude Medical Systems AB, St. Jude Medical Turkey Medikal Urunler Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Standard Diagnostics Inc., Standing Stone LLC, Swan-Myers Incorporated, TC1 LLC, Tendyne Holdings Inc., Tendyne Medical Inc., Thoratec Delaware LLC, Thoratec Europe Limited, Thoratec LLC, Thoratec Switzerland GmbH, Tobal Products Incorporated, Topera GmbH in Liquidation, Topera Inc., Tremora S.A., Tuenir S.A., TwistDx, UAB Abbott Laboratories, UAB Abbott Medical Lithuania, Union-Madison Realty Company Inc., Unipath Limited (dba Alere International/aka Cranfield), Unipath Management Limited, Unipath Pension Trustee Limited, Veropharm, Veropharm Limited Liability Partnership, Vida Cell Inversiones S.A., Vida Cell S.A., Vivalsol, W&R Pharma Handels GmbH, Western Pharmaceuticals S.A., X Technologies Inc., Yissum Holding Limited, ZonePerfect Nutrition Company, eScreen Canada ULC, eScreen Inc., ( ), and Abbott Laboratories Baltics. The following companies are subsidiares of Accenture: 2nd Road, 2nd Road Pty Ltd., ?What If!, ?What If! China Holdings Ltd, ?What If! Holdings Limited, ?What If! Innovation Singapore Holdings Pte, ?What If! Limited, ?What If! Shanghai Co. Ltd, ?What If! USA LLC, ACN Consulting Co Ltd, AD Dialeto Agencia de Publicidade SA, AD.Dialeto (Digital Agency acquired by Accenture), AGS Business and Technology Services Limited, ASM Research Inc., ASM Research LLC, ATAN, Accenture (Beijing) Mobile Technology Co Ltd, Accenture (Botswana) (Proprietary) Limited, Accenture (China) Co Ltd, Accenture (Shenzhen) Technology Co. Ltd., Accenture (South Africa) (Proprietary) Limited, Accenture (South Africa) Pty Limited, Accenture (UK) Ltd, Accenture 2 Business Process Services S.A., Accenture 2 LLC, Accenture A/S, Accenture AB, Accenture AG, Accenture AS, Accenture Africa Pty Ltd, Accenture Australia Holding B.V., Accenture Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, Accenture Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture Azerbaijan Ltd, Accenture BPM Operations Support Services S.A., Accenture BPM S.C.R.L., Accenture BV, Accenture Branch Holdings B.V., Accenture Bulgaria EOOD, Accenture Business Services for Utilities Inc, Accenture Business Services of British Columbia Limited Partnership, Accenture Business and Technology Services LLC, Accenture C.A, Accenture CAS GmbH, Accenture Canada Holdings Inc., Accenture Capital DAC, Accenture Capital Inc, Accenture Central Europe B.V., Accenture Chile Asesorias y Servicios Ltda, Accenture Cloud Services GmbH, Accenture Cloud Software Solutions Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions LLC, Accenture Cloud Solutions Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Co Ltd, Accenture Co Ltd., Accenture Communications Infrastructure Solutions Ltd, Accenture Company Ltd, Accenture Consulting Services Ltd Tanzania, Accenture Consultores de Gestao S.A., Accenture Consultoria de Industria e Consumo Ltda, Accenture Consultoria de Recursos Naturais Ltda, Accenture Credit Services LLC, Accenture Customer Services Distribution SAS, Accenture Customer Services Limited, Accenture Danismanlik Limited Sirketi, Accenture Defined Benefit Pension Plan Trustees Ltd, Accenture Defined Contribution Pension Plan Trustees Ltd, Accenture Delivery Poland sp. z o.o., Accenture Dienstleistungen GmbH, Accenture Digital France Holdings SA, Accenture Digital Holdings GmbH, Accenture East Africa Limited, Accenture Ecuador S.A., Accenture Egypt LLC, Accenture Enterprise Development (Shanghai) Co Ltd., Accenture Federal Services LLC, Accenture Finance (Gibraltar) III Ltd, Accenture Finance GmbH, Accenture Finance GmbH in liquidation, Accenture Finance II GmbH, Accenture Finance II GmbH in liquidation, Accenture Finance II Ltd, Accenture Finance Limited, Accenture Finance and Accounting BPO Services S.p.A., Accenture Finance and Accounting Services Srl, Accenture Flex LLC, Accenture GP LLC, Accenture Ghana Limited, Accenture Global Holdings Ltd., Accenture Global Services Ltd, Accenture Global Solutions Ltd, Accenture GmbH, Accenture HR Services Ltd, Accenture HR Services S.p.A., Accenture Healthcare Processing Inc., Accenture Holding GmbH, Accenture Holding GmbH & Co. KG, Accenture Holding GmbH in liquidation, Accenture Holdings (Iberia) S.L., Accenture Holdings B.V., Accenture Holdings France SAS, Accenture Holdings plc, Accenture Hungary Holdings Kft, Accenture Inc, Accenture Industrial Software Limited Liability Company (Accenture Endustriyel Yazylym Cozumleri Limited irketi), Accenture Industrial Software Limited Liability Company (Accenture Endustriyel Yazlm Cozumleri Limited Sirketi), Accenture Industrial Software Solutions Kft, Accenture Industrial Software Solutions SA, Accenture Insurance Services LLC, Accenture Insurance Services SAS, Accenture Insurance Services SpA, Accenture International BV, Accenture International Capital SCA, Accenture International LLC, Accenture International Limited, Accenture International Sarl, Accenture Japan Ltd, Accenture Korea BV, Accenture LLC, Accenture LLP, Accenture Lanka (Private) Ltd, Accenture Limited, Accenture Ltd, Accenture Ltda, Accenture Maghreb S.a.r.l., Accenture Managed Services SRL, Accenture Managed Services SpA, Accenture Management GmbH, Accenture Middle East B.V, Accenture Middle East BV, Accenture Minority I BV, Accenture Minority III Ltd, Accenture Mozambique Limitada, Accenture Mzansi (Pty) Ltd, Accenture NV/SA, Accenture NZ Limited, Accenture Newco LLC, Accenture Nova Scotia Unlimited Liability Co., Accenture OOO, Accenture Operations Sp. z o.o., Accenture Outsourcing SRL, Accenture Outsourcing Services, Accenture Outsourcing Services S.A., Accenture Oy, Accenture Panama Inc, Accenture Participations BV, Accenture Participations II Limited, Accenture Peru S.R.L, Accenture Peru S.R.L., Accenture Post Trade Processing SAS, Accenture Post-Trade Processing Limited, Accenture Process Ltd, Accenture Product Lifecycle Services, Accenture Properties, Accenture Pte Ltd, Accenture Puerto Rico LLC, Accenture S.A., Accenture S.C., Accenture S.L., Accenture S.R.L., Accenture SAS, Accenture SG Services Pte Ltd, Accenture SRL, Accenture Saudi Arabia Limited, Accenture Sendirian Berhad, Accenture Service Center SRL, Accenture Services (Mauritius) Ltd, Accenture Services AB, Accenture Services AG, Accenture Services AS, Accenture Services GmbH, Accenture Services Ltd, Accenture Services Morocco SA, Accenture Services Oy, Accenture Services Pty Ltd, Accenture Services S.r.l., Accenture Services SRL, Accenture Services Sp. z o.o., Accenture Services Sp. z.o.o., Accenture Services and Technology Srl, Accenture Services fur Kreditinstitute GmbH, Accenture Services s.r.o., Accenture Servicos Administrativos Ltda, Accenture Servicos de Suporte de Negocios Ltda, Accenture Solutions Co Ltd, Accenture Solutions Private Limited, Accenture Solutions Pte Ltd, Accenture Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Solutions Sdn Bhd, Accenture Sp. z o.o., Accenture Sp. z.o.o., Accenture SpA, Accenture State Healthcare Services LLC, Accenture Sub II Inc., Accenture Sub Inc, Accenture Sub LLC, Accenture Systems Integration Limited, Accenture Sarl, Accenture Tanacsado Kolatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Accenture Tanacsado Kolatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag KFT, Accenture Technologia, Accenture Technologia Consultoria e Outsourcing S.A., Accenture Technology Infrastructure Services Pty Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions (Dalian) Co Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions (HK) Co. Ltd., Accenture Technology Solutions (Thailand) Co. Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions - Solucoes Informaticas Integradas, Accenture Technology Solutions - Solucoes Informaticas Integradas S.A., Accenture Technology Solutions GmbH, Accenture Technology Solutions Oy, Accenture Technology Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions S.A. de C.V., Accenture Technology Solutions SAS, Accenture Technology Solutions SRL, Accenture Technology Solutions Sdn. Bhd., Accenture Technology Solutions Slovakia s.r.o., Accenture Technology Ventures BV, Accenture Technology Ventures S.P.R.L., Accenture Uruguay SRL, Accenture Vietnam Co., Accenture Vietnam Co. LTD, Accenture Zambia Limited, Accenture do Brasil Limitada, Accenture plc, Accenture s.r.o., Acceria, Acquity Customer Insight Limited, Acquity Group, Adaptly LLC, Adaptly UK Limited, AddVal Technology, Adqptly, Advantium Inc., Agave Consultants Limited, Agilex Technologies Inc., Allen International, Allen International Consulting Group Ltd, Alnova Technologies Corporation S.L., AlphaBeta Advisors, Altima, Altima Asia Ltd., Altima SAS, Altitude, Altitude LLC, Analytics 8 LP, Analytics 8 Pty Ltd, Analytics8, Aorui Advertising (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Apis, Appaloosa Technology SAS, Arca, Ariba - BPO, Arismore, Aspiro Solutions (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Avanade, Avanade (Guangzhou) Computer Technology Development Co. Ltd., Avanade (Thailand) Co Ltd, Avanade Asia Pte Ltd, Avanade Australia Pty Ltd, Avanade Belgium SPRL, Avanade Canada Inc., Avanade Denmark A/S, Avanade Denmark ApS, Avanade Deutschland GmbH, Avanade Europe Holdings Ltd, Avanade Europe Services Ltd, Avanade Federal Services LLC, Avanade Finland Oy, Avanade France SAS, Avanade GZ Computer Technology Development Co. Ltd. (SH), Avanade Guangzhou, Avanade Holdings LLC, Avanade Hong Kong Ltd, Avanade International Corporation, Avanade Ireland Limited, Avanade Italy SRL, Avanade KK, Avanade Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avanade Netherlands BV, Avanade Norway AS, Avanade Poland Sp. z o.o., Avanade Poland Sp. z.o.o., Avanade Schweiz GmbH, Avanade South Africa, Avanade South Africa Pty Ltd, Avanade Spain SL, Avanade Sweden AB, Avanade UK Ltd, Avanade do Brasil Limitada, Avanade Osterreich GmbH, AvantBiz Consulting Limited, Avenai, Axia Ltd., BABCN LLC, BCT Solutions, BCT Solutions Pty Ltd, BPO Servicos Administrativos Ltda, BRIDGE Energy Group, Beacon Consulting Group Inc., Beijing Genesis Interactive Technology Co. Ltd., Benext, Bionic, Blue Horseshoe, Boomerang Pharmaceutical Communications, Boomerang Pharmaceuticals Communications Ireland Limited, Bow & Arrow, Brand Learning, Brand Learning Group Limited, Brand Learning LLC, Brand Learning Ltd, Brand Learning Partners Limited, Brand Learning Pte Limited, Bridge Energy Group LLC, Brightstep AB, Byte Prophecy, CAS, CRMWaypoint, CadenceQuest Inc., Capable Marketer Limited, Capgemini - North American health practice, Capital Consultancy Services Inc., Certus Solutions Consulting Services Ltd, Certus Solutions Ltd, ChangeTrack Research Pty Ltd., Chaotic Moon Studios, Chengdu Mensa Advertising Co. Ltd., Cimation, Cimation UK Limited, Cirruseo, Cirruseo SAS, Clarity Insights, Clearhead, Clearhead Group, Clearhead Group LLC, ClientHouse GmbH, Cloud Sherpas, Cloud Sherpas (GA) LLC, Cloud Sherpas (SN) (PTE.) Limited, Cloud Sherpas New Zealand Ltd., Cloud Talent Limited, Cloudsherpas, Cloudsherpas Inc., Cloudworks, Codagenic Pty. Ltd., Computer Research and Telecommunications LLC, Concrete Desenvolvimento de Sistemas Ltda., Concrete Solutions, Concrete Solutions Ltda., Context Information Security, Coritel S.A., Corliant Inc., CreativeDrive, CustomerWorks Europe SL, Cutting Edge Solutions Ltd, D5 Global Holdings LLC, DAZ Systems Inc, DAZ Systems LLC, DAZSI Systems (India) Pvt. Ltd., DMA Solutions Limited, Davies Consulting, DayNine Consulting, DayNine Consulting (Australia) PTY LTD, DayNine Consulting (Deutschland) GmbH, DayNine Consulting (New Zealand) Limited, DayNine Consulting France SAS, DayNine Consulting Japan K.K., DayNine Consulting LLC, Declarative Holdings, Declarative Holdings LLC, Defense Point Security, Deja vu Security, Design Strategy and Research de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Designaffairs LLC, Digiplug S.A.S., Digiplug SAS, Digital Consulting & Software Services LLC, Droga5, Droga5 LLC, Droga5 Studios LLC, Droga5 UK Ltd., Duck Creek Technologies, Duck Creek Technologies LLC, Deja Vu Security LLC, ESR Labs, Elcurator SAS, Enaxis Consulting, Enaxis Consulting L.P., End-to-End Analytics, Energuia Web, Energuia Web S.A., Energy Management Brokers Ltd., Energy Quote Private Ltd., EnergyQuote JHA, EnergyQuote JHA Ltd., EnergyQuote Trading Ltd., Enimbos, Enkitec, Enterprise System Partners, Enterprise System Partners B.V. , Enterprise System Partners Bilisim Danismanlik Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Enterprise System Partners Global Corporation, Enterprise System Partners Limited, Enterprise System Partners PR LLC, Enterprise System Partners S.A.S., Entropia, Epylon, Ethica Consulting Group, Evopro Group, Exactside Limited, Exton Consulting, Fairway Technologies Inc, Fairway Technologies LLC, Filmproduction ApS, First Annapolis Consulting, First Annapolis Consulting Inc., First Annapolis Consulting LLC, First Annapolis International, Fjord, Focus Group Europe, Focus Group Europe Limited, Formicary, Formicary Holdings Limited, Formicary Limited, FusionX, FutureMove Automotive, Gapso Servicos de Informatica Ltda., Genfour, Genfour Limited, George Group Consulting L.P., Gestalt LLC, Gestion Altima Canada Inc., Gevity, Global Public Firm S.L., GlobalView SAS, GoodFilm GmbH Filmproduktion Stuttgart, H.B. Maynard and Co. Inc., HRC Retail Advisory, Hagberg Consulting Group, Hangzhou Aiyunzhe Technology Co. Ltd., Happen, Hjaltelin Stahl, Hjaltelin Stahl K/S, Hytracc Consulting AS, Hytracc Consulting Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Hytracc Consulting UK Limited, Hytracc Holding AS, I-Faber S.p.A., IBB Consulting, IMJ Corp, IMJ Corporation, INCAD, INSITUM, IT One Company Limited, ITBS Servicios Bancarios de Tecnologia de la Informacion SL, Icon Integration, Imagine Broadband (USA) Ltd, Imagine Broadband USA LLC, Imaginea Inc, Industrie&Co, Infoman AG, Infoman Schweiz AG, Informatica de Euskadi S.L., Infusion Development Inc., Infusion Development UK Limited, InfusionDev LLC, Innoveer Solutions India Pvt Ltd, Insitum Consultoria Argentina SRL, Insitum Consultoria Brasil LTDA, Insitum Consultoria Colombia SAS, Insitum Consultoria Europa SL, Insitum Consultoria Peru SAC, Insitum Consultoria S.A. de C.V., Intrepid, Intrigo Systems Inc, Intrigo Systems India Pvt. Limited, Intrigo Systems LLC, Inventor Advertisement (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Inventor Technology Limited, InvestTech, Investtech Systems Consulting LLC, Javelin Group, Javelin Group (Bulgaria) EOOD, Javelin Group Limited (UK), Javelin Group SASU, K Comms Group Limited, KCS.net AG, KCS.net AG West, KCS.net Deutschland GmbH, KCS.net Holding AG, KCS.net Osterreich GmbH, Kaper Communications Limited, Karma Communications Debtco Limited, Karma Communications Group Limited, Karma Communications Holdings Limited, Karmarama, Karmarama Comms Limited, Karmarama Limited, Knowledge Rules Inc., Knowledgent, Knowledgent Group LLC, Kogentix, Kogentix LLC, Kogentix Ltd, Kogentix Singapore Pte. Ltd, Kogentix Technologies Private Limited, Kolle Rebbe, Kolle Rebbe GmbH, Kream Comms Limited, Kunstmaan, Kunstmaan NV, Kurt Salmon, Kurt Salmon Canada LTD, Kurt Salmon UKI, Kurt Salmon UKI Ltd., Kurt Salmon US LLC, LEXTA, LINKBYNET, LabAnswer, LabAnswer Government, LemonXL Limited, Logistics Market Place Limited (UK), Loud & Clear Creative Pty Ltd, MAXIM Systems Inc., MCG US Holdings LLC, Mackevision CG Technology and Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Mackevision Corporation, Mackevision Japan Co. Ltd., Mackevision Korea Ltd, Mackevision Medien Design, Mackevision Medien Design GmbH, Mackevision Singapore Pte. Ltd., Mackevision UK Ltd, Maglan, Maglan Information Defense Technologies Research Ltd., Maihiro, Matter, Matter Llc, Maud Corp Pty Limited, Maxamine International, Media Audits Ltd., Media Hive, Mediasenz Pty Ltd., Meredith Specialty LLC, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing Corporation, Meridian Informed Purchasing Ltd., Mindtribe, Mindtribe Product Engineering LLC, MobGen, MobGen Technology S.L, Moonrise NV, Mortgage Cadence, Mortgage Cadence an Accenture Company, Most Champion Ltd, Mudano, N3 LLC, NBS Marketing Inc., NYTEC, Nanjing Demeng Advertising Co. Ltd., Nashco Consulting, NaviSys Inc., NellArmonia, Neo Metrics Analytics S.L., Neo Metrics Chile, Neo Metrics Chile S.A., New Content, New Content Chile SpA, New Content Editora e Produtora Ltda., New Energy Aborda, New Energy Associates Ltd, New Energy Group, New Energy S.r.l., NewsPage, NewsPage (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, NewsPage China Ltd., NewsPage Pte Ltd, Nice Agency Limited, Northstream, Northstream AB, Northstream Holding AB, OCTO Technology, OPS Rules Management Consultants, Octagon Research Solutions Inc., Octo Technology LTDA, Octo Technology Pty Ltd, Octo Technology SA, Octo Technology SPRL, Octoman SAS, Odgaard ApS, Olikka, Openmind, Openminded, Operaciones Accenture S.A. de C.V., OpusLine, Orbium, Orbium Consulting Ltd, Orbium GmbH, Orbium Holding AG, Orbium Inc., Orbium International AG, Orbium International sp. z o.o., Orbium Licences AG, Orbium Limited, Orbium Pte. Ltd., Orbium Pty Ltd, Orbium Services sp. z o.o., Orbium Sarl, Origin Digital, PCO Innovation, PCO Innovation Canada Inc., PCO Innovation EURL, PIXO PUNCH Limited, PLM Systems S.r.l, POC Holdings, PRION GmbH, PT Accenture, PT Asta Catur Indra, PT Kogentix Teknologi Indonesia, Pach Invest SARL, Pach Invest SAS, PacificLink Group, PacificLink iMedia Ltd., Paja Finanssipalvelut Oy, Parker Fitzgerald Inc, Parker Fitzgerald Inc., Parker Fitzgerald International Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Limited, Parker Fitzgerald PTY Ltd, Parker Fitzgerald Services Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Solutions Limited, Partners Technology Mexico Holdings BV, Pecaso Ltd., Pegasus Production K/S, Perseroan Terbatas. Accenture, Phase One Consulting Group, Pillar Technology, Pollux, Pragsis Bidoop, Pragsis Bidoop UK Ltd, Pragsis Technologies S.L, PrimeQ, PrimeQ Australia Pty Ltd, PrimeQ Ltd, PrimeQ NZ Pty Ltd, Procurian Germany GmbH, Procurian Inc., Procurian International I LLC, Procurian International II LLC, Procurian LLC, Procurian Singapore Pte. Ltd., Procurian Switzerland GmbH, Procurian USA LLC, Proquire LLC, PureApps Ltd., Qi Jie Beijing Information Technologies Co Ltd, Radiant Services, Radiant Services LLC, Random Walk Computing Inc., Reactive Media Limited, Reactive Media Pty Ltd., Real Protect, Realworld OO Systems Ltd., Redcore, Redcore (Asia) Pte Ltd, Redcore (India) Private Limited (India), Redcore (New Zealand) Limited, Redcore Group Holdings Pty Ltd, Redcore Pty Ltd, Renacentis IT Services, Revolutionary Security, RiskControl, Rothco, Rothco Holdings Designated Activity Company, Rothco Unlimited Company, S.C. EnergyQuote S.r.l., S3 TV Technology Limited, S3 TV Technology Ltd., SEC Servizi, SEC Servizi S.p.A., SOPIA Corp., Sagacious Consultants, Sagacious Consultants LLC, Salt Solutions, Sanchez Capital Services Pvt Ltd, Schlumberger Business Consulting, Seabury Airline Planning Group, Seabury Aviation & Aerospace (UK) Limited, Seabury Aviation & Aerospace Asia (Hong Kong) Limited, Seabury Aviation Consulting LLC, Seabury Cargo Advisory B.V., Seabury Consulting, Seabury Corporate Advisors LLC, Seabury Human Capital LLC, Seabury Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Seabury Structured Finance LLC, Search Technologies BPO, Search Technologies BPO Inc., Search Technologies GmbH, Search Technologies International LLC, Search Technologies LATAM, Search Technologies LATAM S.A., Search Technologies LLC, Search Technologies Limited, Sente Partners LLC, Sentelis, Servicios Tecnicos de Programacion Accenture S.C., Shackleton, Shackleton Barcelona S.L., Shackleton Chile S.A., Shackleton Madrid S.L., Shackleton S.A., Shanghai Baiyue Advertising Co. Ltd., Shun Zhe Technology Development Co. Ltd., Silveo, Simian Pty Limited, SinnerSchrader, SinnerSchrader AG, SinnerSchrader Commerce GmbH, SinnerSchrader Content GmbH, SinnerSchrader Deutschland GmbH, SinnerSchrader Praha s.r.o., SinnerSchrader Swipe GmbH, Sistemes Consulting S.L., Solutions IQ, Solutions IQ LLC, SolutionsIQ, SolutionsIQ India Consulting Services Private Limited, Storm Digital, Storm Digital B.V., Structure Consulting Group, Structure Consulting Group LLC, Sutter Mills, Systor AG, TQuila Limited (UK), Tadata Creative Unlimited Company, Tara Insurance DAC, Tara Risk DAC, TargetST8, TargetST8 Consulting LLC, Tech - Avanade Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Tecnilogica Ecosistemas S.A., Tecnilogica Ltd., Tecnilogica, The Brand Learning Partners Limited, The Callisto Integration Corporation, The Monkeys, The Monkeys Pty Limited, The Myrtle Group, Total Logistics, Total Logistics Supply Chain Consultants Limited, Tquila, Trivadis AG, Troop Studios Pty Ltd, VanBerlo, Verax Solutions, Verax Solutions Corporation, Vertical Retail Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd., Vertical Retail Consulting Hong Kong, Vertical Retail Consulting Hong Kong Ltd., Vertical Retail Consulting Ltd., Vivere Brasil Servicos e Solucoes SA, Vivere Brasil Solucoes De Credito Ltda., Wabion GmbH, Weblinc Pty Ltd, Wire Stone, Wire Stone LLC, Wire Stone Sarl, Wolox, Workforce Insight, Yesler, Zag, Zenta, Zenta Global Philippines, Zenta Global Philippines Inc., Zenta Mortgage Services LLC, Zenta Recoveries Inc, Zenta US Holdings Inc., Zielpuls, Zielpuls (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zielpuls GmbH, avVenta, designaffairs, designaffairs Business Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., designaffairs GmbH, designaffairs group China Co. Ltd., dgroup, i4C Analytics, iDefense, and solid-serVision.com GmbH. The following companies are subsidiares of Brinker International: BI INTERNATIONAL SERVICES LLC, BI MEXICO HOLDING CORPORATION, BIPC GLOBAL PAYROLL COMPANY LLC, BIPC INVESTMENTS LLC, BIPC MANAGEMENT LLC, BRINKER AIRPORTS LLC, BRINKER ALABAMA INC., BRINKER ARKANSAS INC., BRINKER ASIA INC., BRINKER BRAZIL LLC, BRINKER CANADIAN HOLDING CO. ULC, BRINKER CANADIAN RESTAURANT CO. ULC, BRINKER CB LP, BRINKER CB MANAGEMENT LLC, BRINKER FHC B.V., BRINKER FLORIDA INC., BRINKER FREEHOLD INC., BRINKER GEORGIA INC., BRINKER INTERNATIONAL PAYROLL COMPANY L.P., BRINKER LOUISIANA INC., BRINKER MICHIGAN INC., BRINKER MISSISSIPPI INC., BRINKER MISSOURI INC., BRINKER NEVADA INC., BRINKER NEW JERSEY INC., BRINKER NORTH CAROLINA INC., BRINKER OF BALTIMORE COUNTY INC., BRINKER OF CARROLL COUNTY INC., BRINKER OF CECIL COUNTY INC., BRINKER OKLAHOMA INC., BRINKER OPCO LLC, BRINKER PENN TRUST, BRINKER PROPCO FLORIDA INC., BRINKER PROPERTY CORPORATION, BRINKER PURCHASING INC., BRINKER RESTAURANT CORPORATION, BRINKER RHODE ISLAND INC., BRINKER SERVICES CORPORATION, BRINKER SOUTH CAROLINA INC., BRINKER TEXAS INC., BRINKER VIRGINIA INC., CHILIS BEVERAGE COMPANY INC., CHILIS INC. a Delaware corporation, CHILIS INC. a Tennessee corporation, CHILIS INTERNATIONAL BASES B.V., CHILIS OF BEL AIR INC., CHILIS OF KANSAS INC., CHILIS OF MARYLAND INC., CHILIS OF WEST VIRGINIA INC., Grady's Inc., MAGGIANO'S OF ANNAPOLIS INC., MAGGIANO'S OF HOWARD COUNTY INC., MAGGIANO'S OF KANSAS INC., MAGGIANOS BEVERAGE COMPANY, MAGGIANOS HOLDING CORPORATION, MAGGIANOS INC., MAGGIANOS OF TYSONS INC., MAGGIANOS PROPERTY CORPORATION, MAGGIANOS TEXAS INC., PEPPER DINING HOLDING CORP., PEPPER DINING Inc., and PEPPER DINING VERMONT INC.. China Telecom Corporation Limited, together with its subsidiaries, provides wireline and mobile telecommunications services primarily in the People's Republic of China. It offers wireline voice services, including local wireline telephone services and long distance wireline services; CDMA mobile voice services, such as local calls, domestic and international long distance calls, intra-provincial roaming, and inter-provincial roaming and international roaming; wireline Internet access services comprising dial-up and broadband services; wireless Internet access services; and wireline, Internet, and mobile value-added services. The company also provides Best Tone information services; and information technology-based integrated solutions, such as system integration and consulting, outsourcing, special advisory, information application, knowledge, and software development services. In addition, it offers managed data services that include digital data network, frame relay, and asynchronous transfer mode services for government agencies, large corporations, and institutions; and leased line services, as well as sells, repairs, and maintains customer-end equipment. Further, the company provides international telecommunications services, including network, Internet access and transit, Internet data center, and mobile virtual network services in various countries, including the Asia Pacific, Europe, Africa, South America, and North America; and music production and related information, instant messenger, finance leasing, capital and financial management, and e-commerce services, as well as sells telecommunications terminals. As of December 31, 2019, it had approximately 336 million mobile subscribers; 153 million wireline broadband subscribers; and 111 million access lines in service. The company was incorporated in 2002 and is based in Wanchai, Hong Kong. China Telecom Corporation Limited is a subsidiary of China Telecommunications Corporation. Read More AFC Energy plc engages in the development of alkaline fuel cell systems for the generation of clean energy in the United Kingdom and Germany. The company offers HydroX-Cell(L), an alkaline fuel cell module; HydroX-Cell(S); and AlkaMem, an anion exchange membrane technology for alkaline water electrolysis, alkaline fuel cells, fuel synthesis, electrodialysis, desalination, acid remediation, salt water batteries, and REDOX flow batteries applications. It also provides auxiliary equipment, such as ammonia crackers, water electrolyzes, inverters, battery and fuel storage products, and battery management systems. The company was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Cranleigh, the United Kingdom. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Dover: Accelerated Production Systems, Acme Elevator, Advansor A/S, Advansor Dover International (Poland) sp. z o.o, Advansor Germany GmbH, Alfred Fueling Systems Holdco Ltd., Alfred Fueling Systems Inc., Alfred Fueling Systems Intermediate Holdco Ltd., All-Flo Pump Company, Anman LLC, Anthony Equity Holdings Inc., Anthony Holdings Inc., Anthony Inc., Anthony International, Anthony International Foreign Sales Corp., Anthony International Holding Company, Anthony Mexico Holdings LLC, Anthony North Holdco Inc., Anthony Specialty Glass LLC, Anthony TemperBent GP LLC, Auto Glanz Solutions LLC, Automatik Grundstucksverwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG, Automatik Plastics Machinery (Taiwan) Ltd., BSC Filters Limited, Background2 Limited, Belanger, Belanger Inc., Belvac Middle East FZE, Belvac Production Machinery Inc., Blackmer, BlitzRotary GmbH, Butler Engineering and Marketing S.P.A., CDS Visual, CEP Liquidation LLC, CP Formation LLC, CPC Europe Inc., CPI Products Inc., Caldera, Canada Organization & Development LLC, Chief Automotive Technologies (Shanghai) Trading Company Ltd., Chippewa Square Captive Insurance Company, Colder Products Company, Colder Products Company GmbH, Colder Products Company LTD, Cook Compression BV, Cook Compression LLC, Cook Compression Limited, Cook-MFS Inc., DD1 Inc., DDI Properties Inc., DE-STA-CO Benelux B.V., DE-STA-CO FRANCE, DE-STA-CO Shanghai Co. Ltd., DESTACO UK Limited, DFH Corporation, DFS Netherlands B.V., DSR BZ Holdings LLC, Datamax International Corp, De Sta Co (Asia) Company Limited, De-Sta-Co Cylinders Inc., DeStaCo Europe GmbH, Delaware Capital Formation Inc., Delaware Capital Holdings Inc., Dover (China) Investment Co. Ltd., Dover (Schweiz) Holding GmbH, Dover (Shanghai) Industrial Co. Ltd., Dover (Shenzhen) Industrial Equipment Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Dover (Suzhou) Industrial Equipment Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Dover Asia Trading Private Ltd., Dover Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Dover Business Services EMEA Limited, Dover Business Services LLC, Dover Business Services Philippines Corporation, Dover CLP Formation Limited Partnership, Dover CR spol s r.o., Dover Canada Holdings ULC, Dover Canada Operations ULC, Dover Corporation Regional Headquarters, Dover DEI Services Inc., Dover Denmark Holdings ApS, Dover EMEA FZCO, Dover Energy UK Ltd, Dover Engineered Products Segment Inc., Dover Europe Inc., Dover Europe Sarl, Dover Fluids UK Ltd, Dover France Holdings, Dover France Participations, Dover France Technologies, Dover Fueling Solutions Segment Inc., Dover Fueling Solutions UK Limited, Dover Germany GmbH, Dover Global Holdings LLC, Dover Holdings de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Dover Imaging & Identification Segment Inc., Dover India Pvt. Ltd., Dover Intercompany Services UK Limited, Dover International B.V., Dover International Operations Inc., Dover International Ventures Inc., Dover International Ventures Tunisia S.a.r.l., Dover International ithalat ihracat ve Pazarlama Limited Sirketi, Dover Italy Holdings S.r.l., Dover Luxembourg Finance Sarl, Dover Luxembourg Participations Sarl, Dover Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Dover Luxembourg Services Sarl, Dover Operations South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Dover Overseas Ventures Inc., Dover Pumps & Process Solutions Segment Inc., Dover Refrigeration & Food Equipment Segment Inc., Dover Refrigeration & Food Equipment UK Ltd, Dover Resources International de Mexico S. de R.L. C.V., Dover Solutions Colombia SAS, Dover Southeast Asia (Thailand) Ltd., Dover Spain Holdings S.L., Dover UK Pensions Limited, Dover WSCR Holding LLC, Dover WSCR LLC, Dover do Brasil Ltda., Dow-Key Microwave Corporation, Dresser Wayne Data Technology (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Dresser Wayne Fuel Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., EOA Systems Inc., Ebs-Ray Holdings Pty Ltd, Ebs-Ray Industries Pty. Ltd., Ebs-Ray Pumps Pty. Ltd., Em-tec, Espy, Ettlinger, Ettlinger Kunststoffmaschinen GmbH, Fairbanks Environmental Limited, Fibrelite Composites Limited, Fibresec Holdings Limited, Fibresec Limited, Finder, GAL LLC, GIIER LLC, Gala Industries, Gala Kunststoff-und Kautschukmaschinen GmbH, Guangdong Tokheim LIYUAN Oil Industry Technology Limited Company, Highland Park Insurance Company, Hill PHOENIX Inc., Hill PHOENIX WIC LLC, Hill Phoenix Costa Rica Sociedad De Responsabilidad Limitada, Hill Phoenix El Salvador Limitada de Capital Variable, Hill Phoenix Guatemala Sociedad Anonima, Hill Phoenix Honduras Sociedad Anonima, Hill Phoenix Nicaragua Sociedad Anonima, Hill Phoenix de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Hiltap Fittings Ltd., Hydro Systems Company, Hydro Systems Europe Ltd., Hydronova Australia-NZ Pty Ltd, Industrial Motion Control LLC, Innovative Control Systems, Innovative Control Systems Inc., Inpro/Seal LLC, JK Group, JK Group S.P.A., JK Group USA Inc., K S Boca Inc., K&L Microwave DR Inc., K&L Microwave Inc., KPS (Beijing) Petroleum Equipment Trading Co Ltd., KPS Fueling Solutions Sdn. Bhd., KPS Hong Kong Holding Limited, KPS UK Limited, KS Formation Inc., KS Liquidation Inc., KSLP Liquidation L.P., Kiian Digital (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Knappco LLC, Knowles Electronics, LIQAL, Liquip, Liquip International Pty Limited, MAAG, MARKEM FZ SA, MARKEM-IMAJE Corporation, MIP Holdings Inc., MS Printing Solutions, MS Printing Solutions S.R.L., Maag Automatik GmbH, Maag Automatik Plastics Machinery (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Maag Gala Inc., Maag Italy S.R.L., Maag Pump Systems, Maag Pump Systems (US) Inc., Maag Pump Systems AG, Maag Reduction Inc., Maag Service (Malaysia) Sdn. Bdn., Maag Systems (Thailand) Limited, Marathon Equipment Company (Delaware), Markem Imaje Center of Competencies Spain S.L.U., Markem-Imaje, Markem-Imaje (China) Co. Limited, Markem-Imaje - Unipessoal Lda, Markem-Imaje A/S, Markem-Imaje AB, Markem-Imaje AG, Markem-Imaje AS, Markem-Imaje B.V., Markem-Imaje CSAT GmbH, Markem-Imaje Co. Ltd., Markem-Imaje GmbH, Markem-Imaje Holding, Markem-Imaje Identificacao de Produtos Ltda., Markem-Imaje Inc., Markem-Imaje India Private Limited, Markem-Imaje Industries, Markem-Imaje Industries Limited, Markem-Imaje KK, Markem-Imaje LLC, Markem-Imaje Limited, Markem-Imaje Limited, Markem-Imaje Ltd., Markem-Imaje N.V., Markem-Imaje Oy, Markem-Imaje Philippines Corporation, Markem-Imaje Pty Ltd, Markem-Imaje S.A., Markem-Imaje S.A. de C.V., Markem-Imaje S.r.l., Markem-Imaje SAS, Markem-Imaje Sdn Bhd, Markem-Imaje Singapore Pte. Ltd., Markem-Imaje Spain S.A.U, Markpoint Holding AB, Midland Manufacturing LLC, Mouvex, Northern Lights (Nevada) Inc., Northern Lights Funding LP, Northern Lights Investments LLC, Nova Controls Inc., OK International, OK International (UK) Ltd., OK International Holdings Inc., OK International Inc., OPW Engineered Systems Inc., OPW Fluid Transfer Group Europe B.V., OPW Fluid Transfer Solutions (Jiang Su) Co. Ltd., OPW Fluids Group Inc., OPW France, OPW Fuel Management Systems Inc., OPW Fueling Components (SuZhou) Co. Ltd., OPW Fueling Components LLC, OPW Iberia Sociedad Limitada, OPW Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., OPW Slovakia s.r.o., OPW Sweden AB, Officine Meccaniche Sirio S.R.L., PDQ Manufacturing, PDQ Manufacturing Inc., PISCES by OPW Inc., PSD Codax Holdings Limited, PSD Codax Limited, PSG (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, PSG (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., PSG California LLC, PSG Germany GmbH, Petro Vend Sp. z o.o., Pike Machine Products Inc., Pole/Zero Acquisition Inc., Precision Brasil Equipamentos E Servicos Para Postos De Combustiveis Ltda., Precision Service - Servicos De Manutencao E Instalacao De Postos De Abastecimento De Combustivel Ltda., Production Control Services, Pump Management Services Co. LLC, RAV Equipos Espana S.L., RAV France, Ravaglioli Deutschland GmbH, Ravaglioli S.P.A., Reduction Engineering GmbH, Revod Corporation, Revod Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Revod SAS, Revod Singapore Holdings Pte. Ltd, Revod Sweden AB, Robohand Inc., Rosario, Rosario Handel B.V., Rotary Lift Consolidated (Haimen) Co. Ltd, SE Liquidation LLC, SWEP Germany GmbH, SWEP Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., SWEP North America Inc., SWEP Slovakia s.r.o., SWEP Technology (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Seabiscuit Motorsports Inc., Simmons Sirvey Corporation, So. Cal. Soft-Pak, So. Cal. Soft-Pak Incorporated, Solaris Laser, Solaris Laser S.A., Somero Enterprises, Sound Solutions, Space S.R.L., Spirit, Start Italiana Petrol Cihazlari Sanayi Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Start Italiana S.R.L., Swep Energy Oy, Swep International A.B., Swep Japan K.K., Sys-Tech Solutions, Sys-Tech Solutions Inc., Systech GB Limited, Systech Shanghai Consulting Company Limited, TQC Quantium Quality S.A. de C.V., TTSI III Inc., TWG Canada Consolidated Inc., TXHI LLC, Tartan Textile Services Inc., The Heil Co., Tokheim Belgium, Tokheim China Company Limited, Tokheim GmbH, Tokheim Group, Tokheim Hengshan Technologies (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd., Tokheim Holding B.V., Tokheim India Private Limited, Tokheim Sofitam Applications, Trans - Logistic Group S.R.L., Triton Systems, Tulsa Winch Inc., UPCO Inc., US Synthetic, Unattended Payment Solutions LLC, Unified Brands, Unified Brands Inc., Val TemperBent Glass L.P., Vectron Frequency Devices (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Vehicle Service Group LLC, Vehicle Service Group UK Limited, Vos Food Store Equipment Ltd., WSCR Corp., Warn Automotive LLC, Warn Industries, Waukesha Bearings, Waukesha Bearings Corporation, Waukesha Bearings Limited, Waukesha Bearings Russia LLC, Wayne Fuel Management UK Ltd., Wayne Fueling Systems, Wayne Fueling Systems (Rus) Limited Liability Company, Wayne Fueling Systems Australia Pty Ltd, Wayne Fueling Systems Canada ULC, Wayne Fueling Systems Deutschland GmbH, Wayne Fueling Systems Italia S.R.L., Wayne Fueling Systems LLC, Wayne Fueling Systems Ltd., Wayne Fueling Systems Sweden AB, Wayne Fueling Systems UK Holdco Ltd., Wayne Industria e Comercio Ltda., WellMark, XanTec Steuerungs- und EDV-Technik GmbH, and em-tec GmbH. There is not enough analysis data for Eaton Vance Tax-Advantaged Global Dividend Income Fund. 4.3 Community Rank Outperform Votes Eaton Vance Tax-Advantaged Global Dividend Income Fund has received 115 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes Eaton Vance Tax-Advantaged Global Dividend Income Fund has received 65 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment Eaton Vance Tax-Advantaged Global Dividend Income Fund has received 63.89% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Eaton Vance Tax-Advantaged Global Dividend Income Fund and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe ETG will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe ETG will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next The following companies are subsidiares of Marsh & McLennan Companies: 8WORKS INC., 8WORKS LTD, A. Constantinidi & CIA. S.C., A.C.N. 000 951 146 Pty Limited, A.C.N. 001 572 961 Pty Limited, A.C.N. 076 935 683 Pty Limited, A.C.N. 102 322 574 Pty Limited, ACE Insurance Agents Limited, ACE Insurance Consultants Limited, ACE Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Limited, AD Corretora de Seguros, AFCO Premium Acceptance Inc., AFCO Premium Credit LLC, Access Equity Enhanced Fund GP LLC, Admiral Holdings Limited, Agnew Higgins Pickering & Co. (Bermuda) Ltd, Aldgate Investments Limited, Aldgate Trustees Ltd, Alexander Forbes Group Holdings Limited, Alpha Consultants Limited, Alta SA, Altius Real Assets (GP) LLC, Amal Insurance Brokers Limited (in liquidation), Anda Insurance Agencies Pte Ltd, AssetVal Pty Ltd, Assur Conseils Marsh S.A., Assurance Capital Corporation, Assurance Services Corporation, Australian Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd, Australian World Underwriters Pty Ltd., BBPS Limited, Barney & Barney Orange County LLC, Beaumonts (Leeds) Limited (in liquidation), Beaumonts Insurance Brokers Limited (in liquidation), Beaumonts Insurance Services Limited, Beneficios Integrales Oportunos SA, Benefitfocus Inc., Blue Marble Micro Limited, Blue Marble Microinsurance Inc., Bluefin, Bluefin Insurance Group Limited, Bluefin Insurance Services Limited, Boulder Claims LLC, Bowring (Bermuda) Investments Ltd., Bowring Marine Limited, Bowring Marsh (Bermuda) Ltd., Bowring Marsh (Hong Kong) Limited, Bowring Marsh Asia Pte. Ltd., Bowring Marsh Corretora de Resseguros Ltda., Bowring Marsh Limited, Broderick Piller Pty Ltd, Broker 2 Broker Limited, BuildPay LLC, Burke Ford Trustees (Leicester) Limited, C.T. Bowring Limited, CMC-Belgibo NV, CPRM Limited, CPSG Partners LLC, Carpenter Marsh Fac Chile Corredores de Reaseguros Limitada, Carpenter Marsh Fac Colombia Corredores de Reaseguros S.A., Carpenter Marsh Fac Peru Corredores de Reaseguros S.A.C., Carpenter Marsh Fac Re LLC, Carpenter Turner Cyprus Ltd, Carpenter Turner S.A., Cascade International Holdings C.V., Cascade Regional Holdings Limited, Central Insurance Services Limited, Charter Risk Management Services LLC, Chartwell Healthcare Limited, Chronos Insurance Brokers Pty Limited, Claims and Recovery Management (Australia) Pty Limited, Clark Thomson Insurance Brokers Limited, Client Provide Limited, Colombian Insurance Broking Wholesale Limited, Consultores 2020 C.A., Cronin & Co Insurance Services Limited, DVA - Deutsche Verkehrs-Assekuranz-Vermittlungs GmbH, Dawson Insurance, DeLima Marsh S.A. - Los Corredores de Seguros S.A., Dovetail Insurance Corp., Dovetail Insurance Corp., Dovetail Managing General Agency Corporation, Dovetail Technology Service India Private Limited, Draw Connect Limited, Draw Create Limited, Draw Group London Limited, Eagle & Crown Limited, Echelon Australia Pty Limited, Echelon Claims Consultants Sdn Bhd, Echelon New Zealand Limited, EnBW Versicherungs Vermittlung GmbH, Encompass Insurance Agency Pty Ltd., English Pension Trustees Limited, Epsilon (US) Insurance Company, Epsilon Insurance Company Ltd., Eustis Insurance & Benefits, Evolution Management Ltd, Exchange Insurance Services Limited (in liquidation), Exmoor Management Company Limited, Faulkner & Flynn LLC, Freedom Trust Services Limited, GC Genesis LLC, GCube Insurance Services Inc, GCube Underwriting Limited, Gama Consultores Associados Ltda., Gem Insurance Company Limited, Global Premium Finance Company, GrECo International Holding AG, Gracechurch Trustees Limited, Gresham Pension Trustees Limited, Group Promoters Pty Limited, Guy Carpenter & Cia (Mexico) S.A. de C.V., Guy Carpenter & Cia. S.A., Guy Carpenter & Co. Labuan Ltd., Guy Carpenter & Company AB, Guy Carpenter & Company Corredores de Reaseguros Limitada, Guy Carpenter & Company Corretora de Resseguros Ltda., Guy Carpenter & Company GmbH, Guy Carpenter & Company LLC, Guy Carpenter & Company Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Ltd./Guy Carpenter & Compagnie Ltee, Guy Carpenter & Company Participacoes Ltda., Guy Carpenter & Company Peru Corredores de Reaseguros S.A., Guy Carpenter & Company Private Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Proprietary Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Pty. Ltd., Guy Carpenter & Company S.A., Guy Carpenter & Company S.A. (Uruguay), Guy Carpenter & Company S.A.S., Guy Carpenter & Company S.r.l., Guy Carpenter (Middle East) Limited, Guy Carpenter Bermuda Ltd., Guy Carpenter Broking Inc., Guy Carpenter Colombia Corredores de Reaseguros Ltda., Guy Carpenter Insurance Brokers (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Guy Carpenter Japan Inc., Guy Carpenter Mexico Intermediario de Reaseguro S.A. de C.V., Guy Carpenter Reasurans Brokerligi Anonim Sirketi, HAPIP GP 2009 LLC, HAPIP GP LLC, HSBC Insurance Brokers International (Abu Dhabi) LLC (in liquidation), Hamilton Bond Limited, Hansen International Limited, Hayward Aviation Limited, INSIA Europe SE, INSIA SK s.r.o., INSIA a.s., INSURANCE BROKERS OF NIGERIA LIMITED, IRC Asia Insurance Brokers Limited, InSolutions Limited, Industrial Risks Protection Consultants, Ingeseg S. A., Ingeseg S.A., Insbrokers Ltda., InsurTech Alliance LLC, Insure Direct (Brokers) LLC, Insure Direct (Brokers) LLC [BAHRAIN BRANCH], Insure Direct - Jardine Lloyd Thompson Limited, International Catastrophe Insurance Managers LLC, International Loss Control Services Limited, International Risk Consultants (Asia) Limited, Invercol Limited, Irish Pensions Trust Limited, Isosceles Insurance (Barbados) Limited, Isosceles Insurance Company Limited, Isosceles Insurance Ltd, Isosceles PCC Limited, J&H Marsh & McLennan Limited, J.W. Terrill Benefit Administrators Inc., JI Holdings Limited, JIB Group Holdings Limited, JIB Group Limited, JIB Holdings (Pacific) Limited, JIB Overseas Holdings Limited, JIB UK Holdings Limited, JL Marine Insurance-Brokers GmbH & Co. KG, JLM Verwaltungs GmbH, JLT (Insurance Brokers) Limited, JLT Actuaries and Consultants Limited, JLT Advisory Limited, JLT Affinity Colombia Solutions SAS, JLT Agencies Limited, JLT Asesorias Ltda, JLT Asia Holdings BV, JLT Asia Shared Services Sdn Bhd, JLT Belgibo, JLT Benefit Consultants Limited, JLT Benefit Solutions Limited, JLT Benefit Solutions SA (Pty) Ltd, JLT Bermuda Ltd, JLT Brasil Holdings Participacoes Ltd, JLT Chile Holdings SpA, JLT Colombia Retail Limited, JLT Colombia Wholesale Limited, JLT Consultants & Actuaries Limited, JLT EB Holdings Limited, JLT EB Services Limited, JLT Employee Benefits Holding Company (PTY) LTD, JLT Employee Benefits SA (Pty) Ltd, JLT Financial Planning Limited, JLT France Holdings, JLT Group Services Pty Limited, JLT Holdings (Barbados) Ltd, JLT Holdings (NZ) Limited, JLT Independent Insurance Brokers Private Limited, JLT Insurance Agencies Limited, JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited, JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited ( Shanghai Branch), JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited (Beijing Branch), JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited (Guangzhou Branch), JLT Insurance Brokers Ireland Limited, JLT Insurance Brokers SA, JLT Insurance Group Holdings Ltd, JLT Insurance Management Malta Limited, JLT Intellectual Property Limited, JLT Intellectual Property [UK Branch], JLT Interactive Pte. Ltd., JLT Investment Management Limited, JLT LATAM (Southern Cone) Wholesale Limited, JLT Latin American Holdings Limited, JLT Life Assurance Brokers Limited, JLT Management Services Limited, JLT Marine (Pty) Ltd, JLT Mexico Holdings Limited, JLT Mexico Intermediario de Reaseguro S.A. de C.V., JLT Netherlands BV, JLT Norway AS, JLT PLA, JLT Pension Trustees Limited, JLT Pensions Administration Holdings Limited, JLT Pensions Administration Limited, JLT Peru Reinsurance Solutions Limited, JLT Peru Retail Limited, JLT Peru Wholesale Limited, JLT QFM Services Limited, JLT RE Brasil Administracao e Corretagem de Resseguros Ltda, JLT Re (French Branch), JLT Re (Northern Europe) AB, JLT Re Argentina Corredores de Reaseguros S.A.U., JLT Re Labuan Limited, JLT Re Limited, JLT Re Pty Ltd, JLT Reinsurance Brokers GmbH, JLT Reinsurance Brokers Limited, JLT Reinsurance Brokers Limited [French Branch], JLT Risk Management Limited, JLT Risk Solutions AB, JLT Risk Solutions AB Branch - Germany, JLT SA IB Holdings Company (Pty) Limited, JLT SCK Affinity Administracao e Corretora de Seguros Ltda., JLT SCK Corretora e Administradora de Seguros, JLT Secretaries Limited, JLT Sigorta ve Reasurans Brokerlii A.., JLT Singapore Holdings Pte. Ltd., JLT Specialty France, JLT Specialty Insurance Broker A/S, JLT Specialty Limited, JLT Specialty Limited [DUBAI BRANCH], JLT Specialty Pte. Ltd., JLT Towner Insurance Management (Anguilla) Limited, JLT Trust Services (Barbados) Ltd, JLT Trustees (Southern) Limited, JLT Trustees Limited, JLT UK Investment Holdings Limited, JLT Vantage Risk and Benefit Consulting Private Limited, JLT Wealth Management Limited, JLT do Brasil Corretagem de Seguros Ltda, JLTPCS Holdings Pte. Ltd., JMIB Holdings BV, JSL Securities Inc., Japan Affinity Marketing Inc., Jardine IBR Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson (Proprietary) Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Asia Pte Ltd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Australia Pty Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Canada Inc, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group Ltd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group plc, Jardine Lloyd Thompson India Private Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson India Private Limited (UK Branch Office), Jardine Lloyd Thompson Insurance Consultants Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Inc., Jardine Lloyd Thompson Ireland Holdings Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Ireland Unlimited Company, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Korea Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Limited [Macao Branch], Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS (Dubai) Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS Pte Ltd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS SA, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Private Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Pty Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Sdn Bhd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Valencia y Iragorri Corredores de Seguros SA, Jardine Pension Trustees Ireland Limited, Jardine Risk Consulting Co. Limited, Jardine ShunTak Insurance Brokers Limited, Jardine ShunTak Insurance Brokers Limited [Macao Branch], Jardines PF- Consultoria Em Gestao De Risco Limitada, Jelf, Jelf Commercial Finance Limited, Jelf Financial Planning Limited, Jelf Insurance Brokers Limited, Jelf Limited, Jelf Risk Management Limited, Jelf Wellbeing Limited, John Lampier & Son Ltd, Johnson & Higgins (Bermuda) Limited, Johnson & Higgins Limited, KESSLER & CO AG, Kepler Associates Limited, Kessler & Co Inc., Kessler Consulting Inc., Kessler Prevoyance Inc., Key Underwriting Pty Limited, Kroll, Lambert Brothers Holdings Limited, Lambert Brothers Insurance Brokers (Employee Benefits) Limited, Lambert Brothers Insurance Brokers (Hong Kong) Ltd, Laterlife.com Limited (in liquidation), Lavaretus Underwriting AB, Lavaretus Underwriting AB (BRANCH - Denmark), Libra Insurance Services Limited (in liquidation), Lloyd & Partners Limited, Local Government Insurance Brokers Pty Limited, Lomond Macdonald Limited, Lynch Insurance Brokers Limited, M&M Vehicle L.P., M.P. Bolshaw and Company Limited, MAG JLT SpA, MERCER ALTERNATIVES LIMITED, MM Risk Services Pty Ltd (for dissolution), MMA Mid-Atlantic Employee LLC, MMA Securities LLC, MMB Consultores S.A., MMC (Singapore) Holdings Pte. Ltd., MMC 28 State Street Holdings Inc., MMC Borrower LLC, MMC Brazilian Holdings B.V., MMC Capital Inc., MMC Cascade Regional Holdings LLC, MMC FINANCE (EUROPE) LIMITED, MMC FINANCE HOLDINGS LTD, MMC Finance (Australia) Limited, MMC Finance (Singapore) Limited, MMC France Holdings (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., MMC GP III Inc., MMC Group Services sp. z o.o., MMC Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, MMC Holdings (New Zealand) ULC, MMC Holdings (UK) Limited, MMC International Finance (Barbados) SRL, MMC International Holdings LLC, MMC International Limited, MMC International Treasury Centre Limited, MMC Middle East Holdings Limited, MMC Poland Holdings B.V., MMC Realty Inc., MMC Regional Asia Holdings B.V., MMC Regional Caribbean Holdings Ltd., MMC Regional Europe Holdings B.V., MMC Regional LATAM Holdings B.V., MMC Securities (Europe) Limited, MMC Securities LLC, MMC Treasury Holdings (UK) Limited, MMC UK Group Limited, MMC UK Pension Fund Trustee Limited, MMOW Limited, MMRC LLC, MOW Holding LLC, MPIP III GP LLC, MPIP IV GP LLC, MPIP V GP LLC, MPIP VI GP LLC, Mangrove Insurance Europe PCC Limited, Mangrove Insurance Solutions PCC, Mangrove Insurance Solutions PCC Limited, Manoel Management Services Ltd, Marchant McKechnie Insurance Brokers Limited, Marine Aviation & General (London) Limited, Marsh & McLennan (PNG) Limited, Marsh & McLennan Agencies AS, Marsh & McLennan Agencies Limited, Marsh & McLennan Agency A/S, Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC, Marsh & McLennan Agency Limited, Marsh & McLennan Agency Pty Ltd., Marsh & McLennan Argentina SA Corredores de Reaseguros, Marsh & McLennan Colombia S.A., Marsh & McLennan Companies Acquisition Funding Limited, Marsh & McLennan Companies Acquisition Limited, Marsh & McLennan Companies Asia Pacific Treasury Center Limited, Marsh & McLennan Companies BVBA/SPRL, Marsh & McLennan Companies Finance Center (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Companies France S.A.S., Marsh & McLennan Companies Holdings (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc., Marsh & McLennan Companies Regional Holdings S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Companies Services B.V., Marsh & McLennan Companies UK Limited, Marsh & McLennan Europe S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan GP I Inc., Marsh & McLennan Global Broking (Bermuda) Ltd., Marsh & McLennan Holding GmbH, Marsh & McLennan Holdings (Canada) ULC, Marsh & McLennan Holdings Inc., Marsh & McLennan Incorporated (for dissolution), Marsh & McLennan Innovation Centre Holdings II, Marsh & McLennan Innovation Centre Holdings S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Innovation Centre Limited, Marsh & McLennan Insurance Services Limited, Marsh & McLennan Ireland Limited, Marsh & McLennan Management Services (Bermuda) Limited, Marsh & McLennan Risk Capital Holdings Ltd., Marsh & McLennan Servicios S.A. De C.V., Marsh & McLennan Shared Services Canada Limited, Marsh & McLennan Shared Services Corporation, Marsh (Bahrain) Company SPC, Marsh (Beijing) Risk Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Marsh (China) Insurance Brokers Co. Ltd., Marsh (Hong Kong) Limited, Marsh (Insurance Brokers) LLP, Marsh (Insurance Services) Limited, Marsh (Malawi) Limited, Marsh (Middle East) Limited, Marsh (Namibia) (Proprietary) Limited, Marsh (Pty) Ltd, Marsh (Risk Consulting) LLP, Marsh (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Marsh A/S, Marsh AB, Marsh AG, Marsh AS, Marsh Advantage Insurance Holdings Pty Ltd, Marsh Advantage Insurance Pty Ltd., Marsh Africa (Pty) Ltd, Marsh Argentina S.R.L., Marsh Associates (Pty) Ltd, Marsh Austria G.m.b.H., Marsh Aviation Insurance Broking Pty Ltd (for dissolution), Marsh B.V., Marsh Botswana (Proprietary) Limited, Marsh Brockman y Schuh Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas S.A. de C.V., Marsh Broker Japan Inc., Marsh Broker de Asigurare-Reasigurare S.R.L., Marsh Brokers (Hong Kong) Limited, Marsh Brokers Limited, Marsh Canada Limited/Marsh Canada Limitee, Marsh Company Management Services Cayman Ltd., Marsh Compensation Technologies Administration (Pty) Ltd, Marsh Corporate Services (Barbados) Limited, Marsh Corporate Services Isle of Man Ltd, Marsh Corporate Services Limited, Marsh Corporate Services Malta Limited, Marsh Corretora de Seguros Ltda., Marsh EOOD, Marsh Egypt LLC, Marsh Emirates Consultancy LLC, Marsh Emirates Insurance Brokerage LLC, Marsh Employee Benefits Limited, Marsh Employee Benefits Zimbabwe (Private) Ltd, Marsh Eurofinance B.V., Marsh Europe S.A., Marsh FJC International Insurance Brokers Limited, Marsh For Insurance Services S.A.E., Marsh Franco Acra S.A., Marsh GSC Servicos e Administracao de Seguros Ltda., Marsh GmbH, Marsh Holding AB, Marsh Holdings (Pty) Ltd, Marsh India Insurance Brokers Private Limited, Marsh Insurance & Investments LLC, Marsh Insurance Brokers, Marsh Insurance Brokers (Macao) Limited, Marsh Insurance Brokers (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Marsh Insurance Brokers (Private) Limited, Marsh Insurance Brokers AO, Marsh Insurance Brokers Limited, Marsh Insurance Consulting Saudi Arabia (in liquidation), Marsh Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers LLC, Marsh Intermediaries Inc., Marsh International Broking Holdings Limited, Marsh International Holdings II Inc., Marsh International Holdings Inc., Marsh Investment B.V., Marsh Ireland Brokers Limited, Marsh Ireland Brokers Limited (UK Branch), Marsh Ireland Holdings Limited, Marsh Israel (1999) Ltd., Marsh Israel (Holdings) Ltd., Marsh Israel Consultants Ltd., Marsh Israel Insurance Agency Ltd., Marsh Israel International Brokers Ltd. (in liquidation), Marsh JCS Inc., Marsh Japan Inc., Marsh Kft., Marsh Kindlustusmaakler AS, Marsh Korea Inc., Marsh LLC, Marsh LLC Insurance Brokers, Marsh LLC [Ukraine], Marsh Lda., Marsh Limited, Marsh Limited [Fiji], Marsh Limited [New Zealand], Marsh Limited [PNG], Marsh Ltd. [Wisconsin], Marsh Management Services (Bahamas) Ltd., Marsh Management Services (Barbados) Limited, Marsh Management Services (Bermuda) Ltd., Marsh Management Services (Dublin) Limited, Marsh Management Services (Labuan) Limited, Marsh Management Services (MENA) Limited, Marsh Management Services (USVI) Ltd., Marsh Management Services Cayman Ltd., Marsh Management Services Guernsey Limited, Marsh Management Services Inc., Marsh Management Services Isle of Man Limited, Marsh Management Services Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Marsh Management Services Malta Limited, Marsh Management Services Singapore Pte. Ltd., Marsh Management Services Sweden AB, Marsh Marine & Energy AB, Marsh Marine Nederland B.V., Marsh Medical Consulting GmbH, Marsh Mercer Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, Marsh Nest Inc., Marsh Oman LLC, Marsh Oy, Marsh PB Co. Ltd., Marsh Philippines Inc., Marsh Privat A.I.E., Marsh Private Client Life Insurance Services, Marsh Pty. Ltd., Marsh Qatar LLC, Marsh RE S.A.C. Corredores de Reaseguros, Marsh Rehder Consultoria S.A. (MRC), Marsh Rehder S.A. Corredores de Seguros, Marsh Resolutions Pty Limited, Marsh Risk Consulting B.V., Marsh Risk Consulting Limitada, Marsh Risk Consulting Ltda., Marsh Risk Consulting S.L., Marsh Risk Consulting Services S.r.L., Marsh Risk and Consulting Services (Pty) Ltd, Marsh S.A. Corredores De Seguros, Marsh S.A. Mediadores de Seguros, Marsh S.A.S., Marsh S.p.A., Marsh SA [Argentina], Marsh SA [Belgium], Marsh SA [Luxembourg], Marsh SA [Uruguay], Marsh SIA, Marsh Saldana Inc., Marsh Saudi Arabia Insurance & Reinsurance Brokers, Marsh Secretarial Services Limited, Marsh Semusa S.A., Marsh Services Limited, Marsh Services Spolka z.o.o., Marsh Sigorta ve Reasurans Brokerligi Anonim Sirketi, Marsh Spolka z.o.o., Marsh Szolgaltato Kft., Marsh Takaful Brokers (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Marsh Treasury Services (Dublin) Limited (in liquidation), Marsh Treasury Services Limited, Marsh Tunisia S.a.r.l., Marsh UK Limited, Marsh USA (India) Inc., Marsh USA Borrower LLC, Marsh USA Inc., Marsh Uganda Limited, Marsh Venezuela C.A. Sociedad de Corretaje de Seguros, Marsh Vietnam Insurance Broking Company Ltd, Marsh Zambia Limited, Marsh Zimbabwe Holdings (Private) Limited, Marsh d.o.o. Beograd, Marsh d.o.o. za posredovanje u osiguranju, Marsh for Insurance Services - Jordan, Marsh i-Connect (Pty) Ltd, Marsh s.r.o., Matthiessen Assurans AB, Mercer (Argentina) S.A., Mercer (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer (Austria) GmbH, Mercer (Belgium) SA-NV, Mercer (Canada) Limited/Mercer (Canada) Limitee, Mercer (China) Limited, Mercer (Colombia) Ltda., Mercer (Danmark) A/S, Mercer (Finland) OY, Mercer (France) SAS, Mercer (Hong Kong) Limited, Mercer (Ireland) Limited, Mercer (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Mercer (N.Z.) Limited, Mercer (Nederland) B.V., Mercer (Norge) AS, Mercer (Polska) Sp.z o.o., Mercer (Portugal) Lda, Mercer (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Mercer (Sweden) AB, Mercer (Taiwan) Ltd., Mercer (Thailand) Ltd., Mercer (US) Inc., Mercer Administration Services (Australia) Pty Limited, Mercer Africa Limited, Mercer Agente de Seguros S.A. de C.V., Mercer Asesores de Seguros S.A., Mercer Asesores es Inversion Independientes S.A. de C.V., Mercer Broking Ltd., Mercer Career Unipessoal Lda, Mercer Consultation (Quebec) Ltee., Mercer Consulting (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer Consulting (Chile) Limitada, Mercer Consulting (France) SAS, Mercer Consulting (India) Private Limited, Mercer Consulting B.V., Mercer Consulting Group Inc., Mercer Consulting Holdings Sdn. Bhd., Mercer Consulting Limited, Mercer Consulting Middle East Limited, Mercer Consulting S.L.U., Mercer Consulting Venezuela C.A., Mercer Corredores de Seguros Limitada, Mercer Corretora de Seguros Ltda, Mercer Danismanlik Anonim Sirketi, Mercer Deutschland GmbH, Mercer Employee Benefits - Medicacao de Seguros Unipessoal Lda., Mercer Employee Benefits Limited, Mercer Financial Advice (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer Financial Services Limited, Mercer Financial Services Limited liability company, Mercer Financial Services Middle East Limited, Mercer Global Investments Europe Limited, Mercer Global Investments Management Limited, Mercer HR Consulting Borrower LLC, Mercer HR Services LLC, Mercer Health & Benefits (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Mercer Health & Benefits Administration LLC, Mercer Health & Benefits LLC, Mercer Holdings Inc., Mercer Holdings Inc. [Philippines], Mercer Human Resource Consulting Ltda, Mercer Human Resource Consulting S.A. de C.V., Mercer ICC Limited, Mercer Investment Consulting Limited, Mercer Investment Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Mercer Investment Solutions (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Mercer Investments (Australia) Limited, Mercer Investments (Hong Kong) Limited, Mercer Investments (Japan) Ltd, Mercer Investments (New Zealand) Limited, Mercer Investments LLC, Mercer Ireland Holdings Limited, Mercer Italia Srl Socio Unico, Mercer Japan Ltd., Mercer Korea Co. Ltd., Mercer LLC, Mercer Limited, Mercer MC Consulting Borrower LLC, Mercer Master Trustees Limited, Mercer Mauritius Ltd., Mercer Oliver Wyman Holding B.V., Mercer Outsourcing (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer Outsourcing S.L.U., Mercer Pensionsfonds AG, Mercer Pensionsraadgivning A/S, Mercer Philippines Inc., Mercer Private Investment Partners IV General Partner S.a.r.l., Mercer Private Markets AG, Mercer Private Markets Advisers (US) AG, Mercer Services Poland Sp. z.o.o., Mercer Sigorta Brokerligi Anonim Sirketi, Mercer South Africa (Pty) Limited, Mercer Superannuation (Australia) Limited, Mercer Switzerland Inc., Mercer System Services LLC, Mercer Technology Acquisitions Limited, Mercer Treuhand GmbH, Mercer Trust Company LLC, Mercer Trustees Limited, Mercer WorkforcePro LLC, Mercury Insurance Services Pty Ltd, Moola Systems Limited, Mountlodge Limited, Muir Beddal (Zimbabwe) Limited, NERA Australia Pty. Ltd., NERA Economic Consulting GmbH, NERA Economic Consulting Limited, NERA S.R.L., NERA SAS, NERA UK Limited, NERA do Brasil Ltda. (for dissolution), National Economic Research Associates Inc., NetComp Insurance Corp., Neuburger Noble Lowndes GmbH, Normandy Reinsurance Company Limited, Northern Alliance Brokers Limited (in liquidation), OWL Marine Insurance-Brokers GmbH & Co.KG, OWL Marine Verwaltungs GmbH, Oliver Wyman (Bermuda) Limited, Oliver Wyman (Hong Kong) Limited, Oliver Wyman AB, Oliver Wyman AG, Oliver Wyman Actuarial Consulting Inc., Oliver Wyman B.V., Oliver Wyman Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd, Oliver Wyman Consultoria em Estrategia de Negocios Ltda., Oliver Wyman Energy Consulting Limited, Oliver Wyman FZ-LLC, Oliver Wyman Group KK, Oliver Wyman Inc., Oliver Wyman LLC, Oliver Wyman Limited, Oliver Wyman Limited Liability Company, Oliver Wyman Limited/Oliver Wyman limitee, Oliver Wyman Ltd., Oliver Wyman Pte. Ltd., Oliver Wyman Pty. Ltd., Oliver Wyman S. de R.L. de C.V., Oliver Wyman S.A.S., Oliver Wyman S.L., Oliver Wyman S.r.l., Oliver Wyman SNC, Oliver Wyman SPRL/BVBA, Oliver Wyman Sdn. Bhd., Oliver Wyman Services Limited, Oliver Wyman Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., Oliver Wyman sp. z o.o., Omega Indemnity (Bermuda) Limited, Organizacion Brockman y Schuh S.A. de C.V., Osbornes Insurances Oxford Limited (in liquidation), PFT Limited, PI Indemnity Company Designated Activity Company, PT JLT Reinsurance Brokers, PT Jardine Lloyd Thompson, PT Marsh Indonesia, PT Marsh Reinsurance Brokers Indonesia, PT Mercer Indonesia, PT Nexus Asia Pacific, PT Oliver Wyman Indonesia, PT Quantum Computing Services, PT Quantum Investments, PT Quantum Support Services, Pallas Marsh Servicos Ltda., Pavilion Alternatives Group (Singapore) PTE. Ltd, Pavilion Financial Corporation Holdings UK Limited, Pavilion U.S. Investments Holdco LLC, Pension Trustees Limited, Pensionsservice Benefit Network Sverige AB, Perils AG, Personal Pension Trustees Limited, Pet Animal Welfare Scheme Limited, Portsoken Trustees (No. 2) Limited, Portsoken Trustees Limited, Potomac Insurance Managers Inc., Premier Pension Trustees Limited, Premium Services Australia Pty Limited, Professional Claims Handling Limited (in liquidation), Profund Solutions Limited, Promerit AG, Promerit Hungary Kft, Promerit Schweiz AG, Pymetrics Inc., R G Ford Brokers Limited, R R B Beratungsgesellschaft fuer Altersversorgung mbh, R. Mees & Zoonen Holdings B.V., Renewable Energy Loss Adjusters LLC, Renewable Energy Loss Adjusters Limited, Resource Benefit Associates, Rightpath Reinsurance SPC Ltd., Risk Management Australia Pty Limited, Rivers Group Limited, Rockefeller Risk Advisors Inc., Rutherfoord International Inc., SAFCAR-Marsh, SBJ Holdings Limited, SCIB (Bermuda) Limited, SCM Global Real Estate Select GP LLC, SCM Infrastructure General Partner S.a r.l., SCM International Private Equity Select III GP LLC, SCM LT General Partner S.a.r.l., SCM PE General Partner S.a.r.l., SCM PE II GP Ltd., SCM PE II Scotland GP Ltd, SCM Strategic Capital Management (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., SICAR Marsh S.a.r.l., SME Insurance Services Limited, Sail Insurance Company Limited, Scalene Re Ltd, Seabury & Smith Borrower LLC, Seabury & Smith LLC, Secure Limited, Sedgwick (Holdings) Pty. Limited, Sedgwick Consulting Group Limited, Sedgwick Dineen Group Limited, Sedgwick Financial Services Limited, Sedgwick Forbes Middle East Limited, Sedgwick Group, Sedgwick Group (Australia) Pty. Limited, Sedgwick Group (Bermuda) Limited, Sedgwick Group (Zimbabwe) Limited, Sedgwick Group Limited, Sedgwick Internationaal B.V., Sedgwick Limited, Sedgwick Management Services (Barbados) Limited, Sedgwick Management Services (Singapore) Pte Limited, Sedgwick Noble Lowndes (UK) Limited, Sedgwick Noble Lowndes Group Limited, Sedgwick Noble Lowndes Limited, Sedgwick Overseas Investments Limited, Sedgwick Private Limited, Sedgwick Re Asia Pacific (Consultants) Pte Ltd (for dissolution), Sedgwick Trustees Limited, Sedgwick UK Risk Services Limited, Sedgwick Ulster Pension Trustees Limited, Settlement Trustees Limited, Shanghai Mercer Insurance Brokers Company Ltd., Shorewest Insurance Associates LLC, Sirota Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Sirota Consulting UK Limited, Smith Long Term Disability Management Group Inc., Societe d'Assurances et de Participation Guian SA, Software Underwriting Systems Limited (in liquidation), Southern Marine & Aviation Inc., Southern Marine & Aviation Underwriters Inc., Sudzucker Versicherungs-Vermittlungs GmbH, Sumitomo Life Insurance Agency America Inc., Sylvite Financial Services, TBX Solutions Limited, Talent Tech Labs LLC, The Benefit Express Holdings Limited, The Benefit Express Limited, The Carpenter Management Corporation, The Insurance Partnership Holdings Limited, The Insurance Partnership Services Limited, The Positive Ageing Company Limited, The Purple Partnership Limited, The Recovre Group Pty Ltd, Thomsons Online Benefits (HK) Ltd., Thomsons Online Benefits Inc., Thomsons Online Benefits Limited, Thomsons Online Benefits Pte Ltd., Thomsons Online Benefits S.R.L, Torrent Government Contracting Services LLC, Torrent Insurance Services LLC, Torrent Technologies, Torrent Technologies Inc., Tower Hill Limited, Tower Place Developments (West) Limited, Tower Place Developments Limited, U.T.E. AMG, U.T.E. Marsh - Caja Castilla La Mancha Junta de Comunidades, U.T.E. Marsh - Salvado Reus (in liquidation), U.T.E. Marsh - Salvado Reus 2012, U.T.E. Marsh - Salvado Vila-Seca 2010, UAD BB Marsh Lietuva, Vezina & Associes Inc., Vezina Assurances Inc., Victor Insurance Europe B.V., Victor Insurance Holdings Inc., Victor Insurance Italia S.r.l., Victor Insurance Managers Inc., Victor Insurance Managers Inc./Gestionnaires d'assurance Victor inc., Victor O. Schinnerer & Co. (Bermuda) Ltd., Victor O. Schinnerer & Company Limited, Victoria Hall Company Limited, Wellnz Limited, William M. Mercer (Canada) Limited/William M. Mercer (Canada) Limitee, William M. Mercer AB, William M. Mercer Comercio Consultoria e Servicos Ltda., Wortham Insurance & Risk Management, everBe SAS, and realright GmbH. Embraer SA engages in the design, manufacture, and sale of aircraft and its parts for commercial, defense, and executive aviation sectors. It operates through the following segments: Commercial Aviation, Defense and Security, Executive Jet Business, Service & Support and Others. The Commercial Aviation segment is involved in the development, production, and sale of commercial jets; and the provision of support services to regional aviation and aircraft leasing. The Defense and Security segment engages in research, development, production, modification, and support for defense and security aircrafts, as well as other integrated products and solutions including satellites and information and communication systems. The Executive Jet Business segment deals with the development, manufacture, and sale of executive jets. The Service & Support segment provides after-service solutions and support to its customers through a comprehensive portfolio of innovative and competitive solutions to ensure operational efficiency of products manufactured by Embraer and by other aircraft manufacturers, extending the useful life of commercial, executive and defense aircraft. The Others segment refers to Read More There is not enough analysis data for Anglo African Oil & Gas. 3.9 Community Rank Outperform Votes Anglo African Oil & Gas has received 44 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes Anglo African Oil & Gas has received 32 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment Anglo African Oil & Gas has received 57.89% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Anglo African Oil & Gas and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe AAOG will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe AAOG will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next 5 Wall Street equities research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Metro Bank in the last year. There are currently 2 sell ratings and 3 hold ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street equities research analysts is that investors should "hold" Metro Bank stock. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in MBNKF, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares. View analyst ratings for Metro Bank or view top-rated stocks. Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. is an international offshore energy company. It focuses on subsea construction, maintenance and salvage services to the offshore natural gas and oil industry. The firm also provides specialty services to the offshore energy industry, with a focus on well intervention and robotics operations. The company operates through three segments: Well Intervention, Robotics and Production Facilities. The Well Intervention segment offers vessels and related equipment that are used to perform well intervention services primarily in the Gulf of Mexico and North Sea regions. The Robotics segment involves four chartered vessels and also includes ROVs, trenchers and ROVDrills designed to complement offshore construction and well intervention services. The Production Facilities segment includes its investment in the Helix Producer I and Kommandor LLC. Helix Energy Solutions Group was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Houston, TX. Read More Inmarsat plc provides mobile satellite communications services on land, at sea, and in the air worldwide. The company operates through five segments: Maritime, U.S. Government, Global Government, Aviation, and Enterprise. It offers voice and data broadband services; global maritime distress and safety system services; mobile and fixed voice services; a portfolio of machine-to-machine services that provide two-way data connectivity for messaging, tracking, and monitoring of fixed or mobile assets; maritime satellite services, including very small aperture terminals and television receive only antenna services; and Global Xpress, a high-speed broadband service that offer seamless connectivity for advanced data services on land, at sea, and in the air. The company also offers in-flight voice, data, safety, and cabin connectivity services for business and commercial air transport. It owns and operates 13 satellites. The company serves the aviation, government, enterprise, and maritime sectors. Inmarsat plc was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. 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 iShares MSCI Germany Small-Cap ETF's stock was trading at $48.62 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, EWGS shares have increased by 71.4% and is now trading at $83.33. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. Tailored Brands, Inc. (NYSE:TLRD) posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March, 18th. The company reported ($0.46) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.54) by $0.08. The company earned $690.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $708.46 million. Tailored Brands had a negative net margin of 14.39% and a negative trailing twelve-month return on equity of 138.49%. Tailored Brands's quarterly revenue was down 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.28) EPS. View Tailored Brands' earnings history. Maxar Technologies Inc. provides earth intelligence and space infrastructure solutions in the United States, Asia, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Australia, Canada, and internationally. It operates through Earth Intelligence and Space Infrastructure segments. The Earth Intelligence segment offers earth imagery products, including orthorectified imagery, imagery basemap, 3D and elevation, and information products; and SecureWatch, a subscription offering that provides online access to imagery and geospatial intelligence platform. This segment also offers geospatial information, application, and analytic services. It serves U.S. and other international government agencies, such as defense and intelligence agencies, as well as commercial customers in various markets. The Space Infrastructure segment provides space based infrastructure, robotics, sub-systems, and information solutions, including communication and imaging satellites and payloads; platforms for space exploration and hosting instruments for earth science; space subsystems for power, propulsion, and communication; satellite ground systems and support services; space-based remote sensory solutions; space robotics; and defense systems. This segment serves government agencies and satellite operators. Maxar Technologies Inc. was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Westminster, Colorado. Read More New Media Investment Group Inc. invests in, owns, and operates local media assets in the United States. The company's principal products include 146 daily newspapers with total paid circulation of approximately 1.5 million; 323 weekly newspapers with total paid circulation of approximately 268,000 and total free circulation of approximately 1.4 million; 132 shoppers with total circulation of approximately 3.1 million; and 581 locally-focused Websites, including Internet and mobile devices with approximately 364 million page views per month. Its principal products also comprise 77 business publications; and UpCurve Cloud and ThriveHive, which provides digital marketing and business services. In addition, the company produces niche publications that address specific local market interests, such as recreation, sports, healthcare, and real estate. Further, it offers print and online products that offer local market news and information on various topics comprising local news and politics, community and regional events, youth sports, opinion and editorial pages, local schools, obituaries, weddings, and police reports, as well as commercial printing services for publishers; and prints commercial materials, including flyers, business cards, and invitations. Additionally, the company produces approximately 350 annual events with a collective attendance approximately 400,000, such as themed expo, signature event, endurance event, and white label event services; and provides digital and print advertising services. It reaches approximately 22 million people per week; and serves approximately 199,000 business customers. New Media Investment Group Inc. was founded in 1997 and is based in New York, New York. Read More Novan, Inc., a clinical development-stage biotechnology company, provides nitric oxide-based therapies to treat dermatological and oncovirus-mediated diseases. Its clinical stage dermatology drug candidates include SB204, a topical monotherapy for the treatment of acne vulgaris; SB206, a topical anti-viral gel for the treatment of viral skin infections; SB208, a topical broad-spectrum anti-fungal gel for the treatment of fungal infections of the skin and nails, including athlete's foot and fungal nail infections; and SB414, a topical cream-based gel product candidate for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases. The company also develops SB207, an anti-viral product candidate for the treatment of external genital warts; WH602, a nitric oxide-containing intravaginal gel to treat high-risk human papilloma virus (HPV); WH504, a non-gel formulation product candidate to treat high-risk HPV; and SB019 for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2. Novan, Inc. has a license agreement with Sato Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; and a strategic alliance with Orion Corporation. The company was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Morrisville, North Carolina. Read More First Data Corporation provides commerce enabled technology and solutions for merchants, financial institutions, and card issuers in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates through three segments: Global Business Solutions, Global Financial Solutions, and Network & Security Solutions. The Global Business Solutions segment provides solutions to merchants, such as retail point of sale merchant acquiring, e-commerce, and mobile payment services, as well as cloud based point of sale operating system that include a marketplace for proprietary and third party applications. The Global Finance Solutions segment provides technology solutions for bank and non-bank issuers, such as credit, retail private label, commercial card, and loan processing, as well as licensed financial software systems; suite of account services that include card personalization and embossing, customer communications, and professional services; and call center solutions and back office processing. The Network & Security Solutions segment offers EFT network, stored value network, and security and fraud solutions, as well as other value added solutions to its clients in GBS and GFS segments, smaller financial institutions, and other enterprise clients. First Data Corporation was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Quest Diagnostics: AmeriPath, AmeriPath Cincinnati Inc. (OH), AmeriPath Cleveland Inc. (OH), AmeriPath Consolidated Labs Inc. (FL), AmeriPath Florida LLC (DE), AmeriPath Hospital Services Florida LLC (DE), AmeriPath Inc. (DE), AmeriPath Indianapolis PC (IN), AmeriPath Kentucky Inc. (KY), AmeriPath Lubbock 5.01(A) Corporation (TX), AmeriPath New York LLC (DE), AmeriPath Texas Inc. (DE), AmeriPath Tucson Inc. (AZ), American Medical Laboratories, American Medical Laboratories Incorporated (DE), Associated Clinical Laboratories L.P. (PA), Associated Clinical Laboratories of Pennsylvania L.L.C. (PA), Athena Diagnostics, Athena Diagnostics Inc. (DE), Blueprint Genetics, Blueprint Genetics FZ-LLC (UAE), Blueprint Genetics Inc. (DE), Blueprint Genetics Oy (Finland), California Laboratory Associates, Cape Cod Healthcare - Business, Celera, ClearPoint Diagnostic, Clearpoint Diagnostic Laboratories LLC (TX), Cleveland HeartLab, Cleveland HeartLab Inc. (DE), Clinical Laboratory Partners, Colorado Pathology Consultants P.C. (CO), ConVerge Diagnostic Services, Consolidated DermPath Inc. (DE), DFW 5.01(a) Corporation (TX), DGXWMT JV LLC (DE), Dermatopathology of Wisconsin S.C. (WI), Diagnostic Laboratory of Oklahoma LLC (OK), Diagnostic Pathology Services Inc. (OK), Diagnostic Reference Services Inc. (MD), ExamOne Canada Inc. (New Brunswick), ExamOne LLC (DE), ExamOne World Wide Inc. (PA), ExamOne World Wide of NJ Inc. (NJ), Focus Diagnostics, HemoCue, Hoffman M.D. Associated Pathologists Chartered (NV), Institute for Dermatopathology Inc. (PA), Isabella Street Urban Renewal LLC (NJ), Kailash B. Sharma M.D. Inc. (GA), Kilpatrick Pathology P.A. (NC), LabOne, LabOne LLC (MO), LabOne of Ohio Inc. (DE), Laboratorio de Analisis Biomedicos S.A. (Mexico), Lancet Labs, MACL, Med Fusion LLC (TX), Med fusion, MedPlus, Mid America Clinical Laboratories LLC (IN), Nomad Massachusetts Inc. (MA), Nuclear Medicine and Pathology Associates (GA), Ocmulgee Medical Pathology Association Inc. (GA), Pathology Building Partnership (MD) (gen. ptnrshp.), PeaceHealth Laboratories, PhenoPath Laboratories, PhenoPath Laboratories PLLC (WA), Q Squared Solutions Holdings LLC (DE), Q Squared Solutions Holdings Limited (UK), Quest Diagnostics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. (China), Quest Diagnostics Brasil Holdings Ltd. (UK), Quest Diagnostics Clinical Laboratories, Quest Diagnostics Clinical Laboratories Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics Domestic Holder LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics HTAS India Private Limited (India), Quest Diagnostics Health & Wellness LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Holdings Incorporated (DE), Quest Diagnostics Holdings Ltd. (UK), Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (MD), Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NV), Quest Diagnostics India Private Limited (India), Quest Diagnostics Infectious Disease Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics International Holdings Limited (UK), Quest Diagnostics International LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Investments LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Ireland Limited (Ireland), Quest Diagnostics LLC (CT), Quest Diagnostics LLC (IL), Quest Diagnostics LLC (MA), Quest Diagnostics Massachusetts LLC (MA), Quest Diagnostics Mexico Holding Company Trust (Mexico), Quest Diagnostics Mexico S de RL de CV (Mexico), Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute (CA), Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute Inc. (VA), Quest Diagnostics Receivables Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics Subsidiary Holdings Ltd. (UK), Quest Diagnostics TB LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Terracotta LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Venture LLC (PA), Quest Diagnostics Ventures LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics do Brasil Ltda. (Brazil), Quest Diagnostics of Pennsylvania Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics of Puerto Rico Inc. (PR), Quest HealthConnect LLC (CA), ReproSource, Reprosource Fertility Diagnostics Inc. (MA), Solstas Lab Partners, Sonora Quest Laboratories LLC (AZ), Specialty Laboratories Inc. (CA), Summit Health, UMass Memorial Medical Center - Anatomic Pathology Outreach Laboratory Business, Unilab Corporation, and Unilab Corporation (DE). The following companies are subsidiares of Sysco: 2234829 Alberta ULC, 2234842 Alberta ULC, A. M. Briggs Inc., A.M. Briggs, Almacen Fiscal Frionet Caldera S.A., Almacen Fiscal Frionet Limon S.A., Appert's Foodservice, Arnotts (Fruit) Limited, Asian Foods, Bahamas Food Holdings Limited, Bahamas Food Services Limited, Brake Bros, Brake Bros Foodservice Ireland Limited, Brake Bros. Foodservice Limited, Brake Bros. Holding I Limited, Brake Bros. Ltd., Brakes Foodservice NI Limited, Buchy Food Service, Buckhead Beef Co., Buckhead Meat & Seafood of Houston Inc., Buckhead Meat Company, Buckhead Meat Midwest Inc., Buckhead Meat of Dallas Inc., Buckhead Meat of Denver Inc., Buckhead Meat of San Antonio LP, Buzztable Inc., CAKE Corporation, Central Seafood Co., Christys Wine & Spirits Limited, Clafra Aktiebolag, Colorado Boxed Beef Co - Specialty meat-cutting division, Corporacion Frionet Sociedad Anonima, Crossgar Foodservice, Crossgar Foodservice Limited, Crown I Enterprises Inc., Cucina Acquisitions (UK) Limited, Cucina Finance (UK) Limited, Cucina French Holdings Limited, Cucina Fresh Finance Limited, Cucina Fresh Investments Limited, Cucina Lux Investments Limited, Curleys Quality Foods Limited (Third Party), Davigel Belgilux S.A., Davigel Espana S.A., Desert Meats & Provisions, Distagro, Doerle Food Service, Doughtie's Foods Inc., Dust Bowl City LLC, Eko Fagel Fisk o mittemellan AB, Enclave Insurance Company, Enclave Parkway Association Inc., Enclave Properties LLC, European Imports, European Imports Inc., Figg Inc., Freedman Meats, Freedman Meats Inc., Freedman-KB Inc., Fresh Direct (UK) Limited, Fresh Direct Group Limited, Fresh Direct Limited, Fresh Holdings Limited, FreshPoint, FreshPoint Arizona Inc., FreshPoint Atlanta Inc., FreshPoint California Inc., FreshPoint Central California Inc., FreshPoint Central Florida Inc., FreshPoint Connecticut LLC, FreshPoint Dallas Inc., FreshPoint Denver Inc., FreshPoint Hawaii LLC, FreshPoint Inc., FreshPoint Las Vegas Inc., FreshPoint North Carolina Inc., FreshPoint North Florida Inc., FreshPoint Oklahoma City LLC, FreshPoint Pompano Real Estate LLC, FreshPoint Puerto Rico LLC, FreshPoint San Francisco Inc., FreshPoint South Florida Inc., FreshPoint South Texas Inc., FreshPoint Southern California Inc., FreshPoint Tomato LLC, FreshPoint Vancouver Ltd., Freshfayre Limited, Fruktservice i Helsingborg AB, GHS Classic Drinks Limited, Gilchrist & Soames Inc., Gilchrist & Soames UK Limited, Guest Packaging LLC, Guest Supply, Guest Supply Asia Limited, Guest Supply Singapore Pte. Ltd., International Food Group, Isakssons Frukt & Gront AB, J & M Wholesale Meats, J. Kings Food Service Professionals, J. Kings Food Service Professionals Inc., Kent Frozen Foods, Les Ateliers Du Gout, Liquid Assets Limited, M&J Seafood Holdings Limited, M&J Seafood Limited, Manchester Mills LLC, Mayca Autoservicio S.A., Mayca Distribuidores S.A., Menigo Foodservice AB, Mitshim Etatu Supply LP, Newport Meat Company, Newport Meat Northern California Inc., Newport Meat Pacific Northwest Inc., Newport Meat Southern California Inc., Newport Meat of Nevada Inc., North Star Holding Corporation, North Star Seafood, North Star Seafood Acquisition Corporation, North Star Seafood LLC, PFS de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Palisades Ranch Inc., Pallas Foods, Pallas Foods Farm Fresh Unlimited Company, Pallas Foods Unlimited Company, Pauleys Produce Limited, Promotora del Servicios S.A. de C.V., Restaurangakdemien AB, Restaurant of Tomorrow Inc., Rohan Viandes Elaboration SAS, SMS Bermuda Holdings, SMS GPC International Limited, SMS GPC International Resources Limited, SMS Global Holdings S.a.r.l., SMS International Resources Ireland Unlimited Company, SMS Lux Holdings LLC, SOTF LLC, SYY Netherlands C.V., SYY Panama S. de R.L., Serca Foodservice, Servicestyckarna I Johannes AB, Servicios Ameriserve S.A. de C.V., Shenzhen Guest Supply Trading Co. Limited, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) Bianchi Montegut, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) De Boiseau, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) De Garcelles, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) J.D. Lanjouan, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) Le Dauphin, Specialty Meat Holdings LLC, Stockflag Limited, Stockholms Fiskauktion AB, Supplies on the Fly, Sysco Albany LLC, Sysco Asian Foods Inc., Sysco Atlanta LLC, Sysco Autoservicio S.A., Sysco Baltimore LLC, Sysco Baraboo LLC, Sysco Bermuda Partners L.P., Sysco Boston LLC, Sysco Canada Holdings S.a.r.l., Sysco Canada Inc., Sysco Central Alabama LLC, Sysco Central California Inc., Sysco Central Florida Inc., Sysco Central Illinois Inc., Sysco Central Pennsylvania LLC, Sysco Charlotte LLC, Sysco Chicago Inc., Sysco Cincinnati LLC, Sysco Cleveland Inc., Sysco Columbia LLC, Sysco Connecticut LLC, Sysco Corporation, Sysco Corporation Director's Deferred Compensation Plan Trust, Sysco Corporation Employee's 401(k) Plan Trust, Sysco Corporation Executive Deferred Compensation Plan Trust, Sysco Corporation Good Government Committee Inc., Sysco Corporation Retirement Trust, Sysco Corporation Supplemental Executive Retirement Trust, Sysco Corporation Supplemental Unemployment Benefits Plan Trust, Sysco Detroit LLC, Sysco Disaster Relief Foundation Inc., Sysco EI VI S. s.r.l., Sysco EU II S.a.r.l., Sysco EU III S.a.r.l., Sysco EU IV Capital Unlimited Company, Sysco EU IV S. s.r.l.., Sysco EU V S. s.r.l., Sysco Eastern Maryland LLC, Sysco Eastern Wisconsin LLC, Sysco Foundation Inc., Sysco France Holding SAS, Sysco France SAS, Sysco George Town II LLC, Sysco George Town Limited S. s.r.l.., Sysco Global Finance LLC, Sysco Global Finance LLP, Sysco Global Holdings B.V., Sysco Global Resources LLC, Sysco Global Services LLC, Sysco Grand Cayman Company, Sysco Grand Cayman II Company, Sysco Grand Cayman III Company, Sysco Grand Rapids LLC, Sysco Guernsey Limited, Sysco Guest Supply Canada Inc., Sysco Guest Supply Europe Goods Wholesalers LLC, Sysco Guest Supply Europe Limited, Sysco Guest Supply LLC, Sysco Gulf Coast LLC, Sysco Hampton Roads Inc., Sysco Hawaii Inc., Sysco Holdings II LLC, Sysco Holdings LLC, Sysco Indianapolis LLC, Sysco International Food Group Inc., Sysco International Inc., Sysco Iowa Inc., Sysco Jackson LLC, Sysco Jacksonville Inc., Sysco Kansas City Inc., Sysco Knoxville LLC, Sysco Labs Europe Limited, Sysco Labs Pvt. Ltd., Sysco Leasing LLC, Sysco Lincoln Inc., Sysco Lincoln Transportation Company Inc., Sysco Long Island LLC, Sysco Los Angeles Inc., Sysco Louisville Inc., Sysco Memphis LLC, Sysco Merchandising and Supply Chain Services Canada Inc., Sysco Merchandising and Supply Chain Services Inc., Sysco Metro New York LLC, Sysco Minnesota Inc., Sysco Montana Inc., Sysco Nashville LLC, Sysco Netherlands Partners LLC, Sysco North Central Florida Inc., Sysco North Dakota Inc., Sysco Northern New England Inc., Sysco Philadelphia LLC, Sysco Pittsburgh LLC, Sysco Portland Inc., Sysco Raleigh LLC, Sysco Resources Services LLC, Sysco Riverside Inc., Sysco Sacramento Inc., Sysco San Diego Inc., Sysco San Francisco Inc., Sysco Seattle Inc., Sysco South Florida Inc., Sysco Southeast Florida LLC, Sysco Spain Holdings SLU, Sysco Spokane Inc., Sysco St. Louis LLC, Sysco Syracuse LLC, Sysco Technologies Cayman Ltd., Sysco Technologies LLC, Sysco UK Holdings Limited, Sysco UK Limited, Sysco UK Partners LLP, Sysco USA I Inc., Sysco USA II LLC, Sysco USA III LLC, Sysco Ventura Inc., Sysco Ventures Inc., Sysco Virginia LLC, Sysco West Coast Florida Inc., Sysco Western Minnesota Inc., The SYGMA Network Inc., Upsys, Victua SAS, Walker Foods Inc., Waugh Foods, and Wild Harvest Limited. 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 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 Brookdale Senior Living, Inc. engages in the operation of senior living communities. The firm manages independent living, assisted living and dementia-care communities and continuing care retirement centers. It operates through the following segments: Independent Living Assisted Living & Memory Care, CCRCs, Health Care Services and Management Services. The Independent Living segment is primarily designed for middle to upper income seniors who desire an upscale residential environment providing the highest quality of service. The Assisted Living & Memory Care segment offer housing and 24-hour assistance with ADLs to mid-acuity frail and elderly residents. The CCRCs segment offers a variety of living arrangements and services to accommodate all levels of physical ability and health. The Healthcare Services segment provides home health, hospice and outpatient therapy services, as well as education and wellness programs, to residents of many communities and to seniors living outside communities. The Management Services segment composes of communities operated by the company pursuant to management agreements. The company was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Brentwood, TN. Read More NCI Building Systems, Inc. designs, engineers, manufactures, and markets metal products for the nonresidential construction industry in North America. It operates in four segments: Engineered Building Systems, Metal Components, Insulated Metal Panels, and Metal Coil Coating. The Engineered Building Systems segment offers engineered structural members and panels; and self-storage building systems under the Metallic, Mid-West Steel, A & S, All American, Mesco, Star, Ceco, Robertson, Garco, Heritage, and SteelBuilding.com brands to builders, general contractors, developers, and end users directly, as well as through private label companies. The Metal Components segment provides metal roof and wall systems, metal partitions, metal trims, doors, and other related accessories for use in new construction, and repair and retrofit applications; roll-up doors; and interior and exterior walk doors under the MBCI, American Building Components, Eco-ficient, Metal Depots, and Doors and Buildings Components brands to manufacturers, contractors, subcontractors, distributors, lumberyards, cooperative buying groups, and other customers. The Insulated Metal Panels segment offers insulated metal panels for architectural, commercial, industrial, and cold storage end-market applications under the Metl-Span and CENTRIA brands. The Metal Coil Coating segment engages in cleaning, treating, and painting flat-rolled metals in coil form, as well as in slitting and/or embossing the metal, before the metal is fabricated for use by industrial users. It also cleans, treats, and coats heavy and light gauge metal coils for use in construction products, heating and air conditioning systems, water heaters, lighting fixtures, ceiling grids, office furniture, appliances, and other products; and provides toll coating and painted metal package services under the Metal Coaters and Metal Prep brands. NCI Building Systems, Inc. was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. Read More Indonesian's president on Sunday called on people to pray for victims of the earthquake and tsunami on the island of Sulawesi. Joko Widodo and several thousand people attended a mass prayer really in Surakarta, Central Java for victims of Friday's natural disasters, Indonesia's national news agency Antara reported. The tsunami, towering up to three meters high, hit Palu, capital of the Central Sulawesi province, and the northeast of the nearby Donggala Regency. A total of 821 of the deaths were confirmed in Palu, while the other 11 victims are from the city of Donggala, National Disaster Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told reporters. Joko is set later to visit Palu, capital of the Central Sulawesi province, to inspect the damage. At least 2.4 million people have been affected by the quake in 13 sub-districts in Donggala and eight sub-districts in Palu, said Indonesias disaster management agency BNPB, cited by Antara. At least 100 rescue workers have been sent to help victims in Palu and Donggala. Over the last two months, three more earthquakes with magnitudes 6.3, 6.9, and 7 hit the eastern island of Lombok, killing a total of 563 people. Indonesia lies within the Pacific Oceans "Ring of Fire" where tectonic plates collide and cause frequent seismic and volcanic activity. On Dec. 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck the eastern coast of Sumatra, triggering a tsunami that killed around 230,000 people as it tore along the coasts of Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. At least five people were killed when an inflatable boat carrying irregular migrants sank off Turkey's northwestern Edirne province, security sources said on Sunday. The boat capsized off the coastal town of Enez's Sultanice district, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media. The Coast Guard reached five bodies in the sea. No further details on the incident were provided. Turkey has been a major route for refugees trying to cross into Europe, especially since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011. The leader of Turkeys opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) on Sunday voiced hope that the governments new economic program will spur progress in Turkey. Speaking to reporters after his partys three-day retreat in the capital Ankara, Devlet Bahceli said: If both the new economic program and other measures taken by the government are implemented permanently, determinedly, and comprehensively, improvement [] will not be far away. On Sept. 20, the government unveiled its new economic program, based on three fundamental pillars: stabilization, discipline, and transformation. Announcing the program, Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak said the country will activate a comprehensive set of economic policies. Bahceli also stressed that Turkeys new presidential system complying with the legislation is essential in order to thwart so-called allies encouraging terrorist groups and playing with borders in front of virtual maps. On his partys push for an amnesty law, Bahceli said that the proposal is independent of the MHPs Peoples Alliance with the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party. The alliance is one thing and our [amnesty] proposal is another, he said. In a bill submitted on Monday, the MHP proposed a one-off conditional five-year sentence reduction for certain classes of crimes committed before this May 19. This alliance will continue, the MHP leader added. It will be a permanent message to both friends and enemies. The alliance between the AK Party and the MHP was formed this February ahead of the June general elections and continues in some forms between the two parties. Many May See First Snowfall of the Season Kanye West (Photo: Gary Gershoff/WireImage) Rapper and designer Kanye West, in New York City to host Saturday Night Live tonight, stopped in his tracks when he heard a young man rapping on the street Saturday afternoon. According to a video West shared on his newly resurrected Instagram account, he spotted the man, named Nino Blu, rapping on the street in Greenwich Village. Yo tell them your name, West, 41, says. My name is Nino Blu and Im here with Kanye West, Blu responds, as West turns the camera quickly to himself, showing hes wearing a MAGA hat and orange coat. Actually, my birthday was the other day, and I just became homeless because the guy at the place I was living with was a little crazy. Im out here on the street, and Kanye is bringing me into the studio right now, Blu continues. He heard me rap, he let me rap to him. He says I have good energy, and hes gonna show me some beats and stuff. I feel extremely blessed. I feel very happy, he says. I feel like God is just looking out for me right now. I dont really have any words to describe whats going on, it just feels like a crazy-ass miracle. He goes on to say, I just want everyone back there to know if you have a dream, if you have anything that you feel like youre pursuing, keep going for that s*** until the very end. Cuz you dont know what potentially could happen. The universe works in very mysterious ways, and I feel extremely blessed for Kanye West to help me out with this. According to TMZ, Kanye, along with wife Kim Kardashian West, were at NYCs famous Electric Lady Studios Friday night, where Ye has been recording music (its also near where he ran into Blu). His new album drops Saturday, and hes already conceded hell be No. 2, behind Tha Carter V. Will a song with Nino Blu make it onto the album? Well find out Saturday night. Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: Story continues By Marcin Goclowski WARSAW (Reuters) - A new movie featuring drunk, fornicating and child-abusing priests has outraged some conservative politicians in Poland and fuelled debate about the Catholic Church's influence in one of Europe's most devout nations. "Kler" ("Clergy") revolves around the lives of three fictional Catholic priests who swill vodka and mock the church. One of them sexually abuses a blind orphan boy. Several senior members of Poland's ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, which counts on the Church's backing for electoral support, have spoken out against the film. Its release on Friday comes as a landmark paedophilia case grinds through Poland's courts and Pope Francis battles to address the issue worldwide. In January, a court in Poznan ordered the Catholic Church in Poland to pay reparations and a lifetime pension to a woman who had been sexually abused by a priest as a child. An appeal is due to be heard in October. "Kler", made by celebrated Polish director Wojciech Smarzowski, was praised by critics after its premiere at a Polish film festival last week. But Jaroslaw Sellin, a deputy culture minister in the PiS government, accused it of fostering "negative stereotypes" and treating the Church unfairly. Other members of the PiS, a staunchly eurosceptic party big on patriotism and Catholic piety, have said they want it banned. The flagship news programme on state television, closely aligned with the PiS, called the film "just another attack on the Catholic church, brutal and untrue". Church attendance is declining in Poland, along with the clergy's traditional sway over policymakers, but it remains one of Europe's most religious countries. The Institute for Catholic Church Statistics, a Warsaw-based research centre run by priests, says nearly 85 percent of the 38 million population are Catholic, and 37 percent of those attend Sunday mass. Story continues Most children at state schools attend religious classes but get little in the way of sex education, while doctors can refuse contraceptives to unmarried women on religious grounds. A crucifix hangs prominently in the lower house of the Polish parliament, despite legal efforts by secular politicians to have it removed. "Kler" was shot mainly in churches in the Czech Republic because getting permission to film in Polish churches would have taken too long, Smarzowski told the French TV channel Canal+. In a promotional video, he said he hoped his film would stop people treating priests as saints: "They're not saints. They just wear cassocks." (Reporting by Marcin Goclowski; Editing by Andrew RC Marshall and Kevin Liffey) With Princess Eugenies royal wedding just two weeks away, the preparations wouldnt be complete without some commemorative china. On Friday, the palace shops unveiled the set of collectibles that will mark the wedding of Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank on October 12. The set includes a miniature teacup and saucer ($33), pillbox ($38), tankard ($51) and coaster ($26), all carrying the coronet of Princess Eugenie, along with the couples entwined monogram. The tankard features their individual monograms painted on each side. Each piece also features hand-finished, 22-carat gold details. The china is decorated with garlands of ivy, which is a nod to their Kensington Palace home, Ivy Cottage. The ivy is woven with English wild bluebells, forget-me-nots and the white rose of York signifying Eugenies family name. Eugenie and Jack will wed at 11 a.m. on October 12 at St. Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle. They will next take a short carriage ride through the streets of the town where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got married in May. RELATED VIDEO: Princesses Eugenie & Beatrice Open Up About Their Relationship in British Vogues September Issue All profits from sales of the china go to The Royal Collection Trust, the charity responsible for the care and conservation of the Royal Collection, the art collection spread throughout the royal residences in the U.K. It also helps promote the access and enjoyment of that collection fine and decorative arts through exhibitions, publications, loans and educational programs. I'd really want to see her. I really would want to see what she has to say, but I want to give it all the time they need. They've already given it time, they've delayed a major hearing. There's no more, just about, look. When I first decided to run, everybody said the single most important thing you do is the Supreme Court Justice It's okay, we've all heard that many times about a president. I would say this, I think he's an extraordinary man. I think he's a man of great intellect, as I've been telling you, and he has an unblemished record. This is a very tough thing for him and his family. And we wanna get it over with, at the same time We wanna give tremendous amounts of time. If she shows up, that would be wonderful, if she doesn't show up, that would be unfortunate This week, emotions ran at an all-time high as people across the country watched the Brett Kavanaugh hearings. We saw a brave Christine Blasey Ford publicly tell her story of alleged sexual assault at the hands of Kavanaugh in front of the entire nation, and the Supreme Court nominee refute her claims with a series of soap opera-worthy tears, which left many outraged. Now, less than 24 hours after their testimonies, President Trump ordered the FBI to investigate the sexual misconduct accusations. Whether the probe will bring anything to light is unknown, but what can be guaranteed is how our voices are heard during these turbulent political times. Before the senate votes to approve or reject Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court, it's time to take action. Below, we outline the ways you can take a stand amid the Kavanaugh controversy. Contact Your Local Senator While it may be a little late to send a letter via snail mail, there's still plenty of time to call, text, tweet, or email your local representative to vote "no" on Kavanaugh. Some senators are still unsure whether they'll approve the Supreme Court nominee, and are reported to be wavering per Newsweek, so now's your chance to make a case against him. Story continues You can call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121, and you'll be transferred to the correct person. Or, you can find your official's contact information with the senator index you can also search their email addresses here, too! With a new app, Resistbot, you are able to text the word "RESIST" to 50409, and the bot will send your message for you. Support the National Sexual Assault Hotline Listening to Ford's testimony brought up a ton of emotions and painful memories for former victims of sexual misconduct. The phones at the National Sexual Assault Hotline have been ringing at an "unprecedented" rate in the wake of the trial. You can help by donating funds, volunteering your time, or spreading the word about the helpline on social media. We are experiencing unprecedented wait times for our online chat. If you are able, we encourage you to call 800.656.HOPE (4673) or reach out via chat tomorrow. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. RAINN (@RAINN) September 27, 2018 The hotline is operated by the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, aka RAINN. Every call is confidential and operators listen to survivor stories, offering advice and information on laws against sexual violence. Volunteer for a Voter Contact Shift The Nov. 6th elections are just a month away, and the Democrats need to win 24 seats in order to regain control of the house. To help make this happen, the organization Move On has facilitated events where you can volunteer for a shift at a local U.S. House candidate's campaign office, speaking with voters about specific issues. This week, September 29 to Oct. 3, is about "Keep Families Together," but you can also discuss the Kavanaugh controversy as a point of persuasion. Visit Move On's website to find an event near you. HOUSTON (AP) Anita Hill says one of the things that stood out to her from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's hearing was how his emotional and angry testimony compared to the calm testimony of the woman accusing him of sexual assault. Hill gave Senate testimony in 1991 about her allegations of sexual harassment by then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. Hill spoke Friday at the Grace Hopper Celebration, a gathering of women technologists in Houston, one day after Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Ford, a California psychology professor, has accused Kavanaugh of pinning her in a locked room at a party and trying to assault her more than three decades ago, when they were in high school. Kavanaugh forcefully denied the allegations and accused Democrats of trying to smear him. Hill noted that during Thursday's hearing, Kavanaugh "was able to express a real anger, an aggression, as well as a lot of emotion." No female Supreme Court candidate, she said, "would ever have the license to express (herself) in that way." "We still have so far to go in terms of the power that he had and the license that he had ... to cry or to be angry," she said. Hill says she was impressed with Ford's demeanor and her careful responses to questions. She said she recognized Ford's fear but also her openness to "share it in a setting where she didn't want to be." "At the end of the day, I certainly believed her," Hill said. Thomas ultimately was confirmed by the Senate. As Hill spoke in Houston, a key Republican, Sen. Jeff Flake, announced he supported Kavanaugh but called for a delay of up to a week to further investigate Ford's allegations. The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Kavanaugh's nomination to the full Senate. Hill says the U.S. has evolved in the 27 years since she and Thomas testified, and there is a greater understanding of gender dynamics and sexual misconduct due to the #MeToo movement. Story continues Asked what she would tell Ford about how to live her life going forward, Hill said she could only advise her to be "authentic and do what feels right for you to do." Hill noted, wryly, that when she started giving speeches after her 1991 testimony, some people criticized her talks as boring. "I said, 'That's who I am,'" Hill said. She added: "Don't do anything that's going to dehumanize you and cause you great pain and trauma." ___ Associated Press reporter Jamie Stengle in Dallas contributed to this report. WASHINGTON (AP) Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and his Senate supporters misrepresented the record when they stated that three witnesses refuted Christine Blasey Ford's allegation that he sexually assaulted her at a party more than 30 years ago. The three swore they had no recollection of the party providing no support for Ford's accusations laid out to the Senate Judiciary Committee. But their statements do not disprove the allegations, either. KAVANAUGH, in testimony Thursday: "Dr. Ford's allegations are not merely uncorroborated, it's refuted by the very people she says were there." REPUBLICAN SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, contended Friday that the sum of statements by the three witnesses "refutes Dr. Ford's version of the facts." REPUBLICAN SEN. TED CRUZ of Texas: "All three of those fact witnesses have stated on the record under penalty of perjury that they do not recall what she is alleging happening. They have not only not, not corroborated her charges, they have explicitly refuted her charges." hearing Thursday. THE FACTS: The witness statements in question do not corroborate Ford's allegations, but they also do not exonerate Kavanaugh. They leave open the possibility that people at the small gathering forgot about it or were not in position to witness the assault. Even Mark Judge, who Ford says was in the bedroom when Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her, has not denied that such an episode took place. His sworn statement to the committee says "I have no memory of this alleged incident," ''do not recall the party" and "never saw Brett act in the manner Dr. Ford describes." In another statement, Patrick J. Smyth, identified by Ford as being among those downstairs at the party, says "I have no knowledge of the party in question; nor do I have any knowledge of the allegations of improper conduct she has leveled against Brett Kavanaugh.'" Story continues And the lawyer for Ford's friend, Leland Ingham Keyser, said in a statement: "Ms. Keyser does not know Mr. Kavanaugh and she has no recollection of ever being at a party or gathering where he was present, with, without, Dr. Ford." Kavanaugh accurately summarized those statements when he told senators: "All of the people identified by Dr. Ford as being present at the party have said they do not remember any such party ever happening. Importantly her friend Ms. Keyser has not only denied knowledge of the party. Ms. Keyser said under penalty of felony she does not know me, does not ever recall being at a party with me ever." Despite saying she hadn't met Kavanaugh and doesn't remember the party, Keyser told The Washington Post that she believes Ford. ___ Find AP Fact Checks at http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck EDITOR'S NOTE _ A look at the veracity of claims by political figures After Ana Maria Archila and Maria Gallagher challenged senator, he called for an FBI investigation into Kavanaugh case The two women who helped alter the course of American legal history by staging an impromptu protest in a Washington elevator have said they were driven by memories of private trauma and inspired by the courage of Dr Christine Blasey Ford. Ana Maria Archila and Maria Gallagher of New York loudly berated Senator Jeff Flake for planning to back Brett Kavanaughs nomination to the supreme court on Friday, influencing him to alter his view and call for an FBI investigation, which the White House then ordered. Kavanaugh, 53, is accused of sexually attacking Ford 36 years ago. He denies the accusation. In his own testimony to the Senate judiciary committee on Thursday, he angrily rejected the allegation as a political attack by Democrats. Ford testified prior to Kavanaugh, capturing the attention of a nation. After their moment in the spotlight, Archila and Gallagher spoke of their personal motivations for cornering Flake in the Senate offices. Gallagher, a 23-year-old from Westchester, New York, said she had never told anyone about the assault she suffered. Archila, a 39-year-old from Queens, has disclosed that she was assaulted at the age of five. Speaking to the BBC, Archila said she wanted Flake to feel my rage, as she believes Judge Kavanaugh is dangerous for women. On Saturday, she spoke to the Guardian. As we were waiting outside [Flakes office], she said, we found out he put out a statement to support the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh. One or two minutes later he stepped out of a nondescript door. He was rushing to the elevator, we were running behind him. I was really still kind of in reaction mode to the announcement he had made with his statement. I had somehow pinned my hopes on him. Flake will retire from the Senate in November. Though he is a prominent critic of Donald Trump, he is also a strong conservative. Kavanaughs nomination would shift the supreme court firmly to the right. Story continues His statement made me deeply sad, deeply angry, frustrated, Archila said. So when he came out, I didnt have anything planned to say. I just said I was here just a few days ago, telling my experience. Archila is a co-director at the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD), a not-for-profit group that campaigns for an inclusive, equitable society. She and Gallagher have been hailed as heroines by Democrats and by international supporters of the #MeToo movement. Archila said she confronted Flake because I recognized myself I saw myself in Dr Fords words, and the way she told her story. We need to be believed. We wanted him to feel to have to look us in the eye to feel our pain. I thought, We have to fight up until the last minute. Archila had never told her story publicly, and in fact had to text her father to reveal the assault after she confronted Flake. I said, Youre going to see something in the news, and Im OK, Archila said. I was trying to protect him from my pain, from having to experience the pain. I was both incredibly sad that my fear as a child was in fact confirmed, but also [it was] kind of a relief that finally we could just hold it together, and I was able to say to him it wasnt his fault, and it wasnt my fault, and I felt very supported. Gallagher said her her mother called after seeing her protest on television. The family conversation to come would not be easy, Gallagher said. Archila said she acted out of shock and outrage at the possibility of someone being accused of attempted rape being in the supreme court but also because like women across the country she was offended by the fact we were being treated as unreliable, treated with disbelief, treated with doubt. Of Flakes call for an FBI investigation, she said she was honestly surprised. He made a decision that seemed to be shaped by the moment, she said. I had a little seed of optimism, but I was really reminded: yes, this is how social change happens in these countries. People do things theyve never done before. Gallagher tweeted that she was relieved to learn Flake had heard their voices. We absolutely need an FBI investigation and for him and all senators to vote NO, she wrote. Archila also spoke to the BBCs Newsnight. Asked if she thought it was their efforts that had led Flake to change his mind, she spoke of the outpouring from all those who had come forward to tell their stories. She said: I think if it had been just me, just me and Maria telling our stories, it would have had no consequence. It was the result of thousands of people coming out telling their stories, showing up to their offices and millions of people watching Dr Blasey Ford being put on trial. It is really the result of the collective effort, of all of us trying to make sure that our country does not shy away from staring at the darkness and shame of sexual violence, and a culture that condones it, by ignoring survivors. London (AFP) - Britain's Boris Johnson on Friday unveiled his vision for Brexit as he urged Prime Minister Theresa May to pursue a "Super Canada" trade deal, sparking renewed infighting among ruling Conservatives ahead of their annual party conference. The former foreign secretary, who resigned from the government in July over the issue, described May's current proposals for the future relationship with the EU as a "moral and intellectual humiliation". Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Johnson outlined a six-point alternative plan that would scrap a backstop agreement struck with the European Union last December on the contentious Irish border. He argued that adopting technology and making customs checks away from the frontier would prevent a return to a hard border -- a sticking point in negotiations and a key factor in May's proposal. The ardent Brexiteer called for Britain and the EU instead to negotiate a free trade agreement -- dubbed "Super Canada" -- mirroring the deal the bloc signed with Ottawa in 2016. It removed the vast majority of customs duties on exports crossing the Atlantic. He conceded that negotiating such an agreement, which would aim for mutual recognition of standards to keep goods moving and also include services, may require extending any Brexit transition period beyond 2020. "We have the chance to get it right, and I am afraid that future generations will not lightly forgive us if we fail," Johnson wrote in the 4,500-word article. His intervention ahead of the Conservative Party conference -- where he will address a fringe event on Tuesday -- prompted immediate Tory division. "Shame he didn't research the link between agreeing a solution that keeps the Irish border frictionless and the chances of agreeing withdrawal terms," former cabinet minister Nicky Morgan wrote on Twitter. "Or does he just not care?" In contrast, eurosceptic MP Bernard Jenkin called the plan "powerful" while Brexiteer colleague Nadine Dorries called Johnson "a man with a plan". Story continues - Shadow of Brexit - The blueprint will increase pressure on embattled leader May as her divided party's gathering starts Sunday under the shadow of Brexit. Johnson will deliver his speech a day before May's keynote address, and while playing down talk of leadership rivalry between them, Johnson refused to rule out running against May when pressed on the subject by the BBC. "The most important thing for me is to avert what I think would be a political and economic disaster for this country," Johnson said. "I think there is still time for her to change course." May has proposed Britain follow EU rules in trade in goods after Brexit, to protect manufacturing supply lines and avoid the hard border between Northern Ireland, a British province, and EU member Ireland. The plan, forged in July at May's country retreat Chequers, has faced strong opposition in her Conservative party and criticism in Brussels, but she has repeatedly vowed to stick with it. Johnson reiterated Friday the proposal was a "democratic disaster" that would "cheat the electorate" and leave Britain "half in, half out" of Europe. Britain is set to leave the EU next March, with both sides agreeing that a provisional divorce deal, comprising assurances on the Irish border among other things, must be reached by mid-November. Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - Hundreds of thousands of women turned out for a wave of nationwide protests in Brazil on Saturday against the candidacy of the right-wing frontrunner in next week's presidential election, Jair Bolsonaro. The controversial Bolsonaro, who was released from hospital on Saturday after being stabbed and seriously wounded by a left-wing activist during a rally on September 6, is currently leading in opinion polls. Marches organized by a social media campaign under the hashtag #EleNao (Not Him) began in earnest around 1800 GMT in dozens of cities including Rio de Janeiro, where thousands of women converged at vast Cinelandia square, to be joined by a column of others marching from the Avenida Rio Branco, a major thoroughfare, AFP journalists reported. Small groups took to the streets even earlier in Sao Paulo and other locations. Demonstrations also took place abroad, from Dublin and Paris to Budapest and Beirut. Superstar Madonna proclaimed her solidarity with the cause in an Instagram post that included the hashtag #endfascism. The Time's Up movement which supports victims of sexual abuse tweeted its support: "To our sisters in Brazil: We are all in this together. We see you and hear you. We are with you." "Women of Brazil, women outside Brazil, all women, it's time to join in," said Ludimilla Teixeira, one of the march organizers. "Either we join now to fight or we're going to gather to mourn later." By the time the women headed home, organizers said that at least a half million took part. Police did not offer figures. - 'Leap into the abyss' - Bolsonaro, a 63-year-old former army captain, has been branded racist, misogynist and homophobic by his detractors. He has specifically angered women by seeking to justify a yawning gender wage gap, and has argued against employing women if it was likely they would become pregnant. Bolsonaro further inflamed his opponents on Friday by saying he would accept no outcome in the October 7 balloting but his own victory. Story continues "From what I see on the streets, I do not accept any election result that is not my election," he said in an interview with a local television network. That drew a withering response from opponents. Center-left candidate Ciro Gomes said that Bolsonaro would be "striking a blow against our democracy" and that the best antidote was "not to vote Bolsonaro in the first round in order to protect Brazil from a leap into the abyss." The women's campaign, launched on Facebook in early September, called on women of all political persuasions to come together "against the advancement and strengthening of machismo, misogyny, racism, homophobia and other prejudice." "We cannot allow fascism to advance in Brazil," Teixeira said, calling Bolsonaro a "disastrous" candidate. Beatriz Lorena, 33, told AFP the colorful crowd of all types represented Brazil's diversity, while Bolsonaro and his style did not. "You see white people, black people here, gays and straights, mothers and fathers with their kids. All kinds of diverse families," she stressed, warning that Bolsonaro "is outside Brazil's cultural mainstream." Yet Bolsonaro's supporters laud both his tough stance on tackling Brazil's rising crime rate and his pledge to protect traditional family values. Hundreds of his female supporters staged pro-Bolsonaro rallies on Rio's Copacabana beach and in Sao Paulo. "I support Bolsonaro because he has a clean record," Elizabeth Resende, a regional candidate with Bolsonaro's Social Liberal Party, said in Sao Paulo. "He is not homophobic or macho. I'm with him because I'm not a feminist -- I'm female -- and want respect for my children and a better country," she said. -'Broad mobilization'- Joao Feres Junior, professor of political science at Rio de Janeiro's State University, said women were making gender an election issue in Brazil for the first time, acting "not to support a candidate, but as citizens faced with a political project that excludes them." Analyst Ligia Fabris Campos, of the Getulio Vargas Foundation, said "there is no record of such a broad mobilization of women" in recent Brazilian history. Bolsonaro "underestimates women, underestimates homosexuals, underestimates blacks," said actress Caroline Abras, one of dozens of celebrities backing the "Not Him" campaign. According to the latest opinion poll released Friday by Datafolha, Bolsonaro leads with 28 percent support to 22 percent for his nearest rival, Workers' Party candidate Fernando Haddad. Those two are expected to go head-to-head in a second round run-off three weeks later. Haddad is a replacement candidate for former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is in jail for corruption and who was barred from running by the nation's Supreme Electoral Court. Datafolha's survey shows Haddad triumphing in an eventual run-off with Bolsonaro, 43 percent to 37 percent. Donald Trump has ordered the FBI to carry out a fresh investigation into his nominee for the Supreme Court, after Republicans were obliged to delay a full confirmation vote after being blind-sided by one of their own senators. During a day of blurred and frequently confusing drama on Capitol Hill, the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday voted 11-10 to approve Brett Kavanaugh for a confirmation vote in the full senate. But it did so, only after an 11th hour intervention from Jeff Flake, a senator from Arizona, who said his support in the later confirmation vote was dependent on the FBI being given a week to carry out an investigation into Mr Kavanaugh, the subject of sexual assault allegations from several women, all of which he denies. This country is being ripped apart here, Mr Flake told the committee, after a vote scheduled for 1.30pm was delayed. We ought to do what we can to make sure that we do all due diligence with a nomination this important. Mr Flakes deeds sent senior Republicans scrambling to decide how best to proceed. The senates Republican chairman, Chuck Grassley, who has long said he did not see the need for an additional investigation into Mr Kavanaugh, said it was the decision of Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell on when to hold the confirmation vote. Within a matter of hours, Mr Grassley issued a statement saying he would ask the White House to request the FBI carry out an additional background check. Shortly afterwards, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a statement from the president, which read: Ive ordered the FBI to conduct a supplemental investigation to update Judge Kavanaughs file. As the senate has requested, this update must be limited in scope and completed in less than one week. Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who delivered powerful testimony on Thursday in which she outlined, calmly but with emotion, the incident allegedly involving Mr Kavanaugh, said she welcomed an FBI investigation into the allegations. But one of her lawyers, Debra Katz, sought to push back on efforts to limit the length of the probe or its scope. Story continues No artificial limits as to time or scope should be imposed on this investigation, said Ms Katz. Reuters said the prospect of a new investigation put the confirmation chances for Mr Kavanaugh, a conservative federal appeals court judge, in further jeopardy in a senate only narrowly controlled by Republicans. While he has stridently denied the accusations against him, his own testimony on Thursday was combative and at times aggressive. Several Republican women in the senate have already expressed doubts about him. The move to delay the vote by a week was immediately supported by two of those women, Susan Collins of Maine and and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who have been considered possible no votes in the senate because of Mr Kavanaughs perceived opposition to womens reproductive rights. I support this sensible agreement. pic.twitter.com/5QtenWGGqb Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) September 28, 2018 I support this sensible agreement, said Ms Collins. In a statement issued by the White House, Mr Kavanaugh said he would cooperate with the FBI. Throughout this process, Ive been interviewed by the FBI, Ive done a number of background calls directly with the senate, and yesterday, I answered questions under oath about every topic the senators and their counsel asked me. Ive done everything they have requested and will continue to cooperate, he said Earlier, Mr Trump said he will leave it to the Senate to determine when it will vote on his Supreme Court nominee. But he said he felt optimistic. Im sure it will all be very good, he said at the White House, where he was meeting the president of Chile. He said he believed Ms Fords testimony was very compelling, and she looks like a very fine woman to me. He added: Bretts testimony was, likewise, really something that I hadnt seen before. Mr Flake may have been motivated to act by the words of two protesters who confronted him in a senate elevator after it was initially announced he would back Mr Kavanaugh. What you are doing is allowing someone who actually violated a woman to sit on the Supreme Court. This is not tolerable. You have children in your family. Think about them. I have two children, shouted one of the women, Ana Maria Archila. I cannot imagine that for the next 50 years they will have to have someone in the Supreme Court who has been accused of violating a young girl. What are you doing, sir? Before Mr Flakes actions, committee Republicans voted down a Democratic motion seeking to subpoena Mark Judge, a friend of Mr Kavanaugh who Ms Ford said witnessed the 1982 alleged assault. Mr Judge had told the committee in a written statement he does not recall any such incident. He is likely to be central to any FBI probe. In a letter sent to the committee, Mr Judge sent a signed letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday, saying he categorically denies sexual misconduct allegations made by Julie Swetnick. In a sworn statement released on Wednesday, Ms Swetnick accused Mr Kavanaugh and Mr Judge of excessive drinking and helping to organise the gang-rape of women. Both men denied the claims. Mr Kavanaugh has also been accused of exposing himself during a drunken dormitory party at Yale University. The Washington Post said Republicans said they still planned to move ahead with a procedural vote on Mr Kavanaughs nomination on Saturday but will postpone a final vote on his confirmation that they had hoped would take place on Tuesday. The fate of Donald Trumps nominee for the Supreme Court remains uncertain after a strident and emotional day of testimony from both himself and one of his accusers, which at times brought people to tears. Whether it changed the vote of a single person who will determine his future, has yet to be seen. The Senate Judiciary Committee is due to meet on Friday morning to consider Brett Kavanaugh's nomination. If the committee votes to approve him, his nomination will go to the full senate for final confirmation. It was not immediately clear if Republicans believed they had all the votes they would need from the 21-member committee. On Thursday, in an appearance that was at times blazing and even angry, Mr Kavanaugh denied sexually assaulting Christine Blasey Ford, or any of the other women who have accused him of doing so. He said the allegations against him, and the process to try and rebut them had destroyed my family and my good name. Mr Trump certainly approved of his nominee's high-stakes performance. He tweeted: Judge Kavanaugh showed America exactly why I nominated him. His testimony was powerful, honest, and riveting. Democrats search and destroy strategy is disgraceful and this process has been a total sham and effort to delay, obstruct, and resist. The Senate must vote. The presidents nominee, a 53-year-old appeals court judge, sought to present himself as the victim of a calculated and orchestrated political hit fuelled by anger left over from Mr Trumps 2016 election win and a desire for revenge among supporters of Hillary Clinton. I will not be intimidated into withdrawing from this process. Your coordinated and well funded effort to destroy my good name ... will not drive me out, he told the committee. Earlier on Thursday, during the course of more than four hours, Ms Ford, a California-based psychology professor, delivered testimony that at times was equally emotional, but overall more measured. She said she had no wish to be present and was testifying out of a sense of civic duty. Story continues Judge Kavanaugh showed America exactly why I nominated him. His testimony was powerful, honest, and riveting. Democrats search and destroy strategy is disgraceful and this process has been a total sham and effort to delay, obstruct, and resist. The Senate must vote! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 27, 2018 I am terrified. I am here because I believe it is my civic duty to tell you what happened to me while Brett Kavanaugh and I were in high school, she said. She told the 21 senators, just four of them women all Democrats she was 100 per cent certain that it was Mr Kavanaugh who had assaulted her at a high school party in Maryland in the early 1980s an attempt to dismiss suggestions some had made that while she may have been assaulted, it was by someone other than Mr Trumps pick for the nations highest court. Asked by Democrat Dianne Feinstein if it was possible she was mistaken, she said: Absolutely not. She said her strongest memory of the alleged incident, was the uproarious laughter between Mr Kavanaugh and a friend she said was also in a bedroom at the party. She said the laughter had haunted her ever since. Brett groped me and tried to take off my clothes. He had a hard time because he was so drunk, and because I was wearing a one-piece bathing suit under my clothes. I believed he was going to rape me. I tried to yell for help, she said. When I did, Brett put his hand over my mouth to stop me from screaming. This was what terrified me the most, and has had the most lasting impact on my life. It was hard for me to breathe, and I thought that Brett was accidentally going to kill me. Mr Trump is desperate for Mr Kavanaugh to be confirmed to the bench so that Republicans can use it in their campaign for the midterm elections. A number of Mr Trumps supporters, in particular evangelical Christians, have said last years confirmation of Neil Gorsuch, another conservative, was the presidents most important action since entering the White House. Mr Trump, who campaigned for the White House saying he wanted to appoint justices who were open to pushing back landmark rulings such as Roe v Wade, which guarantees the right to an abortion, has said appointing someone to the bench is one of the most significant actions a president can take. It was reported that Mr Trump spent much of the day watching the hearing on Capitol Hill, so much so that he postponed a meeting he was due to hold with deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein, the man who is overseeing the special counsels investigation into Russias alleged election interference and possible collusion with the Trump campaign. After South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican, delivered a stinging attack on his Democratic colleagues for making Mr Kavanaugh to go through hell, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted: Lindsey Graham has more decency and courage than every Democrat member of the committee combined. God bless him. Two other women, Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick, have accused Mr Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct in the 1980s. Ms Ramirez accused Mr Kavanaugh of exposing himself during a drunken dormitory party during the 1983-84 academic year when both attended Yale University. Ms Swetnick claims she witnessed efforts by Mr Kavanaugh and others to get girls drunk at parties so they could be gang raped. She alleged Mr Kavanaugh was present at a 1982 party where she was raped. Mr Kavanaugh has also denied these accusations. While Mr Kavanaughs nomination must first be voted on by the committee made up of 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats it must be confirmed by the full senate. It is believed several Republican senators, including Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, may vote against the nominee. On Thursday Ms Murkowski told Reuters: I find Dr Fords testimony to be credible." The United States Senate Judiciary Committee is to vote for the first time on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. The vote follows a dramatic day of testimony from both Mr Kavanaugh and his sexual assault accuser, Dr Christine Blasey Ford. Dr Ford, who was close to tears during Thursday's hearing, claimed Mr Kavanaugh attacked her at a party in 1982, describing the alleged incident in detail and how it has affected her life. ::Follow live updates from the Senate Judiciary Committee:: Donald Trump has thrown his weight behind his nomination for America's highest court despite the allegations. Mr Kavanaugh's full vote is expected next week and, despite a Republican majority in the Senate of 51-49, the outcome is difficult to predict. A delay on both votes has been called for by the American Bar Association in order to allow the FBI the necessary time to investigate Dr Ford's claims and come to a thorough conclusion. Birmingham (United Kingdom) (AFP) - British Prime Minister Theresa May and her allies called for unity Sunday after former colleague Boris Johnson hijacked the opening of their Conservative party's annual conference with another attack on the government's Brexit plan. Former foreign minister Johnson, long tipped as a successor to May, used a newspaper interview to condemn her plan for close economic ties with the EU as "deranged" and "preposterous". He is among a group of eurosceptics in her Conservative party who are using the four-day gathering in Birmingham, central England, to make the case for a looser trade agreement. Several backbench MPs also joined former UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage, a leading Brexit campaigner, at a rally here Sunday, demanding May "chuck" her plan. The prime minister is already under intense pressure from EU leaders, who earlier this month rejected her trade plan and demanded a rethink before a summit in mid-October. Meanwhile pro-European Conservatives joined hundreds of people chanting "Bollocks to Brexit" at a rival rally calling for a new EU referendum. May has repeated ruled out a new Brexit vote, and insists her plan is the only way to protect cross-border trade in goods and avoid physical checks on the Irish border. "My message to my party is, let's come together and get the best deal for Britain," she told the BBC in an interview. Analysts believe May will have to give further ground to Brussels to secure a withdrawal agreement before Brexit in March next year, but no announcements are expected in Birmingham. Johnson's successor, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, warned EU leaders not to make the bloc a prison, or "we won't be the only prisoner that will want to escape". But his conference speech also had a message for colleagues that their in-fighting threatened undermining Brexit, or handing power to opposition leftist leader Jeremy Corbyn. Story continues "Never forget that disunity and division wont give us a better Brexit but the wrong Brexit, a Corbyn Brexit or perhaps no Brexit at all," he said. - Threats to leadership - Since losing her parliamentary majority in a disastrous snap election last year, May has faced endless internal plotting and rumours of a leadership challenge. Many potential successors inside and outside her cabinet will address delegates this week, notably Johnson, who quit in July over May's Brexit plan. Charismatic and with a populist touch, Johnson is a favourite with the Conservative faithful and is expected to draw large crowds to his speech at a fringe event on Tuesday. In his interview with the Sunday Times, he made a direct pitch for the leadership by setting out a slew of domestic policy ideas. But many believe May's rivals will wait and see what happens in the EU talks, with the House of Commons due to vote on the final Brexit deal, possibly in November or December. May only has a slim working majority among the 650 MPs, making her vulnerable to even the smallest rebellion. Few delegates here want an immediate change of leader, even those unhappy with May's plan. "I think it's got to wait until after Brexit," said Alan Dixon, 72, from Derby. - Labour threat - The opening to the conference was overshadowed by a security breach in the mobile app for the event which allowed users to access phone numbers of senior ministers and MPs. It was an inauspicious start to a meeting that many Conservatives were already anxious about. They want the party to present something more than Brexit divisions, as they eye the threat posed by the opposition Labour party. Corbyn presented a radical economic programme for government at his own conference last week. The party also said it would likely reject May's Brexit deal when it comes to a vote of MPs, raising the possibility of fresh elections. The Conservatives are slightly ahead of Labour in opinion polls, but a slew of senior figures have warned they need new ideas. May announced plans on Sunday to increase the property purchase tax for foreign buyers amid concerns overseas investors are driving up prices, and a national festival in 2022 to show off post-Brexit Britain. Birmingham (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Dogged by party divisions, endless plotting and caught in the quagmire of Brexit, British Prime Minister Theresa May's political obituary has been written many times. But the Conservative leader has proved a remarkable survivor. May took over in the chaotic aftermath of Britain's historic 2016 vote to leave the European Union, and her tenure has been no less turbulent. She moved within months to start the Brexit process and sought to bolster her domestic political position with a snap election in June last year. This spectacularly backfired and she lost her majority in the House of Commons, leaving her reliant on a Northern Irish party to govern. Since then, her party's pro- and anti-Brexit factions have taken turns to flex their muscles, seeking to influence her strategy and bringing her government to the brink. Each time they have proved unwilling to deal the fatal blow, but tensions are rising again as the Brexit negotiations reach their final stretch. - 'Don't underestimate Theresa May' - She once described herself as a "bloody difficult woman", and her foreign minister Jeremy Hunt said this week: "Don't underestimate Theresa May." May, who turns 62 on Monday, studied geography at the University of Oxford, before working in finance, including at the Bank of England. She met her husband Philip, a banker, at Oxford after reportedly being introduced by future Pakistan premier Benazir Bhutto. Not long after their marriage, May's vicar father died in a car accident, followed a year later by her mother, who had multiple sclerosis. The Mays, who were unable to have children, lead a quiet life, going to church on Sundays in the wealthy London commuter seat of Maidenhead, which she has represented in parliament since 1997. They spend their holidays hiking, and the prime minister enjoys cooking and reading detective novels. When asked once what was the naughtiest thing she had ever done, May admitted to running through fields of wheat as a child. Story continues She highlights her steady image and emphasis on "getting on with the job" rather than gossiping and networking. But she often seems ill at ease with world leaders, and her awkwardness with the public -- the media dubbed her the "Maybot" -- was widely blamed for the disastrous 2017 election. May survived six years as interior minister before entering Downing Street, one of the toughest jobs in British politics. But she has since drawn criticism for overseeing major cuts to police budgets, a growing political issue amid rising crime and after a string of terror attacks. And while her tough line on immigration reflected the public mood, it led to a scandal this year over the deportations of legitimate Commonwealth-born Britons. - 'The nasty party' - As Britain's second female prime minister, May has been compared to fellow Conservative Margaret Thatcher, but has struck a different tone from the free market-backing "Iron Lady". As Conservative chairwoman in 2002, she famously warned colleagues they were seen as "the nasty party". In her first Conservative conference speech as leader in 2016 she railed against global elites, while her election manifesto rejected "untrammelled free markets". However, the all-encompassing process of preparing for Brexit has squeezed out any domestic agenda, meaning Britain's withdrawal from the EU will inevitably be her legacy. Maroua (Cameroon) (AFP) - "It was as if time stood still," said an exuberant announcer as Cameroon's President Paul Biya landed in the country's north to kick-off campaigning ahead of next week's polls. He was in the town of Maroua on Saturday for the first time in six years, drumming up support ahead of voting on October 7 when the 85-year-old will seek a seventh term. The polls will be held to an unprecedented backdrop of violence, as clashes continue in the country's separatist anglophone regions and Boko Haram fighters continue to threaten Cameroon's northeast -- including Maroua. "We are proud that he is here, proud that he thinks of us," said a pro-Biya activist who wore a blue and white pagne print smock emblazoned with the president's face. Nearby, a local leader wearing a pagne outfit in the presidential colours jumped with joy and took the hand of the man beside him as the president made his way down the red carpet. "It is with barely concealed joy that we are covering this event," a journalist for the state CRTV broadcaster told his audience emphatically. The visit of Biya and a dozen of his ministers who come from the poor, under-developed region, was held amid tight security and only announced days ahead of the event. Army vehicles were deployed to upgrade the road along which Biya's long convoy travelled between the town and the airport. Even the lampposts were upgraded. "The RDPC promised us tar and lights," said a motorcycle taxi driver with a smile, referring to Biya's ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement. - 'Paul Biya is our pilot' - But in the Maroua-3 area of town, youngsters promised 3,000 CFA francs ($5.20, 4.5 euros) to help clean up the town ahead of the VIP arrival received little more than half that. "So now they're on strike," sighed one of the event organisers, visibly frustrated with the clean-up effort in the town which was adorned with Biya's signature blue. Story continues On Friday night the main opposition party Social Democratic Front's candidate Joshua Osih staged a night-time public meeting in the town. But it attracted just a few hundred supporters -- a far cry from the vast production staged by "Team Biya". Minibuses covered in Biya posters began to flow into the town from as early as Friday, bringing thousands of pro-government supporters on dilapidated roads from across the region and beyond. "I came from Ngaoundere to transport the supporters -- the RDPC paid," said one of the many drivers in Maroua referring to his town 500 kilometres (310 miles) away from Saturday's event. Another man added that "his uncle's minibus was requisitioned to transport the activists". All of the Biya supporters who spoke to AFP said that the aim of the event was to shore-up the president's voting base in a region that was solidly behind the ruling party in 2011. "The RDPC has already taken off, Paul Biya is our pilot, we'll vote for him, 100 percent," said one supporter of the president as he waited for his entourage to arrive. Supporters crowded along the town's streets which were lined with billboards bearing Biya's face, proclaiming him to be the "force of experience". Some told AFP that they had been paid for their "support". "2,000 CFA francs -- but it's not much," said one. Biya spoke to the crowds for just 15 minutes, his first public speech since February -- and his first appearance during official campaigning, which began the previous Saturday, September 22. - 'Overcome the worst' - He thanked the people of the region, which is Cameroon's poorest, for the "warmth of their welcome" and promised increased oil exploration efforts in the region. He also vowed to jump-start the tourist industry, which has been battered by Boko Haram violence. The country had "overcome the worst" of the conflict against anglophone separatists, as well as the bloody insurgency being waged in the far north by the Nigeria-based jihadist group Boko Haram, he said. Security has emerged as a key electoral battleground after English-speaking separatists vowed that the poll would not go ahead. Nine candidates will compete for the presidency, which Biya has held with an iron grip since 1982. Biya had been due to spend the night in Maroua but flew back to the capital Yaounde after just seven hours on the ground. By Saturday night, the customary hooting of motorcycle taxis had returned, replacing the incessant sirens of Biya's extended, heavily-armed motorcade. NEW YORK (AP) CBS said Friday that a New York City prosecutor has subpoenaed the company for information related to sexual misconduct allegations that led to the ouster of longtime chief Les Moonves. The company said in a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it received subpoenas from the Manhattan District Attorney and New York City's Commission on Human Rights and that it is cooperating. The state attorney general's office has also requested information, the filing said. A CBS spokesman declined comment. The district attorney's office also declined comment. The other agencies didn't immediately respond to messages. Moonves resigned as chairman of CBS on Sept. 9, hours after The New Yorker published a story detailing a second round of ugly accusations against him. In total, a dozen women have alleged mistreatment, including forced oral sex, groping and retaliation if they resisted him. Moonves has denied the allegations, though he said he had consensual relations with some of the women. Outside lawyers hired by CBS continue to investigate allegations against Moonves and Jeff Fager, the former top executive at "60 Minutes." Fager was fired after he texted a CBS News reporter to "be careful" when she questioned him about reports that he tolerated an abusive environment at the newsmagazine. The lawyers' investigation is also looking into "cultural issues at all levels of CBS," the filing said. In a regulatory filing earlier this month, CBS said it would pay Moonves a $120 million severance if that investigation fails to find any evidence of sexual misconduct. By Saad Sayeed ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The leader of Pakistani-administered Kashmir region said on Sunday Indian troops shot at his helicopter near the disputed frontier, a move likely to further fray ties between the two countries. Muslim-majority Kashmir is divided between nuclear-armed neighbors, who both claim the mountainous region in full and have fought two of their three wars over it since their separation in 1947. Farooq Haider Khan, the prime minister of the Azad Kashmir region controlled by Pakistan, said his civilian helicopter was fired upon by Indian army from across the "Line of Control", which acts as a de facto border between the two countries. "The Indian army fired to show that Pakistan had violated their airspace," Khan's office said in a statement, but added "when the firing took place, we were within our own airspace." Indian army spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Devender Anand, said a Pakistani helicopter violated Indian air space along the line of control in Poonch district in Indias Jammu and Kashmir around noon local time (0630 GMT) "It could likely to be a civil chopper and was flying very high. The air sentries at forward location had engaged it with small arms," Anand said. Relations between India and Pakistan appeared to be thawing in recent months, with violence and shelling across the Line of Control dialed down by both sides. Pakistan's new Prime Minister Imran Khan also offered an olive branch to India upon taking office in mid-August, promising to repair ties, but in recent weeks relations have frayed again amid high-profile diplomatic clashes. India has accused Pakistan of continuing to assist militants waging an insurgency in the Indian-controlled side of Kashmir, something which Pakistan denies, and planned talks between high-ranking officials at the United Nations meeting in New York this month were canceled. Khan, the Kashmir leader, said his helicopter was not armed in any way, and called for calm heads. "We do not want any war hysteria in this region." (Additional reporting by Fayaz Bukhari; Writing by Drazen Jorgic; editing by Jane Merriman) UNITED NATIONS (AP) China warned Friday that its critical relationship with the United States could break "like a glass," and used the most global of stages to warn the Trump administration it wouldn't be pushed around on trade. Foreign Minister Wang Yi insisted that his country "will not be blackmailed" or bow to pressure. "Protectionism will only hurt oneself, and unilateral moves will bring damage to all," he told the U.N. General Assembly gathering of world leaders. President Donald Trump this week cranked up punitive tariffs on China, and Beijing responded in kind, escalating a trade war between the world's two largest economies. Trump upped the ante by then accusing China of meddling in the upcoming U.S. midterm elections because it opposes his trade policies. He has presented little evidence to back up the allegations, which China says are untrue. Wang, in separate remarks at a think tank, said U.S.-China relationship was at a critical point, four decades since ties were normalized. "The relationship between our two countries is a common asset. It must be preserved and valued. It's the result of generations of people's efforts," Wang said. "It's like a glass. It's easy to break it" and would be difficult to repair, he said. Although Wang presented China as upholding multilateral institutions drawing an implicit contrast with Trump's anti-globalist stance Beijing's top diplomat said the suspicions that China seeks global hegemony and to displace the U.S. as a world leader is false. But he warned it's an idea that is spreading, amplifying differences between the two countries. "This is a serious strategic misjudgment," Wang told the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, "that will be extremely detrimental to U.S. interests and the future of the United States." He said China rather seeks a path of peaceful development. He defended China's assertive behavior in the South China Sea, where it has built man-made islands to reinforce its sweeping territorial claims that are disputed by its neighbors. He said military facilities on those islands are for defensive purposes to counter military activities by other nations in the area, including the United States. Story continues Wang also defended China's recent participation in military drills with Russia that have added to U.S. anxiety that its key strategic rivals are setting aside historical differences and teaming up against it. He said military-to-military ties are normal to build "mutual understanding." On human rights, Wang was asked about the reported harsh treatment of Uighur Muslims in China's far west. He maintained that China had brought law and order to a region once blighted by terrorism. The Trump administration is reportedly considering sanctions in response to members of the religious minority being forced into "re-education" camps on a massive scale. Notwithstanding all these differences, the main driver of the current discord between the U.S. and China is trade. Trump increased tariffs Monday on $200 billion of Chinese goods. Beijing responded by imposing penalties on $60 billion of American products. That was on top of an earlier duty increase by both sides on $50 billion of each other's goods. The tit-for-tat is fueling anxiety that smaller nations will suffer. "There is a trade war going on between the two most powerful nations, and the rest of the world is feeling the pain," Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told the General Assembly on Friday. Behind the trade dispute are U.S. allegations that China uses predatory tactics to overtake American technological dominance. These tactics, the U.S. charges, include cyber-theft of U.S. companies' trade secrets and a requirement that foreign companies hand over proprietary technology as the price of access to the Chinese market. Wang denied that China was stealing technology and forcing companies to transfer technology as a condition for investing in the country. He described instead a symbiotic commercial relationship in which the U.S. companies have a comparative advantage in technology and work in partnership with Chinese firms to help them access China's growing market. He said China has benefitted from opening up its economy and would continue to welcome foreign investment. "We hope American companies will continue to have confidence in the Chinese market," Wang said. ____ Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz at the United Nations and Paul Wiseman in Washington contributed to this report. KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (Reuters) - The school friends of Nassir al-Mosabeh sat tearfully in their classroom in Khan Younis on Sunday and mourned their 12-year-old friend who was killed in a protest on the Gaza-Israel border. Gaza health officials said Israeli soldiers on Friday shot dead seven Palestinians, who were among thousands who thronged to the fortified border as part of weekly protests launched six months ago. Mosabeh was one of those killed. "I cried for him like I have never cried before. I do not know what the (Israeli) occupation saw in him to kill him? What did he do to them? Did he kill anybody? I do not know what happened," Mosabeh's friend, Dia' Abu Khater said. Mosabeh's classmates in the school in the southern Gaza Strip decorated his chair with his picture ringed by red and white flowers and green leaves, the Palestinian colors. Mosabeh was always at the border to assist medics in the Friday protests, his sister, Eslam, said. "Nassir always came with us. Everyone in the field hospital knows him and he always helped us. Nassir was our right hand, he would always bring us equipment whenever we needed something. May God bless his soul," she said. Israel said it held Islamist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, responsible for the violence. "Hamas continues to orchestrate belligerent activity throughout the Gaza Strip, cynically using Gazan civilians and endangering children by sending them to the security fence as a cover for terror activity," the Israeli military said in a statement that summarized Friday's events. "Hamas is responsible for the violent riots and their consequences," the statement added. Israel said troops resorted to live fire and an air strike after explosive devices and rocks were thrown at them and to prevent breaches of the border fence. It posted a video clip showing a controlled detonation of many explosive devices. Gaza health officials said 505 people were wounded on Friday, 89 of them by gunshots. At least 191 Palestinians have been killed since the Gaza protests began on March 30. The protesters are demanding the right of return to lands that Palestinian families fled or were driven from on Israel's founding in 1948, and the easing of an Israeli-Egyptian economic blockade. Two million Palestinians, mainly stateless descendants of people who left what is now Israel 70 years ago, live in the Gaza Strip, which has been controlled by Hamas for more than a decade, during which it has fought three wars against Israel. Israel and Egypt say the blockade is necessary for security reasons. The World Bank says it has reduced the territory's economy to a state of collapse, with residents suffering a lack of clean water, electricity and health care. (Reporting by Abed Shanaa; Writing by Ori Lewis; Editing by Peter Graff) By Elizabeth Piper, Kylie MacLellan and William James BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May called on her party on Sunday to unite behind her plan to leave the European Union, making a direct appeal to critics by saying their desire for a free trade deal was at the heart of her Brexit proposals. At the start of what is set to be one of the Conservative Party's stormiest annual conferences, May's plans were once again attacked by two former ministers, with her ex-foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, calling them "deranged". But she also won strong backing from other Brexit supporting ministers, with trade minister Liam Fox and foreign minister Jeremy Hunt turning their anger against the EU, for "taunting Theresa May, one of the most unfailingly polite people". Just six months before Britain is due to leave the EU in the country's biggest shift in foreign and trade policy in more than 40 years, the debate over how to leave the bloc is still raging in the center-right Conservative Party, and even in government. May's already fragile leadership was put under further pressure this month when the EU rejected parts of the so-called Chequers plan. But she put a positive spin on those talks, saying she was ready to consider the EU's concerns. "My message to my party is let's come together and get the best deal for Britain," May told the BBC in the central English city of Birmingham. "At the heart of the Chequers plan is a free trade deal, a free trade area and frictionless trade ... Chequers at the moment is the only plan on the table that delivers on the Brexit vote ... and also delivers for the people of Northern Ireland." May has shown little sign of shifting away from her Chequers plan, named after her country residence where she hashed out an agreement on Brexit with her ministers in July, despite growing criticism that her proposals offer the worst of all worlds. Johnson, who quit May's cabinet after Chequers was agreed, called her plans "deranged" and attacked the prime minister for not believing in Brexit. He, and the former Brexit minister David Davis, are pushing for a Canada-style free trade deal with the EU - a proposal May says will split Northern Ireland from mainland Britain by making the British province adhere to different customs rules. Michael Gove, May's environment minister, dismissed his former Brexit ally's proposals to leave the EU, which have been dubbed "super Canada". "I'm in favor of a super Britain deal," he told an event on the sidelines of the conference. The prime minister has put forward a proposal, which I support." EU TAUNTING "BEYOND THE PALE" May's team had hoped the party's conference would give her a platform to renew her pledge to help those people who are "just about managing", trying to pull the focus away from Brexit and on to a more domestic agenda where some party officials fear the main opposition Labour Party is gaining the upper hand. But her first announcement - for an additional levy on foreign home buyers - did little to reset the conversation, with Sunday dominated again with Brexit, a possible leadership campaign and the prospect of an early election. The conference has become the chance for those ministers with leadership ambitions to parade in front of the party faithful. Johnson's successor at the foreign office, Jeremy Hunt, gave a speech that, for some, sent a strong signal of intent. Johnson's interview in the Sunday Times in which he said, unlike May, he was a true Brexit believer, was also seen by many to be the start of a campaign for the top job - something that angered some Conservatives who are critical of the former foreign minister. Ian Lavery, chairman of the opposition Labour Party, said the Conservatives were "clearly too busy fighting amongst themselves and have neither the ideas nor the desire to offer real solutions to the problems they have caused". Even though May has stuck to her Chequers plan and on Sunday won at least the outward support of most of her ministers, the EU rubbished some of her proposals at a summit in Austria this month. "We have a right to expect our EU partners to engage seriously, and with respect, on our shared future relationship," Fox said. "I'm sure I wasn't the only one after Salzburg to feel that the taunting of Theresa May, one of the most unfailingly polite people I have ever met, was absolutely beyond the pale." (Writing by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Keith Weir and Jane Merriman) The senior Democrat on the committee that will determine the fate of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, has said she will not vote for him because of his views on womens rights, gun control and presidential authority. Agreeing that the testimony of Mr Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, who accused him of sexually assaulting her three decades ago, had been a national moment, Senator Dianne Feinstein said she was not concerned about Mr Kavanaughs qualifications, but rather his views about fundamental issues that could have a powerful and lasting impact on the country. It was broadcast nationally. Thats what made it a national moment, the senator told The Independent as she prepared for the crucial vote that will determine the 53-year-old judges future. It was an important nominee to the Supreme Court and one that could tip the balance on key issues, and that is a womens right to control her own reproductive system, as well as gun issuesas well as presidential authorities. She added: I think his qualifications are there. I dont agree with may of his views, particularly what I just said I and cant vote for him, and I will be a no vote. The committee is due to vote on Mr Kavanaughs nomination on Friday afternoon. It will then pass the issue up to the full senate for a confirmation vote. Despite the nine-hours of testimony on Thursday from Mr Kavanaugh and one of at least three women who have accused him of sexual assault, it was unclear how much difference it make in terms of the votes of the 21 committee members poised to make an initial decision on the judges future. With Republicans holding a 11-10 advantage on the committee, it had been assumed the nomination would go forward along party lines. The only possible doubt was over the intention of Republican senator Jeff Flake of Arizona who is not seeking re-election and is free to vote on his conscience. Addressing Mr Kavanaugh on Thursday, Mr Flake said he wanted to hear from Ms Ford. Story continues She came at great difficulty for her and offered compelling testimony. Youve come and done the same, he said. Im sorry for whats happened to you and your family. Im sorry for what has happened to hers. This is not a good process, but its all weve got. But on Friday, Mr Flake said he had decided to vote in favour of the judge and that he was entitled to the presumption of innocence ... absent corroborating evidence. While some may argue that a different standard should apply regarding the senates advice and consent responsibilities, I believe that the constitutions provisions of fairness and due process apply here as well, he said, according to the Associated Press, something that immediately caused the senator to be confronted by protesters. I will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh. Meanwhile, there were signs the testimony before the panel in which Mr Kavanaugh angrily declared his innocence and Ms Ford calmly recounted the moment in which she says he attacked her had registered negatively with two organisations whose support Mr Kavanaugh had earlier received. The American Bar Association, which previously gave Mr Kavanaugh its highest rating of well qualified, asked the Senate Judiciary Committee and the full Senate to delay the vote until the FBI could do a full background check on the assault claims. Meanwhile, the magazine of the Jesuit religious order in the United States withdrew its endorsement of Mr Kavanaugh a devout Catholic saying the nomination was no longer in the interests of the country and should be withdrawn. After Republican Chuck Grassley, the chairman of the committee, gaveled the special meeting in session, the committee voted along party lines to reject a Democratic motion to suspend proceedings until they had heard from Mark Judge, the teenage friend of Mr Kavanaugh who Ms Ford said was present in the bedroom when she said she was assaulted. At least five Democrats walked out of the meeting after the committee moved to vote later today on Mr Kavanaughs nomination. Senators Richard Blumenthal, Kamala Harris, Sheldon Whitehouse and Mazie Hirono left the room as Mr Grassley was giving an opening statement and Patrick Leahy left a shortly later, CNN reported. Ms Hirono of Hawaii told reporters she had stepped out because its very clear that the Republicans will break every norm, every rule, to get this person on the Supreme Court. She said Mr Kavanaugh would arrive with a cloud and would weaken the court as a result. This has got to stop. So I walked out. Im not going to participate in this charade anymore, she said. Ms Feinstein countered accusations that Democrats were trying to simply derail proceedings. This was not about ensuring a fair process, this was about doing the bare minimum, she said. Lets be clear, Dr Ford asked for confidentiality. We all know that if I referred allegations to the FBI when she would not come forward, there would have been nothing to do, she said. She said Ms Fords allegations were referred to the FBI on September 12. She said: While the Republican strategy is no longer attack the victim, it is now ignore the victim. After Kavanaugh hearing, senator says it is time for women to fix our government and that includes a woman at the top Elizabeth Warren speaks to members of the press during a demonstration against the supreme court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Thursday. Photograph: Zach Gibson/Getty Images Elizabeth Warren will take a hard look at running for president once the midterm elections are done. The Massachusetts senator, 69 and long touted as a potential 2020 nominee, made the telling remark at a town hall event in Holyoke on Saturday. According to a Boston Globe report, an audience member asked Warren about her White House ambitions. The paper said the senator first counselled focus on Democratic attempts to retake the House and Senate. According to a version of Warrens remarks emailed to the Guardian by a spokesperson, the senator then said: But lets face [it], Donald Trump is taking this country in the wrong direction. Working people have taken one punch to the gut after another. And I am worried down to my bones about what Donald Trump is doing to our democracy. Warren then discussed the Senate judiciary committee hearing on Thursday in which Trumps supreme court pick Brett Kavanaugh and one of three women who accuse him of sexual assault, Dr Christine Blasey Ford, testified before an enthralled and divided nation. Washington was broken long before Donald Trump ever got there, Warren said. But it has gotten a whole lot worse. And then this week, I watched 11 men who were too chicken to ask a woman a single question. Republicans on the Senate panel hired an Arizona sex crimes prosecutor, Rachel Mitchell, to question Ford. Kavanaugh angrily denied Fords accusation and accused Democrats of a political attack. On Saturday, details of the renewed FBI investigation on the matter became known. Warren continued: I watched as Brett Kavanaugh acted like he was entitled to that position and angry at anyone who would question him. I watched powerful men helping a powerful man make it to an even more powerful position. I watched that and I thought, Times up. Times up. Its time for women to go to Washington and fix our broken government and that includes a woman at the top. Story continues So heres what I promise: after 6 November, I will take a hard look at running for president. Warren was elected to the Senate in 2012 and considered as a possible running mate for Hillary Clinton in 2016. Well-regarded on the progressive left of the Democratic party, she has been fundraising prominently for the midterms and her own campaigns. She has previously demurred about her presidential ambitions, albeit in traditionally non-definitive ways. In a recent memoir, she wrote that the hardships of her first Senate race deterred her from running for the White House four years later. It was hard for [her husband Bruce Mann] to see me ridiculed and called names, hard to see our children dragged into political attacks, hard to see both his sister and my brothers worry, she wrote. Donald Trump, who if not impeached or removed by other means would be the Republican nominee in 2020, delights in attacking Warren not only for her politics but also over her claims of Native American ancestry. The president calls her Pocahontas. He renewed those attacks on Saturday night in Wheeling, West Virginia. [The Democratic party has gone so far left where Pocahontas is now considered a conservative said Trump. Elizabeth Warren, shes considered a conservative person. Theyve gone crazy. Theyve gone loco. A presidential run may soon be on the horizon for Sen. Elizabeth Warren. The Massachusetts Democrat announced on Saturday that she will seriously consider running for the White House following the midterm elections in November. Its time for women to go to Washington and fix our broken government and that includes a woman at the top. So heres what I promise, after November 6 I will take a hard look at running for president, she declared to a standing ovation as seen in an online video. Warren, an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump who has said he intends to seek re-election, shared her plans at a town hall meeting in western Massachusetts. She expressed concern about the nations general state of affairs and in particular decried Republicans handling of sexual assault accusations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. I watched 11 men who were too chicken to ask a woman a single question, she said of the GOP members of the Senate Judiciary Committee who relied on outside attorney to question Kavanaughs alleged victim, Christine Blasey Ford, at a hearing on Thursday. I watched powerful men helping a powerful man make it to an even more powerful position. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) used a Saturday speech to constituents to publicly declare her interest in seeking the White House. (Photo: Jonathan Bachman / Reuters) Of the president, Warren said, Lets face it, Donald Trump is taking this country in the wrong direction ... I am worried, down to my bones, about what Donald Trump is doing to our democracy. Speculation over a presidential bid by Warren has swirled for some time. Her Saturday remarks were her clearest and most direct on her intentions. Warren, an Oklahoma native, won her Senate seat in 2012 after careers as a law professor and consumer advocate. She is currently seeking re-election to the Senate, and is heavily favored to defeat state Rep. Geoff Diehl. Related... Senator Elizabeth Warren Posts 10 Years Of Tax Returns Online Elizabeth Warren Calls For Use Of 25th Amendment To Remove Trump Elizabeth Warren Bill Would Mandate Companies Disclose Climate Risks Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Elon Musk, Jack Dorsey and Larry Page need to grow up, says Scott Galloway. To weather the ongoing public backlash against big tech , the NYU professor thinks the CEOs of Tesla, Twitter, Alphabet and other major tech companies need to get their act together. "These individuals in the tech industry, in my view, are not acting like men, they're acting like children," says Galloway, a successful serial entrepreneur and marketing guru who is a professor at New York University's Stern School of Business. Galloway has founded multiple companies, including New York City-based L2 Inc., a 150-employee business intelligence firm that sold to research company Gartner for an undisclosed amount in 2017. He's also served on the boards of companies such as Eddie Bauer, Urban Outfitters and The New York Times Company. One big problem, according to Galloway, is that these tech CEOs had previously received so much adulation from the media, customers and investors alike hailing them as genius innovators. At a certain point, he says, it's easy to get caught up in the praise and believe your own hype to the point that you think the rules no longer apply to you. "In our society, we no longer worship at the altar of kindness and character, we worship at the altar of innovators and billionaires," Galloway tells CNBC Make It. "And our new heroes are people like Elon Musk, Jack Dorsey or Larry Page from Google. But, I would argue that they're not acting like adults and they're not acting like men." He adds: "If you're successful, you'll find it's really easy to begin to believe how just f------ awesome you are. Real men realize that nothing is ever as good or bad as it seems [and] success and greatness is accomplished in the agency of others." Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX has been the subject of a string of negative headlines in recent months, from reportedly poor conditions for Tesla factory workers to a defamation lawsuit after Musk called a British rescue diver a "pedo guy." Musk was also criticized for drinking whiskey and smoking marijuana during a podcast interview. Story continues Now, the SEC has slapped Musk with fraud charges alleging Musk issued "false and misleading" statements when he tweeted in August that he'd secured financing to take Tesla private before later walking back those claims. On Thursday, Musk called the SEC's charges "unjustified." Galloway's advice to Musk is to "put down the blunt." Twitter and Google, along with other internet giants like Facebook, have faced quite a bit of criticism in recent years over issues like user privacy, online harassment, and data breaches to name a few. Twitter CEO Dorsey recently endured a congressional grilling on Capitol Hill over topics such as Russian election meddling and claims of political bias by Twitter. Meanwhile, Page (who co-founded Google and now serves as CEO of parent company Alphabet) avoided testifying before Congress on many of those same issues, and he has instead sent Google CEO Sundar Pichai to meet with lawmakers. Galloway criticized Page and Google for not sending a representative to testify in front of Congress sooner. "Respect for institutions, humility this is what makes a man," Galloway tells CNBC Make It . Galloway thinks these tech CEOs need to hold themselves more accountable for the issues that have led to the public backlash against executives like Musk and companies like Twitter, Google and Facebook. It's more important than ever for prominent business leaders to act like adults and check their egos at the door, Galloway says. "Show up on time, put on a tie, be kind, do not throw your weight around." Don't Miss: Self-made millionaire: 3 things you need to do to be successful, happy and wealthy by age 30 Elon Musk: Starting SpaceX and Tesla were 'the dumbest things to do' Like this story? Subscribe to CNBC Make It on YouTube! More From CNBC There were three key audiences for Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Fords dramatic testimony, and the stunning, emotional day played differently for each of them. On Thursday, Ford appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee and detailed her allegation that the Supreme Court nominee had sexually assaulted her when they were both in high school. Ford was emotional as she fought back tears describing a traumatic event in her life, but precise, articulate and authoritative in her responses. She said she was 100 percent positive that Kavanaugh was the person who sexually assaulted her 36 years ago and displayed her credentials as a psychology professor when describing her trauma. That neurotransmitter encodes memories into the hippocampus so that trauma-related experience is locked there, she explained at one point about the reliability of her memory. Apart from the assault itself, these past couple of weeks have been the hardest of my life, Ford said, before forcefully denying that she came forward for political reasons. I am an independent person and no ones pawn, she said. Kavanaugh was up next, and he, also fighting tears at times, was passionate and furious. He unequivocally denied every sexual misconduct allegation against him, calling them a calculated and orchestrated political hit. Voice rising to a yell, he said, My family and my name have been permanently and totally destroyed, citing his decades of service in his community and in high levels of American government. He broke down in tears at multiple points during his testimony, and alternately raged at the committee Democrats and the disgrace of the process. You may defeat me in the final vote, he said, but youll never get me to quit. Read More: Kavanaughs Confirmation Fight Exposes Major Problems With the Court It was a powerful day in an intimate hearing room in a Senate office building, and while the accusations against Kavanaugh are criminal and both Kavanaugh and Ford would be breaking the law if they lied under oath, the central question was purely political: will Kavanaugh be confirmed to a lifetime appointment on the highest court in the nation? Story continues For an audience of one in the Oval Office, Kavanaughs fate seemed to become more secure as the day went on. Speaking in New York on Wednesday, President Donald Trump maintained support for Kavanaugh but said he was open to having his mind changed by Fords testimony and mused about having to pick a different nominee. But after the end of the hearing Thursday, Trump tweeted, Judge Kavanaugh showed America exactly why I nominated him. His testimony was powerful, honest, and riveting. Judge Kavanaugh showed America exactly why I nominated him. His testimony was powerful, honest, and riveting. Democrats search and destroy strategy is disgraceful and this process has been a total sham and effort to delay, obstruct, and resist. The Senate must vote! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 27, 2018 But Kavanaughs fate rests mostly with Republicans in the Senate. Republicans can confirm Kavanaugh along party lines, but to do so, they can only afford to lose one vote. Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, who sits on the Judiciary Committee, is typically considered a risk, along with Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Maine Sen. Susan Collins. Murkowski and Collins remained largely out of sight on Thursday, although both had said they would be watching the hearing closely. Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, who had also been a question mark for the party, declined to speak with reporters midway through the hearing, but at the end of the day came out in favor of confirming Kavanaugh. In the end, theres likely to be as much doubt as certainty going out of this room today, Flake said Thursday. He did not ask questions of either Ford or Kavanaugh during the hearing. But South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham threw down a gauntlet to his wavering Republican colleagues from the dais in the hearing room with uncharacteristic fervor. To my Republican colleagues, he shouted, voice cracking and visibly exercised about the public excavation of Kavanaughs high school days and allegations against him, If you vote no, youre legitimizing the most despicable thing Ive seen in my time in politics. Grahams challenge shows that the pressure on Republicans to vote to confirm Kavanaugh could become even more intense after the nominees fierce defense of himself before the committee. I think a lot of senators will be given good reason to vote yes, White House spokesman Raj Shah told TIME. But of course, the President of the United States and members of Congress werent the only people watching Ford and Kavanaughs high-stakes testimony. Citizens all over the country tuned in, and women, especially, were riveted. Kavanaugh walked in holding hands with his wife and was flanked by female supporters behind him. Many others were deeply moved by Fords testimony. Nancy French, a conservative Christian writer, cried as she watched Ford in a dark room in her home with her dogs. As a sex abuse survivor, you feel marginalized your whole life like no one is listening to you, she told TIME. According to RAINN, the National Sexual Assault Hotline saw a 147% increase in calls during the day of the hearing. The reaction of women to Thursdays hearing is important heading into the midterm elections with a potential Democratic wave looming on the horizon. In 2016, Trump won 52% of white women, but lost women overall, garnering just 41% of their vote. Republican senators are aware of the risks of alienating women during this hearing: the all-male Republican side of the Judiciary Committee had a woman prosecutor come to the hearing to question Ford instead of them, in part to avoid the optics of a group of men challenging a woman on a past sexual assault. The question is how the constellation of these influences, from the White House to Congress to passionate voters, will affect the Senates vote on Kavanaugh, which could come as soon as Monday. Do you know how long the past ten days have been? Kavanaugh said at one point. Every day has been a lifetime. The nation could have the answer to the political question at the heart of the hearings in a shorter time than that. But the larger issues swirling in the fraught hearing room Thursday, about sexual trauma, privilege, power and polarization, are ones the country wont soon be able to resolve. -With reporting by Alana Abramson San Francisco (AFP) - Facebook announced Friday that up to 50 million accounts were breached in a security flaw exploited by hackers. The large social network said it learned this week of the attack that allowed hackers to steal "access tokens," the equivalent of digital keys that enable them to access their accounts. "It's clear that attackers exploited a vulnerability in Facebook's code," vice president of product management Guy Rosen said in a blog post. "We've fixed the vulnerability and informed law enforcement." Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said engineers discovered the breach on Tuesday, and patched it on Thursday night. "We don't know if any accounts were actually misused," Zuckerberg said. "This is a serious issue." As a precaution, Facebook is temporarily taking down the "view as" feature -- described as a privacy tool to let user see how their own profiles would look to other people. "We face constant attacks from people who want to take over accounts or steal information around the world," Zuckerberg said on his Facebook page. "While I'm glad we found this, fixed the vulnerability, and secured the accounts that may be at risk, the reality is we need to continue developing new tools to prevent this from happening in the first place." Facebook said it took an additional "precautionary step" of resetting access tokens for another 40 million accounts where the vulnerable feature was used. This will require those users to log back in to Facebook. "We're taking this incredibly seriously and wanted to let everyone know what's happened and the immediate action weve taken to protect people's security," Rosen said. "People's privacy and security is incredibly important , and we're sorry this happened." The breach is the latest privacy embarrassment for Facebook, wich earlier this year acknowledged that tens of millions of users had personal data hijacked by a political firm working for Donald Trump in 2016. (This Sept. 26 story was corrected to change number of registered voters in paragraph 16 to 3.085 million from 3.85 million) By Raya Jalabi and Ahmed Aboulenein ERBIL/SULAIMANIYA, Iraq (Reuters) - A year after a failed bid for independence, Iraq's Kurds will be voting again on Sunday, this time in a parliamentary election that could disrupt the delicate balance of power in their semi-autonomous region. With opposition parties weak, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) are likely to extend their almost three decades of sharing power. But splits within the PUK present the possibility that Masoud Barzani's KDP will take a dominant position in Kurdish politics, both in the regional capital Erbil and in the difficult formation of a federal government in Baghdad. The contentious referendum on independence in 2017, led by Barzani, promised to set Iraq's Kurds on a path to a homeland. Instead, a swift backlash from Baghdad dashed those prospects and diminished the region's autonomy. Speaking on the vote's first anniversary, Barzani, who stepped down as Kurdish president in the aftermath, told thousands of flag-waving men in Erbil: "We will never give up our dignity or honor." But Barzani - still the KDP's leader and main vote-getter - also added that "even 1,000 years of war won't solve the problem". Even though relations with Baghdad have improved, the Kurdish region has lost territory and economic autonomy, and voter frustration is rising. "This is the first time that I'm not voting," said Ahmed Abdullah, a 68-year-old retiree. "The two parties in power steal and lie, and that's how they stay in power. I've stopped believing anything will change." "NOTHING EVER CHANGES" Abdullah had been a supporter of the PUK, the second largest party, led by the Talabani family and based around Sulaimaniya. The PUK and the Erbil-based Barzani clan's KDP together form a dynastic duopoly predicated on patronage in the regions they respectively control. But years of stagnant politics, unpaid salaries and corruption have undermined faith in politics and shrunk the turnout in recent elections. The situation was not helped by the suspension of parliament between 2015 and 2017 due to in-fighting. "What's the point of voting? Nothing ever changes, whether we vote or not. Things just get worse," said 38-year-old teacher Alan Baram. Senior KDP leader Hoshyar Zebari acknowledged that allegations of Kurdish fraud in May's federal election had undermined public confidence, and said Sunday's vote was "critical to restoring the legitimacy of our institutions". But most major parties say they do not expect more than about 40 percent of the 3.085 million registered voters to go to the polls - below even the record low of 44.5 percent who voted in the federal election. A low turnout could benefit the KDP and PUK, whose voters tend to be more committed, respecting their role in establishing autonomy after the Gulf War of 1991. The KDP also commands some respect for ushering in the referendum, despite the negative consequences for the region, while the PUK has yet to heal the internal rifts that opened when its founder Jalal Talabani died in 2017. ALLEGATIONS OF FRAUD Those PUK divisions have not been helped by the decision of Barham Salih to quit the opposition Coalition for Democracy and Justice, which he founded, in order to rejoin the PUK and seek the Iraqi presidency. Salih's former party has all but collapsed and, further clearing the field for the KDP, the main opposition party, Gorran, is still rebuilding after the death of its charismatic leader in 2017. All opposition parties were further weakened by dismal showings in May's federal election, amid multiple allegations - not confirmed in the subsequent recount - of fraud by the two main parties. "If there's widespread fraud again, all opposition parties will be diminished," said Attah Mohammed of the Kurdistan Islamic Group, a sentiment echoed by other opposition leaders. The election will cast a shadow in Baghdad, where the KDP and PUK are competing for the post of federal president, reserved for Kurds ever since a U.S.-led coalition toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003. Though historically the position has been filled by the PUK, the KDP have fielded their own candidate. Kamal Chomani, non-resident fellow at the Washington-based Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, said that, despite no longer being president of Kurdistan, Barzani hoped to be seen as the pre-eminent Kurdish leader: "He wants all the players to come and see him in Erbil any time they need to deal with the Kurds." Whether that kind of power politics will inspire many to vote appears doubtful. "I only ever voted in the referendum because that was for Kurdistan," said 20-year-old fruit-seller Mostafa Ali in Erbil. "These elections are for the parties, not for Kurdistan." (Reporting by Raya Jalabi in Erbil and Sulaimaniya, and Ahmed Aboulenein in Erbil; Editing by Michael Georgy, Kevin Liffey and Raissa Kasolowsky) London (AFP) - The family of a British teenager who died from an allergic reaction to a sandwich called Friday for a change in the law on food labelling, as an inquest into her death ended. Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, who suffered from numerous allergies, went into cardiac arrest on a 2016 flight from London to Nice after eating a baguette containing sesame seeds from sandwich chain Pret A Manger. There was no allergen information on the packaging or the store's food display cabinet, but this is not required by British law. A coroner concluded the teen had been "reassured by that" and said he would advise the government on whether food labelling regulations should be tightened. Nadim Ednan-Laperouse, the victim's father, said the inquest "should serve as a watershed moment to make meaningful change to save lives". "If Pret A Manger were following the law, then the law was playing Russian Roulette with our daughter's life," he said in a family statement. "It's clear that the food labelling laws as they stand today are not fit for purpose and it is now time to change the law." Natasha Ednan-Laperouse had the fatal reaction aboard a British Airways plane in July 2016 after buying the baguette, which had sesame seeds inside its dough, from a Pret outlet at London Heathrow airport. At the time, the company relied on stickers on food display units highlighting that allergy information was available by asking staff or visiting its website. During the hearing it emerged the chain had received a "specific warning" the previous year about the dangers of not signposting the allergen after multiple sesame-related incidents. "Overall I am left with the impression that Pret had not addressed the fact that monitoring food allergy in a business selling more than 200 million items a year was something to be taken very seriously indeed," Cummings said. Clive Schlee, chief executive of the chain which has more than 500 stores including in Paris, Hong Kong, Dubai and several US cities, said it was "deeply sorry for Natasha's death". "All of us at Pret want to see meaningful change come from this tragedy. We will make sure that it does," he said. ELKTON, Md. (AP) Officials are pointing fingers over the 2015 dismissal of charges against a man charged two years later in a fatal workplace shooting. Authorities say Radee Prince shot five co-workers at a Maryland granite company in 2017, killing three. A trial is pending in that case, but he's been sentenced to 40 years in prison for shooting a man in Delaware the same day. The Cecil County Sheriff's Office says it was prepared for a 2015 trial on weapons and traffic charges Prince faced after a March 2015 traffic stop, but the state's attorney's office dropped them, The News Journal reported . According to court documents, Deputy First Class Joseph Kenley pulled Prince over because of a broken headlight and as they spoke, Prince "began getting extremely loud and aggressive." An Elkton Police officer arrived and after making checks, told Kenley that Prince's license was suspended and that he was wanted on a bench warrant for traffic violations. Prince was handcuffed and a police dog found a handgun in his SUV, according to court documents. Prince had more than a dozen felony convictions and was prohibited from possessing a weapon. He faced nine years in prison, but walked out of the courtroom. "Our deputy showed up, ready to go to trial on the day of the court proceeding, however, the prosecutor of the State's Attorney's Office made a decision to drop the case," said Lt. Michael Holmes, a spokesman with the Sheriff's Office. "It was their decision to not prosecute the case," he said and referred questions to the state's attorney's office. At Prince's hearing, prosecutors said they were dropping charges at the request of the deputy who made the arrest. In 2017, prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence to convict Prince. The office of the current state's attorney, Amanda Bessicks, did not return calls or emails inquiring about the dropped charges. Story continues The 2017 workplace shooting occurred in Harford County, Maryland, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Baltimore. ___ Information from: The News Journal of Wilmington, Del., http://www.delawareonline.com Harare (AFP) - A Zimbabwean teacher who came out as gay quit his job after receiving death threats, sparking an online petition supporting him which had received 1,500 signatures by Friday. Neal Hovelmeier, who taught for 15 years at St John's College, a posh Harare school, came out to students last week, hoping it would help curb homophobia at the school. Homosexuality is illegal in Zimbabwe. Hovelmeier's decision came after the school authorities encouraged him to do so following news that a local newspaper was planning to out him. In a letter sent to parents on Thursday, Hovelmeier said he understood that the announcement "has caused grievous and deep concern to a section of our community." He said he had "no idea of the force of anger and resentment such a declaration would make" but added he respected people with strong views based on custom, tradition and religion. "I have been in receipt of death threats as well as threats of physical danger to myself and my pets," he revealed in the two-page letter. He said he had been told that a legal challenge was being launched to remove him from the school. "For my own sense of integrity, I will not submit myself to a sham trial or investigation ...It is for this reason, and with a very heavy heart, that I have come to realise that my current position as deputy headmaster is now untenable and I hereby tender my resignation with immediate effect". The school, which last week came out in support of the teacher, refused comment. Former Zimbabwean strongman Robert Mugabe was known for his crusades against homosexuality and in 2010 he called gays "worse than pigs and dogs" and "wayward". An online petition in support of Hovelmeier was launched on Thursday and by Friday afternoon it had attracted over 1,500 signatures. "Lets get Mr Hov back where he belongs and as a Zimbabwean community make the change that desperately needs to happen. #weacceptyou," it said. Discrimination against homosexuality is widespread across the African continent. The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote on Donald Trumps Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, after a day of emotional testimony from both him and one of the women who have accused him of sexual assault. The 21-member committee, which contains just four women, has an intentionally inbuilt Republican advantage of 11-10, because Republicans hold the majority in the senate, the upper chamber of the two houses of the US congress. There had been speculation one of the Republicans, Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona, may not vote along party lines. He failed to ask any questions on Thursday, and instead allowed Mr Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford have that allotted time to speak for themselves. Mr Kavanaugh has stridently denied the allegation made by Ms Ford that he assaulted her. On Friday morning, as the committee, prepared to vote, Mr Flake said he had decided to support the judge. While some may argue that a different standard should apply regarding the senates advice and consent responsibilities, I believe that the constitutions provisions of fairness and due process apply here as well, he said, according to the Associated Press, something that immediately caused the senator to be confronted by protesters. I will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh. Yet, even if the committee voted against confirming Mr Kavanaugh, his future as a Supreme Court justice would be far from dead in the water. Senate officials said the chambers rules meant the full senate could vote to discharge the issue from the Senate Judiciary Committee and instead have all the members consider the nominee. Republicans currently have a slim 51-49 majority in the senate and several members Republicans Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mr Flake of Arizona and Bob Corker from Tennessee, have at times appeared uncertain on Mr Kavanaughs nomination. They have certainly been subjected to large, costly lobbying campaigns from both supporters and opponents of the judge. Story continues Adding another twist to the mix is the possibility that several Democratic senators facing tough reelection races in states that voted for Donald Trump Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana may feel obliged to support Mr Kavanaugh in order not to turn off Trump supporters they rely on. Mr Manchin has said he is undecided and that Thursdays testimony changed nothing. Senator Manchin remains undecided on Judge Kavanaugh, his communications director Jonathan Kott reporters. Any tweets to the contrary are false and not from any sources familiar with Senator Manchin If Mr Kavanaugh is approved by the committee, it is theoretically possible he could be confirmed as early as Saturday. Yet that would require a full 100 per cent vote in his favour, something that will not happen. Rather it is more likely to he decided next week. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has indicated he is confident on getting Mr Kavanaugh confirmed and that he intends to plow right through the confirmation process. I want to make it perfectly clear, he said earlier this week on the senate floor, as fresh allegations of sexual assault were levelled at Mr Kavanaugh. Judge Kavanaugh will be voted on here on the Senate floor. Up or down on the senate floor. This fine nominee to the Supreme Court will receive a vote in the senate in the near future. (WASHINGTON) Republicans have sped legislation through the House to expand their massive new tax law, capping their session for the year as they rush out of town to face voters in the November elections. The new bill would make permanent the individual and small-business tax cuts in the law. Fridays vote was 220-191 in the Republican-led House to approve the legislation. Its the second tax-cut proposal that Republican leaders have pushed in less than a year. The vote was mostly along party lines. Democrats continued their solid opposition to tax-cut legislation, asserting it favors corporations and wealthy individuals over middle-income Americans. At the same time, 11 Republican House members, facing tough re-election fights in the high-tax, Democratic-leaning states of New York, New Jersey and California, voted against their partys bill. The GOP lawmakers are pushing to hold onto their seats in relatively affluent suburban districts where President Donald Trump is unpopular. Residents in those states could see substantial increases in their federal tax bills next spring because of the $10,000 cap on state and local deductions in the tax law. The new legislation would make the cap permanent. Prospects for the legislation in the Senate are weak, given the slim Republican majority and concern over the potential for further blowing up the deficit with new tax cuts without corresponding new revenue sources. The sweeping rewrite of the tax code that Republicans hustled through Congress late last year, signed into law by Trump as his signature legislative achievement, is expected to add about $1.5 trillion to the deficit over 10 years. The bill approved Friday would add another $545 billion through 2028, according to an estimate by Congress bipartisan Joint Committee on Taxation. House Republicans portray the tax legislation as championing the middle class and small businesses. In the eight months since the tax law took effect, Weve seen an economic turnaround with more jobs, bigger paychecks and historic Main Street optimism, Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, said before the vote. Story continues With the midterm elections looming, polls have shown only lukewarm support among voters for the package of individual and corporate tax cuts that took effect Jan. 1. The new law provides steep tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans, and more modest reductions for middle- and low-income individuals and families. Early this year, millions of working Americans got a boost from the tax law as they saw increases in their paychecks with less tax withheld by employers. But as Trump has undertaken trade wars with China and U.S. allies, trade tensions have overshadowed the tax cuts in economically vulnerable areas of the country that depend on exports. In House debate on the bill, Democrats continued to denounce the existing tax law and new proposal, and repeatedly pounded on their impact on the mounting $21 trillion deficit. The Republicans will seek to fill the hole by cutting deeply into Medicare and Social Security, Democratic lawmakers warned. This is all borrowed money that will go to corporations and high-income earners, said Rep. Richard Neal of Massachusetts, the senior Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee. The new legislation is another reckless tax cut for the wealthy that leaves behind average, hardworking families. While the new law slashed the corporate tax rate permanently from 35 percent to 21 percent, its tax cuts for individuals and the millions of U.S. pass-through businesses expire in eight years. The pass-through businesses funnel their income to owners and other individuals, who then pay personal income tax on those earnings, not the corporate rate. They are allowed under the new law to deduct 20 percent of the first $315,000 of their earnings. The legislation clearing the House on Friday would make the cuts for individuals and pass-through businesses permanent. On Thursday, the House passed a pair of Republican-written companion bills that would add incentives for savings and startup businesses to the new tax law. The votes were 240-177 and 260-156, also mostly along party lines. One of the measures would create a universal savings account for families that could be used for a range of purposes and would allow the tax-free earnings to be more easily withdrawn than is the case with existing retirement accounts. In addition, it would allow the popular, tax-free 529 college savings accounts to also be used to pay for apprenticeship fees and home schooling expenses, as well as to pay off student debt. Workers would be able to tap their retirement savings accounts without tax penalty to cover expenses from the birth of a child or an adoption. The second measure would allow startup businesses to write off more of their initial costs against their federal taxes. New businesses would be permitted to deduct more of their expenses for setting up in the first year up to $20,000, double the current maximum level. Democrats said there were some positive elements in the legislation, but that overall it would not help average Americans. The new savings accounts would mainly benefit wealthy taxpayers, with about $100,000 in annual income needed to take full advantage of them, said Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas. __ This story has been corrected to show the tax legislation passed the House by a 220-191 vote. By Suchitra Mohanty and Malini Menon NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's Supreme Court lifted a ban rooted in a centuries-old tradition that prevented women of menstruating age from entering a prominent Hindu temple in southern Kerala state, upholding rights to equality of worship. The authorities at the Sabarimala temple, which attracts tens of millions of pilgrims every year, have said the ban on women and girls aged from 10 to 50 was essential to the rites related to the temple's chief deity Ayyappan, considered eternally celibate. In some Hindu communities, menstruating women are regarded as unclean, leading to restrictions and in a few cases outright bans on women of child-bearing age from entering certain places. Lifting the ban, the Chief Justice of India said "restrictions put by Sabarimala temple can't be held as essential religious practice". "No physiological and biological factor can be given legitimacy if it does not pass the test of conditionality," Justice Dipak Misra said in the judgment. Stating that society needs to undergo a perceptual shift, Misra said "patriarchy in religion cannot be permitted to trump over element of pure devotion borne out of faith and the freedom to practise and profess one's religion." It is the latest in a series of landmark judgments by the top court this month, involving some of the most sensitive issues in Indian society. On Thursday, the court struck down a colonial-era law that criminalized adultery, a day after clipping the wings of a national biometric identity card program because of privacy concerns. Earlier this month, it scrapped a law banning gay sex, sparking celebrations across India and elsewhere in South Asia, where activists hope to push for similar reform. The Supreme Court, one of India's most powerful institutions, has seen a manifold rise in public interest litigation in recent years. That is partly because Indian governments have tended to drag their feet on controversial decisions. "The law and the society are bestowed with the Herculean task to act as levelers," Justice Misra's judgment said. The temple's authorities said they will appeal against the verdict ahead of its next opening, which begins on Oct. 16. The temple remains open for only 127 days in a year and the approach to it entails difficult paths through a forest. "We will go for a review petition after getting support from other religious heads," said A. Padmakumar, president of Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages the hilltop temple, about 4,000 feet (1,220 meters) above sea level. REVIEW CALL Justice Indu Malhotra, the lone dissenting judge and the only woman judge in the five-member bench, said, "notions of rationality cannot be invoked in matters of religion." "Religious practices cannot solely be tested on the basis of the right to equality. It is up to the worshippers, not the court, to decide what is the religion's essential practice," she added. Pro-temple ban activists see hope in her dissenting voice. Activist Rahul Easwar, grandson of a former chief priest of Sabarimala, said a review petition would be filed to the court. This would happen after they sought the support of Christian and Muslim organizations as the verdict could have a bearing on their rights too. "Our attempt is to create a broad alliance against the Supreme Court verdict," Easwar told Reuters. Two years ago, a Mumbai court ruled that it was the fundamental right of women to enter any place of worship that allows men access, and that the state should protect this right. The struggle for equal access to places of worship in India has triggered a wider debate on women's rights in the country. "Now women can choose if they want to go or not. Earlier it was imposed on them in the name of religion," said Rekha Sharma, the head of the National Commission for Women. (Additional reporting by Jose Devasia in KOCHI; Writing by Malini Menon; Editing by Martin Howell, William Maclean) This aerial picture shows the remains of a ten-storey hotel in Palu - AFP Residents of Palu, on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, turned to looting on Sunday as they struggled to survive in the aftermath of a deadly 7.5 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that has so far killed 832 people. Looters were spotted taking items from the badly damaged Ramayana shopping mall and plundering fuel stations. One earthquake survivor told the Telegraph that he had been woken by a noisy crowd ransacking his local mini-market. Without justifying it, I understand why they did it, said the man, who identified himself by one name, Suwanto. My wife told me last night that our food supplies will last only two days, and we only have eggs and instant noodles. The big problem is clean water, he added. Joko Widodo, the Indonesian president, who visited Palu on Sunday, urged residents to be patient. Im aware there are a lot of issues that need to be resolved as soon as possible, he said. Electricity has been cut off and fuel is in short supply in the worst affected areas around Palu and the nearby town of Donggala. Damage to the runway and control tower at Palu airport has hampered both aid and the rescue efforts. Roads into the area have also been severely damaged. Masih banyak masyarakat yang berada di pantai saat tsunami sebelum menerjang Pantai Kota Palu (28/9/2018). Tidak ada sirine berbunyi. Masyarakat banyak yang tidak tahu ancamannya sehingga masih melakukan aktivitas di pantai. Akhirnya banyak korban akibat tsunami. #palutsunamipic.twitter.com/hwxw29UlBR Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) September 29, 2018 Amali, a truck driver from the nearby province of Gorontalo, spoke of his terror in trying to bring in much-needed supplies along collapsed roads. In one part, we have to go past the edge of a cliff. If the driver loses concentration for just a moment then the truck could fall over the side, he said. Im thinking the whole time about the disaster victims. But what if I become a victim? I have a wife and three small children. I want to see them grow up, he said. Story continues The full extent of the devastation in Sulawesi has not yet been revealed as rescue teams are still struggling to reach the worst-affected areas. Disaster management officials have warned the death toll could rise into the thousands. Questions over warnings Indonesias disaster authorities are now under scrutiny after scientists were taken by surprise by the tsunami, which reportedly reached 20 feet in height and hit the coastline at extremely high speeds measuring in the hundreds of miles per hour. The approach of the wave was caught in a chilling smartphone video that went viral on social media. Like a scene from a horror movie, a man screams desperately to warn people loitering on the beachfront street below of the approaching tsunami. From his standpoint a few storeys above ground, he can see the speeding surge of water but people are slow to react, their view of the sea blocked by a row of beach huts. Cars and motorbikes drive past with no sense of urgency, seemingly unaware of the coming disaster. The man cries louder, but as the murky waters hit with brutal force, submerging the huts and wreaking havoc, his voice breaks into sobs as those he tried to save run belatedly for the stairs. Noticeably absent from the video is the sound of a tsunami warning siren, which could have saved lives. Indonesias geophysics agency had initially issued a tsunami warning but lifted it 34 minutes later based on data available from the closest tidal sensor, around 125 miles from Palu. It emerged on Sunday that a life-saving early warning system had been stalled in the testing phase for five years. The high-tech system of seafloor sensors and fibre-optic cable was supposed to replace a system set up after an earthquake and tsunami killed nearly 250,000 people in the region in 2004. But delays in getting $69,000 to complete the project means it hasn't moved beyond the prototype phase. Palus catastrophe was made worse by the fateful timing of a cultural beach festival, which had drawn hundreds of people to the shoreline at dusk, the moment the tsunami struck. Digging for survivors Rescuers are racing to try to find survivors buried under the rubble of the double natural disaster, but lack heavy machinery. Some 50 people, including a South Korean tourist, are believed to be trapped in the wreckage of the Roa-Roa hotel. This aerial picture shows the remains of a ten-storey hotel in Palu Credit: AFP A young woman was pulled alive from the rubble of the hotel, the news website Detik.com reported. "We've got information from people that their relatives are still inside, so were focusing on that, especially to find survivors," a rescuer identified as Yusuf, working at the ruins of the mall, told Metro TV. Evakuasi korban tertimbun gempa di Hotel Roa-Roa Kota Pqluterus dilakukan Tim SAR Gabungan dikoordinir Basarnas. Diperkiran terdapat 50 orang di bawah reruntuhan bangunan. Alat berat diperlukan untuk evakuasi. pic.twitter.com/LGWwp3OEhE Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) September 30, 2018 Muhammad Syaugi, the head of Indonesia's search and rescue agency, said that he could hear people calling out from the collapsed eight-story Roa-Roa Hotel. "I can still hear the voice of the survivors screaming for help while inspecting the compound," he said. "What we now desperately need is heavy machinery to clear the rubble. I have my staff on the ground, but it's impossible just to rely on their strength alone to clear this." The Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Willem Rampangilei, told reporters in Sulawesi late on Saturday rescuers were struggling in their hunt for more victims. "We are having difficulty deploying heavy equipment to find victims under the rubble of buildings because many of the roads leading to Palu city are damaged," he was quoted by the Kompas newspaper as saying. About 10,000 displaced people were scattered at 50 different places in Palu, he said. As more footage emerged of the moment disaster struck, one astonishing clip showed the carnage apparently being wrought by the quake alone. Video footage showed trees, buildings and a communications tower being swept through a rural landscape by a landslide caused by liquification of the soil, according BNPB's Nugroho. Humanitarian crisis For survivors, the situation was increasingly dire. "It feels very tense," said 35-year-old mother Risa Kusuma, comforting her feverish baby boy at an evacuation centre in the gutted city of Palu. "Every minute an ambulance brings in bodies. Clean water is scarce." Residents were seen returning to their destroyed homes, picking through waterlogged belongings, trying to salvage anything they could find. Hundreds of people were injured and hospitals, damaged by the magnitude 7.5 quake, were overwhelmed. Some of the injured, including Dwi Haris, who suffered a broken back and shoulder, rested outside Palu's Army Hospital, where patients were being treated outdoors due to continuing strong aftershocks. Tears filled his eyes as he recounted feeling the violent earthquake shake the fifth-floor hotel room he shared with his wife and daughter. "There was no time to save ourselves. I was squeezed into the ruins of the wall, I think," Haris told Associated Press, adding that his family was in town for a wedding. "I heard my wife cry for help, but then silence. I don't know what happened to her and my child. I hope they are safe." Hospitals were overwhelmed by the influx of those injured, with many people being treated in the open air. There were widespread power blackouts. "We all panicked and ran out of the house" when the quake hit, said Anser Bachmid, a 39-year-old Palu resident. 'I heard people shouting, Water! Water!' Palu, which has more than 380,000 people, was strewn with debris from the earthquake and tsunami. A mosque heavily damaged by the quake was half submerged and a shopping mall was reduced to a crumpled hulk. A large bridge with yellow arches had collapsed. Bodies lay partially covered by tarpaulins and a man carried a dead child through the wreckage. Nina, a 23-year-old woman who goes by one name, was working at a laundry service shop not far from the beach when the quake hit. She said the quake destroyed her workplace, but she managed to escape and quickly went home to get her mother and younger brother. An aerial view shows bridge damaged by an earthquake and tsunami in Palu Credit: Reuters "We tried to find shelter, but then I heard people shouting, 'Water! Water!'" she recalled, crying. "The three of us ran, but got separated. Now I don't know where my mother and brother are. I don't know how to get information. I don't know what to do." It's the latest natural disaster to hit Indonesia, which is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. In December 2004, a massive magnitude 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra island in western Indonesia triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries. Last month, a powerful quake on the island of Lombok killed 505 people. Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel on Sunday released a French-Palestinian lawyer held without charge for the past 13 months over unspecified allegations, his lawyer said. Salah Hamouri, 33, was freed at Jerusalem police headquarters after being brought from his cell in a prison in southern Israel's Negev desert. Attorney Mahmud Hassan told AFP that Hamouri was forbidden to take part in demonstrations, protests or celebrations of his release for a period of 30 days and required to post a bond of 3,000 shekels ($825, 710 euros). He was arrested at his home in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem on August 23, 2017 and subsequently interned under what Israel calls administrative detention, which allows detention without trial for renewable six-month periods. Neither suspects nor their lawyers are informed of the reasons for arrests and Israel's Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency had no immediate comment when asked by AFP for the reasons behind Hamouri's detention. "Freedom is an indescribable feeling," Hamouri told AFP after his release, while saying he felt France had not done enough to push for it. "The detention system in Israeli prisons is often hard. The Israelis try everything to imprison our will, to isolate us from our society and our family." He said he had not been in contact with his wife or son during his detention, and that Israel had refused a visa request for his wife who lives in France. Israeli authorities have in the past accused Hamouri of belonging to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which Israel, the United States and the European Union list as a terrorist group. Hamouri has denied it, according to his wife, contacted in France. French President Emmanuel Macron and Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian discussed his case several times with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the French foreign ministry. Israel says administrative detention is intended to allow authorities to hold suspects while continuing to gather evidence, with the aim of preventing attacks or security offences in the meantime. Story continues But the system has been criticised by Palestinians, human rights groups and members of the international community who say Israel abuses the measure. Hamouri was born in east Jerusalem to a French mother and a Palestinian father. Palestinian prisoner support NGO Addameer, which employed him as a field researcher, said he was first arrested and placed under administrative detention in 2001, aged 16. He was interned without trial for another five-month stretch in 2004, it said, then arrested again in 2005. Following that arrest, he was tried and convicted by an Israeli court on charges of plotting to assassinate Ovadia Yossef, a prominent Israeli rabbi and spiritual leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas political party. Hamouri was released in December 2011 as part of a swap of over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for Gilad Shalit, a soldier held captive in Gaza for more than five years. He has always maintained his innocence. Addameer says more than 5,500 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli jails, including approximately 450 in administrative detention. Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel is prepared to open its side of the crossing point with Syria following the return of UN peacekeepers to the Golan Heights following a four-year absence, the army said. Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman "authorised the reopening of the Alpha gate of the Quneitra crossing between Israel and Syria, allowing the UN to resume activity via the crossing pending Syria's reopening their side," it said in a statement Saturday. The UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) resumed its patrols in the area of the crossing point in August, after withdrawing in 2014 when Al-Qaeda-linked rebels overran the area, three years into Syria's devastating civil war. The return of UNDOF was made possible after Syrian government forces, backed by Russia, recaptured territory near the Golan, driving out rebel groups from a "de-escalation zone" agreed by Jordan, Russia and the United States. Quneitra crossing is "an operational crossing for UNDOF in the implementation of its mandate," according to Nick Birnback, a spokesman for UN Peacekeeping in New York. UNDOF is working to "complete the rehabilitation of the Quneitra crossing" which is expected to be reopened soon, Birnback said in an email on Friday. Israel seized much of the Golan Heights from Syria in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed it in a move not recognised by the international community. Established in 1974, UNDOF monitors a ceasefire line separating Israeli-occupied parts of the Golan Heights from Syria. The Quneitra crossing was used by Druze living on the Israeli side travelling to Syria for higher education or weddings. Druze farmers also exported apples to Syria through Quneitra. At a tour of the Israeli side of the crossing on Thursday, Lieberman said that once Quneitra was open, authorities would have to "consider each possibility (for the crossing's use) according to the security situation". Story continues "We're in different times now," he said. Israel was "ready to open the crossing as it had been in the past", Lieberman told journalists accompanying him at the site. "The ball is now in the Syrians' court." Syria's transport ministry also said Saturday its main border crossing with Jordan would reopen to trade next month for the first time in three years, although Amman said consultations were still ongoing. Syrian government troops retook the Syrian side of the crossing in July under a deal with rebel fighters brokered by Moscow. It had been sealed completely since rebels overran it in April 2015, choking off one of the most important trade routes for the government. A Jeopardy! contestant won in the category of love when he proposed to his girlfriend during Thursday nights show. Michael Pascuzzi of Florida swapped out the traditional interview with host Alex Trebek to pop the question to his girlfriend, Maria Shafer, who was in the television audience. I just wanted to say one quick thing, and ask Maria Shafer, right there, if she would make me a winner today and marry me, Pascuzzi said. Will you marry me? While Shafer swiftly responded with a tearful yes, the ever-wry Trebek had a quip for the situation: Maria, you responded too quickly. I was about to say well have the answer to that question right after this commercial break. Shafer also modified the answer she gave to Pascuzzis proposal later; she realized that she should have phrased her answer in the form of a question, which she quickly resolved. Kellyanne Conway to CNN: Im a victim of sexual assault Women are watching: Kavanaugh focuses activists anger Julie Swetnick has alleged that Brett Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge placed drugs or alcohol in punch in order to inebriate women so they could be gang raped by other partygoers. Photograph: AP The FBI will not interview Julie Swetnick, the third woman to accuse Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, according to multiple reports and the Republican senator Lindsey Graham, highlighting the narrow scope of the agencys supplemental investigation into Donald Trumps supreme court nominee. After NBC News and the other outlets said Swetnick would not be questioned, the White House, which has stood by Kavanaugh through the fallout from an explosive Senate hearing on Thursday, denied it was limiting the investigation. On Saturday Donald Trump said on Twitter he wanted the FBI to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion. On Sunday Kellyanne Conway, a senior Trump counselor, told CNNs State of the Union: We trust the hardworking men and women of the FBI to do their jobs, and they will determine what will be included within that scope. Conway also revealed that she had been a victim of sexual assault. I feel very empathetic, frankly, for victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment and rape Im a victim of sexual assault, she said. Swetnick and two other women, Dr Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez, have accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct during his high school and college years in the early 1980s. A report in the New York Times indicated that only one of the accusers, Ramirez, would initially be interviewed by the FBI, after the White House approved a list of just four witnesses. The investigation was described as a limited background check, not a criminal inquiry. It was opened after an intervention from the Arizona Republican senator Jeff Flake and is set to last no longer than a week. Ramirez claims Kavanaugh exposed his genitals to her during a drunken dorm-room party in their freshman year at Yale University. Ford, a professor at Palo Alto University, accuses Kavanaugh of attempted rape. During testimony before the Senate judiciary committee which gripped the nation on Thursday, she said she was 100% certain it was Kavanaugh who assaulted her and described in vivid detail the night of the alleged attack at a house party outside Washington. Story continues The other three witnesses to be questioned by the FBI, the New York Times reported, are Kavanaughs friend Mark Judge and Leland Keyser and PJ Smyth, also said to have been at the party at which Ford says Kavanaugh assaulted her. Kavanaugh, 53, who has denied all the allegations against him, was not on the reported list of approved interviews. Swetnick has claimed, in a sworn statement, that Kavanaugh and Judge engaged in lewd behavior with young women at high school parties, and alleged the two placed drugs or alcohol in punch in order to inebriate women so they could be gang raped by other partygoers. Judge has denied Swetnicks allegations. Ford says he was present during her alleged assault; he has said he has no memory of the alleged attack. On Sunday, Swetnicks attorney, Michael Avenatti, wrote on Twitter that he was still waiting for the FBI to contact me or my client. Avenatti also represents Stormy Daniels, the adult film actor who says she had a sexual affair with Trump, a claim the president denies. Avenatti added: How do you conduct a legitimate, fair [and] thorough investigation into allegations unless you interview the person actually making the allegations about her experiences, what she witnessed, and what facts and other witnesses she is aware of? Answer YOU CANT. And thats by design. Democrats urged the FBI to investigate Swetnicks claims and voiced concern that the White House may be narrowing the scope of the agencys work. Im very concerned about this because the White House should not be allowed to micromanage an FBI investigation, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who sits on the judiciary committee, told CNN. She added: I think she [Swetnick] has to be interviewed by the FBI. I havent met her. I believe in due process, she did sign an affidavit. Conway and the White House press secretary, Sarah Sanders, who appeared on Fox News Sunday, both insisted the White House was not micromanaging. But Graham appeared to confirm Swetnick would not be questioned. I think the allegation that she makes is outrageous and not one Democrat mentioned it, the South Carolina senator and judiciary committee member told ABCs This Week. But Mark Judge, who is named by Ms Swetnick as being part of a gang rape and drugging women, will be asked did he ever see it happen. Or did he see Kavanaugh engage in it? Republican leaders are keen to push Kavanaughs nomination through before the midterm elections in November. But a handful of swing voters, including Flake, Republicans Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski and Democrats up for re-election in red-leaning states, have yet to declare their positions. No date has been set for a full floor vote. Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump on Friday ordered a new FBI investigation into sexual assault allegations against his Supreme Court pick, as the Senate delayed a vote on Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to make way for the probe. After a dramatic day-long hearing at which a university professor accused Kavanaugh of pinning her down and assaulting her at a party in the 1980s, the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier Friday approved his nomination in a preliminary vote along party lines. But committee chair Chuck Grassley, a Republican, then bowed to intense pressure from inside and outside Congress and announced he was asking Trump to order the new background review that "must be completed no later than one week from today." The Kavanaugh nomination has turned into a political firestorm ahead of November congressional elections -- in which Republicans will battle to keep control of Congress -- and is threatening to derail Trump's push to get a conservative-minded majority on the top court ahead of the vote. Trump, who repeatedly blasted Democratic opposition to Kavanaugh as a political "con-job," agreed to the investigation. "I've ordered the FBI to conduct a supplemental investigation to update Judge Kavanaugh's file. As the Senate has requested, this update must be limited in scope and completed in less than one week," the president said in a statement. He later tweeted support for Kavanaugh, saying "Just started, tonight, our 7th FBI investigation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh. He will someday be recognized as a truly great Justice of The United States Supreme Court!" - Threat to break ranks - Trump's order and the decision to put off a final vote came after a key Republican senator, Jeff Flake, threatened to break ranks with his party because of the clouds hanging over Kavanaugh. At least three women have now accused the 53-year-old conservative judge of sexual misconduct while drunk, as a high school and later a university student. Story continues Democrats have repeatedly demanded those charges be assessed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to determine if he is suitable for the lifetime high court appointment. Flake's 11th-hour move played out on national television amid heated partisan debate and raucous protests in the halls of the Capitol, where several women cornered the Arizona senator in an elevator demanding he oppose Kavanaugh. "This country's being ripped apart," said Flake. "And we have to ensure that we do due diligence here." "There's lingering doubt out there among a lot of people that we haven't taken every measure that we should to make sure that these allegations are dealt with, and so that's what this effort is about," he said. His move earned the endorsement of another Republican seen as wavering on the nomination, Lisa Murkowski. With the Republicans holding a narrow 51-49 majority in the Senate, that placed pressure on Trump to order the FBI probe. - Tense showdown in Congress - Republicans see Kavanaugh as pivotal to their gaining control of the nine-member Supreme Court bench. Trump nominated him to replace Anthony Kennedy, who for years was a swing vote between four conservative and four liberal justices. Many conservatives hope Kavanaugh's appointment leads to a reversal of the court's protection for women's abortion rights and for "affirmative action" programs supporting minorities in schools and jobs. With the stakes high, the Judiciary Committee's preliminary vote took place amid extraordinary tension. Kavanaugh's supporters and opponents squared off furiously in hearing rooms and protesters crowded the hallways of Congress chanting "November is coming!" -- a reference to the upcoming midterm elections. "Don't look away from me! Look at me and tell me that it doesn't matter what happened to me, that you'll let people like that go to the highest court in the land," one weeping woman berated Flake, as he made his way to the committee room. The panel vote split along strict party lines with the 11 Republican members backing Kavanaugh and all 10 Democrats opposing him. - Emotional hearing - The vote came a day after 51-year-old university professor Christine Blasey Ford described over four hours how she says Kavanaugh assaulted her 36 years ago, and how it traumatized her for decades since. Blasey Ford said she was "100-percent" certain that a drunken Kavanaugh, along with his friend Mark Judge, were the ones that attacked her at a high school party in suburban Maryland in 1982. One of her lawyers, Debra Katz, on Friday said "no artificial limits as to time or scope should be imposed" on the new FBI investigation, US media reported. After Blasey Ford's testimony, Kavanaugh hit back furiously, categorically denying the assault took place and accusing Democrats of destroying his reputation for political reasons. "This whole two-week effort has been a calculated and orchestrated political hit fueled with apparent pent-up anger about President Trump and the 2016 election," he said. "This is a circus." While the vote on Kavanaugh is postponed, the full Senate is now officially considering Kavanaugh's nomination. "We're on the nomination, and we're moving forward," Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters. The other person named by Blasey Ford as having taken part in her attack, Kavanaugh's school friend Judge, said in a letter dated Friday that he would "cooperate with any law enforcement agency that is assigned to confidentially investigate these allegations." Kavanaugh said in a statement that he had done "everything" requested of him and would "continue to cooperate." NEW YORK (AP) He let his anger flare repeatedly, interrupted his questioners and cried several times during his opening statement. She strived to remain calm and polite, despite her nervousness, and mostly held back her tears. Throughout their riveting, nationally televised testimony on Thursday, Christine Blasey Ford and Brett Kavanaugh served as Exhibits A and B for a tutorial on gender roles and stereotypes. Amid the deluge of reaction on social media, one prominent observation: Ford, as a woman, would have been judged as a far weaker witness had she behaved as Kavanaugh did. "Imagine a woman openly weeping like this on a national stage and still getting elected to the Supreme Court. Or any office," tweeted Joanna Robinson, a senior writer with Vanity Fair. Kavanaugh, nominated to fill a vacant seat on the U.S. Supreme Court, mixed tears with fury in his statement forcefully denying Ford's allegation that he sexually assaulted her in 1982 when they were both in high school. He choked up at several points when referring to how his family has been affected by the tempest surrounding allegations by Ford and other women. Opponents of Kavanaugh's nomination said his behavior demonstrated a lack of judicial temperament. Some supporters said they were moved to tears when he broke down. Later, during questioning by some of the Senate Judiciary Committee's Democratic members, Kavanaugh aggressively interrupted his interrogators and even asked sharp questions of his own. "Have you ever drank so much you didn't remember what happened?" asked Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat. "Have you?" countered Kavanaugh. He later apologized. Ford, in contrast, sought to present herself as cooperative and respectful, expressing her wish that "we could collaborate in a way that could get at more information." "I'm used to being collegial," she said at one point. At another, she said when asked about her emotional state: "I think that's a great question." Story continues Zoe Chance, a marketing professor at Yale School of Management, said that in terms of winning over public opinion, Ford and Kavanaugh "are both doing the right thing." She cited research indicating that men could seem more influential and competent through shows of anger, and women less so. "When women express strong emotions, we judge them to be emotional or, in the extreme, 'hysterical,'" Chance said in an email. "When men express strong emotions, we infer that they must be facing extreme situations." However, Chance was unsure that Kavanaugh's anger was effective in this case. "In this particular situation, the emotional display casts doubt on his ability to be dispassionate and objective as a judge," Chance suggested. "If we value the ability to separate emotion from facts, then Ford has behaved more judge-like than Kavanaugh has. " Kathleen Hall Jamieson, communications professor and director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, said some of Kavanaugh's statements "were more consistent with one's expectations of a partisan than a judge or prospective associate justice of the Supreme Court." "It is unusual to see a middle aged professional male or female_experience the range of emotions in public in a formal setting expressed by Judge Kavanaugh," Jamieson said in an email. "We expect judges to sound and seem dispassionate." Michael Cunningham, a psychology professor at the University of Louisville, said he found Ford's body language and tone of voice to be persuasive. "Her generally calm and soft-spoken, yet firm, voice seemed consistent with the feminine sex-role," he said. "At the end, I believe she retained her credibility." As for Kavanaugh, Cunningham said the nominee "was successful in conveying the emotions of a man who has convinced himself that he has done nothing wrong." But the professor had doubts about the impact of Kavanaugh's show of emotions. "Judge Kavanaugh tearing up when mentioning his daughter conveyed a man who was feeling sorry for himself," Cunningham said. "Society wants men to be sympathetic, and even tearful at times, but not for themselves." Glenn Sacks, a commentator who writes often about men's issues, expressed dismay at social-media derision being directed at Kavanaugh due to his emotional displays. "The mocking of his demeanor is indicative of the restraints still upon men no weakness allowed, suck it up or get laughed at," Sacks said in an email. "Men are taught this at an early age when women cry, we sympathize. When a man cries, it's so unseemly we can barely stand to look at it." Jo Langford, a Seattle-based therapist who works with men and boys who have committed sexual offenses, said he was struck by the contrast between Kavanaugh's anger and Ford's "stable and straightforward cadence." He concluded that Ford may have fared better in the court of public opinion. Among those closely following the hearing was Danielle Campoamor, a New York-based writer and editor who says she was sexually assaulted by a co-worker five years ago. Ford "was calm in a way every sexual assault victim is asked to be, lest they be written off as 'unhinged' and 'emotional' and, as a result, no longer credible," Campoamor said. "Kavanaugh, by contrast, was unapologetically angry. ... He embodied the anger so many sexual assault victims fear; the anger that keeps so many of us from coming forward." ___ Associated Press writer Elizabeth Kennedy in Washington contributed to this report. The first stop on former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.) and her husband Mark Kelly's pre-midterms tour will be at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, one day after the first anniversary of the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. (Photo: Gary Cameron / Reuters) Former Arizona Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011, is set to campaign across the political map over the next month to boost Democratic candidates who support gun control. Giffords, who now leads an eponymous gun safety group with her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, will start the tour on Oct. 2 in Las Vegas, one day after the one-year anniversary of the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. The event, at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, will include a roundtable discussion with gun violence survivors and a canvass kickoff event with Tom Steyer, the California businessman and potential presidential candidate. Peter Ambler, the executive director of Giffords, said the number of candidates requesting to campaign with the former congresswoman has skyrocketed in recent years as mass shootings have continued and the Democratic Party has fully embraced gun control as part of its political platform. The politics around guns has shifted demonstrably. Its a departure from several years ago, he said. There are dozens of candidates around the country who recognize their path to victory revolves around their support for gun safety. Most of the stops, Ambler said, will focus on the suburban House districts Democrats hope will pave the way for their majority in 2019. Besides Las Vegas, Gabby Giffords will also campaign in Orange County, California home to four competitive House seats and in Minneapolis and Houston. Theyll also campaign in the Pacific Northwest, traveling to Oregon for Democratic Gov. Kate Brown, who is facing a surprisingly competitive re-election bid; and to Washington state, where theyll support an ambitious referendum to require enhanced background checks for semiautomatic weapons. Two of the stops in Minneapolis and in Houston will also include participants from the March for Our Lives, which formed to organize young people after the February massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Story continues Ambler said to expect additional stops on the journey, dubbed the #VotesSaveLives tour. The Giffords organization has already spent $4 million attacking three Republicans with backing from the National Rifle Association: Rep. Barbara Comstock in Virginia, Rep. Mike Coffman in Colorado and Rep. Jason Lewis in Minnesota. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. WASHINGTON The Senates most outspoken Republican this week found a way to denounce sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh without addressing the actual accusations. Christine Blasey Ford vividly described Kavanaugh attempting to rape her when they were both teenagers, saying he pinned her to a bed and used his hand to stifle her screams. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and other Republicans have said Blasey must be mistaken about what happened. But on Thursday, in a fiery speech from the dais during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing which had been precipitated entirely by Blaseys testimony Graham ranted about a claim from another woman, who came forward this week. Julie Swetnick said in a sworn declaration that in the early 1980s, she saw Kavanaugh at parties where groups of boys would rape girls. Her attorney is Michael Avenatti, who also represents a woman who received money to stay quiet about an alleged past affair with President Donald Trump. Democrats did not ask Kavanaugh about the gang rape accusation, but Graham did during an angry few minutes of questioning from the dais. Were you a gang rapist? Graham asked. Kavanaugh said no. Youre supposed to be Bill Cosby when youre a junior and senior in high school, Graham said. And all of a sudden, you got over it. Its been my understanding that if you drug women and rape them for two years in high school, you probably dont stop. The serial rape accusation is ridiculous on its face, in Grahams view, because Kavanaugh has not been accused of any similar behavior over the course of his career. Graham went on to say that voting against Kavanaughs nomination would be legitimizing the most despicable thing I have seen in my time in politics. He didnt ask Kavanaugh anything about Blaseys story. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) asked Brett Kavanaugh if he was a gang rapist. Dr. Christine Blasey Ford did not actually make that accusation. (Photo: TOM WILLIAMS via Getty Images) Later, during a closed-door Republican meeting, Grahams colleagues applauded him, as did conservative commentator Sean Hannity, who interviewed Graham on Thursday evening, when the senator railed against Senate Democrats some more. Story continues Do you really believe that Brett Kavanaugh is a serial rapist? Do you believe any of this garbage? Graham asked on Hannitys program. Im sorry Dr. Ford went through this. She shouldnt have had to go through. But I am convinced beyond any shadow of a doubt that Brett Kavanaugh is not the man theyre trying to make him. Blasey, the sole accuser who testified before the committee, did not say Kavanaugh drugged her or that he was a serial rapist. Not even Avenattis client said shed witnessed Kavanaugh raping people she said shed seen him at parties where rape did occur and she thought he might have participated. HuffPost asked Graham on Friday if its fair to say Democrats are claiming Kavanaugh was allegedly a serial rapist like Cosby, who has been accused of assault by dozens of women. No, Im not saying that, Graham said. Im saying its fair to say that thats the accusation that came from Mr. Avenatti. Graham suggested that his Cosby comments perhaps shouldnt be taken literally. The process that we are engaging in has led to this accusation and nobody wants to talk about it because it is so over the top, he said. Nobody except Graham, that is. I want to prove to people what this process is all about, he said. Its about buying time, throwing anything and hoping it will stick. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. WASHINGTON (AP) Moments after pivotal Sen. Jeff Flake announced he would vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, the Arizona Republican was confronted with the consequences. Two tearful women cornered Flake as he got on an elevator Friday, pleading for him to reconsider his support for the appeals court judge who's been accused of sexual assault when he was a teenager. By the end of the day, Flake had, adding a condition to his promise to vote for Kavanaugh. He'd do so, Flake said, if the vote was delayed a week so the FBI could investigate "credible allegations" against the nominee. It wasn't clear that the raw, emotional elevator exchange changed Flake's his mind by itself. But it's hard to forget. And Flake didn't deny it was one of the factors that made an impression. "Look at me and tell me that it doesn't matter what happened to me," said 23-year-old Maria Gallagher. Ana Maria Archila pointed her finger at Flake while she appeared to keep the elevator door from closing. "On Monday, I stood in front of your office," Archila, co-executive director of the nonprofit Center for Popular Democracy Action, told Flake. "I told the story of my sexual assault. I told it because I recognized in Dr. Ford's story that she is telling the truth. What you are doing is allowing someone who actually violated a woman to sit on the Supreme Court." Flake said he had to go to a hearing. He was returning to the committee room where he and 20 colleagues had heard hours of testimony Thursday from Christine Blasey Ford, a California psychology professor who told them Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her decades ago. Kavanaugh strongly denied the allegation. Flake had lobbied Republican leaders to give Ford the chance to speak. He was viewed as a possible "no" vote on the panel and in the closely-divided Senate until his morning announcement Friday. That made the two women staking out his office angry, and they confronted him when he tried to leave for Friday's hearing. Story continues "I was sexually assaulted and nobody believed me. I didn't tell anyone, and you're telling all women that they don't matter, that they should just stay quiet because if they tell you what happened to them you are going to ignore them," Gallagher said. "That's what happened to me, and that's what you are telling all women in America, that they don't matter," she said through tears. She begged Flake to look her in the eye. "Don't look away from me," she said. Flake, cornered in the elevator, shifted between looking at them and looking down. He said, "Thank you," but didn't response to questions on whether he believed Ford's testimony. Later in the day, Flake voted to advance Kavanaugh's nomination from the committee to the full Senate, but only after announcing his condition. He said he had been speaking with Democrats to make sure "we do due diligence here." Flake was later asked whether the elevator confrontation swayed him. "I can say this whole process has affected all of us," he said. "I can't pinpoint anything to say this is what caused me to come today to say let's postpone." He said it was "remarkable" the number of people who saw Ford and "were emboldened to come out and say what had happened to them. I've heard from close friends and I had no idea. That's important." President Donald Trump later agreed to order the FBI to open a supplemental background investigation into Kavanaugh that would be completed in a week. The women do not identify themselves in the video, but Archila's group sent a press release following the confrontation confirming it was Archila speaking on camera. Gallagher confirmed via phone to The Associated Press that it was her, and she consented to the use of her name. The AP does not usually name people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they come forward publicly about the allegations, as these women have done. Speaking to the AP by phone after the confrontation, Gallagher said she didn't intend to tell Flake about her assault she had never told anyone before. "But I saw him, and I got really angry," she said. She was in town as a volunteer with the liberal activist group Make the Road New York. Archila told the AP she was sexually assaulted when she was 5 years old by a teenager when she and her family lived in Colombia. She said she didn't tell anyone before this week. "I had planned to just talk to him nicely, but once when I saw that he was voting for Kavanaugh my niceties went out the window," she said. "What are you doing to our country? You are sending the wrong message you're saying that all of us who put our pain to the world to confront don't matter." After hearing about Flake's request, she said the sequence of events suggested their conversation helped move him. "What it tells me is that telling our stories and showing up can actually change their minds," she said. ___ Associated Press writer Matthew Daly contributed to this report. ___ For more coverage of Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination, visit https://apnews.com/tag/Kavanaughnomination A poster encouraging Macedonians to vote yes in the name change referendum - Getty Images Europe Macedonians head to the polls on Sunday to vote in a referendum on whether to change the countrys name to North Macedonia. If a majority vote in favour of the name change, neighbouring Greece has promised to lift its veto on the tiny Balkan nation joining Nato and the EU. Macedonias long-standing desire to keep its name has been blocked by Athens ever since the Balkan country declared independence from the wreckage of the former Yugoslavia in 1991. The Greeks are fiercely protective of their own region of the same name and resent what they regard as the Macedonians appropriation of Hellenistic culture. Despite the bad blood between the neighbours, a majority of Macedonians seem to be leaning towards the yes vote. It is a chance to ditch the long-winded and inelegant name they have been saddled with for the last 27 years the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, or FYROM for short. There are no jobs for young people here. My son has no prospects. We have big economic problems. So I thinking joining the EU and Nato will offer us a better future, Tiho, a 56-year-old taxi driver in the capital, said. But others deeply resent having to add a geographical qualifier to their countrys name, saying that the title North Macedonia is a humiliation and diminishes the country on the world stage. Greece accuses Macedonia of appropriating its ancient heroes such as this giant statue of Alexander the Great in Skopje Credit: Jan Wlodarczyk/Alamy In a concession from Athens, the language of the country will officially be recognised as Macedonian and citizens nationality will be Macedonian. No one wants to change the name why would you? said Simonida Kacarska, the director of the European Policy Institute, a think tank in Skopje. But the issue has been going on for 27 years and people are sick of it. This is a chance to resolve it. We are making a compromise. The question that will be put to voters in the referendum is: "Are you in favour of membership in the European Union and NATO by accepting the deal between (the) Republic of Macedonia and Republic of Greece?" Story continues The break in the impasse between the two countries came in June, after months of talks between Zoran Zaev, the Macedonian prime minister, and his Greek counterpart, Alexis Tsipras. Both leaders have stuck their necks out politically and face trenchant opposition from domestic critics. In Macedonia, conservative opposition parties and nationalist groups have called for a boycott of the referendum. Its emotional. This is a country whose language and identity have been contested by its neighbours, said Prof Kacarska, who gained her PhD at Leeds University. Part of the population is concerned that the change of name will change certain identity markers, even though our nationality and language will be recognised as Macedonian. The emotional attachment to the issue on both sides is incredible. It is still very high and will be for some time. Such is the historical animosity between Macedonia and its larger neighbours Serbia, Albania, Bulgaria and Greece that they are known as the four wolves. An ethnic Albanian woman casts her ballot at a polling station in Skopje, Macedonia Credit: Thanassis Stavrakis/AP Polling stations are open until 7pm local time, with the result expected to be known late on Sunday evening. Nikola Dimitrov, the foreign minister, voted in the centre of the capital, describing the referendum as a historic cross-roads and the potential start of a new chapter for the country. I hope that this will be a smooth democratic process and that people will make the choice to move forward finally. This is a big, big day for Macedonia and for our friendship with Greece and our other neighbours. Im excited. Its also my birthday, so I hope there is an omen in that too. A key issue is turnout if it is less than 50 per cent then the referendum result may be seen to lack legitimacy. Mr Zaev, the prime minister, has said that if the no vote wins, he will resign. If the yes vote wins, Skopje will have to make changes to its constitution and then put the deal to parliament for approval. It would also have to be ratified by the Greek parliament, where Mr Tsiprass coalition partners have said they will vote against it. It is not clear if the prime minister will be able to gather enough votes from other parties to have the accord accepted. Washington (AFP) - Tesla has promised to revolutionize the automobile, but the high-end electric car maker keeps hitting road blocks created by its founder Elon Musk's erratic behavior and considerable ego. Those traits contributed to fraud charges brought against Musk on Thursday by federal regulators, a potentially serious blow coming just as Tesla is ramping up efforts to become a mainstream manufacturer. But on Saturday, the brilliant billionaire escaped the worst after reaching a settlement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission that leaves him as chief executive while forcing him to step down as chairman and pay a $20 million fine. The settlement, which will leave the 47-year-old overseeing Tesla's daily operations, provides at least a momentary reprieve from the company's many challenges -- including Musk's own sometimes counterproductive instincts. Tesla is at something of a turning point. It has been accelerating production of its Model 3, the mass-market vehicle with a potential to disrupt the entire automotive sector -- yet the company remains burdened by billions in debt and has yet to show a profit. The SEC filing on Thursday alleged that Musk committed securities fraud by misleading investors when he tweeted on August 7 that he had "funding secured" to privatize the electric automaker at $420 a share, a comment that caused Tesla's share price to briefly spike. The case underscored doubts about the mercurial entrepreneur's ability to lead Tesla, while at the same time highlighting the confidence some retain in him as a necessary visionary force behind the company. "Despite Musk's recent erratic behavior, we think most investors want him to remain with the company and they value shares at what we view as extremely lofty multiples given the potential for Musk's vision to drive future growth," Garrett Nelson of the research firm CFRA said in a note to clients. Story continues Analyst David Whiston at Morningstar reiterated his comments from a month earlier that "Musk is effectively Tesla, and without him Tesla is just a capital-intensive automaker burning cash with too much debt due soon." Tesla shares have skidded nearly 30 percent from their peak in early August, amid growing concerns on the company's ability to expand without its founder. - Criminal case coming? - Tesla's brash leader has faced increased scrutiny over his volatile behavior, including smoking marijuana during a podcast interview and assailing a man involved in the Thailand cave rescue as a "pedo guy." Musk initially rejected the SEC's allegations on Thursday, calling the charges baseless and vowing to defend himself. But investor pressure amid the tanking share prices may have given him second thoughts. Tesla has continued to express support for Musk, saying the company and its directors "are fully confident in Elon, his integrity, and his leadership." The SEC settlement may not end Musk's regulatory troubles, however, since there are reports of a pending criminal investigation as well. Keri Axel, a former federal prosecutor and SEC enforcement lawyer who now is in private practice, said the swift filing of charges -- so soon after Musk's August comments -- raised eyebrows in the legal community. "The timing of this is so fast, that seems very aggressive," Axel told AFP. "One possibility is that the SEC is cooperating with criminal authorities" preparing to file additional charges. But a criminal case would be much harder to prove since prosecutors would need to show "an intent to deceive investors," according to Axel. - 'Everyone was wrong' - Gene Munster and Doug Clinton of Loup Ventures said in a research note that they believe Tesla will survive. The sharp decline in Tesla shares is "an overreaction," the analysts wrote. They had predicted, before the settlement was announced, that Musk could remain CEO and "find a way to continue to be involved with the company in some sort of product/visionary capacity." They added that Tesla appears to have built up a sustainable production pace and that "the trajectory of the business is improving at a level that can support servicing its upcoming debt obligations and eventually generate cash." Trip Chowdhry of Global Equities Research, a longtime Tesla bull, said his view on the company is unchanged by the SEC action. Chowdhry said Tesla is "hyper-innovative" and that the company is essentially "in autonomous mode" in its production scheme, far ahead of rivals in battery technology. "They are creating a brand new industry which never existed before," the analyst said. "It's software-driven transportation." Chowdhry said that Tesla -- with or without Musk -- has a bright future because of its pace of innovation, and he compared Musk to the late Steve Jobs. "So many people thought that with the death of Steve Jobs, Apple was dead," he said. "Everyone was wrong, including me." Niamey (AFP) - Niger is to reintroduce a tax on international calls in 2019, accusing telecom companies of failing to honour commitments to improve services, a parliamentary source said, The tax, dropped earlier this year, has been resurrected in the provisional 2019 budget, a member of the parliament's economic affairs committee told AFP. It will be set at 50 to 88 CFA francs (7-13 euro centimes) per minute for incoming international calls, according to the government's draft legislation. Deputies will vote on it at the end of the year. In 2017, this tax brought some 20 billion CFA francs (30 million euros) into Niger's public purse. In 2018, it was dropped at the request of the telecoms companies, who promised to invest and broaden coverage. Niger's Finance Minister Hassoumi Massoudou noted this week however that they had not kept their side of the bargain and the tax should be brought back. Opposition deputies had denounced the decision to drop the levy, calling it an unjustifiable tax break for the telecoms companies. In 2017, the ARTP public regulator handed out fines of more than 3.5 billion CFA francs to telecoms operators over their failure to improve services. In 2016, Niger had 7.7 million mobile phone subscribers out of a population of 19 million. North Korea has said it cannot unilaterally give up its nuclear weapons and attacked the US for failing do more to build a relationship of trust. In a speech before the United Nations General Assembly in New York, North Koreas foreign minister, Ri Yong Ho, said Pyongyang had in the last year taken significant goodwill measures. This included stopping nuclear and missiles tests, dismantling the nuclear test site, and pledging not to proliferate nuclear weapons and nuclear technology. But he claimed there had not been a similar move by the US. We do not see any corresponding response from the US, he said, according to Reuters. Without any trust in the US there will be no confidence in our national security and under such circumstances there is no way we will unilaterally disarm ourselves first. The complaints from Mr Ri about the USs reluctance to a phased approach to denuclearisation, have been made before. But the fact he did not flat out reject unilateral denuclearisation as North Korea has in the past, may have been of significance. Mr Ri referred to a joint statement issued by Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump at a first ever summit between a serving US president and a North Korean leader in Singapore on June 12, where Mr Kim pledged to work towards denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula while the Trump administration issued guarantees of security to North Korea. North Korea has been seeking a formal end to the 1950-53 Korea War, but the United States has said Pyongyang must give up its nuclear weapons first. Washington has also resisted calls to relax tough international sanctions on North Korea, the news agency said. The US insists on the denuclearisation-first and increases the level of pressure by sanctions to achieve their purpose in a coercive manner, and even objecting to the declaration of the end of war, said Mr Ri. The perception that sanctions can bring us on our knees is a pipe dream of the people who are ignorant about us. But the problem is that the continued sanctions are deepening our mistrust. Story continues Mr Ri made no mention of plans for a second summit between Mr Kim and Mr Trump that the US leader highlighted at the United Nations earlier in the week. This year at the United Nations, Mr Trump, who last year threatened to totally destroy North Korea, was noticeable for the amount of praise he heaped on Mr Kim for his courage in taking steps to disarm. He said much work still had to be done to reach disarmament. If it takes two years, three years or five months doesnt matter, he said. Mr Ri said that Mr Kim had a firm determination to turn the Korean peninsula into a land of peace free of both nuclear weapons and nuclear threats. The Associated Press said Russias foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, called on the Security Council to pass a resolution commending the progress made and suggested that modest steps be taken to ease sanctions to encourage Mr Kim. The US has blamed Russia for skirting the sanctions and called for full implementation until full and verifiable denuclearisation has taken place. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is planning to visit Pyongyang next month to prepare for a second Kim-Trump summit. Both leaders are keen to meet, but there is scepticism among observers that North Korea is ready to give up the weapon it believes have been central to its survival. Earlier this year, Norway's minister of international development visited Ghana. Minister Nikolai Astrup had a simple request: He wanted to spend some time with his team collecting trash from beaches in the developing nation. His team assured him that could be arranged. Then he was asked the most telling question of all: Where would they put the trash once it was collected? "That's the point," he responded. Developing countries like Ghana lack the necessary infrastructure to properly dispose of waste, meaning that trash ultimately ends up in rivers and streams that dump into the ocean. Now, Norway is trying to change that. On Saturday, Norways Prime Minister Erna Solberg announced a four-year, $200 million pledge to cleaning the worlds oceans. In addition to the monetary commitment, Norway also revealed its partnership with the World Bank on a newly established fund dedicated to curbing marine litter and other ocean pollutants in developing countries aptly named PROBLUE. Prime Minister Erna Solberg has proven herself to be a leading voice in the fight to clean up the oceans. Image: Getty Images This fund will support developing countries and emerging markets and implement some solutions, Global Citizen policy director Michael Sheldrick said. The organization is assisting Norway in calling on activists around the world to urge their governments to focus on the ocean. With $75 million already promised to the fund, Norway is determined to establish better waste management infrastructure around the world like building sanitary landfills or creating better waste collection techniques. If you look at the hotspots of marine littering, its coming from countries where waste management isnt properly funded, Sheldrick said. SEE ALSO: The world's biggest garbage patch is growing. How can we clean it up? That said, the amount of work that wealthier countries need to do to clean up the oceans is also significant. This fund is just a helping hand that will guide developing nations to take the proper first steps. Story continues Aside from this fund, Norway is also spearheading projects on its own around the world. One of these projects focuses on incentives or cash for trash," where countries pay citizens to collect garbage off the streets. Recently, Taiwan adapted a similar model, where residents are now able to redeem money for transportation by collecting trash and disposing of it in iTrash booths." Another project underway is Norways work with the International Union for Conservation of Nature in small island developing states to limit illegal fishing and clean up their coasts. Tourism has destroyed beaches of under developed countries throughout the world. Image: Getty Images In 2050 we will probably have 10 billion people in this world and the oceans will be even more important, Minister Astrup said. He admitted that Norway has vested interest in clean oceans since two-thirds of its export earnings come from oceanic and coastal activities. Norwegian leaders are determined to get the job done since many other countries like the United States have failed. Prime Minister Solberg, Minister Astrup, and activists with Global Citizens are now turning their focus toward the next few months. To them, the announcement on Saturday was just the beginning as they all work toward getting more countries involved in the effort. Many people have gotten wake up calls on the status of the oceans in the recent years because of the beached whales with bellies full of plastic. That has been an effective wake up call for many countries, Minister Astrup said. Fred Guttenberg, father of a girl killed in the Parkland school shooting earlier this year, has publicly condemned Brett Kavanaugh, saying your life and family are not ruined after the judge said sexual assault allegations had "destroyed" him and his family. In a series of tweets published as Mr Kavanaugh and one of his accusers Dr Christine Blasey Ford testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Mr Guttenberg criticised the Supreme Court nominee for seemingly playing the victim during his testimony. Your life and family are not ruined, Mr Guttenberg wrote of Mr Kavanaugh. Try having a child murdered by a weapon that you refer to as common use. You will get through this and hug both your children tonight. His daughter, Jaime, was among the 17 people killed after a gunman fired a semi-automatic weapon into Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in South Florida on 14, February this year. Mr Guttenberg was referring to a previous dissent written by Mr Kavanaugh where he argued that such assault weapons are in common use and therefore constitutionally protected. Judge Kavanaugh, I listened to you talk of your life being ruined. It is not. I listened to you turn yourself into a victim. You are not. What today showed is that you clearly are a partisan and do not have the temperament for the court. Even worse, you are just a bad person. Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) September 28, 2018 Dr Blasey Ford delivered a powerful testimony on Thursday about her allegations that Mr Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her while the two were in high school. Mr Kavanaugh has categorically denied the claims. During his testimony, Mr Kavanaugh complained that the accusations have damaged his life and that his reputation and family life have been totally and permanently destroyed. Story continues Video: Kavanaugh and Ford Deliver Testimony in Senate Hearing For more news videos visit Yahoo View. The Kavanaugh as victim really infuriated me, Mr Guttenberg said in another tweet. He is not. He is a guy who screwed up and is facing reality. My family and I, we are victims of gun violence. I [will] never get my daughter back. He deeply misunderstands what it means to be a victim. Earlier this month, video footage showed Mr Guttenberg approach Mr Kavanaugh during a confirmation hearing, reaching out his hand, as the Supreme Court nominee can be seen turning his back and walking away from him. When he started walking away, it was after my introduction, Mr Guttenberg told HuffPost. I was saying to him, I just want to talk to you about what happened to my daughter in Parkland. Mr Kavanaugh later claimed that he did not recognise Mr Guttenberg and assumed he was protester before his security team intervened. What today showed is that you clearly are a partisan and do not have the temperament for the court, Mr Guttenberg said in another tweet following Mr Kavanaugh's testimony. Even worse, you are just a bad person. By Jane Chung SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has sent South Korean President Moon Jae-in a pair of white North Korean Pungsan dogs as a gift, the latest sign of a dramatic thaw in relations between the Korean rivals. Moon and Kim held their third meeting this year in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang in mid-September, when Kim proposed the idea of the canine presents, the South Korean presidential Blue House said in a statement on Sunday. The dogs passed through the heavily fortified demilitarized zone (DMZ) and the truce village of Panmunjom into South Korea on Thursday. Kim crossed at the same place to meet Moon for the first time in April this year. The breed, named after a North Korean county, is known for its loyalty and skills for hunting, even tigers. It is designated as a North Korean "natural monument" animal. The two will live with South Korea's First Dog, Tori, who became the first shelter dog to take up residence at the South Korean presidential compound. Moon, who is known to be an animal lover, adopted the black mixed breed Tori in July last year, two months after he took office. It is not the first time a North Korean leader has sent a pair of Pungsan dogs to a South Korean leader. In 2000, late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, father of Kim Jong Un, sent two Pungsan dogs to then-South Korean president Kim Dae-jung when they held the first inter-Korean summit. (Reporting by Jane Chung; Editing by Robert Birsel) Fernando Karadima, shown here in 2015, has been defrocked by Pope Francis - AP Pope Francis has defrocked the Chilean priest at the center of the global sex abuse scandal rocking his papacy, invoking his "supreme" authority to stiffen a sentence originally handed down by a Vatican court in 2011. In a statement on Friday, the Vatican said Francis had laicised the 88-year-old Reverend Fernando Karadima, who was originally sanctioned to live a lifetime of "penance and prayer" for having sexually abused minors in the upscale Santiago parish he ran. The "penance and prayer" sanction has been the Vatican's punishment of choice for elderly priests convicted of raping and molesting children. It has long been criticised by victims as too soft and essentially an all-expenses-paid retirement. The Vatican didn't say what new evidence, if any, prompted Francis to re-evaluate Karadima's sanction and impose what clergy consider to be the equivalent of a death sentence. It said Francis made the "exceptional decision" for the good of the church, and cited the church canon that lays out the Pope's "supreme, full, immediate and universal power" to serve the church. The statement said the decree, signed Thursday, takes effect immediately and that Karadima was informed of it Friday. The decision seemed to have the objective of showing a get-tough approach to sex abuse after a series of missteps by Francis and accusations by a former Vatican ambassador that Francis had rehabilitated a now-disgraced former American cardinal early on in his papacy. While the move will be welcomed by Chilean victims as overdue, the decision could spark a religious debate for those who see it as a second punishment for the same crime. Francis' conservative critics might also bristle at another display of raw papal power from the Argentine Jesuit. Francis sparked a crisis in his papacy earlier this year when he strongly defended one of Karadima's proteges, Bishop Juan Barros, against accusations that he had witnessed Karadima's abuse and ignored it. Story continues Francis had claimed that the accusations against Mr Barros were "calumny" and politically motivated, and he defended his 2015 decision to appoint Mr Barros bishop of a small Chilean diocese over the objections of the faithful and many in the Chilean hierarchy. After realising that something was amiss, Francis ordered a Vatican investigation that uncovered decades of abuse and cover-ups by the Chilean church leadership. Francis apologised to the victims and set about making amends, including getting every active bishop in Chile to offer to resign. To date, he has accepted seven of the more than 30 resignations offered, including that of Mr Barros. It was the second time in a month that Francis has laicised a Chilean priest. Oxygen When Doug Benefield met a beautiful ballerina 30 years his junior he thought he had found his ideal match, but the whirlwind romance would end in deadly pas de deux for the pair. He was her mark, Dougs cousin, Tommie Benefield, told People. She took his money, his peace, and eventually she took his life. And he loved her until the end. Doug was shot to death Sept. 27, 2020 after he had gone to the Florida home of his estranged wife, Ashley Benefield, during a custody battle for the couple (Photo: Pool via Getty Images) The longer Brett Kavanaugh twists in the wind, the more likely it is that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump will consider the risks and decide to pull the plug. With every passing day, more and more witnesses are coming out of the woodwork to contradict this or that aspect of Kavanaughs story. There are now multiple people who knew him well who say he was a much more reckless drinker than he claimed. There is one date on his calendar, July 1, that increasingly looks as if it could be the date of the infamous party that Christine Blasey Ford described. The FBI will explore all of this, and more. As McConnell and the Republicans get a clearer sense of just whom the FBI will be talking to and what will come out, the following is their nightmare scenario: More and more credible sources will make a liar out of Kavanaugh. When the FBI reports back in a week, there will be allegations that the Senate Judiciary Committee will have to pursue, burning more time. Kavanaugh will have to be called back to testify, both about the new allegations and his previous evasions. For the committee to do less would be to risk losing the votes of Republican Sens. Jeff Flake, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins. But the FBI findings, once reported, could also cost Kavanaugh their votes on the merits and his confirmation. At that point, another two weeks will have gone by, Kavanaugh could be utterly humiliated and possibly vulnerable to a charge of perjury. It will be that much harder to get another nominee vetted and confirmed two weeks closer to the election. So Trump and McConnell could lose not only Kavanaugh personally, but the court seat. Trump and McConnell are nothing if not opportunists. They have no personal loyalty to Kavanaugh. Trump is famous for firing people when they outlive their usefulness. McConnell takes situational ethics to a new low. So Trump and McConnell will surely consider the risks and benefits of standing by Kavanaugh, and the odds of his prevailing. Those odds are worsening. Story continues There is a fair chance that early this week, Kavanaugh will be asked to fall on his sword. You know the routine. I have decided to spare my family and our country further ordeal and embarrassment, and blah, blah, blah. That way the FBI investigation is short-circuited and the subject is changed. The spectacle of Republican men defending a likely sexual assaulter against a highly credible woman goes away. (Photo: Win McNamee via Getty Images) Trump and McConnell get to fast-track another nomination, preferably female, such as the ultraconservative Amy Coney Barrett, who was appointed last year to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. The court seat is saved, the optics on women shift, while the ferocious white male base is furious at Kavanaughs treatment and turns out to vote in November. As McConnell and Trump take a close look at the risks and alternatives, dumping Kavanaugh has to be very tempting. As for Kavanaugh himself, even withdrawing may not spare him further trouble in the investigation of what actually occurred at that fateful party. He could be the subject of further inquiry by the House or Senate, or by Maryland prosecutors. One more item. At Thursday afternoons hearing, Kavanaughs ferocity caught the committee Democrats off guard. In playing the outraged, innocent alpha male, he intimidated the decorous Democrats in fine Trumpian fashion. But if the Democrats get another shot at him, they will be better armed and better prepared. Expect an opening statement something like this: Judge Kavanaugh, last week you told us that these hearings were a partisan ambush, a deliberate withholding of material until the eleventh hour. You knew that was a lie. You knew that Dr. Blasey Ford agonized for several weeks over whether to come forward, and your bullying performance was evidence of why she was right to be wary. You also dissembled, to put it charitably, about several aspects of your prior life and behavior. We now have several credible sources, who told the FBI under oath of your dishonesty. Several of your answers were carefully crafted to avoid admitting you were ever drunk enough at social events in high school to black out, which would in turn admit that if something like what Dr. Blasey Ford described occurred, you just might be the one with the faulty memory. This dissembling was calculated to allow you to deny that the assault happened, while barely skirting the risk of perjury. One of you lied to this committee and to America. To put it bluntly, the accumulating evidence suggests that the liar is you. All the bullying in the world will not convince us otherwise. And the more you try to bully, the more you display the character and temperament consistent with the attack that Dr. Blasey Ford described and inconsistent with a Supreme Court justice. Judge Kavanaugh, you feign outrage that your confirmation was delayed a couple weeks so that we could find out the truth. You sit on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit with Judge Merrick Garland. When he was nominated to the Supreme Court, Judge Garland had no charges of misconduct against him. He was not only delayed eight months, he was not granted a hearing at all. So kindly spare us the self-righteous indignation. I yield back the balance of my time. There is no honor among thieves. Contemplating the potential damage of letting this show continue, Trump and McConnell have to be weighing whether to throw Kavanaugh overboard. Robert Kuttner is co-editor of The American Prospect and a professor at Brandeis Universitys Heller School. His new book is Can Democracy Survive Global Capitalism? Follow him on Twitter at @rkuttnerwrites. ALSO ON HUFFPOST OPINION We Know Brett Kavanaugh Has Lied Already Doubling Down On Sexism Won't Help Republicans In The Midterms Dr. Christine Blasey Ford Is An American Hero Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. United Nations (United States) (AFP) - Russia's foreign minister on Friday accused the West of resorting to "political blackmail, economic pressure and brute force" to prevent the emergence of rival global powers. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Western powers wanted to "retain their self-proclaimed status as world leaders." "These powers do not hesitate to use any methods including political blackmail, economic pressure and brute force," Lavrov told the assembly. At the podium earlier, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi denounced "blackmail" in what was an apparent attack on President Donald Trump over trade and declared that Beijing would remain a "champion of multilateralism." Although he also did not mention Trump by name, there was little doubt about who Lavrov was referring when he denounced leaders who make "loud statements" that question the legal validity of international agreements and "declare the priority of self-serving unilateral approaches." He said that "attacks" were being launched against the Middle East peace process, the Iran nuclear deal, trade agreements under the World Trade Organization and the Paris climate accord. "We are observing an onslaught of belligerent revisionism against the modern system of international law," he said. Relations between Western powers and Russia have been tense over the war in Syria, where Moscow is supporting President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Lavrov said the international community and UN agencies must make the return of refugees to Syria "a priority" as Russia pushes for reconstruction aid for its ally. Russia and the United States are at odds over the Iran nuclear deal, although key US allies France and Britain have also vowed to defend the agreement that Trump ditched in May. Trump has also faced global outrage over the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, disregarding UN resolutions that declare the city's final status must be resolved through negotiations. Amid controversy over Kavanaugh nomination, Brooklyns borough president salutes second woman appointed to supreme court Ruth Bader Ginsburg smiles as she takes questions from first-year students at Georgetown Law. Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin/AP As Washington is gripped by the supreme court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, some New York City leaders are attempting to change the name of a Brooklyn government building to honor a current justice: Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Kavanaugh, a conservative nominated by Donald Trump, would tip the supreme court to the right. In 25 years since her nomination by Bill Clinton, Ginsburg, now 85, has played a leading role on the left-leaning wing of the court. The second woman appointed, she describes herself as a flaming feminist. The life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a quintessential New York story, said the Brooklyn borough president, Eric Adams, in a statement announcing the attempt to rename the Brooklyn Municipal Building, at the corner of Joralemon and Court streets. She rose to the apex of her profession, staying true to her ideals and principles. Ginsburg has become an icon, affectionately referred to as the Notorious RBG. Ginsburg grew up in the Flatbush neighborhood, the daughter of a Ukrainian Jewish immigrant and a first-generation New Yorker. She graduated first in her class from Columbia Law School, became the first female tenured professor there, then wrote the first law school textbook on gender discrimination. Having been a woman and being a Jew, I know what its like to be the object of unfair discrimination, Ginsburg told an audience in Manhattan recently. In 1970, Ginsburg founded the Womens Rights Law Reporter. Two years later, she founded the Womens Rights Law Project at the American Civil Liberties Union. On the court, she has been known for consistently advancing womens and civil rights. Antonin Scalia, the arch-conservative justice who was nonetheless a close friend until his death in 2016, described Ginsburg as the leading (and very successful) litigator on behalf of womens rights the Thurgood Marshall of that cause, so to speak. Story continues The campaign to rename the Brooklyn building started as the Senate heard explosive testimony from Kavanaugh and Dr Christine Blasey Ford, who alleges Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were in high school. Kavanaugh denies the accusation. The Brooklyn Bar Association, the Brooklyn Historical Association and Brooklyn Law School have endorsed the idea, as have progressive groups. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a lifelong champion of womens rights and sexual and reproductive rights, said Christina Chang, chief external affairs officer for Planned Parenthood of New York City. She has always understood our right to make decisions about our bodies and our futures as fundamental to our equality in society. Adams has mounted an online petition. It says: It is our understanding that an executive action by the Office of the Mayor is all that is needed to rename a public building, similar to the action [taken] to rename the Manhattan Municipal Building in honor of former mayor David Dinkins. With this understanding, we urge Mayor Bill de Blasio to rename [the] Brooklyn Municipal Building for the honorable supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Jeff Flake, speaks during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing about an investigation - AP Brett Kavanaugh, the Supreme Court nominee, overcame a major hurdle on Friday as a committee of congressmen approved his confirmation, but he now faces an FBI investigation before a final vote in the US Senate. In a dramatic day of backroom deal-making in Washington, DC, the Senate Judiciary Committee, which vets candidates, voted along party lines to progress Mr Kavanaughs nomination by 11 votes to 10. However Jeff Flake, a Republican senator on the committee, unexpectedly said he was only voting to support Mr Kavanaugh on the provision that sexual assault allegations the candidate faces are investigated by the FBI. He called for a delay in a vote of all 100 senators - the final step in Mr Kavanaughs confirmation process - for up to a week while the FBI carries out its inquiries, insisting that due diligence must be shown. Mr Flakes shock decision to support the Democrats' call for the FBI to step came just hours after he had announced he would be voting for Mr Kavanaugh without conditions. It further pushes Mr Kavanaughs confirmation into uncertainty. Jeff Flake, speaks during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing about an investigation Credit: AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais The key moment in Mr Flakes change of heart appeared to be when he was confronted in a lift by two victims of sexual assault who demanded to know why he was supporting Mr Kavanaugh. Dont look away from me. Look at me and and tell me that it doesnt matter what happened to me! said one woman, speaking through tears as she kept the lift door open. The scene lasted around four minutes. The drama on Capitol Hill played out the day after Mr Kavanaugh, 53, and Christine Blasey Ford, a 51-year-old California professor who accuses him of sexual assault, both gave emotional testimony about the allegations. On Thursday, Prof Ford said she was 100 per cent sure that Mr Kavanaugh was the person who drunkenly pinned her to a bed and tried to take off her clothes at a high school house party in the summer of 1982. However Mr Kavanaugh categorically denied the claim and angrily lashed out at a flurry of allegations he has faced late in the confirmation process, saying the proceedings had become a national disgrace. Story continues Two other women - Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick - have also gone public to claim Mr Kavanaugh committed sexual misconduct during his student days. Neither woman has given public testimony. Mr Kavanaugh has denied both claims. Hanging in the balance is a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court, which comes with the chance to shape American society for generations to come. After Thursdays emotional hearing - which was broadcast live on television channels and watched by millions - it was time for senators on the committee to vote on Friday. Mr Kavanaugh faced two hurdles. First to get approval from the Senate Judiciary Committee, made up of 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats, then to win a vote from the full US Senate. Mr Flake, the one Republican who was wavering on the committee, announced on Friday morning that he would be voting for Mr Kavanaugh, infuriating liberals and effectively confirming the committee would approve the nominee. Christine Blasey Ford testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday Credit: Pool Image via AP However minutes after issuing a press release announcing the decision he was confronted by two women who said they had been sexually assaulted and were demanding an explanation for his stance. You have two children in your family. Think about them, said one woman, fighting back tears. What are you doing sir? This is the future of our country. Another shouted: Look at me when Im talking to you! Youre telling me that my assault doesnt matter, that what happened to me doesnt matter and that youre going to let people who do these things into power. Later that day, just moments before the committee was due to vote, Mr Flake left the room. He huddled with Democratic senators and appeared to be reconsidering his decision. Then he announced a change in position. Mr Flake said he would vote through Mr Kavanaugh at the committee stage but demanded a delay in the full Senate vote of up to a week while the FBI investigates - matching a key Democratic demand. Mr Flake said: This country is being ripped apart here, and weve got to make sure that we do due diligence. ... I do think we can have a short pause and make sure that the FBI can investigate. After the comments a vote was held and the committee approved Mr Kavanaughs nomination. Donald Trump, the US president, bowed to pressure and ordered the FBI investigation. Just days earlier he had said the FBI did not want to look at the claims. Just started, tonight, our 7th FBI investigation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh. He will someday be recognized as a truly great Justice of The United States Supreme Court! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 29, 2018 He said in a statement that the inquiry must be "limited in scope" and be completed in "less than one week". Mr Kavanaugh confirmed in a statement that he would "cooperate". All "credible" allegations are expected to be looked at. It is unclear whether that means all three women who have publicly made allegations will be interviewed. Ms Ford's lawyer, Debra Katz, welcomed the FBI investigation and thanked the senators who pushed for it but decried the limits imposed on it. "A thorough FBI investigation is critical to developing all the relevant facts," Ms Katz said. Before Flake's move, committee Republicans voted down a Democratic motion seeking to subpoena Mark Judge, a Kavanaugh friend who Ms Ford said witnessed the assault. Mr Judge had told the committee in a written statement he does not recall any such incident. He is likely to be central to any FBI probe. Mr Judge's lawyer said he would cooperate with the FBI or any other law enforcement agency. Separately, the US president said that Ms Ford had been a very credible witness but also praised Mr Kavanaughs testimony as incredible. Mr Trump added: I just want it to work out well for the country. If that happens, Im happy." Sexual assault survivors have confronted Arizona Senator Jeff Flake in an elevator after he said he would vote yes to confirm Brett Kavanaugh. One woman, later identified as Ana Maria Archila, standing by an elevator door, could be heard reprimanding the senator for his decision to vote to confirm Mr Kavanaugh, following Christine Blasey Fords testimony on her sexual assault accusations and the multiple sexual misconduct accusations against the Supreme Court nominee. I told the story of my sexual assault, I told it because I recognise in Dr Fords story that shes telling the truth, she said. What you are doing is allowing someone who actually violated a woman to sit in the Supreme Court. Mr Flake had been widely criticised on Friday morning for announcing his support for Mr Kavanaughs confirmation, as he was previously undecided. Mr Blake did not ask Mr Kavanaugh any questions during Thursdays session. But in a surprise move following the elevator confrontation, Mr Flake said during a Friday meeting that he would be willing to ask the White House to direct a FBI investigation before he voted on the floor of the full senate. Mr Ford has consistently requested that the FBI investigate her claims. Mr Kavanaugh has denied all the sexual misconduct and assault claims against him. You have children in your family, think about them, Ms Archila continued. I have two children, and can not imagine that for the next 50 years they will have to have someone in the Supreme Court who has been accused of violating a young girl. What are you doing sir? Another sexual assault survivor later identified as Maria Gallagher chimed in and said the Arizona senators decision is telling woman that assault doesnt matter. She insisted the senator look at her, as he remained inside the elevator. Paris (AFP) - Superstar designer Hedi Slimane returned to the Paris catwalk late Friday after a two-year absence with a slash and burn revamp of Celine that declared that black is back. With his two biggest fans, Lady Gaga and Karl Lagerfeld, sitting next to each other in the front row, Slimane drew a pitch-black portrait of his hometown which he called "Paris The Night". He turned the Invalides -- where Napoleon rests in his tomb -- into a giant shadowy nightclub, sending out 68 of his 72 models in looks hewn from a new deep midnight black he has been working on for the last nine months. The "Sultan of skinny" stayed true to his very personal and sometimes polarising style, with skinny ties and slimline tightly-tailored black suits and leather jackets for both men and women. By calling the collection "Celine 01", the much-admired minimalist vibe of his British predecessor Phoebe Philo was confined to history. With the Kavanaugh Supreme Court vote having just ended on Capitol Hill, Slimane picked an"uncomfortable moment" to grind a female design legacy into the dust, The Guardian complained, especially since "Philo was notable for not equating a woman's power with her sexuality". - Philo fans' anger - While Philo's fans also cried foul on social media, Wall Street Journal's critic Christina Binkley said Slimane had the Midas touch. "When Slimane launched his thing at Saint Laurent, people hated it," she said. "He just launched his thing at Celine -- no less stark a brand reset -- and there will be broad applause aside from a few careful critics. "The difference -- they know the revenues are about to gush." Yet there were subtle new twists to Slimane's eternal motifs. The man who is credited with inventing both the skinny and oversized looks that have dominated fashion over the last decade, lengthened his men's suits and refined the mini-dresses he showed previously at Saint Laurent. Story continues Flashes of white and silver cut through the dark with black and white striped shirts and coats, studs and sparingly-deployed sequins. - 'Hardcore Hedi' - Here and there a blazing two-tone leopard print raincoat or a gold or red lame dress lifted the uber cool gloom. Critics hailed it as Slimane at his most uncompromising and hardcore. To hammer the message home, the bulk of his models wore the black shades through which he sees the world. "For those expecting the new Celine to look like Saint Laurent, you were not wrong," tweeted Tyler McCall, of the Fashionista website, referring to the label that Slimane walked away from two years ago. Influential blogger Julie Zerbo added, "Hedi does Hedi (at Dior) does Hedi (at Saint Laurent) does Hedi (at Celine)...." "Looks like black is the new black after all," was the verdict of style magazine Dazed. Earlier the painfully-private Slimane, 50, who confessed that has been plagued by tinnitus over the last year, said he would remain true to himself. "I stand firm for my principles. Why should I give up on what defines me? Becoming someone else on the pretext that what I did in the past has been digested or imitated" was nonsense, he told the French daily Le Figaro. He also hinted he was plotting a revolution at Celine, which luxury goods giant LVMH had given him carte blanche to remake in his image. - Journey into the night - That made him the most powerful designer in fashion after Lagerfeld at Chanel, who once famously shed 41 kilos (90 pounds) to squeeze into Slimane's skinny jeans. Slimane is adding a men's line at Celine and has already dropped the accent from the brand's logo. "You don't shake things up by avoiding making waves," he said. "When there is no debate it's blind conformity." The show was much less androgynous than many had expected with Slimane going for a far more feminine look for his women, many sporting black net fascinators. "I love Paris by night. I grew up between the smoke of Le Palace and the white tiles of Les Bains-Douches (nightclubs)," the reclusive designer said before the show in a rare interview. "It's a pity that the city is eager to close down interesting places like those now and turn its back on Parisian nights. The lights still remain, though. The magic of the neons in the cafes, the sparkling Parisian youth," said the designer, who has lived in Los Angeles since 2008. Yet Slimane respected the neighbours with his journey to the end of the night by keeping the noise down. With military drummers beating out a gentle march throughout the show, there was no danger he would wake Napoleon under his dome. LOS ANGELES (AP) With the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh in doubt, Justice Elena Kagan discussed how the court worked "super hard" in the past to overcome the unusual scenario of a 4-4 split it is due to encounter next week. Kagan declined to comment on the nomination, but she spoke at length Thursday to law students at the University of California, Los Angeles, about the challenges the court faced the last time it had only eight members and lessons learned from that experience. Kagan said the justices worked to find consensus after the death of Antonin Scalia in 2016 temporarily left the panel with only eight judges and the prospect of being deadlocked on divisive issues. "None of us wanted to look as if the court couldn't do its job," she said. "I think we all felt as though the country needed to feel that the court was a functioning institution no matter what was happening outside." The court is scheduled to reconvene for oral arguments Monday one justice short following the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy earlier this year. Kavanaugh's nomination, which could tip the nation's highest court to a conservative majority, has been in doubt since several women accused him of sexual misconduct early in his life. The Senate Judiciary Committee recommended on Friday that the full Senate confirm Kavanaugh, who has aggressively denied the allegations. The full Senate was scheduled to vote Tuesday on Kavanaugh, who currently sits on the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals, though that could be scuttled if a lengthier investigation is launched into the allegations against him. Kagan, who Kavanaugh cited in his remarks before a contentious hearing Thursday for hiring him to teach at Harvard Law School, refused to answer a student's question about the nomination process. "I think given the events of today that's the one question I'm not going to answer," Kagan said. "We're right in the middle of events that are swirling around and I just want to leave it at that and make no news with respect to anything I say." Story continues But in remarks ranging from career advice to her amusement at John Oliver's spoof on the "Last Week Tonight" show of dogs sitting in for Supreme Court justices ("It's worth watching once," she quipped to big laughs), Kagan addressed the far more serious issue of how the court confronted an even split between the liberals and conservatives on the bench. She said justices engaged in lengthier discussions at the time and even worked on finding agreement on smaller points when they couldn't settle the larger issues at stake. The court had a handful of 4-4 decisions, including a deadlock in 2016 in United States v Texas where an equally divided court allowed a lower court injunction to stand that blocked President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Parents of Americans immigration program. Even with a full court, Kagan said consensus-building, "especially perhaps in a time of acrimony and partisanship in the country at large, makes a lot of sense." "The court's strength as an institution in American governance depends on people believe in it having a certain legitimacy ... that it is not simply an extension of politics," she said. ___ This story corrects the spelling of Kavanaugh. LOS ANGELES (AP) A 13-year-old boy skin diving for lobsters was attacked by a shark Saturday along the Southern California coast but was quickly pulled from the water by other divers and flown to a trauma center, authorities said. The boy was in critical but stable condition more than nine hours later at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego, spokesman Carlos Delgado said. The boy underwent surgery but no other information about him, including his name, was released. The boy suffered traumatic upper torso injuries, city Lifeguard Capt. Larry Giles told reporters earlier at Beacon's Beach in Encinitas, about 27 miles (43 kilometers) north of downtown San Diego. The attack occurred just before 7 a.m., during the opening hour of California's popular spiny lobster season. The boy was attacked in about 9 feet (2.7 meters) of water approximately 150 yards (137 meters) offshore. He was brought to shore by three bystanders, Giles said. Emergency responders arrived, and the boy was flown by helicopter to the trauma center. "He was conscious, he was above water, and the bystanders were able to get him up on the beach ... and he was talking all the way to when he was being transported," the captain said. The three rescuers were identified only as an off-duty police officer from nearby Oceanside, an off-duty state lifeguard and a friend who were also diving for lobsters. Giles said the trio provided a "tremendous amount of aid to that young man." Witnesses estimated the shark was about 11 feet (3.3 meters) long, but the type was not known, he said. Lifeguards immediately turned to clearing people out of the water. Giles noted there were multiple other divers in the area. The waters off about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) of beach were ordered closed for 48 hours, and a nearby surfing competition was canceled before it got underway. Lifeguards were being brought in from various agencies while a San Diego County sheriff's helicopter scouted from the air. In the immediate hours after the attack, there was no sign of shark activity or signs of typical prey such as seals, dolphins and porpoises, although a seal was reported in the area earlier, Giles said. Story continues "This is a nonfatal incident; we don't want anybody else getting injured," he said. The most recent fatal shark attack in the area was in 2008 when a swimmer was killed at Solana Beach. A more recent attack along the Camp Pendleton coast of north San Diego County was not fatal. Earlier this month, a man died after being bitten by a shark off Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Photo credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images - Car and Driver From Car and Driver UPDATE, 9/29/18, 6:00 p.m.: Elon Musk has agreed to step aside as Tesla board chairman in a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Tesla will also pay a $20 million fine and has agreed with the SEC to add two independent board members. Musk will not be able to return to the chairmanship for three years, the Washington Post reported on Saturday. Elon Musk could be ousted from the leadership of Tesla after rejecting a settlement proposal from federal prosecutors this week addressing a tweet he made about his intention to take the company private. Instead, as the Wall Street Journal reports, Musk on Thursday refused to sign the undisclosed settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the federal agency filed civil fraud charges against him the same day. At issue is Musk's August 7 tweet that read: "Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured." Also involved in the charges are subsequent tweets about having secured funding for such a deal. The SEC alleges Musk made "false and misleading statements" to imply the deal needed only a shareholder vote, despite the fact that the CEO knew the transaction was "uncertain" and that he had "not discussed specific deal terms with any potential financing partners." "An officer's celebrity status or reputation as a technological innovator does not give license to take those responsibilities lightly," said Steven Peikin, an SEC enforcement director, in a statement. If found guilty, the SEC would order Musk to pay fines, step down as CEO, and bar him from acting as an officer or director of any publicly traded company registered with the SEC. Musk is prepared to fight the charges and released a statement. "This unjustified action by the SEC leaves me deeply saddened and disappointed," he said. "I have always taken action in the best interests of truth, transparency, and investors. Integrity is the most important value in my life, and the facts will show I never compromised this in any way." Story continues While Musk also detailed his privatization plan on the company blog on August 7, writing that he wanted Tesla to be "free from as much distraction and short-term thinking as possible," the SEC called him "reckless" for claiming a deal was imminent and for causing "significant confusion and disruption in the market for Tesla's stock." Musk had been in talks with an investment fund since January 2017 to potentially establish new funding and a manufacturing plant in the Middle East, the SEC complaint said. The complaint alleges that during the most recent meeting with the fund, on July 31, Musk never discussed "even the most fundamental terms of a proposed going-private transaction," including the 20 percent stock price premium he promised to current Tesla shareholders if they decided to sell. The $420 stock price, according to the SEC, was a rounded number from $419 that Musk chose due to the "number's significance in marijuana culture" in part because he thought his girlfriend "would find it funny." Musk is no stranger to controversy, but his recent ramblings-smoking a joint during a webcasted radio show, sleeping on the factory floor, and having rapper Azealia Banks at his home-have unnerved Tesla investors. Tesla and its board of directors released a joint statement in response to the SEC charges, saying: "Tesla and the board of directors are fully confident in Elon, his integrity, and his leadership of the company, which has resulted in the most successful U.S. auto company in over a century. Our focus remains on the continued ramp [up] of Model 3 production and delivering for our customers, shareholders, and employees." Tesla shares sank after Musk's original tweet and have not recovered, from $379.57 on August 7 to $307.52 as of close on September 27. The roller-coaster ride of Tesla's highly volatile share prices, however, is unchanged from how it usually performs. What may potentially be different, now that the SEC has filed charges, is Tesla without Elon Musk. ('You Might Also Like',) MOSCOW (Reuters) - Three teenage schoolboys were killed in eastern Ukraine when they triggered a mine in an area that has seen heavy fighting between separatists and Ukrainian troops, the region's separatist authorities said on Sunday. The boys all studied at the same school in Horlivka, a town controlled by separatist forces, and were aged between 13 and 15, Horlivka mayor Ivan Prikhodko wrote in a social media post. A fourth schoolboy, who is 10, was injured in the explosion and is being treated in hospital for shrapnel injuries, Prikhodko wrote. Denis Pushilin, leader of the separatist Donetsk region that includes Horlivka, issued a statement confirming the deaths. Fighting broke out in 2014 between separatist forces in eastern Ukraine backed by Moscow and forces loyal to the pro-Western Ukrainian government in Kiev. Despite an internationally-brokered ceasefire, there are frequent flare-ups of fighting, with resulting loss of life. (Reporting by Christian Lowe; Editing by Peter Graff) Beirut (AFP) - More than 18,000 people, nearly half of them civilians, have been killed in Russian air strikes on Syria since Moscow began its game-changing intervention exactly three years ago, a monitor said Sunday. Russia, for its part, said its "accurate" strikes had killed 85,000 "terrorists". A steadfast ally of Syria's ruling regime, Russia began carrying out bombing raids in the country on September 30, 2015 -- more than four years into the devastating conflict. Since then, they have killed 18,096 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "That number includes 7,988 civilians, or nearly half of the total," said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman. Another 5,233 Islamic State fighters were also killed in Russian strikes, with the rest of the dead including other rebels, Islamists and jihadists, the Britain-based monitor said. Russia's defence commission published drastically different figures on Sunday. "All of the air strikes have targeted and are still accurately targeting terrorist targets," said commission chief Viktor Bondarev, cited by the Russian Interfax agency. Human rights groups and Western governments have criticised Russia's air war in Syria, saying it bombs indiscriminately and targets civilian infrastructure including hospitals. The White Helmets, a Syrian rescue force that works in opposition areas, said in a report released Sunday that it had responded to dozens of strikes by Russia on buildings used by civilians since 2015. They included Russian bombing raids on 19 schools, 12 public markets and 20 medical facilities over the past three years, as well as 21 of its own rescue centres. "Russia has flaunted its disregard for agreements over safe zones, no-conflict zones, cessations of hostilities, and de-escalation zones by continuing with airstrikes on civilian spaces," the White Helmets charged. Russia has operated a naval base in Syria's coastal Tartus province for decades, but expanded its operations to the nearby Hmeimim airbase in 2015. Story continues It also has special forces and military police units on the ground in government-controlled parts of the country. The air strikes were crucial in helping troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad retake swathes of the country, including second city Aleppo in 2016 and areas around Damascus, the rural centre, and the south this year alone. "The regime controlled just 26 percent of Syrian territory" when Russia intervened, said Abdel Rahman, compared with close to two-thirds now. In addition to the Russian and Syrian air forces, warplanes from the US-led coalition fighting IS have also been carrying out bombing raids on Syria since September 2014. Last week, the Observatory said that US-led coalition air strikes on Syria had killed more than 3,300 civilians since the alliance began operations against IS targets. The Observatory, which relies on sources inside Syria for its reports, says it determines whose planes carried out strikes according to type, location, flight patterns and munitions involved. WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump said Friday he found the testimony by a woman who said she was sexually assaulted by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh decades ago to be "very compelling," but added that he'd given no consideration to the idea of nominating someone else. "Not even a little bit," Trump said. The president told reporters that Christine Blasey Ford "was a very credible witness" but also that Kavanaugh's own testimony on Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee was "an incredible moment." Reiterating his support for Kavanaugh, Trump said, "I think it will work out very well for the country." The president also expressed confidence in the confirmation process as an 11th-hour demand from a key Republican senator again threatened to derail the timeline for a Senate vote. "I'm going to let the Senate handle that, they'll make their decisions and they've been doing a good job and very professional," he said. "I'm sure it will all be very good." The White House had resisted calls for another investigation, as Kavanaugh denied allegations of sexual misconduct in fiery testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday. But the White House's hand was forced Friday by announcement by Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake that he would not vote in Kavanaugh's favor without a follow-on probe. Trump said in a statement that the updated investigation "must be limited in scope" and "completed in less than one week." On Twitter later Friday, Trump wrote: "Just started, tonight, our 7th FBI investigation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh. He will someday be recognized as a truly great Justice of The United States Supreme Court!" Trump missed hardly a moment of Thursday's hearing, relying on DVRs to keep up on the hearing from his private office on Air Force One as he traveled from New York to Washington, and continuing to monitor it back at the White House, where Ford's voice echoed from TVs around the building. Story continues Within moments of the eight-hour proceedings concluding, Trump tweeted his approval of Kavanaugh's performance and called on the Senate to move swiftly to a vote. "His testimony was powerful, honest, and riveting," Trump said. "Democrats' search and destroy strategy is disgraceful and this process has been a total sham and effort to delay, obstruct, and resist. The Senate must vote!" Ford's tearful recounting of allegations that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were in high school led Trump to express sympathy for Kavanaugh and his family for having to listen to the testimony, according to two Republicans close to the White House but not authorized to speak publicly about private conversations. They added that Trump expressed some frustration at the process and the staff work that led Kavanaugh to this point. After seeing Ford's powerful testimony, White House aides and allies expressed concern that Kavanaugh, whose nomination already seemed to be teetering, would have difficulty to deliver a strong enough showing to match hers. White House officials believe Kavanaugh's passionate denials of Ford's claims, including the judge's tearful description of the impact the accusations had on his family, met the challenge. A White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly said the West Wing saw the judge's opening statement as "game changing" and said Trump appeared to react positively. Trump told associates after the hearing that he liked Kavanaugh's fighting attitude and was critical of Democrats who he sees as politicizing the process, said a person familiar with his thinking who was not authorized to disclose private conversations. He was happy with Republicans on the committee, though he was not impressed with the questioning from an outside female prosecutor. While he acknowledges the vote will be close, he currently thinks they will get there. ___ Lemire reported from New York. Associated Press writers Ken Thomas and Jill Colvin contributed from Washington. __ For more coverage of Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination, visit https://apnews.com/tag/Kavanaughnomination (Photo: Kevin Lamarque / Reuters) WASHINGTON President Donald Trump quietly signed legislation on Friday that spends $853 billion on the Department of Defense and other federal agencies and zero dollars on his long-promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The signature averts a partial government shutdown that would have taken place at midnight Monday had Trump vetoed the measure, as he has threatened to do for months if the Republican-led Congress failed to provide wall money. This shows the president to be a total wuss on the budget, said Stan Collender, a longtime former staffer for both House and Senate budget committees. In campaign rallies, Trump had repeatedly threatened to force a government shutdown if he did not get at least several billion dollars to start building a wall. On Sept. 20, two days after the Senate approved the latest spending package with a 93-7 vote, Trump wrote on Twitter: I want to know, where is the money for Border Security and the WALL in this ridiculous Spending Bill, and where will it come from after the Midterms? Dems are obstructing Law Enforcement and Border Security. REPUBLICANS MUST FINALLY GET TOUGH! This is the opposite of Teddy Roosevelt. Speak loudly and carry a small stick, Collender laughed, adding that in future negotiations, congressional leaders will remember Trumps failure to follow through on this threat. The Hill doesnt forget. Theyre going to discount everything he says. Some of Trumps supporters and informal advisers had been pushing him to veto the spending bill and force Congress to provide wall funding. They feared that his most enthusiastic supporters will sit out the midterm elections if they feel Trump has abandoned his first and most frequently repeated campaign promise. President Trump has made it clear he will not use his veto power to get his border wall, said William Gheen, head of the hard-line group Americans for Legal Immigration. He ramped up his rhetoric that he would veto spending bills that didnt fund the wall, and here he is signing it. Story continues Trump signed the measure out of sight of the media. It was announced hours later in a press release that merely restates the bills dry, legislative summary. The bill provides a full years funding for the departments of Defense, Education, Labor and Health and Human Services, as well as funding through Dec. 7 for agencies not covered by this legislation or by a previous spending bill. Trump promised from the day he began his campaign in June 2015 that he would build a great wall to end illegal immigration from Mexico. I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and Ill build them very inexpensively, Trump said in his Trump Tower announcement. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words. Over the next 17 months, Trump promised many hundreds of times that he would build the wall quickly and at no cost to U.S. taxpayers. Trump said his wall would be at least 30 feet tall and extend deep underground to prevent people from tunneling beneath it. At a December 2015 visit to Manassas, Virginia, Trump even went into construction details. Its going to be made of hardened concrete, and its going to be made out of rebar. Thats steel, Trump said in response to a question from a young boy in the audience. And were going to set [the rebar] in nice, heavy foundations. In a phone call with Enrique Pena Nieto just days after taking office, Trump told the Mexican president that he understood Mexico would not pay for the wall, but asked Pena Nieto not to say that publicly, to avoid embarrassing Trump. Trumps administration never again broached the subject with the Mexican government, according to a spokesman from Pena Nietos office. Trump in March signed a $1.3 trillion spending bill for the entire government that included only $38 million for planning and design on his border wall, and nothing for construction. Laura Raquel Manzo of HuffPost Mexico contributed to this report. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. By Ben Blanchard and Michael Martina BEIJING (Reuters) - A key diplomatic and security meeting between China and the United States next month may not take place due to tensions in relations, sources briefed on the matter said, potentially the latest casualty of worsening ties. Beijing and Washington are locked in a spiraling trade war that has seen them level increasingly severe rounds of tariffs on each other's imports. Friction between the world's top two economies is now moving beyond trade, with U.S. President Donald Trump accusing Beijing this week of seeking to interfere in congressional elections, marking what U.S. officials told Reuters was a new phase in an escalating campaign by Washington to put pressure on China. On the military front, China has been infuriated by the United States putting sanctions on the People's Liberation Army (PLA) for buying weapons from Russia, and by what Beijing sees as stepped up U.S. support for self-ruled Taiwan, claimed by China as its sacred territory. Two Beijing-based diplomatic sources familiar with the plans said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis were both due in Beijing next month for the U.S.-China Diplomatic and Security Dialogue, which first took place last year in Washington, a reboot of earlier high-level talks under previous administrations. However, both sources said that this meeting was now in doubt. "There is a lot of uncertainty because of the turbulence in the relationship," said one the sources. The second source said that the People's Liberation Army was especially unhappy with the United States at the moment because of the U.S. sanctions on the Chinese military and U.S. support for Taiwan, including approving a new round of arms sales this week. "The PLA is fed up over the Taiwan issue. They're increasingly hardline on this," the source said. Both sources spoke on condition of anonymity as the trips have not been made public. They also cautioned the meetings may still take place as planned, and that no final decisions have been reached. China's Defence Ministry said it was talking to the United States about the dialogue. "China and the United States have all along maintained communication about the diplomatic and security dialogue," it said in a statement to Reuters, without elaborating. China's Foreign Ministry said in a short statement sent to Reuters that the two countries were in "close contact" about the dialogue, and that if it had any other information it would release it in a timely manner. The U.S. Embassy in Beijing declined to comment, as did the U.S. State Department. The Pentagon said it does not discuss future travel plans. DECOUPLING? In his latest broadside on Wednesday, Trump accused China of seeking to interfere in the Nov. 6 U.S. congressional elections, saying that Beijing did not want him or his Republican Party to do well because of his pugnacious stance on trade. While China has denounced what it called his "slander", it has so far held off taking any direct steps to retaliate. However, prior to Trump's remarks Beijing canceled a previously set round of military talks with Washington over the sanctions on China's military, and has denied a U.S. warship permission to visit Hong Kong in October. The Chinese government's top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, said on Friday there was "no cause for panic" over friction between Beijing and Washington, but warned that China would not be blackmailed or yield to pressure over trade. President Xi Jinping said this week that, with the rise of unilateralism and trade protectionism, China should embark on a path of self-reliance, a startling aim for a country that has sought to project itself on the world stage and touts the benefits of global free trade. China had already been trying to reduce its reliance on foreign technology through its Made in China 2025 initiative, though it stopped openly touting the plan earlier this year in the face of blowback from the United States. "Divorce is the word I use," Tu Xinquan, a trade expert at Beijing's University of International Business and Economics who has advised the Chinese government, told Reuters recently. "Now, most people believe Trump is trying to contain China. Many government officials think this way." Last week, Jack Ma, chairman of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, said bilateral trade frictions could last two decades, and that the firm could no longer meet its promise to create 1 million American jobs. "I think there are leaders in the U.S. government who believe that so long as the Chinese system is not willing to change, then the next best scenario for the United States is a gradual decoupling of the economies," Tim Stratford, managing partner of law firm Covington & Burling's Beijing office and a former senior U.S. trade diplomat, said in a recent podcast. China has insisted it wants to resolve all its disputes with the United States. Ruan Zongze, a former Chinese diplomat now with the China Institute of International Studies, a think-tank affiliated with the Foreign Ministry, called it unrealistic to think the two countries could "decouple" considering how inter-connected they were. "It's like two people having an argument," said Ruan. "Can you really resolve it if you stop speaking to each other?" (Editing by Tony Munroe and Alex Richardson) (Bloomberg) U.S. and Canadian negotiators could wrap up a Nafta deal as soon as Saturday in their bid to avoid a fight that imperils $500 billion in annual trade, said people familiar with the talks said. Theres renewed urgency to nail down a new North American Free Trade Agreement that could be published Sunday, so it can be signed by Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto before he leaves office. The U.S. and Mexico reached their own agreement in August, triggering talks between the U.S. and Canada. The U.S. and Mexico held off on a plan to publish the full legal text of their deal on Friday as the U.S. and Canadian negotiators raced against a Sept. 30 deadline. Chrystia Freeland, Canadas foreign affairs minister and chief Nafta negotiator, postponed a planned speech at the United Nations on Saturday, spokesman Adam Austen said by email, a signal of the Nafta push. Its not known if shell instead travel to Washington for talks. The U.S. and Canada are on the brink of a deal after making progress on contentious issues, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity as negotiations continue. While theres no guarantee that a final agreement will be reached, no issue at this point is too large to overcome, they said. Talks have been active over the past few days, including during the U.N. General Assembly in New York. Serious Attempt At this moment theres a very serious attempt to continue advancing in the process of finalizing the differences in bilateral issues between the U.S. and Canada, Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said late Friday. Under U.S. trade law, an agreement must be published for 60 days before it can be signed by leaders of any of the participant countries, putting negotiators on the clock to reach a deal that can be signed by Nov. 30, Pena Nietos final day in office. The U.S. and Canada have been hung up on some core issues. They include: So-called Chapter 19 dispute panels, which the U.S. wants to eliminate from Nafta and which Canada wants to preserve An exemption for cultural sectors which Canada wants to preserve The use of Section 232 investigations to apply tariffs to steel, aluminum, and potentially autos. Canada is seeking some kind of exemption or protection from those Canadas dairy sector, which the U.S. wants greater tariff-free access to Intellectual property and certain pharmaceutical patents, each of which the U.S. wants to extendAuto tariffs would substantially impact Canada, a major auto exporter. However, it would also upend North American supply chains and complicate life for U.S. automakers. President Donald Trump said on Sept. 26 that he refused a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau while at the United Nations amid the trade impasse, and threatened auto tariffs, calling them the mother lode. Story continues If the U.S. and Mexico try to advance a bilateral deal without Canada they may face delays in Congress, where key lawmakers have called for the three-nation format to continue. Meanwhile, the existing Nafta remains in effect, and any country can quit on six months notice; no country has given such notice. Auto Threat Failure to reach a deal raises the prospect of what some call a zombie Nafta a bilateral deal advancing to update a trilateral pact, even while the old agreement remains in place. A former senior Canadian trade adviser warned that the auto tariff threat outweighs anything else. The threats to Canada are much bigger than a potential zombie Nafta; the threats come in the form of auto tariffs that would be very devastating to our economy, said Meredith Lilly, trade adviser to Canadas former prime minister, Stephen Harper, and now Simon Reisman Chair in International Affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa. The risk of auto tariffs shouldnt be underestimated. By Jessica DiNapoli, Allison Lampert and Caroline Hroncich NEW YORK/MONTREAL (Reuters) - The U.S.-China trade war has triggered a seafood supply chain shake-up, with U.S. importers scrambling to stockpile frozen Chinese squid and tilapia ahead of looming price increases while Canada exports more lobsters to China. A series of retaliatory tariffs between Beijing and Washington has led to a shift in global trade, creating winners and losers in sales of commodities from soya to seafood to pork. About $3 billion worth of Chinese seafood imported into the United States is now subject to a 10 percent tariff that began this week, with the levy rising to 25 percent on Jan. 1. In July, China imposed a 25 percent tariff on U.S. seafood, hitting lobster, a delicacy for the Asian country's burgeoning middle class. As a result, Chinese demand for lobster from Canada has increased, with airports in the country's eastern provinces adding cargo flights to accommodate higher exports. At Halifax Stanfield International Airport, total cargo soared 42 percent in July, and 55 percent in August, compared with the same months a year earlier, fueled by Chinese demand for seafood, said Glen Boone, the airport's director of cargo and real estate. Canadian shipments of live or fresh lobster to China nearly doubled to 1.25 million kilograms (2.76 million lbs) in July, their highest level in at least six years, according to data from Statistics Canada. In 2017, Canada exported C$174.6 million ($134.06 million) worth of live or fresh lobster to China. Stewart Lamont, managing director of exporter Tangier Lobster in Nova Scotia, said his Chinese sales are up 30 percent since July on an annual basis. "The tariff factor has really redirected business to Canada," he said. For U.S. seafood importers, alternatives are pricier and more difficult to source. U.S. companies stocked up on Chinese seafood before the tariffs were imposed. But China is the source of much of the seafood found in low-cost frozen products sold by mass discounters such as Walmart Inc , and stockpiles could soon be running low. U.S. importers bought 6 percent more frozen tilapia from China, the biggest seafood import from the country, by dollar value in June and July of 2018 compared to the same months in 2017, according to the latest IHS Markit data available. Imports of frozen salmon, another major Chinese import, jumped 20 percent in dollar value. Pacific American Fish Company Inc imported about 20 percent more scallops and calamari in recent months to stock up before the new duties go into place, said Chief Executive Peter Huh. The seafood importer and distributor may add to stockpiles to bypass the looming additional 15 percent tariff coming next year, he said. "That's the only option we have," said Huh, explaining why he hoarded higher-value products to maximize his savings. Four other seafood importers said they were also bulking up their purchases ahead of time. Jim Heston of the Great Fish Company said the Winter Haven, Florida, importer added to its inventory to meet demand from customers who hoped to buy early fearing the new costs. The tariff dispute has also delivered some supply-chain surprises, with increasing Canadian demand for lobster from the state of Maine, the biggest U.S. harvester of the crustaceans, according to industry groups, wholesalers and exporters on both sides of the border. Stephanie Nadeau, owner of The Lobster Co, a Maine wholesale distributor, has seen a 40 percent drop in her overall sales in September as Chinese buyers look to Canada to satisfy its demand for the crustacean. Yet prices remain stable in Maine for lobster harvesters, she said, because of demand from north of the border. "The Canadians have stepped in," Nadeau said. (Reporting by Jessica DiNapoli and Caroline Hroncich in New York and Allison Lammpert in Montreal; Additional reporting by Tom Polansek in Chicago and Allison Martell in Toronto; Editing by Tom Brown) (This September 26 story corrects glass factory location in paragraph 12) By Howard Schneider THOMASVILLE, N.C. (Reuters) - In a town where a 30-feet tall chair is the chief landmark, and which is synonymous with a U.S. furniture industry decimated over the years by imports from China, many greet the possibility of tariffs on Chinese goods with a shrug. No wonder. Of three once bustling Thomasville furniture plants in the city limits, one is being demolished and cleared for parkland, another may become the site of a new police station, and a third is being converted into apartments. President Donald Trump is threatening to levy tariffs of up to 25 percent on $500 billion of goods imported from China each year, including roughly $20 billion of furniture, as a way to bring back hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs lost to China and other low-cost competitors. Yet, the transformation of U.S. industries since Chinas emergence as the worlds low-cost producer almost two decades ago means many no longer directly compete with Chinese imports, so tariffs may not translate so easily into more U.S. jobs. At family-owned Bernhardt Furniture in Lenoir, some 90 miles west of Thomasville, executives say it would take about $30 million in capital investment - some 10 percent of annual sales - to resurrect standard wood furniture lines now mainly made in countries like China and Vietnam. That is too much to commit based on a policy that a future administration could reverse. "The theory is you turn (imports) off, the jobs come back. That's not really true... The buildings don't exist. The people don't exist. The machinery does not exist," to make the sorts of furniture that now gets imported, said Alex Bernhardt Jr., chief executive and the company founder's great grandson. What the company needs now, executives say, is the open markets and steady economy that have allowed it to grow its workforce from below 800 at the end of the 2007-2009 recession to almost 1,500 today - partly on the basis of exports to China. DIFFERENT COMPANY That growth has been largely driven by demand for more customized, higher end furniture. In expanding, the 129-year-old company has been hiring not only factory workers, but also designers, marketing experts and other professionals. In all, it is a different firm from what it was three decades ago when it first began dividing product lines between the United States and Asia. Economists say the same is true across much of U.S. manufacturing. To invest and hire more workers, executives would need certainty, for example, that consumers would prefer U.S.-made products at a potentially higher price. They would need confidence that tariffs would last beyond the Trump administration and that production could not be shifted to other more cost-competitive countries. Even then, there may be little incentive to go back to old product lines for industries that have changed dramatically because of globalization. Across the Rust Belt and the former factory towns of the south, the transformation is apparent. In Buffalo, an old steel mill is now a solar panel factory, and a retail goods manufacturer now houses an office and restaurant park. Near Dayton, Ohio, a shuttered GM plant has reopened as a Chinese-owned auto glass company. Abandoned factories throughout North Carolina have landed on the Environmental Protection Agency's list of "brownfield" sites that need cleanup. Some companies are considering moving production from China as a result of the tariffs, but the jobs are unlikely to head home. Illinois-based CCTY Bearing, for example, said it planned to move U.S.-bound production from Zhenjiang, China, to a new plant near Mumbai in India to keep labor costs down. JLab Audio's China-made Bluetooth products are not being taxed yet, but its chief executive Win Cramer had been scouting for suppliers in Vietnam and Mexico. "I would love to build products onshore, but consumers have proven time and time again that "Made in America" isn't as valuable a statement as it once was," Cramer said. "They make decisions based on the cost." The price of, say, its Bluetooth earbud would jump from $20 to as much as $50 if it was made in the United States, Cramer said, far more than what tariffs would add to the cost of imports. To be sure, early reactions suggest that foreign companies that make U.S.-bound goods in China may move some of that production to the United States. Still, countries such as Vietnam may ultimately benefit the most from Trump's tariffs. Japanese construction and mining equipment maker Komatsu Ltd < 6301.T > has said it has already shifted some of its production of parts for U.S.-built excavators from China. Part of that production moved to the United States, but some also went to Mexico and Japan. In South Korea, LG Electronics <066570.KS> and its rival Samsung Electronics <005930.KS> are considering moving parts of U.S.-bound refrigerator and air conditioner production to Mexico, Vietnam or back home, but not to the United States, according to company sources and local media. STEADY RECOVERY The responses to Trump's tariffs on steel and aluminum show how such steps create both winners and losers. Producers such as U.S. Steel and Century Aluminum have said they will add at least several hundred jobs as a result of the higher prices they can charge. Mid-Continental Nail, however, laid off 130 workers because of those higher steel prices, and furniture parts maker Leggett & Platt has warned that rising metal prices would prompt it to shift production abroad. So far, Washington has imposed duties on $250 billion of Chinese imports and Trump has threatened to slap tariffs on all Chinese goods. Many economists project new tariffs would on balance either slow down hiring or cause job losses in a manufacturing sector where employment has grown by 10 percent over the past eight years without special protection. (Graphic: https://tmsnrt.rs/2Q1AFUW) The furniture industry, among the hardest hit by Chinese imports, has added 43,000 jobs since its employment hit a low of 350,000 in 2011, helped by the recovering housing market and strong consumer demand. Industry officials say skilled upholsterers and other workers are hard to find, echoing the Federal Reserve's concern about the impact of worker shortages on the U.S. economy. In Thomasville, few expect that tariffs will bring furniture manufacturing back to its heyday, nor does the community need it, says city manager Kelly Craver, whose parents worked in the furniture and textile industries. Since the recession, Thomasville has become a residential hub for growing nearby cities such as Greensboro and Charlotte. It also has its own mix of manufacturing and white collar jobs. Mohawk Industries recently expanded its Thomasville laminate flooring facility while the Old Dominion Freight Line transportation firm and the fast-growing Cook Out burger chain have corporate headquarters there. "We, for the very first time in this city's existence, are going to have a diversified economy," Craver said. (Additional reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh in CHICAGO; Jess May Yu in TAIPEI, Makiko Yamazaki in TOKYO and Ju-min Park and Heekyong Yang in SEOUL; Editing by David Chance and Tomasz Janowski) By Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy destroyer sailed near islands claimed by China in the South China Sea on Sunday, a U.S. official told Reuters, potentially angering Beijing at a time of tense relations between the two countries. Beijing and Washington are locked in a trade war that has seen them impose increasingly severe rounds of tariffs on each other's imports. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the destroyer Decatur traveled within 12 nautical miles of Gaven and Johnson Reefs in the Spratly Islands. The operation was the latest attempt to counter what Washington sees as Beijings efforts to limit freedom of navigation in the strategic waters, where Chinese, Japanese and some Southeast Asian navies operate. Chinas claims in the South China Sea, through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes each year, are contested by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. "We conduct routine and regular freedom-of-navigation operations, as we have done in the past and will continue to do in the future," the U.S. official added. China's foreign ministry did not respond immediately to a request for comment. The United States has criticized Chinas construction of islands and military facilities in the area and is concerned they could be used to restrict free nautical movement. The U.S. military has a long-standing position that its operations are carried out throughout the world, including in areas claimed by allies, and are separate from political considerations. The latest move comes at a particularly tense time in relations between the United States and China. Friction between the world's two biggest economies is now moving beyond trade, with U.S. President Donald Trump accusing Beijing this week of seeking to interfere in congressional elections, marking a new phase in an escalating campaign by Washington to put pressure on China. China recently denied a request for a U.S. warship to visit Hong Kong and this month Beijing postponed joint military talks in protest against a U.S. decision to impose sanctions on a Chinese military agency and its director for buying Russian fighter jets and a surface-to-air missile system. In May two U.S. Navy warships sailed near South China Sea islands claimed by China. (Reporting by Idrees Ali; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Editing by David Goodman) By Amanda Becker, David Morgan and Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump, under intense pressure from moderates in his own party over his Supreme Court nominee, on Friday ordered an FBI investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Brett Kavanaugh at the request of Senate Republicans, a move that will delay the contentious confirmation process by a week. The key player in a day of dramatic and unexpected developments was Senator Jeff Flake, a moderate Republican retiring from the Senate in January who provided the decisive vote to approve Kavanaugh's nomination in the Judiciary Committee and send the matter to the full Senate. But Flake, after urgent consultations with colleagues including Democratic Senator Chris Coons, cast the vote only after asking the Republican-led panel to request that the Trump administration pursue an FBI probe lasting up to seven days of the explosive allegations against Kavanaugh. Trump, who had previously rebuffed Democratic demands for an FBI probe, granted the request, ordering the "supplemental investigation" to be "limited in scope and completed in less than one week." "Just started, tonight, our 7th FBI investigation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh. He will someday be recognized as a truly great Justice of The United States Supreme Court!," Trump said in a Twitter post late on Friday. Flake's move came a day after an extraordinary hearing in which university professor Christine Blasey Ford detailed her sexual assault allegation against Kavanaugh. Flake's action also came only hours after two protesters who said they were sexual assault survivors cornered him in an elevator and castigated him for announcing he would vote for Kavanaugh in the committee. "That's what you're telling all women in America - that they don't matter, they should just keep it to themselves," one of the protesters shouted at Flake, a frequent Trump critic who looked shaken by the encounter. Flake, who had a pained expression when he made his request for an FBI probe in the committee after forcing a brief delay in the scheduled vote, was supported by two other Republican moderates, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, both of whom have not announced whether they would support Kavanaugh. The allegations against Kavanaugh, with the backdrop of the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and assault that has toppled a succession of powerful men, have riveted the country even as they have imperiled his confirmation chances. Trump's nomination of Kavanaugh, a conservative federal appeals court judge, for a lifetime job on the top U.S. court had appeared to be going along smoothly until Ford's allegation surfaced last week. He has denied her allegation and accusations of sexual misconduct made by two other women. The committee vote followed a jarring and emotional hearing on Thursday in which Ford accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her in 1982 when both were high school students in Maryland. Kavanaugh denied the accusation and accused Democrats - who have opposed his nomination from the outset - of a "calculated and orchestrated political hit." In a statement issued by the White House, Kavanaugh said he would cooperate with the FBI investigation. If confirmed, Kavanaugh would consolidate conservative control of the nation's highest court and advance Trump's broad effort to shift the American judiciary to the right. The controversy has unfolded just weeks ahead of the Nov. 6 congressional elections in which Democrats are trying to seize control of Congress from the Republicans. 'RIPPED APART' "This country's being ripped apart here," Flake told his fellow senators about the nomination fight. "I think we can have a short pause," he added. "We ought to do what we can to make sure that we do all due diligence with a nomination this important," Flake said. Even before Flake's move, it was unclear if Republicans had the votes to confirm Kavanaugh on the Senate floor. Republicans hold a slim 51-49 majority in the Senate, making the votes of Murkowski and Collins crucial. Trump can afford to lose the vote of only one senator in his own party if all the Democrats vote against Kavanaugh and Vice President Mike Pence casts a tie-breaking vote. Trump said Murkowski and Collins must do what they think is right. Moderate Democrats Joe Manchin and Heidi Heitkamp, who have not yet announced how they will vote on Kavanaugh, also supported Flake's move. Trump indicated he was sticking with Kavanaugh, saying he has not thought "even a little bit" about replacing him. With tempers flaring, the Judiciary Committee advanced the nomination 11-10 along party lines. The Senate formally moved to open debate on Kavanaugh's nomination later on Friday in a move agreed to by both parties, setting the stage for a planned final vote on confirmation at the end of next week. "This is a nomination that deserves to move forward," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said. Ford's lawyer, Debra Katz, welcomed the FBI investigation and thanked the senators who pushed for it but decried the limits imposed on it. "A thorough FBI investigation is critical to developing all the relevant facts," Katz said. The timing of the panel's session gave committee members little time to digest Thursday's remarkable testimony from Kavanaugh and Ford. Trump said he found Ford's testimony "very compelling" and Kavanaugh's angry and defiant response "incredible." Before Flake's move, committee Republicans voted down a Democratic motion seeking to subpoena Mark Judge, a Kavanaugh friend who Ford said witnessed the assault. Judge had told the committee in a written statement he does not recall any such incident. He is likely to be central to any FBI probe. Judge's lawyer said he would cooperate with the FBI or any other law enforcement agency. As the committee set its vote, some Democrats left the room in protest. "What a railroad job," Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono said. One Republican, Senator John Kennedy, called Kavanaugh's confirmation process "an intergalactic freak show." Senator Dianne Feinstein, the committee's senior Democrat, called Kavanaugh's testimony unseemly for a judicial nominee. "This was someone who was aggressive and belligerent. I have never seen someone who wants to be elevated to the highest court in the country behave in that manner. In stark contrast, the person who testified yesterday and demonstrated a balanced temperament was Dr. Ford," Feinstein said. The American Bar Association, which earlier endorsed Kavanaugh, and the dean of Yale Law School, which Kavanaugh attended, also called for an FBI probe on Friday, the first indication of the legal profession turning on the nominee. Kavanaugh could be the deciding vote on contentious legal issues if he is confirmed to the nine-member court, with disputes involving abortion, immigration, gay rights, voting rights and transgender troops possibly heading to the court soon. The court begins its next term on Monday. (Reporting by Richard Cowan and David Morgan; Additional reporting by Lawrence Hurley, Amanda Becker, Andrew Chung, Roberta Rampton Susan Heavey and Bernie Woodall; Editing by Will Dunham) Montreal (AFP) - US and Canadian negotiators were holding eleventh-hour talks on Sunday aimed at revamping the North American Free Trade Agreement ahead of a Washington-imposed deadline. The talks were being held over the phone, unlike in previous rounds where Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland had traveled to Washington. "Lots of progress, but we're not there yet," David MacNaughton, Canada's ambassador to the United States, said in Ottawa before heading back to Washington on Sunday evening. Peter Navarro, an adviser to US President Donald Trump on trade, earlier told Fox News: "Everybody is negotiating in good faith right now as we speak. "The deadline is midnight tonight to get the text into Congress to make sure this goes forward." Canada's The Globe and Mail cited sources on both sides of the border as saying a deal was close. Most of the "substantive work" has been completed, with a "handful" of details remaining, the newspaper reported. The United States and Mexico want to push a deal they separately negotiated through their respective legislatures before Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador takes office on December 1. In the United States, Congress must have the text of the deal by Sunday if a 60-day review period is to be respected. Trump has been pushing for a complete overhaul of the 25-year-old trade deal, which he says has been a "rip-off" for the United States. Speaking at a political rally in Wheeling, West Virginia on Saturday night, Trump told supporters: "We'll see what happens with Canada, if they come along. They have to be fair." In August -- more than a year into the negotiations -- the United States and Mexico announced they had reached a two-way deal, after breaking away for bilateral talks on their outstanding issues. But the ensuing talks to incorporate Canada have stumbled. Ottawa and Washington remain at odds over Canada's managed dairy sector, and the dispute resolution provisions in NAFTA. But concessions on dairy would be politically difficult for Trudeau's government, a matter complicated yet further by elections being held Monday in the key dairy producing province of Quebec. The main Quebec parties and farmers' organizations are in favor of retaining the "supply management" system, which controls the production and price of milk and poultry and ensures stable incomes for Canadian farmers. The revival of the American sitcom "Murphy Brown" premiered Thursday with a surprise cameo from none other than 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The 90s-era series -- which stars Candice Bergen as the famous investigative television journalist Murphy Brown -- is staging a comeback in the tradition of other hit shows including Will and Grace, The X-Files and Roseanne. The latest season of the series -- which wears its pro-liberal heart on its sleeve -- is set in the aftermath of Donald Trump's election to the White House, with Brown and several colleagues returning to the air on a cable news program. The CBS sitcom's longstanding gag about a revolving door of secretaries continues, with former secretary of state Clinton guest-starring to interview with Brown for the position. "I want you to know I'm not afraid of hard work, I'm qualified, and I'm ready on day one," says Clinton's character "Hilary," who unlike the former White House hopeful spells her name with just one "L." Asked if she has prior experience, the interviewee replies: "For four years I was the secretary -- I was the secretary of a very large organization." "I do have some experience with emails," she adds. Calling her "maybe a little over-qualified," Brown says she needs time to mull over the hire -- after which Clinton leaves her with a business card featuring the email address "Hilary at you could have had me dot com." The first run of "Murphy Brown" lasted from 1988 to 1998, touching on subjects including equal pay, single motherhood, and women's health care issues. The first ten seasons regularly saw feuds between patronizing men and exasperated women. In 1992 it became a source of political controversy when then vice president Dan Quayle lambasted the show's title character for "mocking the importance of fathers by bearing a child alone." The reboot's premiere coincidentally fell on a politically -- and for many emotionally -- charged day that saw professor Christine Blasey Ford publicly describe in sharp detail her charges of sexual assault against Trump's Supreme Court pick Brett Kavanaugh, who forcefully denied them. Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump hit back Sunday at suggestions his administration is trying to "micromanage" the FBI investigation of controversial Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, accusing opposition Democrats of being interested only in obstruction. Trump on Friday had ordered the new FBI investigation into sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh, as the Senate delayed a final vote on his confirmation as the key ninth member of the Supreme Court. The delay followed a dramatic televised Senate Judiciary Committee hearing at which university professor Christine Blasey Ford accused the judge of pinning her down and assaulting her in the 1980s. Kavanaugh vigorously denied the allegations. "Wow! Just starting to hear the Democrats, who are only thinking Obstruct and Delay, are starting to put out the word that the 'time' and 'scope' of FBI looking into Judge Kavanaugh and witnesses is not enough," the president tweeted. "Hello! For them, it will never be enough." Both The New York Times and NBC News have cited multiple sources as saying the White House was limiting the witnesses the FBI could question during a one-week background check. Trump insisted on Twitter that the FBI had "free rein" to pursue the matter as it saw fit. "I want them to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion," the president tweeted late Saturday. But Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee appear unconvinced. "The White House and the FBI should release details on the scope of the Kavanaugh background investigation and keep Congress informed on any changes," Senator Dianne Feinstein, the committee's ranking Democrat, tweeted on Sunday. "This needs to be a real investigation and we must get all the facts," she wrote. - 'Very concerned' - The Times said the FBI would question four witnesses, according to two people familiar with the matter. The list, reportedly drafted by Senate Republicans, did not include former classmates who contradicted Kavanaugh's testimony about the extent of his youthful drinking and partying. Story continues The Times also reported Sunday that a Yale University classmate of Kavanaugh has accused him of a "blatant mischaracterization" of his drinking, which the judge downplayed in the Senate hearing. It is illegal to lie to Congress. NBC meanwhile said the FBI was not being allowed to investigate claims by Julie Swetnick, who has accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct at drink-fueled parties in his student days. In a separate report, NBC quoted a senior US official and a second source as saying the limits imposed by the White House on the inquiry remained in place, despite Trump's tweet. The bureau has, however, contacted Deborah Ramirez, a Yale classmate of Kavanaugh's who has said he was sexually aggressive toward her at a party, The Washington Post reported. Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democratic member of the Judiciary Committee, told CNN that she was "very concerned" by the reported White House constraints on the inquiry. "The White House should not be allowed to micromanage an FBI investigation," she said. "We have to allow them to go ahead." Spokeswoman Sarah Sanders insisted that the White House was staying "out of the way," but also said the inquiry should not be allowed to become a "total fishing expedition" by the FBI. - 'I'm a victim' - Asked on Fox News Sunday whether the White House had given the FBI a list of permitted witnesses, she replied, "Not that I'm aware of." "The White House isn't intervening, we are not micromanaging this process," she said. Ford's wrenching testimony Thursday engendered expressions of deep sympathy from many viewers, and scores of women shared accounts on social media of having been victims of sexual aggression. The recent events also drew a stunning revelation Sunday from one of Trump's own senior advisers, Kellyanne Conway. While discussing the case on CNN, she said "I feel very empathetic, frankly, towards victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment and rape." Continuing after a brief, somber pause, she said, "I'm a victim of sexual assault." She then added that it was unfair to condemn Kavanaugh for an alleged action 36 years ago that could not be confirmed. While the White House has denied setting limits on the FBI inquiry, Norman Eisen, who was special counsel for ethics under President Barack Obama, tweeted that it would be highly unusual if it were to do so. "I dealt with hundreds of these as WH Ethics Czar & it is malpractice for WH to rule out Swetnick, Yale boozing" and more, he tweeted. "I call cover-up." The FBI has contacted a second woman who alleges sexual misconduct on the part of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, multiple outlets reported Saturday. The agency, however, will reportedly leave Kavanaughs third accuser alone upon request from the White House. According to reports from NBC News and The Wall Street Journal also out Saturday, White House has put tight limits on the FBI investigation into Kavanaughs alleged misconduct. The constraints mean that authorities may not be able to interview all available leads, the outlets reported. According to NBC, the FBI will specifically not be able to question Kavanaughs Yale classmates about his drinking habits, even though alcohol plays a role in all three accusers claims about the nominee, who denies ever drinking to the point of not remembering certain events. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) lashed out at the possibility that constraints had been placed on the investigation, saying that the FBIs hands must not be tied ... we need the facts. The FBI's hands must not be tied in this investigation. We need the facts. https://t.co/GR7TFhDG9k Sen Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) September 30, 2018 Trump tweeted late Saturday night that he was not limiting the FBI in its investigation and that NBC News had got the story wrong. NBC News incorrectly reported (as usual) that I was limiting the FBI investigation of Judge Kavanaugh, and witnesses, only to certain people. Actually, I want them to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion. Please correct your reporting! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2018 The FBI wasted little time reaching out to Deborah Ramirez, who surfaced as the second women accusing Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. She says Kavanaugh thrust his exposed penis in her face at a Yale University party in the 1980s. Her lawyer confirmed the agency already contacted Ramirez for an interview and that she intends to cooperate, but offered no further comment. Story continues Ramirez came forward after Christine Blasey Ford publicly accused the nominee of sexually assaulting her at a high school party in 1982. The third accuser, Julie Swetnick, says she saw Kavanaugh and friend Mark Judge at high school parties where girls were raped by multiple teenage boys, but stopped short of explicitly accusing Kavanaugh of doing so himself. Judge also appeared in Blaseys story as the sole witness to her assault. Blasey says she managed to escape the alleged attack by Kavanaugh after Judge jumped on top of the two of them. A lawyer for Judge indicated his client also plans to cooperate with the FBI. Trump told reporters on Saturday that the agency has free rein to do whatever they have to do, whatever it is they do. Theyll be doing things that we have never even thought of, Trump said. And hopefully at the conclusion everything will be fine. The White House formally asked the FBI to reopen its background investigation into Kavanaugh on Friday, one day after Blasey detailed her claims before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Earlier Friday, committee Republicans had shocked observers by agreeing in a last-minute move prompted by Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) to request a formal investigation into the claims of misconduct. This article has been updated with tweets from Sen. Dianne Feinstein and President Donald Trump. Related Coverage Christine Blasey Ford's Friend Doesn't Deny Assault Claim, Lawyer Says ACLU Opposes Kavanaugh Nomination In Rare Break From Own Policy Fewer Believe Brett Kavanaugh Than His Accuser, Poll Finds Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. New York (AFP) - The music and political worlds joined together Saturday to press for development aid, gender equality and voter participation, with a festival in New York's Central Park marred by a security scare. An unofficial closing event following a week of hectic diplomacy at the UN General Assembly, the Global Citizen festival hands out free tickets to fans who pledge to take actions such as petitioning their governments to support efforts to end the most extreme global poverty. Halfway through an evening headlined by The Weeknd and Janet Jackson, panic erupted as fans shouted, "Gunshots!" after hearing what was later revealed to be a falling barricade. Hundreds of spectators raced to leave, trampling over one another as they tried to squeeze through fences. Many lost their shoes and bags and some, including at least one child, were briefly separated from their companions, AFP journalists at the scene said. "We were trying to tell people to get up, get up, because we were crushing people under us," said Paris Anthony, one of the fans. Fifteen people were hurt but all injuries were minor, a police spokesman said. As Coldplay frontman Chris Martin took the microphone to encourage calm, numerous fans were in tears and others left entirely, with the audience notably thinner when the music resumed. The scare came almost one year to the day after a massacre of 58 people at a country music festival in Las Vegas. - Encouraging voting - In its seventh year at Central Park, Global Citizen -- like this year's General Assembly -- paid tribute to anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, who would have turned 100 in 2018. Global Citizen plans a major festival dedicated to Mandela and his anti-poverty vision on December 2 in Johannesburg headlined by Beyonce and Jay-Z. While primarily focused on the developing world, the latest Central Park festival also zeroed in on the United States -- encouraging voters to turn out for November 6 midterm elections, in which President Donald Trump's Republican Party risks losing control of Congress. Story continues Cardi B, the fast-rising rapper who was performing her first concert since giving birth in June, urged young people to pay attention. "Last election, everybody took it as a joke -- even me, I'm not gonna front. Because I thought, man, that person ain't gonna win. And look where we're at," the 25-year-old Bronx native said in reference to Trump. Also rallying voters were screen legend Robert De Niro and, through a video message, former first lady Michelle Obama. "Voting is how we tell our government what we want, and what we don't want. Put it another way -- voting is how we hire and we fire our leaders!" De Niro said. In an unexpectedly timely appearance, US senators Jeff Flake and Chris Coons jointly addressed the festival to pledge bipartisan cooperation to preserve foreign assistance -- which Trump wants to cut drastically. Flake, a centrist Republican, a day earlier triggered a vote delay and FBI probe over sexual misconduct allegations against Trump's Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. The senator was visibly moved after women confronted him in an elevator and demanded he pay attention to their experiences with sexual assault. Flake was greeted at Global Citizen with cheers followed by a crowd chant of, "He's the one who has the vote." A smiling Flake said: "Feel free to join me in an elevator anytime." - Pledges from Ireland, Norway - Officials attending Global Citizen put a priority on promoting equality for women and girls -- seen as a critical front in the battle to eradicate extreme poverty. Norway said it would contribute a much-needed $360 million to the Global Financing Facility, a World Bank-backed fund to support maternal and children's health. "Let's call on the governments of the world to join us. Let's call on them to beat us," said Nikolai Astrup, Norway's Minister for International Development. Ireland's deputy prime minister, Simon Coveney, announced that his country by 2030 would join the small club of nations to meet the UN goal of spending 0.7 percent of gross national income on foreign assistance. Coveney said Ireland would spend at least 250 million euros ($290 million) in the next five years on global education with a focus on easing the gender gap. Janet Jackson -- playing a politically charged set that opened with her anti-racism song "The Skin Game" and included simulated domestic violence -- told the crowd that she herself was well aware of physical and other abuse. "I am sick, I am repulsed, I am infuriated by the double standards that continue to treat women as second-class citizens," Jackson said to applause. A special delegation of the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG), an international alliance operating under the UN and comprising 80 countries, will arrive in Israel in two months to authorize the Home Front Command 's National Rescue Unit's acceptance to the organization. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The three-day certification test will take place at two mock demolition sites at the headquarters of the Home Front Command in Ramle. The inauguration will conclude a year of inspections and mentoring by a team from a German elite rescue unita senior member of the organizationof Israeli forces. Home Front Command drill (: ") X Following accreditation, the Home Front Commands rescue unit will be inducted into the alliance and be able to embark on aid missions to disaster-stricken countries around the world, under the auspices of the UN, including countries with which Israel has no relations or who are considered adversaries. The accreditation will enable the National Rescue Unit to operate according to a strict international aid and rescue standards, which includes several parameters: the rescue mission will be dispatched to the airport in Israel within six and a half hours from the time of the call by INSARAG, quick and efficient cooperation with other international delegations, as well as high level operating and extraction techniques with safe and advanced equipment. The decision to join the international alliance was made in Israel in 2012, but the process was only accelerated in the past two years due to delays caused by Operation Protective Edge in 2014 and the aid delegation to the earthquake in Mexico about a year ago. The Israeli rescue unit consists of few hundred reservists, most of them rescuers of the highest caliber, including a few dozen female fighters, alongside four female combat soldiers from the IDF's canine unit and four fire fighters from the fire brigade. The qualification test will be supervised by a team of examiners from eight countries, including a Singaporean team leader, a British dog handler and an American rescue specialist who will examine the Israeli unit. (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) At first, they will be tested on operational procedures and cooperation with other bodies such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Defense and the Air Force. The next step will be a practice exam: the rescue personnel will be required to be dispatched within eight hours, along with their crates of equipment. They will also undergo briefings, eight vaccinations and basic preparations, before boarding an aircraft that will fly them to the target country. A bus ride will simulate the flight, followed by a nightly mission to examine the forces' aptitude in the construction of a small aid complex, due to the space limitations usually found in disaster-stricken cities. The international examiners will examine whether the unit is able to set up and operate two aid sites and, upon completion, to transfer them to another foreign aid delegation in an efficient and professional manner. The mental health and medical treatment that the members of the Israeli delegation receive from the Home Front Command after their return to Israel will also be examined. "With all the experience and knowledge we have, over the past year we have improved a lot thanks to this qualification," a senior officer in the National Rescue Unit told Ynet. "This alliance is like a Catholic wedding: it includes a mutual commitment even during routine times throughout the yearto spread professional knowledge acquired in each unit to the other members of the organization, including rescue techniques developed and to send and host professional delegations. At the end of the exam process, yellow cards might be distributed with points emphasizing what we need to improve," he added. (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) Until now, Israel has waited for aid requests from disaster-stricken countries through the official and unofficial channels, but with their entry into the UN alliance, another channel will be opened. INSARAG, based in Switzerland, can itself dispatch the Israeli force and the Israeli rescue fighters will operate in the disaster-hit country wearing IDF uniforms. The unit will also carry two arm bands: on the right arm, the IDF badge or the Israeli flag, and on the left, the INSARAG tag. The 80 states making up the organization's membership are considered to be strong and well developed, and provide assistance to countries that are not members of the organization, i.e. third world countries. "It has already occurred that we have sent a small aid delegation to a country that ultimately did not allow us to enter, as in the earthquake in New Zealand a few years ago. It will not happen again," the officer added. "We will be examined on 126 different work techniques according to strict international standards as the Swiss and the Germans know how to. This is a NATO-like international alliance with rules of conduct. The State of Israel extends a helping hand even to countries that are adversaries, he concluded. Iran's state TV has broadcast footage purporting to show a close encounter between the Revolutionary Guard's navy and the USS Theodore Roosevelt early this year. PressTV's website says the encounter occurred March 21 in the strategic Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, the passageway for nearly a third of all oil traded by sea. The TV agency says the video was aired Saturday as part of a documentary. The footage is likely meant as a show of strength amid new US sanctions on Iran and the Trump administration plans to bring Iranian oil exports down to zero. In the video, Guard speedboats are seen closing in on the US carrier. Iranian sailors then warn the Americans over radio communication to "keep well clear" of the Guard patrol boats and say they advise the Americans to "refrain from the threat or use of force in any manner." An IDF soldier was lightly wounded overnight Saturday during operations in the Nahalin village south of Bethlehem. The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said that violence erupted in the area and that Palestinians attacked the soldiers with rocks. The troops responded by using riot-dispersal techniques and live rounds. The soldier was taken to hospital for treatment. Western sources privy to the details of the discussions held between Egyptian intelligence officials and a Hamas delegation as part of a bid to salvage the crumbling reconciliation agreement with Hamas and to revive ceasefire talks with Israel said that the Egyptians attempted to appease the terror groups leadership. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter According to the sources, Cairos attempts to regain the confidence of Hamas came after it outraged the terror movement by accepting a request by Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas to freeze the talks that were almost completed at the end of August. Hamas ceremony awarding Palestinian rioters certificates of appreciation. The Gaza delegation was headed by Khalil al-Hayyathe organization's deputy leader in Gaza. The Hamas leadership during talks was represented by Saleh al-Arouri. Abbas warned at the time that any agreement signed without his consent would lead to the deepening of sanctions on the Gaza Strip and would include the PA stopping its monthly aid package of $100 million. With the Hamas delegation arriving in Cairo on Saturday night, the Egyptians decided to prioritize intra-Palestinian reconciliation talks after discussions reached an impasse and led to a torrent of verbal attacks and waves of arrests by each side against the other in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. With the collapse of the talks, Hamas took the decision to intensify the confrontation with Israel at the border fence in order to pressure Israel and the Egyptians into reaching a ceasefire agreement. With its renewing of the border violence, Hamas has routinely encouraged youngsters in Gaza to protest and pledged to pay compensation to all those wounded at the end of August. In addition, the Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, awarded a certificate of appreciation to two young Palestinians for what was described as bravery during the border skirmishes. The ceremony was broadcast on media outlets in the strip as part of a propaganda campaign to encourage others to emulate their actions and participate in the violence. At the end of each week, Hamas has also been blasting out calls on loudspeakers in mosques urging young Gazans to flock to the border and participate in the Friday demonstrations. The Palestinian health ministry reported Friday that seven people, including three teenagers, aged 12, 14 and 18, were killed and at least 90 wounded by IDF fire during violent clashes that erupted along Gaza Strip's frontier with Israel. Following the deaths, anonymous Palestinian activists launched a social media hashtag campaign under the banner of Stop the needless death in which they demanded a halt to the March of Return campaigns, which since they began half a year ago have left almost 200 Palestinians in Gaza dead. Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett lashed out at Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Sunday morning, accusing him of weakness for engaging in ceasefire talks with the Hamas terror group in a bid to quell the weekly border violence and the launching of incendiary balloons on southern towns. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The Lieberman-Hamas agreements have crashed. The terror is continuing at the expense of the security of our residents thanks to Liebermans policy of restraint and weakness, Bennett said, adding that he would be bringing the matter for discussion in the next Security Cabinet meeting. Liebermans Yisrael Beytenu party issued a response to Bennett, saying that the attacks by the education minister on the defense minister seem to point to his hysteria and jealousy. Ministers Lieberman and Bennett (Photo: Aner Green, Eli Mendelbaum) Both member of the coalition, the two ministers have locked horns over a number of issues and disagreements about the handling of Israels security. In the last few days we have witnessed the dangerous consequences of a policy of restraint and the weakness of Defense Minister Lieberman in the Gaza Strip, said Bennett, who has openly declared his desire to snatch Liebermans ministerial position. Local authorities in Gaza border communities issued new and updated safety guidelines last week in light of an increase in the number of incendiary balloons launched from Gaza, which have caused an average of 12 fires a day following a brief respite amid ceasefire talks. Grenades thrown at IDF soldiers neutralized (Photo: IDF Spokesperon's Unit) More restraint, more terror. Incendiary kites and balloons continue to threaten the residents of the Gaza region, the riots on the border fence are escalating and IDF positions are infiltrated by Palestinians without fear, Bennett said. This is not the way to handle security policy. This is how a policy of failure looks, he continued. At the beginning of the violent occurrences, I presented a plan to deal with the Gaza Strip which is based a fundamental principle: restraint leads to escalation and this is what it has done. (Photo: Kobi Richter) Continuing to berate Lieberman, Bennett said that the minister is entirely accountable for the current crisis gripping the border. The current situation is a direct result of Liebermans policy toward Gaza. Under the guise of pragmatism and responsibility, Lieberman has left the security of the southern residents to the considerations of Hamas. The time has come to tell the truth. The Lieberman-Hamas agreements have crashed, he asserted. Gaza riot X This is not the security policy that the public expects to see from a right-wing government. Voters of the nationalist Right expect to see a heavy hand and zero tolerance for dangerous Palestinian terror. This situation has to stop, he added. Rebutting Bennetts bleak evaluation, Yisrael Beytenu sought to underscore what it described as successes of Liebermans policy. Last Friday, seven Palestinian rioters were killed, more than 500 were wounded and no Israeli was so much as scratched as a result of a determined and strong policy that has proved itself, the statement countered. It is probably best that he focus on his failures in the education system and not interfere in things that require experience, responsibility and consideration. Minister Bennett is a full partner in the Cabinet decision and even when he bothered to show up at discussions on the Gaza issue, not once did he express his opposition to the Cabinets policy. President Donald Trump told a cheering crowd at a campaign rally that there was once tough talk "back and forth" between him and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "and then we fell in love." Trump said at the Saturday night rally in West Virginia: "He wrote me beautiful letters and they're great letters. We fell in love." He joked about criticism he would get from the news media for making a comment some would consider "unpresidential" and for being so positive about the North Korean leader. "Why has President Trump given up so much?" Trump said in his mock "news anchor" voice. "I didn't give up anything." A number of swastikas sprayed on walls and prominent landmarks in popular locations and recreation centers throughout Tel Aviv and Jaffa have left residents and tourists in shock over the past week. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Police say they do not yet have a lead into the identity of the mysterious anti-Semitic vandal or vandals, whose swastikas are all sprayed in black graffiti. Swastikas found on doors in Tel Aviv and Jaffa (: ) X Last week, a large black swastika was found scrawled on a pillar outside the popular Dizengoff Center which is passed by thousands of people each day, while another one was found on the wall of a building on the trendy bar- and restaurant-filled Rothschild Boulevard. Tourists visiting the alleys of Old Jaffa on Saturday were shocked to find that a number of doors, sculptures and homes had been defaced with the Nazi insignia. Swastika found outside Dizengoff Center (Photo: Shani Rabinovitch) It was heart-wrenching. To see that symbol takes you back and causes a lot of pain, said 74-year-old Moshe Schwartzman, who discovered the swastikas while visiting the Jaffa port with his wife. (Photo: Amit Huber) I dont know what the goal of this is, but even if it is by someone who wants attention, this is not the way, he added. (Photo: Amit Huber) Alona, 24, who was walking with friends on the boardwalk, said that crowds of people gathered around the graffiti. (Photo: Amit Huber) I am all for graffiti and civil protest through art, but a swastika is an offensive symbol. These scrawlings were amateurish and I think it's just a prank or to cause provocation, Alona said. (Photo: Amit Huber) Most of the swastikas were immediately removed by Tel Avivs municipal workers following reports from civilians to the Municipalitys call center while some were erased by business owners. The daughter of Israel Consul General in New York Dani Dayan, who is studying at Columbia University says, that she is is worried for her personal safety after being harassed and threatened by the group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), and that the school is failing to protect her. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Ofir Dayan, 24, who served as an officer in the IDF and had been stationed in the past in Gaza and Lebanon, described in an interview with the New York Post the SJP as being violent. Majoring in Political Science as an undergraduate, Dayan said that she first discovered the hostile sentiments harbored for Israelis when she was having a conversation in Hebrew on the phone while in the lobby of the Middle East Institute. Pro-Israel students on campus (: SSI) X A girl heard me and started screaming, Stop killing Muslim babies! . . . Youre a murderer! Ofir told the New York Post. Then she screamed, Zionist, get out! A nearby public-safety administrator did nothing. Dayan recalled a similar incident in October 2017 when she was leaving an on-campus event for Israeli beauty queen Titi Aynaw with four members of the Students Supporting Israel (SSI). The moment (members of SJP) saw us, they started screaming their slogans with a microphone to intimidate us. There were at least 50 SJP members blocking the walkway, she said. They were really angry and it was scary. I believed it would escalate to physical violence. According to Dayan, the university did nothing to tackle the intimidation and discipline those responsible, despite her filing a complaint about the incident to the Student Governing Board (SGB) in January this year in a letter that described, in part, horrified and terrified Jewish students huddled together while surrounded by a raging mob . . . (exhibiting) physically threatening behavior. Ofir Dayan Footage that she recorded of protesters being hostile also failed to move the SGB. After her father gave a speech on campus in February this year, the situation intensified as SJP activists set up checkpoints to intimidate people wishing to attend. After Dayan revealed that the speaker was her father, she was subjected to vitriol and slurs and branded a terrorists. Dayans pro-Israel group was told by the SGB that her complaint should be submitted to the newly formed adjudication board, a group managed by students who are supposed to mediate between parties in a dispute. However, when the adjudication board got round to dealing with the complaint a month later, Dayan was informed that it could not be taken further because the incident in question occurred the previous semester. The board also told her that it was too complicated for them. The university administrator, who is an adviser to the board then dismissed the complaint in March, prompting the SSI to try and appeal it. They were blowing us off, she said, angered further by the administrator telling her that the university could do nothing unless there was proof of anti-Semitism. I thought the university would protect me, but they didnt do anything when (protesters) called me a terrorist, Ofir said. The school stands by as Im harassed. While Professor Suzanne Goldberg, executive vice president for university life, said in a statement that The safety and well-being of all of our students is fundamentally important and that we will always work with students who have concerns about their physical safety, allow debate on contentious questions where our students hold strong views, and provide essential personal and group support, Dayan said that the lines is always blurred between criticism of Israel and anti-Semitism. Theres no difference between being anti-Israel and anti- Semitic (at Columbia), she said, noting that she support freedom to protest. SJP insisted in a statement that it firmly stands against discrimination in all forms, including anti-Semitism but failed to address Dayans complaints. In a meeting last week between Dayans group and Professor Goldberg, the student requested protection from SJP and urged that disciplinary action be handed out against the SJP. However, Dayan said that her request was refused. (She) said that unless SJP gets violent, they cant do anything, said Dayan. We have to wait until were beaten to call you? (The school) can protect me, but they choose not to. In recent years, Israel has attempted to manage the explosive problem of Gaza, and has found itself locked in stalemate as a result. The last major armed conflict between Israel and Hamas, fought in 2014, saw Israel dragged into combat, inclusive of a ground incursion, despite it having no wish to be bogged down in asymmetrical fighting. That conflict ended without clear winners or losers. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The danger of a new conflict erupting continues to threaten the region, and the southern Israeli communities near Gaza face the constant threat of coming under Hamas fire. Inside Gaza itself, the humanitarian and economic situation, as the World Bank has just reported, is very bad and getting worse for the civilian population; a fact that contributes to the chronic instability there. The ongoing feud between the two Palestinian ruling entities, Hamas and Fatah, only adds to the tensions. The Palestinian Authority, which is ruled by Fatah, has tried to return to Gaza in recent years, with Israeli support, and failed. Inside Gaza, rebellious armed groups, such as the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the PFLP, and others, constitute challenges to Hamass rulefurther stoking the instability. In the months following the 2014 conflict, Israel could and should have seized the initiative, and led the international communitythe US, Russia, the EU, and moderate Arab statestowards a Marshal Program for the Strip. President Sisi (Photo: AFP) This program could have seen the construction of power stations, a sea port, and an airport, thereby changing the situation, even without a change in Hamass extremist ideology. Instead of doing so, Israel made do with humanitarian assistance programs, rather than seeking to fundamentally alter the situation. Now, however, a new opportunity has arrived to create just this kind of change; the New State Solution.The key is to generate improvements gradually. The first phase of any plan for improvement should be to create a greater-Gaza Palestinian political entity, which would incorporate Gaza and a section of the northern Sinai. Such a state could be under international supervision. Regional actors like Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, could take an active role in assisting with it's establishment and development. King of Jordan Abdullah Hussein (Photo: AFP) Rather than trying to create fragile truces, which hinge on daily variables that change frequently, Israel should initiate a strategic maneuver for change, by first turning to Egypts President, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, with an offer to turn northern Sinai into a part of an enlarged Gazan state. This would, first and foremost, ease the terrible overcrowding that afflicts Gaza, a small territory that is home to two million people. A wider coalition of Arab pragmatic states, the US, Russia, and the EU, could come together to help make this vision feasible, and compensate Egypt for its contribution of land. Violence in Gaza (Photo: Reuters) The question of the West Bank can be answered further down the line. Our first priority must be to stabilize Gaza. It is unclear whether such an arrangement can truly lead to peace. But this solution has the potential to better deal with the festering Gazan question, and eventually lead to new understandings with the Palestinians. A perfect peace is for storybooks. Regional quiet would be a welcomed reality. This plan could yield just that. The Levitan gas field (Photo: Albatros) The Sunni states of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and Jordan could all play an active role in moving this plan forward. The threats facing Israel are the threats facing the Sunni states; radical, Shiite Iran, extremist Sunni jihadists and ISIS. A regional coalition of pragmatic Sunni states and Israel could come together to create a new Gaza solution, and then work closer together against shared threats. This approach also enjoys the advantage of sidestepping highly complex obstacles to any Israeli-Palestinian agreement, such as Jerusalem, or the right of return. Starting with such issues will doom talks to failure. The ideologies and world views of all sides in this conflict are already well known. What has been missing until now has been a new dynamic that can create real change on the ground. Gaza port (Photo: EPA) This approach favors a gradual process, which suits the volatile Middle East, a region plagued by a total lack of confidence between all sides. Even among the Palestinians, there is zero trust between Hamas and Fatah, let alone between Israel and the Palestinians. An enlarged Gaza-Sinai state, marked by new power stations in Gaza, opportunities to mine natural gas off the Gazan coastline, and the creation of a secure, supervised port for the Gazan economy, would create an outlet to the rest of the world and a genuine reason for a more promising future for the next generation of Gazans. A roaring Gazan economy could finally silence the booms of conflict. The most terrifying prospect facing UK Jewry is the possible rise of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Since he took the reins in 2015, Jews have suspected that he may be an anti-Semite. Almost four years later, the media has been saturated with headlines proving beyond any doubt that the softly-spoken and self-proclaimed peacenik has associated himself over the years with people with the darkest of reputations. Each time he is confronted about inexcusable actions, he claims ignorance and protests his innocence. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter After advocating in 2012 that a flagrantly anti-Semitic mural be allowed to remain on a wall in Londons East End, Corbyn later said he had not examined it closely enough and therefore regretted offering his support to the California-based artist in the name of free speech. Barring incidents that involve explicit anti-Semitism, Corbyn has mainly caused offense among the UKs mainstream Jewry by associating himself with people who despise Israel, who have supported terror attacks on Israel, who are openly and proudly committed to obliterating Israel and its citizens. Hamas and Hezbollah were once his friends. In subsequent interviews since he was caught making that infamous statement, he has half-heartedly said he disagrees with Hamas and Hezbollah but never said with what aspect specifically. Laying wreaths on the graves of terrorists is another gesture of his support for those who murder Israelis. All his excuses, lies, backtracks and attempts to justify the wreath-laying ceremony can do nothing to obfuscate the fact that this man is an unabashed champion of the murder of Jews in Israel. Mainstream UK Jewry rightly complains that this man is predisposed to a hostile attitude toward Jews, even as he claims to love them, to embrace them and implores them to join his party. However, the Jewish leadership in the UK have still, to this very day, failed in their task of exposing Corbyn. They have failed to target the fundamental factor that so clearly highlights his anti-Semitic colours. They have almost exclusively focused anti-Semitic remarks made by often, albeit not always, obscure Labour party members and asked the same question over and over again: What is Jeremy Corbyn doing about it and why isnt he doing it faster? The question is, of course, correct, but Corbyns anti-Semitism is essentially manifested in his obsessive hatred for Israel, the Jewish state, not by his statements about Jews. Regrettably, it seems that the leaders of the Jewish community are reluctant to quarrel with anyone unless they are self-proclaimed neo-Nazis, something which Corbyn will never be. A tragic history should have endowed Jews with a seventh sense on how to recognize an anti-Semite, how to discern when persistent anti-Israeli positions are used to mask putrid anti-Semitism. Yet UK Jewry has almost always refused to conflate the two for fear of accusations of dual loyalty. Hearing some of the statements by the Board of Deputies of British Jews (BDBJ), it is clear that the major focus is on ridding the party of anti-Semitic sentiments but they seldom focus on the Israel-bashing aspect, even though the key ingredient that has allowed anti-Semitism to fester in the Labour party is virulent anti-Zionism, which most, whatever they say to the contrary, do conflate. Corbyn conflates the two and so do all his other cronies. The only people who are loath to conflate Judaism and Israel are the Jewish leadersthe people who should be doing so with the most pride and who have the greatest responsibility to their Jewish constituents and the Jewish state. In August, Britains former chief rabbi, Lord Jonathan Sacks, branded Corbyn a dangerous anti-Semite. He neatly summarized that Corbyn gives support to racists, terrorists and dealers of hate, who want to kill Jews and remove Israel from the map. Here, he correctly identifies the fact that hatred of Israel is synonymous with hatred of Jews. Why this articulate, influential and philosophical giant of the modern era only recently decided to publicly speak out against Corbyn is unclear and frankly unacceptable. Corbyns long history of going after the Jewish state long predates his leadership in the party and it did not only emerge for the first time in August, 2018. Rabbi Sacks belated commentary is long overdue and hopefully it will continue. Now, Rabbi Sacks successor, Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, is shirking responsibility in his failure to hit back at Corbyn. His vague statements expressing grave concern over the Labour leader are insufficient and make him unworthy of occupying the position of leadership. If the role of the chief rabbi of Britain is merely to be a passive figurehead who espouses the virtues of cosmopolitanism and who must always avoid confronting the political class, even though the people he represents are facing serious dangers, then Mirvis is doing a fine job. He can still redeem himself, however, by defending Israel and stating publicly that Corbyns rabid hatred of Israel, in and of itself, makes him an anti-Semite. The Jewish community will follow his lead if only he can marshall the courage to speak out. To do otherwise is to capitulate to a history of fear and abandon the beleaguered Jewish community. Then there is the demonstrative weakness of the the BDBJ. They have publicly praised Labours MP Naz Shah for seeking to make amends for openly anti-Semitic and anti-Israel statements, which included cleansing Israel of Jews. The then-president of the BDBJ, Jonathan Arkush, issued a statement in 2017 saying Naz Shah is one of the only people involved in Labours anti-Semitism crisis who has sought to make amends for her actions, and for this we commend her and now regard Naz as a sincere friend of our community. Since then, her assault on Israel on social media has continued unabated and we can surmise that her vitriol will intensify come the next war Israel is compelled to face. But Jonathan Arkush says she is a sincere friend of the Jewish community. One can only hope that he speaks for few Jews in the UK or the world, for his statement is another abdication of responsibility. It reflects gross naivety at best, or a Jewish leader who knowingly ignores the truth at worst. In 2016, the current author wrote two articles urging the Jewish community in Leeds not to give Shah a platform to issue a spurious apology for saying on social media, among other things, that Hitlers actions were legal. Like Corbyn, she was not a child when she made the most heinous remarks about the Jewish state and she should never have been afforded the opportunity to lie her way out of her sins, let alone be forgiven for them. The fact that she has now been welcomed by the Jewish communitys leaders as a friend is a damning indictment on their judgement and gives the green light to unrestrained verbal assaults on Israel. With such statements of forgiveness, the BDBJ bears significant responsibility for inadvertently letting Shah and people like her, including Corbyn, off the hook. For too long it has been unable or unwilling to brand someone who is rabidly anti-Israel as anti-Semitic, thus only paving the road to the wave of hatred that could be unleashed against Jews if Corbyn or people who share his views ever gain power in the UK. The BDBJ has at times overlooked virulent animosity toward Israel in the futile hope that it will not be entangled with enmity toward Jews. But it already is, and always will be. In many of his interviews, Arkush repeatedly protested Corbyn's failure to take steps to rid Labour of anti-Semitism and to remove individuals who have made anti-Semitic remarks. Yet once again, that serves no purpose if the anti-Israel rhetoric articulated by Corbyn and his cohorts is allowed to continue without being called out for what it isanti-Semitic. To be sure, a letter written to Corbyn by the BDBJ did draw the parallel between anti-Semitism and his obsessive hatred of Israel. Moreover, on September 26 its current President Marie van der Zyl said that Corbyns overtures to the Jewish community at the Labour Party Conference mean nothing unless he takes a series of actions, one of them being to offer a heartfelt apology to British Jews and to Israeli victims of the terrorists with whom he has shown solidarity. However, until they explicitly call on him to vacate his post for his anti-Israel/anti-Semitic position rather than merely dealing with people who serve as a mouthpiece for his own anti-Israel viewstheir campaign lacks conviction. The BDBJ should have had the confidence and the backbone long ago to be more forthright in calling out anti-Zionists as anti-Semites. Furthermore, Arkushs legacy of forgiveness of anti-Semites and Israel-haters should be immediately expunged from the culture of Jewish British leadership. The issue that Jewish leaders have with Corbyn is not merely his support for anti-Semitic murals and association with anti-Semites, but with his hatred for the Jewish state. They know that this is the fundamental factor that makes him an anti-Semite. It is high time that they shift their focus on to that and come out and say it unequivocally. In the final analysis, the Jewish leadership calling on Corbyn to deal with anti-Semites must ask themselves an honest question: If he does accede to their demands, drains the party of anti-Semitism and expels all the members about whom complaints have been made, but maintains his own position on Israel, would they then be content endorsing him as a credible leader? If the answer is no, then all the questions regarding how he is dealing with anti-Semitism are merely background noise that divert attention from Labours chief culprit of anti-Semitism. Jews must call upon him not merely to deal with anti-Semitism, but demand that he, as its main source of inspiration in the party, go now. A Syrian rebel group says it will not withdraw its fighters from a demilitarized zone around the northwestern province of Idlib that was agreed on this month between Russia and Turkey. Failaq al-Sham, one of the main Turkey-backed factions in northern Syria, said in a statement Sunday that all its heavy weapons are far from the front lines. The group's statement came hours after the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Failaq al-Sham had begun evacuating some of its positions in Aleppo province bordering Idlib. Security forces in northern Syria's Raqqa city said on Sunday they had uncovered an Islamic State sleeper cell which was plotting series of large attacks across the devastated city. Raqqa served as the de facto capital of Islamic State's self-proclaimed caliphate until it was retaken by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia alliance last October. A spokesman for the Raqqa Internal Security Forces set up by the SDF said it had killed two members of an Islamic State cell and detained five others during an operation on Saturday. A French-Palestinian lawyer was released from prison on Sunday after more than a year of administrative detention in Israel and has moved to his family's house in east Jerusalem, his lawyer said. Salah Hamouri, 33, was arrested in Jerusalem on August 23, 2017. He spent most of his detention in the Negev prison in southern Israel. The charges against him remained confidential as is generally the case with administrative detentions. Clashes erupted between the Palestinians and the IDF troops in a Ramallah neighborhood were army forces were deployed. UN envoy to the Middle East Nikolay Mladenov assured Saturday that "Gaza has not been forgotten", following yet another weekend of unrest in the Gaza Strip during which seven Palestinians were killed , and dozens of explosive devices were thrown at IDF troops. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter "Gaza has not been forgotten! The suffering of its people is part of all UN discussions on Palestine with all Gulf States, European Union, and the non-aligned countries and many, many others. All share our concerns about the escalation and humanitarian situation and are looking for ways to help...," Mladenov tweeted. UN envoy to the Middle East Nikolay Mladenov (Photo: AFP) "Thank you to all partners who support UN and Egypt's efforts to prevent war and help the people. I am deeply saddened by reports of the seven Palestinians killed by Israeli fire in Gaza yesterday. Israel, Hamas and all actors need to act and prevent further deterioration and loss of life," the UN envoy posted on his Twitter page. Earlier, a delegation of senior Hamas officials from Gaza and abroad left the strip for a round of talks with Egyptian intelligence in Cairo to salvage the reconciliation talks between the terror organization and Fatah as well as the efforts to reach a long-term ceasefire agreement with Israel. The delegation that was headed by deputy Hamas Khalil al-Hayya left the strip via the Rafah Crossing. On Friday, violence erupted yet again on the Gaza border fence, with Some 20,000 demonstrators rioting at several locations near the response to calls by Hamas to continue the "March of Return" protests. Gaza border riots (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) According to the Palestinian health ministry seven people, including three teenagers, aged 12, 14 and 18, were killed and at least 90 wounded by IDF fire during the clashes. The IDF Spokespersons Unit said in a statement that in response to "grenades and explosive devices" hurled at troops during the protests, an IAF aircraft carried out two airstrikes on Hamas posts in the strip, and that the number of demonstrators was the highest since the renewal of the skirmishes on the border fence in the beginning of the month. The rioters sabotaged security infrastructures, attempted to breach the border fence at several locations and hurled more than 100 improvised explosive devices and grenade at IDF soldiers, the IDF Spokespersons Unit reported. No Israeli casualties were reported. On Sunday, the IDF began neutralizing the grenades and explosive device hurled by the Palestinians. IDF forces neutralize explosive devices thrown at border fence (: ") X During the past few days, an escalation has been noted in the Hamas-Fatah relations. After Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had halted the Egypt-mediated reconciliation talks between Hamas ant Fatah, the terror organization labeled on Thursday Abbas's speech at the UN General Assembly as a declaration of failure," and blamed the woes of Palestinians on the 82-year-old's political mistakes. Border clashes (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) The terror group, in an official statement, emphasized the speech is an admission of defeat regarding the intra-Palestinian reconciliation efforts, which have crumbled since being singed in December last year. "The speech is a declaration of the failure of his policies and recognition of the end of reconciliation talks, stressed the statement. The situation the Palestinian people currently find themselves in is a result of mistakes that Abbas has made despite the warnings of the Palestinian factions," the statement concluded. Palestinians called a general strike for Monday in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem in support of an Israeli-Arab protest against Israel's Nation State Law Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Leaders of Israel's Arab community have called for their private sector to strike against the recently-passed Nation State Law, which declares that only Jews have the right of self-determination in Israel. Rabin Sq. protest aganist the law (Photo: Tal Shahar) The strike will have limited effect on the country as a whole as Monday marks the end of the Sukkot festival for Israel's Jewish majority. Factions in the Palestinian territories have said schools, universities, government offices and shops will close in solidarity. The law has come under fierce criticism at home and abroad and has provoked anger among the 1.8 million Palestinian Arabs who make up a fifth of Israel's 9 million citizens. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hastily set up a committee to propose new legislation to mollify the law's critics but no amendments have been enacted since its passage in July shortly before the Knesset went on its summer recess. It will reconvene in the middle of October. Mohammed Barakeh, a former Israeli lawmaker who heads a committee that monitors Israeli policy concerning Israel's Arabs, said the strike had been called in coordination with groups in the Palestinian territories. "The strike is a message to the world that the cause of apartheid and racism is something that should not only be dealt with internally but it should be talked about globally," Barakeh said. In an interview with CBS, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif acknowledged the Holocaust, but said it does not justify the establishment of the State of Israel on Palestinian lands. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter When asked by journalist John Dickerson what Iranian President Hassan Rouhani meant by saying at the United Nations General Assembly that US President Donald Trump's conduct resembles to that of the Nazi regime, Zarif replied, "Iran has stated very clearly, we reject the killing of innocent people no matter what the numbers, no matter by whom." Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a CBS interview (Face the Nation, CBS News) X "For a Holocaust denying country that is threatening Israel to compare the United States or its leader to Nazis is among the most outrageous things I have ever heard," the journalist opined. Zarif acknowledged that the Holocaust during which six million Jews were murdered clearly happened. "A huge number of innocent people died. But, it does not justify depriving others of their homeland. it does not justify building settlements in the territory of other people. It does not justify violating the rights of Palestinians. The Holocaust cannot be used as a justification for an apartheid policy in Palestine," Iran's foreign minister exclaimed. The Iranian diplomat also stated Trump's threats against European countries that refuses to impose economic sanctions on Iran are "unprecedented." Iran's FM Zarif (Photo: AP) "The United States is asking countries to violate international law. And is telling countries and companies that if they observe the law they would be punished. This is probably unprecedented," he went on to say. Zarif described Trump's conduct as bullying, and added Iran might renew its nuclear program. "The US is threatening those European countries and saying if you continue to do business with Iran you won't be able to do business with the United States. Can they sustain a relationship with Iran under that kind of pressure from the United States?" Zarif wondered. "Certainly some European companies have withdrawn from Iran because of the fear of punishment by the United States." However, "We will continue to work with the Europeans," he asserted. US President Trump at UN (Photo: Reuters) Zarif added that the fact Trump targeted Iran repeatedly in his remarks to the UN General Assembly, "is not a sign of strength." "He's making all those statements. He convened a meeting of the Security Council to bash Iran, and at the end of the day 14 out of 15 members of the Security Council bashed his decision to walk away from JCPOA. So unfortunately the United States has managed to isolate itself in the world," he went on to say. Zarif insisted that Iran has kept the 2015 nuclear accord, and ceased developing its nuclear reactors, adding that since Trump has withdrawn from the deal, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) monitoring it, has reported twice Teheran is honoring the pact. Police detained on Sunday a 37-year-old Tel Aviv resident on suspicion of spraying swastikas on walls and prominent landmarks in popular locations and recreation centers throughout the city that have left residents and tourists in shock over the past week. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Footage in which the suspect is seen spray-painting swastikas on the walls of Old Jaffa was provided to the police by illusionist Uri Geller whose home security camera documented the 37-year-old while committing the crime. Security camera footage shows suspect spraying swastikas (: ) X Geller told Ynet he heard the camera sensors alert going off at about 4am. However, he said he had decided to continue sleeping. "In the morning I realized swastikas have been sprayed throughout Tel Aviv and Jaffa. The police officer told me many sculptures were ruined. And then I saw the swastikas under my window," he lamented. "I was very angry," Geller recalled. "I notified the police and immediately send them the security camera footage, which they said helped them to locate the suspect." "A good word is in order for the (Tel Aviv Municipality) employees who managed to take down the swastikas from the walls within hours," Geller opined. (Photo: Amit Huber) The police representative said during the suspect's remand extension hearing that he had sprayed the swastikas and set fire to garbage cans while being under house arrest. The Judge instructed the suspect to return to house arrest, adding that "there is no evidence indicating the suspect set fire to garbage cans." Swastika found outside Dizengoff Center The judge added he does not think spraying swastikas justifies taking the suspect into police custody. The suspect's attorney Inbar Keinan said, "There is nothing linking (the suspect) to the garbage cans arson." "Spraying swastikas does not constitute grounds for arrest. The suspect is currently under house arrest and can return to his mother's house," she concluded. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said during a CBS interview that he acknowledges the Holocaust. However, Israel cannot use the Holocaust to justify its conduct towards the Palestinians, Zarif stated. With little time left ahead of a deadline to agree to a renewed NAFTA, Canadian and US trade officials on Sunday tried to settle differences on tough issues such as protection against American tariffs. The administration of US President Donald Trump said Canada must sign onto the text of the updated North American Free Trade Agreement by midnight EDT on Sunday or face exclusion from the trilateral pact, which includes Mexico. News Washington, DC - During National Energy Awareness Month, we recognize the remarkable role American energy plays in producing more abundant, affordable, and reliable power for our Nation and the world. My Administration is reducing regulatory burdens on the energy sector, developing innovative energy technologies, and building new energy-related infrastructure. Our agenda is fueling tremendous economic growth and forging a more secure future for our country and our allies. The American energy renaissance is pressing forward with stunning speed. The United States is becoming both energy independent and energy dominant because of the entrepreneurial spirit of the American people and the application of innovative technologies to energy production, transmission, distribution, and use. Recently, United States crude oil production rose to roughly 11 million barrels a day, making our Nation the largest global producer. Additionally, the United States is the worlds largest producer of natural gas, and, in 2017, our coal exports rose by roughly 60 percent over the previous year. American energy dominance means the end of our crippling dependence on foreign energy, and that our industries have access to reliable, affordable, and diverse energy supplies that enable them to compete in the global marketplace. Increasing energy security is also ushering in a new era of American leadership around the world as we export more of our energy bounty to friends and allies abroad, freeing them from hostile dependence. Our Nations increasingly innovative energy industry is proving that we can be responsible stewards of the environment while developing energy resources to grow the economy, lower costs, ignite job creation, and drive up incomes for American workers. From 2005 to 2017, the United States led the world in cutting energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, reducing them by about 860 million metric tons. Between 1970 and 2017, combined emissions from the six common pollutants dropped by 73 percent, all while our economy continued to grow. We are leading the world in the development of the next generation of energy technologies that will convert our abundant and diverse domestic energy resources, including coal, natural gas, nuclear, and renewables, into the useful energy services that power our economy. Americas innovative minds and industrial might, not the mandates of international agreements, have made our Nation the world leader in producing energy more abundantly while simultaneously reducing emissions. Americas future has never been brighter, and American energy is leading the way in providing jobs, opportunity, and security for our Nation. This month, we recommit to strengthening our energy security and to responsibly using our energy resources so that we can continue on our path towards energy independence and dominance. NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 2018 as National Energy Awareness Month. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand eighteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-third. DONALD J. TRUMP Border News Dallas, Texas - Federal officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested 98 criminal aliens and immigration violators in North Texas and Oklahoma during a 10-day enforcement action, which ended Friday. During this operation, ERO deportation officers made arrests in the following 38 Texas cities and towns: Amarillo (2), Arlington (2), Athens (1), Big Spring (1), Bridgeport (1), Canton (1), Carrollton (1), Dallas (11), Denton (3), Fort Worth (5), Frisco (3), Garland (1), Gilmer (4), Grapevine (1), Greenville (1), Haltom City (1), Haslett (1), Hawley (1), Irving (6), Jacksboro (2), Kaufman (1), Lewisville (2), Longview (2), Lubbock (9), McKinney (3), Mesquite (2), Palestine (2), Pampa (4), Perryton (2), Plainview (2), Plano (1), Sache (1), San Angelo (2), Sherman (2), Tyler (1), Wichita Falls (1) and White Oak (1). A total of 11 arrests were made in Oklahoma in Oklahoma City (3) and Tulsa (8). Of the 98 arrested, 67 had criminal convictions; 87 men and 11 women were arrested. They range in age from 19 to 62 years old. Aliens arrested during this operation are from the following six countries: Mexico (82), El Salvador (7), Honduras (6), Marshall Islands (1), Pakistan (1) and Peru (1). Most of the aliens targeted by ERO deportation officers during this operation had prior criminal histories that included convictions for the following crimes: alien smuggling, assault, burglary, dangerous drugs, discharge of a firearm, domestic violence, driving under the influence, drug trafficking, fraud, illegal entry, hit & run, homicide, larceny, lewd or lascivious acts with a minor, marijuana possession, possessing a weapon, probation violation, resisting officer, sex assault, sex offense, sex offense against a child, traffic offense and trespassing. Five confirmed and documented gang members were also arrested during this operation. Twenty nine of those arrested illegally re-entered the United States after having been previously deported, which is a felony. Depending on an aliens criminality, an alien who re-enters the United States after having been previously deported commits a felony punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison, if convicted. Five of those arrested have been accepted for federal prosecution for re-entry after deportation. The following are criminal summaries of four offenders arrested in North Texas and Oklahoma during this operation: Sept. 12 ICE officers arrested a previously deported Mexican man who was convicted of illegal entry, and reckless injury to a child body injury. He also currently has two active warrants for aggravated sexual assault of a child. ICE officers turned him over to the Kaufman County (Texas) Sheriffs Office; ICE placed an immigration detainer on him. Sept. 14 ICE arrested a Salvadoran citizen, who has an outstanding Interpol warrant out of El Salvador for extortion. He is also a confirmed and documented MS-13 gang member. He remains in ICE custody pending his removal. Sept. 19 ICE officers arrested a 28-year-old man from El Salvador who has an active Interpol warrant naming him as the leader of an MS-13 clique. He has warrants in El Salvador for acts of terrorism related to homicide, extortion and drug crimes. He remains in ICE custody pending his removal proceedings. Sept. 20 ICE officers arrested a previously deported man from Mexico who is a confirmed and documented gang member. He remains in ICE custody pending his removal proceedings. By removing criminal aliens from the streets during this North Texas and Oklahoma operation, our ICE officers provide a valuable community service by enhancing public safety, said Marc J. Moore, field office director of ERO Dallas. These ongoing daily operations also help maintain the integrity of our immigration laws. The Dallas area of responsibility includes 128 counties in North Texas and Oklahoma. All of the targets in this operation are amenable to arrest and removal under the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act. ICE deportation officers carry out targeted enforcement operations daily nationwide as part of the agencys ongoing efforts to protect the nation, uphold public safety, and protect the integrity of our immigration laws and border controls. These operations involve existing and established Fugitive Operations Teams. During targeted enforcement operations, ICE officers frequently encounter other aliens illegally present in the United States. These aliens are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and, when appropriate, they are arrested by ICE officers. Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. iShares MSCI Austria ETF's stock was trading at $15.26 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, EWO stock has increased by 71.0% and is now trading at $26.09. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. BT Group plc provides communications services worldwide. Its Consumer segment sells telephones, baby monitors, and Wi-Fi extenders through high street retailers, online BT Shop, and Website BT.com; and offers home phone, copper and fiber broadband, TV, and mobile services in various packages. The company's EE segment offers 2G, 3G, and 4G mobile network services; broadband, fixed-voice, and TV services; and postpaid and prepaid plans, and emergency services network. This segment also sells 4G mobile phones, tablets, connected devices, and mobile broadband devices from various manufacturers. Its Business and Public Sector segment provides fixed voice, mobility, fiber and connectivity, and networked IT services to retailers, utilities, public sector, healthcare, sports, construction, finance, and educational sectors. The company's Global Services segment offers business communications and ICT services comprising BT Connect, BT Security, BT One, BT Contact, BT Compute, BT Advise, and BT for financial markets. This segment serves approximately 5,500 customers in 180 countries. Its Wholesale and Ventures segment enables communications providers and other organizations to provide fixed or mobile phone services. Its ventures provide mass-market services, such as directory enquiries and payphones; and enterprise services comprising BT Fleet and BT Redcare. This segment also provides broadband and Ethernet, voice, hosted communication, mobile virtual network operator, managed solutions, machine-to-machine, roaming, and media services. The company's Openreach segment engages in the provision of services over the local access network; and installation and maintenance of fiber and copper communications networks that connect homes and businesses. The company was formerly known as Newgate Telecommunications Limited and changed its name to BT Group plc in September 2001. BT Group plc was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Read More iShares MSCI Chile ETF's stock was trading at $25.05 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, ECH stock has increased by 8.6% and is now trading at $27.20. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. 1 Wall Street equities research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Premier Oil in the last year. There are currently 1 hold rating for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street equities research analysts is that investors should "hold" Premier Oil stock. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in PMO, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares. View analyst ratings for Premier Oil or view top-rated stocks. KAZ Minerals PLC, together with its subsidiaries, engages in mining and processing copper and other metals primarily in Kazakhstan, Russia, and Kyrgyzstan. It operates through Bozshakol, Aktogay, East Region and Bozymchak, and Mining Projects segments. The company operates the Aktogay and Bozshakol open pit copper mines in the east region and Pavlodar region of Kazakhstan; three underground mines in the east region of Kazakhstan; and the Bozymchak copper-gold mine in Kyrgyzstan. It also develops greenfield metal deposits; operates Koksay deposit in Kazakhstan, and the Baimskaya licence area in the Chukotka region of Russia; and produces and sells various by-products, such as gold, silver, molybdenum, and zinc. In addition, the company supplies and distributes heat, water, and electricity; and offers construction, project management, financing, management, sales and logistics, and repairs and maintenance services. The company was formerly known as Kazakhmys PLC and changed its name to KAZ Minerals PLC in October 2014. KAZ Minerals PLC was founded in 1930 and is based in London, the United Kingdom. Read More Freeport-McMoRan, Inc. engages in the mining of copper, gold and molybdenum. It operates through the following segments: North America Copper Mines, South America Mining; Indonesia Mining, Molybdenum Mines, Rod and Refining, Atlantic Copper Smelting and Refining and Corporate, Other and Eliminations. The North America Copper Mines segment operates open-pit copper mines in Morenci, Bagdad, Safford, Sierrita and Miami in Arizona and Chino and Tyrone in New Mexico. The South America Mining segment includes Cerro Verde in Peru and El Abra in Chile. The Indonesia Mining segment handles the operations of Grasberg minerals district that produces copper concentrate that contains significant quantities of gold and silver. The Molybdenum Mines segment includes the Henderson underground mine and Climax open-pit mine, both in Colorado. The Rod and Refining segment consists of copper conversion facilities located in North America and includes a refinery, rod mills, and a specialty copper products facility. The Atlantic Copper Smelting and Refining segment smelts and refines copper concentrate and markets refined copper and precious metals in slimes. The Corporate, Other and Eliminations segment Read More William Lyon Homes (NYSE:WLH) announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November, 6th. The construction company reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the Zacks' consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.07. The construction company earned $466.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $487.15 million. William Lyon Homes had a net margin of 3.04% and a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 6.98%. The firm's revenue was down 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.68 EPS. View William Lyon Homes' earnings history. iShares MSCI Denmark ETF's stock was trading at 60.79 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, EDEN shares have increased by 89.4% and is now trading at 115.11. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. There is not enough analysis data for Enel Generacion Chile. 4.1 Community Rank Outperform Votes Enel Generacion Chile has received 205 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes Enel Generacion Chile has received 122 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment Enel Generacion Chile has received 62.69% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Enel Generacion Chile and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe EOCC will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe EOCC will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next -President Akufo-Addo's presidential has reportedly been involved in a near crash - The incident occurred in the United States capital, Washington President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the Ghana delegation that travelled with him to the United States have escaped what could have been a fatal accident with the presidential jet in Washington. According to a report YEN.com.gh sighted on Citinewsroom.com, the incident occurred after one of the engines of the aircraft went off 30 minutes after take off on their way to Ghana from Washington. Citing unnamed sources, the report said the aircraft had to run around a number of times to burn fuel before being assisted to land. President Akufo-Addo was in the US for the 73rd UN General Assembly Source: UGC Arrangements are however being made for the president and his delegation to return on a commercial flight. READ ALSO: Man kills pregnant wife after 19 days of marriage (photos) President Akufo-Addo was in the US to attend the 73rd UN General Assembly where he delivered an address on Wednesday, September 26 His address touched on the anxieties concerning Chinas forays into the developing world, the need for UN Reform, the wider vision of an Africa Beyond Aid, and the recent passing of former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan. This is not the first time the President jet has had challenges. In March 2015, the Presidential Jet caught fire while attempting to take off from the Kotoka International Airport. READ ALSO: Ibrah One's funeral poster pops up after Menzgold resumed business (Photo) The Falcon 900, had been tasked to perform a special mission in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. Before that, on December 5, 2014, the Presidential jet carrying former President Mahama developed a technical fault which delayed his appearance at the 30th National Farmers Day celebrations in the Western Region. Meanwhile, a popular member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Nyaho Nyaho Tamakloe, has called on the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, to resign. According to him, Ghanas economy is a bad state, and for that reason, Dr. Bawumia need not remain in office. READ ALSO: Analysis: 6 reasons why Akufo-Addo, NPP must take Mahama's 2020 bid seriously He explained that Dr. Bawumia has failed to deliver on the numerous promises and assurances he gave Ghanaians when the NPP was in opposition. Yenkasa: What if Your Child isn't Your Biological Offspring? | Yen.com.gh: Want to be featured on YEN.com.gh? Send us a message on our Facebook/Instagram pages with your stories, photos Source: Yen News - A court in Zimbabwe has convicted a couple who made love in a hospital ward in the full glare of other patients - Businessman Elton Chitanda, in July, stormed the hospital where his wife was on admission to make love to her - This contravenes laws and the couple have been sentenced to a fine of $75 each About two months ago, YEN.com.gh carried a report of a prominent restaurant owner in Zimbabwe who sneaked into a hospitals female ward to make love to his wife who had been admitted there. The man, Elton Chitanda who runs Delicious Delight Restaurant in Masvingo forced his way into a female ward at Masvingo Provincial Hospital at 3 am, to have sexual relations with his wife, Fadzai Chivende. The act was reported to have been carried in the presence of ten other patients who were also admitted in the ward. Photo source Zwnews.com Source: UGC Prior to forcing his way into the ward, the man had argued with the hospital nurses in the middle of the night insisting that they allow him see his wife. READ ALSO: Nadia Buari causes stir with her gargantuan flowery shoes in latest wild photo Chitanda and his wife's conduct contravened Zimbabwe's laws and they were subsequently put before court. Reports coming in from Zimbabwe indicates that the case has come to a close with the magistrate, Peter Madiba convicting them and handing them a fine of $75 (GHC 350). Alternatively, they would be jailed for 15 days each. According to Zwnews.com, the magistrate accused the two of torturing other patients by having sex in their full view and making noise before he convicted them of public indecency. READ ALSO: Akufo-Addo escapes near plane crash in the US Chitanda is said to have stated he did not have sexual intercourse with his wife but they only hugged and kissed before he tucked himself in with her on the bed to sleep. Prosecutors, however, insisted that the couple had sexual intercourse in the full view of Patricia Vuma, Varaidzo Chinomwe and other admitted patients. Initially the two totally denied doing anything sexual but they quickly shifted their positions when the State threatened to bring in witnesses. They then said they had a sex act but did not have intercourse. Having a sex act in a legal terms means there was arousal but no intercourse. READ ALSO: Lady accepts 'crazy' task of taking drugs and showing off her huge 'melons' for an iPhone X gift (Photos) How big is your appetite to an extent that you had to follow your wife to hospital? Why dont you let people die in peace instead of disturbing them with funny noise that you were making?", the magistrate reportedly asked before passing judgement. The two accused were asked to pay a fine of $75 each by 12 October or serve 15 days in prison. Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh earlier reported the story of a Nigerian lady who was reportedly killed by her husband after 19 days of marriage. The deceased known as Amarachi Emmanuela, according to her friend who shared the story on social media, was pregnant before her untimely death. Yenkasa: What if Your Child isn't Your Biological Offspring? | Yen.com.gh: Want to be featured on YEN.com.gh? Send us a message on our Facebook/Instagram pages with your stories, photos Source: Yen - An NPP official, David Prah, has called for a psychiatric examination for former President Mahama - According to him, Mahama is the most shameless president Ghana has ever had - His comments were in reaction to remarks by Mahama about President Akufo-Addo The Eastern Regional Director of Communications of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), David Prah, has lashed out at former President John Mahama. According to a report by MyNewsGH.com, Prah argued that Mahama needs to have his head examined. Speaking on Happy FMs Epa Hoa Daben, Prah said that Mahama is the most shameless president who ever ruled Ghana. David Prah Source: DailyViewGH.com Source: UGC READ ALSO: Akufo-Addo escapes near plane crash in the US His comments were in reaction to remarks by Mahama to the effect that President Akufo-Addo has failed Ghanaians for not living up to expectations, considering what he said as opposition leader. Sometimes I think Mahama is on drugs, thats why as a former president he can make such comments. He (Mahama) needs psychiatric or mental attention. He may be frustrated, so he deserve no attention from the NPP, Prah stated. Attempts by the host of the programme, Kwame Afrifa-Mensah to get him to apologize for his comments failed. John Dramani Mahama, who was defeated in the 2016 presidential race by President Akufo-Addo, has launched a comeback with strong competition from members of his government who are set to challenge him. Many have however tipped him to win the NDC primaries, which is scheduled for December 2018. READ ALSO: Ibrah One's funeral poster pops up after Menzgold resumes business Top 3 Ghana Richest Women: Who Are They? | Yen.com.gh Want to be featured on YEN.com.gh? Send us a message on our page or on Instagram with your stories, photos or videos Source: Yen - A group of Muslim youth have reportedly attacked a mosque at Darkuman - According to them, someone had verbally assaulted the Chief Imam - Six people have been injured and are seeking treatment YEN.com.gh is in possession of a photo which shows a group of people alleged to be Muslims who attacked a mosque at Darkuman, in Accra. According to an eye witness, Ibrahim Abass, the youth stormed the mosque after prayers Friday evening, and claimed that some people there had maligned the Chief Imam. Six people are reported to have been injured in the fracas and are receiving treatment at various health centres. National Chief Imam, Sheikh Nuhu Sharabutu Source: Kasapafmonline.com Source: UGC READ ALSO: Mahama may be on drugs; he needs to examine his head - Top NPP executive Mobile phones and other items were allegedly taken by the suspects. Abass claimed they chanted we are the defendants of the National Chief Imam and we will kill people who are insulting Chief Imam. We will kill you and there will be no police to defend you. The spokesperson for the Chief Imam, Sheikh Aremeyaw, however said he is not aware of the supposed insult or the attack at the mosque. Whoever the thugs were, he noted, were not acting on the orders of the Chief Imam. Issues like these when they happen, cause disturbance because he does not want to be the centre of conflict, the cleric noted. He stressed that if even indeed uncomplimentary comments were made about the Chief Imam, he will not order the youth to get vengeance on his behalf. The Chief Imam is a very forgiving type who has a very peaceful disposition, he added. Sheikh Aremeyaw then called on the police and other investigative bodies to take up the issue and apprehend the culprits, because the Chief Imam will not be associated with such behaviour. READ ALSO: Akufo-Addo escapes near plane crash in the USA Ghana News Today: Lack of Evidence Against Former GFA President | Yen.com.gh Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish on YEN.com.gh? Please contact us on Facebook or Instagram now! Source: Yen - Policemen have shot and killed a notorius armed robber, known as Abanga - His two accomplices however managed to escape - He lost his life after engaging the police in an exchange of gunfire during a robbery Police officials in Kasoa in the Central Region, have killed a 32-year-old armed robber, popularly known as Abanga. According to a report by MyNewsGH.com, Abangas two accomplices however escaped and are on the run. Until his death, Abanga lived at Kasoa Zongo, and reportedly terrorized residents in the community. Source: MyNewsGH.com Source: UGC READ ALSO: Photo of Muslims attacking a mosque goes viral Briefing journalists, the Kasoa Divisional Police Commander ACP Adjem Agyemang said the police patrol team received a distress call that some suspected armed robbers attempted to break into a susu collection company at Djan Nkwanta near Bawjiase. The incident reportedly occurred on Friday, September 28, 2018 about 1am, and the police immediately proceeded to the scene. He explained that when the police arrived, the deceased and his colleagues engaged them in a shootout, but the police fired four rounds of ammunition and succeeded in killing Abanga. The two others, whose identities are yet to be established, however managed to escape. ACP Agyemang stated that the body of the deceased has since been taken to the morgue for autopsy. He appealed to residents in Kasoa and its surrounding towns to endeavour to report anyone they are suspicious of, for the police to deal with them. Items retrieved from the scene included a locally manufactured pistol, two machetes and two ammunitions. READ ALSO: Akufo-Addo escapes near plane crash in the USA Top 3 Ghana Richest Women: Who Are They? | Yen.com.gh Use the comments section below to share your views on this story. Do you have a story to share or you have information for us? Get featured on YEN.com.gh. Message us on Facebook or Instagram Source: Yen The recently-commissioned state-of-the-art Terminal 3 at the Kotoka International Airport has drawn praise from many Ghanaians and foreigners who have used the facility. KIA's Terminal 3. Facebook.com/We are Ga Source: Facebook The $250 million project, which was initiated by president John Mahama in 2015 and commissioned by President Nana Akufo-Addo in June 2018, can handle five million passengers per year, an average of 13,000 passengers a day. KIA's Terminal 3. Image credit: Facebook.com/We are Ga Source: Facebook A total of 1,250 passengers can be processed per hour. The facility also has an additional 7,000 square metres retail area. The new terminal, which has five levels spreading across a land size of 48,268 square metres, has six boarding bridges, seven links which are expandable to eight in the near future, four 80-metre long electronic carousels, a 707-capacity parking lot and a new road network. KIA's Terminal. Image credit: Facebook.com/We Are Ga Source: Facebook A Nigerian musician recently went viral on social media when he praised the airport and condemned what he said was a lack of development in his home country. Nigeria, actor, Kanayo O. Kanayo also praised the facility when he visited Ghana recently. "This is not Europe. It is Kotoka International Airport, Accra. World class in Africa. Kudos Ghana," he wrote on Instagram. Ordinary Ghanaians have also been full of praise for the new terminal, which they say points to the development taking place in the country. KIA's terminal 3. Image credit: Facebook.com/We Are Ga Source: Facebook The managing director of the Ghana Airports Company Limited, Mr John Dekyem Attafuah, has said that the facility will create more jobs for Ghanaians. Image credit: Facebook.com/We Are Ga Source: Facebook Attafuah said Terminal 3 would also attract new airlines to operate from Ghana. We should be able to develop new routes to new destinations. We are currently looking at attracting investments from China and South America, he said in an interview with the Daily Graphic. READ ALSO: Update on man who sneaked into hospital ward to make love to sick wife Image credit: Facebook.com/We Are Ga Source: Facebook The facility was built by Turkish construction company, Mapa Construction MNG Holding. Image credit: Facebook.com/We Are Ga Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Akufo-Addo escapes near plane crash in the US Akufo-Addo escapes near plane crash in the US Ghana News Today: Drivers angry over hike in Fuel price | Yen.com.gh Share your views on this with us in the comments section below. Do you have a story to share with us? Inbox us on our Facebook page and we could feature your story. To stay up to date with the latest news, download our news app on Google Play today. Source: Yen.com.gh - Some fishermen in the Volta Region have abandoned their nets and boats and fled the sea - This is as a result of rising sea levels as a result of climate change - Some of them however claimed that the sea become unsafe whenever an abomination is committed Fishermen at Anlo in the Volta Region, according to a report, have abandoned their equipment and fled for their lives. According to a report by MyNewsGh.com, rising sea levels have forced them to reconsider going out to sea. This has been the situation for about two weeks now, and YEN.com.gh understands that the sea has eroded the defence rocks and overflowed its shores. Source: Supplied Source: UGC READ ALSO: Notorious Kasoa armed robber finally gunned down by the police This is our holiday, we go borrowing to survive until the sea resides or returns to the normal level, an unidentified fisherman indicated. In what looks like a danger in waiting, Fisher folks whose trust is in superstition are blaming the rise of the sea on what they say is the non-adherence to tradition by residents We dont go to fishing here on Tuesdays and is an abomination for any dead body to be thrown into the sea, this makes the sea unsafe for fishing activities., the chief fisherman in the community said. When the sea gets warm, it expands and rises above causing it to overflow its shores. Climate change due to human activities gives rise to the ozone layer depletion hence the expansion according to experts. Climate change has been the focus of the United Nations in recent times. The Secretary General of UN Antonio Guterres says Climate change poses an existential threat and has since launched #ClimateAction to create awareness and to limit the greenhouse effects. READ ALSO: Mahama may be on drugs; he needs to examine his head - NPP official Ghana Funny Tricky Questions: 6X9? | #Yencomgh YEN is building a platform where Ghanaians can share local news and own experiences with each other. Witnessing an incident? Want to tell about a local problem? Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome. Send us a message via Instagram or on YENs official Facebook page. Source: Yen.com.gh - Cristiano Ronaldo has vehemently denied allegations of assaulting an American woman in 2009 - German magazine Der Spiegel claims Ronaldo had intercourse the 34-year-old in Las Vegas - The 33-year-old Ronaldo has now branded the report as fake news Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo has emphatically, denied claims he had unlawful intercourse with an American woman nine years ago, branding it 'fake news'. The Portuguese star took to the social media, moments after American woman headed to the court room, in a Live Instagram video on Saturday, September 29, 2018, to reveal his side of the story. With a smile on his face as he looked into the camera, the five-time worlds best player waved off the claims, saying: "No, no, no, no, no. What they said today? Fake, fake news. "They want to promote (themselves by using) my name. Its normal. They want to be famous to say my name, but it is part of the job. I am a happy man and all good." Ronaldo and Kathryn Moyorga pictured in Las Vegas nightclub in 2009 Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh previously had reported that Cristiano Ronaldo is set to drag German publication Der Spiegel to court over blatantly illegal claims that he had unlawful intercourse with an American woman nine years ago. According to a UK Sun report quoting Reuters, the 34-year-old Kathryn Mayorga told Der Spiegel, in todays publication revealed that the Portuguese star, assaulted her s3xually, back in a Las Vegas hotel in 2009. Der Spiegel claims the alleged assault took place in June 2009 in a hotel room in Las Vegas However, the report added that the 33-year-old Ronaldo has continued to deny these claims insisting, it was a consensual activity. In addition the Der Spiegel claimed that Ronaldo splashed out 287,000 on Mayorga to stop her from speaking out again about her allegations that fateful, but her legal team now wants to challenge the alleged agreement. But Ronaldos lawyer Christian Schertz has reacted to the publication, in a release made available to Reuters on Friday night termed the Der Spiegel report an inadmissible reporting of suspicions in the area of privacy. READ ALSO: Hazard reveals what he told Sturridge after stunning equaliser against Chelsea Do you have a story to share with us? Inbox us on our Facebook page and we could feature your story. To stay up to date with the latest news, download our news app on Google Play today. Source: Yen - President Akufo-Addo has revealed that measures are being implemented to resource the office of the Special Prosecutor - According to him, the office will soon be operational - He said this to Ghanaians in the USA, on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly President Akufo-Addo has revealed that the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) is being resourced to carry out its work. Speaking to Ghanaians in Washington DC, on 28 September 2018, on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, he revealed that Ghanaians will soon feel the impact of the office. The office has been established by law and contrary to a lot of things the efforts are being made to make sure that the office is functional. I think very soon, all of you will see that indeed, the office is functional, he explained. READ ALSO: Anlo fishermen shake with fear; abandon their canoes and nets and flee for their lives Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, has expressed frustrations about several challenges experienced by his office. He claimed ministers have refused to offer him the kind of support he requires to be able to deliver on his mandate. He added that it will be difficult for him to do his job without the cooperation of the relevant state agencies. You ask for information you cant get it, you ask for a docket, the docket cannot be produced. You ask a minister for a record, the record cannot be produced. How do you fight corruption when those appointed by the president who has a vision are not coordinating with your office to achieve the objectives? That is the challenge we have to face, he said at the National Audit Forum organized by the Ghana Audit Service. Amidu said he has been working with common sense ever since he was sworn into office because there is no legislation guiding his work. He noted that his reputation alone as an anti-graft campaigner cannot fight corruption and, therefore, called on the government to resource his office to enable him to work effectively. READ ALSO: Notorious Kasoa armed robber finally gunned down by the police (Photo) Ghana News Today: Lack of Evidence Against Former GFA President | Yen.com.gh Want to be featured on YEN.com.gh? Send us a message on our Facebook page or on Instagram with your stories, photos or videos Source: Yen Women in Amoma, a farming community in the Kintampo South district of the Brong Ahafo, have appealed to the government to fix their roads. According to a report by MyNewsGH.com, they claim the bad roads in the district deter men from seeking their hands in marriage. We have attained the ages of marriage, but suitors are not coming after our hands in marriage because of the deplorable state of the roads, the women revealed. Source: MyNewsGH.com Source: UGC READ ALSO: Anlo fishermen shake with fear; abandon their nets and flee for their lives According to them, the bad nature of the road is making it impossible for men to come to the community and propose marriage to them, for fear of being attacked by criminals who are taking advantage of the deplorable state of the road. They indicate that they voted for the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) at the last election, but have been neglected because there are not frantic efforts by the assembly to have the road fixed. Look at a very pretty lady like me if I marry will it be bad? Because of the road vehicles cannot come here. When our husbands to come here, they go back and never return. Our husbands too are being robbed, and we are stuck here, unable to get married. We are pleading with the government to fix the road, else neither NDC nor NPP should come here for campaigns, they declared. Continuing she said we are very pretty ladies in this village, but our road is depriving us of marriages. The earlier the government comes to our aid, the better for us because we are suffering. We are at the mercy of armed robbers. The women have vowed to lead a demonstration against the government if it fails to address their concerns before the next polls. READ ALSO: Notorious Kasoa armed robber finally gunned down by the police Top 3 Ghana Richest Women: Who Are They? | Yen.com.gh Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish on YEN.com.gh? Please contact us on Facebook or Instagram now! Source: Yen.com.gh Young Ghanaian millionaire, Ibrahim Dauda, known in public circles as Ibrah One, has taken to social media hours after he was reported to have been put on a funeral poster in relation to embattled Menzgold. Ibrah One took to Instagram, shared a photo of himself having a drink and captioned it, "I'm Way Up. I Feel Blessed." Ibrah had earlier waded into the issue involving Menzgold Ghana Limited and some authorities of which the Bank of Ghana and Securities and Exchange Commission were part. READ ALSO: Nadia Buari's shoes in latest photos causes stir on social media The young millionaire indicated that he was willing to die if Menzgold could bounce back and serve its customers after it suspended its gold vault and dividend payment which was sanctioned by SEC. The gold dealership firm however resumed business as promised on September 28 and sent a communication to its customers concerning their extra value payments. As a result, an obituary of Ibrah One, was seen making rounds on social media to support the fact that he had lost a serious bet with Menzgold. However, dividend payment of Menzgold clients is not devoid of challenges with some many clients reportedly have not still received their extra values. Ibrah One, noted as one of Ghana's youngest millionaires, has indicated his readiness to end his life should embattled gold hub, Menzgold, return to work on September 28. READ ALSO: Photos: Lady undergoes 'crazy' challenge for an iPhone X gift He wrote earlier, "Should Menzgold resume work on the 28th as promised, I'll kill myself" In yet another post, Ibrah One indicated that, "Customers of Menzgold should accept the fact that there is no money. Even though it is painful to know their monies was paid to them indirectly, they should just accept the fact that they won't get even Ghc1 anytime soon." One of his earlier posts also suggested that NAM1 had used deposits of Menzgold clients to cater for actors and musicians. He made post which read , Investing most of those deposits on musicians and seasonal actors who havent acted in years. The young millionaire went on to assert the fact that even the best lawyers could not help salvage the situation. You promised that you would resume business on the 19th of September which is tomorrow. Okay, lets see how that promise holdseven lawyers from heaven cant help you. #TalkisCheap, Ibrah One wrote. READ ALSO: Bullet has never slept with me - Wendy Shay reveals in latest video Ibrah One also lamented the number of high-profiled personalities who had their monies invested with Menzgold in yet another post which read: Highly educated individuals including lawyers, politicians, Members of Parliament, doctors and others fell for the scam. #Smartmove, Ibrah One added. The young millionaire noted for his flashy cars tied the knot with his long-time girlfriend, Dija Labelle in a private ceremony recently. The millionaire caught the attention of many Ghanaians when he was seen in a video on his birthday, giving out brand new iPhones to some occupants of a commercial bus popularly known as trotro. READ ALSO: Akufo-Addos presidential jet saved from near crash Watch: Yenkasa: What if Your Child isn't Your Biological Offspring? | Yen.com.gh Have national and human interest issues to discuss? Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: Yen News The Economic Times | Sep. 28, 2018 Air passengers from the city are set get a seamless connectivity to at least six new global destinations in the US, Europe and the UK starting next month, an airport official said. Besides, America's third largest carrier United Airlines will be offering the US-bound passengers from the city more seats as it plans to deploy a bigger aircraft as part of the airline's winter schedule in India. Airlines' winter schedule in the country begins from the last Saturday of October and goes on till last Friday of March every year. "In addition to Air Italy and Uzbekistan Airways, which are entering in Mumbai market for the first time, national carrier Air India and private jetliners Jet Airways and GoAir will be launching new flights to international destinations from the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport from October onwards," the airport official said. While Air Italy will operate five times-a-week non-stop service to Mumbai from Milan with an Airbus A330-200 aircraft from October 31, Uzbekistan Airways will have three direct flights in a week between capital city Tashkent and Mumbai with an Airbus A 320 from October 30, the official said. Air India, which is the only Indian carrier flying directly to the US, will commence its direct flight services from Mumbai to the German city Frankfurt and New York's JFK Airport from October 1 and October 4, respectively, the official added. Mumbai will also get direct connectivity to Phuket in Thailand and Male in Maldives with budget carrier set to fly to these destinations from October 12 and October 14. In addition, Naresh Goyal-controlled full service carrier Jet Airways will be connecting Mumbai with Manchester in the UK with five-times a week flight services starting November 4. A wide-body A330-200 aircraft, having 254 seats, would be deployed to cater to the Manchester route, which would be the airline's 21st international destination and fifth non-stop service to and from the UK. At the same time, United Airlines will operate its latest higher seating capacity aircraft, a Boeing 777-300ER, between Mumbai and New York/Newark route from October 1, replacing the 777-200ER, which is currently being operated on the route. 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. The Ruparelia was among the best private sector exhibitors at the recently concluded Tax Appreciation Week 2018 organised by the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA). The Group that runs businesses in education, real estate, horticulture, hospitality and among others was awarded for being First Runner-up behind Roko Construction Limited but beat Tembo Steels that was the third in the category that had a considerable number of private firms exhibit their products and services. Some of the companies under Ruparelia Group include Victoria University, Resort Hotel Munyonyo, Meera Investments, Rosebud Limited and Kabira Country Club, among others. Stories Continues after ad Ruparelia Group received the award during the Tax Payers Appreciation Dinner at the Kololo Independence Grounds where the top tax payers in various categories were awarded for their tax compliance. However, the Excel Award, the biggest award of the Taxpayers Appreciation Awards Gala was bagged by Pepsi Uganda. Pepsi Uganda has been at the pinnacle of tax compliance for the FY 2017/18. The Commissioner Generals Strategic Partner Professional Body Award has been shared by Uganda Clearing Industry and Forwarding Association (UCIFA) (UCIFA) and Uganda Freight Forwarders Association (UFFA). The two entities have been instrumental in the improvement of the clearing and forwarding industry. The Commissioner Generals Strategic Award in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies category went to judiciary. The Regional Non Individual Vantage Award Winners are: Warchild Holland from Northern Uganda, Mbarara Cosmetics Stores from Western Uganda, World Education Inc (WEI) from Eastern Uganda and Azam Trading Ltd from Central Uganda. War Child Holland employs 37 people, have reached over 5000 youth. They contribute to the national coffers mainly through pay as you earn (PAYE). The Regional Vantage Individual Award Winners are: Willy Oloya from Northern Uganda, Kushemererwa A from Western Uganda, Martin Tibalira from Eastern Uganda and Virani Amin from the Central Region. CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. Last weeks chance for the public to discuss plans for a roundabout at a busy intersection with state Department of Transportation officials drew plenty of questions and a number of compliments. The two-hour-long DOT open house-format discussion on Sept. 20 drew about 70 people to the Clifton Park Adult Community Center on the Clifton Common. After several years of review the state agency is proposing a full upgrade to the Route 146-Route 146A intersection in the western part of town. The busy corner is surrounded on three sides by a recently enlarged Stewarts Shop, a renovated Market 32 plaza, and a recently approved condominium project in the northeaster quadrant. DOT is proposing a design that will remove the intersections signal light with its turning arrows and two feeder ramps to and from Route 146A. In its place the agency is proposing to build a two-lane roundabout. Construction costs for the project are estimated to be $2.7 million. Much of the funding will come from the federal Highway Departments Highway Safety Improvement Program. To get that money a project must show that safety will be increased and accidents decreased and DOT officials see the roundabout a the preferred alternative for doing that. Were looking for feedback tonight, said DOT spokesman Bryan Viggiani as he stood off to the side of the room. A roundabout has the most benefit for safety and vehicle improvement. Roundabouts force you to move at slower speeds so any accidents there are less severe than one at a stop light. Viggiani said accident research on the intersection showed that during a three year period since 2010 there were 103 accidents at the site, 20 with injuries, no fatalities and one that included a pedestrian. With fewer lanes that intersect and with traffic moving in just one direction there should be more comfort, he added. Town Planning Director John Scavo said the federal funding is tied to reducing the number of conflict points. The funding source wants to know what the potential is for safety improvement, Scavo said. Right now there are 32 conflict points at that intersection. With a roundabout the number drops to eight. Many of those who came to the meeting had formed an opinion on putting a roundabout at the busy corner but everyone interviewed remained open to hearing why it was being recommended. Some, like Anthony LaFleche, favored the idea. Sometimes the traffic backs up (on Route 146) to beyond Bruno Road. If you dont have a roundabout here itll just be window dressing, he said. I want to see a proper roundabout designed for this particular intersection because the left turning traffic is what kills traffic every time. I want the traffic to move. This is a horrible intersection and I want to see the traffic situation solved for decades not just for a couple of years. Tom and Shery Taylor live near the project and both like the idea of a roundabout but are concerned with its size. Doing away with the traffic light is a good thing. Im hoping it clears up a lot of the congestion, Tom Taylor said. I am concerned that the roundabout itself is a little too tight. Id like to see one like the Carrier Circle in Syracuse but overall its a good design. Others however, had a variety of doubts about the roundabout. Though none were absolutely against it and all recognized the need for some type of improvement at the spot, they wanted to hear alternatives. Im concerned there are no hard stops for pedestrians and cyclists, said Dan Hartnett, a member of the town Highway Safety Committee. Malta officials came down to talk to us and said theyve been having bike-pedestrian-car conflicts at their roundabouts. I dont think its a bad idea but I want pedestrian crosswalk lights. Ingrid Hahn and husband A.J. Betzwieser both had problems with the roundabout. Clifton Park has an older population and I think a change from a traffic light to a roundabout will bother them. The natural inclination is that its intimidating, Hahn said. I think theyll find it more stressful. She wondered also if the roundabout wouldnt move traffic so well east and west along Route 146 that those trying to enter the roundabout from either the north or south would find themselves waiting for a break. All that traffic on (Route) 146 isnt local, she said. Its people from all over going to and from work in Schenectady so I have to ask, who is this roundabout benefitting. Is it benefitting the community? Maybe its simply the cheapest solution. I really feel a lot of the problems up there now are due to the syncing of the lights. When youre on some of the roads that feed into the two that lead into the intersection at least now you can count on there being a stoppage at some point for the light, Betzwieser said. With a roundabout there wont be a stoppage. Betzwieser added that he agrees with others the area needs improvement but would like to hear other ideas before the roundabout is finalized. His wish to hear more suggestions were echoed by others. From a traffic standpoint I like it. From a pedestrian point of view its terrible, said one attendee who asked to remain anonymous. I ride bikes every day and you need a better solution. Viggiani said pedestrian lights or flashers are being looked at closely as part of the design to help move pedestrians safely through the intersection. Town Planner John Scavo said if the roundabout is approved he expects the town will need to purchase five or six slivers of land from property owners. President Maithripala Sirisena, who was in the United States of America to attend the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), returned to the country early this morning. He left for the USA on September 22 and had addressed the UNGA on September 25. President held special discussions with several world leaders on the sidelines of the main event, including UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Secretary General of Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland. (T.K.G. Kapila) Sri Lanka might face more economic issues when the US sanctions on Iran comes to be effective in November this year as Sri Lankas tea exports to that country may become vulnerable, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremeisnghe said over the weekend. The Prime Minister said this during the opening of Wanathawilluwa Police Station in Puttalam on Saturday. We will have to be vigilant in November this year as the US economic sanctions on Iran is going to be effective then. We will have to see what steps we should take then. It is not clear whether we will be able to export tea to USA, the Prime Minister said. Sri Lanka is facing double trouble as a result of the global economic crisis because of its debt services. We will have to pay $ 3000 million this year and $ 4000 million in 2019. Sri Lanka went into for borrowings in 2008 instead of going for foreign investments. These were proposed by former Central Bank Governor. I warned the previous government several times. However, they said US economy will never come up. Government revenue was hardly sufficient to settle the debts" the Prime Minister said. He said that the previous government was trying to control the rupee but was not successful and it decided to go for elections. "We inherited this debt. We managed to bring the economy to a position where we could settle the debt but we then faced natural disasters. Government was compelled to increase VAT. We were heavily criticized. This is natural. Then we got caught to the global economic crisis, he added. He said the government has decided to curtail imports as other affected countries have done. We will curtail our imports as of now but will have to take more steps later. We cannot spend the time criticizing the previous regime. I can criticize the previous regime continuously for 24 hours if the economic crisis can be resolved by doing that. However, the economic crisis cannot be resolved by criticizing the last government. We have to take steps, he said while stating that Finance Minister and the government top brass will inform the people on what steps would be taken to resolve the crisis, he said in this regard. State Minister Palitha Range Bandara who also spoke related how he was politically victimized when serving in the police. He recalled how he had to file action against the then Deputy Minister of Defence Anuruddha Ratwatte. This case he said is now referred to in the training course designed for police officers. Also he said the government should mete out justice to the people in Anamaduwa which was subjected to several attacks by the LTTE during the war. (Yohan Perera and Hiran Priyangkara Jayasinghe) Photo released by the family of 13-year-old boy who was attacked by a shark Saturday near Beacon's Beach in Encinitas. Courtesy A 13-year-old boy diving for lobster was attacked by a shark Saturday morning, Sept. 29, near Beacons Beach in Encinitas, leaving him with traumatic upper body wounds, authorities said. The attack occurred just before 7 a.m. off Neptune Avenue at the foot of Leucadia Boulevard, an hour into opening day of the lobster diving season, and prompted authorities to close a long stretch of North County coastline for the weekend. The San Diego County teen was in critical condition in the intensive care unit at Rady Childrens Hospital, said hospital spokesman Carlos Delgado. Dr. Tim Fairbanks, chief pediatric surgeon, said the boy was taken into surgery after being stabilized. This is a rare injury, Fairbanks said in a brief news conference Saturday afternoon outside the emergency room. He later added: This is not something we see much of, to be honest with you. The physician spoke on behalf of the boys family, sending a message of thanks for the outpouring of concern and support from the community. Otherwise, the family requested privacy. The hospital released a photo of the victim on behalf of the family but did not release his name. Lobster diving season opened at 6 a.m. Saturday, and about two dozen enthusiastic hunters were trolling for crustaceans when the boys screams rang out over the water, about 200 yards from shore. Chad Hammel was lobster diving with two friends an off-duty Oceanside police officer and a state parks lifeguard when they heard what seemed like a divers excited squeals of a catch. I realized he was yelling, I got bit, help, help! Hammel told OnScene TV and other news crews on the beach. The trio pulled the badly-bleeding boy into a kayak. The rescuers applied pressure on the wound, assured the boy he was being taken care of and called to the shore for help. Warnings for other divers to exit the water were also shouted. His whole clavicle was ripped open, Hammel said. You could see the ball and socket joint. As the rescuers headed to shore, Hammel looked back. The shark was behind the kayak, Hammel told the news crews. He didnt want to give up yet. The victim was conscious as he was airlifted to the hospital, said Encinitas lifeguard Capt. Larry Giles. The boys mother was on the beach at the time of the attack, which occurred as the boy was skindiving in about 9 feet of water, Giles said. Giles himself was off-duty and scuba diving nearby when the attack occurred. When he surfaced, he heard the commotion involving the injured boy and rushed to assist. Witnesses described the shark as about 11 feet long, Giles said, although the species was not known. Hammel told reporters that it might have been a great white. Those who were near where the boy was attacked said they saw only a silhouette of the shark in the dark water as the sun was rising, Giles said. Authorities are investigating with help from Chris Lowe, director of the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach. Once we know more about the details of the incident, we may be able to determine the species involved and provide advice for future beach precautions based on knowledge of shark behavior, Lowe said in a statement. Lowe hopes bite marks in the boys wetsuit will provide clues, Giles said. A shark had been spotted in the area a few weeks earlier, Giles said. An investigation that included showing witnesses photos of various kinds of sharks determined that it was not a species that is considered a threat to people. Over 135 species live in this area, Giles noted. This is their natural environment. Juvenile great whites like Southern Californias mild ocean temperatures during summer. The areas rebounding seal and sea lion populations and warmer temperatures might be keeping them around longer than usual before they head down Baja California for the winter, marine experts say. Authorities have closed the coastline from Ponto Beach in Carlsbad to Swamis Beach in Encinitas for the next 48 hours. The Stone Steps Invitational Surf Contest scheduled for Saturday was cancelled. Were asking people not to go in the water, Giles said. Lifeguard boats and personal water craft patrolled the shore Saturday and a sheriffs helicopter and Carlsbad police drone monitored overhead. The daylong survey turned up no additional reports of sharks or whales or dolphins for that matter. If no shark sightings are reported by Monday morning, the beaches will likely be reopened. (Update: Beacon's Beach and the surrounding areas La Costa Avenue to Swami's Beach -- have been re-opened as of 7 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 1, according to a City of Encinitas news release.) Despite the closure, a surfer could be seen paddling into a break in the area Saturday morning. Twelve prior shark attacks have been reported in San Diego County since 2000, according to the nonprofit Shark Research Committee. On April 29, 2017, Leeanne Ericson of Vista nearly died after her right leg was mauled by a shark at San Onofre State Beach. The Vista woman gouged the sharks eye out in a fight for her life. The last fatal attack was on April 25, 2008, when retired veterinarian David Martin, 66, was killed by a great white shark while on a triathlon training swim off Fletcher Cove in Solana Beach. Several onlookers on Saturday said they were surprised when they heard about the shark attack. Roman Ruiz, 24, of Vista, said he grew up in Leucadia and often stops by Beacons Beach after work to body surf and swim. You hear stories here and there (about shark attacks) but you never expect it to happen here, Ruiz said. It could happen to anyone. But probably next week, Ill be back. Michael and Jamie Snyder, of Indianapolis, said theyve been staying in Leucadia for a week and a half while visiting their sons. One son surfs at Beacons regularly, and the couple said they were swimming there last weekend. It was sobering, Michael Snyder said of the attack. There but for the grace of God go I. -- Staff writers Greg Moran and Pauline Repard contributed to this report. By Felipe Villamor 27 September 2018 MANILA (The New York Times) President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines on Thursday said for the first time that extrajudicial killings had happened under his governments brutal war on drugs, an admission that could bolster two cases filed against him at the International Criminal Court.In a rambling speech before government executives at the presidential palace, Mr. Duterte again touched on the governments drug war that has left thousands dead, a common theme in his two-year-old presidency.He said he had challenged the countrys military and police brass to remove him from office if they were not satisfied with the way he was running the country.I told the military, what is my fault? Did I steal even one peso? Mr. Duterte said. My only sin is the extrajudicial killings.He did not elaborate. But it was the first time Mr. Duterte publicly acknowledged that extrajudicial killings by the authorities had occurred in his presidency, and it added credibility to claims by rights groups that he had engineered mass killings of alleged drug suspects.Two criminal complaints against the president have been filed with the International Criminal Court, based in The Hague. Angered by what he called foreign interference in the Philippines internal affairs, Mr. Duterte subsequently pulled out of an international treaty that established the court.Two men a former police officer and a self-confessed hit man filed the first case, claiming that they had carried out killings at Mr. Dutertes order when he was still the mayor of a southern city. The second case was filed in August by relatives of eight people slain in the drug war, and accused Mr. Duterte of crimes against humanity for ordering thousands of murders connected to his drug war.The Philippine National Police estimate that they have killed about 4,500 users and dealers in drug enforcement operations in the past two years, and insist that all of the killings were legitimate uses of force.Rights groups, including the New York-based Human Rights Watch, estimate that more than 12,000 people have died in the drug war, many of them victims of summary execution by the police. [more] By Andrew Angle 13 September 2018 (GlacierHub) Few areas of the planet have been more affected by climate change than the mountain cryosphere, where negative impacts like glacier recession far exceed any positives like short-term increases in glacial runoff. These adverse changes make highland environments ideal for examining the policy concept of Loss and Damage (L&D), which deals with the impact of climate change on resources and livelihoods that cannot be offset by adaptation. A recent study in Regional Environmental Change analyzes L&D in the mountain cryosphere by extracting examples from existing literature on the subject and developing a conceptual approach to support future research to address the subject.L&D has become an important issue within the international climate policy realm in recent years. In the mountain cryosphere, the effects of climate change and the resultant L&D are directly evident. However, despite the visibility of these changes, research on L&D has rarely focused on these mountain environments, says the studys lead author Christian Huggel, who spoke with GlacierHub about his paper.The dearth of research presented a unique opportunity for Huggel and his team to analyze L&D in the mountain cryosphere, to provide information to policymakers, and to create a framework for future research.L&D work within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) first emerged around the impacts of sea-level rise on Small Island Developing States in the early 1990s, gaining further traction at the UNFCCCs COP19 in Warsaw, where the Warsaw Mechanism for Loss and Damage associated with Climate Change Impacts was established. Then in 2015, at the landmark COP21 in Paris, the Paris Agreements Article 8 was dedicated to L&D. Although this article acknowledges the importance of L&D, it also states that it does not involve or provide a basis for any liability or compensation, which is a serious limit to concrete action.Despite the attention to L&D in international climate negotiations, significant controversy still surrounds the issue. Most of this controversy centers on the historical responsibility and potential liability of the developed countries for climate change impacts, with developing countries arguing for compensation, risk management, and insurance from the developed world.Huggel told GlacierHub, As the first systematic study of L&D in the Mountain Cryosphere, the researchers had to first frame existing literature on mountain climate change impacts within the concept of L&D. To do this, they considered peer-reviewed literature published in English between 2013 and 2017 that dealt with issues of glaciers and climate change, and more specifically glacial shrinkage and permafrost degradation. Their search procured 41 papers for the final analysis. []From their literature review, the researchers made several observations. First, they note the current disconnect between mountain cryosphere research and L&D, which indicates that the concept of L&D has yet to be analyzed and applied for these environments. Second, their study reveals that L&D in the mountain cryosphere is a worldwide phenomenon occurring in all major mountain ranges with a higher proportion of L&D in developing rather than developed countries. Third, they highlight the seven groups of L&D outlined above as particularly relevant to the mountain cryosphere. Out of these, the non-economic ones, of which five of the seven can be considered, have attracted attention in research and policy due to the loss of values associated with glacial retreat, such as community and self-reliance. [more] 24 September 2018 (UN News) A surge in financing and investments is needed to achieve the 2030 Agenda, the United Nations plan of action agreed by Member States, to transform the world, the Secretary-General said on Monday.Antonio Guterres was speaking at the opening of the High Level Meeting on Financing the 2030 Agenda, at which he launched his Strategy to support Financing the 2030 Agenda.He was joined by Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), several Heads of State and Government, as well as senior representatives of leading companies including the founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates and philanthropic foundations.The financing needs of the 2030 Agenda, said Mr. Guterres, are immense, in the order of between $5 and $7 trillion per year.Whilst some progress has been made in mobilizing resources, he said that urgent action is needed to drive progress: that means galvanizing political support across governments and local communities; building momentum for change in corporate boardrooms; and doing better in tapping resources that sit idle.Mr. Guterres outlined three essential action points for developed countries: meeting the commitments made in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda; continued support for developing countries in creating good governance measures and fighting illicit flows of capital; and stepping up efforts in developing innovative financing and in mobilizing private investment.The Secretary-Generals new Strategy to support Financing the 2030 Agenda builds on existing efforts and proposes urgent action to achieve three objectives: aligning global financial and economic policies with the 2030 Agenda, enhance sustainable financial strategies at the regional and country levels, and exploit the potential of financial innovations, new technologies and digitalization to provide equitable access to finance.On this latter point, Mr. Guterres announced that he had tasked Achim Steiner, head of the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, with setting up a Task Force on the Digital Financing of the Sustainable Development Goals. By Coral Davenport 27 September 2018 WASHINGTON (The New York Times) The Trump administration has completed its plan to roll back major offshore-drilling safety regulations that were put in place after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster in 2010 that killed 11 people and caused the worst oil spill in American history.The Interior Departments Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, which was established after the spill in the Gulf of Mexico and regulates offshore oil and gas drilling, has finalized a proposal for loosening the regulations as part of President Trumps efforts to ease restrictions on fossil fuel companies and encourage domestic energy production.The rules created potentially unduly burdensome requirements for oil and natural gas production operators on the Outer Continental Shelf, without meaningfully increasing safety of the workers or protection of the environment, says the new 176-page rule, which is scheduled in the coming days to be published in the Federal Register, before becoming the administrations final policy. This rule supports the administrations objective of facilitating energy dominance by encouraging increased domestic oil and gas production and reducing unnecessary burdens on stakeholders, while ensuring safety and environmental protection, the new rule says.A spokeswoman for the Interior Department did not respond to an emailed request for comment. Among the changes, the new rule removes a requirement for independent verification of safety measures and equipment used on offshore platforms. It also removes a requirement that oil companies design their equipment to function in most extreme scenarios involving weather, high heat, strong winds, or high pressure from within the undersea oil wells, which was a key factor in the deadly 2010 blowout. And it removes a requirement that professional engineers certify the safety of the design of some pieces of offshore drilling equipment for new wells. The new rule appears to reflect many of the requests made by the oil industry, including the American Petroleum Institute, which lobbies on behalf of oil companies. In its public comments on the proposal, the group praised the plan, saying it would further the goal of seeing that exploration and development is promoted and not unnecessarily delayed or inhibited. []Environmentalists decried the final rule change. These rollbacks allow offshore oil companies to self-police and prioritize industry profits over safety, said Diane Hoskins, the campaign director for offshore drilling at Oceana, an advocacy group. This is a slap in the face to coastal communities and marine life that are most at risk from devastating oil spills. [more] Domestic industry representatives and academic experts gathered to discuss the big data industry and the development and future of artificial intelligence (AI), as part of the Industrial Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Application Development Summit in Baotou, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on Aug 24, according to Baotou Daily. The summit, hosted by Baotou municipal government, was themed around the role big data and AI play in the integration of technologies and industrial upgrading, and was aimed at promoting the development of the big data industry and artificial intelligence application in Baotou city. It is not a bad thing for us, that the route known as the Goldene Strae or the Golden Road as we will get to know it- has escaped the attention of so many. It has been spared being overrun by hordes of tourists and as you will discover By Yahoo , Sep. 27, 2018 UNITED NATIONS (AP) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran on Thursday of keeping a "secret atomic warehouse" just outside its capital, despite the 2015 deal with world powers that was meant to keep it from obtaining nuclear weapons. Hours later, Iran dismissed the allegation. Holding up a poster-board map of an area near Tehran as he spoke at the U.N. General Assembly, Netanyahu told world leaders that Iranian officials have been keeping up to 300 tons of nuclear equipment and material in a walled, unremarkable-looking property near a rug-cleaning operation. 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 Carie Health, LLC, a Miami, FL-based telehealth company, closed a $7m Series A funding round. The round was led by Sagemoore Capital, with participation from a number of key industry partners, customers, and family offices. The company intends to use the funds to launch a free telehealth platform. Led by Matt Wanderer, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Carie provides a HIPAA compliant virtual care platform that allows its members to connect virtually with their doctor, or a local U.S. board-certified doctor 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For physicians, the company provides a free virtual practice platform to communicate with and enroll their patients. Health systems can also utilize Carie as a dedicated licenseable solution featuring administrative features and functionality, ranging from multiple user roles to customizable marketing content. FinSMEs 01/201/2018 Gremlin, a San Francisco, CA-based Failure-as-a-Service platform, raised a $18M in Series B funding. The round was led by Redpoint Ventures. Founded in 2016 by Kolton Andrus, CEO, and Matthew Fornaciari, CTO, Gremlin provides a Failure-as-a-Service platform that offers engineers a solution to experiment on complex systems to identify weaknesses before they impact customers and cause revenue loss. The company has just launched Application Level Fault Injection (ALFI), which enables DevOps teams to inject failure at the application level for developing full-stack resiliency, including within serverless environments. The company has raised $23.75m in funding to date from Redpoint, Index Ventures, and Amplify Partners. Existing customers include Expedia, Qualtrics, Twilio, Under Armour, and Walmart. FinSMEs 01/10/2018 Tensions are bubbling between an Atlanta brewery and the U.K.s largest craft brewer, as both have denied authoring a controversial press release that promised free beer to Trump supporters that has since sparked backlash. ATLs Scofflaw Brewing Co. and Scotland-based BrewDog brewery and pub chain were working together on a set of events to launch their new partnership, Eater Atlanta reported, and according to the now discredited press release, one of those events in the U.K. involved giving free beer to self-proclaimed Trump supporters Both breweries took to social media Thursday to deny any involvement authorizing the release, which was reportedly distributed by the British public relations agency Frank. According to Eater London, the press release was recently circulated among various U.K. publications in promotion of upcoming BrewDog events. To get the UK beered up redneck style, completely free of charge! But there is a hook you have to be a Trump supporter, the release reportedly read. RESTAURANT'S MIMOSA DEAL DURING KAVANAUGH HEARING SLAMMED AS 'NOT A GREAT LOOK' As noted by Eater Atlanta, Scofflaw and BrewDogs partnership first began in 2017. The latest plan was to ship and distribute Scofflaws Basement IPA and POG (passionfruit, orange and guava) to all of BrewDogs 36 U.K. locations. We are in no way aligned with their position and we will of course be cancelling all the events and sending all of the beer back, BrewDog wrote on Twitter. Instead, BrewDog instituted a new free-beer promotion, offering up a pint to anyone who comes in and pledges to support "love not hate." "Following Scofflaw's Fake News earlier, we're going to run a very real promotion today one free beer for anyone who supports LOVE not hate," the brewery and pub chain wrote. "Simply tell our staff, and enjoy a pint of Punk IPA, or any Headliner on us." FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS Neither Scofflaw nor BrewDog immediately returned Fox News request for additional comment. A group of Democratic Socialists holding a public meeting at a Kentucky restaurant were reportedly verbally harassed by a group of anti-leftist men, the owner of the establishment said. Members of the Democratic Socialists of Americas Louisville chapter were holding a meeting at The Silver Dollar restaurant on Thursday evening when they claim a group of at least four men gathered on the sidewalk and began taunting them. RESTAURANT'S MIMOSA DEAL DURING KAVANAUGH HEARING SLAMMED AS 'NOT A GREAT LOOK' According to a video of the incident, both parties can be heard yelling at each other to leave. At least four men standing on the sidewalk can be heard swearing and calling the Democratic Socialist group Commies and threatening the group. WARNING: Video contains graphic language The police were called to the scene around 8 p.m. and took reports of the incident, but made no arrests due to conflicting reports. Given the conflicting stories received by officers and the officers not witnessing the incident, a report was taken and no arrests were made, Louisville Metro police spokesman Lamont Washington wrote in an email to the Courier Journal. Washington said that an investigation has been opened. WHOLE FOODS YELLOW FEVER RESTAURANT SLAMMED AS 'UNAPPETIZING AND RACIST' Vanessa Cantley, owner of The Silver Dollar, and a few others reported pepper spray being used during the altercation, though police did not confirm. They hit my general manager and some others on the back patio with pepper spray, Cantley told the Courier Journal. They were just standing on the sidewalk and didnt move on. Cantley said she recognized the men on the sidewalk as members of a white nationalist organization from previous encounters at the restaurant, the Courier Journal reported. However, the Louisville Police Department could not confirm if the men were white nationalists. Its all subjective, Washington said to WKMS of how each party described the other. Police have not identified the men on the street, but said no one was seriously injured during the confrontation. Cantley said in a since-deleted Facebook post that she was frustrated with the police response saying she, was advised at least one officer was seen laughing and joking around with the white nationalist group before letting them go with no repercussion, WKMS reports. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS She plans on filing a criminal complaint against the men she identified as white nationalists and is "gathering video from the restaurant and will be posting photos and other information on social media in an effort to identify the perpetrators of this crime." According to the Courier Journal, the shouting match happened after a member of far-right mens organization the Proud Boys recognized one of the members of the Democratic Socialist group at the restaurant. He said he had fought with the member at an event a few months ago, sparking the feud. A Kansas McDonalds worker has been charged with one count of aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer for allegedly putting cleaner in a deputys drink. Trevor Hockaday, 22, was charged Wednesday by Allen County police for putting a peroxide-based cleaner usually used to clean the restaurants counters in an Allen County Deputys drink on September 12. FLORIDA TACO BELL UNDER INVESTIGATION AFTER SHERIFF'S DEPUTY CLAIMS BURRITOS TAINTED WITH BLEACH According to investigators, the deputy picked up the food from the McDonalds drive-thru while Hockaday was working. Officials say a short time after drinking the beverage, the deputy experienced flu-like symptoms, KOAM reports. He thought he caught the bug, but we found out two weeks later when an employee came forward and told the police department, Allen County Sheriff Bryan Murphy said to the Wichita Eagle. According to the publication, a coworker of Hockaday came forward and said Hockaday added four little squirts of the cleaner to the cops beverage. In todays day and age, not only us in law enforcement but citizens as a whole, theres enough going on out there that we have to worry about ... now my guys are cautious about going through that drive through, Murphy said to the Wichita Eagle. We all chose this line of work to protect and serve. Now my guys have that concern of is my food safe. FLORIDA OFFICER CLAIMS ANTI-COP MCDONALD'S WORKER REFUSED TO SERVE HIM If convicted of the felony charge, Hockaday could face more than 20 years in jail. The Iola McDonanlds owner Glen Nichols said in a statement to KOAM that the fast food chain is working with authorities. "In our restaurants, nothing is more important to us than the safety and well-being of our customers. We are very disappointed by the allegations made regarding the behavior of one of our former crew members. This kind of behavior goes against our food safety standards and is not tolerated. Our organization will take all appropriate measures to gather facts and will work closely with authorities in their investigation." FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS The investigation is ongoing. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh was targeted for demonization in a disgusting display of media malpractice this past week, as he was depicted in almost every disparaging way possible in coverage of uncorroborated sexual misconduct allegations against him. Comments in the media about the judge included: MIGHT Be A Serial Rapist, drunk, aggressive, mean and probably guilty. And Kavanaugh was compared to convicted sex offender Bill Cosby. Journalists didnt just set the narrative, they marketed it, using similar phrasings to emphasize how the audience was supposed to think in negative terms about the conservative judge nominated by President Trump. This exposed the allegiance of much of the media to the left and Democrats. While Kavanaugh was the chief victim of this blatant media bias, America and the American people will suffer long-term. CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin accused Kavanaugh of having gone all Trump Republican to appease supporters the greatest sin in the liberal universe. If Kavanaugh is confirmed by the Senate and seated on the nations highest court, millions of women are just going to feel annihilated inside we were told by ABC. It wasnt just the attacks, it was the group-think involved, making sure viewers and readers were hateful toward the nominee and Republicans. Note the similar themes in describing the judge, who serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia: An aggressive and mean drunk, (Sunny Hostin on The View); Angry drunk (Joy Behar on The View) unusually drunk (New York Times). Roared with anger, unjudicious raw anger (Terry Moran, ABC); belligerent (MSNBCs Hardball host Chris Matthews); unhinged (CNN political commentator Symone Sanders); unsettling temperament (New York Times editorial). Attempted rapist (Craig Calcaterra, NBC Sports); Kinda like a rapist would be! (DL Hughley, entertainer). This was quite a contrast with how the media covered Professor Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of attempting to rape her some 36 years ago when both were in high school. Kavanaugh has categorically denied the accusation and testified that he has never sexually assaulted Ford or anyone else. Ford has produced no evidence or the testimony of anyone else to back up her accusations. As a measure how bad the media were this past week, Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough on MSNBC was one of the most prominent voices of reason. The descriptions of Ford included: Some hailing her as a hero (NBC correspondent Stephanie Gosk, Today); and I need to apologize for all men (legal analyst Daniel Goldman, MSNBC). Calling Kavanaugh angry and belligerent was typical because the media were trying to depict him as unfit for the Supreme Court. MSNBC contributor Cynthia Alksne made that very clear. She accused Kavanaugh of throwing a temper tantrum and added: Thats not the temperament of a federal judge. Slates Will Saletan mirrored the comment, saying that Kavanaugh lacks the temperament to serve on the Supreme Court. The attacks were only beginning there. Behar went on an unhinged racial rant even though both Kavanaugh and Ford are white. These people are only interested in retaining white power in this country! she said and said Americas near future would be like South Africa apartheid. While slightly less unhinged, CNN senior political analyst David Gergen (a white guy) still found himself wondering if you have a group of 11 white men sitting there on the Republican side, you have to ask: Do they get it? CNNs Cuomo Prime Time anchor Chris Cuomo had the audacity to ask Was Brett Kavanaugh known at Yale as a virgin? Journalism 2018. But the media went from meltdown to calm down when Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., called for a reopened investigation of sexual misconduct charges against Kavanaugh. Suddenly, Flake was their star. And CNN and others were singing the praises of bipartisanship which they consider Republicans surrendering to Democrats. The New York Times actually ran a sub-headline on an editorial saying Thank you, Jeff Flake. The main headline on the piece said: Maybe America Can Now Learn the Truth, as if the papers editorial board seriously sought that result. Bloomberg Opinion Editor Mark Gongloff agreed, writing: Jeff Flake's Pause Is Refreshing, as if being a senator is comparable to being a soda. Of course, what he really wanted was obvious since he called Fords testimony raw and credible. The bias was so bad all week that conventional media spin was shoved aside and countless smaller examples of a craven media culture went largely ignored. One such example is The New York Times apologizing for asking readers if they found Fords testimony credible. This is the woke era, and even the most liberal paper in America cant ask such blasphemous questions. The terrifying subtext of all this was apparent in many media outlets. Watergate liberal journalist Carl Bernstein told CNN that the U.S. is in a cold civil war. The combination of the Russia probe and the current court fight are "almost the Gettysburg and Antietam of this war, he said. Axios AM didnt sound more optimistic, quoting a Republican insider saying: What ugly times. We may be doomed." It explained that Democrats were already talking about impeaching both President Trump and Kavanaugh. So the United States of America will be three-for-three in diminished trust in its branches of government, it concluded. The liberal media can take a lot of credit for that. 2. Hollywood Did Its Part: The stars were unwilling to cede all of the despicable comments to the news media. Jimmy Kimmel, who made his career by being a notorious creep, has now remade his career as a defender of women. Kimmel proposed a compromise to get Kavanaugh on the court, in return, we get to cut that pesky penis of his off in front of everyone. The rest of the comments were a mixture of stupidity, hate and marketing. Woke actor John Cusack called the GOP a deathkkult. Actress America Ferrera compared the Kavanaugh confirmation hearing to a prequel to The Handmaid's Tale, claiming Republicans will take away our rights. Actor Jim Carrey bashed conservatives as ENTITLED LITTLE S---- like Injustice Kavanaugh. (Carrey, has a net worth of $150 million, but hes not entitled.) 3. Media Turned on Its Head: As a measure how bad the media were this past week, Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough on MSNBC was one of the most prominent voices of reason. Scarborough and his co-host/fiancee Mika Brzezinski were remarkably rational. On Tuesday, Scarbrough suggested outlets put a (D) in front of the name of the so-called journalists that have already decided that Brett Kavanaugh is a rapist. On Thursday, Brzezinski defended Kavanaughs fiery testimony, saying, not being angry would not seem natural." They werent the only ones. CNN legal analyst Paul Callan concluded, the verdict of the Senate should be that his nomination is confirmed. CNN New Day anchor Alisyn Camerota criticized the allegations that came through anti-Trump lawyer Michael Avenatti, saying some frankly strain credulity. Thats an understatement. Scarborough was similarly critical of the third complainant, asking the simple question: Who would continually go to high school parties where women were being gang raped? NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Youve probably heard a lot about the supposed blue wave the political elite are predicting for the election cycle. Im confident Republicans will keep control of the House and the Senate, but a different kind of blue wave is currently washing across several states. Its a blue wave of liberal funding. A massive flow of money from liberal donors in California and New York is pouring into traditionally Republican states and districts. We first saw this blue wave of cash during the special elections held to replace the Congressmen and Senators who were appointed to the Trump Administration. The most notable was the race between Republican Karen Handel and Democrat Jon Ossoff in my old district, the 6th District of Georgia. This Georgia special election was the most expensive in history. According to The New York Times, the campaigns raised about $28 million with the bulk, $23.6 million going to Ossoff. Of Ossoffs haul, 82 percent was from outside Georgia, and the majority of contributions came from notoriously left-wing states, like California and New York. This blue wave of cash is happening in Texas, too. Gina Jones, the Democratic challenger to Republican Will Hurd has collected 99 percent of her donations from outside the 23rd District. Similarly, Beto ORourke, the Democrat challenging Senator Ted Cruz was recently profiled by Variety for his various fundraising trips to Hollywood to finance his campaign. With Stacey Abrams, Georgians would get a radical liberal governor who backs Medicaid For All, Cradle to Grave government, huge tax hikes, lax public safety, gun confiscation, and dangerous and lawless immigration policies. So, what is the real objective of this blue wave of campaign cash? It is simple. Liberal Democrats are attempting to buy elections by manufacturing supposedly moderate candidates out of whole cloth. With large sums of money, the Democrats are whitewashing their radical voting records trying to dupe rational residents into voting for them. But make no mistake, these are modern day Manchurian candidates radical liberals backed by far-left extremists. Democrats have their sights set on Georgia once again this November. A blue wave of cash is propping up former Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams in her run for governor. Democrats are attempting to nationalize her candidacy. But what they dont want talk about is her profoundly liberal voting record or the fact that she funded her own campaign ahead of paying back taxes to the IRS. The liberals at the editorial board of The New York Times even had the gall to call criticism of this fact Debt Shaming. Just like many other races in November, Georgians are faced with a big choice election. With Stacey Abrams, they would get a radical liberal governor who backs Medicaid For All, Cradle to Grave government, huge tax hikes, lax public safety, gun confiscation, and dangerous and lawless immigration policies. National Democrats are hoping no one in Georgia notices. They believe that if they spend enough money on advertising in Atlantas suburbs, voters will believe Abrams is a moderate, left-centrist. If Georgians elect Brian Kemp, however, they will get a conservative governor who is for smaller government, effective health care, lower taxes, safe communities, individual liberties, and orderly, rational immigration. Kemp has a proven record of leadership and service and would offer Georgians a safer, more prosperous future. I urge all Georgians to think very seriously about this big choice election. You can either have a governor who will be beholden to radical liberal elites who financed her campaign or Brian Kemp, a governor who will exclusively serve the People of Georgia. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is right that Senates confirmation process is "a national disgrace." The damage done to Kavanaughs family is horrific. Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., was clear: What you want to do is destroy this guy's life, hold this seat open and hope you win in 2020. The threats and vicious messages that his family and Christine Blasey Ford have received are a national embarrassment. Hopefully, everyone other than the most partisan Americans want to fix this and stop it from ever happening again. But the question is how? What went wrong? The problem has been getting worse for a long time. The solution, though, is very simple but it isnt what most liberals will want to hear. Government has too much of a stake in too many peoples lives these days. And it is the very drive by liberals to champion big government and its involvement in every aspect of American life that has made the question of who sits on the Court so crucial. Long gone are the days when a Republican president might appoint a Democrat to the Supreme Court, as Herbert Hoover did in 1932. Back then, most judges could be expected to interpret the laws as they were written, rather than bending them to fit political agendas. Reduce the role of government, and we reduce the vitriol over Supreme Court nominations. It is that simple. This is because when so much is at stake, the fiercer the fight will be over everything from who is on the Supreme Court to who wins elections. From the first Supreme Court nomination in 1789 until 1825, the average confirmation time from nomination to Senate vote took just over two days. From 1826 to 1950, the next 68 confirmations averaged 14 days. But this changed dramatically over the next half century. From 1951 through 1976, the average confirmation process increased to more than 50 days, and from 1976 to the present, it has averaged at least 75 days. (The average rises to 90 days if one counts the time for Merrick Garland between his nomination and when it lapsed after the new Congress was seated in 2017 though an argument could be made that his nomination was actually decided very quickly.) As of now, Kavanaughs nomination has so far taken 81 days. The Democrats hit the nuclear option in 2013 that scrapped the filibuster for District and Circuit court judges. Republicans then did the same last year for Supreme Court nominees. That shorted confirmations under Obama and Trump, but, as we have seen with Kavanaugh, the desire to stop nominees hasnt gone away. Opponents have just switched to more malignant forms of accomplishing their goal. There is more anger over nominees now than there was 50 or 100 or 200 years ago because more is at stake. Government has grown by leaps and bounds, and the decisions that are being made have far-reaching consequences for our checkbooks and personal freedoms. The Supreme Court and the federal courts generally are more deeply involved in our lives than they were 50 years ago. The dramatic expansion of the judiciary's role can be seen by the increase in federal cases. Since the 1960s, the number of circuit court cases has increased from 21 per million Americans to 223 per million. District court cases have grown over the same period from 448 to 1,252 per million Americans. The growth is easy to explain. Whole new branches of law came into existence as new federal agencies were formed. The 1960s saw the creation of the Equal Employment and Opportunity Commission and the National Transportation Safety Board. In the 1970s, there was the Environmental Protection Agency, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Federal Election Commission, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Each of these organizations created a host of new, often controversial regulations that fall under the jurisdiction of federal courts. Existing agencies were also granted new regulatory powers. During peacetime, the federal government was only at about 2 to 3 percent of GDP until 100 years ago. It was hard to get really angry about a Supreme Court nomination when the decisions of the court rarely made any difference in your life. Political opponents saw less of a reason to do anything necessary to keep someone off the court. Long gone are the days when a Republican president might appoint a Democrat to the Supreme Court, as Herbert Hoover did in 1932. Back then, most judges could be expected to interpret the laws as they were written, rather than bending them to fit political agendas. In my 2013 book, Dumbing Down the Courts, I show that the length of Supreme Court confirmation hearings has grown with the expansion of judicial power. So too has the rate at which nominations are voted down. The growth of government is also the reason that campaigns have gotten more contentious. Over 80 percent of the growth in campaign spending can be explained because of government growth. There is no magic fix to making our political culture more civil. But the best way to reverse the trend is to give government less control over our lives. If we refuse to recognize this and take steps to fix it, dont expect the political debate to get more civil anytime soon. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Russia and North Korea were among the countries this week using speeches at the United Nations General Assembly to attack U.S. foreign policy and call on President Trump to change tactics on a host of issues. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, known for his fiery rhetoric, used his speech at the United Nations General Assembly to criticize sanctions on Russia and accused the U.S. of meddling in other countries affairs -- specifically Syria. In his speech he also took aim at the U.S. decision to pull out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, attacking belligerent revisionism against the modern system of international law. He also accused Western powers of using political blackmail, economic pressure and brute force. The attacks have been launched against the basic principles of the Middle East settlement, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear program, the commitments within the World Trade Organization (WTO) framework, the multilateral climate agreement and many more, he said. Trump has been a critic of the WTO, and on Wednesday at a Security Council meeting defended his decision to pull out of the Iran deal -- which he called a horrible, one-sided deal [that] allowed Iran to continue its path toward a [nuclear] bomb and gave the regime a cash lifeline when they needed it the most. On Friday, Lavrov also attacked Trumps decision last year to bomb a Syrian airbase in response to a chemical attack by President Bashar al-Assads regime -- with Lavrov describing it as launched under a totally trumped-up pretext and warned against wars launched under spurious pretexts. Trump on had warned Syria and Russia against an all-out assault on the province of Idlib: Get the terrorists, but I hope the restraint continues. The world is watching." On Saturday North Korea claimed that the regime had not seen a corresponding response from the U.S. to North Korean disarmament and that sanctions were signs of mistrust from the U.S. "Without any trust in the U.S., there will be no confidence in our national security, and under such circumstances there is no way we will unilaterally disarm ourselves first," Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho said. He also said that the perception that sanctions can bring us to our knees is a pipe-dream of the people who are ignorant about us. The two countries arent the only ones to use the General Assembly to take either explicit or veiled swipes at the U.S. China and Iran both used their opportunities to criticize the U.S., with Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday accusing Trump of having a Nazi disposition. But President Trump in his speech gave as good as he got. A year after threatening North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that he was prepared to destroy North Korea if it kept up its nuclear ambitions, Trump warned that the U.S. would not allow the Islamic regime to obtain a bomb. "We cannot allow the world's leading sponsor of terrorism to possess the planet's most dangerous weapons," he said. "We cannot allow a regime that chants 'Death to America' and that threatens Israel with annihilation to possess the means to deliver a nuclear warhead to any city on Earth. "Just can't do it." Fox News Ben Evansky and The Associated Press contributed to this report. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! The White House has instructed the FBI to question two women who have alleged sexual misconduct by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. But the parameters of the new and limited FBI probe dont include interviewing Julie Swetnick, a third accuser who alleged this week that he was at a party decades ago where she was gang-raped, according to a report on Saturday in the Wall Street Journal. The focus on the first two sets of accusations suggests that the White House doesnt consider the latter accuser's claims credible, people familiar with the instructions told the Journal. "If true, this is outrageous," her lawyer, Michael Avenatti, tweeted Saturday afternoon. "Why are Trump and his cronies in the Senate trying to prevent the American people from learning the truth? Why do they insist on muzzling women with information submitted under penalty of perjury? Why Ramirez but not my client?" Avenatti added: "Trump has now determined that he and he alone will be the sole arbiter of whether a womans claims of sexual assault and misogyny are credible. Why even have an FBI investigation? I thought it was their job to make this determination. He and Kavanaugh are afraid of the truth." Avenatti also represents Stormy Daniels, an adult film star who has alleged she had a sexual encounter with Donald Trump back in 2006. The scope and duration has been set by the Senate," Raj Shah, a White House spokesman, told Fox News. "The White House is letting the FBI agents do what they are trained to do. According to the Journal, Swetnick has recorded a TV interview to be aired Sunday, the first woman making accusations against the Supreme Court nominee to do so. MSNBCs Morning Joe on Thursday aired a clip of her interview with John Heilemann of Showtimes The Circus, in which Ms. Swetnick called for an investigation into the allegations against Judge Kavanaugh. On Friday, Republican Sen. Jeff Flake insisted that the FBI be allowed up to a week to investigate allegations against Kavanaugh before the full Senate weighs in on confirmation. President Trump subsequently ordered the FBI to undertake a supplemental investigation to Kavanaughs routine background check that would be limited to credible allegations of sexual assault. In remarks he made Saturday before heading to a MAGA rally in West Virginia, Trump said the investigation was expected to be concluded within a week's time. and conclude in less than a week. He said the bureau, which has already begun its inquiry, had "free rein," and expressed confidence in the process and his nominee. "I would expect it's going to turn out very well for the judge," Trump said. "There's never been anybody that's been looked at like Judge Kavanaugh." NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! A youth outreach staffer for Democratic Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum has been terminated after calling for President Trump's death on Twitter, and wearing a shirt calling pro-Trump states "Dumbf--kistan." The staffer, 24-year-old Manny Orozco-Ballestas, made a series of sexually graphic and politically charged comments on social media in 2012 and 2013, according to fringe blogger Jacob Engels, who flagged the posts. In one 2013 post, Orozco-Ballestas wrote to Trump: "you need to be executed." In another, he reportedly wrote, "If you're weighing 300 pounds+ maybe it's a good idea you stop posting all that fattening food pics on [Instagram]!" But it was one of Orozco-Ballestas' own Instagram posts last summer -- which was also unearthed last week by Engels and published by The Tampa Bay Times -- that led to calls by state Republicans for his termination. In the post, Orozco-Ballestas is pictured wearing a shirt depicting a map of the United States, with red-colored states indicating ones that went for President Trump in the 2016 election. On the shirt, a key provided below the map explains that the red states refer to "Dumbf---istan," while the blue refer to the "United States of America." The Republican Party of Florida immediately called for Orozco-Ballestas' firing, saying the post was unconscionable. WATCH: FLORIDA GOVERNOR'S RACE BETWEEN TRUMP-BACKED DESANTIS AND GILLUM HEATS UP "It is unbelievable to me that Andrew Gillum would not only employ, but promote on social media, a person who calls voters 'dumb f*cks' for electing Republicans," Florida Republican Party Chairman Blaise Ingoglia wrote in a statement. "It is hypocritical for Gillum to endorse the same kind of hateful, intolerant speech that he likes to denounce." At the time, a spokeswoman for Gillum told the Times they had addressed the explicit shirt with Orozco-Ballestas, who had been on the job for less than two weeks. The campaign added that they wont "be lectured about words by the Party of Trump." In a statement released Saturday, Orozco-Ballestas, who reportedly previously worked for Hillary Clinton's campaign, apologized. I am embarrassed, angry and disappointed in myself, he said. I took social media for granted when I was younger and I am now facing the consequences. ... What I tweeted as an immature student many years ago is not a reflection of the man I am today." Gillum had denounced a remark his Republican opponent Ron DeSantis made last month after they each secured their partys nominations in Novembers election for warning voters not to monkey this up by voting for the Democrat, who is black. A Quinnipiac Poll released Wednesday showed Gillum, who is running on a platform calling for expanding access to Medicare and raising the minimum wage, advancing to a 9-point lead over DeSantis, 54 percent to 45 percent. Fox News' Stephen Sorace contributed to this report. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! The son of late Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia told Fox News on Sunday that his father wouldn't have been shocked by the partisan conflagration surrounding the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, owing to what he called the improperly outsized power of the Supreme Court in modern life. "On a general level, he wouldn't be terribly surprised about the intensity surrounding this Supreme Court nomination, because so much of it comes down to Roe v. Wade -- at least, that's how the left is presenting it," Christopher Scalia said, referring to the landmark 1973 case holding that women have a constitutional right to an abortion within certain trimesters. In one fell swoop, Roe effectively prevented states from deciding on their own how to regulate abortion, and several states immediately took steps to try to restrict abortion rights in response. "My father often said, with Roe v. Wade in particular but other cases as well, the court was really trying to come in and settle a cultural issue that should have been resolved in elections, and the legislative process," he added during his appearance on "Fox & Friends." "By trying to short-circuit that process, the Supreme Court caused more damage and, as a result, Supreme Court nominations and confirmation battles have become more heated, because justices have taken on the role that properly belongs to legislators." Nebraska Republican Sen. Ben Sasse made a similar point during Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings earlier this month, when he reiterated that Congress often delegates excessive authority to mostly unaccountable executive branch agencies and improperly leaves the resulting bureaucratic uncertainties to the Supreme Court to resolve -- effectively making the justices supplemental legislators doing a job abdicated by senators. DEMS WARN OF DEATHS OF 'COUNTLESS WOMEN' AS SOON AS KAVANUAGH NOMINATION ANNOUNCED Hundreds of protesters were arrested and charged by Capitol Hill police for improperly interfering with those confirmation proceedings. "It's really not all that rare for justices to get angry." Christopher Scalia Asked whether Kavanaugh had any chance of avoiding that kind of backlash -- which now centers primarily on uncorroborated allegations that he engaged in sexual misconduct decades ago -- Scalia said there was likely no avoiding the uproar. "It was pretty clear from the beginning -- groups already had signs, basically fill-in-the-blank, they were doing Mad Libs protesting basically before President Trump nominated Kavanaugh specifically," Scalia said, referring to throngs of protesters who showed up at the Supreme Court on the night of Kavanaugh's nomination in July with protest signs that allowed them to write in the nominee's name on the fly. There were also some Mad Libs-style press releases, as well. In a statement after Kavanaugh's nomination, the Women's March said ominously: "Trumps announcement today is a death sentence for thousands of women in the United States." POLYGRAPH TEST SHOWS KAVANAUGH ACCUSER CHRISTINE FORD CHANGING STORY ON KEY FACT In an embarrassing blunder, though, the Women's March statement began: "In response to Donald Trump's nomination of XX to the Supreme Court" -- indicating that the group didn't expect to have to change its pre-written press release much. Responding to claims that Kavanaugh shouldn't serve on the Supreme Court because of his fiery and, at times, defiant behavior during questioning about the lurid allegations against him by senators on Thursday, Scalia suggested justices don't always have calm temperaments. "It's really not all that rare for justices to get angry," Scalia said, referencing sometimes-heated dissents in hot-button cases. "It's true that [judge] Kavanaugh was perhaps more aggressive, but that's because the circumstances were a lot different. ... He was defending his good name from uncorroborated accusations." Kavanaugh on Thursday received the approval of the Senate Judiciary Committee, by a party-line 11-10 vote, to advance to a full Senate floor vote. In a dramatic moment, Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., said he would provide his crucial swing vote in favor of Kavanaugh only if the FBI were given a one-week period in which to investigate current and credible misconduct claims against Kavanaugh. That investigation is ongoing, and President Trump has said the agency has broad authority in the probe to interview "whoever" it wants. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! U.S. Rep. Beto ORourke doubled down Saturday that he did not leave the scene of a 1998 drinking and driving arrest near El Paso, Texas, and added that a passenger inside his vehicle that night backs his story. "I did not flee, ORourke told Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith during the 2018 Texas Tribune Festival in Austin. "The police report on this is wrong. ORourke, an El Paso Democrat hoping to unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in November, rejected September 1998 police reports that quoted an unnamed motorist as saying he stopped ORourke from fleeing the scene of a DUI crash on Interstate 10. Appearing as the festivals closing keynote speaker, ORourke said he recently contacted the female passenger to get her recollection of that evening. I reached out to the passenger who was in the car that I was driving who also does not appear in the police report, among other factual errors somebody that Ive not spoken to in more than 15 years, and asked her recollection of that evening, ORourke said. She said, No, we were in the median of the road. We did not try to flee. I dont know that there was anywhere we could have gone. I reached out to the passenger who was in the car that I was driving ... She said, No, we were in the median of the road. We did not try to flee. I dont know that there was anywhere we could have gone. U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, Democrat seeking a U.S. Senate seat ORourke, celebrating his 26th birthday, crashed into a truck traveling in the same direction at a high rate of speed before careening across the median into the oncoming traffic lanes and coming to a stop, a witness told police. His blood alcohol level content was 0.136, well above the state legal limit 0.10 at the time. The defendant/driver then attempted to leave the scene, police Officer Richard Carrera said in a report. The witness "then turned on his overhead lights to warn oncoming traffic and try to get the defendant to stop. ORourke also disputed the account during a debate Friday against Cruz. "I did not try to leave the scene of the accident, though driving drunk -- which I did -- is a terrible mistake, for which there is no excuse of justification or defense," O'Rourke at the debate. A Washington Post fact-checker gave ORourke four Pinocchios regarding his claim. "Given his blood alcohol content at the time of the crash, ORourkes memory 20 years after the fact is not nearly as credible as the police reports written just hours after the crash," the Post's Glenn Kessler wrote in his fact-check. ORourke completed a court-ordered program and the charges against him were dropped. He also had a 1995 arrest for jumping a fence at a University of Texas-El Paso facility. ORourke has publically called the incidents youthful indiscretions and poor judgment, according to the Houston Chronicle. Those mistakes did not ultimately define me or stop me from what I wanted to do in my life or how I wanted to contribute to the success of my family and my community, he wrote in the op-ed piece. During his conversation with Smith on Saturday, ORourke repeatedly declined to answer a question on his fundraising total for the third quarter of this year, which ends Sunday. I honestly dont know, but its a lot, he said. He also said he would not serve in the Senate for more than two terms (12 years) should he unseat Cruz. When asked by Smith where on the spectrum he is between very liberal Democrats and the establishment types, ORourke answered, "I place myself in Texas. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Sen. Tom Cotton said Sunday that Sen. Dianne Feinsteins office will be investigated to determine whether or not they leaked the confidential letter from Christine Blasey Ford that detailed allegations of sexual misconduct by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Feinstein, who represents California and who is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, had received the letter from Ford sometime over the summer and was asked to keep it confidential. At some point, however, the letter was leaked to the press, although Feinstein denies that anyone in her office is responsible. They have betrayed her, Cotton, R-Ark, said on CBS Face the Nation about Ford. She has been victimized by Democrats ... on a search-and-destroy mission for Brett Kavanaugh. Cotton added that the Democrats will be to blame if women stop coming forward to report sexual assaults because Fords confidentiality was compromised. The National Sexual Violence Resource Center found that 63 percent of incidents of sexual abuse go unreported to the police. Along with the investigation into Feinsteins handling of the letter, Cotton noted that lawyers recommended to Ford by Democrats will face a bar investigation in Washington, D.C., for telling her that Senate Judiciary Committee staffers were unwilling to travel to California to interview her about her sexual-assault allegation. The Arkansas Republicans comments come as the FBI is investigating two of the three allegations of sexual misconduct leveled at Kavanaugh. Besides Ford, Deborah Ramirez has accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct when they were Yale classmates. Kavanaugh has denied Ramirez's claim that he exposed himself to her at a party in the early 1980s. Another woman, Julie Swetnick, accused Kavanaugh of excessive drinking and inappropriate treatment of women in the early 1980s, among other accusations. Kavanaugh has called her accusations a "joke." The FBI is not investigating these allegations. The Associated Press contributed to this report. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Sen. Lindsey Graham promised Sunday he'll "to get to the bottom of" the FBI investigation into the sexual assault allegations leveled against Judge Brett Kavanaugh and said that his own investigation into how the Democrats have handled the Supreme Court nominees confirmation hearings has only just begun. Im going to get to the bottom of it, Graham, R-S.C., told Maria Bartiromo on Fox News Sunday Morning Futures. The longtime South Carolina senator said that, among other things, he wanted to find out how the letter from Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford was leaked to the press, who recommended that she hire her lawyer and what role the Democrats played in bringing these allegations against the judge to light. This was about delaying the nomination Graham added. This can be played out over time and destroy the ability of good people to come forward. Grahams appearance on Sunday Morning Futures comes just days after he let loose on his Democratic colleagues in the Senate Judiciary Committee during Kavanaughs testimony. "This is the most unethical sham since I've been in politics, a visibily angry Graham said on Thursday from the dais while pointing at Democratic senators. And if you really wanted to know the truth, you sure as hell wouldn't have done what you've done to this guy. Graham added: Boy, yall want power and I hope you dont get it. The lawmaker, who says the FBI probe should be done by Monday or Tuesday, has been one of Kavanaughs staunchest defenders since President Trump nominated Kavanaugh back in June and, on Sunday, echoed the Supreme Court nominees words from the judge's hearing last week that the allegations against him have indelibly altered his life. Ive known Brett for 20 years, Graham said. They tried to ruin his life. While Graham has said that the investigation into the allegations will wrap up early in the week and that the full Senate will vote on his confirmation shortly after, the FBI has been granted a week to conduct all the interviews and background investigating the agency needs. President Trump initially opposed such an investigation in the face of sexual misconduct claims against Kavanaugh, but the president and Senate Republican leaders agreed to an inquiry after GOP Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona made clear he would not vote to confirm Kavanaugh without one. Calls for an FBI investigation of Kavanaugh mounted after Ford alleged that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a party when they were teenagers. Kavanaugh has denied being the perpetrator. In dueling appearances last Thursday, Kavanaugh and Ford told their stories during sworn testimony before the Judiciary Committee. The panel voted Friday in favor of Kavanaugh, along party lines, and Flake then offered his proposal for the FBI investigation. Trump then ordered the FBI to reopen Kavanaugh's background investigation, which has delayed a final vote on Kavanaugh's nomination. The Judiciary Committee has said the probe should be limited to "current credible allegations" against Kavanaugh and be finished by next Friday. The FBI conducts background checks for federal nominees, but the agency does not make judgments on the credibility or significance of allegations. The investigators will compile information about Kavanaugh's past and provide their findings to the White House and include the information in Kavanaugh's background file, which is available to senators. The Associated Press contributed to this report. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! An emotional Kellyanne Conway came forward Sunday and stated that she is a victim of sexual assault. The revelation by Conway, counselor to President Trump, came during a tense back-and-forth with journalist Jake Tapper on CNNs State of the Union while Conway defended the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. I feel very empathetic, frankly, for victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment and rape, Conway said. Im a victim of sexual assault. Conway added: I dont expect Judge Kavanaugh or Jake Tapper or Jeff Flake to be held responsible for that. You have to be responsible for your own conduct. Conway then went on to address the women who confronted Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., on Friday after he said he would vote to pass Kavanaugh through the judiciary panel. "I want those women who were sexually assaulted the other day who were confronting Jeff Flake, God bless them, but go blame the perpetrator, she said. That's who is responsible for the sexual assaults, the people who commit them. Flake, who originally said he would vote for Kavanaughs nomination, became a crucial factor in the process on Friday when he called on the White House to greenlight an investigation into new allegations of sexual misconduct leveled against Kavanaugh. Trump ordered the FBI on Friday to reopen Kavanaugh's background investigation after several women accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. Kavanaugh has denied the allegations. Senate leaders agreed to delay a final vote on Kavanaugh's nomination to allow for a one-week FBI investigation. The Judiciary Committee has said the probe should be limited to "current credible allegations" against Kavanaugh and be finished by next Friday. The FBI is looking into the allegations by Christine Blasey Ford, who alleges that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a party when they were teenagers, and Deborah Ramirez, who has alleged that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party in the early 1980s. The FBI is not investigating Julie Swetnick, who has publicly accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct at high school parties. Swetnicks allegations have not been able to be corroborated and it has been revealed that she has an extensive history of involvement in legal disputes, including a lawsuit in which an ex-employer accused her of falsifying her college and work history on her job application. The Associated Press contributed to t his report. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Sen. Amy Klobuchar said that the White House cannot limit the scope of the FBIs investigation into the allegations leveled against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Klobuchar, D-Minn., who had a combative back-and-forth with Kavanaugh during his hearing on Thursday, said that there should be no limits on the investigation that the Trump administration ordered ahead of the Senates vote to confirm the judge. They [the White House] cannot say, 'Oh hey, only interview the people in their neighborhood on one side of the street.' Or 'Only interview people from a certain period of their life, Klobuchar said during an appearance of CBS Face the Nation. You let the men and women of the FBI, the professionals, do their jobs. During Kavanaughs appearance on Capitol Hill, Klobuchar pressed him if he ever drank so much he blacked out. He replied, "Have you?" After a break in the proceedings, he came back and apologized to Klobuchar. She said her father was an alcoholic. Speaking on Face the Nation, Klobuchar defended her questioning of Kavanaughs drinking during high school, saying: I think that is relevant because when I was asking him about whether or not he had blacked out, or maybe partially blacked out in the past because of excessive drinking, he just turned it back on me instead of really answering that question. She added: The reason it's relevant is perhaps he doesn't remember what happened because there were repeated incidences of this excessive drinking. Klobuchar also praised Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., for his role in forcing the FBI investigation into the allegations and delaying the vote on Kavanaugh for at least a week. I was so pleased when Senator Flake rose to the occasion and said it was beneath the dignity of the Senate and beneath the dignity of the Court basically if you don't follow up, she said. Flake, who is retiring this year, said he would not be ready to vote for Kavanaugh until the FBI conducted a background investigation into the sexual misconduct claims. Flake stopped short of where Democrats hoped he would land, which was putting a hold on a committee vote. Instead he wanted the one-week delay on a final vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation while allowing the nomination to move out of committee to the full Senate. The announcement, however, upended his party's plans to move quickly to confirm Kavanaugh and made clear what many had suspected: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., did not have the votes to proceed to Kavanaugh's nomination over the weekend. McConnell soon called for the investigation as well, after resisting that step since the allegations became public. The Associated Press contributed to this report. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters on Saturday denounced allegations that a member of her staff had posted the personal information of three Republican U.S. senators onto the lawmakers' Wikipedia pages. The Los Angeles Democrat asserted that the claims were being pedaled by ultra-right wing pundits and websites. Lies, lies, and more despicable lies, Waters said in a statement on Twitter. The released information reportedly included the home addresses and phone numbers for U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Mike Lee and Orrin Hatch, both of Utah. The information appeared online Thursday, posted by an unknown person on Capitol Hill during a Senate panel's hearing on the sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. The leak came sometime after the three senators had questioned Kavanaugh. Conservative sites such as Gateway Pundit and RedState reported that the IP address that identifies the source of the posts was associated with Waters office and released the information of a member of Waters' staff, the Hill reported. This unfounded allegation is completely false and an absolute lie," Waters continued. The member of my staff whose identity, personal information, and safety have been compromised as a result of these fraudulent and false allegations was in no way responsible for the leak of this information. This unfounded allegation is completely false and an absolute lie. The member of my staff whose identity, personal information, and safety have been compromised as a result of these fraudulent and false allegations was in no way responsible for the leak of this information. U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif. Waters' statement quickly drew criticism online, including from former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer. This denial is angry," Fleischer wrote. "This suggests she doesnt have the temperment to be a Member of Congress. When someone is accused of something they didnt do, they must not be angry. They must not be defiant. They must not question the motives of the accuser. They must be calm and serene." Fleischer was appearing to compare Waters' reaction to the Democrats' criticism of Judge Kavanaugh, who was accused by critics of seeming too angry during Thursday's hearing. Omar Navarro, a Republican candidate running to unseat Waters in the midterm elections, also voiced his thoughts on Twitter. Big if true, he tweeted. In her statement, Waters said her office had alerted "the appropriate authorities and law enforcement entities of these fraudulent claims. "We will ensure that the perpetrators will be revealed," she continued, "and that they will be held legally liable for all of their actions that are destructible and dangerous to any and all members of my staff. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Where was Flake? Sprint to McConnells office! How did you find Susan Collins in that elevator? Reporters formed a gauntlet down a corridor leading between the Senate chamber and the office suite of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., early Friday afternoon. Another scrum surfaced near the Capitol Rotunda, lest some of the GOP senators huddling in McConnells office tried to escape, unnoticed, out a back entrance. Finally, a few reporters played free safety. They positioned themselves all the way over by the entrance of House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis. This was a safety valve move, as senators who really want to elude the press can sometimes sneak from the Senate side of the Capitol through the speakers office and escape the scribes through the House. Everyone was focused on the future of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh Friday. What led to the deal that Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., engineered with McConnell to delay a floor vote on the nomination for a week? What did Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, think? Had anyone seen Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska? At another time, in another place, the media phalanx outside McConnells office may have unfolded for another reason. After all, it was late September. The governments fiscal year starts on October 1. Most drama on Capitol Hill on a Friday afternoon at this time of year undoubtedly would surround whether or not there would be a government shutdown. But something wasnt right this September. Or, perhaps it was right. The government would be funded. And no one in Washington cared much about government money. All eyes were trained on the Kavanaugh saga. And while reporters loped through hallways at the Capitol and angry protesters confronted Flake in an elevator, President Trump quietly signed H.R. 6157, a piece of legislation to fund the government. Today, I signed into law important legislation to rebuild our military, protect our communities and deliver a better future for All Americans, the president said in a statement. Few noticed. Shutdown averted. There were no countdown clocks. No shuttling back and forth between the White House and the Capitol by Ryan and McConnell. No scramble by House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., to round up votes. No declarations of from the House Freedom Caucus opposing the legislation. It was as though funding the government was an afterthought. Frankly, its been years since Congress and administrations of both parties have navigated a September bereft of theatrics involving a government shutdown. Trump signed into law what is known on Capitol Hill as a mini-bus appropriations bill. In March, the president reluctantly signed an omnibus spending bill which mixed together all 12 of the annual spending bills into a solitary, gargantuan package. President Trump briefly threatened to veto the plan, despite advocating for the package. But, he warned Congressional leaders he wouldnt sign another omnibus again. So, House and Senate leaders crafted a number of mini-buses to fund the government for Fiscal Year 2019 and avoid a shutdown on October 1. Leading the appropriations queue was mini-bus 1. That plan combined three of the spending packages into one measure. It addressed spending for military construction projects and the Department of Veterans Affairs, Energy & Water programs and the legislative branch. Then, the House and Senate synced up on an additional mini-bus which blended money for the Pentagon as well as the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services. Those two mini-buses would account for five of the 12 appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2019. That leaves seven incomplete. So, to avoid a shutdown, Congressional leaders latched an interim spending plan, known as a CR or Continuing Resolution to the mini-bus. The CR would renew all money for the seven remaining spending bills on a temporary basis through December 7. Both chambers of Congress overwhelmingly approved both bills and with little fanfare. Its remarkable there wasnt a big standoff over government funding this fall particularly after President Trump continually rattled shutdown sabers over the lack of additional money for his border wall. Tucked into the mini-buses was $1.6 billion in wall funding. But the president is far from scoring the mother lode of cash to pay for the wall. In addition, the House and Senate have yet to tackle the spending measure for the Department of Homeland Security. That wont happen until after the election. Both McConnell and Ryan repeatedly said they thought their agreement with Mr. Trump to avoid a shutdown would stick. They were right, even if the president continued to excoriate Congress for not funding his border wall. By signing the latest mini-bus measure, President Trump effectively punted the fight over the wall until after the midterm elections. Thats much to the chagrin of conservatives and the House Freedom Caucus. But, senior Republicans knew that a government shutdown would be disastrous for their party right before the midterm elections. Still, some conservatives argued that a shutdown just before the midterms may be good politics. A standoff could energize the Republican base and capitalize on a key campaign promise of the president. But, theres no shutdown. The president would have no one to blame but himself if he shuts down the government, said one senior Congressional Republican source. Multiple sources noted that Congressional GOP leaders were smart to fill the two mini-bus bills with the presidents priorities. The first mini-bus paid for programs for veterans. The second mini-bus funded the military and included a troop pay raise. In other words, Republicans on Capitol Hill made it hard for President Trump to veto either mini-bus. So will Trump get full funding for the border wall in December? Or will there be a shutdown? Well have to wait and see what happens, said White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders on Fox News Sunday. But, the president is committed to making sure we build the wall, getting the funding for it. And if I know anything about Donald Trump, he ultimately will get what hes fighting for and thatll be the wall. In his statement about signing mini-bus two, President Trump predictably pilloried the Democrats. The radical Democrats refuse to support border security and want drugs and crime to pour into our country, said the president. Republicans will still be in charge of Congress on December 7. But leverage for the wall diminished since the fight was punted until after the midterms. Something wasnt right this September. Theres plenty of turmoil on Capitol Hill. But not over a government shutdown. That tumult could unfold in December. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Speaking exclusively to "Fox News Sunday," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders vowed that the ongoing supplemental FBI background check of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh won't become a "fishing expedition," and slammed Democrats for their "disgraceful" handling of Christine Ford's sexual assault allegation against him. Sanders specifically derided Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., for not revealing Ford's claim to colleagues or federal authorities for more than six weeks after she received a letter from her in July. Senate Republicans have said Judiciary Committee procedures would have allowed Feinstein to preserve Ford's anonymity while raising her allegation confidentially. Instead, news of Ford's allegation that Kavanaugh had attacked her at a party in 1982 came in a leak just days before a crucial Judiciary Committee vote on Kavanagh's nomination. Republicans have strongly suggested Democrats orchestrated that leak. "Dianne Feinstein and her staff knew about these accusations; they could have done all of this in a private way to protect Dr. Ford," Sanders said. "Instead, for the people that claim to champion women, Democrats have exploited Dr. Ford, theyve exploited this process, and I think its been totally disgraceful -- and I dont think anyone has hit the nail on the head better than Lindsey Graham did during Thursdays hearing," Sanders said. CHRISTINE FORD'S POLYGRAPH EXAM APPEARS TO REVEAL KEY INCONSISTENCY IN HER CLAIMS Graham, in a fiery moment during Thursday's hearing, called the proceedings a "sham" and insisted that he would never have touted uncorroborated allegations to attack Obama nominees Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor -- whom he supported. Graham has since said that the late former Arizona Sen. John McCain, his longtime friend, would have been so angry that he would have made Graham look like a "choir boy." None of the witnesses that Ford, a California professor, has identified as being present at the party where she was allegedly assaulted -- including Leland Ingham Keyser, her best friend at the time -- have said they remember anything about the episode. Asked about Keyser's statement, Ford suggested on Thursday her friend was having medical issues. In her testimony earlier in the day, Ford -- who had told Feinstein in her July letter that the party included "included me and 4 others" -- changed the tally, and told senators that there were four boys there, in addition to her female friend. In an August note Ford wrote in advance of a polygraph exam she took at the direction of her lawyers, she maintained that "there were 4 boys and a couple of girls" at the party, again apparently contradicting her letter to Feinstein in July. (Ford has claimed that her therapist inaccurately recorded in 2012 that she had said four boys were in the room when she was attacked. Ford has also testified that the alleged attack occurred in 1982, after first telling The Washington Post it happened in the mid-1980s). "Democrats have exploited Dr. Ford; theyve exploited this process." Sarah Sanders Additionally, Ford testified Thursday she had been unaware of committee Republicans' offers, which were communicated publicly and to her attorneys, to fly out to California to meet with her so that they could accomodate her reported fear of flying and expedite the confirmation process -- one of several discrepencies that Graham told Fox News on Sunday he wanted to get to the bottom of. Sanders then addressed the ongoing supplemental background check of Kavanaugh, which the White House ordered last week on the insistence of a key swing vote, Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz. President Trump has vowed that the FBI will have wide latitude to interview any witness it wants, and said the probe might be a "blessing in disguise." "This cannot become a fishing expedition like the Democrats would like to see it be," Sanders told host Chris Wallace. "I think you have to go back to the very beginning of Day One, when President Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh. From that very first moment, before any of these allegations had even been brought up, Democrats said they were not going to support him, they werent going to vote for him and they were going to do everything within their power to fight him -- and weve seen that play out over the last couple of months." KAVANAUGH GANG RAPE ACCUSER HAS APPARENT PROBLEMS WITH CREDIBILITY, LAWSUIT SHOWS She continued: "They have been absolutely disgraceful in the way that they handled this process, in the way they have exploited both Brett Kavanaugh and Dr. Ford." Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., called supporters of Kavanaugh "complicit in evil" after his nomination was announced, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., promised to oppose his confirmation with "everything I have." Also speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Christopher Scalia, the son of late Supreme Court Asssociate Justice Antonin Scalia, echoed Sanders' point. "It was pretty clear from the beginning -- groups already had signs, basically fill-in-the-blank, they were doing Mad Libs protesting basically before President Trump nominated Kavanaugh specifically," Scalia said, referring to throngs of protesters who showed up at the Supreme Court on the night of Kavanaugh's nomination in July with protest signs that allowed them to write in the nominee's name on the fly. There were also some Mad Libs-style press releases, as well. In a statement after Kavanaugh's nomination, the Women's March said ominously: "Trumps announcement today is a death sentence for thousands of women in the United States." In an embarrassing blunder, though, the Women's March statement began: "In response to Donald Trump's nomination of XX to the Supreme Court" -- indicating that the group didn't expect to have to change its pre-written press release much. Sanders also touched on an upcoming planned meeting between Trump and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Trump had been scheduled to meet with Rosenstein at the White House last week to discuss the explosive New York Times report claiming Rosenstein suggested wearing a wire against Trump and invoking the 25th Amendment to remove him from office last year. WATCH: HANNITY SAYS FIRING ROSENSTEIN IS A TRAP A source in the room has told Fox News that Rosenstein's remark, which led to widespread speculation that he would be fired, appeared to be sarcastic. "I wouldnt be surprised if other topics come up," Sanders said. "Im not going to get ahead of the presidents conversation with the deputy attorney general. A date for that hasnt been set. It could be this week. I could see it pushing back another week, given all of the other things that are going on with the Supreme Court." Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Sen. Mazie Hirono, who has emerged as one of the most vocal opponents of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, on Sunday didn't directly answer when asked if she was confident Democrats didn't strategically leak Christine Ford's accusations against him just days before a crucial Judiciary Committee vote. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., received a letter from Ford in July outlining her claim that Kavanaugh had attacked her at a house party in the 1980s, and her office immediately recommended Ford retain a prominent liberal lawyer. But, as Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and other top Republicans repeatedly noted last week, Feinstein failed to follow committee protocols and notify her colleagues or federal authorities, even on a confidential basis, about the accusations. "Are you confident the Democrats didnt leak that letter, and how do you respond to Senator Grahams charge that it was inappropriate for the Democrats to refer Dr. Blasey Ford to a lawyer?" host George Stephanopoulos asked Hirono on ABC's "This Week." "All of these things do not focus on what we should be focusing, which is the credibility of Judge Kavanaugh," Hirono, D-Hawaii, responded, before calling Kavanaugh's claims of a political conspiracy against him "bizarre." HIRONO SAYS KAVANAUGH DOESN'T DESERVE DUE PROCESS BECAUSE HE'S CONSERVATIVE "And, by the way, even as all of these accusations about this being politically motivated are being tossed around, everyone acknowledges, including Judge Kavanaugh, that Dr. Ford is not being politically motivated," Hirono, who has suggested Kavanaugh did not deserve due process because of his "outcome-driven" conservative legal philsophy, continued. "That is very clear." The apparent non-answer likely would fuel Republicans' efforts to seek a deeper inquiry into exactly how news of Ford's confidential letter ended up in the hands of The Intercept -- a leak that GOP leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., have strongly suggested was orchestrated by Democrats. "I'm going to get to the bottom of it," Graham told Fox News on Sunday, suggesting that someone in Feinstein's office or one of Ford's attorneys may have been responsible for strategically deploying the leak to harm Kavanaugh's chances. Graham also flatly said it was improper for Feinstein's office to recommend to Ford that she hire an attorney, especially one with connections to Feinstein and the Democratic Party. In an explosive exchange during Thursday's hearing, Feinstein denied leaking the letter under questioning from Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, R-Texas. Feinstein then turned to her staff behind her, who also claimed they did not leak it, and suggested Ford's friends were behind the disclosure. "Well, I'm telling you I did not," said Feinstein, who added: "It's my understanding that [Ford's] story was leaked before the letter became public and she testified that she had spoken to her friends about it, and it's most likely that that's how this story leaked ... But it did not leak from us, I assure you that." Ryan Grim, the D.C. bureau chief at The Intercept who falsely implied on Twitter last week that Kavanaugh had received a legacy boost at Yale Law School because his grandfather attended Yale as an undergraduate, has denied that Feinstein leaked the letter to his publication. Feinstein's handling of the letter has drawn the ire of top Republicans for weeks. In a scathing letter to Feinstein earlier this month, Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, wrote that "I cannot overstate how disappointed I am" in the California Democrat's refusal to share Ford's allegation, saying her decision had ultimately compromised Ford's anonymity and unfairly stalled Kavanaugh's confirmation by politicizing a sexual assault claim. Separately, Hirono also suggested that the unfolding FBI supplemental background check into Kavanaugh -- which Democrats had long demanded -- is shaping up to be a "farce," saying it should not be limited to seven days or limited to certain topics. President Trump has insisted the FBI will have discretion to interview "whoever" it wants, and in response to Hirono's interview, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said the Hawaii senator was being predictable. "The goalpost moving never stops," Hatch wrote on Sunday. LINDSEY GRAHAM TEARS INTO DEMS DURING 'SHAM' HEARING None of the witnesses that Ford, a California professor, has identified as being present at the party where she was allegedly assaulted -- including Leland Ingham Keyser, her best friend at the time -- have said they remember anything about the episode. Asked about Keyser's statement, Ford suggested on Thursday her friend was having medical issues. In her testimony earlier in the day, Ford -- who had told Feinstein in her July letter that the party included "included me and 4 others" -- changed the tally, and told senators that there were four boys there, in addition to her female friend. In an August note Ford wrote in advance of a polygraph exam she took at the direction of her lawyers, she maintained that "there were 4 boys and a couple of girls" at the party, again apparently contradicting her letter to Feinstein in July. Crucially, in Ford's Thursday testimony, she mentioned for the first time that she did not know the identity of one of the boys at the party, offering a possible last-minute explanation for why the other purported attendees were at a party relatively far from their own neighborhoods. Ford has claimed that her therapist inaccurately recorded in 2012 that she had said four boys were in the room when she was attacked. Ford has also testified that the alleged attack occurred in 1982, after first telling The Washington Post it happened in the mid-1980s. Additionally, Ford testified Thursday she had been unaware of committee Republicans' offers, which were communicated publicly and to her attorneys, to fly out to California to meet with her so that they could accomodate her reported fear of flying and expedite the confirmation process -- one of several discrepencies that Graham told Fox News on Sunday he wanted to probe. In a memo released late Sunday, Rachel Mitchell, the sex-crimes prosecutor who questioned Ford on Thursday on behalf of Senate Republicans, outlined these and other apparent problems with Ford's credibility. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! A short-handed Supreme Court kicks off its new term Monday, albeit overshadowed by the drama over filling the seat of retired Justice Anthony Kennedy. But the court's upcoming decisions from its hot-button docket will likely have a far greater public impact than the politics of the moment. If the White House and Senate Republicans get their way, Judge Brett Kavanaugh who is fighting sexual assault allegations in his bid to take Kennedys seat would be the 114th member of the Supreme Court. His impact could be felt right away, and for decades to come. "He will assume a position of great importance, if not quite the same level as Justice Kennedy had" if hes confirmed, said Thomas Dupree, a leading appellate attorney and former Bush Justice Department official. "A lot of times the judge you think you get doesn't turn out to be the judge you actually do get. But in Judge Kavanaugh's case I think we have a pretty good idea of where hes going to come down on some of these issues." That has many progressive groups worried a shaky conservative majority could solidify. EXPERTS WEIGH IN: WHAT IMPACT WILL EMPTY SUPREME COURT SEAT HAVE ON THIS YEAR'S UPCOMING SCOTUS TERM? "He will likely be the deciding votes on such issues as voting rights, reproductive choice and justice, the ability of everyday Americans to hold big business accountable," said Elizabeth Wydra, president of the Constitutional Accountability Center. "A majority on the Supreme Court with Justice Kavanaugh could vastly change the way American people live in this country." That's if Kavanaugh is confirmed. His nomination advanced out of committee on Friday, but a new FBI supplemental background check reviewing the allegations against him -- set to be completed by Friday -- is underway. Regardless, Kavanaugh will not be on the bench when the court holds oral arguments on the "First Monday in October," which by law marks the beginning of the new Supreme Court term. Among the disputes scheduled to be argued this fall are those concerning the death penalty, smartphone apps and a closely watched-property rights case. At issue in that case is the dusky gopher frog, an endangered species. Private land owners in Louisiana protest the governments designation of critical habitat for the rare amphibian in that state, even though it is only known to exist in neighboring Mississippi. But the justices in coming weeks are poised to add a range of other contentious issues to their caseload. Those include: --A challenge to a "peace" memorial in the shape of a Christian cross that sits on government land to honor those servicemen killed in war --Separate petitions over abortion, including waiting periods; restrictions on second-trimester procedures; and state Medicaid funding --The validity of state-regulated surrogacy pregnancy contracts --Lawsuits from environmental groups over the impact of President Trump's proposed border wall --Continuing challenges to the administrations immigration enforcement policies --And the big what-if: whether the president can be compelled to testify in Special Counsel Robert Muellers Russia probe "A subpoena for live testimony has never been tested in court as to the president of the United States," said Jay Sekulow, one of Trump's private attorneys, who threatened to challenge any such demand to the Supreme Court. That has many Democrats worried Kavanaugh would protect the man who nominated him from any Mueller probe subpoena. "Judge Kavanaugh's judicial philosophy incorporates an almost monarchial view of executive power and accountability," said Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., "animated by the belief the chief executive gets to play by a different set of rules." Roberts Rules While the immediate focus will be on the newest member of the court whether Kavanaugh or someone else -- many court watchers believe Chief Justice John Roberts is ready to assert his authority. With Kennedy's departure, the man Trump once called an "absolute disaster" potentially is poised to inherit the mantle of "swing justice" and solidify his power. Whether Roberts can, or wants to, fill that vacuum is the big question in judicial circles right now. Some right-leaning legal activists have long believed Roberts is not someone whose vote they can take for granted, despite the Republican-appointed 63-year-old chief justice having a mostly conservative record for 13 years. WATCH: SCALIA'S SON SAYS LIBERAL OUTRAGE OVER KAVANAUGH TO BE EXPECTED This was underscored after Roberts' dramatic 2012 deciding vote upholding the key funding provision of the Affordable Care Act -- saving then-President Barack Obama's signature domestic policy achievement. Conservatives called it a calculated act of betrayal, a narrative Trump echoed on the 2016 campaign trail. Some liberal leaders hold out tenuous hope Roberts takes a more active role as that "swing" vote but there is conflicting evidence he would drift left with abandon. Court sources have said Roberts has made a concerted internal effort over the years to promote consensus among his oft-divided colleagues, with as many unanimous rulings as possible to promote unity and comity. He and his colleagues want to preserve the courts independence and reputation. "None of us wanted to look as if the court couldn't do its job," Justice Elena Kagan said Thursday. "I think we all felt as though the country needed to feel that the court was a functioning institution no matter what was happening outside." High Stakes The Supreme Court takes only those cases it wants to resolve, and typically only when there are differing legal interpretations in the lower courts. Because of that, the vast majority of appeals remain on the judicial back burner. So in trying to insulate the third branch of government from the current wave of political slings, some legal experts say Roberts may use his authority to try -- in the short-term at least -- to avoid putting too many divisive cases before them. "The court in the last few years is really become the decision maker of last resort on so many issues that have polarized our society ranging from what the president's power is, to constitutional rights, to resolving religious liberty claims," said Dupree. "So I think we'll see how broad a docket the Supreme Court wants this term, and how important they are to resolving these issues." But with the Kavanaugh nomination coming on the eve of the midterm elections, the stakes over who sits on the Supreme Court, and how they decide, remains on the mind of voters. "Because these issues are so hotly contested, and there are sharp divides among the electorate, you cant help those issue seeping into our elections," said Wydra. "The fact is, whoever controls the Senate is going to have a big role in the kinds of judges ... put on the Supreme Court and the entire federal judiciary." NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! President Trump briefly singled out U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein during his West Virginia rally Saturday evening, insinuating that the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee leaked a letter from a woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her decades earlier. When you look at releases and leaks and they say, No, I didnt do it. Dianne Feinstein, did you leak?, Trump said to a chorus of boos from the crowd. Remember her answer? Uh uh, uh, what? No, no, I didnt leak. Maybe she didnt, but that was the worst body language Ive ever seen. Remember her answer? 'Uh uh, uh, what? No, no, I didnt leak.' Maybe she didnt, but that was the worst body language Ive ever seen. President Trump, referring to U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein Trump, who was in the state stumping for GOP candidates ahead of the midterm elections, was referring to the letter that Feinstein, of California, received from Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford in July. Feinstein maintains she never came forward with Fords claim because Ford had requested confidentiality. "I don't believe my staff would leak it," Feinstein said in response to a question Thursday from Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas. "I have not asked that question directly." Feinstein posted a Twitter message Saturday evening, denying that her office leaked the letter. "From the moment I received Dr. Fords letter my actions have been consistent with her wishes," feinstein wrote. "We kept her letter confidential and did not leak the contents or its existence to anyone. Survivors have a right to decide how their stories are made public." But one way or another, news of the letter was eventually leaked, sparking a divisive nationwide debate over Kavanaughs nomination to the highest court and Democrats calling for an FBI investigation into the allegations. Fords letter alleging Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her was first reported Sept. 12 by the website the Intercept. The Intercept reporter who broke the story tweeted: "Feinstein's staff did not leak the letter to The Intercept." Ford claims Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her during a party in 1982 when they were high school students. More women have since come forward to accuse Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. On Thursday, Ford and Kavanaugh testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the allegations. "Brett's assault on me drastically altered my life," Ford told the committee. At the hearing, Kavanaugh maintained his innocence and sparred with Democratic senators. "This confirmation process has become a national disgrace," Kavanaugh told the committee. Trump on Friday ordered the FBI to conduct a limited supplemental background" investigation into the matter. Maryland lawmakers have also called on authorities to investigate Fords claims -- and the authorities said they would do so, provided that an accuser files a formal complaint. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! The mystery of President Trumps tax returns could finally come to an end if Democrats win control of at least one chamber of Congress following the midterm elections in November. Democratic lawmakers in the House are planning to use an obscure, almost 100-year-old tax statute -- that permits the chairmen of Congress tax committees to look at anyones returns -- to get to the bottom of Trumps finances and possibly make public the information that the president has kept guarded since the 2016 election. Probably the approach would be to get all of it, review it and, depending on what that shows, release all or part of it, Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, told Politico. The 1924 law states that the Treasury Department shall turn over any return or return information requested by the chairs of the tax committees or the head of Congress nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation. The law was implemented amid widespread concerns over corruption and conflicts of interest by then-Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellons business interests. During Trumps campaign for the Oval Office, the then-candidate faced a swath of criticism for not releasing copies of his tax returns. The former businessman refrained from making his filings public, saying they were under audit by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and said hed release them once the review was complete. Even after winning the White House, Trump continued to face pressure to release his returns, including from protesters across the nation on Tax Day in 2017. While the investigation into Trumps finances could quickly answer the questions about his tax returns, Democrats have not heavily advertised their plan -- in large part out of fear that it will rile the presidents base and put them at a disadvantage in a midterm election season, where they are projected to come out on top of at least one chamber of Congress. The Cook Political Report puts the chances of Democrats winning the House at 75 percent. And while their chances of winning the Senate are much lower, even Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has conceded that it is a possibility. It was highly unusual for Trump to go against the 40-year-old tradition of candidates releasing their tax returns, but it would also be highly unusual for Congress to release confidential tax information, especially the tax information of a sitting president. It is, however, not unprecedented. During the Obama administration, Republicans on both the Finance and Ways and Means committees agreed to release private tax information of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status amid investigations into whether the IRS discriminated against them. The move was widely criticized by Democrats, but it now seems like theyll use this as justification to release Trumps information. There are legitimate oversight questions that can only be answered by having those documents, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., told Politico. This is a rush transcript from "Sunday Morning Futures," September 30, 2018. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. MARIA BARTIROMO, HOST: Good Sunday morning. Welcome. Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation grinds to a halt while the FBI begins looking into accusations of sexual assault against the judge. President Trump hits the campaign trail to give Republicans a boost as we enter the final month of the midterm campaigns. Rod Rosenstein still clinging to his post after reports he could be leaving the Justice Department. And the meeting is next week with the president. And it is a race against the clock for the U.S. and Canada to make a new deal on NAFTA. Good morning, everyone. Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Maria Bartiromo. This is "Sunday Morning Futures." President Trump renewing his support for Judge Brett Kavanaugh this weekend, slamming the Democrats for their -- quote -- "shameless conduct" during last week's emotional hearings. I will ask Senator Lindsey Graham, one of Kavanaugh's strongest defenders, about Thursday's testimony, the FBI probe and where the process goes from here. With 37 days now before Election Day, Republicans are ramping up efforts to keep their majorities in Congress. My next guest recently teamed up with President Trump to raise more than $15 million for some key races. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy will join me for an exclusive interview coming up. Republican lawmakers are demanding answers from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein this morning over bombshell reports that he discussed secretly recording the president and tried recruiting Cabinet members to remove Trump from office. How will it play out, and will this lead to accountability in the Justice Department? One of the lawmakers set to meet with Rosenstein this week, Chairman of the House Oversight Committee Trey Gowdy, will talk with me exclusively this morning. Plus, today is the deadline for a new NAFTA deal with the United States and Canada working around the clock this weekend to make a new deal. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro will update, joining me with an exclusive and new details, as we look ahead right now on "Sunday Morning Futures." (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So, we won. And we have so many things happening that are so good. So we should do well in the midterms. I can't imagine not. But you have to get -- don't be complacent. This election is about security. And it's about prosperity. (END VIDEO CLIP) BARTIROMO: President Trump hosting a rally in Wheeling, West Virginia, yesterday, in the hopes of keeping the GOP majority in Congress. It was the first of several stops on his Make America Great Again rally schedule, as the midterm elections are now just five weeks away. A California Republican also swinging through states across the country with the same mission. Joining me right now is House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy. He joins us now from Roanoke, Virginia, with an exclusive interview. Majority Leader, thanks very much for joining us this morning. Great to see you, Congressman. REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY, R-CALI., HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: Well, thanks for having me back, Maria. BARTIROMO: Well, we want -- we want to kick it off. We're going to be talking with Lindsey Graham in just a moment about what took place last week. But I wonder if what took place around the Kavanaugh hearing impacted the midterm elections. You have been traveling the country a lot, raising a lot of money to keep the majority. What are you seeing? What's been the reception? MCCARTHY: Well, the first reception, when you do have Lindsey Graham on, thank him. As I travel this country, so many people come up to me and say, tell Lindsey Graham thank you, because what he said in that hearing was really what millions of Americans were thinking. And what I'm finding is, prior to the Kavanaugh hearing, the intensity level was really on the Democratic side, that more Democrats were wanting to go vote than Republicans. Republicans thought there wasn't a need. But in the last week, there's been a fundamental shift, that people are now becoming upset, not just how Justice Kavanaugh was treated, but Dr. Ford, that the Democrats knowingly had this letter, held it, and then put her through this. You didn't have to do this. And so it's a big frustration. And I was at an event yesterday, and one of the candidates that I was having a hard time having volunteers come up, now they're just coming to the headquarters. And I think the intensity level has now increased because of what transformed. But for all your viewers, if they just close their eyes and thought about November 7, if, on November 7, we woke up and the Democrats took the majority, what you watched last week would be intensified for the next two years. We wouldn't be talking about how do we put infrastructure, how do we save Social Security, how do we improve our Veterans Administration? It would be hearing after hearing after investigation after investigation. America's economy would somewhat come to a stop, because that really was a view of what will happen if they took the majority. BARTIROMO: So, did things change materially post these last couple of weeks, where we saw the left really ramping up their attacks on the Republicans? I know that you have been traveling, and you have been speaking with -- with voters, and, this weekend, you with President Trump, the president making an appearance at one of the fund-raisers. We have a picture. What did the president say about this? And are you seeing that reaction and the numbers actually move? Because over the preceding weeks, a lot of people have been saying, oh, it's in the bag, the House is going to flip. Has that changed? MCCARTHY: I think it's changed drastically. We look at just the absentee ballots, those who are requesting ballots prior, that has increased over the last week. We look at volunteerism coming into the campaign. We look at things that are happening online. And, remember, Republicans are at a disadvantage, because the Democrats have two liberal billionaires that are trying to buy the House to flip it. You have got Mike Bloomberg, who first promised $80 million. Now he's talking about going to $100 million just on Democrats in the House. And then Tom Steyer, who's already spent $120 million, and he brags because he wants to impeach the president. He brags about his list being larger than the NRA just focusing on impeaching the president. They're giving you a window into what they would do if they won the majority. BARTIROMO: right. And you have been -- but, nonetheless, you have still been very successful in terms of money-raising this -- these last several months. MCCARTHY: We were successful. We raised $15 million that night from people across the country. But the difficulty is, when you have liberal billionaires willing to write a $100 million check at the time, that's very difficult to try to equal the playing field. That's why -- how do we equal the playing field? Results vs. resistance. The results of this economy, better than we have seen in the last 50 years, more jobs being offered than people are looking for. You look what we just did last week, the largest pay raise our military has had in nine years, funding the military and building the military back from those cuts under the Obama administration, or what we done with the VA, given the Choice Act, where veterans and go outside the network even in their own community to find health care. Or the most comprehensive opioid bill that has just passed the House and Senate onto the president's desk, to combat that, because you have got 112 people who will die today because of an addiction. But that is all changing in the direction of the results that we were able to accomplish in the last year-and-a-half. But the sad part is, not one Democrat voted for that tax bill that brought us this economy back. Not one Democrat in the House or the Senate. Not only did they not vote for it. They resisted it. They resisted letting people keep more of their own money. That's the challenge of what we're going forward come November. BARTIROMO: And we know that Nancy Pelosi very famously said that it's just crumbs. Meanwhile, we just saw this past week another GDP of better than 4 percent. We're about to kick off the third-quarter earnings season, and expectations are for 22 percent earnings growth, another strong quarter for the -- for the corporate sector, which you would expect them to create new jobs. I know that the president goes to some of these rallies, and it sort of energizes him to hear the people. Let's run a little of this when you were with the president this weekend at a -- at a fund-raiser. Watch. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: All the radical Democrats know is, how do you obstruct and destroy, because that's what they want to find out. We are asking for your support this November, so that we can protect your family, your country and your freedom. Thank you very much. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) (END VIDEO CLIP) BARTIROMO: Congressman, go through some of the specific races that you are looking at that are close or that you believe are striking in this midterm election. MCCARTHY: Well, I'm in Virginia. One race that I look at, that -- Barbara Comstock. Democrats think they can win that. If that election was today, Barbara would win. What she has been able to do to change that around. When you look at 41 open seats where Republicans have retired. But I look up in Minnesota, up in Duluth area. This is a Democrat-held area. We're ahead with Pete. I look across the country, and if you look to Florida, one of the most challenged seats, if you just look on paper, would be down in Miami area, Carlos Curbelo. He has the highest numbers he's ever had because he's been able to focus, one, on the district itself. But as we go across the country, there's battles in Texas, because you got a little tighter-than-normal Senate race, or you go to California, where we only have 14 House Republican members out of 53, but Hillary carried half those districts, and we have two open seats. But, Maria, think of this. Ed Royce is retiring. So we have an open race right there. We have Young Kim, individual from the district, worked hard, immigrant, came to America. You know what the Democrat opponent -- their Democratic opponent, Gil, he's been accused of sexual harassment, not by a Republican, but by a Democrat who is running for the state assembly. And I have never heard Pelosi or Feinstein stand up for her or compete about what was going on there. Or if you go across California, you go down into Mimi Walters and other seats, that it is competitive. But what's happening is, Mike Bloomberg are writing these million-dollar checks outside of California trying to influence what California voters think or believe. BARTIROMO: Yes. By the way, there's also accusations against Mr. Ellison, who used to run the Democratic Party. And you don't really hear about that. Look, speaking of results, Congressman, you also have moved the needle on this social media conversation, whereas there are many people who feel that they are not getting a fair shot on social media, their voices, their conservative voices are not being heard. I know this was very important to you. And you made sure that Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter, testified, and this past week, you had a meeting with the CEO of Google. What can you tell us about that meeting? MCCARTHY: Well, I will tell you, as a conservative, I get very concerned about the bias that comes across in social media, because we have watched that Google in that -- own video where they sat there right after the election, some actually crying tears, or talking about in their own memos of a -- of a silent donation of helping by using the Internet. And how could Google actually use that? Because 90 percent of all searches on the Internet go through Google. And 95 percent of those people drop off when it comes to the second page. So they have a great amount of influence of what goes forward. But I sat down with the CEO, Sundar. He came into my office. We sat with a number of members walking through not just the bias, but talking about privacy issues, talking about their work within China, making sure that they work with the American military as well. It was a very good meeting. And Sundar, at the end of this meeting, he pledged to come back to a hearing, because Google had not been there before, and it made me great concerned. But when I look at what's happened when it comes to Twitter, or what happens when it comes to Amazon, or on Facebook, these are a great bout of influence. Two-thirds of all adults get their news from the Internet. And when you have individuals -- and after we have had these hearings, we have found conservatives who work in these businesses, they have spoken up. And Facebook, a senior engineer put together his own group because he was -- felt that it was a mob mentality, that he couldn't speak his own -- own beliefs. And then you had Jack Dorsey himself, the CEO, said conservatives were not safe inside Twitter because of their beliefs. That's the bias we have to stop. We have to have transparency as we move forward. And that is the goal I'm working towards and why I continue to bring the social media and others from Silicon Valley into Washington to have the hearing. BARTIROMO: Will you be able to make a change here? Do you believe that Google will make changes? I mean, let's face it. During the primaries in California, if you Googled GOP California ideologies, one of those ideologies that came up on Google was Nazism. How does that happen? And somebody programmed the algorithm. So are you expecting real change post-this? Or do you think we will see legislation to make these companies smaller? MCCARTHY: I expect change to happen. Look, as a conservative, to say my party was Nazism, not the party of Lincoln, not the party of Reagan, and what they do is, they said, that was about Wikipedia. So a couple things have happened already. I sat down, and I met with Sundar a week or two weeks ago, when we were at a session. After that meeting -- and I didn't request it -- he went back and he wrote a letter to all of his employees about not putting their philosophical beliefs before the company, that they have to stop the bias throughout. We watched Jack Dorsey who at first saying they weren't shadow banning, but before he came to the hearing, he said yes. He admitted they did shadow ban. BARTIROMO: Right. MCCARTHY: So what we're doing is, we're opening them up to see something. They're living in a bubble, that the philosophy that the individuals -- and an algorithm is written by a person. Are they influencing the outcome? And if 90 percent of all searches go through Google... BARTIROMO: Right. MCCARTHY: ... that's a real concern if you have tried to put your thumb on the scale. BARTIROMO: Yes. MCCARTHY: You could influence it. Or what comes up in the query, what you write in the query. BARTIROMO: Right. MCCARTHY: Because it will give you four different options. But, if you write a negative, that will be their first pick. BARTIROMO: Yes, exactly. Congressman, it's good to see you this morning. Thanks so much. MCCARTHY: Thank you. BARTIROMO: Congressman Kevin McCarthy. Senator Lindsey Graham is up next live right here. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) BARTIROMO: Welcome back. The FBI reopening its background investigation of Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump ordering the probe, as allegations of sexual assault spark an emotional nationwide debate. Last night, in West Virginia, the president appeared to suggest Democrats were playing politics with the accusations. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: You see what's going on. You see this horrible, horrible, radical group of Democrats. You see it happening right now. And they're determined to take back power by using any means necessary. You see the meanness, the nastiness. They don't care who they hurt, who they have to run over in order to get power and control. That's what they want, is power and control. We're not going to give it to them. We're going to keep it running the way it's been running. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) (END VIDEO CLIP) BARTIROMO: Meanwhile, my next guest made headlines this week for his fiery criticism of Democrats' tactics during the Kavanaugh hearings. Watch. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, R-SOUTH CAROLINA: If you wanted an FBI investigation, you could have come to us. What you want to do is destroy this guy's life, hold this seat open and hope you win in 2020. You have said that, not me. Boy, you all want power. God, I hope you never get it. I hope the American people can see through this sham, that you knew about it and you held it. You had no intention of protecting Dr. Ford, none. She's as much of a victim as you are. (END VIDEO CLIP) BARTIROMO: Joining me right now is the man himself, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, sits on the Senate Judiciary, Armed Services and Budget Committees. Senator, it is good to have you this morning. Thanks so much for joining us. GRAHAM: Thanks for having me. Appreciate it. BARTIROMO: And let me say, thank you for your leadership and your courage this past week. What prompted you? GRAHAM: Outrage at a Star Chamber process. I have known Brett for 20 years. He's gone through six FBI background investigations. He's appointed more women to be his law clerk than any circuit judge in the country. He's highly respected, not one hint of impropriety. And they have tried to destroy his life. I voted for Sotomayor and Kagan. This was about delaying the hearing, keeping the seat open past the midterms, so it could be filled in 2020. There are no rules when it comes to Brett Kavanaugh. I honored Obama's election. He got to pick Sotomayor and Kagan. They don't want to honor President Trump's ability to pick a fine man. I was -- when Durbin told and turn to Don McGahn, if you're truly innocent and ask for this to continue, that was a bridge too far. And I think I spoke in a way that a lot of Republicans at least could relate to. And I'm a bipartisan guy. I will continue to be. But when it comes to judicial nominees nominated by our side, I'm going to make sure they're treated fairly. And he was not. BARTIROMO: And he was not. You said what a lot of people were thinking. What is your thought now that they are delaying for another week with an FBI investigation? GRAHAM: Here's what I would like your viewers to know, that Jeff Flake has been a friend of mine for a very long time. Susan Collins, Murkowski, Lisa Murkowski, are all fine senators. They want a supplemental FBI background investigation. The committee talked to the people named by Dr. Ford at being at the party. Dr. Ford tell us when it happened or where it happened, sometimes in the summer of 1982, she believes. So the committee talked to Leland Keyser, a friend of Dr. Ford. And Ms. Keyser has told us that she doesn't refute what Dr. Ford said. BARTIROMO: Yes. GRAHAM: But she was not at a party. She doesn't know Brett Kavanaugh. So, as to that aspect of the allegation by Dr. Ford, she is confused. Mark Judge said, didn't happen. P.J. said, don't know what you're talking about. So the FBI is going to interview these people. BARTIROMO: Yes. GRAHAM: They're going to ask Mark Judge, have you ever seen Brett Kavanaugh drug women and participate in gang rapes, the Avenatti claim, which Mark Judge was both be an accomplice to? BARTIROMO: Unbelievable. GRAHAM: We're going to speak -- we're going to speak to Ms. Ramirez, the dorm accusation about exposing himself. BARTIROMO: Hold on. Hold on one second. Hold on one second, Senator, because there are a lot of people who say they weren't there. We're going to continue in a moment. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) BARTIROMO: Welcome back. And we're back with Senator Lindsey Graham. And, senator, you were going through some of the things that the FBI will certainly be doing in terms of their questioning. GRAHAM: Right. BARTIROMO: We have heard from many of those people. And many of them have said, I wasn't at the party, and I don't have any recollection of Brett Kavanaugh in that behavior. GRAHAM: Yes. Right. Right. We told -- they told that to the committee. But the senators that I just named would like the FBI to kind of double-check. Ms. Ramirez refuses to talk to the committee. Democrats haven't helped us at all on the committee to find out what happened. Her allegations wouldn't be printed by The New York Times, for a very good reason. We're going to vote this coming week. The FBI background supplemental investigation should be done early part of this week, Monday or Tuesday. Then we will have a final passage vote later in the week. I'm highly confident he will be confirmed. He deserves to be confirmed. He's a good man. He's the best choice President Trump could have made, in my view. I did recommend him to President Trump. But I want to tell you what's going to happen next, if -- if you will allow. BARTIROMO: Please. GRAHAM: OK, here's what's going to happen. I'm going to ask Senator Grassley to get to the bottom of how this hearing process was so hijacked, the unethical aspects of it, the slash-and-burn aspects of it, the effort to delay it, to abuse, I think, Dr. Ford's trust. So let me tell you, we're going to start with the following concept. Dr. Ford said at the hearing that she didn't know that the committee was willing to come to California to take her to testimony in a private setting. Here's what I can -- here's what she said. "I just appreciate that you did offer that. I wasn't clear on what the offer was, if you were going to come out to see me. And I would have happily hosted you and been happy to speak with you out there. It wasn't clear to me that -- that that was the case." How could that not be clear to her? Let me tell you what this committee did. On September the 19th, the staff told a Grassley letter to Katz, her attorney. "My staff would still welcome the opportunity to speak with Dr. Ford at a time and place convenient to her." "We also offered that committee investigators are available to meet with Dr. Ford anywhere, anytime, if she would prefer to provide her testimony outside of a hearing setting," September 22, Judiciary Committee staff e- mail to the lawyer Katz and Bromwich. Grassley tweets: "Come to us or we will come to you." We wrote a letter -- he did -- to the Democrats: "I'm even willing to have my staff travel to Dr. Ford to California or anywhere else to obtain her testimony," letter from Grassley to Feinstein. BARTIROMO: Right. GRAHAM: Dr. Ford's attorney replies, September the 20th: "Dr. Ford has asked me to let you know that she appreciates the various options you have suggested." Katz's e-mail back to Judiciary staff. So I'm going to find out why she didn't know her options. I'm going to find out who in Feinstein's staff recommended Katz to be Dr. Ford's lawyer. It's improper for senators to recommend lawyers to constituents. I'm going to ask, if you thought she needed a lawyer as a staff member, why didn't you come forward and tell the committee about the allegation? I'm going to try to find out who betrayed Dr. Ford's trust to remain anonymous. There are three people at three groups that had the letter, a Democratic congresswoman and her staff, Feinstein and her staff. And I don't believe Feinstein did this. And Dr. Ford's lawyers. No friend sent this out to the press. No friend would do this to her. The person who sent this anonymous -- destroyed her trust, betrayed her request to be anonymous, had a political agenda. I'm going to get to the bottom of it. BARTIROMO: So, is... GRAHAM: I'm want to find out who on the Democratic side leaked an anonymous letter provided to the committee by Senator Gardner with no postmark on it, no return address, claiming that Judge Kavanaugh did something wrong in 1988 -- 1998 in Colorado. Somebody on the Democratic side leaked that to NBC News, and they ran it as a story. I cannot imagine, if a Democratic nominee had been before this committee, that NBC would run an anonymous letter provided by Republicans. BARTIROMO: So, laws... GRAHAM: The bottom line is... BARTIROMO: Yes, have laws -- go ahead. The bottom line? GRAHAM: The bottom line is, we're going to look into a betrayal of trust of Dr. Ford, a betrayal of the committee rules. We're going to look to see if we can prove what I think is obvious. This wasn't about protecting Dr. Ford. It was about delaying the hearing. It was about not sharing with the committee relevant, credible information. It was about running out the clock, never confronting him in real time, to put us in the box we're in. That's what this has been about. BARTIROMO: Well, people also want to know if laws were broken in terms of revealing your personal information. Your colleague Senator Rand Paul is now calling for an investigation... GRAHAM: Yes. BARTIROMO: ... to determine and punish who published the personal information of you and two other Republican senators during the Senate Judiciary Committee meeting on -- on Friday. Tell me what happened as a result of your personal information being published, sir. (LAUGHTER) GRAHAM: This is the second time I have had to change my phone number. The first time is when President Trump did this -- and during the campaign. And I'm not worried about me changing my phone number. I am worried about my address being sent out. But here's what I would say. BARTIROMO: Who did it? Who do you think did it? GRAHAM: I don't know. I would like to know. Why do I want to know? Not so much about me. I want to deter an abuse of the process, because if this is going to be the new norm, God help us all. Who would want to come before this committee if we're going to do this? And the people who did it, I hope they don't get away with it. I want to find the person, if I can, who destroyed Dr. Ford's trust... BARTIROMO: Yes. GRAHAM: ... outed her, when she wanted to be anonymous, who sent a document given to the committee to an outlet that was an anonymous letter, unverified. But I also want to know what's going to happen to the fifth accuser. Senator Whitehouse got an accusation from a man in Rhode Island who said that a female friend of his was taken out a boat by Mark Judge, Brett Kavanaugh, and poorly treated. She told him about it. He went down to the dock basically and beat both of them up. I support an FBI look into that. Whitehouse did the right thing. BARTIROMO: Right. Senator, you said... GRAHAM: The guy recanted. I want him to be held accountable. BARTIROMO: You said something interesting this week. You said, "If I am the chairman of this committee in the future, I will remember this." I want to ask you about that after this short break. Stay with us. Senator Lindsey Graham returns in a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) BARTIROMO: And we're back with Senator Lindsey Graham. And, Senator, you made a comment last week, saying, with all of this misconduct on the left, "If I become chairman of this committee, I will remember." Is that in the plans? GRAHAM: Yes, I'm going to try to deter this for the -- for the future. It's a noble cause on the left to destroy Kavanaugh and stop Trump from having a Supreme Court pick when it comes to replacing Kennedy. Most liberal media outlets believe it's a noble cause. They're not going to give much scrutiny to people who try to take Kavanaugh down, the tactics they use. But this can be played out over time and destroy the ability to get good people to come forward. I am going to find out what staffer recommended Katz to be Ford's lawyer, why that staffer didn't tell the committee about the allegation, if you believed she actually needed a lawyer. Ms. Ramirez said one the main reasons she came forward, she was urged by Democratic senators to talk, to give an interview. Well, if a Democratic senator believed she had something serious to say, they should have reported it to the committee, so we can investigate it, not to the media, so it would be allegation number two. BARTIROMO: Yes. GRAHAM: I'm going to find out who leaked the anonymous letter provided by Cory Gardner, if I can, and punish them. We can't let those people who betrayed Dr. Ford's trust get away with it, because that will affect the committee in the future. BARTIROMO: But should we trust -- but should we be trusting the FBI here? GRAHAM: Yes. Yes. Yes. BARTIROMO: After all that we have discussed in terms of this small cabal of people at the top of the FBI in trying to put their finger on the scale in the 2016 election, what's your trustworthiness of the FBI's investigation of Kavanaugh in the next week? And will it really just take a week? GRAHAM: It should take just a couple of days. The trust -- the trust level is high. My beef has never been with the FBI. It has been with McCabe and a few bad apples. I love the FBI. Professional agents who do background checks will talk to the people Dr. Ford named, like the committee did. They will talk to Ms. Ramirez, who refuses to talk to the committee. And that will be it. It'll be done in a few days. I trust the FBI to do a fair supplemental background check. And I promise everybody who's listening, we're not going to let them get away with this. If this is the new normal, nobody will come forward. I want to know the Democratic senators who encouraged Ramirez embarrassed go to the press, but didn't tell the committee. It's obvious what they're trying to do. They say it themselves. BARTIROMO: Yes. GRAHAM: They're trying to delay Kavanaugh, so we can replace him in 2020. BARTIROMO: Real quick before you go, Senator, what should we expect next week from this meeting with Rod Rosenstein and the president? GRAHAM: A conversation about whether or not Rosenstein was part of a bureaucratic coup to take him down. I don't believe Rosenstein was. And that's a conversation they need to have. And I want to thank President Trump for nominating Kavanaugh. He was such an outstanding choice. But I wouldn't fire Rosenstein unless there's some real credible evidence, other than McCabe, that he did something improper. BARTIROMO: Because we know, if the House flips, we're not going to hear about that story any longer. We're going to talk about that right now. And it is good to see you this morning, Senator. Thanks very much for joining us. GRAHAM: Can I just add one thing? BARTIROMO: Yes, please. GRAHAM: If I had done what Democrats had done, if I had recommended a conservative activist lawyer against a Democratic male nominee, an accuser who came forward in South Carolina, and I hid it, and I didn't tell the committee about it, I would be destroyed. The double standard here is unacceptable. And we're finally going to do something about it. BARTIROMO: Senator, thank you. We will be watching. We appreciate your time this morning. GRAHAM: Thank you. BARTIROMO: Senator Lindsey Graham. And House Republicans are planning a closed-door meeting with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein this upcoming week, this after that explosive New York Times report claiming Rosenstein talk about secretly recording President Trump and invoking the 25th Amendment to remove him from office. Joining me right now is South Carolina Congressman Trey Gowdy. He's the chairman of the House Oversight Committee. He also serves on the Judiciary and Intelligence Committees. It is good to see you, Congressman. Thanks very much for joining. REP. TREY GOWDY, R-SOUTH CAROLINA: Yes, ma'am. Thank you. BARTIROMO: What do you want to see in this upcoming week between the meeting of Rosenstein and the president? GOWDY: Well, I want to see the memos. I never thought I should have gone to journalism school to get access to Andy McCabe's memos, instead of running for Congress. I mean, think about that for a second. You need an online subscription to The New York Times to read Andy McCabe's memos, despite the fact Congress has been asking for it for months. So I need to see the memos. I need to ask Rod what he said. And then we will get to what he meant. Those may or may not be the same thing. Lindsey Graham is right. When your star witness is Andy McCabe, who is already in trouble for both a lack of candor and affirmatively misrepresenting the truth, I want to hear -- Rod deserves to be heard out, and I appreciate the president talking to him this week. And we're going to talk to him. And I want to know what he said. Then I want to know what he meant. I want to know whether anyone else was present for these meetings. But if your case hinges on the credibility of Andy McCabe, good luck. BARTIROMO: This is exactly the reason that your colleagues in the Intel Committee want to understand better what went into this whole narrative of Donald Trump having anything to do with Russia meddling. And, of course, we had news on that this week, your committee, the Intel Committee. Let's talk a bit about that and what we might see from some of these documents that are to be released. GOWDY: Yes. Well, you're going to see that Tom Rooney, Mike Conaway and I asked collusion, coordination, conspiracy questions of every single witness, from Jared Kushner to Donald Trump Jr. to Steve Bannon to Susan Rice, Samantha Power. I want -- I want your viewers and my fellow citizens to see every question that was asked. And what they will learn is, Republicans were just as interested in finding out what happened with respect to collusion, coordination, conspiracy as anyone else. And what they will also learn is that Adam Schiff wanted to go back 25 years and ask questions of witnesses while they were in junior high school. And then he goes and gets the sparkle notes from the "Brothers Karamazov" and decides to ask about Russian -- ominous-sounding Russian names that none of the witnesses had ever heard of. So I can't wait for the transcripts to come out and defeat this narrative that Adam Schiff is the only one that is concerned about collusion. You can rest assured this, Maria. If there were evidence of collusion, Adam would have leaked it a long time ago. But there is not. And I can't wait for the transcripts to be public. BARTIROMO: Right. And the House and Intel Committee voted on Friday morning to declassify the transcripts of interviews with more than 50 witnesses from the committee's Trump-Russia investigation. How much longer do we give the DOJ and the FBI the benefit of the doubt, sir? You have been asking for documents for well over a year, and you still are yet to see specific documents related to how this investigation started. GOWDY: I have seen almost every document that they're going to allow Congress to see. Paul and Devin have been really good and letting me go to the department. I also used to work for the Department of Justice. So I understand the tension between the branches. What I do not understand -- think back to Jim Comey memos. Remember, only two of us could read them. And then we couldn't talk about them. And God forbid they be released publicly. And then the next thing you know, they're in every major newspaper, and you're sitting there wondering, why couldn't I read this six months ago? I wonder if the same thing is going to be true within the McCabe memos. I wonder if the same thing is going to be true with the Bruce Ohr 302s. I think what my fellow citizens are going to see is that the department and the bureau sometimes hide behind an ongoing criminal probe just because they don't want us to see things that are embarrassing for them. And that's not right. And the department should be big and strong enough to withstand a few bad actors. The overwhelming majority of those employees are fantastic. I worked with them for 20 years. BARTIROMO: Right. GOWDY: For every Peter Strzok, there are 1,000 people that you would love. BARTIROMO: Right. But Peter Strzok had his hand on the wheel. GOWDY: But we need to see the documents. Every... BARTIROMO: This was the guy running the investigation, though. GOWDY: Every aspect of it, yes, ma'am, exactly the wrong person to be doing it. BARTIROMO: We all thought that leaking to the media was against the law. So, I guess I'm scratching my head, saying, if we know all of these leaks have occurred, how come people like Adam Schiff are not in trouble? We're going to take a short break, Congressman, but I want to ask you about that, because, to the rest of us in the audience this morning, we thought leaking was against the law. Stay with us. Back in a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) BARTIROMO: And I am back with Congressman Trey Gowdy, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, also serving on the Judiciary and Intelligence Committees. And, Congressman, the question I asked you before we went to break was that of accountability, really. We understand that there have been a lot of leaks to the media. And that's against the law, is it not? GOWDY: Well, I want your viewers to think about two different tracks. There is confidential information, where parties have an expectation of privacy, where you have given your word that you won't repeat it. That's not criminal. That's a moral issue. The criminal -- the legal issue becomes when you disseminate classified information. Now, there's been both done in the last 18 months, but -- but -- and I'm concerned about both. One is a crime that should be investigated by the Department of Justice. The other, which Lindsey made reference to and which frustrates the daylights out of me, is when you are telling a witness like Hope Hicks that you can't talk about the questions we ask you on House Intel, and while her interview is going on, while it's going on, the Democrats are coordinating with the media, selecting certain portions of her testimony, and then leaking it. It's not a criminal issue. It's a moral issue. It's really important. It destroys trust. It's part of why Congress is broken. BARTIROMO: Right. GOWDY: But it's not something that you would go to jail for. BARTIROMO: Yes, but I'm talking about leaking by Jim Comey classified information to his friends. I'm talking about Adam Schiff leaking classified information to The New York Times and The Washington Post. GOWDY: Well, it needs to be investigated. Congress does not investigate crime. We control the Department of Justice. President Trump picked the A.G., picked the deputy A.G., picked the third in command. Leaking is moral. Disseminating classified information is a crime. It should be investigated by the FBI. But Congress doesn't investigate, prosecute, sentence for criminal activity. BARTIROMO: Do you think we're going to see accountability in all of this? You have been investigating the investigators now for a year-and-a-half. We know that there was obviously misconduct done by a handful of people at the top of the FBI and the DOJ. Andrew McCabe already been referred for criminal activity. Tell us where you see this going. GOWDY: I think there's already been some accountability. I think there's more to come. I think, of the 10 people who were most intricately involved in the Russia probe, 80 percent of them are no longer with the department or with the bureau. You mentioned Andy McCabe. Comey is gone. Brennan is gone. Lisa Page is gone. Jim Baker is gone. Rybicki is gone. A lot -- there has been some accountability. I think there'd be more if the Democrats spent more time working with their Republican colleagues and less time coordinating media leaks. But that's been my great frustration. The Department of Justice belongs to all of us. You would think Republicans and Democrats alike wouldn't like biased FBI agents. BARTIROMO: Right. GOWDY: Who would have thought it took Peter Strzok to get the Democrats to find a law enforcement officer they actually liked? Who would have thought that? All the times they are critical of law enforcement, and they go out of their way to defend one of the most biased agents I have seen in my time in public service. But that's where we are in politics, and one reason I can't wait to be gone. BARTIROMO: Just extraordinary. Congressman, thank you very much. Thanks for your service as well. We appreciate your time this morning. GOWDY: Yes, ma'am. Thank you. BARTIROMO: Congressman Trey Gowdy. Meanwhile, it is deadline day. In the face of all of that, it's deadline day for Canada and a new NAFTA agreement tonight with the United States. Where do we stand with one of our biggest trading partners? My exclusive interview with White House trade adviser Peter Navarro is next, as we look ahead on "Sunday Morning Futures." Right back in a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) BARTIROMO: Welcome back. A deadline arrives today for Canada to sign on to a new NAFTA deal with the United States. Joining me right now, in an exclusive interview, is Peter Navarro, assistant to the president and director of the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy. Peter, it's good to see you this morning. Thanks so much for joining me. PETER NAVARRO, DIRECTOR, WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF TRADE AND MANUFACTURING POLICY: Good morning, Maria. Good morning. BARTIROMO: Are we close with Canada? NAVARRO: I just spoke an hour ago to the team, and I'm going to update you on that. But I do want to say one thing before we go to Canada, is simply this, that President Donald J. Trump has very quietly been putting together the best performance on the economy and trade of any president in modern history. And it's really, truly extraordinary. And I say quietly because the media has underreported both the actions we have taken and the results. And exhibit A is this last week at the United Nations, where President Trump orchestrated a groundbreaking deal with South Korea, opened negotiations with Japan, and worked with our allies in Japan and Europe to issue strong statements against the behavior of China. So, this is great stuff. But Canada... BARTIROMO: Yes. Peter, let me interrupt you. I know you had a fantastic week in terms of trade. NAVARRO: Yes. BARTIROMO: We only have a few minutes this morning, because we have had such a breaking news program. NAVARRO: Sure. BARTIROMO: I want to get to the meat and potatoes, if you will. NAVARRO: Canada. BARTIROMO: One of the issues was the so-called Chapter 19 dispute panels the U.S. wants to eliminate from NAFTA, Canada wants to preserve. Has that been agreed upon? NAVARRO: Here's where things stand. The broad brush of the deal is two things. One is that we want to restore North America as a manufacturing powerhouse by reclaiming the supply chain. The deal in principle with Mexico will do that. If Canada comes in, that's great. There's also a modernization component that brings in things like protection for digital I.P., pharma and things like that. That's where things stand. There's broad agreement on virtually all of that. There are several sticking points. You mentioned one. Dairy is another. The last thing I want to do is sit here and interject anything into this debate. Let Bob Lighthizer and his colleagues in these other countries get the job done today. And I promise you this, Maria. Tomorrow morning, on "Maria in the Morning," you will have some news one way or another that will big -- be big and perhaps market-moving. BARTIROMO: So, then, we are close, then? You think we could see a Canada deal by tomorrow morning, when "Mornings with Maria" starts on FOX Business, is what you're saying? NAVARRO: Everybody's negotiating in good faith right now as we speak. And the deadline is midnight tonight to get the text in to Congress in order to make sure this goes forward. So, it's either going to be the text goes in with Mexico and the U.S., or the text goes in with all three countries. BARTIROMO: At the same time, the president is working with the Europeans and Japan, very quickly, correct? NAVARRO: Japan and Europe on a united front against China's forced technology transfer, which this action this week described as deplorable. Within the NAFTA -- the new agreement with Mexico and Canada is very strong provisions against the state-owned enterprise behavior of China. BARTIROMO: And that is new. And that is new, a united front against Canada. Peter, thanks very much for weighing in. NAVARRO: All right. BARTIROMO: It is good to see you this morning. I will see you tomorrow morning on the Fox Business Network. Have a great Sunday, 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. WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES BELOW An Arlington, Texas, man lost both of his ears after he was attacked by two dogs this week, according to authorities. The dogs were likely pit bulls. The man, identified as Milton Sturges, 58, was out walking Wednesday when the dogs attacked. A neighbor who heard the man screaming called police, who, upon arrival, reportedly saw the man being mauled, local news station CBS 11 reported. NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENTS SHOULD AVOID FLORENCE-AFFECTED WATERS, OFFICIALS SAY One officer struck the dogs -- believed to be adult pit bulls, one male and one female -- with a weapon. Eventually, they successfully pulled the dogs off the man. Sturges was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries. He lost both of his ears. His nose was partially torn off and his bottom lip was partially torn off, Omar Sturges, Miltons nephew, told the news station. Milton Sturges will now require reconstructive surgery, according to a GoFundMe created to assist with medical expenses. Officials with the Arlington Police Department are now conducting an investigation into the incident and are searching for the dogs owners. Authorities told CBS 11 the male pit bull, which weighed an estimated 80 pounds, was gray with cropped ears and appeared to have chain marks (scars) around [his] neck as if he had been chained up. The female, which was brown and also had cropped ears, weighed roughly 55 pounds and appeared to have previously had a liter(s) of puppies, authorities said, according to the news station. Following the attack, both dogs reportedly died after they were taken by local animal control officials. Neither dog was wearing a collar or was microchipped, CBS 11 reported. Though hes still recovering, Milton Sturges is now in stable condition and is talking and moving around, Omar Sturges said. DOG IN VIRGINIA POSSIBLY 'CLAWED' ITS WAY OUT OF PLASTIC BAG PRIOR TO RESCUE I dont want to see another family go through this simply because theyre not able to find the owner, the mans nephew added. A spokesperson for the Arlington Police Department was not immediately available for comment when contacted by Fox News on Saturday. Three men were killed when a car exploded in Pennsylvania's third largest city Saturday night, drawing a massive response from local and federal law enforcement to what was dubbed a "criminal incident." At a news conference Sunday afternoon, authorities repeatedly described the explosion in Allentown as an "isolated incident." Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said investigators had a "high degree of confidence that the perpetrator was probably killed." There was no immediate word on the identities of the victims, nor was there any explanation of a possible motive or cause of the blast. Investigators said they did not believe there was any additional threat to the community. The explosion happened at approximately 9:30 p.m. on a downtown street and could be heard and felt across the city located about 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Resident Carlos Perodin told The Morning Call newspaper that he was watching a movie with his wife when he heard a thunderous explosion and went to the scene. "The fire was crazy," Perodin told the paper. "The car was pretty much split in half." Another witness, Stephanie Connelly, said she saw body parts strewn across the street. "This is real life and I'm shaking and freaking out while I'm running," she told The Morning Call. A bus station was turned into a makeshift command center with armored vehicles, dozens of police cruisers, mobile command units and even portable bathrooms, the paper reported. Several portable tents were also erected for evidence processing. Residents were asked to avoid the area, and people who live nearby were asked to shelter in place. A shelter was set up at an elementary school and authorities said it would remain open on Sunday night. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is taking the lead on the investigation with the assistance of the FBI and local authorities. Officials have asked anyone with information about the case to call (888) ATF-BOMB (283-2662). The Associated Press contributed to this report. Cold case detectives have announced an arrest in the murder of an Arizona man in his home 17 years ago. Richard Cacero Lucero was found dead on Dec. 20, 2001, by El Mirage cops conducting a welfare check. Investigators charged Frank Gallas Mendoza, of Fresno, Calif., with murder, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said Thursday. He was arrested Sept. 24 in Fresno. Advances in latent print and DNA testing helped our detectives make an arrest in this horrific and until now unsolved murder, DPS Director Col. Frank Milstead said. Lucero's brother-in-law said his family finally has some closure after 17 years, Fox 10 Phoenix reported. "We know that the police officers, the detectives, the DNA people, it always takes a whole team to come together and put all the information to come up with answers," Felix Jimenez said, according to the station. "We are finally at one point of our lives where there will be closure for us and for the rest of the family that's not here at this point," he said. Click for more from Fox 10 Phoenix. Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, attends the ceremony of the Chinese Government Friendship Award 2018 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 29, 2018. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) BEIJING, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Vice Premier Liu He said Saturday that an open China welcomes more and more foreign experts to make innovation and start businesses. Liu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks at a ceremony where he presented the Friendship Award to 50 foreign experts working in China, who are from 21 countries, in recognition of their contribution to the nation's development. Liu said the Chinese government would continue to create a favorable environment for global talent to develop careers in China, implement a more active, open and effective policy to attract talent, and try hard to make foreigners work or stay in China more convenient. China would keep its national scientific research tasks open to foreign talent, and protect intellectual property rights according to law, and provide foreigners working in China with conveniences in housing, schooling for children, spouse employment and medical services, Liu pledged. The Friendship Award is an annual award issued by the Chinese government to honor experts working in China. It was established in 1991. [ Editor: Zhang Zhou ] A father was charged Friday after a baby was spotted crawling across a New Jersey road by a driver. Evgeniy Dorman, 41, was charged with cruelty and neglect of a child after he surrendered himself to police just after 1 p.m., Asbury Park Press reported. He was released pending a future court date. The shocking incident that occurred on Sept. 22 caught nationwide attention after a photo of the crawling baby in Lakewood appeared in a since-deleted Facebook post. Cory Cannon, who posted the photo, told the Asbury Park Press he thought the child was a toy until he saw movement. "I thought it was a toy or something until she moved," he told the newspaper. "I knew I needed to get some sort of proof and my GPS was open on my phone, so I used my work vehicle to slow down traffic behind me and took the pic as I was exiting the vehicle and halting oncoming cars." BABY FOUND CRAWLING ACROSS NEW JERSEY ROAD PROMPTS INVESTIGATION A neighbor took the baby back to his parents, who didnt know the child was gone until he was returned home. The child was unharmed in the incident. Police discovered the 10-month-old boy had crawled about 140 feet from an open door, probably left open by an older sibling, to the street where he was later found by Cannon. A woman who identified herself as the caretaker said the incident was an accident. Fox News' Travis Fedschun contributed to this report. A Pennsylvania man with a physical disability who has lived alone for the last four years is fighting to keep his independence and his homewith a little help from his community. David Murray, who was diagnosed with a rare form of muscular dystrophy known as dystol myopathy at age 22, has been struggling to keep up with the expenses of maintaining his handicapped-accessible home in Flourtown, Pennsylvania. My house use to be filled with people all the time and now its just silent. And it gets to me and Im thinking I dont know what to do with that, Murray, 60, told Fox 29. When she (my neighbor) gets the people together and they come, its like they open up their arms and you can just dive in. In addition, Murray has been dealing with the death of his younger sister, who had the same form of muscular dystrophy, in 2014. The small community in southeastern Pennsylvania, with a population of just over 4,600, has reportedly come to Murrays aid in the past, as well, including a fundraiser in 1999 that took in $50,000. Those funds allowed Murray to remain inside his homewhich his mother Catherine had built for him and his sister in 1987and be somewhat independent. However, now that the house needs more repairs, including a new roof, his friend Patricia Sivel and others have set up a GoFundMe account that has raised $8,000 out of a $50,000 goal. The money will go directly to a fund to assist Murray with his expenses. According to the GoFundMe page, Murray will be forced to move into a home-care facility if he cant maintain his current residence. A man was arrested in Florida Saturday after he shot and killed an 8-month-old puppy with a high-powered pellet rifle from a second-floor balcony, according to police. The David Police Department said in a Facebook post that Johansen Concepcion De La Ros, 19, faces a charge of felony cruelty to animals. The incident happened around 6:30 p.m., when the owners of the dog, named "Princess," were walking the animal around the Centro Apartments, located about 25 miles north of Miami. Police said Ros, while armed with the pellet rifle with the scope, "took a knee, lined up the cross hairs, and took a shot, killing the little dog." DOG IN VIRGINIA POSSIBLY 'CLAWED' ITS WAY OUT OF PLASTIC BAG PRIOR TO RESCUE The dog's owner didn't know what had happened when Princess began to bleed from the mouth, and was able to seek help from an off-duty officer from the Pembroke Pines Police Department who happened to be driving in the area at the time and saw the incident. Police posted photos showing in graphic detail the dog after it was shot, with blood on its mouth and on a sidewalk. WARNING: GRAPHIC PHOTOS When officers went to the apartment where the shot was fired, another man inside identified as Daniel Alvarez told police Concepcion De La Ros had said in Spanish, 'I'm going to shoot the dog," WPLG reported. Police said the dog was taken to an animal hospital, where it determined the pellet traveled through the puppy's chest, killing it. "Princess was an 8-month-old puppy who belonged to the 8-year-old daughter of the parents who were walking it, police said. "The family just moved to the area the prior day from out of the state. A Florida woman was arrested after she allegedly locked up dozens of animals inside of a U-Haul truck without food or water, deputies said. Karen Tuttle-Kunmann, 61, was taken into custody Saturday on 47 counts of animal cruelty, according to online records from the Pasco County Sheriff's Office. The sheriff's office did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment. Tuttle-Kunmann allegedly kept one dog and dozens of cats inside of a storage area and a cab of a U-Haul, Fox 13 reported. Authorities uncovered the alleged abuse after complaints from neighbors. Deputies unloaded the vehicle and found cats packed throughout including underneath furniture and in cages stacked to the top of the truck. The animals were reportedly transported to local animal control. According to Fox 13, Tuttle-Kunmann was being held on a $5,000 bond per count of animal cruelty. Mississippi jurors on Sunday began deliberating the fate of a man accused of murder following a second trial over charges that he set a woman on fire in 2014. The case, tried in Batesville before jurors from another county, concluded after six days of testimony in the death of 19-year-old Jessica Chambers. Jurors deliberated for nearly five hours before recessing Sunday evening with plans to resume their consideration of the case Monday morning, member reports said. Jurors couldn't reach a verdict in 29-year-old defendant Quinton Tellis' first trial last year. The case, beginning with a smoldering and mortally wounded Chambers stumbling away from her burning car on the outskirts of the north Mississippi hamlet of Courtland, has captured wide attention. Like in the first trial, closing arguments highlighted jurors' choice. Prosecutors said evidence links Tellis to Chambers' death and that he lied to investigators. The defense emphasized testimony by emergency workers that they heard a dying Chambers say someone named Eric attacked her and that prosecutors concocted a complicated theory that makes Tellis look like a "supercriminal." "I believe we have proven element required and I contend to you we have proven every element required to prove Quinton Tellis guilty of capital murder beyond a reasonable doubt," Panola County Assistant District Attorney Jay Hale told jurors. Hale pointed to cellphone location data and surveillance video that supports prosecutors' timeline. They say Tellis and Chambers had sex after returning to Courtland from eating at a fast food restaurant and that Chambers' car was driven to a roadside. They say Tellis walked home, dropping Chambers' keys along the way, catching a ride. Then they say he borrowed an SUV, got a gas can, and returned to set Chambers on fire. "Quinton Tellis went down to that crime scene and lit this child on fire," Hale said. Defense attorney Alton Peterson told jurors that's a complicated scenario making Tellis out to be a "supercriminal." He suggested that investigators, out of leads months after the crime, unfairly focused on Tellis. He said there are too many facts not in evidence and prosecutors are asking jurors to make too many "jumps" in a timeline that's "utterly ridiculous." "They came back to Quinton Tellis and they started working backwards," Peterson said. "They came up with a picture and it was their job to make the evidence fit into that picture." For example, they questioned a new witness who didn't testify in the first trial Sherry Flowers who said she picked up an unidentified black male whom prosecutors contend was Tellis. "Something seem a little suspicious to you, someone showing up now?" asked defense attorney Darla Palmer in closing arguments. "Seems made up to me." Defense attorneys also again pounded on testimony by 10 emergency workers that Chambers told them at the scene that "Eric" had attacked her. Palmer urged jurors to discount testimony by two experts who said Chambers couldn't have formed words properly. "There is reasonable doubt in this case," Palmer said. "Where is Eric? Where is the actual search of Eric who did this?" Prosecutors showed hours of interrogation video with Tellis, arguing multiple changes in his story showed he was lying. "Quinton Tellis had obviously not been truthful with investigators," Hale said. "He lied." Defense attorneys, though, said Tellis was being questioned 10 months or longer after the incident and shouldn't be blamed for misremembering some details. "Did he appear to be dishonest?" Palmer asked. "That's the basic thing. No, he kept talking. He continued to talk about and wanted to give them information about what happened." Tellis faces another murder indictment in Louisiana in the Monroe stabbing death of Meing-Chen Hsiao, a former Taiwanese graduate student. He was already serving five years in prison in Mississippi on an unrelated burglary conviction and had already pleaded guilty to unauthorized use of Hsiao's debit card in Louisiana. A 4-year-old boy was thrown from the top of a New York City building by his mentally-ill brother who was arrested, according to reports. Shimron Smith was senselessly killed overnight Saturday, the New York Post reported. Shawn Smith, 20, was arrested on a murder charge. I just killed my brother, he allegedly told cops, the paper reported, citing sources. I took my brother up to the roof and I threw him off. Shimron was tossed from the top of an apartment building in Brooklyn that was seven-stories high, according to the paper. INDIANA COUPLE WHOSE BABY DIED AFTER INGESTING METH ARRESTED, CHARGED WITH NEGLECT: POLICE Shawn Smith is schizophrenic and police sources said he recently told his family that voices in his head were ordering him to do something bad, the paper reported.The family is from Guyana. Smith underwent psychiatric treatment at a hospital in July, according to the Post. As he was escorted out of the the precinct, Shawn Smith grinned and said not really when reporters asked him if he meant to hurt his brother, WNBC-TV reported. The Frying Pan Tower American Flag that millions of people saw being shredded by Hurricane Florence as the storm approached North Carolina is now being auctioned off to raise money for storm relief. The flag was flying over an old Coast Guard station, 34 miles off the North Carolina coast, which has now been converted into a B&B run by Richard Neal, and is reachable by helicopter or boat in less treacherous conditions. As Florence took aim at the Carolina coast, a live camera feed of the flag blowing in the storm's ferocious winds drew in eyeballs from all over the world. As it was being torn to shreds on camera, all the comments coming through were so strong, Neal told The StarNews. It really jumped out to me that it could be a way to benefit the people who were most impacted and put a few dollars in the hands of a good organization. US FLAG SEEN SHREDDED BY HURRICANE FLORENCE OFF NC COAST TO BE REPLACED WITH DONATED OLD GLORY The flag is now being auctioned off on eBay to benefit the American Red Cross. "A bit tattered and torn, but like all who claim America to be home and are proud to do so, it still stands proud! Consider bidding on it to show your pride in America," the posting reads. "100% of the proceeds from this auction will be used to benefit the victims of Hurricane Florence through the American Red Cross's special funding designation." As of Sunday morning, the current bid is at $10,100. Bidding ends at 10 p.m. ET on Sunday. Fox News' Robert Gearty contributed to this report. A woman accused of stabbing three babies and two adults at a suspected birth tourism site said she mistook the newborns for wolves. Yu Fen Wang, 52, told the New York Daily News from Rikers Island she was sorry for the stabbing spree at the residence in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens. Three babies a 12-day-old, a 32-day-old and a 33-day-old were taken to the hospital in critical condition after they were stabbed around 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 20. Wang was charged with five counts of attempted murder. I dont know why I did such a thing or what I was thinking about, Wang said in Mandarin to the New York Daily News. At the moment, I thought they were not babies, but wolves. So I slashed. I hope [the babies] didnt get hurt. I hope they are OK, added Wang, a grandmother of three. Wangs left arm was heavily bandaged due to the self-inflicted cuts when she tried to kill herself after the incident. Police found her unconscious and bleeding in the buildings basement. I cant live anymore, Wang told the newspaper. SUSPECTED BIRTH TOURISM SITE REPORTEDLY AT CENTER OF NEW YORK CITY STABBING SPREE According to multiple reports, the building was being used to house pregnant Asian women who sought to travel to the U.S. on tourist visas so their babies could be born and gain U.S. citizenship. The facility offered month-long intensive mother-baby care called zuo yue zi, which roughly translates to sitting the month, according to the New York Post. A community source told the newspaper most of the women were from China. Ninety percent of them in these centers come from China, the community source told the New York Post, adding the women were recovering after giving birth in New York. They dont advertise. Its word of mouth. Wang said she hopes to redeem herself and vowed to never commit such a mistake again. She said she wants to go home and take care of her three granddaughters. Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report. A woman said she saw 6-year-old Maddox Ritch at the North Carolina park the day he vanished contradicting a park workers claim that he never saw the child before the father reported him missing. Brooke Sheppard told WBTV she was at Gastonias Rankin Lake Park with her mother on Sept. 22 and saw Maddox, who had nonverbal autism, skipping and jogging. I can remember her [my mother] looking over and asking him hey buddy are you tired? because he had just been skipping, jogging, being a kid, Sheppard said, adding that she was at the park for a church picnic. She told the news station that she later heard Maddox was missing. On Thursday, the FBI agents said they found a body believed to be Maddox was located near the park, about 20 miles west of Charlotte. The body was partially submerged in the creek. I knew immediately that was him, because I can remember seeing him, and then he was in front of me. I can just remember it to a T, Sheppard said. BODY BELIEVED TO BE MISSING NORTH CAROLINA BOY WITH AUTISM FOUND, FBI SAYS Sheppard added that she has been interviewed by detectives several times and have retraced her steps to where he saw the boy. Sheppards account differs from what Rick Foxx remembers. Foxx, who called 911 to report Maddox missing, told CBS News last week that he didnt see the child once the day he went missing. Maddox was with his father, Ian Ritch, and his girlfriend. "It didn't look as though, they were that concerned," Foxx told CBS News, referring to the couple. "I've worked there almost three years and we see everybody come in and out of that park pretty much. I didn't see that kid one time." POLICE SEARCHING FOR MYSTERIOUS MAN IN WHITE TRUCK WHO MAY HAVE BEEN LAST TO SEE MISSING BOY WITH AUTISM The FBI and Gastonia police said they are investigating how the 6-year-old ended up in the creek and his cause of death. Authorities have not indicated if foul play was suspected. "Where did he enter, how did he get there, what was the manner of death, what was the cause of death? Was there any crime that was committed, or are we simply looking at an accident," FBI Agent Kaplan said on Friday. "Those are very difficult questions to answer, but they are questions that we will answer." Maddoxs father, Ian Ritch, also penned an emotional Facebook post on his sons death. Ritch previously said his son ran ahead of him and disappeared from his view while they were in the park. First I want to say thank u from the bottom of my heart to everyone who took part in searching for my sweet lil buddy. I truly appreciate everything everyone did to find him. And to everyone in the community that were hoping and praying and just took one second of their time to think about Maddox I thank yall too. I loved that lil boy he was my best lil buddy. Maddox was my only child and he will be the only one I will ever have, Ritch wrote. MISSING NORTH CAROLINA BOY WITH AUTISM WASN'T SEEN AT PARK, WORKER WHO CALLED 911 SAYS Ritch said he wasnt so worried the day his son went missing because he expected to find him immediately. But as the days and hours passed, he grew more worried. Once Sunday morning came thats when it startes [sic] me thinking I had something to worry about. Now today I found out im [sic] not a dad anymore. I had big plans with my son, Ritch continued. I would give anything to go back and save him. While a lot of people dont believe anything I have said in the past believe this. From this moment on for the rest of my life I will live with the guilt of not being there to save my son. The most important person in my life. So when everyone else gets to go back to their normal lives remember that I will never be the same man again. I will now and forever be a broken man until I take my last breath, he said. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, boards a Z-10 helicopter and manipulates the airborne weapon and aiming system during his inspection, Sept. 27, 2018. Xi inspected the 79th Group Army of the People's Liberation Army and met with senior officers of troops stationed in northeast China's Liaoning Province from Sept. 27 to 28. (Xinhua/Li Gang) SHENYANG, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has stressed efforts to strengthen the military training and war preparedness of the armed forces and improve its capability to win wars. Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), made the remarks Thursday while inspecting the 79th Group Army of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). He said it was important to deepen the implementation of the Party's thinking on strengthening the military in the new era and military strategy for new conditions. Xi visited the training ground of an aviation brigade of the Group Army and looked delighted to hear about the innovation in command and coordination, battle strategy and equipment update. He inspected the weapons and equipment of the armed forces and asked detailed questions about attack helicopters. Wearing a special helmet, Xi boarded a Z-10 helicopter, the third-generation of China's home-developed attack helicopters, and manipulated the airborne weapon and aiming system. Xi went on the control tower of an airport to observe military drills. Dozens of helicopters took part in the drills, which included low altitude flights, aerial reconnaissance and air assaults. He used binoculars at times to take a r look, and also met with officers at the Group Army's headquarters. Xi listened to the work report of the Group Army and delivered a speech, warning against any thought and behavior that strayed away from real combat, and highlighting the implementation of combat requirement throughout training and preparation. He asked the military to stay focused on the tasks, opponents and environment of combat, to firmly hold the initiative in both strategy and battle. The Group Army should integrate itself into the joint operation system of the PLA, carry out the requirements for transformation of the army and accelerate the building of new combat forces, to further liberate and develop its combat capability, Xi said. He noted that the military must be built and managed in terms of thinking and political orientation, and the ideological and political foundation for obeying the Party's command should be consolidated while officers and soldiers' faith should be strengthened in daring to battle and being sure to win. 3 1 [ Editor: Zhang Zhou ] next Image 1 of 2 prev Image 2 of 2 The Latest on immigration into Europe (all times local): 4:50 p.m. A group of migrants who were stuck at sea in bad weather for five days have arrived in Malta after being transferred to a Maltese naval vessel from a humanitarian rescue ship. The Maltese government said Sunday the 58 passengers would be relocated in coming days to four countries that agreed to accept a share: France, Germany, Spain and Portugal. Malta said it participated in the operation "for purely humanitarian reasons." The migrants were picked up more than a week ago by the sole private rescue ship still operating near the central Mediterranean Sea route from North Africa to southern Europe. A deal reached Sept. 25 called for Malta to bring them to port, but bad weather delayed the operation. ___ 3 p.m. Spain's maritime rescue service says it has saved 466 migrants attempting the dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa to European shores. The service says its rescue craft pulled the migrants from 10 different boats intercepted in waters east of the Strait of Gibraltar on Saturday and Sunday morning. Over 300 people have died in waters separating Spain from the African coast so far this year, according to the United Nations, and over 1,600 have died in all trying to cross the Mediterranean. A recent spike in migrant arrivals in Spain has put a strain on public services and pressure on the Spanish government, especially since Italy's new hard-line interior minister has blocked humanitarian aid boats from docking in Italian ports with migrants rescued at sea. ___ 2:30 p.m. Turkey's state-run news agency says a boat carrying migrants has capsized off Turkey's northern Aegean coast, killing at least five people. The capsizing occurred as a rare and powerful Mediterranean storm is causing torrential rains in parts of Greece and Turkey. The Anadolu Agency said the rubber boat capsized Sunday off the town of Enez in Edirne province. The town is not far from the northern Greek coastal town of Alexandroupolis. It said it was not immediately clear how many migrants were on the boat and rescue crews were scouring the area for possible survivors or more bodies. Although their numbers have decreased in recent years, migrants still try and cross into Greece from nearby Turkey in the hopes of making their way to other European countries. next Image 1 of 2 prev Image 2 of 2 The Latest on Macedonia's referendum on a name change for the country (all times local): 3 p.m. A Macedonian election official says turnout in Macedonia's name change referendum stood at 16 percent six hours before the polls close. Macedonians are voting on whether to accept a deal with neighboring Greece under which they will change their country's name to North Macedonia and Greece will drop its objections to the country joining NATO. State Electoral Commission head Oliver Rekoski gave the 1 p.m. turnout figure. The government, which called the referendum, has described it as non-binding, meaning it could take the result as an accurate reflection of public opinion regardless of the turnout. Opponents of the name deal with Greece, which include President Gjorge Ivanov, have called for a boycott of the vote. ___ 10 a.m. Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has cast his ballot in his country's crucial referendum on whether to accept a landmark deal ending a dispute with Greece by changing the country's name to North Macedonia. Speaking after voting Sunday in the southeastern town of Strumica, Zaev urged his fellow countrymen to come out in force to vote. He said he was confident of a strong turnout that would prove Macedonians are in favor of joining NATO and eventually the European Union. Zaev said Macedonians "are deciding the fate of our country. I invite everyone to come out and make this serious decision for the future of our country, for future generations." Still, the agreement has faced vocal opposition on both sides of the border and critics have urged people to boycott's Sunday's referendum. ___ 7 a.m. Macedonians are deciding on their country's future, voting whether to accept a landmark deal ending a decades-old dispute with neighboring Greece by changing their country's name to North Macedonia and paving the way to NATO membership. The June deal would end a dispute dating from the early 1990s when Macedonia declared independence from Yugoslavia. Greece had argued that use of the name implied territorial ambitions on its own province of the same name, and blocked the country's efforts to join NATO. But the agreement has faced vocal opposition on both sides of the border and critics have urged citizens to boycott's Sunday's referendum. Opponents in Macedonia include the country's president, Gjorge Ivanov, who has called the deal a "flagrant violation of sovereignty." ____ Ivana Bzganovic in Skopje contributed to this report. From the outset, the situation has gone from bad to worse for Dr. Shakil Afridi, the hero CIA asset who helped the U.S. capture Usama bin Laden in Pakistan by running a fake vaccination program to collect DNA but since then has languished behind bars. However, Pakistans newly-appointed foreign minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi who represented his country at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last week told Fox News that the issue is not over. Openings are always there, Qureshi said in an exclusive interview with Fox News. He is viewed in a particular light in Pakistan, he is viewed as a traitor in Pakistan. But he is viewed as a friend in the U.S. So we have to bridge this gap. Afridis future, Qureshi attested, lies not with politics but with the courts. We have a legal process. Afridi went through that legal process, he was given a fair chance to plead his case. He was sentenced, he was convicted and is serving a sentence, the foreign minister continued. We expect you to respect our legal process, as we respect yours. Critics including the highest levels of the United States government disagree that Afridi was afforded a just trial, staunchly contending that he has been unjustly imprisoned and his due process under the tribal system continues to be called into question. The system allows closed hearings and does not require the defender to be present. Despite the public perception that he has committed treason by working with the U.S., his 23-year sentence is on the pretext of having ties with a militant group LEI, which his lawyer asserts are bogus. Others in the Pakistani-American community contend that Afridis release would have a dramatic impact on improving the deeply strained bilateral ties. Pakistan and U.S. relations are at an all-time low, one big reason is Dr. Afridi. The question I am asked over and over from officials is when will Pakistan release Dr. Afridi, noted Adnan Khan, chairman of the California-based policy group Council of Pakistan. For building relations, Pakistan could release Dr. Afridi and let the United States give him political asylum as he cannot live in Pakistan. That would be a danger to his life. PAKISTANI DOCTOR JAILED FOR HELPING FIND BIN LADEN FACES MORE TROUBLE, MOVED TO HIGHER-SECURITY PRISON PAKISTAN WORKS TO CLEAN UP KARACHI, ONCE WORLD'S 'MOST DANGEROUS CITY' Nonetheless, following a visit to Islamabad by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in September to meet with the new Imran Khan-led administration, Afridis lawyer Qamar Nadeem Afridi told reporters that they have reset an environment with a newfound hope he may be released. Just prior to Pompeos visit, the Trump team who have repeatedly called for Afridi to be let go cut a further $300 million to Islamabad through the Coalition Support Fund citing Pakistans lack of decisive actions in support of the South Asia strategy. This comes following the U.S. State Departments announcement in January that it was suspending more than $250 million in security assistance to Pakistan. Qureshi acknowledged that while relations have soured significantly between his country and the United States since Trump took office and publicly ramped up pressure on them to do more to obliterate terrorist sanctuaries, his stance is that Pakistan is being unjustly blamed for the destabilization of neighboring Afghanistan. When you are in a difficult situation you look for scapegoats, for areas and people and institutions that have not delivered to your expectations, he said. Pakistan is there to help and facilitate, we recognize that a stable and peaceful Afghanistan is in our interest. Qureshi insisted that the Pakistani government is in full control of the country, including the rugged and remote tribal regions, and that terror hideouts have been eliminated. He also pointed out that they will play a role and use whatever influence they have to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table for peace talks, but declined to comment on whether monetary cuts were having an impact on Pakistans military or involvement in the protracted war against terror. I am not here to talk dollars and cents, I am not here seeking aid, Qureshi added. I am here to fix a relationship that went sour a relationship that has mutually-benefited both sides. We have been allies for a long time, it is time to rebuild that powerful relationship." next Image 1 of 2 prev Image 2 of 2 Macedonians were deciding Sunday on their country's future, voting in a referendum on whether to accept a landmark deal ending a decades-old dispute with neighboring Greece by changing their country's name to North Macedonia, paving the way to NATO membership. The June deal would end a dispute dating from the early 1990s when Macedonia declared independence from Yugoslavia. Greece argued use of the term implied territorial ambitions on its own province of the same name, and blocked the country's efforts to join NATO. But the agreement has faced vocal opposition from much of the public on both sides of the border. Opponents in Macedonia, including the country's president, Gjorge Ivanov, have called for a boycott of Sunday's referendum. Ivanov has called the deal "poisonous" and a "flagrant violation of sovereignty." Voters heading to polling stations were confronted with the question: "Are you in favor of membership in NATO and European Union by accepting the deal between (the) Republic of Macedonia and Republic of Greece?" The referendum was called as a consultative, non-binding move even though the vote was not required as part of the deal. The distinction means the government could take the outcome as a fair reflection of public opinion and act accordingly, regardless of how many Macedonians participate in the referendum. Under the country's constitution, a binding referendum would need a minimum turnout of 50 percent to be considered valid. The campaign in the run-up to the vote has been relatively muted. With opponents urging people not to vote, the vast majority of posters have favored the government-led "Yes" campaign. If the "Yes" vote wins, Macedonia will have to amend parts of its constitution to ensure it doesn't contain anything that could be considered irredentist against Greece. Only after those changes are approved by parliament does the deal face ratification in Greece. The referendum has stirred strong interest in the West, with a veritable parade of foreign government officials, including Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel and US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, heading to the Macedonian capital Skopje in recent weeks to urge its people to vote "Yes." There has been growing concern over the reach of Russia, which is not keen on NATO expanding its members in a part of Europe that was once within its sphere of influence. During his visit, Mattis said there was "no doubt" Moscow funded groups inside Macedonia to campaign against the name change. Supporters of the deal, led by Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, have focused on the campaign as being the lynchpin of the country's future prosperity, the key to its ability to join NATO and, eventually, the European Union. It would be a major step for a country that less than two decades ago almost descended into civil war, when parts of its ethnic Albania minority took up arms against the government, seeking greater rights. Even if Macedonians vote in favor of the deal on Sunday, the agreement still faces several hurdles before it can be fully ratified. The constitutional amendments that are required need a two-thirds majority of parliament's 120 members to go through. So far Zaev has pledges of support from 73 seven short of the required number. Once that hurdle is overcome, Greece must then ratify the deal. But Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras faces problems of his own. His governing coalition partner, right-wing Independent Greeks head Panos Kammenos, has vowed to vote against the deal in parliament, leaving Tsipras reliant on opposition parties and independent lawmakers to push the deal through. A Syrian rebel group said Sunday it would not pull back its fighters from front-line positions in the contested northwestern province of Idlib, where Russia and Turkey agreed to set up a demilitarized zone this month to avert an all-out offensive by Syrian government forces. Failaq al-Sham, one of the main Turkey-backed factions in northern Syria, also said that one of the conditions of the Russia-Turkey deal for rebel groups to withdraw heavy weapons from the zone is meaningless since it has no such weapons there. "We will leave in this buffer area all what is needed to repel any treason or aggression such as anti-armor weapons," the group said. The Turkey-Russia deal calls for the removal of all members of Syrian radical groups from the demilitarized zone, as well as the removal of tanks, armored personnel carriers and rebel artillery weapons form the area. The demilitarized zone is expected to be established by Oct. 15. It will cover a stretch of about 15-20 kilometers, about 9-12 miles, with troops from Russia and NATO-member Turkey conducting coordinated patrols in the zone. But Failaq al-Sham also said it would not accept any Russian patrols in rebel-held areas once the agreement goes into effect. The group's statement is likely to complicate matters further for the Russia-Turkey deal. The statement was released hours after the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Failaq al-Sham had begun removing some of its heavy weapons and evacuating some of its positions in the adjacent Aleppo province, which borders Idlib. On Saturday, another rebel-group, Jaysh al-Ezzah, also expressed reservations toward the deal that averted a government offensive on Idlib province, the last major stronghold of the Syrian opposition. Jaysh al-Ezzah said demilitarized zones should not only be established in rebel areas but also in areas under government control. The group also said Turkey should ensure the Idlib deal does not end up like last year's de-escalation zones in central and southern Syria, where rebel-held areas were later simply taken over by government forces. Last week, two jihadi groups in Idlib the al-Qaida-linked Horas al-Din, which is Arabic for "Guardians of Religion," and Ansar al-Din, or "Partisans of Religion" rejected the deal calling it a "great conspiracy." However, the main al-Qaida-linked group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Arabic for Levant Liberation Committee that is also the largest militant group in Idlib, has not yet announced its position regarding the demilitarized zone. Despite seventeen years of war with no apparent victory in sight for the U.S-led effort, the chief executive of Afghanistan, Abdullah Abdullah, insists that the Trump administration's renewed approach to the stalemate conflict is working. Imagine a situation without that commitment. Things would be very different. It is working, he told Fox News in an exclusive interview during last weeks United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. They announced a strategy and mobilized other countries and partners in NATO. They doubled the size of our Afghan Commandos, theyve supported our Air Force -- which is important in the way of Medevacs transporting the injured. These things are going to take time, but it is working. Most significantly, Abdullah said, is the Trump teams conditions-based procedure rather than the Obama administrations time-based plan, which entailed a 2014 drawdown and has been widely condemned to have enabled the Taliban to simply regroup and wait. These sorts of policies will yield results; you will see fruition. It wont be in a matter of days or months, but as long as its the right track it will bring results, he continued, noting that while it is too hard to give an estimated time frame of how long U.S. troops will be needed on the ground, it wont be a 50-year engagement. Army. Gen. John Nicholson, the former commander of NATOs Resolute Support the name given to the Afghan mission after 2014 echoed such a sentiment of slow success in his final press conference on the state of affairs in Afghanistan in late August, indicating that they were on a glide path to reduce our forces and eventually close down the mission and that the enemy believed we had lost our will to win prior to President Trumps welcomed new South Asia effort in August 2017. Subsequently, the U.S. increased its troop presence from 8,400 to roughly 15,000 now and in the past twelve months has rooted out sanctums for ISIS fighters and continued to train Afghan soldiers. Nonetheless, the Pentagon estimates that the Afghanistan government still only controls just over 60 percent of the nation, with the rest either contested or under the thumb of the Taliban. Yet despite the seemingly frequent rash of horrific suicide bombings and attacks, Abdullah commended efforts to reform and improve the nations top intelligence branch, the National Directorate of Security (NDS) especially in the realm of capturing ISIS leaders in Kabul. They are making a lot of arrests, he said. But out of 10, if one succeeds, then that is what makes the news. EXILED AFGHAN LEADER, AND ONE-TIME U.S. ALLY, WARNS AGAINST "PEACE" WITH TALIBAN FROM POSITION OF WEAKNESS While Pakistan officials staunchly deny they are to blame for allowing terrorist sanctuaries that subsequently destabilize and launch attacks inside the borders of its neighbor, both U.S. and Afghan leaders contend that Pakistan has failed to clean up its act. The Afghan people are not supporters of the Taliban. They impose their rule here and there, but that is because they still continue to receive support from the outside, Abdullah claimed, pointing the finger at Pakistan. The Taliban are operating there and using Pakistan soil as a sanctuary. Their leadership is there, their shuras are there. Their foot soldiers cross back and forth, receiving treatment (in Pakistan) or sometimes the bodies are transported back there. But unlike the US quest in Iraq and Syria to completely annihilate every last member of ISIS, the approach in Afghanistan is centered on talks with the Taliban to lay down arms. Since February, the Afghan government with the support of U.S. officials has sought to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table with an array of incentives on offer ranging from recognition as a political party, to the release of some prisoners along with a ceasefire agreement in the desperate quest of inking a peace agreement. But to-date, the Taliban have not responded to the olive branch extension and other national security experts are somewhat less optimistic that the modernized Afghan policy is producing positive results. ANNUAL UNITED NATIONS GATHERING A HOTBED FOR SPIES, MANY FROM U.S. ADVERSARIES The fundamental problem we face in Afghanistan is that we are limited to geographic boundaries and our enemies are not, asserted Ryan Mauro, national security expert and director of Clarion Intel Network. I will not be hopeful about Afghanistan until we have a specific strategy to dismantle the jihadist factories in Pakistan and Iran. It is most important to remember that we have been fighting with one hand tied behind our backs for the duration of this entire conflict. According to the Wall Street Journal, U.S. military and intelligence officials are at odds over the direction of the war, with spy agencies far less pessimistic about the revived blueprint than their Department of Defense counterparts. Trump, too, is said to be deeply frustrated by the war, on which the U.S. has spent more than $900 billion since 2001. For the fiscal year 2019, the budget request stands at $46.3 billion. Nonetheless, Abdullah also expressed some silver linings amid the protracted bloodshed and terror. The Taliban are in control of parts of the country, that is nothing new. Unfortunately, in recent years, some high-profile attacks have taken place in which we have had civilian casualties, Abdullah added. At the same time, lots of good is happening. Millions of people are off building their lives, the younger generation are in the private sector, education, civil society, media. The minute you dont have a security incident, life looks like normal for the people. The story has two sides. One week after a Chinese state newspaper ran a four-page advertisement in the U.S. promoting the mutual benefits of trade, the American ambassador to China slammed Beijing for spreading propaganda. Terry Branstad, the U.S. ambassador to China, said Beijing had hurt American workers, farmers and businesses. China, Branstad wrote in an opinion piece in Sundays Des Moines Register, is now doubling down on that bullying by running propaganda ads in our own free press. In disseminating its propaganda, Chinas government is availing itself of Americas cherished tradition of free speech and a free press by placing a paid advertisement in the Des Moines Register, Branstad wrote. In contrast, at the newsstand down the street here in Beijing, you will find limited dissenting voices and will not see any true reflection of the disparate opinions that the Chinese people may have on Chinas troubling economic trajectory, given that media is under the firm thumb of the Chinese Communist Party, he wrote. Last week, President Trump accused China of trying to meddle in the Nov. 6 midterm congressional elections, claiming the country did not want the GOP to succeed because of his hard-line stance on trade between the two superpowers. Beijing and Washington are involved in a trade war that has seen each country push new tariffs on a wide range of goods. US WARSHIP SAILS BY CONTESTED ISLAND IN SOUTH CHINA SEA During the United Nations Security Council meeting, Trump accused China of attempting to interfere in the upcoming midterm elections. Branstad also wrote that one of Chinas major newspapers declined to publish his Op-Ed. Diamond Diamond is a solid form of carbon with a diamond cubic crystal structure. At room temperature and pressure it is metastable and graphite is the stable form, but diamond almost never converts to graphite. Diamond is renowned for its superlative physical qualities, most of which originate from the strong covalent bonding between its atoms. In particular, it has the highest hardness and thermal conductivity of any bulk material. Those properties determine the major industrial applications of diamond in cutting and polishing tools and the scientific applications in diamond knives and diamond anvil cells. Because of its extremely rigid lattice, diamond can be contaminated by very few types of impurities, such as boron and nitrogen. Small amounts of defects or impurities (about one per million of lattice atoms) color diamond blue (boron), yellow (nitrogen), brown (lattice defects), green (radiation exposure), purple, pink, orange or red. Diamond also has relatively high optical dispersion (ability to disperse light of different colors). Chemical Formula: C Locality: Kimberly, republic of South Africa. India. Brazil. Ural Mountains, Russia. Murfreesboro, Arkansas, USA. Name Origin: From the Greek, adamas, meaning invincible or hardest. In mineralogy, diamond is a metastable allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Read more about Diamond: http://www.geologypage.com/2014/09/diamond.html Emerald Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium. Beryl has a hardness of 7.58 on the Mohs scale. Most emeralds are highly included, so their toughness (resistance to breakage) is classified as generally poor. The word Emerald is derived (via Old French: Esmeraude and Middle English: Emeraude), from Vulgar Latin: Esmaralda/Esmaraldus, a variant of Latin Smaragdus, which originated in Greek: (smaragdos; green gem). Read more about Emerald: http://www.geologypage.com/2014/02/emerald.html Sapphire Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide (-Al2O3) with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, copper, or magnesium. It is typically blue, but natural fancy sapphires also occur in yellow, purple, orange, and green colors; parti sapphires show two or more colors. The only color that sapphire cannot be is red as red colored corundum is called ruby, another corundum variety. Pink colored corundum may be either classified as ruby or sapphire depending on locale. Commonly, natural sapphires are cut and polished into gemstones and worn in jewelry. They also may be created synthetically in laboratories for industrial or decorative purposes in large crystal boules. Because of the remarkable hardness of sapphires 9 on the Mohs scale (the third hardest mineral, after diamond at 10 and moissanite at 9.5) sapphires are also used in some non-ornamental applications, such as infrared optical components, high-durability windows, wristwatch crystals and movement bearings, and very thin electronic wafers, which are used as the insulating substrates of very special-purpose solid-state electronics (especially integrated circuits and GaN-based LEDs). Ruby A ruby is a pink to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum (aluminium oxide). Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapphires. Ruby is one of the traditional cardinal gems, together with amethyst, sapphire, emerald, and diamond. The word ruby comes from ruber, Latin for red. The color of a ruby is due to the element chromium. The quality of a ruby is determined by its color, cut, and clarity, which, along with carat weight, affect its value. The brightest and most valuable shade of red called blood-red or pigeon blood, commands a large premium over other rubies of similar quality. After color follows clarity: similar to diamonds, a clear stone will command a premium, but a ruby without any needle-like rutile inclusions may indicate that the stone has been treated. Ruby is the traditional birthstone for July and is usually more pink than garnet, although some rhodolite garnets have a similar pinkish hue to most rubies. The worlds most valuable ruby is the Sunrise Ruby. Rubies have a hardness of 9.0 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. Among the natural gems only moissanite and diamond are harder, with diamond having a Mohs hardness of 10.0 and moissanite falling somewhere in between corundum (ruby) and diamond in hardness. Sapphire, ruby, and pure corundum are -alumina, the most stable form of Al2O3, in which 3 electrons leave each aluminum ion to join the regular octahedral group of six nearby O2 ions; in pure corundum this leaves all of the aluminum ions with a very stable configuration of no unpaired electrons or unfilled energy levels, and the crystal is perfectly colorless. Taaffeite Taaffeite is a mineral, named after its discoverer Richard Taaffe (18981967) who found the first sample, a cut and polished gem, in October 1945 in a jewelers shop in Dublin, Ireland. As such, it is the only gemstone to have been initially identified from a faceted stone. Most pieces of the gem, prior to Taaffe, had been misidentified as spinel. For many years afterwards, it was known only in a few samples, and it is still one of the rarest gemstone minerals in the world. Since 2002, the International Mineralogical Association-approved name for taaffeite as a mineral is magnesiotaaffeite-2N2S. Taaffe bought a number of precious stones from a jeweller in October 1945. Upon noticing inconsistencies between the taaffeite and spinels, Taaffe sent some examples to B. W. Anderson of the Laboratory of the London Chamber of Commerce for identification on 1 November 1945. When Anderson replied on 5 November 1945, he told Taaffe that they were unsure of whether it was a spinel or something new; he also offered to write it up in Gemologist. In 1951, chemical and X-ray analysis confirmed the principal constituents of taaffeite as beryllium, magnesium and aluminium, making taaffeite the first mineral to contain both beryllium and magnesium as essential components. The confusion between spinel and taaffeite is understandable as certain structural features are identical in both. Anderson et al., classified taaffeite as an intermediate mineral between spinel and chrysoberyl. Unlike spinel, taaffeite displays the property of double refraction that allows distinction between these two minerals. Because of its rarity, taaffeite is used only as a gemstone. Poudretteite Poudretteite is an extremely rare mineral and gemstone that was first discovered as minute crystals in Mont St. Hilaire, Quebec, Canada, during the 1960s. The mineral was named for the Poudrette family because they operated a quarry in the Mont St. Hilaire area where poudretteite was originally found. Chemical Formula: KNa2B3Si12O30 Locality: From Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada. Name Origin: Named for the Poudrette family, operators of the quarry where type material was discovered. Read more about Poudretteite: http://www.geologypage.com/2014/07/poudretteite.html Musgravite Musgravite or magnesiotaaffeite-6N3S (chemical formula of Be(Mg, Fe, Zn) 2 Al 6 O 12) , is a rare oxide mineral. It is used as a gemstone. Its type locality is the Ernabella Mission, Musgrave Ranges, South Australia for which it was named. It is a member of the taaffeite family of minerals. Its hardness is 8 to 8.5 on the Mohs scale. Alexandrite The alexandrite variety displays a color change (alexandrite effect) dependent upon the nature of ambient lighting. Alexandrite effect is the phenomenon of an observed color change from greenish to reddish with a change in source illumination. Alexandrite results from small scale replacement of aluminium by chromium ions in the crystal structure, which causes intense absorption of light over a narrow range of wavelengths in the yellow region (580 nm) of the visible light spectrum. Because human vision is more sensitive to light in the green spectrum and the red spectrum, alexandrite appears greenish in daylight where a full spectrum of visible light is present and reddish in incandescent light which emits less green and blue spectrum. This color change is independent of any change of hue with viewing direction through the crystal that would arise from pleochroism. Alexandrite from the Ural Mountains in Russia can be green by daylight and red by incandescent light. Other varieties of alexandrite may be yellowish or pink in daylight and a columbine or raspberry red by incandescent light. Stones that show a dramatic color change and strong colors (e.g. red-to-green) are rare and sought-after, but stones that show less distinct colors (e.g. yellowish green changing to brownish yellow) may also be considered alexandrite by gem labs such as the Gemological Institute of America. According to a popular but controversial story, alexandrite was discovered by the Finnish mineralogist Nils Gustaf Nordenskiold (17921866), and named alexandrite in honor of the future Tsar Alexander II of Russia. Nordenskiolds initial discovery occurred as a result of an examination of a newly found mineral sample he had received from Perovskii, which he identified as emerald at first. The first emerald mine had been opened in 1831. Alexandrite 5 carats (1,000 mg) and larger were traditionally thought to be found only in the Ural Mountains, but have since been found in larger sizes in Brazil. Other deposits are located in India (Andhra Pradesh), Madagascar, Tanzania and Sri Lanka. Alexandrite in sizes over three carats are very rare. Read more about alexandrite: http://www.geologypage.com/2016/05/top-10-worlds-rarest-valuable-gems.html Grandidierite Grandidierite is an extremely rare mineral and gem that was first discovered in 1902 in southern Madagascar. The mineral was named in honor of French explorer Alfred Grandidier (18361912) who studied the natural history of Madagascar. Photo taken on Sept. 29, 2018 shows Jordan's Jaber checkpoint near Nasib border crossing between Jordan and Syria, near Mafraq, Jordan. The Syrian Ministry of Transportation declared on Saturday that the logistic preparations have been done for the re-opening of the Nasib Border Crossing with Jordan slated for Oct. 10, Syrian state news agency SANA reported. (Xinhua/Mohammad Abu Ghosh) DAMASCUS, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian Ministry of Transportation declared on Saturday that the logistic preparations have been done for the re-opening of the Nasib Border Crossing with Jordan slated for Oct. 10, state news agency SANA reported. A ministry statement said the border crossing will begin to receive the movement of trucks and transit to and from Syria next month. The border crossing was d in 2015 when the rebels took over the Nasib area and the crossing in the countryside of Daraa Province in southern Syria. The Syrian army captured Daraa and the border crossing in July after the rebels in the province surrendered to the army and agreed to evacuate to rebel-held areas in northern Syria, mainly the northwestern province of Idlib. Last week, the Transportation Ministry declared raising the transit crossing fees that should be paid by trucks passing in and out of Syria whether they are loaded or empty. Ahead of the crisis, the Nasib crossing was the busiest border crossing in Syria as it is situated on the Damascus-Amman international highway. The crossing is also considered one of the most important land crossings in the Middle East as it was the main crossing for Syrian exports to Jordan and the Gulf countries. Lebanon would also benefit from the re-opening of the Nasib crossing as the small Mediterranean country has crossings with Syria only and through Nasib it can do trade business with Arab markets. The closure of the Nasib border incurred major losses in Lebanon, as 70 percent of the agricultural exports, 32 percent of the food industry and 22 percent of the total industry exports in the country passed through Nasib ahead of its closure, according to Nabil Itani, chairman and CEO of the Investment Development Authority of Lebanon. The Lebanese businesses had to resort to sea shipment when Nasib was d, which is much more expensive and costly compared with the land shipment. The crossing is also important for Jordan which is suffering from economic problems. Since the crossing was d in 2015, the kingdom has suffered heavy losses as 70 percent of its exports and imports went through Syria, according to Nabil Ruman, head of the investor's board of the Jordanian Free Zone. Reports said the loss of the Jordanian transport sector from the border closure is estimated at around half a billion U.S. dollars. 5 1 [ Editor: Zhang Zhou ] Bernie Ecclestone says he wants Pirelli to remain the official tyre supplier in F1. It is believed Hankook, a South Korean tyre manufacturer, has responded to the FIA's tender about taking over from Pirelli in 2020. Pirelli is also in the running, and former F1 supremo Ecclestone - who was in charge when the Italian company entered the sport in 2011 - hopes it secures another contract. "Pirelli should stay," the Briton said at Sochi. "It took them a long time to reach the level they are at now. The first three years were very difficult for them," Ecclestone added. "Anyone who comes in after them will have the same difficulties, so I think for formula one it will be better if Pirelli continues. I personally hope they do," he said. (GMM) ITM Power announced funding from Innovate UK for a feasibility study to deploy a 100MW Power-to-Gas (P2G) energy storage project, Project Centurion at Runcorn, Cheshire, UK. This project explores the electrolytic production, pipeline transmission, salt cavern storage and gas grid injection of green hydrogen at an industrial scale. The feasibility study will explore the system design and costs and will assess the business case for deployment. The vision for Project Centurion is to demonstrate a 100MW P2G energy storage system which can produce low carbon hydrogen for heat, decarbonization of industry, and transport fuel. Once successfully demonstrated, such systems can make a significant contribution to the decarbonization of the electricity and gas networks, and by coupling these two networks together provide energy storage, allowing the UK energy system to accommodate increasing amounts of renewable energy, reducing curtailment and constraints. As well as contributing to decarbonization, P2G systems can improve security of energy supply and improve the UK balance of payments by producing indigenous fuel offsetting the need to import fuel. Project partners ITM Power, INOVYN, Storengy, Cadent and Element Energy wish to explore the feasibility of siting a 100MW Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyzer at the INOVYN Runcorn Site, which already produces hydrogen (used mainly on-site) as a co-product of the chlor-alkali process. This site has an existing 420MW supergrid connection, power electronics and planning consent for industrial scale hydrogen production. The transport of hydrogen by pipeline to salt caverns near Lostock, where it can be stored pure or blended with natural gas, will be explored, along with the feasibility of injection into the local gas network. Other potential demands for the hydrogen will be assessed, including industrial and transport use which will support existing studies in the area, particularly Cadents HyNet NW. The feasibility study is being supported by Innovate UK and the partners. Its objectives are: to produce a 100MW system design with costs significantly below current targets; to build the consensus on P2G systems as an important part of a decarbonized energy system; and to produce the evidence base for raising financing for the project. The feasibility study outputs will be a 100MW system design, a business case and delivery plan for Project Centurion with a clear description of the next steps, and a dissemination campaign to increase understanding of, and interest in, P2G systems at a large scale. Once built, Project Centurion will mark the first-time a P2G system injects hydrogen into the public gas network in the UK at scale. It will be the first time the electricity and gas system would be coupled in the UK to provide energy storage for excess electricity; and it will be the largest water to hydrogen electrolyzer system in the world (based on current deployments). Existing projects such as HyDeploy make use of a private, isolated gas network, which is not possible at this scale. Project Centurion will build upon the work done in HyDeploy and the proposed HyDeploy 2 which if funded by Ofgem will develop the evidence base for transporting blended hydrogen through trials on two public gas networks on the North West and North East of England. The project will also develop a full deployment plan for hydrogen blending on the gas network. Zhao Leji (L), a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC, meets with Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, in Vietnam, Sept. 27, 2018. Zhao paid an official visit to Vietnam from Sept. 26 to 29. (Xinhua/Ding Lin) NHA TRANG, Vietnam, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Zhao Leji, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC), on Saturday concluded his official visit to Vietnam, where he and Vietnamese officials agreed to push forward bilateral ties. Zhao, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC, started visiting Vietnam on Wednesday. During his meeting with Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, Zhao said thanks to the guidance by the general secretaries of both parties, the relations between the two parties and the two countries have seen a healthy and steady development. Zhao noted that his visit was aimed at implementing the important consensus reached by both general secretaries, enhance strategic communication, promote the exchange of visits by high-level officials and deepen substantial cooperation, so as to lift the China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation to a higher level. Nguyen Phu Trong said the Vietnam-China relations are at the best time in history, adding that the achievements accomplished by China not only benefit Chinese people, but also drive Vietnam's development and elevate bilateral ties. The general secretary noted that the Vietnamese side is willing to enhance exchanges on theoretic innovation and practical experience between the two parties, implement consensus reached by the two parties in an all-out manner, and deepen cooperation in various fields, so as to enrich the traditional friendly cooperative relationship between the two countries. During his meeting with Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, chairwoman of Vietnam's National Assembly, Zhao said this year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation and the general secretaries of both parties exchanged historic visits in 2015 and 2017 and reached important consensus. Zhao said both sides should further increase political mutual trust, deepen cooperation between their legislative bodies and join hands to consolidate the political and social foundation of China-Vietnam relations. Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan said the increased exchanges between the two parties' high-level officials play a vital role in boosting Vietnam-China relations, and Vietnam's National Assembly is willing to enhance cooperation with China's National People's Congress on legislation and supervision. During his meeting with Tran Quoc Vuong, a member of the Politburo of the CPV Central Committee and permanent member of the CPV Central Committee's secretariat, Zhao said the CPC and CPV share the duty to safeguard and develop the China-Vietnam relations, noting that the CPC is willing to enhance exchanges and cooperation in various fields with the CPV. Tran Quoc Vuong spoke highly of the Vietnam-China relations and China's development achievements, stressing the willingness to deepen the exchanges and cooperation between the two parties and join hands to push forward the steady development of the relations between the two countries. During his talks with Tran Cam Tu, member of the CPV Central Committee's Secretariat and head of the Committee's Inspection Commission, Zhao said the Chinese side is willing to deepen exchanges of experience and push forward cooperation in various fields between the two parties and the two countries, handle the differences in an appropriate manner and join hands to make progress in elevating the China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation. Tran Cam Tu said it is the Vietnamese party's and government's long-term policy to carry forward the Vietnam-China traditional friendship, expressing the willingness to implement the cooperation mechanism and properly handle differences so as to expand bilateral cooperation in an all-out manner. Both sides agreed to promote exchanges in discipline inspection, and enhance cooperation in anti-corruption. They also attended a signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the discipline inspection departments. During his tour in Vietnam, Zhao also attended a photo exhibition marking the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up and the 32th anniversary of Vietnam's reform and innovation drive. Zhao also paid a visit to the memorial hall of Ho Chi Minh, expressing respect to the late leader of Vietnam. 6 1 [ Editor: Xueying ] Haiti - Justice : At the dawn of a new Haitian penal law Friday, September 28, Jean Roody Aly, the Minister of Justice in the presence among others of members of the Government, the legal body, the American Ambassador in Haiti, academia and civil society participated in a conference-debate around "Towards the modernization of Haitian penal justice" organized by the National Association of Haitian Magistrates (ANAMAH) in partnership with the US Embassy and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID - Haiti). In his speech, Minister Aly emphasized the innovative nature of the preliminary draft penal code and the preliminary draft criminal procedure. While congratulating the work of the Commission which resulted in these valuable documents, Me Jean Roudy Aly is convinced that these two instruments are likely to modernize the Haitian criminal law, which is nearly 200 years old. He speaks of a real tool that will fight, more effectively, against the phenomenon of prolonged preventive detention eroding our judicial system https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25678-haiti-justice-damning-report-of-rnddh-on-the-haitian-judiciary-2017-2018.html , to include cybercrime, to correct certain crimes and to contravene certain crimes, and to welcome the fact that these new codes also provide for alternative measures to prosecution and imprisonment. Insisting on the modernization of Haiti's Penal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure, US Ambassador Michele Sison congratulated the stakeholders who contribute to the development and promotion of the rule of law in Haiti. She underscored the importance of a Haitian-led process, urging the public to remain actively involved in strengthening the rule of law and creating an environment conducive to prosperity, economic growth and prosperity. long-term development of Haiti. At the end of this conference-debate, proposals and recommendations were formulated. It should be noted that the two Houses of Parliament intend to consider, in the coming days, the adoption of these two important documents, which will improve and modernize Haitian criminal legislation. Statement by Ambassador Sison : "[...] It is exciting to see so many from Haitis government, academia, civil society, and the media gathered to discuss the future of their countrys legal system, and the impact that the new penal and criminal procedural codes will have on the rule of law in Haiti. The rule of law serves as a pillar of any society. Lasting prosperity requires strong rule of law and effective democratic institutions that deliver results for their people, provide economic and social opportunity, and safeguard citizens security. At the U.S. Embassy, we have been proud to work with you to strengthen the rule of law in Haiti and promote laws and court systems that are fair, legitimate and accountable. We believe in security through justice; we want to work with you to keep Americans and Haitians safe at home by countering transnational crime. Through our State Department INL program and USAID, our work with you is designed to help reduce crime, promote public safety, and ensure that Haitian citizens have access to a functioning and fair justice system. For all of us here today this requires engaging across the entire spectrum of criminal justice, including law enforcement, judges, prosecutors, bar associations, and correctional institutions, to build a fair, transparent, and accountable justice system. A public that has confidence in the legal framework, law enforcement, its prisons, and courts strengthens the stability and resiliency of a country. This in turn benefits the security not only of Haiti, but of the entire region, including the United States. Well-drafted and comprehensive penal and criminal procedural codes define the operating rules in society and guarantee the rights and freedoms of citizens. They outline the penalties for those who do not abide by the law, and regulate procedures to protect the rights of the accused in order to preserve justice for all. Passage of updated criminal and criminal procedural codes that are consistent and coherent will ensure that the legal basis for investigations and judgments are solid, that the rights of Haitian citizens are protected, and that citizen and business sector confidence in the judicial system is increased. Prime Minister Ceant declared in the new governments general policy statement that the integrity of justice and the health of the economy are intimately linked. I strongly agree with this analysis, and with the priority that reinforcing state institutions is given in President Jovenel Moises seven priority axes for development. Adoption of these new penal and criminal procedural codes will help strengthen the rule of law in Haiti, which will in turn promote investment and economic growth. Nations with efficient legal systems and solid legislative frameworks are more likely to attract both domestic and foreign direct investment: strengthening of the rule of law spurs economic growth by attracting investors that value the protections offered by transparent and just systems. Promoting stability and economic development in Haiti are top priorities for the United States. Through our Department of State-American Bar Association project and USAID-Projustice and Justice Sector Strengthening Programs, we are pleased to have collaborated with the Haitian government for the last 10 years to support the Haitian people in their quest to modernize the penal and criminal procedural codes. To give you an idea of the magnitude of this project, each code contains more than 1,000 articles. I therefore want to thank Me. Rene Magloire, Me. Jean Joseph Exume, Me. Sibylle Theard Mevs, Me. Jean Vandal, and other judicial experts who contributed to the project for their inexhaustible work that led to the drafting of these new codes. Of course, I also want to highlight that the new codes are very much the product of a Haitian-led process. This is important because such an expansive, modernization process of the legal system must reflect Haitian values and Haitian voices. As our USAID Administrator, Mark Green, has aptly stated, it is citizen-centered, citizen-responsive governance that truly matters. We want to support governance that listens to every voice. And of course, freedom must also include the freedom to be safe and secure in your own home and your own community. That is important in the U.S. and its important here in Haiti, as well. For that reason, the U.S. government partnered with the Penal Reform Commission and later the Senates Justice and Security Commission to host workshops and public consultations around the country to collect exhaustive feedback from Haitians, including representatives of civil society and legal professionals. We are pleased to have also worked with the Port-au-Prince Bar Association, Haitian Chapter of the International Association of Womens Judges, and Professional Association of Judges to provide technical feedback on the draft codes to Senator Senatus commission. The countries most successful in implementing reforms to their penal and criminal procedural codes have been those whose governments and broad sectors of society shared a commitment to enacting the reforms. That is why the presence here today of women and youth organizations, universities, human rights and religious groups, and business and government leaders is so important. The successful adoption and implementation of the penal and criminal procedural codes will require everyones support. Civil society has such an important role to play in this regard. I know you are concerned about the number of individuals held in prolonged pretrial detention; we share this concern as we noted in our annual Human Rights Report. This is why our USAID Mission will continue to work with you in addressing pretrial detention through the provision of equipment, technical assistance, and improved case management in targeted jurisdictions. As many of you are aware, USAID deployed Haitis first computerized case management information system in Fort-Liberte, Cap Haitien, Saint-Marc, Croix-des-Bouquets, and Port-au-Prince. The adoption of the legal assistance law by the Chamber of Deputies on September 10, which will establish a national legal assistance program to help Haitians who cannot afford an attorney, is aimed at reducing rates of pretrial detention. In this regard, I am pleased to announce that this year we will be supporting the Ecole Superieur de droit de Jeremie and the University of California Hastings School of Law to provide foundational educational opportunities for the Clinique de recherche danalyse et dassistance legale professors and students to engage with clinical legal education, including curriculum development and clinical teaching methodologies. I congratulate ANAMAH for hosting todays event, and all the other stakeholders who have contributed to the development and advancement of the codes. I urge you to remain actively involved. Again, I appreciate this opportunity to bring together different actors from across Haitis justice system today for this discussion; collaboration and effective communication is crucial to developing and maintaining a fair, effective, transparent, and accountable justice system. Your important work helps reduce the threat of impunity through support for criminal justice reform, promotion of judicial transparency, and enhancement of citizen participation in judicial reform efforts. You have our attention and our support; we want to continue to support your work to strengthen Haitis legal framework, protect citizens lawful rights, and increase accountability and oversight within the justice system. The United States will continue to support Haitian efforts to adopt and implement these important codes as soon as possible. We agree with you that they will help strengthen the rule of law and provide an environment conducive to Haitis long-term prosperity, economic growth, and development. Thank you." HL/ HaitiLibre Guess Which Agency Can Impose State Tax? by Tom Yamachika, President, Tax Foundation Hawaii Lots of the controversy swirling around the ballot measure seeking to impose a surcharge on investment property to support public education involves our Department of Education (DOE). The DOE currently receives an appropriation from the States General Fund of about $2 billion and is also able to pull from other funding sources such as federal funds. But did you know that the DOE can also impose tax? The Hawaii Revised Statutes contains twelve sections relating to school impact fees, starting with section 302A-1601. The law states, in part, New residential developments within identified school impact districts create additional demand for public school facilities. As such, once school impact districts are identified, new residential developments shall be required to contribute toward the construction of new or expansion of existing public school facilities. Builders of large projects within school impact districts are required to provide land for school facilities depending on the numbers of students expected in their projects and the amount of available classroom space in existing area schools. Smaller developers and individual home owner-builders are required to pay a fee instead of land, when their project is too small to entertain a school site. All home builders or buyers must pay a construction cost fee. This law, which we have discussed before, recently has been used to create a school impact district that goes from Kalihi to Ala Moana. Its defined as the areas served by the following elementary schools: Fern, Kalihi Kai, KalihiWaena, Linapuni and Puuhale in the Farrington Complex; and Kaahumanu, Kaiulani, Kauluwela, Likelike and Royal in the McKinley Complex. Yes, the impact district tracks the path of the new Honolulu rail line, pardon the pun. In a news release, the DOE announced that the fee, which goes into effect on October 1, will be $3,864 per unit. That fee is considerably cheaper than the $9,374 proposed two years ago, but its not chicken feed by any means. Multiplying the current fee by the 39,000 additional dwelling units that the DOE is anticipating yields more than $150 million, many times more than the $4.7 million in school impact fees it has collected to date for districts in Leeward Oahu, West Maui and Central Maui. These fees, of course, are going to have to be paid by someone. If you think they are all paid by wealthy, fat cat developers who are going to be swimming in money because of the transient oriented development, think again. These costs get passed along to home buyers or renters, in one form or another. According to its audited financial statements for fiscal 2017, our DOEs total revenues were $2.915 billion and total expenses were $2.817 billion. A recent Star-Advertiser article (Aug. 19, 2018) raises questions about whether the DOE is entitled to tens of millions more in federal reimbursements (and we will write about this next week). And, of course, it is the only state agency with independent taxing power. Lets now turn our attention to making sure that all entitled revenues are being properly claimed and those billions of dollars are being spent efficiently and wisely. NANJING, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- A supersized shield tunneling machine, developed by a Chinese firm for a high-speed rail project in Indonesia, rolled off the assembly line Saturday in east China's Jiangsu Province. The machine, with its cutter diameter being as long as 13.19 meters, is about 101 meters long, weighs more than 2,600 tonnes and is the largest of its kind ever to be exported outside of China, according to its manufacturer Tianhe Mechanical Equipment Manufacturing Company based in the city of Changshu. "We have tailored many advanced technologies based on the geological conditions of Indonesia," said Gao Guanghui, general manager of the company. The machine will be used for drilling tunnels for the 142-km high-speed rail linking Jakarta, capital of Indonesia, and Bandung, the country's fourth-largest city. With a designed speed of 350 km per hour, the rail will slash the travel time between the two cities from the current three hours to 40 minutes. [ Editor: Xueying ] LUSAKA, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government on Friday said it was committed to working with Zambia authorities in ensuring that the southern African nation takes opportunities from the 2018 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit and implements the outcomes. Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Li Jie said China was ready to tap into the cooperation potential of the two countries under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and the FOCAC. In remarks delivered at a reception to mark the 69th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Chinese envoy said China was committed to giving full play to the three advantages of the traditional friendship, economic complementarity and people-to-people mutual understanding and constantly opening up new prospects for win-win cooperation and common development between the two countries. This, he said, will be achieved through the two countries working together to deepen political mutual trust and maintain the momentum of high-level visits. "China is ready to work with Zambia to uphold the fine tradition of friendship and cooperation, promote bilateral ties in a strategic and long-term perspective, and continue to show mutual understanding and support each other on issues concerning the core interests and major concerns of the two countries," he said. China, he added, will continue to support Zambia's industrialization and agricultural modernization process as well as increase Zambia's exports to China. Nkandu Luo, Zambia's Minister of Higher Education, said Zambia values the long-standing historical relation that has existed between the two countries premised on friendship, equality and mutual respect. According to her, the eight initiatives that emanated from the FOCAC summit will assist Zambia in the attainment of its five-year development plan and was looking forward to the implementation of joint projects between the two countries. "I am confident that Zambia and China will continue to augment the already strong ties of friendship that have existed between our two countries." she added. [ Editor: Xueying ] BEIJING, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- The 12th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on China-India Border Affairs was held in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, Thursday and Friday. The talks were made between representatives of the two countries' foreign and defense ministries. The Chinese delegation was led by Yi Xianliang, head of the department of boundary and oceanic affairs in the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the Indian delegation was led by Pranay Verma, the joint secretary (East Asia) of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. Both sides reviewed the situation along China-India border areas this year and exchanged views, including on border control and boosting mutual trust. The two sides agreed to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries. They vowed to continue "enhancing communication and coordination between the diplomatic and defense departments, properly handle border-related issues, and strengthen frontier defense exchange and cooperation to jointly maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas and create the favorable conditions for the healthy and stable development of Sino-India relations." [ Editor: Xueying ] 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. A girl performs martial arts during the celebration of the Confucius Institute Day and the 100th anniversary of the Independence of Latvia, at the University of Latvia in Riga, Latvia, Sept. 29, 2018. More than 300 people gathered for the event on Saturday. (Xinhua/Janis) 4 1 [ Editor: zyq ] ADVERTISE Hypebot & MusicThinkTank With the internet and digital technologies driving rapid change within the music industry, articles about new releases and who has been hired and fired are no longer enough. Our up to the minute industry news alongside insightful commentary helps our readers sift through the rumors and developments to find the information they need to keep their businesses moving forward. Hypebot is read daily by more than 30,000 music industry professionals including executives and senior staff of music related tech firms, internet based music sites, every major label group and most indies as well as many managers, artists and members of the live music community: Contact us for the latesst stats, ad rates and sponosorship opportunites. We also offer combined rates with MusicThinkTank. Posted September 29, 2018 Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, The speeches delivered during the general discussion at this session of the UN General Assembly confirm the fact that international relations are going through a very complex and contradictory historical stage. Today, we are witnesses to a collision of two opposing trends. On the one hand, the polycentric principles of the world order are growing stronger and new economic growth centres are taking shape. We can see nations striving to preserve their sovereignty and to choose the development models that are consistent with their ethnic, cultural and religious identity. On the other hand, we see the desire of a number of Western states to retain their self-proclaimed status as world leaders and to slow down the irreversible move toward multipolarity that is objectively taking place. To this end, anything goes, up to and including political blackmail, economic pressure and brute force. Such illegal actions devalue international law, which lies at the foundation of the postwar world order. We hear loud statements not only calling into question the legal force of international treaties, but asserting the priority of self-serving unilateral approaches over resolutions adopted by the UN. We are witnessing the rise of militant revisionism with regard to the modern international legal system. The basic principles of the Middle East settlement process, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear programme, commitments under the World Trade Organisation, the multilateral climate agreement, and much more are under attack. Our Western colleagues seek to replace the rule of law in international affairs with some rules-based order. These rules, which are made up as political expediency dictates, are a clear case of double standards. Unjustified accusations of interference in the domestic affairs of particular countries are made while simultaneously engaging in an open campaign to undermine and topple democratically elected governments. They seek to draw certain countries into military alliances built to suit their own needs, against the will of the people of those countries, while threatening other states with punishment for exercising freedom of choice in their partners and allies. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter The aggressive attacks on international institutions are accompanied by attempts to privatise their secretarial structures and grant them the rights of intergovernmental bodies so that they can be manipulated. The shrinking space for constructive international cooperation, the escalation of confrontation, the rise in general unpredictability, and the significant increase in the risk of spontaneous conflicts all have an impact on the activities of this world organisation. The international community has to pay a high price for the selfish ambitions of a narrow group of countries. Collective mechanisms of responding to common security challenges are faltering. Diplomacy, negotiation and compromise are being replaced with dictates and unilateral exterritorial sanctions enacted without the consent of the UN Security Council. Such measures that already affect dozens of countries are not only illegal but also ineffective, as demonstrated by the more than half-century US embargo of Cuba that is denounced by the entire international community. But history does not teach the same lesson twice. Attempts to pass verdicts without trial or investigation continue unabated. Some of our Western colleagues who want to assign blame are content to rely on assertions in the vein of the notorious highly likely. We have already been through this. We remember well how many times false pretexts were used to justify interventions and wars, like in Yugoslavia in 1999, Iraq in 2003 and Libya in 2011. Now the same methods are being used against Syria. On April 14, it was subjected to missile strikes carried out under an absolutely falsified pretext, several hours before international inspectors were supposed to arrive at the site of the staged incident. Let the terrorists and their patrons be warned that any further provocations involving the use of chemical weapons would be unacceptable. The conflict in Syria has already lasted for seven years. The failed attempt to use extremists to change the regime from the outside nearly led to the countrys collapse and the emergence of a terrorist caliphate in its place. Russias bold action in response to the request of the Syrian Government, backed diplomatically by the Astana process, helped prevent this destructive scenario. The Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi, initiated by Russia, Iran and Turkey last January, created the conditions for a political settlement in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254. The intra-Syrian Constitutional Committee is being established in Geneva on precisely this basis. Rebuilding ruined infrastructure to enable millions of refugees to return home as soon as possible is on the agenda. Assistance in resolving these challenges for the benefit of all Syrians, without any double standards, should become a priority for international efforts and the activities of UN agencies. For all the challenges posed by Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya, it would be unacceptable to ignore the protracted Palestinian problem. Its fair resolution is critical to improving the situation in the entire Middle East. I would like to warn politicians against unilateral approaches and attempts to monopolise the peace process. Today, the consolidation of international efforts in the interests of resuming talks on the basis of UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative is more in demand than ever before. We are doing everything to facilitate this, including in the format of the Middle East Quartet and in cooperation with the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Mutually acceptable agreements should ensure the peaceful and safe co-existence of the two states Israel and Palestine. Here in the UN that was built on the lessons of World War II we are all obliged to think about the future and not repeating the mistakes of the past. This year is the 80th anniversary of the Munich conspiracy that crowned the criminal appeasement of the Third Reich and serves as a sad example of the disastrous consequences that can result from national egotism, disregard for international law and seeking solutions at the expense of others. Regrettably, today in many countries the anti-Nazi vaccine has not only weakened, there is a growing campaign to rewrite history and whitewash war criminals and their accomplices. We consider sacrilegious the struggle against monuments to the liberators of Europe, which is going on in some countries. We are calling on UN members to support a draft resolution of the UN General Assembly denouncing the glorification of Nazis. The growth of radical nationalism and neo-Nazism in Ukraine, where criminals who fought under SS banners are glorified as heroes, is one of the main factors of the protracted domestic conflict in Ukraine. The only way to end it is consistent and faithful implementation of the Minsk Package of Measures that was unanimously approved by the UN Security Council. We support the activities of the OSCE mission in Ukraine and are ready to provide UN protection for its members. However, instead of fulfilling the Minsk agreements and engaging in dialogue with Donetsk and Lugansk, Kiev still entertains the illusion of introducing an occupying force in Donbass, with the support from the West, and increasingly threatens its opponents with scenarios based on force. The patrons of the current Ukrainian authorities should compel them to think straight and end the blockade of Donbass and discrimination against national minorities throughout Ukraine. In Kosovo, the international military presence under UN Security Council mandate is morphing into a US base. Kosovo armed forces are being created, while agreements reached by Belgrade and Pristina with EU mediation are being disregarded. Russia calls on the sides to engage in dialogue in accordance with UNSC Resolution 1244 and will support any solution which is acceptable to Serbia. In general, we are against turning the Balkans once again into an arena of confrontation or anyone claiming it as a foothold, against forcing the people of the Balkan nations to make a false choice or creating new dividing lines in the region. An equal and undivided security architecture also needs to be created in other parts of the world, including the Asia Pacific Region. We welcome the positive developments around the Korean Peninsula, which are following the logic of the Russian-Chinese roadmap. It is important to encourage the process with further steps by both sides toward a middle ground and incentivise the practical realisation of important agreements between Pyongyang and Seoul through the Security Council. We will keep working to put in place a multilateral process as soon as possible, so that we can build a durable mechanism of peace and security in Northeast Asia. Denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula is among the challenges facing the world community in the key area of international security the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Unfortunately, serious obstacles continue to pile up on that road. Lack of progress in ratifying the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and in establishing a WMD-free zone in the Middle East has been compounded by the unilateral US withdrawal from the JCPOA in violation of Resolution 2231, despite the fact that Iran is fully in compliance. We will do everything to preserve the UNSC-approved deal. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is being pushed in an increasingly negative direction as the West attempts to turn its Technical Secretariat into a tool for punishing undesirable governments. This threatens to undermine the independent professional status of that organisation and the universal nature of the CWC, as well as the exclusive prerogative of the UN Security Council. These and other issues related to non-proliferation were discussed in detail at the September 26 Security Council meeting, convened by the US chair not a moment too soon. We are convinced that any problems and concerns in international affairs should be addressed through substantive dialogue. If there are questions or criticisms, what is needed is to sit down and talk, produce facts, listen to opposing arguments, and seek to find a balance of interests. To be continued... Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here. ==See Also== Watch: Syrian Deputy PM Walid Al-Moualem Speech at UN (September 29, 2018) Watch : Iran - President Addresses UN General Debate Watch: Chinese FM Wang Yi Speech to UN General Assembly (September 28, 2018) Watch: War criminal: PM Netanyahu's Remarks at the UN General Assembly - 2018 Note To ICH Community We ask that you assist us in dissemination of the article published by ICH to your social media accounts and post links to the article from other websites. Thank you for your support. Peace and joy By Alan MacLeod September 29, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - Media giant Facebook recently announced (Reuters, 9/19/18) it would combat fake news by partnering with two propaganda organizations founded and funded by the US government: the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the International Republican Institute (IRI). The social media platform was already working closely with the NATO-sponsored Atlantic Council think tank (FAIR.org, 5/21/18). In a previous FAIR article (8/22/18), I noted that the fake news issue was being used as a pretext to attack the left and progressive news sites. Changes to Facebooks algorithm have reduced traffic significantly for progressive outlets like Common Dreams (5/3/18), while the pages of Venezuelan governmentbacked TeleSur English and the independent Venezuelanalysis were shut down without warning, and only reinstated after a public outcry. The Washington, DCbased NDI and IRI are staffed with senior Democratic and Republican politicians; the NDI is chaired by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, while the late Sen. John McCain was the longtime IRI chair. Both groups were created in 1983 as arms of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a Cold War enterprise backed by thenCIA director William Casey (Jacobin, 3/7/18). That these two US government creations, along with a NATO offshoot like the Atlantic Council, are used by Facebook to distinguish real from fake news is effectively state censorship. Facebooks collaboration with the NED organizations is particularly troubling, as both have aggressively pursued regime change against leftist governments overseas. The NDI undermined the Sandinista government of Nicaragua in the 1980s, and continues to do so to this day, while the IRI claimed a key role in the 2002 coup against leftist President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, announcing that it had served as a bridge between the nations political parties and all civil society groups to help Venezuelans forge a new democratic future. We stand ready to continue our partnership with the courageous Venezuelan people. The Reuters report (9/19/18) mentioned that Facebook was anxious to better curate what Brazilians saw on their feeds in the run-up to their presidential elections, which pits far-right Jair Bolsonaro against leftist Fernando Haddad. The US government has a long history of undermining democracy in Brazil, from supporting a coup in 1964 against the progressive Goulart administration to continually spying on leftist President Dilma Rousseff (BBC, 7/4/15) in the run-up to the parliamentary coup against her in 2016 (CounterSpin, 6/2/17). Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Soon after it partnered with the Atlantic Council, Facebook moved to delete accounts and pages connected with Iranian broadcasting channels (CNBC, 8/23/18), while The Intercept (12/30/17) reported that in 2017 the social media platform met with Israeli government officials to discuss which Palestinian voices it should censor. Ninety-five percent of Israeli government requests for deletion were granted. Thus the US government and its allies are effectively using the platform to silence dissenting opinion, both at home and on the world stage, controlling what Facebooks 2 billion users see and do not see. Progressives should be deeply skeptical that these moves have anything to do with their stated objective of promoting democracy. Bloomberg Businessweek (9/29/17) reported that the far-right Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) party went to Facebook headquarters for discussions with US companies about how it could use the platform for recruitment and micro-targeting in the 2017 elections. AfD tripled its previous vote share, becoming the third-largest party in Germany, the far rights best showing since World War II. Public trust in government is at 18 percentan all-time low (Pew, 12/14/17). There is similar mistrust of Facebook, with only 20 percent of Americans agreeing social media sites do a good job separating fact from fiction. And yet, worldwide, Facebook is a crucial news source. Fifty-two percent of Brazilians, 61 percent of Mexicans, and 51 percent of Italians and Turks use the platform for news; 39 percent of the US gets their news from the site. This means that, despite the fact that even its own public mistrusts it, the US government has effectively become the arbiter of what the world sees and hears, with the ability to marginalize or simply delete news from organizations or countries that do not share its opinions. This power could be used at sensitive times, like elections. This is not an idle threat. The US created an entire fake social network for Cubans that aimed to stir unrest and overthrow the Cuban government, according to the Guardian (4/3/14). That a single corporation has such a monopoly over the flow of worldwide news is already problematic, but the increasing meshing of corporate and US government control over the means of communication is particularly worrying. All those who believe in free and open exchange of information should oppose Facebook becoming a tool of US foreign policy. Alan MacLeod (@AlanRMacLeod) is a member of the Glasgow University Media Group. His latest book, Bad News From Venezuela: 20 Years of Fake News and Misreporting, was published by Routledge in April. This article was originally published by " FAIR " - Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here. ==See Also== You Gave Facebook Your Number For Security. They Used It For Ads. The list of deceptive and invasive ways Facebook makes money off your personal information. Facebook says nearly 50m users compromised in huge security breach 10 Ways Big Tech Can Shift Millions of Votes in the November ElectionsWithout Anyone Knowing: A noted researcher describes 10 ways Google, Facebook, other companies could shift millions of votes in the US midterms Exclusive: Tim Berners-Lee tells us his radical new plan to upend the World Wide Web: In other words, its game on for Facebook, Google, Amazon Note To ICH Community We ask that you assist us in dissemination of the article published by ICH to your social media accounts and post links to the article from other websites. Thank you for your support. Peace and joy By Philip Giraldi September 29, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - Perhaps it is Donald Trumps business background that leads him to believe that if you inflict enough economic pain on someone they will ultimately surrender and agree to do whatever you want. Though that approach might well work in New York real estate, it is not a certain path to success in international relations since countries are not as vulnerable to pressure as are individual investors or developers. Washingtons latest foray into the world of sanctions, directed against China, is astonishing even when considering the low bar that has been set by previous presidents going back to Bill Clinton. Beijing has already been pushing back over US sanctions imposed last week on its government-run Equipment Development Department of the Chinese Central Military Commission and its director Li Shangfu for engaging in significant transactions with a Russian weapons manufacturer that is on a list of US sanctioned companies. The transactions included purchases of Russian Su-35 combat aircraft as well as equipment related to the advanced S-400 surface-to-air missile system. The sanctions include a ban on the director entering the United States and blocks all of his property or bank accounts within the US as well as freezing all local assets of the Equipment Development Department. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter More important, the sanctions also forbid conducting any transactions that go through the US financial system. It is the most powerful weapon Washington has at its disposal, but it is being challenged as numerous countries are working to find ways around it. Currently however, as most international transactions are conducted in dollars and pass through American banks that means that it will be impossible for the Chinese government to make weapons purchases from many foreign sources. If foreign banks attempt to collaborate with China to evade the restrictions, they too will be sanctioned. So in summary, Beijing bought weapons from Moscow and is being sanctioned by the United States for doing so because Washington does not approve of the Russian government. The sanctions on China are referred to as secondary sanctions in that they are derivative from the primary sanction on the foreign company or individual that is actually being punished. Secondary sanctions can be extended ad infinitum as transgressors linked sequentially to the initial transaction multiply the number of potential targets. Not surprisingly, the US Ambassador has been summoned and Beijing has canceled several bilateral meetings with American defense department officials. The Chinese government has expressed outrage and has demanded the US cancel the measure. According to media reports, the Chinese Department purchased the weapons from Rosoboronexport, Russias principal arms exporter. This violated a 2017 law passed by Congress named, characteristically, the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, which sought to punish the Russian government and its various agencies for interfering in in the 2016 US election as well as its alleged involvement in Ukraine, Syria and its development of cyberwar capabilities. Iran and North Korea were also targeted in the legislation. Explaining the new sanctions, US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert issued a statement elaborating that the initial sanctions on Russia were enacted to further impose costs on the Russian government in response to its malign activities. She added that the US will urge all countries to curtail relationships with Russias defense and intelligence sectors, both of which are linked to malign activities worldwide. As engaging in malign activities is a charge that should quite plausibly be leveled against Washington and its allies in the Middle East, it is not clear if anyone but the French and British poodles actually believes the rationalizations coming out of Washington to defend the indefensible. An act to Counter Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions is, even as the title implies, ridiculous. Washington is on a sanctions spree. Russia has been sanctioned repeatedly since the passage of the fraudulent Magnitsky Act, with no regard for Moscows legitimate protests that interfering in other countries internal politics is unacceptable. China is currently arguing reasonably enough that arms sales between countries is perfect legal and in line with international law. Iran has been sanctioned even through it complied with an international agreement on its nuclear program and new sanctions were even piled on top of the old sanctions. And in about five weeks the US will be sanctioning ANYONE who buys oil from Iran, reportedly with no exceptions allowed. Venezuela is under US sanctions to punish its government, NATO member Turkey because it bought weapons from Russia and the Western Hemisphere perennial bad boy Cuba has had various embargoes in place since 1960. It should be noted that sanctions earn a lot of ill-will and generally accomplish nothing. Cuba would likely be a fairly normal country but for the US restrictions and other pressure that gave its government the excuse to maintain a firm grip on power. The same might even apply to North Korea. And sanctions are even bad for the United States. Someday, when the US begins to lose its grip on the world economy all of those places being sanctioned will line up to get their revenge and it wont be pretty. Philip Giraldi is a former counter-terrorism specialist and military intelligence officer of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. Reprinted from Strategic Culture Foundation. Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here. ==See Also== A Brief History of the New Cold War Note To ICH Community We ask that you assist us in dissemination of the article published by ICH to your social media accounts and post links to the article from other websites. Thank you for your support. Peace and joy Home Search ICH Socialists and Libertarians Need an Alliance Against the Establishment U.S. foreign policy is ripe for disruptionbut only if the left and right get their act together. By Stephen M. Walt September 29, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - The United States needs a new foreign policy, but who is going to conceive, articulate, and implement it? In particular, could the emerging democratic socialists of the left, libertarians on the right, and realists in the center join forces to produce a foreign policy that would command support at home and perform effectively abroad? Its possible, but it wont be easy. Over the past quarter-century, U.S. foreign policy has been in the hands of a loose alliance of liberal interventionists and hawkish neoconservatives. Both groups firmly embrace American exceptionalism, see the United States as the indispensable power that must exert active leadership all over the world, favor overwhelming military supremacy, and endorse the broad goal of spreading liberal values (democracy, human rights, rule of law, markets) to every corner of the world. They disagree somewhat about the role of international institutions (liberal interventionists see them as useful tools, neocons as potential constraints on Americas freedom of action), but thats about it. Despite occasional disagreements on tactics and the usual jostling for position and status in Washington, this broad alliance has held firm across both Republican and Democratic presidents. And since 2016, it has also been working overtime to keep President Donald Trump from abandoning Americas position as leader of the so-called liberal world order. Unfortunately, the foreign policy to which these elites were committed has been a dismal failure. Their shared strategy of liberal hegemonydefined as using U.S. power to spread liberal ideals around the globedid not produce a more harmonious and prosperous world. Instead, it helped lead to a series of failed states, deteriorating great-power relations, a global recession, declining confidence in democracy itself, and a xenophobic backlash against globalization. Americas foreign-policy elites once thought the wind was at their backs and that spreading U.S. ideals would be relatively easy; today, these same ideals are under siege and the liberal world order they sought to expand is on life-support. Not surprisingly, a number of commentators are beginning to realize that the United States needs an alternative. Writing in the Atlantic, the recovering liberal interventionist Peter Beinart now favors a far more restrained U.S. foreign policy, more or less identical to the one that realists have been advocating for years. Last week, the historian Daniel Bessner of the University of Washington wrote a provocative op-ed in the New York Times calling for the emerging democratic socialist left to get serious about foreign policy and to unite around a platform combining anti-militarism, accountability, greater congressional oversight, and threat deflation. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Which raises the obvious question: Would it be possible to assemble a sufficiently broad coalition behind such a program, one both large and cohesive enough to overcome the liberal-neocon alliance that has caused so much trouble? As noted above, the obvious candidates are anti-war progressives (i.e., the democratic socialists highlighted by Bessner); realists who favor a grand strategy of restraint or offshore balancing; and the libertarian right (e.g., Rand Paul, the Cato Institute) that has been questioning Americas imperial proclivities for decades. All three groups agree that the pursuit of liberal hegemony over the past 25 years was unnecessary, unwise, and unsuccessful. And a more restrained foreign policy is consistent with many of their individual political objectives, which could make a working coalition feasible. For the libertarians, liberal hegemony led to a bloated national security state, threatened civil liberties, and forced policymakers either to raise taxes to pay for it or to run permanent deficits, both of which they regard as anathema. For this group, preserving liberty at home means keeping the federal government small and that objective is incompatible with trying to run the world. For the democratic socialists on the left, liberal hegemony simply didnt deliver as promised. Trying to spread democracy at the point of a rifle barrel didnt produce stable, flourishing democracies or advance human rights; instead, it created failed states, violent insurgencies, and encouraged the United States to violate the very principles it claimed to be upholding. Excessive military spending and failed interventions squandered money that could have been spent improving the lives of Americans at home and especially the lives of Americans most in need of assistance. Globalization may have helped raise more than a billion people out of poverty in Asia, but lower- and middle-class citizens in the West saw few benefits, and the global financial order became more fragile, as we learned to our sorrow in 2008. Bessner is correct in saying that these groups lack a well-developed foreign-policy platform, but reducing Americas global burdens and taking a more measured approach to globalization would fit perfectly with their broader social and political agenda. Needless to say, most realists would welcome a more restrained U.S. foreign policy as well because they believe this would husband U.S. strength, avoid costly quagmires, encourage other states to bear a greater share of global burdens, and allow the United States to rebuild its domestic infrastructure and focus on the big strategic challenges that remain (e.g., China). So, at first glance, its easy to imagine these three groups uniting behind a more restrained grand strategy. A domestically driven revolution in U.S. foreign policy of the sort imagined here will also face significant obstacles, however. For starters, the hypothetical coalition I am depicting doesnt have a deep bench of knowledgeable and experienced foreign-policy experts. Its ranks are not entirely empty, of course, but it takes a lot of people to run the U.S. government and a reform-minded president would be hard-pressed to find enough experts to staff the National Security Council with restrainers, let alone all the other positions he or she would need to fill. (Its worth noting that both former President Barack Obama and Trump faced a similar problem and ended up having to appoint a lot of people who were much more inclined to interventionism than either president was.) Furthermore, the roots of the liberal-neocon coalition go back to the Cold War, and it has been running things for a long time. Even today, the foreign-policy establishment has far more bodies it can throw into public debates on the future course of U.S. foreign policy. Defenders of Americas so-called indispensable leadership role still dominate the commanding heights of elite foreign-policy institutions (e.g., most of the big D.C. think tanks), as well as the op-ed pages of leading journals such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. Second, there are significant substantive differences among the three groups, including differences on foreign policy, and those disagreements would need to be resolved or at least papered over. For example, left-wing democratic socialists are strongly committed to the basic principles of human rights, and some of them will be temptedjust as liberal interventionists have beento use U.S. power to try to improve human rights conditions in distant areas where people are suffering. Realists are much warier of such crusades, however, and while they also believe that human rights should be respected, they believe that the United States can best advance these principles not by trying to impose them on others but by setting a good example. Getting the left to stick to a policy of nonintervention could be tough, and its easy to imagine realists and the left disagreeing vehemently over whether to intervene in a bloodbath like Syria or a genocide like Rwanda. Similarly, realists and libertarians are likely to part company over the need to balance a rising China; the former thinks it is important for Americas long-term security, and the latter thinks it may not be possible and is probably unnecessary. For them, nuclear weapons and geographic isolation are sufficient to protect the U.S. homeland, and theres no need to deny China a dominant position (or sphere of influence) in Asia if it really wants one. Both groups favor greater restraint, but the libertarians want even more of it than realists do. Lastly, Bessners suggestion that Congress be given greater oversight over foreign policy sounds like a good way to rein in the imperial presidency and correct the foreign-policy establishments tendency to wage costly undeclared wars. It is by no means obvious, however, that a more empowered Congress would always favor restraint. Capitol Hill is where lobbies and special interest groups thrive and do most of their work, helping sell follies like NATO expansion or the war in Iraq and pressuring Congress to keep military bases open and defense industries funded. And it is hard to imagine a progressive foreign-policy movement ignoring lobbying efforts by citizens who have come together to press a political cause, for isnt grass roots activism exactly what democratic socialists are supposed to favor? Despite my concerns, these recent statements by Beinart and Bessner are an encouraging development. For too long, debates about U.S. foreign policy have run the broad spectrum from A to B, with genuine alternatives confined to the margins of public discourse and with their proponents frequently treated as amusing iconoclasts at best. The result has been a stale consensus behind a package of policies that kept failingunder Republicans and Democrats alikea consensus kept alive because it was professionally dangerous for ambitious policy wonks and aspiring foreign-policy mavens to wander outside it. But as Walter Lippmann once warned, Where all think alike, no one thinks very much. A broader debate about the fundamentals of U.S. foreign policy, and one that includes lots of voices from all across the political spectrum, might be the countrys best hope of eventually getting a foreign policy that works. And for more on this subject, preorder now. Stephen M. Walt is the Robert and Renee Belfer professor of international relations at Harvard University. @stephenwalt This article was originally published by " FP " - Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here. ==See Also== Note To ICH Community We ask that you assist us in dissemination of the article published by ICH to your social media accounts and post links to the article from other websites. Thank you for your support. Peace and joy Search Information Clearing House === Click Here To Support Information Clearing House Your support has kept ICH free on the Web since 2002. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. The Palestinian Peoples Principal Problem Is Their Own Leadership By Abdel Bari Atwan September 29, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas address to the UN General Assembly was disappointing. It repeated the same phrases used in his last eight speeches. Nothing new at all. The same appeals for international sympathy. Even the wording of his complaints about Israels failure to respect agreements was unchanged. And his declaration that the US is not an honest broker but biased towards Israel we have heard a million times before. So it was neither strange nor surprising that the chamber was almost empty of delegates and delegation heads, and that the warm applause came mostly from the Palestinian delegation. US President Donald Trump will not heed Abbas demands that he rescind his recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. Nor will East Jerusalem be capital of a Palestinian state, because there will be no Palestinian state at all. Not according to the US Deal of the Century, which has rapidly begun entering the implementation stage with US support, the collusion of some Arabs, and Palestinian security coordination. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter The US and Israel will not fret about Abbas threats regarding their non-compliance with the agreements signed with them. Nor will that arouse the sympathy of UN member-sates. So long as he continues talking Mother Theresa-like about peace, renouncing violence, and joining the fight against terrorism in any part of the world as he affirmed in his speech nobody will listen to him or take him seriously. It was regrettable that the Palestinian president used the UN podium to discuss the agreements he signed with the Hamas movement and threaten not to abide by them. That is the only one of his threats he will actually carry out: to cut off what remains of the Palestinian Authority (PA)s aid to the Gaza Strip. This amounts to around $90 million in electricity subsidies and salaries, the vast majority of which go to members of Fateh, the PAs party. Is this the place to make such threats? Does the world benefit from hearing them? The international community will not thank Abbas for promising not to resort to violence or revert to terrorism i.e. legitimate resistance to occupation. How could such thanks be forthcoming from UN delegates when so many of their countries gained their freedom through resistance, not by imploring and lamenting the loss of their rights at international forums. Abbas has been saying for the past ten years or so that peaceful popular resistance is the only option. We ask: Where is this resistance? Why do the PAs security forces repress all political activists and throw them in jail, or inform on them to the occupation authorities to facilitate their arrest? Enough lies and deception, please. Respect your peoples intelligence, and their martyrs and prisoners. *** We ask President Abbas: Why did the US administration cut off all aid to schools, hospitals, PA institutions and UNRWA, while increasing its aid to the Palestinian security forces, at a time when he announced a boycott of any meeting or dialogue with the US? What good did this boycott do in this case? The fault does not lie with UN, the US, or Israel. It lies with President Abbas, his leadership and administration, his Authority, his security coordination, and his speechwriters and cheerleaders. When Palestinian leaders chose the course of resistance and sacrifice, the US and Israel and the West in its entirety sought to meet and negotiate with them, recognized them, and feared them. This farce needs to be ended at once, and the actors stripped of their masks. It has gone too far, and the Palestinian people, both in the homeland and the diaspora, must not remain silent about this situation. Abdel Bari Atwan is the editor-in-chief of Rai al-Youm, an Arab world digital news and opinion website. He was the editor-in-chief of the London-based pan-Arab newspaper Al Quds Al Arabi from the founding of that paper in 1989 until July 2013. This article was originally published by " Raialyoum " - Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here. ==See Also== The Slaughter Continues: Apartheid Israeli occupation forces kill 7 people in Gaza: The seven included two children who were shot dead as thousands of Palestinians protested the 12-year-long Israeli blockade on Gaza Gaza protests: All the latest updates: Since protests began on March 30, Israeli forces have killed at least 180 Palestinians in the besieged coastal enclave. Full text of Abbass speech to UN General Assembly: Palestinian leader lambastes US leadership, rails against Israeli policies and warns Hamas of funding cuts in address Watch: War criminal: PM Netanyahu's Remarks at the UN General Assembly - 2018 35 US Senators urge Trump to restore Palestinian aid: 14 Democrats and 51 Republicans, mostly Senators who have received huge campaign donations from Israels lobby AIPAC, refused to sign the letter Federal court blocks anti-BDS law in Arizona: A federal judge in Arizona on Thursday blocked enforcement of the states 2016 law that aims to thwart the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement for Palestinian rights. Note To ICH Community We ask that you assist us in dissemination of the article published by ICH to your social media accounts and post links to the article from other websites. Thank you for your support. Peace and joy Editorial September 29, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - For years, US presidents have regaled the UN General Assembly with rosy and ridiculous rhetoric about America allegedly doing great things for world peace. Notwithstanding such criminal barbarities as the US genocidal wars in Vietnam, Iraq and elsewhere, the UN has tended to be a silent forum while American leaders indulged in fantasies about their nations virtuous greatness. That silence was either from fear or bamboozlement by American phony rhetoric. This year, however, the assembly burst out in laughter at President Trumps vain claims of greatness. Its about time too. American claims have always been wildly overblown. This years disbelieving reaction among delegates was not only appropriate. It also shows that the world openly views US claims as ridiculously disconnected from reality. The rampant contradictions articulated by President Trump in his address to the 73rd United Nations General Assembly are too many to condense here. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter He called for the world to choose peace and freedom over domination that from a leader of a nation that has waged scores of wars in flagrant violation of international law during the seven decades since the UN was established following the Second World War. Trump claimed the US has defeated terrorists in Syria and Iraq, when in reality American illegal wars, covert and overt, have unleashed these same terrorist as proxies for its regime-change machinations. There were so many other absurd contradictions in American self-righteousness as enunciated by Trump. But perhaps the most glaring was this: Trump was calling on the nations of the world to join in Americas campaign of aggression against Iran over the latters alleged sponsorship of terrorism when it is the US that is the biggest sponsor of terrorism. Trumps unilateral abrogation of the international nuclear accord with Iran earlier this year is a brazen violation of international law. Yet, this American president demands that all nations indulge his governments transgression against an international treaty to satisfy Washingtons obsession for regime change in Tehran. American conduct of illegal wars and regime change in the Middle East and beyond has undermined international law and gravely incited tensions. The spectacle of President Trump bullying the world to comply with US rogue-state behavior with regard to Iran is a contradiction too far and no wonder the world is confounded by Washingtons absurd arrogance. How can anyone have the slightest respect for American self-proclaimed leadership when it is in fact a rogue state that has no respect for international law and rules? That has always been the case, despite florid, vainglorious rhetoric about American probity. But under Trump the contradiction between rhetoric and reality of American munificence and misconduct has become too stark to ignore. The only appropriate response is to laugh. Trump extols the principle of sovereignty of nations. Yet, in his threats delivered at the UN this week, Trump has no respect for sovereignty of nations that do not kowtow to Washingtons diktat. This American president has open contempt for multilateral accords, the Iran deal in particular. It is the US which has shown bad faith and criminal disregard towards the 2015 nuclear accord ratified by the UN. This violation of the accord is leading to tensions and instability in the Middle East, as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pointed out to the UN Security Council this week. Still, Trump tries to make a virtue of this American vice, and whats more, to lay down ultimatums to the rest of the world to acquiesce to American bullying, or else face retribution with punitive sanctions. The American leader is a leader in the most nefarious sense. Leading the world into lawlessness and certain conflict that accompanies such lawlessness. Trumps platitudes about sovereignty are nothing other than a license for American rogue-state conduct unfettered by international law and global accountability. In reality, American power is degenerating into an embrace of the kind of fascistic licentiousness that prevailed in the 1930s which led to world war. It surely is a sign of the times when an American president stands up in front of the world and gratuitously exults in his nations contempt for global law, order and peace. All delivered with smug self-righteousness. No wonder the world is laughing. The disconnect from reality is too much to bear. But it is no laughing matter. America is accusing everyone of malfeasance Russia and China in particular when the barefaced reality is that Washington is the scourge of world peace. Americas trashing of international order is only matched by its trashing of reason and any possible dialogue to uphold international order. America claims to have led the establishment of the United Nations out of ashes of the Second World War in 1945. That war and its fascist protagonists were the outgrowth of a failing capitalist system. The system is failing again and producing the same conditions for nation-state-led rivalry and war. History seems to be coming back to that same point. Trumps ridiculous and reckless ultimatums delivered to the world this week at the UN shows how the causes of war have never been solved. American rhetoric is breaking down from its preposterous pretense of being a law-abiding leader of the free world to reveal, ominously, the same fascistic tendency for war. We may indeed chuckle at Trumps clownish claims. But the deadly serious issue is how to prevent this rogue state from inciting another world war. As the great German playwright Bertolt Brecht once wrote: War is a bastard, but the bitch that bore him is on heat again. Americas complete disregard for international order and compliance, as expressed by President Trump this week at the UN, is the evidence of war on the horizon once again due to capitalist chaos in the world order. US failure as the worlds foremost capitalist power is manifest in Trumps bullying and boorish exultation of lawlessness. On one hand, the breakdown is hilarious, absurd, risible. On the other hand, it is gravely alarming. This article was originally published by " Strategic Culture Foundation " - Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here. ==See Also== President Donald Trump's full speech at the UNGA Note To ICH Community We ask that you assist us in dissemination of the article published by ICH to your social media accounts and post links to the article from other websites. Thank you for your support. Peace and joy Dress Rehearsal for Impeachment By Patrick J Buchanan September 29, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - Judge Brett Kavanaughs nomination to the Supreme Court was approved on an 11-10 party-line vote Friday in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Yet his confirmation is not assured. Sen. Jeff Flake, Republican of Arizona, has demanded and gotten as the price of his vote on the floor, a weeklong delay. And the GOP Senate has agreed to Democrat demands for a new FBI investigation of all credible charges of sexual abuse against the judge. Astonishing. With a quarter century in public service, Kavanaugh has undergone six FBI field investigations. They turned up nothing like the charges of sexual misconduct leveled against him these last two weeks. In his 30 hours of public testimony before the judiciary committee prior to Thursday, no senator had raised an issue of a sexual misconduct. But if Brett Kavanaugh is elevated to the Supreme Court, it will be because, in his final appearance, he tore up the script assigned to him. He set aside his judicial demeanor to fight for his good name with the passion and righteous rage of the innocent and good man he believes himself to be. He turned an inquisition into his character and conduct as a teenager into a blazing indictment of the Democratic minority for what they were doing to his reputation and his family. Rather than play the role of penitent, Kavanaugh did what Clarence Thomas did 30 years before. He attacked the character, conduct and motives of his Democratic accusers. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter And did the judge not speak the truth? With few exceptions, all four dozen Senate Democrats are determined to defeat him, even if that requires them to destroy him. They rejected Brett Kavanaugh the day he was nominated. Why? Because the judge is a conservative and a Catholic, hence an unreliable vote to sustain Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that discovered hidden in the Constitution a womans right to abort her unborn child. The verdict on the judge came down in the hearts and minds of his enemies the moment that he was named. They had him convicted, before they met him. And once his fate was decided, the only remaining issues were where to find the dirt to bury him with, and how to make it look like they had given Kavanaugh a fair hearing. Contrast how Kavanaugh, who has served his country with distinction for decades, was treated Thursday, and how Dr. Christine Blasey Ford was treated. Ford was greeted with courtly courtesy by Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley. No Republican senator asked her a question. Rachel Mitchell, a prosecutor of sex crimes brought in from Arizona, quizzed her as though she were a 15-year-old girl who had just been attacked, not a 51-year-old woman whose uncorroborated accusations were designed not only to defeat a Supreme Court nomination but to destroy the career, family and future of a federal judge. After each five-minutes of polite questioning by Mitchell, Democratic senators took turns lauding Fords courage, bravery and heroism in agreeing to appear. Fords testimony as to what she says happened in 1982 did seem credible and compelling. Yet, to allow her accusation of attempted rape to stand without tough and thorough cross-examination, given the stakes involved, was a dereliction of Senate duty. Consider. Ford does not recall how she got to the party where the alleged assault took place. She does not know where the party was held. She does now recall how she got home. None of the other four she said were at the party recall being there. Her best friend, whom she apparently left behind as the lone woman in a house with a pair of drunken rapists, does not recall any such party. Nor does she recall ever having met Kavanaugh. Consider the other charges leveled against Kavanaugh in the last two weeks: Exposing himself in the face of a freshman girl in a dorm at Yale. Participating in a series of at least 10 parties in high school where planned gang rapes of drunken and drugged women were a regular feature, with the boys lining up outside bedrooms. In six FBI background investigations of Kavanaugh, interviewing countless friends and contemporaries from high school days, none of this wild and criminal misconduct of the early 80s was mentioned. This is the most unethical sham since Ive been in politics, said Sen. Lindsey Graham, I hope that the American people will see through this charade. They had best do so. For what is being done to Kavanaugh is, if Democrats take control of Congress in November, a harbinger of what is to come. The assault on Kavanaugh, converting a man known for his integrity into a youthful Jack the Ripper in 10 days, is the playbook for what is planned for Trump. The Kavanaugh lynching is a dress rehearsal for the impeachment of Donald Trump. And the best way to fight impeachment is the way the judge fought Thursday. In defending yourself, go after your malevolent accusers as well. Patrick J. Buchanan is the author of a new book, Nixons White House Wars: The Battles That Made and Broke a President and Divided America Forever. Copyright 2018 Creators.com. By Doug Johnson September 29, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - Along with the usual smears, name calling, and flat dismissals put forward by rape culture warriors, defenders of Brett Kavanaugh, and Kavanaugh at times himself, have repeatedly argued that Dr. Christine Blasey Ford contradicted herself in the number of people she placed at the party, that those people have said it never happened, and that she has provided no evidence to support her story. The first argument is terribly weak and barely worthy addressing. Remembering the exact number of people there is not a central part of the story, and shes named several of them that will become relevant in what follows. The second argument (theyve all denied it under penalty of perjury) was horribly handled by Democratic Senators yesterday, and could be the topic of another post. For starters, Mark Judge didnt deny it under penalty of perjury as his lawyer, not he himself, submitted a cursory statement to the Senate Judiciary committee. (Update: Judge and lawyer sent a new letter, signed by Judge and released by Chuck Grassely, before midnight last night. As below, still no reason whatsoever he shouldnt be scrutinized under Senate questioning or court room cross-examination.) There are problems with each of the other supposed denials too, but that isnt the subject here. So, without further ado, lets go in reverse order of strength to the 10 items that corroborate Dr. Blasey Fords allegation that Brett Kavanaugh tried to rape her. The claim that there is no corroboration is consistently bandied about on news programs, by senators, and on social media by people who, apparently do not know what the term corroborate means (hint: to confirm or give support to is a lot wider category than eye witness testimony). Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter 10. Kavanaugh (and His Closest Defenders) Own Admissions With some of the wilder allegations of rape or sexual assault leaked, it seems, by Senate Republicans, Kavanaugh said things like, I was not in Newport, havent been on a boat in Newport. Not with Mark Judge on a boat, nor all those three things combined. This is just completely made up, or at least not me. I dont know what theyre referring to. Fair enough. Corroboration would mean things like showing he was on a boat at the relevant time in Newport with Mark Judge. This isnt the case with Blasey Fords allegation. Kavanaugh admits that he at least knew her and socialized with her in passing, further acknowledging that he doesnt deny that these things happened to her, it just wasnt him. As such, close associates of his tried a failed doppelganger theory on for size. Admitting he knew Blasey Ford and acknowledging her credibility in so far as she claims to have been sexually assaulted are minimally corroborative. 9. Kavanaughs Own Speeches Kavanaugh went on Fox News and tried to suggest that maybe he had a beer here and there, but that generally he was a virgin who focused on sports, going to church every Sunday, and service projects. Well get to some responses to that shortly, but his own speeches about hard-partying ways at both Yale and Georgetown Prep cut against that portrayal and corroborate Dr. Blasey Fords suggestion that he was the kind of person who could get wildly drunk and aggressive. What happens on the bus stays on the bus and what happens at Georgetown Prep stays at Georgetown prep. 8. People Blasey Ford Told Over the Last 1/2 Dozen Years These include her therapist who took notes and four people who submitted affidavits that she had told them about being assaulted, being assaulted by a top lawyer or federal judge, or specifically naming Kavanaugh since 2012. This corroboration helps to establish that her story was not made up last minute to derail Kavanaugh, as a vocal minority of Kavanaugh supporters claim and as Kavanaugh himself more vaguely hinted in the hearings yesterday. 7. Yale Roomates and Friends of Kavanaugh A key question has become, not as GOP flacks would have it whether he drinks or drinks excessively at all, but whether Kavanaugh may have sometimes or even regularly become drunk to the point of blacking out, passing out, or not remembering his actions while drunk. Many people from his Yale circles have corroborated the claim that he could be a terrible, angry drunk. His roommate told ABC News that he became aggressive and belligerent when he was very drunk. I did not observe the specific incident [the second accusation] in question, but I do remember Brett frequently drinking excessively and becoming incoherently drunk. These stories provide critical evidence undermining Kavanaughs self-presentation as almost a choir boy and support Blasey Fords story that he was badly drunk and violent with her. 6. Kavanaughs Yearbook Entries As much as Kavanaugh tried in his testimony, he could not get past how terrible the yearbook entries make him look. Some of his explanations, as for the Fffffffourth of July entry, make reasonable sense on face. Several others dont pass a basic smell test. Even he had to admit they are a disaster, the kind of disaster that provides corroboration to Blasey Fords account of his heavy drinking and rotten treatment of women. 5. Polygraph There are reasons polygraph tests are looked at with some skepticism by courts in the U.S. and other reasons why they (1) have become more and more accepted in some court situations, when administered properly, in recent decades and (2) why US intelligence agencies often use them with their own employees. Some people are the kind of smooth liars that can fool them, and some people are so anxious that they trigger negative results without actually lying. No evidence has come forward that Dr. Blasey Ford is some kind of known liar. So the fact that, despite her admitted deep anxiety problems particularly around this matter, she took one and passed one, counts as some corroboration of her story. Taken together, the previous six items provide a fair, but likely not necessarily entirely persuasive amount of corroboration for Blasey Fords story. Sure, Kavanaugh was likely a hard partying drunk who treated women as sexual objects in high school and had at least some interaction with Blasey Ford. And, yes, Blasey Fords story was not simply created sometime in August with the help of Democratic operatives, meaning she could meaningfully pass a polygraph test. These help fill out a picture, but on their own or together arent, by themselves, dispositive. The following four items, however, are each quite powerful on their own, and especially when combined with each other and with the items above. 4. Mark Judges Writings Mark Judge is in hiding. Clearly for good reason. The last thing Kavanaugh and his allies want is for Judge to be cross-examined in public. Democratic Senators landed a few jabs on this, but did nothing to camp out here the way they should. Judge and Kavanaugh were clearly best friends and, try as they might to characterize his writings as fictional accounts, Judge has never ever presented them that way. He has presented them as accounts of his life with a few names changed here and there. The entire scene he describes, including one Bart OKavanaugh, corroborates the account of this crew of Georgetown Prep boys as violent, black-out-drunk misogynists. An article in The Intercept nails this in vivid detail, followed by a second piece detailing just how bad the relationship with Judge is for Kavanaugh in terms of corroborating Blasey Fords story. 3. Mark Judges Ex-Girlfriend Elizabeth Rasors Account Rasors story, as told initially to the New Yorkers Jane Mayer and Ronan Farrow is a devastating piece of corroboration that what Judge and possibly also Kavanaugh were involved in was criminal sexual assault: Rasor recalled that Judge had told her ashamedly of an incident that involved him and other boys taking turns having sex with a drunk woman. Rasor said that Judge seemed to regard it as fully consensual. She said that Judge did not name others involved in the incident, and she has no knowledge that Kavanaugh participated. But Rasor was disturbed by the story and noted that it undercut Judges protestations about the sexual innocence of Georgetown Prep. 2. Two Other Credible Allegations From Other Women For decades we have learned that when one woman comes forward with a credible story of having been assaulted by a powerful man, it is not long before other women step forward. These stories, particularly where they dovetail in details, small or large, provide a strong level of corroboration to each other. Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick have told powerful stories of having been assaulted by Kavanaugh themselves. In all three cases, heavy drinking was involved. The initial details of Swetnicks account, in particular, came out right about the same time as the New Yorker piece on Deborah Ramirez that include Rasors account of Judge and other boys taking turns having sex with women unable to consent because they were drunk. Swetnick likewise claims the she and other young women or teenaged girls were subject to Judge, Kavanaugh, and/or others taking turns having sex with them when they were too drunk or drugged to consent. This is an incredibly potent set of items corroborating Dr. Blasey Fords initial allegation. 1. Kavanaughs Own Calendars I am completely baffled why, outside of Philip Bumps excellent articles on this yesterday here and here and here (and Bump is not always someone I agree with or find persuasive), everyone isnt camping out on the Calendar. How in the world could someone who thinks hes qualified for the Supreme Court willingly give up the most damning corroborating evidence of all, somehow thinking it proves his innocence? Its a bit gobsmacking, to be honest. The July 1 entry, in particular, that Bump has focused on, puts Kavanaugh with Judge, P.J. (whom Ford has named as at the party), Squi (whom Blasey Ford says now she was going out with around that time), and a few other boys. They were drinking (as Kavanaugh admitted skis meant with Cory Booker in the hearings). It fits, as Bump noted, the timeline of six to eight weeks before Blasey Ford could have run into Judge at a grocery store later that summer. Beyond the fact of all the rest of the corroborating evidence suggesting that Dr. Blasey Ford is telling the truth (where Kavanaughs honesty is questionable at best), how can any decision maker in their right mind want to put someone so terrible at evaluating evidence into a lifetime role on the nations most powerful court? This article was originally published by " Counterpunch " - Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here. ==See Also== FBI contacts Kavanaugh Yale classmate in its investigation: Ramirez has said Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party in the early 1980s when they were Yale students. The Unbearable Dishonesty of Brett Kavanaugh: Having no recollection of the night in question, or no knowledge of the alleged events, is not the same as saying it didnt happen. Kavanaughs classmates say he lied under oath about his sloppy drunk days: "I don't think many of his answers were credible," said one Yale classmate. Note To ICH Community We ask that you assist us in dissemination of the article published by ICH to your social media accounts and post links to the article from other websites. Thank you for your support. Peace and joy This figure rose 15% against July and 24% compared with that in August 2017. This was the third consecutive month in which the export value exceeded US$4 billion. Most of Vietnams major export products to the US maintained a positive growth rate over the same period last year, including textiles, telephones, footwear, wood and wooden products, machinery and equipment. Despite the rising US-China trade war, experts are still positive about the outlook of local exports to the US. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, so far, the structure of imports and exports between the US and Vietnam has not changed overall. Vietnam mainly exports seafood, textiles, footwear, wood and wood products, computers, electronic products and components, and agricultural products to the US. Meanwhile, it imports machinery, computers, electrical components, cotton, animal food and materials for animal food production, soybeans, machinery, equipment and tools. Akinwumi Ambode has stirred a hot debate on social media after his revelations about his ace contender, Jide Sanwoolu. Ambode revealed during his emergency press conference in Lagos today, that Sanwoolu is mentally unfit and such records are in Gbagada general hospital. The governor also made it known that Sanwoolu was once arrested in the USA for spending fake dollars in a nightclub. Sanwoolu, is reportedly the favoured candidate for the All Progressives Congress(APC) lagos state governorship election in 2019, after Ambode lost the support of his political godfathers. Many Nigerians are talking about the revelations from Ambodes Sunday press conference. See reactions below Ambode says Sanwo was once mad and committed forex fraud. He could literally be describing many current politicians and Twitter people. Doesn't rule out Sanwo Olu by Nigerian Standardslol Dolapo Oni (@Dolarpo) September 30, 2018 Dear Ambode, If you haven't read The Prince, this is the time to. If the 'Elites' are against you, it's time to get the 'masses' behind you. Pull down those toll gate. That's their source of revenue. Cripple it. Go all out against the 'elites' while making the 'masses' happy. Arinze Odira (@CaptainArinze) September 30, 2018 https://twitter.com/Adonis4all/status/1046423242087567360?s=19 Ambode accused Sanwo-Olu of spending fake dollars in a night club and also insinuated that went to rehab for addiction. Yet this same Sanwo-Olu served under his Administration as the MD, LSDPC. Adeda (@tosinadeda) September 30, 2018 https://twitter.com/ronaldnzimora/status/1046420989486215168?s=19 https://twitter.com/officialdaddymo/status/1046419187701170176?s=19 https://twitter.com/FireOFola/status/1046422029677809664?s=19 https://twitter.com/adesola_shuga/status/1046418977935814661?s=19 Ambode: Sanwo-Olu is not fit and was also caught spending fake dollars Tinubu boys: Wow. You will hear from us soon. The world will know the truth about you. Twitter: pic.twitter.com/dQF8lWHKWF Mazi Ibe (@MaziIbe_) September 30, 2018 Chimaroke was Sullivans godfather. Chimaroke put him there but Sullivan was able to win the hearts of the people with his good work and generosity thats why he was able to fight Chimaroke. What foundation has Ambode laid in Lagos that he thinks he can fight Tinubu. Sally Suleiman (@is_salsu) September 30, 2018 See, if you people push Ambode too far he will probably open LAGOS books and your favorite godfather and everyone else who has ever been involved will go down with him! Every single person!! Dude is very vindictive!! Joel (@joeloseiga) September 30, 2018 https://twitter.com/JohnFanimokun/status/1046423763036835840?s=19 https://twitter.com/ayosogunro/status/1046404370928193537?s=19 The Nigerian Labour Congress(NLC) has called of its strike. The announcement was made by the labour president, Ayuba Wabba on Sunday. According to the NLC president, it became necessary to call off the nationwide strike after government gave a firm and formal assurance to reconvene the tripartite meeting on the proposed new minimum wage. The NLC had embarked on a strike at midnight on Wednesday after a tripartite meeting with the federal government ended in a deadlock. Femi Fani kayode, a Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) has said he has advised the newly resigned Minister of women affairs, Aisha Al-Hassan to leave the ruling party but she insulted him. Al-Hassan made headlines on Saturday after she resigned her position from President Muhammadu Buharis cabinet and also dumped the All Progressives Congress(APC). AL-Hassans said she made the decision after she was screened out of the APC gubernatorial election list and wasnt given a reason. Fani Kayode speaking via Twitter on Sunday said, a few months ago, he advised Al Hassan to leave Buhari and APC before shes kicked out but said she insulted him instead. According to the former Aviation minister, now Al Hassan has been insulted and kicked out for not being loyal. He wrote: Lagos state governor Akinwumi Ambode is not ready to throw in the towel just yet as hes doing everything possible to clinch his partys governorship candidacy for the 2019 general elections. The embattled governor, who has lost the support of his political father, Bola Ahmed Tinubu threw Nigerians into a state of surprise after he made some revelations in his emergency press conference today in Lagos. In the course of the press conference, Ambode revealed that Jide Sanwoolu, who is reported to have the backing of top members of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in the state including that of the Jagaban has some skeletons in his closet. Akinwunmi Ambode raised questions about his contenders mental health saying records of Jide Sanwoolu being mentally unfit, can be found at Gbagada hospital. Also claimed that the APC favoured candidate was arrested in the USA for spending Fake Dollars in a Night club. Vanguard Ahead of All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship primary in Lagos State, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the Governors Advisory Council, GAC, yesterday, endorsed Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu for the partys ticket for the 2019 elections. Thisday As high-wired intrigues continue to play out in Lagos State over the incumbent governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambodes re-election bid, competent sources saturday revealed that a key segment of the party led by the National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has asked the governor to stand down his second term bid or face impeachment. The threat to impeach the governor is an escalation of pressure being piled on him to drop his quest for second term. The Sun Governor Akinwunmi Ambodes dream of securing a second term ticket on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) may have been finally dashed. Guardian Governorship aspirant urges INEC to check buying of delegates A governorship aspirant in Benue State on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prof. Joe Tor Iorlapuu, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) to check buying of delegates by moneybag politicians. Daily Times Presidential aspirants sign peace bond Apparently evading post- convention crisis imminent from threat by Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Friday, finally settled for Port Harcourt as venue of its national convention scheduled for October 6 and 7, 2018. Daily Trust Director General, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-olu Campaign Organisation (BOSCO), Tayo Ayinde, on Sunday restated readiness of the organisation for the direct primaries rescheduled for Monday, 1st of October, 2018 by the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Lagos. Leadership Coming to terms with the fact that Nigeria, which has long struggled with deepening democracy and governance, is in dire need of profound transformation, the United Kingdom, has promised to help address the different challenges and opportunities that lie ahead on the countrys path, especially as the clock to the 2019 general elections tick. Blessing Bature writes. Tribune In this interview, former governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso spoke about the forthcoming presidential primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and issues surrounding the Kano State chapter of the party. The interview monitored on Channels Televisions Sunrise Daily The Nation Former governor of Sokoto State and PDP presidential aspirant, Attahiru Bafarawa, has declared defeating APC- led administration of President Muhammadu Buhari will be an easy task if all the aspirants join hands with the party. A boy has received a jail sentence after stripping a 60 year old woman naked to falsely deliver her from evil spirit. The 19 year old convict, Saheed Emmanuel, was handed 2 years imprisonment without an option of fine for scamming a 60-year old woman by stripping her naked under the false pretense of delivering from evil spirits. The incident took place at the Governors Road in Ikotun area of Lagos where Emmanuel met the 60-year old victim said to be suffering from an undisclosed ailment. It all started after he told the old woman that he was born a spiritualist and had powers to heal sicknesses and diseases; both physical and spiritual and she believed him. She furthered opened up to him about her predicament and he assured her that he would deliver her through his spiritual powers. He then asked her to bring N120,000 for the spiritual work, she collected the money from her son and gave to him. Thereafter, Saheed asked her to prepare for the spiritual work and took her to a river at the Badagry area of Lagos. At the river, he asked her remove her clothes which she did. While she was naked, he touched every part of her private all in the name of conducting the said deliverance. He also instilled fear in the 60-year old woman and her condition became worse. At that point, she opened up to her children and told them about the alleged scam. The matter was reported at the police at Ikotun Division and Saheed Emmanuel was arrested and later charged before the Ejigbo Magistrates court where he pleaded guilty. The prosecutor, Inspector G. Simon, presented the facts before the court and he admitted that he did so. Thus, the Presiding Magistrate, Mr. L.K.J. Layeni, found him guilty as charged. He was taken to prison custody where he will spend the next six months as the court ordered that the terms will run concurrently. For the past two years, C.Y. Stephens Auditorium in Ames has been showcasing local singing and songwriting talent in conjunction wit Ilana Logan reads A Peacock Among Pigeons by Tyler Curry during the Drag Queen Story Time at the second annual Pridefest in Ames on Sept. 29. The book follows Peter the peacock as he realizes hes meant to stand out and not be embarrassed that hes not like the other birds. The Politburo member affirmed that the Party and State always appreciate the contributions of the overseas Vietnamese community, including the Vietnamese community in Thailand. She thanked the former Vietnamese teachers in Thailand for participating in preserving and promoting the Vietnamese language, culture and identity in Thailand, contributing to nurturing the youths affection for their native land and culture. The Party official expressed her wish that the former Vietnamese teachers in Thailand and the overseas Vietnamese community in general would continue to unite to promote the national culture and contribute to the cause of national construction. Deputy Chairman of the State Commission for Overseas Vietnamese, Dang Tran Phong, said that the Vietnamese community in Thailand has a long history of hundreds of years. They were presented with the Independence Order, first class, in 2007 for their great contributions to Vietnam. Despite difficulties during the two national resistance wars, the overseas Vietnamese in Thailand tried to open Vietnamese language classes in the country to teach Vietnamese to the overseas Vietnamese community, contributing to preserving Vietnamese tradition and culture, Phong noted. Engineers Store Depot Jhelum Pakistan Army Jobs Latest Pakistan Army Admin Clerical Posts Jhelum 2021 carpenter Primary passed , Assistant must have BA Degree from HEC Recognized University , USM are required in Engineers Store Depot Jhelum Pakistan Army in Jhelum. How to Apply on Pakistan Army Job Advertisement Apply as per details in job advertisement. In some cases, you may apply online at vacancies after registering at https://www.jobz.pk online. Official Website: www.pakistanarmy.gov.pk Note: Beware of Fraudulent Recruiting Activities. If the employer asks you to pay money for any purpose including processing to shortlisting, do not pay at all and report us using our contact us form. Apply as per instuctions & dates mentioned in official job ad. Govt jobs cannot be applied online here. Error & omissions excepted. Vinh, who is head of the Defence Ministrys steering committee for the participation in UN peacekeeping mission, asked the hospital staff to strictly follow the Party, State and Armys foreign policy, as well as regulations of the UN and the Mission, and laws of Vietnam and the host country. Vietnams engagement in the UNs peacekeeping activities is a breakthrough to consistently implement the Partys foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation and development. It also marks a change in both quality and quantity in multilateral cooperation in general and in defence and security in particular, while demonstrating the Vietnam Peoples Armys role in the countrys revolutionary cause and in implementing international duties. This is the first time Vietnam has sent military doctors to participate in the UNs peacekeeping force. The see-off ceremony will be organised on October 1 at Ho Chi Minh City-based Tan Son Nhat International Airport. The military doctors, most of whom are from Military Hospital 175, will travel to South Sudan, along with medical equipment, to take over a field hospital of the United Kingdom whose personnel are about to withdraw. CHARLES CITY, Iowa - Local motorcycle riders gathered in Charles City this weekend for a charity ride that raised money for a worthy cause. It's all for Landon Tollefsonm who passed away just days before his fifth birthday from complications of childhood cancer. The motorcycle riders gathered to raise money in memory of Landon and Forces and Fire, which hosts outdoor outings for disabled veterans and first responders. While the weather didnt necessarily bring the most ideal of conditions, Jerry Myers says it should have. The way I look at it...compared to what wounded vets go through, compared to what the children at St. Judes go throughhanging out in the cold and having a party - that's a minor inconvenience and since it's all going to such a great cause for people that have done so much more than that, said Myers. I see no reason to not be here. Despite the impact of the cold, Myers said the support from the community was amazing. Weve door prizes, food that was donated by Simply Essentials here in Charles City, we've just had such an overwhelming group of people come through and donate to this. MANTORVILLE TOWNSHIP, Minn. A two-vehicle collision in Dodge County injures one person. The Minnesota State Patrol says it happened around 7:14 pm Saturday at the intersection of Highway 14 and 270th Avenue. Sierra Marie Gustafson, 19 of Kasson, was driving south and Jesse Mark Bigelow, 37 of Rochester, was driving west when they crashed into each other. Gustafson suffered what are described as non-life threatening injuries and was taken to St. Marys Hospital for treatment. Bigelow was not hurt and there were no injuries to passengers in each vehicle. The Dodge County Sheriffs Office, Kasson Police Department, Byron Fire Department, Gold Cross, and Dodge Center Ambulance all assisted at the scene. MASON CITY, Iowa Dozens of people once again returned to the North Iowa Events Center for the Up in Smoke barbecue contest. Vendors from across southern Minnesota, north Iowa, and even Wisconsin showed up to have their barbecue and desserts judged at the annual contest. I was able to judge, said Christie Hulet. As a table captain we got to judge the anything but which was before the three main meats. Then, we got to do the dessert as well. We had eight desserts to judge and they were huge, they were delicious, they were wonderful. Theyve put a lot of effort and time into this. One judge traveled all the way from California, and he hopes to hold a contest in each state. Two judges came from South Carolina to get away from the hurricane and as part of that, I know there was some mention of the Operation Barbecue Rescue, which is a non-profit within the barbecue community where they provide meals for people who have been affected by disaster. The barbecue contest was a two-day event at the North Iowa Events Center that concluded on Sept. 29. Shenandoah, IA (51601) Today Cloudy. High 46F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Chance of a shower or two during the evening, followed by partly cloudy skies overnight. Low near 35F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%. Ambassador Dung, who is head of the Vietnam Permanent Mission to the UN, the World Trade Organisation and other international organisations in Geneva, participated in various discussion sessions on different matters. At the 39th session, which opened on September 10, the UNHRC discussed common issues related to gender equality, rights of women, children, and people with disabilities, clean water and hygiene, the rights to development, and discrimination prevention. Participants looked into the human rights situation in several nations such as Myanmar, Venezuela, Syria, South Sudan and Burundi, while exchanging views on measures to intensify technical assistance in ensuring and promoting human rights in Sudan, Yemen, Congo, Central Africa and Somalia. A total of 24 resolutions were adopted at the session, of which 14 passed by consensus and the remaining by majority votes. The Vietnamese delegation had contributed ideas to building many draft resolutions and co-sponsored the resolution on boosting technical cooperation and building capacity in the field of human rights. The delegation also showed a positive and responsible attitude towards the UNHRCs common works on the spirit of dialogue and cooperation. The next session of the council is scheduled to take place in March 2019 in Geneva. Kim So-hyun speaks about Lifetime's new travel show "Because This is My First Twenty: Kim So-hyun's YOLO SOLO California" during a meeting with the press at Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul, Friday. / Courtesy of A+E Networks Korea By Dong Sun-hwa Jackie Chan's illegitimate daughter, Etta Ng Chok Lam, may have already tied the knot with her Canadian girlfriend 12 years her senior, according to reports. Etta, 19, disclosed on her social network on April 29 that she was engaged to Andy Autumn. The couple may have married, because homosexual marriage is permitted in Canada. Ng quit school and headed to Canada with Autumn in November 2017, after conflicts with her mother Elaine Ng. Ng is an actress in Hong Kong, who was involved in an extramarital relationship with Chan. However, Ng was found collecting junk at a dumping ground in Toronto, and some even saw her and Autumn begging at a supermarket. Ng revealed on YouTube in April that the pair has been homeless because they were ostracized by family and the others. Watch: But it was reported that Ng contacted her father and was given financial aid recently, she and Autumn established a media company named "UCHU hause," of which they are joint CEOs. Chan, one of Hong Kong's best-known actors and martial artists, admitted in his autobiography in 2015 that he had an illegitimate daughter. Minister of SMEs and Startups Hong Jong-haak By Park Jae-hyuk The Korean government has allegedly breached the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) by banning the sales of products manufactured by Korean firms abroad through IM Shopping, a state-run home shopping channel. The allegation came into the spotlight Sunday as Rep. Kwak Dae-hoon of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) accused the Ministry of SMEs and Startups of disregarding the GATT by enforcing the sales ban to keep Korean factories at home and create more jobs here. Since Aug. 1, IM Shopping has not sold products manufactured overseas by small Korean companies, in line with SMEs Minister Hong Jong-haak's policy to support manufacturers running factories in Korea. According to a document revealed by Kwak, the ministry received a response in January from the Korea Government Legal Service that advised the ministry against suspending sales of products made in other countries from IM Shopping, as it may go against the international treaty. Given that nationality of a product follows its place of production, the state-run law firm pointed out that excluding foreign products from the state-run channel is a possible breach of paragraph 4 of GATT Article III, which regulates domestic laws discriminating against foreign goods. "The discrimination against foreign goods may cause conflicts with members of the World Trade Organization (WTO)," Kwak said. "If the WTO Dispute Settlement Body regards the ministry's measure as discriminatory, it may urge the government to withdraw the policy, as well as allowing trade retaliation against Korea." The lawmaker added the government should reconsider the policy, calling it an amateurish administration that threatens the country and sustainability of the state-run home shopping platform. The SMEs ministry has yet to comment on the revelation. The Korea Times called ministry officials several times but they were not available for comment. The so-called "made-in-Korea" policy of IM Shopping has already drawn protest from the nation's small companies that produce clothes, electronic devices and kitchen appliances in China, Vietnam and Myanmar to save personnel expenses. An official of a clothing company operating a factory in Vietnam criticized the government for unilaterally announcing the decision without meeting with businesspeople. The official said most small Korean companies cannot afford to manufacture their products in Korea due to the country's high labor costs. Global experts told The Korea Times earlier that such a move is not helpful to resolve the nation's worsening unemployment problems, although the ministry and IM Shopping cited the possible job creation as a reason for the measure. "The government is fighting a losing battle trying to reduce the already entrenched trend of manufacturing shifting overseas to places where operating costs are cheaper," said Katrina Ell, an economist at Moody's Analytics. "This latest measure is only a Band-Aid solution." Alicia Garcia-Herrero, Asia-Pacific chief economist at Natixis, said it is a clear protectionist measure to keep jobs in Korea, which can only harm the Korean economy. "It makes much more sense for Koreans to produce where it is cheaper which does not necessarily mean losing job opportunities but rather specializing," she said. Despite the controversy, the ministry has defended its decision, claiming the move is aimed at keeping more factories at home and creating more jobs here by discouraging companies from relocating plants abroad. "Korea has enough home shopping channels that can sell foreign goods for low prices," the SMEs minister wrote on social media in August. The government seeks to cool down apartment prices, which the Asian Development Bank said will weigh down Korea's growth potential in 2018 and 2019. / Yonhap ADB lowers Korea's 2018 outlook to 2.9% By Park Hyong-ki A global development bank has issued a fresh warning over Korea's overheated property market ignited by loose credit policies in recent years. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said in its recent outlook report that Asia's fourth-largest economy will slow down further this year and in 2019 not only because of the U.S.-China trade conflict, but also due to its housing sector facing a high degree of vulnerability. These internal and external factors have warranted the ADB to lower Korea's growth projection to 2.9 percent from 3 percent this year, and to 2.8 percent from 2.9 percent for 2019. "Korea will be lower in both years as exports suffer under higher tariffs imposed by two of its largest trade partners," the ADB said in the report. "Elevated housing prices threaten severe growth downturns if prices reverse abruptly. Housing prices that have undergone sharp and sudden reversals, empirical studies showed, tended to be associated with longer and deeper slowdowns." The development bank attributes the property risk with the country having the "least home affordability on price spikes" to prolonged accommodative monetary policies. Following the Sept. 13 real estate measures, the finance ministry and financial regulators indicated they will introduce a stricter and tougher set of metrics assessing bank lending to households and multiple homeowners in mid-October. They are expected to enforce a system with revised ratios measuring their personal credit risks such as loan-to-value (LTV), debt-to-income (DTI) and debt service ratio (DSR). The government is likely to introduce "stronger standards" for LTV, DTI and DSR that would further limit banks and nonbanks from extending household loans, and at the same time, "squeeze" banks to boost their risk management under the capital adequacy rules. Along with the possibility of enforcing rules to drastically lower personal loan risks, the regulators are expected to apply a stricter loan-deposit ratio (LDR) that assesses banks' liquidity. All these, that seek to restrict borrowings especially to those who already own a house, will make lenders reconfigure their capital adequacy to meet regulatory standards by boosting their buffers as their risk exposure increases under the readjustment of the metrics. And the regulators are highly likely to speed up the enforcement ahead of their initial plan to bring stability to the real estate market and households, analysts say. The regulator is looking to apply the LTV ratio of zero percent for those who already have an apartment. This means they cannot borrow at all. DSR comprehensively examines individuals' loan history and portfolio including their credit card debt, mortgages and repayment capability before extending credit. DTI evaluates individuals' capabilities in repaying principal and interest on mortgages they requested and interest on other existing loans. The loan-to-deposit ratio, measuring a bank's total outstanding loans to its total deposit over a certain period of time, will likely to be set below 100 percent. A lower LDR would mean lenders will have to have more cash on hand for contingencies. "When household debt increases in line with economic growth and development of the financial market, it can promote growth," said Jean Lim, research fellow at the Korea Institute of Finance. "However, if it grows too fast, it might dampen economic growth and hurt financial market stability. Excessive household debts increase repayment burden, limit private-sector consumption growth and might magnify downward pressure in case of a negative economic shock, thereby delaying a recovery." NH NongHyup Chairman Kim Byung-won, right, holds his account book of NH NongHyup Bank's new time deposit product "NH Add and Share" at the bank's branch in Seoul, Friday. The bank said the deposits to the product accounts help raise a public fund for the nation's farmers. The minimum balance for the product is 3 million won ($2,701), and its required term of policy is minimum three months and maximum one year. / Courtesy of NH NongHyup Bank The Export-Import Bank of Korea (Eximbank) has conducted various social contribution activities to fulfill its corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a state-run financial institution. Naming its social contribution as the "Hope Seed Program," the bank has carried out various CSR activities since 2012, including leading global contribution projects, helping the underprivileged and supporting multicultural families and North Korean defectors. Most of all, utilizing its role as a state-run bank specialized in foreign trade, Eximbank is actively engaging in global CSR activities. In Cambodia, it has built wells, toilets and health clinics in remote and rural villages to improve quality of life while supporting building middle schools there. Eximbank also signed an MOU with the Asian University for Women in Bangladesh to annually provide three university students with internship opportunities in the bank's Economic Development Cooperation Fund division. Founded in 1976, Eximbank has contributed to the development of Korea's economy and enhanced economic cooperation with other countries through the provision of financial support for export and import transactions, overseas investment projects and the development of overseas natural resources. Eximbank's support for the underprivileged in Korea targets low-income households, single-parent families and the disabled. The bank has not only donated money to support social centers across the country but also conducted various volunteer campaigns such as education programs for children from low-income families and volunteer activities to help the homeless. The bank is also supporting people newly entering Korean society, including multicultural families and North Korean defectors. For multicultural families, the state lender has also run its education program for their children on a regular basis. It also monetarily supports social enterprises that hire migrant women from multicultural families. For North Korean defectors, Eximbank is sponsoring education for teenagers of defector families while helping build alternative schools designed for such children under a partnership with the nongovernmental organization Gazok. The bank also donates money to social enterprises that hire North Korean defectors. (advertorial) Brahma (Beomcheon) at the center accompanied by celestial musicians. Painting. Color on silk (215.9 cm x 221.0 cm). Late 16th century A.D. Joseon period / Courtesy of Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York By Jaydeep Sarkar Buddhist art is a major area of interest in Asian art studies. With its beginning in ancient India, the propagation of Mahayana Buddhism to the present day Central Asia, China, Korea and then to Japan created Buddhist art styles of wide variety. Buddhism was introduced to Korean peninsula in the 4th century A.D. Buddhism largely enjoyed patronage of Korean ruling class until Joseon dynasty (1392 - 1910 A.D.) embraced Neo-Confucianism. In this period, many Buddhist temples and establishments moved out to the rural areas and to the mountains. As a result, Buddhist temples and art depended on the funding and ideas of ordinary people. As against royal preferences, Buddhist temples took into account ordinary people's preferences in making religious art and welcomed their greater participation. People responded by sharing their ideas and offered gifts for gaining merits. Collaborations between the temples and the locals produced impressive wooden sculptures of Budhhas, Bodhisattvas, arahats and other divinities for worshipping. People also supported projects that produced sacred images other than Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and arahats. For example, significant emphasis was placed on various Hindu deities that were lately incorporated into the Mahayana Buddhist deities. They are often addressed as guardian deities. Their Sanskrit and Korean names (in parenthesis) are Indra (Joseokcheon), Brahma (Beomcheon) and Skanda (Witaecheon). These deities were venerated by Buddhists for protecting their countries from natural disasters, diseases and evil forces. Indra (Joseokcheon) on the left and Brahma (Beomcheon) on the right. Wooden sculptures. Late Joseon period. Cheonggoksa Temple near Jinju city, S. Korea / Photo by Jaydeep Sarkar 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. By Kang Seung-woo Lotte Hotel Seoul named 'Best Business Hotel in Seoul' The Lotte Hotel Seoul has been named the "Best Business Hotel in Seoul" for the ninth consecutive year by Business Traveller, one of the world's leading travel magazines. The property, located in Myengdong, ranked first in the magazine's ratings, nudging past the Grand Hyatt Seoul and the Westin Chosun Seoul. The annual prize has been awarded since the travel magazine began in 1976 to celebrate the world's best hotels and airlines based on subscribers' assessments and expert reviews. The hotel, established in 1988, features 1,015 rooms in various types and 14 banquet halls. On Sept. 1, it unveiled the newly renovated six-star Executive Tower. Alcove Hotel Seoul to open next month The Alcove Hotel Seoul is set to officially open its doors on Oct. 15. The property, which will stand in the trendy Gangnam district, features 108 rooms in seven styles along with an American bistro and a rooftop dining bar that offers a commanding view of the UNESCO World Heritage Site _ Seonjeongneung, or the royal tombs. Plus, it will be the first indigenous hotel brand to use the booking system and loyalty program of French hospitality group AccorHotels. Every room is equipped with top-tier mattresses and bedding along with eco-friendly amenities. Maison Glad Jeju offers post-holiday promotion The Maison Glad Jeju has initiated a package to refresh women who are plagued by the traditional holiday syndrome. The Beautiful Life promotion, available until the end of October, features a one-night stay in the hotel's premium room, a complimentary breakfast buffet at Samdajeong, a locally famous dining room, and a $100 (110,000 won) relaxing body treatment. Plus, the first 10 guests of the package will be given jewelry brand J. Estina's necklace worth 160,000 won. By Kang Hyun-kyung Ven. Wonhaeng was elected as new leader of the nation's largest Buddhist sect Jogye Order, Friday, to fill the leadership void following Seoljeong's resignation. Wonhaeng won 235 out of 315 votes cast by Buddhist delegations, becoming its 36th president. In a speech released after the election, he promised to work hard to improve welfare for Buddhist monks, reconcile divided Buddhists and fulfill social responsibilities. "I feel a grave responsibility rather than the joy of being elected," he said. Jogye Order's new president Ven. Wonhaeng / Yonhap Second Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee Jose Ramon Machado Ventura, and Politburo member Salvador Valdes Mesa, who is First Vice President of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers of Cuba, made the remarks while receiving Tran Thanh Man, President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee. At the meetings, the hosts expressed their condolences over the passing of President Tran Dai Quang, who, they said, is a close friend of Cuban people. They noted with pleasure progresses made in the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Cuba over the past time, especially the State visit to Cuba by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong in March 2018, and activities marking 45 years of the historic trip to Vietnam by Cuban leader Fidel Castro (September 1973). Both highly valued outcomes of collaboration between Vietnam and Cuba in general, and between the VFF and Cubas Committee for the Defence of Revolution (CDR) in particular. For his part, VFF President Man reiterated the viewpoints of the Vietnamese Party, State and people on supporting the just struggle of Cuba in any circumstances. The official said he is impressed by the scientific and effective organisation of the ninth congress of the CDR that concluded on September 28. VFF President Man pledged to make greater efforts to develop the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries, particularly the special solidarity between the two peoples. The same day, the VFF delegation wrapped up their trip to the Caribbean country. By Park Si-soo U.S. President Donald Trump says he "fell in love" with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, yet another positive signal to revive the stalled denuclearization talks between the two nations. Trump made the comment at a televised rally in Wheeling, West Virginia, Saturday (local time.) "I was really being tough and so was he," Trump said of his talks with Kim over his nuclear weapons program. "And we would go back and forth. And then we fell in love. No, really. He wrote me beautiful letters. They were great letters. And then we fell in love." The U.S. leader was probably speaking about a series of letters he has exchanged with Kim since their first summit in Singapore in June. At that meeting, Kim agreed to a vaguely worded joint statement to "work towards the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," while Trump committed to "provide security guarantees" and take moves toward normalizing relations. By Yi Whan-woo South Korean authorities have seized a Russian-flagged ship and its crew in Busan on suspicion they are violating U.S. sanctions on North Korea, according to Russia's TASS news agency. The seizure came after concern about the Seoul's lax enforcement of international economic sanctions on North Korea amid improving inter-Korean relations. It is still uncertain whether the seizure was an independent decision by South Korea or a request from the U.S. According to the report, Saturday, Busan port authorities have been holding the cargo ship Sevastopol, owned by the Russia-based Gudzon shipping company, and 12 crew members since Friday. The ship arrived in Busan on Aug. 14 for maintenance. It was scheduled to leave last weekend. The Russian consulate in Busan has been informed. Citing International Transport Workers' Federation official Pyotr Osichansky, the news agency said U.S. sanctions may have been behind the seizure of the ship. On its expanded North Korea-related sanctions list, the U.S. Department of Treasury recently added Gudzon and another Russian shipping company and six Russian ships suspected of supplying fuel to North Korea. "To the best of my knowledge, (the reason for detention of the ship was) the aftershocks of sanctions imposed against (the company)," Osichansky said. "Today the company received a letter in Korean, which says the ship has not been arrested, but has been held for a certain period time for fact-finding." U.S. media outlet Voice of America said the Gudzon vessel entered Busan and Pohang, a port city in North Gyeongsang Province, at least 11 times this year. Ship-to-ship trade with North Korea at sea is prohibited under U.N. Security Council (UNSC) sanctions adopted in September 2017. The UNSC allows member states to seize, inspect and freeze vessels suspected of transferring coal and banned goods to or from North Korea. President Moon Jae-in takes a stroll on a hill at his hometown in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, Saturday. The President visited Yangsan for a late Chuseok holiday until Sunday after returning from the U.N. General Assembly, Thursday. / Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae The justice ministry announced Sunday that foreign nationals residing in South Korea will be able to use automated immigration checks at airports without pre-registration beginning in October. Following this change, foreigners and people of Korean descent with foreign nationality residing in the country can enjoy easy access to the automated passport control kiosks. Currently, foreign nationals must sign up beforehand to use the system, whereas pre-registration isn't required for South Koreans. The ministry said only 3.2 percent of the foreigners are using the automated system, compared to 50.4 percent for South Korean travelers. Foreigners with under a month left on their visa on the day of their travel must register before using the unmanned system. (Yonhap) By Kim Rahn The prosecution searched a car of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae, Sunday, in its probe into the top court's abuse of power allegations. Investigators from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office searched Yang's vehicle, as well as residences and offices of former Supreme Court justices Ko Young-han, Park Byoung-dae and Cha Han-sung who worked under Yang. It was the first time a search warrant has been issued for former top court justices since the prosecution started the investigation into the scandal three months ago, although the prosecution's request to search Yang's home was turned down and only that for the vehicle was accepted. Local courts so far have refused many more search and arrest warrant requests from the prosecution. Yang and the former justices allegedly orchestrated the Supreme Court and the National Court Administration's (NCA) alleged meddling in trials and surveillance of judges critical of the government, to curry favor with the then-Park Geun-hye administration and lobby for another high court. Ko, Park and Cha were heads of the NCA under Yang. The three justices allegedly meddled in cases involving a now-defunct progressive party and former Korean forced laborers during the 1910-45 Japanese occupation, and allegedly discussed the cases with then presidential chief of staff Kim Ki-choon. Prosecutors suspect Yang is the final commander of such illegal acts. Yang is also suspected of having raised slush funds by illegally collecting budgets from local courts. The prosecution plans to summon Yang for questioning after finishing looking into materials they have seized in searches. North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho addresses the 73rd session of the United States General Assembly, early Sunday (Seoul time) at U.N. headquarters in New York. AP-Yonhap By Kim Yoo-chul North Korea is committed to inviting foreign capital to sustain the country as its leader Kim Jong-un is apparently departing from its decades-long "military first" approach and instead engineering a highly articulated policy to advance the economy. The latest agreement between Kim and President Moon Jae-in included measures and details on how the two countries will work toward a permanent peace, with Pyongyang promising to allow international inspectors into the reclusive state to verify the process of closing a key missile test site and a launch pad. Negotiations are only just starting and more details are still to be worked out as Kim's reaffirmation on denuclearization didn't address different views with Washington, the largest stakeholder for denuclearization talks, in what that process would involve. But South Korea is prepared to help the North to get more foreign capital in a structured way as President Moon revealed the North hopes to join international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank. The remarks came after President Moon was invited to a discussion hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the Asia Society Policy Institute and Korea Society, where he confirmed Seoul's intention to support the North's national economic development but only after "substantive denuclearization." A few days after the announcement, North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho called for the repeal of economic sanctions in a speech at the United Nations, Sept. 30 (Korea time). "As North Korea has sufficiently consolidated national defense capabilities and war deterrence to handle the nuclear threats against the United States that have lasted over several decades, concentrating all efforts on economic construction has come up to North Korea as a historic agenda," Ri said through an interpreter, stressing North Korea won't "unilaterally disarm" its nuclear weapons programs without concessions from Washington first. The significance of the comments by the high-profile figure is that North Korea is looking to win over skeptics in the United States and the international community by delivering its repeated promises and prioritized "next agenda" for economic growth with assistance from foreign capital. "Based on the summary of talks with people accompanied with President Moon for his third summit in Pyongyang, it's evident Kim is grinding out top-down economic reforms because the North is fully ready to focus on the other policy goal of the regime, which I believe is economic development," said Lee Jong-seok, a former unification minister. "I was told Kim paid greater attention to Samsung's de facto leader Lee Jae-yong when the Samsung's top scion had been introduced." Many further details relating to economic development programs and initiatives on the North will be discussed when U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visits Pyongyang this month, Lee said. If the North's specific "implementation plans" see rapid progress, this could create political momentum for a partial lifting of economic sanctions, potentially starting with some easing of China's unilateral economic sanctions on North Korea. Also, political analysts say after deal-making moves forward, given the resumption of the joint inter-Korean industrial complex in North Korea, South Korea is set to play a role towards that move. "If North Korea gets funding from U.S. companies, then that would have a legitimizing effect and may include infrastructure, tourism and some technology guidance," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul. The North Korean economy is currently one of the poorest in Asia, and stands to gain considerably from a durable peace process and denuclearization. Last year, the per capita GDP of the North was estimated at $1,200 compared with $30,000 per capita for South Korea, according to a recent analysis by IHS Markit, a market research firm. "The reopening of the Gaeseong Industrial Complex, combined with international aid flows, could trigger a period of rapid economic growth in the North's economy so long as the denuclearization process in genuine and verifiable. Eventual lifting of U.N. and U.S. sanctions would allow key sectors of the North Korean export economy, including mining, textiles and fisheries industries that were hit by sanctions, to rebound strongly," said Rajiv Biswas, chief Asia-Pacific economist at IHS. Kim Byong-joon, right, interim leader of Korea's largest conservative Liberty Korea Party (LKP), shakes hands with Nikai Toshihiro, secretary general of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party at the National Assembly, Aug. 20. Toshihiro, a key aide to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, visited Korea to discuss ways to boost parliamentary exchanges, according to the LKP. / Yonhap By Park Ji-won After losing ground in the June local elections, the largest conservative party of Liberty Korea Party (LKP) is trying find a breakthrough by promoting its new agenda. However, the party is apparently taking controversial steps to do so, possibly because of its lack of countermeasures over sensitive issues. A recent political conference organized by its lawmaker drew some attention as the event was held at the time of the reappointment of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the last day of the third inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang. On Sept. 20, Rep. Na Kyung-won, chief of the party reform committee, held an Assembly conference titled "Regaining political power of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the establishment of an Abe-centered LDP first system." Na invited Seoul National University professor Park Cheol-hee, whose major is Japanese politics, to give an open lecture to the LKP members about the Japanese ruling party's tactics to recover from their failures and become the ruling party again, according to Park. "It is not about the party's aims or anything. It is very simple. Japan's LDP lost power and regained it. The LKP wants to retrieve its own power and study the Japanese case. That's it," Park said. The LKP has been struggling with low popularity since last year when President Park Geun-hye was impeached over a corruption scandal. The LKP's approval rate was below 20 percent while that of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) reached 40 percent. Rep. Na Kyung-won of the main opposition Liberty Party of Korea presides over a seminar titled "Regaining political power of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the establishment of Abe-centered LDP first system," Sept. 20. / Courtesy of Na Kyung-won Soldiers search for land mines in a grassy area in the South Korean border city of Paju, Gyeonggi Province. / Yonhap By Lee Min-hyung The two Koreas will start clearing mines from the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on October 1 as a first step after they agreed to disarm the border area starting with land mines. For 20 days from Monday, Seoul and Pyongyang plan to remove all mines from the Joint Security Area (JSA) along the DMZ, the Ministry of National Defense said, Sunday. "The two Koreas will engage in joint works to remove mines and explosives on the JSA and upland areas in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province," a military official said. By Lee Min-hyung Aaron Lewis, head of Leonardo's Korean office Leonardo, an Italy-based aerospace giant, has expressed its hopes for continued growth here by aggressively pursuing technology transfer under partnerships with the Korean government and local companies. The company is most famous for its decades-long partnership with the Republic of Korea Navy. In 2016, the company delivered eight AW159 Wildcat maritime surveillance and attack helicopters to the Navy as part of the first batch of the naval force's next-generation maritime operations helicopter (MOH) project. The nation's defense procurement agency invested 600 billion won ($540 million) to introduce the helicopters in use for enhancing naval combat prowess. The Wildcat can carry out multi-role naval missions, including aerial reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare. AW159 Wildcat maritime multi-role helicopter Authorities say that at least 384 people have been killed in an earthquake that hit the Indonesian island of Sulawesi and the massive tsunami that followed, pulling cars and buildings in its wake. Panic and confusion as massive waves devastate the Indonesian island Sulawesi, dragging, buildings, cars, and people in its wake. Hundreds have been killed from two massive earthquakes that hit the island on Friday (September 28) and the tsunami it triggered. Body bags laying in the street. Indonesia's emergency minister said some people were on the beach when the tsunami warning was sounded, but didn't immediately leave and became victims. The government is describing the damage as extensive. They say thousands of buildings have collapsed including hospitals. Makeshift medical centers are being set up outdoors. The quakes are reported as 7.5 and and 7.7 magnitude with aftershocks that have continued into the weekend. The disaster has also triggered widespread power outages, making rescue efforts slower. Indonesia's president will visit the area on Sunday (September 30). The country is regularly hit by earthquakes. In August a series of tremors destroyed dozens of villages on another island, and killed over 500. (Reuters) VNUA Director Nguyen Thi Lan said for over 60 years, the university has continually developed in terms of size, quantity and quality. At present, it has nearly 1,400 staff members and more than 30,000 students, about 500 of them are from other countries. It has been recognised as a training centre of high-quality human resources and an advanced research centre for agricultural science-technology, economy and policies, and rural development of Vietnam. She added that graduates of the VNUA has become an important force contributing to the major achievements in agriculture and rural development during the wartime in the past and the cause of reforms, industrialisation, modernisation and international integration of the country at present. VNUA Director Lan noted the VNUA has taken the lead in reforming the training targets, content and methods so as to create high-quality human resources able to meet requirements of the actual agricultural development and new-style rural area building while encouraging students entrepreneurship and innovation. It has also conducted many valuable scientific studies to help Vietnamese agriculture to reach the regional level. Congratulating the VNUA on its successes over the last six decades, General Secretary Trong expressed his hope that the school will work harder to soon become a leading research university in the field of agriculture. The VNUA should step up scientific-technological activities to boost training and serve agricultural production and society. Its researches should be oriented towards prosperous agriculture, wealthy farmers and civilised rural areas. They also need to help with agricultural restructuring and developing smart agriculture that integrates into the world, adapts to climate change, improves products added value and contributes to sustainable development, he noted. He also requested stronger connectivity between universities and the localities they are situated in, adding that schools should have training and scientific-technological activities serving local development while authorities also need to support universities located in their areas. The Party leader asked the VNUA to continue efforts to become an exemplary agriculture university, adapt to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and meet the human resources training demand in the new context. At the VNUA, General Secretary Trong planted a tree in the campus and visited a hall displaying hi-tech agricultural products of the university. North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un makes a "finger-heart" for a photo while his wife Ri Sol-ju places her hand below the heart during the visit to Mount Paektu with President Moon Jae-in and South Korean officials, Sept. 20. Joint Press Corps. South Korea's Cheong Wa Dae, or "Blue House," released photos showing North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un making a "finger-heart" while visiting Mount Paektu with President Moon Jae-in on the third day of the Pyongyang summit. North Korean refugees responded to the photo. Jihyun, who escaped North Korea in 1998 and again in 2004 after being repatriated, arrived in the UK in 2008 That finger-heart means love. Does Kim Jong-un love his people? North Korea remains one of the most repressive, authoritarian states in the world, ruled for seven decades by the Kim family and the Workers' Party of Korea. During his fifth year in power, Kim Jong-Un continues to generate fearful obedience by using public executions, arbitrary detention and forced labor; tightening travel restrictions to prevent North Koreans from escaping and seeking refuge overseas; and systematically persecuting those with religious contacts inside and outside the country. Will the finger-hearts of Kim Jong-un and the South Korean government bring liberty and light to North Koreans? Darkness does not retreat by itself, people need to continue speaking out on behalf of North Koreans. The finger-heart sign can't hide the brutal oppression that many North Koreans are suffering from even today. Kim Guk-hwa, female, escaped North Korea in 2007, arrived in South Korea in 2015 That heart sign doesn't mean that he has changed, but there is one good thing about it: It shows that he has learned that he can't be the same kind of dictator his father was. When I was in North Korea, any gesture with your hands was about fighting, shooting or killing, not love or fun. If North Koreans see that photo, then for once they will see something lovely about gestures instead of a call to kill Americans or other foreign invaders. Kim Jong-un is definitely better than his father Kim Jong-il, the economy is definitely much better under him. His father and grandfather made North Korea into a terrible country. So many people have died, so he can't be free from his crimes, Kim Jong-un needs to be punished for his oppression. Even though he is better than his father, I didn't have a good feeling seeing that photo of him smiling. It looks like he is enjoying his life, while people in North Korea are still starving and not free. Jeong-A, female, escaped from North Korea in 2005, arrived in South Korea in 2013 He looks really satisfied, but he seems to be an emotional and unstable guy who is trying to reach the international stage. He won't give up nuclear weapons because that is his lifeline. I wonder about the affect the photo could have on North Koreans. Some people say they escaped for freedom, but most people I know really escaped because they were starving or in difficult situations. People can't enjoy self-achievement when they are in North Korea; they just move to avoid bad situations. No one asks, "Do you love yourself?" They don't consider things about hearts. So it will be somewhat surprising for them to see a "heart" sign from the country's leader. He did that for the international stage; I wonder if he will do that when he returns to North Korea, or if he will continue showing two different faces. Jinyoung, male, escaped North Korea in 2014, arrived in South Korea in 2014 When I saw the photos, it was one of those rare times that Kim Jong-Un looked human. North Koreans often see him walking around with others serving him like he is a god, but this was the first time he was with world leaders doing that kind of media photo. He was just one of the people, not with everyone bowing down to him. He has clearly killed many people and destroyed many lives, but that photo, even though it is just for show, did humanize him. It won't change anything, he is still rocket man, so it doesn't matter how he poses for cameras with a peace sign or heart sign. His father developed nuclear weapons, and now that he has finished his father's mission to develop the nuclear program he is not going to give up his major accomplishment. Symbolism and hand signals are different from policy changes. I'm concerned that in the name of peace that people are too quick to sign any deal with him, and that President Moon is humanizing him. It is difficult to change thoughts and ideology, so the heart sign doesn't really mean anything. 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 compiled these statements from interviews with refugees studying at TNKR. Eunkoo Lee, TNKR co-founder, translated their comments from Korean to English. By Kim Bo-eun South and North Korea discussed holding an event to commemorate the 11th anniversary of the Oct. 4 Declaration reached at the second inter-Korean summit in 2007. The event will be held in Pyongyang from Oct. 4 to 6, the two sides agreed in a meeting that took place Friday at the inter-Korean liaison office that opened earlier this month in the North's city of Gaeseong. The meeting took place between liaison office co-heads Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung and his North Korean counterpart Jon Jong-su. They agreed for the South to send a 150-member delegation to the event. South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon is set to head the delegation. The South and North agreed to address logistics, as well as discuss carrying out agreements reached at the inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang last week, through the joint contact office. The office opened to facilitate inter-Korean communication and is the first organization in which South and North Koreans work together in the same building. It was established according to the Panmunjeom Declaration reached between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in their first summit in April. The co-heads Chun and Jon held their first meeting on Sept. 14 when the office opened. They held their second meeting Friday. The office chiefs of the South and North agreed to hold a meeting once a week, but skipped their meeting last week due to the inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang. Holding an event commemorating the Oct. 4 Declaration is among the agreements reached between leaders at their third summit last week. The Oct. 4 Declaration was reached between President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il the current leader's father. The leaders agreed to improve inter-Korean relations, ease military tension and work toward North Korea's denuclearization. They also agreed to make efforts to boost inter-Korean economic projects and push for humanitarian projects including reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. By Lee Min-hyung The two Koreas will embark on joint inspections next month to connect the two countries by rail, in a move to fulfill the Pyongyang Declaration signed by leaders from both sides, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday. "To hold a groundbreaking ceremony for inter-Korean railways and highways this year, we need to kick off the field inspections at least within next month," Kim Eui-kyeom, spokesman for the presidential house, said in a media briefing. This is part of measures to fulfill the recent agreement reached during the inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang, where President Moon Jae-in agreed on the plan with his northern counterpart Kim Jong-un. "We are going to negotiate with the United Nations Command (UNC) over the plan by the two Koreas," the presidential spokesman said. But he did not unveil a specific timeline over when to begin the work, as Seoul and Pyongyang are still in talks with the UNC over the move. Late last month, the UNC disapproved of Seoul's plan to conduct inspections of railway conditions in the North. But the spokesman raised hopes that it will not be repeated this time. "We are going to continue communicating with the UNC," he said. The working-level talks to push ahead with the plan are expected to make smooth progress in consideration of President Moon's latest keynote speech to the United Nations General Assembly, according to the spokesman. A roadmap over the North Korean policy has been drawn during Moon's U.S. visit when he delivered the speech and held a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, he said. The top nuclear envoys from South Korea and the United States have convened three meetings during the 73rd United Nations General Assembly in New York to discuss issues on North Korea, South Korean representatives to the United Nations said Friday. Lee Do-hoon, South Korea's top nuclear envoy, met with U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun from Wednesday to Thursday, according to the South Korean Permanent Mission to the U.N. Lee and Biegun reportedly talked about achievements from the 3rd inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang and a recent summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as ways to lead North Korea's denuclearization and establish lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. They also reportedly touched on U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's plan to visit Pyongyang next month and a possible second summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The meetings between the two envoys were held after Pompeo revealed that he invited North Koreans to meet Biegun in Vienna, Austria, at the "earliest opportunity." "What's really important at this point is that the U.S. and North Korea should quickly meet and have working-level talks (in Vienna)," a high-ranking South Korean official said on condition of anonymity. "They're currently waiting for answers, and the venue and the date will be finalized quickly, once preparations are all set." (Yonhap) Gerald Roden, CEO of Charbulanc, speaks at Korea University Medical Center in Seoul, Monday, about setting up a wellness center to better treat local patients. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul By Kim Hyun-bin Gerald Roden, CEO of Charbulanc which specializes in luxury wellness brands, is seeking to work with Korea University Medical Center (KUMC) in hopes of launching a wellness center. Wellness treatments are mostly used pre- and post-surgery using natural methods including massage, aromatherapy and ceramics to help patients recover. "The big idea is to treat people but also to make them happy. You have to prepare patients before, during and after the treatment. We want to work in collaboration with Korea University Medical Hospital and try to develop a global concept of wellbeing for people," Roden said. Charbulanc, established in 2016 in Switzerland, is hoping to collaborate with the university to develop specialized products for Korean patients. "I have expertise in Switzerland and France but I can't say that about Korea, and which line of products best suits the people," he said. "To figure out how people will live longer and better is best known by medical experts. That is why we want to work with this university hospital and develop a wellness center and learn the knowhow." Some KUMC professors believe Charbulanc could help enhance the institution's wellbeing programs and treatments. "We look at Charbulanc as a wellbeing platform from Europe, not low but high quality. Even some of the high-quality products need to go through verification to see if they fit the Korean public, that is why Charbulanc is seeking our help in the medical field," said Park Kun-woo, director of neurology at the KUMC Device Innovation Center. Roden wants to set Korea as its Asia Hub and plans to develop products that could be exported to nearby Asian nations including China and Japan. "We will start with Korea as an experience base and after four or five years they can give us the direction on how to better bring happiness and wellbeing to other people. From the university's knowhow and testing, there will be medical evidence available. On that basis, we plan to develop products that suit Koreans and nearby countries," Roden said. The negotiation between Charbulanc and KUMC is in the beginning stages and the university will look into the possibility of investing in the firm, according to a KUMC official. Roden graduated from the University of Franche-Comte with a bachelor's degree in marketing and found success in the field of luxury goods including watches, jewelry and cosmetics. He served as the CEO of Watches and Jewelry and as the executive vice president of Swiss Festina Group. South Korea has improved its quality of life to become the world's 18th best this year, a survey by a U.S. non-profit organization showed Thursday. According to the survey conducted by the Social Progress Imperative, South Korea earned an overall score of 87.13 out of 100 in its "social progress index" survey for 2018, making it 18th of 146 nations surveyed across the globe. Last year, the Northeast Asian nation ranked 26th. The index aggregates 51 social and environmental indicators that track three aspects of social progress: basic human needs, foundations of well-being and opportunity. The organization began compiling such data in 2013. "South Korea earned relatively high scores in its solid education and IT infrastructure among others, but needs more efforts to improve environmental quality and to promote social inclusiveness for minorities," said Cho Yong-ho, an official of international consultancy Deloitte Anjin which works with the non-profit group for the study. Norway topped the list this year with 90.26 points, followed by Iceland, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Japan, the Netherlands, Luxemburg, Germany and New Zealand. (Yonhap) Korea wants Japan not to hoist the Rising Sun flag not to be hoisted during an international fleet review. By Oh Young-jin Japan has rejected Korea's request that its ships not fly the controversial Rising Sun flag during an international fleet review that Korea hosts. According to Yonhap News, Japan's Asahi Shimbun reported that the South Korean Navy asked the 15 participating nations to fly their national flags and Korea's Taegukgi as the rules require. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE) Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon speaks of his plan to abolish hairstyle regulations at middle and high schools, during a press conference at the SMOE building in Seoul, Thursday. /Yonhap By Kim Jae-heun Middle and high school students in Seoul will be allowed to not only grow their hair as long as they want but also have their hair dyed or permed, as the regional education authority is moving to break hairstyle regulations at schools starting with the fall semester next year. The move ends a decades-long debate about hairstyle control, which is a vestige of the Japanese imperial era and later dictatorial governments and has been criticized for infringing on students' human rights. Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE) Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon said Thursday he is declaring the abolition of hair regulations at all schools in the capital. "I have received many demands and complaints from students to free up the dress code and hair regulations. Choosing which hairstyle to adopt is a part of the right of self-determination and it should be guaranteed as a basic human right," Cho said during a press conference at his office. Cho ordered schools to revise their hair regulations through open discussions among students, teachers and parents and adopt new rules for the fall semester next year. He gave a "guideline" about the new rules, virtually pressuring schools to follow it _ abolishing control over the length of a student's hair, and giving students the freedom to color or curl their hair. Forcing students to have short hair has been a long practice here, although the strict enforcement of the regulation has been decreasing. In 2005, 92.6 percent of middle schools and 91.1 percent of high schools in the country had the strict hair code, according to the Ministry of Education. Some schools had scissors or hair clippers to cut students' hair if they did not follow the school rules. According to SMOE, however, 597 out of 708 middle and high schools in Seoul, or 84.3 percent, were not regulating the length of students' hair as of last year. But 15 percent of the schools still ban students from growing their hair long and more schools restrict students from getting perms or dyeing their hair. Such control is stricter among schools in provinces, as 39.5 percent of 200 schools nationwide controlled the length of students' hair and 88 percent banned students from curling or coloring their hair, according to separate data by a parents' group conducted in June and July. Still, there are negative views on the "liberalization" of the hair code at schools. Some teachers and parents are worried the liberty can turn into self-indulgence, which can result in difficulty controlling students at school. Earlier this year when the National Council of Governors of Education attempted to revise the Education Act which states the hair and dress code, it faced opposition from the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations, a conservative teachers' group. SMOE also said it will provide a new guideline for schools to allow students to wear comfortable uniforms, with an aim to introduce such uniforms beginning with the spring semester of 2020. SMOE's initiative began with the growing public opinion in support of changing school uniforms because uniforms for female students are too small and uncomfortable. By Jung Min-ho Starting tomorrow, all car passengers will have to buckle up. The National Police Agency said Thursday that a new enforcement ordinance requiring all car passengers to wear seatbelts on Korea's roads will come into force on Friday. A driver will be fined 30,000 won ($27) if any passenger violates the rule. The fine will be 60,000 won if the passenger is 13 or younger. Police said they are planning to start cracking down on seatbelt violations in December, after a two-month awareness campaign. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, passengers in rear seats are less likely to buckle up (14.8 percent), compared with drivers (88.4 percent) and front-seat passengers (81.4 percent). Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had said on September 24 the system would be delivered to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces in two weeks despite strong Israeli and United States objections. A week previously, Moscow had accused Israel of indirectly causing the downing of a Russian military jet in Syria. "The delivery started already and as President (Vladimir) Putin said, after that incident ... the measures that we will take will be devoted to ensuring 100 percent safety and security of our men," Lavrov told a news conference at the United Nations. Russia, along with Iran, has helped Assad recover huge amounts of lost territory in Syria without persuading him to agree to any political reforms. It has also pushed its own talks with Iran and Turkey, known as the Astana process, as UN-led peace negotiations have stalled. Some diplomats have said the Israeli incident and a Turkish Russian deal to suspend an offensive on the last rebel-held stronghold of Idlib could provide a window to push for the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 2254 that covers ending conflict in Syria. The UN Security Council, which includes Russia and the United States, has mandated UN envoy Staffan de Mistura to get a deal on a new constitution, new elections and a reform of Syria's governance. De Mistura's first task is the formation of a constitutional committee to decide whom to pick. He has said he will select about 50 people, including supporters of the government, the opposition and independents to participate, but so far the Syrian government has rejected the idea. Meeting in New York on September 27, foreign ministers from the United States, Egypt, France, Germany, Jordan, Britain and Saudi Arabia called on de Mistura to convene the constitutional committee and report back on progress by the end of October. Lavrov accused the group of trying to undermine the Astana efforts and putting pressure on de Mistura so that they could impose their own resolution of the conflict, describing it as "a grave mistake." "This is aimed at undermining all that was done at Astana process and not the fact the Syrians decide what country they are going to live in but the architecture agreed on by foreign powers," Lavrov said. North Korea agreed to allow international inspectors to observe a "permanent dismantlement" of its key missile facilities, and will take additional steps such as closing its main Yongbyon nuclear complex if the United States takes reciprocal measures, South Korea's President Moon Jae-in said on Wednesday (September 19). North and South Korea agreed that the Korean Peninsula should turn into a "land of peace without nuclear weapons and nuclear threats," Moon said following the conclusion of his summit talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Speaking at a joint press conference with Moon, Kim said he will visit the South's capital Seoul "in the near future." (Reuters) K-pop supergroup BTS talked about overcoming self doubt and urged young people to love themselves during a speech to the United Nations on Monday (September 24). Speaking to a group of youth leaders, Kim Nam-joon, better known as RM, the leader of BTS, talked about his own self-doubt and learning to embrace his flaws and fears. "Today, I am who I am with all of my faults and my mistakes. Tomorrow I might be a tiny bit wiser, and that'd be me too. These faults and mistakes are what I am, making up the brightest stars in the constellation of my life. I have come to love myself for who I am, for who I was and for who I hope to become." The South Korean boy band's 'Love Yourself' album trilogy has topped the music charts since its initial release in 2017. (Reuters) South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the United Nations on Wednesday (September 26) praised his North Korean counterpart and U.S. President Donald Trump for encouraging "something miraculous" on the Korean peninsula, and urged the international community to support the process of denuclearization and ending the Korean War. "Over the past year, something miraculous has taken place on the Korean peninsula. For the first time in history, the leader of North Koreacrossed the military demarcation line to visit Panmunjom," Moon said. "Chairman Kim Jong Un and I removed the shadow of war and resolved to usher in a new era of peace and prosperity." Moon thanked Kim and Trump for their "courage". At a meeting last week with Moon, Kim promised to dismantle a missile site and also a nuclear complex if the United States took "corresponding action." "North Korea moved out of long-standing isolation on its own initiative and stands before the international community once again. Now it is the international community's turn to respond positively to North Korea's new choices and efforts. We must assure Chairman Kim that he has made the right decision in committing to denuclearization. We must encourage North Korea to stay on the path that leads to permanent and solid peace," he said. Kim's commitments and actions so far have fallen far short of Washington's demands for a complete inventory of North Korea's weapons programs and irreversible steps to give up a nuclear arsenal that threatens the United States. Trump has nevertheless heaped personal praise on Kim and expressed enthusiasm for a second summit. On Monday, he said he expected this to be announced "pretty soon" but that the location had yet to be determined. (Reuters) By Chang Se-moon In the July 22 issue of this newspaper, I wrote a piece titled "Dragon Flight 55 at K-16 Korea 1965" in which I described the patriotic role that the U.S. Army, 55th Aviation Company, known as Dragon Flight 55, played in Korea during and after the Korean War. In the article, I also asked anyone who served in the company to contact me so that I could give the precious 1965 picture book as well as the nice-looking commemorative plaque in my possession. Well, someone finally contacted me, and this is the story of how beautifully this played out. The story begins on October 24, 2017. I was one of the delegates from Montgomery County in Maryland (USA) who were visiting Daejeon, Korea, for the signing of a sister cities agreement between the two. During breakfast, I was sitting alone, and Ms. Anne Martin, another delegate from Washington, D.C., joined me at the table. To make the story short, Ms. Martin and I met in Washington later in 2017 and became close friends by sharing a mutual interest in ballroom dancing. Upon hearing that I had a column at The Korea Times, Ms. Martin gave me the picture book and the plaque after telling me stories about her late husband who served in Dragon Flight 55 in Korea. Because of my strong appreciation of all U.S. forces who served in Korea, I decided to write an article, and the editors of The Korea Times graciously printed the article in my bi-weekly column. More than a month passed without any response. I moved on to other topics for my column. I thought that it would be a miracle to hear from someone since 1965 is a long time ago. To my pleasant surprise, I received an email from Steve Robbins on Sept. 9, stating that he was a platoon leader with the 55th Aviation Company at K-16 until 1984, and he had read my article in The Korea Times. Robbins has also stated that he is now the Adjutant of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3944, and he would like to display the book and plaque at the Post if no one claimed them. "I enjoyed my service there and fell in love with Korea," he said. Many years ago, Robbins was visiting a friend in Killeen, Texas, just outside Ft. Hood, and was introduced to a pretty Korean lady, Song-won. Robbins impressed her with his flight suit with Captain bars, and Song-won tolerated motorcycle riding even though she hated it. This year "we celebrated being married for 30 years." Upon hearing my communication with Robbins, Ms. Martin requested that I ask Robbins whether he knew Col. Robert Tredway, her late husband, who also served in the unit. On Sept. 18, I received an email from Robbins, stating that he had received the package. In the email, Robbins stated that he had a plate just like the one I mailed him. The one I mailed him had Col. Tredway's name on it. When Robbins was in the Army, Aviation was not yet a branch. You first needed to be commissioned in combat arms or military intelligence and track into aviation. Col. Tredway was commissioned as an artillery officer and flew as an observer. Robbins did the same and held the same duty position in Korea. Since Col. Tredway was a pilot in the 55th Aviation Company, Robbins contacted Dr. Jack Bailey, president of the Combat Helicopter Pilots Association. Robbins relayed to me that "Dr. Bailey couldn't be more gracious to receive these items. If you did not make the effort, these items like so many others could have been unknowingly discarded. Without sounding redundant again, thank you!" Quoting directly from Dr. Bailey, "Col. Tredway obviously has a very special place in the heart of this organization, hence our most prestigious award bears his name. It'd be an honor to hold those items as part of our collection." Col. Tredway, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, received numerous awards for his distinguished military service, which included the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart. Robbins also stated in his email that, "Col. Tredway is also on the Wall of Honor at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum." When I showed the email from Robbins to Ms. Martin, she appeared teary but happy to know that the contribution of her late husband to the U.S. Army Aviation was well known and publicly recognized. I am also happy to say that The Korea Times played such an important role in making it possible for Dragon Flight 55 to land so softly. Chang Se-moon (changsemoon@yahoo.com) is the director of the Gulf Coast Center for Impact Studies. By Steven L. Shields Underwood No. 5 typewriter / Courtesy of Steven L. Shields By Mark Leonard NEW YORK At the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly last week, there was a widespread sense of foreboding among world leaders. The anxiety went beyond standard concerns about what U.S. President Donald Trump would say, do, or tweet. Even before the summit began, Europeans, Canadians, Mexicans, South Koreans, and Japanese had been consulting in earnest about the need for a new alliance to save the multilateral system. In the late 1960s, former U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson looked back at the immediate postwar era and felt as though he had been "present at the creation" of a new world based on shared rules and multilateral institutions. But at the UNGA this year, many attendees felt as though they were present at the destruction of that world. There are a number of reasons for this. But many of them are linked to Trump, whose attacks on the Paris climate accord, the Iran nuclear deal, NAFTA, NATO, the World Trade Organization, and the U.N. Human Rights Council have made it clear that he regards the international system as an unnecessary constraint on his administration. To Trump's mind, multilateral institutions tend to strengthen the hand of weaker powers vis-a-vis the U.S., and are thus facilitating China's bid for global dominance. Hence, his solution is to destroy the global order and then negotiate with other countries on a bilateral basis. That way, the U.S. will always have the upper hand, enabling it to change the rules in its favor. But Trump is far from the only threat to the multilateral order. Chinese President Xi Jinping has sought to portray himself as a savior of the international system, and yet his goal is not to defend the institutions on which global governance depends, but rather to bolster China's power. By deprioritizing human rights, Xi will be freer to pursue ambitious projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative, the aim of which is to enhance China's influence throughout Eurasia and the Asia-Pacific region. Moreover, Trump and Xi are just two among a larger group of alpha leaders who are challenging the traditional Kantian international order. Other aspiring strongmen include Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Prime Ministers Narendra Modi of India and Binyamin Netanyahu of Israel, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman. The rise of such leaders makes upholding the rules-based order increasingly difficult. The task ahead for the remaining multilateralists is to avoid becoming guardians of a status quo that is already dead. That will require carefully identifying the weak spots of the existing order, and forging coalitions of the willing to address them. On trade, for example, multilateralists will need to work with China to defend the WTO; but they also need to reform the WTO so that it is equipped to curtail China's problematic trade and investment practices. The trickiest part of this strategy will involve knitting together a critical mass of countries that can uphold liberal values even when great powers will not. This will be essential as the world moves away from the vision of multilateralism that prevailed at the turn of the century. When I was in Beijing a few weeks ago, Chinese strategists were debating whether the new order will be multipolar or bipolar. Most agreed that it will center on a bipolar confrontation between the U.S. and China; but they doubted that it will resemble the Cold War and interwar periods. Instead, many expect a return to the geopolitics of the pre-World War I era. In my view, the new world disorder will have four key features. First, "connectivity wars" will be commonplace. The ties that bind countries together will not be severed, but nor will they create the conditions for true multilateralism. Instead, the major powers will weaponize their interconnections, giving rise to more trade wars, cyberattacks, sanctions regimes, and electoral interference. Second, nonalignment will become the default foreign policy. While the Cold War pitted the Western alliance against the Soviet bloc, the new bipolar world will allow for much more promiscuity. Rather than pledging allegiance to China or the U.S., most countries will keep their options open, working with the Chinese on some issues and with the Americans on others. Third, strongmen will continue to reign. As geopolitical competition heats up, voters will turn to tough leaders whom they trust to uphold narrow national interests. But this lurch toward centralized decision-making will produce inconsistent and radical policies, along with perpetual cheating. Without an empowered multilateral system to police abuses, countries governed by strongmen will increasingly break their promises, lie, and peddle conspiracy theories Trump's modus operandi. Lastly, foreign policy will become more domestically oriented. Rather than trying to influence other countries or lead on the world stage, political leaders will focus on consolidating their base at home. When confronting this kind of disorder, committed multilateralists will have to stay focused on defending the most critical aspects of the international system. That means they should be willing to play hardball against the alpha leaders. With their respective responses to Trump's trade bluster, the European Union, Canada, and Japan have shown that this is possible. But now they must go further, by developing a comprehensive approach to defending global rules in an age of national misrule. Mark Leonard is director of the European Council on Foreign Relations. Copyright belongs to Project Syndicate ( www.project-syndicate.org ). Probe needed on claim of illicit spending Parties are clashing over allegations from an opposition lawmaker that Cheong Wa Dae has misused its budget. Rep. Shim Jae-cheol of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) claimed last week that some of the presidential office's expenses and allowances for employees were used against the rules governing government budget, based on documents acquired from the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Shim claimed Cheong Wa Dae had misused used 240 million won ($215,750) in expenses during weekends and holidays between May 2017 and August 2018. He also said Cheong Wa Dae had used 42 million won at night. He pointed out a considerable amount had been used at wine bars, beer houses and "izakaya," places that are not associated with official duties. Some of the expenditures were listed without the name of the location. Cheong Wa Dae explained this was because the presidential office works "24 hours, 365 days," saying it encourages employees to spend so-called "operational expenses" during official work hours and that using them after hours was not against the rules. Shim also claimed some of the Cheong Wa Dae staff had been paid illicitly at the onset of the Moon Jae-in administration. The lawmaker claimed 13 presidential office employees, including President Moon's key aides Song In-bae and Baek Won-woo, had been paid for taking part in meetings at Cheong Wa Dae. Shim claimed this goes against rules that prohibit government employees from being paid separately for taking part in internal meetings related to their line of work. Some of them were taking as much as millions of won per meeting. Cheong Wa Dae also had an explanation for this. Yoon Young-chan, senior presidential secretary for public relations, said they received the money as fees for offering policy advice before Cheong Wa Dae officially appointed them. The ministry lodged a complaint with prosecutors against Shim and his aides for acquiring the confidential state document on government expenses without proper authorization. Last week, prosecutors searched Shim's office at the National Assembly over the alleged leak of digital files carrying confidential information. If there were any wrongdoings committed by Shim and his office, they should be punished accordingly. However, it should not be forgotten that the essence of this issue is government transparency in spending. Many find it hard to believe time spent at wine bars is part of official duties. The Moon administration was launched with an emphasis on eradicating old malpractices. That is why it is particularly upsetting for so many people when they hear news about misuse of government funds. It is high time to check the lax management of expenses at all government ministries and affiliated organizations. The National Assembly, which has been slammed for taking huge sums in special allowances, also has some serious work do to before Assembly members blame the government for misuse of official funds. The Tomb of Namyeongun, the father of Daewongun, circa 2010. By Robert Neff The area surrounding the Tomb of Namyeongun. Life aboard a British warship in the 19th century was often filled with danger, backbreaking work and, during the few hours of relaxation, monotony. One way sailors passed their time was by reading the ship's newspaper a paper published by and for themselves. In the fall of 1888, HMS Constance, a British corvette, was stationed for a short time in Korean waters. One of the Constance's crew, who had apparently read about Ernest Jacob Oppert's outrageous attempt to steal the bones of the Korean regent's father in 1868, decided to try his hand at writing a piece of fiction to amuse his shipmates. Considering that there are very few pieces of fiction from this period centered on Korea, I thought, despite its length, that I would include the story in full: The Golden Coffin "I guess, boys, I'll have a try for that 'ar coffin," said old Seth Adams, after listening to a curious legend of Corea. The legend told how, in the old days, long before the civilized age, Corea has been a mighty and magnificent nation: dominant over her neighbors, and ruled over by a king as rich and as powerful as Solomon in the plentitude of his greatness. How, when he died, he had been buried, with all his jewels, in a massive golden coffin, near to Seoul, his capital. Steps leading up to the tomb Oppert and his band tried to rob in 1868. The narrator went on to say that he had seen the tomb himself, no secret being made of it in Corea; it being supposed that the spirit of the dead king was a sufficient guard against all marauders. His own opinion was that the solidity of the masonry was the real guard, for time had converted the cement into the hardest stone, and it would be a long job to unearth the Golden Coffin. Seth Adams, of New England, was the owner of a small, fast schooner, built for seal-hunting; and his practice was to hang about the coast of Kamtschatka until he could get sufficient furs to pay his venture. As the Kamtschatkan coast is all leased out by the Russian Government to recognized hunters, it follows that Seth was simply a poacher; and not infrequently he had to pay, with the blood of himself and crew, for his temerity in thus invading the legitimate interests. He had, in fact, just put in to Yokohama from a voyage in which he had neither seals nor otters, but had lost seven of his hunters, besides being slightly wounded himself in an affray with the rightful hunters of the coast. They would not believe, when they had found his ship in an inlet abounding with seals, that the furry inhabitants were "quite safe for him," and that he "had only put in for wood and water." So incredulous were they that they opened fire on his boats there and then, compelling Seth to clear out as quickly as he could. So he was just in the humor for any adventure that promised large and quick returns. He set about his preparations and soon sailed for Corea. His plan was to land on some desolate part of the coast and then send the ship to Chemulpo, as though awaiting a cargo. If discovered inland, he made up a plausible story of shipwreck on an uninhabited coast to account for his desire to reach some large town. Another view of the Tomb of Namyeongun. All went well, and they reached Seoul. No suspicion of his real intention was thought of by the Coreans, and he and five of his Japanese hunters excited no distrust when they had told their story: still they were observed with curiosity wherever they went, so Seth decided to remain in Seoul for a few days to accustom the natives to their presence. He therefore feigned sickness as an excuse for staying, and so well did he simulate that, the kind-hearted owner of the hut insisted that he should be taken to an inner room. Here he was waited on by a native doctor, who, to his surprise, pronounced him to be dying. The announcement quite overcame any scruples his host may have had about his prudence in allowing him into his house; indeed he even allowed his wife to visit the white stranger, a remarkable concession, for the Coreans are intensely jealous. Seth, finding time hanging heavily on his hands, was only too pleased to make himself agreeable to his hostess, and as they both could speak Japanese, more or less, their conversation was mutually agreeable. He, being a sturdy, well-built white man, possessed a beauty little less than godlike in her eyes: she had never seen a foreigner before other than Chinese or Japanese; as a consequence, she was rarely to be found away from his side except when her husband was at home. He, for his part, found this commerce agreeable, though dangerous. He had heard that in Corea an adulteress is burnt alive, and her paramour has his right hand cut off, at least. Hence he was cautious. When his host visited him he appeared to be dying, when his hostess came he showed undoubted sings of vitality. A week passed thus; Seth decided it was time to adventure his enterprise. That night about 10 o'clock, he stole out of the hut and swiftly made his way to the tomb, where his men, with shovels and pickaxes, awaited him. The tomb was semicircular in shape, built on the slope of a gently rising hill. Seth decided not to attempt to pierce the masonry, but to tunnel down from above it, which he thought would be easier. They found the soil much looser than they expected, and made such a progress that in a few hours they had excavated quite a large chamber under the masonry of the tomb. They had gradually become more excited as their work progressed, and now were digging eagerly, expecting every moment to find the golden coffin, when they were startled by the appearance in their midst of a woman. Seth recognized her at once as his hostess, but the lust for gold and the fear of discovery together, drove away all softer emotions; he seized her by the arm and dragged her violently away from the workers. She seemed petrified with horror and fell against the entrance of the chamber, bringing down a mass of loose earth and stones and exposing to their view the object of their search, the Golden Coffin. Like maniacs, Seth and his men tore away the earth from around it, revealing more and more of its glittering length, their breath coming in short quick gasps, their eyes burning and their frames quivering with excitement. Nothing was heard but the pick, pick of the tools and the moans of the woman who still lay in the tunnel half covered by the debris. What cared they for a human life when gold was to be had with a few strokes of the pick? Presently they had its whole length exposed, and ceased their labor that they might their eyes on its riches. Then the woman seemed to awake and come to herself a little; for, getting up, she besought Seth to fly at once. A lake near the tomb in Yesan-gun, South Chungcheong Province. At first he could not understand her, and attributed her terror to superstitious feelings concerning the dead king's spirit; but at last she composed herself sufficiently to tell him that she heard him leave the house and had followed him, and saw them commence digging; that, being curious, she had watched for some time, trying to solve the mystery, but they were so long, she had to return home. She found on her return that her husband had discovered her absence, and also that of his lodger, and had roused the country to search for them. Seth calmed the woman as well as he could, then, leaving his men in the tomb, he took her along the tunnel to the entrance. After listening for awhile, he helped her out into the open air, and a few seconds climbing brought him beside her. A loud shout, followed by a scream from the woman, rang in his ears, a fierce blow half stunned him, and ere he realized what had happened, thongs were tied round his ankles and wrist, and he was thrown down beside the woman who had fainted a prisoner. He dimly saw the Coreans who had captured him drive back his Japanese followers into the tunnel again; then they threw the earth into the hole until it was full. He shuddered at the fate of those who had accompanied him buried alive with the Golden Coffin. What would his own fate be? He looked around and saw a great heap of straw and wood piled up, and wondered what it was for. It was her funeral pyre. Was he to share it? Again he shuddered, for the Coreans came to him, lifted him to his feet, and undid the thongs round his wrists; this surprised him not a little. He looked around, no hope of escape, a forest of knives glittering ominously. Then a torch was thrust into his hand, he clutched it, for it was a weapon of some sort at all events. Still holding him tightly and keeping his feet bound, they carried him to the pile and forced him to fire the straw. It caught in a moment and blazed up fiercely. The woman shrieked horribly, but the demons around her only smiled grimly. After a little while they carried him a little distance away and bandaged his eyes. All this time he seemed as though in a horrible dream; his situation, and the terrible fate of his hunters and the woman, took away all his manhood, all thought of resistance; he speculated with a sort of curious horror on his own fate, as though he was someone else. Many hands now grasped his body, and two or three pulled at his right arm as though to tear it out of its socket. A sharp blow on the wrist; he fell to the ground groaning and sobbing, with his right hand cut completely off at one blow. Some little time he gave way thus, whilst the Coreans turned again to the fire: then took the bandage from his eyes and tied it round his bleeding wrist; it was all he could do. Presently he felt something warm close to him, and looking round, discovered it to be the torch still burning. Hope revived, and his courage returned to him. Slowly and painfully he drew the bonds around his ankles over it. It burnt his legs badly, but he succeeded at last; he was free from the thongs that bound him. Then he cautiously rolled slowly over and over down the hill, the blood gushing from his wrist at every movement, and at last in the darkness of the early morning he ran. By great good fortune his captors did not see in which direction he went, and to that he owed his escape. He made straight for Chemulpo, whilst they searched the country towards the coast from which he had come at first. What he suffered in the 14 miles from Seoul to Chemulpo, over rocks and bushes, with his scorched legs, his broken head, and his wrist from which the hand had been cut, Seth never recalls without thrills of pain, but to check a too eager desire for wealth in any of his friends, Seth will movingly relate his sacrilegious attempt to steal the Golden Coffin. A page from "The Ferret," HMS Constance's newspaper. By Kim Rahn When the health authorities said earlier this month that they had discovered the first case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in three years, not only this editor but also many others remembered the nightmarish situation back in 2015, when dozens of people fell ill from the foreign, unfamiliar disease, and nobody could guess when and how the epidemic would end. As a journalist, this editor braced herself for an expected flood of related stories and an everyday increase in the number of patients for weeks or months. However, such concerns, tension and mental preparation have proven to be an over-reaction because the situation is quite well under control! Not a single transmission has been reported since the first patient was confirmed on Sept. 8. The health authorities confirmed Tuesday that the patient was fully recovered, saying the situation seems virtually "over." The patient, having suspicious symptoms when in Kuwait, headed straight to an emergency room upon arriving in Korea by taxi an action that minimized the number of people exposed to the virus. Samsung Medical Center, which was said to be the hotbed of the MERS epidemic back in 2015 with 90 out of 186 patients contracting the disease there, was different this time as well. As the patient talked about his symptoms and travel history to the Middle Eastern country, the hospital suspected possible MERS infection and kept him in isolation, preventing contact with other patients in the emergency room. It then reported the possible MERS case to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) and transferred the man to Seoul National University Hospital, a state-designated hospital for infectious diseases. The public response was also different it improved. More than 400 people were monitored by the health authorities as they came into contact with the confirmed patient, mostly passengers travelling on the same plane. Around 20 were in close contact with him, including flight attendants, passengers who sat around him, immigration officers, his wife and medical staffers. All were told to stay at home until the up to two weeks incubation period for the virus passed, and officials from the regional health authorities contacted them every day to check on their condition. Back in 2015, some people who were supposed to be quarantined did not follow the authorities' instructions and moved around, causing dozens of more people to be placed under quarantine. At the time, the government did not disclose which hospitals the patients had visited a bad decision because this made hundreds of people keep visiting the places and thus coming into contact with the virus. This time, the government immediately let the public know which places the confirmed patient has visited, urging people to report to the authorities if they had visited the same places and showed MERS-like symptoms. Such an improvement in dealing with MERS may have mainly came from awareness of the disease, as the country had to pay a lot to learn how to cope with the unfamiliar infection three years ago, as the social costs and sacrifices included 38 deaths, the closure of a dozen hospitals and thousands of schools, and the cancellation of major gatherings among others. Of course everything was not perfect this time. Quarantine officials at the airport did not screen the patient although he was feeling sick after his trip to the Middle East, because the patient did not have a fever or respiratory symptoms at the time. Regarding what a suspected patient needs to do, some staffers at local hospitals and regional health authorities provided information at odds with the central government's, as reported in the Sept. 11 edition of The Korea Times. In general, however, the responses were quite good. In this country where one of the most frequently-mentioned sentences in news stories is "the system has failed to prevent the incident from recurring despite past failures," it is very rare that past mistakes have been almost completely corrected. Some may say it was "locking the barn door after the horse was stolen." But even if a horse is stolen, it is important to lock the door tightly so there will be no more stealing. Pompeo to visit Pyongyang next month The U.S. and North Korea are moving quickly to resume high-level nuclear negotiations on the heels of the successful Sept.18-20 inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The Pyongyang Declaration made at the third Moon-Kim meeting provided momentum for the stalled U.S.-North Korea negotiations. Both sides are eager for a second U.S.-North Korea summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim. It looks like the second Trump-Kim meeting is imminent with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo planning to visit North Korea next month. In a Sept. 26 statement, the U.S. Department of State confirmed that Secretary Pompeo had accepted an invitation from the North Korean leader to visit Pyongyang in October to "prepare for a second summit" between Trump and Kim. The statement was released after Pompeo met North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho in New York. The top U.S. diplomat's trip will focus on the "implementation of the commitments from the U.S.-DPRK Singapore summit, including the final, fully verified denuclearization of the DPRK." The mood between the two countries has certainly changed since August when Secretary Pompeo's planned trip to Pyongyang was canceled amid a deadlock in denuclearization talks. The canceled trip triggered concerns that the denuclearization talks were on the brink of falling apart, and that U.S.-North Korea relations could return to the state they were in before the June 12 summit in Singapore. The last time Pompeo visited Pyongyang was in July, but he failed to meet with Kim and returned without any real progress in the denuclearization process. As North Korea has been slow to take tangible steps toward denuclearization even after the Singapore summit, there has been mounting criticism about the effectiveness of the U.S.-North Korea summit. Conservative media in Korea and the U.S. have mocked it as nothing more than a political show. But there are also rising expectations that a second summit may be different after the renewed commitment toward denuclearization Kim showed during his meeting with Moon last week. In the Pyongyang Declaration, Kim mentioned "corresponding measures" from the U.S. as conditions for additional steps to denuclearize. The U.S. is still firm that denuclearization has to come first. With the positive mood created by the third inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang, it is timely for the U.S. and North Korea to engage in productive communication to narrow the gap in their nuclear negotiations. This time, Kim should meet Pompeo and produce a detailed and convincing roadmap for complete denuclearization. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, boards a Z-10 helicopter and manipulates the airborne weapon and aiming system during his inspection, Sept. 27, 2018. Xi inspected the 79th Group Army of the People's Liberation Army and met with senior officers of troops stationed in northeast China's Liaoning Province from Sept. 27 to 28. (Xinhua/Li Gang) SHENYANG, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has stressed efforts to strengthen the military training and war preparedness of the armed forces and improve its capability to win wars. Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), made the remarks Thursday while inspecting the 79th Group Army of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). He said it was important to deepen the implementation of the Party's thinking on strengthening the military in the new era and military strategy for new conditions. Xi visited the training ground of an aviation brigade of the Group Army and looked delighted to hear about the innovation in command and coordination, battle strategy and equipment update. He inspected the weapons and equipment of the armed forces and asked detailed questions about attack helicopters. Wearing a special helmet, Xi boarded a Z-10 helicopter, the third-generation of China's home-developed attack helicopters, and manipulated the airborne weapon and aiming system. Xi went on the control tower of an airport to observe military drills. Dozens of helicopters took part in the drills, which included low altitude flights, aerial reconnaissance and air assaults. He used binoculars at times to take a r look, and also met with officers at the Group Army's headquarters. Xi listened to the work report of the Group Army and delivered a speech, warning against any thought and behavior that strayed away from real combat, and highlighting the implementation of combat requirement throughout training and preparation. He asked the military to stay focused on the tasks, opponents and environment of combat, to firmly hold the initiative in both strategy and battle. The Group Army should integrate itself into the joint operation system of the PLA, carry out the requirements for transformation of the army and accelerate the building of new combat forces, to further liberate and develop its combat capability, Xi said. He noted that the military must be built and managed in terms of thinking and political orientation, and the ideological and political foundation for obeying the Party's command should be consolidated while officers and soldiers' faith should be strengthened in daring to battle and being sure to win. By Arthur I. Cyr Prime Minister Theresa May and colleagues in Britain's government reconfirm the quality and effectiveness of her nation's police and intelligence work. On Sept. 5, the British government issued warrants for the arrest of two Russian nationals, Rusian Boshirov and Alexander Petrov, for attempted murder. Massive evidence has been assembled through high-tech means and old-fashioned, human-insight police work. The despicable effort in early March to murder Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in England provides a grim reminder that the Cold War may be over, but Russia remains a dangerous and ruthless adversary. A police officer found the father and daughter unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury, a city near London. The Skripals and the police officer required hospitalization in intensive care. A Novichok nerve agent poisoned them. Novichok is the label for a highly lethal series of nerve agents developed by the Soviet Union, beginning in 1971. Novichok is an extremely rare chemical not readily available to the public, or even the criminal underworld. The military nerve agent remains a product of Russia. Four months after the attack, residue of the poison left behind by the attackers struck down two more British citizens, in no way tied to government intelligence or security agencies, one of whom died. Boshirov and Petrov flew to Britain two days before the attempted murders. They entered the country on Russian passports. The British government worked quickly, identified them early, and continued to collect evidence. Skripal worked for the GRU, the military intelligence arm of Russia's government, until he retired in 1999. Later he confessed to working as a double agent for British intelligence from 1995. In 2006, a Russia court convicted him and imposed a prison sentence of thirteen years. In 2010, authorities freed him as part of a U.S.-Russian spy swap, following the exposure of a ring of Russian espionage agents in the United States. During Skripal's trial, Russian media compared the damage done to state security to that of Oleg Penkovsky. That double agent provided important secret data to United States agents regarding Soviet military and intelligence resources. Information he provided is credited with helping President John F. Kennedy and associates maneuver successfully through the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962. The Soviet state executed Penkovsky in 1963. According to one report, executioners burned him alive in a crematorium, a warning to deter others. Also in 2006, Russian intelligence defector Alexander Litvinenko mysteriously suffered poisoning in London. On his deathbed, he blamed the Russian government. In response to the March attack on the Skripals, Vasily Nebenzya, Russia's permanent representative to the United Nations, presented a truly strange defense. In a long, rambling statement, he introduced the name of Sherlock Holmes, the legendary fictional British detective. Nebenzya publicly compared the British government to Inspector Lestrade, the inept police officer regularly bested by the vastly more able Holmes. The Russian diplomat on this occasion proved himself inept, and unintentionally encouraged attention to another poisoning case. In November 2012, Russian Alexander Perepilichny suddenly collapsed and died while jogging near London. One postmortem test found traces of Gelsemium, a toxic plant. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, was a medical doctor who experimented with a range of chemicals and plants, including Gelsemium. Sir Arthur concluded the plant could alleviate nerve pain but was also dangerous. Holmes' genius combines human insight and technical expertise. The British government has done the same in handling the brutal Skripal case. Arthur I. Cyr is Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College and author of "After the Cold War." Contact acyr@carthage.edu By Park Jae-hyuk Hyundai Green Food is in the hot seat over an allegation that maggots and flies were found in lunchboxes the company catered to Hyundai Steel's Dangjin plant in South Chungcheong Province, according to industry officials Sunday. The steelmaker's employees recently uploaded photos showing bugs with Hyundai Green Food's lunchboxes on the official website of the Hyundai Steel labor union and Blind, an anonymous chat app for verified employees. "Several grains of cooked rice were stained with seasoning, as trays were poorly washed," said a Blind user who claimed to be a Hyundai Steel worker. "Dead flies and maggots were also found in lunchboxes." The workers blamed the relationship between Hyundai Green Food and Hyundai Steel for the poor sanitation. "Because owners of the two companies are relatives, Hyundai Green Food has been able to continue catering to Hyundai Steel, despite employee complaints," the Blind user said. Hyundai Green Food is a food service unit of Hyundai Department Store Group, which is owned by Chairman Chung Ji-sun, a grandson of late Hyundai founder Chung Ju-yung. Hyundai Steel is a steelmaking unit of Hyundai Motor Group, which is owned by Chairman Chung Mong-koo, a son of the late Hyundai founder. Hyundai Steel employees filed a civil complaint with the Dangjin City Government. The city government plans to conduct an on-site inspection of the steel mill's cafeteria this week. It will issue a suspension order to the food supplier, if the allegation turns out to be true. Hyundai Green Food has denied the allegation, saying it will sue the Hyundai Steel employees who alleged the bugs were found in its lunchboxes. The company, which has also been known for offering foods to athletes at the Gangneung Olympic Village in Gangwon Province during the PyeongChang Winter Games, said it will request a police investigation. Kim Jong-yoon, chief business officer (CBO) of Yanolja, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the firm's office in Seoul, Sept. 6. / Courtesy of Yanolja By Jun Ji-hye Yanolja, a hotel and motel booking app operator, has been transforming itself into a global hotel and leisure mobile platform by forming business ties with global companies. These include Rakuten LIFULL Stay, an affiliate of Japan's e-commerce giant Rakuten, according to a senior company executive. Yanolja has also been seeking to move into Southeast Asia by investing $15 million in July in Singapore-based Zen Rooms, the budget hotel network startup founded by Rocket Internet. The investment will enable the Korean company to fully acquire the Southeast Asian startup afterward as it retains the rights to buy 100 percent of the Zen Rooms business. In a recent interview with The Korea Times, Kim Jong-yoon, chief business officer (CBO) of Yanolja, said the company will use this investment as a stepping-stone to plant its business model in Southeast Asia, and then expand its businesses to global hotel chains and system businesses as well as the leisure and activity market. "We believe travel businesses are not for the domestic market but for export," he said. "Yanolja cannot be a great company if it only stays in Korea." He chose Zen Rooms as the target for the undertaking as he is sure of the growth potential of the startup. Since its establishment in 2015, Zen Rooms has shown an average annual growth rate of 185 percent and secured more than 6,000 rooms at budget hotels in five Southeast Asian countries _ Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. In 2017, the startup posted 1.5 billion won ($1.3 million) in sales and is expected to achieve 7.5 billion won in sales this year. Zen Rooms fulfills reservations and sales activities through its own online platform, having a great possibility for development as an online travel agency, Kim said, noting that once Yanolja's business knowhow is integrated, its "R.E.S.T." platform, which stands for refresh, entertain, stay and travel, will be established in Southeast Asia in a short period of time. "I realized that the current Southeast Asian market is similar to what Korea was like five to 10 years ago. There are a lot of motels and budget hotels but most of them have yet to be digitized," he said. "This was why I thought it would be great to take Yanolja's business model to Southeast Asia as we were the first in Korea to introduce app-based motel booking." The CBO stressed that Yanolja is aiming to export its business model rather than copying others. "We hold a lot of patents and intellectual properties in preparation for exporting our business model," he said. "We will work hard to set up small- and medium-sized budget hotel chains in Southeast Asia and offer cost-effective, personalized services to our customers so they can go anywhere they want and do whatever they want at reasonable prices." He noted processing real-time data is important to offer meaningful services to customers, adding that this has become especially important following the revision to the Labor Law that reduced the maximum workweek from 68 hours to 52 hours, which went into effect on July 1. "People have more and more leisure time. This will change the way people travel," he said. "Previously, people made long preparations before going on a trip and spent a lot of money. This will make it difficult for them to spend their increasing leisure time effectively." He said an increasing number of people are now looking for day trips, citing the recent trend among young people to seek a work-life balance. "We need to satisfy those needs, and for this, effective management of real-time data is definitely necessary," he said. Real-time data processing is also important for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, in which many services will be activated by robots and artificial intelligence (AI) technology. "Technology will enable customers to get their room keys as soon as they complete booking, and the time required for check-in will be significantly reduced," he said. "We are already connected to many partners specializing in such technologies." At the end of August, Yanolja signed a business agreement with KT, the nation's second largest mobile carrier, to connect the telecom company's voice-recognition AI platform Giga Genie to Yanolja's room management system. The Giga Genie-based infotainment system will be applied to Yanolja's hotel brands _ Heyy and H Avenue. Under the agreement, the two companies are also co-developing services that connect Giga Genie to the internet of things (IoT) products. Other than Japan and Southeast Asia, Yanolja plans to make inroads into other regions such as the Middle East and Africa, Kim noted. "We are aiming to connect all accommodation around the world to our platform. We will not stop exploring more markets," he said. Yanolja began the mobile app service in April 2015. Since then, the app has achieved 10 million downloads from Google Play Store, on June 23, becoming the app used by one in five people here. Having recently added the leisure and activities reservation service, the firm achieved 30 billion won in sales between July and August. Kim said the firm's remarkable performance has been built on the trust of its customers. "For the past three years, we have never sold any services at high prices," he said. "Customers know that they can enjoy diverse services at reasonable prices through our app." Kim studied chemical engineering at Seoul National University and worked as an online sales and operation account manager at Google from 2007 to 2009. Then, he served as an engagement manager at McKinsey & Company from 2011 to 2015 until before joining Yanolja. By Jun Ji-hye Samsung Electronics is expected to post a record operating profit in the third quarter on the back of strong demands for memory chips, analysts said Wednesday. According to the consensus among local brokerage houses, the Korean tech giant is expected to post 65.2 trillion won ($58.4 billion) in sales and 17.2 trillion won in operating profit. The company is reportedly planning to announce its earnings guidance report on or around Oct. 5. The market consensus marks a 5.1 year-on-year increase in the firm's sales and an 18.5 percent year-on-year increase in the operating profit for the July-September period. If the consensus is correct, the firm's operating profit hits another record high after it posted 15.6 trillion won in operating profit in the first quarter of this year. After Samsung suffered a series of batteries igniting on the Galaxy Note 7 in the third quarter of 2016, the firm has shown a continuous increase in its operating profit for the six consecutive quarters up to the first quarter this year. But in the second quarter, the company's operating profit stood at 14.8 trillion won, failing to post record-breaking earnings due to weaker-than-expected sales of Galaxy S9 smartphones. It has been generally assessed that the Galaxy S9 series, unveiled at Barcelona in February, failed to feature any significant improvements over its predecessors, resulting in a failure to attract more customers despite increasing marketing costs. In the upcoming quarter, however, the firm is expected to show that it is still going strong, achieving the operating profit in the range of 17 trillion won. Brokerage firms have analyzed that more than 75 percent of Samsung's earnings are expected to come from its semiconductor business. "Shipments of both DRAMs and NAND-Flash chips will increase significantly thanks to the operation of new production facilities at the Pyeongtaek campus," said Do Hyun-woo, an analyst at NH Investment & Securities. DRAMs are crucial parts of computers, while NAND-Flash chips are used for mobile devices such as smartphones. Meanwhile, the Korean company is forecast to see a decrease in its operating profit in the smartphone segment despite the launch of Galaxy Note 9. This is attributed to a continuous slump in sales of the Galaxy S9 while marketing costs are increasing. On the yearly basis, the firm will likely record a combined 64 trillion won in operating profit. The firm's yearly operating profit a year ago was 53.6 trillion won. "By the end of the third quarter, Samsung Electronics' operating profit is expected to exceed 47 trillion won, up by 24 percent compared to a year ago," said Lee Seong-woo, an analyst at Eugene Investment & Securities, noting that there is a possibility for the profit to slow down next year due to a decreasing price of NAND-Flash chips. Lee Jong-min, head of the Media Infra Lab at SK Telecom, explains the firm's Scene Discovery technology searching for and recommending images in movies and dramas during a media conference at its head office in Seoul, Thursday. / Courtesy of SK Telecom By Jun Ji-hye SK Telecom has completed the development of artificial intelligence (AI)-based image search and recommendation technology, the firm said Thursday, noting that it will commercialize the technology within the year. The company said the technology, called "Scene Discovery," will enable users to pick out certain scenes in movies or dramas by entering keywords in Oksusu, its video streaming app, or Btv, its internet protocol television (IPTV). Users can also pick up scenes in which their favorite actor or actress appears. For example, when a user wants to watch a kiss scene in "La La Land," AI recognizes faces of Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, and extracts scenes in which the two appear at the same time. Then, AI selects and recommends the kiss scene to the user. The firm said it has developed the technology to better respond to each user's preference. Currently, the AI, which has learned thousands of videos and hundreds of images, is capable of recognizing more than 2,500 actors and actresses at home and abroad, and 50 different situations such as weddings and dances as well as landmarks, seasons and background music. During a media conference held at its head office in Seoul, SK Telecom said it and its internet service subsidiary, SK Broadband, plan to apply the technology to Oksusu and Btv within the year. SK Telecom is also considering adding a voice command function to the new service. The firm also introduced the technology recommending customized content based on each user's viewing history information. The technology enables each user to watch customized home screens in accordance with their preferences. SK Broadband partially applied the technology to Oksusu on Sept. 14 and plans to fully apply it soon. SK Telecom said the recurrent neural network (RNN), one of the major artificial neural networks, is used in the technology. "More than 20,000 videos and other content are being uploaded to Oksusu every month. The core competitive power in the media platform will be the recommendation technology that reflects users' diverse preferences and viewing patterns," said Lee Jong-min, head of the Media Infra Lab at SK Telecom, during the conference. Samsung Electronics employees deliver groceries to a senior citizen in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Sept. 18. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics By Baek Byung-yeul Samsung Electronics employees carried out volunteer activities to provide assistance to residents who need warm helping hands on the occasion of Chuseok, one of Korea's largest holidays. The employees of the tech giant participated in social contribution activities along with the Korean Red Cross as they delivered groceries to senior citizens and residents in need for three weeks starting Sept. 3. The volunteer activities include not only Samsung Electronics employees but also employees from 22 Samsung Group affiliates including Samsung SDI, Samsung Construction & Trade (C&T) and Samsung Life. The Samsung employees visited the country's 780 social welfare facilities including a children's center, senior's welfare center and support center for migrant workers, and delivered groceries comprised of 12 products such as flour, cooking oil, soybean paste and sesame oil. A 20-member volunteer group from Samsung Electronics delivered groceries to a senior citizens' welfare center in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, on Sept. 18, the week before the Chuseok holiday. The volunteer group also made holiday food and delivered it to senior citizens who live alone. The volunteer group said their volunteering is not just a one-off as the members participate in charity activities once a month. Members of a volunteer group from Samsung Electronics make traditional Chinese food chunbing with foreign workers at a support center for migrant workers in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Sept. 15. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics Mercedes-Benz Korea Vice President of Customer Services Kim Jee-seop, left, poses with Korea Standards Association CEO Lee Sang-jin during an award ceremony for the Korean Standard Quality Excellence Index at the Lotte Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Korea By Nam Hyun-woo Mercedes-Benz Korea (MBK) ranked first in imported auto after-sales service on the 2018 Korean Standard Quality Excellence Index for the third consecutive year, the company said Wednesday. The index is measures customer satisfaction in products and services. It was jointly developed by the Korean Standards Association and the Korean Society for Quality Management. The German automaker scored 70.26 out of 100 points. MBK scored the highest in quality stability, accessibility and recognition among all imported automotive brands. It also scored well above the industry average in both the "use" and "sentimental" qualities subcategories, which measure the quality of service and psychological satisfaction after using services. The company attributed the recognition to its investment in providing customers with satisfaction after purchase, by reinforcing the quality of its after-sales service, and the expansion of its infrastructure. Currently, the company offers after-sales service at 58 authorized service centers, five service factories and 1,070 workbays across Korea. The company cut the average waiting time for after service reservations to 1.8 days in August from 2.5 days last year. The number of vehicles repaired at the authorized service centers also increased to 361,793 in the first half of the year from 292,130 a year earlier. "We are very pleased to rank first in the index for three consecutive years, as a result of our consistent investment based on a philosophy that pursues the best value and customer impression," MBK Vice President of Customer Services Kim Jee-seop said. "We are grateful to our customers for their constant confidence in our brand and will continue to provide them with the best services." MBK will expand its parts distribution center with a total investment of 35 billion won by June next year. The company said this is expected to improve service quality and to cut lead-times with a more stable supply of parts. By Park Jae-hyuk Hyundai Motor will start providing 1,000 heavy-duty fuel cell electric trucks on the European market next year, the automaker said Thursday. During the IAA Commercial Vehicles 2018 in Hanover, Germany, Wednesday, the company and a Swiss hydrogen company named H2Energy signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the provision of 1,000 heavy-duty fuel cell electric trucks and an adequate supply chain for renewable hydrogen from 2019 to 2023. "We are yet again advancing the field of fuel cell technology in the automotive industry with today's announcement of our ambition to commercialize the fuel cell electric truck for the first time in the world," said Lee In-cheol, Hyundai Motor's executive vice president and head of commercial vehicle division. "We will continue to seek opportunities for expanding into other markets by carefully monitoring multiple factors such as fueling infrastructure and governmental policies." Hyundai said the fuel cell electric truck is being developed according to European regulations. According to the automotive company, the truck features a new 190 kilowatt hydrogen fuel cell system with two fuel cell systems connected in parallel, which is also a feature of the NEXO fuel cell SUV. Hyundai aims to have the truck travel up to 400 kilometers with a single fueling. For this, it will install eight large hydrogen tanks in the truck's utilizing areas such as between the cabin and the rigid body. H2Energy Chairman Rolf Huber said: "A sustainable hydrogen economy needs a designated ecosystem for hydrogen. This is why our collaboration between Hyundai Motor, H2 Energy, the Swiss H2 Association, and the key electricity producer Alpiq in Switzerland is strategic and makes a lot of sense." H2Energy specializes in production and supply of renewable hydrogen in Switzerland, with business subsidiaries in Germany, Norway and Austria. It plans to make Hyundai's fuel cell electric trucks available to its Swiss customers starting with the dedicated members of the Swiss H2 Association, which includes several refueling-station operators, retailers and other customers focusing on eco-friendly innovative solutions for logistics and goods distribution. Vehicles are lined up for export at the Port of Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi Province in this file photo. / Korea Times file By Park Jae-hyuk Korean carmakers are still facing uncertainties about their exports to the United States even after the signing of the revised Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (KORUS FTA) by President Moon Jae-in and President Donald Trump, industry officials said Wednesday. "The U.S. is still able to impose high tariffs on imported cars, based on Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, so the government should make every effort for to ensure Korean vehicles are exempt from auto tariffs," the Korea International Trade Association said in a statement. Section 232 allows Trump to impose unlimited tariffs or create other trade barriers at his discretion if he believes they are needed so that "imports will not threaten to impair national security," which is expansively defined in the section. Trump has threatened to impose a 25 percent tariff on all cars exported to the U.S. Moon therefore requested Trump to exempt Korea from heavy tariffs on auto imports, during the Korea-U.S. summit in New York on the day of the signing ceremony. Moon cited Korea's declining trade surplus with the U.S. and Americans working for Korean carmakers having factories in the U.S. as reasons for his request, according to presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom. The U.S. president reportedly ordered his subordinates to review Moon's request. However, the review of the request does not guarantee the exemption, so Washington can still rely on auto tariffs as its bargaining chip to have an advantage on Seoul. Against this backdrop, Trade Minister Kim Hyun-jong, who agreed to the revised KORUS FTA, vowed to make every effort for carmakers to be exempted from tariffs. "Some people wanted the government to get rid of uncertainties about Section 232, before signing the revised KORUS FTA," he said. "However, we prioritized the revision to the KORUS FTA to secure stability, amid the growing expectations of changes in North Korea's relationships with South Korea and the U.S." Most domestic automakers are taking a wait-and-see attitude, but Hyundai Motor Group is aggressively moving to get a definite answer from the U.S. authorities. Chung Eui-sun, executive vice chairman of the automotive group, went on a weeklong trip to the U.S. starting Sept. 16 to meet U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and U.S. Senator from Georgia Johnny Isakson to discuss tariffs on imported cars. He declined to join Moon's three-day summit in North Korea because of the trip. According to Hana Institute of Finance, the 25 percent tariff on cars will raise export prices of Korean vehicles by up to 12 percent, so domestic automakers will collectively suffer a 2.8 trillion won loss. Lee Hang-gu, a researcher at the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade, said the U.S. may set a yearly import quota on Korean vehicles instead of imposing tariffs. Import quotas are limitations on the quantity of products that can be imported into a country during a specified period of time. Kumho Tire Chairman Kim Jong-ho shakes hands with Century Engineering Industries Chairman Jawed lqbal Siddiqui after signing an agreement for technology licensing at the former's headquarters in Seoul, Thursday. Under the deal, Kumho Tire will provide its tire-making technology licenses for 28 products to the Pakistani company for 10 years for $5 million and a 2.5 percent commission on the latter's sales. This is the first technology license deal made by a domestic tiremaker. / Courtesy of Kumho Tire Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, inspects a privately-owned world-class petrochemical project in east China's Zhejiang Province, Sept. 27, 2018. Li made a research trip from Sept. 27 to 28 in Zhejiang Province. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei) HANGZHOU, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has called for greater efforts in deepening reform and opening-up, as well as unleashing market vitality in pushing the country's high-quality development. Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during a research trip from Thursday to Friday in east China's Zhejiang Province. During his stop at a pilot free trade zone in the city of Zhoushan, the premier urged deepening reforms to streamline government administration, delegating powers, improving regulation, and strengthening services to provide businesses and people with more convenience. He also highlighted consistency in implementing policies on collecting social security contributions, calling for related efforts to lower corporate costs. While visiting a privately-owned world-class petrochemical project, the premier stressed lowering entry barriers to major projects for private enterprises and offering them favorable policies and measures to strengthen their confidence in development. In his visit to a sewing-machine producer in the city of Taizhou, Li recognized the firm as an example of upgrading traditional industries toward smart manufacturing. He called for the cultivation of "hidden champions," which refer to relatively small but highly successful companies, by relying on innovation and quality upgrading, and stressed gaining new competitive strength through technological advances. Noting the current downward pressure on the Chinese economy, Li said that all regions and all government departments should attach greater importance to stabilizing employment, and called for stabilizing economic fundamentals and fostering new growth drivers to keep employment stable. Li convened and presided over a symposium attended by representatives from state-owned, private and foreign-invested companies as well as financial institutions, addressing concerns over issues including the rise of financing costs. "Amid challenges arising from changes in the international environment and opportunities from the new technological revolution, we need to do more to heed the voice of market entities and help enterprises in resolving difficult situations," Li said. "We are confident and capable of tackling the challenges and maintaining sustained and steady development of our economy. China owns a huge market and a vast potential of human resources." The premier called on support for all enterprises in development regardless of ownership and greater efforts in improving the business environment, slashing taxes and fees, and lowering corporate costs in financing and logistics. In this file photo taken on October 5, 2015 the laureate medal featuring the portrait of Alfred Nobel is seen before a press conference of the Nobel Committee to announce the winner of the 2015 Nobel Medicine Prize at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. AFP In tatters after a #MeToo scandal, the Swedish Academy has postponed this year's Nobel Literature Prize, leaving an empty page for 2018 as it attempts to reform the venerable institution. Created in 1786 by King Gustav III and modelled on its French elder, the Swedish Academy has selected the winner of the prestigious literary distinction since it was first awarded in 1901. The "Holy Grail" of authors, poets, and playwrights, the Nobel has gone to some of the greatest writers of all time, from Albert Camus to Samuel Beckett and Ernest Hemingway. But the list of recipients also includes US rock icon Bob Dylan, the 2016 choice harshly criticised by some who lambasted the Academy for overlooking other popular and critically-acclaimed authors such as American novelist Philip Roth, who died in May this year without getting the nod. After the Dylan controversy, the Academy attempted to smooth things over last year with an uncontroversial laureate, Kazuo Ishiguro, a British author of Japanese origin whose nomination enjoyed broad consensus. But just three weeks after that announcement, the institution again found itself in controversy, this time in the eye of the #MeToo hurricane. Frenchman Jean-Claude Arnault, married to an Academy member, and the head of an influential cultural club in Stockholm, was accused of rape and sexual assault. An internal Academy probe also revealed conflicts of interest between him and the institution, which had funded his club for years. Arnault ultimately faced trial on two counts of raping a woman in 2011. His verdict is due on Monday, and the prosecution has sought a three-year sentence. A haemorrhaging Academy Nobel Foundation CEO Lars Heikensten pose for a picture at the foundation's headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden September 28, 2018. Reuters The Nobel Foundation could drop the Swedish Academy from awarding its prestigious annual literature prize if the Academy does not make further changes in the wake of a recent sex scandal, the head of the foundation told Reuters on Friday. "If things continue in this way, and if they don't manage to regain legitimacy, then we might be forced to take drastic steps," Lars Heikensten said. "One of those steps could be asking permission to have some other organisation being responsible for the prize." The Academy is working to rebuild its reputation after a sex scandal involving the husband of one its members. The incident prompted some of the Academy's 18 members to quit. It also forced the Academy to postpone the awarding of the 2018 Nobel Prize for Literature. The husband, Jean-Claude Arnault, has repeatedly denied any wrong-doing. Heikensten said the Academy had taken its first positive step by agreeing on a reinterpretation of its bylaws to allow it to deal with issues including the need to hire several new members and remove others. "They need to look at the composition of the Nobel committee, those who are most involved with the prize, so that the committee consists of people who are competent and have not been involved in a negative way with what has happened," he said. A video shows Chinese-speaking tourists teasing and grabbing a swan in Lucerne. Photo from South China Morning Post By Simone McCarthy A Singapore immigration official was Thursday charged for allegedly receiving sexual favours from Chinese women in exchange for helping them extend their visas, a rare case of corruption in a city-state known for its clean image. Chin Peng Sum was also accused of tipping off the two women about impending raids and obstruction of justice for deleting incriminating text messages that he had exchanged with them. The 51-year-old, a staff sergeant with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, allegedly accepted sex as bribes from the foreign women in exchange for ensuring that their visitor passes were extended, the country's anti-corruption body said. He was also accused of violating the Official Secrets Act by informing the women in advance about impending raids so that they could evade arrest for "vice-related and/or immigration" offences, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau added. "It is a serious offence for public officers to act in their own interests and use their position to solicit corrupt benefits," it said. Singapore, a thriving business hub and financial centre, takes a tough stand against graft, and has consistently ranked in surveys as among the least corrupt countries in the world. Its civil servants' salaries are among the highest in the world, in what authorities say is a bid to deter corruption. Cases do still occur sometimes. In 2013, Peter Lim former head of the civil defence force, which oversees emergency services was found guilty of corruption in a sex-for-contracts case and jailed for six months. (AFP) Sweden's public broadcaster said Tuesday it regretted that a satirical show it aired about China offended some _ but stressed that it would not apologize to Beijing for the sketch. Sveriges Television or SVT issued a statement about last week's news sketch after Beijing complained that the show, which featured a ''do's and don'ts'' guide for Chinese tourists in Sweden, ''affronted China.'' The show referred to a recent complaint from Beijing about the way police removed a Chinese family from a Stockholm hotel and allegedly mistreated them. SVT said the satire also featured a map ''where Taiwan did not appear to belong to China.'' Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Monday the program ''affronted China'' and ''amounts to a gross insult to and vicious attack on China and the Chinese people.'' Geng said China reserved the right to take further actions but did not specify. The Swedish broadcaster said its sketch aimed to comment satirically and humorously, and to highlight ''Sinophobia'' in Sweden. It said it made a mistake when it subsequently stream segments of the sketch to Chinese online video site YouKu. ''The whole of our message was lost, and we can understand that it saddened individuals and that, we regret,'' it said in a statement. It added however that SVT will not apologize for the sketch itself. ''I assume that Chinese authorities are able to distinguish between satire expressions and news,'' program director Jan Helin said. China has reacted angrily to the Sept. 2 hostel eviction incident, condemning Swedish police for what it called the ''brutal abuse'' of the tourists. Swedish police have denied any wrongdoing. Tensions between Stockholm and Beijing have increased over China's detention of a Chinese-born Swedish national on suspicion of leaking state secrets. China has rebuked Sweden for demanding the release of Hong Kong-based bookseller Gui Minhai, 53, who was taken off a train by police in eastern China on Jan. 20 while in the company of two Swedish diplomats with whom he was traveling to Beijing. In July, a Swedish court of law found a man guilty of spying for China by gathering information on Tibetans who had fled to Sweden and sentenced him to 22 months in jail. (AP) Kendallville, IN (46755) Today Snow this morning will give way to a few rain showers this afternoon. Temps nearly steady in the mid to upper 30s. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 80%.. Tonight Cloudy skies. Low 31F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. RiYong Ho, Foreign Minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), addresses the General Debate of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, on Sept. 29, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Saturday demanded the United States take steps to secure Pyongyang's trust before its denuclearization. "Without any trust in the U.S. there will be no confidence in our national security and under such circumstances there is no way we will unilaterally disarm ourselves first," DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told the UN General Assembly. "The DPRK government's commitment to denuclearization is solid and firm. However, it is only possible if the U.S. secures our sufficient trust toward the U.S." The key to consolidating peace and security on the Korean Peninsula is to thoroughly implement the joint statement adopted at the historic summit between the DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore in June, said Ri. The joint statement contains all principled issues regarding eventual solutions of the issues on the Korean Peninsula, he said. "Once the DPRK-U.S. Joint Statement is implemented, the current trend toward detente will turn into durable peace, and the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula will also be achieved." The primary task for effectively implementing the joint statement should be bringing down the barrier of mistrust between the two countries, said Ri. Out of the desire and resolute determination to successfully implement the joint statement, the DPRK government gives particular attention to trust-building and is pouring primary efforts to this, he said. Even before the summit, DPRK took significant good-will measures such as stopping nuclear and ballistic missile tests and dismantling a nuclear test site, said Ri. "However, we do not see any corresponding response from the U.S. On the contrary, instead of addressing our concern for the absence of peace regime in the Korean Peninsula, the U.S. insists on 'denuclearization-first' and increases the level of pressure by sanctions to achieve their purpose in a coercive manner, and even objecting the 'declaration of the end of war'." "The perception that sanctions can bring us on our knees is a pipe dream of the people who are ignorant about us. But the problem is that the continued sanctions are deepening our mistrust." If the joint statement becomes a victim of the domestic politics of the U.S., then the greatest victim of the subsequent unpredictable consequences will be the U.S. itself as a whole, Ri warned. At this critical juncture, the U.S. should make a foresighted judgment that faithful fulfillment of its commitment will, in the end, be in the best national interests of the United Sates and should maintain new method for solving the DPRK-U.S. relations, he said. Speaking before a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in New York on Monday, Trump announced that himself and Kim will hold a second summit "in the not too distant future." After a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Ri on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, the State Department announced that Pompeo will travel to the DPRK to discuss the second Trump-Kim summit. In his speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump thanked Kim "for his courage and for the steps he has taken." But he added that much work remains to be done and that the sanctions against the DPRK will stay in place "until denuclearization occurs." President Trump is not seeking to micromanage the FBIs new probe of sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, his spokeswoman said Sunday, but Democrats raised concerns that key lines of inquiry were being placed off limits to investigators. The scope of the reopened background check, already limited to one week, has become the latest flashpoint in the highly fraught political contest between supporters and opponents of confirming Kavanaugh, a 53-year-old federal appellate judge, to a lifetime appointment to the nations highest court. While the president had to authorize the FBI to act on Friday, and did so only under pressure from several wavering Republican senators, the White House made a point of saying that the Senate whose Republican leadership has shown near-total fealty to Trump -- is responsible for oversight. ''The White House isnt intervening, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Fox News Sunday. Were not micromanaging this process. Its a Senate process. It has been from the beginning, and were letting the Senate continue to dictate what the terms look like. Advertisement White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, interviewed on CNNs State of the Union, said the reopened investigation was not meant to be a fishing expedition. But Conway, who said without detail that she, too, was a victim of a sexual assault, avoided a flat denial that White House counsel Donald McGahn had sought to place any particular interviews out of bounds. I dont think Don McGahn would do that, but Ive not talked with him about it, she said. McGahn, a friend of Kavanaughs, has shepherded him through the Senate confirmation process for the White House and has been coordinating with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Kavanaughs nomination, seemingly on track for Senate endorsement, was thrown into doubt two weeks ago after Christine Blasey Ford, a Northern California research psychologist, went public with her allegation that he had sexually assaulted her when they were both in high school. In July she initially told two Democratic California lawmakers Rep. Anna Eshoo of Menlo Park and Sen. Dianne Feinstein on the condition that she not be publicly identified. Two other women subsequently came forward with accusations of their own. After Ford and Kavanaugh testified Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee with Ford providing an emotional but composed account of the alleged assault and Kavanaugh responding with a furious denial and attacks on Feinstein and other committee Democrats the White House and Senate Republican leaders reluctantly agreed to a limited re-examination given the uncertainty of the confirmation vote. Amid news reports Saturday that agents were being told to refrain from pursuing certain leads and potential witnesses, Trump told reporters that the bureau has free rein to investigate as it sees fit. The White House has said the investigation should encompass current credible allegations and be completed by weeks end. The seeming ambiguity about the probes parameters places new pressure on Sen. Jeff Flake, the Arizona Republican and key swing vote on the Judiciary Committee whose last-minute insistence led to the reopening of the investigation. He was supported by moderate Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, who are not members of the committee. Both are undecided on Kavanaughs confirmation, and their support is considered essential given Republicans narrow 51-49 majority in the Senate. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat whose questioning of Kavanaugh led to one of the most striking and tense exchanges of Thursdays hearing, said his response left unanswered whether his memory of events had ever been impaired by heavy drinking. During the hearing, Klobuchar, who had just related her fathers struggles with alcoholism, asked Kavanaugh whether he had ever had a blackout from drinking too much, and he twice answered with a combative Have you? Later, he apologized. Klobuchar and other Democrats said her question was relevant because Ford like the other two accusers -- had described him as being highly inebriated at the time of the alleged assault, which might have left him unable to recall accurately whether it took place. I was actually trying to get at the truth, and thats why I was stunned by how he answered, the senator said on CNN. I think its really important that the FBI get to the bottom of the evidence here, Klobuchar said in a separate interview on CBS. Heres what experts who study sexual violence say about the credibility of Christine Blasey Fords testimony The New York Times reported that former classmates who have talked about Kavanaughs heavy drinking were left off the list of those the FBI planned to interview. The paper cited two people familiar with the matter as saying that the FBI would question four potential witnesses concerning the attack Ford alleges, and seek permission from the White House if those interviews argue for further checking. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, the Republican who has been perhaps Kavanaughs strongest champion on the committee, suggested there was no reason for investigators to pursue the subject of the judges drinking habits through interviews with college or high-school classmates. Hes had six FBI background checks, Graham said on ABC, referring to routine probes dating to the 1990s for Kavanaughs past appointments to lower-level federal offices. Kavanaugh was not a stumbling, bumbling drunk, he added. Graham also said constraints on the scope of the FBI investigation were not the doing of the White House, but rather of the moderate Republican senators who called for the reopened background check. I know that Sens. Flake, Collins and Murkowski wanted a limited review, he said in the ABC interview. However, Sen. Mazie Hirono, a Hawaii Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, called on the three Republicans to use their leverage to assure that the background check would be sufficiently thorough. The question is, are we going to get the kind of investigation that is thorough and fair? she said in an interview on ABC. Trump strongly supported Kavanaugh in the wake of Fords account of the alleged assault, and did so again at a campaign-style rally Saturday night in West Virginia. On Thursday, the American people saw the brilliant and really incredible character, quality and courage of our nominee for the United States Supreme Court, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, he told the crowd, which whooped in response. With very few exceptions, congressional Republicans have joined Trump in denouncing the confirmation process as tainted by partisan politics, but most mindful of the upcoming midterm elections have avoided direct criticism of Ford or the other accusers and concentrated their fire on committee Democrats. Most Republicans also have called the reopened investigation unnecessary but say they are willing to see what the FBI turns up. If theres some shocking new evidence and proof, Im open to evaluating that evidence, said Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, speaking on CBS Face the Nation. But he added that Kavanaugh had 100% denied these allegations. The FBI, which carries out background checks of federal nominees, has come under extremely harsh criticism by Trump in recent months in connection with the wide-ranging Russia investigation headed by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. The president has repeatedly characterized the nations premier law-enforcement agency as corrupt and inept; earlier this month, he called it a cancer. With the midterm elections just over a month away and Democrats feeling more confident about prospects for seizing control of the House of Representatives some lawmakers said if such a scenario comes to pass, Kavanaugh could still face scrutiny, even impeachment, if he has by then ascended to the Supreme Court. Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, the Democrat who is in line to become chairman of the House Judiciary Committee if his party wins a House majority, said on ABC that if the current investigation is lacking, the House would need to carry out its own probe of things that havent been properly looked into, including whether Kavanaugh had perjured himself in his testimony, as many critics and legal observers have suggested. laura.king@latimes.com @laurakingLAT While Brett Kavanaughs Supreme Court nomination has rallied many women across the country in support of the California professor who has accused him of sexual assault, not all women share that view. Female voices have echoed throughout the Senate this week demanding male senators justify their support for Kavanaugh. But in some parts of the country, other women have spent hours calling Senate offices in support of him, condemning what they see as an anti-Republican ploy that has damaged not only Kavanaughs reputation and livelihood but also his accusers. To Hannah King, a college senior from Bristol, Tenn., Christine Blasey Fords allegations of an attack by a drunken Kavanaugh at a 1982 party when both were in high school were jarring and scary. But while King expressed empathy for Ford, she also said shes concerned about the timing of Fords allegations, which surfaced publicly only after Kavanaugh already a federal judge was nominated to the Supreme Court. It was too timely and strategic, said King, 21. Anything like that makes you question how true it is. Advertisement King spoke Friday after the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance Kavanaughs nomination to the full Senate. Hours later, Trump ordered an FBI investigation of sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh, after Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona called for one. Flakes request came after two women who said they had experienced sexual assault confronted him on an elevator at the Senate and challenged his stated intention to support Kavanaughs nomination. Two other women besides Ford have also publicly lodged complaints of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh. A lot of times, you cope by suppressing and forgetting, said King, who leads the King University College Republicans. But someones promotion isnt something that should prompt someone to come forward. That sentiment was shared by Sarah Round, 69, a retired elementary school teacher of Newport Center, Vt., who said she felt empathy for Ford but not at the expense of Kavanaughs reputation and future. Possibly something happened to her, Round said. But I think she embellished what happened, or she would have gone to some authority or said something about it years ago. Nancy Mace, the first woman to graduate from the Citadel and a Republican state representative from Daniel Island, S.C., said she had been sexually assaulted as a teen herself. She expressed sympathy for Ford, but said Kavanaugh deserved protection, too. Im very empathetic to women whove been through this type of situation, said Mace, 40. But on the other side, we have laws in this country that protect individuals from being wrongfully accused. Emma Scott, an 18-year-old University of South Carolina freshman from Charleston, S.C., said that, while she doesnt doubt Ford endured a trauma of some kind, she wasnt convinced it could be tied to Kavanaugh. If youre going to use sexual assault to slow somebody down, it had better be the truth, Scott said. Even if Brett Kavanaugh is innocent, he is still going to live with this the rest of his life. Mace said that she viewed the testimony as an at all costs effort by Democrats to win back control in Congress and possibly hold the seat open until a future Democratic president can fill it. Ford is political collateral, and they do not care, Mace said. Susan Conger, 64, a former math teacher from Augusta, Ga., who also worked in the Reagan administration, said she turned off her television during Thursdays hearing but has followed the news coverage of the testimony. Instead of watching, I decided I would be better served by praying for the people who were talking and listening, Conger said. She has spent time volunteering with her local womens Republican club, calling the offices of senators asking them to support Kavanaughs nomination. Im sorry that this terrible thing happened to her at the hands of someone, Conger said. Its not that I think that his accuser is a bad person. Its not my job to judge her, because I dont know her. Kevin Bishop, a spokesman for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) who leveled a furious partisan attack in defense of Kavanaugh during Thursdays hearing said Grahams office has received as many calls from women in support of Kavanaugh as from women in opposition. Round said she believes the whole episode could end up hurting Democrats more than helping them in the midterm election, just more than a month away. I am digging my heels in, and Im hoping that a lot of conservatives are determined to vote Republican, Round said. I think its galvanized the women on the right more than its galvanized the women on the left. Trump says FBI has free rein in Kavanaugh investigation, yet hes put strict limits on agents work Seventy-five years ago, a legendary act of heroism unfolded across the Oresund, the narrow body of water separating Denmark and Sweden. Over a fortnight in October 1943, the Danes defied their Nazi occupiers and smuggled out to safety more than 7,200 of their Jewish neighbors, making trip after trip across the waterway. Almost unknown, however, is the story of Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz, a German bureaucrat in Copenhagen who risked his life to warn the Danish Jews of the impending roundup and made crucial arrangements to ensure their escape. Were it not for Duckwitz, who would later become West Germanys ambassador to Denmark, the miracle on the Oresund would not have been possible. An economist and lawyer from an affluent Bremen family, Duckwitz first came to Denmark as a 25-year-old coffee trader and fell in love with his chosen fatherland, as he called it. The Nazis tapped his knowledge of Scandinavian shipping, and he was in Copenhagen, working for them, when German troops crossed the border in April 1940. To the Nazis, Danes were Aryans, and their nations location was of such strategic import that Berlin decided to rule them with a light touch. The Danish government and King Christian X remained in place, and even the military and police were left more or less intact. As a condition of their cooperation, the Danes demanded the Germans leave their small Jewish community, which dated back to 1622, unharmed. The well-known story of King Christian wearing a yellow Star of David in solidarity with his subjects is apocryphal, because Christian did not permit such persecution to begin with. Advertisement Georg Duckwitz, who put his career and even his life on the line, offers an object lesson on how one person can save thousands. Despite Denmarks outward calm, resentment of the Germans simmered. The Danes conducted themselves with cold politeness. This worked for two years, until Christian responded to a long birthday greeting from Adolf Hitler with a terse five words My utmost thanks, Christian Rex. The Fuhrer was enraged. In retaliation, he appointed SS Gen. Werner Best, known from his time in France as the Bloodhound of Paris, to take charge in Copenhagen. The arrival of Best was positive for Duckwitzs standing. He was a halfhearted Nazi, but Best needed his knowledge and contacts among the Danes, especially once the local situation deteriorated. After Germanys defeat at Stalingrad in February 1943, the Danish resistance grew bolder, engaging in daring acts of sabotage and encouraging mass strikes. In March, in a nearly unanimous vote, an anti-fascist coalition won the Danish parliamentary election. In August, after the bombing of a German barracks, martial law was declared. Best now moved against the Jews. On Sept. 8, he cabled Berlin: The state of emergency provided an opportunity to apply the Final Solution to Denmark. Duckwitz tried to resign, but Best wouldnt have it. Duckwitz then began a frenzied campaign to try to stop the deportation. He first flew to Berlin in a fruitless attempt to intercept Bests cable to Hitler. He was back in Copenhagen on Sept. 17 when Hitler approved Bests plan. German police began arriving. They broke into the Jewish Community Center and seized a list of Jews. On Sept. 19, Duckwitz learned from Best that the operation was imminent. He wrote in his diary, Now I know what I have to do. When he was told by a fellow sympathetic official that he would risk Gestapo wrath if he were caught trying to countermand Hitler, Duckwitz responded he would do whatever it took to stop the deportation. The next day, Duckwitz contacted two Swedish diplomats and traveled to Stockholm where he met with Prime Minister Albin Hansson, who agreed to propose to the Germans that his neutral nation would intern the Danish Jews. The Nazis didnt even bother to respond. On Sept. 28, Best received the go-ahead to launch the roundup, planned for Oct. 1, Rosh Hashana. Duckwitz immediately telephoned Danish political leaders. One of them later recalled that when they met, Duckwitz looked pale with shame and shock. Now the disaster is at hand, Duckwitz said. Ships were waiting in the harbor to take the Jews to the Theresienstadt concentration camp. Those of your poor Jewish countrymen who get caught by the Gestapo will [be] transported to an unknown fate. Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion The Danes moved quickly, warning the leaders of the Jewish community. On Sept. 29, the chief rabbi of Copenhagen, Marcus Melchior, spoke in the synagogue: Go home now and hide, he said. That night, Duckwitz wrote about Germanys tawdry enterprise: They will not find many victims. It was his 39th birthday. Over the next few days, millions of Danes would shelter, protect and smuggle their Jewish neighbors to Sweden. They were delivered to the harbor in free taxis and hospital ambulances. Fishermen and ship captains made more than 700 trips across the Oresund. Duckwitz had tipped off his Swedish contacts, who were waiting to assist the refugees. And in a final critical action, he convinced German harbormasters he knew to ensure the coast guard sent out no patrols. In the end, only 481 Danish Jews were arrested and taken to Theresienstadt. The Denmark authorities relentlessly inquired after them, sending food and medicine and demanding inspections. At wars end, 99% of Danish Jews had survived. When they returned to their homes, they largely found them clean, plants watered and pets cared for, and their belongings in place. Many ask themselves whether it is possible to stand up to pervasive evil. The Danes showed that when a nation from the king to the taxi drivers and fishermen decide they will not permit atrocities in their midst, even the Nazis could be hamstrung. And Georg Duckwitz, who put his career and even his life on the line, offers an object lesson on how one person can save thousands. This week, we should remember and honor them all. Richard Hurowitz is the publisher of the Octavian Report, a magazine about foreign policy, economics, culture and ideas. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook To the editor: To answer Robin Abcarians question about whether we should want a man of Judge Brett Kavanaughs temperament on the Supreme Court: Yes, we do want this man as a justice. It is terrible what happened to Christine Blasey Ford, and I do believe she suffered some sort of physical abuse when she was younger. However, that she claims Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her does not make him guilty. In this country you are innocent until proven guilty. And it was made very clear that there were no other individuals who had supported her account. Sen Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the Judiciary Committees ranking Democrat, could have raised the matter privately with Kavanaugh or, later, during the many hours of public and private hearings. Please remember our constitutional rights, because I for one am not willing to idly have them overturned. Advertisement Tyler Davis, Redondo Beach .. To the editor: Thanks to Abcarian for noting that a man who lashed out so angrily at Democrats should not be a Supreme Court justice. I wrote to Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine to express what Abcarian wrote in her column. I continue to hope that Ford or someone else takes legal action that will result in the compelling of testimony from another person who can help right this wrong. Maybe then Kavanaugh, who will probably end up on the Supreme Court, will come to understand the difference between right and wrong as his impeachment process begins. Darlene A. Pienta, Indian Wells .. To the editor: This entire episode could have been avoided if Feinstein had brought Fords letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) when she received it. She could have done this while retaining confidentiality. She chose not to do so. Why? She could have discussed it with Kavanaugh. She chose not to do so. Why? I would certainly prefer to have this man on the Supreme Court than Feinstein in the Senate. At least we can trust him. Kevin Minihan, Los Angeles .. To the editor: What kind of Supreme Court justice would a person be, who when asked what he thought was the best way to clear up a disputed allegation against him, answered that he would do whatever an obviously politically biased Senate committee thought was best to do? Howard Rosen, Los Angeles Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook To the editor: The Los Angeles Department of Water and Powers description of its proposal for eastern Sierra water is that it may have to reduce deliveries to ranchland. In twisted wording that Orwell would be proud of, this leaves the impression that DWP somehow delivers water to the Sierras, when in reality Los Angeles takes water from that region. Rather than saying the DWP is going to reduce deliveries, why dont we just describe it the way it really is: The agency simply wants to take a greater portion of that areas water. The stated reason is climate change, but planners in Southern California cannot seem to confront the notion that limited water and unlimited growth cant coexist. If Los Angeles were to truly confront the reality of climate change, it would stop enabling the growth mania that seems to infect nearly everyone in city government. Its not just Los Angeles; the entire Southwest faces severe water limitations. Governments in this area must face reality and figure out a sustainable future without having to rob others of their God-given water. Advertisement Joan Niertit, Downey .. To the editor: The meadows east of the Sierra Nevada flooded on their own for centuries. The DWP has interrupted that for more than 100 years, allowing for only some flooding. Please do not make pronouncements about needing to adapt when you do not know the close up, ecological story in its fullness. Ive benefited all my life from water taken from the Sierra Nevada. I have witnessed firsthand the devastation being visited upon a region whose water rights were spuriously taken more than a century ago. Mitigating for climate change in that area of our state means, in part, keeping water at its source. Julie Roberts-Fronk, Pomona Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook To the editor: Steven Hackels op-ed article on removing the names of historical figures from public and private buildings and streets if those personages had done serious harm in their lifetimes is timely and relevant. As he said, removing Father Junipero Serras name from buildings attempts to avoid distressing people who live, study, or work nearby. But what are the limits on such renaming? For example, Martin Luther, hailed as the father of the Protestant Reformation, is named on every Lutheran church. When I pass by,I am reminded that in his lifetime he advocated that synagogues be burned, that Jews should be shown no mercy or kindness, and that these poisonous envenomed worms should be drafted into forced labor or expelled for all time. He wrote that his countrymen were at fault in not slaying them. We all know where that led, but I dont expect Lutheran churches to rename themselves. Advertisement Richard Merel, Hermosa Beach .. To the editor: I had the pleasure of translating two of Serras letters last year, and the one dimensional man came to life for me. According to these letters, one to the Spanish viceroy at the time, Serra cared for the California Indians and tried to do his best for them and defend them against the secular authority. He also became, to me, a man with a wry sense of humor. True, he was patriarchial, but when I consider the mores and culture of the times in California, Mexico and Spain, I can see that he still cared deeply for those who were working at the missions. Mary Ambrose, West Hills Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Newsoms budget proposes $3 million for Alzheimers research, brain task force By Melody Gutierrez Amyloid plaques, shown here in human brains, are a hallmark of Alzheimers disease. (UCLA School of Medicine) Gov. Gavin Newsom will call for the creation of a brain health task force and dedicate $3 million annually from the states general fund to Alzheimers disease research in the budget proposal he will release Thursday, a source close to the administration said. The money for Alzheimers research would target the new grants at understanding why the disease is more prevalent in women and people of color. Former California first lady and Alzheimers activist Maria Shriver pushed for the funding to be included in the state budget. Shriver said in a statement Wednesday that the funding would make California the first state to make understanding our brains a priority. The states former first lady, whose late father Sargent Shriver was diagnosed with Alzheimers, founded the Womens Alzheimers Movement, an advocacy group raising awareness about womens increased risk for developing the disease. In 2011, she wrote a comprehensive assessment on the disease, to which Newsom then mayor of San Francisco contributed a portion called What one city is doing. This is personal to me, just like it is to millions of California families, Shriver said. Alzheimers is one of the largest medical, social and economic crises in our state, and of our time. I am so proud that, once again, California is leading the way. Wiping out Alzheimers is going to require bold thinking, and there is no doubt in my mind that California is home to bold thinkers who can make this happen. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Gov. Gavin Newsom orders reinvention of troubled California DMV By Patrick McGreevy A line of people stretches around the South L.A. location of a California Department of Motor Vehicles Office on Aug. 7. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday ordered an overhaul of the California Department of Motor Vehicles, which has been plagued by hours-long wait times at field offices, computer crashes and voter registration errors involving tens of thousands of customers. Just a few days after taking office, Newsom appointed a top advisor to a new DMV Reinvention Strike Team to revamp the beleaguered agency over the next six months. By any metric, California DMV has been chronically mismanaged and failed in its fundamental mission to the state customers it serves and the state workers it employs, Newsom said in a statement, adding Its time for a reinvention. The governor appointed state Government Operations Agency Secretary Marybel Batjer to lead the strike team with a goal of modernizing the agency and enacting changes that improve customer satisfaction, employee performance and transparency. Newsom also ordered an accelerated review of initial findings of an ongoing audit ordered last year by Gov. Jerry Brown. The action was welcomed by lawmakers who have been critical of the DMV, including Assemblyman Vince Fong (R-Bakersfield). The egregious management failures of the DMV have been self-evident, which is why I have been calling for new leadership and a comprehensive independent audit of this troubled state agency over and over again as the problems grew significantly worse, Fong said. Last summer, Californians seeking new driver licenses complained of wait times of four to six hours at DMV offices, which the agency blamed partly on snafus caused by a rush of people trying to get Real IDs, a new identification card design required for airline passengers starting in late 2020. Delays were also blamed on computer crashes at DMV offices as the agency struggled to update its aging automation systems. The DMV also admitted that there were an estimated 23,000 errors as people either were unknowingly registered to vote or mistakes were made in their registration status as part of the states new motor voter program. The agency registered to vote as many as 1,500 people with legal U.S. residency but no citizenship. Last month, DMV Director Jean Shiomoto retired from the agency. Legislators were angered earlier this week when the DMV said it needed an additional $40 million to prevent the return of long lines at its field offices. In addition, the agency has been under fire for issuing driver licenses in the last year that do not comply with the federal Real ID standards requiring two forms of identification by applicants. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California police unions are preparing to battle new transparency law in the courtroom By Maya Lau Just as a landmark police transparency law is going into effect, some California police agencies are shredding internal affairs documents and law enforcement unions are rushing to block the information from being released. The new law, which begins to unwind Californias strictest-in-the-nation protections over the secrecy of law enforcement records, opens to the public internal investigations of officer shootings and other major uses of force, along with confirmed cases of sexual assault and lying while on duty. But the lawsuits and records destruction, which began even before the law took effect Jan. 1, could tie up the release of information for months or years, and in some instances, prevent it from ever being disclosed. The fact that police unions are challenging this law is on some level not surprising, said Peter Bibring, director of police practices at the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, one of the principal supporters of the new law. They have a long history of fighting tooth and nail against transparency. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Secretary of State Alex Padilla begins second term with challenge to ensure every Californian is counted By Jazmine Ulloa Secretary of State Alex Padilla takes the oath of office as his family stands by his side on Monday in Sacramento. (Jazmine Ulloa / Los Angeles Times) Secretary of State Alex Padilla was sworn in for a second term on Monday, saying he would continue the battle to protect the right to vote at a time when voter suppression efforts, online disinformation campaigns and interference from foreign adversaries have polarized the public and threatened to undermine trust in U.S. elections. I am doubling down on our fight here in Sacramento and in Washington, D.C., to defend our democracy, he said. Working on the front lines with so many of you, I know that our collective resolve has never been stronger. But the loudest applause came when Padilla promised to fight back against the Trump administrations changes to the U.S. census, saying he will ensure every Californian gets counted. Padilla, a former state senator and Los Angeles City Council member from the San Fernando Valley, led the cause for a new motor voter registration law in 2015, and a new system for online business registrations. But the programs have had experienced problems: More than 23,000 Californians were registered to vote incorrectly by the state DMV, the agency reported last year. On Monday, Padilla said he would continue to push back against false claims of voter fraud in California and pointed to the states voter turnout as proof that his office was involving more people in the democratic process, a promise he made when he was first sworn in four years ago. More than 12.7 million voters cast ballots in the Nov. 6 midterm election, representing roughly 65% of the states registered voters, the highest number of any midterm election since 1982, according to state certified results. I made that promise based on a shared belief that we are a stronger democracy and a better California when we hear all voices from all corners of California, and when those voices are not just heard but counted, Padilla said. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Ricardo Lara, Californias first statewide officeholder to come out as gay, sworn in as insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara on the floor of the state Senate in 2016. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) Ricardo Lara took the oath of office as California insurance commissioner on Monday, pledging action to boost healthcare coverage and combat climate change. Lara, a Democrat from Bell Gardens, is the first elected statewide officeholder in California who has come out as gay. He began his speech in downtown Sacramento by thanking LGBTQ leaders who came before him and celebrated the occasion. Today, because of you, weve shattered the pink ceiling, Lara said. In his inaugural speech, Lara announced the creation of an executive position in his office to address climate change. There is no other industry that has the necessary expertise to ensure that California is prepared to mitigate and reduce risk to our communities and our environment, Lara said. Our planet cant wait. Im ready, and I hope you are too. Lara served as a state legislator and in 2017 introduced a bill to create a single-payer healthcare system in the state. He promised to work with new Gov. Gavin Newsom to expand coverage across California. Lara was sworn in by retired U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, who declared unconstitutional Californias Proposition 8 gay marriage ban. State Sen. President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) was on hand for the ceremony along with multiple other state lawmakers. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print New California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis says she will help expand access to universities in the state New Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, center, is shown in June talking with attendees at the Power to the Polls rally in Sacramento. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) More Californians should be given access to public universities, Eleni Kounalakis said as she took the oath of office Monday to become the states first woman elected lieutenant governor. Kounalakis was given the oath of office by Gov. Gavin Newsom, her predecessor in the job, who pledged they would work together. As lieutenant governor, Kounalakis serves on the University of California Board of Regents and the California State University Board of Trustees, she noted in a speech at her swearing-in ceremony at the main Sacramento Library. In that role, she said, she will be committed to expanding access to affordable public higher education here in our state. Its wise, its smart and it is the best way to address our rapidly changing digital economy. Kounalakis is former president of a development company founded by her father, Angelo Tsakopoulos, and served during the Obama administration as the U.S. ambassador to Hungary. In November, she won her first run for statewide office. Also attending the ceremony were House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California meets Dutch Newsom, who steals the show at his fathers inauguration By Taryn Luna Gov. Gavin Newsom gives his inaugural address while holding his youngest son, Dutch. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) In the California political world, all eyes were on Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday until his 2-year-old son stole the show. Dutch, the youngest of four children in the Newsom brood, climbed onstage in the middle of his fathers inaugural address in a tent outside the Capitol on Monday. The unplanned moment saw the 51-year-old governors big day interrupted by the toddler, bringing levity to the ceremony. Newsom was recounting Gov. Jerry Browns last inaugural speech and reference to the Sermon on the Mount, a biblical story about two men who built separate homes on sand and rock, when Dutch approached his father, a pacifier in his mouth and blanket in hand. Now more than ever we Californians know how much a house matters and children matter, Newsom said, improvising as he scooped the boy into his arms. The governor kissed Dutch on the cheek and held him for several minutes as he continued with the speech. This is exactly how it was scripted, Newsom joked. Newsom eventually put his child down and Dutch walked to the edge of the stage before retreating behind the podium to hide from his mother, First Lady Jennifer Siebel Newsom. The crowd roared. Siebel Newsom was able to briefly divert her son only for him to return to the stage minutes later. She grabbed him again and this time, the crying toddler did not reemerge. When fires strikes, when kids cry and the earth shakes, well be there for each other, Newsom said. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who said the moment humanized Newsom, threw cold water on any theories that Dutchs cameo was planned. No, I know it was not, Garcetti said with a laugh after Newsoms speech concluded. I could see that look of absolute abject terror [on Newsoms face]. Weve all been there. Kids always think its about themselves and theyve proved it. California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) agreed. I worked in early childhood education for 20 years and theres no way you can ever get a child to do anything when you want them to do it, Rendon said. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Fiona Ma takes oath as Californias new treasurer By Liam Dillon State Treasurer Fiona Ma. Fiona Ma took the oath of office in Sacramento on Monday as the states 34th treasurer, promising to boost Californias economy. Ma previously served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, in the state Assembly and on the California Board of Equalization. I want to thank everyone for entrusting me with this important job. I understand my role here as your state treasurer is to build that financial wall around California so that we will remain the fifth-largest economy, Ma said in brief remarks. That is my promise to you. California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye administered the oath to Ma. Following the ceremony, Ma held an ice cream social for guests. On Wednesday, she will host a public event in San Francisco to celebrate her swearing-in. State Treasurer Fiona Ma takes the oath of office. (Liam Dillon / Los Angeles Times) Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Expectations are high for newly sworn-in state schools chief Tony Thurmond Tony Thurmond shakes hands with retired Alameda County Superior Court Judge Gordon Baranco after taking the oath of office. (Melody Gutierrez / Los Angeles Times) Tony Thurmond took the oath of office as Californias state superintendent of public schools on Monday, promising a labor-friendly agenda before the teachers, students and Democratic officials who filled an auditorium at McClatchy High School in Sacramento to watch him being sworn in. We cant close the achievement gap without a great teacher at the head of every class, Thurmond said Monday to applause. We have to make sure we provide quality compensation and support to our teachers and our classified staff and all the educators who support our kids. Thurmond, a Bay Area Democrat who served in the state Assembly, won a hotly contested and expensive race with the help of labor leaders against charter school executive Marshall Tuck. The race took several days to sort out after Tuck held an initial lead in early returns on election night before falling behind thereafter. Thurmond was sworn in Monday by retired Alameda County Superior Court Judge Gordon Baranco. He was joined on stage by labor rights leader Dolores Huerta and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount). Thurmonds former colleagues in the state Assembly took turns praising him and promising to be an ally in improving schools. Many said they expected Thurmond would be a strong leader focused on improving student outcomes. We know we are going to work hard to give you the money you need and the budget you need to fully fund education and our schools so we can put our money where our mouth is and make sure our children have everything they need, Assemblywoman Connie Leyva (D-Chino Hills) said. As state superintendent, Thurmond will oversee the education of 6.2 million students at 10,000 schools. Thurmond was a member of the West Contra Costa County School Board and a Richmond city councilman before he was elected to the state Assembly. Tony is the right man at the right time to fight the federal, Donald Trump, Betsy DeVos anti-child, anti-education, anti-civil and -human rights agenda, U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said. Tony is going to do that for us. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print State Controller Betty Yee takes oath of office with call for more affordable housing and healthcare State Controller Betty Yee California Controller Betty Yee took the oath of office Monday for a second term, saying she still has work to do addressing problems that include a lack of affordability in housing, healthcare and higher education. A San Francisco native, Yee is the chief financial officer of California the fifth-largest economy in the world having first won election to the post in 2014 before winning reelection in November. No region is spared from the widening inequality and increased poverty that plague our state, fueled by the lack of affordable, stable housing, the cost of healthcare and transportation, limited educational opportunities, student loan debt, displacement caused by disasters and more, she said. Yee was administered the oath of office by California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento before an overflow crowd that included state Senate leader Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), state Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra and San Francisco Mayor London Breed. As a public official it is about governance that delivers results and stays accountable while upholding the underlying value of dignity for all, Yee said. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra begins new term promising to fight Trump policies California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra ( (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)) California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra on Monday took the oath of office for a new term, saying he would continue his role as a leading challenger to Trump administration actions that he believes are counter to the states interests. Becerra, a former 12-term congressman, has become a national opposition figure to Trump, having sued the federal government 45 times since he was appointed as the states first Latino attorney general in 2017. Weve been a little busy stopping the dysfunction and insanity in Washington, D.C., from infecting California, Becerra told an audience during a swearing-in ceremony at the California Museum in Sacramento. Whether its the criminals on our streets or the conman in the boardrooms or highest office of the land, Becerra said, the California Department of Justice, well, weve got your back. Becerra won his first statewide election as the states top cop in November, two years after he filled the post vacated when predecessor Kamala Harris was elected to the U.S. Senate. He has peppered the Trump administration with lawsuits challenging federal policies on healthcare, the U.S. census, the environment and immigration. Our state builds dreams, not walls, he said in a direct criticism of Trumps proposal to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. Just last week, Becerra led a coalition of 17 Democratic attorneys general in announcing an appeal of a federal judge in Texas that ruled the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. The ACA has been the law for nearly a decade and is the backbone of our healthcare system, Becerra said last week. This case impacts nearly every American workers covered by employers, families, women, children, young adults and seniors so we will lead the ACAs defense as long and far as it takes. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement California Democratic Party Vice Chairman Daraka Larimore-Hall announces bid to lead group By Christine Mai-Duc Daraka Larimore-Hall. (Dominic Parisi / Courtesy of Daraka Larimore-Hall) Daraka Larimore-Hall, a top official at the California Democratic Party, said Monday hes running to replace former chairman Eric Bauman, who resigned abruptly in November after being confronted with allegations of sexual misconduct. Larimore-Hall, a longtime state party activist and former chairman of the Democratic Party of Santa Barbara County, was one of the party leaders who urged Bauman to resign following the allegations. In an email to supporters announcing his bid, he urged both structural and cultural change at every level of our Party. He also repeated his call for a top-to-bottom investigation of the allegations, the party and its culture. In a Times investigation, 10 party activists and staff members said Bauman made crude sexual comments and engaged in unwanted touching and physical intimidation in professional settings. In order to be where we need to be for 2020, we have to confront the culture of abuse and fear that allowed someone to behave in such a vile way for so long, Larimore-Hall said in an interview. We cant brush it aside or think that our activists or our candidates or our donors are going to forget about this overnight. Larimore-Hall said his first priority would be to fully investigate the allegations and restore rank-and-file confidence in the partys leadership. The second would be to refocus the party on political priorities as the 2020 presidential election nears. The Bauman episode, Larimore-Hall said, threatens to derail the Democrats plans to help defeat President Trump and keep the seven congressional seats gained in the midterm elections. Its definitely a crisis, Larimore-Hall said. But the component parts the energy, the enthusiasm, the volunteers, the infrastructure its still there. We just need to direct it toward something. Larimore-Hall was elected vice chairman of the state party in February following Baumans razor-thin victory over Bay Area activist Kimberly Ellis. Ellis has announced another bid for the chairmanship and former state Senate leader Kevin de Leon is also mulling a run. The vote will take place at the partys May convention in San Francisco. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Newsom will vow to seize this moment, and swipe at Trump in Monday inaugural address By Melanie Mason Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom and his family attend an Inauguration Family Event at the California Railroad Museum in Sacramento on Jan. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) Building on the theme of California exceptionalism that defined his campaign, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom will depict the state as a guardian of progressive values and a counterweight to President Trump in his inaugural address Monday, according to excerpts of his prepared remarks. What we do today is even more consequential, because of whats happening in our country, read the excerpts obtained by The Times. Peoples lives, freedom, security, the water we drink, the air we breathe they all hang in the balance. The country is watching us. The world is waiting on us. The future depends on us. And we will seize this moment. The speech casts Californias political stakes in a decidedly national scope, promising an agenda that will unify and be an example to the rest of the country. It contrasts the governing goals of Newsom, a Democrat, with that of Trump, the incoming governors perennial foil. We will offer an alternative to the corruption and incompetence in the White House, the excerpts say. Our government will be progressive, principled, and always on the side of the people. Newsom campaigned on an ambitious and wide-ranging platform, promising sweeping solutions on housing, healthcare, education and other issues that rank among Californians top concerns. In the weeks after his election, he struck a more muted tone, taking pains to emphasize his fiscal caution and need for patience in achieving those goals. The inaugural excerpts indicate a return to lofty pledges. While Newsom will vow to prepare for uncertain times ahead by building budgetary reserves and paying down debt, the prepared remarks quickly turn to a vow to be bold. Newsom has already floated several proposals for his first budget that carry significant price tags, including a nearly $2-billion plan to boost early childhood development for low-income families and a dramatic expansion of paid family leave from six weeks to six months. When asked for a preview of his inauguration speech during a news conference Sunday evening, Newsom predicted pundits would criticize his address as short on specifics. Well, of course, Im at an inaugural, Newsom said. But Ill be very detailed in the budget, a few days later. And then we will architect, in much more nuance and detail, in state of the state. I really see this as three opportunities to communicate over the next few weeks our agenda, our vision for the state. Times staff writer Taryn Luna contributed to this report. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Newsom-hosted benefit concert raises nearly $5 million for wildfire victims By Taryn Luna Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom speaks at a concert to benefit wildfire victims at the Golden 1 Arena in Sacramento on Jan. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) On the eve of the gubernatorial inauguration, Californias political class rubbed elbows in Sacramento for a benefit concert hosted by Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom and headlined by the rapper Pitbull. Newsom told the crowd gathered at the Golden 1 Center on Sunday evening that the fundraiser brought in nearly $5 million for the California Wildfire Foundation, a 501(c)(3) that supports the families of fallen firefighters and communities affected by wildfires. You know, a lot of folks feel anxious about not just politics, but government, Newsom said on stage before introducing the rapper and activist Common. But those firefighters, they are the antidote to the fear and cynicism; they are the manifestation of why government matters and why you should care. Top sponsors, including Salesforce, Kaiser Permanente and other interest groups, paid up to $1 million each to support the cause and curry favor with the new administration. Nathan Click, a spokesman for Newsom, said organizers sold more than 7,000 tickets. Several state lawmakers attended the concert alongside Capitol staff, lobbyists and business types, who mingled on the floor of the arena and offstage in private VIP areas. The rock band X Ambassadors and a duo called the Cold Weather Sons from the town of Paradise, which was destroyed by fire in November, were among several performers who entertained the crowd during the four-hour event. The California Rises concert is the final in a series of festivities held Sunday to celebrate the inauguration of Californias 40th governor. Earlier in the day, Newsom attended a private brunch at Sacramentos Crocker Art Museum and his inaugural committee hosted a free party for families at the California State Railroad Museum at the Old Sacramento Waterfront. Newsoms inauguration is set to begin at 11 a.m. Monday on the steps of the Capitol. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Inauguration fever hits Sacramento as Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom prepares to take office By Phil Willon Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom holds his son, Dutch, as he and his family attend an inaugural event at the at the state Railroad Museum Sunday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) Incoming Gov. Gavin Newsom doesnt officially take the oath of office until Monday, but the parties celebrating his inauguration were in full swing all day Sunday. Newsom and his family were mobbed by well-wishers at the California State Railroad Museum at the Old Sacramento Waterfront in the afternoon, where his inaugural committee hosted a free party for families. He just has charisma. Hes able to really connect with people, said Rosielyn Pulmano, an attorney from Elk Grove who came to see Newsom with her husband, two sons and her niece. I think he cares about working Californians and a lot of their issues. Newsom arrived with his wife, documentary filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and their four young children, and the governor-elect spent a good deal of his time wading through crowds, taking selfies with supporters and signing autographs as music boomed in the background. As the family toured the inside of the museums locomotives and the bevy of exhibits, Newsoms two-year-old son, Dutch, was wide-eyed, impressed by all the train cars and seemingly a little overwhelmed by the crowd. Newsom said that for his son, all that was missing from the museum was Thomas the Train, popular fictional locomotive in childrens books and cartoons . If theres one thing I can contribute to Sacramento maybe its getting a Thomas the Train exhibit for the two years olds, Newsom joked when talking with reporters afterward. Newsom said he wanted to include such an event in his inaugural festivities to highlight families and children, whose wellbeing will be among the top priorities of his administration. Youll see that not only as a preamble to the inaugural and the budget that well be submitting next week, but I think itll be a big part of the administration, Newsom said. The museum event followed a private, high-dollar brunch at Sacramentos Crocker Art Museum. A steady rain failed to dissuade as many as 200 guests who sipped wine and dined on chicken and salmon while waiting for a photo with Californias new first couple. Seen at the event were representatives of some of the states most powerful political interests, among them organized labor, healthcare companies and tribal gaming interests. A few other high-profile guests attended, too, including Larry Baer, CEO of the San Francisco Giants, and Erika Jayne, a singer and cast member of the reality TV show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Im excited to see someone like Gavin young, vibrant taking over the state and leading us into the future, Jayne said after attending the brunch with her husband, attorney Tom Girardi. Hes got a lot of great plans. Attendees said the event, which was closed to reporters and held under a tent in the museums outdoor atrium, did not include prepared remarks by Newsom. Among those seen leaving the event were representatives of AT&T, the California Medical Assn., Uber, Kaiser Permanente and the State Building and Construction Trades Council. A fundraising invitation obtained by The Times offered bundled tickets to all of the inauguration events, including those on Sunday and the Monday ceremony, ranging in price from $25,000 to $200,000. The money will be collected by a committee specifically organized to pay for Newsoms inaugural weekend. Sundays festivities are scheduled to end with a benefit concert headlined by Pitbull at the Golden 1 Center, home of the NBAs Sacramento Kings, to raise money for the victims of Californias recent deadly wildfires. Among the attendees at @GavinNewsoms pre-inaugural leadership brunch: Real Housewife of Bev Hills @erikajayne. Im excited to see someone like Gavinyoung, vibranttaking over the state and leading us into the future. Hes got a lot of great plans. pic.twitter.com/561NHiy2XQ Melanie Mason (@melmason) January 6, 2019 Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement As Newsom inaugural events begin, he unveils more state budget promises on education and paid family leave Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, seen here last April, will propose new state budget efforts on paid family leave and education subsidies. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Californias incoming governor, who must send his first state budget plan to the Legislature this week, has already signaled a significant new focus on programs to help families and children from infancy to college. Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom campaigned on a platform that included a number of child-focused efforts specifically aimed at helping lower-income families. The price tag for the initial efforts is expected to approach $2 billion a cost paid out of an unrestricted tax revenue windfall that could be one of the largest in state history. Newsom may also seek help for families through new subsidies paid by California employers. The governor-elect is expected to propose a dramatic expansion of paid parental leave from six weeks to six months according to an internal document provided by a source close to the Newsom transition team, first reported on Sunday by the New York Times. The document doesnt offer a full explanation for how the program will be funded, saying instead that the budget will set a goal of ensuring that all newborns and newly adopted babies can be cared for by a parent or a close family member for the first six months. Employers across the state are currently assessed a payroll tax that helps offer a subsidy to parents who temporarily leave their job to care for a newborn. Newsoms plan, according to the document, would pay for some of the new costs by shrinking the mandated cash reserve of the state fund that administers the program, allowing more of the money to be paid in benefits. The increase in paid leave would not all happen at once but instead be phased in over a multi-year period. A task force to help implement the expanded care plan is also envisioned, according to the document. It would determine whether two parents could split the six months of paid leave and whether an extended family member could be enlisted to help care for the child of a single parent over the six-month period. The incoming administrations focus on young children will also include $1.8 billion in new spending on early childhood education programs, with a particular focus on training childcare workers and pushing for more California schools to offer full-day kindergarten. Those costs, according to an overview memo obtained by the Los Angeles Times, are considered to be a one-time expense while leaving the long-term costs of the effort to be determined later. More community college students would get free tuition under a third initiative expected in the new governors budget plan. Newsom will propose spending $40 million to offer a second year of tuition-free college to California students, according to an outline provided by a transition official, first reported by Politico. Students are already eligible for a single year of paid tuition under a plan agreed to by Gov. Jerry Brown and lawmakers in 2017. The incoming governor embraced the idea of free community college during the 2018 campaign as part of a broader focus on additional investments in higher education. Education is an economic development strategy, Newsom said at a higher education forum last spring. We need to significantly increase the investment from the general fund of this state on higher education. Theres no greater higher return on investment. Whether the proposal would be targeted to students based on a familys financial need is unclear. Many low-income students are already eligible for fee waivers at community colleges. The new governor must submit his full state budget plan to lawmakers no later than Thursday. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Gavin Newsom and his family decide Sacramento is the place to be The Old Governors Mansion State Historic Park in Sacramento. Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom will move his family into the mansion. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom and his family will give up the Marin County life and move to the Victorian-style governors mansion in Sacramento after he takes the oath of office Monday. Newsom and his wife, documentary filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom, had debated whether or when to relocate to the state capital since his election in November. The couple have four young children and expressed reservations about moving in the middle of a school year. To best serve the people of California while also maximizing family time together, the Newsoms have therefore decided to move to Sacramento, said Newsoms spokesman, Nathan Click. On Monday, they will move into the Governors Mansion along with their four children, their two family dogs, and their family bunny rabbit and reside there for the immediate future. The Newsoms currently live in Marin County. Gov. Jerry Brown and his wife, Ann Gust Brown, moved into the grand house in 2015 after it underwent $4.1 million in renovations to update electrical and plumbing systems, as well as to remove lead-based paint and install a fire sprinkler system and other security features. The mansion was built in 1877 and has been home to 14 governors, but before Brown it had not housed a California governor for nearly half a century. The state bought the mansion from a wealthy Sacramento hardware merchant, Albert Gallatin, in 1903 for $32,500. It was one of the few California homes at that time to have indoor plumbing. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Newsom announces top labor, business liaisons as he prepares to take office Julie Su will be secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency for Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom on Friday named two advisors on issues related to the California economy, each recognized for their expertise on business and labor. The incoming governor will appoint Julie Su as secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency and Lenny Mendonca as chief economic and business advisor and director of the Governors Office of Business and Economic Development. Su, 49, has served as state labor commissioner under Gov. Jerry Brown since 2011 and has led an office tasked with the enforcement of Californias labor laws. She won a MacArthur Foundation genius grant in 2001 and previously worked as a civil rights attorney representing low-wage workers. In her new position, Su will be tasked with coordinating the work of several workforce departments in state government, including those that administer unemployment benefits and oversee the relationship between agriculture workers and employers. Mendonca, 57, has been a longtime advocate for rethinking government operations as co-chairman of the nonprofit organization California Forward. Previously, he was partner at McKinsey & Co., a global management consulting firm. While he will be a key advisor to Newsom on the states economy, Mendonca will also lead the office often referred to as Go-Biz, designated as a high-level way to encourage job growth and economic development. In his new role, Mendonca will help ensure that California is rolling out the welcome mat to current and future California businesses and growing a sustainable economy for every Californian, said a statement from the Newsom transition team. Newsom will take the oath of office as governor Monday. He has previously selected key advisors on the state budget, legislative affairs and the executive branchs wide array of agencies and departments. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Joshua Groban, aide to Gov. Jerry Brown, sworn in to California Supreme Court By Taryn Luna California Supreme Court Justice Joshua Groban gives remarks after he is sworn into the court by Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday. (Taryn Luna) California Supreme Court Justice Joshua Groban, a lawyer and longtime aide to Gov. Jerry Brown, was sworn into the states highest court Thursday in Sacramento. The ceremony marked Browns fourth appointment to the state Supreme Court and gave the seven-member bench a Democratic majority. We live in a highly chaotic, ever-changing and ever-confusing world, Groban said in prepared remarks at the Stanley Mosk Library and Courts Building. But Im happy to report that Im joining an institution whose fundamental purpose, at core, is to provide stability and consistency amidst this chaotic place we live. I look forward to doing that with a sense of reflection, respect, fidelity to the law and compassion. None of Browns appointees, Groban included, have judicial experience. Groban served as legal counsel to Browns 2010 gubernatorial campaign and joined the administration as a senior advisor to the governor, overseeing the appointments of some 600 judges over the last eight years. Prior to working with Brown, Groban, 45, practiced law for more than a decade. In perhaps his final public appearance before his successor, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, takes office next week, Brown pushed back on notions that he stacked the court. I dont want this to be known as a Brown court, the governor said before administering the judicial oath of office. First of all, the so-called Brown appointments do not agree with themselves and nor should they. They are individuals. They will differ. Its not anybodys court. The governor called the court a high calling and said Groban possesses the values for the job. Probably, next to my wife, Ive talked to no person as much as Ive talked to Josh Groban, Brown said. I think youve talked to him more, Californias First Lady Anne Gust Brown interjected. I cant tell you what the hell hes going to do, Brown later quipped. I warned him, dont screw up, at least not at first. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement California campaign watchdog agency seeks law barring use of campaign funds to fight harassment claims Former state Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia). ( (Steve Yeater / Associated Press)) Elected officials accused of harassment or discrimination would be barred from using political contributions to cover their legal defense costs under legislation proposed by Californias campaign watchdog agency. The state Fair Political Practices Commission has agreed to pursue a law change to clear up confusion after an attorney for one former state lawmaker argued political funds could be used in such legal defenses. Commission Chairwoman Alice Germond said putting a prohibition into the law would provide some much needed clarity. As chair, I would like to show the public their lawmakers are held to a standard that is above reproach, Germond said in a statement. People dont give money to campaigns for lawmakers to use it to defend their own bad behavior, so lawmakers shouldnt be able to use it in that manner. The issue came up a year ago when an attorney for former Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia) sought a formal opinion from the FPPC after the Senate launched an investigation that later concluded Mendoza likely engaged in a pattern of harassment against female aides. Mendoza resigned in February under threat of expulsion by the Senate. In a Jan. 10, 2018, letter, Cassandra Ferrannini, an attorney for Mendoza, wrote to the FPPC that she believed Mendoza should be allowed to establish a legal defense fund able to defray his legal expenses in defending himself against the allegations. The use of campaign funds for attorneys fees under these circumstances would fall squarely within the scope of legislative matters, since it involves the alleged conduct of a legislator with regard to legislative staff that he supervised, Ferrannini wrote. The commission staff originally issued an advice letter that said Mendoza may use campaign and legal defense funds to defend himself from claims of sexual harassment that arose directly out of his activities or status as a candidate or elected officer. But the panel later rescinded the letter after some members questioned using campaign funds to fight sexual harassment claims. That left uncertainty about what was allowed, which Germond said could be cleared up by a new law. The FPPC is still looking for a legislator to carry the bill, a spokesman said. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Californias landmark police transparency law takes effect after court denies police union effort to block it California Supreme Court building (Eric Risberg / Associated Press) A new state law allowing the public disclosure of internal police shooting investigations has gone into effect after the California Supreme Court on Wednesday denied a bid by a police union to block it. The law opens to the public for the first time internal investigations of officer shootings and other major uses of force, along with confirmed cases of sexual assault and lying while on duty. The San Bernardino County Sheriffs Employees Benefit Assn. challenged the law last month, asking state Supreme Court justices to decide that the law only apply to incidents that occur in 2019 or later. The court rejected that request Wednesday, allowing members of the public to seek all applicable records held by police departments. Union president Grant Ward said in a statement that his organization was disappointed with the decision and is now seeking other legal options. We feel this is a statewide issue and should be considered accordingly, Ward said. Last month, the city of Inglewood authorized the destruction of more than 100 police shooting investigations and other records in advance of Jan. 1, when the disclosure law was scheduled to take effect. California law requires police departments to keep such records for five years, and Inglewood City Council voted to destroy records older than that. Mayor James T. Butts has said the decision had nothing to do with the new law. In Los Angeles, Police Chief Michel Moore has said that complying with the new disclosure rules could take hundreds of thousands of hours of work. State Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), the author of the transparency law, has said she has no immediate plans to propose changes to it. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Few complaints of racial profiling are sustained by police agencies in California, state panel finds CHP Officer J. Nelson stands outside the office of Gov. Jerry Brown as activists in 2015 support requiring the tracking of police stops. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Law enforcement agencies in California sustain few citizen complaints of racial or identity profiling, according to a report Wednesday by a state panel set up to help reduce bias in policing. The states Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board recommended in its annual report that law enforcement agencies improve training and adopt clear guidelines for tracking and reporting data on who is stopped by officers. The panel said that 453 law enforcement agencies in the state received 9,459 civilian complaints in 2017, including 865 complaints alleging racial or identity profiling. Of the racial and identity complaints that reached a disposition that year, 1.5% were sustained, 14.6% resulted in officers being exonerated and 83.9% of complaints were not sustained or were determined to be unfounded, the report said. A clearer picture of the issue is expected from a 2015 law that requires police agencies to report demographic data on all detentions and searches. The first reports by the eight largest agencies, including the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, are due to be submitted in April. California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra, whose office oversees the board, said tracking of all detentions and searches will be helpful to understand the scope of the issue. The Boards recommendations will help make our law enforcement agencies more transparent and promote critical steps to enhance, and in some cases, repair the public trust, Becerra said in a statement Wednesday. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California housing crisis podcast: What Minneapolis decision to end single-family zoning might mean for California A view of downtown Minneapolis in 2014 (Stephen Maturen / Getty Images) Theres a national movement brewing to roll back zoning rules in cities that only allow one house on a plot of land. The epicenter of that movement is Minneapolis, which passed a plan last month to eliminate single-family zoning citywide and let landowners build duplexes and triplexes on residential property. On this episode of Gimme Shelter: The California Housing Crisis Podcast, we talk about the reasons why Minneapolis leaders took this action, including their desire to combat a history of racial exclusion and spur more housing density to fight climate change. We also debate how Minneapolis decision might affect housing politics in California. Our guest is Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender, who helped shepherd the new zoning rules to passage and a former San Francisco city planner. The episode also crowns 2018s Avocado of the Year the most ridiculous story exemplifying Californias housing woes and includes our predictions for the most under-the-radar important themes in housing politics in 2019. Gimme Shelter, a biweekly podcast that looks at why its so expensive to live in California and what the state can do about it, features Liam Dillon, who covers housing affordability issues for the Los Angeles Times Sacramento bureau, and Matt Levin, data and housing reporter for CALmatters. You can subscribe to Gimme Shelter on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Play and Overcast. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement How young immigrant Dreamers made flipping control of the House a personal quest By Jazmine Ulloa Gabriela Cruz, who was brought to the U.S. illegally when she was 1, couldnt vote, but in the final hours before the Nov. 6 election, she was making one last run to get people to the polls. The sun was setting in Modesto when she found Ronald Silva, 41, smoking a cigarette on a tattered old couch behind a group home. He politely tried to wave her off until she reminded him he had a right that she as an immigrant without citizenship didnt have. It could really make a change for us, said Cruz, 29. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom will propose almost $2 billion for early childhood programs (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Seeking to frame his new administration as one with a firm focus on closing the gap between children from affluent and poor families, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom will propose spending some $1.8 billion on an array of programs designed to boost Californias enrollment in early education and child-care programs. Newsoms plan, which he hinted at in a Fresno event last month, will be a key element in the state budget proposal he will submit to the Legislature shortly after taking office Monday, a source close to the governor-elects transition team said. The spending would boost programs designed to ensure children enter kindergarten prepared to learn, closing what some researchers have called the readiness gap that exists based on a familys income. It would also phase in an expansion of prekindergarten and offer money to help school districts that dont have facilities for full-day kindergarten. The fact that hes making significant investments with his opening budget is really exciting, Ted Lempert, president of the Bay Area-based nonprofit Children Now, said Tuesday. Whats exciting is the comprehensiveness of it, because its saying were going to focus on prenatal through age 5. A broad overview document reviewed by The Times on Tuesday shows that most of the outlay under the plan $1.5 billion would be a one-time expense in the budget year that begins July 1. Those dollars would be a single infusion of cash, an approach favored by Gov. Jerry Brown in recent years. Most of the money would be spent on efforts to expand child-care services and kindergarten classes. By law, a governor must submit a full budget to the Legislature no later than Jan. 10. Lawmakers will spend the winter and spring reviewing the proposal and must send a final budget plan to Newsom by June 15. Though legislative Democrats have pushed for additional early childhood funding in recent years a key demand of the Legislative Womens Caucus those actions have typically come late in the budget-writing season in Sacramento. Quite frankly, to start out with a January proposal that includes that investment in Californias children reflects a new day, state Sen. Holly J. Mitchell (D-Los Angeles) said. The governor-elect will propose a $750-million boost to kindergarten funding, aimed at expanding facilities to allow full-day programs. A number of school districts offer only partial-day programs, leaving many low-income families to skip enrolling their children because kindergarten classes end in the middle of the workday. Because the money would not count toward meeting Californias three-decades-old education spending guarantee under Proposition 98, which sets a minimum annual funding level for K-12 schools and community colleges, it will not reduce planned spending on other education services. Close behind in total cost is a budget proposal by Newsom to help train child-care workers and expand local facilities already subsidized by the state, as well as those serving parents who attend state colleges and universities. Together, those efforts could cost $747 million, according to the budget overview document. An expansion of prekindergarten programs would be phased in over three years at a cost of $125 million in the first year. The multiyear rollout would, according to the budget overview, ensure the system can plan for the increase in capacity. Lempert said the Newsom proposal is notable for trying to avoid the kinds of battles that in recent years pitted prekindergarten and expanded child care against each other for additional taxpayer dollars. The reality is we need to expand both simultaneously, he said. Another $200 million of the proposal would be earmarked for programs that provide home visits to expectant parents from limited-income families and programs that provide healthcare screenings for young children. Some of the money would come from the states Medi-Cal program, and other money from federal matching dollars. Funding for the home visits program was provided in the budget Brown signed last summer; the Newsom effort would build on that. Emphasizing a policy area with broad appeal in his first state budget could reflect Newsoms political sensibility about the challenges ahead. Democratic lawmakers and interest groups will be especially eager to see how Newsom addresses the demand for an overhaul of healthcare coverage in California especially after a 2017 effort to create a single-payer, universal system fizzled. The path forward on healthcare is complex and costly, making early childhood education a more achievable goal in the governor-elects early tenure. Newsom is likely to face considerable demands for other additional spending. In November, the Legislatures independent analysts projected that continued strength in tax revenues could produce a cash reserve of some $29 billion over the next 18 months. Almost $15 billion of that could be in unrestricted reserves, the kind that can be spent on any number of government programs. Kim Belshe, executive director of the child advocacy organization First 5 LA and a former state health and human services secretary, said the initial Newsom budget proposal suggests the next governor will focus on a comprehensive approach to improving outcomes for children from low-income families. School-ready kids deserve quality early learning, strong and well-supported families, and access to early screening services, Belshe said. Newsom understands the whole child, multifaceted needs of our kids and is clearly ready to lead. Mitchell, the chair of the Senate budget committee, said shes eager to see the details of the governor-elects proposal to determine whether it might signal the beginning of an even broader expansion of early education efforts. Similar efforts have been hindered by a lack of money and ongoing debate over which services to help children 5 and younger need state funding the most. Universal preschool, in particular, has been debated for more than a decade. California voters rejected a ballot measure to fund a full prekindergarten system in 2006. Its clear theres a new movement afoot trying to engage on investment for universal preschool, Mitchell said. How we invest, and how we prioritize that investment, is going to be a great conversation for the coming months. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California Politics Podcast: A final conversation with Gov. Jerry Brown No Californian has served longer as governor, signed more laws, granted clemency to more felons or waged more high-profile campaigns than Gov. Jerry Brown. Brown will leave behind a unique legacy when he packs his last belongings for the trip from the governors mansion in Sacramento to his Northern California ranch. His final two terms in office could be his most consequential. The governor reviewed some of the more notable moments from the past eight years in a far-reaching interview with The Times on Dec. 22. This weeks podcast episode includes extended portions of that conversation. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement A sagging economy could doom a 2020 ballot measure to raise commercial property taxes, Gov. Jerry Brown says Gov. Jerry Brown, at his Colusa County home on Saturday, said a ballot measure to raise commercial property taxes could struggle in 2020. (Randall Benton/For The Times) An effort to remove commercial property in California from the tax limits imposed by the landmark Proposition 13 could be felled by an economic slowdown, Gov. Jerry Brown said. In a Saturday interview with The Times at his Northern California ranch, Brown said liberal activist groups that have successfully placed the proposal on the November 2020 statewide ballot shouldnt read too much into early poll numbers showing support for the plan. That isnt as easy as you think, Brown said. Because youre going to be in a downturn of the business cycle. And youre talking many kinds of business. And the cost of doing business in California is already high. The ballot measure would allow counties to more frequently assess the market value of commercial property in California than allowed under Proposition 13, a 1978 ballot initiative that amended the state constitution to place strict limits on assessing property values and taxation for both homeowners and businesses. An analysis of the new measure, which qualified in October for the 2020 ballot, estimates it could bring in some $10.5 billion a year in new tax revenue. The business community will fight it, Brown said. And the minimum wage, the family leave, the environmental rules business[es] have left California, thats going to be the big argument. And I think thats something you really have to think a lot about. The governor, who leaves office early next month due to term limits, declined to either endorse or oppose the ballot measure. He said Californias economic health in two years time could be a key factor in how voters weigh the proposal. Well be in a recession by then, Brown said. So its anybodys guess. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Inglewood to destroy more than 100 police shooting records that could otherwise become public under new California law By Jack Dolan Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts (Maria Alejandra Cardona / Los Angeles Times) The city of Inglewood has authorized the shredding of more than 100 police shooting and other internal investigation records weeks before a new state law could allow the public to access them for the first time. The decision, made at a City Council meeting earlier this month, has troubled civil liberties advocates who were behind the state legislation, Senate Bill 1421, which takes effect Jan. 1. The law opens to the public internal investigations of officer shootings and other major uses of force, along with confirmed cases of sexual assault and lying while on duty. The legislature passed SB 1421 because communities demanded an end to the secrecy cloaking police misconduct and use of force, Marcus Benigno, a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, said in a statement. Inglewood PDs decision to purge records undermines police accountability and transparency against the will of Californians. California law says police departments must retain records of officer shootings and internal misconduct investigations for five years. The city of Inglewood, however, had kept records longer than that, including case files of police shootings dating to 1991. State Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), the author of SB 1421, intended for her bill to allow public access to all qualifying records held by a department, no matter the date of the incident. Inglewood City Council approved the destruction of records that have been in the police departments possession more than 100 cases longer than required by law. The city staff report and council resolution describing the action makes no mention of the new police transparency law. Instead it says the affected records are obsolete, occupy valuable space, and are of no further use to the police department. It added the traditional method of destroying such records is to shred them. It is unclear whether the records have since been destroyed. A spokesman for the Inglewood Police Department along with Inglewoods city manager, attorney, clerk, four council members and Mayor James T. Butts, a former Santa Monica police chief, did not respond to requests for comment. Inglewoods City Hall is closed the last two weeks of December. The Inglewood Police Department has a reputation for secrecy and using excessive force. In 2008, the departments officers fatally shot four men in as many months, three of whom turned out to be unarmed. The U.S. Department of Justice launched a civil rights probe and found significant flaws in the way the department oversaw use-of-force cases and investigated complaints against officers. Civil rights advocates still question why Inglewood police opened fire on a couple found sleeping in a car in 2016, killing them both. California police have a long history of shredding records to avoid scrutiny of their actions. In the 1970s, the LAPD famously destroyed more than four tons of personnel records after defense attorneys began requesting them as part of criminal cases against their clients. The move resulted in the dismissal of more than a hundred criminal complaints. In response, the Legislature demanded that records be preserved but then took other measures, supported by police unions, to ensure the public had very little access to them, making California the most secretive state in the nation when it comes to police misconduct. Skinners legislation begins to unwind those laws, which have been on the books since 1978. No video or audio of the Dec. 11 council action is available on the citys website and neither are meeting minutes or any record of the decision. A city spokeswoman, Courtney Torres, confirmed that the council had voted in favor of the police records purge, and said all the relevant reasons for the decision were included in the city staff report. The Jan. 1 implementation for SB 1421 has prompted other police officials to act. A police union in San Bernardino is asking the state Supreme Court to determine that Skinners bill only applies to incidents that occur in 2019 or later. Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore sent a letter to Skinner earlier this month warning that complying with the law in regard to older records in the departments possession could take hundreds of thousands of work hours. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Federal officials question California DMVs process for issuing Real IDs (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has notified the California Department of Motor Vehicles that its process for providing residents with federally recognized identification cards is not adequate. DMV spokesman Armando Botello said Friday that 2.3 million residents who received Real IDs under the current process will have to submit additional documentation when their cards are renewed in five years but will be able to use them in the meantime. The DMV is developing a way for residents to submit more documentation online or via email to comply with the stricter federal requirement, he said. But some state legislators are upset about delays in notifying them of the problem and say Homeland Security could eventually require additional documentation provided by current holders. The DMV has known for a month that millions of Real IDs theyve been dolling out are potentially invalid, Assemblyman Jim Patterson (R-Fresno) said. The DMVs only hope is that the Department of Homeland Security takes pity on California and gives the DMV more time to fix this mess. Real IDs are a new kind of driver license and identification card that federal law will require legal residents to present when boarding domestic flights or visiting military bases and other federal facilities starting Oct. 1, 2020. The DMV has only been requiring one form of documentation, including a current lease or utility bill, to verify the residence of a card applicant. But the federal government said in a Nov. 21 letter to the agency that two such documents are needed. On Friday, DMV Director Jean Shiomoto released a letter defending the current process but said her agency will start requiring a second document to prove residency in April. In order to minimize confusion among our customers, the CADMV will work to inform individuals who have been issued a Real ID under the current process that their card will be accepted for official federal purposes, even if their renewal occurs after the October 1, 2020, final enforcement date for Real ID, Shiomoto wrote to the federal agency. Legislative officials worry there is still a possibility that those issued Real IDs in the past might be required to present a second document to have their cards designated as compliant. The more complex process for obtaining Real IDs has led to hours-long waits for customers at DMV field offices this year, although wait times have been reduced recently by an increase in staffing. Shiomoto last month announced that she is retiring amid problems with the motor voter registration system and after the governor ordered an audit of her agency in response to the long wait times. On Friday, Assembly Republican Leader Marie Waldron of Escondido blasted the DMV for waiting a month to tell legislators of the problem. This is unacceptable and flies in the face of security for our citizens, which is what Real ID was created for in the first place, she said in a statement. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom taps Keely Bosler to be his finance director Keely Bosler, the director of the California Department of Finance, will continue in that role under Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom. (California Department of Finance) Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom on Friday appointed Keely Martin Bosler as director of the California Department of Finance, continuing the role she has served under Gov. Jerry Brown since August. Bosler will become Newsoms chief fiscal advisor, and will play a pivotal role in shaping Newsoms spending plan for the state that will lay the foundation for his top policy priorities. Newsom must roll out his first budget plan within days of taking office on Jan. 7. Californias brighter future depends on a strong, stable fiscal foundation, Newsom said in a statement released Friday afternoon. Keely is an accomplished public servant of sound fiscal judgment. She understands that state budgets are more than numbers on a page they are value statements affecting the fate and future of millions of families reaching for the California Dream. We are fortunate to have her on our team. Prior to being appointed finance director, Bosler served as Browns cabinet secretary for two years and, before that, as the chief deputy director for budget in the Finance Department for three years. Earlier this year, Brown picked Bosler to lead an audit of the Department of Motor Vehicles, which had come under fire for long wait times at DMV field offices and numerous computer problems, including errors in the new motor voter program that registered Californians to vote. As we have discussed, long wait times at the Department of Motor Vehicles do not reflect the high standards of service that Californians expect from their state government, Bosler wrote in a letter in September to DMV Director Jean Shiomoto. The audit is still ongoing, but Shiomoto has since announced she will retire at the end of the year. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Californias legislative analyst, after decades of nonpartisan research for lawmakers, calls it a career Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor, who has led the state research unit since 2008, will retire on Dec. 31. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Only five people have led the independent research office of the California Legislature since its creation in 1941. And each of them has had a pretty simple mantra to live by in reviewing public policy proposals and government programs: Call it like you see it. The job of any analyst, to me, is you maintain that nonpartisanship, Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor said. Taylor, 65, will retire from the post at the end of December after a four-decade career with the research team that began, as he likes to tell it, just after the passage of the landmark property tax rollback, Proposition 13, in 1978. He became the leader of the office, with the title of legislative analyst, in October 2008. Two months later, state government found itself in arguably the worst fiscal crisis in its history a projected shortfall that ultimately grew to $42 billion by the following winter. There were forces beyond our control, Taylor said of that time. But dont underestimate the policy changes that were made afterward. Those changes, most notably a boost in taxes paid by high-income earners and a robust state budget cash reserve fund, have helped lead to successive years of fully funded government services. The state is projected to have some $24 billion in reserves by the end of the current fiscal year. Taylor announced his intention earlier to step down this year. Leaders from both houses of the Legislature select the analyst, who leads a staff of almost five dozen researchers. The office provides in-depth reports on pending legislation, as well as on broader policy topics like education and healthcare, and produces an independent analysis for every proposed ballot measure. A succession of lawmakers and governors alike have praised or panned the work of the Legislative Analysts Office based on their own political worldview. Taylor said his staff is mindful that they work for legislators, but try to ignore the rhetoric that follows the release of a major report. People are going to do what theyre going to do with our information, he said. They dont always like it, but they appreciate that we give them our best advice. Taylor oversaw a transformation in the way the Legislative Analysts Office distributes its information, embracing the release of research reports through social media instead of relying on traditional printed copies and journalist roundtable events. But he said the work of the researchers has remained largely unchanged through the decades. Having an independent take on things, I think, is good for the Legislature, he said. No replacement for Taylor has been announced, which means a short transition for his eventual successor before Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom sends his first budget proposal to lawmakers in early January. Taylor, who lives in the Sacramento suburbs, said he will honor the tradition of his predecessors in stepping away from public policy debates in order to give the new analyst space to lead the team as he or she sees fit. He said he hopes to travel in the coming years and spend time with his children who have moved to the East Coast. Forty years in state government, Taylor said in why he was stepping aside now. Isnt that enough? Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Gov. Jerry Brown sues to save California sentencing laws By Don Thompson, Associated Press (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Outgoing Gov. Jerry Brown sued Thursday to protect one of his signature actions in office, a voter-approved measure that allows most prison inmates to seek earlier release and participate in rehabilitation programs. His administration filed a lawsuit challenging a pending 2020 initiative that seeks to toughen criminal penalties as part of an effort to roll back reforms adopted by voters within the last decade. Browns lawsuit in Sacramento County Superior Court contends the measure lacked enough valid signatures to overturn a previously approved constitutional amendment. County officials and California Secretary of State Alex Padilla certified the signatures in July but said they were submitted too late to qualify for last months election. The lawsuit names Padilla and the ballot measures official proponent, Nina Salarno Besselman, president of the advocacy group Crime Victims United. Padilla said the measure exceeded the required roughly 366,000 valid signatures, equal to 5% of votes cast for governor in 2014. Browns lawsuit says he used the wrong threshold. It says changing the state Constitution requires 8%, or more than 585,400 signatures. That makes the pending initiative more than 150,000 signatures short, the lawsuit says. Hes wrong, said Jeff Flint, a spokesman for the campaign backing the measure. He predicted a judge will be reluctant to reject a measure that already has qualified for the ballot. The secretary of state told us how many signatures are required, and thats how many we collected, Flint said. Padillas office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The measure would reverse reforms adopted by voters through Proposition 47 in 2014 and Proposition 57 in 2016. Proposition 57 allows most inmates to seek earlier paroles, and Proposition 47 reduced some drug and property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. The combination has helped keep Californias inmate population below a population cap set by federal judges. Corrections department spokeswoman Vicky Waters said the measure gives corrections and parole officials broad discretion to protect our communities and fashion a rational system of rehabilitation and punishment. This new initiative unlawfully seeks to supplant the departments constitutional authority to implement these critical reforms to our criminal justice system. The pending initiative would shorten the list of crimes that qualify for earlier parole and change some theft crimes from misdemeanors back to felonies. It would also increase the number of crimes for which DNA is collected, a list that was limited when some crimes went from felonies to misdemeanors. Those supporting the tougher penalties say easing criminal penalties has increased the number of dangerous criminals on the streets, but those backing the changes say they have helped reduce mass incarceration and rehabilitate convicted criminals. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California Supreme Court orders records unsealed in pardon of ex-state Sen. Roderick Wright Former state Sen. Roderick Wright (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times) The California Supreme Court has granted a request to unseal court records involving Gov. Jerry Browns decision last month to pardon former state Sen. Roderick Wright for felony convictions involving lying about living in his legislative district, officials said Thursday. The court order was in response to a request by the nonpartisan First Amendment Coalition, which argued that the public has a right to know what information went into the governors decision to grant clemency to Wright. This is an important victory for public access to court files involving the exercise of executive clemency, said coalition spokesman Glen A. Smith. We are gratified the court has recognized that these decisions should be subject to the same public access rules that apply to other judicial records under California law. The court gave Browns office until Jan. 2 to redact confidential material before giving the court documents that can be released to the public. The court files submitted by the governors office include letters of support for a pardon and an internal review of Wrights case. The court denied a motion to unseal the records of all clemency cases but left open consideration of requests on other individual cases. Browns office is currently evaluating the courts decision, said spokesman Brian Ferguson. The governor argued against unsealing records in a recent court filing that said confidentiality is consistent with historical practice and is supported by state law. In pardoning Wright on Nov. 22, the governor wrote: He has shown that since his release from custody, he has lived an honest and upright life, exhibited good moral character, and conducted himself as a law abiding citizen. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement California political watchdog agency fines BART, urges prosecution over using public funds for campaign A Bay Area Rapid Transit train leaves the station in Oakland in this 2013 file photo. (Ben Margot / AP) Californias state political watchdog agency on Thursday imposed a $7,500 fine against the Bay Area Rapid Transit District and called for a possible criminal or civil prosecution over allegations the district used public resources to campaign for a 2016 bond measure. The state Fair Political Practices Commission levied an administrative fine against BART for its failure to disclose spending on YouTube videos, social media posts and text messages to promote Measure RR, which authorized $3.5 billion in general obligation bonds. Though the panel lacks authority to seek criminal charges over the misuse of public funds, it also urged county district attorneys in the BART service area and the state attorney general to pursue possible criminal or civil charges over the spending of taxpayer dollars for campaign purposes, Commission Chairwoman Alice Germond said. It is the concept of misusing public funds that I think we all here are very disturbed about, and we want to send a warning and not create a precedent that is a minor, little slap on the wrist, Germond said, adding that the referral to criminal prosecutors would further send a message that this is wrong. Commissioner Brian Hatch also called for the state Legislature to consider granting the FPPC power to go after public agencies that spend taxpayer money on campaigns. Sen. Steve Glazer (D-Orinda) called on the agency to increase the fine to the maximum level of $33,375. The proposed $7,500 fine represents a slap on the wrist for a very serious violation of the law and the publics trust, Glazer said in a letter to the panel. In supporting the fine recommended by the staff, Germond said BART has agreed to pay the penalty. Somebody did something wrong and they have admitted it, she said. A staff report said there were factors in favor of a fine below the maximum. Although the Commission considers BARTs violations to be serious, the absence of any evidence of an intention to conceal, deceive, or mislead; the voluntary filing of the delinquent campaign statement; and the absence of a prior record are mitigating, the report said. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California police union seeks state Supreme Court review of new law disclosing internal investigation records Los Angeles Police Department officers. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) A police union is asking the California Supreme Court to block the release of internal officer investigations before a new state law takes effect next year. The San Bernardino County Sheriffs Employees Benefit Assn. filed a petition Tuesday asking justices to rule that only investigations of incidents that occur after Jan. 1 would be available under the law and not those the department has on file from years prior. The litigation comes after this years passage of Senate Bill 1421, which opens to the public for the first time internal investigations of officer shootings and other major uses of force, along with confirmed cases of sexual assault and lying while on duty. The law goes into effect Jan. 1, and the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department has told the union it intends to make available in response to public records requests all the information it has. The union is very concerned about any plans to retroactively apply Senate Bill 1421, Grant Ward, the unions president, said in a statement. We believe retroactive application violates our members rights and we hope the California Supreme Court will consider the serious issues raised by our legal challenge. The bills author, Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), does not agree with the unions interpretation. She has said her legislation should apply to all the records in a police departments possession because the law simply declared that affected records were no longer confidential. If the record exists, its disclosable, Skinner said. A decision on what records will be available under the law is key to how far-reaching it will be. If the court restricts access to incidents that occurred prior to 2019, those cases will not be subject to public scrutiny. The police union in San Bernardino County is not the only one raising concerns about the law. Earlier this month, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore sent a letter to Skinner expressing concern that his agency would be overwhelmed if the law required the department to disclose older incidents. Even if the law only applied to the previous five years, Moore wrote, it could take nearly 300,000 hours of work to comply with its provisions. The LAPD operates with a guiding principle of Reverence for the Law; as such, we will diligently comply with SB 1421, Moore wrote. We maintain, however, that a retroactive implementation of SB 1421 will be exceptionally burdensome and would require significant reallocation of front-line investigative personnel. Skinner said if complying with the law becomes untenable for law enforcement agencies that maintain records for a long time, she would consider modifications. But she said agencies did not raise this concern during discussion over the bill. SB 1421 went through multiple committee hearings, multiple floor debates, extensive opportunity for all parties to weigh in on concerns with its structure, she said. That was not an issue that was raised by law enforcement at the time. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Gov. Brown warns of backlash for Republicans in 2020 if Obamacare repeal is upheld Gov. Jerry Brown at the National Press Club in April. (Alex Wong / Getty Images) Gov. Jerry Brown warned Republicans on Tuesday that repeal of the Affordable Care Act would devastate the partys political chances in the 2020 election. Brown, speaking at a Sacramento Press Club event moderated by Los Angeles Times columnist George Skelton and Brown family historian Miriam Pawel, said a federal judges ruling last week to strike down the 2010 law if upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court will build such a backlash that the Democrats will not only take over the Senate, theyll win the presidency and will win with the kind of momentum, particularly on the issue of healthcare, that [the law] will be replaced probably with something even better. The governor, who leaves office in less than three weeks, said he did not believe the ruling by a Texas judge would ultimately prevail. I think the decision will probably be overturned, Brown said. Few states have embraced the law championed by former President Obama more than California, both through its healthcare exchange, Covered California, and by expanding access to government-funded services under Medi-Cal. Some 12 million Californians now receive healthcare through Medi-Cal, and Brown said a final ruling affecting the federal dollars that subsidize that care would be a serious blow. California would not be able to afford it without the subsidy, the governor said. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Bars in Los Angeles, San Francisco could stay open until 4 a.m. under new bill A bar in Sherman Oaks (acuna-hansen) For the third year in a row, a California lawmaker is trying to keep bars open until 4 a.m. State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) is reintroducing legislation that would allow Los Angeles, San Francisco and seven other cities to extend the sales of alcohol in bars, clubs and restaurants by an additional two hours. Nightlife brings people together, fosters creativity and innovation, supports small businesses, and creates middle-class jobs, Wiener said in a statement. Its time to embrace our nighttime economy and give our cities the tools they need to foster the best nightlife possible. Last year, Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a similar bill by Wiener, writing: I believe we have enough mischief from midnight to 2 without adding two more hours of mayhem. Should this years measure, Senate Bill 58, advance through the Legislature, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom would decide whether to sign it into law. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has endorsed SB 58, saying the city should have more flexibility than it does now. Every community has its own needs, and cities should be able to make informed decisions about what nightlife hours make sense for residents, visitors, and neighborhoods, Garcetti said in a statement. The bill would create a five-year pilot program where Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, West Hollywood, Long Beach, Coachella, Cathedral City and Palm Springs could decide to allow restaurants and bars within their cities to serve alcohol until 4 a.m. with the approval of the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Bars in Los Angeles and San Francisco could stay open until 4 a.m. under new bill A bar in Sherman Oaks. (Acuna-Hansen) For the third year in a row, a California lawmaker is trying to keep bars open until 4 a.m. State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) is reintroducing legislation that would allow Los Angeles, San Francisco and seven other cities to extend the sales of alcohol in bars, clubs and restaurants by an additional two hours. Nightlife brings people together, fosters creativity and innovation, supports small businesses and creates middle-class jobs, Wiener said in a statement. Its time to embrace our nighttime economy and give our cities the tools they need to foster the best nightlife possible. Last year, Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a similar bill by Wiener, writing: I believe we have enough mischief from midnight to 2 without adding two more hours of mayhem. Should this years measure, Senate Bill 58, advance through the Legislature, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom would decide whether to sign it into law. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has endorsed SB 58, saying the city should have more flexibility than it does now. Every community has its own needs, and cities should be able to make informed decisions about what nightlife hours make sense for residents, visitors and neighborhoods, Garcetti said in a statement. The bill would create a five-year pilot program where Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, West Hollywood, Long Beach, Coachella, Cathedral City and Palm Springs could decide to allow restaurants and bars within their cities to serve alcohol until 4 a.m. with the approval of the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Californias DMV director announces retirement amid problems with motor voter program (Kent Nishamura/Los Angeles Times) The director of the California Department of Motor Vehicles will retire at years end with a number of questions unanswered about the implementation of a major voter registration system and long wait times experienced by customers for much of the past summer. Jean Shiomoto will not continue in her current role as Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom takes office, and announced to staff several weeks ago her intent to retire at the end of the year after 38 years in state service, spokesman Armando Botello said in an email to The Times on Friday. Newsoms transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment on who might lead the department in 2019. Shiomoto was appointed DMV director by Gov. Jerry Brown in the fall of 2013, having served in prior leadership roles with the department. DMV officials have been sharply criticized by lawmakers in recent months for delays in serving customers at its field offices across the state. Last week, DMV officials revealed errors in registering California voters for the November election mistakes that followed a series of problems in the rollout of the states new motor voter registration system. Secretary of State Alex Padilla last week said he had lost confidence in Shiomotos leadership as a result of the voting registration problems. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement New law could break the stalemate over housing on the site of a near-vacant Cupertino mall By Liam Dillon For more than a decade, developers have tried to build new housing on the site of an all-but-empty mall in Cupertino, a city in the heart of Silicon Valley and home to Apple headquarters. A well-organized group of neighbors, upset about traffic, building heights and the potential loss of the communitys suburban lifestyle, turned away every plan. Now, for the first time, the stalemate might be broken thanks to a decision made in the state Capitol. In an effort to address Californias housing affordability problem, legislators passed a law last year that requires cities and counties to approve housing projects if they comply with local zoning rules and other standards, forcing some resistant communities to agree to new homebuilding. In September, the city of Cupertino, citing the state law, approved developer Sand Hill Property Co.s proposal to build an office park and more than 2,400 homes where the Vallco Shopping Mall sits. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Local government was a last bastion for struggling California Republicans. Not anymore By Mark Z. Barabak Theres no shortage of watery metaphors to describe the disaster that befell California Republicans this midterm election. A blue wave. A Democratic tsunami. But the most apt may be a flood, with the casualties steadily rising as the vote count climbed in the days and weeks following Nov. 6. Eventually half the GOP congressional delegation was washed away, along with the entire slate of statewide Republican candidates. In Sacramento, Democrats claimed 29 of 40 state Senate seats and seized three-quarters of the 80-member Assembly the largest number since 1883, when Chester A. Arthur was serving in the White House. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print For the Republicans left in Californias Legislature, fewer lawmakers will have to do more work By John Myers From January to late summer every year, the California Legislature is a perpetual motion machine. And in the new year, the people most likely to struggle in keeping up will be Republicans, vastly outnumbered but still responsible for representing millions of the states residents. There are 22 standing committees in the state Senate, plus at least a dozen more subcommittees or special committees. And after Novembers election, only 11 Republican senators will be left to divvy up the work. To the victors go the spoils. To the vanquished go the extra assignments. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Californias DMV failed to finish registering 329 new voters before November election (Los Angeles Times) Officials at the California Department of Motor Vehicles said Friday that the agency failed to send information for 329 new voters to state elections officers in time for the November election, the latest revelation in a string of mishaps regarding voter registration. Secretary of State Alex Padilla responded with a blistering letter, calling on Gov. Jerry Brown or Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom to replace Jean Shiomoto, the DMV director. The Director of DMV has lost my confidence and trust, Padilla wrote. In all, the agency revealed that 589 mailed voter registration records that should have been processed under election deadlines werent sent to Californias secretary of state until late November, including forms from 260 drivers who had intended to update their address on existing voter registration records. The DMV had been instructed to not send registration forms that came in after Oct. 22, but the voters in question had forms that were postmarked before the deadline. In some cases, when the postmark wasnt legible, the agency said, documents inside indicated the voter had intended to finish their registration in time for the Nov. 6 election. The DMV recognizes the pause in transmittals was an error and affected the timing of the registration of the 589 individuals referenced above relative to the November election, Shiomoto wrote in a letter to Padilla on Friday. The pause was due to a misunderstanding on the part of the department, for which we take responsibility. Those who were trying to update their address for voter registration would not have been blocked from casting ballots. But officials said its unclear whether any of the 329 new voters were able to participate in the election. Shiomoto said in her letter that DMV will work with elections officials. The errors were not related to previous DMV mistakes about registering voters, problems associated with the rollout of the states new motor voter law. In those cases, multiple registration forms were sent to local elections offices for some voters, some people were assigned the wrong political party preference and others who are noncitizens were incorrectly placed on the list of registered voters. DMV officials have yet to respond to questions posed by The Times over the last several weeks about who knew of those mistakes and when. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Newsom appoints a labor advocate and a former staffer as his chief deputy Cabinet secretaries By Taryn Luna A labor advocate and a San Francisco political operative have accepted positions in Gov.-elect Gavin Newsoms new administration. Angie Wei, a Capitol insider with deep ties to organized labor in California, will serve as a chief deputy Cabinet secretary with a focus on policy development. As a legislative director and chief of staff at the California Labor Federation, Wei has represented more than 1,200 unions and 2.1 million workers in Capitol fights over a host of policy issues, including drug-pricing transparency and paid family leave. The governor-elect also tapped Jason Elliott, a policy advisor to Newsom during his time as mayor of San Francisco and a chief of staff to San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, as another chief deputy Cabinet secretary overseeing executive branch operations. Elliott and Wei will serve under Ana Matosantos, Newsoms previously The FBI has begun contacting people as part of an additional background investigation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, including a second woman who alleges that the Supreme Court nominee sexually assaulted her, according to people familiar with the unfolding investigation. The bureau has reached out to Deborah Ramirez, a Yale University classmate of Kavanaughs who alleges that he shoved his genitals in her face at a party where she had been drinking and become disoriented, her attorney said Saturday. She has agreed to cooperate with their investigation, Ramirez attorney John Clune said in a statement. Out of respect for the integrity of the process, we will have no further comment at this time. President Trump ordered the new background investigation of his nominee on Friday under pressure from key members of his party. Advertisement The FBI also is following up on allegations by Christine Blasey Ford, a psychology professor at Palo Alto University in California, who testified to the Senate this week that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in the early 1980s when they were in high school in suburban Washington, D.C. Ford recounted in detail how Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge allegedly attacked her in a bedroom during a small gathering at a house when the teen boys were both drunk. Ford said the alleged attack had caused her lasting trauma, and she was visibly anguished as she recalled the events Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Following Fords testimony, Kavanaugh vigorously denied the allegations before the committee and accused Democrats of launching a last-minute attempt to derail his nomination. He decried the confirmation process as a circus. Kavanaughs powerful testimony may save his nomination, but undercut an image of him as an impartial Supreme Court justice On Friday, Republicans on the committee voted to proceed to a full Senate vote on Kavanaughs nomination, but a series of back-room negotiations led to a surprise twist in what has already been a wrenching confirmation process for a Supreme Court nominee, among the most polarizing in recent memory. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., a key swing vote to confirm Kavanaugh, said he would vote to proceed to a full Senate vote, but that the Senate vote should be preceded by a new, expanded FBI investigation of the allegations against Kavanaugh. Recognizing that Flake and a handful of other senators votes appeared contingent upon the investigation, Republican leaders and the White House relented. Later that day, Trump ordered the investigation and that it be limited in scope and completed by next Friday. Video: Jeff Flake confronted by sexual assault survivors The Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday afternoon said the supplemental FBI investigation would be limited to current credible allegations. Committee spokesmen did not return a request for comment to elaborate on what specifically those allegations are. Lawmakers and Trump administration officials had few expectations that the FBI would settle Ford and Kavanaughs dueling accounts. A background investigation is, by its nature, more limited than a criminal investigation, and FBI agents will not be able to obtain search warrants or issue subpoenas to compel testimony from potential witnesses. The FBIs interviews, which will take a few days to conduct, wont turn into a sprawling inquest of everyone Kavanaugh went to a party with in high school, said a person familiar with the investigation. But already, two potentially crucial witnesses have said they will cooperate with the FBI, raising the possibility that at least more statements and recollections will be added to the record, even if theyre not ultimately definitive. An attorney for Leland Keyser, a friend of Fords who Ford says was at the party, said Keyser also was willing to cooperate with the FBI investigation. But the attorney emphasized that Keyser has no recollection of the party where Ford alleges Kavanaugh assaulted her. Notably, Ms. Keyser does not refute Dr. Fords account, and she has already told the press that she believes Dr. Fords account, the attorney, Howard J. Walsh III, wrote in an email to the Senate Judiciary Committee. However, the simple and unchangeable truth is that she is unable to corroborate it because she has no recollection of the incident in question. Judge, the high school friend of Kavanaugh who Ford says was in the room during the alleged assault, has also agreed to cooperate with the FBI. His account has been particularly sought after because, unlike Kavanaugh, Judge has not denied Fords allegations but has said he has no memory that such an assault occurred. Ford told the Judiciary Committee that some weeks after the alleged assault, she ran into Judge at a local grocery store where he was working for the summer. I said hello to him, she said. His face was white and very uncomfortable saying hello back. Ford continued, He was just nervous and not really wanting to speak with me, and he looked a little bit ill. The FBIs findings will not necessarily become public. When investigators have completed their work, anything theyve discovered will be turned over to the White House as an update to Kavanaughs background check file. The White House would then likely share the material with the Senate committee. At that point, all senators, as well as a very small group of aides, would have access to it. The White House or the Senate would decide what, if anything, should be released publicly. The bureaus work will likely consist mostly of reports of interviews with witnesses and accusers. The bureau will not come to a conclusion on whether the accusations are credible and will not make a recommendation on what should become of Kavanaughs nomination. In addition to Ford and Ramirez, another woman, Julie Swetnick, who said she knew Kavanaugh in high school, alleged in a sworn statement this week that Kavanaugh and Judge got teenage girls drunk at parties, where the girls were sexually assaulted, sometimes by groups of boys. Swetnick claimed that she was raped by such a group at a party where Kavanaugh and Judge were present. She hasnt accused Kavanaugh of raping her. Swetnick described Kavanaugh as a mean drunk in high school who was physically and verbally aggressive with girls. Swetnicks attorney, Michael Avenatti, said that she had not yet been contacted by the FBI but that he hopes to hear from investigators. I dont know how this investigation could be called complete if they dont contact her, Avenatti said. Kavanugh has denied the accusations from Ramirez and Swetnick and has said emphatically that he never abused or assaulted anyone. He has also pointed to half a dozen other background checks the FBI conducted on him for other federal positions over the years, none of which surfaced evidence or allegations of sexual assault. Top Republicans in California appear to be shifting resources away from an issue they hoped would lure voters to the polls in November: repealing the gas tax. After contributing $1.7 million to put a repeal initiative on the November ballot, Republican congressional leaders and GOP gubernatorial candidate John Cox are now conspicuously absent from the list of donors spending money to help convince Californians to pass the measure. Construction firms, organized labor and Democrats have raised more than $30 million to defeat Proposition 6, while the main campaign committee in favor of the measure had just $83,291 in the bank as of Sept. 22, according to campaign finance statements made public Thursday. The opposition campaign includes the California Chamber of Commerce, the League of California Cities and dozens of deep-pocketed construction firms and labor unions that would benefit from the taxs billions targeted to road and bridge repair projects. Advertisement By qualifying Proposition 6, Republican leaders hoped that voters would oppose [the gas tax] and, while they were at it, vote for Republicans [in congressional and legislative races] as well, said Larry Gerston, professor emeritus of political science at San Jose State. But once they saw the powerful coalition opposed to [Proposition] 6, they figured it was better to put their resources elsewhere. Republicans including Cox are advocating for repeal as part of their own campaigns. Cox is chairman of the Proposition 6 committee, having provided $250,000 last year to launch the petition drive to qualify the ballot measure. Cox is highlighting his opposition to the increased gas tax and vehicle fees in his campaign appearances and ads. Our gas taxes make our gas prices among the highest in the country, Cox said in a television ad that began running last month. A newer Cox ad blames Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom for sky-high gas prices. Wayne Johnson, a senior strategist for the Cox campaign, said the candidate will continue to press the case for repeal. The special interests are pouring tens of millions into the effort to stop Proposition 6, Johnson said. We will not, nor do we need to match them in spending, for while they have millions of dollars, we have millions of voters who have simply had enough of the Sacramento politicians. The California Republican Party contributed $300,000 to the main Proposition 6 campaign committee while it was collecting signatures to qualify the measure for the ballot. It has only provided $504 to the committee for email blasts since its qualification on June 25. The California Republican congressional delegation asked if we could provide support to the qualification effort, state party spokesman Matt Fleming said. We support Yes on 6, the repeal of the gas tax, but our discretionary resources are being focused on electing Republicans. Proposition 6 would repeal a law approved by the Legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown that raised the state gas tax by 12 cents per gallon and boosted the diesel fuel tax by 20 cents per gallon. The measure also created a new, annual vehicle fee ranging from $25 for cars valued at less than $5,000, to $175 for cars worth $60,000 or more. Brown and Democrats said the more than $5 billion that would be raised annually is needed to tackle a large backlog of road and bridge repair projects, and to improve mass transit. Republicans have argued that the tax is unnecessary and that previous gas taxes and vehicle fees were sufficient to make needed improvements to the transportation system. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) gave $300,000 to the campaign during the qualification period, but he has not written a check to the committee since the measure made the ballot. He declined to answer why he has not continued to contribute to the campaign, but he said he thinks voters will approve the measure. The gas tax hike remains immensely unpopular throughout the state and across party lines, McCarthy said in a statement. I support Proposition 6 and believe that this tax hike on hardworking Californians should be repealed. Other Republicans who donated to the campaign to qualify Proposition 6 but have not given since then include Reps. Ken Calvert of Corona, Devin Nunes of Tulare, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana. Since the initiative made the ballot, the biggest Republican office-holder donations have been $10,000 from Rep. Mimi Walters (R-Laguna Beach) and $1,500 from state Senate Republican leader Patricia Bates of Laguna Niguel. The lack of funding from Republican leaders is a sign that they are worried about having enough money for tight legislative and congressional races, said John J. Pitney Jr., professor of American politics at Claremont McKenna College. They have only so much money in the till, Pitney said. They realize that many of their incumbents could lose their seats and that the party is in serious danger of losing the majority. They have to put resources directly into those critical races. They dont have the luxury of financing a ballot measure in hopes that it might have the indirect effect of boosting GOP turnout in a Democratic state. Opponents of Proposition 6 have contrasted their committees level of support with the other side. We have 450 organizations opposing Prop. 6, said Carolyn Coleman, executive director of the League of California Cities. On the other hand, the proponents are playing politics with public safety its no wonder they arent getting any traction. A poll released Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California found that 52% of likely voters oppose Proposition 6. Without big checks from elected Republicans going to the Yes on Prop. 6, Repeal the Gas Tax committee, a second campaign committee, headed by former San Diego City Councilman Carl DeMaio, has moved to the forefront of the effort to pass Proposition 6. That committee, called Reform California, Yes on 6, did not receive any of the congressional money before the measure qualified. It reported Thursday that it raised $636,526 between July 1 and Sept. 22, mostly in small contributions. It ended the period with $1.34 million in the bank for the last five weeks of the campaign. DeMaios committee announced Friday that it has spent $1.2 million on television ads urging voters to repeal the gas tax and countering a larger television ad campaign by opponents. This is truly a David-versus-Goliath fight, showing how grassroots volunteers can overcome millions in special interest corporate cash, DeMaio said. He said the $30 million raised by opponents is not a surprise, because the only chance they have to defeat the Prop. 6 Gas Tax Repeal is to lie to voters with scary, deceptive ads to con them into voting no to keep the costly gas tax in place. Coverage of California politics patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com Twitter: @mcgreevy99 The article on visiting Quebec was so serendipitous for me [Hop Out and See a Feast of Color, by Margo Pfeiff, Sept. 23.] I have been bingeing on Louise Pennys mystery books, and they make me want to visit Quebec and Montreal. Penny describes the cities, countryside and history so enticingly that anyone planning a trip should definitely read her books. Thank you for a timely article. Alison Davis Advertisement Rancho Palos Verdes Disposable car seat With regard to the car seat column [Quite the Car Seat Quandary, On the Spot, by Catharine Hamm, Sept. 9]. I propose another solution and that is purchasing an inexpensive car seat that can be disposed of. An internet search shows many in the $30 to $40 range. Perhaps a slightly larger tip to the cab or Uber driver, along with instructions to keep or dispose of the seat, will solve the dilemma at a far less cost than storing a seat. Of course, returning home from the airport may be an additional challenge. Cindy Leish Laguna Niguel Cool customer Many years ago, when I started traveling, hotels did not have in-room refrigerators, so I brought a cooler into my room. Around 1975, hotels began providing small refrigerators, a nice place to store a drink or a leftover sandwich. Some even had freezer compartments. Then came minibars, I suppose in an effort to monetize the convenience, but you could still squeeze in a soft drink or two by rearranging or temporarily removing items. On a recent trip I was warned at check-in not to place personal items in the fridge, or to even move an item lest I be charged. So Im back to bringing a cooler for my stuff. Ken Brock Yucca Valley travel@latimes.com @latimestravel Hundreds of thousands of women across Brazil took to the streets Saturday to protest the presidential candidacy of far-right hopeful Jair Bolsonaro, known for making disparaging comments against women and other minorities, as well as supporting the use of torture. Im part of a portion of society that is greatly affected by the types of things [Bolsonaro] says and thinks, said Camila Ferreira, a 37-year-old psychoanalyst and art educator who attended the demonstration in Sao Paulo. This conservative wave, which has really always existed in Brazil, needs to come to an end. Feminism needs to become more prominent in our society. Women need to be seen and treated as complete and equal people. Support for Bolsonaro received a boost after he was stabbed Sept. 6 at a campaign rally in the town of Juiz de Fora. He was expected to be released from the hospital Friday after recovering from a second surgery in Sao Paulo, but an infection delayed his exit until an hour before the protests against his candidacy began. The hospitalization hadnt stopped him from speaking to his supporters from his bed in a series of videos posted to social media. The most recent poll from the Brazilian Institute of Public Opinion and Statistics, known as Ibope, shows Bolsonaro holds a lead with support of 27% of intended voters, far below the 50% required to avoid a runoff. The womens vote could prove decisive in a final round, when Bolsonaro would likely go head-to-head with former Sao Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad, 55, who replaced former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on the Oct. 7 ballot when he was ruled ineligible to run because of a bribery conviction. Advertisement According to Ibope, 50% of women said they would not vote for Bolsonaro under any circumstances. Leida Queiroz, a 77-year-old member of Brazils Communist Party who spent her youth fighting the countrys military dictatorship, said she fears its return if Bolsonaro wins election. [The dictatorship] could definitely come back, she said while attending the protest in Sao Paulo. I know what its like to live with that kind of oppression. I was imprisoned four times. But this act will be a part of Brazils history. Well show everybody that were against Bolsonaro and what he stands for. We cant let what happened before happen again. A social media campaign called #EleNao or #NotHim was started weeks ago in reaction to Bolsonaros continuing lead in the polls. Its original Facebook group, Women United Against Bolsonaro, now has more than 3.8 million members, and hundreds of thousands of people signed up for the marches Saturday. Men and women in the crowds carried hand-painted banners and signs and denigrated Bolsonaros position that women do not deserve to be paid the same as men because they get pregnant. He has also described a fellow member of Congress as too ugly to rape. The nonpartisan anti-Bolsonaro campaign organizers have reiterated that everyone is welcome no matter who they plan to vote for, as long as it is not Bolsonaro has drawn the support of Brazilian musicians including Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, both exiled during the military dictatorship. The protest in Sao Paulo brought out politicians from parties that oppose Bolsonaro, including Ivan Valente, a congressman for the left-wing Socialism and Liberty Party. This is a strong societal reaction to a candidate that is a threat to the entire Brazilian population, he said. And its because of all of these women coming together to fight for their rights that we have a chance at avoiding taking several steps backward [by electing Bolsonaro]. A longtime conservative congressman and former army captain, Bolsonaro has caused outrage across Brazil with his vocal support of torture and his desire to loosen gun laws in a country where more than 62,000 homicides were reported in 2016, nearly 72% of which were gun-related. But its his tough stance on lowering Brazils rising crime rate Bolsonaro wants to make it easier for civilians to buy guns and give police more liberty to shoot suspected criminals that many of his supporters say is a key reason they will cast their votes for him. They also like his support of what he terms traditional family values and his promise to fight political corruption as one of the few politicians who hasnt been implicated in Brazils wide-reaching Lava Jato, or Car Wash, corruption investigation. His tough talk and controversial statements have garnered him comparisons to President Trump. Langlois is a special correspondent. North Korea needs more trust in the U.S. and their developing relationship before it will get rid of its nuclear weapons, Pyongyangs top diplomat said Saturday. More than three months after a June summit in Singapore between the U.S. and North Korean leaders, Ri Yong Ho told world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly that the North doesnt see a corresponding response from the U.S. to North Koreas early disarmament moves. Instead, he noted, the U.S. is continuing sanctions aimed at keeping up pressure. The perception that sanctions can bring us on our knees is a pipe dream of the people who are ignorant of us, he said, adding that the continued sanctions are deepening our mistrust and deadlocking the current diplomacy. Without any trust in the U.S., there will be no confidence in our national security, and under such circumstances there is no way we will unilaterally disarm ourselves first, Ri said, adding that the Norths commitment to disarming is solid and firm, but that trust is crucial. Advertisement Washington is wary of easing sanctions or agreeing to another of the Norths priorities a declaration ending the Korean War without Pyongyang first making significant disarmament moves. Officials at the United States U.N. mission didnt immediately respond to an inquiry about Ris comments, which came as President Trump and his secretary of State, Michael R. Pompeo, are trying to regain momentum in their quest to get North Korea to renounce its nuclear ambitions. Pompeo is planning to visit Pyongyang next month to prepare for a second Kim-Trump summit. Both Kim and Trump want to meet again. But there is widespread skepticism that Pyongyang is serious about renouncing an arsenal that the country probably sees as the only way to guarantee its safety. Pompeo and Ri met on the sidelines of the General Assembly on Wednesday for what Pompeo described as a very positive discussion. He did not give any details. The North has traditionally said that the nuclear standoff is between it and the United States, but recent summits between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in have also dealt with the nuclear issue. Nuclear envoys from the U.S. and ally South Korea have met three times during this weeks U.N. meetings to talk about ways to end North Koreas pursuit of an arsenal of nuclear-armed long-range missiles. Two policemen shot dead in U.S. state of Mississippi Two policemen were killed Saturday in a shootout in the U.S. state of Mississippi, local police said. The incident took place in Brookhaven. Local police chief Kenneth Collins said the two policemen were responding to a report of gunshot when they were wounded by a shooter, presumably 25-year-old Marquis Flowers. The two policemen, 35-year-old James White and 31-year-old Zack Moak were pronounced dead at a hospital. "This is devastating for our community, especially given what has already happened so recently," Brookhaven Mayor Joe Cox said, referring to a shooting 16 months ago that killed one policeman and seven others. The Bureau of Immigration has arrested 46 Chinese nationals wanted by authorities in Beijing for economic crimes. Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the arrested fugitives were also caught in the act of engaging in cyber fraud operations in call centers that they illegally operated while in the country. Morente said the aliens were arrested in two operations conducted by operatives from the bureaus Fugitive Search Unit in the cities of Makati and Muntinlupa following a request from the Chinese Embassy in Manila. We received information from the Chinese authorities that these fugitives are hiding in the Philippines, said Morente. We immediately conducted our investigation upon receipt of information, and discovered that there were more fugitives involved conducting their illegal activities, he added. At least 30 of the foreigners were arrested in three different residential condominium buildings in Makati while the remaining 16 were rounded in a follow-up operation inside a house along Tanuan St., Ayala Alabang Village, Muntinlupa.Morente said all 46 Chinese nationals are now undergoing deportation proceedings for violating the Philippine Immigration Act. FSU chief Bobby Raquepo said many of those arrested were undocumented aliens as their passports have already been cancelled by the Chinese government. Raquepo said the aliens were caught in the act of manning their computer workstations when the arresting teams raided their offices. Further coordination with the Chinese embassy in Manila later revealed that the arrested nationals are all wanted fugitives in China for involvement in economic crimes. It seems like they attempted to transfer their operations in the country, Raquepo said. Gold And Silver Still Weak, Qrtly, Mthly, Wkly Charts We did an interview with Rory from The Daily Coin, last week, and we mentioned how crypto currencies could be problematic for gold and silver. Their existence could replace the massive fiat debt and preclude any reason for gold and silver to rally. You can find the interview here. There has been a lot of discussion of a possible reset whereby gold and silver would eventually replace the failing fiats, and that potential scenario was how $10,000/oz gold and $400/oz silver came about, for the most part. The pertinent question is, which country would want to have a gold and silver backed currency which would severely restrict the ability to issue increased amounts of the currency? Also, every other nation would want to buy and take delivery of any and all available gold and silver. That would not fly, at all. Recall how Nixon closed the gold window back in the 1970s. Plus, how would any government keep control over its people without the ability to maintain a financial stronghold on the population? Then why are China and Russia acquiring so much gold? Gold will always be a form of sound money, and both countries want gold and silver in order to be at the top of the world order, so their purchases are a form of insurance. Both of those countries support the IMF, and Chinas currency os now all digital, so there is not one bit of evidence to suggest the acquisition of gold is to provide a specie-backed Yuan or Ruble. Aint going to happen. Crypto currencies are another form of fiat, for they are also intrinsically without any value, and all governments can, and will, keep total control over their population through this recent digital phenomenon. That being the case, and it is not a hard one to make, who needs gold and silver? It is quite possible this line of reasoning is why both metals remain mired at current depressed levels despite a huge appetite for acquiring the physical. This is something worth considering. Look what happened to Bitcoin, going to a high of $20,000, at one point, while gold and silver continue to languish. Sure, Bitcoin has since dropped back to the $6,000 level, but even that has been a better performance relative to gold and silver. John Maynard Keynes: Markets can stay irrational longer than you can remain solvent. Two of the most undervalued markets around the world are gold and silver. From the BIS, the central bank for all other central banks, and all central banks under the control of the BIS, they have ensured that gold and silver remain suppressed, considered a useless relic, despite the fact that central banks have always accumulated and held gold. Five years into the long-term TRs [Trading Ranges] for the precious metals does not offer reason to expect a change in trend any time soon. There are myriad reasons put forth by market analysts who specialize in gold and silver, but their opinions have been consistently wrong for their calls of a huge change in trend about to get under way. The market is always the final arbiter for price and trend direction, and the best way to understand the market[s] is through price and volume behavior as found in the charts. Longer term time frames prevail over shorter term time frames. Most people who watch the markets typically us the daily chart to read the markets. The daily charts do not tell the overall character and prevailing trends. Few use annual and quarterly charts. We watch them regularly. Apologies for not being able to show larger chart sizes. One will have to enlarge them as best possible. While we state there is no sign of a final confirmation of the Nov/Dec 2015 low, the current 5 year TR is holding above that low, and within that TR, there have been two higher lows. What is missing are at least two higher highs. EDM, [Ease of Downward Movement] remains to the downside as almost every rally has been more labored and taking much more time. Price is still well under a 50% retracement from all time highs to recent lows, and that is an indiction of a bear market environment. Neither the Quarterly nor the Monthly chart shows any sign of an impending turnaround. The first indications of a change in trend always comes from the lower time frames, first the daily, then the weekly. We connected the swing highs and lows to give a clearer read of the markets direction. While still bound within an overall TR, there have been 2 higher lows, but the 2016 highs repelled rally highs in 2017 and again in 2018. Until there is a series of higher highs, not much can be expected in terms of a sustainable uptrend. Since the mid-August lows, there have been several high volume selling days in gold, yet the August low did not come under threat of a lower low. We see this as likely short-covering and not new buying because the market is still very weak, and the trend remains sideways within a downtrend. On the Quarterly chart, there was a strong rally bar in the 2nd Q of 2016, and it has held price within that range. We pointed that out as a positive sign back in January, 2018. The low of that bar is now being tested, but that is to be expected to see the whole up bar retraced under weak market conditions. The September low of 13.91 may turn out to be a retest of the December 2015 low in silver, around 13.60. Silver would have to begin to rally higher to make that a confirmation that a low is established. The weekly chart gives more clarity to the 13.91 September low as a possible retest for the December 2015 low. What makes that a more interesting possibility is last weeks rally in silver in contrast to greater weakness in gold. NMT, [Needs More Time]. September 4th was a wide range down bar on sharply higher volume, typical of strong selling activity. Yet, price did not go lower, save for a minor failed probe under the September 4 low 5 TDs later. What happened, instead, was silver traded sideways for the next 17 TDs, culminating in Fridays robust rally to 14.70. While these are positive signs, they do not carry much weight due to the very weak market conditions and weak chart structure. Changes in trend show up on the daily before the higher time frames. These described events may lead to change, but so far, not even the daily chart has turned positive, yet. More patience is required. If we are right about the crypto currencies, ones patience will be tested as never thought of before. It is a waiting game, right now. By Michael Noonan http://edgetraderplus.com Michael Noonan, mn@edgetraderplus.com, is a Chicago-based trader with over 30 years in the business. His sole approach to analysis is derived from developing market pattern behavior, found in the form of Price, Volume, and Time, and it is generated from the best source possible, the market itself. 2018 Copyright Michael Noonan - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors. Michael Noonan Archive 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. USCBC President Craig Allen (Photo: US-China Business Council twitter) Washington (People's Daily) - Craig Allen thinks himself a lucky guy to have the opportunity to lead the US top China-focused business association during this challenging period. Someone once said, you never want to waste a good crisis. What we really want to do is to come out of this period of incredible tension with a better relationship, a better trading environment going both ways for both countries. From Allens point of view, US-China ties are the most important in the world. Our two countries are the world's largest economies and growing very quickly. In addition to that, we're highly interdependent, he added. When you look at it from a global perspective, you will realize that there are many global problems that cannot be resolved without US-china cooperation, such as climate change, infectious diseases, and terrorism effects. Talking about the US-China trade deficit, Allen finds there are some multilateral and bilateral reasons for that. He said you will have a trade deficit if you save too little, and if you save too much you will have a trade surplus. China has had a trade surplus and the United States has had a trade deficit for many years. And that is fundamentally a result of this equilibrium between savings, investment, and consumption. On the bilateral side, he said Chinas trade surplus as a percentage of GDP has gone down, and is very good. US has a trade deficit around the world with many countries. So China is not the only country that shows the US has insufficient savings. We disagree with the use of tariffs as a tool of trade diplomacy. The longer the tariffs are in place, the more damage is done to the US and Chinese economies, Allen noted. Allen sees China less dependent on exports as a percentage of GDP growth than in the past. But I do think there are certain industries within China that cant get along with that. He said there are some regions in China that are more dependent on the US export market and those regions might be more deeply impacted than the overall Chinese economy. But I suspect that the Chinese economy will continue to grow robustly despite the trade war. The economy is growing at maybe twice the rate of the US economy, he added. On the tariffs impact to the US economy, Allen has a similar view with most economists. US tariffs on Chinese exports are attacks on US consumers and US businesses. Tariffs will reduce choices. One thing that worries me is this will affect those with lower incomes more than higher incomes because those with lower incomes have fewer choices. I think that this will disproportionately affect them. Allens other concern is many American companies are deeply interdependent with their Chinese counterparts. Many American manufacturers will import parts, components, equipment and raw materials from China. I worry about those companies that have a long relationship. Some of them can be replaced with imports from other countries or domestic products, others will be more difficult to replace. It also impacts US exports, as products will be more expensive. Statistics show that global trade is slowing, while exports of US goods and services to China continue to outpace exports to other major markets. On average, US exports to China grew by 8 percent annually over the past 10 years, despite the modest decline over the past two years versus 2014. US services exports to China grew more rapidly than all other major trading partners, averaging nearly 19 percent annually over the last decade. In my view, the tariffs don't really help with the goal of reassuring American manufacturing. The tariffs on manufacturing will probably be negative, he added. Tariffs also don't help the global economy. I'm particularly concerned with emerging markets. There is already a lot of stress in currencies, in South Africa, Turkey, Argentina, and other emerging market countries. All these countries are important. According to the 2018 Member Survey released by USCBC in September, China remains an important market for American companies. Most American companies invest in China to access and compete for Chinese customers, and China remains one of the top priority markets for 90 percent of US companies. Most plan to maintain or invest in China next year. American companies invested in China in the long term, and those companies have a stake in the bilateral relationship, and we want to grow our businesses. But that becomes much more difficult with tariffs on both sides. Now, every company is affected in different ways, Allen said, hoping the robust negotiating takes place, and to find resolutions of market access, intellectual property right protection and technology transfer that US government claimed. These tariffs cant be forever, and we need to resolve the situation quickly, Allen said. The white paper just released by China on its trade friction with the US told the world its stand on trade issue and declares its determination to further open up, experts pointed out, as the newly-released document has caught global attention and gained wide recognition. The white paper titled The Facts and China's Position on China-US Trade Friction, published by the Information Office of the State Council on Monday, clarifies key facts about China-US economic and trade relations, outlines Chinas stance on trade friction with the US, and strongly refutes the groundless accusations from the US. The white paper was a response to the US-leveled criticisms against China, including the perceived imbalance of trade in goods and the alleged intellectual property theft, said Sourabh Gupta, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Institute for China-America Studies, in a belief that it also declared Chinas determination to adhere to opening-up policy. Washingtons attempt to re-write the rules of law and reason in its economic intercourse with China on the basis of unilateralism, protectionism and self-centeredness was an abdication of global public goods responsibilities and posed a grave threat to the international economic order, he said. The white paper, from the perspective of safeguarding the interests of China and the US, as well as the common interests of the world, offered strong support for multilateralism, Kim Van der Borght, professor of International Economic Law at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, told the Peoples Daily. Facts and statistics indicated that China-US economic and trade relations could benefit both sides in an open environment, he said. The white paper refuted the White Houses rhetoric that it was at a disadvantage in the trade relations with China, illustrated by facts that the US export of services to China had been increasing and its enterprises were seeing effective investment in China in recent years, the professor added. China-US trade relations are not a zero-sum game, but a win-win partnership, said Tsuyuguchi Yosuke, professor with Faculty of Economics at Teikyo University, who pointed out at the same time that the theory of comparative advantage held that a free trade would benefit every country with increased profits. Therefore, it was nonsense for the US to complain itself at a disadvantage in trading with China, he pointed out, adding that there was no good forany country to hinder free trade. He explained that many big American companies had manufacturing bases in China, and they had gained huge profits through exporting products to other countries or selling them to Chinese consumers. Former Indonesian Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu told Peoples Daily that global trade and investment saw rising uncertainties and global supply chain was under the risk of fragmentation since the US initiated trade frictions against China. It was a blow to the upward world economy and Indonesia was not happy to see that as well, she added, elaborating that that if the Chinese economy was impacted, Indonesia as a main trade partner of China would also be affected. The US protectionist trade policy also brought negative effects to other countries including Japan, as countries were interconnected in the modern world, Yosuke said. The Japanese economist took the global supply chain in the manufacturing sector as an example, saying that the additional tariffs imposed by the US on China would lead to a reduction of Chinese exports to the US, and affected by this, the Japanese part exports to China would also see a decrease. Trade protectionism has a hugely indirect impact as well. The interaction of the direct and indirect impacts may push the world economy to stagnation, he warned. China made clear to the whole world its stance on trade issues through the white paper, said Bernard Dewit, chairman of the Belgian-Chinese Economic and Commercial Council, adding that the white paper revealed Chinas attitude to continue opening up and its hope to solve trade frictions through communication and dialogue. He suggested all countries read through the document in order to better understand Chinas commitments on opening up. Chinas manufacturing industry, with its strong resilience and space for maneuver, has the confidence and ability to cope with challenges and risks, Chinese regulator said amid the escalated trade frictions between China and the US. Miao Wei, Minister of Industry and Information Technology, made the remarks during an exclusive interview with Peoples Daily after Washington declared to impose 10 percent tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports this Monday. The added value of industrial enterprises above the designated size grew 6.5 percent year on year in the first 8 months this year, Miao noted. The manufacturing sector whose added value accounted for 85 percent of the industrial figure, registered a growth of 6.8 percent in the same period, over-fulfilling the task set earlier this year, the minister said. In addition to growth, enterprises also posted better profits that were increasing in double digits, Miao further introduced. A major highlight of Chinas industrial economy is that the growth of high-tech manufacturing outran that of the general industry, Miao told Peoples Daily, elaborating that value added of the high-tech manufacturing was up 11.9 percent in this period, 5.1 percentage points higher than the general figure. The electronic equipment, as well as electrical machinery and apparatus registered double-digit growth, he added. According to Miao, the steady pickup in growth of investment in manufacturing was another highlight. The investment grew 7.5 percent year on year in the first eight months, 3 percentage points higher than the same period in 2017. Private investment in manufacturing was up 8.6 percent in the same period, 4 percentage points higher from a year ago, which Miao said is the fastest growth for investment in manufacturing since March 2016. In addition, Chinas manufacturing sector was further opened to the outside world, the minister said, explaining that this year, China lowered market access for foreign manufacturers of automobiles, ships and aircraft, and released a timetable of wider market access. China also released a guideline for further openness, and largely reduced import tariffs of industrial products, making new achievements in opening up. Miao said that China ranks the first in the world in terms of manufacturing volume after years of development, adding that Chinese enterprises have embarked on the path of innovation-driven development thanks to the countrys relatively complete industrial chain. New industries, such as mass customization and service-embedded manufacturing, are emerging in China because of the integration of traditional manufacturing and information technology, he introduced, saying it has endowed the manufacturing industry with huge potential. We missed the previous industrial revolutions, so we must take the opportunity in the new round of revolution and solve the problems occurred in our development, to help Chinese manufacturing move toward higher end on the industrial chain, the official stressed. Describing the foreign reports that China was making a 10-year plan to replace the US in 10 major industries as total misinterpretation, he explained that China is generally 30 years left behind by the US in technology and manufacturing development. He further pointed out that China and the US should compete in development rather than mutual accusation, saying to enhance cooperation and work for win-win results is the only way to success. History has verified that no country is able to seek for its own development with its doors shut, the minister remarked, adding that opening is the only constructive solution. HOUSTON, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Overseas Chinese from all walks of life in Houston, the U.S. state of Texas, held a grand flag raising ceremony Saturday to celebrate the 69th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The flag raising ceremony was held at Chinese Civic Center in Houston. The light rain in the early morning could not curb the enthusiasm of the overseas Chinese to celebrate the birthday for their motherland. More than people including the staff from the Chinese Consulate General in Houston, representatives of local Chinese communities and school students attended the event. Chinese Consul General in Houston Li Qiangmin said that China-U.S. relations are the most important bilateral relationship in the world. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1979, China-U.S. relations have developed in an all-round way and have formed an inseparable community of interests. "History has proved that China-U.S. economic and trade relations are mutually beneficial and win-win. Our common interests far outweigh the differences," Li said. When talking about China-U.S. economic and trade relations, Li said that "as the world's largest developing country and developed country, China-U.S. relations are of great significance to world peace, stability, development and prosperity." He hoped that the overseas Chinese will continue to make unremitting efforts for the mutual understanding and friendly interactions between Chinese and Americans. As the representative of overseas Chinese, Fan Yuxin, chief executive of the Chinese Civic Center, said that people could understand "Chinese heart" more and hold more deep-rooted feelings for their motherland when they stayed abroad. He encouraged overseas Chinese to pioneer and to become a glorious and dignified Chinese. At the flag raising ceremony, local performance groups and school students also brought dragon and lion dances as well as singing and dancing performances to the audience. 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, Letter to editor: Congress can get this right 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. September 30, 2018 The MoA Week In Review - OT 2018-50 Last week's posts on Moon of Alabama: The new electronic warfare equipment arrived and the first S-300 launchers were unloaded. A Russian ship is underway to provide additional air defense materials and supplies. The not-so-moderate 'rebels' found out that the new Turkish-Russian agreement of demilitarized zone in Idleb is to their disadvantage and reject it. It will be impossible to solve the 'anarchy and terror in Idelb without force. Either Erdogan applies it (not likely), or Syria and its allies will. Trump wants to get through economic sanctions what the U.S. could not get by force: The United States will pursue a strategy of isolation, including sanctions, with its allies if President Bashar al-Assad holds up a political process aimed at ending Syrias seven-year war, a top U.S. diplomat for Syria told Reuters on Friday. Jim Jeffrey, the U.S. special representative for Syria, said Washington would work with countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East to impose tough international sanctions if Assads government failed to cooperate on rewriting the Syrian constitution as a prelude to elections. ... He added: Even if the U.N. Security Council wont pass them we will just do it through the European Union, we will do it through our Asian allies, and then we will make it our business to make life as miserable as possible for that flopping cadaver of a regime and let the Russians and Iranians, who made this mess, get out of it. Syria, Russia and Iran are already under U.S. sanctions. They won't care about such nonsense. September 26 - U.S. Scaremongers About Iranian Missiles But Reduces Mideast Missile Defense September 26 - The Trap Failed - Rosenstein Neither Fired Nor Resigned Trump will meet Rosenstein in two weeks or so. The issue has been moved out of the way because the push for another lying aristocrat to the Supreme Court is the more important issue. One thing is sure, that angry dude likes his beer (vid) way too much. September 27 - British Intelligence Throws More Novi-Fog To Hide The Holes In Its Skripal File September 28 - Trump Administration Acknowledges Climate Change - Predicts Large Rise In Global Temperatures The comment thread provides that the propaganda power of the immensely rich fossil fuel industry is still quite strong. September 29 - Note To Iran - Debunking Netanyahu Requires Some Care Other items: Adel Abdel Mahdi will become the new Prime Minister of Iraq. A good choice for Iran and its allies. The U.S. is already in retreat as it evacuates its consulate in Basra. Trump about (vid) his relation with Kim Jong Un: "We went back and forth, then we fell in love. He wrote me beautiful letters. And they are great letters. We fell in love." How is Melania feeling about this? Use as open thread ... Posted by b on September 30, 2018 at 15:00 UTC | Permalink Comments next page A drone photo shows a 379-meter-long glass bridge built in the Nandan Mountain area in Foshan City, South Chinas Guangdong Province, which opened on Sept. 28, 2018 after passing safety test. The glass bridge, suspended 202 meters above the ground, makes use of innovative technology to create impressive sound and visual effects. (Photo: China News Service/Zeng Linghua) Chinese President Xi Jinping and other senior leaders of the Communist Party of China (CPC) attended a ceremony on Sunday morning to pay tribute and lay wreaths at the Monument to the People's Heroes at the Tian'anmen Square in Beijing. Xi, also general secretary of CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, joined representatives of all walks of life to mark the country's fifth Martyrs' Day, on the eve of the National Day. China designated September 30 as Martyrs' Day in 2014 to commemorate those who lost their lives fighting for national causes. In China, martyrs refer to "people who sacrificed their lives for national independence and prosperity, as well as the welfare of the people in modern times, or after the First Opium War (1840-1842)". CHESHIRE Two town residents, a Democratic state representative with a term under her belt and a Republican businesswoman and newcomer to elected office, will face off in November for the 103rd State House district seat. Republican Diane Pagano, owner of a senior caregiver service, said she was motivated to seek public office this year by the states economic situation. Being a small business owner, that pushed me into talking about running, she said. The district includes Cheshire and small parts of Southington and Wallingford. Democrat Liz Linehan said shes worked to be open and accessible to constituents, adding that her online presence has helped her learn about problems that shes been able to address as a legislator. Linehan said shes heard from seniors and families concerned about the cost of living in Connecticut. To help seniors, she supported a measure to reduce taxes on Social Security benefits. Starting in 2019, single seniors making $75,000 or less and senior couples making $100,000 or less wont pay any taxes on their benefits. Were really trying to make sure that seniors can afford to live here, Linehan said. Linehan also opposed cuts in state aid to municipalities, saying she didnt want towns to raise property taxes due to reductions in state funding. Pagano is calling for zero-based budgeting for the state to rein in spending. Under that method, state departments must justify all their spending each year rather than seek increases to the previous years funding. At least we have a start to figure out where to stop the spending, she said. Pagano worked in finance and medical records for hospitals before starting her business three and a half years ago. She believes her experience in finances, workers compensation, liability insurance and running a company will help her in the General Assembly. I believe that information, I can take into being a state representative, Pagano said. Linehan and Pagano had different perspectives on tolls, which Pagano said was the top issue for voters shes contacted. Pagano is opposed to tolls and the $10 million toll study authorized by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. She said people dont realize how many toll locations will be constructed throughout the state and how much of an impact theyll have on nearly every industry. Its going to affect all of us one way or another, she said. The more people understand them, the more they say, No, I cant afford another tax. Linehan said she doesnt want to increase the burden on Connecticut residents. While she said $10 million was too much for a toll study, she wanted any toll study to include whether residents could get a state tax credit or some other benefit to offset increased transportation costs. She didnt want to oppose tolls before finding out whether they would help the state and if they could be implemented without overburdening taxpayers. None of us want to raise new revenue streams that are strictly from Connecticut residents, Linehan said. Republican Al Adinolfi decided not to run for the district seat in 2016. Linehan, then a Cheshire Town Council member, defeated Andy Falvey for the open seat in a narrow vote that triggered an automatic recount. jbuchanan@record-journal.com 203-317-2230 Twitter: @JBuchananRJ Two local hospitals were cited for violations stemming from unannounced inspections performed by the state Department of Public Health. The state cited MidState Medical Center for two violations during an inspection in December 2017, including failure to properly assess a patient admitted to the emergency room on Oct. 24 of last year and failure to provide a timely care to other patients that same night. The department also cited Gaylord Hospital for seven violations following an inspection in January 2016, including failure to ensure low-risk IV medications are compounded in accordance with the hospitals policies, and other safety violations. The violations were reported this week by the Connecticut Health Investigative Team, which published an online database of past hospital inspection reports issued for hospitals around the state by the DPH. DPH spokeswoman Maura Downes said the department inspects hospitals every two years, or every four year if they receive funding through Medicare or Medicaid. Downes said visits are always unannounced. According to an inspection report prepared by DPH, MidState l was cited for failing to ensure that measures were instituted to ensure timely provider evaluations in the (emergency department) after the states inspection found that several patients admitted to the emergency room that night waited over three hours for care and eventually left. One patient came into the emergency room with abdominal pain and left four and half hours later without being seen. Another patient suffering from possible kidney pain left after waiting two and a half hours, according to the report. Both came in between 12:30 and 1 a.m. The report also found that the initial assessment of some patients by hospital staff was incomplete. The report noted that seven patients were admitted to the emergency room between midnight and 12:39 a.m., including a patient admitted for cardiac arrest that required immediate care, the report stated. The hospital told state inspectors that particular night was unusually busy and that the three-hour wait time happens occasionally and should not happen. In a statement, MidState President Gary Havican said the hospital has made many improvements inside its emergency department to expedite care, and create a better experience for patients and their families. Havican said the amount of time it takes for a patient to see a doctor in the ED has dropped from 40 minutes in August 2017 to 22 minutes today. We have redesigned our entire triage (or decision) process which helps patients get the care they need sooner, the statement said. We have opened a dedicated Fast Track which speeds up care for those patients who may have less complex problems, but still need emergent care. This has transformed the emergency department experience, especially during peak hours. We have also added extra staffing to alleviate the issues and have a new management team that continues to improve the operations inside the Emergency Department. MidState submitted a plan to DPH on Jan. 3 this year outlining the corrective steps it took. The seven violations cited by DPH during a January 2016 inspection of Gaylord included different health and safety violations, including failure to ensure that low-risk IV medications were compounded...in accordance with hospital policy. Other violations cited in the DPHs inspection reported dated Feb. 18, 2016, include: failure to ensure commercial cooking equipment met standards; failure to ensure nonflammable medical gas systems were in compliance; failure to ensure atrium separations had proper fire resistance rating; and failure to ensure fire resistance of hazardous areas. Tara Knapp, Gaylords vice president of development, marketing and public relations said in a statement, Each of the violations noted by DPH as part of their regular licensure visit are opportunities to improve our standards of care and are promptly addressed and corrected to be in line with our commitment to providing nothing less than the best care possible." mzabierek@record-journal.com 203-317-2279 Twitter: @MatthewZabierek SOUTHINGTON If you wanted one of Zion Lutheran Churchs apple fritters early Sunday afternoon at the Apple Harvest Festival, well, you were just going to have to be a little patient. The line queued up shortly after the festival set up on Sunday at noon, and was ever increasing as the afternoon went on. Residents also set up chairs all along Main Street for the afternoon parade, claiming their places hours before the parade stepped off at 2 p.m. Weve had great attendance, said Ken Crooker, master of the Southington Masonic lodge. Weve seen a lot of people we dont know. Until the parade got going, the food got everyones attention. A stroll down the main food offerings just off of Main Street would show the following smorgasbord: fried dough, meatball grinders, baked potatoes, pierogi, Indian food, Greek food, sausage and peppers, barbecue, burritos, clam chowder, grilled cheese, hamburgers and hot dogs. A litany of street food, sort of poetic when you line them all up like that. Get a Frito pie to wash down your Italian ice, called a good-natured huckster from the Southington Catholic School food booth. Girls, you found the chili booth. Step right this way. I dont bite, another barker called to people in the crowd. Zion Lutheran Churchs apple fritters spoke for themselves. Lois Garafola, a Southington resident, has been volunteering with the church at the festival almost since the beginning. She remembers when they first started making fritters for the festival, they used a single frying pan and an ice scream scoop. The pastor at the time, Rev. Steinke, gave Dot Czarnota 50 pounds of flour and asked her to come up with something they could sell to raise money at the festival. She loved German food, so she whipped up some apple fritters. Over four decades later, Czarnotas daughter Cindy Miller, clad in a kerchief emblazoned with apples, was slinging her mothers creation to the hungry masses. They have teams of at least 13 people working on four shifts, using industrial-grade mixers and four large friolators. One person is at the mixer all day long, and it generally takes about six to eight minutes from the mixer to the spinner, where they are covered with cinnamon and sugar, to a waiting buyers hands, Garafola said. Its an elaborate operation, one they started putting together in August. But on the day of, Garafola said, they have to wing it a little bit. When someone needs to be trained, I say, welcome to the fritter booth. What do you want to do today? she said. Paper napkin math shows that the church volunteers might serve up over 100,000 individual fritters a year. But Garafola wont commit to that number. I never counted, she said. Like most of the other community organizations peddling their culinary wares at the festival, this is Zion Lutherans biggest fundraiser of the year, Garafola said. This year Zion Lutheran will use some of the proceeds from the festival to support Southington Bread for Life, Southington Community Services, The Cove Center for Grieving Children in Meriden, the Prudence Crandall Center, and veterans organizations. WALLINGFORD The Greek Guy restaurant is expanding into the storefront next door with plans for a banquet room. Its going to be a totally private dining hall, said owner Chris Nakis. Nakis recently purchased the neighboring property, Fair Price Variety Store, formerly T-Square Convenience Store, and its contents. The new space is about 2,000 square feet. The banquet room will fit 80 comfortably, he said. The existing restaurant, 600 N. Colony Rd., is 2,500 square feet and has about 15 staff members. The plans are to keep the existing bar and install an 8-foot opening, using sliding barn doors, to access the banquet room. The new space will have a 20-foot bar, restrooms and feature marble and wall molding. Nakis said hes planning to add staff and create an additional menu. He said he received Planning and Zoning Commission approval for the expansion a couple years ago, but needs to be granted a change of use permit, and also a building permit before construction can begin on Nov. 1. Nakis donated the stores contents to Masters Manna, including more than 500 pounds of food. It was a lot of stuff, he said. It was jammed in there, and what was I going to do with all that stuff? Sue Heald, Masters Manna food pantry manager, said Nakis contacted the organization last week about making the donation, which included snacks, chips, bottled drinks, canned goods, cleaning supplies and household items. We are using some of the cleaning supplies for our maintenance, Heald said. Snack items are being used in our food pantry or family dining center. Other household items will go to the marketplace. We just so appreciate when the community contacts us with things like this, she said. Nakis said he estimates construction will take about three weeks, and hopes to be open for holiday season. LTakores@record-journal.com 203-317-2212 Twitter: @LCTakores Regional Assam CM calls for innovation, expert aid to boost tea industry GUWAHATI, Sep 30 (Agencies) | Publish Date: 9/30/2018 12:05:53 PM IST Assam chief minister, Sarbananda Sonowal has urged the tea industry to adopt a scientific approach for regaining the lost glory of Assam tea, The Shillong Times reported. Exhorting experts of Toklai Tea Research Institute in Jorhat to lead the industry in this direction, Sonowal said the researchers and scientists of the institute must come forth with newer inventions so that Assam tea could capture the tea market of the world. Both the central and state governments are very much committed to improve the tea sector of the state and would extend all required support in this regard, Sonowal said after laying the foundation stone of a tea tourism centre at research institute in on Sunday. The tea tourism centre will be built under signature project of Uttaran Scheme of the government of Assam. The chief minister while reminding that the tea industry of Assam faces stiff challenges in the world tea market today, especially due to entry of new countries in the tea production sector, observed that to tide over such a challenging situation, the tea industry would have to upgrade the quality of its production. Finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, while speaking on the occasion, said that the state government adopted Uttaran Scheme to give a new dimension to the visions of the MLAs and implementing innovative projects suitable to local needs. He also informed that the state government would spend Rs 1260 crore during the current fiscal under the scheme. Sarma emphasised on adopting better strategy and augmenting quality of the tea produced in the state for tackling the present challenges. He also informed about the state governments initiatives to reduce the maternal mortality rate in the tea gardens of the state. Speaker of Assam Legislative Assembly Hitendra Nath Goswami andJorhat MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa also spoke on the occasion. Chairman of Tocklai Tea Research Institute Prabhat Kamal Bezbaruah, director Anup Kumar Baruah and several scientists as well as officials of the Centre were present in the programme. New brands of yellow tea and green tea developed by the Tea Reseach Institute after extensive research were formally launched by the dignitaries. National Dalit Christian hacked to death by hitman hired by father of bride New Delhi, Sep 30 (Agencies) | Publish Date: 9/30/2018 12:08:24 PM IST Seven people were arrested Tuesday in the Indian state of Telangana in connection with the killing of a low-caste Christian man who married an upper-caste woman. Pranay Kumar, 23, was reportedly hacked to death last Friday as he walked out of a hospital in the Nalgonda district with his pregnant wife, Amrutha Varshini. Varshini belonged to the third-highest caste community in Hindu society, while Kumar is part of Indias low-ranking Dalit caste. The couple was married in January. Amruthas father, Maruti Rao, was among the men arrested for Kumars murder. Nalgonda Police Chief A.V. Ranganath told the media that the murder appears to be a contract killing. According to the Indian magazine The Week, police say that Rao was opposed to the marriage and conspired with others to kill Kumar. Rao was alleged to have paid an advance of about Rs 15 lakh, which is the equivalent of about $20,000, to carry out the murder. Surveillance footage shows Kumar walking out of the hospital when an assailant, who was later identified as Subhash Kumar Sharma, attacked the victim from behind with a machete and got in at least two blows before fleeing the scene. According to The Hindustan Times, local Congress leader Abdul Karim, suspected Islamic terrorist Asghar Ali, and Raos brother, Sravan, and driver Shiva were also arrested in connection with the murder. Ali is accused of being connected with Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence. Ali and his aid, Mohammad Bari, who was also arrested for the killing of Kumar, were both accused and acquitted previously for the murder of former Gujarat home minister Haren Pandya in 2003. According to police, Ali and Bari hired assassin Subhash Sharma from Bihar to carry out Kumars murder. Sharma was also arrested on Tuesday. Ranganath told the media that the plot to kill Kumar has been in the works since June. [Rao] first discussed his plan with his friend Abdul Karim and they got in touch with Bari, whom they have known since 2011, Ranganath was quoted as saying. In the first week of July, Rao and Karim met Asghar Ali and Bari to work out a plan while sitting in a car at Miryalguda. Rao also showed them the residence of Pranay. Regional Manipur celebrates Irawats birth anniversary Manipur chief minister, N. Biren paying floral tribute at the portrait of Hijam Irawat at the state function on his 122nd birth anniversary on Sunday. (NP) Correspondent IMPHAL, Sep 30 | Publish Date: 9/30/2018 12:05:12 PM IST Manipur government on Sunday celebrated, as sgovernment function, the birth anniversary of iconic peoples leader Hijam Irawat, the pioneer of the revolutionary movement in Manipur. Fulfilling the long cherished desire of the people, the N Biren Singh government celebrated the 122nd birth anniversary of Hijam Irawat with a state function in Imphals BT Park today. Hijam Irawat (September 30, 1896 September 26, 1951), also known as Jana Neta Hijam Irawat, was a freedom fighter, politician and social activist from Manipur. The chief minister, addressing the occasion, said that of all Prime Ministers of the country, only Atal Bihari Vajpayee had recognized the contributions and achievements of Hijam Irawat. It was during Vajpayees tenure as the Prime Minister in 1998, the then NDA government released a commemorative stamp in Irawats name, he added. Singh said Irawat stood for unity and worked to establish closer ties between the hill and valley peoples. The inseparable hill-valley unity was his vision for a prosperous Manipur, he added. He said that paying homage and celebrating Irawats birth anniversary would be meaningful only when the younger generation followed his ideals and translated his philosophies into action. Earlier, the chief minister laid a foundation stone for construction of Irawat Square in memory of the iconic peoples leader. State deputy chief minister Y. Joykumar Singh remembered Irawat as a unique leader, who could win the hearts of the masses. He said that Irawat was a versatile personality with good organizational skills and charismatic capabilities. Floral tributes were offered at the portrait of Hijam Irawat by the people led by the chief minister, and talks on his life and contribution to Manipuri society were delivered by historian Prof N Joykumar Singh, Kh Nishikanta of Irawat Foundation, Imphal Free Press editor, Pradip Phanjoubam, and Prof N Lokendra of Manipur University. Like in the previous years, CPI Manipur State Council too celebrated the 122nd birth anniversary with a grand function in Imphals Iboyaima Shumang Leela Shanglen, Palace Compound. Earlier, in the morning, state CPI leaders led the people in offering floral tributes to the life size statue of the iconic leader erected at his birth place in Imphals Pishum. Irawat was one of the founder leaders of Communist Party of India (CPI) in Manipur. State DIPR minister Thongam Biswajit Singh, who attended one of the celebration functions, called for doing good deeds during ones lifetime for the sake of the future generation. The minister said, We are remembering Jana Neta Irawat for all the good deeds he has done for our state. State forest minister Th Shyamkumar attended another celebration function in Jiribam district. Addressing the occasion, the minister said that Irawat had worked for the development and welfare of the Manipuri community and the society. He truly showed to the nation the identity of our community, he added. Health Mobile Health: What is it, and how can it help us? By Nagaland Post | Publish Date: 9/30/2018 12:30:32 PM IST A great number of healthcare practioners and patients alike remain wary of electronic health. Doctors claim that they don't have enough time, and patients are concerned about their data going awry. As such, the uptake of mobile health has been slow. In this Spotlight, we investigate its pros and cons. Given the scale and speed of our technological advancement during the past few decades, it is no surprise that around 4.68 billion people will use a cell phone by 2019. In the United States, just "40 percent [of general physicians] have evening and weekend working hours," which may isolate a great number of patients in the U.S. who work 95. However, in developing African countries such as Zimbabwe, the situation is much worse. There is just one doctor per 10,000 people. Similar scenarios present themselves in many other developing countries. According to the 2014 Information and Communication Technology Household Survey by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency "at national level, the proportion of households with at least one household member with a [cell phone] at home was about 89 percent compared [with] about 11 percent without." It may therefore appear intuitive to exploit the growing worldwide popularity of cell phones and other such personal electronic devices to create more convenient healthcare for all. Indeed, "The proliferation of cell phones across the globe, even in locales without basic healthcare infrastructure, is spurring the growth of mHealth in developing countries," according to West Wireless Health. However, despite the global advent of electronic health (eHealth) and, more specifically, mobile health (mHealth) during the past couple of decades, many individuals remain unsure of its uses and benefits. What is mHealth? The World Health Organization (WHO) have stated that "no standardized definition of [mHealth] has been established." However, for the purposes of a survey that the Global Observatory for eHealth conducted in 2009, mHealth was defined "as medical and public health practice supported by mobile devices, such as [cell] phones, patient monitoring devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and other wireless devices." With nearly 4.7 billion cell phone users around the world, using such devices as a way to aid health is surely a step toward achieving global wellness. As mHealth Alliance explain: "[T]he ubiquity of mobile devices in the developed or developing world presents the opportunity to improve health outcomes through the delivery of innovative medical and health services with information and communication technologies to the farthest reaches of the globe." Since their introduction to the global market during the 20th century, mobile devices have aimed to improve connectedness and perhaps the most recognized benefit of mHealth is its ability to keep us connected with our healthcare provider at all times and from all distances. How can mHealth help us? The connectedness and convenience that mHealth and most other facets of eHealth provides have the potential to greatly improve quality of life and ease of care when used appropriately. From improved medication adherence to aggregated patient data, the benefits are plenty. Treatment compliance One of the main challenges that healthcare practioners now face is ensuring that their patients take the correct medication as and when they are supposed to. A study that was published in the journal Risk Management and Healthcare Policy in 2014 included some worrying statistics. "Medication nonadherence is widespread and varied by disease, patient characteristics, and insurance coverage," the authors write, "with [drug] nonadherence rates ranging from 25 percent to 50 percent." Failure to take prescribed medication correctly, among other things, "is associated with poor therapeutic outcomes, progression of disease, and an estimated burden of billions per year in avoidable direct healthcare costs," report the study's authors. Noncompliance with a medication regime has a whole host of issues, including hospitalization, relapse, disease flare-ups, poorer quality of life, and possibly even death. However, there are certain mHealth apps easily downloadable to a phone or other personal device that can help people stick to their medication regimen by tracking pills they have and have not taken, prompting them to take a certain drug, and allowing them to log any symptoms. Improved monitoring A lot of mHealth apps can connect a patient with their healthcare provider to improve ease and speed of contact. Being able to chat with a doctor or get advice on a condition, symptoms, or drug at any time has a host of benefits the most important being the possibility of earlier intervention. If a patient expresses concerns about their health but can't physically get to a doctor, they can use an mHealth app to communicate. The doctor might see fit to intervene, thereby potentially saving the patient's life. Improved monitoring has benefits at the wider population level, too; some mHealth apps are able to collect patient and general healthcare data and store it in a single place. This allows healthcare providers to peruse the most recent advances in the field, ensuring that the best possible patient outcome can be achieved. By having such convenient access to health trends often in real time healthcare professionals can stay on top of up-and-coming practices, giving them a better idea of how to proceed with patient care. Paperless information The growing popularity of electronic communication devices, such as laptops, cell phones, tablets, and PDAs, is also beneficial for the environment; it has set in motion the decline of paper-based communication and documentation filing. Many companies including Expensify, a tool for expense report management, and TicketText, a ticketing company have "gone paperless," instead favoring internet-based storage solutions such as the Cloud. Going paperless not only cuts office and hospital supply costs and reduces wastage, it also lowers doctors' office clutter and helps keep all patient data secure and in the right place. However, while some people have suggested that using paper documentation actually reduces the risk of losing patient information, studies have so far been inconclusive. How might mHealth harm us? Human mistrust of technology is hardly new; for decades, we've been resisting any form of change or advancement that may take power away from us. In many ways, this is what mHealth apps do: take a great deal of responsibility out of the hands of healthcare professionals and assistants and deliver it straight to cyberspace. However, could this cause more harm than good? Lack of regulation Before a drug is allowed to go to market, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have to approve its safety. Without their approval, the drug cannot legally be sold. The FDA explain that they are "responsible for protecting the public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, and medical devices." According to research2guidance, as of 2017, there were approximately 325,000 mHealth apps available. Though users have hailed many of these beneficial, the FDA have so far only approved a fraction of them. mHealth apps are perhaps not at the top of the FDA's priority list; they are considered by experts to be "low-risk," meaning that the use of them is noninvasive and unlikely to cause considerable physical harm. For this reason, the FDA do not believe that they require regulation in the same way that drugs and other therapies do. Although this means that app development companies can roll them out to the paying public faster, it does also mean that there is little testing in patient communities to catch any issues the app may have, which could cause harm to the user further down the line. Interestingly, there have been hints that instead of the FDA working to approve apps themselves, entire app development companies could gain their approval. Too reliant Despite the fact that, as discussed above, the majority of mHealth apps have neither been tested in the patient community nor approved by regulatory bodies such as the FDA, many patients do rely on them in their everyday lives. Somewhat concerningly, many users of mHealth apps are choosing to use them instead of seeking professional help. This is problematic for several reasons the most important being the fact that the vast majority of these apps are not regulated. In fact, in 2015, researchers at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA, conducted a study into symptom-checking websites and apps. The researchers discovered that, of the top 23 symptom checkers, "correct diagnoses were listed first in only 34 percent of standardized patient evaluations." The analysis also revealed that the correct diagnoses were listed by the symptom-checking tools within the "top 20 possible diagnoses" in less than 60 percent of the evaluations. This has dangerous implications especially the fact that receiving an incorrect diagnosis or not getting one at all could hinder proper treatment and possibly endanger life. The future of mHealth Many people believe that mHealth is the future of healthcare but what is the future of mHealth? Where will this technology take the healthcare industry and all those who rely on it? In an ideal world In several ways, the future is already here; "wearables" are now a part of millions of people's lives, and seeing a doctor via an app has never been easier. What else can we expect from mHealth? We can assume that mHealth will offer greater access to healthcare in developing countries while also decreasing the cost of healthcare in developed nations by transforming expensive systems into "prevention-based and patient-focused" ones. Using mHealth apps to track symptoms and keep in touch with a healthcare provider can reduce the need for invasive treatments by staying one step ahead of disease. Openness is a key goal of mHealth developers. James Michiel senior mHealth and informatics analyst at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta, GA says, "the future of mHealth is open open access, open source, open data, and open innovation." However, mHealth faces many obstacles in achieving that goal. Challenges to face For mHealth to continue along its successful growth trajectory, there is need for proper regulation. According to the researchers M. Mars and R.E. Scott, "eHealth's ability to transcend sociopolitical boundaries holds the potential to create a borderless world for health systems and healthcare delivery." "But," they continue, writing in the journal Health Affairs, "the policy needed to guide eHealth's development is limited and just now emerging in developed countries." "What's needed to foster eHealth growth in the developing world is thoughtful policy to facilitate patient mobility and data exchange, across both international border and regional boundaries within countries." What's next? Researcher Harold Thimbleby writing in the Journal of Public Health Research in 2013 explains that the "future of healthcare is about the patient (or stopping people becoming patients), but patients are not the main stakeholders in healthcare." "Insurance companies, big pharma, doctors, managers, suppliers, builders, governments, and many other forces will influence the future," he adds. "Will innovation help patients or will it be partly to help monitor clinicians delivering healthcare?" Perhaps answering this question is key for the development of mHealth; after all, appropriately developed means of delivering treatment can mitigate risk to patients and put in place best practices for doctors. Regardless of what comes next, Michiel recognizes that "[n]ever in the history of development have there been so many powerful tools and platforms available to those who have traditionally been marginalized and excluded from the vanguard of technology and innovation." "It is imperative, though," he goes on, "that these tools and technologies are used deliberately and efficiently, with an eye toward the end user in a way that ensures long-term sustainability and development." Ambassador Wu Peng, addressing his audience at the Bintumani Hotel Conference Auditorium on Friday Ambassador of the Peoples Republic of China to the Republic of Sierra Leone has stated that the success of the Forum on ChinaAfrica Cooperation (FOCAC) Beijing Summit and President Maada Bios state visit to China marked a new era of China-Africa and China-Sierra Leone cooperation. Speaking at celebration of the 69th anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China, Ambassador Wu Peng said his country stands ready to cooperate with Sierra Leone to strategically dock President Bios New Direction agenda with Chinas development plan, and deepen cooperation with FOCAC and the Belt and Road Initiative, so as to inject new impetus into the development of the two countries and bring tangible benefits to the two nations. As China marks its 40th anniversary of reform and opening up this year, the Chinese government has introduced a host of major steps to deepen reform, expand opening-up and advance innovation, aiming at promoting both Chinas own development and global growth. In the first half of 2018, Chinas economy expanded by 6.8%, staying within the medium-high growth range of 6.7% - 6.9% for 12 quarters in a row. On the whole, the Chinese economy has stayed on track of steady progress, with growing new drivers and sound fundamentals. Minister Alpha Timbo, thanking and congratulating China Together with Chinas rapid development, China-Africa and China-Sierra Leone friendship is developing at an increasingly faster pace, Wu said, adding that for the fact that the two countries' people share common historical experience, development tasks, and political aspiration, they are united together, forging ahead hand in hand and working to build a community with shared future. During President Bios visit to China, he received assurances from Chinese President Xi Jinping, who said China cherishes the traditional friendship with Sierra Leone. He noted that since the establishment of diplomatic ties 47 years ago, the two countries have already been good partners and stood together through good and bad times. President Xi announced that China would expand cooperation with Sierra Leone in infrastructure construction, agriculture, fisheries, health care, education, and security capacity building, and continue to support each other in the multilateral arena. Speaking on behalf of the government of Sierra Leone, the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Alpha Timbo said the economic, social, political and technical support of China to the people of his country cannot be over emphasized. Invited dignitaries present at the celebration He named the provision of electricity, scholarships for Sierra Leonean students to study in China, building and equipping the 34 Military Hospital with state of the art microbiology laboratory, provision of specialized training and equipment for Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF), US$300, 000 support for the refurbishment of the main conference room of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, support for the rehabilitation of Sierra Leone Parliament, financial and logistical support following the 14th August 2017 mudslide and flooding in Freetown, and the ongoing rehabilitation of the national stadium; as great supports that China has provided to Sierra Leone in recent years. The Minister, who congratulated the Peoples Republic of China on their national day celebration, also thanked and assured the government of China of his government's continued partnership which Sierra Leone needs at this time for its development under President Maada Bios New Direction. The event was climaxed with a musical performance by Chinese and Sierra Leoneans. Chase Briscoe 2018 NXS Charlotte Roval Race Report Saturdays #NASCAR Xfinity race marked Chase Briscoes first career victory in his 14th career NASCAR Xfinity Series start and his fourth start in Stewart Haas Racings (SHR) No. 98 Ford Mustang. Briscoes victory in the Drive for the Cure 200 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina also marked the 55th overall win for SHR. Five cautions slowed the race for 10 laps with thirty (30) of the forty (40) drivers finishing on the lead lap. Roval Race Recap Date : Sept. 29, 2018 : Sept. 29, 2018 Event : Drive for the Cure 200 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (Round 28 of 33) : Drive for the Cure 200 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (Round 28 of 33) Series : NASCAR Xfinity Series : NASCAR Xfinity Series Location : Charlotte (N.C) Motor Speedway (2.28-mile, 17-turn road course) : Charlotte (N.C) Motor Speedway (2.28-mile, 17-turn road course) Format : 55 laps, broken into three stages (15 laps/ 15 laps/25 laps) : 55 laps, broken into three stages (15 laps/ 15 laps/25 laps) Start/Finish : 9th/1st (Running, completed 55 of 55 laps) : 9th/1st (Running, completed 55 of 55 laps) Race Winner : Chase Briscoe of Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste (Ford) : Chase Briscoe of Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste (Ford) Stage 1 Winner : Daniel Hemric of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) : Daniel Hemric of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) Stage 2 Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-15): Briscoe started ninth and finished 22nd Dropped from ninth to 12th in the opening lap while battling in traffic. Pitted under green from 11th on lap 12 for four tires and fuel. The early pit stop allowed him a better starting spot for Stage 2. Stage 2 Recap (Laps 16-30): Briscoe started third and finished ninth Took the lead on lap 17 just seconds after the green flag flew to start Stage 2. Briscoe stretched his lead to two seconds. Briscoe again pitted early and dropped to tenth in order to gain a better starting position for the final stage. Final Stage Recap (Laps 11-55): Briscoe started first and finished first. Took the green flag to start the stage and led until the checkered flag. Kept the lead through two full course cautions. Briscoe led second-place finisher Justin Marks across the finish line by 1.478 seconds. Are you kidding me?! Never in a million years did I expect to get to drive a single race in @NASCAR and to now win in the @NASCAR_Xfinity Series for my hero @TonyStewart is so amazing. Thank you so much @FordPerformance for believing in me! Thank you everyone for the congrats! pic.twitter.com/8qYA9hb7LR September 29, 2018 Photo Gallery Austin Cindric, driver of the #22 MoneyLion Ford, leads the field at the start of the NASCAR XFINITY Series Drive for the Cure 200. Austin Cindric drives during the NASCAR XFINITY Series Drive for the Cure 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Austin Cindric poses for a photo after winning the pole award during qualifying for the XFINITY Series Drive for the Cure 200 Bubba Wallace, driver of the #43 World Wide Technology Chevrolet, crashes into a tire barrier during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Cars race on the back stretch during the NASCAR XFINITY Series Drive for the Cure 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Chase Briscoe, driver of the #98 Nutri Chomps/Ford Ford, celebrates after winning during the NASCAR XFINITY Series Drive for the Cure 200 Chase Briscoe crosses the finish line to win the NASCAR XFINITY Series Drive for the Cure 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Chase Briscoe celebrates after winning during the NASCAR XFINITY Series Drive for the Cure 200 on 09/29/2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Chase Briscoe races during the NASCAR XFINITY Series Drive for the Cure 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on September 29, 2018. Related Posts: Briscoe also won the July 18, 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. I need to thank Ford Performance, Tony Stewart, Gene Haas, Fred Biagi, Bill DenBeste and everyone on the No. 98 and at SHR for the opportunity they gave me this year and this car today.I was holding back tears the last couple of laps. This year has not been by my standards anywhere near where it needs to be. Weve wrecked a lot of race cars and I think my best finish was ninth, so I was really down on myself personally.I was just waiting for the caution to come out. I knew it was gonna come at some point and the restarts were crazy getting down into one. Luckily, the good Lord upstairs didnt bring a caution and we were able to hold on. By Reuters BENGALURU: Business software maker Oracle Corp said on Friday Thomas Kurian, its president of product development would be stepping down, effective immediately. Kurian's responsibilities have been reassigned to other senior executives, the company said in a filing. Earlier this month, Oracle said Kurian was taking a break and the company expected him back. Kurian joined Oracle from McKinsey in 1996 and was previously responsible for developing cloud computing products, an area where the company has struggled to gain traction against Salesforce, Microsoft, Amazon and others. By Express News Service BENGALURU: In a bid to raise awareness on sexual harassment at the workplace and cybercrime issues, Parihar- Vanitha Sahayavani organised a workshop on Womens Safety on Saturday. An initiative by Bengaluru City Police (BCP), saw talks by Advocate Jyothi Bhatt, M D Sharath, DySP in the Cyber Crime police station of CID and Chief Guest Rani Satish, a former minister. Sexual harassment can range from unwanted physical touch and seeking sexual favours, to covert blackmail, Jyothi Bhatt said. Meanwhile, speaking on cybercrime, cyber cop Sharath said that with the amount of Internet and smartphone usage, we are always vulnerable on the net. Our data is easily available to companies such as Google, Amazon, etc. We are basically stripped naked as all our personal data is sold to advertisers, he said. By Express News Service CHENNAI:Tension prevailed at Virugambakkam on Saturday morning, when a police team from Kerala opened one round of fire in the air while trying to nab a 41-year-old financier who was involved in cheating to the tune of several crores of rupees in Kerala. The incident happened when a team from Kerala, consisting of eight members and led by Circle-Inspector Anish Kumar from Palluruthy police station reached Chennai after it got a tip off that P Maharajan, was hiding in Chennai. On Saturday morning, around 10, eight policemen entered Maharajans house at Natesan Nagar at Virugambakkam and tried to nab him. However, his relatives began quarrelling with police and did not allow them to arrest Maharajan. To apprehend the suspect, one of the policemen opened one round of fire in the air causing a flutters in the locality, said a police source. Neighbours alerted Virugambakkam police station who rushed to the spot and conducted inquiries and found that a special team from Kerala was carrying out an operation.The Kerala police did not inform local police about the arrest. But, subsequently the local police helped the neighbouring State police to nab the suspect, said a senior police officer. Later, Kerala police obtained a transit warrant from metropolitan magistrate court at Saidapet and took him back to their hometown by a flight. Maharajan was nabbed earlier under Kerala Money Lenders Act and Prohibition of Charging Exorbitant Interest Act.Once, the case was registered against him with Palluruthy police station in Ernakulam, Maharajan moved to Chennai. Based on a tip off, in July, a team nabbed him from Virugambakkam and were taking him. When they reached Kaniyur in Coimbatore, a gang intercepted the police team and abducted Maharajan and escaped, added the source. By ANI NEW DELHI: An Army Major has been booked for allegedly raping his domestic help in southwest Delhi on a day in July when husband committed suicide, the police said Sunday. The woman, however, has alleged that her husband was killed by the Army Major and his relative. According to police, a case has been registered at the Delhi Cantonment police station on September 25, based on a complaint filed by the woman. In her complaint, the woman claimed that she was raped by the Major on July 12. The same day her husband allegedly killed himself, a senior police officer said. She alleged that after sending her husband out for some work, the Army Major had called her to his room. On refusing, he slapped her, dragged her to his room and raped her, he said. When her husband returned, he saw the Army Major misbehaving with her, following which the two had a quarrel and the accused even threatened to kill him, the officer said. It was also alleged that the Army Major had threatened her with dire consequences if she doesn't obey him and told anyone about the incident. During investigation, it was learnt that the woman's husband had committed suicide in the servant quarter where they used to reside, the police officer said, adding the woman was working at the Major's house even after the alleged rape incident. A case has been registered, police said, adding the matter is being probed. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: Lost, found, and finally back in its rightful place, the golden tiffin box and other artifacts stolen from the Nizams museum is now for the public to see. The display was arranged after recovering the antiques from the two youths who slipped away with priceless jewellery and cutlery made of expensive metals. The only difference, if youre a regular visitor, is that the placement of these artifacts have been shifted from Room No 4 to 2, where the surveillance of CCTV cameras are higher. The museum officials have sought permission from a city court to take back the artifacts from police custody and display it in the museum. Four days back when I went to visit the museum, I saw the artifacts back. We have shifted its placement from Room 4 to 2 for security reasons, said Nawab Najaf Ali Khan, grandson of Mir Osman Ali Khan. The artifacts are for public display as per the will of my grandfather Mir Osman Ali Khan, who insisted that it has to be in public domain, Khan said while recollecting his memories with the last Nizam of Hyderabad. Meanwhile, the security reasons continue to be a concern as 35 CCTV cameras are yet to be installed. The police have suggested that at least 50 CCTV cameras should be there. We have only 15 now. However, the security guards have been increased from 8 to 15, a museum official requesting anonymity, said. By Express News Service KOCHI: Triggering panic among the motorists, six major distress cracks have been detected on the newly constructed Palarivattom flyover. Cracks were detected on the pier cap of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 7th, 10th and 12th pillar of the flyover. This was revealed in a report released by a private bridge inspection agency the other day after it carried out a survey on the safety of the bridge. According to the report, the distress in the bridge has magnified. The recorded shear cracks are propagating and widening. Additionally, new shear cracks have been recorded in the girders, the report said.The report also pointed out the shear cracks were previously noted in the pier cap of obligatory span (pier no. 10) and pier cap of piper no. 12. However during the ongoing cycle, additional distress shear cracks were recorded in pier no. 1, 2, 3 and 7 in the shear zone. The shear cracks are 0.2 to 0.3 mm in width and propagating diagonally in the shear zone of the pier, the report said.The flyover thrown open to the public in the last leg of 2016. The 750 metre-long flyover, one of the longest of its kind in the state, was constructed by the Roads and Bridges Corporation of Kerala after spending nearly `39 crore to ease the traffic congestion at the busy Pipeline junction along the National Highway stretch. The report also warned the NHAI to stop plying vehicles in the stretch. Its evident that distress in the bridge is progressing and suggested remedial measures have to be expedited for urgent rehabilitation of the bridge. It is recommended that till complete rehabilitation work is carried out, vehicle must be stopped from plying on the bridge with immediate effect for public safety and safety of the structure, the report added. Meanwhile, the RBDCK which constructed the bridge admitted cracks have been detected on the pier. We have entrusted IIT-Madras to carry out a study on structural evaluation. Based on their report, we will take the next step. We are taking all the efforts to solve the crisis, an RBDCK officer said. As a strategic country in the Mediterranean Sea, Italy aims to become an important partner in linking European countries with China. The recent trip to Chinas southwestern city of Chengdu, where Italy was a guest of honor at the 17th Western China International Fair, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Economic Development, Labor and Social Policies Luigi Di Maio, asserted that Italy looks forward to becoming the first G7 country to fully embrace the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) by the end of the year through signing an official Memorandum of Understanding with China. As a systematic project, BRI is an inclusive project which aims at linking Asian, European and African countries more closely through the promotion of beneficial win-win cooperation. Connectivity is not only at an infrastructural level. In fact, BRI looks at market potential in the Afro-Eurasian region while promoting investment and consumption through creating demands and job opportunities. BRI also looks to link people of different cultures together and build a community with a shared future for mankind. In achieving the goals set by the BRI, which are also fully in line with the UN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, Italy and China are two important global leaders, which play a pivotal role in making this ambitious project happen. In Chengdu, the Italian government signed a series of bilateral agreements with Sichuan Province in the fields of economy, trade, innovation, technology and tourism. Italy and Italian companies highly value China-Italian interaction and support the principles of BRI, and hopes to work with China for further institutionalization of China-Italian BRI cooperation. Italian Deputy Prime Minister Di Maio believes that the joint efforts of Italy and China in promoting the infrastructure network project linking Asia, Europe and Africa will further strengthen the strategic partnership between Italy and China. Such efforts will allow Italy to truly become China's new strategic partner in Europe. Italy and China also stand together to defend free trade as well as eliminating trade barriers. Di Maio expressed strong support for Chinas expansion in investments in Italian ports as well as investments in infrastructure, energy technology and in other fields. He pointed out that strengthening bilateral cooperation between Italy and China has an immense strategic value and significance. In this regards, Italy aims to work with China in third countries in order to improve the living environment of local people and boost the internationalization of Italian enterprises. In the recent Task Force China initiative, launched by Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance, Italy put strong emphasis on cooperation with China in Africa as a crucially important step towards reducing poverty in Africa while reducing migratory flows to Europe. With the Task Force China, which is a work mechanism of cooperation and dialogue between government, businesses and civil society organizations, Italy wants to develop a practical national strategy to strengthen economic and commercial ties with China. Italy has been a strong supporter of the BRI and both countries have without doubt deep historical and geographical advantages in carrying out the Belt and Road cooperation. Italian enterprises are the first beneficiaries of Chinas opening up and reform. Last year, trades between Italy and China amounted to around $49.6 billion, according to statistics published by the Chinese Foreign Ministry (up 15.1% yoy). Italian exports to China are meaningfully increasing (+22.2%), with a much more positive trend compared to imports. Italy will further work in reforming its current economic system in order to make the country more attractive to Chinese investors. China-Italian cooperation along the Belt and Road is also crucially significant for Italy to seize the opportunities brought by China. If a Memorandum of Understanding on BRI would be signed between the two countries by the end this year, the bilateral relations will enter a new era for enhanced strategic cooperation. Most importantly the two countries will reaffirm their commitment in promoting globalization and in enhancing China-Italian dialogue in important fields, such as green technology, economy as well as cooperation in third countries. The author is a graduate in China Studies and International Relations at Peking University and the London School of Economics. Currently, he is working in the fields of development and public policy. Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: Last Sunday when Maoists gunned down TDP MLA K Sarveswara Rao and former legislator Siveri Soma in the Visakhapatnam agency, DGP RP Thakur, who was at the time in the US, was as much surprised as his team back home. Its the first major challenge of his tenure and the challenger is an old enemy he had battled back in the 1990s. We were caught off-guard, he admits ruefully. The DGP had cut short his visit and rushed to Visakhapatnam to take stock of the situation, but in the absence of hard evidence the police are still in early stages of investigation -- he relies on his powers of deduction, experience and preliminary leads to shed light on the incident. He (MLA) was a soft target. Generally, if you see, they (Maoists) dont kill a tribal. Till now, they have not come out with a statement either, he points out, leaning forward on his desk in his spacious and swanky chambers at the State police headquarters in Mangalagiri. Analysing the radio silence of the Maoists, he postulates, Normally, they leave a chit the same day itself. Give out a story. READ| Telangana: Police ask parties not to campaign in Maoist areas That did not happen. Why? They must have had the CPI (Maoist) top committees approval obviously since an MLA is a high profile target. They might have been directed to kidnap. May be, it did not go as planned and something may have gone wrong. Taking this line of thinking forward, he reasons that the Maoists could be wondering how to justify killing the legislator, who had been doing some good work in the agency area. Fielding questions patiently in a free-wheeling chat with Express, Thakur appears neither defensive nor combative. Striking a pragmatic note, he veers to the conclusion that the motive for the twin murders was the need of the Maoists to assert their identity once again in the region from where they had been driven out. They have been trying to do so since the Ramguda encounter in 2016 wherein 30 Maoists died. Literally, for one year or so, they never entered this area. They were planning to hit hard but their main target is the Greyhounds. They tried five-six times but failed. They can claim they avenged the encounter if they kill a group of Greyhounds personnel. Failing to do so, they wanted to create a sensation. It is not about bauxite mining or some other thing as reported in a section of the media. Where is bauxite mining? The Chief Minister has clarified 10 times that no such mining is happening despite the Centres insistence, he says. On the failure of intelligence, he admits without hesitation that it is bad on our part. But, he insists that one should keep in mind the fact that there was no Maoist movement in the area for years. They have come out suddenly. It is a fact that they arrived in good numbers in the area may be, a day or two days before last Sunday. They have taken local support, he says. To accusations that the police looked the other way, despite being informed of the MLAs visit, he replies that the legislator hadnt informed the cops of his visit. Investigation is going on, he, however, hastens to add but not before pointing out that moving in the area without keeping the police in the loop was taking a calculated risk. The question then is why did the MLA take the risk? It cant be total ignorance. But the general impression in the area is that the Maoists at best kidnap, Thakur opines, suggesting that the legislator took the risk in the belief that he would not be killed. But, the MLAs initial reaction after his vehicle was stopped by the Maoists pointed to complete surprise and resignation to what was in store. What does this indicate? The State police chief suspects Sarveswara Rao may have been lured into a trap. And, there in hangs a tale which only the ongoing investigation can unravel. The police have released sketches of Maoists suspected to be involved in the attack but is there a grain of truth in speculation that Chalapathy, incharge of Andhra-Koraput division, is the mastermind? Obviously, he must be knowing. But unless one of the attackers is arrested or someone surrenders, we wont get the full picture. We have to get them first. Till then, it is all guess work. By Associated Press NEW YORK: The trailer for the next season of "House of Cards" is missing Kevin Spacey and declares: "The reign of the middle-aged white man is over." The trailer released Thursday depicts Robin Wright's Claire Underwood taking over as president after her husband's death in the Netflix series. Spacey, who played the late President Frank Underwood, was fired from the show after several employees accused him of inappropriate behaviour. And actor Anthony Rapp last year accused Spacey of sexual misconduct when he was 14 and Spacey was 26. Spacey tweeted an apology for what he labelled drunken behaviour. The sixth and final season of "House of Cards" will be available on the streaming service Nov. 2. Also Read: Claire Underwood in Oval Office after Kevin Spacey's exit Kevin Spacey has the ability to reform: Robin Wright Kevin Spacey faces another lawsuit over sexual assault Shevlin Sebastian By One night Sheeba Ameer was woken from a fitful sleep in a ward of the Pain and Palliative Care Centre, Thrissur, by a rasping noise. The force behind Solace, a childrens NGO, Sheeba noticed Navneet on the next bed gasping for breath. She called for a nurse, who brought a nebuliser that helped the boy breathe. The 16-year-old cancer patient was being looked after by Sheeba. Started on November 8, 2007, Solace takes care of children suffering from life-threatening diseases such as nephrotic syndrome, cancer, thalassaemia and sickle cell anaemia. Recently, Sheeba was conferred with the Abhijith Foundation Award for Best Social Worker in Kerala at a function held in Thiruvananthapuram. Sheeba, now in her fifties, was inspired to become a social worker at the sight of her daughters pain from the cancer that would take her life. It made the homemaker turn into a warrior whose grief became compassion for children in similar agony.The news that her 12-year-old daughter, Niloufa, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia turned her world upside down in 1997. When I took her to the Tata Memorial Centre in Mumbai for a bone marrow transplant, I was stunned to see the entire 11th floor was full of children suffering from cancer. I saw kids with amputated legs, some whose eyes were affected by cancer, and many other children in terminal stages. None of the parents knew whether their children would live to see the next day, she says. The anguish of the helpless parents echoed her own. Sheeba resolved that she would start an organisation to help cancer victims. Sheeba recalls Niloufa nearing her end, but clung to hope to the end. Umma, you will save me, wont you? she would ask her mother. Niloufa died on August 27, 2013, after a 16-year-battle with the ailment. From small beginnings, Solace has become a large front of help providing a kit of food ration and clothes to the families of over 1,800 ailing children every month. The organisation also pays for the costly medicines needed for the treatment. Today, Solace has centres in Kochi, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Thrissur, and Palakkad. We depend a lot on the goodwill of volunteers, of whom many are retired people, she says. Navneet was a source of worry. His condition is going to deteriorate further, just like the way it did with my daughter, Sheeba laments. The doctor had told her that his cancer has metastasised. The prognosis is grim and he has just a few months to live. Sheeba is grateful that through Solace, she is able to give hands-on help to Navneet. Navneet was just a child when he lost his mother. Though I am doing my bit I cannot help but feel sad, she says; a mother whose maternal grief transforms into compassion every time.Sheeba says when a child gets a life-threatening disease, many parents get angry with God. She comforts them saying God believes they have large hearts, endless patience and the dedication needed to look after their ailing children. Many of them accept this, she says. Sheeba is stoic over the loss of her daughter Niloufa. She admits, I dont think Ive been healed. But Ive accepted what happened to her as the will of God. Ive realised that death is the only truth. I love Rumi who wrote, You must learn to carry your sorrows the way you carry your happiness.Sheeba carries the sorrows of others to spread comfort to the doomed and the grieving. Helping hand Solace has centres at Kochi, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Thrissur, and Palakkad It provides a kit of food rations to the families of over 1,800 kids every month, pays for costly drugs, and provides clothes. G Parthasarathy By BSF Head Constable Narendra Kumar was on a routine patrol along the India-Pakistan border near Jammu, on September 18, when he was killed by a hail of bullets from across the border. His body was recovered, with his throat cruelly slit, a few hours later, amid outrage across India. People gathered in large numbers for his last rites on September 21 amid grief, outrage and chants of Bharat Mata Ki Jai and Pakistan Murdabad. On the same evening, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced that Minister Sushma Swaraj would be meeting her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi shortly in New York, during the UN General Assembly session. The announcement naturally surprised and angered people. To add insult to injury, three Kashmiri policemen were pulled out of their homes and shot by terrorists from across the Line of Control (LoC) the next day, with warnings that others who were serving the police or government would meet the same fate. An outraged MEA announced that the New York meeting was cancelled. There is a pattern to ISI-sponsored terrorist attacks on India. The high-profile Vajpayee visit to Lahore was followed by heavy Pakistan infiltration across the LoC in Kashmir, and the Kargil conflict. The Vajpayee-Musharraf Summit in Agra was followed by the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) attack on our Parliament. The continuing dialogue with Pakistan since 2004 was followed by the 26/11 terror strikes on Mumbai. Prime Minister Modis goodwill visit to Lahore was, thereafter, followed by the JeM attack on the Pathankot military airbase. Pakistans aim is clear. It is to compel India to join in a composite or comprehensive dialogue process, which focuses predominantly on Kashmir, primarily to weaken Indias will and get an exhausted India to accede to its territorial ambitions on Kashmir. India should not reject dialogue. It should, instead, insist on diplomatic and military exchanges, and talks that focus primarily on terrorism. International support for India is growing, in the wake of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism against India and Afghanistan. The recent US State Department Report on International Terrorism is scathingly critical of Pakistan. It holds Pakistan responsible for using groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), JeM and Dawood Ibrahims D Company, for terrorism against India, while using the Taliban and Haqqani network for terrorism in Afghanistan. The Trump Administration does not look at Pakistan as benignly as its predecessors did. Given Pakistans fast declining foreign exchange reserves, India will have to persuade the US and its western allies to deny the country IMF financial assistance, till it ends sponsoring terrorism. Imran Khans offer for dialogue was a move to persuade the world that Pakistan was sincere in seeking to mend ties with India. Moreover, Pakistan is itself facing separatist challenges in provinces like Balochistan and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bordering Afghanistan. India and Afghanistan need to use these developments astutely. A combination of western economic pressures and isolating Pakistan in South Asia by moves like not allowing it to preside over SAARC will increase the pressures on it to see reason. (G Parthasarathy is a former diplomat) dadpartha@gmail.com Anand Neelakantan By In a few months, India will face its next general elections. As a democracy, the country is still maturing. Like most of the previous elections, caste and religious identity would play a major part in this election too. Political parties that had put contentious and divisive issues on the back burner will bring them to the forefront for the sake of votes. Indian politicians are notorious to play caste and communal cards and even engineer riots to polarise people to ensure victory. Each political party chooses the candidate after weighing the demographic equations. Merit, honesty and integrity often have minor roles in candidature. People are ready to vote for murderers, rapists, rioters and rabble-rousers, provided the candidate belongs to ones caste. We can dismiss such low tricks of politicians with a shrug of cynicism. However, it would be prudent to analyse our political spectrum to find out why we reached this stage of anarchy. On one end, we have the Hindu right political parties. Though there would be leaders in this block having differing ideas, the general perception they have created over the years is that of exaggerated nationalism, xenophobia, a sense of suffering from some real and imaginary historical wounds, a projected sense of superiority, a hidden inferiority complex that manifests as ludicrous claims of ancient scientific knowledge and a jealous dismissal of anything modern. They invoke immense pride for armed forces as the last resort defence tactics when cornered in any arguments. They also strive to bring unity among Hindus through tokenism and invoking fear of other communities. They support capitalism though some may accuse them of supporting crony capitalism. The extremists in this group specialise in rabble-rousing, name-calling and in worst cases, lynching and rioting. A parallel of the same can be found in Muslims. The moderates among the Muslim political right refuse to reform, have a persecution complex, wish for converting everyone to Islam, believe that womens freedom should be restricted to what is allowed by Sharia, shun modernity and believe all scientific inventions are said in their holy book. The extremists in this group manifest as rabble-rousers, rioters, terrorists and share most of the traits with the Hindu right. One can find similar groups among Sikhs and Christians. These form the religious right wing of Indian politics. On the other extreme is the fast-shrinking group of left. Communism is a religion that shares many things with Abrahamic religions. The belief in the paradise of the proletariat, the urge to identify others as class enemies and extreme intolerance to differing thoughts are their trademarks. Like the religious right, they believe in violence. Their real face manifested in places where this religion grabbed complete power as in earlier socialist block where they rivalled Nazis in persecuting the minorities and people named as class enemies. This ideology helped in planning most of the labour laws and ended exploitation in societies where they were politically relevant but never in power. It also gave rise to social democracy, which made many western societies more humane through welfare governments. The extremists in this group manifest as Naxals who are fighting a war of terror in many states and are using tribal population as a cover and excuse for their exhortations. One trait of this group is ridiculing anything Indian and accusing even cultural achievements as hegemonistic Brahminical conspiracy. There is the clueless group in the middle which was once in the forefront of freedom struggle but has deviated beyond recognition from what it stood for once. The lackadaisical leadership of this group has no idea what it stands for. They swing from appeasement of one community to another, play caste and religious card wherever necessary, promote sycophancy, dynastic politics and opportunism. They were vociferously socialistic for three decades before turning to loud capitalists. Now they play the champions of capitalism when in power and teary-eyed socialists when out of it. There are many regional and caste parties that can be placed at any part of the spectrum. They stoke the insecurities that have partial truth in them. They invoke language, caste or regional pride to grab votes. They are dynastic and are often corrupt. What is missing in this spectrum is a Hindu liberal party. A party that is rooted in Indian culture and ethos, yet has the honesty to accept the flaws of its culture, is ready to reform continuously. Mahatma Gandhis Congress appealed to the majority of Indians cutting across caste and religion because it was the quintessential Hindu Liberal Party. Despite tall claims and desperate attempts to rewrite history, neither the left, the right, Ambedkars Dalit movement nor the Muslim League appealed to the masses when Gandhiji led the Hindu Liberal Congress. Gandhiji held many regressive ideas, yet his party did not deny space for all the spectrum of thoughts within it. Gandhijis Congress was in the forefront of social reforms, womens liberation and labour reforms while being supported by capitalists like Birla. It could evoke so much pride in Indian civilisation without hating the British, and invigorated a whole nation to fight for freedom, proving patriotism needs no vilification of others. History proves that all successful rulers, be it Ashoka, Akbar, Krishnadevaraya or Chhatrapati Shivaji, followed liberal Hindu approach irrespective of their religious beliefs. Any political party that could fill this gap in the political spectrum will be rewarded with a long haul in power. Those who think invoking religious passion to gain power should remember that Aurangzebs bigotry ended a great empire. Anand Neelakantan Author, columnist, speaker mail@asura.co.in Ravi Shankar By Politics thrives on scandal and religion feeds on secrecy. At last, the Bishop of Jalandhar is in the cooler for sexual assault after a long battle between nuns and the church. In the fight, the church broke the law, offered bribes and slandered the nun. If this had been the 17th century in England or Europe, or even Goa, she wouldve been burned at the stake and the bishop would be having dinner with the governor. For, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. (Corinthians 14:34) Religious institutions abhor interrogation. It destroys divine mystique, since priests are Gods own vessels who carry divine grace: their hands, if soiled, will soil God Himself. And thats not an option. The $30 billion Roman Catholic Church, one of the worlds most powerful institutions, will bring down the wrath of God on anyone who says otherwise. It cannot afford to lose any of the 1.2 billion souls in its flock to doubt, and admit that a wolf in priests clothing can debase and destroy Gods lambs which come to them in good faith: nuns or little boys. A month ago, Pope Francis condemned corruption and cover-up within the church as caca, an Italian word for human excrement. Italian writer-philosopher Elias Canetti compared guilt with excrement, kept sequestered in the subconscious like toilets in the house. Guilt is also the central theme of Christian faith: being born itself is Original Sin. You can go only downhill from there. Then the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him. (Genesis 2:18) Eves life story in a Biblical nutshell. Now we cant have helpers giving lip to their masters, right? Like the helper nun to the master bishop? Sex is the tabula rasa of misogyny in the Abrahamic religions, which brought warped gender values to the subcontinent: the core belief being there are only two kinds of womenVirgin Mary or Mary Magdalene. Hence there are Romeo squads, acid attacks on nikah halala victims and raped nuns and sodomised children. There is also hope. There are compassionate priests. Politicians and judges who condemn bigotry. Reformers who challenge the clergy and win. The church is losing believers and attendance more than any other world religion. It is caught in a trap: risk Biblical inconsistencies being questioned or cling to medieval lore and lose connect with young laity. It took 350 years for the church to admit Galileo was right and the earth does indeed move around the sun: the Inquisition had arrested him for heresy. It is believed Galileo muttered eppur si muove (and yet it moves) after his sentencing. The next big admission by all religions would be that the life of a woman does not revolve around mens desires. Ravi Shankar ravi@newindianexpress.com By ANI BENGALURU: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday vehemently stated that although no talks would take place unless terrorism is put to an end in Pakistan, India is strongly responding to every ceasefire violation being carried out by the neighbour country. "There will not be any talks with Pakistan as long as terrorism continues from their soil, at the same time if ceasefire violations are happening, we are responding to every violation. If violations are more than last week, we are eliminating them and pushing them back. You would hear of the actions we are taking in containing them, pushing them back and even eliminating them," she said while addressing a press conference. With regards to the 2016 surgical strikes, Sitharaman said the attack was carried out in response to Pakistan's cowardly act of entering the military base of India and attacking unarmed, resting soldiers. "In September 2016, surgical strikes happened and the context in which that had to happened is that when a neighbour can do a cowardly act of getting into our army base and killing our unarmed soldiers, even when infiltrations are happening at the border, it was necessary for the army to take this call. The decision, which was politically backed, led to the strike on terrorist launch pads in a territory held by our enemies. That had to happen and therefore when we are celebrating it after two years" she said while addressing a press conference. Sitharaman continued: "We are marking it by calling it a 'Parv', -Parakram Parv. It means we do remember the sacrifice we made as a result of the cowardly act by our enemy and the punishment that we had to show. We wanted to make it clear that we are not going to take this kind of an attack sitting silent- that is the backdrop and the narrative I would like to put forward." Lashing out at the Opposition that attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for politicising the surgical strikes, Sitharaman said the event was showcased to show solidarity to the Armed Forces for their valour, and to make it clear that India would not blatantly accept a cowardly act. "Anybody who thinks that this (surgical strike) is being politicised, I don't know what they mean by that. Are they suggesting that we have to ashamed of it, or are they suggesting that they don't want to be associated with it, or are they wanting to be associated with an enemy which covertly entered into our base and attacked unarmed soldiers? The question is not to the government; the question is to those who ask, 'Are you politicising it'?" she said. With regards to the Rafale jet deal, over which constant political slugfest has been witnessed, Sitharaman said the deal signed by the National Democratic Alliance was far better than that under the United Progressive Alliance. "This intergovernmental agreement has achieved a much better deal than what was proposed in the non-deal of the United Progressive Alliance and that intent was very well stated in the press release of April 2015 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the then French President had given a joint statement that this shall be a better deal," she confirmed. By PTI SRINAGAR: Six persons, including a soldier and three militants of Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) were killed Thursday in four anti-terror operations in Kashmir. Security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation in Gazigund area of Anantnag district in the early hours today on a tip off about presence of militants in the area, a police spokesperson said. "During searches, a gunfight began between security forces and terrorists. In the encounter, a local terrorist identified as Asif Malik who was operating as a commander of proscribed terror outfit LeT was eliminated," he said. An Army jawan, identified as Happy Singh of 19 Rashtriya Rifles, too was killed in the encounter, he added. The spokespersons said Malik was involved in several attacks on security forces, including the killings of CRPF men at Achabal this year and in several other cases of atrocity against civilian. The forces also recovered various incriminating material including several arms and ammunition from the encounter site, he added. In another encounter at Panzan in Budgam district, security Forces "neutralised" two militants, he said. The slain militants were identified as Sheeraz Ahmad Bhat and Irfan Ahmad Dar of terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen. "Dar was working as an SPO before deserting the police force a couple of months ago," he said. The spokesman said the militants fired on a search party from a mosque, prompting the security personnel to cordon off the area. "The local Auqaf Committee was engaged to convince the hiding terrorists to come out. Security forces too appealed the terrorists to come out," said the police spokesperson. But they turned down the offer, forcing the security personnel to launch the operation. The forces carried out the operation "very cautiously", ensuring that the sanctity of the mosque is not breached, he said. In this operation, an Army jawan too sustained bullet injuries and was evacuated to hospital, he added. Another encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists in Noorbagh on the outskirts of Srinagar city early in the morning. Acting on a "credible input" about the presence of militants in the area, security forces cordoned off a cluster of houses and challenged the militants. "The hiding terrorists began firing indiscriminately, resulting in death of an individual identified as Saleem Malik," he said. The local residents, however, alleged Malik was killed in unprovoked firing by security forces and took to streets in protests, leading to clashes. At least eight persons were injured in the ensuing police action against the protestors. Meanwhile, the separatists called for a day-long strike on Friday to protest against the killing. In yet another incident, an unidentified civilian was allegedly killed in an Army firing in Kupwara district during an ambush with militants, official sources said. The Army had laid an ambush at Syedan Pathra in Kralpora area of Kupwara last night following information about movement of militants through that area, the sources said. The soldiers opened fire upon noticing some suspicious movement in the area, they said, adding the body of an unidentified male was recovered later from the spot. The body has been kept at Kupwara district hospital for identification and other legal proceedings, the sources added. The Army and defence officials did not respond to calls to seek their comment on the incident. By PTI LUCKNOW: The executive of a private company who was allegedly shot dead by constables in Gomti Nagar locality here was Sunday cremated in presence of Uttar Pradesh ministers and family members. Vivek Tiwari (38) was shot Saturday by constables Prashant Chowdhury and Sandeep Kumar while he was going to drop his colleague Sana Khan. His body was Sunday cremated at Bhaisakund in present of state minister Brijesh Pathak and local MLA Ashutosh Tondon and others. When asked about the incident Pathak said, "It's an unfortunate incident and we are with the family members of the victim. We will try to fast-track the case so that the family can get justice. I will also request Principal Secretary Home and the DGP to post sensitive policemen in big cities." "We will ensure strict action against the guilty. If needed, a CBI probe will also be recommended," he added. It is a very sad incident. Such criminal offences will not be accepted by govt. Immediate action was taken; the accused arrested&case registered. For the family of the deceased, govt will provide all kinds of aid needed by the family: UP CM Yogi Adityanath on #VivekTiwari case pic.twitter.com/qzhKmH5dPf ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 30, 2018 Expressing grief over the incident, UP DGP OP Singh said no amount of apology would suffice for the loss of a precious life or heal and wounds of the devastated family. "My heart goes out for the little daughters, wife and family members of Vivek Tiwari. I share my grief with them," he said, adding such deviant, "criminal behaviour" was reprehensible and deserved the strictest punishment. "We are determined to punish and wean out such rogues in uniform who hang our heads in shame, at the same time we have also embarked on systemic reforms through behavioural training and humanisation of the force," the DGP said. "As we are striving hard for a 360-degree reform of UP Police, it's my request to all of you to not consider the aberration of Lucknow incident as a reflection of what we truly stand for. I solicit your forgiveness, best wishes and cooperation in the journey of reformation ahead," he added. The two constables were arrested and dismissed from the job and an FIR was registered in the matter on the basis of a complaint by Sana Khan. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had Saturday said a CBI inquiry would be recommended if needed. Constable Prashant Chaudhary, however, said after noticing some "suspicious activity", he asked the victim to come out of the SUV but he did not and instead tried to hit him and he had to open fire in self-defence. A fired bullet pierced the windscreen as the car rammed into a pillar, police had said. The autopsy report had later confirmed the death was caused by gunshot injuries. District Magistrate Kaushalraj Sharma has ordered a magisterial inquiry in the case and a SIT was also constituted by the DGP to probe the matter. UP Congress chief Raj Babbar also visited the victim's house Sunday and said, "You (CM) might be busy in political management of the incident otherwise you should have come to meet daughters of the victim." Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took to Twitter to corner the BJP government in the state and said he also spoke to the victim's wife Kalpana over the phone. Fayaz Wani By Express News Service JAMMU: A day after Indian and Pakistani Foreign Ministers exchanged barbs at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), a Pakistani chopper on Sunday violated airspace along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and retreated after being engaged by small arms fire by the Army. Defence sources said a Pakistani chopper, probably a civilian helicopter, violated airspace in Gulpur sector along LoC in Poonch district of J&K at around 12.10 pm. They said the helicopter, which was flying very high, came nearly 700 meters inside the Indian territory. "After detecting the enemy chopper, the Army men at forward locations fired from small arms towards the chopper," they said. READ HERE | Prime Minister of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir says he was on chopper; denies violating airspace along LoC They said since the chopper was flying very high, it escaped the small arms fire and made an immediate retreat and flew back to other side of the LoC into the Pakistan Administered Kashmir (PAK). #WATCH A Pakistani helicopter violated Indian airspace in Poonch sector of #JammuAndKashmir pic.twitter.com/O4QHxCf7CR ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2018 The chopper remained in the Indian territory for about three minutes before making a hasty retreat, sources said. Defence sources said the chopper was not targeted with anti-aircraft guns. "Only small arm fire was used". Sources said the locals also saw the white coloured Pakistani chopper flying over the area before making the retreat. "It is being seen as a provocative act on part of Pakistan army," they said. Defence sources said Army is going to take up airspace violation by Pakistani chopper with Pakistani army officials. "Any violation of airspace is always taken up at top level," they said. As per norms recognised by India and Pakistan, the helicopters of the two sides are not supposed to come within one kilometre of the LoC while the fixed-wing aircraft cannot fly within 10 km of the LoC. The incident comes after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's statement in the UN General Assembly yesterday, where she said Pakistan's commitment to terrorism as an instrument of official policy has not abated one bit. She also said that even as the perpetrators of the 9/11 terror attacks in New York met their fate, the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack Hafiz Saeed still roams the streets of Pakistan with impunity. "In our case, terrorism is bred not in some faraway land, but across our border to the west. Our neighbour's expertise is not restricted to spawning grounds for terrorism; it is also an expert in trying to mask malevolence with verbal duplicity," Swaraj said. She also told the world leaders at the General Assembly's 73rd session that the most startling evidence of Pakistan's duplicity was the fact that Osama Bin Laden, the architect and ideologue of 9/11 terror attack was given safe haven in the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Sunday, said that while India staunchly believes in peace and is committed to taking it forward, it would not come at the cost of compromising its self-respect and sovereignty. Recalling the 2016 surgical strikes, Modi said Indian troops gave a befitting reply to the "audacity of a proxy war" under the "garb of terrorism". Provocative Pakistan In February this year, a Pakistani military helicopter flew close to the LoC in Khari Karmara area of Poonch district. The helicopter had flown within 300 meters of the LoC. The airspace violation by the Pakistani chopper comes amid heightened tension along the LoC and International Border (IB) after the recent brutal killing of a BSF jawan by Pakistani troops. At least 109 people, including 56 security men and 53 civilians have died in cross-border firing and shelling by Pakistani troops along the LoC and IB in J&K since 2016. (With inputs from PTI) Sameh Shoukry lauded the deepening of ties, citing the outcome of meetings of top officials held in Cairo in August Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with his Sudanese counterpart Al Dirdiri Mohamed Ahmed on the sidelines of the 73rd UN General Assembly in New York. The meeting tackled bilateral relations and regional issues of mutual concern, said the Egyptian foreign ministry's spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid. Shoukry lauded the deepening of ties, citing the outcome of meetings of top officials held in Cairo in August, said Abu Zeid. The top diplomat underlined the importance of implementing the results of the meetings to serve the common interests of Egypt and Sudan, added the spokesman. He also highlighted the significance of regular political consultations between respective foreign ministries. As for regional issues, the foreign ministers discussed the situation in South Sudan, said Abu Zeid, adding that Shoukry hailed Khartoum's efforts to sign a peace agreement between the warring parties in Sudan Sudan. The Sudanese government's endeavour to bring about peace in Sudan was also lauded by the Egyptian foreign minister. Search Keywords: Short link: By IANS NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party over the murder of an Apple executive in Uttar Pradesh by a constable, saying the saffron party does not protect the interests of even Hindus. In a series of tweets, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader asked why Vivek Tiwari was killed even though he was a Hindu when the BJP claims to be a protector of Hindus. "Vivek Tiwari was a Hindu. Then, why they killed him? The BJP is not a well-wisher of Hindus. They (BJP) will not even think for two minutes if they will have to kill all Hindus to grab power," said Kejriwal, who also spoke to Tiwari's wife on the telephone. Kejriwal's tweets drew sharp reaction from the BJP. Delhi BJP President Manoj Tiwari on Twitter asked AAP workers to see how "narrow-minded" Kejriwal was. He said his party was with the family of the deceased and action would be taken against those behind the murder. Responding, Kejriwal said: "BJP called us narrow-minded when we asked for justice." Vivek Tiwari (38) was shot Saturday by constables Prashant Chowdhury and Sandeep Kumar while he was going to drop his colleague Sana Khan. The two constables were arrested and dismissed from the job and an FIR was registered in the matter on the basis of a complaint by Sana. Tiwari was Sunday cremated at Bhaisakund in present of state minister Brijesh Pathak and local MLA Ashutosh Tondon and others. When asked about the incident Pathak said, "It's an unfortunate incident and we are with the family members of the victim. We will try to fast-track the case so that the family can get justice. I will also request Principal Secretary Home and the DGP to post sensitive policemen in big cities." "We will ensure strict action against the guilty. If needed, a CBI probe will also be recommended," he added. Expressing grief over the incident, UP DGP OP Singh said no amount of apology would suffice for the loss of a precious life or heal and wounds of the devastated family. "My heart goes out for the little daughters, wife and family members of Vivek Tiwari. I share my grief with them," he said, adding such deviant, "criminal behaviour" was reprehensible and deserved the strictest punishment. "We are determined to punish and wean out such rogues in uniform who hang our heads in shame, at the same time we have also embarked on systemic reforms through behavioural training and humanisation of the force," the DGP said. "As we are striving hard for a 360-degree reform of UP Police, it's my request to all of you to not consider the aberration of Lucknow incident as a reflection of what we truly stand for. I solicit your forgiveness, best wishes and cooperation in the journey of reformation ahead," he added. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had on Saturday said a CBI inquiry would be recommended if needed. Constable Chaudhary, however, said after noticing some "suspicious activity", he asked the victim to come out of the SUV but he did not and instead tried to hit him and he had to open fire in self-defence. A fired bullet pierced the windscreen as the car rammed into a pillar, police had said. The autopsy report had later confirmed the death was caused by gunshot injuries. District Magistrate Kaushalraj Sharma has ordered a magisterial inquiry in the case and a SIT was also constituted by the DGP to probe the matter. (With Inputs from PTI) By IANS AGARTALA: BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Sunday demanded a fresh probe into the death of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, who he claimed died not in a plane crash but while in Soviet custody. "I am requesting the Modi government to institute a fresh commission to inquire into the mysterious death of Subhas Chandra Bose," Swamy told the media here. He said: "Joseph Stalin was instrumental in murdering Netaji and he did not die in the plane crash of August 18, 1945 as is widely believed. In no hospital the body or Netaji's remains were found. "The plane crash incident was staged as a decoy by the Japanese to enable him to escape to Soviet Russia where he had contacts. The Japanese had to do this to save him from post-war trial as a war criminal. "Netaji sneaked into Soviet Russia through Manchurian border within days of the so-called reported air crash," Swamy claimed. But Swamy said Stalin betrayed Bose and sent him to a Siberian prison where he was shot dead. Stalin communicated this to then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. "Information in this regard is now slowly trickling out and very soon everything will be known." the Rajya Sabha member said. "When I was the Law Minister in the government of Chandra Shekhar, I had recommended not to bring Netaji's so-called ashes from Tokyo, kept since September 1945, as these ashes might not be of Netaji." Swamy said that no previous commission which probed the death of Netaji considered these vital evidences. Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: An assistant sales manager of a multinational company was shot dead by a police constable early on Saturday after he allegedly tried to drive away in his SUV despite being asked to stop. Vivek Tewari, 38, was in the SUV with a former colleague, Sana Khan, when the incident took place in the posh Gomti Nagar area here around 1.30 am, the police said. Although there were conflicting claims over the shooting, constable Prashant Kumar and his colleague Sandeep Kumar, who was also present during the incident, have been arrested and a case registered against them for murder. The police admitted that excessive force was used, and both have been sacked. The post-mortem report said Vivek sustained a gunshot in his chin and may have died because of excessive loss of blood. The viscera of the victim has been preserved for further investigation, Additional Director General of Police (law & order) Anand Kumar said, adding a thorough probe into the incident was being conducted. It is a very sad incident. Such criminal offences will not be accepted by govt. Immediate action was taken; the accused arrested&case registered. For the family of the deceased, govt will provide all kinds of aid needed by the family: UP CM Yogi Adityanath on #VivekTiwari case pic.twitter.com/qzhKmH5dPf ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 30, 2018 Sources said Vivek was returning home after an office event when he was shot. He was supposed to drop Sana at her residence, also situated in Gomti Nagar. SIT probing murder, CBI if need be: Yogi Prashant Kumar told reporters he was on patrol duty with his colleague when he noticed a stationary SUV. The lights were off and when we approached the vehicle it suddenly reversed, hit our motorcycle and tried to drive away.Lucknow SSP Kalanidhi Naithani claimed the constable fired in self-defence, believing that some criminal was in the car. Sana, however, contested the constables version. She said the vehicle was moving slowly and was not stationary. When the policemen approached us Vivek sir tried to speed up because the road was deserted and he may have thought it is not safe to stop with a woman in the vehicle.While trying to negotiate the vehicle hit the police motorcycle, she added.After Vivek got shot, Sana looked around for the cops, but they were elusive, she told officials. Shame for us, says ADGP Its a shameful incident for us... The post mortem report establishes a bullet injury on the left side of the chin, said Addl Director General of Police Anand Kumar Richa Sharma By Express News Service NEW DELHI: There must be a standard set of rules for diversion of forest land for infrastructure projects under 10 sectors, including thermal power, mining and hydroelectricity, an expert committee under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has recommended. Environmentalists, however, say this would be retrograde. As of now, the rules to get forest clearance are different for each of these sectors. The Forest Advisory Committee (FAC), in a meeting on August 30, recommended standard Stage-I and Stage-II forest clearance conditions for hydroelectric, industry, irrigation, railway, mining, road, thermal, transmission, wind power and pipeline projects. The FAC... accepted the recommendation of Dr Tejender Singhs committee regarding standard and general conditions for different projects. The project-wise standard Stage-I and Stage-II conditions along with template of forwarding letter with regard to various categories of projects is recommended to be incorporated with specific conditions in all approvals granted under the provisions of FCA 1980, read the minutes of the meeting, which were submitted to the ministry. The recommendation for infrastructure projects comes within 100 days of the Environment ministry releasing similar standard conditions for clearance in 25 industrial sectors. Kanchi Kohli, legal research director, CPR-Namati Environment Justice Programme, said the very idea of standard rules was retrograde as it meant getting environmental clearance was merely an administrative formality. Each case of diversion (of forest land) is unique and requires deep inquiry of impact before decisions are taken. Through such a process, the government might be able to expedite approvals, but will fail in environmental stewardship. Aim is to simplify forest clearance process: Govt Tushar Dash, of Vasundhara, working in the area of Forests Rights Act (FRA), expressed concern over the non-compliance with FRA even in the present legal regime.All formats for forest clearance require a certificate from the collector to ensure FRA compliance. But the FRA and the guidelines issued earlier by the Ministry in 2009 require certificates from gram sabhas on completion of forest rights recognition process and the consent of the gram sabha. These statutory requirements are being rampantly violated in the forest clearance process, resulting in violation of forest rights across the states, he said. Environment Ministry officials said the attempt was to simplify and bring transparency in the whole process while cutting down unnecessary delays for appraising projects. Sources said the Ministry was likely to accept the FACs recommendations. Since May 2014, the ministry has taken a series of steps to ease green clearance rules for industry. During 2014-17, 1,419 proposals for development projects involving 36,575 hectares of forest land were given forest clearances. The average processing time for green clearance has come down from 580 days to 180 days. Harpreet Bajwa By Express News Service CHANDIGARH: It has been more than forty-one days since Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh announced that he along with his cabinet ministers, Members of Parliament and MLAs of the ruling Congress party would donate one month's salary each to help the flood-hit people of Kerala but it seems that the state government has forgotten to send the same. Sources pointed out that the Kerala government is still waiting for that money to reach them. While a few Congress legislators have sent their one month's salary cheques to the party office in the state assembly but they are lying in a cupboard in the office only. It is learnt that the one month's salary of the Punjab CM, cabinet ministers and the rest more than 50 ruling party MLAs approximately comes to Rs 70 lakh. A cabinet minister under anonymity said that a form was sent to him which he filled and sent it back but he was not asked to fill any cheque regarding his one month salary. He said that he had got his salary but till date has not sent any cheque as no one demanded the same from him. On August 19, it was announced that all MPs and MLAs of the Punjab Congress, led by Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, will donate their one-month salary to support the Kerala flood relief measures. The decision followed a directive from AICC president Rahul Gandhi to all Congress members of Parliament and members of Legislative Assemblies across the country to give a month's salary each to help Kerala. Amarinder had then announced his decision to immediately donate his one-month salary to ensure speedy relief. Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Sunil Jakhar then told party workers to ensure the money reached the Kerala authorities over the next two-three days. The decision to donate a month's salary came a day after Amarinder announced Rs 10 crore in aid for the flood-ravaged state. While Rs 5 crore was transferred to the Kerala CM's Relief Fund, the remaining was sent in the form of ready-to-eat food and other essential supplies. The State Government has already dispatched four plane loads of 150 MTs of relief material for the relief and rehabilitation of the flood affected people of Kerala. A few days back, the officials of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau contributed a day's salary to help the people of the flood-ravaged state. ADGP-cum-Chief Director Vigilance Bureau B K Uppal handed over a cheque of Rs 5 lakh to CM Amarinder. By PTI PITHORAGARH: Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims said they have returned home impressed by the infrastructure coming up on the Tibetan side of the India-China border beyond the Lipulekh pass. While a robust infrastructure is being built up fast by China across the border in western Tibet, the work on the Indian side is disappointingly slow, pilgrims returning from the recently concluded yatra told PTI. Sudhir Verma, a resident of Nainital district, who was part of the 16th batch of the yatra this year, said the Indian roads may be still 75 km away from the pass whereas the Chinese have already reached around 500 metre. The three motor roads being constructed to link the last Indian border post along the India-China border are progressing at a disappointingly slow pace, he said. According to Dharchula Sub Divisional Magistrate R K Pandey, work on Sobla-Sela-Tedang motor road in Darma valley of Pithoragarh is stuck at Pangbawey locality due to huge leaning rocks, while the construction of Ghatiabagar-Lipulekh road is going on at a snail's pace at Nazang for the last one year. The 61 km motor road, aimed at linking the last security post along the India-China border in Johar valley of Munsiyari sub division has been constructed only up to 18 km till date in 10 years, Munsiyari SDM K N Goswami said. Construction of the road began in 2008, and was to be completed in the year 2012, but still only 18 km of it has been built, Goswami said. According to Sudhir Verma and his wife Sunita Verma, who travelled to Kailash Mansarovar this year, the Chinese would reach the border post by the end of this year as they were working with high pace. During our short stay in Tibet, we witnessed that Chinese labourers start work at 8 am sharp and go on at constant pace to achieve their target," Sudhir said. Dharmendra Upadhaya, another pilgrim from India, said the Chinese have constructed a four-lane road up to Taklakot on way to Lipulekh, but we have not even repaired our trek route yet. Had the trek route been cleared up to Gunji , we would have preferred to undertake the yatra through that," Upadhaya said. Pithoragarh District Magistrate C Ravishankar said," The civil administration has been assured by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) that the road under construction at Vyas valley will be completed by 2020. Dinesh Gururani, an employee of Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam, said when he used to dispatch batches of pilgrims from the last Indian camp at Nabhidhang some 30 years ago, the Indian pilgrims used to travel more than 10 km to reach vehicles in China. "However, today the Chinese have constructed their road close to the Lipulekh pass. If any Chinese trader comes to India, as they are supposed to do under the India-China border trade, they will have to travel over 75 km to reach the first Indian motor road, Gururani said. Sanjeev Kumar, a liaison officer for the 15th batch of the yatra, told PTI that the Chinese have not only constructed a four-lane road up to last border post at Lipulekh pass from their side, but also constructed a network of roads on nearby mountains of Taklakot to tackle natural disasters. The under-construction 75 km Ghatiabagar to Lipulekh motor road, on the last station of Tanakpur to Tawaghat road, that will link the last Indian border post with the rest of the country was proposed in the year 1998 but its construction began in 2007. The road that was to be completed in the year 2013 is still under construction and getting delayed due to slow pace of work and weather conditions, the Dharchula SDM said. However, some Indian officials are hopeful about completion of the roads in a few years. Being situated in Tibetan plateau, the Chinese are in an advantage as far as road construction on Mansarovar route is concerned whereas the Indian side is full of rocky and steep terrains which make road building difficult. "Despite challenges posed by rocky terrain, the construction of a road ahead of Nabhidhang has been completed already and hard rocks are being cut near Nazang and Malpa, said Roshan Lal Sharma, an IPS officer and a liaison officer for the 9th batch of the yatra. Prabhu Chawla By History repeats itself. In politics, more farcically so. Leaders selectively invoke the Moirai of political fatalism to punish and pulverise their opponents. Not only is the script readily available in the archaic archives of scandal and spin, the weapons of crass destruction, too, are accessible to denouncers on a warpath. The current kerfuffle over the Rs 57,000 crore Rafale deal signed with France by the NDA government is the Bofors Redux of this age. Karma is an itch; just as in 1986 the entire non-Congress Opposition led by rebel Congress leader VP Singh raked up the Rs 1,600 crore Bofors deal to discredit and defeat Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, this time the Opposition has banded together to slay the Modi dragon in 2019. For the past few weeks, leaders from both the BJP and the Opposition have been engaged in a vitriolic war of words over the purchase agreement of the French fighter planes. Has Rahul Gandhi become a cynical conjurer in powers hall of mirrors? He seems to have taken a cue from the past and has adopted the techniques, slogans, narrative and nuances VP Singh had deployed to vilify his father Rajiv, who was called a chor (thief) inside and outside Parliament. Decades later, Rahul is returning the compliment with extra ferocity and regularity. The entire Congress establishment has been pressed into service to trend the hashtag DeshkaChowkidarchorhai to tar the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In return, the BJP widened its mortar range with RahulKaKhandanChorHai. No student of political history can miss the commonalities between Bofors and Rafale, which are decades apart in time but uncomfortably close in the blame game: * Both Bofors and Rafale hit the headlines just a year before Lok Sabha elections. * The main target then and nowthe Prime Minister of India. * Individuals perceived to be close to the prime minister accused of influencing the contracts. While in 1989, Ottavio Quattrocchi, an Italian businessman close to the Gandhis was suspected to be the main force and beneficiary of the Bofors contract, now Anil Ambani is portrayed as the biggest gainer of the Rafale agreement. * The Opposition had charged Rajivs PMO with driving the Bofors deal through personal negotiations with Swedish leaders. Now the Congress is accusing Modi of following the same tactic by imposing Ambani as a joint venture partner with Dassault Aviation, Rafales manufacturers. * In 1989, the combined Opposition including the BJP had demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe the Bofors deal. Its the same story today, but with the BJP at the receiving end. * The Bofors fire was sparked by a Swedish radio report. The first match on Rafale was struck by French website Mediapart probing a quid pro quo between Reliance, which had partially financed a movie by Julie Gayet, and her partner, French President Francois Hollande, who was in power when the aircraft deal was struck. In 1987, Swedish national radio had announced that 33 million Swedish kroner (Rs 6.5 crore) were paid to an Indian middleman to broker the sale of Bofors guns to India. Hollande told Mediapart that Ambani was the Indian governments choice and he had no say in the matter. * The defence by the Congress government then and the BJP now is eerily similar. When the political Fahrenheit began to make Rajiv sweat, his government claimed the allegations against the prime minister were just one more link in the chain of denigration and destabilisation of our political system. No surprise, the Congress Working Committee headed by Rajiv himself revived mother Indira Gandhis malignant mythology of a sinister move by the forces of imperialism... through a calculated campaign of calumny, and warned about the role of the foreign hand conspiring to destabilize the government and demolish the PMs image. This time, the BJP and its ministers are attacking the Congress using the same verbiage. Saffron luminaries are painting Rahul Gandhi as a member of a foreign coalition including Pakistan, aiming to topple the Modi government. * Then, the BJP and it political brethren pressed for a JPC on Bofors. Now the Congress and its allies want the same mechanism to examine Rafale. But history also shows the mask of mala fide truth seeking has a contrarian side, too. * There were clear charges of commission paid to middlemen in the Bofors deal. Senior government officials, NRIs and arms dealers were named in the charge sheet. In the Rafale controversy, there are no accusations of financial irregularities or corruption so far. * In 1989, the entire Opposition and a section of the Congress banded together against Rajiv Gandhi. In 2019, the united BJP is resolutely behind Modi while the Opposition is divided on the course of action, which weakens the Congress trigger hand. * The CAG had raised questions over the technical justification and financials of the Bofors agreement. No such official scrutiny or audit has been assigned for the Rafale deal. In every war since the dawn of time, clouds of dust have periodically obscured battlefields, sometimes leading the warriors to lose perspective. Lost in the fury of conflict is the tragic fact that in both, the Bofors and Rafale cases, the merit of the weapon is not in question. The acquisition of defence equipment is a minefield of careers, and the players are constantly being caught in political crossfire for four decades. As far back as in the time of Indias first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, a scandal over the irregular purchase of jeeps for the Army had led to a purge in the bureaucracy and the Cabinet. Subsequently, many major defence deals involving submarines from France, MIGs from Russia, Mirage aircraft from France and sundry other equipment have grabbed the headlines and dictated the agenda in and outside Parliament. According to defence experts, it is rival arms lobbies that are the hothouse of scandals: the agents and their collaborators in politics, the armed forces and the bureaucracy provide ammunition against their competitors to gain the upper hand in contracts. It is only in India that each and every defence procurement deal seems to reach the medias eyes and ears even before it is finalised by the authorities. As major defence purchases come under public glare, the Indian defence forces keep falling to friendly fire, their morale affected and their fighting capabilities crippled. According to a deposition made by the forces, over two-thirds of Army equipment is obsolete. The Indian Air Force is operating with less than half the number of fighter jets needed for a two-front war against Pakistan and China. By buying just 36 Rafale planes out of the 126 originally demanded by the IAF, Indias strike power has been seriously diluted. Moreover, the sustained and dirty competitive intervention by the invisible hands of defence agents is hobbling the expansion and manufacturing capacity of indigenous defence producers like HAL. Unless the ominous influence of the global network of defence lobbyists is eradicated, India will remain at the mercy of foreign suppliers. In the current match over Rafale, the winner, as usual, will be politics, while yet another wound is inflicted on our paralysed defence system that continues to fester and bleed. T J S George By Imagine the Pope criticising Jesus Christ. If that is too ecclesiastical, imagine Sitaram Yechury rewriting Karl Marx. Actually we cannot imagine either because the Catholic church and the Communist Party are rule-bound doctrinaire establishments that do not brook deviations. So is the RSS. Therefore, technically, we cannot imagine Mohan Bhagwat going against the tenets of M S Golwalkar, as sacrosanct in the RSS universe as K B Hedgewar. Yet it happened. In his eleventh year as the acclaimed supremo of the RSS, Mohan Bhagwat said that Bunch of Thoughts, the Golwalkar book that has been the Gita-Bible-Koran of RSS cadres, was not to be taken seriously today. Those thoughts pertained to a particular context and need not be considered as eternally valid. Times change and, accordingly, our thoughts, too, must change. Hedgewar himself had said, Bhagwat reminded his people, that we are free to adapt to times as they change. Bhagwat did not stop with Golwalkar. In the course of a three-day lecture series in Delhi, he decimated many Holy Cows of the RSS. When Hindutvavadis had been declaring that they would re-write the Constitution to fit into Deendayal Upadhyayas vision of Dharmarajya, Bhagwat said: The Sangh works after accepting the primacy of the Constitution and we respect it fully. No reference here to the BJPs standing objections to the words secular and socialist in the Constitution. Bhagwat also rejected a view expressed by BJP boss Amit Shah, whose capacity to make coarse statements has been harming the country internally and internationally. Shahs call for a Congress-mukt Bharat had become notorious because it actually meant an Opposition-mukt Bharat lying at the feet of a monopolistic BJP. Bhagwat said: We are for all-inclusive Bharat, we are not about mukt. He even complimented the Congress, which had many great personalities who sacrificed their lives and who still inspire us. The concept of Hindutva, too, was revised by Bhagwat. Savarkar, who had coined the word Hindutva, was clear that Hindu Rashtra should be peopled by only those who descended from Hindu culture. Bhagwat turned that theory on its head and said: Hindu Rashtra does not mean that there is no place for Muslims. If it is said that Muslims cannot stay in India, it wont be Hindutva any more. From the same chair Bhagwat now occupies, Golwalkar had referred to the hostility and murderous mood of Muslims and declared: Foreign races must lose their separate existence to merge in the Hindu race. Otherwise they may stay in the country wholly subordinated to the Hindu nation, deserving no privileges. What is going on? How can the RSS head move so far away from the positions his predecessors had taken? Bhagwat is by no means a lesser RSS ideologue. Therefore there must be a reason for him to discard old orthodoxies and embark on a course that looks reasonable, fair, progressive and populist. The explanation most people will accept is that Mohan Bhagwat is merely softening the RSS-BJPs image at election time. Fringe groups like Bajrang Dal and Sri Ram Sene run amok hurting BJPs voter appeal. Although the RSS helped the VHP to create Bajrang Dal as a bunch of street fighters in the run-up to the Ayodhya movement, Bajrangis had become an embarrassment and the RSSs attempt to wrest back control of VHP and Bajrang Dal did not really succeed. Is Bhagwat giving a message that these groups must be checked, that steps must be taken to remove the impression that lynchers have tacit government backing? It may be too much to hope that Bhagwat also wanted to send a signal to Amit Shah. For all his excesses, Shah is building a grass-roots network the RSS always wanted the BJP to do.So, is Bhagwats new stance a genuine attempt to discard the RSSs image as a hidebound, overly religious, intolerant and ultimately cold-blooded ideological outfit and recast it in a more acceptable garb suited to the modern age? The farce of Indias HRD minister rejecting Darwins theory and the science minister saying that Vedic theory was superior to E = mc2 has made India a laughing stock among educated people. That such Neanderthals, unknown to the public before, became ministers of the Republic of India did no good to either the Modi Government or the RSS. If the RSS chief is making an attempt to save his flock from the fossilised minds wearing the Hindu cap, it would be a service to the nation. But can even Mohan Bhagwat get rid of the medievalists in his camp? Egypt's Ministry of Higher Education congratulated on Sunday Egyptian chemist Shaimaa Gohar for receiving an award from the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) in recognition of her efforts in fighting hepatic diseases. IUPAC, an international scientific organisation established in 1919 by chemists from academia and industry, is the self-described world authority on chemical nomenclature and terminology, including the naming of new elements on the periodic table. The international organisation is awarding 118 young chemists in celebration of its 100th anniversary. Gohar is a graduate from the chemistry department at Banha University, and is pursuing her Masters in medicinal chemistry. After completing her Bachelors degree, Gohar was awarded the prestigious fellowship Scientists for the Next Generation by the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology in Egypt. Gohar is an alumnus of the 67th Lindau Nobel Laureate meeting dedicated to Chemistry that was held in Lindau, Germany 2017. She is also a Robert Bosch Foundation fellow at the European Forum Alpbach, which was held in Austria earlier this year. Search Keywords: Short link: By Express News Service VISAKHAPATNAM: The 36th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited, the Navratna PSU, was held in Visakhapatnam on Saturday. While RINL CMD PK Rath chaired the meeting, Ministry of Steel (MoS) director Neeraj Agrawal attended the AGM on behalf of the President of India as the authorised nominee. Rath addressed the shareholders of the RINL and announced that the company recorded growth in all major areas of production during FY2017-18, with a growth of 17 per cent in saleable steel production. The BF coke rate, PCI rate, labour productivity and specific energy consumption achieved during the year have been the best for any year since inception. The company registered a sales turnover of Rs16,618 crore, a growth of 31 per cent. The saleable steel sales volume was higher by 21 per cent and the company could achieve an earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of Rs 346.19 crore against a negative EBITDA of Rs 263.89 crore in the previous year, the CMD said. He also said that the company had incurred a net loss of Rs 1,369.01 crore compared to Rs 1,263.16 crore in the previous year, mainly on account of a provision of Rs 541.05 crore towards the gratuity liability, subsequent to the amendment to the Gratuity Act. By Express News Service GUNTUR: A Who team visited government hospital in Tenali on Saturday. Hospital superintendent Dr. M Sanat Kumar explained the team about 22 medical services being provided to patients under various government schemes through a PowerPoint Presentation. Sanat Kumar informed that gynecologists, paediatricians, blood bank staff and other medical departments received awards for offering best services. She also explained about biowaste management being implemented on the hospital premises. The WHO team led by senior operational officer Rary L Heart interacted with patients and enquired about medical services being provided there. They also visited the newly constructed Mother and Child ward and expressed satisfaction over sanitation, pest control system and security being maintained in the hospital. By Express News Service TUMKARU: Small Scale Industries minister S R Srinivas' confidante and the former Mayor of Tumakuru City Corporation (TCC) Ravikumar (41) of the Janatha Dal (Secular) has been hacked to death by an unidentified gang here at Batawadi area off NH-48 in the early hours of Sunday. The assailants attacked him with long knives and hit his neck and escaped. The body was found lying in a pool of blood and his supporters burst into tears when they were told about the murder. The incident occurred in the same city ward that the victim was elected as the JD(S) party corporator in the recently held polls. He was fielded by the minister against the wishes of a gang led by Topi Sathisha. During the polls, they had clashed at the same spot where Ravi was hacked to death. The police said the identity of the assailants is yet to be ascertained. The involvement of Topi Sathisha is yet to be confirmed as well. Ravikumar was also a history-sheeter under Kyathsandra police limits. As a Mayor, he made a name for himself by ensuring the issuing of title deeds for poor residents who had occupied government lands for shelter. According to residents of the area, Ravi had finished his morning walk and had two cups of coffee at a tea-stall run by his uncle. He was about to leave when one of the gang members sprayed pepper powder on his face. Soon a gang of six to seven persons attacked him with long knives and after confirming he was dead, they sped away in a canter goods carrier, sources said. The police have started an investigation on different angles including an old rivalry with a gang, political feud and also of an alleged extramarital affair with the wife of a politician. The gang, suspected to be from Bengaluru, was given supari to eliminate Ravi and it was closely watching his routine and as he was alone on Sunday it went ahead with the plan, sources said. The ASP Dr Shobharani formed two teams including the Kyathsandra CPI Ramakrishna to crack the case. From Autowallah to Mayor: Hailing from a small village Kodiyala, near Cheluru in Gubbi taluk, Ravikumar used to drive an auto rickshaw for livelihood. He came in touch with another rowdy sheeter Batawadi Anjini. He took him as a role model observed some of his friends who were corporators. He is survived by his wife, son and parents. By Express News Service BENGALURU: The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) officials had to face the ire of students on Saturday as thousands of them were forced to stand in long queues at the Kempegowda Bus Station despite being promised delivery of bus passes at their doorsteps by the transport utility. While earlier the BMTC had promised a completely online process, it has now asked thousands of students to apply in person at the pass counters. Students were also angry that only eight counters were operational at the bus stand. According to the students, the BMTC had reneged on its earlier promise of having the passes delivered to their doorstep. Several students said they had tried the online application process, which was unsuccessful for them, leading to the queues on Saturday. In the beginning, BMTC said students just have to apply online and the passes will be delivered to our address and we can pay during the delivery. Now, it has asked us to get it done in person and only eight counters are opened because of which we had to stand in a queue for the entire day, said a student of Bangalore University. Others blamed the BMTC for setting up only eight counters to deal with the huge rush. Colleges have re-opened since three months and we are struggling to get the passes since then. Today we have been standing here since 5 am to get the pass as we have to pay every day to travel, said Bhoomika, a PUC student. BMTC cites incomplete application forms A top BMTC official said more than 60,000 applications for bus passes submitted online by college students had numerous problems, so the passes couldnt be delivered to them by the end of September as assured. Those with problems were asked to collect them in person from counters in Kempegowda Bus Station or special counters in Shantinagar Bus Station. Of the nearly 3 lakh bus passes meant for school and college students, 1.5 lakh have been despatched, said K R Viswanath, Chief Traffic Manager (Operations), BMTC. We did not have any problems in them as schools have a unique student ID for each pass and this made our job easy, he said. However, in case of forms submitted by students up to the PUC level, many forms were not complete or discrepancies were found. The email IDs were missing, the photographs did not tally with the college ID, the termination and destination bus stops were missing and so on. The problems in forms are plenty and so passes could not be issued for such forms numbering between 60,000 and 70,000, the manager said, adding that the process of issuing bus passes to all students will be completed within a fortnight. BMTC extends deadline On Saturday, the BMTC extended the date for travelling without passes for school and college students up to October 31. The deadline for travel on buses using alternative documents was supposed to expire on Sunday (September 30). An official release today said primary, high school and PUC students can continue to travel to schools using the acknowledgement given for applying for bus passes along with school or college fee receipt and ID card. In the case of students from Class I to 12 (CBSE, ICSE), degree college, professional college, diploma, postgraduate and other institutions, the school/college ID along with latest fee receipt needs to be carried. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kannur Airport will be ready for commercial operations this year, with as many as 17 airlines, including 11 international ones, coming forward to fly in and out of it. Chairing the Kannur International Airport Limited's (KIAL) annual general body meeting here on Saturday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is also the KIAL chairman, gave the details. The CM said there has been a major progress in its construction. Work on the runway and airside worth Rs 694 crore and on the terminal building, along with metal detectors, baggage handling system, check-in counters, emigration check points, lifts, escalators and passenger boarding bridge, worth Rs 498 crore have been completed. The ground-handling work is being carried out by Air India Air Transport Services Ltd, a subsidiary of Air India and Celebi Ground Handling Delhi Pvt Ltd. Services on offer INTERNATIONAL: Emirates, Etihad, Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Gulf Air, Saudia, Silk Air, Air Asia, Malindo Air DOMESTIC: Air India, Air India Express, Jet Airways, Indigo, Spice Jet, GoAir 613 CISF personnel to maintain security The CISF has decided to appoint 613 security personnel for airport security. They will take charge from October 1. The state police will be deployed on a temporary basis for emigration clearance. By PTI THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Over two decades before the Supreme Court allowed entry of women of all ages into the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala, a woman IAS officer had visited the hill shrine as part of her official duty, armed with a special order from the high court. Braving threats from conservatives and the tough terrains of the hillock, K B Valsala Kumari, then collector of Pathanamthitta district, visited the temple complex at least four times during 1994-95, aged 41. Though women in the 10-50 age group were barred from entering the hill shrine then, the Kerala High Court allowed Kumari to visit the shrine to coordinate the activities of various agencies as part of the preparations of the annual pilgrim season. The court, however, had observed that her visit would not be connected with the pilgrimage and it would be strictly part of her official duties as the district collector. The woman officer was also asked not to climb the 'Pathinettam Padi', the sacred 18 gold-plated steps, leading to the sanctum sanctorum. "I could visit Sabarimala at that age, thanks to the high court order. Now, the apex court has thrown open the doors to women of all age groups. The verdict is really good," she said. An ardent devotee of Lord Ayyppa, Kumari was the first woman to visit the Sabarimala shrine with legal backing. The officer had ignored threat letters against visiting the shrine. Kumari, who has retired from the service now, said she climbed the sacred steps and offered worship to Lord Ayyappa only after she turned 50. ALSO READ: Impossible to ensure safety of women at Sabarimala, says Ex-Kerala Chief Secretary "I had no permission to go and see the Lord Ayyappa idol when I reached Sabarimala with the court order. But, I prayed with folded hands and meditated for a while standing below the holy steps," she told PTI. The former bureaucrat welcomed the recent Supreme Court order opening the portals of Sabarimala to women of all ages, and said anyone whose mind and body was pure can visit the shrine. Recalling her visit to the temple, she said in 1994 the high court had sought details of the preparatory works being carried out at the shrine by the government departments as part of the next pilgrimage season. Kumari said she was told by her higher-ups that she could not go to the temple as there was a court order preventing the entry of women aged between 10-50 years. "So, I informed the high court that I really wanted to visit the temple and collect details. But I am unable to go (because of the bar)," Kumari said. Based on a request by her, the court granted her special permission to visit the temple and inspect the arrangements. An excited Kumari said she still has vivid memories of the hour-long trekking to the abode of Lord Ayyappa. "It was really thrilling to experience the places and sights that we had heard a lot from others," she said. The journey also had given the officer an opportunity to have first-hand knowledge about sanitation issues and a grave garbage problem at Sabarimala and the temple premises. "Heaps of garbage could be seen even near the temple. Decayed flower garlands, pooja articles and clothes being dumped for years could also be seen there," Kumari, who was later entrusted with the massive sanitation drive at the shrine by the government, recollected. Realising the fragile ecosystem of Sabarimala hills, the officer had introduced nature-friendly toilets in the region. Instead of concrete structures, trenches with reusable aluminum covers were brought in as make-shift toilets, she said, adding no tree was cut. She also took the initiative to clean Pamba river at the foothills and make available safe drinking water in Sabarimala. The woman officer also conceptualised and set up the Sabarimala Sanitation Society (SSS), an exclusive cleaning machinery for the hillock shrine. "I myself took part in various drives carried out by the SSS volunteers in cleaning the river and removing the left over clothes by devotees," she said. Kumari said she could perform her duties in a better way only because she got a chance to visit Sabarimala and experience the ground reality there. The former IAS officer, who garnered accolades for various initiatives as the head of all-women network Kudumbashree, said the infrastructure and the facilities at Sabarimala should be made "women-friendly" in the wake of the apex court order. "We can ensure women devotees a smooth darshan through better planning. Special queue system can be put in place for them. Certain days or weeks can be reserved only for women to offer worship," she suggested. The Supreme Court had on September 28 lifted the ban on the entry of women aged between 10-50 years to the hill shrine, holding that the centuries-old Hindu religious practice was illegal and unconstitutional. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A day after the Supreme Court judgment allowing women devotees unfettered access to Sabarimala, the state police have recommended a slew of proposals to the government as part of security arrangements. The meeting of the police brass held here on Saturday in the post-SC verdict scenario, chaired by DGP Loknath Behera, decided to accord top priority to crowd management at the hill shrine. A senior woman police officer will be deputed in Sabarimala to oversee the security arrangements. Around 500 women police officers will have to be deployed along the Nilakkal-Pampa and Pampa- Sannidhanam route. Selected women officers will be given the training to undertake various duties. The meeting also decided to inform the government and the Travancore Devaswom Board to make the necessary arrangements for the women officers accommodation. The mobilisation of women police personnel from the other states as promised earlier will be considered by the Kerala Police. Though the trekking paths to be used by women - apart from the traditional trekking path from Pampa - figured in the discussions, the meeting felt the women pilgrims could be allowed only through the traditional trekking path. A committee headed by Thiruvananthapuram Range IG Manoj Abraham to ensure proper surveillance systems, including drones for the safety of women pilgrims, has been set up. According to Behera, the high-powered meeting scheduled for Monday will take the call on the polices recommendations. The SC verdict has put the state police force under tremendous pressure and has forced them to devise an entirely new policing action plan for Sabarimala. The major challenge before the police is the crowd management in the upcoming season. ALSO READ | Sabarimala verdict: Religious practices no-go area for courts, says Justice Indu Malhotra The Virtual -Q crowd management system introduced by the Kerala Police has proved a major success in handling the rush of pilgrims during the peak season and already nearly 20 lakh pilgrims are utilising the system for darshan. Hence, the police will also make some changes to the portal to accommodate the women pilgrims. State government begins assessing situation TPuram:In the wake of the SC verdict lifting the ban on women entry to Sabarimala, the state government has begun assessing the situation and the practical aspects of implementing it. Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran has made it clear that the apex court verdict would be implemented through consensus. In view of the verdict, the state will soon begin preparations to create additional facilities. A Chief Minister-level review would be held to look into the existing scenario and the practical issues associated with it before another review meeting to be convened by the Devaswom Minister on October 17. The practical aspects of the verdict should also be taken into consideration. Discussions will be held with the Devaswom Board, the thantri family and other stakeholders. Based on which the government will arrange necessary facilities to accommodate the additional number of pilgrims coming to the hill shrine, said ministers office. Sudhakaran hails SC verdict on Sabarimala as historic Kozhikode: Hailing the Supreme Court verdict permitting women of all age groups to enter Sabarimala, Minister of Public Works Department G Sudhakaran said it was a historical judgment. He was speaking to the media after inaugurating the Bicentenary Memorial Court Complex at the District Court Complex here on Saturday. Both the Supreme Court and the Kerala High Court have been pronouncing landmark judgments these days. They signify the strength of the Constitution. In fact, it is the Constitution that kept our country united saving it from the attacks and assaults against democracy, he added. The state government will be making all necessary arrangements for women at Sabarimala, the minister said. The development activities have to be initiated by the Devaswom Board and the government will release the money to construct necessary facilities. This will be implemented soon. Also, security for women will also be arranged, he said. He said the apex court ruling has nothing to do with devotees beliefs. Nothing will happen if women between the ages of 10 and 50 enter Sabarimala, he said. George asks devotees to launch Jallikkettu-model protest Kottayam: Kerala Janapaksham leader P C George MLA has called up on the Hindu devotees to launch a Jallikkettu-model protest to protect the custom and traditions of Sabarimala. He said those belonging to other religions, who want to ensure the protection of faiths, will lend their support to such protests. Under the cover of Supreme Court order, some atheists, pseudo feminists and fake monks are engaged in a campaign to dishonour the Sabarimala temple and its customs. As per belief, Lord Ayyappa in the form of naishtika brahmachari (eternal celibate) likes the presence of women as mother and daughter in Sabarimala. At the same time, some people want to break this belief, raised the issue of discrimination to achieve their goals, said George. He expressed hope that the Supreme Court would change its order sooner than later. Indu Malhotras views sensible: R Ramachandran Nair Kochi:The views expressed by Supreme Court Judge Indu Malhotra in her dissenting verdict pointing out it was not for courts to determine which religious practices are to be struck down, were sensible, said former Chief Secretary R Ramachandran Nair. People who have visited the hill shrine at least once will understand the difficulties involved in the issue, he said. It is practically impossible to ensure safety of women at Sabarimala where lakhs of pilgrims congregate during the Mandala-Makaravilakku season. There are only limited facilities at the Sannidhanam and the devotees scramble for space to take rest. Even if the government deploys a large number of women cops, they wont be able to ensure protection to women, said Ramachandran Nair. SC verdict to affect faith of devotees Sabarimala: The All-India Brahmin Federation has said the Supreme Court order allowing entry of women of all ages to Lord Ayyappa temple would affect the faith of devotees and it would have far-reaching consequences on the religious institutions. Brahmin federation national vice-president and thantri Akeeramon Kalidasa Bhattathiri said the verdict was disappointing and sad for the crores of Sabarimala pilgrims. Protection and continuance of temple customs and practices are integral parts of each temple, Akeeramon said. If the ongoing practices are at stake, the faith of the devotees will get hurt, the thantri said. SV Krishna Chaitanya By Express News Service CHENNAI:Even as the State government commenced preparatory works to deal with the forthcoming monsoon, India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday released northeast monsoon (NEM) seasonal outlook for October to December according to which Tamil Nadu is likely to witness 12 per cent excess rainfall. The NEM season is the major period of rainfall activity over the southern peninsula, particularly in the meteorological subdivisions of Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema and Tamil Nadu-Puducherry. For Tamil Nadu, this is the main rainy season accounting for about 48 per cent of annual rainfall. Coastal districts of the State get nearly 60 per cent of the annual rainfall and the interior districts get about 40-50 per cent of the annual rainfall. S Balachandran, Deputy director general of meteorology, Regional Meteorological Centre, told Express that rainfall over Tamil Nadu is most likely to be above normal, i.e. equal to or above 112 per cent of long period average (LPA), which is 438.2 mm, during the period. S Balachandran, deputy director general of meteorology, Regional Meteorological Centre, said it was indicative as NEM rainfall shows a high degree of variability of 27 per cent.The recent NEM seasons of 2015 and 2016 saw two extreme seasonal rainfall scenario. Whereas the NEM 2015 was +52 per cent over the Tamil Nadu sub division with some extremely heavy rainfall activity and unprecedented floods over the north coastal districts of Chennai, Kancheepuram and Thiruvallur. The NEM 2016 was the worst deficient at -62 per cent in the last 140 years. NEM 2017 under neutral conditions witnessed normal rainfall. The State had received 401 mm of rainfall between October and December as against normal rainfall of 442 mm, which is 9 per cent less. As per IMD, anything between -19 per cent to +19 per cent is considered normal. Balachandran said NEM onset depends on how fast south-west monsoon (SWM) withdraws. SWM started withdrawing from the western parts of Rajasthan from Tuesday morning.As per the IMD all-India weather inference, the typical anticyclone that shows signs of the monsoon on retreat, has been established. Normal date of onset of the NEM is around October 20 with a deviation of about a week on either side. Last year, the onset was on October 25 and the monsoon became active only in the first week of November. By Express News Service CHENNAI: Stating that he has decided not to take part in the valedictory of birth centenary of the late Chief Minister MG Ramachandran because the ruling AIADMK is politicising the event, DMK president MK Stalin on Saturday said I dont agree with this celebration as the name of MGR is being used for political mileage. In a statement here, he said I appreciate the political culture shown by the ruling party by mentioning my name in the invitation for MGR centenary celebrations, as Leader of Opposition. Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha M Thambidurai too expressed his wish that I should take part in the celebrations. But, I also understand the ulterior motive behind this celebrations and hence decided not to take part in this event.Recalling his association with MGR, Stalin said the friendship between MGR and his father M Karunanidhi was above political differences. Ajay Moses By Express News Service HYDERABAD: It is a blessing in disguise for BJP after actor P Babu Mohan joined the party following TRS partys denial of ticket to him to contest in the upcoming elections from Andhole in Medak district. On Saturday, Babu Mohan embraced the lotus symbol stole after a meeting with BJP president Amit Shah in New Delhi. The three-time MLA has changed three political parties in his career- TDP, TRS, and now the BJP. After being left disappointed on September 6 when TRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao did not include Babu Mohan in the first list of 105 candidates, a disgruntled Mohan had to pack his bags for a new political venture - to contest from BJP ticket in Andhole. The electoral battle in Andhole will now be interesting to look at as the BJP will join the fight for the Assembly seat as it had the least vote share in 2014 elections. The majority of electoral share, then, was only between the Congress and TRS at 46.74% and 48.57%, respectively. The BJP could manage only 1.71% vote share in a humiliating defeat. The BJP which does not have a stronghold among the SC community voters will take strength out of the new entrant. He is a three-time MLA, a celebrity and acted in more than 900 films, a person belonging to the SC community. He has won elections three times out of five. He is going to help the party win elections in Telangana, said K Laxman, BJP president (Telangana). The BJP will be making the most of his stature as Babu Mohan will be campaigning in not only Telangana but also Andhra Pradesh. He (Babu Mohan) will be joining us to campaign in elections of both the States, Laxman added. Congress is likely to give its party ticket to Damodar Raja Narasimha, former deputy chief minister of erstwhile Andhra who lost by a meagre 1.71 % vote share. And, the TRS has named C Kranthi Kiran, a former journalist, to be its candidate. The campaigning is set to be intense as the seat is anyone with the vote share set to split among the ruling party, BJP and Congress. Three-way contest likely in Andole Thanks to cine actor and MLA, Babu Mohans decision to change loyalties, there is a likelihood of three-way contest for the Andole Assembly seat in ensuing polls. Babu Mohan, a former TDP MLA who also served as Labour and Factories Minister, won Andole seat on a TRS ticket in 2014 polls. But caretaker CMs and TRS chief denied him the ticket this time around and an angry Babu Mohan joined BJP on Saturday.